The End

by Herman Grobler

  I didn’t break anything , the door wasn’t even locked to begin with William replies softly, I am looking for a close friend and I thought he could be in here beside you can see movements from a distance why wouldn’t I look here.

  Emma doesn't know what to say to that, it doesn’t matter I would cut you down, but you give me no possible reason to proof your case of innocence, you will have to give us time, it's only normal for me to take high priority of safety we are after all just women here myself my mother and my daughter so you will just have to wait until we figure something out until then try and get comfortable.

  If you need something to drink just ask and I will help you, William knows there is nothing he could say or do to make her think otherwise, I will have to wait here maybe it won’t go on much longer I can see it’s still early morning it’s still pretty dark outside. When the sunrise at the brightest through that window, I will try and convince her or them and if they still don’t want to let me go then I will find a way even if it means by using brute force, I need to find Danny.

  What is this pain, it’s unbearable, I can’t afford to get sick now not in a time like this where there is no safety maybe it’s meant to be maybe it’s the end, after all, no it can’t be I am overreacting here, there must be more to life than this. Danny curls into a ball holding his stomach, sweating furiously, moving around causing, even more pain, the pain it can’t be hunger pains when I already had something to eat not even long ago, it’s still dark outside, Danny calms himself.

  Danny wipe the sweat from his face, breathing fast and intensely it feels much better now though he still feels hungry I must have caught a tummy bug, I can find painkillers and medicine later today after I find William. I just know his alive, I can’t be wrong, I have a very strong feeling about it and I need to follow this feeling until proven otherwise.

  Having the last packet of noodles dry, Danny gets up and stares through the window in the lounge, the streets is covered with these monstrosities the garden looks clear, I can move from house to house still this doesn’t mean it’s safe there can easily be more of them in the gardens, I will have to try and make a plan once I do encounter any of them.

  Digging in the cupboard for something warmer he only finds a jersey its old and smells like moth poison a smell Danny really hates, at least it will keep him warm. Opening the front door quietly Danny leaves the house back into the dangerous streets, hard to miss and first thing he realize besides from being more of them, there are a few dead ones among them, I will stick to my first plan and move from house to house, that way if I do get in trouble I can always make my escape into these homes and block some of the doors.

  I am surprised how easy that was surely the easiest thus far, 95thSt is, at least clear, I am sure I can sit down for a while just for a few seconds to catch my breath, sitting down playing with a can of soda. Emma catch a glance of the person sitting in the street right on the corner of their garden short blonde haired, skinny as hell guy, before Emma describe this person to William she asks him a few questions just to be sure and maybe with luck this will be the person he was looking for this Danny person. She starts asking William her questions, how old is Danny, what color is his hair, what shape is he in? Blonde, 23 and skinny yet fit, why what do you care?

  Emma ignores the question making sure it’s safe, she moves the objects away from the door, she whispers over to Danny, getting a freight, Danny freezes and just keeps staring at her, she is pretty good looking but not his taste, he is gay after all, she asks him to stand up and remove the jersey just to make sure there is no weapon on him. She knows the importance to check for weapons more clearly but she isn’t scared and takes the risk of inviting him.

  Entering the house the very first person he sees is William tied up over excitement he starts pulling the tape off. Emma knows her mother will be angry but fact is William did not lie and nothing is keeping him from leaving. With hugs and kisses it’s weird for Emma to see this, she feels a little queasy, who would have known this man is gay he surely doesn’t look like a guy that will like another guy, oh well life sure is strange and unpredictable.

  9 Am it’s been an extremely long night William is dead tired he needs some quality rest, maybe the headache will go away, on another note William wants to continue he believes he has a very good plan and if Emma and her family are willing enough to come with then it’s even better. The location is perfect and safety insured, so I am sure they might agree if they do then that’s a major bonus we will still need the help of other to make it the ideal location for settling down. Anyone else tired of survival will also be welcome to join us there for either a good break or simply staying there its free for them to decide the more we can gather the better everything will be.

  If I sleep now we can travel at night but I am almost 100% certain that Emma will not agree at all then, it's either now or tomorrow it’s hard to say, the problem might be with her mother as well she looks extremely over protective a very scared person. William sit down and starts eating the sandwiches Emma made for all of them, it’s really good but I don’t feel that hungry so I will only eat half, Danny must be hating this, he hates the taste and smell of Marmite, still he will eat it not to be rude.

  William finishes his sandwich before he gets up and introduces his plan to Emma; the big plan is to go to Fort Taylor, I can see what you mean by this but Key west still holds a lot of citizens with just five of us we will surely be overwhelmed by big groups, it’s too risky I can’t go there neither can my family if we were more then maybe, Emma replies with a skew look on her face.

  We can’t stay here and neither can you, I have seen them, they are only getting more and more and spreading out in the streets by the masses sooner or later they will reach this street in particular and before you know it this street will be overrun by them. I can truly say I was lucky to get here, I went from house to house it was the only way I can be safe and keep my distance from them, Danny looks stressed all over again but at least his with William this makes things a lot better.

  Wait you didn’t let me finish, yes Fort Taylor is the goal for now and that will be the destination but that’s not the real goal, Fort Jefferson is it’s surrounded with ocean. We just need to set up preparation at Key West Fort Taylor then we can be off, I still want to cover and barricade the place up as much as possible. Just for in case any other survivors come by, then, at least, they too can have safety even if it’s not much, of course every now and then we can go check on Taylor just to make sure, if someone is there then we can maybe bring them to Jefferson of course we will consider the safety first before allowing any strangers to stay with us.

  We can barricade all entrances at Fort Taylor when we get there to make sure we are safe this can’t take too long once we are done there we can then start gathering much-needed supplies food water and other items that will support us to stay at Jefferson.

  There are still plenty of resources we can take with us, it will be perfect, think about it for a minute we can easily handle them if it’s just one or two after all we are four grown adults. We can have the perfect set up, if we do it like this we can get more people and fact and you know it is, we are stronger if we have the numbers, this will be safe for your daughter for all of us and possible for others too we just need to find them. Another point to consider, Fort Taylor is a large tourist attraction there might just be more survivors, sure there could also be more infected but we won’t know until we have seen with our very own eyes.

  Ok just stop talking you do have a solid point let us decide about this, you will have to leave the room so I can talk to my mother about this in private and please do understand when we don’t want to go, if we can agree we will go, if we don’t then don’t even try anything else, William agrees and goes to the kitchen with Danny.

  We need to be sure this is going to work, yes we don’t know him but everything he told us have been the truth he didn’t lie about the person he was looking for and with any luck and t
his does work out, it can be safe for my daughter and your granddaughter, we can make it safe, we can have food and sleep in peace every night without too many worries, those are solid buildings and not even storms will bother much, I don’t agree that it will be easy but like said if we put in the effort it shouldn’t be a problem, Susan trying hard to explain to Emma.

  Well I didn’t say no to begin with Emma replies loudly; I think it’s a wonderful idea it might just work maybe not Taylor, but I like the idea of going to Jefferson, the trip will be hard, the road has too many abandoned cars that will surely slow us down.

  Of course, thus, we only need to get to the beach and find a boat that will save us a lot of time and that will keep the danger to a limit. I don’t like the idea of going to Fort Taylor then spend time there to barricade the entrance then also sleep there for the night. Emma thinks hard before she walks over to the kitchen to give William her answer, we can go with you but only if you agree we go to Fort Jefferson first, we should secure this first, between the two forts, Fort Jefferson will be the safest bet, not Taylor we can take the supplies we have now it’s not much, but it will be enough to last us today including tomorrow. If we go tonight we can possibly have everything ready, then I will assist you to set up Fort Taylor tomorrow but Sally will remain with my mother at Fort Jefferson she is too young for this and my mother is too old to be of any real help.

  William understands and the sleep will be good he agrees, he feels very tired anyways, we will go there first with boat, I overheard your conversation with your mother it will be the fastest way to travel. You should get everything ready, take what you need we will help you guys pack, we need the following, blankets, mattresses, food and then a fast stop to get more water, clean water from well any café I highly doubt they would steal water that’s the last thing a thief will think about.

  11 Am everything is packed and everyone is ready to go but there is one problem they won’t be able to carry all of these things and this was the exact reason why Fort Taylor was first so they can gather what is needed there. We will just have to make it much faster a faster trip to the beach, we will have to take the car, and there is still space for driving not much but enough. On arrival we just need to find a boat fast and hope there is a key or we leave most of these things behind and just take the food and warm clothing. Susan disagrees immediately you might as well leave me right here, I will not go and sleep on the floor my back will never handle that, you can make your pick it’s me or everything we have now.

  Well that give us no option does it now, we will go with your car it’s a lot more risky but it’s really our only hope to get all of this stuff there. They start sneaking the goods out of the house and from a distance some of the infected notices them and starts walking over slowly, William notice them and remains calm only telling the others to hurry up. It doesn’t seem they know we are here its not very clear, they might be coming our way or simply coming this way because they are simply facing this direction, it’s too far to judge from this distance.

  Sally gets in the car, she is a very calm and a quiet girl she doesn’t speak much, from time to time you hear her playing with her dolls even that being very quiet for her age. I am so used that they make constant noise, William settles in the car and starts it, everyone is calm and watching their surroundings carefully its nerve breaking when you don’t know what will happen, ok let’s go, Emma replies softly no point for waiting. As soon as the car starts reversing the infected start running they are normally slow but at running speed pretty fast, this is new they didn’t move this fast at first, Danny thought to himself, they wasn’t this fast when they were chasing us, it’s strange, the infected is left behind in the distant as they gain speed, until they weren’t seen at all.

  Arriving at Miami Shores everyone takes a moment to realize all the dead bodies on the beach as well as in the water, a few boats that drifted away it's too distant to reach and there is no time for a swim either, everyone is well convinced that whatever they are or might be they will be right behind them in large groups it’s hard to tell the only ones here is the few standing around on the beach and nearby streets, we can be happy as they seem pretty far, good thing they weren’t attracted with all the noise this car made.

  William hits the steering wheel in frustration, there is nothing here, we have to do something we will have to swim to the nearest one before they catch up, looking confused Danny replies calmly “that’s crazy we can’t do that, you even gave me the guide that says Florida has a high shark attacks, with all this food in the water it might be worse, besides from that who wants to go in water that has dead bodies drifting around, dead bodies that possibly had the virus”

  He is right you know, we can’t take the chance here we need to somewhere else there is many stretches of beaches here and many owners that have boats, we can’t risk it, if this is the case you might as well take us home Emma says furiously, ok fine we should drive alongside the beach and see what we can find.

  A few minutes later, they surely did find a boat and from the looks of it, It’s not very reliable with such a far distance to cover William highly doubt this little boat will have the potential to take them even a quarter way of their journey. Still he can’t stress enough of how many there could be, especially if there is more on the way, this boat was their only hope, after struggling a few minutes just to get it started they are finally of, they stick close to the shores, no one will want to get in these waters if the boat had to die on them.

  Damn it this thing is just getting slower and slower, at least, we made it to the Plantation Key its already starting to get dark, however, we will find a new boat later I am sure we can find something good better and hopefully faster.

  After tying the boat down the group agreed to stay on the boat it's more heat and most likely is safer on the water than out there on the land. We were over our heads to think we will reach our destination in little as one day, I can hear them scream, you hardly hear them during the day, at night it can really sound horrible, making it hard to sleep during all the noise. Just thinking of all the people that died is just heartbreaking, to make the feeling worse none of us will see our families ever again I am sure everyone in this group already knows that or, at least, believe that.

  The night is haunting with all the screaming it gets louder from time to time, but they will never reach us, the rocking of the boats have me feeling sick the water splashing against this rubbish of a rift raft boat make it only worse, I am certain that at any moment I will vomit, Danny thought to himself.

  Danny moves over to the edge of the boat with some blanket covering his legs, it’s just a precaution will be rude to vomit in the boat where everyone is sleeping, feeling hot Danny knows this is not normal it’s supposed to be freezing by this time, don’t even know the time my wrist watch is broken or the battery died. Leaning on the edge of the boat thinking of random fun things he used to do with William a few minutes later Danny finally falls asleep.

  The pain is unbearable; I can’t believe she bit me like that just out of the blue; I can’t let my father see, it will cause too many problems he might just even kill her just like he killed my little brother, it’s hard to believe that he was capable of killing his own son so easily. This cold only makes the pain worse I better get a piece of cloth and wrap it up or maybe I should write a note explaining my actions, fetch his gun and just shoot myself.

  Why did she do that, she is fine and still she said sorry afterward, I can’t believe my family came to all this, my family was high classed and known to many sure my father have beaten my mother before, still he will have never gone this far, yet he did.

  I should maybe try and escape, how can I do that, his sleeping right in front of the door with his revolver I can’t risk it, I will have to try during the day when his awake. I don’t want to die I don’t want to get killed by my own father I must escape, I must be overreacting after all, he only pulled the trigger when he was entirely changed he wasn’t himsel
f anymore.

  He screamed and went crazy running around in his room bleeding from the mouth eyes and nose, he was extremely aggressive and he almost bit my mother, we all know once bitten then you will catch this strange disease and once you do there is no going back. It will only get worse by the day it takes a while; I know I saw this with my own eyes it took my brother 12 days to turn.

  Maybe that’s it I don’t want to be one of those things, I don’t want to hurt any of my family, I must try and run away before it’s too late I can try to survive on my own and if I have to turn then I turn at least I know I won’t be around to attack the ones I love, yet again what if the entire process hurts until you finally die then I will surely prefer to get shot dead right now.

  He looks calm, the door is obviously locked trying now will be pointless, wait his moving around a lot maybe he isn’t sleeping at all, maybe he has haunting nightmares about his actions a few days ago. His getting up why is he just standing there, his just standing there and from the figure in his hand I can tell it’s his revolver maybe he heard me moan in pain when she bit me, that can’t be it, it was too soft I made sure not to go too loud.

  I will just stay here around the corner of the wall maybe I can make my escape, after all, even if it’s dark the sooner I can do this the better. Besides my chance of even getting away will surely be during the night, what’s he doing Abby asked herself, his pointing the gun, oh god, please not her.

  He shakes relentlessly, before she could say anything she freezes as she hears the gunshots, four shots was fired there can be two more bullets that will total the 6 it can hold. Instead of running she goes to her knees crying, the light goes on in the lounge where her father is standing and where he and his wife were sleeping. Peeking with one eye next to the wall, she immediately knows something is wrong his shaking badly with his head heavy twitching badly, heavy and fast, his mouth is covered in dark blood, so dark it doesn’t even look human.