by Jeff Olah
21
Not yet twenty four hours into the apocalypse and dark skies blanketed the city. Law enforcement had been completely overrun, power was off in many areas, grocery stores were ransacked and the world was a quiet place. Many hid in their homes or left the city for safer, more remote areas. There were no airplanes in the sky, no vehicles moving about on the streets and the Feeders made their way from one area to the next in a silent death march.
After midnight in this town, there typically wasn’t much happening other than the occasional car accident. As Mason made the short trip from the harmless neighborhood he once shared with April and Justin and into the less than desirable downtown area he currently called home, the differences between the two were now less noticeable.
Mason hadn’t figured on walking the entire distance between his and April’s place, although when he reached his car he remembered exactly where he left the keys and wasn’t going back through that mess to retrieve them from the desk in the office. Not only would he be risking his chances of carrying out his plans, he would also have to face April again and he was sure there was no way she would let him leave twice.
He now thought maybe he shouldn’t have left them at all…
He was making good time and only had to adjust his route a few times to accommodate going around some of the areas where Feeders were congregating. He noticed that if they heard him, they would start heading his way, although they were easily confused in the darkness by a rock or stick thrown in the opposite direction.
Walking through the park this time of night, he imagined the horde of Feeders at the far end to be an elderly cluster of exercisers out for their early morning jaunt, slowly making their way from one end to the other. He didn’t feel threatened by this crowd because they were far enough away and he was able to outrun all the others he had faced that night.
Knowing he needed to stay on schedule, Mason picked up the pace to a slow jog until he came to the end of the park. He had gained the attention of the growing number of Feeders from the park he had just passed through. By his estimation, there were at least twenty of them and they were now headed toward him.
He needed to make a decision. He could go through the alley up ahead that led directly to the rear of his apartment building or go around and use up an extra ten minutes. Mason needed as much time as possible, since he hadn’t taken the car and still had to walk back to April and Justin once he got what he needed from his place.
As he got closer to his apartment, the city grew darker. The only light on this side of town was offered by the moon, which much to his appreciation was full tonight. With only one long alleyway to go, Mason started to feel as though his plan may work. He held out hope that what he needed to acquire from the building would still be intact and readily accessible. He prayed it would be.
He decided to head down through the alley and make short work of it. He hadn’t noticed any of those things yet and the alley looked clear. Mason couldn’t turn back at this point as the group trailing him now filled the area behind him like a cork in a wine bottle.
With only thirty feet to go, four Feeders came from behind the dumpster at the far end of the alley, obviously finished with one meal and looking for their next. Mason stopped in his tracks and turned to see what his options were to the rear just in case they may have started to break into smaller groups.
“Well that’s not an option,” he said as he pulled the backpack to the side and unzipped it.
Mason decided to move forward and try to maneuver around them with the help of Tom’s gun. He slid the revolver out of the bag and started toward them to gauge their speed and to see if they had any injuries that might make this easier. No such luck; although they weren’t running toward him, they weren’t limping or injured either.
As they approached each other, one of the four noticed something else that caught its eye and branched off to the side. The other three, as determined as ever, stayed the course. Mason wanted to wait to pull the trigger until they were close enough so he wouldn’t miss any of them and figured only a head shot would do.
Mason opened the cylinder release to be sure he had enough ammunition, as this particular weapon only housed six rounds. He was happy to see that the single shot he took in the parking lot earlier in the day was the only round spent and he still had five chambered for his use.
With only ten feet between them, Mason raised the pistol, aimed it at the closest of the three and squeezed off a quick shot. The bullet seemed to move in slow motion as Mason watched it enter just to the right of this things nose and exit with a violent burst, blowing off the back of its head. Instantly its body went limp and Feeder number one hit the ground like a huge sack of rice.
The sound of the first shot bounced off the alley walls and appeared to travel to every corner of the city. Mason twisted to the left and fired off round two. This time it sent the Feeder back and up against the wall, a bloody, fleshy mural covered the area behind it.
At the moment Mason squeezed the trigger a third time, the last Feeder still standing stumbled forward over the one lying on the ground. The shot missed and imbedded in the alley wall. The Feeder’s momentum caused it to continue to stumble forward and smash into Mason, knocking them both to the ground.
Mason looked around and saw his adversary lying on the ground next to him. When he tried to roll over onto his stomach and stand he felt nauseous. Reaching back he rubbed the sore spot on his head and felt a golf ball sized lump that he must have sustained when he hit the ground. He pulled his hand back and even in the moonlight he could see the blood dripping from his hand.
Mason needed to get to his feet quicker than the Feeder to his right and ahead of the crowd still coming from behind. He couldn’t seem to focus and his vision started to go blurry. He knew what was next. He was going to die here in this alley at the hands of the monster slowly moving toward him.
As he started to slide into unconsciousness, he prayed that April and Justin would get out of the city alive.
22
Surprised he’d only spent four rounds along his trek home; Randy arrived at the entrance to his building with little trouble. Before entering, he turned and stood in the shadows, taking in the chaotic scene and contemplating his next move. “This won’t end, it can’t. I shouldn’t have let her leave. I was her best chance for survival.”
From where he stood, parts of the city had already begun to shut down as the need for reserve power taxed the already overworked grid. He needed more information on the infected zones and with the unpredictability of the day’s events, his area could lose power at any time. Shaking his head, Randy turned back to the building and hurried through the lobby to the stairwell.
Each footfall more deliberate than the next, the stairwell to his apartment never seemed so damaged. His routine of using the stairs from the lobby to his floor in place of the elevator favored his personality. There were no awkward silences, no one to avoid him and no hushed conversations he pretended not to hear. He preferred the solitude of one step after another, although never quite this irritating. Each shift of weight from one foot to another reminded him why the rent for this building was well below that of neighboring areas.
Reaching his floor and without hesitation, Randy used his left hand to pull the door open and with the other he removed the weapon from his waistband and instinctively fired one round into the monster already closing the space between the two. One shot was all it took to take down the middle-aged, overweight former grocery store employee. Impressed with the accuracy in which he drew down on this particular sub-human, Randy studied the entry wound just above its left eye and was baffled by the lack of an exit wound. “Must be in there somewhere.”
Not recognizing this man from the building, Randy assumed he’d followed someone here from the market down at the corner and was simply searching for his next victim. His nametag read ‘Peter’ and dragging him to the far end of the hall was no easy task. Peter must have outweighed him by fifty p
ounds and the rotting flesh made the task all that much more trying.
Laying the fallen beast against the wall and out of sight, the gentle buzz that rattled the floor beneath, indicated that the elevator was being summoned. Turning to head back, three more infected had rounded the corner, although apparently not focused on him. The gentle movement from below seemed to disorient them and Randy used this to his advantage, quickly reaching his apartment before the group ahead.
Once inside, Randy secured the three entry points and headed for the bedroom. He used three black duffle bags to begin gathering the mini arsenal he’d collected over the years. Heading for the kitchen, he tossed a frozen burrito into the microwave and grabbed the phone while it cooked. Surprised it was still operational; he dialed an old friend who’d made the transition to civilian life much more seamlessly than he, even if he’d joined a big city police department.
“Hey it’s me, what’s the status?”
Pacing the floor while monitoring the city from the oversized window at the rear of his apartment, Randy continued. “Every car with only one patrolman, what’s the point in even leaving the station?”
“Where’s it headed?”
“How’s the grid?”
“Yeah, I know my man. Just get out of the city as quickly as you can. It’s gonna get real nasty tonight and for the next few weeks.”
“Trust me, there’s no one left for you to protect and serve.”
“Be safe bud… take care”
Knowing his friend wouldn’t take the advice; Randy tossed the phone onto the counter. Grabbing the burrito and his laptop, he dropped to the couch, intent on gleaning what he could from the web as the sun fell beneath the horizon, ushering in the first night in hell.
As the hours escaped, so did his hope. He listened with his head back and eyes closed, as the sounds of the night rose and dissipated with the horrific medleys of tortured souls losing their battle with the infected.
Never closer than a few miles, Randy shot from the couch as two quick gunshots sounded from the alley below his building. He hadn’t checked the time since closing his laptop, and knew the concept of time stopped mattering hours ago. Hurrying to the window, he struggled for a moment with what he was witnessing as the third shot rang out. What was Mason doing? That alley at this time of night was a death sentence, even before the events of the past day. Tonight it was all but assured.
Reaching for the nearest pistol, Randy bolted for the door. Racing through the hall and down the many flights of stairs, he needed to reach his friend in time. This situation just turned personal as Mason was like a brother to him. He couldn’t let this happen. Avoiding a growing horde as he breeched the entrance to his building and made his way into the alley, Randy caught a quick glimpse of Mason unmoving with one of those things clawing its way on top.
Cursing those who permitted the virus to escape into the public and not shutting it down years ago, Randy sprinted the length of the darkened concrete path to his friend. This was never supposed to happen, although he always figured it would… at some point.
23
Staring out the bedroom window into the darkness, she could no longer even make out the silhouette of Mason as he made his way through the maze of stalled cars that lined the roads of their neighborhood. April wished she had tried harder to get him to stay, although she didn’t want to fight with him. This was the first time in a month they actually talked to each other instead of arguing. It felt good.
Walking back downstairs, Justin startled her as he came out of the kitchen carrying a small box that contained various canned food and light snacks. He was smiling and looked happy. April figured he was glad to have his Dad back, if even for just a few minutes.
“Hey kid, did you remember a can opener?”
Justin made an immediate right turn and headed back into the kitchen. She heard him opening and shutting cabinets and drawers as he searched.
“Top right, next to the sink.”
“Thanks mom.”
April dug through the closet next to the front door where they kept their winter coats and other items only used a few times a year.
“Justin, where is your old, blue backpack?”
“I left it on your bed. I knew you needed one. You walked right past it.”
“Thanks for waiting until I came all the way down here to tell me.”
“No problem.”
April closed the closet door and turned to walk back to her room. Looking into the office, she noticed a set of keys sitting on the desk in the office.
“Uh OH…”
Justin dropped the box and hurried to see what she was talking about.
“Mom?”
“Your Dad forgot his car keys.”
“Uh… So?”
“That means he’ll either have to walk back here or make the whole trip on foot, neither are good options.”
“You know Dad won’t take any chances, I’m sure he will be back here any minute.”
April quickly made her way back upstairs to her room and opened the wood blinds as far as they would go so she could pack what she needed and keep an eye on the street below at the same time. She hoped Mason would return and not try to make it both ways without using a car, although she knew better. She knew he wouldn’t come all the way back here for the keys, so it would end up taking him even longer. She felt nauseous.
She tried to imagine all the things she would need and wondered how she would fit everything into one small backpack. She thought, “Men could easily do this, although I just need more stuff.” She tossed the backpack to the side and grabbed a much bigger duffle bag from under the bed.
“That’s better.”
Justin continued to make trip after trip to the car in the garage loading everything he figured they would need. He wanted his Dad to be proud of him. Each time he made another trip, he would look out the Plexiglas panes of the garage door, checking for any of those things, and also hoping he would see his father walking back up the street.
He noticed that all the cars were now gone, all the way down to the end of the street. His neighbors must have escaped. He felt a little scared since they seemed to be the only ones left. He had an idea.
Justin ran up the stairs, meeting April in the master bathroom.
“Mom, I’m going to text Dad to see if he’s coming back for his keys.”
“Good idea. We should have thought of that earlier.”
Justin pulled out his phone, hung his head, and tossed it on the sink.
“It’s dead!”
“What… no, I charged it last night. Let me see.”
April picked up his phone, looked at the screen and immediately set it down. She reached in her back pocket and glanced at hers. She tossed it next to Justin’s on the sink.
“It’s not dead. The service is down. Let’s try the home phone.”
Justin picked up the receiver and handed it to April. She listed for a short moment.
“The power is still on, but no dial tone. The phone lines must be down. This is not good; your Dad has no way to get ahold of us.”
“Mom, what do we do?”
“Just get the rest of your stuff packed; I’m sure your Dad is fine.”
“Ok, I’m done with the food and the stuff from the garage. I’ll get my clothes.”
“Good. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”
She didn’t know if she was trying to convince herself or Justin and who needed it more. April continued to throw together what she thought she would need and tried to come up with a plan for making sure Mason got back here in one piece.
Justin looked back into her room before leaving.
“Mom, all the cars are gone.”
“What cars?”
“All the neighbors that were lined up down the street. They are all gone now.”
“Good, then we’ll get out of here that much faster once your father gets back.”
“Mom… Are you scared?”
“Nope.”
She wanted to get in the car, go after Mason and leave the city tonight. She wanted the three of them back together right now. She didn’t want to wait anymore. Mason had been gone for over three hours and she needed him. They both needed him.
Justin grabbed an assortment of pants, shorts and shirts. He shoved as many of each as he could into the backpack and zipped it shut. He threw it into the hall and as it hit the floor, the noise made April jump. She quickly rounded the corner and shot Justin a look. It was still rather dark in most areas of the house except for the light coming from the office, although he could tell she wasn’t amused.
“What was that?”
“Sorry… just my bag.”
“We need to be quiet, remember?”
“Ok, I’m sorry!”
“Justin, what time is it?”
“I don’t know, but it looks like the sun will be coming up soon.”
She couldn’t believe how much time had passed since he left and how long they had been putting their things together. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her. April was done with this.
She walked over to Justin, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight.
“We’re going to get your Dad!”
24
As they moved from one area to the next, the hours passed. Sitting in the back seat, watching the complete annihilation of every city they moved through had her heart racing. At times, she felt as though she’d wake from this nightmare in a sweaty, panicked mess. The images at times too graphic to comprehend, Savannah shielded her eyes as the two animals in the front seat appeared to bond over the hell that had fallen to earth that day.
“We’re here,” Jason said as Savannah slid down into the fetal position, along the rear floorboard once again. “Savannah, you staying here?”
She didn’t answer; she covered her ears and didn’t look up. Jason snatched the rear door open and knelt to her level. “I probably deserve whatever it is your thinking, although I’m the only one protecting you from those things at this point. You may want to show a little gratitude.”