by Greene, Dane
Two people have told me to take Evelyn now. Both my father and Brian have good arguments, and I’m forced to agree with them. Evelyn would be devastated if I left, and I know her well enough to know she would try to follow me. If she did that, she’d end up dead.
“You’re right, Dad, but how could I take her? It’ll be hard enough to leave as it is. The other families will try to get in the way of me taking Evelyn. How do you propose we leave?”
“There’s only one way to leave, Aaron. Go to your meeting. Find out who will go with you, and when the whole thing collapses, find those who supported you and leave in the dead of night.”
My father, without missing a beat, tells me all the guard duties. He lets me know where and when we could slip out without drawing attention. As he’s telling me this, I hope that he’s wrong, that the other families will accept what we have to do. In my heart, I know the truth. We’ll have to leave like burglars, like thieves, in the night. There will be no other way to do it.
As my father finishes telling the guard schedule, I realize how much time has passed. Not wanting to be late for my own meeting, I hurry to our gathering room. There I find all the occupants of our apartment sitting silently. The tension is thick in the air, and I can feel several people’s anger radiate toward me. My throat locks up, and I have to force myself to breathe slowly and appear calm.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming together.” My nerves start to calm as I remember my purpose. Speaking to everyone, I explain the need for people to leave. The speech is a good one, and though no one interrupts, I can tell that my dad was right. This will collapse, and we’ll have to leave in the dead of night. By the end, when I ask for volunteers, the hatred I felt earlier is almost unbearable. Jason’s grandmother is its strongest source. To her side, Jason gives a slight nod, and I know that he’s on my side. He’ll leave with me, but not here and not openly.
Without a word, Jason’s family stands up and leaves the room, Jason forced to follow. The others in the room take this as a sign that the meeting is over and start to disperse. I consider stopping them but decide against it. We already know who’s leaving, and there’s no point in keeping up a charade.
I spend the rest of the day gathering supplies. My family helps me. They must know what I’m doing. I may not have told them, but they know all the same. While packing, I’m interrupted twice, once by Jason while he’s patrolling and once by Brian. Both ask what the plan is, and I let them know.
It’s dark by the time I finish packing, so I light a candle, gather some paper and a pen, and start writing goodbye notes to my family. My hope is to see them again someday, but I still want them to have something to remember me by. There were some goodbyes today, but we had to keep everything quiet in case someone from another family was watching. At this point, I imagine that the other families think I’m the only one leaving. This is fine by me, since it’ll throw them off their guard.
After I finish the last of my letters, I grab a mechanical alarm clock and set it for shortly after 4:00 a.m. Setting it under my pillow, I lie down. It seems like only seconds before I wake up to the ringing of the alarm. My arm shoots under my pillow and immediately silences it.
Rubbing my eyes, I wake myself up before getting Evelyn and Melany up. After we get ourselves ready, we head to the designated meeting spot. When we arrive, both Jason and Brian are already there. Without making a sound, the five of us start making our way out of the apartment.
Once we’re outside, I take a final look back at it. Saying a silent goodbye to my family and all the people inside, I promise myself that if I survive, I’ll come back someday.
As we walk away from the apartment, we talk about what to do next. We decide that we’ll stop at the nearest fast food place with a tube playground and camp out on the roof.
Many of the buildings in town are abandoned, and most of the town feels the same way. Palemen still loiter around, but the carnage that littered the streets three months ago has rotted away or been devoured by birds, dogs, or Palemen. The walk to the fast food joint is silent, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say it was peaceful.
As we approach the building, I see the fast food sign and am reminded of simpler times. As I think about the past, the sun breaks over the horizon.
The flash of light blinds me. Before my eyes adjust, I hear a female voice shout at my group from what sounds like the inside of the fast food building.
“You better stop walking toward me if you know what’s best for you!”
Looking toward the noise, my eyes adjust to the light of the sun and I see a girl near my age step from the building. In her hand is a rusted pipe crusted with blood. While I’m trying to decide the best course of action, I hear Jason shout out.
“Dawn, it’s me, Jason! What are you doing out here?” From the faint outline of her face, I can see that she’s caught off guard. Dawn motions for Jason to come closer but gives a look of forewarning to the rest of us. Wanting to be prepared, I ready my weapon. Even though I trust Jason’s judgment, you never know how a person has changed since you saw them last.
My focus shifts immediately when I hear a noise coming from behind me. I don’t hesitate to turn around, and when I do, two Palemen enter my field of vision. I pull out my gun and aim at my targets, only stopping myself from firing when I hear, “Don’t waste your bullets.” The voice came from Dawn.
When someone pushes past me, I know it’s her. Sure enough, I see her walk straight toward the Palemen, brandishing her rusted pipe. Dawn walks up to the first Paleman and swings her pipe into its face with as much force as she can muster. The blow is solid, and I watch as the creature’s jaw snaps. Gore spills onto the pavement, and the Paleman collapses, dead or very near it. The second Paleman reacts, trying to catch Dawn. She backs up, baiting him toward her. The creature trips over the carcass of its recent comrade. As soon as it hits the ground, Dawn is on top of it, swinging her pipe down.
After a few seconds, I no longer have the stomach to watch. Turning away, I head inside the fast food place, sitting at the nearest table. It isn’t long before I’m joined by the others. We sit together in awkward silence until Dawn comes storming in. She points the pipe at our group and says, “Don’t move from here. I’ll be right back.” Dawn turns around and stomps off toward what looks like the bathroom.
As soon as she is out of earshot, I look at Jason and say, “What was that all about?”
Jason shrugs at me, and I can tell that Dawn’s show of brutality startled him. “Dawn is a good person,” he says. “I know she is. Dawn’s always been abrasive but never violent. I mean, I can’t blame her. Who knows what she has been through? We’ll have to trust her to be who I think she is.”
Jason’s hesitation is obvious. Evelyn grabs my hand, and I can tell she’s a little scared. Jason is trustworthy, and if he thinks Dawn is safe, I’ll have to believe in him. If he thought we were in any danger, we wouldn’t still be sitting here. To be careful, I pull out my gun and hide it under the table.
We wait in silence for a few minutes until Dawn emerges from the bathroom. She comes out much cleaner, and I notice that she left the rusty pipe behind. She walks over and takes a seat across from us.
“Okay, now what?” she says.
We all sit and look at each other, until Jason speaks up. “Well, we had a plan. We were going to stay here on the roof for the night to figure out the next step of our plan. Honestly, I never thought we’d run into anyone here, least of all one of my old friends. Look, I know it may be a lot to ask, but can we stay here for the night?”
“Okay, but only on one condition: whatever you decide your plans to be, include me in them. It’s been too long since I was with others.” Dawn’s response shocks me, and I’m not the only one. Our whole group sits in stunned silence.
The cold steel of the gun radiates against my hand below the table. Even though I’m not quite ready to trust her, the fact that she came out unarmed is a sign of her trust for us. It would be wrong f
or me not to give her a chance. This is why I decide to break the silence.
“If you want to join our group, that’s fine, but we have rules. One of us messes up, the rest of us could die. We can’t afford to work against each other.” As I say this, I move my hand from under the table and stand up. I see shock on the faces of Dawn and my friends. Before anyone reacts, I lift my arm and offer the gun to her. “I don’t want to regret deciding to trust you.”
Several emotions play across Dawn’s face. She stands, and for a second it seems like she might attack me. Then she relaxes and takes the gun from my hand. She stares at it and I can tell she’s never held a gun before.
“Okay,” I say. “Before you end up shooting yourself in the foot, why don’t I show you how to use that?”
“Okay.” For the next several minutes, I teach her all the different parts of the gun. Jason and Brian help me. We get her familiar enough with the gun’s concept that she won’t panic the first time she shoots it. We can’t afford to risk drawing any Palemen here or I’d have her fire a few rounds.
We decide that everyone but Evelyn and I will run to the store to pick up the camping supplies we need. While the others go to the store, I’ll work on getting us access to the roof. We decide that if I need any help, I’ll fire three quick gunshots.
We all start our tasks. Evelyn and I move into the tube playground and navigate our way to the highest point, which is a large clear dome. For the next several minutes, I work on scoring a hole in the Plexiglas with a knife, then kick it out.
After I clean the sides and make sure it’s safe, I look at the ceiling. It’s constructed from glass and steel beams. The safest way to break through it will be with my gun. It poses the risk of drawing Palemen, but I can take care of them as long as there are only a few.
After I devise my plan, I get myself back under the protection of the plastic tubes and line up my shot, hoping the glass will shatter without any of it landing on me. Holding my breath, I take my shot and watch as the ceiling shatters and falls to the ground.
With the glass gone, I make short work of setting up a rope ladder to the roof. Once done, I look at my work, proud of what I’ve done. From the roof, I can see what looks like my friends coming back this way.
As I’m about to turn around and head downstairs, something smashes into my back. Trying to keep my balance, I flail. Knowing that falling off the playground is going to happen either way, I do my best to fall smoothly. Falling feet-first, I manage a sloppy roll when I land. My knee is scraped, and the breath was knocked out of my lungs, but I’m otherwise unharmed. Looking around, I see one assailant. Whatever threw the trash can must be on the other side of the building. The setup of these creatures is strange; it’s almost like a trap.
Pushing my worries aside, I focus on the fight ahead of me. Taking the initiative, I charge the Paleman in front of me. As I run toward it, I pull out my combat knife. The creature lurches at me, and I jump to the ground and roll into its feet, tripping him. Spinning around, I pounce on the creature, stabbing my knife into the base of its neck. Standing up, I kick the blade, and as a do, it cracks through the creature’s spine.
Even if he’s still alive, there will be no coming after me now. Fury overtakes me, and I see another Paleman come from around the corner. I crouch, ready for it.
It charges me and I spin around him. When he turns around in confusion, I slam my thumb into its eye and kick its feet from underneath it. Pushing down with all my weight, I force the creature’s head into the ground.
The second before it hits the pavement, I hear a voice ringing in my head.
“Help me!” The man’s head smashes into the ground, and I feel his life fade. The voice I heard was his—I can feel it in my being. A smile spreads across my face. For a brief second, I see a bright blue sky before a black mist ensnares me.
When I look around, I realize I’m standing. It seems like I’m dreaming, but everything seems so clear. A figure emerges in front of me, and for a moment, I believe I’m looking into a mirror. Confused, I try to speak, but before I can, the figure in front of me deforms. It looks like me, but it’s feral and covered in scars.
“Hello, Aaron. So at last we meet. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Chris.”
“What is this? Where am I? Who are you?” The questions spill out of me in a jumbled mess.
“You want to know. Fine, I’ll tell you. I’m the part of you that wants to survive at any cost, the part that wants to feed on the death and pain of others. There is a power in the air, and it’s giving me life, giving me substance, giving me a voice. These creatures you call Palemen, I’m not them but they are me.” As Chris says this, he backs up, and I see the black mist surround him. When I try to chase after him, I’m not fast enough. As I watch, he fades. Then the mist clears and a blinding light hits me. I think for a second that I’m dead, until I see a cloud above me. It’s then that I realize I was unconscious.
Chapter 9: Dawn
July 6th
As I wake up, I smell plastic and sweat; these things have become my world. The days blur together and I have no idea how long I’ve hidden here. The only thing I know for a fact anymore is that I’m still breathing, still struggling to survive. Living is all I have now since the town succumbed to death. So many people have already died, and I see them walking the streets.
My mind drifts to the first day I came across the walking dead. After seeing a few people mauled by them, I decided that hiding would be the best thing I could do. This plastic playground I live in was the closest thing when the outbreak first hit, and it’s kept me alive ever since. While I could’ve moved to a new place, leaving something you know is safe is hard when danger is everywhere.
Compared to those that died and those who have yet to, I suppose I live like a queen. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t feel that way. These tubes are my sanctuary, but they’re also my prison. My eyes start to shut as my body aches for freedom. Realizing I’m falling asleep again, I force myself to move. My body attempts to stretch, but the confines of the tubes prevent me from doing it.
As I whisper a curse, I realize it’s been a long time since I heard another person’s voice. My sanity is starting to wear at the corners and I’ve started to hear voices call out to me. Death whispers to me, welcoming me to join it. While I’m aware that it’s all in my head, it worries me all the same. It’s long past time I found a way out of my prison. I need to talk to people and become human once more.
Pushing my morbid thoughts behind, I move through the tubes. My brain keeps moving, thinking, and I try to ignore it. It isn’t long before I make my way to the Plexiglas ball that acts as a lookout for me. The restaurant is clear, and making a food run would be safe.
I use the nearest slide to move to the ground. At one point, I would have enjoyed the slide, but now it only causes me fear. If there’s something waiting at the bottom, I’ll be vulnerable for a few brief seconds. That’s all it would take. As I emerge from the tube, I break into a run before stopping and turning around. It may be paranoia, but I’d rather be safe than dead, at least for now.
Knowing I’m safe, for a few moments at least, I relax and stretch out all the cramps that living in a small tube will give you. The first few weeks I was hiding were different. There was almost always a few of them in the building, but lately, I rarely see them here. This must be because I’m on the outskirts of our town, but I should still see more. Not that I’m complaining.
As I make my way to the kitchen, I grab myself a few hamburger buns. They may be as hard as bricks, but at least they’re still edible. All I need is a bowl and some hot water and I can make a tasteless gruel. I gather a few buns and find a bowl. As I head to the freezer, I check the stoves. They don’t turn on, but I knew that they wouldn’t. They’ve never worked, but for some reason, I can’t help but try them every time I pass. There’s some reason for it, but I try not to think about it.
I make my way into the old freezer and gather together my fire-maki
ng supplies. While starting a fire and cooking a makeshift meal, I busy my mind. The smoke starts to sting my eyes, and I try to ignore it. Cooking inside an old metal walk-in freezer might not be as pleasant as cooking outside, but it’s a whole lot safer. Red puffy eyes and three solid walls to protect me beat the alternative.
Once I’m cooking, I sit down and try to enjoy my meal. The smoke dissipates, and I keep my eye on the door. Since it’s the only point where something can come through, it’s smart to keep my attention on it.
Once I finish my meal, I have the desire to clean myself off. It’s been a few days since I last bathed. Being clean always boosts my morale, so I make my way to the bathroom. As I’m opening the door, I hear the smallest of noises coming from behind me, and I react.
Ducking, I manage to see my attacker. The air above me is disturbed, and I see the shadow of an arm slashing through the space I was in. Pivoting my body, I face the creature, as pale as death and with eyes full of anger and blood. I’m as scared seeing it today as I was the first time I saw one.
My fear is what fuels me; I know that, right now, I’m this creature’s prey. If I don’t take it out, it’ll likely kill me—or worse.
Springing from my crouched position, I throw an uppercut into the creature’s jaw. The blow connects, and pain shoots down my arm from the force of the impact. The creature falls to the floor, and I’m certain that it’s unconscious. As I move above its body, ready to end it, hands grab me from behind.
My body is jerked and slammed into a wall. In front of me there’s one of the foul creatures. His head rushes toward my neck, and I realize what’s about to happen. Summoning all my strength, I hook my fingers under his jaw and pull up. Without hesitation, I sink my teeth into the soft, exposed flesh of the creature’s neck.
My teeth sink in and they tear into something vital. I rip my head back and am sprayed in a shower of warm blood. The creature falls to the ground, lifeless, and I spit the flesh out of my mouth.