Living Dead 2.0

by Radovick, Ronda

  225

  They started for the sporting good store. As soon as they turned around the corner, they saw a herd of zombies so big that, they could not believe their eyes. There were hundreds of them. Matt blurted out, “You guys!” Jessie grabbed Mary by the arm.” Get back to the office, now! Grab what we can and get in the RV. I am going into the store. We only have minutes.” Mary protested, “ No! We have to leave, now!” Jessie said, “There may be weapons in there. They are four blocks away. We have few minutes. Hurry! You and Matt get everything that you can into the RV. Get inside as soon as you do. I'll be there in a minute. Shoot any of those things that you see.” Matt and Mary, turned and ran to the office. Jessie turned to the store and shot out the glass on the door. Mary and Matt started loading bags of supplies, blankets, water, and clothes into the RV. Jessie rushed inside the store. He ran to the counter, right to where the guns were. He looked around, anxiously. There were no zombies...yet. He took a handful of hand guns and ammunition from the case. He took a garbage bag from a cabinet behind the counter. He fumbled around, trying to move as fast as he could. He stuffed the guns into a bag. The bag tore open. He said, “Shit!” He looked around for something stronger to carry all of the ammunition and guns. He looked up and saw the row of carts. He said, “ I'll just have to push fast.” He jumped over the counter, and grabbed a cart. He pushed the cart to the counter. He jumped back over and started taking guns , then throwing them into the cart. He grabbed several semi-automatic weapons, and ammunition. He tossed the handguns into another bag, then into the cart. Once he filled the cart, he jumped back over the counter. He started to push the cart towards the door, it jammed. He looked down at the wheels. The cart was stuck in the frame of door. He had only shot the glass out. The doors were still locked. He stuck his head out through the door. The zombie horde was about one hundred feet away, now. He had to hurry. He stood back and shot out the lock. Now, he could open the door. He kicked the door open, then pushed the cart out through the door. He pushed the cart towards the RV in a slow jog. The zombie horde was not far behind him. He saw Mary and Matt standing out side of the RV. They were yelling, “Hurry! They are behind you!” They were both pointing at the lake of death that followed right behind him. He turned to see how close the dead were. They were thirty feet behind him. His jog, turned onto a run, while he pushed the cart. He made it to the RV. In a panic, they all tossed the contents of the cart into the open door of the RV. Jessie was going to run to the truck. He felt his pockets. “I don't have the truck keys!” He looked at the zombie mob. They had made it to the rear of the truck. He would never have time to get inside, find the keys, and make it back to the truck. Mary yelled, “Just leave it! We have to go!” Matt tried to pull Mary inside, as he started yelled,“You guys! Come on!” Mary protested, “Come on Jessie! We have to go!” They dove into the RV. Matt fumbled with the keys. Jessie blurted out, “Give me the keys. You two, make sure the doors are locked.” As Mary and Matt locked all of the doors, Jessie started the RV, and drove off. He turned east, and drove to the edge of town. As they came to the interstate, they could see abandoned cars as far as the eye could see. Jessie felt even more doomed. He turned towards the passenger seat, and looked at Mary, who looked like she wanted to cry. “We'll go to the highway.” They made it to the highway, and traveled for an hour, or so. No one spoke. All of them silently, sat in their seats, overcome by gloom. Jessie thought he should pull the RV over for a rest. He saw a clearing to the side of the road. He pulled off onto it, and parked a few hundred feet into the grassy area, near the treeline. He turned off the RV. He stared straight ahead, not knowing how to comfort Mary and Matt. He said, “We'll stay here for a while. We have food and water for a few days. We have water in the tank, and cooking fuel.

  226

  We keep our showers down to a few minutes, to preserve water. Okay?” Matt quietly said, “Okay.” Mary didn't say anything. She looked terrified. Jessie said, “Keep your eyes and ears open. We don't know if those things have made it this far. I will take a look around.” He stepped out of the RV. He walked around to the side door and entered from there. He went through the guns that he had grabbed from the sporting good store. He opened the packaging to the radios and some batteries. He had grabbed six radios, total. He turned them on and handed one to Matt. He said, “If these work, we each keep one with us, at all times. Each one has to be on the same channel. Push the button and talk.” He watched Matt, as he held the radio to his mouth and said, “Hello. This is Matt. And I am having the worst year of my life.” His voice came over the other radio's .“Jessie picked the others up, one at a time, then spoke into them to see if they also worked. They did. Mary had joined them, now. Matt handed one of the radio's to Mary. She took it. Jessie said, “Babe. Keep this with you always.” He looked back at Matt. “This is our new cell phone. Our lives may depend on them. I am going to look around a bit. See what is near here. I think that we are far enough out, to be left alone. But, we still need to be careful. I'll be back in a while. Keep your eyes open, just in case.” He exited the RV, then walked around to where the trees were, and after he walked through the trees, saw a clearing. He stopped, and studied the terrain. It was flat, grassy land. Then, more trees behind it. He kept his gun in his hand. He walked towards the second batch of trees. He stopped, and peered through the branches. It looked pretty safe. He slowly, made his way into the trees. He took out his knife, and chopped a chunkof bark from the tree. He looked around, and followed a trail that was a bit over grown. He followed it for a few minutes, marking trees along the way. As he came to some rough terrain, he started up a steep hill. It was pretty rugged, but Jessie was in good physical shape. He and Ray used to compete with each other on hikes, just like this one. He easily walked right up the steep hill that, most could not climb. Once he made it to the top, he stood there, and looked around. He took out a monocular. He scanned the area. In the distance, he saw some buildings. He turned his head and scanned some more. He could not believe it. There were fruit trees. He felt so relieved. He made his way towards the trees. After a long walk, he made it to the orchard. He took his jean jack off, and threw it on the ground. He started picking the apples off of the closest tree. He put a bunch of apples on the center of the jean jacket. Then, wrapped the apples, by folding up the corners of the jacket. He tied the corners of the jacket and carried them back to the RV. When he made it back, he walked up into the RV, and blurted out, “Look what I found!” He emptied the apples into the sink. Matt and Mary, exchanged a surprised look with each other. Matt asked, “Where did you get those?” Jessie said, “ I found an orchard. We can hide the RV here for the night, right behind those trees. Over there.” He pointed towards the way that he had come. Mary said, “I don't know, Maybe we should keep going. Look for a building to hide in.” Jessie said, “This is just for the night. There is a second clearing. Over there, behind the trees.” Matt said, “Okay. But, I am not going outside.” Mary asked, “Where did you get these?” Jessie said, “There are some apple trees over a hill.” She said, “Okay. Just for the night.”

  Will hid behind the trees. He followed the man from the orchard. He was going to confront him, until he thought that, maybe he was taking apples, because he was hungry. After following him back to an RV, he decided to stay there awhile, to see who this man was with, and what his intentions were. He hid, and watched. He saw the man go inside the RV. After awhile, he saw the man start up the RV and move it further behind the trees. He moved back further into the second treeline. He stayed there, and watched the RV. For a long time, he didn't see or hear any thing.

  227

  Then, he saw a young woman come out side. She looked distraught. She stood there, just staring out into the distance. It was obvious that, she was deep in thought over the current zombie apocalypse that they were all experiencing. The man with the bandana came back outside. They were talking for a long while. He kissed her and touched her stomach. It occurred to Will that, this man had to get his pregn
ant wife to safety. Will felt a surge of emotion shoot through him. What if this were Stella or Scarlett ? He wanted to approach them, but did not know how they would react. If they were really spooked after fleeing the devastation, they might be too irrational. He waited, and watched. He thought that he had seen a teen aged boy looking out through the window, from inside the RV. He decided to go back and tell the others. Will felt a like it would be the right thing to do. He wanted to invite this family back to his place. Or, at least, give them a hot meal and some clean water. Now, was not a good time for a family that was expecting a baby to be out on their own. Yes, he would consult the others. He made his way back to his horse. He walked through some trees. He saw Elvis peacefully grazing ahead. He whispered, “Come on, Elvis. We got work to do.” Elvis walked to Will. Will climbed up on Elvis, then tapped his heels into the horses side. The horse moved into a trot. Instead of going to his place, he called out to Aidan on the Radio. “Aidan. Can you and a few members of the group meet me on the other side of the orchard?” Aidan said, “Yes. What's up?” Will continued, “I am on horse back. I'll meet you at the top of the ridge, behind the orchard. There are some people here.” Aidan repeated, “People? Will, be careful. How many are there? Are they military or civilian? Will, do not engage with them, until we get there?” Will knew why Aidan was so on edge. “I know, Aidan. I think if, we approach them as a group, we can talk to them. This looks like a family. We should talk to them, and ask if they have a place to stay. I don't think that they do, though. They are traveling in an old RV. Three of them. I suspect that the woman may be pregnant. I saw the guy picking apples, and followed him back to their RV. If they aren't aggressive, I think that we should help them. If you all don't have room for them at Renee's, I will make room at my place.” Renee's voice came over the radio, “We'll figure it out, Will. We'll meet you in a few minutes.” After a while, Will saw Aidan, Jimmy, Kyle, and Renee walking up the trail. When they approached him, Renee asked, “So, where is this family?” Jimmy said, “Are you sure that, they are not infected?” Aidan said, “If they are, we can't really help them.” Renee said, “We have to help them. We can't leave them out here. Unless they are dangerous.” Kyle said, “Renee, if any of them are infected, they are dangerous.” She replied, “Kyle. If they are infected, that means that, they are dying. I cannot, in good conscious, leave someone that is dying, without at least trying to make things more comfortable for them.” Kyle said, “ Maybe, some of us can stay here and help them out, until...” Jimmy said, “Well. Let's find out what their story is, first. But, Renee..”

  He looked only at Renee, now. “If they are dangerous, or infected, we can't bring them back. Maybe, we can figure a way to make them more comfortable. But, we can't endanger the whole group, by bringing an infected back.” Aidan cut in, “He is right, Renee.” Will said, “That is why we need to close off our lands. One of them was picking apples at your orchard. I followed him back to see if he was alone. Anyway, I do think that these people will welcome a safe place to be. I don't think any of them are bit.” Kyle suggested, “Why don't we try to meet them, see what kind of people they are?” They all followed Will, as he led the horse by his reigns. After arriving at the spot where the RV was parked, they all stopped. Will said, “I'll knock on their RV door.” Renee said, “I'll go with you.” Jimmy, Kyle, and Aidan all exchanged a look. Aidan said, “Maybe, that's better. We don't want to spook them, by showing up outside their door with our guns showing.”

  228

  Will and Renee walked to the RV. As Will started to knock, the door swung open. A man stood there looking down at them. He looked about thirty years old, and still wore the bandana on his head. Will said, “We...uh...” He stopped speaking, and looked over at Renee. We saw your RV parked here. We thought, maybe, you needed some help.” The man asked, “Who are you ?” Renee said, “I am Renee Gallo. This is Will Neely. We own the adjoining properties over the ridge that you were hiking on. We thought that maybe, like us, you were trying to avoid the city.” Jessie had come down the steps, and was standing on the grass. Now, Renee saw a woman and a teen aged boy standing in front of the door. She addressed them, “Hi.” The woman, no older than thirty, slowly said, “Hello.” The boy waved. Then she addressed the man. “Jessie. What is going on?” Matt interjected, “Hi. I am Matt. This is Jessie and Mary.” Renee said, “I am Renee and this is Will. Nice to meet you Matt.” Will asked, “Are we right? Are you trying to get away from the...” He paused, and looked down for a few seconds. He continued, “The current events, plaguing the towns and cities?” Jessie said, “Yes. And...” He looked down at Renee, “I am sorry. I didn't know that I was on anyone's property. I ...it's been so long, since we have seen people...I thought that, everyone was gone.” Renee said, “We brought a few more people with us, just in case. Can we bring them around to meet you?” Mary said, “Sure. Of course. We are not trying to be rude. We are just, surprised to see.... anyone.” Will gave a whistle. Now, Jimmy, Kyle, and Aidan made it around the side of the RV. Renee introduced them to each other. She said, “You guys. This is Matt, Jessie, and Mary. Mary, Jessie, Matt. This is Jimmy De Vito, Aidan Sandoval, and Kyle Morgan. Kyle and his girlfriend are the newest members of our group.” Jessie asked, “Your group? You have a group?” A smile came over Matt's face. Mary looked relieved, and surprised at the same time. They all saw the expression of happy surprise on Jessie's face. Renee said, “Yes. We actually, have three groups. Mine, Will's, and Roses' properties all meet. So, we have been working together, as a group, to try to figure out how to get through this...thing. We were wondering if, you all were looking for somewhere to go? Or, needed a little help.” Jessie said, “I..we, are looking for somewhere to go.” He turned, and looked at his wife. She looked so relieved. She said, “Jessie.” He turned to the group, “Are you asking us to join your group?” Renee said, “Well, Yes. I don't think that it's safe out here for you. Of course, it's your choice. We don't know what this is, yet. Or what caused it. We are trying to organize, and make it. I am not sure what the future holds for any of us. But, the way I see it. Now, it is the living, or the living dead. I, am going with the living.” Matt was happy. And, Mary wanted to cry. Jimmy cut in, “So... Are you guys up to seeing real people, again?” Matt said, “Uh. Yes! Jessie. Tell him, yes.” Jessie looked from Matt to Mary. Mary said, “Yes. We need this, Jess.” Jessie turned to the group, and extended his hand. He said, “Thank you.” Will shook his hand, “Welcome to the group.”

  Renee said, “Alright, then. We have to get you all to the gate.” Will said, “I can ride Elvis to the gates. They can follow in the RV. It is the easiest way to get them there.” Aidan told Jessie, “It's right up the highway. Just, follow Will. And, one of us will open the gate for you.” Jessie said, “Okay. We will see you there.” They climbed into the RV, and followed Will and Elvis up the highway. Will, and the new members of the group arrived at the gate. Chloe and Ben opened the gate, and let them in. After all made it through, they closed the gate and locked it. They followed Will's horse to the house. They all exited the RV. They looked around. They saw a little girl, sitting on the grass. She was playing with some dolls. There were other people walking around, as though, there was no zombie apocalypse on the other side of the trees.

  229

  Mary looked so relieved. Jessie turned to Will, “It's like, there is nothing to fear out there.” Will said, “Oh, there is plenty to fear. We are working on, trying to close up the boundaries of the combined land, in case those things get too close.” Matt said, “That's a good idea. If the herd that we saw get's out here, we are all doomed.” Will stopped, and looked at him. “The herd?” Mary cut in, “Yes. In the city, they travel in large, herd-like packs. Hundreds, even thousands of them. It is terrifying.” Will said, “We are trying to figure it out.” He looked worried, but he kept walking. They followed him to Renee's house. Renee was directing Chloe, Ben, and Jose to carry blankets and canned food into a large building. She turned, and saw the new m
embers of the group. She called everyone to where they were. Some of the group members that were outside, gathered around them. She said, “Everyone. Please, welcome Jessie, Mary, and Matt. They are part of our group, now.” Everyone said, “Hello.” in sync with each other. Pastor Dom approached them. He extended his hand to Jessie, then Mary, and Matt. “Hello. I am Pastor Dom. It is nice to meet you. We are having Sunday service in the school, every Sunday. You are all welcome to attend.” Jessie said, “Thanks.” Matt asked, “You mean, church?” Mary nudged the boy, and said, “Yes, Matt.” She turned to the Minister. “Thank you, Pastor. That would be nice.” Renee and Aidan interrupted. “You should look around, decide where you would like to stay. We have the school. We are using one side of it for the group. It is so big that we are making apartments out of part of it.If you don't like the school, there is the outer area, you can use for your RV. Right now, we are still planning and building.” Mary said, “Thank you.” Jessie said, “Maybe, for now, we stay in the RV. This is all still a shock. A good shock.” Matt cut in, “Can I go look in the school?” Renee said, “Sure.” Chloe said, “Want us to show you around?” Matt said, “Yeah. Sure.” Ben said, “Wait until you see the school roof top.” Naomi walked up, and they all walked off. They kept getting to know each other, as they walked towards the school. Renee continued, “Are you alright with food? We have a group closet. I call it a group closet. It is just a collection of the supplies that we have been able to collect..... “ Pastor Dom, who was helping Ava and Nicole move boxes around, blurted out, “And, praise Jesus for that.”