by Unknown
The stock boy didn’t want to stay and took off out the back door trying to get to his car. He was scared and really wanted to get home to help his ailing mother. He didn’t make it, he was attacked the minute he stepped out the back door.
The store manager was lucky to get the back door closed and locked. They had been inside the store ever since, watching the news till the electricity went out. None of them were able to talk to their own families and there were too many infected outsiders to try to get out.
They had been living off the junk food and bottled drinks in the store for the last three days and had even broken into the dry freeze camping foods.
On the second day, the infected broke through the front door and somehow got past the gates. They managed to escape up the stairs and barricaded themselves in a storage room. They locked the doors and used some of the merchandise and shelves to help block the door.
The two men had killed about ten of the infected on their way up the stairs, but they had been using the guns from the hunting department and the noise just drew more of the infected into the building. This morning the hunting manager didn’t hear any of the infected outside the door and thought it would be safe to open the door. They moved the merchandise and other things away from the door.
They only moved the merchandise blocking the door a little, just enough for them to open the door just a bit to look outside. They thought it was safe, but once they had the door open just a crack an infected grabbed the hunting manager’s wrist and quickly took a chunk out of him. They were able to get the door closed again, but now they had someone on the inside that had been bitten.
The hunting manager knew what would happen and asked them to tie him up and end him once he turned. The store manager killed him since neither of the women was willing to do it. The noise from the gun got the infected outside the door all agitated again and that's when the store manager started to shoot through the door out of frustration and anger, trying to protect them.
Had we been an hour earlier, we might of have saved them all.
We were headed down Madison Street trying to make it to 8th Street which would take us north out of the city. Eventually and without incident, we made it to the corner of 8th street.
I didn’t see any infected around us, so I stopped to take a quick check on everyone.
“Why are we stopping?” Amy asked poking her head through the pen cab window.
“Just want to make sure that everyone is ok and to see what our new passengers want to do,” I said.
“They are ok with coming with us, they said they didn’t have anything to go back to. Let’s move out.” Amy said returning to the back of the truck and the two women.
I turned the truck north on 8th street and got moving.
As I drove, I thought about how lucky we had been so far; even though we had failed to get the gear from the sporting goods store, we really had quite a bit of supply. We were really hoping to get a chance at some more guns, ammo, and protective gear, but we’d have to try for those things when the chance came up. Somewhere along the line, I had to come up with the protective gear we could wear, as I truly believed that this was a must have. If the infected couldn’t bite you, then you had an increased rate of survival.
We continued on 8th street, which turned to SH 8, heading out of town, dodging infected and abandoned cars along the way. Multiple times we had to stop and backtrack to a side street due to all of the wrecks on the road.
Butch had taken this route for many years and knew every back road to cut through bypassing any obstacles. We still had a couple of hours of driving and we wouldn't reach Butch’s parent's place by nightfall so we agreed that we had to find a place to spend the night or risk drawing every infected in the area with the sound of the car and the lights.
“We should keep driving till we reach Severance and then find a place to stay the night,” Butch suggested.
“OK. Let Amy know, just in case she has an objection.” Butch spoke to Amy through the back window and Amy let Butch know that Mary, the women that fell, had a sprained ankle, a bruised hip and maybe a broken wrist. Butch grabbed his backpack and pulled out the various bandage wraps and other medical supplies he thought she could use. He handed them to her through the window.
The sooner we felt good about pulling off, the better for Mary. I’m sure the bouncing around didn’t help with her pain.
“Think an electric car would be a better vehicle for the apocalypse?” I asked Butch.
“Yeah. But there’s no electricity to recharge the batteries.” He replied. “Anyway, soon the gas and diesel will be gone or bad, and we’ll all be using horses, bikes and our feet.”
We both fell silent for a few minutes as we thought about this new world.
“So, explain what your problem is with killing the infected?” Butch finally said to me, shifting in his seat to face me. “Tell old Doctor Butch your problems and let me help you.”
I really don’t know how to explain this to him; I was still struggling with it myself. The only reason that I could think of was that the infected were still people. Even if they didn’t look alive anymore, I still saw what they were once. Everything else I killed in my life was for food or clothing. I never had an experience where my life was in danger or where I had to protect myself, let alone a situation where I killed something just for the sport. My dad would never allow a sports killing. We ate all the meat, we used the fur to sell, trade or wear. Killing a person or someone who once was a person didn’t fit what I knew as right. I didn’t have another explanation, so I told Butch exactly that.
“OK. I get it, but your reluctance to kill these things, and they are things, they are not people anymore, will cause us problems. You are really putting us all in danger, not just yourself. So far you have not stabbed, ran over, shot or beat any of these things to save any of us.”
“I did kill them; I led at least 15 of them to their end when I drew them away from you guys and off the balcony,” I replied. “Just like the Pied Piper.” I winked and smiled at him before returning my eye to the road.
“The only reason they ended up on the ground, was because the rail gave way. If it hadn’t, they would still be in the apartment wondering around looking for someone to eat.”
Butch was right, I didn’t actually cause them to fall, they bunched up against the rail and it gave. I only gave them a reason to bunch up like that.
“When we get to Severance and we find a place to stay, you’re going to clear it. You have to get this over with and get comfortable with this. It’s us or them.” He said, turning back to the front of the truck and looking out his window.
I sat there silently thinking though what this meant. Of course, I could do this, that wasn’t my problem.
What the hell was the problem then?
“It’s like the first time you have sex. Once you’ve done it, you can do it again. I’m not saying the fighting is the same feeling, because it’s not, it’s pretty weird when you think of it. But, once you do it, you can do it again,” He said still looking out his window.
“Maybe riding a bike is a better analogy,” I said. Seriously, like having sex for the first time and I thought I knew Butch...
“You know what I mean. I don’t get anything sexual from it. I’ve killed an infected, I can do it again. I know they are dead and that they will kill me. It’s enough for me to justify the blood, the destruction, the killing.” We sat there silently as I drove for a while when Amy stuck her head in the window.
“So, is he going to clear the area when we find a place to hold up for the night?”
“Really, you two are in this together.”
“We’re only looking out for you. One for all and all for one.” She looked at Butch and I caught him nodding at her. I was going to have to deal with this when we got to the place we would stay the night. We arrived in Severance and drove down the one street in town, past the western wear store, the small five and dime and Bruce’s bar.
&
nbsp; We’d stopped here every time we had visited Butch’s parents. On the way in and on the way out. I once bought a cowboy hat at the western store, something I never wore once I got home. We spent many an hour drinking and eating at Bruce’s. They were known for their fried fish balls and I wondered if they had any that were still fresh.
The town looked deserted, but we knew that didn’t mean that we weren’t being watched from behind closed curtains. Butch knew of a few farms on the outskirts of town and pointed in the direction I should drive. We didn’t think it would be good to be in a town, chances of people around being too high and there was no telling what those people were like. Many a small town had forced strangers out.
We drove for about 10 minutes past Severance and pulled into the first farm house that was set off the road. As we pulled in, we could tell that this place had seen better days, but we weren’t being very picky. We just needed a place for a single night, somewhere that we could rest and get away quickly if needed.
The farmhouse was really a double wide trailer, set to the back corner of the lot. There were a few pins for farm animals, but they were empty. There weren't any lights that we could see and the place looked pretty much deserted. We pulled up to the double-wide and sat there for a minute, letting the noise of the drive up stir up any infected that might be around.
“Time for you to get your cherry popped,” Butch said.
Amy appeared next to my window having climbed out of the truck bed without me notices. She nearly caused me to need to change my pants. She tapped on the window and wiggled her finger at me to get out of the truck. I exited the truck and stood next to her. “She wants you,” Butch said laughing. I’m sure the two passengers in the bed of the truck were thinking we were crazy, I mean, what kind of idiots would joke about this.
“Shut up, you perv,” Amy whispered in the truck. “Watch Mary and Jamie.”
Amy pulled me forward and quietly said to me. “You lead and I will follow. I’ll be right behind you, but you need to try to deal with this yourself. Our lives will depend on it someday.” She continued to push me forward towards the double wide’s front door.
Chapter 18
We arrived at the front door of the double wide and stood there as I tried to figure out how I would handle this. I had to make this kill or my friends would lose even more faith in my ability to back them up.
I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. “Just like always. Knock and wait.” Amy took the butt of her rifle and hit it against the door. There was some slight sound of something moving inside, but nothing that rushed the door.
“Your turn. Make it count.” Amy said stepping back and waiting for me to make the next move. “I know you can do this and we’re counting on you to do this, so just make it happen.”
I opened the door so I could see inside. Sine nothing rushed the door or was visible I stepped into the double wide. It was black as night inside because the windows had been blacked out, so very little light came through. Amy pulled the door closed, waiting on the outside. She was really going to put me on the spot. Now or never I guess.
I moved into the living room while my eyes adjusted to the darkness but could only make out shadows of furniture and walls dividing the various spaces around the trailer. To the left was a wide open space with all kinds of clutter from what I could see and to the right was a hallway leading to the other side of the trailer.
I pulled out my flashlight and held it with my left hand while I held a spear in the right. I moved forward and put the light on the living room to the left. All I saw was trash and blankets, cardboard and empty cans of food. All over the living room space.
The lazy boy chair was the center of attention and it was surrounded by boxes and blankets and wrappers and magazines. Someone was using this space to live in; it was a safe place for them. The infected didn’t act this way, they didn’t have this need.
I could tell that whoever was here was scared, alone and might need our help. Whoever it was, was trying to make a bad situation better. I moved into the living room of the trailer and walked around the chair, looking for anything that would help me figure out what I was up against.
I stood at the chair, running the flashlight around the room and looking for anything that might help me figure out what had happened here over the last three days. Since I didn’t find anything else to help figure out the mystery, I headed to the back end of the trailer stepping softly to reduce any noise of me moving through the trailer.
There was an eerie silence as I moved through the trailer; it felt like something was watching me, that something or someone was following me around the trailer.
I moved past the kitchen area and headed to the first door that I came to. The bathroom was behind this door and it was empty; it was a disaster, but it was empty. The shower curtain was on the floor, so I knew there wasn't anyone waiting in the tub.
I moved to the next room which looked like it was used as a home office. There was a PC sitting on the desk, the file cabinet drawers were all open and empty with the paper laying all over the floor.
The third door was closed, but the fourth door was wide open. I moved to the fourth door and looked inside.
This was the master bedroom with a king bed in the middle of it, but most everything else was removed from the room. It was the cleanest room so far and looked like someone had spent some time cleaning up and making this room special.
I moved to the third door, the closed door I skipped and used the end of my spear to knock on the door. There was no response from the other side and the mobile home was silent so I opened the door. Out of nowhere, I felt a brush against my leg and instinctively moved to the side of the door expecting an infected to take hold. Instead, I saw the shadow of a small figure jet out the door and head to the master bedroom.
I looked inside the room and saw a child’s room, a little girl's room. There were pink unicorns and purple princesses on the wall; stickers on the closet that showed the latest Disney characters. A single bed sat in the corner and most of the bedding from the master bedroom had been brought into this room and placed on the bed. A child must have been staying here for the last few days all by themselves. What had brushed my leg when I opened the door was the little girl.
I really felt a need to find her and make sure she was safe.
“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you,” I said in the most level tone I could muster. I had zero experience with dealing with little kids and didn't really know how to proceed.
“I’m here to help. My friends and I will help you. We have food and water that we can share with you. We are going to a safe place, where there will be animals to play with, lots of food and a safe place to rest.” I walked to the living room and sat down on the lazy boy chair.
I didn’t see anything as I moved past the kitchen and into the living room. Whatever was here was good at hiding. I sat on the couch and placed the spear to the side. “It’s OK. I’m not here to hurt you, but I do need to make sure you are OK. I can’t just leave.”
After a few minutes, “I’m OK. You can leave.” A soft voice said from the back of the trailer. “I don’t need your help. My mom and I are OK. We’re doing fine.”
“Your mom?” I asked.
“She’s in the backyard right now, in the shed. She stays there so I’m safe.”
I got up and moved to the front door. “OK. I’m leaving.” I opened the door and stepped out to the front porch.
“There’s a little girl inside. Her mom is out back in the shed. You should go inside and talk with her, make sure she is OK and see if you can get her to come with us... I’ll head to the shed in the backyard and deal with the mother.” I said to Amy. She was looking at me with a skeptical look on her face. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.”
Amy watched as I walked past her heading to the back of the trailer. I wasn’t sure what I might find but moved forward anyway finding my way to the shed. The shed door wasn’t locked allowing me to open the door with
out any problem. Inside was the mother, she was infected and chained to the walls trying her best to get to me once she realized I was there.
She really didn’t look that bad, no missing flesh, no noticeable bite marks, and no blood. But you could tell she was infected and wanted nothing more than to get her teeth sunk into my flesh. How the little girl didn’t get bitten with the mother locked in the shed was beyond comprehension for me.
I walked into the shed and stood just a few inches from her. “Thank you for doing the right thing. You knew you were turning and to save you, child, you locked yourself up.” She stood there, cocking her head back and forth like a dog does when you talk about it. “If you hadn’t done this, your child would be dead. You did something most people wouldn’t do.” I took the spear in my hand and pressed it through her eye, hearing the pop of the eyeball and then pushing even further into her brain.
She fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes being dropped on the ground and everything went silent except for some crickets. This was a defining moment for me. I knew then and there that I would do everything I could to save my friends and the people that choose to travel with us, that I would fight for every inch of life left and that anyone that got in my way would pay for trying to stop me. If this little girl could make it through this unimaginable situation, then I could.
I turned around and found Butch and Amy standing there looking at me. “We knew you could do it. Sorry, it had to be this way.” Amy said.
“The girl?” I asked.
“She’s in the truck with Mary and Jamie. We should leave this place and find somewhere else to stay tonight.” Amy said as she followed me back to the truck.
“OK.” That’s all I could say, that’s all that would come out.
I headed to the truck and sat on the passenger side, it was time for someone else to drive, I needed to take some time to reflect and get my head right. I don’t know why the events of the last hour caused me such pain and concern, but I knew that they were going to define what I did going forward and how I treated this new strange world where everything you came across would cause you pain, try to kill you, take those things that meant something to you away and would run you into the ground till your only way out was to fight back or give up.