The Infected Series

by L. J. Cuff

  I’m either crazy or stupid or both, she thought, jumping from the tree. She held up her own gun and started shooting it in the air.

  “Hey fuckers!! Come look at me!!” She shouted, running over the fields to the infected.

  All the infected were turned, watching Mary. Three people standing behind them used the opportunity to pull out their knives and use them on the infected’s heads. Mary brought her gun in front of her and took careful aim at one of the last infected. Her finger slowly moved the trigger when suddenly an infected grabbed her foot. She looked down at it as it wheezed at her. She pulled her foot away from it only to have another grab at her foot.

  “You fuckers just don’t know how to kill these things, do you?” She asked out of frustration. She aimed her gun down and shot two infected in the head.

  “Thanks for the help but that’s no longer necessary,” The leader said.

  Mary glared down at the infected then looked up at the leader. She was about to speak when she noticed the guns were now aimed at her. Another infected grabbed her ankle, she quickly kicked it off then glared at the leader.

  “You didn’t shoot to kill any of these, did you?” She asked.

  “That’s none of your business… Especially since you’re trespassing,” He said.

  “Trespassing? I just saved your people!”

  “And for that we aren’t shooting you on sight…”

  Two men walked up beside her and picked up the infected at her feet. They put a makeshift muzzle on it then dragged it with them towards the house.

  Mary raised her eyebrow as she watched them walk past. She looked back at the man in front of her. “Who are you and what is this place?” She asked.

  The leader glared at her. His blue eyes seemingly pierced through her.

  “As I said, we are grateful for your help but I must insist on you leaving now.” He ordered, lifting his gun and firing shots into the ground directly in front of Mary.

  “Fine,” She responded, turning around and making her way back to the fence. She passed by another couple of men that were standing over another infected.

  “It’s a real pity Mike sent you away,” One of them commented.

  “Yeah, we always have such fun with the pretty little girls,” The other said. They both chuckled as they placed the muzzle over the infected’s mouth and lifted it up.

  Mary got to the fence and jumped over. She walked only a few feet into the trees before turning right. She started following the treeline around the area.

  By the time Mary got to the road, the sun was almost setting.

  Great, I’m going to be out here at night by myself, could this get any better? She thought as she looked down the road. She stepped forward, out into the road when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind.

  She was about to scream when she spun around and saw her. She put her head in her hand and shook it. She’d never been so happy to see someone in her entire life.

  “It’s good to see you too, Mary,” Claire said giving her a hug.

  “Where’s T-,” Mary asked but stopped when she saw Claire’s eyes. She nodded slowly and gave her shoulder a pat.

  Claire took in a deep breath then spun around. There were voices coming from behind but she couldn’t tell if they were speaking or if it was grunts. She pulled Mary down into the bushes where the two of them watched the alpha step out with another infected.

  Mary’s eyes widened as she watched the alpha grunt at the other infected. Claire looked around the bushes but couldn’t see Diane anywhere. She leaned forward to get a better look, but to no avail.

  The alpha and the other infected began walking down the road, passing Mary and Claire, heading towards the establishment.

  “Where’s Dennis?” Claire whispered.

  Mary shrugged and shook her head. She paused for a moment and looked around. “Where’s Diane?” She inquired.

  Claire shook her head. “Your guess is as good as mine,” She whispered.

  The two sat in silence as they watched lights flashing in one of the houses.

  ***

  Dennis awoke with a start. His head was pounding. He tried turning to the side but found his neck was too stiff to move.

  I must be getting old, he thought, lifting his hand to his face. Suddenly he paused and looked at his hand as if it was his first time seeing it. He pushed off on the table, lifting his head, and straightening his back. He looked to his right then his left. He was alone in the room.

  From his position, he could barely see around. He stood up and stepped to the first wall. He noticed some of the wood paneling was a bit off. He traced his hand along the edges and found one of the panels was loose. Lifting it up revealed a hidden window.

  The rising sun cast a new light over the entire room. Dennis’ jaw dropped as he looked at the other walls. He couldn’t believe his eyes. On his left was a whiteboard showing an inventory of supplies, on the right was a map of the vicinity with a listing of friendlies, and in the center was a door and a simple message for Dennis.

  He took in a deep breath and stepped forward. The message was written with a different handwriting then all the others. He felt a knot in his stomach as he stepped forward to inspect it further. He felt something almost muddy under his shoe. He lifted his leg and saw what he thought was an intestine.

  Nodding slowly, he took in another breath. He backed away from the wall and lifted the panel behind him. Footsteps approached the door from the inside. Dennis quickly placed himself in between the panel and the window, careful to ensure no part of him was visible from inside the room.

  “Dennis… Where are you…? Come out, come out, wherever you are…” Ryan’s voice echoed through the room. His footsteps approached the table. “Now, now, my little friend, didn’t you read my message?” He asked, stepping towards the wood panels.

  He began chuckling. “You don’t think I’m stupid enough not to notice this, are you?” Ryan inquired, lifting the loose panel.

  Dennis looked around himself for a weapon but found none. He quietly stepped back, away from the loose panel. As his foot touched the floor, he felt a loose board. He quickly knelt down and pulled it up.

  Buried within lay a small revolver. Dennis opened it, ensuring it was loaded, and aimed it in Ryan’s direction.

  Ryan opened the panel and stuck his head inside. He saw Dennis holding the gun and pursed his lips. He pulled himself back into the room just in time to avoid the first bullet. “I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be this way,” He commented, keeping the loose panel open. “Oh well… C’est la vie…” He said disappointedly, allowing the panel to close. The panel opened again only this time Dennis saw the chair inserted to prop it up.

  Ryan’s headed to the door. “Kill him,” He ordered and stepped out.

  Dennis heard multiple footsteps coming towards the opening. He walked forward and fired the gun at the window, shattering the glass. He raised his boot up and kicked out the rest. Climbing onto the windowsill, he looked back at the three infected that were crossing the room.

  “See you later,” He said before turning and jumped out.

  He fell right in front of the pool. He looked over the edge and noted the infected were still there.

  “You’re even better than I thought,” Ryan said, stepping up behind Dennis. “You know, Tim has already agreed to serve me since… Well… Since we saved him…” He put his hand on Dennis’ shoulder and squeezed tightly. “No need to tell him that we brought the infected to him in the first place, right?” He whispered into Dennis’ ear.

  Dennis shook his head and gave a small grin. He grabbed Ryan’s hand to throw him into the pool but Ryan countered, throwing him onto the ground. The gun dropped on the ground.

  “Sir, more infected are coming,” Tim stated confidently.

  Ryan looked at him, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about them… Just tell them what to do… Those are trained…” He said dismissively.

  “But… They…” Tim’s voice
shook with fear.

  Ryan glared at him and retorted with a disgusted tone, “There’s nothing to fear… The stray infected don’t attack like they used to…” He turned back to Dennis who was standing a few feet away. “Now look what you’ve done… He’s going to get away and warn the others…” Ryan shouted at Tim before taking Tim’s gun.

  Dennis ran around the corner of the house and out of sight. He ran to the other house that was closer to the woods but stopped short when he looked down the road. He saw the infected that Tim had mentioned. He recognized the ones coming towards them.

  Suddenly, a gunshot from behind broke Dennis from his gaze. He ran behind the other house and over the field.

  A gunshot hit a tree that stood only a foot from Dennis. “Ok, you stop now or be shot in the back,” Ryan announced. Dennis grunted as he saw the fence was only fifteen feet away. He turned around and took in a deep breath.

  “Well, go on then… Do it, you little shit!” Dennis shouted.

  “As you wish,” Ryan responded, taking aim at Dennis. Dennis closed his eyes, thinking of Mary one final time.

  Dennis heard a shot fired but felt nothing hit him. He heard something hit the ground in front of him. Opening his eyes, he saw Ryan lying on the ground in front of him. He stepped forward and noticed Ryan had a bullet wound in his upper chest. He was breathing but struggling with each breath.

  Dennis looked up and saw infected running towards the house in front of him. He glanced down at Ryan and stated, “Consider this the only favor I will ever do for you.” He reached down, picked up Ryan’s gun, took careful aim, and fired a bullet directly into Ryan’s forehead.

  The infected immediately stopped what they were doing and looked in Dennis’ direction. The alpha grunted in his direction. Dennis took a step backwards, holding the gun up. The infected ran towards Dennis. He turned and ran towards the fence.

  As soon as he’d hopped over, he heard rustling in the trees to his right. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Mike jumping out of the branches. The two ran side by side through the woods, away from the infected.

  Within less than a mile, Dennis heard Mike breathing heavily. He couldn’t hear the infected.

  “Here, let’s climb these,” He whispered into Mike’s ear, motioning for the closest tree. He pulled Mike up and proceeded to go up an adjacent one.

  From his seat, Dennis could hear everything from the forest floor. The limping footsteps of the infected came ever closer. He steadied his gun against the branch in front of him, waiting for the inevitable but it never came to pass. The limping footsteps halted a few feet away. Mike got his breathing under control allowing Dennis to listen.

  Although the occasional grunt sounded very similar to a word, Dennis could not understand any of it. The infected scattered into the woods, heading away from Dennis and Mike. Dennis looked over at Mike who was gripped onto his tree as if it were life or death. Dennis waved but Mike didn’t notice. He shook his head and sighed.

  Dennis climbed out of his tree and picked up a pine cone. He swiftly threw it up at Mike, hitting him in the head. Dennis waved and motioned for Mike to follow him.

  “And here I thought you were hard core…” Dennis whispered, watching Mike climb down to him.

  Mike pursed his lips and looked down to the ground. He opened his mouth to speak but no words escaped. Instead, his eyes filled with sorrow. Dennis touched Mike’s shoulder and motioned for them to head back to the houses.

  “But… There’s nothing there… They… They overtook it…” Mike protested, pulling Dennis’ arm back.

  Dennis held up his hand to calm Mike. “There is a weapons stash there, no?” He asked.

  Mike slowly nodded.

  “Good, then we’ll go get those and then we’ll meet up with the others…” Dennis began, pulling Mike forward. Mike had the appearance of a lost puppy, afraid to go anywhere. “Look, it’ll be ok… I’ve been through worse and so have the two women that stay with me…” Dennis said reassuringly.

  Mike paused. “I… I… I might’ve sent one of your women away the other day…” He stammered, walking alongside Dennis back towards the fence.

  “Did you kill her?”

  “No, I just told her to leave…”

  “Then everything is fine…”

  “But she would’ve been alone at night…”

  Dennis shrugged. “They’re very resilient.” He stopped when he saw the fence. “Is there a way to get to the compound that doesn’t involve that field?” He asked, turning to Mike.

  Mike nodded and pointed to the left. Dennis smiled and said, “Lead the way.”

  ***

  Mary leaned over to Claire and whispered, “Do you think it’s over?”

  Claire thought about it then tilted her head to the side. The two of them were hiding in a shrub a few feet away from the start of the area around the houses. It was the only good spot they could find where they could see everything and not be a part of anything.

  The previous night, they saw the infected over run the area. At first they thought it was the alpha and Diane’s group but soon they discovered it wasn’t. Although the alpha and Diane did briefly appear, they quickly left the moment they saw the others.

  Mary was lost in thought about her sleepless night when suddenly Claire poked her in the side. She raised her eyebrow and glared at her. Claire shrugged and winked. “Let’s go take a look.” She said, standing herself up.

  As the two of them stepped forward, Mary looked all around. She was watching for any signs of movement but so far, there were none.

  The pair approached the first house on the left. They heard grunting from the backyard. The rotting stench was overpowering as they walked around the side of the house. Mary raised her arm to her nose and pulled her knife from her boot. She peered around the corner of the house. She couldn’t see any infected. She looked over to Claire who nodded at her.

  Mary stepped confidently around the corner of the house but nothing moved around her. She glanced back to Claire and shrugged. She heard grunting from in front of her causing her to ready herself but again, nothing. Looking around, she noticed a hole in the ground. At first, it appeared quite small but as she approached, she saw how large it was. Someone had covered the area with a camouflage net.

  Looking down into the pool sized pit, Mary saw five infected staring up at her.

  “Well, you’re no threat to me,” She stated, still holding her hand to her nose. An idea flew into her mind and she approached the pit even closer. She crouched down, inspecting each of the infected who came closer to her. “If none of you are reeking then who-,” Mary began before hearing grunting from behind. She spun around just in time to see something hit her causing her to fall on the other side of the pit. She quickly stood up and held up her knife.

  The infected surrounded her, each one licking its lips.

  “So who’s first?” Mary asked, almost growling at the infected.

  The infected looked at one another then back at Mary. They each took a step forward, closing off any chance she had of escaping.

  “Ok, so it’s a free for all you want,” Mary said, shrugging her shoulders. She leapt towards the infected to her right, bringing her knife above her head. The infected fell against the ground with Mary sitting on top. She quickly plunged the knife into the infected’s skull. She pulled out her knife.

  Feeling a pair of hands on her shoulders, pulling her back, Mary steadied herself. She spun around and shoved the infected off in one quick movement. The other three infected turned to watch the other infected on the ground. They returned their attention to Mary, snarling at her.

  Mary stretched out her neck and lifted her knife in the air. “So who’s next?” She sneered at the infected.

  Suddenly, someone dropped in front of Mary. He quickly looked up at her then over at the infected.

  “Quick, Mary, give me your hand!” Claire shouted, stretching her arm down into the pool.

  Mary immediately spun a
round and reached up. Claire helped pull her out of the hole while the infected inspected their fresh intruder.

  As soon as Mary was standing on solid ground, she turned to Claire. “Who was that?” She asked.

  “He said his name was Tim but besides that, he didn’t really say much…” Claire stated, returning to her hiding spot to collect her gun. “He did mention he has it out for you…” Claire paused and thought about her statement. She turned back to the pit. “I guess, he had it out for you,” She said, smiling and winking back at Mary.

  Mary raised her eyebrow, she was still standing at the side of the pit. Although the infected seemed interested in the man, they didn’t seem to want to immediately harm him.

  “What odd behavior…” Mary inquired. She positioned herself closer to the edge. “If you tell me why you threw me in there, then I’ll help you out.” She offered.

  “Fuck you! We know how trading with Abby goes,” He countered.

  “I’m not with Abby,” She shrugged. “But, it’s still your choice… I’m offering to help you…”

  “You can’t fool me!” He said before the infected leapt on him, stifling his voice.

  Mary glanced over at Claire then back at the pit. She stepped away, towards the house. Looking into the window, Mary found no signs of life.

  “Come, let’s go back into the forest, we have better cover there,” Claire suggested, stepping up to Mary.

  Mary shook her head and looked Claire in the eyes. “How did he know about Abby? I don’t remember seeing him there…” She questioned.

  Claire shrugged. “I’m not sure it matters right now, we have to get going… I can hear the alpha from the other side and that’s not a good thing…” She pointed towards the trees in the back. “Quick, let’s get ourselves over there for cover.”

  Mary slowly nodded. The two of them managed to hop the fence on the other side just as the alpha rounded the corner of the house. He sniffed the air and grunted. Other infected came up beside him. He stood for a few minutes, staring in the direction Mary and Claire went before turning around and heading down the road.