Mankind

by Stalletti, Matthew

  Suddenly, the sounds of pellets hitting the car can be heard. Matthew and Sydney look confused. More and more hits are heard. Out of nowhere, bullets start flying through the windows of the car. At first, they don’t understand what is happening, but they quickly get the message. They are under attack. Matthew and Sydney duck their heads to avoid getting shot. Sydney begins to panic and scream as broken glass from the windows begins to fly around the inside of the car.

  Matthew leans up to peak out the front window. He wants to make sure he can successfully steer the car, but right as he looks up, he quickly notices that he is driving off of the road. Matthew quickly tries to steer the car back toward the road, but it’s too late. Matthew slams the vehicle right into a tree. Matthew and Sydney are both knocked unconscious from the whiplash of the crash.

  Matthew slowly opens his eyes. His face is resting on the steering wheel of the car. Matthew leans back, but quickly feels a sharp pain in his neck and back. Matthew has cuts on his forehead from the broken glass. The blood from his head is all over the steering wheel. Matthew begins to hyperventilate. He looks over to see Sydney unconscious. Matthew puts his hand on her arm and shakes her body. She doesn't react. Matthew gets worried, and quickly looks around outside the windows. He sees nothing. Matthew opens the door of the car and gets out. As soon as he does, he falls to the ground in pain. He is sore all over his body, and possibly injured. Matthew looks up and sees 6 men walking toward the car from the road. Matthew looks terrified. He is defenseless and weak. If they wanted to kill him, they could easily do so. Matthew also sees a large military truck parked on the road from where the men are coming from. Matthew observes the men and notices that they are all dressed in military gear. He only becomes more confused.

  Sydney slowly opens her eyes and looks around. Matthew is not in the car with her anymore. Sydney begins to panic as she sees the blood on the steering wheel. Sydney unbuckles her seat belt and tries to get out of the car, but quickly feels a sharp pain in her side. Sydney looks down and sees a shard of broken glass lodged in her hip. Its short and isn't going all the way through to the other side. Sydney becomes even more panicked. Sydney looks up into the mirror on the side of the car and sees the six men walking toward the car. She thinks of something to do. She puts her hand on the wound where the glass is lodged into her hip and soaks her had in her own blood. Sydney then smears the blood all over her face, and quickly gets into a position where she looks dead. She is hoping that when the men find her, they will assume that she is was hit by one of their bullets.

  Matthew reaches for his handgun which is behind his back between his pants and his boxers. He pulls it out and begins to fire it at the men. They quickly scatter. Matthew accidentally hits the gas tank of their military truck, and gas slowly begins to leak from it. Matthew continues to fire, but quickly runs out of ammo. The men see this and run at him. Matthew tries to stand up and run, but the men are to close. One of the men walks right up to Matthew and hits him over the head with the butt end of his rifle. Matthew in knocked unconscious again. The man looks down at Matthew for a moment before his partners come and drag his body away. The men begin to drag Matthew onto the road, toward the truck. One of the men walks over to the passenger seat of the car and looks inside. He looks at Sydney sitting there with blood on her face. The man looks at his friend for a moment, and then looks back at Sydney. Eventually, the man turns and walks away. Sydney's plan worked. The man thought she was dead. Sydney doesn't move though, as she is still worried that they will come back. Sydney looks at the rear-view mirror and sees them put Matthews body in the back of the truck. After a few minutes, Sydney hears the engine to their truck turn on, and slowly it drives past her down the road. Sydney watches it drive away into the distance.

  Sydney is quick to act. She bends down and picks up the walkie talkie from the floor of the car. She opens the passenger door and steps out of the car. She almost falls over in pain but catches herself. Sydney looks at the truck driving away. She then looks down at her hip and remembers the shard of glass. Her first thought was too chase the truck to see where they are taking Matthew, but she is in no shape to do that. Sydney limps forward to where the truck was parked and sees the gas trail it left. Sydney knows that she could follow it, but she decides not to right now. Sydney puts the radio up to her mouth and begins talking into it.

  “Michael?!”

  It takes a few seconds, but Michael eventually responds.

  “Hey, you guys doing okay?” Michael asks.

  “No! We were ambushed on the road, and these guys took Matthew away with them!” Sydney says.

  “What the fuck?! Where are they now?” Michael shouts.

  “They took off, but their truck was leaking gas, so there's a trail.” Sydney explains.

  “Okay. Just stay calm and make your way back here! Were gonna regroup and go after them!” Michael explains.

  “Alright. Just tell Shelby to get the medical supplies ready. I’m hurt pretty bad.” Sydney says.

  “Shit! Are you okay?”

  “Not really. Just be ready for when I get back.” Sydney says.

  She stops talking over the radio and attaches it to her belt. Sydney turns and limps back over to the car. She looks into the windows and sees Matthews assault rifle. She opens the back door and reaches in to get it. Sydney grabs the rifle and begins walking back the way her and Matthew came. She knows that she must get back quick if she wants to survive the day. The sun slowly goes down as she walks. Just like that she went to being happy and safe, to being injured and scared. Sydney holds the rifle with one hand, and tears slowly fill her eyes. She has never felt this way before.

  Chapter 9

  The Monsters Outside

  Michael walks through the front doors of the store. Moxxie follows him from behind. Linda is looking at some items in the isles, but once the doors to the store shut, she becomes curious. Linda steps out from the isle and walks over to Michael and Moxxie. She quickly sees that the two of them look worried. Michael stops walking and looks around to see where his sister his.

  “Guys! We have a problem!” Michael shouts.

  Matteo and Shelby appear from the back of the store. Shelby looks worried and quickly walks over to the group. Linda is confused by their expressions.

  “What’s going on?” Linda asks.

  “Sydney just radioed me. She said that they got ambushed on the road, and that some guys kidnapped Matthew!” Michael explains.

  “What?! Are they okay?” Shelby asks.

  “Sydney said she's hurt pretty bad. She told me to get the meds ready for when she gets back. I don't know if Matthew’s hurt though.” Michael says.

  Shelby looks worried now. She realizes that she needs to be ready to help Sydney when she gets back, so she turns and runs toward the back of the store where she left her medical supplies. Michael takes a deep breath. He begins thinking of what kind of preparations he needs to make. The thought of him going after Matthew to rescue him crosses his mind. He knows that he wants to do it, but he also knows that it will be extremely dangerous. Moxxie walks up to Michael. She has no idea what is going to happen once Sydney gets back.

  “What are we going to do about Matthew?” Moxxie asks.

  “Uh, I’m gonna go after him.” Michael says.

  “What?! You’re going to get yourself killed.” Linda steps in.

  Michael turns to look at Linda. He doesn't look pleased with her. He doesn't understand why she is even trying to persuade him into not trying to help his cousin.

  “What? You expect me to leave him and let him die?” Michael asks.

  “Well, I know it’s not easy, but it’s better than throwing yourself at danger!” Linda says.

  “I am not leaving Matthew. After everything he did for find us, and to get us here… I can’t leave him.” Michael says.

  Linda steps back and looks away. She thinks that Michael is being reckless. She doesn't want the group that she is with to collapse. If it does, then she has
no idea what might happen to her and her children. Michael doesn't care about what Linda has to say. He just met her, and he knows that he must put his family before others. Moxxie looks a little uncomfortable. Deep down she agrees with Michael, but she doesn't like the tension between him and her Mom. Moxxie doesn't want to get in the middle of the argument, so she remains quiet. Matteo walks over to his Mom, scared and panicked

  “Are bad people going to come here?” Matteo asks.

  “No! Nothing is going to happen. No one is going anywhere, and no one is coming here!” Linda shouts.

  Matteo is frightened. He doesn't understand why his Mother is yelling at him. Linda sees the scared look on her son's face. She realizes that she was being harsh and was overreacting. Linda looks up at Michael. He looks agitated now.

  “It’s not up to you.” Michael says.

  Linda looks angry at Michael. She glances over at her daughter. Moxxie looks conflicted and doesn’t know whether she should say anything or not. Linda grabs Matteo by the hand and walks away. The two of them walk to the back of the store. Michael feels a little guilty. He feels like he shouldn't have been so aggressive toward Linda because Moxxie is right next to him, but he cares about Matthew, so he knows that he must do something to help him. Michael slowly turns to look at Moxxie. He doesn't know if he should apologize for talking back to her Mom.

  “Am I wrong? Should I really not go after him?” Michael asks.

  “You’re not wrong. But that doesn't mean that it’s going to be easy.”

  “I know. I know what kind of things I’m going to have to do.” Michael says.

  Moxxie steps forward, “You don't have to do it alone.”

  “What?”

  “I want to come with you.” Moxxie says.

  Michael shakes his head, “Why?”

  “Matthew stopped Kurt. I owe him for that.” Moxxie says.

  “I don't think you understand what’s going to happen if you come, Moxxie.” Michael explains.

  “What? I’m going to have to kill people? I know. It’s not like I want to, but I'm not going to sit here and hide like a child!” Moxxie says.

  “Moxxie, I don't know. What if something happens to you?”

  “What if something happens to you? Moxxie says.

  Michael is caught off guard. He doesn't know what to think of what she just said. He can't tell if she’s making a rhetorical point or not. Michael starts to think about if he could successfully save Matthew from this group of people. Michael begins to doubt himself.

  “It’s like you said, Michael. It’s not up to you.” Moxxie says.

  Michael looks at Moxxie, and she looks back. He is conflicted, but he knows that he can't stop her from coming. He guesses that he might be better off with her there with him. The more people, the easier it will be.

  *****

  Sydney reaches the turn in the road where she and Matthew turned while driving, Sydney limps forward and turns on the road to head back toward the store where the rest of the group is. The sun is completely down, and she is scared. She is still holding the assault rifle in one hand, but she is too weak to even use it if she wanted to. She is completely defenseless and is completely relying on luck to survive her trip. Sydney begins to think about Matthew as she walks down the road. She remembers what he told her in the car. She realizes that what he said was true. She had to be willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. It’s what she’s doing now, and it’s what she’s going to have to do when she gets back to the store. A weak person would have given up already or would have died back in the car accident. Sydney knows that she can be strong when she needs to, and that she can survive tonight.

  Sydney begins to think about what she is going to do once she recovers from her injuries. She knows that Michael will want to find Matthew, but she contemplates whether she should go with him. She knows how risky it is, but Matthew told her what she must do to survive, and she believes his word. She must put her family before others. If she didn't try and save Matthew, anything bad that may happen to him will be her fault. She isn't even in any state to do anything, and she already knows that she is going to go after him.

  Eventually, Sydney sees the parking lot and the store in the distance. She is close, so she can't give up now. The wound in her hip is causing her more pain than before. If she doesn’t stop the bleeding soon, she might pass out. This entire time she had been applying pressure to the wound, and it has done the job, but it won't last forever. Sydney is more determined now to get back to the group. Sydney gets closer to the parking lot, and quickly notices something troubling. There are dozens of infected slowly creeping toward the building. Inside the front doors, Sydney can make out a light. The group must have found a flashlight, or must of started a fire. Either way, it’s noticeable and the infected are attracted to it. Sydney is to weak and exhausted to try and out maneuver the infected by running. The only thing she can think of is to use the assault rifle to try and take down as many infected as possible to make a path to the front doors. Sydney knows that she won't be that accurate with the gun, but she doesn't really have a choice.

  Sydney reaches the parking lot, not that far behind the group of infected. They are walking toward the building, so they don't realize that she is coming up behind them. Sydney struggles to hold the rifle in a proper stance due to her wound, but eventually, she gets ready and aims the gun. She takes a moment to aim, but when she's ready, she begins to fire. Sydney pulls the trigger and shoots at the group of infected. At first, she hits them in the body, but she is quick to readjust her aim. She had never used a rifle before, so her accuracy isn't the best, but she is a very quick learner. After repositioning her gun, she begins to kill some of the infected by shooting them in the head. Sydney continues to fire the rifle and kill multiple infected, but suddenly, the gun runs out of ammo. Sydney becomes panicked when she quickly realizes that she has no other magazines. The remainder of the infected turn around and begin walking toward Sydney. She is truly scared now and doesn't know of any way she can defend herself.

  Suddenly, Sydney remembers something. She had attached the red machete from the store onto her belt. Sydney looks down at her waist and sees the machete hanging there. She has no idea how she could have forgotten it was there. Sydney pulls out the machete and gets ready to attack. One infected gets close to her, forcing her to act quick. Sydney steps forward and swings the machete at the infected. The machete kills it, but it gets stuck in its skull. The infected falls toward Sydney. Sydney has no time to move and falls onto the ground with the dead body on top of her. The infected was a large man, so the body is heavy and hard to push off. Sydney begins to hyperventilate once she realizes that she's trapped and that she can't defend herself. More and more infected get close now. They are about to lunge down and bit her. There is only one thing that she can do. There is only one way to get out of this alive. Sydney reaches down to her hip and grabs the shard of glass lodged into her flesh. She takes a moment, but quickly pulls it out of her. Sydney lets out a loud scream of agonizing pain, all while blood begins to gush out from the wound. Sydney looks up to the closest infected and gets ready to defend herself. The infected lunges downward and tries to bite her. Sydney is quick to act and thrust the piece of glass into the eye of the infected, ultimately killing it. Sydney tries to pull out the shard of glass, but she lodged it too far into the infecteds skull. Sydney looks up and begins to panic when she sees more infected approaching. Sydney tries to squirm and squeeze her way out from under the body, but her injury only causes her more pain and distress. The infected get very close, and Sydney begins to accept defeat. She looks up at the infected as they open their mouths and get ready to tear her flesh from her bones.

  Suddenly, bullets begin to fly through the skulls of the infected swarming around Sydney. It takes a few gunshots and bullets, but eventually all the bodies drop. Sydney looks up and toward the store to see Michael and Moxxie running toward her with rifles in their hands. Sydney smiles, realizing that she
is going to survive the night.

  Michael runs up to Sydney and pulls the dead body off her. Michael lifts her up and helps her stand. He quickly notices her wound on her hip. Michael becomes worried for his sister. He doesn't know how bad the wound is, but it’s bleeding rapidly. Moxxie looks at the two of them for a moment, and then quickly notices infected coming from the woods behind them. They must have heard the gunshots and are now looking for something to eat. Michael looks at Moxxie and sees the fear in her eyes. Michael turns his head to see what's behind him. The sight of more infected approaching makes Michael fearful.

  “Shit! We gotta go!” Michael says.

  Michael helps his sister walk. They pass Moxxie and head back toward the store where the rest of the group is. Moxxie sees the red handled machete stuck in the head of the large infected. She realizes that it’s Sydney’s, so she decides to get it for her. Moxxie runs up to the dead body and grabs the machete handle. It's stuck in its head, so a lot of force is required to pull it out. Moxxie struggles, but eventually gets it unstuck from the infecteds head. Moxxie looks up and sees that the group of infected are much closer now. Moxxie quickly turns around and runs back toward the store. She catches up to Michael and Sydney. Moxxie decides it’s best to help Sydney walk, so she throws her arm over her shoulder and aids her.

  Finally, the three of them reach the store after the long walk. Michael looks tired and scared. He realizes that the infected are following them and will most likely try to make their way inside the building as well. Michael kicks the front door open and the three enter the store.

  Shelby hears the door open and runs towards her brother and sister. She realizes how crucial it is that Sydney’s wound is treated quickly, so she makes it quick. Shelby runs up to her sister and grabs her. She quickly notices how pale and exhausted she is. Shelby takes Sydney to the storage room where it’s safe. Michael watches them leave and looks at the floor of the store. Sydney is dripping blood from her hip. Michael is worried for the well-being of his sister, but he is confident that Shelby will save her. Michael looks back and sees Moxxie staring out the window outside into the parking lot. The group of infected approach the building. Moxxie turns around to face Michael. She is terrified. Michael looks at her, not knowing what they could do.