by J. B. Havens
“I’m leaving this shop either way. We should travel together; it’s safer.” He pulled on heavy boots and zipped his jacket. He was lucky; he had a nice waterproof rain slicker.
Walking to the door, I pulled aside the hanging tablecloth a fraction of an inch, just enough to see that it was raining steadily again. I was still a little damp from yesterday; my skin was getting water logged and chafed. I needed dry clothes and shoes.
“Okay, fine. But I’ve been out there long enough to know what I’m doing; you follow my lead and keep quiet. These things… are evolving somehow. It’s best to avoid them altogether. Engage them one-on-one, but only if you have to. No more than three to a group and we need to move. Got it?” I shrugged my backpack on and tightened the straps.
“What do you mean, evolving?” he asked, his growing fear pitching his voice higher. Zombies—which is what these things were—were bad enough; make them smarter and able to learn… it was enough to send you into a wall-hugging panic attack.
“When they’re gathered in larger groups, usually one stays in the center. It’s almost like a hive mentality. They are more efficient in groups, and not just because of their numbers. They seem smarter, take fewer risks, and seem to almost plan out their attacks. Instead of just reacting as usual.”
His face washed out as fear overcame him. “That… that can’t be possible,” he stuttered. “They’re dead!” His voice was getting steadily louder. “This is some kind of sick fucking joke. It’s not funny! They’re zombies, they can’t learn.”
“Fine, don’t believe me? Follow me.” I cautiously opened the coffee shop door and quickly stuck my head out. I saw what I was looking for up the street about two blocks. Keeping my bat at the ready and avoiding every puddle I could, I led Jesse uptown.
We passed a holocaust of burned cars, their charred owners trapped inside. There were bloody rags and scattered bones on the sidewalks and streets. I saw drapes move in the upper windows of apartment buildings; our progress was being followed as we made our way up the street.
I could feel Jesse at my back, shadowing my movements. The one I was following was a young girl who looked like she had not even seen her seventeenth birthday. What clothing she had left was hanging off her in rags, exposing the bluish skin they all seemed to have. Lack of oxygen to their muscles maybe. She was one of the faster ones. We could still outrun her if we needed to, but it would be a challenge.
We’d been following her for four blocks when she stopped, tilting her head to the side as if she was listening or tuning into a frequency we couldn’t hear. I ducked behind the shell of a truck, staying out of sight as much as possible. She screeched loudly and ran around the corner, past a deli with smashed windows and dried blood pools on the sidewalk.
“What are you doing? Why are we following it?” Jesse hissed in my ear.
“You need to see the truth,” I whispered back before running in a low crouch after her, keeping the line of cars between her and us. I popped my head up over the hoods, keeping the girl in sight. The smells were getting stronger now. The world reeked of blood, shit, and ash.
Jesse coughed behind me. The smell clung to the back of my throat, and I tasted the awfulness of it the whole way down.
“What is that fucking smell?” Jesse’s eyes were streaming with the force of it. The wind was blowing the noxious funk right into our faces. Unfortunately, the rain did very little to dampen it down.
The girl screeched again before stepping through the broken window of a department store.
“We’re near a nest,” I whispered back. Behind us was an apartment high-rise, one of those with impressive architecture on the outside, but tiny one room studios on the inside. Low-income and high-crime. The security door was open. I pointed in its direction, motioning for Jesse to follow me inside.
I found the stairs to the left and began to climb them as fast as I could. We stepped over broken bottles, spent shell casings, and blood trails. A battle had been fought here. Thankfully, there were no bodies. The sight of months-old corpses, rotting in a closed space like this, was not something I needed to see.
Exiting the stairway on the fourth floor, I led us down the carpeted hallway. We passed doors that had been knocked in, the thick wood left splintered inward. Bullet holes peppered the walls, and broken glass crunched under our feet.
I chose a door on the side facing the street and motioned Jesse back. “Stand here, against the wall,” I ordered as I tested the knob, grateful that it was unlocked. Swinging the door inward, I dropped to one knee and pushed until it was flush against the wall. No shots rang out over my head. Our only greeting was a stale, closed-up musty smell. A welcome relief from the horrendous reek outside.
“Come on. Stay alert.” I advanced carefully down a short hallway that led to a small eat-in kitchen, my bat held in position over my shoulder. The apartment was decently furnished and somewhat clean. Beyond the kitchen were a small living room and another short hallway leading off to the right.
I pointed to the bathroom door, silently telling Jesse to take that room while I cleared the bedroom. Quietly pushing open the door, I found the reason for the deep quietness. I saw the body of a young woman clutching an empty pill bottle. A half empty wine glass sat on her nightstand, along with a picture of what I could only assume was her mother.
I shut the door to the room and walked back to the kitchen, just as Jesse exited the bathroom.
“Here, I found these.” He handed me a box of cold meds, along with the incredible find of an unopened bottle of Tylenol. My lucky day.
“Thanks. House is clear.” I didn’t mention the woman in her bed. She was at peace, and it wasn’t my place to disturb that. “Come here.” I pushed aside the gauzy curtains in the living room and pointed down to the department store across the street. “Watch.”
“What exactly am I watching for?” Jesse asked.
“You’ll know it when you see it. I’m going to see if any clothes will fit me. I need something dry.”
Back in the bedroom, I pulled the sheet up and over the woman. I covered her, both out of respect, and because I didn’t want to be looking at her while I stole her clothes.
Opening her small closet, I realized I’d hit a gold mine. She was my size and seemed to have a shopping addiction. There were a few bags on the floor full of clothing with the tags still attached. I selected a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater to wear for the time being. I added a few extra shirts to put in my pack.
I stripped down to my bare skin, throwing my ragged clothes into the corner. As I moved to her dresser, hoping to find clean underwear, I caught a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror. My reflection shocked me.
I was a shadow of my former self. Once shiny black hair was now dull and greasy, hanging around my face at choppy angles from where I had hacked it off with a knife a few weeks ago. My skin was almost grey and sickly looking. I could count my ribs easily and my hip bones stuck out sharply. I was slightly emaciated but still strong. I had defined muscles in places I never thought I would. To top it off, I had a perfect set of abs and toned strength in my arms. Even my thighs were slim and firm. The apocalypse had done to me what my daily gym time couldn’t.
Jerking my eyes from the mirror, I pulled open the top drawer of the small dresser and found exactly what I was looking for. A simple cotton bra and panties. Slipping them on, I dressed quickly, relishing the feel of clean, dry clothing.
“Molly? You alright?” Jesse knocked on the door and opened it just as I was pulling the t-shirt on. It was fitted and black which suited me just fine.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled as I walked past him back into the living room. “We need to eat.” I was about to open my pack when Jesse began opening the kitchen cupboards.
“Wow, look at this!” He was waving a can of peaches in one hand and pineapple in the other. “It’s been so long since I’ve had fruit. Let’s have a feast.” He was grinning widely, showing crooked and coffee stained teeth. He was g
rowing on me against my will. I didn’t want to like him.
“Sounds good,” I tossed him the can opener. We pulled the dining room chairs over to the window so we could keep our watch going while enjoying the sweet, sweet taste of Vitamin C.
“Mm… oh… my… god. This is so good…” Jesse mumbled through a mouthful of peaches as juice dribbled down his chin in streams. I dug into the pineapple, the tropical sugariness bursting all over my tongue. The flavors seemed so much more intense since we’d gone so long without them.
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled back. Time passed quickly as we traded the cans back and forth until they were empty, even drinking the juice and licking the sticky syrup from our fingers. The sun was setting, and as the darkness approached, our alertness notched up a few degrees.
“Almost show time,” I said to Jesse. I scooted my chair closer to the window, looking downward at the department store.
“What are we watching for?” he asked.
“There. Here they come.” I pointed at the group of zombies exiting the building. There were five of them. They shuffled out and formed a loose circle outside the door. Just standing there…
“What are they waiting for? I’ve never seen them so still…” he trailed off and kept watching as more came out. Standing near the center was a very tall man, his skin once a dark ebony but now a sickly, bluish grey. He threw his arms wide and tipped his head back to let loose a loud roar. The others gathered around him screeched in response.
The leader pivoted with an amazing show of agility for a zombie and marched down the street. Each of the accompanying underlings followed him in perfect harmony. Their movements were synchronized as if they were of a single body. They jostled around cars and the few remains scattered around the street, always keeping their leader in the middle.
“That’s… terrifying. Are they communicating now?” Jesse’s voice cracked with terror.
“I think so. Keep watching. The show isn’t over.” I watched with him as more zombies spilled outside. They stumbled over the threshold of the doorway, knocking into each other and falling down. These were the zombies most of us were used to. They scattered in all different directions, seemingly paying no attention to one another. The further they got from one another, the slower and more uncoordinated they became.
“So, when they are together, they can communicate and are agile. On their own, they have the intelligence of a brick.” I waited patiently for his response.
His head was in his hands, and he looked pretty green. I hope he didn’t puke; it would be a terrible waste of perfectly good peaches.
Chapter 3
“How is this possible? I don’t understand,” Jesse questioned with disbelief.
“What did you do? Before all of this happened?” The abrupt subject change threw him a bit.
“What?” he asked.
“What was your job? How did you make a living?”
“I worked in a coffee shop. I mean, I owned the coffee shop.” He was talking very fast and sweating profusely; he was in shock. I handed him a bottle of water and closed the curtains.
“You’ve been inside the shop since the beginning?” Again, I was amazed he’d lived so long.
“Yes. That woman, she was a customer of mine. She was in the shop with me… when it happened. I closed and locked the doors. People were running everywhere and screaming. It was… horrible. I was frightened, so I stayed there. I didn’t know what else to do. For a few days, it was so loud; gunshots and fires were happening all over the place. I was terrified that our building would catch on fire, and we’d be forced out… there.” The words were pouring out; he wasn’t even looking at me anymore. He was back there, in his shop, huddled in the dark.
“The TVs stopped broadcasting, and the power went out. Luckily, I had just gotten a big delivery the morning it all started. So I had plenty of water, but not much food. I started going out in the early mornings to scavenge.”
“You never considered running? Leaving the city?”
“No. I couldn’t leave Betty behind. That was her name… by the way.” He drained half the bottle in one shot before continuing. “I found that pipe and used it when I had to. Mostly, I just stayed hidden until I could sneak into homes. What I saw… it was heartbreaking. Cribs filled with bloody blankets and half-eaten skeletons. So much blood all over. I still see it in my dreams, rivers of blood.” Tears steadily fell down his cheeks, disappearing into the thick whiskers covering his face and neck. He did nothing to acknowledge them. I didn’t think he realized that he was crying. “Our world is drowning in an ocean of blood and sorrow.”
“Don’t worry; I know how to build a raft.” My attempt at levity fell flat. “Okay, bad joke. Listen, I’m not here to hold your hand or be your mommy. Suck it up. Find a way to deal with it, or you’re going to die.” His quiet grieving switched to anger in a second.
“You’re a fucking bitch. No wonder you’re doing so well. You’re as dead inside as those fuckers out there,” Jesse snapped, leaving the room as fast as his feet could carry him. I heard his low howl when he found the woman in her bed.
Guess I should have mentioned that.
He quickly came back out into the living room, glaring and stomping his way into the kitchen. Ignoring me, he flung open cabinets and drawers, pocketing items as he went. There were more cans of food that he pulled out and piled up on the table.
I sat at the table and pulled a can toward me. “You should eat some more. And we should rest. I’ll take the first watch,” I said without looking at him. It was a can of vegetable beef soup. Gross even warmed up, but it was protein and vitamins. I swallowed fast, trying to escape the taste.
“You assume that I’m going to be here to share the watch with you. Maybe I’ll just leave now.” He was neck-deep in an epic pout. If his bottom lip popped out, I would not be responsible for my actions.
“There’s the door. Best of luck. Don’t get eaten,” I grumbled around a mouthful of soup. Propping my boots up on the opposite chair, I crossed them at the ankle and finished my meal, such as it was. If I made it out of this city, maybe I’d try to find some fresh food growing somewhere.
“I can’t stay in here with you. I’m finding another apartment to spend the night in.” Jesse grabbed his pack and left the apartment. I would have to barricade the door and sleep at some point. This wasn’t too bad of a set-up, maybe I’d stay here for a few days.
A piercing scream brought me to my feet and racing for the door. The smooth wood of my bat felt good against my palm as I ran down the hall toward the screams. Three doors down on the opposite side of the hallway, a door was half open. The unmistakable sounds of fighting greeted me as I entered the apartment.
Checking around the corners carefully, I followed the sound of the fight to a back room.
Jesse was pinned against the floor by a white-haired, bathrobe-wearing grandmother. Her wrinkled hands scrambled to get a grip on him while he held her off his throat.
“Close your eyes!” I yelled and swung at her head. The blades and nails sunk deeply into her temple, but it didn’t take her down. I jerked the bat free and Jackson Pollocked the wall with it. Bringing the bat down again, I sunk it into the top of her head. The sound of bone crunching echoed through the house, and sticky grey brain matter oozed down her face. Jesse twisted to the side, the majority of the offal landing on his cheek and neck, thankfully missing his mouth.
I jerked the bat free from her head and kicked her body to the side. Jesse stayed on the floor, panting and sweating. His hands were trembling as he tried to wipe the blood and brains off of his face. The coagulated blood smeared, causing more of a mess. Jesse was freaking out, frantically batting at the solid pieces, and I could see a scream building up in his chest.
“Stop. Look at me,” I commanded as I grabbed a random shirt from the floor and wiped his face and neck. “She’s dead for good. You’re a bit of a mess, but you’re okay. Were you bitten?”
“Nnnnn… no,” he stuttered b
reathlessly.
“Okay, up you go. Take it easy, you’re in shock. Let’s go back to the other apartment.” I slipped my arm around his waist and helped him up. Walking out, I surveyed the apartment. In the kitchen, the pantry was open, and it was well stocked. I would get Jesse settled and come back. It was more food than we could easily carry, but it would be stupid to leave it behind.
Nudging the door open with my foot, I led him into the kitchen and to a chair.
“Just relax for a bit. I’ll be right back. There was some food over there that I want to get.”
“Why didn’t you just leave me there? Let me die?”
“I’m not that much of an asshole. Give me a little credit.” I patted his shoulder and left the apartment. I carefully listened, anticipating more zombies showing up. They’d be attracted to the noise. There was nothing—no sound nor movement. A rat scurried down the hallway, keeping its body tight to the wall.
After gathering what I could in a backpack I’d found, I told Jesse to rest. I’d take both watches and catch a nap early in the morning before we left.
I barricaded the door with the couch, knowing full well that it wouldn’t stop them from breaking in and climbing over the back. It would, however, give me a choke-point to work with.
Unwilling to risk a light, I sat in the dark room and watched Jesse’s chest rising and falling in sleep. He twitched and moaned; even in sleep, there was no peace. Not anymore.
There was nothing left, only survival. I wasn’t sure what the point was; this was no life. Running and hiding, slowly starving to death. I coughed harshly, the force of it feeling as though my throat was shredding. Popping open a foil pack, I held the blue pills in my hand. I wanted to take them, but they would knock me out. To sleep a drugged sleep was to die.
I tossed them aside with a heavy sigh and took the pain reliever instead. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, just like yesterday… and the next day.
The days and nights stretched out endlessly before me. Nights of fear and days of vicious fighting. Some people would take the easy way out. I didn’t have it in me to quit.