New Beginnings

by A. H. Frederick

  "May we come in?" He said.

  "Yeah, have a seat." I invited as I stared at the first page. When Trevor stood on one side of Sestra and Jason sitting on the other of her, I started to read aloud.

  "Behind this page is a list of those who fought bravely until we had to abandon the station and all hope of restoring society." I flipped through the edges of the pages with my thumb like a flip book. There were at least five pages filled with names and causes of death. I then set the packet down beside me and leapt into a deep thought. Those listed in the packet fought to keep people alive. Those were heroes that had fallen and those who fled were mere cowards this plague had created. I am no better, at least that was what I believed.

  "Alex?" Trevor spoke finally, breaking me back into reality. I looked at them to see their concern written on their faces.

  "Did you guys find anything out there?" I asked to change the subject.

  "We paid a visit to an enclave in the housing zone. They said the horde that attacked us and gun practice didn't mix well and attracted the horde up to them. They didn't suffer any loses, but it scared the majority of them. They also said that there may be food in the hotel basement." Jason reported. I nodded and Trevor kneeled to pick up some papers I missed.

  "So, you spent the past what? Hour or so, picking up papers?" Trevor asked.

  "Yeah. It's not like I can do much."

  "Did you find anything else?" Trevor said. I circled in the office chair, looking at the filing cabinet beside the entrance.

  "That one is filled of paperwork about the riots and marshal law." I pointed to another across the room. "That one is when the zombies started to come into the picture."

  "The whole cabinet is filled with-" Jason began as he had reached the third cabinet.

  "Is filled with orders to keep the peace.” I said, interrupting him. "Also..." I trailed off, opening a desk draw and taking out a pistol from inside and setting it on the desk. "Each desk has a pistol and a box full of ammo." I said.

  "Great, more pistols that are limited by nine bullets?" Trevor said.

  "There good for secondary weapons and since there’s only four of us and sixteen desks. The extra I can use for other things like gunpowder explosives." I said as ideas rush into my mind.

  "It's getting late. We should be getting to bed." Jason said with Sestra's nod.

  "You guys can get some sleep. I'll stay up to guard the place." I said. They agreed and went to the bunk bed room and I limped over to a working desk at the far end of the room.

  Chapter 5

  The Promise.

  There was a mechanism at the far end of the desk. I pulled the lever down and discovered that it presses down with extreme force. Shrugging, I then went into the drawers and found a couple of small mother boards, batteries, fishing line, and a few electrical tools in another drawer. I sat in the chair that’s screwed in the floor. I spent half an hour thinking of ways to use these new supplies I had found. Through the cloud of inspiration, a bright idea came to me of a trap. Sadly, I didn't know how to make it in front of me and I didn’t want it blowing up in my face. I sighed from frustration and limped down the stairs to drag a desk chair to the front door. I then went back to the bunk room to find my weapons that were under the bed I was in this morning. When I brought them out from under my bed, Sestra was still awake and flicked my forehead, which made my reflexes move my hand up to punch her, but stopped in time. I then looked up at her.

  "Hi little one." I whispered. She gave a shy smile that I saw from the moon light as it was peeking through the window just above me. "Can't sleep?" I asked as I saw concern in her expression. She nodded softly. I then sighed and leaned on her bed. "Do you remember why I call you little one?" I said in a routine tone. It’s what I always ask her when she was uneasy about something. She shook her head in disagreement, even though she does. I smiled back as I continued "Well, I call you little one because when I saved you from your father, you curled up into my arms, crying and shaking. That was when I realized that you were small enough that you looked like a small animal. So, I called you little one because you reminded me of a little baby bird who had fallen out of the nest." She gave me another shy smile before turning on her other side to sleep. I patted her legs, then grabbed my weapons and got ready to go back to the chair, leaving behind my sniper in between my bed mattresses. I finally got back to the office chair with my pistol in my hand and sat the rifle and sword beside my chair. After a few minutes, my mind begins to wonder through memories of my life. I remembered one moment where we were with Trevor and surviving in the forest. We built a camouflaged shelter out of leaves and sticks. It was mostly built into the ground so we could talk softly without the worry of the undead hearing us because we were a few feet underground. One night we were all talking and having a few laughs about our old lives. We were away from the despair of the world and actually had joy in our lives, even though I felt an unexplained bliss in the wild. After we calmed down from Trevor's hilarious jokes, he looked at us with this serious look.

  "Alex, Chey." He started, taking a moment to gather his thoughts completely. Chey is Sestra’s nickname. Sestra meaning sister in Russian. She is Russian and Australian.

  "What is it Trevor?" I asked.

  "Will you promise me to kill me if I ever died?" He asked. Sestra and I looked at each other. She looks back at Trevor and nods. I sighed and put out my fist.

  "Of course." I said. He smiled and bumped my fist with his own. That was a symbol between two friends that sealed the promise.

  "Thank you. I promise to do the same to you if you ever get bit." Trevor said. I flash back to a memory, trying to keep back tears in my eyes. I looked to the front door and saw no one out there. My stomach growls and thought back to the last time I ate and it was before the spider zombie discovery. I stood up and went into the kitchen to find an apple and bottled water with a note on the bottle. Chewing a bite from the apple, I read the note.

  "Here little buddy, in case you’re hungry. From Trevor and Sestra." It read. I smiled, then took a drink, not realizing how thirsty I really was, nor how rotten the apple was. I stopped drinking when the bottle was completely empty and I took out another from my bag that I placed on the counter. I then brought it to my chair as I took another bite from my apple. I looked at the window door and felt like I was being watched. I sat in my chair, eating my apple and sat the bottle of water in between my legs as I needed my gun to be ready. I soon finished my apple as most of it was rotten and was still hungry. I tossed my core by the door and stared blankly at the darkness. My eyes began to feel heavy and suddenly I felt a sharp pain that made me jolt awake and out of my chair. When I looked around, it was morning and Sestra was sitting on the floor beside my chair, staring up at me. A lit blanket gently floats to the ground and a hollow, bump sounded behind me. I stretched my back backwards to release the stiffness from the chair when reality of me falling asleep in the chair came to me. I had no memory of even closing my eyes, but I must have. I then stretched as much of my muscles from my neck to my toes as possible.

  "Morning sleepy head!" Came from Trevor in the kitchen. I chuckled when I turned to walk into there, then heard the bump from the front door again. I turned to the door to find what looks like a zombie leaning on the glass door. I looked back at my chair to get my pistol made sure the silencer was on it. As I walked through the first door and stood in front of the second, I tightened the silencer and walked up to the glass door. She looked at me with piercing, light brown eyes. I placed the silencer barrel against the glass and stared into the zombie's eyes, sensing something different about it. Weakly, she raised her hand on the glass and taped the glass. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. She slowly walked inside, then fell to her knees and sat back on her feet. I still aimed at her as Sestra comes in.

  "Sestra, get water and a small slice of bread, she's human!" I yelled. Sestra runs through the kitchen and comes back just a few moments later. “Give her the water first.” I instructed.
Sestra does so and the woman seemed to not have heard me. I walked behind her and pushed her head down to look at the bottle of water that Sestra rolled to her. She reaches down and takes it, unscrewing the cap and started chugging down the water until I took it from her before she hurt herself, drinking too much. "Speak!" I demanded. She let out a large gasp of air after she swallowed.

  "Thank you!" She said. Sestra then tossed a can of beans into her lap. The woman looks up at me while holding the can. I let down my hand and she placed the can in my palm. I then took out my hunting knife and went along the edge and popped it open, then handed it back to her, keeping my eyes on the stranger.

  "So, who do I thank for saving my life?" She said with a slight smile.

  "Call me Alex. That's Sestra. You will show us respect." I threatened.

  "What if I don't?" She said cheekily. I placed my pistol barrel against the side of her head.

  "You answer to me." I said in a stern tone. She giggled, closing her eyes. It took us a moment to realize that she had fallen asleep. Sestra and I dragged her to the bunk beds and threw her on one. "Watch over her and let me know when she's awake." I said. She nodded and sat on the chair beside her bed as I limped down stairs to grab my weapons, I heard Trevor in the kitchen. I peeked from around the corner to make sure he wasn’t stealing and he was putting stuff out for us. I went back to the chair and grabbed my pistol to stuff it behind my pants, then strapped my rifle to my side and the sword tied to my waist, I then limped back up the stairs to put my weapons under my bed. When I placed my sniper underneath my rifle, I untied the sword from my waist, then curiosity got the better of me. I climbed on Sestra's bed for the sunlight and look at it. Once I figured how to disconnect the blade from the hilt, it turned into just a large grenade launcher. Once I reattached the blade, I noticed that the blade made the whole sword feel unbalanced and I may hurt my wrist if I collide with anyone else with a sword, glad everyone uses guns to fight. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad. On the handle there are initials on the wood. C.S. and I wonder who’s the one that made was. A whistle came from Sestra as she stared up at me. "Yeah, yeah. I know, it's your bed and I shouldn't be on it." I said, guessing at why she whistled. She nodded, then signed the word stranger indicating the newcomer that came in this morning. I jumped from the bed, collapsing to the floor and releasing a loud groan of agony, Sestra rushes to help. "Don't, I can get up." I said, making my body stand back up. I then looked at Sestra and we started to laugh at my own stupidity. "Yeah, that was kind a stupid of me huh?" I said. She nodded, then pointed to the woman. I looked over and saw her staring up at us. I limped to her side with Sestra behind me. I then placed my arm on the upper bed, looking down at her. "Morning! Mind if I ask some questions?" I said.

  "Do you mind? The first thing I see when I wake up is a woman staring at me, not that I didn't like to wake up to a beautiful face." She said in a sarcastic tone. I sighed and grabbed her shirt.

  "This isn't a game!" I yelled.

  "Alright, alright! Fuck, it's too early for your loud mouth. What do you want?" She said. When she said that, it made me wonder where she has been.

  "What's your name?" I asked, staring down at her.

  "It's Karla, but my friends call me pink." She said.

  "Well pink-"

  "I said my friends call me that." She interrupts.

  "Karla, why were you starved and dehydrated?"

  "Because my people were killed defending the bank. I locked myself for two days when the zombies left. After that I have been wondering around, climbing on top of vans to rest. I spent a few weeks like that. I ran out of food a week ago, and the only other community that I know of is still a half a day away." She answered.

  "I'm sorry for your lose. You're welcome to stay for a while." I asked and as soon as the words left my lips, I felt Sestra's burning gaze on me. Karla looked at the bottom of the bed above her before answering. I am eager for her answer as Sestra’s gaze doesn’t leave the back of my head.

  "I will." She said and looked over at Sestra with a smirk. Sestra scuffed and walked out of the room. I sighed and limped over to my bed to lay down. After an hour of deep thought, Karla looked over at me.

  "What happened to your foot?" She asked. I looked over at her with annoyance on my expression.

  "When we first got here, Trevor accidentally shot my foot." I explained.

  "Who’s Trevor?"

  "Ask him yourself, he'll be here to check on us in a bit." I said. She went quiet again, letting me go back to the thought of when Trevor and Sestra had to escape in the woods.

  "Alex, are you with us?" I hear, waking up from a peaceful dream. I look over to see Trevor staring down at me.

  "Yeah, I'm here. Just, napping I guess." I said in a daze. He started to unwrap my foot to change the bandage because of the filth from me limping.

  "You shouldn't be walking, especially on these floors." He advised. I smirked and glanced at Karla. She was fast asleep, which was a nice thing to see. The white coat came in when Trevor was just about to finish unwrapping my foot.

  "Hey there, long time no see." I said with a smile. He nodded and walked over to the bed side opposite of Trevor.

  "How are you feeling?" He said.

  "Same-ole, same-ole." I replied.

  "How much longer for bed rest Trevor?" The white coat asked.

  "Maybe another week or two if that infection doesn't spread."

  "Infection? Is it bad?" He asked.

  "Let's see." Trevor said, pulling away the last of it. My foot looked like a giant eggplant.

  "Oh, my god!" I yelled, waking up Karla.

  "Who the fuck is yelling! People are trying to sleep here!" She yelled.

  "Oh, pardon me, princess! Excuse my shock of my foot turning fucking purple!" I yelled back.

  "Alex, calm down!" The white coat said, pulling out a clear vile of reddish black liquid inside from his pocket. I looked at the vile, then up at him.

  "What are you doing?" I questioned as he unscrewed the cap and brought it over my foot. Without hesitation, he pours the vile onto my foot. As soon as it touched my foot, a numbing feeling engulfed my foot. I reached over and flicked my foot, making it feel like it woke up from being asleep. I grip the sheets from the strange sensation and looked up at Jason. "What did you do to my foot!" I yelled.

  "What did I fucking say!" Karla yelled.

  "Stuff it filth!" I yelled at her.

  "Whoa, what crawled up your panties?" She said, sitting up.

  "Alex, calm down! It was an experimental medication that can clean up any infection. We produced it ten years ago." He explained.

  "'kay, great, Leave, now." I said, giving him a glare that was filled with rage that Sestra calls my 'death stare' that only shows a few times in our friendship. It also made Jason uncomfortable and left. I sigh deeply as I grab above my knee to deal with the strange and uncomfortable feeling that has slowly been crawling up my leg.

  "You going to be ok, little buddy?" Trevor said. I glared at him. "No? Alrighty then, good luck." He said, leaving the room. Karla comes over and sits in Trevor's chair.

  "Want me to hold your hand?" She said sarcastically. I glare at her, then released my leg because it had slowly faded away and I had laid back.

  "What? You want a touchy-feely conversation now?" I said. She chuckled and sat back in the chair.

  "Well, dipshit, not anymore." She confessed. I sigh and looked back to her.

  "Ok, I'm sorry." I said, patting her knee. She sighed and leaned on her knees.

  "You know there’s an enclave in town that is five blocks big near the small strip mall. Rumors from other enclaves in this small town say that they have been creating their own weapons since all their guns were sabotaged by a bandit gang called the New Generation. The sabotage caused three deaths before they realized the sabotage. Since then a techy old man started to tinker and made weapons out of the gun parts." She said. I immediately imaged the sword and brought it out from Sestra’s b
ed.

  "Was one of his weapons something like this?" I said, placing the sword on my lap. Her eyes go wide with a smile to go with it.

  "I never seen his creations, but this looks like he put a shotgun and a sword together. Do you know what ammunition you need?" She asked.

  "Regular grenade launcher ammo, I think. I have been thinking of where to find some though, but all the places I come up with are emptied out." I confessed, placing it back under my bed. Suddenly, my foot gets three spots of agony on my foot surface, making me clinch down on my teeth and pulling on the sheets. Only able to groan in the blinding pain.

  "What's wrong!" She yelled.

  "My foot! Get the white coat so I can make his coat red!" I yelled and she runs out of the room. As I deal with the burning pain, I begin to viciously tear off the gauze from my foot because my foot felt like it was being squeezed. In a little while comes the white coat and Sestra behind him. The white coat stands beside me, watching my foot as Sestra puts her hand on my forearm. I grab Jason's coat and pulled him down to get in his face. "What did you do to my foot!" I yelled.

  "Look at your foot." He said calmly. I released him, seeing Karla and Trevor walking in before seeing what was happening. My entire foot was as red as a tomato and I started to see something on the surface. Sestra looked closer to see three small dots before the white coat pushed on her head back, then brought out a magnet from his pocket and hover it over my foot until we all hear three metal clinging to the magnet and the pain is immediately gone. I sigh in relief and closed my eyes for a while.

  "Did he pass out?" I hear in Trevor's voice.

  "Nope, still here." I said in a light-headed state. I opened my eyes to realize that as soon as that was over, everyone was leaving the room. Everyone besides Sestra who was still holding onto my arm tightly. I look over to her and saw tears racing down her cheeks. I wipe them before they reach her chin, then placed my hand behind her neck and pulled her forehead to my own. "Be strong little one. I'm better now." I said. When I opened my eyes, I saw worry in her expression. I smiled at her, then messed up her mop of a hair. She always got annoyed about it, but I knew deep down she liked it. I laid back on the bed and Sestra started touching my foot. "Careful, my foot may hurt-" I stopped in mid-sentence, realizing my foot doesn't hurt at all. I then stomped on the cement floor. It was a cold feeling, but no pain and the wounds just had the blood dried over. I could finally go on scavenging missions. I grabbed my cloak from under my bed. I put it on and the smell of rotten flesh and blood filled surrounded me. I then got on the floor, laying on my stomach and started to do push-ups. Sestra then walks over and sits on my back. I use to do work out with her involved like this, but the bedrest has weakened me. I pushed off from the ground and barely did one.