Infected Chaos

by Loren Edwards

  He saw the woman running holding each child’s hand.

  “Mommy!” one cried.

  Their legs were trying their best to keep up with the adults. The blond man ran at an angle to the children. He picked the smallest child up and threw him over his shoulder without missing a step.

  Cliff was halfway across the field when the woman saw him.

  “Come on!” Cliff yelled, waving his arm.

  She saw him and hesitated.

  Cliff looked passed the woman. The group of rushing creatures ran past the family’s broken car and closing in quicker than he expected.

  “Run!” Cliff yelled.

  Cliff swallowed when he heard the growls from the herd. Cliff cursed that he was alone. His Colt handgun held six shells, and there were twelve, fast-approaching creatures. He wished Galvin was with him.

  Cliff waved. “Hurry!”

  The woman pulling the child ran past him without slowing.

  Cliff turned and followed her. “Into the woods!”

  Cliff twisted around, took aim at the lead infected, and pulled the trigger. The undead creature tumbled head first to the ground. He turned back around and continued to run. Eleven, he noted.

  He felt the screams from the infected grow near, as if they were inches from his head. There wasn’t enough time to get the house. Cliff pictured one clawing his back like a cheetah running down a gazelle.

  Cliff ran beside the child from behind and picked him up to his hip, “Run toward that big oak tree straight ahead! See that bow? Go to it, and climb up the tree!”

  He hoped the mother heard him. She didn’t say a word. She was crying, frantic to flee. The boy cried for his mother as he bounced against Cliff’s hip.

  The woman reached the tree and started to climb.

  “Faster!” he yelled.

  She glanced to her left to see the advancing mob. They were closing in fast.

  “Tyler!” she cried.

  “He’s next! Grab him!” Cliff yelled pushing the boy up the ladder.

  When she reached the top of the platform, she leaned downed and pulled him up. When he was safely in her arms, she held his head against her chest, and cried.

  Cliff jumped to the first rung on the ladder just as a creature’s hand clawed at his pant leg. He turned and fired his pistol at the approaching horde striking one in the shoulder. He climbed another rung before he felt his weight being pulled. He looked down to see a creature had a hand around his left foot, and a second had a grip around his pants leg. He take aim and shot blindly at the creatures crowding below him.

  He looked up at the woman, “Help me!”

  The woman disappeared from the platform.

  “Help me!” Cliff yelled kicking his foot.

  He looked to see one of the creatures’ mouth was inches from his foot. “Hurry!”

  The woman returned to the edge of the deer stand with a branch.

  “The one that has my foot! Stab him!” Cliff cried out.

  She stabbed the branch into the crowd striking one infected in the eye sending in to the ground.

  “The other one!” Cliff shouted.

  She adjusted her position, “Move to your left!” she instructed, yelling over the creatures’ growls.

  She grunted slamming the branch down into the zombie holding Cliff’s foot.

  Cliff felt the creature’s grip loosen. He didn’t waste a second to climbed. He pulled himself onto the platform and leaned his back against the tree.

  He locked eyes with the woman. She mouthed, “Thank You.” He smiled back.

  She held Tyler’s head again and kissed the top of it.

  Cliff huffed trying to catch his breath, “I’m Cliff. Nice to meet you and thanks for saving my life.”

  “Cassandra and this is Tyler,” she smiled.

  “Was that your other son and husband?” Cliff asked, pointing at the broken car.

  Cassandra nodded. “Yeah, that was my husband driving, and our neighbor, Doug. The other boy is Owen.”

  “Hope to meet them soon,” Cliff said pointing at the crowd of infected below them.

  “What were you doing here?” she asked.

  Cliff pointed. She looked and saw the deer on the ground. There were two infected creatures eating it.

  Cliff sighed. “Well, there goes dinner.”

  “You live around here?”

  “Yeah, over there.” Cliff pointed.

  Cassandra turned and saw a home in the distance through the trees. “Must be nice. We’ve been stuck in that car for six days. We left Lawton when it got bad and really wasn’t a choice.”

  “It’s been tough everywhere. I still can’t wrap my head around it all. Within 24 hours, the entire social structure fell, leaving us survivors to fend for ourselves. It’s been a shame.”

  “We have to rely on each other if we’re to survive,” she said.

  Cassandra looked down at the creatures below. They were still clawing at the tree.

  Her lips tightened. “What now?”

  Cliff shrugged. “We wait.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jake’s eyes lit up when he heard a gunshot from the area where Cliff told him he was hunting. He knew Cliff would only use the firearm if he were in danger. Did he come across an infected?

  Jake looked back at the house where Jennifer was hanging laundry on the clothesline. She was staring back at him with a blank look on her face. He reeled the fishing line in, then threw the pole down near the four catfish he had caught.

  “Get inside!” he yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth. He watched her hustle the kids inside the house before he ran into the woods.

  Jake ran into the tree line, dodging low-hanging tree branches. He heard footsteps in the distance. He stopped next to a tree to catch his breath and scanned the woods around him, listening. The sound of crunching leaves grew louder.

  A wad of blond hair caught his attention; it was a man rushing in the distance, carrying a small boy on his shoulder. Jake pulled his pistol from his pocket and held it, pointing the barrel skyward.

  “Hey!” Jake yelled.

  The stranger stopped ten feet away. Jake knew something was wrong. The man was breathing hard. He looked distraught, as if he was running from something. Jake pictured a large group of infected creatures roaming in the woods. The thought scared him. It had been a beautiful day until that moment.

  “You armed?” Jake asked.

  The stranger shook his head.

  “Where did you come from?” Jake asked.

  “The road,” the man answered between breaths. “Our car broke down, and the next thing I know, we’re being chased by those infected people.” He pointed over his shoulder.

  “Did you see anyone else?”

  “Yeah. A guy ran out into the field, telling us to run this way,” he explained, bending over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

  Cliff being Cliff, he thought. He kicked the dirt at his feet and bit his bottom lip. “He put himself in danger,” Jake said under his breath.

  Jake stared at the man and child when he heard more footsteps. He clenched his fist, thinking it was an infected creature, but relaxed when he saw a man with reddish-gray hair running toward them.

  “He with you?” Jake pointed.

  The man turned and nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Cassandra?” the older man asked the guy with blond hair.

  Jake saw the first man shake his head. “I don’t know, but we have to go back and look for her … and Tyler.”

  “Oh, geez!” the older man cussed.

  Jake studied the two men. He knew Cliff was still out there. He bet to himself they were.

  “I bet they’re safe with my guy, Cliff,” Jake assured.

  “I hope so,” the blond cried.

  “You guys need to head to the barn. It’s down the hill.” Jake pointed behind him. “You’ll be safe there. I’ll go look for them.”

  “No,” the blond man retorted. “That’s my wi
fe and kid out there. I’m going after them.”

  “Understood,” Jake returned. He looked at the child; he was shaking as he held onto his dad’s leg.

  Jake turned to the other guy. “You take the boy down to the house. We’ll go look for his mum. If you run into trouble, head to the house, and tell her Jake sent ya.”

  “Thank you.” The older man smiled then took the child by his hand and led him down the hill.

  “Got any weapons?” Jake asked.

  “No.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Break off a good-sized tree branch, and use it like a baseball bat.”

  Three gunshots rang out, echoing against the trees. He and the blond gentleman locked eyes.

  “We need to go!” the stranger cried.

  Jake led the man up the hill. He slowed and stopped when he heard growling.

  “They’re near. How many did you say there were?” Jake asked.

  “I dunno. Maybe ten to fifteen. I didn’t stop to count,” the stranger replied sarcastically.

  Jake rolled his eyes and shook his head. He needed help from a man, but he felt he was stuck with an adolescent. “What’s your name, stranger?”

  “Chris. Yours?”

  “Jake. Nice to meet you. Got your stick ready?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know how much I can do with this.”

  Jake didn’t say anything. He motioned Chris to follow him. After a two-minute slow walk, Jake stopped when he spied Cliff in his tree stand. There was a child and a woman in the tree with him. He knew if he found Cliff, he would find the man’s missing wife and child.

  “There they are!” Chris exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

  “Shh! Keep your voice down. You don’t want to alert them.” Jake’s eyebrows narrowed. “Stay behind this clump of trees and bushes until we can decide what to do.”

  Cliff heard a voice over the low growls. He looked around. It was a human’s voice; he knew he heard it.

  “Look!” Tyler pointed.

  Cliff looked where the boy was pointing. Behind a small group of evergreen trees, he saw two figures. He squinted to focus and smiled: it was Jake with the man from the car.

  He waved and pointed down. Jake returned the same gesture. Cliff held up six fingers. He saw Jake nod and threw a thumbs-up. Jake shrugged his shoulders. Cliff threw his palms up. Jake returned with the same gesture. Cliff shook his head. He had death below him, and not only did he worry about himself, but he had a woman and child with him. Escape scenarios ran through his mind. He thought about shooting his way out, but it was too risky—and he didn’t have enough ammunition.

  Cassandra tapped Cliff’s shoulder. “That’s my husband,” she pointed. “But, I don’t know who’s with him.”

  “That’s my friend, Jake. He’s a professor of archaeology and one of the only men on Earth who knew about the virus before the outbreak. He’s a smart man, but right now, he’s about as dumb as a box of rocks.”

  Cassandra’s forehead wrinkled, looking at Cliff.

  “Never mind. We’ll be safe soon.” Cliff nodded at the evergreen trees. “He’ll come up with something.”

  “Is Daddy going to help us get down?” Tyler asked his mother.

  “Yes, he is,” she smiled.

  Their attention was broken when an engine roared from over the horizon. Cliff turned and held the binoculars to his eyes. He looked at Cassandra’s car, then shifted his eyes up the road; a red truck was driving toward the intersection. Cliff looked down; the truck caught the attention of the seven infected below them. Cliff turned to Jake, held up his index finger, and pointed toward the road.

  Cliff returned to his binoculars and watched the truck stop next to the car with the broken window. There were two men in the truck: one in the bed, and the other driving. A man from the bed of the truck jumped out and walked to the empty car. He opened the car’s door and searched through it. Cliff couldn’t tell what the man found, but he gathered items from the car and threw them in the truck.

  Cassandra let out a whimper when the truck stopped next to her car. The stranger let out a cheer after he pried the trunk open.

  “He’s taking our only supplies,” Cassandra cried.

  Cliff turned to Cassandra. “What’s he taking?”

  “Our food, our clothes, a few family heirlooms, and the last of our water,” she answered holding her head in her hands.

  Cliff returned to look through his binoculars. The man waved the driver. The driver joined his cohort and slapped his shoulder and cheered. They loaded three cartons of bottles. The first man returned to the trunk, reached in, and pulled out a few dresses. He held them up as if he was studying them.

  “Oh dear,” Cassandra sobbed.

  Cliff wished he could help, but knew the risk was too high to save a few clothes. He refocused on the threat below. He glanced down at the seven creatures below them. They began to turn their attention to the scavengers on the road. One of the creatures growled and sprinted toward the road. The other five soon followed. Cliff looked at the deer carcass; the two with their heads buried inside were filling their lust for blood.

  Cliff waited until the six below were halfway across the open field before he turned his attention to Jake. He pointed at Jake, then pointed at the two eating the deer.

  Jake tapped Chris on the shoulders and pointed to the tree. He held his finger to his lips at Chris and motioned him to follow him around the brush.

  “We go around and meet them on the ground. Concentrate on being quiet, and keep a keen eye on those two by the deer. Let’s move,” Jake whispered.

  Chris followed Jake around the edge of the brush. Jake froze in mid-step when Chris stepped on a twig. Jake locked eyes with Cliff. They looked at the two creatures consuming the deer. One of them stopped and looked around, its mouth covered in blood. Jake held up his hand. After a few seconds, the creature returned to his meal. Jake motioned for Cliff to continue his descent.

  Once on the ground, Cliff helped Tyler navigate his way down the tree. Cassandra was halfway down when Tyler stepped on a branch. She froze, looking at Cliff and wondering what she should do.

  “Shhh,” Cliff whispered holding his finger to his mouth.

  The sound alerted the two undead consuming the deer. One looked up from his meal; blood covered half his sunken face. The creature turned its head toward Cliff. He saw them and let out a loud cry; deer intestines fell from its open mouth. The two creatures bolted from the deer.

  The first sprinted toward Cliff; the second creature sprinted toward Jake and Chris. Jake stepped in front of Chris and raised the Glock even with his eyes. He took a deep breath. He steadied his hand, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The gun erupted in his hand. The bullet struck the undead creature in the ear, tearing it from the side of its skull.

  “Gosh dang it!” Jake swore, fumbling the pistol in his hand.

  The infected creature, unnerved by its missing ear, continued its approach. He pulled the trigger a second time. The creature fell forward, sliding across the ground. He looked down to see the creature’s hand resting on his boot.

  “Geez!” Chris exclaimed, standing behind Jake.

  Cliff cocked the single-action Colt revolver and pushed Tyler behind him. He took aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the infected creature above its left eye, sending it tumbling forward to the ground.

  Cliff looked at the field, watching the other creatures run after the truck. He smiled at Jake. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “I heard a gunshot and worried you ran into some trouble. I just didn’t know you’d make new friends,” Jake joked.

  Cassandra jogged into Chris’ arms. “God, I’m so happy to see you.”

  “I’m glad you’re all right, honey.”

  Cassandra stepped from Chris and turned her attention to Cliff. “If it wasn’t for you, none of us would be alive. I cannot thank you enough.”

  “Don’t mention it. I was just in the right place at the right time.”

  �
��Thank you.”

  “I’m glad I could help. Let’s get to the house and get you guys some food.”

  Allen raised his head from the car when he heard the gunshot. He looked over his shoulder to see a group of seven undead sprinting across the open field.

  “You hear that?” Allen asked after a second gunshot rang out.

  “Hear that? I see seven of those things coming right at us. We gotta go!” Dane proclaimed as he ran to the truck. He grabbed onto the door and swung himself into the cab.

  “You know what this means?” Allen quizzed as he placed the gear into drive.

  “Yeah, we’re not alone, and David ain’t going to like it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Cliff was still on an adrenaline high when he returned home. His mind flashed back to the moment he pulled the trigger the second time. The grotesque face of the creature snapping its head back then falling forward would forever be etched in his mind. He clenched his eyes, knowing how close he came to being bitten.

  “God, I’m so happy to see you two,” Cliff said hugging Jonathan and Cassidy.

  Jennifer nudged him in the side. “Want some water?”

  He gulped the water as if he hadn’t drunk in days. The rush of the liquid filled his stomach, making him nauseated, but he knew the sensation would pass. He looked up to where they ran from and felt grateful. He locked eyes with Jake, who was smiling back at him, and threw a thumbs-up.

  Cliff stood and stretched his back. He let out a long sigh as he retracted forward. He smiled at Cassandra and her sons. He looked at his new guests as they huddled together by Jennifer, as she handed out water and crackers. Cliff walked over to the group and introduced himself.

  “This is my … friend, Jennifer. This is Jake, Cassidy, and Jonathan,” he introduced.

  They exchanged smiles. Cliff learned who the men were, and met Tyler’s brother, Owen. He was pleased to see Jonathan had some boys to play with now.

  “Jonathan. Take your new friends and go play.”

  “Okay, Daddy,” Jonathan beamed and led Tyler and Owen inside to his bedroom.

  “Doug Fitt,” the older man with reddish hair bellowed with his hand stretched out.