Death & Decay (Book 2): Divided

by R. L. Blalock

  Colin nodded. “Eric, you pull open the door. Rotna and I will take them out.”

  Eric took hold of the handle. Colin pulled out his crowbar. With a unanimous nod, Eric yanked open the door. A freak lurched out, sprawling across the deck of the boat. Colin slammed his crowbar down hard on its head before the thing could rise again.

  Colin’s head snapped back to the door, but nothing else emerged from the darkness. After watching for a moment, he straightened up. Eric released the door, letting it fall shut again.

  “What do we do about the boats now?” Rotna looked at the three watercrafts.

  Colin knew absolutely nothing about boats or sailing. He had no idea how to drive a boat, let alone tell if everything was in good working order.

  A loud bang interrupted his thoughts. The cabin door flew open. As a wave passed by, the ship lurched. Colin stumbled backwards. He grabbed ahold of the railing to keep his balance, the crowbar falling from his hand and skittering across the deck. A freak fell out of the door and grabbed ahold of Eric, the pair tumbling to the deck in a tangled mass of limbs.

  Rotna launched herself across the deck, wobbling as another wave crashed into the side of the boat. She grabbed the back the freak’s shirt, pulling hard as she tried to haul him off Eric. Its face was mere inches from Eric’s as he struggled to push it away. The freak’s shirt tore a bit at the collar as Rotna yanked on it, the freak moving just a little bit closer to Eric, its teeth snapping together with a sharp click.

  Colin leapt up and snatched the crowbar up from the deck. In one long stride, he crossed to where the three were struggling and swung the crowbar. The blunt weapon caught the freak in the side of the head with a sickening crunch.

  It fell to the side as it collapsed. Eric kicked at the thing frantically as he scrambled out from under the dead weight.

  The three stood, gasping for breath. None of them looked at each other or at the motionless corpse that had almost been Eric’s death sentence.

  After a moment, Eric stood and dusted himself off. “Let’s just get off this fucking boat and get back to Thies.” There was no fear in his voice. No leftover quakes from the adrenaline. Just anger.

  “We have to scope out the island at the southwestern side first,” Colin said quietly to Eric’s back.

  “Fine,” Eric muttered. “Let’s go.”

  According to the map, the island was a little more than a thousand feet across. The shore was covered in a grainy sand that was more like small pebbles than actual sand. Beyond that, shrubs grew up, thick and tall, and even the shortest of them was at least chest high.

  The channel between the island and the shore proper was deep. Deep enough that you couldn’t just wade across it. That was good. The freaks wouldn’t be able to cross, though they might try.

  The island itself didn’t look promising. The bushes and small trees would have to be cleared before it would be habitable. The land was sandy and full of rocks, which wouldn’t be great for growing crops. The soccer fields weren’t too far away. Perhaps they could be converted to grow crops.

  The tiny island was also without housing or structures of any kind. After clearing the brush and weeds, they would have to start building any kind of housing from scratch.

  Colin sighed as he looked at the little island. The idea had been good at first. Cut off from the freaks and other people. An isolated place to live in peace. But the more he saw what they had to work with and what they would have to do, the worse the idea became.

  The instant the vehicle stopped at Thies, Eric hopped out and stormed off. Colin had only ever seen Eric angry once before. The big man was rather amicable and levelheaded. He was the first to laugh, to make a self-deprecating joke to lighten the mood. But this was different. Over the past few weeks, Colin had felt the rift between them widening.

  He supposed it made sense in a way. Everyone reacted to stress differently. The apocalypse was nothing if not stressful. But Colin wasn’t sure what it meant. What it meant about how they were handling things.

  He needed to talk with Eric. At least to see if they could get back on level ground. He had lost so many people already. He had lost everyone. They both had. Colin hated the thought of losing someone who was still alive.

  Thies was bustling with activity when they arrived. Ervin and his crew had arrived back before Colin. The schools were alternately overrun beyond hope or entirely empty. The apocalypse had happened on a Saturday. School had been out for the summer. However, a few of the schools had been established as safe zones. It hadn’t worked out. Now the hallways were teaming with freaks just waiting to be set free.

  The trip hadn’t been entirely useless, though. Ervin’s team had liberated blankets, canned food from the cafeteria, all kinds of papers, pencils, and other office supplies, and even some clothes for the kids from the school’s lost and found.

  Colin wasn’t sure what good the office supplies were, but people seemed excited about them. The kids enjoyed doing something normal like coloring. The pictures were creepy, though. The kids seemed to be working through their fears with the doodles. Often, they featured people surrounded by lots of red. Stick figures with angry eyebrows and large menacing teeth. Broken bodies that they labeled as Mom or Dad. Somehow, these drawings were almost more disturbing than the reality of the freaks. Almost.

  Samuel had returned a few hours later. His venture to the college had been both a success and a failure. They hadn’t returned with any supplies. Though they had found medical books left behind in students’ bags. Big thick things that would take weeks to cover and longer to fully understand.

  When they found the books, they also found students. They had been huddled together in the campus bookstore. The group of six had ranged from a student getting ready to start his first semester to two who were about to start their last.

  They hadn’t dreamed of finding people on the campus. Most classes weren’t held on Saturdays. This was even more prominent in nursing schools, where classes were small and the options were few. Between that and the summer break, they had figured the college would be empty.

  Their rescue was probably more important than the medical supplies they had hoped to find. Their knowledge could be learned, but seeing it in a book and getting hands-on experience were two very different things. They might only be students, but they had medical experience. In the apocalypse, finding them was akin to winning the lottery. Perhaps the student weren’t as useful as a full-fledged doctor or surgeon might have been, but at the end of the world you can’t be picky.

  Thies had been in chaos for a while. Everyone had been excited to welcome the new arrivals. Now, as the sun dipped towards the horizon, the stirring had died down. People were beginning to settle in after the long day.

  Samuel strode towards Colin, a broad grin crossing his face as they made eye contact.

  “How’s it going?” Samuel asked amicably.

  Colin shrugged. “Just taking in all that’s happened today.”

  “It’s been eventful,” Samuel agreed.

  “For once, that’s a good thing. We got lucky today. Things may not have gone exactly as planned, but it almost went better than planned.”

  “Yeah, the nurses will definitely be a big help.” Samuel looked out over Thies as they talked. “Speaking of things not going as planned, what happened today while you were out?”

  For a moment, Colin frowned. “With Eric?”

  Samuel nodded. “He’s upset, but he’s also worried.”

  “Worried about what?”

  Samuel sighed heavily. “He’s worried about you and Rotna.” Colin made a face. “Now hear me out.” Samuel held up his hands, placating. “He’s worried that maybe you guys aren’t coping so well with all of…this.” He gestured to Thies and what their presence here meant. “I’m not saying he’s right.” Samuel seemed to struggle with what to say next. “Colin, it’s not unreasonable. We’ve been through a lot. Hell, just a few days ago, we killed people. If you aren’t alright, then th
at’s OK but let us help you.”

  “We had to kill those people,” Colin said defensively.

  “I know. I know.” Samuel nodded in agreement. “They didn’t give us any choice, but until a few weeks ago, I don’t think any of us saw that as a possibility. We never saw ourselves living somewhere that wasn’t ours. Looting. Killing. We never thought we’d lose our families.” He looked at Colin out of the corner of his eye. “It’s a lot to handle.”

  Now it was Colin’s turn to sigh. “What do you want me to say, Sammy?”

  Samuel shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know. I don’t really know what the proper protocol is for all this.”

  Colin barked a laugh. “Proper protocol.” Colin sighed again. “This is fucked up. A lot of fucked-up shit happened in the world before, but this took things to a whole new level.”

  “You got that right.”

  “Am I alright? No. I probably won’t be alright for a long time, but that’s what we’re trying to do. To put everything right again.” Colin sighed and looked out over Thies. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I mean, what else can we do?”

  “You’re right.” Samuel nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”

  “That isn’t going to correct itself.” Colin turned to look at Samuel. “We’re doing what we can by sticking together, trying to stay safe, taking people in when we find them. At some point, though, we can’t just exist. What the hell kind of life is that? We have to take things back. Not just from the freaks, but from those who would do nothing more than cause more chaos and pain.”

  Samuel studied Colin for a long moment. “How do you propose we go about that?”

  “We kill every freak we come across,” Colin responded simply. “I’m not stupid. I’m not going to charge into a horde and get myself killed, but if we can kill them, then why not. They aren’t going anywhere. Neither are we.”

  “And the people?” Samuel asked.

  Colin shrugged. “We take in those who need us. Make friends with those who don’t, and if someone threatens us we’ll kill them.” The words rolled easily off Colin’s tongue.

  Samuel sighed and Colin gave the man a sidelong glance, trying to gauge the impact of his words. “You’re right,” Samuel finally said. “We’re going to have to build our own world back up. We’re going to have to fight for it. We have to decide what our future will be.”

  “Do we cower in fear? Of the freaks? Of the people? Or do we stand up and fight?”

  “The moment we stop fighting, we start dying. I’m not ready to die just yet.” Samuel smiled a little.

  “Me neither,” Colin agreed with a smile.

  Day 20

  The Sovereigns were nowhere to be found. Colin had begun to wonder if perhaps they had killed the rest of them when the men had come to Thies. For a week and a half, they searched for the Sovereigns’ camp without luck. They had found an abandoned camp, but nothing that could tell them definitively who had been there.

  Slowly, they had been ranging out further. They checked locations that didn’t immediately seem well suited for survival. Someone had even proposed that the Sovereigns might be mobile, constantly moving to avoid the freaks. Perhaps, after being beaten down twice they had decided to move on and leave the area to the people at Thies.

  Colin didn’t think the last was likely. He didn’t think these were the type of people to give up or learn their lesson easily.

  Colin, Samuel, and Rotna crept along the grass near Highway 141. Early in the morning they had set out and followed the highway north. The highway twisted and turned as it ran parallel to the Missouri River. They weren’t sure what they were hoping to find as they followed the highway.

  Roughly ten miles north, in a small crook created by the Missouri River, was the Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area. Nothing but fields and trees left to grow wild. No people around. Perhaps the Sovereigns had dug in there, safely secluded from the city, only venturing out for supplies when they needed to.

  After they had spent less than an hour walking, the day was sweltering. Even so early in the day, the sun burned hot in the sky. Colin regretted deciding to leave the car behind.

  Over the last week, they had begun using the vehicles less often. If the Sovereigns were still around, the moving vehicle would make them stand out as part of the living. To make matters worse, the noise drew the unwanted attention of the freaks. There were times when using the vehicle was unavoidable. They needed the extra cargo room when they gathered supplies, but the group as a whole had voted to minimize their use.

  Today was a scouting mission only, though, so they were walking. They struck out far off the road, sticking to the tall grass and hoping to go unnoticed.

  The beginnings of a building reared up on the edge of the horizon. On the northern side of Highway 141, the buildings were few and far between, but there were still some.

  This was the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. It was the biggest building they had come across. Colin had searched hard through his memory but couldn’t remember any specific events that had been scheduled to take place the weekend things had all fallen apart.

  As they got closer, though, it became clear that the amphitheater was anything but empty.

  Cars filled the highway directly in front of the amphitheater. They were lined up neatly in their rows, with the highway being used as a parking lot. Dozens of white tents with the symbol of the Red Cross had been erected.

  “This isn’t good,” Colin murmured.

  The tents meant help, or at least the promise of help. Help meant people would have flocked here, which they clearly had. At some point, though, the Red Cross had lost control. Days or weeks ago, they couldn’t be sure. Now hundreds, maybe even thousands, of freaks roamed the parking lot, between the cars and tents, waiting for something to catch their attention.

  The group crouched down low in the grass. Colin doubted the freaks would lock on to them at this distance, but it was best to be safe.

  Colin looked over the vast parking lot of cars and tents and tried to calculate just how many freaks there were. A thousand. No. A couple thousand. Probably more, and that didn’t count those caught inside the amphitheater. How many could be hiding behind the doors? Ten thousand. Twenty thousand? More?

  Colin shuddered. If the freaks became frenzied again, Thies would fall. They wouldn’t even be able to put up a decent fight.

  “What are we going to do?” Rotna whispered. She looked towards Samuel and Colin before her eyes snapped back to the angry nest of flesh eaters.

  Colin opened and closed his mouth. What could they do? They couldn’t hope to take on a horde this size.

  “We have to move, everyone. Quickly,” Samuel said somberly.

  Colin recoiled at the thought of simply leaving the nest of freaks be. It was a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode.

  “Should we go back and tell everyone now?” Colin asked.

  Samuel pressed his lips into a thin line as his eyebrows drew together. “We shouldn’t tell anyone.” Colin could only stare back at Samuel in open-mouthed shock. “A few people will need to know, but if everyone knows, they might panic. Panic will kill us all. We need to say calm. We need to move quick but we need to do this right.”

  Colin nodded. Sitting there, looking at the vast number of freaks milling around, he could feel the panic welling up inside and threatening to overwhelm him. Would it be better or worse for those who could only imagine what they had seen? Worse.

  “Let’s do what we set out to do. When we get back, we’ll figure out exactly what we need to do about this.”

  “You aren’t afraid they might start heading towards Thies?” Rotna asked.

  Samuel shook his head. “They’ve gone dormant…or whatever it is that they’re doing. But you never know what might draw them to us. We need to move fast and get everything together as quickly as possible.”

  Samuel nodded for Colin and Rotna to follow. As they moved away, the grass nearby swayed. The
re wasn’t a breeze in the air to ruffle the sundried grass. Motioning for the others to stop, Colin crept forward as silently as he could. A growl greeted him as he closed in on the rustling grass.

  Colin lunged forward, pulling his knife from his belt. A freak missing everything from the waist down snarled up at him. Planting a foot against the creature’s neck, Colin plunged his knife into its temple before it could make more noise and alert the others. With that, he turned back to Samuel and Rotna and nodded for them to continue.

  They moved north, giving the amphitheater a wide berth. They didn’t speak. With the threat of the horde looming over them, it wasn’t worth the risk.

  As the amphitheater fell behind them, Colin finally let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. Three weeks ago, the world had been irreparably altered. He kept thinking that he had seen the thing that terrified him more than anything else could. The freaks. The death. The Sovereigns. But gazing upon a horde that was thousands upon thousands strong had chilled his blood and sent his heart racing. He could hardly breathe, and he feared that if the horde had set their sights on him, he would have frozen, paralyzed in the face of the tidal wave of hungry teeth.

  Despite the heat of the day, the walk wasn’t so bad. Even though Colin’s clothes were soaked through with sweat and clung uncomfortably to his skin, the walk was invigorating. He needed to be doing something. The walking gave him a way to expend the nervous energy that coursed through his muscles.

  They hadn’t spoken much since coming across the graveyard that was the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. Though they stayed alert, they were all too engrossed in their own thoughts for conversation

  Colin’s dark thoughts of blood and tearing muscle, of snapping teeth and grabbing hands, were interrupted as he realized just how silent the world was. Of course, there were still sounds. Various bugs called to one another and birds sang their songs, but it was a type of calm he had never known. Phones ringing or the chimes of notifications. The sound of cars moving constantly across the roadways had created a low and ever-present hum. Televisions and radios. Ticking clocks. Whirring fans. Even just the low hum of machines like refrigerators and washing machines. He had never realized just how noisy humans were.