This Dying World (Book 2): Abandon All Hope

by James D. Dean

  Jason spun on his heels and fled to the limited sanctuary the small office provided. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, and despite knowing that Murphy was truly not to blame for what happened, Jason could not bring himself to look at the man for a while.

  Jason almost fell out of his chair when a heavy thud hit the door, pounding on the old wood with enough force to bow the upper half of the door inward with each strike. Jason’s hand shot toward his rifle when the pounding suddenly stopped.

  “Foster,” Murphy’s southern drawl came from the other side. “You up?”

  “I’m awake,” Jason replied, his heart still thudding against his ribs.

  “I’m leaving,” Murphy said coolly. “I got a new vehicle, but when I leave its coming with me. I can’t change the past. I wish to God I could, but what’s done is done. I’d like to see you through to your family, but I’ll understand if you want to go it alone. Either way, you’ve got ten. Make your choice.”

  Nothing more was said. Heavy boots clomped away from the door accompanied by the clicks of Titan’s nails on the floor.

  Jason sighed. He already knew what he was going to do. Murphy was not to blame, but it would take a little while for his emotions to catch up with his common sense.

  Oh that just figures, he thought when he looked at his watch, only to find cracks spider webbing across its face.

  Jason stood from the chair, his back cracking as he stretched out the stiffness from the previous night. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, intent on tapping out yet another short message he knew would not send. As he drew it from his pocket, he noticed the blue glow from the screen.

  “Real smart Jason,” he admonished himself. “Go ahead, let the battery die. There’s oh so many places to charge it these days.”

  He sighed in frustration as he set the phone down on the desk to pick up his rifle and ready himself for another day. More importantly, he steeled himself against whatever the next few minutes would bring when he faced off with his travelling companion once more.

  The screen winked off as he bent down to make sure his boot laces were tight and his gear was properly stowed. As he finished securing one lace and moved to the other, something caught his attention.

  He snatched the phone from the desk as soon as he saw the green message light flash. With shaky hands, he held his breath as he rapidly typed in the security code. His body shook, tears blurred his vision until he could no longer read the one single word. A word that had been sent only a few hours prior.

  Jason?

  He dropped in the chair, setting the phone on the desk again and running his hands across the long stubble of hair on his head. He took a few breaths, trying to stay his shaking hands enough to type out a response.

  Chris? Is that you?

  He hit send, and sat back to wait. Almost immediately the green light flashed again. He grabbed the phone so fast he almost knocked it off the desk. He read the message and laughed.

  Marines suck! – Chris

  You know Army stands for Ain’t Ready for Marines Yet, right? – Jason

  Well, you can always tell a Marine, but you can’t tell ‘em much! Jesus Christ YOU’RE ALIVE!!!

  Jason leapt from his chair, shouting at the top of his lungs while he slapped his hands hard on the desk. He kicked over the chair, and bounced the desk on the floor in wild celebration.

  The door suddenly burst open, Murphy rushing in with his rifle up and ready. Titan followed closely behind, his fur up and teeth bared in anger.

  “What in the hell is the matter with you?!” Murphy panted, lowering his rifle. “You scared the shit out of me!”

  “He’s alive!” Jason shouted at the man, unable to control his happiness. He shoved the phone into Murphy’s face. “That’s my brother! He’s alive!”

  “Well Goddamn!” Murphy shouted, beaming a toothy smile. “That is the best news I’ve heard all week! C’mon then, we’ve got a lot of road to cover!”

  “You said you have a vehicle?” Jason asked as he grabbed his gear, slinging his nearly empty pack over his shoulder and attaching his rifle to his single point sling.

  “I did,” Murphy smiled. “It’s parked out back. I already checked the batteries and cleaned out what was left of the driver.”

  “Nothing else out there?” Jason asked dreading the idea of the long journey with the pungent aroma of death as a companion.

  “Plenty,” Murphy said as they stepped back out into the store. “But none that come with its own sleeper cab.”

  “You want to drive cross country in a camper?” Jason eyed Murphy sarcastically.

  “Nope,” Murphy said as he started filling his own pack with bottles of water and cans of food from the shelves. “But I can’t pass up a Kenworth. No trailer, sleeper cab, plenty of legroom, and tough enough to plow through those Z’s with only a few scratches in the paint.”

  “At least there’s plenty of room for supplies,” Jason said as he started filling his own pack.

  “Already topped off the fuel and filled her up with as much food as she can carry and still leave room for us to sit.”

  “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  “Nah,” Murphy chuckled. “I’ll sleep when I’m—” Murphy stopped, his smile fading from his lips. “I don’t sleep much.”

  “Look, Murph—” Jason started.

  “Don’t,” Murphy interrupted. “I’ve come to terms with what I’ve done. I know I’m no more to blame than any of the other operators out there that were handed this job.”

  Jason locked his eyes with Murphy, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I was going to say that I know what happened wasn’t your fault. I know you didn’t know what you were doing. But I’m not ready to stop being angry, and if we’re going to travel together, you’re just going to have to deal with that for a while.”

  “Fair enough,” Murphy said. “I just need to know, for right now, are we good?”

  “No,” Jason replied. He turned his attention back to stuffing every empty space in his pack full of anything he thought would be useful. “But we’ll get there.”

  “Jesus,” Murphy exhaled, rolling his eyes dramatically. “You sound like my wife! I’m going to go start the truck while you finish putting on your make up. Why don’t you find out from your brother where we’re going exactly.”

  “You have the keys?” Jason asked, ignoring the slight and stuffing an extra phone charger into his bag.

  “Couldn’t find ‘em,” he replied. “Titan, come!” he added as he started out the door.

  “How are you going to get it started?”

  “Really?!” Murphy looked back at him, his eyebrows raised. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before walking outside with Titan close at his heels.

  “You can hotwire a semi?” Jason called after him. “Of course you can hotwire a semi, silly me,” he said sarcastically.

  He slipped the phone from his pocket and readied himself for a marathon texting session. He wanted to know where his family was, and how they were doing. He wanted to ask about Anna and the kids. He wanted to be sure that Dan and Abby had made it to the farm with Katie. Questions about his mother and grandmother burned in his mind.

  His excitement was all consuming, filling him with a joy he could never remember feeling in his adult life. He could not contain the smile plastered on his face. He wanted to laugh out loud no matter how much noise he made. In the desolate remains of a dying planet, he had managed to make contact with his family miles away. He would find them no matter what it took.

  He looked at the screen and found the green message light flashing furiously at him. He smiled, knowing that Chris would have a mountain of questions for him. He tapped in his password and noticed thirteen long messages waiting for him. He scrolled to the first entry and started to read.

  His smile faded and his excitement melted away. He dropped his pack to the floor and fell into the chair he’d sat in the night before, kicking empty beer bottles away from
him. He was awash in sorrow as tears flowed down his cheeks.

  His hands fell to his sides, unable to read any more. I should have been there, he thought as he sobbed. Dammit Dan, I’m so sorry.

  “Jason?” Murphy suddenly appeared in front of him. “What’s up man?”

  He was so immersed in his grief that he didn’t hear the massive Kenworth roll up in front of the store. The giant red truck sat idling only steps from the front door, its red paint reflecting the sun’s rays back into the station.

  Titan came to him, nuzzling and licking his hand until Jason stroked his short golden fur. The dog lay his head on Jason’s lap and turned his dark eyes up toward Jason. He inhaled deeply, letting out a slow sorrowful whine.

  “My sister-in-law…she was bitten,” Jason said, his voice trembling. “Dan watched her die, and had to shoot her. He was trapped for almost an hour with her in the back of an ambulance.”

  “Damn,” Murphy exhaled. “What a mind fuck. How is he?”

  “I don’t know yet. Chris is still typing. I should have been there,” he mumbled.

  “You couldn’t be,” Murphy said, his tone softer than Jason had heard from the man before. “You were trapped, just like the rest of us. Believe me, if there was any way I could have been there for my family I would’ve been.”

  “I keep thinking about Katie,” Jason said. “You know, I found out about her when I was in theater. I was in a shit hole of an FOB, but Dan managed to get through to me. He called me Uncle Jason a couple times before I really heard what he was saying. I was in a bad place but hearing that I was going to be an uncle again carried me through my tour. That girl is special to me. She’s only six, I can’t stand thinking of the hurt she is feeling now.”

  “I’m sorry,” Murphy said, lowering his rifle to the floor. He walked over to Jason, leaning his back against the wall and putting his hand on Jason’s shoulder.

  The phone suddenly buzzed in Jason’s hand. He looked down at the flashing green light, sighing deeply as he lifted the screen to his eyes. He tapped in his security code again and started to read.

  “Goddammit! Big Mark too?”

  “Big who?”

  “Mark,” Jason answered as his eyes scanned over the messages. “He’s one of Dan’s best friends. Stood up at their wedding. I guess him and another of Dan’s friends made it to the farm. Mark was bit, and Dan—”

  Every muscle in Jason’s body immediately tensed. His grief vanished in a flash only to be replaced by seething anger. He squeezed his phone until the plastic popped in his shaking hand.

  Sensing the change in Jason’s demeanor, Titan rose up, carefully backing away until he was out of reach. He looked around the store, seeking out any potential threat that might have triggered the man’s sudden anger.

  “Dan what?” Murphy asked, taking his hand from Jason’s shoulder and stepping back.

  “We’re going! Right now!” Jason spat as he rocketed up from his chair. He grabbed his pack from the floor and angrily flung it over his shoulder as he marched to the front door.

  “What’s going on,” Murphy called after him, slapping his hand on his leg for Titan to follow.

  “My dumbass brother went out by himself to put Mark down,” Jason said as he burst through the glass door and out to the warm morning air. He quickly scanned around the area for the undead before continuing toward the truck.

  “Okay,” Murphy replied. “What happened?”

  “Someone kidnapped my brother!”

  Chapter 28

  I opened my eyes to complete darkness. I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there. Every part of my being screamed in agony. My chest popped with every breath. Stabbing pain thundered through my body until my head spun and my stomach roiled.

  I tried to turn my head, but my neck revolted. No matter which way I tried to look, my neck screamed for me to knock that crap off. Finally, I gave up and let myself sink back into the pillow.

  That’s when my brain finally put two and two together. I was in a bed covered with a thin blanket. Though, calling it a bed was a bit of a stretch. It had all the comforts of a well-used pull out sofa bed in a no-tell-motel. The last time I woke up that uncomfortable there was a lot of brown liquor and a bathtub full of marbles involved.

  I’ll let you use your imagination on that one.

  I started taking notice of all the sights and sounds around me. I didn’t want to attempt to move until I knew that I wouldn’t put one foot on the floor, and the other into the mouth of something old, dead, and bitey.

  Sights…none. That one was pretty easy to check off the list. You know, complete darkness and all.

  A faint hum rumbled through the oppressive blackness. It was distant, like listening to a car engine rumble blocks away. I strained to make out what it was, but it was like trying to listen to soft jazz at a heavy metal concert. There was a loud ring in my ears, and the headache I woke up with was steadily growing into a tear inducing migraine.

  At first I wasn’t sure what it was that I heard coming from the darkness. I tried to blow it off as background noise, but something kept nagging at me. It was too rhythmic, too constant.

  Too human.

  “Who’s there?” The words were so painful to speak that I’m sure they sounded as foreign to hear as they were to say. My jaw throbbed along with my heartbeat. My tongue was so swollen that it almost filled my mouth.

  Nothing but silence…and that hum…filled my ears.

  “Who?” was all I managed to get out.

  “Through me you pass into the city of woe,” a voice drifted through the darkness. “Through me you pass into eternal pain. Through me among the people lost for aye.”

  It came from everywhere. The strong and commanding voice brimmed with an east coast blue-blood accent. His words were measured and deliberate. He took the time to annunciate each syllable as if savoring their feel as they rolled from his lips.

  “Justice the founder of my fabric moved,” he continued. “To rear me was the task of Power Divine, Supremest Wisdom, and primeval love. Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I endure.”

  The room was warm, and comfortable. The blankets I rested under were heavy and cozy. Yet every inch of me shivered in ice cold terror. In that oppressive darkness I felt I was in the presence of something evil.

  “All hope abandon ye who enter here,” he said. I could feel his malevolence as he savored the last few words.

  “Dante’s Inferno, one of my favorites. I have enjoyed so many nights dining to live readings from modern poets. I’ve viewed performances from the largest of venues to the most intimate of halls. I recently attended a wonderful retelling set to ballet whilst working a…project in Bellevue, Washington. What a wonderful evening that was, ah I will miss those nights.”

  His footsteps grew closer, walking slowly heel to toe. Even his movements were measured, with the clear intent to terrorize.

  It was working.

  “It is a tale far too eloquent to be scrawled haphazardly onto the side of such a crude tool as your pistol. Though I suppose these weapons are necessary given the state of the world we find ourselves in. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Foster?”

  If I wasn’t already frozen in a mix of fear and pain, I would have leapt out of my skin at hearing my name spoken aloud by this perfect stranger.

  “How—” I gasped.

  “How did I know your name?” he replied gleefully. “Well, I am the devil of course! That is what you are thinking, are you not, Mr. Foster? You must be wondering if you are dead, and if your soul warranted a trip to the inferno. Isn’t that right Daniel?”

  I couldn’t answer. My throat was burning with thirst. My jaw had begun to pop in time with my clearly broken ribs with every word I tried to speak.

  “Or is it more likely that despite the dead clamoring all over this planet, you still managed to perform the most mundane of actions on a daily basis. Perhaps without realizing that you did so. Such as following the sim
ple routine of placing your wallet and phone into your pants pocket?”

  I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath. I exhaled hard, panting despite the searing pain in my side.

  “Ah, you finally decided to breathe again. Wonderful! I would hate to see any harm come to you so soon after meeting.”

  The arrogance in his voice was really starting to piss me off. It dawned on me that everything this man had said and done since the second I opened my eyes was for the sole purpose of fucking with me, and I was definitely not in a fuck with Dan mood. I knew it was a mistake even before the first muscle twitched, but I tried to stand anyway. Stubbornness can be helpful at times, especially when you have a sudden desire to find someone in the dark and knock his teeth through the back of his skull.

  The restraints on my wrists and ankles changed my mind faster than I could cry out in pain for making the attempt in the first place. Stubbornness can be a curse too.

  “Come now Mr. Foster,” he mocked. “This is about the time you get angry. It happens every time and has sadly become quite predictable. We will have a lot of time to talk, you and I. I am greatly looking forward to speaking with you at length. But first you must heal.”

  “Let…me…go,” I forced out through clenched teeth.

  “Where would you go, Mr. Foster? Your ribs are broken, you’ve sprained your ankle, and your knees are too swollen to support your weight. I’m sorry Mr. Foster, but I’m afraid you won’t be going anywhere for some time.”

  “How long—” I started.

  “How long have you been here?” the man finished my thought again. “It has only been a couple of days, and I’ve only allowed you to wake so we can have this brief chat. But I’m afraid it’s time for you to sleep again. We mustn’t allow you to hurt yourself in a foolhardy attempt to escape. I will make you this promise, and I do hope you take it to heart. You will not leave here unless I choose to let you.”

  I heard a pop, and a tiny squeak. I knew it from my time in bed recovering from my gunshot wound and my time as an EMT. Someone was forcing fluids into an IV. Panic welled up inside me as I felt my arm suddenly grew cold.