E52

  I become agitated. If stay here we will die from heat exhaustion or dehydration. I would rather take my chance trying to get down the tree.

  “I’m going,” I snap, knowing that the keys to the Jeep are in the ignition. “You can do what you want.”

  Before Bill can voice anymore concerns I leap forward and grasp at the closet limb to me. The branch breaks. I free-fall between hundreds of small branches, the twigs cracking beneath me offering me no support at all. My legs come in contact with the ground first, pain instantly seers up my legs and into my spine. I fall back, slamming my back onto one of the branches that broke, knocking the breath out of me. I lay silent, trying to catch my breath, within seconds I can breath again.

  I glance up and see that Bill is looking over the building but he is not looking at me. Fright overtakes my pain.

  “Had the Creetions heard me?” I wonder in my mind.

  Afraid that if I sit up that I will make myself more visible, I lay still and glance around. I do not see anyone.

  I lift my hands slightly gesturing to Bill my concern as to what he is looking at.

  He points to the tree. The baby had fallen from my shirt and is hanging by his diaper above me.

  “Oh my God!” I whisper.

  Forgetting about any pain I may be suffering I stand up and reach for him. I can barely reach his legs. I pull but the branch holds on. I continue to pull on his legs until the branch gives way and the baby falls. I catch him.

  “Are you okay?” I ask the baby, searching him from any cuts or bruises.

  To my joy he is unscathed. I however have ripped open the large sore on my arm and have sprained my ankle. The pain quickly becomes unbearable.

  “We need to get to safety,” I whisper.

  Quick-like I limp over to the Jeep, quietly open the passenger door, get in and just as quiet I close it. I lock the doors and honker down between the seats so that I can not be seen.

  “Come on or I am going to leave without you,” I think to myself.

  My patients is running thin. I wish that Bill would hurry so that we can leave this place with no further confrontations with anyone or anything.

  I peak over the dashboard. Bill has decided to take a different route of escape. He is attempting to work his way down the side of the building to the windows edge on the second floor and from there to a larger branch of the tree.

  “Don’t do it!” I speak aloud.

  He does not see that the window is broken and that beyond that window is a few of the Creetions. If he is to make any noise at all he will attract their attention.

  In an attempt to warn him I begin frantically waving. My gesture is not seen.

  Bill!” I yell, but my words are muffled by the windows.

  I search around the Jeep for something, anything that I might be able to throw his way. There is nothing large enough to throw, just a few candy wrappers and an old paper bag.

  There is no time to waste, his feet are just inches away from the windowsill and the Creetions have already spotted him.

  “Bill, they see you!” I scream honking the horn.

  The sudden noise catches Bill off guard, he slips and falls straight down the side of the building, his body falling to rest just feet in front of the Jeep. He does not move. I had tried to save him, now I am afraid that the fall has killed him.

  I glance up. The Creetions have heard his fall. They are curious and looking his way. They are smart so I know it will only be a matter of seconds before he will be their next victim and if the baby and I stay here we will too.

  “Get up!” I scream, blaring the horn repeatedly.

  Bill moves.

  “That’s it get up,” I scream.

  Bill is dazed and by his awkward movements I can see that he is still unable to comprehend everything that is happening. I set the baby in the backseat, open the Jeep door and run to his side.

  By the time I reach his side, some of the Creetions are at the large building door.

  “We have to get to the Jeep,” I scream.

  Taking Bill’s arm in mine, I pull him along beside me. His leg is hurt but he understands the urgency that we are experiencing. Together we make it back to the Jeep. He crawls over the seat I jump in after he. I slam the door shut just as the creatures reach the Jeep. They are hungry and can smell our fresh wounds.

  “We need to get out of here,” I scream as they surround the Jeep.

  My heart beats erratically. Knowing how strong the children were, I know it will only take seconds for the adult Creetions to bust through any glass on the jeep.

  I turn the key in the ignition, throw it in reverse and slam my foot down on the gas pedal. The tires take grab of the gravel below, shooting a cloud of dust in the air. I slam on the brakes and throw it in first gear, running over any of the Creetions that are in front of us and leaving behind any that remain.

  “You are going to have to speed up so that you can smash through the gate,” Bill demands.

  “What gate?” I ask.

  “The one that we will come in contact with in about two seconds,” he states.

  I want off of this compound, so I do as told.

  The Jeep slams into the fence causing an explosion of metal to overtake the car. I ignore the pieces of fence that is still attached to the jeep and keep driving.

  Chapter Ten

  It has been three years since the day of our escape. It did not take long for the plague to spread. Many of the doctors and faculty that escaped the compound had became infected by the blood of the mothers. No one knew this could happen and by the time they figured it out it was to late. Some lived in towns near by while others lived in different states or countries. The disease did not affect them immediately so it took days before they showed any signs, by then it was to late. They already infected others and by the weeks end over a third of the population was either dead or killed by the infected. The last time we heard anything, we were told that more than three-fourths of the world was now infected; the living now fighting for survival.

  As the disease continued spread the newly infected were not like the others, leaving the new creatures only thirsting for the flesh of the living.

  My husband was one of the people who had got caught in the war. I often wonder if he is still one of the creatures or if that day Bill had succeeded in killing him.

  The day I saved Bill from being taken over by the Zombies I gained his trust; although it is apparent that he still does not trust my child.

  Bill is still with me and the baby and together we are in search of my other son. I do not know if he is alive, dead or one of them, but I am determined to find out. By the time Bill and I had reached my home everyone was gone. The neighbors said that one day David left and never came back. They never saw anyone after that.

  I waited for weeks for someone to return. I did not trust anyone, so I never told anyone what I went through nor what I saw. It wasn't long before the Creetions took over the town. I often wonder if David knew the plague was going to take over and had one of our family members take our son to a safe place.

  I named the baby “Tommy” after my father. He continues to grow at a rapid pace but without the drug, he has stopped growing as fast as the others. Mentally he is three years old, physically he appears to be around 7 years of age. He is neither like us or them. He is alive, he does not want to kill, but he does feed on flesh.

  I know as he continues to grow he may become more like them. But he is my child and I will keep him safe for as long as I can.

  Now I must not only keep us safe from the Creetions, I must kill to feed my child. I do try to keep his food to fresh animal flesh but you can tell that he is never completely satisfied. This worries me. I am afraid of the day that he will no longer accept the food and want human flesh, our flesh.

  The latest hearsay is that most of the people that survived the “Creetion” apocalypse have flocked to a mountain town in Wyoming.

  For three years I have been chasing these
rumors. First it was small town in the Mojave desert, then it was Florida. All these places were overtaken by the walking dead. Today I learned something new. Normally I would have ignored the person who conveyed the rumor to me, but they had details of the some of the people living there. Some of which sounded like my family.

  “How much further?” I ask.

  “About six hours,” Bill answers. “That is after we get out of town,”

  The highway is deserted, leaving deserted cars that line the street. It is difficult to maneuver through them, more so when we are leaving the more populated towns. Our five mile stretch to the city limits takes more than six hours to get through. Our six hour trip is going to take much longer than Bill had originally thought.

  “We are going to have to pull off,” I state.

  Six more hours means that Tommy will need to be fed again, which in turn means I will have to hunt another animal. We do not allow Tommy to become too hungry in case that he can not control himself and attacks one of us. It has already been twelve hours since the last time I fed him, so I know at any moment he will become aggitated.

  We try to keep our secret between us; if anyone knew I have a baby from the compound I am most certain they would kill him without hesitation. This usually means spending hours in search of an animal that we can kill and keeping Tommy hidden as much as possible.

  His skin is not decayed like the others, but he is still gray in color. I try to keep makeup on him, but he hates it and most of the time wipes it off.

  “That looks like a good road,” I state, pointing toward a gravel road to the right side of the car. “It doesn’t look like anyone has been around here for a while.”

  Bill, agreeing that the area looks safe, turns off the road. Just a quarter of a mile away the street is blocked by cars. We make our way around. No one had gotten far down the road, which now makes me uncomfortable. Is there an army of Creetions lurking in the wood?

  “Maybe this is not such a good road,” I state.

  “It will be fine,” Bill answers. “Just keep a gun ready, just in case.”

  I caulk the gun I have and grip it tightly in my hands, then lay Bills next to him. We are ready in case we are bombarded.

  “Mommy, I am hungry,” Tommy states from the backseat.

  I look back. Tommy’s eyes are dark and uncaring, the first indication that he needs food right away. He begins to drool.

  “We are looking for something, Honey.” I answer, trying to assure him that it will only be a matter of minutes before we find him food.

  Tommy looks over at me and smiles.

  “I eat Bill,” He chuckles.

  “What?” I ask, a bit aggravated and shocked. ‘Don’t ever say that!”

  Bill looks over at me with a concerned look on his face.

  “I am sure he was just kidding,” I state to Bill.

  “No,” Tommy conveys. “Bill smells yummy.”

  My heart plummets.

  “Tommy!” I snap. “Don’t say that.”

  Bill slams on the brakes. The car hits gravel and slides off the side of the road.

  “Look,” Bill states. “I am willing to help you but I am not going to be turned into one of them. Either you find a way to make him stop talking like that or I am going to have to leave both of you here.”

  Since the day we escaped the compound Bill has never been so angry that he has threatened to leave us. Tommy has scared him. I can’t blame him, he is scaring me also.

  “I am just kidding,” Tommy chuckles. “But I do bite.”

  Tommy lunges forward, his body restrained by the seat-belt.

  Bill grabs his gun and aims.

  “No!” I scream.

  I take the gun I am holding and hold it to Bill’s head.

  “Think about what you are doing. He is getting worst,” Bill states. “It is only a matter of time before he either bites me or you.”

  “He is just a baby,” I cry. “He did not mean it.”

  Tommy growls and lunges forward again.

  “He sure is acting like he means it to me,” Bill snaps, caulking the slide back on his gun.

  My hands tremble. I do not want to shoot the only person I have to help me. But I don’t want to lose my son.

  There is a cure out there for him and after I find the others I had hoped to gather a group to help me go back to the compound and get it.

  The guns slips from my hand. Bill grabs it.

  “Now get out!“ He screams and take him with you!“

  “Please, don’t do this,“ I beg, my voice trembling and tears flowing down my cheeks. “There is a cure for him.“

  Bill shakes his head.

  “Where, Mryna?” Bill yells. “Back at the compound in Arizona?”

  “Yes,” I cry.

  Lifting my shirt, I use the cloth to wipe my eyes.

  “We can go back and find it,” I sob.

  With his mouth partially open and his head to the side Bill blankly stares at me.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he asks. “After three years of searching for your son, you now want to go back to the compound and fight through the Creetions for an antidote?”

  “No, I don‘t know,” I state. “We should just stick to the plan and go find my family. I know they will help us get back and find the medicine that Tommy needs.

  Bill laughs.

  “Look at him Myrna,” He is a monster. “That medicine was to be given right after he was born. It is to late for him!”

  “I can’t believe that,” I state, my lips firm. “There is always hope.”

  “Really? Bill snaps. “I bet that is what everyone thought and now look. Take a look around us Myrna, there is no one here! They are all like the others or they are DEAD!”

  Bill lowers his gun and places both of them in his lap and holds them firm between his legs.

  ‘Watch,” He says; his eyebrows scrunched down in annoyance.

  Bill unbuckles his seat-belt and leans his body toward the back seat. He bares his arm and slowly moves toward the baby.

  Tommy sniffs, then sniffs again. Drool uncontrollably escapes from his mouth and on to his shirt. He grunts and lunges forward.

  Bill quickly pulls his arm back.

  “See it is too late for him,” he snaps. “Now either he goes or you both go.”

  Bill picks the gun back up and points it toward Tommy once again.

  I rest my hand on Bill’s lap.

  “Your right,” I agree. “But I want to do it, I want to be the one that shoots him.”

  I reach for the gun that is still tucked beneath Bill’s leg.

  “Oh hell no!” Bill growls. ‘How stupid do you think I am?’

  He tightens his legs together, keeping the gun further hostage. I lift my hand from his lap.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, trying to hide my deviance.

  Bill smirks. “You expect me to give you one of these guns after I threatened your child and expect me to believe that you are going to shoot him and not me?”

  I bury my face in my hands and uncontrollably sob. Between the growling coming from Tommy and Bill threatening my child it is to much for me to handle.

  “Stop!“ I scream, glancing back at Tommy, his grunting now sounding like the monsters from the compound.

  “I will go out right now and find him something to eat,” I cry. “He will be better, I swear”.

  I sob.

  “At least let me try,” I continue to beg.

  Bill leans over me and opens my door.

  “Fine you go out there and find something, if he tries to attack me again, I will shoot him.” He growls. “You have ten minutes and then I am throwing him out and leaving.”

  In the state that Tommy is in I feel confident that Bill will not take the chance and unbuckle his seat-belt, afraid that he might be scratched or bitten trying to get him out of the car. I am worried however that he will shoot him. I step out.

  “I need a gun so that I can kill the animals,” I con
vey.

  Bill shakes his head.

  “I am not going to give you one of these,” He answers. “You will have to find another way.”

  He has made my task impossible, but I have to try.

  I run toward the wooded area, if there is an animal to be found I feel the woods is the best place to find them.

  As soon as I am far enough into the woods I slow my pace and walk quietly. I do not want to scare any animal that might be out here and I certainly do not want to entice any Creetions that may be lurking nearby.

  “Please be something out here,” I whisper to myself.

  My heart is pounding, not in fear that one of the Creatures may come up on me but that I will not make it back in time and Bill will have shot my son.

  I stop as I hear a noise in the background. It is coming from the right of me. The rustling noise does not sound like that of a big animal nor that or a human. It is shallow and sounds like a small animal. Slowly I make my way to the area.

  I peek through the bushes. It is a dog. He is covered in blood and is eating a person that looks to have been recently killed by something. I will not be able to kill that dog and use his flesh, in fear that the person he is eating has been bit by one of the walking dead and has the fever inside him. The only way to find out is to get closer to the man and I am uncertain if I want to do that.

  “Great,” I think to myself. “I am not going to be able to find shit out here.”

  Just as I turn to walk away I get a glimpse of something laying next to the mans lifeless body. I continue to stare until I deceiver that it is a gun that is laying next to him.

  “I need that,” I think in my mind.

  Uncertain if the dog is vicious and wishes to attack me I take small steps, keeping my arms in a lowered position. The dog looks up, blood blankets his face and parts of the man’s intestines hang from the his mouth. He growls, but does not move.

  “Its okay puppy,” I say softly. “I only want the gun.”

  I continue walking all the while talking to the dog. The gun is only a few feet from me. I crouch down, slide my hand toward the gun and grab it.

  “See that is all I wanted,” I smile.

  I am not close enough to see how the man died. He does show some signs of decay which could either indicate that at one time he was a zombie, or could mean that he had been dead here for a while. I lean forward and pull his head toward me. I need to see if he has been shot in the head. My heart sinks. There is a hole in the middle of his forehead. It is as I feared, I will not be able to use the dog as food for Tommy.