Alpha of the Omega

by Corona, A. M.

  He then ventured into the back stock room. He looked to his right and noticed there was a small door. He slowly opened the door and the tiny office was dark except for the little bit of light that was coming through the skylight. The room was filled with pictures. He picked up the first one that was on the end of the desk. It was a picture of a man, a woman and a small child. “Those poor people are probably dead now,” he said out loud. He went around to the desk and pulled out the first drawer. It was filled with paper clips and pencils. They were all in a neat order and the pencils were categorized by the length. Then he opened the second drawer and it was just filled with file folders. Frustrated he slammed the drawer. Then he noticed the little tray that was underneath the desk. He pulled it open and there were several keys placed nice and neat. Each key ring had labels on them. He read the labels hoping to find the key he was looking for. He got to the last key ring labelled maintenance. He grabbed that one first and put it into his right pocket. He turned to walk out but decided not to. He grabbed the other set of keys just in case and placed them in his left pocket.

  He walked back towards the ladder and began to climb. When he reached the top he held on with one hand pulled out the key in his right pocket and tried to place it into the key hole. The lock moved as he struggled to put the key in. It didn’t a fit and he went through the keys one by one until he found the right one. He pulled off the lock and let it fall onto the concrete floor. He pushed open the door and breathed in the fresh air. That a boy. Just what you needed some fresh air. Hobbs just nodded in agreement with the voice. The air was refreshing as he stood there feeling the warmth of the sun. He went slowly around to the edge of the roof and looked down. He got a little bit woozy and anxiety crept up inside him. Scared of heights huh. Well you could end it all here buddy boy. Just one step off the roof and you will not have to worry about this world anymore. Yet again what would be the fun in that? Hobbs turned back and went down to get the other two men.

  Hobbs gathered the two men. “Hey guys it might be better if we go up on the roof and get some fresh air.” Bobbie was the first to speak up. “Yeah I think we need to get out of here just for a little while at least.” The three men went to the back and climbed up the ladder. It immediately raised their spirits. Cowan walked over to the edge as Hobbs did before. He was surveying the area to see how many zombies were still left. He started estimating by grouping the zombies in sections. There were a lot of zombies in the area but they were not as close as before. They were just wandering around aimlessly in different direction with no purpose. There was no sign of life either besides the dead walking. The grass was starting to grow high and the weeds started to overtake the sidewalks. Skeletons littered the floor as most of the flesh was picked off.

  Hobbs looked off into the distance noticing the storm clouds on the horizon. He enjoyed the change of scenery as he saw rain and lightning danced through the sky as the sound of thunder eventually reached his ears. He lifted his arms out wide embracing the small wind. Just then he heard a small noise. He turned into the direction of the sound. He strained his eyes as they adjusted to the new light. The noise got louder as it got closer. Then he could make it out. It was a helicopter. “Look there guys.” The two men were already looking in the direction. Bobbie started raising his hands and waving them about hoping for salvation. The helicopter came by and passed them. Bobbie confused asked, “Do you think they saw us?” “That would be too easy. Either they didn’t see us or they didn’t care,” said Cowan. Hobbs continued to follow the direction the helicopter was heading. Bobbie quickly spoke up. “It looks like it is heading towards the hospital maybe? I can’t really tell but the hospital is definitely in that direction.” Cowan looked again over the edge. The zombies were moving towards the sound grouping themselves together moving as one big herd. “They are definitely moving in that direction. I guess we won’t really get a chance to test that theory out.” Hobbs peered over towards Cowan. “Well there will be a time it just will not be now. Let’s just enjoy this moment before the storm gets here.”

  Just then he saw a flash of light from the other side of the street. Hobbs strained his eyes to see what the source was. It seemed like there were a group of survivors across the street. They must have heard the helicopter overhead. The flashing came in different sequences. Bobbie was the first to speak up. “It seems like it might be Morse code. Do any of you two know Morse code?” Cowan’s face flushed red with anger. “Just because we are the military you think we know everything?” “Well I just figured that you guys would know. Don’t they teach you that stuff like in basic training?” “No they don’t we are not comms, hell they might not even know Morse code anymore with all the technology.” Hobbs shook his head. “No I don’t either. Maybe there is a way we can get their attention. I will go downstairs and see if I can find anything big enough for them to read.”

  “You know what Cowan I am getting real tired of your shit.” “Yeah old man what are you going to do about it.” Cowan stood face to face with Bobbie their noses inches away from each other. Bobbie stood there contemplating what had happened with their last encounter. Cowan was too quick and strong for him. There would be no way he could take him. He pondered his possibilities. He could easily kill Cowan in his sleep but then he would have to deal with Hobbs. Would Hobbs just accept it? He has been acting strange and not all there. Bobbie didn’t know him long enough to know for sure but he thought about what Cowan said about Hobbs needing to pull it together. Maybe if he did manage to kill Cowan would it push Hobbs over the edge? Yes maybe he will break down but could that be a bad thing? Bobbie wished he had some ammo for his rifle. He could kill Cowan outside. Shoot him in the back and make it seem like an accident. Or if they were in a crowd again maybe he could manage to push Cowan towards one of them. That way with all the chaos it wouldn’t seem like he did it on purpose. Then he would be rid of that arrogant asshole. What the hell am I thinking? I am not a killer. What the hell is wrong with me? Life should still be precious especially at a time like this. Death was all around. Did he really want to partake in it? No he decided he didn’t want to be a part of that. He wanted to hold on to his humanity as long as possible. As long as possible… “Sorry Cowan. There just has been so much going on. I don’t want to fight this is not the time… if there would ever be a time.” Cowan took it as an apology and put out his hand. Bobbie took it with force just enough to show he was serious but didn’t want to overdo it.

  Hobbs had arrived with a poster board and marker in hand. “What should we write?” Cowan and Bobbie just looked at each other. “Hobbs do you think this is a good idea? I mean hell we don’t even know those people across the street. If we invite them over here, that can spell trouble. You know those movies where people pretend to be all nice and then kill you in your sleep. I have come too far to let that happen,” stated Cowan. Hobbs decided it was a risk he was willing to take. Just then the men noticed the flashing light again. Hobbs drew the outline of an arrow pointing downwards and then filled it in with the thick black marker. “I hope you know what you are doing. If we die it is on your hands.” Hobbs just smirked and held up the sign. There was no response or any movement on the other roof. “I wonder if they are able to see it,” asked Bobbie. Hobbs started waving the sign up and down to attract the attention of the other survivors. The sun was hot and was baking the skin on the three men as Hobbs stood there sweat pouring down his cheek. Then he saw movement.

  “Cowan and Bobbie you two head downstairs. Cowan you make the decision if they are hostile or not.” Cowan paused for a moment but did what he was asked to do. The two men climbed down the ladder towards the front of the entrance of the building. “Cowan I am not sure about this either. If there are a lot of them then this will be a hell of a fight it they are not friendly.” “Yeah I know what you mean. Our best chance is to just move the barricade by the door just enough so we can crack the door leaving enough room for them to get in.” “Agreed.” The two men pulled each c
rate stack backwards about two feet in order to give the newcomers the ability to slip through but not too far so they could push the crates back in place quickly if Cowan deemed they were hostile.

  The two men waited looking for any sign the survivors were indeed going to come. The door to the building across the street popped open quickly. A small head popped out as they looked left and then right and then disappeared. It took a few moments before any more activity occurred. The person that popped their head out opened the door propping it open with their foot as he rushed the others outside with his hands. There were only a few zombies present but they had reacted to the sound the door made. They started to shamble in their direction. The first person out was a female. She was rather thin probably from the lack of food and nutrition. She wielded a long screwdriver probably about a foot in length. When the first zombie reached for her she held out her arm keeping the enemy at bay. She proceeded to drive the screwdriver through the eye and the zombie died a second time. She dodged the next few running a zig zag pattern. The next man seemed an oddity to Cowan and Bobbie as he did not have any weapon to defend himself. He caught up easily with the woman and pushed against her back gently in order to speed her up. The man that held the door pushed the door leaving it open as he ran towards the store. Unlike his counterpart he was armed with a hammer in his hand. The last one to exit was prepared for such an apocalypse. They were dressed in chain mail. They had a biker helmet on with the visor down. They clutched a halberd in their hands, a spear and axe mix. They moved slowly not minding the danger they were in. They sook out the zombies instead of running away from them. They thrusted the halberd forward piercing the skill dispatching of the first. Then they pulled the halberd away and brought it down on the head of the second splitting the skull. They put their foot down on the dead body as they pulled the halberd out. They did this repeatedly until there were ten meat suits lying on the ground.

  The first one reached the door and Bobbie slowly pried open the doors letting the first one in. The first, second and third made it inside. Bobbie closed the doors quickly. Cowan never took his eyes off the fourth one. It seemed like the fourth was out hunting the zombies trying to kill as many of them as possible before they finally started heading to the door. The three were inside and thanking the two men for letting them in. Cowan just ignored and watched the fourth as they dispatched the zombies. It was the most entertainment he had seen in a long time since the television was cut short because of the electricity going out. Finally Bobbie opened the door letting in the last one. The last one finally took off their helmet. She brushed her hair back. She reminded him of his love from before. “I am Rebecca but people call me Becky. This is Thomas that is Edward and this is Lilly,” said the woman, as she pointed to each of them as she named them. Cowan was the first to speak up excited as if he gained his love once more. “I..I am Cowan and this is Bobbie.” They heard Hobbs as he was coming down from the roof. “That is Hobbs.” “Good to see there are other people that survived besides us,” she said. It appeared she was the leader of the group. Cowan pointed out who was who to Hobbs catching him up to speed. Hey there baby boy. I bet you are going to ask them to take off their clothes aren’t you. Yeah it would be nice to see something better than that old woman from before. What do you say? We can see some good action and if one of them is willing then. Shut it! Hobbs screamed in his head. “Are any of you guys bit or infected?” asked Hobbs. “No we are all healthy a little bit hungry and thirsty but other than that we are all good,” responded Becky. Being pleased to hear that none of them were bitten he offered them food and water. Thomas was a rather pudgy man although he carried himself rather well. Edward on the other hand was thin and anorexic looking which didn’t seem to be because of the apocalypse. He wore thick black glasses that reminded him of the BCGs, birth control glasses, that soldiers were required to wear in basic training. Lilly was just an average plain woman. Her hair was just past her shoulders. She wore a plain black shirt and jeans that seemed to be just a little bit too big for her. Hobbs looked at Becky and noticed the resemblance she had to Cowan’s old love.

  The four shoved food down their throats as fast as they could and took big gulps of Gatorade washing down the food. “So how did you guys survive?” asked Cowan, as he looked at Becky. “Well we are all neighbors in the apartment building. Thomas there, lives on the fourth floor. Edward and Lilly they live across the hall from me.” Edward gleefully took Lilly’s hand indicating they were a couple. “Thomas was an accountant and worked downtown. Edward and Lilly, they are writers and I am a waitress at Donnie’s.” “Yeah Donnie’s is the old pub on the east side of town,” interjected Bobbie. “Anyways,” said Becky, irritated that she was cut off. “I first heard the shots and then started to get plenty of water and food together. Which unfortunately was not much. You know waitresses don’t make too much money and especially that cheap bastard Donnie didn’t pay well. Then I heard footsteps outside the door. I opened it slightly and saw Edward and Lilly racing up the stairs screaming something. Then I quickly rushed them in and boarded up the door.” Thomas spoke up next. “Yeah I was scared shitless. I was afraid for my life. I pushed the couch against the door and just sat tight.”

  Cowan heard the words here and there as he stared at Becky. Emotions welling up in side of him. Maybe this is my second chance he thought to himself. “So where did you get all of that stuff there,” said Cowan, pointing at the armor. Becky waited a moment as she was chewing a granola bar. “Well I love the medieval times. I love reading books on the time period and would fantasize about what it would be like to live during that time. I made a chain mail and I bought the halberd online. I never figured it would help to save my life one day.” She looked at the halberd smiling. “I mean you watch those zombie movies and you would never think about someone having some chain mail or anything.

  “After a few days I was starting to run out of supplies and I decided I needed to check on everyone else.” Edward and Lilly were nodding together in unison as if they needed to verify her story. “It was a mess outside. There were only a few dead zombies but it was a blood bath none the less. There were body parts all over. It was hard to tell what part belonged to who. Blood was splattered all along the walls. I walked down the hall dispatching the zombies. There were so many doors that were left open.” Becky took a deep breathe trying to get rid of the lump that welled up in her throat. Cowan spoke softly. “It’s ok, we have all been through a lot.” “Since when do you care?” asked Bobbie. Becky continued on ignoring the two as they stared at each other with anger. “I checked all the apartments one by one. It was not much better inside than it was outside. I opened one of the closets and out came a zombie falling right on top of me and I lost my balance. It was a good thing I was wearing the chain mail.” She patted the armor pleased with herself. “Then I knocked on the doors one by one and if I didn’t get an answer I moved on. Then I finally made it to where Thomas was. At first he was reluctant thinking I was a zombie. I was trying to explain to him that I was not a zombie.” Thomas looked down at his feet feeling rather ashamed of himself as if he should have known better. “Well he finally let me in and we took the food he had to my place. The food lasted a while but then we started to run out and decided we needed to scavenge elsewhere. We went outside a few times but didn’t find anything.” Hobbs eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Well wouldn’t there have been plenty of food in the apartments? I mean why leave when there could have been plenty of food in the apartments. You never came over here either?” Cowan stood up. “If she said there was not enough food then there was not enough food,” Cowan had said with authority, as if he was there witnessing everything that happened. Becky looked at Cowan not sure if she liked him or not. There obviously was tension between the two men. “Sorry Hobbs. Just tired I guess.” “Yeah I know man, I know.”

  Becky continued on. “I guess we really didn’t think about that.” Man I wonder how people survive thought Hobbs. This is the second perso
n that really did not make any sense at all. Why would you leave all that food and safety to head outside to scavenge for food and not even go to the grocery store? What is driving these people to go outside? It was just not logical. Yet it was not logical that the dead would rise seeking to kill and eat either.

  We heard the helicopter and immediately went to the roof. We were hoping they were coming to look for survivors like the TV said. I tried to get a hold of them by flashing a small mirror but it didn’t work. Then we saw you guys across the street and I tried to get your attention. “Then that is when you held up the sign and we decided to head on over.” “Well I am glad you made it,” said Cowan as he smiled at Becky. Becky shifted uncomfortably noticing the long looks she had gotten from Cowan. He made her feel uncomfortable. She felt as if his eyes were undressing her one layer at a time. She wondered how long it had been since he was with a woman. The outbreak happened a while ago but she never imagined that such desperation would take a hold so soon. She was always self-conscious about herself and never really felt that she was pretty. Plenty of her boyfriends had reminded her of that. Constantly they would tell her they could always do better and that she should be available to them at any time and any hour. Then a slight anger built up inside her mixed with a bit of fear. She didn’t know anything about these three men and what would really stop them from taking what they want. It is true she could defend herself but these two were soldiers they were trained to fight. She wished she had a small knife that she could use in the case either of them would try to force themselves upon her. The halberd was too long and bulky and not well suited for combat in tight quarters. She clutched her halberd tighter and brought it closer to her laying across her body the blade pointed towards the ground so she could quickly raise it if either of them came towards her. Then again what would it do? The two obviously wore body army and she wondered if the spear head would even pierce it. No matter if it would or not she would not go down without a fight. Noticing her shift and clutching her weapon tighter Cowan decided that now would not be the best time to approach her. If he wanted to win her heart as he did with his love from before this was definitely not the way to go about it. Although his heart told himself something different. His heart wanting desperately to make that connection once more. To have the warm embrace of another woman. He had his flings but they never satisfied him. He longed for companionship and for someone to love him like his love did before. He wanted to wake up next to a beautiful woman. He didn’t know how this would all work in this new life though. Would it be better not to get attached? Then his thoughts quickly shifted to Bobbie. He had lost so much in a little bit of time. Would he be able to handle if he got close to someone once more just for them to be whisked away? Then he put the thought away. Now was not the time to worry about that.