"This is Leila, she's our youngest," Josh told me, "Her mother was turned by her father as she tried to protect Leilah, and instead bit her before she was killed by a passerby. He gave her to us in exchange for food and clothing. My heart hurt after hearing a story like my own. I knelt to speak with the child at eye level.
"Hi Leilah, my name is Elli, " I said, holding out my hand, "It's very nice to meet you
"Hi," she said shyly, putting her tiny hand in mine. "You’re pretty."
I laughed, pulling her to me and giving her a hug
"Elli! Elli!"
I heard Skye's voice calling out. Standing up, I saw her at the other end of the room running towards me.
"Skye!" I yelled back, running to meet her. We met halfway, hugging each other in a joyful reunion. I didn't even mind how she smelled, I missed her so bad.
"Elli," she murmured in my ear, "Where have you been?"
Holding her at arm's length, I appraised her head to toe. "You look good, Skye, you've eaten."
"Yes, Josh and the others hunted for me. They were following us the whole time!" she told me,
"Josh is going to kill that jerk, Simon, you wait."
"Josh told me everything, Skye. I'm just grateful you're alright," I said, hugging her again, "So now that we're here, what's next?"
The rest of the group eyed us curiously, and I felt bad for forgetting my manners. Surprisingly, I felt a little shy as all eyes, all seven kids and five young adults, waited for me to say something.
"Um, hi, my name's Elli," I said, blushing uncharacteristically. "Nice to meet you all."
The smallest kids came up me asking questions and the adults gathered round introducing themselves. I know this sounds weird, but it sort of felt like a bizarre family reunion. Four of the youngest children were like Star; hybrids. The five adults were all picked up along the way as they struggled to battle a herd of the dead. One girl named Annie, twenty-three, was rescued along with her fouryearold son, Jaydon. She told me how Josh fought five of the dead at once, almost getting bit in the process himself. Glancing over at him with hero like worship in her eyes, I could tell she was a little in love with him. I think everyone here was. One guy, a little older than me, sat off to the side without looking at me or saying a word. His uncut hair fell in long, dark ringlets below his shoulders, thick and unruly. He had a beard, a shade lighter than his hair, that he kept neatly plaited with a leather thong. When our eyes finally met, only one green eye blinked back at me, the other obviously gone by the scarring and patch that he wore.
"Hi," he said, holding out his hand, "My name's Stephen, but everyone calls me Einstein. Nice to meet ya."
"Hi, Einstein, and why do they call you that?" I asked, curious.
"I'm the one who figures everything out. Gets the lights on, makes sure we have sterile drinking water, stuff like that," he answered. "Welcome to our group. Our Skye told us so much about you, and thank you for not killing her, she's special."
I had to laugh at that, remembering how I almost did. "Thanks, Einstein, and yeah, Skye is pretty special, isn't she?”
As the group of survivors gathered around me, we all talked and got to know each other, and I learned their stories. All horrific and terrible. But we all had one thing in common the most important thing; staying human. I thought about Simon's group, and how easy it was for people to just go AWOL from humanity. It reminded me of the dystopian novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. I remembered it from school. All those kids marooned on an island from a plane crash. Without adult supervision, or rules, they turned on one another. They murdered and acted out until all that was left was chaos and disorder. Simon's group reminded me of them.
For the next two days I showered, caught up on some much-needed sleep, and ate enough to put on a few much-needed pounds. I laughed, cried at some of the survivor's stories, and got to know everyone on a personal level. I was finally home. My goal of finding a group was complete.
We all sat in the family room after eating our evening meal, when all eyes turned to the sounds of running down the corridor, the family room door slamming open against the wall. It was Malachi, a tall, skinny young man with ripcord arm muscles and black hair tied haphazardly back in a ponytail. His face was a mask of concern.
'Josh!" he called out, "we got trouble up above!"
Josh, immediately alert, signaled to the other adults to move the kids to safety. No questions were asked as they followed his orders swiftly and silently. Skye, was all business as she assisted the others, waving me to follow. But I had something else in mind. I wasn't about hiding or cowering, I needed to be in midst of it all. If there was trouble, I wanted to help. I already felt a fierce protectiveness toward this group of survivors, a deep need to destroy anything that would put this sanctity in danger. Grabbing my backpack, I ran after Josh and Malachi.
"What's happening?" I asked as we ran, "I want to help.”
"The dead are herding the fence, they've got it almost down and we need to move fast before they totally destroy it."
"Is there a back exit?"
"Yes, and that's where the kids are heading right now, and so should you."
"No, I'm coming. I'm of more use here, Josh, and you know its true 'cause you said you've watched me."
He nodded, knowing I was right, and slung his high-powered rifle over his shoulder.
"Malachi, about how many are in the herd?" Josh asked the boy, "How bad is the fence?"
"There's about twenty or more of the bastards," he answered, "and the fence was just starting to give last time I saw."
"Okay, you guys, ready?" Josh asked. We nodded and Josh pushed the heavy door open slowly.
I had my pistol drawn and ready when the first of the herd came through the damaged fence. Josh took care of the rotting woman thing with a swift knife thrust through the temple, dropping her like a sack of potatoes. I took out the next one with a bullet, and Malachi used a machete to clear out two more. But the group of stinking, walking corpses was much larger than twenty, and they just kept coming.
"Come on!" Josh yelled, "We gotta stop them before they overrun the grounds and trap us inside! Malachi, go get the Terminator!"
I saw the boy's eyes widen slightly before he turned and raced back down the corridor and I wondered what the 'Terminator' was. We shut and locked the thick door, hearing them scratching and pounding to get in.
"Come on, Elli, up to the roof quickly," Josh urged, pointing to a door across from us. We can see them better from up there and pick them off until Malachi comes back.”
I nodded, following him up a two story, spiral staircase. Once on top, we gasped at how many there were.
"My God! There must be at least a hundred of them down there," Josh said, "Something drew them here! This was no freaking accident!"
I agreed. The dead didn't normally group like this unless there was something attracting them. They were coming from all directions with no end in sight.
"You focus on the ones closest to the building, and I'll pick off the ones coming out of the woods." he told me.
My first shot hit what used to be an elderly lady, now a vile, rotting creature, right through the left eye. I mentally patted myself on the back. Next, I shot downwards at the ones trying to claw their way through the door, hitting each at the top of their skulls in an explosion of blood and darkened brain matter. Reloading, I kept the bullets coming until bodies upon bodies piled up by the doorway and the opening in fence. So many, it was impossible for more to enter. The roof door opened, revealing Malachi with the 'Terminator'; a flame thrower. I felt a primal excitement seeing this pyrotechnic weapon, wanting desperately to try it.
Lugging the pressurized tank up those stairs must have been hard, but Malachi made it look easy with his powerful arms. We went to the other side of the building where Josh was shooting at the dead coming out of the treeline and Malachi handed him the flamethrower. Excited, I watched his every move.
> "Josh, I want to know how to work this, so you tell me step by step, okay?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye to show that I meant it.
After a slight hesitation, he gave me a small nod and began. "First, you open the ignition valve, right here, and light it." he said, doing so. Then he showed me the tanks.
"This tank," he said, pointing, "holds a flammable liquid mix, and the other one is a pressurized gas that propels the flame."
He pulled the tanks on as if he were putting on a back pack. "All you need to know is that when you pull the trigger, pressurized fuel will travel into the gun housing and the flame at the tip of the gun will ignite the fuel."
I smiled and nodded, thankful for his willingness to teach me, showing me, I was a valuable member of the group.
"Okay, ready for a zombie barbecue?" Josh yelled, waving us on to the edge of the roof where the dead were coming out of the forest in droves. I was shocked at how many there were!
I must admit, I was morbidly fascinated by how quickly the zombies went up in flames. It was sick! The flames lit up the night sky, blazing hot. The corpses couldn't feel the heat, apparently, because until the heat cooked their brains, they just kept on walking till they dropped into a smoldering pile of bones and melting flesh. The smell made us gag, and at one point, Malachi had to puke his guts out. I patted his back soothingly, helping him to his feet. He stood, swaying unsteadily, his face waxy and pale.
When the last of the dead was burnt to crispy corpses, we walked back to the entrance door of the roof. Just before I went through the door, I caught a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye near the front gate where the dead pushed it in. A dark figure, hunched down low, was running for the cover of the trees.
"Josh! Come on! I saw someone!" I yelled to him as I passed him on the stairs. "Malachi, go back and tell the others it's safe to come out, and tell them we'll be right back!”
He looked like he wanted to go, but obeyed, running down the corridor to the next set of stairs going down into the family room.
"What did you see, Elli?" Josh asked, setting the flame thrower down in the corner.
"A dark, hooded figure near where the dead caved in the fence," I told him, "He must've seen me because he made a run for the trees."
"Okay, let's try and track him and find out what the hell is going on," he said, "Got your guns?"
"Always," I answered, patting my gun belts on my hips and my sidearm. "Let's be extra quiet, Josh, in case it's a trap. Simon's group doesn't play fair, so we must stay alert always. If you see or hear anything, whistle, and I'll do the same."
He nodded, and we set out, locking up behind us. Because Josh knew this area like the back of his hand, we only used our flashlights to check for clues to the intruder's direction through the woods. Josh, at one point, stopped me, pointing to his ears.
I listened, and sure enough, heard someone thrashing through the woods without caring how noisy he was being. Josh, with hand signals, told me to encircle around one way, while he went the other. We would trap him. Nodding, I hurriedly went in the direction he pointed at, keeping my head low and my footsteps silent. The woods were silent, not even a cricket could be heard as the moon lit my way. Someone was here. A crack of a twig made me crouch in a defensive stance. Still as a mouse, I listened for a few minutes, making sure that it was not human. Another snap of a twig made me believe that it was. Sure enough, just ahead of me, a small figure walked purposefully in a westward direction. The slight build told me that it was probably a woman, the dark, brown hoodie she wore blended her into the forest like a chameleon, and I probably wouldn't have even noticed her if it wasn't for the snapping of the twig. Picking up a small rock, I threw it about ten feet away from her, veering her in the direction of Josh. Creeping as quiet as a cat, I cleverly herded the girl where I wanted her to go until finally closing in on her.
"Stop right there, or I'll shoot you in the back," I warned softly. I whistled for Josh, who only about twenty yards away.
Training my weapon on her, I reached towards her and yanked her hoodie back, revealing a familiar face.
"Well, well, if it isn't Ruby, the one who asked Simon if she could kill me," I sneered, wanting to kill her on the spot. "You did this?"
"Yeah, so what?" she shot back, "What are you gonna do about it? Kill me? Go ahead! I don't give a shit! Who wants to live like this anyway?"
"You know this girl, Elli?" Josh asked me as he came up on us. "Is she one of his?"
"Oh, yeah, she's his alright. A real sweetheart, too." I told him, "She's the one who kept asking Simon if she could kill me!"
"I wish he did! If it wasn't for you, my little brother would still alive!" she said, eyes flashing hotly.
"What're you talking about? I never touched anyone's little brother!" I told her.
"At that house you led the rotters to and took off, my little brother was the first one they grabbed!" Hot salty tears ran down her face and at that moment, I felt ashamed for what I did. I wouldn't wish being eaten alive on even my worst enemy. Hanging my head, for once I was at a loss for words. I guess if I were her, I'd want to kill me too.
Josh was standing off to the side listening to our conversation. I saw him glance at me with a question in his eyes. I nodded yes, meaning, what she said was true. He turned to her.
"Listen, what's your name?" he asked.
"It's Ruby," I told him.
"I can answer for my own damn self, thank you!" she growled at me. I held up my hands and backed away.
"My name is Ruby," she said, giving me a dirty look, "And she killed my brother."
"You and your thugs are cannibals, Ruby! You're no better than those stinking, walking corpses out there!" I shouted.
"Shut up, you bitch! We do what we have to do to survive!" she whined, "Simon says!"
"Elli is right, eating the flesh of the living is just freaking wrong, Ruby, so you have to make a decision here," Josh told her, "You're either with us or against us. What Elli did was for her own survival, and you would have done the same damn thing! She didn't have any idea who was in the house or where, she only knew that if you caught her, it was all over."
I watched a play of emotions cross the skinny girl's face, secretly hoping she was against us so I could kill her. Even if she did decide to join us, I could never trust her. Not after hearing the words, "Let me kill her, Simon!" ringing in my ears.
"I wouldn't join your group if it were the last one on earth!" she said, spitting in Josh's face.
I raised my gun ready to put a bullet between her beady little eyes, but Josh stopped me.
"Wait," he told me, "We need her. I want to know where Simon is."
"Ha! If you think I'm giving up Simon, you're really dumber than you look!" Ruby sneered. "He'll rescue me, ya know, and when he does, you're all dead!"
I took out my knife and went up her, shoving her back up against a tree, pressing my knife against her throat.
"Listen, bitch," I said between my teeth. "You can thank your lucky stars Josh is here, or you'd be dead already. But he didn't say I couldn't hurt you!" I pressed harder, drawing blood. "Now, where… is… Simon!"
I know it hurt, but my anger made me press even deeper, until she finally begged for mercy, blood trailing down her neck.
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you! Just please stop!" she begged. "He made me do it. He used me as bait for those things! He made me lead them to you!"
"Are you telling me that he put your life in danger and you're still protecting the bastard?" I asked, "Why?"
"He's all I got," she said, tears shining in her mean little eyes., "I ain't got no one else."
I stopped pushing the knife. Her tears were genuine, and I knew what it was like not to have anyone. Until Skye, I was alone since all this crap started.
"Listen to me very carefully, Ruby." I told her, making her look at me. "What you guys are doing is freaking wrong, do you understand that?"
"Yeah, but w
hat choice did I have?" she said, "I have to eat! I have to live, don't I? I don't know how to be alone, not like you. Those things out there, the rotters, I'm too afraid of them to get close enough to kill them. I just run and run and run."
I had an idea, a crazy one, I'll be the first to admit it, but you know the old saying, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'.
"Let's bring Ruby into the group, Josh," I said.
"Are you kidding me? You know what she is! I don't freaking trust her, Elli!" he said.
"But isn't it better to have her where we can see her? Use her to get Simon?" I asked, "She's more use if we let her in, gain her trust, and feed her."
I watched as he mulled it over, knew I had a point, and gave in. I knew he would.
We heard dreaded sound of the dead as they caught scent of us or heard us. God only knows how they did it, but something drew them to the living. I watched Ruby turn from a sharp-tongued punk, to a young teenager scared out of her mind. Winking at Josh, I quickly subdued the frightened girl, tying her to a nearby tree. She begged and pleaded to be let loose, her eyes wild as she strained to see and hear where the rotters were coming from.
"What are you doing?" she yelled, "they're coming! Please, untie me!"
"Ruby, Josh and I were talking, and we think that you would make a great addition to our group," I said, "Leave Simon's group, Ruby, they're no good. Leave, or we'll leave you here for the dead to chew on."
"No! Please, don't!" she said, panicking, "Please don't let them touch me! Okay, I will, I'll leave. Just don't let them get me!"
"No tricks, Ruby," I warned "I will hunt you down and tie you up if you do ANYTHING shady, got it?”
She nodded, pleading to be let loose. I obliged, moving her behind me as the rotters drew closer. When they came into view, all we could do was stare in open-mouthed shock. It was a herd of children. Just when you think you've seen it all.
"My God," Josh breathed, "This is not happening."
We counted seven children, all girls, still dressed in the tattered remains of parochial school uniforms clinging to their rotting flesh. It was hideous. It was every horror movie I've ever watched rolled into one. With thatches of hair still done up in pony tails and frayed ribbons, they approached. Their repugnant odor, thick and cloying, was almost visible. Blood smeared mouths, evidence of a recent feeding, made us wonder who the ill-fated victim was. As the first one came near, I drew my knife and plunged it into the child thing’s temple, dropping it quickly. Even though these were not children anymore, killing them was ghastly, repulsive. We made short work of them in less than ten minutes, their soft, rotting bodies easy to knock down to deliver a killing blow. Ruby did her fair share, as well, killing two of them.
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