Endgame (Book 1)

by W. A. R.

  Brian led the way, sidestepping slowly and carefully, knife poised and at the ready. Rick followed behind him and their footsteps crunched against the fallen leaves. His heart pounded in his chest, but in a sense, he was okay. There was a time when he could have sworn that he was born to fight, to simply release all of his anger and hostility. This may have been different circumstances, but it was the same outcome. He would win. He always won. His boots clanged lowly against the wooden steps as he climbed up them easily and he reached forward, opening the front door. He swallowed and stepped inside. He heard shuffling against the carpet, and he turned, seeing Rick ease his way in. His eyes were wide with wonder and fear; he was alert and searching for something, anything.

  “Charlotte?” he called out for her, and Brian shuddered. He may not have known much about the creatures then, but common sense told him that shouting would catch their attention, just as it would any other animal. Animals. The thought disgusted him. Not even twelve hours into the end of the world and he was already comparing them to animals and willing to ram a knife into their skulls. He reached forward to stop Rick from calling out again whenever they heard the hollow thudding of footsteps on the hardwood floor. Both men froze and turned their attention to the dimly lit hallway that led to a bedroom and the backdoor. Rick raised his gun and Brian readied his knife, patiently waiting for the source of the noise. Brian’s chest heaved from his heavy breathing and anticipation. His teeth ground together because deep down in his gut he knew that those footsteps did not belong to Charlotte. No, instead they were lighter and when the creature emerged, expressing a high pitched moan, he felt everything inside of him grow cold. From the corner of his eye he saw Rick’s body tense and he felt the uncertainty sweep across the room.

  It was a girl, no more than five or six years old, with a head full of brown curls in disarray. Her pale pink night gown was covered in blood, her arms and bare feet crimson as well. Her listless eyes were searching for them, her bloodied mouth formed into a permanent scowl. That was the first time he saw one of the monsters so close. All of the others through town were too far away to notice in detail; instead, all he saw was the brutality that was their nature and he knew that they couldn’t be trusted, no matter what or who they once had been. Her small feet stopped moving and she stood about ten feet from them, her dead eyes boring into each of them. The only sound was their breathing, and it was so loud that Brian couldn’t tell whether the child was breathing or not.

  “Oh my God…” Rick mumbled, catching her attention and he took one step towards the girl, lowering his weapon. Brian immediately gripped at his shoulder; pulling tight against the hold he had on his shirt and jerking him back next him. The girl’s scowl grew more fierce and she growled lowly, reaching out for them, brought to life by their movement and Rick’s words. Both men stumbled back, unsure of what to do. They knew what needed to be done, but the ache that reverberated in Brian’s chest at having to do it prohibited him from accomplishing the feat that lay before him. The child continued towards them, her bloodied arms and half missing fingers reaching for them. And for a brief moment Brian felt everything inside of him numb and go quiet. There were no thoughts, no terror, no hate…and he acted. He stepped forward, grabbing the now almost shrieking child-creature by its throat and he shoved his knife as hard as he could into her skull. Blood spurted from the wound and hit his hand just before he jerked back with all that he had and released the blade of the knife from the bone of her skull. The instant the sound of her body thudding to the floor reached his ears, he knew that he was in hell. He was in this perpetual nightmare and he would become a demon, a killer. He turned his eyes to a shocked Rick, who stood back, staring at him with unshed tears in his eyes from sympathy and pain. Brian suddenly felt haunted and frightened.

  “She isn’t here. We need to go, now.” He told Rick, his voice thick and hoarse, this throat clogged with all of the emotion that he was holding. He looked down and saw the knife in his hand trembling, drops of blood falling from the tip and reaching the floor at his feet. Rick only nodded in response and turned to the front door to lead the way back to the car. They rushed out, leaving the front door wide open and were uncaring of whatever lay in wake in the house. The child had been too much. Their eyes skimmed the yard that reflected the light from the streetlight.

  “What the fuck was that thing?” Rick asked Brian breathlessly as they bounded down the steps in tandem with one another. Brian looked about him, a nervous feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

  “I don’t know. All I know is we need to get the hell out of here. Something isn’t right.” He said and then a scream rent the air, causing the men to stop mid-step and begin looking around them, searching the car. The scream was so close, so very real that it ripped away at their humanity and tore it to shreds. Brian and Rick both rushed to the car. “Shelly!” Brian couldn’t help but shout, and he felt a brand new fear claw at his chest. Almost instantly her door opened and she stepped out. Her grim expression had not changed and he breathed a sigh of relief that she was safe.

  “What was that?” she asked him quickly as the back door opened, and Amber slowly eased out of the car. Brian looked between the two nervously as he assessed the situation, Rick at his back, gun raised and searching the perimeter around them for any suspicious activity. Shelly gripped the top of the car door and Amber gently held an arm across her torso.

  “I don’t know. Get in the car. We are getting out of here.” He said, and he couldn’t hide the tremor that crept into his voice and immediately he hated having failed to do so. He was Shelly’s strength and once she knew that he was very well afraid, he saw her terror heighten and both women seemed to tense suddenly, on alert even more so. Brian and Rick rounded the car without another word as fast as they could while the women began getting back in. And then time stopped.

  “RICK!!!” They heard the scream, the beg for mercy, the plea for help. It was Charlotte. Brian knew instantly what Rick would do before he even had time to register the shock that ran across Rick’s face.

  “Rick, don’t!” Brian shouted, reaching for his best friend but he wasn’t quick enough. Rick released his hold on the door handle and rushed past the car, leaving them behind.

  “Charlotte!” He exclaimed, and without thinking Brian raced after him, desperate to stop him from what he was sure was impending doom. He just knew it, he felt it. Tears stung his eyes as he watched Rick round the house and delve into the darkness of the backyard, aiming for whatever building he could find first.

  “Rick!!! Help me!” She called again, and there was the unique sound of fist banging against tin.

  “Charlotte!” he called back rushing to a decrepit old shed that was behind her house. Brian’s lungs burned from breathing so heavily, but he didn’t feel it. He couldn’t. All he could see was Rick running from him, all he could taste was fear, and all he could feel was panic.

  “Rick, stop!” he called out for him but he knew it was no use, and he surged forward, trying to move faster than he already was. He was under the now orange glow of the streetlight as Rick shoved his shoulder against the tin door with everything he had, shoving it open with a bang as it connected with an inner wall and he surged forward into the darkness. Brian reached the entrance of the door directly behind his cousin but he could not find him in the darkness. His chest hurt and he struggled against the sheer fright that reverberated through him. He froze at the door, debating on whether or not to call out for him, but there was no noise from inside the building except the shuffling of feet against dirt. Within thirty second’s time he saw Rick assisting an almost helpless Charlotte out of the building. Sobs were racking her body, and she couldn’t stop shaking. Blood coated her right arm, looking almost black under the light. Rick was saying something to her, but Brian couldn’t make out the words over the roar of blood in his ears. Words escaped him and he tried to focus on what it was that they needed to do. He turned to follow them, to help escort Charlotte to the car when
he saw it. There were at least ten of the creatures before them, their lifeless and unmoving eyes focusing on the trio before them, even more coming from the darkness. They were coming from the front of the house and the side, effectively blocking them in.

  Without thinking, Brian and Rick turned around with Charlotte in tow and began towards the shed. They knew without a doubt that they couldn’t make it out alive while trying to carry Charlotte out. It was no use, as when they turned around there were more coming from the other side of the shed. He bared his knife and released Charlotte’s arm surging forward with a new kind of anger. His family was in danger, and he had to save them; he had to. As he shoved what was once a man into a tree and drove his knife into his skull he heard a gunshot. He jumped, startled by the sudden loudness and turned to Rick again shoot a creature who fell lifeless next to another. Panic was in his eyes and Brian rushed forward to help him when realization hit him belatedly. Where was Charlotte? His eyes began scanning the yard around them and he saw her, limping away and crying hysterically towards the front of the house, where he then saw a creature fall to the ground, a trembling Shelly holding the knife he had given her while a weak Amber released the body. His mind went haywire, and he saw nothing but loss all around him. Everything slowed down in that moment and he could see their lips moving, their focus entirely on the chaos around them and the surrounding Biters. But he heard nothing; he did not hear their shouts, he did not hear the gunshots, and he did not hear Charlotte’s screams until it was too late. He began forward blindly as he watched Amber grip a creature by the chest, shoving it against the house with all of her might as Shelly drove the knife into its skull. He forced his knife into the ear of another creature , dropping it and jerking back with a sickening crack, poising his weapon for another kill. He ignored the blood that came out in droves around them, on them. They were all on a mission: to save one another. Rick was by his side then, advancing toward Charlotte, who was aiming for Shelly and Amber, the pair continuing to attempt getting the attention of Biters so they could lure them to their death, getting Rick, Charlotte, and Brian out of there alive. But Charlotte’s cries and Rick’s gun were too much, and before he could process what happened next, Rick rushed past him, out of bullets by this point, tears streaking across his face. Brian reached forward and jerked him back, saving him from the creature that bared its teeth, ready to latch on to his arm. Rick struggled against him, his bloodshot eyes on something in front of them and Brian followed his gaze. It was only then he heard the screams, the shouts. Charlotte struggled against two monsters, each one taking a bite of her flesh. She jerked and cried out in agony. Blood spurted form an artery in her left arm, and she stumbled back, falling hard on her back. They then surrounded her, their still firm fingers now digging into the soft spots of her body: her legs, her belly, her neck. Her screams lessened as her skin paled, her movements ceasing and her blood soaking into the ground around and beneath her. The creatures all dropped down to devour her, and Rick stopped struggling.

  “Brian! Rick! Hurry!” he heard Shelly scream as they released another Biter. Shelly helped Amber lean against the house, gasping. They stared across the yard at Brian and Rick and Brian went after them. He took a few hurried steps, beginning to run when he realized Rick was no longer beside him. He turned frantically around, his mind jumping several different directions, emotions beginning to beat him down into nothing when he saw the man hurry into the shed.

  “Get to the car now!” Brian shouted back to the girls before turning back and running after Rick. Why would he run back? He asked himself before realizing that his mind was a muddled mess, and he was not thinking straight. Two creatures wondered into the shed after Rick and Brian was right behind them, and yet still it was too late. By the time he had reached the darkened entrance, he watched the far wall of the shed fall with loud bang, orange light illuminating the silhouettes of Biters as they overcame the wall of the ragged building.

  “Rick!” he called out, hearing only screeches and moans in response. He forced his eyes to scan the darkness, panic biting at his chest. A creature suddenly caught his shirt, shoving him form the entrance and back into the yard, his teeth snapping away at him. He exclaimed loudly in surprise before losing his balance on a tree root. He brought his left hand up and pressed back against the Biter, feeling the slippery texture of blood on skin against his palm. His hand slid with the slickness of it and he felt everything inside of him freeze in cold fear as the creature edged closer with the movement. His right hand flailed about wildly in the dirt, searching for the knife that hand flung form his grip when he fell. Tears sprang to his eyes. He wasn’t going to make it out…but even more so, he wasn’t going to be able to save his family. He failed them, and that was his last thought before his hand failed him and the monster came down at his chest. Brian squeezed his eyes tightly against what he knew was going to happen.

  A sickening crack sounded in his ears in a split second and his eyes snapped open, Shelly’s panicked face as she peeled the creature off of him, struggling to free her knife. After a tense second, she released it, leaving it lodged in the Biter’s skull and began pulling on Brian’s shirt, urging him to his feet.

  “Come on!” She urged him and his mind finally caught up with what was happening around him, snapping back to reality and he grabbed her arm to lead her from the Biters that were filing out of the ragged door of the shed, the shambled tin walls quaking with their every movement. Shelly glanced over her shoulder as they rounded the side of the house, avoiding Biters as quickly as possible.

  “Where’s Rick?” She asked of him as they tumbled into the car, slamming the doors behind them. Brian shuddered before hurriedly starting the car and throwing it in reverse. He heard Amber’s wheezing and Kyle’s soft cries at the sight of Biters closing in on them and a part of him breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly backed out of the driveway, turning right and trying everything to get out. He frantically reached for Shelly’s hand in the dark before finding it and holding it tightly. He could feel her eyes boring into him, begging him for an answer. He swallowed thickly, biting back the tears that swam in his eyes.

  “I…I don’t know…he ran into the shed when…when they came through. I tried to find him but it…it was too late.” He said, his voice cracking with emotion as he spoke to her. He heard her sniffle, and Amber’s sob, and he understood that Rick and Charlotte were only their first losses. He understood that no matter how hard he tried to save them, he would eventually lose everything that he had ever loved.

  He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, listening to the commotion that arose from downstairs. The memory was still fresh on his mind, and the noise from downstairs grew even louder. His curiosity piqued and he decided to wonder down; he had been wallowing in his self-pity for long enough. He easily stood from the bed and stretched his tired limbs, the relief he gained from the release of tension welcoming. Slowly, he began towards the door and eased it open, hearing voices carrying to his ears. They seemed excited, enthusiastic, and he quickened his pace, feeling the pounding of his feet on the stairs in his knees. All too quickly he followed the noise to the living room and he froze, seeing Rick sitting up, hands tied together in his lap and feet tethered together on the floor. Amber stood against the far wall, tears evident on her face, chewing on her bottom lip, and Shelly was beside her, nervously bundling her fingers together as she whispered something to Amber. Neither woman’s gaze left Rick; Miles, George, and Jackson gathered around him, talking to him with no success. He wanted to ask what he had missed, what was going on, but judging by the looks on everyone’s faces, and the tension in the room, he already knew. Rick had woken up and was no longer delirious. They were all talking, Buddy and Derek were talking the loudest from the entryway, but Brian could distinguish none of it; instead, his entire focus remained on Rick, who now turned his glazed over eyes to the entryway where Brian stood. He was awake, and coherent it seemed, and for some reason that bothered Brian.

  It
bothered him because this Rick, this sane man that was once his best friend would know of Brian’s transgressions. This Rick would judge him and offer him no solace. Then again, Brian had to admit the fact that he felt relieved that his was alive. So…did his former thought make him a guilty, selfish person? Of course it did, he thought. He wished the sanity of Rick to be long gone simply so he wouldn’t have to face his own demons. That was beyond selfish and he just knew he was going to burn for it.

  “Rick? Son, what do you remember?” Jackson asked of him and Brian gulped. Would Rick understand that it wasn’t his fault? That he did all that he could do to save him? Surely, he thought, surely Rick, his best friend, could understand that, could forgive him for Brian leaving him the way that he had.

  Rick narrowed his eyes ruefully as Brian, not noticing the three men that sat in front of him. One by one each man turned to face him, and then the others in the room. The silence in the room was deafening as they awaited a response, from both Rick and Brian.

  “Everything.” Rick declared lowly. His words were biting and icy. They tore apart at Brian, and he could see the hate in his eyes, the despair and the betrayal. He quickly turned away, going towards the front door, wanting desperately to go outside where the thunder roared and lightning flashed, where the rain came down so that maybe, just maybe…the rain could wash away his sins.