It took Brian and Jenny almost an hour of arguing to finally decide on a car while we scoured that neighborhood the day before we left. Jenny wanted reliability and good gas mileage so we wouldn’t have to stop as often, but Brian kept insisting we needed power, weight and brute force.
He eventually brought up the point that we might even need to outrun other people who are trying to hurt us. What we all just went through caused Jenny to take his point very seriously. Instead of acquiring a powerful SUV like Brian had hoped for, we ended up settling on a Cadillac CTS, which provided us with plenty of room, weight and power for the time being.
When Brian found the keys in the driveway next to some dried up puddles of blood, the first thing he did was go in the glove-box and check the driver’s manual. To our surprise, it boasted 300 horse-power and claimed to get over thirty miles per gallon when just cruising.
We all agreed it was the perfect stand-in until we found a decent SUV. Vans were out of the question – we needed something that can be driven hard and doesn’t require a snail’s pace to get around a corner without flipping. Basically, we needed a brand new SUV with all the latest technology to get everything we wanted.
It wasn’t long before Brian remarked “Just saw a sign for highway-84. It said two miles.”
Jenny folded up the map and rolled down her window halfway to let in some fresh air. “By the time we get to Hinesville it should almost be dark. We’ll find a place to stay and then go out early to search for more supplies. I think we should consider taking the time to locate a gun store too.”
“This is Georgia – we’ll find a gun shop.” Brian got out through a chuckle.
Walt scoffed “We’ve wasted so many bullets keeping those damn things away while we siphon gas… There has to be a better way.”
Clara also used up a few dozen rounds since Jenny started teaching her to shoot, but that was a necessity, and Jenny had her use one of the AK47’s we stole from those men instead of an M4.
“If you think of one – let us know.” Jenny remarked with a touch of sarcasm as she turned back.
My worry for Clara was growing by the day. She’d changed drastically over the past week. It was inarguably for the better, but I also suspected that it was just a psychological “cover” for her immense pain, depression and never-ending fear.
I tried to have more than a few conversations with her, and even discuss Anthony and Melanie so it would allow her to vent, but she wanted nothing to do with it. If Clara wasn’t outside taking shooting or self-defense lessons from Jenny, she was glued to the spot where Anthony died – reading a book or staring out of the window.
With Melanie gone, Jenny has slowly but surely taken her place as Clara’s new parental figure. Just as I’d hoped, Jenny seemed perfectly happy to take on the extra responsibility and guide her through the nightmare that is our new existence.
I missed Melanie. We’d all been through so much together in such a short amount of time… After she’d already lost everyone who mattered to her, she only survived long enough to lose yet another child she grew to love before she was killed in her sleep by someone we all foolishly trusted.
The guilt I felt for not being able to foresee Anthony’s actions was still burning away at me… The horrible way he died. Clara losing her brother… It’s partly my fault… My only hope for atonement was to ensure that nothing ever happens to Clara, or die trying.
As Brian merged right onto highway-84, Jenny halfheartedly laughed and said “Did you just use the turn signal?”
Brian shrugged. “So, we still have a little over a quarter-tank, but I think we should stop and fill up again before we get too close to that city. That way we won’t have to do it again until we’re back on the road and away from all the shredders.”
“Good idea.” Jenny pointed to a massive pileup in the distance on the other side of the small highway. “That looks like a good spot.”
When Brian began to slow down and make his way onto the grass median, Clara noticed the handful of shredders wandering around near all the cars and got Jenny’s attention. Jenny turned back and she said. “I’m ready to try shooting one of them.”
She and Brian glanced over at each other – portraying uncertainty. I didn’t like the idea either, but she needed to learn how to protect herself… Childhood is nothing more than a luxury from our old world – something that can no longer exist…
“Let her do it.” I said commandingly.
Jenny chewed her bottom lip and counted the shredders as she continued to think about Clara’s request. She glanced at Brian again, then looked back to Walt and said “I count seven. Kill all but one.” She pointed to her left. “Leave that one alive for Clara – it’s the farthest away and it looks injured.”
My leg was finally starting to feel useful again, but the last thing I wanted to do was set it back even more than I already have. I had no choice but to sit there and watch as everyone else got out and did their part.
Clara stood by the car and waited while the three of them casually approached the shredders and began firing.
Being stuck out in the middle of the lone highway without anyone to eat and no way to avoid the direct sunlight had them starving away and severely weakened. Walt and the others had plenty of time to line up their shots and ensure that each shredder would only cost us a single bullet.
When only one remained, Brian jogged back to the car and grabbed the bucket and the hose so he could get to work. Walt stood by, ready to fire if need be as Jenny motioned for Clara to join her.
I watched through the open car door as Clara tightened her grip on the rifle and briskly walked over to Jenny. If she was scared – I couldn’t tell. Her face was relaxed, her eyes were void of worry and there wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in any of her movements.
Jenny took the AK47 away from her and placed the M4 in her hands. “From now on, you use one of these. They’re a little lighter and easier to keep on target.”
Clara nodded and brought the scope up to her eye. The rifle seemed gigantic next to her small stature and thin build. She slid her left foot forward to help steady herself, but didn’t pull the trigger. The shredder was now less than twenty yards away.
Jenny said “What are you waiting for?”
Clara snapped “I’m fine.”
Jenny and Walt exchanged questioning expressions, and he shrugged. Clara just stood there and watched through the scope as it limped toward her and showed what was left of its teeth.
It was badly injured, appearing as though it crawled out from one of the wrecked cars in the pileup. Its leg was barely usable, broken at the knee and ankle. Its face was bloody and disfigured (seemingly from smashing into the steering-wheel) and there was a large gash running across its chest.
When Clara still didn’t fire, Jenny brought up the AK47. Clara yelled out “No!” and a few moments later, she finally pulled the trigger.
The shredder was so close that the bullet went clean through its head and barely even jolted it. After several adrenaline and rage fueled steps it collapsed.
Jenny turned to Clara, frowning heavily as she said “Why did you wait so long? I can tell you aren’t scared.”
Clara handed her the M4, and softly replied “I wanted to see it up close before I killed it.”
What?..
Jenny leaned down so they were face to face. “Clara, I think I understand what you’re doing… but you can’t ever hesitate again. You need to train yourself to react immediately without having to think about it. You won’t have anywhere near as much time if it’s dark out, and if you miss or only wound it, you need the time to fire again.”
While still lacking any visible emotions, Clara let the AK47 fall to her side and robotically replied “I only needed to do it once. I’m sorry, I won’t ever hesitate again.”
Jenny’s mouth began to open, but she struggled to find something to say. Clara looked right at her and saw that she was about to speak, but instead of waiting she simply w
alked back to the car and took her place in the middle seat next to me.
Jenny’s expression turned despondent and pained as she rubbed her forehead out of frustration. Walt came up next to her and softly spoke into her ear, as if he said something he didn’t want Clara to hear.
She shook her head, let a long breath out through her nose and replied “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 6
When Jenny noticed a sign that read “Hinesville – 4 miles” she said “It’s an especially small city, but it’s near Savannah so it should be pretty developed and have everything we need. If the shredders allow it, I think we should spend as much time as we need to fill up the trunk before we set out again.”
“I say we try and find a 10-gallon gas can, so after we fill up the car we can fill it again and take it with us. If we do that and raid a grocery store we’ll barely ever have to stop. Not to mention, we’ll use a lot less bullets every day.” Walt suggested.
Brian interjected. “Damn good idea... This thing has a huge trunk, so we could probably carry two of them – along with a month’s supply of food.”
“It all depends on the shredders guys. We might just have to keep moving and start heading west to an even less populated area. Even the smallest little convenience store could net us enough food for weeks if no one else has emptied it out – probably more.” Jenny remarked.
“Walt’s right. We need to make it so we aren’t having to stop for such long periods of time throughout the day… Shredders aren’t the only thing we have to worry about.” Brian looked over to Jenny. “Almost everyone we’ve come across seems to just wait around for the opportunity to rob a group like us.”
In my current state I always felt like I wasn’t really involved in any of the planning. All I could do was offer my inexperienced opinions. I wasn’t actually taking the risk with them. For the time being, I was just a helpless observer who was blatantly overprotective of his younger brother. Though if need be, I’m far more capable than I was a week ago.
Hinesville wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. Even though we were in a completely different state, many parts of it were almost identical to Palm Coast – there were even palm trees everywhere. The majority of the buildings were either new or well taken care of, and the homes suggested slightly above average realty prices.
When looking at a map it appeared to be the perfect type of place to search, but we soon found it to be the exact opposite of what we were looking for. There were so many strip malls, stores, homes and apartment buildings packed into the tiny area that we barely had enough room to avoid the massive population of shredders and all the vehicles in the road. It was a miniature metropolis, only lacking the soulless mountains of steel and glass.
Brian barked “Fuck!” as he smacked the steering-wheel. “We can’t be here when it gets dark.”
Jenny sighed and said “Damn it… According to the map, this city is supposedly less than a third the size of Melbourne.”
“Shouldn’t we turn around? This place is a death trap.” Walt nervously asked.
“Not yet.” Jenny said as she unfolded the map.
“Okay, new plan.” She turned to Brian. “Keep going straight and we’ll be able to pick up 84 again in a few minutes. There’s a really small town called Fleming in between here and Savannah… Hopefully it’ll be the kind of place that only has two gas stations in the entire area.”
“What about a gun shop? Should we really keep going with such a small amount of ammo left?” Brian said as he studied our surroundings. “This seems to be the place to find a really good one.”
Walt remarked “Doubt we’ll find any survivors here.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m guessing we’ve already passed a few thousand of them.”
“And those are the ones we can see… Imagine how many are gonna come pouring out of the stores when the sun goes down.” I replied.
As Jenny studied the map, I could sense her frustration building. She turned to Brian. “You’re probably right about this place having a descent gun shop, but I don’t think we should try anything here. We could be overwhelmed too easily.”
“Yeah, no doubt. It wouldn’t even be a good idea to stop for a few minutes to siphon gas.”
“Make the next left so we can go through the neighborhoods, it’s just getting worse.”
Brian shut off the AC and apologetically said “Sorry everyone, gotta conserve gas. Who knows when we’ll be able to stop again.”
We rolled down all the windows, but it wasn’t quite as hot as I suspected it would be. It was a relief to know that being farther North would at least give us the comfort of cooler nights.
Clara was sitting in between me and Walt. Every time I glanced over, her eerily lifeless eyes were fixed straight ahead. She didn’t even seem to acknowledge the shocking amount of shredders all around us. I was genuinely beginning to fear that she would never be “okay”.
After Anthony died, she reverted back to the comatose state we found her in. The only difference being she was adamant on learning how to defend herself instead of just huddling by Melanie. Now, it’s even worse, to the point where I can’t get a read on her emotions at all. Almost like she doesn’t have any. Before Melanie died, I could at least sense her sadness…
Despite the droves of shredders and usual scenes of twisted metal and death, when Brian turned off the main road we were soon met by one of the most welcoming and beautiful neighborhoods I’ve ever seen.
Most of the homes were the average one story, two car garage box meant for a small family, but they all had character and were completely unique. The massive trees throughout the neighborhood linked together and formed a magnificent canopy that shaded the streets and homes. In between them sat several different, much smaller breeds that somehow produced shades of purple and white leaves and flowers.
Even though I haven’t seen much of the country, at that moment I decided that if I was still alive when the shredders died off I would make this place my home. After spending most of my life in a city, coasting through the endless ocean of ancient trees was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced – even though they were now shading hell.
Brian took his foot off the gas. “Do you hear that?” He and Jenny said in unison.
“Car alarms?” Walt said with uncertainty.
I tried to listen, but I could barely pick it up. That night when I was running back to the house with Anthony in my arms, Jessie was forced to fire less than a foot away from my left ear as I passed him.
Every time I covered my right ear to test the hearing in my left, it made everything sound like I was underwater. There was a slight ringing, but it mainly just felt clogged, like it was stuffed with cotton. Luckily, Jenny assured me it would slowly return to normal, but for the time being I was down an ear as well.
Walt remarked “Sounds like a bunch of them are going off. That’s weird.”
Brian suddenly cut left onto one of the side streets. “I bet you some people did it to use as a distraction!”
Jenny agreed and said “Yeah, but car alarms will stay on for a long time before they shut off or kill the battery. The people who did it could be long gone, or even dead, but it’s worth checking out.”
“Let’s give it about ten minutes. If we don’t see anyone, we really need to start making our way out of this city. We got an hour until dark – max.”
It wasn’t long before I was able to clearly hear the alarms. Brian pointed left to a multi-building apartment complex and said “I think they’re coming from over there.”
Jenny reached down, pulled the M4 into her lap, switched off the safety and replied “Makes sense. Sounds like a bunch of cars right next to each other in a parking-lot.” She turned back to us. “Get ready, the noise probably drew in hundreds of them.”
Brian added “Yeah, notice there aren’t too many around all of a sudden? They must have all gone to investigate.”
Brian turned
into the entrance of the apartment complex and brought the car to a crawl. We slowly followed the sharply curving road past the first building. When we rounded the second and the third came into view, I could immediately see the flashing cars in the parking lot, surrounded by what looked more like a thousand shredders. “Hundreds” was an extreme understatement.
They were all just pacing around and searching the area. The noise had drawn them in, but they were no longer reacting to it and seemed to be spreading out again. Though the fact that some of them haven’t left already told me the alarms haven’t been going off for very long.
Whoever did this may still be around. They probably just wanted to break into apartments and search for food…
Jenny said “Wow, look how well this works.”
Brian let out a short and dismal laugh. “Throw it in the bag of tricks.”
“Don’t forget, the noise shit won’t work on the same pack more than once or twice.” Walt reminded them.
Brian crept toward the pack until the car was no more than a hundred feet away, then came to a stop. “They haven’t noticed us yet, let’s take a few minutes to look around before they do.”
Jenny turned back to us and said “Use your rifles to check the windows in the other buildings. They’re too far away for us to really see anything.”
Just as Walt rested his rifle on the window opening and put his eye to the scope, Brian excitably said “Third window from the left, second floor! I see a woman. Look, she’s waving to us.”
By the time I found the window, a man had joined her. Jenny said “They’re trapped. Look, all the front doors to those apartments are facing the parking-lot.”
Jenny lifted up from her seat and hung half her body out of the car. She began waving back and motioning for them to stay put. They both stopped waving, the woman nodded and then they backed away from the window.
Brian said “Guess I’ll just lay on the horn. As soon as they see us they’ll forget about the car alarms.”
I pointed out “There’s nowhere to put them.”
“Fuck, I didn’t even think about that.”
Trying to Survive (Part 3) Page 3