Life In Death (Book 1): Surviving Death (The Struggle)

by Holmes, Ethan

  Frank took a sip of his coffee. “The watch get their food?”

  Natalie looked up from her plate.

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “I don’t think any of us really have an appetite.”

  “I know. We have to eat something. Can’t let the food go to waste,” he said as he spooned some green beans onto his plate.

  “You’re right,” Natalie said.

  Everyone followed Frank’s lead and started spooning food onto their plates. They all reluctantly ate, fiddling with the food on their plates. They all sat there in silence for over an hour. Finally, Frank cleaned his plate and sat it in the sink.

  “I’m going to go check on the watch.”

  No one responded. They were all lost in their own thoughts, even Anna. She looked at Isabelle who was staring at her. The child knew something was wrong but didn’t really know what. Anna smiled at her, leaning over to her and kiss the girl on the nose.

  “Ready for bed,” Anna asked.

  “Uh huh,” she said.

  “Ok. Let’s go to bed,” Anna said as she picked the child up from her seat.

  “What about Daddy?” Isabelle asked.

  “He’ll be up soon. We just have to hurry and get to sleep. Faster we get to sleep, the faster we get to see him in the morning,” Anna said as she carried the girl upstairs.

  “I’m done,” Steve said as he cleaned his plate off and placed it in the sink. He walked over to Kim and Will and placed his hands on their shoulders, leaning down to them.

  “I love you both,” he said then kissed them both on the cheek.

  “Love you too, Dad,” Will said.

  “I love you too,” Kim said.

  Steve stood up and walked outside to see Gloria and Craig sitting back to back in lawn chairs.

  “Need anything?” Steve said.

  “No, thanks,” Gloria said.

  “I think we’re good. Thanks, Steve,” Craig said.

  “So how are you guys doing? It’s been a rough day,” Steve said as he knelt down next to them.

  “I can’t really stop thinking about it. He was just a kid,” Craig said.

  “That he was. A damn good kid at that,” Steve said.

  “I just keep thinking…What if it was one of our kids? Before you guys got here, they would sneak outside to play. This could have happened to one of them,” Gloria said as she started crying again.

  “Fortunately, it wasn’t them,” Frank said as he overheard the conversation. He was walking up to the group.

  “Frank…” Steve said, not really approving of the comment. The others overheard the conversation and gathered outside on the patio.

  “Toby and Tim were out there with him when the Biter attacked.”

  Gloria gasped. The two didn’t know this fact.

  “Listen. I knew Nick pretty well. He was a great kid. The kind that would have sacrificed himself in a heartbeat for someone else. He would have bit the bullet for any one of us, especially the kids. Steve, what were his last words?” Frank said. Everyone was crying again, everyone except for Frank. He was barely keeping it together.

  “’Are the kids ok,’” Steve replied, through sobs.

  “Yeah… In his last moments, he was worried that he didn’t save them. We can’t dwell on what happened. Believe me, I think about what could have been all the time. Whether or not I will be able to save my family. All we can do is be thankful that we knew him. That he was there for us when we really needed him. That he was our friend. If we keep thinking about ‘what ifs’, it will tear us apart. I really don’t think Nick would be a fan of that,” Frank said, he could feel himself starting to lose his composure.

  “No… No he wouldn’t,” Steve said.

  “We are all grieving. Everyone has their own way of doing it. I usually blame myself for things like this. That has always been my way.”

  He looked at Steve. “A wise man told me that bad things will happen that are out of our control. That I can’t be everywhere at once or control everything. I can’t keep blaming myself. You know what? He’s right. I can’t keep destroying myself for my mistakes. I still know that they are my mistakes, but instead of beating myself up about it, I would rather remember the person he was and how good of a brother he was to us.”

  Anna walked up behind him and held his hand. Frank looked at her. The face he saw was sheer sadness mixed with admiration. Frank finally lost his composure. The tears started streaming. He tried to hold back the sobs but the pain in his chest was too much to bare.

  “That doesn’t mean…that I won’t miss him,” he said through the sobs.

  Anna turned in front of Frank, embracing him. “We know.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, crying into her hair.

  They all stood around crying for another five minutes before Frank released Anna.

  He looked at her. She was still covered in dirt. He looked at his clothes. They were just as dirty. He chuckled.

  Anna looked up at him, confused. “What is it, Frank?”

  “Even covered in mud, you are still beautiful. I think we all need showers,” Frank said, half sobbing and half laughing.

  Everyone overheard him and chuckled.

  Tommy went over to the side of the house and turned on the hose. He raised the spout above his head and started to wash off all the mud. Everyone watched him, confused.

  “What? I’m just trying to not get mud all in the house,” Tommy said.

  Everyone shrugged and formed a line, waiting for their turn. Frank watched as they all waited. He chuckled again.

  “I guess that works too,” Frank said. The two walked over and joined the line.

  That night, Anna and Frank were in bed. Anna was sound asleep, tired from the digging and crying. Frank, on the other hand, was wide awake. He was just staring at the ceiling, begging his brain to stop racing. All he could think about was Nick. He decided to take a walk to clear his mind. He lifted himself out of bed slowly and carefully, trying to not disturb Anna or Isabelle. Feeling successful, he left the room and went down stairs. He found Steve sitting at the kitchen table, staring at his coffee cup. Apparently, he was having the same trouble. He noticed Frank there and chuckled.

  “Can’t sleep either,” Steve asked.

  “No, but that is the norm for me. Coffee,” Frank inquired, pointing at Steve’s cup.

  “Chamomile tea. Gloria’s suggestion,” Steve said then took a sip.

  “Smart lady. Think I will have some coffee. I really don’t think I will be sleeping tonight anyway,” Frank said and he refilled the kettle and put it on the stove. He sat at the table waiting for the kettle to heat.

  The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Steve looked at Frank.

  “You know. You did real well today with the group. I think they all feel better. I know that I do,” Steve said.

  “I just took your advice and ran with it,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, well, I know it sounds a lot better coming from you. You’re a lot more articulate than I am. I’m not big on public speaking,” Steve said.

  “I think you’re selling yourself short, Steve. If you’re good enough to get through my thick skull, you’re much better than you think you are,” Frank said.

  “True. Thought I was going to need a drill to get in there,” Steve said.

  Frank laughed. “Thanks.”

  Anna walked into the room with Isabelle in her arms. Isabelle rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

  “Hey! What are you two doing up?” Frank said.

  Anna propped Isabelle higher on her hip. “Someone had a bad dream.”

  “Oh sweetie…” Frank got out of his seat and reached out for her. She reached out and Frank took her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back.

  “Poor baby. I got you,” Franks said.

  Anna smiled at him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “Not really,” Frank said.

  She caressed his face. “What am I going to do with you?
”

  Frank chuckled. “What do you think, Isabelle?”

  The child didn’t answer. Anna looked at her and smiled. She was already fast asleep.

  “I’ll take her back upstairs,” she said. Frank handed her gently over to Anna. He watched her leave, smiling.

  “I’m glad to see you smiling. I don’t even think you can look at them and not smile,” Steve said.

  “Yeah… They keep me going,” he said. He turned back toward the stove and made his coffee.

  “Want to go check on the watch,” Steve asked.

  “Yeah. Let’s go,” Frank said.

  Chapter 17

  The Fight

  Weeks had passed since Nick’s death and things were going well. Summer was in full swing. Everything was pleasant. No trouble had shown itself and the group was closer than ever. Everything was going well in their world. Everything except the stench that was in the air. With no one to clean up the bodies of the dead and the dead itself walking around, rotting, the heat was making things a bit smelly.

  Members of the group were checking their gear before heading into town for supplies. Frank walked out on the porch while checking his rifle. He was very familiar with this smell. In the war, bodies will be left for weeks in the desert heat. He and his men had found many bodies with this rotting stench. It brought back bad memories. It was only going to get worse in town. Frank tossed Tommy a small bottle.

  “What’s this for? Menthol rub,” Tommy asked, confused.

  “The smell. It will probably be even worse when we get into town. You can’t shoot and puke at the same time. This should help,” Frank said.

  “Smart man,” Tommy said. He opened the bottle and rubbed some of its contents under his nose. He closed the bottle and handed it off to the next person.

  Once all they could smell was menthol, they all loaded up in the vehicles and left to go to town.

  Anna watched from the porch as they left. She always feared that they would never come back. That Frank would never come back. Natalie came out and stood next to her.

  “What’s wrong,” Natalie asked. She could see the dread written on Anna’s face.

  “Nothing. I just worry too much,” she said.

  “I know, but between Frank and Tommy, I don’t think we have much to worry about,” Natalie said.

  “I know. Something doesn’t feel right, though,” she said.

  Two hours later, the team was finished with their mission and were about to walk out of the grocery store. Kurt was the first one to walk out. Frank was about two feet behind when he heard the crack of a gunshot. Frank instinctively dropped his bags and raise his rifle toward the entrance. He looked at Kurt. Kurt turned to him and pointed to his right. He was bleeding from a wound to his chest. He stumbled and collapsed. Frank rushed to the door, stopping short and quickly peek out in the direction Kurt indicated. There was a group of men on the other side of the parking lot getting out of their vehicles. Frank raised a rifle and started firing on them. Two of his enemies fell. Six more started firing on him while running for cover.

  Out of habit when under fire, Frank took out his radio. “Alpha to Base.”

  “Base here,” Anna said over the radio.

  “Base! We’re under fire! Kurt is down! We are engaging the enemy,” Frank yelled.

  “Roger, alpha. Do you need assistance,” Anna said, already grabbing her gear.

  “Negative! We’ll handle! Enemy units are heavily armed! You wouldn’t make it out of the vehicle,” Frank hollered.

  Anna was losing her cool. She contemplated whether she should disobey his orders. She knew she should trust Frank’s judgment. Gloria, Natalie, and Craig were around her. Natalie saw the look on Anna’s face. The look of defiance.

  “Anna don’t. You have to listen to Frank,” Natalie said. She was already crying.

  “Roger, alpha. Good luck,” Anna’s heart sank.

  Frank put away his radio and looked at Tommy. Tommy nodded. He knew what the plan was. Frank turned his rifle’s selector switch from semi-auto to burst. One pull of the trigger fires three rounds. Frank leaned out the door once again and opened fire on the enemy, forcing them to stop firing and take cover. Tommy rushed to Kurt and dragged him back into the store. Steve pounced on him, checking his vitals. Steve felt nothing and slumped back. He looked up at Frank. Frank knew from the look on Steve’s face that there was no helping Kurt.

  “God damn it,” Frank yelled. He looked around, trying to come up with a strategy. He knew there had to be another exit.

  “Tommy take over! Keep the heat on them! You guys be ready to back him up and keep him fed with ammo! Jim! Jesse! You’re with me,” Frank ordered.

  The three of them ran toward the back of the store, looking for a rear exit. As they entered the storage area he saw what he was looking for. He burst through the door, immediately scanning the area for enemies. The area around the store was moderately wooded. The trees were big enough to provide effective cover for them. He went straight for the wooded area and they took that to the side where he could get a clear sight of the enemy. Their position gave them a perfect flanking advantage with plenty of cover. Frank motioned for them to take positions. Frank raised his rifle, targeting the enemy closest to him. He slowed his breathing, waiting for that moment between heartbeats, and squeezed the trigger. The round hit home, entering the skull of his target. The round exited the other side and slammed into the skull next to the target. With one round, he dropped two targets. The rest of them didn’t even notice. They were still targeting Tommy. Frank let another round loose. Jim and Jesse joined him. Two more were down. The last two realized they were being picked off, but it was too late. One got a lucky round off that grazed Jesse’s unprotected shoulder before he was gunned down.

  “You guys ok?” Frank asked, eyes and weapon still fixed on the vehicle.

  “I got a scratch but I’m ok,” Jesse said, putting pressure on his wound.

  “I’m good,” Jim said.

  Frank took out his radio. “Bravo.”

  “Bravo here.”

  “You guys good?” Frank asked.

  “We’re good,” Tommy said.

  “Hold your position. We’ll clear the vehicles. Gather up the supplies. Be ready to move,” Frank ordered.

  “Roger,” Tommy acknowledged.

  “Base. All targets down. Kurt is KIA. Repeat, Kurt is KIA.”

  There was a silence. Anna finally came back over the radio. “Base copies…”

  He put away his radio. “Move forward. Keep your eyes open and watch our flanks.”

  Frank started to move forward out of the brush toward their vehicles. Crossing the parking lot, he left his weapon fixed on the vehicle but was scanning the area, looking for more targets. He cleared the building, and was now in sight of Tommy, whose weapon was also still fixed on the vehicles. As Frank drew closer, he notice some slight movement. As he approached, he saw that one of the gunmen was still alive, barely. Frank drew down on him, kicking the man’s weapons out of the way. The man was shot once through the leg, through the arm, and another through his chest. He was lung shot. There was nothing Frank could do, even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He knelt down next to him.

  “Why did you attack us,” Frank asked.

  “We were hungry,” the man glared at him, gasping.

  “There is plenty of food in there. You didn’t have to attack us,” Frank said.

  “Nothing in that place…tastes nearly as good…as you people would.”

  “What the fuck...?” Jim said.

  Frank didn’t react to the man’s comment. “How many more of you are there? Tell me and I’ll end your suffering. Don’t tell me and I’ll plug your chest wound and let you die slowly.”

  The man tried to struggle but was already too weak.

  “Don’t bother. You’re not going anywhere. How many more,” Frank asked then shoved his finger in the man’s wound.

  “Ahh! Stop,” the man screamed.

  �
�Tell me and I will end it,” Frank said, calmly.

  Frank shoved his finger down further into the wound, the sides were tearing under the pressure.

  “Ten more! TEN MORE,” he shrieked.

  “Where?” Frank said, releasing him.

  “Jameson… Farm,” The man said. He was starting to slip in and out of consciousness.

  “Thank you.”

  Frank got himself off the ground, took out his pistol and shot the man in the head. He turned back to face Tommy. He twirled his finger in the air, the signal for them to start loading up. Frank walked over to the JERRV.

  “So who were they,” Tommy asked.

  “Fucking cannibals, man. The fuck are we supposed to do,” Jim said, starting to panic.

  Frank put his hand on Jim’s shoulder. “Calm down. Take Jesse and the van and go get their weapons and ammo. Watch your ass. Don’t let a Biter sneak up on you. With all this gun fire they have to be heading this way.”

  Jim took a deep breath and nodded.

  “Wait.” Frank grabbed Jesse by the back of his shirt. “Let me take a look at that arm.”

  “Oh yeah. It’s just a scratch,” Jesse said.

  Frank inspected the wound. “Looks ok. You’ll need some sutures when we get back,” Frank took a rag out of his pocket and tied it around Jesse’s wound. “There. Need to keep it clean. Can’t afford for it to get infected. Go on and grab the weapons.”

  “Thanks, Frank,” Jesse said as he and Jim went off as they were told.

  “Steve? Do you know where Jameson farm is,” Frank asked.

  “Yeah, Why,” Steve said.

  “That’s where the rest of them are. Think I might have to pay them a visit,” Frank said.

  “Frank…that’s a huge risk,” Steve said.

  “What other choice do we have? This is the second time we’ve been attacked by them. This time we weren’t so lucky,” he said as he stared at Kurt’s lifeless body.

  “I wish that you would reconsider. We can’t afford to put our people in danger for revenge,” Steve said.

  “I wasn’t planning on taking anyone with me,” he said as he went over to Kurt. Tommy followed him.