The Carnage Trilogy (Book 1): The Carnage [Unbending, Unyielding, Unforgiving]

by Birch, Matthew

  "Just the way I left it..." Chloe walks up the three wooden steps that lead to her empty front porch. Taking my own time to look at the front of the cabin, I see what a sweet place to live once was. It looks homely. I think her boyfriend lived here, probably due to his wanting to join the military. Chloe was staying with him for the time. Seriously still cannot believe this is the last place Chloe was with her boyfriend before he-

  A powerful guilt washes over me. That picture she had-

  They looked so happy...

  And I guess in a way I took away that happiness, though I didn't take him. I ruined their last moments together. The inside of the cabin is a mess; looters have already ransacked most of what they could and taken off. They are probably dead by now as well. Looks half touched, like they were being picky. Taking some of one thing and leaving the rest. Interestingly the supplies stick out like a sore thumb? Food and drinks are scattered. Who just takes half? This isn't a time to be fussy. Regardless, the house still has much evidence left behind of the happy couple who lived here.

  "I shouldn't have left the front door open..." Chloe chokes out. Already, she has begun to break down. The weight of this place stabs down hard on her fragile heart. "They didn't take everything" It's not the most useful thing in the world to say as I manoeuvre around the tearful girl. But my point is a good point regardless. I decide to explore, mostly for safety reasons. All the creatures are at the lake, but the monsters Ed spoke of can be anywhere. I've never met one, and I hope I never do. A creature that kills creatures is a monster.

  I search high and low for any sign of danger and return with nothing. Perfect. Curiosity takes control, guiding me. Chloe breaks down in the living room. Her heart crumbling into little pieces as she lies on the sofa, the dam that stopped her tears has broken. Saddening, I struggle to keep a level head myself as I hear her muffled whimpers. Taking a breath, I mutter to the nothingness. "I am sorry wherever you are..." I realise I don't even know his name. Itching my scalp through my afro and ascending the staircase, I slowly move upstairs, my hand running across the banister until I feel something sticky - blood. I squint, focusing on the almost black looking liquid. Is it barely traceable as blood? Cringing, I wipe my hands on my faded, creased orange polo shirt.

  Moving on, I step onto the landing and explore the second floor. Toilet, bathroom, spare room and eventually I find myself gently pushing open the door to their room as wide open as I can. I couldn't refrain myself from peaking inside. Drooping like a flower, I edge my way inside and try my best to avoid the mess, except there was no stopping the accidental stepping on the broken picture frame below my boots. The glass crackles as my weight shifts. "I- I am so sorry" I repeat with a stutter. "I never met you-" on a nearby cupboard is a little necklace. Of all of the things in the room, this had not been thrown on the floor or ripped apart in search of something more useful. Just, left there...

  "But I hope you can rest in peace..." I finish, wiping my own eyes of the tears that hold my guilt. I inspect the necklace (Mostly just to distract myself). A silver necklace with a little platinum heart attached to it. Grasping the necklace in my tremulous right hand, I inspect the necklace's heart specifically. "I wonder if-" Flipping it open as I expected, inside the heart was a little picture of, guess who? Snuggling together on the same cream coloured sofa they have downstairs, Chloe is happy with her boyfriend. My heart drops; honestly, I wasn't expecting my ruined heart to drop any lower than how shitty I had already felt.

  Seeing what I ruined. Seeing what I caused.

  Yeah, it's pretty much dead at this point. I laugh to myself as the thought of becoming an emotionless robot crosses my mind.

  "I never met you but I promise I will keep her safe... for you" I keep staring at the small heart-shaped picture. A ringing sits in my ears, getting louder by the second. I suddenly feel dizzy and my heart races. Closing the heart, I leave the room in an instant before the light-headedness gets a bit too much for me. I can't stay in that room any longer. It's killing me...

  Platinum sits in my hand. I should take this necklace to her. I know I should. Something Chloe can hold onto as a keepsake. A sentiment to her boyfriend would be nice.

  When I get back downstairs, I hear her pitiful self-loathing.

  "I should have never left that night-"

  "If I never got drunk-"

  "I love you... Please forgive me"

  I feel terrible and indebted to her. She deserves more than this necklace but I have not got much else to offer. I'll be here for her best I can. Chloe wants to move on and feel better. Making myself known, I break the brittle ice.

  "You know if he was here right now. I bet he'd put his hand on your cheek and smile at you..." I feel myself cringe slightly, but the very idea of a caring, loving boyfriend's actions lift her spirit as she shoots up from curled up ball position on the sofa.

  Wait-

  Actually-

  Nope, my words meant nothing. Chloe is just shocked by my sudden entrance to the room and now, I feel stupid for what I said.

  "Oh... Hey" she says while grabbing a nearby pillow and wiping her puffy eyes. While Chloe cleans herself up, I hide the necklace behind me and keep a warm smile on my face to evade my obvious secrecy. "Hey, trust me. He'd want you to be happy and survive. Life has not been kind to you or any of us, I promise we will all make it" Chloe looks unconvinced despite my forced acting. "Really, you think so, Marcus?"

  "Yes, and if nothing else works, live happy for him"

  Chloe smiles half-heartedly at me now.

  Time to act like I had almost forgotten... After having slipped the necklace into my pocket discreetly, I act surprised. Gasping and fluttering for my pocket as I yell, "Almost forgot!"

  Her jaw drops and her face lights up. "This is for you" I beam at her. This feels right, like I am finally making things better between us. Whether or not it'll be enough, I don't know. "You- Did you go upstairs?" Chloe shifts from her spot on the sofa and slides herself towards me. Flushed, I can't find the words. The necklace hangs loosely in my hand as reality hits me. I had literally just gone snooping through her house and belongings...

  "S-sorry Chol-" Out of nowhere, Chloe wraps her arms around me in what feels like a tight vice!

  "Thankyouthankyouthankyou"

  I laugh it off, choking out the words from within her crushing clutch. "No problem..."

  Ed

  Marcus finally turns the question to me before I can ask him any questions. Doesn't matter, the question I was expecting was bound to come sooner or later. "What happened?" He shoots the question straight back at me. I sigh, throwing myself back on the bed. While I stare into the soul of the top bunk of the mattress, I go over all the details of what happened. How we got split up, how I bumped into Maya, and our escape to the untouched house on the edge of town. Staying true to my word, I leave all the precious details about what happened between me and Maya as confidential information. As far as he knows, she saved my life and nothing more.

  Still, he sits back and lets his arms hang at his side. In pure amazement, Marcus gleams at me. "We should all be dead Bro..." Turning onto my side, I wince as I feel the numbness in my leg wearing off. "Did I miss anything?" I ask in case there is anything I should know that I missed during the two days I wasn’t here. Frowning, Marcus sits forward, clasps his hands together and looks towards the door cautiously. "Things have been pretty tense..."

  Chapter 28 - What a Leader Is

  "Can you not distract me from my very important job" William barks, pushing his murky glasses up the bridge of his pointy nose. "If you didn't know, there is a horde of monsters out there and I need to focus!" William furthers his whining by raising his voice. Baffled, Marcus has to step back for a moment to regain his composure. "You're chatting shit mate" Marcus shakes his head, not impressed with William.

  "Speak properly to me you illiterate fuck" William sneers at Marcus, holding his personal rifle so close to his chest that he looks like he could be snuggling with it. Ma
rcus notices this, already seeing how tensed up the wimpy man really is. His shield wall of confidence is nothing more than a facade. Snarky, Marcus replies, "This is the first time you have actually pulled your weight since arriving you lazy, ass bitch. You do nothing but complain!"

  "Oh, I see how it is you-"

  "No, you don't see how it is. All I am going to be fucking asking you is to go scout out that forest of ash! No one here is feeling up to it" Marcus steps forward now, his anger bubbling under the skin as he advances on the cowardly William. "W-well-" He stutters. "I'm sure Cody or one of the Officers can do it..." William's resolve is tested, the fading out of his voice tells Marcus all he needs to know.

  "Stop trying to throw it all on them. Those Officers are keeping us alive; Cody has been on scout duty several times already. If anyone cares, it’s him! Not only that, but Ben can't even walk. No wonder you have glasses, you must be blind!"

  "N-no, we need people on guard so-"

  "The only reason you do guard duty is to escape ever leaving this place. You never take one for the team. Around here, we either fight together or die alone. And all you've done is proven you a damn coward!"

  William looks away.

  Marcus glares harder.

  "How about you leave your comfort zone for once and go and scout out the area you pathetic waste of a human..." Marcus seethes through his teeth, his spite for William on a whole other level now as he is calling out and picking on William's selfish fear.

  "WILLIAM, BACK TO WORK!" Linda magically appears with her tender but callously chosen words that dictate William to do her bidding. Grumbling to himself, the weak-willed man apathetically walks away. Linda, the pale, ill woman who rarely leaves the ranger station approaches. In fact, it's a strange blessing to see Patrick away from her side for once. Linda is second in command here despite being potentially the weakest person with the wounds she has. Marcus raises an eyebrow as she turns to him. "And you need to lay off him, he's trying his best" Linda is the voice of reason, digging into Marcus now to make things fair. Uncaringly, Marcus crosses his arms, not moving his eyes from hers. Linda narrows hers. Marcus had only ever spoken with her once. It was in the kitchen. Patrick had left for barely a minute and Linda had dropped a polystyrene cup and was in a great deal of pain when trying to pick it up. She got water all over self to make matters worse. Finding her kneeled over on the kitchen counter, Marcus quickly ran to her aid, offering her all the help she needed. That was the only time they ever spoke. A brief chat resulted between them before they were interrupted by Patrick.

  Marcus eases up, remembering Linda is a warm-hearted person deep down. She's the good side to Patrick's bad. "And yeah, trust me, William is an ass" Linda lowers her voice whilst voicing her personal opinion. Whistling coyly, Marcus nods in surprise at her words. Delight filling his face. Linda intervenes, wrapping an arm around Marcus and tugging him close. "We are all tense right now. I know, trust me. It took me ages to get his lazy ass into gear. Just, you know. Focus on what you are doing. I do not know if you can see it. But ever since you got back you have been lifting everyone's spirits up. Even for Chloe who I know you have had difficulty with"

  "If William won't go, I'll go and find Ed and Maya myself"

  Linda smiles, nicely telling him, "You shouldn't, you need rest just as much as I do!" Gleeful, she giggles quietly, punching his arm lightly. Perplexed, Marcus nods slowly, unsure of how to take this second strange encounter any further.

  "We need to find them..." He says again wistfully, thoughts of all the worst case scenarios playing over in his mind. Linda pulls away and merrily counters him. "Or they find us"

  Before Marcus turns to leave, Linda says one last thing.

  "Please, whenever you get the chance... Talk with Patrick. He needs a friend he can rely on. Not me, not an Officer. A friend" Linda's voice drops, and Marcus is taken aback by the sadness in her tone. Marcus looks over his shoulder, taking note of the sorrowful look on her face. "Please..." She begs her request. With one last weak smile, Marcus nods. "I will, I promise"

  Ed

  "So if William did as he was told... Maybe he could have found you earlier..." Marcus's pout hides the strong disliking he has for William. I know this isn't their first fight. Each time they fight, it gets worse and worse.

  "It's fine... I'm here now, that's what matters, right?" I try to lift his hopes up. It doesn't work when he retorts that we might not get so lucky next time. There are so many ways and reasons Maya, me, or both of us wouldn't be here right now. Tons of these reasons fall within the time that was spent when Maya was carrying me back here near the start of the day. William's laziness could have gotten us killed. I try vouching for him, I understand his fear, but Marcus has none of it, proclaiming that he hopes William dies...

  I say nothing.

  Marcus apologises nonetheless, and the two of us perk up when we hear the door creak open. Twitchy eyes bore through the gap in the door into the room. Cody watches us. Pushing the door open, the silent guy continues to watch us as he comes into full view. His shadow is cast over the room. "Hi, Cody" I greet but get nothing back in return. He simply glares at me for some reason before leaving.

  "What's up with him?" I ask the man who is just as frightened as I am.

  "I don't know" He replies, just as confused as I am.

  I've never seen that look before. It was a look of pure distaste and disliking. Almost as if he hated seeing me back, alive and breathing in the first place...

  "That was so fucking creepy..." I mutter to myself while Marcus gets up to close the door. Cody is freaking me out. In that one look, I saw the bloodlust of a deranged man.

  "He's probably stressed. Cody's constantly being pressured to get work done around here" Marcus shrugs his shoulders as he rejoins me. "Anyway, I've got more to say but let me just go and get your food first," Marcus says, standing up instantly as if the memory of the duty he has chosen to uphold in Ben's head clicks in his mind. He barely gets to the door before there's a knock, and the scent of pasta flows its way into my nostrils. Marcus sighs, opening the door to see Officer Watson who shakes his head glumly.

  "Ben never came to do the food... Patrick isn’t happy," He says, shoving the tray of food and water into Marcus's hands. Marcus grunts, taking the tray and quickly saying back with a panicked tone. "No no, I told Ben I'd do it because he wasn't feeling well. I got distracted, is all"

  Officer Watson nods, giving me the once-over. "I'll be sure to let Patrick know" Is all he says before closing the door as he leaves. Marcus shakes his head, turning around with the tray of food. "Anyway, let's continue"

  Marcus

  Screeching, silence, suddenly-

  BANG

  More gunshots are followed by more screeching. What is happening? "Shotgun," I say faintly. Somewhere, Patrick is ablaze. Did they engage the horde?! Bolting outside onto the front porch, we look down the cobbled path. Something’s going down and fast.

  "Too bad we can't stay any longer-" Chloe says, moving beside me as she connects the necklace around her skinny neck. "At least I have this" She holds the small heart pendant out towards me, a smile flashing across her features.

  Then, without making any more then pipsqueak, Chloe is gone in a blur.

  Finally, I see him. Snarling his broken jaw, his white, decaying eyes roll indolently. He does not look like a creature. He looks like something else entirely. A whole new level up from the creatures we’re so familiar with. Chloe's mouth drops as an ear piercing scream echoes through the air and stabs at my eardrums. Her boyfriend's hand grips her loose hair tighter than before as she is dragged deeper into her home. Kicking into action; I chase after her. Her boyfriend is faster, bigger and stronger then I am. It doesn't take an idiot to realise that. Watching him, I notice bullet holes all over his exposed vein ridden chest that bulges slightly; making him look puffy. Bloated like he's eaten too much because the bullets inside him have expanded, he'd been swelling up, making him look sickening. The oversized t
orso and stick like limps create an eyesore of mixed proportions. I force myself to keep my eyes on him; it takes all that I have to not look away. My god! The stench he is giving off is even more repugnant!