Trying to Survive (Part 2)

by C. J. Crowley

  I said “Well, the sooner we act, the better. They’re either planning an attack or preparing for one as we speak.”

  Melanie’s movement in the upstairs window caught my eye. “Jenny, can you go tell Melanie what’s going on?”

  “You’re staying here, so you can tell her.”

  I dropped my rifle to my side and said “Fuck that – I’m going… and you can’t stop me. I can provide cover from down the street – it could really help, even if I just take one of them out.”

  Jenny shook her head. “No, you have to stay for Melanie and Clara. Some of them could show up after we leave. Think about it, James.” She turned to Brian. “I assume you can lead us back?”

  I caught Walt staring at me and I glared back. He tilted his head and half-shrugged, as if to say “Sorry, but I’m going.”

  This is bullshit… He’s gonna go fight a small war while I sit here? This can’t be happening – fucking leg…

  Chapter 11

  While I took my post by the window next to the front door, Jenny informed Melanie of the situation so I wouldn’t have to walk up the stairs. Walt was gathering up everything they might need, and Brian was looking over the battered van with his hands on his hips.

  Brian kicked the tire and scoffed “Fix-a-flat won’t take care of this shit… Damn.”

  Brian looked to his left and noticed his reflection in the massive side mirrors on the van. He grimaced, hunched over and slowly approached. When he saw just how mangled his face was, he slammed his fist into the side of the van and I barely heard him say “Oh, I’m gonna find the motherfucker that did this to me. Might even take him into that room for a few minutes.”

  When Walt and Jenny went back outside and saw Brian examining himself, she said “Can you even shoot? Your right eye is completely swollen shut now.”

  Brian raised his brow and brought around his M4. When he put the scope up to his face, he began shaking his head. He stood there for a moment and then switched hands. “I’m about to find out.”

  He fired at the house across the street and one of the windows in the front shattered, then he quickly jerked right and almost instantly shot out an even smaller one. He turned back to Jenny. “I’m good. It’s actually not very awkward – if this were permanent, it would be pretty easy to adjust.”

  Jenny remarked “Even the smallest window was still rather large.” She took a few steps closer to Brian and pointed across the street. “See how the wood on that door is scrolled in a checkered pattern?”

  Brian raised his rifle again. “Wanna test me – fine.”

  “Aim for the center of the top square on the right side.”

  Walt just continued to stand off to the side and observe in uncomfortable silence.

  Brian fired… When he saw that the bullet was over an inch away from the outside edge, he scoffed “Big deal, I’ll be fine. If that square was the middle of someone’s chest, they’d be on their way to dead.”

  Brian brought his rifle up again, but Jenny stopped him. “No more wasting bullets on this. I’m not going to try and tell you what to do… But, you should trade places with James.”

  “Are you kidding me? He can barely walk and he’s already used the hell out of that leg today.”

  “He also just made several shots from about 350 yards, and possibly saved your ass while you were in that house – can you do that right now? Because I guarantee that’s exactly the type of thing we might have to do.”

  Brian muttered “This is bullshit” then turned and faced the house. “But, you’re right. I’ll go tell him… You go to the end of this street and make a right, then make your third left and follow it for about a half-mile until you reach a cul-de-sac. It’s the three story white and tan house at the very end.”

  The front door had been open the whole time, so I knew exactly what was happening… I guess when society is dead and there’s nothing around to make any noise, things like voices travel a lot further…

  As Brian gave me the news, I pretended I hadn’t been eavesdropping and took out my bottle of pain killers. There were only three left. When Brian noticed the bottle, he said “Think that’ll really help?”

  “Not much… but enough to be worth it. I don’t need three though – it might make me kinda stupid.” I said as I tossed him one.

  Brian caught it and nodded. “Appreciate that, man. You sure? I mean… Your leg and your eye.”

  “Take it – you’re gonna be glad you did.”

  “Yeah, I’ll save it for a few hours from now. That’s when it’ll really hurt. I’m still all jacked up on adrenaline at the moment.”

  I got up and retrieved the jug of water sitting on the table by the couch so I could swallow the two small pills that might make me a little more useful… I guess I’m getting my wish…

  The moment I walked outside, Jenny barked “There’s a very slim chance that the ones they left behind don’t know all of their friends are dead, but they will soon – without a doubt. So, we’re going to use the van until we hit that third left.”

  Walt said “But the van is way too loud – then they’ll definitely know we’re coming.”

  “If we go at his pace, it’ll take over an hour to get there. If you haven’t noticed, this place has exceptionally long streets… So, we get out at the third left and then use the houses for cover along the way.” She walked around to the passenger side of the van. “You’re driving, Walter. I need to be available to shoot – just in case.”

  Walt hesitantly climbed in and started up the engine. “I probably shouldn’t go over 15mph, right? Otherwise I could really damage the wheels.”

  As I worked my way into the back and shut the door behind me, Jenny replied “No, just get us to that street as fast as you can. The van is done. No matter what happens, we have to find another vehicle.”

  The tires were massive, so having the two on the right completely flat made it lean down almost half a foot. When Walt brought it up to 40mph, the whole van was violently shaking. The thin muscles in his forearms bulged as he fought to keep the wheel straight. Jenny said “It’s already leaning to the right – go really slowly around this corner or it could flip.”

  By the time we passed the first left, both tires had ripped off and Jenny was having to lean over toward Walt to avoid the sparks shooting in through the broken window. He started to slow down and she yelled “If anything, go faster!”

  When Walt came sliding to a stop at the intersection of the third street, the squeal of the raw metal on concrete caused me to cringe and sent a chill down my spine. The different burning smells and smoke coming from the wheels made me cough and burned the inside of my nose when I opened the door. Jenny and Walt were able to hop right out, but they had to wait for me.

  Already slowing them down and I haven’t even made it out of the van yet…

  Jenny walked onto the grass in the first yard and said “It’s the very last house at the end of the street. James, we’re going to leave you three houses away so you can cover us as we move in.”

  Jenny used her training to guide us as we cautiously moved from house to house, stopping at each one to check all the windows in sight and scan the trees. Once we were only five houses away, she directed me to take a look through the scope and tell her what I could see.

  The homes and properties were massive, so the last house on the street was still almost a quarter-mile away. “I see a car in the driveway… but the shades are drawn in all the windows.”

  Before I could continue, Jenny said “Let’s keep moving, we’ll just get to the third house before we stop again.”

  As we made our way across another yard to the side of the third house, my leg was begging for me to stop. I’d just about reached my limit, but luckily, I wouldn’t be going any further unless something went wrong.

  The white and tan house Brian described looked out of place. It seemed to be built years before all of the others. It was one of the larger homes in sight, but it was plain – nothing but a big b
ox. It had no columns, fake marble statues in the yard or fountains in the center of the driveway – the roof even had shingles instead of imported tile.

  Why wouldn’t they pick the nicest house in this whole place?.. I noticed it was at the edge of the neighborhood… There aren’t any other homes behind it or to the sides. Makes it harder for people to sneak up on them…

  The blinds were still drawn and it appeared to be abandoned like all the others. Jenny said “What do you see?”

  “Nothing, really.”

  Walter must have been anxious. “What are we waiting for?”

  Jenny studied the house for a few moments before she replied. “They only have one other car. That has to mean there aren’t that many of them – that man was lying. He was just using fear to try and manipulate us.”

  I said “It’s starting to look that way. Still, you should be very careful – for all we know there are fifteen more people in that house.”

  “I don’t think so... but I’ll be taking the necessary precautions, so don’t worry.” She looked over to Walt. “We move left as we head towards the house and then close in from the side. We’re going to get a look through some windows first.”

  I could tell Jenny was taking the situation very personally. Her brow hasn’t done anything but move further down since we left. Her voice was even sharper than usual, and her eyes held onto a strong hatred… As a woman, it must be pretty damn scary to know people are doing shit like that…

  Though I suppose Walt and I were taking it personally as well – that’s why we followed her here without a second thought or a moment of protest… We could already be back on the road…

  Jenny continued to stare at the house as she said “Okay, James. Just make sure no one surprises us.”

  I turned to Walt, and he said “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I’m in good hands.”

  “Please, man... No Rambo shit, okay?”

  Walt smiled, gave me a respectful nod and then chased after Jenny as she started to walk away.

  I had faith that Walt would make good decisions and act well under pressure. My real worry was luck, and knowing that his life wasn’t completely in his hands, or Jenny’s… Sometimes, the smallest thing that’s entirely out of our control can cause a perfect world to come crashing down around us…

  When I put the scope back up to my eye, I began checking the windows and the perimeter of the property again. Still nothing. As I moved the crosshairs across the front of the house, the door crept open.

  I began to slightly panic when I looked away from the scope and saw that Jenny and Walt were already too far away… They might hear me yell… All I could is wait for Jenny to notice and signal some type of directions.

  After a few seconds, an older man in jeans with no shirt on came walking outside and lit a cigarette. He was very thin, everywhere but his stomach. He was slightly hunched over and looked to be extremely unhealthy and weathered for a man who couldn’t be over fifty-five.

  So, this is one of the assholes who’s going to repopulate the earth?.. I’m sure it all would have worked out really well… I thought sarcastically to myself.

  When I looked at him, it made me sick to think of what they were doing to women… to young girls… When I pictured him trying to force himself on Clara “as his duty to humanity commanded” I felt my finger start to put pressure on the trigger… I really hope Darren was full of shit and they don’t have a bunch of people locked up in there. I might not react so well…

  I felt my arm begin to tense up – it was telling me to take the shot. I closed my eye, took a deep breath and looked away from the scope to see if Jenny had noticed him yet.

  I must have been watching him longer than I thought. Jenny was staring right at me and waving her arms, clearly annoyed that it took me such a long time to notice her.

  I shrugged as if to ask “What should I do?”

  She brought her rifle up, faked a kick back as if she’d fired a shot and then started nodding.

  I got him in my sights and then looked back to Jenny. When she saw me, she starting nodding again and urging me to fire.

  I didn’t like the fact that I was about to take away the element of surprise, but I would also regret letting him go back inside if he ended up killing one them. I aimed at his heart and took the shot.

  Jenny and Walt positioned themselves on the side of the closest house and prepared for a firefight. The man grabbed at his chest and almost fell to the ground, but he managed to hang on to the banister and take a few steps toward the door before he collapsed.

  I looked back at Jenny, she pointed to her eyes and then drew a box with her fingers… She wants me to watch the windows…

  I did as she directed and repeatedly went through the process of checking the twelve different windows in the front of the massive house. The only movement I saw after what seemed like a minute was the front door slamming shut.

  So, that’s at least one inside. I guess the house is so far away that they didn’t hear all the shots from earlier. These assholes don’t even know what’s going on…

  Jenny started signaling for me to join them, so I went to the back side of the house and passed through the yard. When I came in sight again, she motioned for me to stop and stay put… I guess she just wanted me to move up a little – improve my accuracy.

  I could see them talking. It killed me to not know what it was about...

  Several minutes passed and there was still no movement coming from the house. I kept expecting to catch one of them peeking through the blinds, but apparently they were smarter than that.

  I was starting to have dark thoughts regarding the next step, as I knew it had to be Jenny and Walt trying to get into the house. I did everything I could to keep the visions of his death at bay, but as usual, it was of no use.

  Back on that boiling roof, I told Walt he had to accept our new lives and the fact that we’d be in danger almost every day. I couldn’t help but view it as funny now – due to the fact that I couldn’t accept it myself.

  I looked over at Jenny and she motioned for me to stay put and keep watching, then went back to conversing with Walt. When I looked through the scope again, the front door was open. Shortly after, came a man’s voice.

  “Yell back if you can hear me!”

  Without hesitation, Jenny forcefully replied “Give us everyone you’re holding in that house against their will, and we won’t kill every single one of you! All your friends are dead and we have guns on this house from every angle! Do it, NOW!”

  “Fuck you, bitch! You’re gonna do what I say! Leave, and never come back! Otherwise, I’m gonna start killing all the people you’re supposedly here to save, and dumping them out on the front steps!”

  They can’t have that many people being held captive. Jenny’s right, there just aren’t enough survivors, and they haven’t had enough time to search very far… He’s lying, just like that psycho fuck I had to listen to in the car…

  Jenny yelled back “I know you’re lying about everything! Listen to me! All eight of the people who left here a while ago are dead! Do you understand me!?”

  “You really wanna find out whether I’m being serious or not!? You got ten seconds and I start throwin bodies out the door!”

  “If you hurt even one person, we will kick in that door and make sure you die today! If you just come out and let us search that house, you’ll never hear from us again and you can go on trying to survive! We won’t even steal anything!”

  Damn, Jenny’s no joke…

  “How do I know you’ll keep that promise!?”

  It’s working. He must be full of shit after all… Though Brian did say he heard a woman screaming…

  “Do you wanna die, or not!? I don’t want to risk any our people getting hurt, so I’m giving you a chance, and I highly advise that you take it!”

  He didn’t answer back. The sudden and prolonged silence made me start to think about the birds again… Where did they all go?

  A
fter an agonizingly long few minutes, a short, heavyset man wearing thick glasses appeared in the doorway. He paused for a few moments, put his hands up and slowly walked down the few steps leading to the front yard.

  When no one else joined him, Jenny yelled out “I know there’s at least one more of you! If you try to play games with me, you’ll be dead before you turn around!”

  He fearfully turned back and yelled out in a shaky voice “Damn it guys, come, on! It’s over! They got us, and I wanna live!”

  A very young man with long scraggly hair came walking out with his hands in the air. For a moment I suspected him to be the other man’s son, but after comparing their vastly differing facial features, it was obvious they weren’t related at all.

  The next to appear was another man, most likely in his thirties. Before I could study his face, the old blood stains on his white shirt caught my attention. When I looked further down, I could see more on his khaki shorts.

  Jenny yelled out “Just stay where you are with your hands up!” She momentarily turned back and waved me over, then continued to watch the three men.

  As I made my way to them, I tried to keep my rifle up so it wouldn’t take as long for me to react. There was something about the one with the long, black hair that made me nervous, and it I think it was because he didn’t seem nervous at all.

  He was just standing there, allowing his hair to cover most of his face and cast a shadow over his eyes. Whereas the other two were clearly frightened and emotional.

  Any one of them could have a gun tucked in the back of their pants. Stay sharp…

  Jenny got up from her keeling position, and while still keeping her eyes on the three men, she said “Stand about twenty feet back and watch them while we go inside.” She handed me the M4 and took my rifle. “With this, you could easily kill them all before they attack you or try to run away.”

  Jenny began walking toward the house and Walt said “Looks like this worked out pretty well. You only had to fire one shot.”

  “We’ll see. Be careful in there, it could be a trap. Don’t let your guard down for even a moment.”