by Shaun Meehan
“Oh, for fuck sakes, just open the door!" Kevin exclaimed impatiently.
As if his statement had contained the magic words, the bay door began to roll open. Clay, along with the other men in the back of the trailer had long since recognized that they were approaching the department store and all had been bracing accordingly. Even their new canine companion, lacking a collar was being hugged tightly by Clay, who with his other hand was presently gripping a rail that ran along the length of the trailer's interior wall. Tom and Jamie, had maintained a vigilant watch for any following infected. However, thus far it appeared that Clay's plan had been a success, and lured the undead away from their true destination. It remained unknown to them if the diversionary tactic had proven equally as effective for Mick and his companions.
All of the truck's occupants tightly gripped whatever they could in response to Tim wheeling the big vehicle around. For the men sitting in the back of the truck, this would be the first time they had set eyes on the building that had become their home since the onset of their mission. As the trailer was being pushed backwards by the powerful truck, its reverse sirens wailed as it crept inside the interior of the building. Clay spotted Melanie, along with the men who had remained with her, lining the edges of the loading dock. Every individual waiting for them had armed themselves, ready to lend the truck assistance should it have been followed.
Clay knew that his absence from Melanie would only serve to bolster her own confidence and now witnessed her success in that, as she guarded the dock with the combatants.
The truck impacted hard into the dock's bumpers, jolting the trailer's occupants. One of the men on the dock immediately palmed a button located nearby the one which had been earlier used by Melanie, closing the large bay door.
Melanie and her cohorts nervously waited for signs of life within the darkness of the cargo hold's interior, being unaware of the status of those who had participated in the mission to liberate their required goods from the lumber yard.
Tom and Jamie were the first to step foot onto the concrete of the loading dock. Having spotted Clay's shotgun in the hands of Jamie, Melanie's heart immediately sunk as she assumed the worst. For a brief moment, she had become certain that Clay had met his demise in the lumber yard. Before Melanie could become overwhelmed by heartbreak, Clay stepped out of the shadowy interior of the trailer and onto the concrete beside his comrades. To the surprise of everyone now standing together on the loading dock, an additional companion had followed alongside Clay as he exited the trailer.
Melanie took a moment to reign in her emotions before speaking, lest they become evident to the group.
"You left for wood and returned with a dog?" she asked sarcastically.
"Had we not have returned with that dog, we most likely wouldn't have returned at all." Kevin said, climbing the stairs leading up to the dock.
"Why? What happened?" Melanie asked, having become slightly alarmed by Kevin's statement.
"Just as we were getting the last of the planks, the infected decided to show up. One of them knocked me to the ground, but this guy here decided that there would be none of that." Clay answered, petting the back of the massive animal standing beside him.
"What? The dog scared off the infected?" Melanie asked having had been confused by how an animal could have rescued Clay.
"No." Clay said with a chuckle. "He killed the damn thing. Jumped on it and shook it until its neck broke." he continued, obviously impressed by the formidable strength of his new canine companion.
Melanie slowly lowered herself to a crouch, meeting the animal face to face. After laying her rifle to her side on the concrete, she reached out and began to scratch the canine roughly behind it's ears. In return the muscular dog stepped towards her and pushed his forehead into Melanie's chest, obviously enjoying the attention being dolled to him.
"What are you going to call him?" she asked Clay, looking up at him while continuing to lavish the animal with affection.
Clay hadn't even thought for a moment about what he would call the dog, having assumed that it would have already been given a name. Then again, the animal had no collar to identify it in any way.
"Lucky." he replied, half-heartedly.
"That's a stupid name for a dog that looks like this!" Melanie replied.
"Okay, fine..." Clay said, resigned to putting forth some effort into naming the dog who had saved his life.
"It was by chance that he had been lingering in the lumber yard. So… I think his name should be, Chance." Clay said finally.
"Chance... How does that sound?" Melanie asked the dog, sounding more like she was talking to a baby, rather than an animal.
With an effortless flip of his head, Chance sent Melanie over backward and on to her rear. The dog easily overpowered her, further pushing her over and forcing Melanie to lay prone on her back. Chance began affectionately licking her face, drooling hot saliva over her from his dripping jowls.
"Hey, OKAY!" exclaimed Melanie, while finding the dog’s affectionate assault to be simultaneously repulsive and amusing.
As hard as she tried, Melanie was unable to wrest herself from underneath the monolithic canine, who effortlessly stood his ground.
"Clay!" Melanie shouted amidst her laughter. "Do you mind getting him off of me?!"
"No, I don't think so. From there, you can't cause any trouble." Clay said with a smirk.
"Kevin, You mind getting some extra hands from inside to help us unload this truck?" Clay asked, shifting his attention to the rest of the group.
"Yah, no problem..." Kevin replied, while grinning from ear to ear at Clay's handling of Melanie.
"Everyone else... Let's get started. Chance, you stay!" Clay said after Kevin departed for the interior of the department store.
"CLAY?!" Melanie shouted in disbelief.
*****
An assembly line of microwaves and camp stoves had been devised by Lindsay to provide the group with their first hot meal together as a community. After having relocated all of the materials that had been retrieved from the lumber yard, everyone had come together in an effort spearheaded by Lindsay to feed the entire community. Large bottles of water, the sort intended to be used in dispensers, along with a shopping cart containing dehydrated pasta and other non-perishable foods found in the grocery aisle, had been amassed by the group.
Clay had initially been hesitant to allow the use of the propane stoves within the confines of the building. However, after having seen the boost to morale perpetuated by the thought of a communal meal, he had settled on figuring out a more permanent solution at a later time. Soon he would be telling everyone that were currently preparing to celebrate together despite their grievous circumstances, that he would be leaving in only a few hours time.
Tim had begun organizing a group in effort to form a single long table with several they had gathered from the shelving in the department store. The heavy white plastic table tops, along with the fold out aluminum legs were presently being covered with disposable table cloths commonly found on outdoor patio sets. As the table cloths where being waved into the air and guided down on top of the tables, more people were arriving with folding chairs and tableware.
Having wanted to watch the scene as it unfolded, while not wanting to appear as though he was avoiding contributing to the endeavour, Clay busied himself with some of the equipment that had been inventoried by Melanie. Everyone working before him appeared to have momentarily forgotten the horrors which they had unanimously experienced at the hands of the undead, less then twenty-four hours ago. Clay persisted his phoney work, while continuing to observe the group and silently consider their future.
The availability of a few basic necessities could drastically alter the level of the group's morale. Agreeable food, fresh water, entertainment, and showers, were amenities that had all been well received during any expedition into the wilderness ever having been experienced by Clay. These had been the very same amenities that the group had been lacking d
uring their imprisonment within the apartment building. Ultimately, two survivors had ended their own lives as a result; the morale plummeting further as a by-product. While the presence of the infected was the primary contributor to the world's overwhelmingly shitty condition, a few simple measures could be taken to afford the members of the newly formed community to mentally distance themselves from the reality of the outbreak.
Surely, between Tim, Kevin, Mick and himself, they could fashion some kind of shower system for the group to utilize. They had already begun gathering materials to adapt the department store to meet their needs. Soon, the interior of the building would contain small, but nonetheless individual apartments. At the disposal of the community was the entire inventory of the department store, to do with as they pleased. Clothing, equipment and particularly, toys for the children would all serve to bolster the already rising morale.
While it remained unclear to Clay, the duration which they would continue to have running water and the quality of that water, were both serious concerns. As was the supply of non-perishable food contained within the grocery department. While drawing water from the river wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility, venturing so far away from the relative safety of the department store would be unwise. Collecting rain water, while being the easiest and most practical method by which the community could harness safe, natural water, would be unreliable. However, if it could be supplemented by another source such as large dew traps, enough water could be produced to necessitate only minimal trips to the river.
Food on the other hand was an entirely separate issue that would pose its own set of problems. While growing their own food was their best option, the time of year to sow crops had long since passed. For now they would have to sustain themselves with what remained in the grocery aisle. While by no means considered a meagre sum of food, it would still require supplementation from other sources.
Clay's solutions pertaining to the community's coming food and water woes, while realistic, still hinged on their ability to move freely about the area without being in constant fear of lurking undead. Regardless of how he spun it in his mind, Clay knew that they would all have their work cut out for them should they survive the winter; let alone the infected.
"Clay, you comin'?" Melanie asked, suddenly drawing Clay back into reality.
Having had been so enthralled by thoughts of the future, it had gone unnoticed by Clay that the table had been set and the meal laid out.
"Yah, I'm on my way." he replied, after realizing that he had barely even begun to sort through the inventoried equipment.
It appeared to Clay that everyone had been waiting for his arrival before seating themselves. Clay reached out, gripping the back of a chair directly in front of him before being interrupted by Melanie, who had placed her own hand on top of Clay's.
"They saved you a seat... Down at the end." Melanie said, nodding in the direction of the table's head.
All eyes were now on Clay, who at present was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable. Figuring it best to just go along with the evening program, he moved towards the head of the long table with Melanie in tow behind him. Clay glanced down the length of the table. Everyone had now stepped up to a chair of their own, while all of their eyes remained fixated on Clay. Melanie, who would be seated beside him, was clearly part of the choreographed scene presently being enacted. After withdrawing his chair from the table, Clay seated himself. The silence which had befallen the small community as Clay had approached, was unanimously broken by the sound of everyone who had been lining the table, dragging their chairs against the tiled flooring of the department store.
Evenly spread along the length of the table were heaping bowls of pasta, along with an assortment of bottled beverages. Since he had left for his canoe trip well over a month ago, Clay hadn't seen as nice of a meal as this. Almost immediately, the table became a tornado of activity, as bowls and bottles began circulating around its perimeter. The huge building soon began to echo with sounds resembling a large family reunion. Clay had served himself only a small portion of food, having slightly lost his appetite after being relocated to the head of the table. While absently playing with his food, Clay listened to everyone as they laughed and told stories. The day quickly progressed into evening as they all continued ranting together. Even Melanie had begun to partake in the celebratory atmosphere, carrying on conversations about the business of the town prior to the outbreak.
Clay knew that he was quickly running short on time if he was to unveil to his new companions that he would soon be leaving them; hopefully for only a short while. He had begun to contemplate the idea of interrupting the dinner celebrations to announce his intentions until Kevin, who was seated to his side opposite Melanie, stood to his feet. The room quickly quieted in response, as attention was slowly being drawn to Kevin who waited patiently for their consideration.
"Everyone... I hate to interrupt. But I have a few things that I would like to say before we continue our evening." Kevin began.
Clay quickly came to realize what had just begun to happen and it couldn't come at a worse time.
"I don't really do well with speeches, so I intend on keeping this short... Only a few days ago, I was trapped inside an office not far from where we're sitting right now. I was only a couple blocks away from my family, but they might as well have been on another continent. Once a day I'd get an email from my wife that she'd sent the day before, updating me on how you all were faring at home. I had lost all hope of ever seeing my wife and son." Kevin continued.
The group had begun visibly reacting to his statements. Some had put their arms around their children, while others stared absently at their empty plates. It suddenly became evident to Clay, that the outbreak as it was experienced by these people, was vastly different from how it had been by him. This was clearly the kind of place where each was no less than familiar with everyone else. The undead which had entrapped them within their homes, had likely once been friends, or even family. This was an aspect of the outbreak that Clay had briefly discussed with Melanie while instructing her on the use of her rifle, but had lost sight of it during the attempt to liberate the people from the apartment building. They had likely witnessed him brutally dispatching infected whom they had known and loved prior to the outbreak, while also doing so themselves.
"When I first met Clay, he kicked my ass..." Kevin said, inducing laughter from the group.
"But shortly after realizing that I was one of the living, he learned of our situation. It took only seconds before he had agreed to help us. I didn't have to ask, but something tells me that Clay is the type of person who is compelled to offer." Kevin's tone had returned to being serious, quieting the room again.
"Clay, I don't know where you came from. But I'm glad you came here... From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Kevin said, finishing his speech while looking directly at Clay.
The hollow building suddenly erupted with the sound of energetic clapping, followed by the raising of several glasses towards Clay.
Melanie had been right all along. All of these people did depend on him. While it's timing was less then ideal, learning of Brooke's welfare still remained as something he had to do. Although their relationship had been more akin to friendship mixed with sex, and the two had never been really well suited for each other; Clay still had a connection with Brooke. He owed her an attempt, at the very least.
Understanding that informing the community now would likely result in an abrupt ending to the nights celebration, he had little choice but to get it over with.
Clay stood to his feet and cleared his throat. Everyone again falling silent.
"Thank you, Kevin. I really don't know what to say in response to that. I suppose I'd like to begin by apologizing to all of you." Clay said, while the sea of faces before him responded with confused expressions.
"It occurred to me during Kevin's speech, that I've been insensitive to you all. This has been a small community, destroyed
by the outbreak. Many of the infected who we have fought against, were all likely well know to you. I'm sorry for that." Clay fumbled his words as he spoke, unsure of what exactly he should say.
The mood quickly switched from jovial and celebratory, to one of mourning. Many of those around Clay lowered their heads, remembering their loved ones while others stared absently into the distance. Clay ceased to speak for a moment, allowing the group to have a brief moment of silence for the sake of their lost friends and family. The short period would also allow him to collect his thoughts and discern an appropriate way to break the news of his leaving.
"Unlike all of you, I am not from around here... I grew up in the big city. Fortunately for me, I don't have much in the way of friends or family to worry about. However, I do have someone that I need to look for..." Clay said, pausing again; this time to judge the reactions of the people, to his words.
No one had as of yet, offered any sort of protest towards his statements.
"I need to leave you all. I will be going into the big city, accompanied by Mel. We will be heading to a suburb on the edge of town, where I once lived. Should everything go according to plan, we will only be gone for a day, maybe two at most... I hope you all understand. The odds of this person having survived this long are slim and should they be alive I need to reach them soon... I'll be leaving tonight, at midnight." Clay finished.