Dead, We Are

by Jimmy Bird

  John was confused and wanted to know why the guy hadn't bothered to say anything to him before grabbing his arm. John was about to ask him when he remembered that he didn’t have time to dwell on the small stuff. John tried to pull his arm free from the man’s grip, but the guy was stronger than he looked.

  The man motioned toward the front of the car and let go of John's arm. The man turned towards the front of the car whenever John noticed a hearing aid in the guy’s ear and knew right away why the guy had decided to remain silent.

  John looked at his wife and kids through the front windshield. He noticed their scared expressions. He could hear his two boys crying as he looked up toward the zombies. They were now a little under half a block away. His window of opportunity to save his family was almost closed.

  John walked up next to the guy and placed his hands on the hood. He told his wife to give it some gas. John and the other guy pushed as hard as they could. With the added help the bumper broke free from the curb.

  As the car backed up John was able to see what the bottom of the bumper got caught on, the lip of the curb. In that one spot the sidewalk was about two inches shorter than the curb. It was one of those things that he couldn't have hit that exact spot again if he tried, a one in a million shot type of deal.

  His wife quickly put it in drive and pulled up next to John and the man. John motioned for the guy to come with him, but the guy shook his head no. He then pointed toward the roof of the building behind them.

  John looked up and saw a dozen or so little faces staring back down at him. One by one they began pointing toward the street. John and the guy turned around.

  John turned back towards the guy to thank him by extending his hand, but the guy pushed it away. The guy then shocked John by reaching out and giving him a quick hug.

  The guy pulled back and smiled, but the smile faded quickly. The guy's eyes were focused on something behind him. John followed the direction of his gaze and knew right away what the problem was. The zombies were now within twenty feet.

  John turned to wave goodbye to the stranger who had helped him, but he was already gone. Without waiting another second, John opened the car door and jumped in just as his wife pushed on the gas.

  On the drive back to the Warehouse, he thought that maybe we were wrong in our previous assumption of how people would act in the new world. That maybe, just maybe the human race wasn't destined to destroy each other. If people acted anything like that stranger did then there was "hope" for humanity.

  11 DAY 2, LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES

  The day after the initial attack, no, that’s not right. It wasn’t an attack so much as an outbreak. Wait, that doesn’t sound right either. Regardless, the day after returning to our “base” of operations, our home of safety, we began working non-stop to make sure that this place was secure for our families.

  In those early days, we had to learn to adapt from what the world gave us, or at least we tried too. Our problem was that not everyday went as smoothly as we hoped. We had our good days and our bad days. Again, I want to illustrate that we had to learn from our mistakes. Unfortunately, we made a lot of mistakes.

  Let's start off with some of the good things that happened before we get to some of the bad. Its like the old saying "I would rather have the good news first before the bad or something like that." Anyways, it makes some of the loss that we have suffered seemed worth it or other words their deaths were not in vain.

  The first thing we did was disconnect the automatic motion detector on the front gate because it kept opening every time we got close to it. We learned quickly after a few of the zombies got inside the fence. We were extremely lucky that no one got hurt.

  We also blocked off 27th Street. It connected the Warehouse to its fenced in storage area on the next block. We were able to use our maintenance's big propane lifts to move some heavy storage containers and abandoned cars to block off both sides of the road. We also cut a quick exit door in the metal panel fencing in the storage area to use only in time of emergency. We kept the door hidden just in case. We then stored two vehicles (two mini buses) next to the door with supplies in them. They were to be used as our quick getaway cars just in case the Warehouse was overrun. They too were kept hidden.

  I also want to add that rumor had it, that there was an old blocked off tunnel that connected to the abandoned building across the street. We wanted to find out if it was true and use it as a secondary exit if need be. Unfortunately, we couldn't find it.

  Next, we used some of our Warehouse appliance inventory to re-enforce our fences to make sure that the zombies couldn’t knock them over. We also used the appliances to create a complicated maze that would slow down any zombies that might have gotten through the fence's weak points. It would our people the time needed to escape.

  The fence itself, was chain-linked with barbed wire wrapped around the top to prevent people from climbing over. It stood eight feet tall, but don't let the height fool you because it still could be pushed over if the zombies were to gather around certain weak points. It was because of that same fear that we re-enforced those weak spots.

  We didn’t travel very far in those first few days (except for Brian who continually went out to search for his son) as we raided a couple of the nearby houses for food and bedding. We started gutting the main offices of the Warehouse and began using those as bedrooms. Most of the offices had their own doors which came in handy when we needed our own space. We figured that it was probably a good thing that the upper management had went ahead and remodeled the front offices the year before. Lucky for us, the external building windows had been replaced with shatterproof/bulletproof style glass.

  I wish I could say that the first few days went by as smooth as I just made them sound but they didn't. Well, all except for having to take care of my family. We knew that we had to do something about my wife and son, but decided to wait until we had dealt with the dead zombies and my adopted brother first. We had been piling the dead zombie bodies in a circle pattern in the center of the parking lot to burn. When we got to the last of the bodies, I figured that I had procrastinated long enough.

  I slowly walked up to the car and noticed the dry blood splatter all over the inside of the Expedition. I could see my wife’s face covered in blood and her hungry eyes watching my every movement. I watched as she banged on the windows like a trapped animal frantically tried to break out of the vehicle in order to get to me. It wasn’t so much that she recognized me but looked starved.

  I could still see little Jimmy squirming in the seat-belt, trying to get out. That was a good sign, it meant that he hadn’t been able to free himself yet. I didn’t know how long I had until he worked himself free so I knew that killing them one at a time was my best bet.

  I took a deep breath to calm myself and reached out for the door handle. I didn’t make it. Ruff and Ken stepped in between me and the car. They told me that I didn’t have to it, they would take care of them for me.

  I was relieved by their offer because it wasn't something that I really wanted to do. Truth be told, I didn't want to do it, but I knew that most of the Council members had already put down a turned family member. Why should I be any different?

  I pleaded my case with my two friends. I told them that it was my responsibility because they were "my" family. They looked at one another before looking back towards me. In unison they told me that it was because of that very reason they wouldn’t let me do it. It was something that they would never wish upon another person, much less a friend. Besides, they reminded me that we "were" family.

  I lowered my eyes as I nodded my head in halfhearted defeat. I glanced up one more time to looked at my zombie crazed wife and oldest child. My eyes moistened as I silently told them goodbye. After a few long seconds, I turned my back on the car and my two friends. I went inside the Warehouse to search for my remaining children. I needed to hug them and tell them how much I loved them.

  As I mentioned before, Brian was the lo
ne exception who left the safety of the Warehouse in order to find his son. Every day for a week he went towards his old house to search for his son and every evening he would return a broken man. It was hard for him to see that most everyone had a surviving family member with them, all except for Ken. You could tell that Ken felt the loss of his family just like Brian had. But unlike Brian, Ken didn’t have any hope of finding any surviving family members. Sadly, Ken accepted his fate.

  I think that it was because of Ken's previous lifestyle that allowed him to accept that fate. He believed in karma and knew one day it would return to pay him a visit. Ken figured that losing his family was a way for the karma to balance itself out. In my opinion it wasn’t proper thinking, but I think it was a way for him to accept the loss of his family.

  Like I already stated, in those early days we had to truly learn to survive. I had mentioned some of the good things that had gone our way, but we also had our share of bad things.

  I have already listed Ken, Brian, and myself. What I waited to tell you was the incident that happened on our second day to James and Artie. While it's true that we successfully searched for supplies from the surrounding houses, it's also true that we suffered our first casualty of the Warehouse era.

  James and Artie had went on a dreadful supply run. Sadly, it was actually supposed to have been my turn to go on a supply run, but with the current situation of my wife and son everyone wanted to give me some space. They wanted to give me some closure. So I was told to stay at the Warehouse and take care of my personal family.

  On our early runs, we figured that multiple groups of two would be the best way to go. A simple way to get in and out. Our groups would be small and stealthy enough to get in, grab what we needed and get out without drawing attention to ourselves. We then would go back to the Warehouse to get help carrying things. The strategy worked great the first few times it was used, but like everything else in this world nothing last forever.

  On James' and Artie's run, they were supposed to be looking for supplies such as bedding, clothes, canned goods, etc. What they experienced caused each of them to "rethink their own life." I know that it's a common ideology in this day and age, but in their case it's true.

  James and Artie found a nice looking two story house at the end of a rough looking cul-de-sac around two miles away. Just like everywhere else, the street looked like a war zone except for right in front of that ONE house. Pardon the expression, but it looked like the house was perfect while being surrounded by redneck/white trash houses. Most of the houses looked in decent shape, but their yards were filled with trash, literally. The two story house looked like the crowning jewel of the cul-de-sac. It was the only nice house with a clean yard. It's what drew the attention of both James and Artie.

  They had it all planned out. They would circle around the outside of the house and peep in a few windows to see if there were any of those "zombies" inside. If they saw any inside, then it depended on how many were there. If it was more then five then they were ignore the house and move on to the next one. If it was less then five then they were to rush in to take the zombies by surprise, as a team.

  They circled the lower level and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Well not entirely true, they saw what looked like a light at the end of a darkened hallway. They didn't think much about it because we still had electricity those early days and most families rushed out of their homes without turning off lights.

  Both being ex-military guys (if there was such a thing), they worked in unison as they approached the front door. James took point with Artie covering his six, both carried pistols and knives. They both kept an eye out for danger as James reached for the door knob.

  It turned easily which wasn't a big surprise either because like I said most people had rushed out of their houses without even locking the doors. Hell, most of them didn't even bother to shut their doors.

  James cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. While keeping an eye out behind them Artie slowly followed him in. Lucky for them, nothing was behind them.

  They silently looked at each other and nodded when they were ready to continue. Once inside, Artie slowly and silently closed the door behind him. Flanking each other, they started towards the first room to the right of the door. It looked like a living room/office area. The room itself was clean and organized. They commented that it was cleaner then it should have been.

  There were family pictures all over the walls. They looked like a happy family of four. A clean shaven man, a common everyday looking woman, a boy who looked around ten, and a little girl who looked to be around five.

  After a quick sweep of the room, they decided that it would be faster if they split up. Sort of like a divide and conquer tactic. I personally believe that the strategy was their first true mistake.

  They were so confident in their military training that they truly thought they were untouchable, by zombies and other survivors. In my opinion, that kind of thinking led to their second mistake. I will admit that their military training did give them a slight advantage over others, but the cockiness of their own skill set ended up hurting them.

  They decided that Artie would stay and search the ground floor while James would search the upstairs rooms. I believe that decision led to their final mistake. I know I mentioned the divide and conquer tactic, but to separate themselves by going to different floors was ludicrous. If one of them got in trouble then the other one either wouldn't know or was going to be too far away to help.

  Where are my manners? This story isn't about what I thought or feel about their decision making, it's about telling you their story. So where was I? Oh yeah, I remember.

  Artie as I mentioned was on the ground floor while James went upstairs to search for supplies. To be honest, Artie was a little afraid of heights. He went from the living-room to the kitchen. He made an off the wall comment about how nice and clean the kitchen was. He stated that it was actually spotless, not a dirty dish in sight.

  Artie thought it was suspicious, but didn't dwell on the matter for too long. He began by searching the pantry and cabinets. What he found shocked him even more. Both were completely stocked with not only canned goods, but all kinds of snack foods. He had hit the jackpot.

  Overjoyed by what he had found, he turned around to call for James when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye towards the hallway. He quickly turned his head in that direction but saw nothing. Artie was so sure that he had just seen something that he slowly made his way towards the hallway.

  He had just made it to the open doorway whenever he heard a door softly click shut. He suspiciously peered around the door frame into the hallway, but once again he saw nothing. Well, that wasn't entirely true because he saw a closet door with a light on above it. He figured that it must have been the same light they had seen from the window. He turned towards the window and sure enough it helped him establish that it was the light they had witnessed from outside.

  Cautiously with his gun out in front of him, he slowly walked toward the closed door. He reached out to turn the knob, but found it locked. Thinking that James must have been messing with him, he softly called out his name. He listened intently for a few seconds, but didn't get a response.

  When he didn't hear anything, he called out James' name a little louder. He still didn't get a response. Frustrated, he yelled out James' name a third time. After a few seconds, he heard James respond somewhere overhead.

  Wide eyed, Artie looked back towards the door just as it slammed shut. He jumped backwards in shock. What was he going to do? Could it be a survivor? What if it was a scared child? Did he try the door again or go find James? Undecided on what his next move should be, he slowly backed away from the door while he made sure that he kept an eye on it.

  He heard a muffled scream, followed by a loud thump from above. He risked a glance upwards at the ceiling directly above him and called out James' name again. Only this time, he didn't receive a response.

  Artie lowered his
eyes to look at the door again. He could swear that it was cracked open about an inch, but wasn't sure because the light above the door was no longer on. He couldn't see inside the door because there was no light.

  Artie thought that maybe he was just getting paranoid whenever he heard thumping footsteps. It sounded like someone was coming down the stairs. He silently thanked God that James was coming so they could finally leave the creepy house. He kept an eye on the door at the end of the hall as he continued to back towards the staircase.

  He heard the steps come to a stop once they reached the ground level. Artie turned towards James so he could tell him that they needed to leave. Instead he found a rough looking stranger standing there. The guy was covered in blood spray from his right shoulder to his left midsection. Artie stated that he couldn't tell where he had seen the guy before, but he seemed vaguely familiar.

  Artie aimed his gun at the stranger. The stranger looked like one of those crazy big game hunters you might have seen on television. He wasn't very tall, but was very stocky with a spiral tattoo that looked like it went from his right wrist to his neck. The guy had a short but thick grayish beard. He had a tense look in his eyes as he wiped his hands with a rag. He just stood there staring at Artie.

  Thinking the worst, Artie demanded to know where his friend was. The stranger looked up the stairs and stated that the big Indian guy was waiting for him up there. Smiling, he looked back toward Artie as if he had a secret that he wanted to tell.

  Artie was no fool though as he asked the guy why James didn't just come down the stairs with him. The guy's eyes took on a sympathetic look as he told Artie that his friend was tired and had to lay down for a nap. Artie wasn't buying it as he yelled out James' name once again. Unfortunately, all he received was silence.

  Worried, Artie demanded to know what had happened to his friend. The guy shrugged and told Artie that he would just have to go find out. The guy dropped the rag on the ground and began walking towards him. He looked like he was pulling something out of his right back pocket.