Zombieclypse (Book 3): Dead End

by Rosaria, A.

  During the day, they had patrols guarding the perimeter, giving them advance notice of zombie movements. At night, men and women manned the walls to warn if anything came at them. At night, no one ventured outside the walls, for then the evolved ones came out, just a few, but a few of those were a handful and there was no need to risk a life to take care of them. They just waited them out, and by daybreak, they would be gone.

  When going on a scavenge run, they took a car with them. Go out at sunrise, and return before nightfall. They’d be able to last years this way, having found an abandoned gasoline rig, one of the last in transit to a gas station.

  So far everyone had his or her own rooms. Each time a couple formed, a room freed and stayed unoccupied because it had been months since they made contact with other humans. It could very well be that they were what was left of this state, if not the country. They were on their own now.

  He and Lauryn had gotten a room on the top floor. The place used to be a resort for people wanting to enjoy hiking in the mountains. It was a large building with two hundred rooms. They’d be able to grow out and maybe one day, they’d need to build an addition or find another similar setup. And as Lauryn had been mentioning kids, it would soon be a reality for him. In the past, he thought himself way too young to be a father, but now, with humans facing extinction, it was a necessity.

  If they were located farther north, they would have snow and freezing temperature. They would not need walls in the north with it perpetual winter. The nukes that went off all over the country had left the climate a mess. It was colder than it was supposed to be. North would be a perfect place for a new settlement if it ever came to that.

  Sarah joined him on top. Ralph stiffened and avoided looking at her. Sarah had been trying to talk to him for days now. He should have expected that she would find him up here alone. Priscilla had recovered from the flu and wasn’t with Sarah. Since they had arrived at their shelter, Sarah had taken good care of the girl, and from then on, they were inseparable, though today Sarah was alone. He glanced at her. His heart jumped seeing her and he felt his cheeks warm. She looked as pretty as always.

  “Can we talk?” Sarah asked.

  “I can’t now. I’m overseeing the builders.”

  “Ralph, come on. You know and I know they can work as good if you watch them or not. We need to talk.”

  Ralph sighed. There was no avoiding it this time, better get it over and done. “Okay talk.”

  Sarah shuffled her feet and in turn her cheeks turned red. “In private please.”

  Ralph looked around, no one stood close by, but many watched him and Sarah from afar. Tongues would wag. Lauryn would hear and want to know what this was all about.

  Ralph sighed. The damage was already done. He’d tell Lauryn everything anyway.

  “Follow me.”

  Sarah followed him down the ladder to the manager’s office. It was empty. They used the room for briefings and storing their maps and books. He locked the door behind Sarah and lowered the blinds. “What do you have to say to me?”

  Sarah pulled him into a hug. “I wanted to say thank you for a long time.”

  “Is that all?”

  She pulled his head down and kissed him. He tried to get away at first, but the struggle didn’t last once his lips touched the warmth of hers. They kissed, and finally it was she who pulled back.

  “I love you,” she said.

  Ralph forced himself to look her in the eyes. “I love you too, but I also love Lauryn and chose her.”

  Sarah forced a smile. “I understand that and respect that, but I needed this.” She kissed him again, and with everything in him, he pulled back. He wanted her. He still loved her, and felt attracted, but he wanted to be with Lauryn from the first day they met, and only got with Sarah for the short time they were together because he thought Lauryn was dead. He was not about to string Sarah along. Kissing her felt wrong.

  Sarah didn’t look angry with him for his rejection. Her smile grew instead. “I had to know for sure first.”

  Ralph raised a brow. She touched his cheek. “You finally actually looked me in the eye. I had to know you chose her and would not waver. I’m glad that you didn’t. It makes it easier what I have to do.”

  Ralph felt his body grow tense at her words. Whatever she had planned, he knew it would bring sorrow to him and her. Her smile vanished and she looked serious at him. “Priss and I have decided to leave this place. We want to find our own way in this world.”

  “You can’t do that. It’s dangerous outside. There is safety here.”

  She looked at him, pained. “There is nothing I want that I can get here. Outside I can start new, with someone else.”

  He couldn’t stop her if he wanted to leave. She had her own life, and he understood what she meant. It was unfair to expect her to stay when he had everything he wanted. If she went, he lost a friend, but to expect a friend to live her life to appease his would be wrong.

  “I want you to stay.” He held her hands. “If you go, we most likely will never see each other again.”

  “I know.”

  “When will you leave?”

  “Today, Priss is waiting for me outside with our things.”

  Ralph nodded. “I’ll miss you.”

  “And I you.”

  This time he kissed her, knowing it was their last time. When he let her go, she blushed. “Bye, Ralph.”

  “Take care, Sarah.”

  She unlocked the door, but before leaving, she turned to face him with a lovely smile on her face.

  “Nothing is sure in life. I can die out there tomorrow, and the same for you, and us all. There are no safe havens anymore. The only thing we can do is live our lives the way we want to live it, no matter how short it will be.”

  She left. He sat down on the chair and stared at the open door, hoping against all hope that she would return, but he knew she wouldn’t.

  Ralph gathered himself up and left the room to lead his life however he wanted it, no matter if there were no tomorrow.

  About the Author

  Alex Rosaria is a writer, who loves writing horror and sci-fi stories, though when creativity demands it he likes to branch out to other genres. He’s also the author of:

  Dead Quarantine (Zombieclypse #1)

  Dead Shelter (Zombieclypse #2)

  Undead (Finitum #1)

  At Arms (A Vampire Short Story Collection)

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  Say Hello!

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