by Brown, Derek
March 25, 2014
We spent almost all day today discussing what we should do; I think we are at our wits end. Everyone has different opinions of what we should do to handle the situation and I fear we shall soon become stagnant. I have been quiet most of the day and I have listened to everyone discuss and debate about the direction we should head and what we should do next. I have been pondering the problem all day in my head and while I have an idea I want to think out every possible angle before I open my mouth. Normally I am the first one to just blurt out what comes to mind but I think that this cannot be one of this times. I have come to a chilling conclusion and tomorrow morning I must tell them all.
March 26, 2014
I got up early today and I began working out in the garage with the dumbbells, pull-up stand, and the punching bag we had. I was working up a good sweat when Scarlett came out to the garage to see me; she was wearing a white robe and she walked in and locked the door behind her. She didn’t say a word as her dark blue eyes met mine and she moved towards me purposefully. I could see her tan firm legs through the slit of the robe’s opening as she walked over and began kissing me. As her lips met mine butterflies exploded in my stomach as if it was the first time our lips were touching. She brought her hand up to my face and her fingers gingerly caressed my cheek with her right hand. Her left hand found its way to my chest and I wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her close to me. I felt her hot breath as she exhaled with the forceful movement. Then I ran my right hand up the smooth curve of her back and up onto her neck and I felt her heart rate increase rapidly as our lips continued to be locked as one. Then I began to run the fingers of my left hand through her hair and my lips moved down on to her neck and her head arched back as a small moan escaped her lips. She smiled and bent down and nibbled on my ear and it was my turn to let a soft moan of excitement. Then she tore my shirt off as I undid her robe and it fell to the ground exposing her bare-naked sexy body to me. I grabbed her and pulled her close feeling the heat radiate off her body as my hands began to once again explore every inch of her body as if it was all new to me. She ripped my shorts down off my body and tore my boxers off as I caressed her breasts and kiss her nipples. She ran her hands down my chest leaving red starch marks as her hands came to meet at the center of me. She gently began to rub her hands up and down me as I got more and more excited. I kiss her neck and her breast and her lips and my heart felt like it might just explode from beating so hard. Then I moved my hands down and carefully began to rub her and caress her softly. Then she pulled me close, slowly pushing me inside of her. As I enter her ever so slowly I thought to myself how fucking good it felt. I pulled her body close and entered her all the way and we become one in that moment. I slowly pulled myself out and then pushed back in. We both were moving so slowly just experiencing each other as we made love to one another. She was touching me all over as I touched every inch of her body in turn. The fear of the previous day’s events began to fade away and become nothing more than a distant memory. The stress poured out of each of us, as our muscles relaxed. We found solace in each other. I don’t know how long we made love to one another but by the end we were both left panting on the floor in the garage all tangled up together. In that moment it didn’t matter that the world had gone mad, she and I were the only things that mattered and while I know it was selfish I didn’t want to let that moment go. Later on in the day after we managed to untangle each other from one another we sat down with the others and I began to explain my plan. I felt that living in the city was too dangerous and that it would increasingly become worse as the days wore on. So I remembered a place along the King’s river it was a small little camp site and it was protected on three sides with only one way in so it would be easily defendable. As you drive into the site heading north you drive up to the side of a mountain and then along the west side you have the river flowing full force and fish available. Then along the east side you have a small wooded area that runs along the side of the mountain. I proposed that we drive there taking all the weapons, food, ammo, and any other supplies we can fit and set up camp there. I figured we had tents and we could defend the area and it would be much safer than waiting for the looters or the infected to come up to our door. Realistically it was only a matter of time before that occurred and I didn’t know if we could hold off an attack. After I lay out my plan there was much debate about it between all of us. Scarlett was supportive but she worried about sustainable food source, while Danielle was mainly concerned about shelter considering the baby and what would happen when we got there. Anthony, best friend Anthony that is, ok we gotta come up with different name for them, hmm…. Ok Anthony best friend will be Lazarus since that is what he goes by on Xbox live. So Lazarus was worried about being able to protect the area and if it might leave us too exposed. Anthony my lil brother was concerned about transportation after we got there and everyone was talking at once and I felt panic and dread seep in the room like Death seeking to claim his prize. I had to put a stop to it.
“Listen up everyone; we know what’s out there. How do you think we will fare when a group as large as the one at the airport comes looking for food? You think they won’t make it here eventually? Maybe we will be able to hold them off but what happens when the next group comes or what happens if looters come? How do you think we would fare in a gun fight here? It is quite simple. We can’t stay here; we won’t survive if we stay, so I offer you all a choice. Come if you want or stay in the end each of you must live with the decision that you make.” I turned to each of them meeting their gazes, letting it all sink in before moving on. Scarlett squeezed my hand and spoke up first.
“I am in my love.” She said and turned her blue eyes meeting my eyes offering encouragement. Lazarus moved around and looked at everyone else before speaking.
“I am in this, I told you once before to hell and back my brother.” He stood up and grasped my hand in a firm handshake. Danielle looked at him and then nodded her head.
“Well I better start packing right away. We have so much to pack.” She quickly got up and went to her room to start packing and Lazarus followed her. I think they had more to discuss. Anthony sat looking at me across the room before finally getting up.
“To hell it is.” He smiled and then moved up to begin packing. We all began to prepare no one said when we were leaving but we all felt the pressure of the clock ticking. Without saying it we all knew we were pulling out in the morning. We collected every weapon that we had and began loading everything up. We grabbed every camping supply we could find and every scrap of food and water that was in the house. We even pulled the BBQ grill with the propane tank and we loaded my truck up, the Humvee up, and Lazarus’s SUV up to the brim. Everyone was getting ready and the mood in the house had shifted it was now hopeful instead of dread. We were packing like a well-oiled machine it was actually amazing, that amount of progress that we were making. I don’t think anyone would sleep tonight everyone is so restless. But we said goodnight to one another and everyone went to lie down. I tried calling my daughter’s mother again to get a hold of Emma I just wanted to know she was safe but the phone line was dead still. I know Emma is out there and I will find her, no matter what it takes, nothing will stop me.
March 27, 2014
We were all up super early and everyone was preparing to leave. I began to do a final check of the house, making sure we were not leaving anything behind. As I was checking the garage I saw my motorcycle it was an old beat up cruiser and I thought about leaving it but I decided that it would come in handy with the final part of my plan. The part that I hadn’t told the others about or even spoken out loud yet. So I pulled it out of the garage and I checked it out making sure it was going to be safe to ride. Scarlett asked who was going to drive the truck and I flashed her, a quick smile to let her know that it was going to be her. She wasn’t too happy with me about that but I told her she would be right behind me on the road and not to worry. Then Lazarus would be behind her w
ith Anthony bringing up the rear. Our convoy was about to pull out and we huddled up in a group.
“Alright everyone I will be leading on the bike. Then Scarlett will follow behind me then Lazarus behind her, and followed up by Anthony. We are going to have to take it slow but be quick enough to avoid the infected. Everyone keep your lights off unless you see something then turn them on to signal that there was danger. Then you can use your turn signals to let us know from what direction it is coming from. It’s the best idea that I can come up with to communicate with one another. Be careful, the roads are dangerous and we are going to be a target to the infected and the looters alike. Be vigilant and be prepared for the worse. Alright let’s mount up.” I motioned everyone to get ready. Then we slowly pulled out on to the road and there was collective sigh of relief from everyone, I think because we were finally moving and we were making progress. No more sitting still watching the world fall apart around us. We were finally taking a stand and say no more.
March 30, 2014
As we pulled out to head to the camp’s location that morning we were greeted and surrounded by the welcoming arms of the fog of the central valley. It hung low clinging to the ground casting a shadow on an already glooming day. We could barely see five feet in front of us, it was so eerie, what was more strange was the complete lack of sound. The silence was unnerving especially since we all knew what was out there. It was so quiet we felt like we were disturbing the peace as we loaded up the vehicles and got moving out. I made one more sweep then we got the dogs loaded up into the truck with Scarlett. I handed out three maps to the location one for each of the vehicles. I had hand drawn them the previous night and I just wanted to make sure everyone could get there no matter what happened. Once everyone had their map and everyone was ready we rolled out. We drove about two miles down the street to check the gas station that was there. We slowly pulled into the gas station the misty fog surrounding us almost like a mother caressing her baby. We were getting soaked from the mist as we got out of the trucks to check the pumps and the chill was setting in. We were in luck as the light lit up on the pump and it asked cash or credit. Since it was the end of the world as we know it I thought it was okay to use the credit card, I wasn’t too worried about making those payments, anymore. Anthony was filling up the Humvee, Lazarus was filling up the SUV and I was filling up the truck while Scarlett sat inside with the window rolled down. It was so quiet until Anthony standing at his 6’4” frame that was filled out at 230 pounds shouted over to us.
“You guys hear that!” at once everyone ssshed him to be quiet. “Sorry but listen, do you guys hear that?” He whispered over to us as he realized his mistake of yelling. Collectively we held our breaths and strained our ears at first I didn’t hear anything but then I heard it. A scraping noise almost hypotonic in it’s back and forth rhythm. I found it oddly comforting to hear the back and forth melody as it echoed through my ear drums. Everyone froze and our ears perked up listening so that we could hear the noise as it was getting louder and coming closer. I looked around quickly and I saw a ladder on the side of the gas station on the west side of the building that led to the roof. I quickly moved to the ladder, climbing every rung to the top of the roof as fast as I could. Once I reached the roof I looked out and the site that greeted me took the air out of my lungs and left me stunned, scared, and speechless. I was rooted in place for only a couple seconds but those seconds seemed to drag on for an eternity as my muscles refused to respond to the commands of my brain. As far as I could see over the fog there were infected there were hundreds of them milling around some veering off in different directions while others were moving almost purposely towards us like they were being drawn towards us. I moved towards the ladder and moved to get down to the ground quickly skipping steps in my haste. As my feet met the ground again and my head came up to tell everyone what was happening, I became frozen in place. I was greeted to a horrible site almost as ghastly as the site I observed while on the roof. There were several armed individuals with guns pointed at my group, one of the individuals who I took to be the leader came over to me. He was moving quietly and quickly towards me but with a deadly purpose. He was about even height at around six feet with me but much less broad of shoulders than me. He had dark unkempt black hair that grew past his shoulders and a dark blue shirt and black pants on. He leaned in towards me and spoke quietly but with force.
“If you make a sound we will shot you and let the zombies eat the fucking lot of you. I would rather be done with you all, sense it’s your fault that those flesh eaters are coming this way. But orders are orders so keep your mouths shut and follow us. Everyone is to keep quiet, even yelling boy over there. Let’s go we will leave on foot from now the cars draw too much attention.” He motioned with his arm towards Anthony. I looked around but it was hopeless we were outnumbered at least two to one and they had guns bearing down us. Plus with what I had just seen, I knew it was a hopeless situation anyways. I turned towards him meeting his eyes.
“We will follow you but we have to move now there is a whole army of infected coming this way right now.” I moved towards everyone making sure that everyone was okay. Then Lazarus, Anthony, and I moved to lock up the cars before we turned to follow them. I motioned everyone to be quiet and follow my lead, my mind was racing, and I didn’t know how I was going to get us out of this one. It was one grim looking situation right now.
March 31, 2014
I finally have time to write it has been a busy day so far. So after we followed these guys we were lead about a mile away to a building and made to put blindfolds on. Then we were told that we were going to be taken to the leader of their group. As we were led from the building blindfolded the hopelessness of the situation began to set in. I could feel panic rising up from the depths to wrap his figures around me and drag me down. My heart beat started to increase and it was pumping so hard I thought my heart might beat out of my chest. I became drenched in sweat and felt like all the air was being sucked out of my lungs. I had to close my eyes and focus creating a fire in my mind burning down all the feelings of panic and hopelessness inside. After a few moments I managed to burn away the pain and the emotion in my mind. I could feel my heart relaxing and the air returning to my lungs. Then before I knew it we slowed and I could see we were entering a building underneath the blindfold. We were all led to what felt like a small room.
“Listen up. Stay quiet and you all are going to be fine. You are going to stay in here until you meet with the Bear our leader.” I recognized the voice of the man with the dark hair and then I heard a door shutting. I reached up slowly and I tore my blindfold off as my eyes were greeted by the darkness. I saw that we were all in a room that looked like it used to be a storage room. I could see shelves that lined the walls of the room. The place looked ransacked, dark, dusty, and void of all food items presently.
“Are you all okay?” I quickly moved to Scarlett and held her as she was removing her blindfold. I wiped the tears that were falling down her face and pulled her into my chest. “Don’t worry we are going to make it through this.”
“How do you think this is going to be okay? Seriously how do you think any of this is going to be okay?” Anthony piped up and I could hear the stress and anger in his voice as it cracked. Before I could respond though we all heard the doorknob turning as the door swung open. The man in the blue stood there crossing his arms looking menacing.
“Well you undid the blindfolds did you? Good, alright let’s go the Bear wants us to move you.” He motioned for us to follow him out of the room and into the building, we all cautiously moved towards the exit. The first hallway we went down was dark and it almost seemed like the place was abandoned. Once we got further inside though it was a completely different situation. This group must have hooked up generators because they had fully running and operational power for the whole store. They had boarded up the front windows and doors and made it look abandoned from the front. I thought it was a great defensive idea, as I
looked around the inside of the building. We were greeted by about 20-30 people ranging from old to young and from female to male that were standing in what used to be the aisle of a grocery store. We were quickly escorted to the back area of the store and locked in what used to be a beer cooler. “Alright you all are going to wait here until the Bear can see you. If any of you have weapons on you I am going you need your turn them over to me now. I don’t want to have to search you so just give me what you have. Place them in the box over here.” The dark haired man waited as we all looking at each other and weighed our options. Slowly I got up taking my kukris out and placing them in the box as everyone else followed suit. “You guys be quiet and don’t make a sound the flesh eaters are close. We have to be quiet so they pass us by. The Bear will talk to you shortly.” He closed the door and left us to our thoughts. The room was about 10 feet by 10 feet and it was filled with what was once ice cold beer bottles, luckily they were in boxes and we were able make some makeshift chairs. Everyone began to speak at once, Anthony was fuming and I could tell he really wanted to fight back as he spoke up first.
“How many of these fools did you all count out there. I only counted fifteen and four of them were women or children. I think we can take them.” Anthony stood up to his six foot four inch frame. Scarlett spoke up next as she moved towards me, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly.
“Stop it Anthony we have more pressing concerns as of now. What did you see on the roof? I saw the look of terror in your face; I have never seen you so scared before.” I could hear the fear in her voice as she spoke and turned towards me. “How many of the infected did you see out there my love?” I looked at her and pulled her in close as I spoke up so that they could all hear me.