by Adams, Taeya
*****
Day Two: March 27th, 2020; 12:01 pm
Austin looks both ways then motions for the others to follow. He ran, swiftly, to the end of the alley of the auto body shop. He peeked over the corner. A couple of zombies were there. “Okay,” Austin said and turned to the rest of the group. “I’ll lead them away and you get a car. Got it?” Austin didn’t even wait for an answer; he drew his pistol and ran out, getting the zombie’s attention.
“Will he be okay?” Jezabel asked in a whispered to her mom. Her mom was last and awfully quiet. Jezabel turned to her mother and let out a scream.
Two zombies were eating her: one at her neck so she couldn’t scream or speak, and the other at her shoulder.
Chyler pushed Jezabel behind her and shot both of the zombies dead again. Jinx laid there chocking on her own blood. Chyler raised her gun to in-between Jinx’s eyes. Jinx locked stares with Chyler’s. “No!” Jezabel cried out and tried to get to her mother by Eleanor held her back. Chyler saw the pleading look in her eyes. Eleanor turned Jezabel away just as Chyler pulled the trigger without a second thought. Jezabel cried into Eleanor’s shirt as Chyler lowered her gun. Her ears rang and she didn’t notice that her hands were shaking. She just kept staring at Jinx’s dead body.
“Guys, let’s go!” Cedric yelled over the bangs from Austin’s gun.
Chyler barely heard from the ringing in her head. Her hands felt numbs as she let the gun drop to the ground.
Eleanor gave Jezabel to Cedric then went to Chyler. She picked the gun up and grabbed Chyler’s numb hands and led her away. “We need to get to the car!” Eleanor told Chyler. But Chyler didn’t care; she had just killed a woman – a mother – without a second doubt of doing it. She felt no remorse, nothing. She couldn’t understand why she did it. Was it the suffering look in Jinx’s eyes that did it?
The remaining five go to the closest car. Cedric opened the door which was unlocked and started to hotwire the car. Chyler stared of in space as Austin and Eleanor shot the closest zombies; Jezabel still crying. “Hurry, Cedric!” Austin shouted.
“I am. Don’t rush me,” Cedric muttered to himself, trying to work faster.
After a few more bullets, Eleanor noticed more was coming from other streets. “Cedric!” She yelled.
Cedric doesn’t answer, concentrating.
Austin ran out of bullets. He threw the gun to the side and drew a knife. “Cedric!” He shouted this time.
“Give me a minute!” Cedric yelled back.
“We might not have a minute in a minute!” Austin yelled.
Eleanor ran out of bullets. “CEDRIC!” Austin and Eleanor screamed simultaneously.
“Got it!!!” Cedric sang as the car sputtered to life. Austin put Jezabel in the back with Chyler. Eleanor hopped in the back as Austin got shotgun. Cedric stepped on the gas and drove.
Jezabel buried her face in her hands.
Cedric drives for a little before saying, “I’m sorry, Jezabel…,” Cedric looked back in the mirror. “For your lost,”
“Cedric!” Austin barked. Cedric turned around to see a kid throw out barb wire in the middle of the road. Cedric slammed on the brakes but it was too late; the car went through the barb wire. Austin could hear all four of the tires popped as the car goes out of control. The tires gave way and the car flipped.
A short scream came from Jezabel.
Cedric hit his head off the steering wheel.
Eleanor put her arm in front of Jezabel and Chyler.
Austin put his hands on the roof, bracing himself for impact.
When the car was still, a band of boys rushed in. One opened the back door but that was his mistake.
The car was upside down and Eleanor was waiting for him. As soon as he put his face in, Eleanor kicked it. Another boy let out a laugh as the kid grabbed Eleanor and pulled her out. He put a gun to her head.
Cedric had died before the car flipped, but he was back. He let out a groan and reached for unconscious Austin. Jezabel screamed. Chyler thought fast and grabbed the seat belt – which Cedric didn’t put on or he might have been alive – and wrapped it around Cedric’s neck to hold him back. A red headed boy pulled Jezabel and Chyler out then Cedric, the seatbelt still around his neck. He shot Cedric’s head off with a shot gun.
Blood and brains flew.
The guy with the gun to Eleanor wiped his face. The guy was handsome but was not Eleanor’s type. She doesn’t really go for the robber type. He gave a wink to Eleanor with a smug smirk.
Not a chance, she laughed in her head.
*****
Day Negative: March 25th, 2020; 1:20 pm
Chyler was making the car shake.
She was jumping with joy, smiling from ear to ear. “Calm down,” Austin said with southern drawl as he looked at her with his emerald eyes in the car mirror.
“Sorry. I’m just really excited to see her,” Chyler said and tried not to jump. She bit her bottom lip from smiling.
“We could tell,” Grant, Austin’s younger brother, joked. They look nothing alike. Austin had a square jaw and was fit. His hair was brown and stuck up in the front but hit it with a cowboy hat. Grant was lean and had dirty blonde crew cut hair and sky blue eyes. Grant was often told he looked like his mom and he often told others Austin was adopted.
“Shut up,” Chyler reached up and hit him, rolling her sky blue eyes.
“Watch it, little girl. I could throw you out the car,” Grant playfully said.
Chyler laughed. “Yeah, okay…,” Chyler looked out the window. They have been in traffic for a while but she didn’t mind. She soaked in the March sun and fresh breeze. She turned upward to the dome and smiled.
“What’s going on?” Grant asked as she got back in the car.
“Don’t know,” Austin was about to get out when a fire truck sound alarms. Cars started to pull to the side, the best they could. After a few fire trucks and cop cars, an army truck was after them. The three of them watched as it came dangerously close.
“Oh god,” Chyler said, having to look away as her jaw drops. “What’s going on?!”
“Don’t know,” Austin repeated and got out the car, looked around, making sure no other army tanks were coming their way. Austin saw others in their car. The tank stopped, far away from Austin but it turned. Austin’s green eyes get wide. “GET DOWN!!!” He yelled, getting down. Some listened, some were confused. The tank fired at a building.
Austin’s ears rang, looking over as the building collapsed. He could hear cries of help and screams. Guns were going off. Overhead, helicopters were flying around, shooting. Austin crawled into the car and closed his door. He made sure the others were fine. Chyler was huddled in the back and Grant’s hands were over his head.
“WHAT’S GOING ON?!” His brother shouted.
“I. DON’T. KNOW!!!” Austin yelled back and started the car. The car roared to life as the ground shook from another explosion.
“Well DRIVE!” Grant yelled. Austin listened. He swerved around cars and sped down the street. He knew he shouldn’t have but he was trying save their lives. A car, on fire, came down the street that Austin was trying to speed down. The inferno car struck Austin’s car and they spun around together as if they were dancing at a ball. Austin’s car hit the wall and the inferno hit his car.
Austin picked up his head from the steering wheel, silencing the long beep. Austin was pulled out of the car. “Hey!” His voice was rough as he fought back.
“Calm down, we are trying to help,” A smooth voice came. His voice was like jazz music but rougher and deeper. Austin saw guys in a riot suits. He calmed down.
“Get my brother and Chyler out,” Austin said but two other soldiers were already getting them out. Chyler’s head was bleeding. She was put on the ground next to Austin, sobbing. Austin patted her knee as one of the riot guy checks Grant’s pulse. He looked at the other riot guy and shook his head. The riot guy stood and raised his rifle to Grant’s head. “Whoa, what are you doing?”
“Standard regulations. Sorry, man, your friend didn’t make it,” The riot guy answers back.
Austin bit his bottom bloody lip. “My brother,” He looked at the guy. “Why do you still have to shoot him? What’s going on?!” Austin ran his rough hand over his face.
“Just… let us do our job,” the guy answered.
“And your job is to shoot dead people? I thought you guarded the dome? What does this have to do with the dome?!” Austin said, frustrated. Chyler linked her arm around his.
“Things came into the dome from the outside,” the guy answered as frustrated as Austin was. “Now let me save your life!” Grant’s eyes opened without anyone noticing. He sat up, quickly, and jumped at the guy with the gun. Screams came all around and a snarl from Grant. Then a bang.
Austin closed his green eyes, scared to open them. Chyler let out a cry and Austin had to open his eyes. His brother’s brains were on the riot guy’s mask. Chyler let out louder sob and was about to run over to Grant’s body but Austin got to his knees and grabbed her. Chyler fell against him, crying into his chest. Austin’s jaw tightens. He couldn’t look away from his brother’s body
“Dang,” A new male voice came. “Mind if I stay with you?”
The women, who shot Grant, came forward. “Sorry, for that,” she said it to the guy with Grant’s brains on him and Austin and Chyler. Behind the woman were a little girl, and another woman. Behind all of them a cop car crashed. Mostly everyone turned to it. “Go,” she said to the riot guys. “I’ll take care of these two.”
The riot guys ran off to help.
Austin stared at his brother’s dead body.
Chapter Ten
Day Two: March 27th, 2020, 1:10pm
The other guys go through the car with one of them watching the, now, remaining four.
Austin was awake and holding his arm closes to his chest. Chyler held small Jezabel in her arm. Eleanor slacked back and relaxed. She looked around: tall buildings that blocked the sun dome overhead lost cars and empty ruin places.
Eleanor leaned into Chyler and whispered, “Where’s the dead?”
Chyler decided to answer with a question, “Was Cedric bit?”
“All the zombies got attracted to the looney bin,” The guy, who winked at Eleanor before, stated. “I guess some survivors are there…,” He shrugged.
“What looney bin?” Eleanor asked. “Saint James Mental Institution?”
“Aye, that be the one,” one guy said like a pirate and touched his nose with his index finger. There were a total of eight guys: five searching what was left of the car and three watching them. Austin had counted.
The guy, who had winked, at Eleanor narrowed his eyes on Eleanor. His hair was crew cuts and a light blonde. His eyes were like a tiger’s – alive and alert – and were the color of olives. He was tall but not as tall as Austin. He looked strong with a fitted tee shirt and jeans. Eleanor could see some tattoos that were hidden under his tee shirt. “Why you so interested?”
“None of your business,” Eleanor hissed at him.
Austin filled with rage as he remembered Tiger’s – Chyler declared that nickname to the boy – voice was from. Austin stared long and hard at Tiger, clutching his fist.
Tiger noticed Austin death glare but felt the least bit scared. “Yeah, yeah take a picture,” Tiger rolled his olive colored eyes.
“So that’s what you do?” Austin ignored Tiger’s statement. Tiger raised his brows. “You save us then try to kill us?”
Tiger stared for a second, popping his gum. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember you… I save a lot of people,” Tiger glanced over at Eleanor and gave a small noticeable wink.
“Our car crashed and you guys saved us from my brother…,” Austin explained.
Tiger’s face goes whiter than it was. His chest rose and then fell, slower. “Hey, man. You got to do what you got to do,” Tiger’s shrugged just as his crew finishes and they go to him. “I’m sorry about your brother though.”
“I’m sure you are…,” Austin snorted.
Tiger looked away to the distance. Eleanor saw a flash of shame in his tiger eyes but that disappeared as fast as it came. “Well this was fun,” He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “But we must go. Try to move and I’ll have my sniper take you all out,” Eleanor saw order back in his eyes. Tiger pointed to a nearby roof with a sniper guy on top. The guy gave a wave.
The eight guys started out but Tiger stopped. “Oh, I’ll take these,” Tiger turned around and grabbed Eleanor’s gun and then Austin’s gun. Austin growled at him and Tiger smirked. “Bye,” Tiger turned and walked off. The rest of his crew ran but he took his time.
Austin wanted to hurt the guy but the sniper had a straight detour to his brain. When the eight guys were out of sight, the sniper gave a thumb up then left the roof. Austin pushed himself up with his none injured arm.
“And then there was four…,” Chyler muttered.
Chapter Eleven
Day Two: March 27th, 2020; 1:44 pm
Something had caught Forres’ eye.
She was walking down a street, her nose stopped bleeding but now there was dry blood under nose. Empty cars filled the road so Forres has to walk around them. She had wondered where the zombies were. That’s when something caught her eye.
A safe store.
It didn’t look big just small compare the other stores. A sign really caught her eye. It read, “Now selling a Tanner safe!”
First hint: You case is locked up tightly Tanner.
The words became clear in her head again. She tried to push them away but she noticed something about the sentence. There was no pause after tightly.
PS, I think it’s in the Tanner safe. The voice stated in her head.
Forres rolled her brown eyes and tried to ignore the voice. She started walking, brushing the word in her head away.
You’ll regret not even going in and check. Forres stopped. She had hated the voice in her head from the start. She hated it more because it was right. She would have a feeling of remorse if she doesn’t at least check. Forres let out a sigh and turns around to go to the store. She enters the fairly clean store. Safes were open; all but one.
Forres walked the closed safe, slowly. She didn’t notice the undead bald guy who just rose up from behind the counter. As she got closer, she could see writing on the top on the waist high, tan safe. “Tanner stain steel safe. Made in Tanner Inc.” It read. Forres ran her warm fingers over the cold word “Tanner.” She knelt down to see a four pin pad lock.
The bald zombie got closer.
“What’s the code?” Forres whispered to herself.
Beats me, the voice shrugged in her head.
A groan came from behind.
Forres turned, and gasped.
The bald zombie snarled at her.
Forres Tanner. She held up her clutched fists. Verses. Forres narrowed her eyes on the zombie. Bald Zombie. The zombie let out a growl. Fight! On cue, the bald zombie charged at her. Forres was not as ready as she thought she was. She got tackled by the bald dead guy.
Forres – on her back – tried to push the zombie off of her. The zombie suddenly stopped struggling and Forres had an idea of what he was about to do. A pool of dark blood came out of his gross mouth. Being a clean freak, Forres freaked out trying to get the bald zombie off of her. She kicked the zombie to the side and scrambled to her feet.
She tried to spit the blood out of her mouth. The zombie behind her smirked and stood. Forres stared at him. “You want to play?” Forres asks, narrowing her eyes on the thing. She looked at his nametag and saw his name. “Let’s play!” The zombie charged at her. Instead of running to the zombie, Forres ran away from him. She ran behind the counter and he ran into the counter. She grabbed the back of him head and said, “Sorry, Bert!” Forres slammed his head off the counter a couple of times until his body went limp.
Breathing hard, Forres goes the safe and sat on it. Sweet Mother of Pearl! B
y God, it’s your birthdate!!! The voice in her head yelled.
“How do you know?”
I just do. Now open the safe. The voice in her head sounded as if it was a little kid on Christmas day. Forres got down in front of the safe and sat next to the pad lock. She paused. Put it in. “I don’t remember… my birthday,” Forres sat back and stared at the case. “How could I ever forget my birthday?” Forres looked down.
Poor girl, the voice pitied in her head. Think harder.
Forres closed her eyes and tried to remember. She started to feel dizzy and light headed.
4-29-02
Those were the first numbers that came to her head.
Forres sighed and reached forward and put in the four numbers: 4292. The safe opened with a pop, surprising her. Forres suddenly felt as if she was going to cry. How could anyone in their right mind forget their birthday? Easily for Forres because she isn’t in her right mind: she talked to herself and she’s playing the sickest game ever. She’d be crazy not forget things. Forres pulled out the case out of the safe. She looked at the case, deciding if she should just die or take the medication.
“What’s that?” A guy’s voice came from the side of her. She wiped her brown eyes with her hand before looking over. A guy stood there with tiger eyes. She doesn’t answer, just stared. “Can I see?” Forres shook her head. He raised a brow then took the case from her lap. “Thanks, madam,” He started walking away.
It took Forres a second to realize she wants to live. “Hey that’s mine!” Forres yelled, scrabbling to her feet.
“Oh she talks,” Tiger guy turned and said while leaving the store.
Forres mistakenly followed him out of the store.
Bang!
Forres jumped to the side, trying to dodge the bullet. The glass behind her shattered as she lied on the ground.
“WHOA! NO! STOP!” Tiger guy waved his arms. He dropped the case and goes to Forres. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…,” Forres nodded. Her brown eyes were wide.
“You’re shot,” He stated.