Living Dead 2.0

by Radovick, Ronda

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  The sign read; MANAGER. He went to the door, and knocked. He waited to hear some growling. Nothing. He opened the door and peeked inside. The blinds were left open. This gave light to the room. He went to the desk, then started rifling through the drawers. He needed a key to avoid breaking the glass door. The sound of the glass breaking would bring every dead zombie in the town right to him. He could not find a key. He said, “They had to have a key to lock the door.” He went back to the store front. He looked at the two zombie corpses. He turned the bodies over. As he went through the pockets of the first corpse, he only found car keys, and a wallet. The pockets of the second corpse contained the door keys. He held them up in the air, “Bingo.” He went to the door and unlocked it. He opened the door enough to peek both ways down the street to make sure that the coast was clear. He went to the car, first. The keys were gone. He tried the keys that he took from the first corpse. One of them, started the car. He turned it off and closed the door. He jogged to the sporting goods store. He tried the door. It was locked. He ran around to the back of the store. As he came to the corner of the back of the building, he peeked around it. There were three zombies wandering around, until they saw him. He lured one of them a few feet back, to separate them. He let it follow him. He weaved, from side to side, a few times. It came at him. He stabbed it in the head as it came close enough to him. It fell dead. Then, he turned to the other two. One of them was already on him. It snapped its bloody teeth. It reached for him, and staggered into an uncoordinated lunge. He grabbed it's hair, and stabbed her in the temple. The she-zombie fell dead. As he watched the last one coming for him. He noticed that it had more of a limp than the other two. He ran a circle around the large gray-colored, leathery, monster. As the big, zombie-giant tried to turn and grab him, Aidan jumped up and grabbed his shirt. He yanked him down to the ground. Because, the over grown stiff moved so slow, he went down. Aidan stepped on one arm and stabbed the zombie giant in the throat, in an upwards direction. The corpse went limp. Aidan ran to the back door to the sporting goods store. He could not get it open. He saw a window up on the second floor to the building. There was a ledge eight feet above him. He would be able to reach the window from there. He went to the corner of the building, and climbed up on top of the dumpster, then pulled himself up onto the ledge. It took him a few minutes to get to the window. When he got to the window, he peeked into the storage room. He could not see anyone there. He raised up the window. He flipped himself over the sill. He landed on a box, right on his side. He stood up and looked around. He saw stacks of invoices and office supplies. He went to the door, and opened it. He peeked through, again. There was the stairwell leading down to the sporting good store. He quietly, went down the stairs. When he made it to the door at the bottom, he opened it enough to peek through, again. He could see everything. There was no one there. He stepped into the store. He looked at all of the rows of camping and sporting materials. He whispered, “We can use some of this stuff.” He pointed the flashlight in the corner, he saw guns. He rushed to the side where the guns where. Some one had cleared half of what was there out. “They may be coming back. Where is the ammo?” He turned around, and walked down the isle. There was a long shelf with ammunition, in clumps. Someone had cleared whole sections of some of the shelving. He picked up the boxes and looked at what kind was left. He examined the guns that were left. “I need to get this packed into that car.” He went to door. Then, he went to the back room. He was looking for another way out. He found a dock port. “Yes!” He unlocked it, and raised the big metal door. He was on the opposite side, now. He ran down the sidewalk that led to a parking lot on the side. He got on the radio, “Is anyone on the radio?” A minute later, Renee came on. “Yes. Where are you? We were getting worried.”

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  He said, “I think I just hit pay dirt for us. But, I need someone to get here and help me.” Renee asked, “Well, where are you? What did you find?” He said, “I'll show you. I'm in that little town we passed through. We have a lot of stuff to load up on. It's going to be an all day thing. We can load up on almost everything that we need. And, I think we can get stocked up on some camping supplies, in case we run low on other stuff, later. And, maybe some food and clothes, too. But, we need to get this stuff, now. Some one else has been here.” She asked, “How many hands do you need?” He said, “As many of you that will come and help. A couple of us can load up one end, while the others do somewhere else. I found a couple of supply trucks out back. I don't know if I can get them going. But, I am going to try. And, then we can load up. I am on the east side of the sporting goods store. Be careful, there are some dead moving around here.” She said give us a few minutes.” As Aidan waited for his group to arrive, he looked around. He saw an office to the side. The door had a sign on it that read; SHIPPING AND RECEIVING. He said, “Okay, then.” He went to the office door. Upon entering the office, he saw a section of wall that had several key hooks attached. Some had keys hanging from them, and some did not. He took the keys down, then went outside to the trucks. He tried a few keys in the ignition of the first truck. Then, found the one that fit. It started up. He looked at the fuel, almost full. He turned the truck off. He went to the back of the truck, and opened the door. It was empty. He went to another truck. He found a key that worked. It started up. After he moved both trucks to the dock, he went to the back of the last one. He opened the back door. There were boxes inside. He climbed into the truck, and started looking inside the boxes. There were sleeping bags, camping supplies, and propane fuel. “We may need this stuff, later on.” He pushed the boxes to the back. Then, he began to stack the boxes all the way to the top. When he was done, he had most of the truck empty. This would allow for more supplies to be placed there. He left the back of the truck. Now, he was back inside the warehouse. He exited through the door leading to the parking lot. Ben's voice blared over the radio. “Aidan, man! Where are you?” Aidan responded, “ Sporting Good store. I'm behind the fence. The side parking lot. Hold on. I'll come up and open the gate.” He ran over to the gate, then pulled it open. He waved to them, gesturing for them to make their way into the parking area. They drove through the gate, and parked. Renee, Chloe, Ben, and Jose, all followed Aidan. They went into the warehouse. Renee asked, “What did you find?” Aidan said, “A lot.” He kept walking. Ben and Jose exchanged a look. He led them to the store front. He said, “Guys,” He turned to Jose and Ben, “I need you two, to load every fire arm and box of ammo in this store, into the trucks that I backed into the loading docks. There are carts on wheels over there... Don't forget other weapons, either.” He pointed to the carts. “Or, you can carry them. After you are finished, we'll go across the street, and pick up clothes, shoes, and whatever else we need. We load up what we need, and get down the street to the grocery store. If there is anything left there, we take as much as we can.” Renee cut in, “There is probably just some canned food left there.” Aidan said, “Then, we'll take it. While you guys are tackling these two places, I will take a walk down there and make sure it's safe. Remember, we may not be able to get back here, get winter stuff, and anything else that we may need. If you think we can use it, grab it.” Chloe said, “We need to hurry. We don't want to walk outside with our hands full, and get swarmed by those things.” Ben and Jose started filling the carts. Aidan said, “You two, fill the carts, and unload them together. If you see any of the dead, you run. Do you understand?” They both said, “Yes.”

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  Renee said, “Okay. As soon as you boys are finished, bring the trucks to the front of the other store.” Ben said, “Sure.” Jose said, “Okay.” Jose started picking up more guns, then placing them into the carts. Ben slid the boxes of ammunition into the other cart. Then, they grabbed a couple of sling shots. Aidan led Chloe and Renee to the store across the street. As soon as they walked in, Chloe saw the dead corpses laying on the floor. She stopped, and stared at them for a few seconds. Aidan said, “If you see any, don't fre
eze. Get away from them. These are the only two that I found, here. Always be careful, though. If any more come at you … run. Just don't separate from us.?” The women started to collect clothes and shoes for everyone. They stuffed everything into bags. Chloe said, “Mom.” Renee replied, “Yes, Honey.”

  “I think that we should take extra of everything.” Renee said, “ Take what you want to.” Chloe replied, “No. I don't mean it, like that.” Renee asked, “Like what?” Chloe answered, “Well. We may meet other people. If we do, they will need things, too. I was thinking, we bring a few extra of what we see here.” Renee smiled, “That is an awesome idea, Sweetie. Just, keep your eyes open. Those things can come out of nowhere. Don't forget Rosa.” Chloe said, “I know, Mom. I won't.” The two continued gathering supplies. Aidan listened to them talk. He was thankful that Renee had asked him, Nina, and his Aunt to come. She saved their lives. He thought about this, as he looked for what they could use. He started piling clothes and shoes into bags. He picked out clothes for Nina, himself, and his Aunt. They all saw the two trucks pull up out front. Ben and Jose walked into the store. Renee said, “Boys. Remember to get yourself a lot of things for winter. Thankfully, the people who ran this place, had not put all of the winter merchandise away, yet. Gloves, coats, and socks, too.” Chloe said to Aidan, “I told Mom that we should take extra of everything. In case, we meet other people.” Aidan said, “Yes, good Idea. If we have room for it. There is enough here for us to do that ten times over. That's thoughtful, Chloe.” She replied, “I think that we will have room. I piled the extra stuff there. I figured that we can keep it separate, and we could store it all at the school. Just in case, someone needs our help.” Aidan said, “Good idea. But first, we make sure that someone that we might meet is not a threat to us. Remember that. In times like this, some people will kill for a pair of socks. I mean that literally, Chloe.” She was a little confused. Thinking about that, scared her. She turned back to what she was doing. After they all took what they needed, they went down to the grocery store. They waited for Aidan to break in, and go inside to make sure that, there were no dead living inside. He came out, and waved them in. They filled carts and bags with canned, and package food. They took enough to fill one truck. They took a little of everything. They would be okay, for a while. Renee found all of the canned meats and seeds that she could. They were all exhausted. They rested, and drank water before leaving. Renee said, “Well. We took a good stash, but there is still a lot here. We could do this ten more times.” Aidan replied, “We still have to be careful. We got lucky today. Next time we come here, we could walk into a armed group doing the same thing that we are. And, if they are dangerous...” he paused. They all stared at him. Renee said, “Do you think that we will run into that?” Jose said, “You teach us how to fight them, Aidan.” Ben cut in, “Yeah! We have guns, now. You show us what to do.” Aidan replied, “ It's not that simple. You need time to train for a fire fight. And, if we get bombarded with hundred's of those things, we will have them coming at us from all sides. The gun fire will only draw more. Then, maybe some bad people. We need to be careful while on the radio, too. The wrong people could be listening. That is the first rule of war. Never mention` the Orchard, ever. If you mention the Orchard, they'll figure out our location.”

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  They were all silent. Renee said, “Aidan is right. Things are not the way they were. Why we have come this far? I don't know, but we need to learn to be careful. All of us. We were all given a blessing today. We should go back home, and get some rest. Tomorrow, we all have to sit down and talk about it. Aidan, we need you to start teaching us. Help us to be ready for trouble. We'll put a plan in place, to be as ready as we can. We will learn a little at a time.” She looked around at each one, “Rosa and Chloe say that, we should look for others. Aidan says that, we should be careful. I have been thinking. I am hoping that we can do both. But, we cannot do either, unless we plan and practice. So, let's head back home and breathe. Tomorrow, we plan.” They all thought about what she was saying. They knew that she was right. Ben added, “Sounds like a plan.” They all went to the vehicles that they were driving. They left in a mini-convoy, feeling pretty good. For the first time in weeks, they all felt some hope. As they drove towards the edge of town, they saw a scene that stopped them in their tracks. There were two vehicles, one had smashed into a building. The other, was parked at and angle, right in the middle of the street. They could still drive around it, but these two vehicles were not there earlier that day, when they'd come into the town. Aidan spoke on the radio, “Okay, People. We need to be careful, here. This was not here when I came in.” The next thing that they knew, four people came running from a building. One of them was limping. Aidan yelled, “Lock the doors!” They watched, in horror, as a mob of zombies came staggering after them. One of them grabbed the limping man. Chloe yelled, “We have to help them!” She jumped from the vehicle. She started shooting at the zombies. Aidan yelled, “Chloe! Get back into the truck!” She disregarded his commands. The zombies rushed the man. They started tearing into him. He screamed and begged for the pain to stop. Aidan jumped from the vehicle. He ran behind Chloe, grabbed her and pushed her back. Renee jumped from the vehicle. She also started shooting. They shot at the dead. Another woman was taken down by the mini-horde. They started to bite her, and tear at her flesh, while she screamed for help. The two remaining people being chased, were a man and teenage girl. They both turned, then started shooting at the dead. One zombie came from between some buildings. It came right for Chloe. Renee screamed, “Chloe!” Aidan grabbed it by the hair and stabbed it in the eye. He yelled get back into the vehicles! Now!” The man being chased with his daughter, stabbed one of the dead in the temple, before it could grab the girl. She screamed, “Dad! Behind you!” Another zombie lunged for the man. Now, Ben and Jose were outside the vehicles, while shooting at the zombie mob, too. The man knocked the dead one to the ground. He stabbed it in the temple. It went limp. Now, the shooting stopped. They turned to see the remaing dead, still on their victims. One man yelled, “Kill me! Kill me! Don't let me turn! Shoot me, now!” Aidan, and the others, stared in horror. Aidan shot the two groups of dead, left gnawing the flesh off of their victims. The woman was barely conscious. The victims were left bloodies, and bitten up. The man still begged, “End this! Kill me, now.” The man kept telling Aidan, “Do it. You can't save us. Just do it. Please? Don't let me turn.” The woman struggled to breathe. She had been bitten in the throat. Her jugular vein was severed. She took in her last blood filled breath, then went limp. The man still looked at Aidan, “Come on, Man! Don't leave me like this. The pain is too much. Don't let me turn. Please. Just do it.” Renee and the others, stood there, frozen. Aidan said, “I'm sorry. He shot the man in the head.” His eyes teared up. He went to the woman and pushed the blade of his knife into her temple. The man lay there dead. The other survivors that were still alive, also stared in shock. The girl started to cry. “I hate this.” she whispered. Chloe. Ben, Jose, and Renee looked terrified. After several minutes, Aidan spoke to the man.

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  He asked “Are you two okay?” The girl stayed quiet. The man said, “We are now. They were trying to take my daughter.” He put his arm around his daughter, and pulled her close to him. Aidan and Renee exchanged a concerned glance. Renee looked more shocked, than concerned, now. She inquired, “You mean....kidnap her?” The man said, “Yes. They rammed us, from out of no where. They ran up to our vehicle and pulled her door open. The next thing I know, they were trying to drag her into the building over there. There was another man. I fought him off. Killed him. He's on the other side of the vehicles.” He pointed to the vehicle that was smashed into the building. Renee did not know what to say. Aidan said, “I'm Aidan. This is Renee, Chloe, Jose, Ben. I'm glad you two got away from them.” The man said, “ Me too. I'm glad you guys helped us. I didn't think that we'd get away, after they forced us into that building. I'm Frank Jessup. This is my daughter, Naomi
.” Naomi half-waved. She was not in the mood to socialize. The others, nodded to her. Renee asked, “Were you going anywhere in particular? I don't mean to pry.” Frank said, “We were looking for a safe place. The cities are over run with the dead. Everywhere we go, it's the same.” Now, Renee understood what Rosa and Chloe were talking about, earlier. Renee said, “We have a place in the country. Why don't you come with us. We'll wait for you to get some supplies, and clothes. The store over there, it's cleared of the dead. We were just there.” Frank said, “Really?” The girl looked relieved. Aidan said, “Yes, but you should hurry, and get what you need. We don't want to get ambushed, again. By the living, or the living dead.” They waited for the two new friends to collect supplies from the area stores. They quickly grabbed what they needed. Aidan helped Frank get his vehicle started. It had a head light broken, but still ran. Frank and Naomi followed the convoy to their new home. They were grateful that they finally found safety. Renee, and the others, now, understood what Aidan had been talking about. They drove back to the Orchard, knowing that, they only had a chance at survival if they were careful. They knew that things would never be the same. Ben and Jose drove inside the same vehicle. Jose asked Ben, “What do you think about other people joining us? Do you think that we'll find more survivors” Ben said, “Well. I think that Mrs. S. is right. We've made it, so far. Besides, if we were not here today, Naomi and her Dad would not have made it.” Jose said, “ Yeah. I know. You think that we can trust them?” He pointed to the rear of their convoy. Ben said, “I think so.” Jose added, “It's good that they are joining us.” Ben said, “ Yep. I think that we should train, if Aidan will teach us.” Jose added, “Yeah. We need to practice with the guns. I hope that those soldiers that we saw over on Beach Street aren't left alive.” Ben replied, “I don't think that they got away. But, we should tell the others about what we saw. They should know. Just in case there are any left. Or, another group does the same thing.” Ben glanced at his best friend, “Tomorrow, when we all talk.” Jose said, “That's what I was thinking. I hope they believe us.” Ben said, “ Oh...I think they will believe us. They saw what those guys were trying to do to Naomi and her Dad. That's why Aidan does not trust anyone. He knows this is really bad.” Jose said, “Do you think that we will be safe at Chloe's new place?” Ben said, “For now. At least, safer than in the city. That's why, we need to try to learn everything that we can from Aidan. Renee had filled a bag with seeds, and some garden tools. She would look for materials around the orchard to build a green house for winter. She held the radio to her mouth, “We all need to thank the Lord for this. We have come through something that most of the world could not. Aidan is right. We need to be careful of bad people, too. We help those that we can, and be cautious from now on. We will make it... together.”