Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…I began turning around slowly with my hands above my head. I looked at the man standing in front of me. It was the same person who had signaled me while I was in the tower. But why?
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“My name is Barrett, I was in the tower earlier today when you signaled.”
“Why didn’t you warn the others that you saw me? It’s your job after all.”
“I was up there to warn them of the undead, not other people. You’re the first person I’ve seen outside of The Compound since I arrived a few days ago.”
“I figured you were new here…”
“Can you tell me what the hell is going on here?” I asked.
“You really don’t know? I’m surprised they’ve just let you roam around and try to integrate yourself into their society. There are a bunch of survivors like myself held up in a town about five miles from here. We’ve worked together to survive and stock up on whatever we can in hopes of weathering this storm as time goes on.”
“Why don’t I ever see anyone coming and going from The Compound to your town? I’m sure there’s some sort of way you help each other.”
“We’ve tried to form alliances with them a bunch of times. But we learned the hard way when they ransacked our town leaving us for dead. Luckily we had reserves that we didn’t tell them about and we were able to survive that harsh winter. From that point on they came only to threaten us for our supplies. And when we stopped giving them what they wanted they started taking our people.”
“What would they want with the people in your town?”
And then it hit me…
“The screams I heard…”
“So you’ve heard the screams? Then it is true…Those sick bastards.”
“I’ve heard them, and I think I know where they’re coming from. But I have no clue what’s going on.”
“When they ran out of supplies for the winter they began kidnapping people from our town and taking them back here. We’ve never seen any of them again. We can only imagine the worst fate for them…Those savages are no better than them.”
“Cannibalism?!” I exclaimed.
“Yea, can you imagine that? A world where you run for your life so you don’t get eaten by the undead, only to be eaten by the living. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
“I knew something bizarre was happening here, but I never would have guessed that…” I replied.
So that’s why he was so quick to shoot Paul when I first arrived…He didn’t want their secret to be revealed to me. I thought to myself.
I turned around as I heard twigs snapping in the distance.
“That must be them.” He said.
“We have to get out of here before they find us.” I replied.
“You go and try to find the others while they’re preoccupied. I’ll distract them.”
“But that’s suicide!”
“You’re the only one who can help them now. There’s nothing I can do for them from the outside. There’s no way I’d be able to get inside The Compound with you. It would be my honor to give my life for them to live. I’ve been able to survive this long for a reason. I’ve grown tired of this life. When you find them look for my younger brother, Hector, he’ll be able to help you from here. Tell him his big brother Victor loves him.”
I turned around and began running back towards The Compound. As I approached the entrance I could hear gunshots in the distance. I had a bad feeling about them. But I couldn’t turn back now. As I ran through the baron streets it was clear that everyone had either taken cover or was outside of the walls fighting off the undead. The entrance to the tunnels was left unguarded for the first time since I had been here. I dropped down into the tunnels and began searching for any signs of the survivors. But as I ran around I found nothing but empty rooms. All my searching had led to nothing. But then I realized something that I hadn’t before. There had to be an entrance from the Butchers shack, but that couldn’t be the only one. I tried to trace the tunnel walls to find out where the Butchers shop was above ground as opposed to my location in the tunnels. As I got closer I could hear moans and groans coming from somewhere. I placed my ear against the wall and they began to get louder. But how could I get in without going through the Butchers shack? I looked down at the floor and noticed there were some scratch marks across the floor as if something swung over it. Was this really a solid wall separating the tunnels? I began to push and pull with all my might when it began to budge forward. Little by little I was able to push my way into the next room. What I saw next would be the most shocking thing I had seen in all of my life. There were dozens of people, some dead, some still alive in a large fenced in area like livestock. The conditions were horrid; fecal matter strewn across the floor. How could anyone ever survive like this? The mass of people turned to me and began talking amongst themselves. I began to call out.
“Hector, are you here?” I heard no response.
“Hector?” I called out again.
“Who are you?” Someone asked from the crowd.
“I’m looking for Hector.” I replied
“What so you can chop him up?” Someone yelled.
“His brother Victor sent me for him.”
A man emerged from the crowd.
“What did you say? How dare you say that name as if you knew him.”
“Listen It’s hard for me to explain now but I was just with your brother and he told me if I came to look for you you’d be able to help me.”
“He’s here? Where is he? I need to see him. I won’t say anything until I can see him.”
“They...shot your brother outside of The Compound. He was holding them off so I could come find you.”
“You liar! You killed my brother you asshole I’ll end you! You coward how could you do this?!”
“Listen, I know it’s hard to believe me but I swear I was with your brother and he asked me to come find you. He wanted me to tell you that he loved you.”
Hector fell to his knees as he cried uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure if he believed a word I was saying.
“Listen, Hector, I know you don’t believe me but you have to help me out before they come looking for me.”
“Why should I help you, you killed my brother. What did he ever do to you?”
“He told me about the town five miles from here. I have to get to that town so I can figure out how to get all of you people out of here. Where is the town?”
It was clear that everyone could hear the approaching footsteps through the tunnels. I could only assume it was Gregory and his men coming to look for me.
Hector looked up at me and knew he had to make a decision before the others arrived. He knew that if I was telling the truth I was his only hope.
“The town is five miles west of here. It’s pretty straight forward. Just keep going west until you hit the old logging roads. Once you hit that you’re half way there. If you follow the roads you’ll get to the town but it will take you double the time. As long as you keep cutting through the woods you’ll get there faster than any vehicle traveling on the road in case they set out after you.”
“Thank you.” I said
“I promise I’ll be back for all of you.”
I turned to leave and realized I could no longer go the way I had originally come from. The only other way out was through the Butchers shack. There was a rope ladder hanging on the far side of the room that must have led up to the shack. I quickly ran over and began climbing up the ladder.
“Hey wait!” Hector yelled out to me.
“When you get there make sure to tell them, Tempus Edax Rerum.”
I nodded to Hector and continued climbing up the ladder. I had no clue what he was talking about. But it must have been important. Just as I made it up the ladder I could hear Gregory and the others down in the tunnels.
“Well Well Well.” Said a voice standing behind me.
I had neglected to look arou
nd the room when I came up the ladder. How stupid could I have been?
“Did you think you’d be able to snoop around and never get caught?”
I turned around and came face to face with Jeffrey, the Butcher himself.
He walked over to the hatch and yelled down to the others.
“Hey, he’s up here. Don’t worry I have him.”
He turned his attention back to me. It didn’t seem like I was going to get out of here without a fight. I had to be careful, who knew what this man was capable of. I couldn’t draw my gun without the others knowing what was going on. I would have to fight him hand to hand. But how do you fight a man twice your size? In normal circumstances a man wouldn’t do such a thing, but under the current conditions I felt no remorse in my decision. There was no escape.
He was standing in front of me, I could tell he was sizing me up. He knew as much about me as I did about him. He clearly had the size advantage, but hopefully what he had in size he lacked in combat experience. Unfortunately, I lacked much experience in fighting the living. Most of my fights had been with the undead. Unless you count childhood scuffles on the playground.
He began to charge towards me. Thinking on my feet I moved out of the way. What was I supposed to do? I kicked him in the groin from behind, but this didn’t seem to do much but anger him further. He lunged towards me again, but this time he was able to grab a hold of me by my shoulders. I tried to break free of his hold but he was too strong. He began punching me repeatedly in the side. The pain was excruciating. For a split second I felt him loosen his grip and I was able to slip out. Holding my side, I tried to catch my breath. Looking into Jeffrey’s eyes I could tell he found great pleasure out of this. He was just toying with me, I was no match. We circled around the room, staring each other down. As Jeffrey approached his table he grabbed a knife that was lying on it. I wish I had seen that earlier. A large grin took over his face. I couldn’t say the same about mine. He raised the blade to his mouth and ran it across his tongue. No words had to be spoken to understand his intentions. As he began running towards me again I realized that as we moved around the room I was situated above the opening to the tunnels. And at the last moment I moved out of the way of the approaching Jeffrey. He tried to stop himself, but his momentum was too strong. He plummeted through the hatch and I could hear a thud as he hit the ground. There was no time to check if he was still alive. I had to get out of here before it was too late. I left the Butchers shack immediately.
I didn’t know where to go from here. I’m sure Gregory and the others would be coming for me soon. I started running towards the entrance when I saw Jesse running towards me.
“Barrett!! Barrett!! You gotta get outa here they’re coming for you! No time to talk just follow me!”
I followed Jesse as we ran through The Compound. Zigzagging through the streets and houses like one big obstacle course. I had never seen a majority of the area Jesse had taken me through. I could hear the noise of our pursuers behind us as we ran towards what looked like a passageway in the back of The Compound wall. As I approached the passageway I realized there was no way I’d be able to fit through it. There were boards running parallel that must have been nailed to keep the wall fortified. I started pulling at them and they began to come loose. After a few minutes I was able to clear enough room to slip through. I turned around to grab Jesse.
“Come on Jesse we have to get out of here.”
But it was too late. Before I could grab him Gregory and the others had already arrived. They dragged Jesse back into The Compound as he kicked and screamed for my help. As much as it hurt me, I only had one choice. I had to leave Jesse behind or else there was no way I’d be able to make it to the town. There would be no other way for me to save him without first going for help. I just hope he could survive until then. After all he’d been through I’m positive he’d be able to withstand whatever they could throw at him. But everyone has their breaking point.
I started to run into the woods. I couldn’t hear anyone pursuing me past The Compound's wall. But why wouldn’t they try and capture me? I was a little confused. Nevertheless I pushed my way through the woods. I had to be careful because although it seemed I was not being followed I needed to be on the lookout for the undead roaming the area. I still had my gun, but that would alert everyone of my location regardless of their intention.
I eventually made it to the road Hector had told me about. That meant I was half way to the town. But in the distance I could hear an all too familiar sound coming up the road, one I had not heard in years. It was the puttering of an engine. Was it possible they had sent out someone to come find me? I never saw any vehicles while I was inside The Compound. They must only use them for emergency situations. I ducked down in a ditch on the side of the road and waited for them to pass. But the vehicle began to slow down. One of the men jumped out of the truck and began walking around; it looked as if he didn’t see me. But suddenly, he jumped back in the truck and then they threw it in reverse. They must have spotted me. I quickly ran into the woods on the other side of the road. From this point on I had to push myself to make it to the town before them or else they’d cut me off at the entrance. I would be done for. I wouldn’t be able to help Jesse. That wasn’t an option.
The fatigue in my legs burnt as if I was on fire. Unfortunately, stopping for a rest was not an option. I kept moving forward but the woods seemed to never end. Once again I crossed over a road and could hear the engine off in the distance. But I couldn’t tell whether it was ahead or behind me. For the first time I could see billowing smoke off in the distance. I must be getting close now. I was invigorated with new motivation to keep on moving.
Up ahead I could see light beyond the trees. Was I finally through the woods? I broke free into the unknown. But what I saw next was nothing of what I expected. There must have been some sort of mistake in the directions Hector had given to me. Did I go the wrong way? No, this must be the town they told me about.
In front of me stood a dilapidated town comprised of small shops situated on a main road that ran through the center. It looked as if there were some small alleyways in between the buildings, but no side roads. At the end of the main road was a tall cliff. It seemed there were only one way in and one way out. I began running down the main road in hope I would find someone or someplace to take refuge before the others from The Compound arrived. I could hear the motor approaching in the distance. I quickly ducked into one of the alleys to hide from the search team. I saw their vehicle turn onto the main street. It seemed I had moved off the road just in time. I peered around the corner of the building to see how far away they were from me. I didn’t have that much time until they would spot me in the alley. If I ran out now they would see me and I would have no way of escaping them. But there was no other way out of the alley and nothing to hide behind. Looking across the street I could see a fire escape leading up to the top of the building. It looked like that might be my only option.
I looked back around the building in hopes they were still far away from my location. But they were only a few stores away by now. I waited until I felt the moment was right and bolted across the street as fast as I could.
“Hey, there he is!” One of the men yelled.
They began firing at me until I made it across the street. Quickly checking myself I was relieved to see I have not been hit. I jumped onto the fire escape and made my way up to the roof. But not too far behind me was one of the other men chasing me on foot. When I reached the top of the building I was taken aback by what I could see in the distance. On top of the buildings on the end of the main street were tents situated on the roofs. I questioned whether or not my eyes were playing tricks on me, it was too good to be true. No wonder there were no signs of people on the streets. Rather than fortifying some sort of barrier around the town they took to the roofs for safety. But there were no undead to be seen. How did they keep them all away?
I continued running along the roof of the building. M
y adrenaline was pumping as I made the leap over the gap between the two buildings. I was hoping that my pursuer would not clear the gap. But as I looked back in dismay he was still trailing me. And it seemed that he was beginning to close in on me. I kept moving and made the jump to the next building. But this time I was met by a surprise on the other side. Part of the roof had collapsed in and if I had jumped any further than I had I would have surely fallen in. I moved over to the side of the roof that was still intact and kept moving. But I lost a lot of time. My pursuer must had seen me catch myself from behind and used it to his advantage. He jumped to the left of the roof where I had continued to flee. In turn he was able to make up even more of the distance between us. I was only two buildings away from the tents, but could I make it before he caught me? I had to. Everyone was relying on me.
As I jumped to the next building my pursuer was only a split second behind me. I could practically feel his breathing on the back of my neck. But if I were to look back I would not be able to keep the pace I had set. what could I do? There was no time to sit down and contemplate a plan that was going to save my hide. I had no choice but to make the next jump and hope someone was there who could help me. My leap of faith. I took to the air and found myself rolling onto the roof on the other side. But I was not alone. My pursuer began grappling with me on the ground, rolling over each other struggling for dominance. It was my experience versus his. Unfortunately, I had very little experience fighting the living compared to my experience with the undead; I learned that earlier against Jeffrey, I got lucky then.. Soon he had found his way on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I began looking around for any signs of my impending rescue but there was none to be seen. Where the hell is everyone? Maybe this wasn’t the right place after all…
“You think you’re so much better than us don’t you? We’ve all hated you since the day you arrived. If it weren’t for Dorian and Gregory having such a fascination with you we would have done you in a long time ago.”
Human Zombies: The Compound Page 6