by Brian Grenda
Something has their attention towards my house. I can hear them banging on the front door and front bay window.
Screams of zombies as well as people fill the air. I can’t help to wonder if this will be my final resting place. Martha’s oak tree.
The tree branch that I’m standing on starts to crack. I hear the branch crack and feel that it is about to break off. I try to move to another branch, but the tree doesn’t have very many tree limbs within my reach. The branch starts to break. I see a branch that might hold me and narrowly move to it before the tree branch I am standing on breaks off completely and falls onto the driveway.
The fallen limb knocks down a couple zombies that were reaching up for me. I have hope for a second that I can make it out of this alive. Then my hope fades, as more zombies fill in the gap that was made by the fallen tree branch.
I look to see where I can move next if the branch I’m on breaks, but I don’t have any more options. It looks to be a matter of time until this branch breaks, and I fall to my death.
I won’t go down without a fight, but feel that I am trapped. I feel this branch start to break away now. The branch starts to crack, and I close my eyes.
I start to pray for a miracle.
I look at my house and say, “I love you Lauren. Stay strong.”
The tree branch cracks and is about to give out. It’s only a matter of seconds until it breaks, and I’m zombie food.
The branch breaks even more and is about to fall when suddenly a huge glare of light shines on me.
The bright light shines on me and hinders my vision. I try to see who it is, but can’t as the lights are blinding me.
Then suddenly, the loud sound of gunfire is heard below me. Automatic rifle bullets, shotgun blasts, and handgun shots fill the air. Zombie bodies and limbs are flying all over the place. Bullets are taking out zombies left and right.
It’s a chaotic scene of bullets piercing zombie flesh skulls, zombie limbs and brains. Zombies and bullets are flying all over the place. Tree bark is being torn off the tree from the incoming bullets.
I reach up to grab a small tree limb to avoid any gunfire and to remain safe from bullets and zombies.
Suddenly the gunshots stop and it’s quiet.
As I am holding onto the tree limb, I hear a familiar voice.
“You can come down now! We just saved your ass!”
I step down onto the branch that I was previously on. The branch breaks and I jump down. I land on both feet and dust myself off.
I slowly turn towards the person who shouted at me and immediately start to smile. I have tears in my eyes as I walk towards him.
I give the man a big hug and say, “Thank God!”
“I love you son,” says Bobby G as he hugs me.
Standing behind my dad is Shaun, Matt, Kylie, Lisa, and Phil. They all look at each other and smile.
I finish the hug with my father, but know that the South entrance still needs help.
I look at the group and shout, “We aren’t done yet. We need your help on the South entrance.”
The group runs down to the street to help clear out the zombies on the South entrance, and I run to my house. I grab a zombie that was banging on my front door, throw him to the ground and stomp on his head.
I open the front door and run to my bedroom. Nicole, Lauren, and the babies are hiding in the master bedroom. They are terrified. I put on my bulletproof vest, grab a handgun and my katana.
I look at Lauren and Nicole and ask, “Are you guys okay. Is anyone hurt?”
Lauren replies, “We are safe. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay now. Thanks to Matt, Shaun, and my father. I have to go help them outside, but I will be back.”
Lauren replies, “Matt, Shaun, and your dad?”
“Yeah. They are here and fighting the zombies outside.”
I run out of the bedroom and out the front door. I lock the front door and run down my driveway.
I kill a lone zombie that is walking down my driveway with my katana on my way to the South entrance.
As I make my way to the South entrance, I see Shaun, Matt, and my father killing zombies and protecting people.
Phil kills a zombie with his shotgun as it walks down the street. Chris and Jamie run back to their homes and lock themselves inside. I make my way next to Phil and we finish off the last remaining zombies that were entering through the South entrance.
The streets are filled with lifeless zombie bodies, dead people, blood, brains, and limbs. I look around the neighborhood and can’t believe what just happened and that we survived. I take a deep breath and big sigh of relief.
Shaun comes over to me and gives me a big hug. Phil shakes Matt’s hand, and Bobby G stabs a zombie in the head that starts to move in the street.
Kylie, Lisa, and Ann come over to me.
Ann looks at me and asks, “Where is Nicole?”
I reply, “She and the babies are safe in the house.”
Phil takes Ann to the house. Matt and Kylie follow them. I look at Bobby G and smile. I haven’t seen my father in about a year, and I’m relieved to know that he’s alive.
“Have no fear, Bobby G is here,” says Bobby G with a big smile on his face as we make eye contact.
Shaun and Lisa go back to Shaun’s jeep. Bobby G and I walk back to my house.
As we walk past Martha’s huge oak tree, I feel a sense of thankfulness and appreciation.
I look at my father and say, “I thought I was a goner up in that tree.”
“The world must have bigger plans than for you to become zombie food,” says Bobby G.
“I guess it wasn’t my time.”
My dad and I make it back to my house. I open the front door for my dad and we both enter my house. The house is filled with people now.
Kylie, Ann, Matt, and Nicole are in the living room with the babies.
Phil is talking with Lauren in the kitchen. Lauren sees me walk into the kitchen and gives me a big hug and a kiss.
She says, “I was so worried about you.”
“I am fine now. They saved me.”
Lauren sees Bobby G and she gives him a hug. Shaun and Lisa come walking into the house carrying some of their luggage.
“Where should we put our stuff?” asks Shaun.
I walk over to Shaun by the front door and say, “Bring it in Phil’s room for now, but we’ll have to talk about where everyone is going to stay.”
Phil shows Shaun and Lisa to his room and where to put their belongings.
I walk back outside through the front door and sit on one of my front porch chairs. It starts to hit me that I almost died, my dad and friends saved me, and the neighborhood survived a major zombie attack.
Bobby G comes outside and sits on my other front porch chair. He makes a big sigh of relief as he sits down.
“Where is Sandy?”
Bobby G says, “She didn’t make it. I had to bury her in the backyard, before I came down.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. That had to be terrible.”
“Yeah, it was terrible, but I’m not sure how long she would have lasted in this new world anyway. With her bad heart and lungs,” says Bobby G.
“That’s true, but it’s still sad to lose loved ones. I’m not sure we truly ever get over losing people. I’m glad you made it though.”
Bobby G replies, “I told you I would. Remember that conversation we had about zombies after watching that zombie show? I told you that if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, I might save your life one day.”
“Yeah. I remember. I guess it came true. I am glad you did.”
“That was a good TV show, but the ending sucked.”
“Hopefully our ending won’t be as bad as the one from that show. I can’t believe they killed the main character and his son,” says Bobby G.
I think to myself. How will this story end? Will we all make it out alive? Will we all die? Will there be a possible cure for this zombie outbreak?
Only time will tell I guess, but I feel a great sense of hope that we can do anything and everything now that we are all together again.
With this group of people, I feel that we can survive and make something out of this new world.
People aren’t writing this story that we are living. I don’t know how this story will end, but I do know that I will always fight to survive, fight to live, and fight for us.
TO BE CONTINUED…