by L. J. Cuff
Dennis used his shoulder to break open the front door. Claire watched from behind to ensure no one could surprise them. They entered what should have been the inside of the house, but now was no more than a charred floor.
“What happened here?” Mary asked as she took a careful step forward.
“I don’t know but I doubt any of them could’ve survived.” Dennis stated.
Mary walked over to the kitchen area then came out. “You’re right, no one is here.”
The three of them stepped outside and watched the sun rise over the horizon. They rejoined Ted and Diane who were both looking at each other, then down at the radio.
“Is everything…” Mary began but was interrupted.
“They were overrun… There’s nothing left…” Ted stated, looking down at the steering wheel.
“So where to now?” Dennis asked.
Ted took in a deep breath and shook his head. Everyone watched the fields sway in the wind as silence fell over the group. They loaded themselves into the jeep and began driving on the road to the west.
Alphas
Chapter One
The infected slowly shuffled out of the school. Walking in single file, they moved to surround their trespassers. They left room directly in front of the door for the last infected to exit. It threw open the doors and grunted at the other infected as it approached. As it neared, it quickly became apparent that it was in command. It towered over the others and had scars running down its cheeks, evidence of its hard fought victories.
Diane and Ted each took a step back as they watched the events unfold.
“I guess class is in session,” Diane said, wide-eyed. She gripped Ted’s left arm.
“Let go,” Ted urgently whispered in her direction. He needed his left -- his right had never recovered properly from an infected bite.
Diane slowly shook her head. “They’re still human,” She responded, her lip quivering.
Ted pursed his lips and took another step back. The infected were closing the final small gap that remained behind them. He glanced over his right shoulder then quickly turned back to Diane. He swung his left arm away from his body throwing Diane to the floor.
“Get to the road!” Ted shouted as he pulled his knife out of its holster. When he noticed Diane not moving, he bent down and took her by the arm. “I will buy you some time!” He yelled, pushing her away.
Diane ran out of the school yard, towards the road with three infected following. Ted glanced over his shoulder to ensure Diane made it out of the fenced yard. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the infected coming closer.
He looked forward at the remaining four that stood in front of him. He raised his eyebrow as he noticed the scarred one was not among them.
“Now where is your alpha?” Ted asked, holding up his knife in anticipation. He glanced over his right shoulder then his left but still couldn’t see the missing one.
The infected stepped even closer to Ted. They were now within striking distance.
“So who’s first?” He inquired, taking a step to the side.
The closest infected licked its lips. It knelt down to the floor, readying itself to leap at its prey. Ted lowered his body too when suddenly he heard a branch snap to his left. He brought his hand over his head deflecting the brick from a direct hit. He fell down to all fours as a brick thrown from the right hit him in the stomach. The first infected came up right next to him and lifted the brick that lay to his left. It held it up above its head.
“Get up!” Ted shouted to himself as he curled his feet underneath himself. He put himself into a kneeling position and plunged his knife into the infected’s stomach.
The infected was momentarily stunned. It looked down at its new wound with bewilderment. Ted stood up fully and stuck his knife into the infected’s head. He bent down, cradling his stomach, carefully keeping the other infected in his sights. Ted growled loudly, causing the infected to take a step back. They looked at one another hesitantly, then back at him.
Another infected leapt forward, toppling Ted to the ground.
“Ooof!” Ted shouted as his head hit the gravel. He kicked the infected off.
A different infected took its place, this time placing its knees on his wrists preventing him from moving. It lifted a brick over its head and smiled. Ted swung his legs up, kicking the infected forward. It let go of the brick as it fell.
Ted slowly sat himself up, pushing the infected’s legs off of him. He turned around and noticed it was limp. Pushing himself off the ground, he noticed why – the brick it had been holding was crushing its head.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ted saw another infected coming closer. He glanced over his right shoulder at it.
“Now where is your friend?” He asked, slowly turning himself while holding his side with one hand.
Suddenly, he saw a shadow move across the ground. He immediately dropped to one knee and heard the sound of metal resonating. He glanced over his left shoulder and saw the infected running towards him. He stood up, keeping himself facing forward, pretending not to see.
The moment he could smell the infected, he spun around and plunged his knife into the infected’s chest, knocking it to the ground. He then knelt over it and pulled out his dagger. With one movement, he inserted the blade into the infected’s skull then pulled it right back out again. He stepped away from the infected’s limp body.
Turning around, he watched as the last infected stood with its back to the school. It tilted its head to the right then to the left. Ted stepped towards it, crossing the yard, stopping within a few feet. He kept his eyes squarely on his prey.
“It looks like you’re all alone now,” Ted stated.
It limped backwards for each step forward Ted took until it finally hit the wall. Ted held up his blood-soaked knife. “Don’t worry, I’ll make this nice and qui-,” Ted began when something dropped next to him. He looked up just in time to see a pair of hands throw another rock off the top of the building. His eyes darted between the infected and the hands on the roof.
Ted backed away slowly until he was out of range of the others. He watched the last infected limp over to the doors. He sighed audibly then turned around in the direction Diane went.
Within moments, Ted spotted Diane standing in the middle of tall grass. Her eyes were closed as the infected approached. Ted moved forward as best he could with his injuries. He opened his mouth to shout to her when he stopped.
The scarred infected, the alpha, stood up directly beside Diane. It sniffed her shoulder and walked around to her back. It turned to the other infected and grunted. They all stood up from the tall grass and began limping forward. They formed a perfect line in front of Diane almost as if they were waiting on orders.
Ted raised his eyebrow and lowered himself to the ground. He glanced over his left shoulder at the road then back at Diane. He slowly moved towards the road. If only I can get to the jeep, he thought, carefully stepping forward.
The pain from Ted’s injuries made him wince with each step. After a few steps, he took a moment to rest on a tree. As soon as he put his weight against it, the hollow trunk snapped in half. Ted quickly stood up. He ran towards the jeep.
Suddenly, he was thrown face down to the ground. The alpha held him tightly as the other infected hit him with tree branches.
***
Diane stepped out of the jeep and looked up at the beautiful sky. She smiled broadly and cheerfully strolled into the small camp. As she passed Dennis, she blew him a kiss and winked at him. Dennis raised his eyebrow at her. He looked over his right shoulder at Mary, then back at Diane.
She walked right up to Claire, who was cleaning her gun in front of the fire. She stopped next to her and silently watched. Claire glanced over her shoulder to see who was next to her then continued what she was doing.
After a few moments, Claire had enough. She looked up at Diane, who was still staring intently and smiling. “What is it Diane?” Claire asked bitterly. Ever si
nce the incident with Abby, Claire never trusted Diane despite reassurances from the others. Every time she thought she could forget, her head would hit the pillow, her eyes would close, and Diane’s friend Abby would appear in her worst nightmares. Ted kept reassuring her that time heals all wounds.
But, six months later, she still felt the pain like it was yesterday.
It took a minute before Claire realized Diane was still staring at her. She raised her eyebrow and looked Diane in the eyes. For whatever reason, Diane’s eyes looked glazed over.
“Is everything ok, Diane?”
Diane smiled and nodded. She spoke with a raspy voice, “I just wanted to see what you were doing.” The last word was barely audible, it sounded more like a grunt than anything else.
Claire furrowed her brow. “Are you feeling ok?” She inquired as she stood up while cocking her gun.
Diane nodded and smiled.
Claire looked nervously at Dennis and Mary, then back at Diane. “Where’s Ted?” She asked, glaring at Diane.
Diane shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Dennis called out, hiding his rifle behind the flap of his tent.
Diane looked from Dennis to Claire. She began chuckling in the same raspy manner.
A putrid smell emanated from Diane’s mouth causing Claire to hold her hand to her nose. The stench was thinly masked by the aroma of berries, as if to mask its smell.
“What is that stink?” Claire asked, glaring at Diane.
Diane’s smile broadened as she stopped laughing. She held out her hand and patted Claire on the shoulder. She mouthed the words, “It will be over soon.”
“Why are the jeep’s doors open?” Mary inquired, reaching down for her gun and knife.
Claire kept her attention squarely on Diane. Mary looked back and forth between Dennis and the jeep. Mary and Dennis held up their guns, aiming them squarely at the doors. They took a step forward and steadied their hands. Suddenly, Diane hit Claire, knocking her into the fire. Dennis and Mary spun around to look at Claire when two infected stepped out of the jeep. Claire quickly lifted herself from the fire and punched Diane in the cheek.
“What did you do to Ted?” Claire inquired as she took a step back.
Dennis and Mary moved themselves next to Claire, stepping past Diane who stayed on the ground. They watched in horror as four more infected stepped out of the jeep. Mary glanced over at Dennis who shook his head at her.
“Shit, got to go,” Claire announced. The three of them turned and ran into the nearby forest. They heard branches breaking from only a few feet away but they kept running.
After running a mile, they came across a small break in the trees. Looking around, there was no good cover. Mary glanced over to Claire and Dennis and nodded. She jogged out to the middle of the clearing and stood perfectly still. Dennis and Claire each climbed a tree ensuring they could see any infected coming out.
The first infected stepped out of the trees. It smiled at Mary as it steadied itself. It paused for a moment, waiting for others to arrive. Mary bent down and picked up a rock. She threw it, hitting the infected in the eye. It growled angrily at her and stumbled forward.
A single shot was fired and the infected fell to the ground. Mary took in a deep breath. She held up her gun and aimed it into the woods. She saw movement a few feet inside, but it wasn’t moving forward.
“Run!” She cried as she fired two shots at the infected.
Claire and Dennis jumped from their respective trees and ran to Mary. The three ran into another wooded area with the infected following close behind.
After running another mile, the three of them noticed that they had momentarily lost the infected. Claire and Dennis used the opportunity to set a trap. Mary was trying to catch her breath when she noticed something. In the area where they stood, the woods ended in less than half a mile. She stepped forward to get a closer look at what appeared to be a well-kept area when suddenly she stepped on something. She bent down and noticed a wire tied to a tree.
A log came flying through the air, narrowly missing Claire and Dennis. It swung like a pendulum moving back and forth.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Dennis asked, his eyes wide in bewilderment.
Mary waved and pointed down. She remained in a crouched position until Claire and Dennis helped secure the log.
“I wonder how long that’s been out here,” Claire questioned before they heard branches breaking.
“Oh shit,” Dennis held up his gun. “You guys get out of here,” Dennis said, pushing Mary to go with Claire.
Mary opened her mouth to object but stopped short of any sound coming out. Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded.
“I’ll be fine,” Dennis said as he smiled reassuringly before running into the trees on the right, breaking every branch in his path to ensure the infected could hear him.
Mary and Claire quietly found a safe spot to hide in the opposite direction. They watch four infected run in Dennis’ direction while the fifth approached them with Diane.
“Look at the scars on its face,” Claire quietly whispered to Mary.
Mary nodded slowly, watching carefully as Diane and the alpha communicated with one another using grunts. A single tear flowed down her cheek. The world seemed very silent to her with nothing existing outside of her hiding spot.
Suddenly, a gunshot broke the silence. The infected and Diane stepped to the right, heading towards the sound. A hand came down over Mary’s mouth at the same time as Claire’s. They both spun around to see Dennis kneeling behind them. He placed his finger over his mouth and signaled for them to follow him.
They slowly proceeded towards the well-kept area Mary had noticed. All three of them walking in a crouched position, cautiously watching each footstep so as not to attract unwanted attention. As they approached the edge of the forest, Mary paused to look over the landscape. Claire who was directly behind her bumped into her causing her to fall forward onto the lower part of a fence.
Mary quickly pulled herself up and pointed in the distance. “What is that?” She whispered into Claire’s ear. A small flashing light was emanating from the back window of a house.
Claire shrugged and shook her head in response. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from behind.
“We have to move, now,” Dennis stated, taking Mary’s gun from her and signalling for her to go.
Mary climbed under the fence first. She kept herself as low to the ground as possible, staying underneath the tomato plants’ leaves. Next came Claire who chose to pull herself through just above the bottom rail.
As the two women crawled through the tomato plants, Dennis opened Mary’s gun and counted the clips. Ok, so four rounds and there’s six of them, I can deal with that, he thought as he closed it and returned to the fence. Looking up, he noticed a squirrel in the tree a few feet away. He heard footsteps approaching from a different direction.
They probably haven’t seen you, he thought, bending over to pick up a rock. He stood and braced himself against a tree. With one swift movement, he hit the squirrel with the rock causing it to fall to the ground. The footsteps raced to the tree. Dennis smiled while he turned and hopped the fence, confident they wouldn’t immediately follow.
The two women watched as Dennis ran past them.
“What’s he doing?” Mary called out.
“I don’t know but I’m in,” Claire stood up and began jogging too.
Mary quickly followed, heading towards the house.
Suddenly, a gun was fired and Dennis was standing perfectly still with his hands in the air. He shook his head from side to side as if responding to someone in front of him. Claire and Mary fell to the ground. Three people walked up beside Dennis and grabbed his arms. They looked around but did not notice Claire or Mary.
Dennis is escorted towards the building with his hands tied behind his back.
“Who are those people?” Mary whispered to Claire.
&n
bsp; Before Claire had a chance to respond, the pair heard grunting behind them. They both turned around to see Diane and the infected standing behind the fence. None of them choose to climb over it. Instead, one by one, they headed back into the woods.
Mary raised her eyebrow as she looked over to Claire. “Are you able to-,” Mary began before Claire turned around.
“Follow Diane and find Ted?” Claire responded, before fully turning. She stayed low to the ground, heading towards the woods.
***
Dennis glanced over his right shoulder at one of the men escorting him. He raised his eyebrow as he noticed that the man was not carrying a gun. He glanced over his left shoulder at the other man and made the same revelation. Turning back to the first man, Dennis opened his mouth to speak.
“Save it, we’re not listening until you speak with him,” The man responded before even hearing any words.
“Who’s ‘him’?” Dennis inquired, still watching over his right shoulder. He got no response. Dennis shrugged and turned his head forward. On his left, they passed by the house that backed onto the area. It appeared to be fully boarded but in between the cracks, Dennis could make out tv screens. “So you guys have surveillance, huh?” Dennis asked, turning to his left.
The second man was just as unresponsive as the first.
Walking past the house, they approached a toolshed. The door creaked as one of the men opened it. Dennis was pushed inside and forced to sit on a small chair in the middle of the shed. He stared directly in front of him as the two men removed his restraints from behind and tied him to the arm rests.
“Well, now that I’m good and cozy, are you going to read me a story?” Dennis inquired with a sarcastic smirk.
The first man leaned forward and glared him in the eye. “You better pray that he likes you, else you will be food for our pets,” he stated, and left.
Dennis raised his eyebrow as he watched the door close and lock. Glancing around the area, he noticed it was built almost like a cell. The walls were fully enclosed, there was no way to see the outside world besides the bottom of the door. In the darkness, he could see the outline of a spade lying on the ground. He glanced back at the door and saw no hint of movement from outside. He knocked his chair over.