Jake's Undead Nightmare

by Ben McElyea

  “We’re all bad people. We can’t trust them, Pete.”

  “Yes, we can. Ease your nerves.”

  “Assuming everybody is going to betray you is a good way to live in this world now.”

  “Trust them, Jake. It’s okay.”

  “No.”

  The rain stopped after a few hours. The original farm group went inside the farmhouse without saying a word. Before they knew it, everyone was surrounded by over thirty people armed with assault rifles and pistols.

  “What’s this?” Pete asked aloud.

  “What were you thinking?” said the old man as he walked back outside. “Did you really think we were going to help you because I’m an old man like you? How stupid! Look at the mistake you’ve made. You just got some of your people killed.”

  “Please don’t shoot any of us. We can be allies.”

  “Give it up,” said Eric. “We’re theirs now.”

  “Put your weapons on the ground,” the old man said angrily. “Do as I say or you’ll all die. Look around you. There’s no escape.”

  45

  Everyone was stripped of their possessions and taken to the farmhouse’s front yard. They were put in a line. The old man walked over to Jonathan and blew his head clean off with a blast from his shotgun. He did the same to Melissa, Ben, and Emily.

  “Please stop!” Teresa yelled.

  The old man walked over to Teresa and ended her life with a blast to the chest.

  “I believe I’ve done what I need to in order for you to understand who you all are dealing with,” the old man said. “I’m not sure what to do with the rest of you. Should we kill all of you to prevent you from returning?”

  “No,” said Jake.

  “Why not?”

  “We just want a place to stay and live at. If you let us go, we’ll leave and never come back.”

  The old man put a shell in his gun, walked over to Kathy and shot her in the chest.

  “I guess I haven’t got the message to you yet. You speak as if it’s okay for you to be here.”

  “We’ll leave,” said Pete.

  “Get out of here before we kill you all. Hurry up. If you come back here, you’ll regret it.”

  “Thank you. We’ll be on our way now.”

  Jake, Dan, Pete, Eric, Dustin, Dentin, Jamal, Courtney, and Jasmine hastily made their way down the road. They kept moving until they reached a trailer on the side of the road.

  “We have to start over,” said Eric.

  “We shouldn’t have trusted them,” said Jake. “That was stupid, Pete. I should have said something, but I didn’t. So it’s partially my fault. We should have just shot them, took everything of value, and moved on. We have no weapons. All we can do is run.”

  “How can we search without weapons?”

  “We need some sticks or branches or something.”

  “We have no other choice.”

  Everyone except Jasmine walked outside and took a look around. Eric and Jake found 2x4’s. Jamal and Pete each grabbed a handful of bricks. Dan and Dustin picked up tree branches and Courtney grabbed three medium sized rocks. They went back inside and rested.

  “We’ve been traveling for hours without water,” said Jake. “I’m so thirsty.”

  “We’ll find water somewhere,” said Dan.

  “How sure are you about that?” Courtney asked. “I feel like I’m going to die of thirst. It feels like that rain was such a long time ago.”

  They walked down the road for several miles before coming across a construction site. Two construction helmets lying on the ground were half full of water. It was enough to keep everyone moving for a while. They moved on for more miles before reaching a lake. Next to the lake was a huge, tall, four walled structure.

  “We can settle here,” Courtney said happily. “I wish Melissa was here to see this.”

  “Let’s hope who or whatever inside these walls doesn’t come out and kill us,” said Pete. “We’re vulnerable. All it would take is nine bullets or better weapons.”

  On one of the walls was a door made of sheet metal. There were small slits for peeking out here and there on the walls.

  “Hello!” Jasmine yelled.

  “Shut up,” said Eric. “You’re going to attract the undead.”

  The door swung open. Six men and women dressed in riot gear armed with shotguns and pistols ran out and surrounded them.

  “We don’t want any trouble,” said Pete. “We’re just looking for a place to stay.”

  “You can all prove yourselves useful,” said one of the women. “You all can catch fish and search the roads leading to houses.”

  “Our weapons are horrible. We’re not too useful when it comes to scavenging for food and supplies.”

  The six men and women handed everyone but Jake and Eric a police baton.

  “Thank you for helping us and giving us a chance,” said Eric. “We’ll go search for supplies.”

  “We might be able to stay there,” Courtney said. “We just need to find supplies.”

  “We don’t have guns,” Dan replied. “Those people might just rob us when we get back.”

  They traveled for four miles before reaching a small grouping of mobile homes. There were two zombies who used to be survivors. Their backpacks contained two cans of corn, one can of peas, clothing, four kitchen knives, a few magazines, and three empty water bottles.

  “This isn’t good enough,” said Eric. “If they don’t plan to rob us and we come back with just this, they’ll just send us on our way again.”

  Everyone walked outside to see two men armed with pistols. They froze.

  “Hello there,” said one of the men.

  “Hello,” said Eric.

  “What do we have here, John? Looks like some people without guns.”

  “Looks like an easy fight,” said John. “You all should drop your weapons and give us everything you have.”

  “Nobody drop their weapons,” said Pete.

  “We have to do what they say,” said Dan. Everybody put down your weapons. No one needs to get shot.”

  “No,” said Pete. “They don’t have enough ammo to kill all of us.”

  “We have more than enough ammo,” said John.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Oh, I don’t?”

  “No, you don’t. You’re lying. You each have one or two bullets in each of your pistols.”

  “We have more than enough ammo to kill all of you.”

  “You don’t. I can tell. I played poker for thirty-five years. I know.”

  “So what do we do now?” Dan asked Pete.

  “We’re at a standstill. They know at least one of them would be killed if they were to kill us. I can tell they’re more scared of us than we are of them. They don’t want to fight anymore. They’re just barking dogs. You’re outnumbered, John. What will you and your partner do?”

  John shot Dentin and Jasmine. John’s partner shot Eric. Jake, Pete, and Courtney attacked John while Jamal, Dustin and Jasmine attacked John’s partner. Jamal kicked John in the groin, jumped on top of him, and gave a beating with the baton. John and his partner were beaten to death. Jake, Pete, Courtney, Jamal, Dustin, and Jasmine grabbed the deceased’s belongings and continued to walk down the road.

  “We didn’t prevent them from being able to become zombies,” said Courtney.

  “I just wanted to get out of there,” Jake replied.

  “We need to keep moving,” said Pete. “I feel terrible about the losses, but we need to get what we need and go back to the lake. Zombies are bound to come this way now.”

  “Lead the way,” Jake said apathetically. “I don’t care anymore.”

  Two houses were found not far from the location of the incident. Courtney smashed the lock off of a closet door with a shovel from outside. Behind the door were supplies. Bottled water, cans of beans, hunting knives, and a half loaded pistol.

  “This will be enough,” said Jamal. “It has to be enough. Let’s get back
.”

  Jake and the others stared at their comrades’ corpses as they came back. None of them had turned yet. They returned to the sheet metal door and knocked. The same six men and women came out. They observed the food and water in their hands.

  “We’re not bad people,” said one of the women. “We just need to only take in people who are useful. We can’t let others drag us down.”

  “The six of you gave us police batons,” Jamal said to the woman. “Were you police officers?”

  “Yeah, we were.”

  “What now?”

  “Come inside. Our leader will want to speak with you.”

  The six men and women led Jake, Dan, Jasmine, Jamal, Courtney, Pete, and Dustin inside the walls. Inside was a community made of wood.

  “You’ve been busy,” said Courtney.

  “We have been,” said one of the men. “We have everything we need here. We have a steady supply of fish and water. We have plenty of ammunition, too. In here, we’re relatively safe.”

  “Can we live in here?”

  “That’s up to our leader.”

  They were led into the largest house. In the back of the room was a man sitting in the dark.

  “Newcomers,” said the man. “So, I’m assuming you all have proven yourselves useful?”

  “Yes,” said Pete. “We’ve proven ourselves useful. We want to live here.”

  “You will all fish for food, stand atop the wall to watch for other humans and zombies, help tend to the crops, chop wood, anything that needs to be done.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Then welcome to your new home.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Courtney. “I’m so glad we found this place.”

  “It’s time for all of you to go fishing. You’ll find Todd down at the lake.”

  “A new home. Jake, we can settle down here. I think this place is the one.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “I’m tired of moving.”

  “We’ll do well here,” said Jamal.

  Jake, Courtney, Jamal, Dan, Jasmine, and Dustin sat at the dock and fished for the rest of the evening. They all stared at the water and thought deeply.

  “We’ve been through a lot,” said Courtney. “Hopefully things will get back to normal at some point.”

  “My name is Michael,” said the old man. “You’re going to fish now. Catch as many fish as you can. It’s your main supply of food.”

  “We’ll always do what we can,” said Dan. “Thank you for allowing us to be here.”

  “You’re welcome. Dig up worms and grab a fishing pole. Try not to lose any hooks. We have plenty of fishing gear, but let’s not be careless.”

  Jake, Dan, Courtney, Jamal, Dustin, and Jasmine walked down to the dock where several people were fishing.

  “My name’s Trey,” said a fisherman. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “My name’s Jake. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

  “The zombies still lurk around, but everything we need is close together. We always have people watching from every side of our home. We can spot hordes from far away.”

  “How many of you are there?”

  “Thirty-nine. There were a lot more of us, but we’ve had some accidents.”

  “We’ve had some accidents, too. I’ve lost and left a lot of people.”

  “So you’ve met some bad people too?”

  “The worst kinds of people.”

  “My wife and I came across a guy who killed people and collected their skulls. We found him naked and rocking back and forth in the corner of a house’s bedroom. There were more than fifty skulls in his house. There was a scoped rifle on his porch.”

  “The behavior of some people nowadays is frightening.”

  “Did you hear the radio broadcast?”

  “What radio broadcast?”

  “There was a radio broadcast a few weeks ago.”

  “What was said?”

  “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the man on the broadcast said most of the zombies from the beginning of the outbreak have rotted away.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. That means it’s only a matter of time before this stops.”

  “Who said it? Do you know?”

  “No. The man didn’t say who he was or who he was with.”

  “I hope the truth was told.”

  “I hope it’s the truth,” Courtney said as she stared into the lake. “It could be close to being over. No more living in fear.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” said Dustin. “It could be a lie or prank.”

  “We don’t know if what the man said was true,” said Jake. “Remember, it still could be the end of the world. We don’t know if it’s close or far from being over.”

  “What are your names?” Trey asked.

  “I’m Jake. That’s Courtney, Dan, Jamal, Jasmine, and Dustin.”

  “It’s good to meet you all. You’ll like staying here. As long as you stay out of trouble with the people here, you’ll get along just fine.”

  “What kind of fish are in this lake?”

  “Catfish, carp, bluegill, and some bass.”

  “How many fish do you normally catch in one day?”

  “I catch enough to get by. I like to think we’re all doing really well around here. You have a bite, Jake.”

  Trey was right. Jake did have a bite. Jake quickly pulled up on his pole to embed the hook inside the fish. He carefully reeled in his catch. He took the catfish off the hook and smiled.

  “You can go cook it or throw it in one of the buckets and wait for more,” said one fisherman.

  “We’re all hungry,” said Jake.

  “We know how you feel,” said Trey. “We’re doing fine, though. Right now, we have a steady supply of fish and water. After so long, you’ll get tired of it and want other stuff. I sometimes have to remind myself that this place is a blessing and I shouldn’t take it for granted.”

  “So there’s fishing, scavenging, farming, and guarding?”

  “That’s right. It keeps the people fed and equipped.”

  “There’s a river thirty or so miles from here.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “I came from the outskirts of the city thirty or forty miles from here. There’s a city nine or ten miles from here.”

  “Is there really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re a local. It’s good to know where everything is.”

  “What did you do before all this happened?”

  “I was a criminal.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. I was in jail when it first happened. The cops were merciful enough to take me with them.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I sold drugs.”

  “What kind of drugs?”

  “Marijuana and pain pills.”

  “I’m sure you’ve seen a lot.”

  “I have.”

  “I hope the broadcast you heard was the real deal.”

  “If it is, it’s pretty much over.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s hope for the best.”

  “I’m not getting my hopes up.”

  “I’m not, either.”

  “I suppose it is easier to survive here than in most places.”

  “Most of your time will be spent fishing.”

  “What if we don’t catch any fish?” Courtney asked.

  “You’ll have to scavenge, of course.”

  “I’m glad my dad taught me how to fish, then.”

  “I didn’t know how to fish when the outbreak started. Rodger here taught me how.”

  “I hope I catch some.”

  “You probably will. This lake is full of them.”

  Jake and the others spent the day resting and fishing. Everyone was happy to catch something. Theodore was the best cook. He showed the group how to remove the scales, take out the guts, and cook the meat. Jake enjoyed the freshly caught fish. He was very proud to eat what he cau
ght. Most of the rest were happy to eat, but didn’t like the taste.

  “I’m glad to eat something other than canned food,” said Jake.

  “I’d rather have canned food,” said Courtney. “The fish don’t taste good.”

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  “I don’t think I will.”

  “What’s wrong with you and the rest of the team? Fish are a decent source of protein. It has more protein than most of the canned stuff we’ve been finding.”

  “I don’t like it,” said Dustin. “But it will have to do.”

  “I don’t see what the big deal is. We’re getting food. You all should be happy about it.”

  “I’m okay with this,” said Dan. “You know I’d sometimes eat fish with you back in the day.”

  “At least one of you is happy.”

  “I’ll get used to it,” said Jasmine. “I just wish we had some spices or something to enhance the taste.”

  “It’s good Michael is letting us stay here. No one screw it up. If it were not for Michael and his people, we’d still be traveling from place to place and hoping we don’t have to experience hard hunger. We have fresh water to drink, food, and protection. We don’t have to venture out far to get what we need.”

  “I’m thinking the same way,” said Jamal. “I’m glad we’re not going to be too hungry any time soon.”

  “I’m going to take a bath in the lake,” said Courtney.”

  “That might not be a good idea,” said Jake.

  “Why is it not a good idea?”

  “There could be zombies at the bottom of the lake.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “It’s a possibility. Zombies don’t need oxygen.”

  “I really doubt there are any zombies in the water,” said Jamal. “If there were zombies in the water, the fish probably wouldn’t be biting.”

  “You have a good point. Stay near the bank. As long as we don’t go too far in, we’ll still be able to run if we need to. I’m rinsing myself off. Who’s with me?”

  Jake, Dan, Trey, Courtney, Dustin, Jamal, and Jasmine agreed to take a dip in the lake and rinse off several months’ worth of dirt and grime. Swimming in the lake angered some of the fishermen. Some claimed they were scaring the fish. They felt refreshed after a wash off.

  “I think you should talk to more of the people around here,” said Trey. “Make some allies.”