Surviving Day By Day (Book 1): So it Begins

by Allensworth, Audra

  Wrapping his arm around Maximus he pulled him close and grabbed his snout, “shh boy shh” Maximus growled at first then stopped and watched the deadheads.

  As the deadheads reached the clearing they became confused. They could not see any living meal. They began to calm down and simply started milling around again. Alden crept backwards still holding Maximus’ collar, “C’mon boy, c’mon leave’em be, just leave’em be.”

  Tonto got down low and was almost crawling on his belly as they all backed out. After a few minutes Alden was sure they were safe enough he turned back towards camp and snapped his fingers. Tonto took off like a bullet with Maximus right on his tail, neither one was barking or growling. Alden Picked up the pace thinking to himself, “Damn we may be able to train Maximus too, he likes to follow Tonto.”

  Ten minutes went by with the pack of them almost running before they caught up to the rest. Tonto stopped and began to wag his tail facing back down the trail. Alden and the dogs had actually got around and ahead of the group. He walked out onto the trail and knelt down his head hanging down as the sweat poured off of him.

  Within a minute Charlie came walking around a bend. “Holy Shit Boss you okay?”

  Alden looked up and smiled, “Yeah, I’m just waiting for my Cupcakes….” He stood and smiled as the rest came walking up.

  Charlie turned around to the others, “Colt, Beth, this here is Alden. He’s the reason we were able to save you back there. Alden this here is Colt and Beth…. or as you would call them cupcake four and five.”

  He smiled big when he said that then turned and patted Tonto on the head. “Good to see ya boy; glad you brought the boss back.” He then turned and petted Maximus, “Ceara’s going to love seeing you boy.”

  Colt held out his hand to Alden, “Not real sure I follow the cupcake stuff but I appreciate the help, I really do.”

  Ceara went to Maximus smiling, knelt down hugging the dog, “Hey, this here is Maximus and that big guy over there lying down is Tonto. Oh and the cupcake thing is Alden’s. He doesn’t much care for names so we kind of got named as we got here.”

  Colt laughed, “Ok so this is all there is then? No others, since Beth and I are cupcake four and five?”

  Ceara stood up joining Charlie, “Nope, we’re it.”

  Alden turned and snapped his fingers, once again Tonto was up. “Let’s move out and get back to camp, we can all have a little chit chat back there where we are safe rather than out here. I lost the deadheads but there may be more.”

  He turned and headed toward camp, his legs taking long rhythmic strides. It only took fifteen minutes and they were home. Alden went to his truck and pulled out his canteen first pouring it into a bowl for the dogs then refilled it from a large black bag and took a long drink himself.

  Turning to the group he walked over and sat on a log. “Okay I need to know where you came from, who you are, and what you may have seen or not seen over the past few weeks?”

  Beth stepped forward and reached out her hand, “My name is Beth and I just am thankful that you all were willing to help us out back there.”

  She looked over to Colt and still felt that there may be a small bit of tension between them, but hoped that it would go away especially after the kindness that he showed her when they were almost killed earlier.

  She felt that if he had still held a grudge that he could have just thrown her to the infected but he didn’t and that told her something. Now she wondered if she should she come out and tell these total strangers the information that she had recently told Colt? If she did, what would their reaction be?

  There were too many questions and she remembered once again the oath that she had taken, along with the agreement that she signed. Saving lives and protecting people; this allowed the government to saving money through prevention. That was what had been bore into her mind for years and yet the very organization that she worked for was, to her knowledge, the reason for what was going on now.

  These unknowing souls had risked their own lives to save theirs and now the question that Alden had asked along with his demeanor told Beth that he had some formal military training of some sorts.

  Slowly Beth turned around and went to sit on a nearby tree stump. After taking a deep breath Beth looked at Alden dead center in his eyes and continued with a very authoritative voice, “There is no easy way to say this but to just come right out and lay all of my cards on the table, As I said, my name is Beth Canter and I worked for The Center Of Disease Control here in the U.S, I was part of the Southern Division.”

  The looks from everyone were all different, some were shocked and some were really irritated but Alden seemed totally unreadable.

  That told Beth that he was either highly trained at hiding emotion or just he just plain didn’t give a damn. She felt more comfortable talking to someone that was reserving judgment, she continued.

  “I know what you all must think….you all think that we failed everyone and well yes…. the organization that I worked for had failed but not on its own. Readers Digest version, when our Commander and Chief took his office he set out to cut the budget in every way that he could possibly think of. Many of the long time doctors were given a severance package and sent quietly on their way. To replace them they brought in people that were not as qualified to work in such a facility. They would have been better cleaning up cigarette butts on the ground of any burger throwing franchise around in my opinion. However, I was one of the under fifteen year employees and if I would have been hired just a few years earlier I would have been sent packing.”

  Beth stood and brushed herself off. Her legs were tired but she felt more like continuing with her introduction while standing in case she was going to be attacked either by them or the infected, she would be able to get away quicker.

  “So most of the new personnel that they brought in were younger; under the age of twenty five whom spent most of their past time playing Left For Dead but instead of bombs being the way to get rid of the world’s enemies, well…. these idiots decided to use bio-terrorism. We survived plagues, smallpox and most recent before all hell broke loose small outbreaks of anthrax.

  Together with state & local health departments, poison control centers, & other public health professionals were able to pin point and get rid of all traces before too many civilians lost their lives. Grant you, there were a few that died. That was to be expected. However, with how fast our agency ran we were always right on top of it within the first 72 hours.”

  Beth knew that just as she had with Colt she was once again rambling

  “Now, as your aware Alden, which I think you are, given the fact of how you made reference to us as being ‘cupcakes’.”

  Beth thought immediately of the term the young man said he used when she began to bring up the recent events and thought that would be a good reference to show her side of the case.

  “The CDC lost a lot of seasoned people and the young ones or as you call them, ‘cupcakes’ were left them to run around not only untrained but unsupervised. I believe this is what caused this global disease or outbreak.”

  She needed to shut up, she needed to find out just how other survivors would see her, but at the same time she wanted to defend herself.

  “I had the day off when the outbreak hit and was told about it from one of my co-workers who, unfortunately, had been working that day. Now, I don’t think that it started in our branch but I have my suspicions that it started up north and with the way that it spread there would of been no way to contain it in the first 72 hours. By the seventy second hour probably a third of the population had been infected. Those who were attacked were infected at the first drop of blood, scratch or maybe even kiss. I don’t believe that it is airborne or we all would not be standing here right now talking to one another. I don’t know what actually happened that caused the outbreak but I can tell you that the last text I got from was from one of my co-workers Chad Evert and he simply said, “It’s over…. Get out and save yours
elf; it’s too late for us!”

  Charlie stood and listened to the new girl’s background. He looked to Ceara who was just staring with tears in her eyes, then to Tabitha who looked well… just pissed. Alden on the other hand sat sipping his water just listening. He showed no emotion.

  Charlie thought, “That man must be made of steel or stone.”

  He looked towards the new guy and could tell he had heard this before and was still uncomfortable with it. As Beth finished Charlie went to step forward and Ceara grabbed his hand. He turned to her, “I’m okay I got this,” turning back he mumbled, “I think…”

  He picked up a piece of wood and put it on the small fire. He looked to Alden once more and their eyes met. He knew Alden would make the final call so blowing up at this point was not an option but he had to say something, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?”

  Alden took a sip of water, “Charlie enough,” he said in a quiet but firm tone.

  “FUCK BOSS, DID YOU HEAR WHAT SHE JUST SAID.”

  Alden stood and reached for Charlie’s hand in a fatherly fashion, as he took hold he grabbed Charlie’s thumb and twisted it back causing Charlie to go to his knees, “OWWWWWW”

  Alden looked down “I said… enough.”

  Giving Charlie one more look, Charlie backed down, “alright, alright you don’t have to tear my thumb off.”

  Alden released him and looked first to Tabitha who was both fuming and frightened, and then to Ceara who was holding herself back. Alden was more worried about Ceara than Tabitha. Tabitha was angry and she was not hiding it, Ceara on the other hand was plain pissed and hurt, he felt she could go either way, sit down and cry or jump and claw the new girl’s eyes out.

  He walked over to her and reached down taking her hand in his gently. “It’s alright” was all he said to her as he wiped a tear from her eye. Charlie got up and went to Tabitha, “What the fuck?” he whispered to her, “He damn near breaks my thumb but treats her like a little kitten?”

  The rage in Tabitha was mounting to the point that if she would of been an atomic bomb she would have been ready to hit the earth and be a mushroom cloud. But after seeing Charlie back down when Alden showed his authority, Tabitha remembered what he was like when she had her first run in with him and really didn’t want him to get rough with her. After Charlie whispered in her ear Tabitha patted him on his knee saying, “You play nurse to your thumb there and I got this one….”

  She began to pace back and forth in front of Beth just glaring at her and before she could engage her brain Tabitha’s mouth shot off, “Ya know… Beth is it??”, she asked sarcastically then continued, “A lot of the fucktards out there in the world needed to be gotten rid of and I totally get that, but to wipe out the whole entire world is a bit fucking much if ya ask me! Then ya stand there blaming the so called President for his budget cuts and spending shit is about the same as the; he said, she said crap, and I am about sick and tired of that too.”

  She stopped pacing and stood right in front of Beth looking her straight in the eyes. With her hands on her hips leaning into her, nose to nose, “We have been put through hell, Beth! We have lost our loved ones….at least my friends here did… I did not have anything to lose so I gain a whole hell of a lot right here. I am not mad at you per say but what I am mad is the fact that everyone around here or that use to be in the world use to respect and look up to government agencies. Hell, even the mother fucking Police Officers and now you tell me that the whole reason that this shit is going to hell in a hand basket is because the whole government FUCKED US?!?!!? Well if that don’t take the goddamn cake I don’t know what will!!!”

  Colt walked over shoving Tabitha, looking at Alden, “Is this the way you welcome everyone?”

  Pointing back toward Beth, “Did you all MISS that she said it wasn’t in her location??? Yeah when she told me earlier today I was pissed but she lost her family too! Let me ask you guys this…. Did any of you vote for that guy? Did you put him in office? My wife did, does that mean she is responsible for this shit too?”

  Colt walked to the edge of camp, “You guys are acting the same way I did so thanks for showing me what an ass I was!”

  Beth looked over her shoulder to him to see if he meant what he said and he shrugged,

  “Sorry about earlier, still ain’t happy about where you come from, but you can’t control the world! So I will just judge you for who you are now and that seems okay to me.”

  Ceara just stood listening and she knew someone was to blame for this but really, did it matter now? What the hell good did it do to find who was at fault? She glanced to Alden whom seemed amused by the newbies.

  Ceara finally stood, “Ok, so we kind of know how it started, but we still have no clue how to stop it and to me that seems to be the more important objective.”

  Tabitha was spitting nails still, so Ceara went to her, “Tabitha, listen I know you want answers and you ain’t no different than we are. It may just be me, but it kind of seems like a good thing we got her with us, we are a bit more informed now right?”

  Tabitha glared at her, and it was Ceara’s turn to shrug, “Alrighty then, Alden, do you think I am right in this?”

  Alden smiled at Ceara as Tonto and Maximus stood and growled at the new guy, “Yeah cupcake two, you’re right. Beth, you and I are going to talk a little more in depth later.”

  He turned to Colt; the young man looked like he’d be more at home behind a bank counter than out here in the woods. Getting right up to him, face to face, Alden’s voice deepened and went cold, “I’m going to give you a pass this one time but don’t you ever lay a hand on any of these ladies again.”

  His eyes were almost narrow slits when he stepped back, “Now as far as how we treat and greet. I’ve had to kill several men already who wanted to make nice-nice with me and Charlie here. So we just ain’t up to all the Hi, how are ya’s. Let me be the first to inform you, this ain’t no Lions club pancake breakfast.”

  He looked to Beth and then back to Colt, “I’m guessing you two kind of found each other the way we have, so now we’re all here together. I know what Beth has seen and that information is handy. Now, how about you? You got anything to add? Cause frankly Charlie and I know enough to scare the bejeezus out you.”

  Colt didn’t back down from the old man, “I wouldn’t have had to do anything if your girl there, hadn’t seemed ready to attack. I’m damn sure am not the type to put hands on women, so you can take that for what it’s worth. But just like you, I am not going to just sit back and let one of mine be attacked. Wouldn’t be much of a man if I did, now would I?”

  He went and sat by Beth, “I have a much shorter story, the virus hit, the monsters attacked, my wife died and here I am.”

  He leaned on his knees and picked up a stick drawing in the dirt then looked back to Alden, then to the others in the group, “Seems to me, we’ve been answering the questions, what about you guys. What’s your story?”

  Alden glared at the young man, then smiled a little at Beth. He sat back down on his log and Tonto walked over and sat right beside him, his chest broad with the reddish and white markings dancing in the fire light. Maximus taking Tonto’s lead sat next to Ceara. Alden picked up his water took a big long drink then he began to tell Beth and Colt, all about the fights from when he left his little place back in Arkansas up to the last battle. He let them in on the Military groups he had encountered.

  “So you see kiddies, not everyone or everything is as it seems to be. Preachers can be murderers in this day in age. Now we have a nice little camp here but it’s getting a bit crowded. We got some left over fish over there, it’s a bit cold but you can warm it in that skillet. Then my suggestion would be we rest, clean our weapons and get to know each other. I’ll check my traps later see if we can rustle up rabbit or squirrel for tonight’s meal. Tomorrow we need to find some more permanent structures to hold up in. Tents and trucks and vans just ain’t secure enough for my tastes.”

  Colt
looked to Beth and she nodded, and he spoke up. “Well we spent last night in spot about an hour’s hike from where you found us. It had three cabins and we already cleared them once. There’s like two bedrooms each and the middle one had this big garage or shed out back that this motor or engine thing in it.”

  Alden got up walked over to the cooler by the truck and took out a beer. Walked back over to Colt opened and handed it to him, “Well now cupcake five you just made my fucking week.”

  He walked away smiling shaking his head and looked at Tabitha, pointing back to Colt, “A big engine thing, that’s great. We could use a little electricity.”……….

  Chapter 8 – Coming Together:

  Alden woke before the sun came up; he just laid there letting his brain clear. He heard the first chirp of the birds greeting the new day. Rolling out of his bag he stood and saw Charlie nodding off by the fire, he had drawn last watch.

  He smiled a little and headed to the shower house making sure the screen door didn’t slam. After relieving himself he went to the wash basin and turned on the water and splashed it on his face. “Oh Ugh,” he moaned as the mineral water with its rotten egg smell washed the sleep from him.

  Walking back out he went first to the fire to grab his coffee pot, then to his truck to get it to fill it with fresh water. As he added some wood to the fire Charlie sat up with a jerk, Alden was quick with a hand to his shoulder.

  “It’s alright son it’s just me. I’m getting the coffee on it’s about five a.m. if you want to, go crawl in my bag and catch a few winks. After yesterday I think the rest of the cupcakes will sleep till seven or eight.”

  Charlie stood, “Sorry boss, for sleeping on guard duty.”

  Alden chuckled, “Go… if it was guard duty I would have tied your shoe laces together and thrown water on you to teach a lesson.”