Mankind

by Stalletti, Matthew

  “We’re eating good tonight!” Says one of the men.

  Matthew watches his cat lose his life. Matthews eyes tear up and all those memories he had of Chester pop back into his head as he stares into his eyes. Chester looks at Matthew as he chokes on his own blood. It happens quick, but all the life in Chester’s eyes suddenly fade away. His cat is dead. Matthew lays there defenseless, and heartbroken. Matthews hands begin to shake and sweat falls down his forehead. These men are monsters. He has never seen men be so cruel to such an innocent creature. The act of killing the infected was hard enough, but the idea of taking a house cat and thrusting a knife into its throat really bothered Matthew. The man rips the knife out of Chester's throat violently, causing the head to be almost decapitated. Matthew begins to cry, but he puts his hand over his mouth. The sight of this gruesome imagery makes him feel sick. The blood gushing is more extensive now. Matthew feels sick to his stomach and lays his forehead on the floor. Anger overcomes Matthew. A brief thought of fighting these men comes over Matthews mind, but he quickly shoots it down knowing he is too weak. Matthew looks up to see the dead body of his old friend. He was all he had to remind him of what came before. It’s what reminded him of his family. Now, Matthew has nothing. This house is not his anymore. It belongs to whoever is strong enough to take it, and that isn’t Matthew. All he knows now is he must escape and get away from these dangerous people.

  “Hey guys! I found some food in the basement!” Says a man downstairs.

  “Shit! He’s gonna take all of it!”

  The two men in Matthews room quickly stand up and take Chester’s body with them. They leave and go downstairs to fight over the limited food Matthew has stored away. As soon as they reach the main floor, Matthew realizes this is his best chance to escape. Matthew quickly crawls out from the bed and walks over to his closet, knife in hand. Matthew quietly opens the closet door and takes a backpack from it. Matthew puts it on and enters the hallway. Matthew knows if he wants to successfully escape, he can't go through any door or window on the main floor, as the men would either see or hear him. The only option is to go through a window on the top floor, and quietly climb down the side of the house. That’s Matthews only option. Matthew walks through the hallway, enters the bathroom and closes the door behind him. Matthew steps onto the toilet and opens the small window above it. Matthew lifts himself up and climbs through the window. On the other side is small sliver of the roof, but it's enough room for him to stand on. Matthew climbs through and lowers himself onto the roof. Matthew pauses, thinking about what to do next. While thinking, Matthew realizes this the first time in a month that he has felt the sun hit his skin. Matthew takes a moment, feeling the wind and the cool breeze, appreciating the fresh air. Matthew steps to the edge of the roof and looks down. It's not high, but he knows it's safer if he climbs down. It would also make less noise, so Matthew knows it's what's best. Matthew lays on his stomach with his head pointing away from the edge of the roof. Matthew slowly shifts his lower half of body over the edge. Matthew grabs onto the gutters for a better grip and slowly gets himself into a position where he is hanging. Matthew looks down. He now realizes he is much higher than originally thought. Matthew has no choice but to drop down and try to break his fall. Matthew takes a deep breath and released his grip. Matthew drops down and lands on his feet hard. Matthew has no control over his stance, and he stumbles backward into a wooden fence nearby. The bang he makes is loud. Matthew pauses as he rests on the fence. The bang was loud, and most likely alerted the men inside the house. Matthew quickly gets up and runs toward the street in front of the house. Matthew is only thinking about getting away, but he has no clue he where to run to. Matthew runs onto the street and sprints down it as fast as he can.

  As he runs, he reflects on all he lost. He has nothing anymore. All that time he had spent waiting for his family was for nothing. They aren't coming, and even if they were, Matthew wouldn't be waiting at the house anymore. There is no purpose to his existence anymore. He is all alone and has nowhere to go. But there is still that part of the human spirit which makes him survive, that makes him keep fighting. Matthew knows all he can do is run, because if he doesn't, he dies. Matthew can’t take the risk of interacting with those men. He has no idea what they would do if they found him. His best bet it to get as far away as possible and find somewhere else safe. While running, one thing pops into his mind; his cousin. He had told Michael and month ago he would find him. Who knows if he’s still waiting, but that's Matthews only option. It's the only person he has a chance of finding and surviving with. That’s where he must go.

  Matthew reaches the intersection at the edge of the neighborhood. In Front of him is a long highway; the same one he rode the bike on. Vehicles are still backed up, but this time they are left abandoned by their owners. Matthew pants and falls to his knees for a gasp of air. Matthew didn't realize, but he had been sprinting for 10 minutes. Matthew turns around and sees no one behind him. He’s a little surprised he has not encountered any infected in the time he had been running. After a moment, Matthew lifts himself up to his feet and approaches all the cars on the highway.

  Matthew approaches one of the cars. He peeks into the driver seat window to see a dead body in the driver seat. Matthew looks at it, but after a moment, the dead body begins to move. The body lifts its head and looks at Matthew. It’s an infected. Matthew steps back, startled by this. The infected person looks rotten and grotesque. It makes sense now. These infected are not infected, they’re dead. The allergic girl who turned was dead, but she somehow came back. Whatever this virus is, it brings people back from the dead and they turn into one of these monsters. Matthew watches the infected try and bite him, but the seat belt holds it back. The lifeless man's eyes in the seat shows no emotion. This man was once alive, is truly gone with no signs of his former self. All this hits Matthew hard. He has come to the realization of what the world has come to.

  Matthew steps back from the vehicle and walks down the highway towards town. Matthew thinks about what the world has come to. It truly makes him sad. As he’s walking, Matthew hears something coming from behind him. Matthew turns and sees at least 50 infected lurking a few yards behind him on the highway. Matthews eyes widen as he realizes he is being followed by infected. Matthew crouch's and walks in between the dozens of vehicles around him. He has never seen such a large amount of infected huddled together, so he needs to make sure he evades their attention. Who knows what may happen if they spot him. Matthew walks ahead to get some distance from the infected while staying hidden. Matthew walks up next to a large truck, and once he reaches the end of it, he turns around to see the infected. They are getting closer. Matthew is worried now more than before. Matthew turns back around and walks quicker.

  Suddenly, an infected man lunges out from the side of the truck and grabs Matthew. It is large and scary looking. Its teeth are drenched in blood, and skin can be seen falling off its face. The infected pushes Matthew up against another vehicle. Matthew is caught off guard. He has limited knowledge on how to protect himself from infected at such a close range. Matthew puts one hand on the infected’ s neck, and one on its shoulder. Matthew remembers all the people he witnessed getting bitten and then being resurrected as one of these. Matthew understands he can't let any infected bite him, no matter what. Matthew uses his strength to push the infected off him and up against the other vehicle in front. Matthew quickly pulls out his knife from his house and gets it ready in the few seconds he has. The infected gets back up and charges Matthew. Matthew charges the infected with his knife in hand, but the infected grabs him first. Matthew tries to stab it in the head like he remembers doing before, but the infected’ s force pushes Matthew to the ground. Matthew falls on his back in pain, holding in his scream. The infected jumps on top of Matthew, but Matthew grabs it by the neck. The infected tries to bite down, but Matthew is holding it in place. He knows the herd of infected must be closer now, so he only has a few seconds to kill this infected. Matt
hew grips his blade in his free hand, and after a moment, he thrusts it into the jaw of the infected. The blade travels through the jaw, into the lower half of the brain, and kills it. The infected is dead, and as soon as Matthew pulls out the knife, the infected’ s dead body fall on top of Matthew. The two are face to face. Matthew is grossed out and disgusted by the blood and smell from the infected, and as soon as he tries to lift it off him, Matthew notices the herd coming right next to him. Matthew lowers the body back on top of him, hoping to use it as camouflage. The two lay there as the herd approaches. The infected begin to walk past Matthew as he lays there. It surprises Matthew that this trick works. It’s either because they cannot see him, or because they have no desire to feast on their own. Using the dead body raises many questions for Matthew. He wonders why they only eat fresh bodies. Maybe it's because they aren't rotten like the infected. This may be something to keep in mind. Matthew is constantly learning about the nature of these infected. He waits there on the ground as they continue to walk past him. It takes a long time, but eventually, they pass. Matthew waits a little longer for them to be for enough to not see him. The group of infected is far now, and Matthew knows he can get out from his hiding spot.

  Matthew throws the dead body off, wipes the blood off his face and gags at the smell of it. Matthew pulls himself together and looks around. He climbs up on top of a pickup truck to get a better view of his surroundings. Matthew looks around, and only sees hundreds of vehicles at first. All he sees are houses, restaurants, and small convenience stores nearby. There is nothing in there that hasn't already been taken. Matthew keeps looking, and to his surprise, he sees a small town not too far away. Matthew remembers going into town a few years ago. He specifically remembers there being a food bank near a Church. It makes the most sense to go there and see if he can find any food. Matthew jumps down from the truck and walks in the direction of the town.

  Matthew approaches the town and stays near the buildings on the side of the road. It’s quiet. Even before all this, you could always hear something in the world. Whether it was traffic, or a plane, or a car horn in the distance, there was always a sound. Now, in a large town like this, all he can hear is the sound of the gusting winds and the grass blowing. Matthew realizes there is nothing here but abandoned buildings and walking dead people. Matthew turns on one of the streets and continues to walk. Over the roof of one of the buildings, Matthew can see the bell tower of the Church he had known was here. He knows he is in the right part of town. Matthew continues to walk and observes his surroundings. He passes the building he had been walking along side for the last minute. To his right is a large empty parking lot. Matthew looks at the other side and sees the food bank. The door is wide open. This is a little worrying for Matthew, but this doesn't stop him from searching it. Matthew turns around and sees a few infected roaming the streets. Matthew quickly gets out of the open and runs toward the food bank.

  Matthew steps through the front door of the food bank. He is confronted with a choice; go upstairs or go downstairs. Matthew choses down. Matthew goes down and steps through the door of the basement cautiously. Inside is a cafeteria. It is empty and smells bad. Only flipped tables and knocked over garbage cans remain. Matthew looks to his right and sees a double door. The double door is chained off. He can't go in there unless he wants to spend all day looking for a bolt-cutter. Matthew looks to his left to see a normal door that is not chained off. Matthew walks to the side of the cafeteria near a door. There is a sign on it but is smudged with paint. It is Odd, but that doesn't stop Matthew from opening the door. Matthew opens the door, and as soon as he does, a rope above the door slides along a pulley. Matthew looks and follows the rope. Matthew turns around and sees a fire axe hanging above the chained double door. The ropes loosening forces the axe to swing down and strike the chain. The weak chain breaks, and suddenly, a dozen infected barge through the double doors. Matthew is shocked and surprised. Only a few feet away are a dozen infected. That same feeling of panic overcomes him, but this time, he has nowhere to hide. Matthew walks into the room of the booby-trapped door. He looks around and sees empty shelves around him. This is where the food must have been stored. Matthew runs to the other end of the room to try and escape from the infected. Matthew realizes someone must have set this trap for any survivors, but he doesn't understand why. The thought of those men who invaded his house comes across Matthews mind. Maybe they are responsible for this. Maybe they have control over this area. All Matthew can do now is escape.

  Matthew reaches a back door and tries to open it. The door is locked. Matthew tries to open it, but it won't budge. Matthew turns around to see the infected entering the room. Matthew turns back and begins kicking on the door to try and break the lock. It doesn't work. Matthew turns back, and the infected are much closer now. There is nowhere to go. Matthew is trapped in a tight corridor and the infected block his only exit. Matthew realizes this is it; this is the end for him.

  “Fuck!”

  Matthew becomes enraged and emotional. Matthew crouch's down and puts his hands over his head and begins crying. Matthew accepts his defeat. He wasn't strong or smart enough for this new world. He believes it’s okay to give up, just like everyone else he knew did.

  “Leave me alone!” Matthew screams.

  Matthew closes his eyes as the infected are about to eat him. Matthew feels nothing now. It’s as if he isn’t even there. He feels as if he is already gone, and that he is now at peace. Matthew sees himself trapped, as if he's looking down at himself. It feels spiritual. He had never felt anything like this. Matthew is happy accepting he can now rest after all this time alone.

  Suddenly, Matthew snaps back to reality and looks up at the infected. As they lunge down and try to bite him, people from behind the infected begin firing guns. The brains of the infected get blown right out from the front of their faces. Matthew is terrified and gets covered in blood. Matthew closes his eyes again until the gun fire stops. Once it does, Matthew looks up to see four people standing over the dead bodies, all holding firearms. An older man, a young guy like himself, a black guy, and a girl probably around his age. Matthew looks up, not knowing what to say. He has no idea if these people are friendly or not. Before he can say anything to these survivors who just saved him, someone else from behind steps out and reveals themselves. Matthew is shocked to see who it is. Among the four of these survivors is Matthews good friend, Kurt.

  Chapter 3

  Just as Bad as Here

  “Kurt?” Matthew asks. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Matthew?! Shit dude! I can’t believe we found you!” Kurt chuckles.

  Matthew slowly tries to lift himself up to the ground. Kurt walks over to his friend and helps him up. Matthew and Kurt walk over the dozens of dead bodies. This is a huge surprise for the both of them. Matthew never expected to find Kurt after all this time. It seemed unreal, and too good to be true. So many questions run through Matthews mind.

  “Were you looking for me?”

  “No. We saw you across the street and as soon as we heard all the infected inside, we knew we’d have to help.” Kurt explains.

  Matthew sighs in relief. He never expected to find any survivors out here he could trust. Kurt points to the older man and the girl in the group.

  “This is Laura and her father, Timothy.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Timothy greets. “It’s good to meet new people these days. Most people we’ve come across were not so friendly.”

  Matthew nods and smiles for a short moment. Matthew looks over to Laura. Laura looks back at Matthew. She has a subtle smile on her face, but she doesn't say anything. They all look dirty and exhausted. They must have been surviving in the wild for this entire time. Laura's dark brown hair seems clean, but her clothes say otherwise. Timothy is balding but manages to maintain some color in his hair.

  “This is Desmond.” Kurt points to the black guy.

  “Hey man.” Matthew says.

  “Hey.”


  Desmond seems a little on edge, not thrilled at all to be meeting a new face in this dark world. Matthew doesn't blame him. He would be a little uneasy as well, but Matthew trusts Kurt so he knows he can relax. Desmond also looks dirty and exhausted. He wears a stylish coat, but the dirty and worn sleeves make it look just like everyone else's clothes.

  “My names Francesco, I think we had a class together before.” Francesco explains.

  “Oh yeah, I remember you now.”

  “Yeah me and Fran go way back.” Kurt explains.

  Matthew looks down at their hands. They are all armed with either handguns or rifles. This confuses Matthew at first, as he knows firearms are not common in Canada.

  “Where did you guys get all those guns?”

  “Cop cars, police stations, hunting shops. I was surprised too, but these things are more common than you’d think.” Kurt explains, “Come on guys, let's go sit.”

  Matthew and the group exit the storage room together and go to sit at one of the tables in the cafeteria. Timothy and Laura go over to a flipped table and sit it up properly. The group goes and sits around it, but Desmond goes and stands by the door exit. Matthew looks over at Desmond. Desmond is just looking outside the windows of the doors.

  “He’s just keeping watch. We got to be cautious when we’re in a town like this. It’s packed with dead ones all over the place.” Timothy explains.

  Matthew looks a little calm now after being around this group. Matthews stomach grumbles. He is hungry. Matthew looks up at the group.

  “Laura, give him something to eat.” Timothy says.

  Laura takes off her bag and opens it. She reaches inside and pulls out an apple and hands it to Matthew. Matthew takes it.

  “Thanks.”