by L. J. Cuff
Moving himself backwards, he finally came across what he thought was a spade but the moment he moved it, he realized what it was. The long handle combined with the flat edge indicated it was a hoe. Bringing his cheek in close, he felt the sharpness of the metal. This will do nicely, he thought, putting his shoulder on the handle and rubbing the rope against the edge.
At first he was barely making any movement but over time, as his hand loosened, he was able to use the edge more properly. As he pulled his right hand free, he noticed footsteps coming from outside. He quickly undid his left hand and picked up the hoe. Standing to the side of the door, he held it at the ready.
The door swung open and a man entered. Dennis brought the hoe down on him but was intercepted by a hockey stick. The man turned to Dennis and smiled as the stick forced him backwards.
“Wow, you’re a quick one,” The man commented, stepping over to the chair. He bent down, looking over the ropes. He nodded then looked over at Dennis who was still next to the door. “Most people take more than an hour to get out of these… That is, if they ever do…” He said, lifting the tattered ropes up for the men by the door to see, “It only took you twenty minutes to do this…” He took a step towards Dennis and looked him straight in the eyes. “Who are you and where are you from?” He asked.
Dennis pursed his lips and watched the man very carefully. Silence filled the air as he considered his response.
“Sir?” The man by the door inquired.
“What is it…?” The man responded, keeping his focus on Dennis.
“There’s more movement down the road.”
“Friends of yours?” The man questioned.
Dennis kept quiet, watching the man’s reactions.
The man took in a deep breath and stepped back to the chair. He righted it and sat down. “My name is Tim…” He said taking in another deep breath. “What’s yours?”
“Dennis,” Dennis responded, keeping his back to the wall.
“Ok… Are those people Mike is speaking about friends of yours?”
Dennis pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly can’t say,” He responded.
“Can’t or won’t?” Tim pressed.
“Can’t...”
Tim sighed audibly as he stood up. “Look, I’m not in the business of keeping prisoners… People who come by here either join us or go in the pit… I’d rather keep you among us for your skills but…” Tim stated, stepping over to Dennis. He raised his eyebrow as he watched Dennis’ reaction. He then turned to the man by the door and said, “Capture whoever is out there and bring them with him to the pit.” He took a step back allowing two men to come into the shed. “We’ll see if you have more answers after that…”
The two men took Dennis back out of the shed. Dennis cringed as the sun hit his eyes. He was walked across another well-manicured lawn towards the back of a house. Once there, he noticed what appeared to be the remnants of a swimming pool.
As they approached, the worst odor imaginable emanated from the pool. Dennis gagged as he was escorted forwards. He passed by four people wearing masks. Two of them carried guns but the other two were shoveling what appeared to be feces.
The two men pushed Dennis to the edge of the pool allowing him to look inside. Down below, the pool was hollowed out leaving only the walls. The bottom was completely broken and in many places dirt was visible.
Suddenly, an infected crawled out of the shadows. It grunted towards Dennis. Another infected followed shortly, looking up at him and his two escorts. Dennis glanced over his left shoulder then his right.
Only four of them, still doable, he thought, plotting his escape.
“Release him,” Tim’s voice resonated from behind.
Dennis turned to look as the two men that were holding him backed away. He raised his eyebrow and took a step towards Tim. “Why?” He asked.
Tim shrugged. “That’s for me to know,” He stated with a smile.
Dennis watched him closely, considering his next move when suddenly a light began flashing from the ground. He looked down, staring at it. It was almost hypnotic, the way it flashed and moved between colors. For one brief moment, Dennis had a feeling of pure bliss then it ended just as quickly as it began. He felt a sense of loss, a desire to see the light again.
“Now then, where did you learn to do those things from the shed?” Tim asked, approaching Dennis.
Dennis looked between the ground and Tim and for one brief moment, all he could think of was to turn on the light. He could feel his entire being ceasing to exist in its current state just to have the light given to him again.
“Dennis, I asked you a question,” Tim angrily shouted snapping Dennis from his thoughts.
Dennis blinked once then again. He looked up at Tim and gave the best smile he could. “I was a private security guard,” He responded.
“Really?” Tim inquired, standing directly in front of Dennis.
“Yes,” Dennis responded with a whimper. He stared down at where the lights once where.
“That must be some interesting training that you got for being a security guard,” Tim said, bringing himself close to Dennis’ ear. He whispered, “I don’t believe you and that’s not a good thing.”
“Sir!” Mike called out in between breaths.
Tim spun around, putting his back to Dennis. “What is it?” He asked angrily.
“There’s more of them…”
“So? We have guns and defenses for a reason,” Tim responded, turning back to Dennis.
“They’re coming from all sides… There’s over thirty of them…”
Tim pursed his lips and looked back at Mike then at Dennis.
Chapter Two
Claire crouched in the shadows beneath the trees. Diane and the alpha were standing in the middle of the road. They watched the trees sway, occasionally grunting to each other.
What are they waiting for? Claire thought, listening to the wind.
Suddenly, a howl began from off in the distance. Diane smiled at the alpha then they both tilted their heads back. For one brief moment, they stood with their faces to the sky, absolutely still. Then their howling began. Claire raised her eyebrow as she listened to the spectacle. The moment Diane and the alpha stopped, they waited for a response.
A howl only three feet away from Claire startled her, almost giving away her position. She watched on as Diane and the alpha turned to greet the infected coming from the woods. This one was small and dressed only in underwear. It walked up to the alpha and bowed its head then grunted at Diane.
The alpha grunted back and sniffed the air. He turned in Claire’s direction. For one brief moment, Claire’s heart stopped, she thought she had been found. Fortunately, gunfire began resonating from down the road. The alpha and the other infected stared down in its direction.
The alpha grunted once more sending the infected down the road towards the gunfire. Diane and alpha then began running down the road in the opposite direction. Claire stood up and watched them go, waiting until they had gone far enough for her to follow.
She finally stepped out of the forest and began jogging behind them. She cautiously watched the forest on either side of the road for movement all the while keeping to the side.
Eventually, they came across a schoolyard. Claire watched as Diane and the alpha walked inside the doors but she opted to stay outside. She sat down in the tall grass and watched the building.
Hmm… There’s some on the roof too, she thought, they’re getting smarter by the minute. She watched something smash into the window from inside. She raised her eyebrow and got down on all fours. As she crawled forward, something else hit into the window, this time shattering the glass. The infected on top of the roof peered over the side to see what was happening.
Suddenly, an infected was held out of the window by its neck. It flailed its arms at its attacker in vain. The attacker let go of the infected. It fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. Claire peered out of the tall gra
ss in time to see the alpha grunting out the window. She looked on as the infected on the ground was still moving. It sat itself up with a horrible growl. Its arms were hanging off its shoulders being held to its body only by the shirt it wore. Claire tried to get closer to see if the legs were moving when she saw the front door open.
She saw the alpha step out of the door, snarling at the infected on the ground. It sneered at the alpha in response. The alpha walked right up to it and ripped the head off of the infected’s body. Claire held her hand to her mouth as she watched the infected still changing its expressions even as its head was away from its body. The alpha lifted the infected’s head up high then threw it down against the ground, crushing the skull.
The alpha howled at the top of its lungs. Claire held her head low against the ground, taking in deep breaths to calm herself. She had never before seen how truly animalistic the infected were.
As she focused on the tall grass, she became almost oblivious to the world around her. It was almost as if there was only silence around her, broken by the wind. She momentarily closed her eyes to listen to its eerie howl when she heard a small voice. She turned to her right, in the direction immediately next to the school. She began crawling but stopped the moment she reached the road.
Looking over to the school, she waited for the alpha to go inside but he was watching the tall grass. She carefully stared at the door.
Within thirty minutes, the alpha turned around and stepped back into the building. Claire watched as the infected on the roof also stood up and moved to a lower area.
Claire stealthily ran across the road, keeping her upper body down until she was under the foliage of the shrubs next to the school yard. She moved in between the leaves, keeping herself hidden from the school until she came across a house.
She stood next to the left front corner and closed her eyes. She listened to the sounds.
Suddenly, Ted’s voice could be heard loud and clear. Claire looked up at the front of the house.
All the windows are closed, she thought, I can’t be hearing him from those. She kept herself in a crouched position and made her way to the back of the house. Out of sight of the school, she saw the two bottom windows were broken. Ted’s voice came through even louder from her new location. She carefully peeked into the first window. All she could see was overturned furniture and bloodstains.
She waved her hand in front of her face to shoo the flies away. She began crawling to the other window but came across a dirt mound. She placed her hands at the top and pushed down with her body weight. The mound began moving, rolling in her direction. Claire was shocked as a pair of eyes looked over at her.
The infected sat itself up and grunted at Claire. She quickly pulled a knife out of her shoe and stabbed it in the head. It fell back into the ground. Claire paused as she was about to climb over it again. She shook her head and put her hands underneath it. She watched the window in front of her and slowly pushed the infected out of the way but it did not move.
What the fuck? She thought as she propped herself against the ground. She looked over the infected’s half buried body. Maybe he’s buried deep? She thought, sliding her hand down its side. She felt a small prick against her hand.
Bringing her finger up for closer inspection, she looked back at the infected. She moved the dirt aside by the infected’s waist and saw it. The infected couldn’t move because it was impaled by what appeared to be a pitchfork.
God damn it, Claire thought as she climbed over the infected’s limp body. As she knelt on its chest, the mouth opened letting out the foul stench of rotting flesh. Claire momentarily gagged, sitting herself below the window.
She could clearly hear Ted’s voice. She put her feet underneath her, setting herself into a crouching position. She cautiously looked through the window and saw Ted tied to a chair.
“You fuckers,” He cursed out loud.
Claire slightly raised herself, looking at the room beyond Ted. She could see there were two infected. One was on the floor, it appeared to have no legs. Claire could hear its wheezing from the window. The other infected was walking towards the doorway. It turned around causing Claire to drop herself out of sight.
She pulled out her trusty knife and held it up to the light, shining its reflection into the room. She heard footsteps approaching the window. Steadying herself against the wall, she waited until she saw a hand touch the windowsill. She jumped up from the ground, plunging the knife into the infected’s skull. It slumped forward and she pulled it out of the window. Climbing inside, she heard the second infected howling, calling for help. She walked up to it, stepped on its wrists and stabbed it in the head.
“Now let’s get you out of here,” She said to Ted, running to his side. She quickly cut all the ropes binding him.
Ted shook his head and held up his arm. Claire stood in complete shock. There was a large festering bite on his forearm.
“But… But…” Claire stammered, as she took a step back.
Ted touched Claire on the cheek.
“Abby cured this last time, we still have time to find her and…” Claire reached for Ted’s arm but he pulled back.
Ted shook his head. “There isn’t time, I’m afraid… I can feel the hunger… The conscious thoughts I once had… The ways to untie myself… They’re all fading quickly…” He momentarily paused to sniff the air. “I am becoming like them…”
“But... People enter comas before becoming like them,” Claire questioned, holding back the tears welling in her eyes.
“They knocked me unconscious when we were inspecting the school… I don’t know how long ago that was but when I awoke, I had the bite on my arm and was in here…” He said holding up his arm.
“But there’s a cure and we can-,” Claire began.
“There is no cure,” Ted interrupted, “Even the one Diane was working on was not really a cure. It just held off the inevitable.”
Claire raised her eyebrow, staring with a confused look at Ted.
“Diane explained to me just before we found the school. She told me that Ryan had infected her to give her incentive to cooperate. She did for the most part, she honestly believed she had a cure but when Ryan tried to use her cure on a full blown Type B infection, he found it didn’t work. This frustrated him, so he made sure she had a Type B infection not just the easier to cure Type A. She managed to stave it off for the six months we were travelling but she begged me to kill her and to not let her see it coming.
“When we saw the school and the infected coming out, I had every intention of just leaving her here for them, but it seems she had other plans.” Ted paused and listened. “You have to go now, else they will find you.” He grabbed Claire’s arm and pushed her towards the window. She tried to resist but found Ted was still stronger.
He helped her climb out and jumped out himself.
“I thought you weren’t coming with?” Claire said, drying her eyes with her sleeves.
Ted gave Claire a kiss on the forehead and responded, “I will help get you out of here, no matter what happens.” He pointed to the side of the house.
The two walked in complete silence, side by side. Ted occasionally took moments to sniff the air or to listen. Claire kept walking every time he stopped, careful to watch him every moment.
“Claire, run,” Ted said with a raspy voice.
Claire turned to look, there were five infected at the schoolyard fence, watching them.
“Oh shit,” She said as she took off.
Ted followed closely behind. He bent over and picked up a branch along the way, holding it in front of him as they ran.
Within moments, the five infected had Claire and Ted surrounded. They left a spot in the middle for the alpha but it was still within the school yard, next to Diane.
“Give me your gun and run,” Ted whispered to Claire in a barely audible growl. Claire looked over at him then at the alpha and Diane. She pulled out her gun but hesitated. “Now,” Ted shouted at Claire. She
startled slightly and handed over the loaded pistol. She touched Ted for the final time and ran towards one of the infected.
Ted took two shots by the time Claire jumped on the infected. She knocked it to the ground then quickly stood up and continued running. She heard two more shots before she ran into the cover of the forest.
* * *
Mary crouched between the tomato plants. She heard grunts coming from behind but couldn’t move. The men with guns were on either side of her but hadn’t noticed her yet.
“Here they come!” One of them called out, holding up his arm. The others took careful aim at the intruders coming over the fence.
“Steady, wait for them all to show themselves,” The leader stated, still holding his arm up.
Suddenly, a foot appeared next to Mary’s hand. She looked up but all she could see was the uniform fatigues. She slowly backed away.
“Now!” The leader shouted, letting his arm drop.
Every person on the field fired their guns. Twelve infected dropped to the ground. The others from behind watched them fall then stepped over them and continued on forward.
Another round of shots and another twelve infected fell to the ground. Some of those that were on the ground began moving.
“Fuck! Fall back!” The leader shouted.
Mary heard the footsteps from behind getting louder. She watched the men run towards the house where there were more people lined up outside. She stayed perfectly still allowing the distracted infected to limp their way past her. As soon as she heard nothing more from behind, she stood up and ran into the woods. She climbed one of the trees on the outskirts and watched.
The people by the house held up their guns and took out another twenty infected. But that still left ten infected heading towards them. They scrambled for ammunition as the infected closed in on them.
The infected stopped short of the people. They had them lined up against the house. Mary had a flashback to her own house where the infected killed the people in hazmat suits. She was so lost in thought, she almost fell out of the tree. She regained her sense just as the infected were crouching down in attack position.