Undead Rising- Transcendendence Reborn

by Roberta Bliss

  The tired group needed to rest and she was no exception. Sam wanted everyone to rest while she watched over us. Mom thought she needed as much rest as anyone, but Sam wouldn't listen. Sam was busy gathering supplies and making weapons out of tools from the garage. Bobbi and Quinn had already crashed out in Sam's room. Mom and Sam had moved James to the laundry room and Olivia, Edie, and Kat were left in the kitchen. Sam told Edie she would help her get a shower (since they miraculously still had running water) but that had been almost 20 minutes ago. Piper begged for her bowl to be filled again, almost as if she knew they were going on a journey soon.

  Kat knew that waiting for Sam would mean waiting too long for Edie so she decided, with the help of Olivia, they could take care of her. "How bad does it hurt still?" Kat asked observing the ice pack on her ankle.

  "I think it's swollen now."She grimaced and removed the ice, revealing a purple, swollen mass where her ankle should be.

  "I'm sorry" Kat squeezed her eyes shut as she touched the painful protrusion. She opened her eyes as the purple coloring slowly faded away. Kat noticed Olivia's mouth drop open and Edie's pained expression lifted into that of relief. Within seconds her ankle retreated to its normal size and color and she moved it with ease.

  She was off the bench standing on her newly healed leg, "OMG! What did you do?" " I don’t know" Kat shook her head in disb elief, "Really, I have no idea what just happened" Kat paused, "Mom! Sam! Come here quick!"

  Mom ran back to the kitchen upon hearing Kat's elated beckoning. She couldn't imagine what could make Kat call out like that. When mom reached the threshold of the kitchen she was struck by the sight of Edie standing effortlessly on both legs.

  "Aunt Lizzy, Kat just healed Edie" Olivia illuminated.

  "Healed?” Mom was dumbfounded, "what do you mean?"

  "She put her hands on Edie's ankle and it healed right in front of our eyes." Sam smacked her lips in derision, "Kat, we don't have time for games. Edie sit down before you make it worse." Sam shook her head.

  "For real Sam, look!" Edie lifted up her an kle to Sam’s eye view and verified that no false reports had been made. Just as Sam looked to accept the facts, strong thunderclouds clapped in the distance sending Piper into Kat’s open arms. When the excitement of Kat’s new found ability died down, the younger girls and Edie headed to the bathroom to wash up and get some rest. Sam maintained her vigil in the living room where she could keep an eye on most of the areas of the house.

  Mom needed time to say goodbye to James. She went unnoticed to the laundry room. She couldn't lift the blanket to see him. How can someone lose their husband and child in one day? If it weren't for the fact that she was the only adult left in the group of survivors she would want to be where he was right now. She imagined his world was better than the one they've been left behind in. Even though they didn't find any trace of baby James, it was impossible to hold out much hope that he was ok. Mom wanted to believe that someone rescued him and took him to one of the safe ships in Corpus, but was that really possible?

  Her thoughts were broken by the torrential downpour and what sounded like someone pounding on the front door. Mom ran to join Sam in the living room. The other girls must have already been asleep because there was no movement in the vicinity of the bedrooms. Sam held her finger to her mouth to silence anything that mom may have wanted to say. She had a secure vantage point out of the corner of the picture window. "It looks like a family with a little girl." She whispered.

  The man pounded on the door again. Sam motioned her mom to the window to take a look. They were soaking wet and the little girl was crying. Mom wanted to run out and grab the little girl and make everything all better. She knew that nothing could make their situation better, and it was much worse than she even imagined.

  "Do you see them?" Sam whispered motioning to the horde of people that looked like James had looked just before he was killed. They were closing in on the family making the little girl cry harder. The man began pleading for someone to open the door and let them in. He said that they weren’t infected, but that wasn’t the problem with their request. The problem was that if Sam opened the door, the undead mass would see that people were inside and would try to get in. At this point the house was dark and everyone else was asleep, The undead would have no reason to try to get in. Sam and mom's heart went out to the family, but they had to protect the people inside before someone they didn't know, even if that meant their lives were in imminent danger. Sam wished for a solution, she wanted to help. She wondered what would happen if they were in the same situation. Would someone open the door and help them if they were stranded in a rainstorm with a horde of undead on their trail?

  The pounding and pleading grew louder as the horde grew larger and tracked closer. "We have to help them!" Mom looked to Sam knowing that helping them was not possible.

  "We can't risk it." Sam solidified the decision to remain neutral. "Send the little girl around to the back, run from the house and create a diversion! I'm sorry, that's all we can do!" Sam made the decision to help in some way even if it meant the little girls’ parents might meet their demise.

  Sam bolted to the kitchen door, but mom couldn't move from the scene unfolding out the picture window. In a desperate attempt to save their daughter, the young couple ran towards the horde screaming and flailing their arms. When they reached the edge of the pack of restless undead they stopped and looked back at the house. Mom wanted to open the door to save them, but her own survival would be threatened. So she watched in horror. The couple joined hands knowing what their fate entailed. If they turned toward the house they may risk the horde finding their daughter, they couldn't make it through the grouping of tightly huddled angry undead, they stood and faced their fate head on, holding hands, sealed with a final kiss. Lightening flashed through the sky exposing the massive horde clearly. There were at least fifty of them forming a ring around the object of their hunger. There was no chance for escape.

  The smell of live humans sent the horde into frenzy when they reached the entwined couple. They easily toppled the couple to the ground where dozens of undead groped through each other in search of blood and flesh. Sam returned to her mother's side with the small girl cupped in her arms. Her little wet mass of blonde ringlets were nestled into Sam's shoulder. She didn't witness the scene out in the roadway, Sam didn't need her mother to tell her what had happened, she saw the large mass of undead bodies writhing and fighting over what was left of the little girls’ parents. Mom felt ashamed that she couldn't help them. Would she be that brave in the same situation?

  Mom remained perched inconspicuously near the window while Sam moved to the comfort of the couch. She rocked the little girl and whispered,” what’s your name?"

  Bright blue eyes peeked out from under the swath of soaked hair, "Kirsten." she answered in a barely audible voice. "Hi Kirsten, I'm Samantha, Sam for short." Sam beamed at her new friend. Mom had never seen Sam so affectionate towards another human being, let alone a child. She didn't want to put the little girl down. "How old are you Kirsten?"

  "This many." she proudly held up four fingers. The emotional scene was almost enough to forget the ugliness of what had happened. Almost. Their lives were not free from danger, the undead dispersed after finishing their meal. Most traveled aimlessly up and down the abandoned roadway, others seemed to sense the presence of humans within the house and mulled the lawn capriciously close to mom's lookout.

  Mom moved away from the window and advised Sam in a low whisper,” I don't think we're safe here anymore. There are about a dozen of them on the front lawn. They keep looking at the house but I don't think they really know anything. "

  "We better let everyone know to be quiet, we’ll have to leave soon."

  "You need to get some rest Sam." Mom pleaded with her knowing that she wouldn’t stop until exhaustion took over.

  "I'm fine, why don’t you get some sleep and when Quinn gets up I'll take a nap before we head out tonight." Mom knew arg
uing with Sam was useless, her little prodigy had fallen asleep in her arms. No doubt she had been through hell and back with her parents and now she had no one to call family, except us. Mom didn't need to offer Sam an answer and nestled into the chair while sleep gradually took over.

  Olivia awoke refreshed, but memories of the past day flooded her mind turning her mood into apprehension of the days ahead. Kat and Edie were still sleeping fitfully on Kat's purple satin bedding. Bobbi was tracking down the hallway carrying empty milk jugs of water. Aunt Lizzy was asleep in her favorite chair. As Olivia reached Sam, Bobbi came up to her and put his finger over his mouth while motioning her to come to the window, but she stopped abruptly when she saw a little girl, not much older than James nestled in Sam's arms. She was peacefully sleeping in an old T-shirt of Sam's.

  When Olivia peered out of the window she was shocked to see at least a dozen creatures that looked dead but were very much alive, seeming to be searching for something. They walked in circles, moaning and grunting, occasionally bumping into one another which brought on squabbles amongst themselves. Olivia looked at Bobbi for some kind of reassurance that they were safe. Bobbi pulled her away from the window and whispered, "They don't know we're in here." Olivia shook her head in acknowledgement, but the sight of that many dangerous creatures did not put her into a sense of wellbeing.

  “I have a plan to get us out of here.” Olivia offered.

  Chapter 7

  Olivia knew that her new ability would serve some kind of purpose in their undead world. She could easily outrun the horde that mulled outside Aunt Lizzy's house. Then, she could create a distraction so that everyone could get into the Blazer and they could take off. She was fairly certain that Sam and Aunt Lizzy would be totally against the idea, so for now, it was going to be her secret. When the time came to leave, she would execute her plan and ask for forgiveness later.

  The sun was just beginning to set, but the undead masses did not seem to have any intention of leaving the vicinity. They had no objective as far as Olivia could tell, but she was sure that if a fresh human came along, their ambitions would significantly materialize. Sam told Kat and Olivia about the tragic ending of the little girl's parents. She remained asleep on the couch. Sam had not slept long before she was up checking supplies and making the game plan for their great escape. She had not taken into consideration that Olivia could be a useful strategy in her plan.

  Olivia was excited that she would get a chance to be an asset after years of requiring help to do almost everything. She knew that Sam would disagree with every idea she had in regards to helping out. Sam was a tough chick, for sure. Olivia was taken back when she woke up and saw her curled up on the couch with a strange little girl. Olivia observed her when she woke up; she was so careful not to wake the little girl and made an extra effort to get a blanket from her room to cover her with. The little girl was already wearing one of her t-shirts; Sam said she came in soaking wet. Kat was excitedly waiting for the little girl to wake up so she could play with her and fix her unruly trusses, but Sam advised that they wouldn't have time to play. Always so serious, but Olivia guessed their world didn't give them much room for fun and games anymore.

  Sam reassessed the situation outside before waking her mom up. Aunt Lizzy startled awake and quickly filtered her way to the front window, taking in the fact that the sun was quickly setting and the undead were still heavily populated just outside.

  "We need to leave soon." Sam instructed. "I want to go check and see if dad is home." Aunt Lizzy didn't have the heart to say no or tell Sam that the odds of her father being unscathed were probably not very good, but her facial expression told the story. Going out of their way would certainly add to the danger level, but if Sam didn't get the chance to check on her father, Aunt Lizzy knew that Sam would never let it go.

  "Can we eat something?" Kat interrupted the interaction between Sam and Aunt Lizzy.

  "Is that all you think about?" Sam was visibly annoyed. "We need to save what little we have." It was true that Aunt Lizzy had not had a chance to grocery shop in the last few days before the apocalypse and their supplies were low, but Olivia stepped into the exchange, "Sam, I'm sure we will find supplies somewhere in Corpus. We're all pretty hungry and thirsty, I think we should eat and drink before we try to leave."

  They scarfed the minuscule amount of food that Sam and Aunt Lizzy dished out. They maintained several bags of food, juice boxes and other supplies that they might need. Olivia was more than ready to move out in search of somewhere safer, but leaving the sanctity of Aunt Lizzy's house meant trekking into the unknown.

  Quinn had been searching the transistor radio from Aunt Lizzy's classroom for any updated information, but he informed the group that the same message from the emergency alert system repeated itself.

  Within minutes their group was ready for action. Sam and Aunt Lizzy planned on running to the Blazer first with as much stuff as they could carry. After they started the 20 year old metal beast, the rest of the group would follow. Quinn had the most important job, in Sam’s opinion, to carry Kirsten. Olivia knew it was a flawed plan because the undead would certainly move in on the group before they could get in the Blazer safely. Olivia planned to execute her mission as soon as Sam opened the garage door.

  The group was stealthily silent as they crept into the garage. They didn't want any noise to tip off the unwanted houseguests. Sam was an expert at getting the Blazer to start, sometimes even on the first try. Probably because her stepdad taught her to drive in it and told her that she couldn’t practice driving until she could get it started. Everyone hoped that this would be one of the lucky times it would start on the first try. Olivia could feel her accelerated heartbeat in her throat. Her chest seemed to tighten instantly as the time for action grew near. She could feel the sweat immediately begin to pool on her forehead as the adrenaline sent queasiness to her gut. Everyone huddled into a crouched position with Aunt Lizzy and Sam at the front of the pack. Olivia worked her way to the front as well, waiting for her opportunity.

  The door slowly cracked open making the slightest sound which turned the head of a lone undead. Olivia pushed Sam out of the way and bolted through the door using her super speed to divert the onlooker. As she managed to turn in the direction of it, several others noticed her movement and followed her toward the adjacent house, well away from the projected path of Sam and Aunt Lizzy. Olivia hoped that her actions didn't cause Sam to change their game plan and it was confirmed when she heard the choking beast attempting to start. They would not have luck on their side, Sam reattempted to start the Blazer with the same choking and sputtering and finally the forced resignation of the motor. The noise was enough to attract the attention of the gathering group of undead that followed Olivia to the neighbor’s house. They turned their direction upon Sam's third attempt to bring the beast to life. With renewed vigor, the wanderers headed toward the sound of the truck as it finally came to life with one final turn of the ignition. Olivia knew they needed more time as she saw everyone heading for the Blazer from their hideout in the garage. Olivia yelled at the top of her lungs, "Hey you smelly zombies look over here!" She raced toward the horde waving her hands and screaming. It was enough to do the trick; they were following her again back to the neighbor’s house. She kicked in a back door and headed inside hoping she wouldn't be greeted by any undead lurking inside.

  The inside of the neighbor’s garage smelled like grease and gasoline, but showed no signs of life or undead life as they knew it. Olivia hadn't thought beyond luring them into the garage and hoped she could get the rolling door open fast enough to escape their wrath. The first undead entered the garage without hesitation, picking up speed when he saw her rapid movements around the perimeter. She would only wait for the sound of the Blazer pulling out of Aunt Lizzy's driveway. More undead encroached her small blanket of free space before she heard the truck tires squeal on the driveway not far from her position inside. With a heave, she pulled the handle of the garage d
oor where Sam and the wayward group of survivors showed signs of concern for her safety as an undead managed to grab her shirt before she could kick into a high speed sprint. Her newly acquired strength and speed was enough to break free from the clutched hand. She swiftly sailed toward the rolling truck as everyone encouraged her escape. The tailgate was down already, making her leap an easy feat. Quinn easily grabbed her arm and helped her in as they peeled away from the group of angry undead.

  Sam couldn't stop in order to chastise Olivia for her sheer stupidity. What the hell was she thinking, trying a stunt like that? Sam saw the undead in the side mirror and breathed a sigh of relief as they receded further and further away. Everyone else was giving Olivia high fives and telling her how brave she was, except Lizzy, she was too busy feeling the anxiety of the situation.

  "That was so cool Olivia!" Bobbi let the excitement take over. "Don't go encouraging her; it was a stupid, thoughtless move that could have gotten all of us killed." Sam blurted out noting the hurt expression on Olivia's face. She didn't mean to hurt her feelings, shejust didn’t want her to think she should be doing that kind of thing again. No one, except maybe Quinn, has the capabilities of fighting and protecting the group, so no one should even try.

  “You can’t always be the hero, Sam.” Kat put her arms around Olivia to comfort her.

  Whatever. Sam didn't bother to add to the argument, she said what needed to be said and that was that. They drove through the deserted streets as the sun quickly made its way into the morning horizon. Sam expected to see a horde or two along the way, but apparently they had exclusively congregated on their block. Maybe they were the only non-infected humans left. Maybe they somehow knew they were there but didn't know how to get to them. Maybe their journey to the ships in Corpus was a waste of time. Maybe their dad was dead, or worse, he's one of them.