Age of Decay (Book 1): Contagion

by Brian Lamacraft

  Gail flinched back. “Don’t touch me.”

  They stayed well enough back from the road. Trevor knew Ian could get a bit closer because the big Irishman could handle himself well with the axe. He watched as Bill fired his pistol, which connected with the head of another one of the ghouls. Bill moved closer to the road. It was hard to see in the darkness even with a bit of moonlight guiding their way. That’s too close Bill. Got to be careful. One false mov—

  As Bill reloaded a fresh magazine, he didn’t see it come to him from the side. The ghoul moved quickly as it clamped its teeth around his forearm before tearing off a chunk of Bill’s flesh. Blood fountained out of the wound in a crimson gush. Bill screamed and dropped his weapon. He backed up as the ghoul followed him, its jaws now stained red.

  “Fuck!” screamed Trevor. He drew his hunting knife and sprinted across the road. He slammed his foot into the chest of the ghoul and knocked it to the ground, driving it away from Bill. He plunged the knife into the things throat and head over and over again. “Just fucking die.” By the time he was done, he was covered in gore. He wiped the grime away from his face, then stood up gasping for breath.

  Bill staggered several steps backwards. He coughed heavily and held onto his forearm which seeped blood at a rapid rate. “Shit... didn’t see it... just didn’t see it.”

  Lauren watched her son pull his pistol and ready the weapon. Before she could speak he walked up to Bill calmly and fired the pistol point blank into the man’s head. He has no feelings now. He’s just a killer. Do you feel anything, Son?

  Jason tuned to his father. He picked up Bill’s pistol and put it into his waistband. “We should get moving.”

  Trevor looked down at Bill. He dead eyes staring out into the moonlight. The blood pooling by the ruin of his head. He looked down at his own hand still clutching the gore-soaked dagger. His hand shook. Trevor put his other hand on his wrist to steady it, then wiped the dagger on his shirt, before putting it back in its sheath. “Yeah… tired… We all need some rest.” Trevor cleared his throat. “We stick together, follow these roads till we find a place.”

  Lauren passed her son. She tuned to face him. “If anyone of us gets bitten, are you gonna be so calm about killing one of us?”

  “I’ll do what I have to.” Jason walked ahead passed his father then down the road.

  “I said stay together.”

  “I’m sure you can handle it, Dad.”

  Ian walked up to Trevor. “Let him go lad. He’s got to handle this in his own way.”

  Trevor looked at this hand that still shook. “Look at me, I’m a wreck.”

  “Aye.” Ian wiped his brow. “We all are, lad. Need to rest and get our strength back.”

  “Not my strength I’m worried about.” Trevor thought back to the grisly day. A day of death, despair, and more terror then he could possibly imagine.

  “What do you worry about?”

  “Keeping my fucking sanity.” The group of survivors walked down the road, not knowing when they would be attacked again. Their nerves were on edge as they searched their souls for some sense of what was going on.

  They found none.

  ***

  They walked down the road to the two-story house which looked to be as good of a place to stay as any. It was surrounded by a medium height fence. Behind the house, several hundred meters back, was a large forested area. It looked to be a higher end residence, owned by someone with a lot of money from farming or some other enterprise. In the driveway was a newer model BMW, around the front of the house a nice garden with stone steps. In the middle of the yard, a fountain sent water cascading down. The sound of the water was almost soothing in the darkness of the early morning hours. As they got closer to the house, they could see the left side of the large front driveway gate hanging off its hinges at an angle. It was bent and twisted. Large tracks could be seen in the grass, and mud was all over the driveway. It was clear that someone had used a vehicle to ram the gate and get away from the house. One of the twin garage doors was open. Several boxes were strewn all over the cement.

  Trevor’s group stopped in the main driveway. Trevor gripped his rifle hard, ready for anything. “The rest of you stay here. Jason and I will check out the house.”

  “Aye,” said Ian.

  The two men went into the garage where they noticed blood drips that led up to the door, left wide open. A bloody handprint could be seen around the handle of the door. “You go right, and I’ll go left,” said Trevor. He put his rifle at the ready, and they walked slowly through the door. To the left was another door, which Jason went through. Trevor moved through the workshop area, following the drips of blood on the floor. He went into a nice recreation room with a pool table, big screen television, wood stove, and a fully stocked bar. He made his way through the rest of the basement until he reached Trevor, who stood by the stairs by the front door leading up.

  Jason put his finger to his lips. “Shh,” he said as he pointed to the bloodstains leading down the stairs.

  “Let’s go up slowly,” replied Trevor. They made their way up the stairs, and at the top, Trevor stopped when he heard a thump.

  Jason’s foot slipped on the stair, but he held on to the railing to keep from falling as it lumbered to the top of the stairs. The thing that used to be a woman had dark gray skin. Her blouse was torn and shredded down one side and stained with blood. Her mouth was covered in gore and it hissed at Trevor who stood in front of Jason on the steps, its long hair matted to the forehead. Spit flew from the mouth as it made a lunge for Trevor’s throat. He hit it in the head with the butt of his rifle and it staggered back a bit, allowing him to reach the last step of the stairs. Before the thing could regain its balance, Trevor shot it in the head which sprayed gore over the light brown carpeting.

  Trevor reloaded. “Check the rooms.” He followed the red stains and went into the modern kitchen. The coffeepot was full and two cups sat on the counter, but the countertop was smeared in blood, the scent of it assaulting his nostrils.

  Jason came into the kitchen. “Nothing in any of the rooms.”

  “Is everyone alright?” called Erica from downstairs.

  “Yeah, it’s clear now,” replied Trevor. He opened the refrigerator. “Oh sweet Jesus, just what I need.” He pulled out a beer and sat down on a chair. He drained the brew in a few seconds and went for another one.

  “The others are still downstairs,” said Ian.

  “You seem so relaxed when you do it. I just can’t see how you are so calm,” said Trevor as he drank, savoring the cool liquid.

  “Do what?”

  “Kill. You move through them with that axe like they were nothing.”

  “Ah, lad, who says I don’t feel anything. I die every time I have to do it. Ya think of what they were and what they are now. I’d go insane if I didn’t close my mind to it.” I worry I’ll make a mistake, a wrong move.

  Trevor took another long drink. “Glad you’re here. If we stay together, we’ll make it. Christ, I don’t want to lose anyone else. My fam—”

  “Take another drink, lad.”

  “Where’s my son?”

  “Stretched out in the living room, taking a rest.”

  “Can you get that corpse out of here? I just don’t have any energy left.”

  “Ya.”

  Trevor sat in the chair and drained the rest if the second beer. He looked out the kitchen window into the blackness and wondered how long they would have. So much death. Barely got to know Bill. I wonder what his family was like. Sorry, buddy. He held onto the table with a blood-caked wrist as his arm began to shake.

  Chapter 21

  The lights still worked, so Lauren and Samantha cooked some supper for the group. They would make the most of it until the already flickering power went out. Lauren prepared chicken while Samantha cut up some vegetables. They would need the energy, and it might just be the least good meal they had for a long time.

  “Shouldn’t you wake up Jason?
It’s going to be ready soon,” Lauren said.

  “Let him rest. He can eat when he wakes up. I need him fresh after Ian and Erica come back in from watch.”

  “Hon, you should rest, too. You look like hell.”

  “We all look like hell,” replied Trevor. “I’m fine, I just need a good meal.”

  “How long we going to stay here?” said George.

  “A couple of days, maybe. As long as it stays safe. Should look around, pick up some supplies, and find a vehicle. Roads up to the interior might be passable.”

  Gail got up and went over to the stove where Samantha was adding spices to the vegetables. “Where did you learn to cook? That smells wonderful.”

  “My mother, okay? She taught me to cook, she taught me lots of things, like any mother would. Don’t talk about her, just don’t you talk about her!” Samantha pushed her way passed Gail and ran into one of the bedrooms, slamming the door shut.

  “What was that all about?”

  Lauren slammed the spoon into the frying pan and stirred the vegetables. “She saw her mother devour her father. My husband had to kill her parents.”

  “Oh, God. Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “Just like you, always getting into other’s people’s business,” said George, as he put his cards down.

  “Now you stay out of this, I don’t nee—”

  “It’s okay, Gail,” interrupted Trevor. “Hon, go and talk to Sam, I’ll finish the dinner.” He went over to the stove.

  “Sure.”

  Trevor stirred the vegetables and chicken. He peered out the window and heard the commotion outside.

  “That’s far enough,” came the booming voice of Ian. “Who are ya, and what do you want?”

  “Saw the lights,” said the man. “Been wandering around since this morning, haven’t seen anyone except for those that are infected with whatever this is.”

  “What makes you think ya welcome here? Maybe ya should go back.”

  Trevor hollered out the window. “It’s okay, I’m coming down.” Trevor went outside and met the young man at the front door. Erica and Ian stood behind him.

  “I take it you’re in charge here?” he asked.

  Trevor looked him over. He was carrying a tire iron and looked to be about twenty-four years old with short blond hair. He wore a grimy T-shirt and jeans over his well-developed muscular frame. “I suppose so. Who are you?”

  “Name’s Donald. I live around here. Been going crazy looking for people. Guy I was with got bit by one of them, then tried to attack me. I had to kill him with this.”

  “We escaped from Vancouver. Made our way up here by boat. Can’t say we know this area very well, maybe you could help us. You’re welcome to stay.” He put his hand on his revolver. “I’m pretty handy with this. If you think you’re going to cause something, you can forget it.”

  “I don’t want to be a burden on you or cause any trouble.”

  “Alright. Sorry, I’m just being cautious. It’s hard to trust anyone now. Don’t mind ole Ian there. We are just looking out for each other. Can’t be too careful now with things falling apart. Come on in, my wife has some food ready.”

  “Ya,” said Ian. “Can smell it.”

  “You’ll get fed, after your shift,” said Erica.

  “How about now?” said Ian.

  “I’ll see you two soon to relieve you.”

  “Ya lad.”

  Trevor looked into the blackness. “It’s almost too quiet out here.”

  “I hope it lasts,” said Erica.

  Trevor ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Me too.”

  ***

  Trevor, Donald, and the rest sat around the table. Lauren had talked to Samantha and she seemed to perk up a lot when Donald arrived as she took in his good-looking features when he sat beside her.

  “Amazing chicken,” said George who shovelled food into his mouth. He made a quick glance at his wife, who scowled in his direction. “Although, not as good as my wife’s cooking.”

  “I would have used a bit more salt,” said Gail.

  Lauren looked her way. Be happy you actually have food, bitch.

  “So what sort of plan do you have?” asked Donald.

  Trevor swallowed a mouthful. “We are heading up to the Hope area where my uncle lives. I figure we will be far enough from what is going on. The town is small, we should be able to get control of it, clean it out, and gather whatever other survivors we find. The bigger cities are death traps.”

  “Got family?” asked Lauren.

  Donald looked down to his plate. “Don’t know if they are even alive. They are in the suburbs, it’s probably overrun with them by now.”

  Samantha put her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. We can be your family now.”

  Trevor buttered a piece of bread. “It’s too dangerous to go there now. I’m sure you know that. We barely got out of the city. It’s coming apart fast. Don’t know how long we’ll even have power for.”

  “I’m willing to come to Hope with you.”

  “We would be happy to have you,” said Lauren.

  “I think we’ll leave the day after tomorrow, that should give everyone a good rest. I was wondering if you would like to do something for me. We could use some supplies, clothing, medications, weapons, anything of value. Since you know this area well, I thought you could go out with my son and scout around a bit.”

  “Sure, I could do that.”

  Trevor turned to Lauren. “I want to give Jason some more responsibility. He needs to do things on his own without my supervision.”

  “No,” responded Lauren. “It’s not safe.”

  “Look, hon. Jason and Erica are the only ones besides me that can use firearms effectively. I’m needed here.”

  “That boy scares me,” said Gail.

  “Don’t you talk about my son like that,” hollered Lauren. “We should have left you by the river for them.”

  “Well I—”

  “I need some air,” said Samantha.

  Donald got up. “Hey, I’ll go with you.”

  Samantha blushed. “I’d like that.”

  Trevor put his fork down and wiped his mouth. “Everyone just calm down. We have got to work together to get through this. We can’t beat each other up over petty differences.”

  “He’s right,” said George. “Have to work as a group, it’s the only way to survive.”

  Jason stretched as he came into the kitchen. He fixed himself a plate of food as he looked around. “Where’s Samantha?”

  “She’s outside with Donald. I think that girl likes him,” said Gail.

  What the fuck? I’ll kill him. “Who the hell is Donald?”

  “He arrived when you were sleeping.” Trevor stretched back in his chair. “God, I could use some sleep, too. I’m glad you’re awake because tomorrow I have a job for you.”

  “Job?”

  “Yeah. Donald knows this area, and we’re going to need more supplies. I want you to go with him and scout out the local farmhouses. See what you can find out there. I’m giving you this new responsibility. I can’t do everything on my own.”

  “Yeah, I suppose I can do that.”

  “Good.”

  Jason took another mouthful. “Excuse, me I’m gonna go outside.”

  “Send Erica in, will you?” said Trevor. “Gonna relieve her.”

  “Okay.”

  Trevor got up and went into the living room. Just lay down for a minute here on this couch, stretch out my legs.

  Jason went out the front door and saw them in the yard. Samantha had her arms around Donald with her shoulder on his. Yeah, I’ll kill you, alright. He put his hand around the handle of his pistol.

  Donald heard the door close and turned around. “Hey someone I haven’t met yet. Who might you be, kid?”

  Not a fucking kid, pal. “Jason.”

  Donald put out his hand, but Jason didn’t take it. “Donald.”

  Samantha scowled at Jason. “You shouldn�
��t be so rude.”

  “It’s okay, we’re all tired and stressed from all of this. I’m going back inside.” He patted Jason on the back. “Take care, kid, we’ll talk later.”

  Samantha wiped the tear away from her cheek and flung her hair back.

  “You alright? Did he hurt you?”

  “Hurt me? No, he’s gentle.”

  “What the hell were you two talking about?”

  “Oh, like you would understand. You have no idea. You just got no idea.” Samantha ran back to the front door.

  “Yeah, that’s right. Go back to your boyfriend, you little bitch!” Jason whirled around and walked into the field.

  “Hey, what was that all about? I heard you yell from here,” said Erica.

  “Nothing. Dad wants you to go inside. I’ll take over until he gets here.”

  “Trouble with the girl?” asked Ian.

  Jason pulled his pistol out and pointed it into the blackness. “Just like those dead out there. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” In the stillness of the night he stood there, but inside he seethed. Touch my girl, you little fuck. “Nothing at all.”

  ***

  Erica stood over the couch where Trevor slept.

  “He’s out cold,” said Lauren.

  “Yeah, we could all sleep for weeks. We’ll handle the watch until morning. He needs to rest.”

  “Thank you.” Lauren brushed his hair with her fingers. “I think I’ll sleep, too.”

  “Sure.”

  In the kitchen, George made coffee. The lights began to flicker and they dimmed for a few seconds before coming back on. “You better get some food before they go out.”

  Erica took a plate and sat down. “Yeah. Where’s your wife?”

  “Gone for a sleep. I could never sleep much during the night. Now, with this, I doubt I’ll ever sleep again.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “I… want to apologize for my wife. She can be a handful at times. She’s a good person, but this is just hitting hard.”

  “I feel the same thing, we just react to it differently. I was in the VGH hospital when all this happened. Seen things, I’ll never forget.”