Resource Economies

by Traverse Davies

  As the four of them leapt through the flames Junie grabbed the one closest to him, getting a small burn in the process, his skin sizzled and blistered, but only on his forearm. It was mostly scar tissue there anyway. His men grabbed the interloper with him and dragged the man into the next building. It was going to burn, no question. This kind of fire tended to get out of control in places like this, but by the time it caught they would be out.

  Junie grabbed the strap on the man's helmet, releasing it, and pulled the helmet completely off, revealing a very young, very scared looking man.

  "Make a noise, I cut out your tongue what."

  They dragged him back deep into the building. It appeared to be an old pizza parlor. Once they were at the back door, Junie grabbed an old piece of cloth he had in his pocket and stuffed it into the man's mouth. The man resisted so Junie punched him in the stomach and then pushed the ratty old cloth into his mouth. They tied another piece of cloth around his head, keeping the gag in place, and then went out the back way, into the cool, bright day. Smoke was starting to cloud the sky, which meant that in no time there would be a lot more soldiers on site. Junie and his men hightailed it out of there, hold a knife under the soldier’s chin to ensure he would cooperate.

  Once they reached the warehouse Junie took the man's gag off. The man said, "Fuck you. Let me go."

  Junie casually kicked him in the stomach, driving him to his knees. Then Junie grabbed the back of his head and kneed him in the nose.

  "You will answer my fucking questions, and you will keep a civil fucking tongue in your head when I talk to you. Got it, boy?"

  The man nodded.

  "Okay, now, what's your name?"

  "Bob. I'm Bob."

  "Okay, then Bob. I'm Junie. From now on I am your mother, your father, your God. you will say exactly what the fuck I want you to say, got it."

  "Sure man, sure, just don't hurt me. Please."

  The man was begging, pleading. It made Junie sick. A real man should have more strength than that, more heart. Junie kicked him in the ribs once, just for the hell of it.

  "Okay Bob, you hear that sound?"

  The noise from below was clear as day, a few hundred zombies, growling and shuffling, reaching up to try and get to the office suspended far above.

  "Yeah, I know what it is."

  "You piss me off, you don't answer my questions, I dump you over the edge."

  "Okay, you won't have a problem with me," Bob was blubbering, sobbing.

  "You make me sick, pathetic waste of flesh. Might be all you're good for is feeding the blessed. Now, how many are in your camp?"

  "Fifteen hundred and six, last count. Just a small force, to feel the place out."

  Junie thought about that number for a moment. Last count his town had just under six hundred, counting everyone, even the newborns and the very old.

  "Where are you from?"

  "New York. We're from New York."

  "How many people in New York?"

  "Not sure, somewhere around six million I think. Most of the city died, we only managed to save a few, but we've grown since then."

  "Six million?"

  "Yeah, around. Nobody has a completely accurate count. We are expanding up and down the coast right now."

  Junie kicked him again. Bob coughed, choking and gagging as he did. "Fuck was that for?"

  "Six million people. That's bullshit. No place has six million."

  "How old are you?"

  "Old enough to know bullshit when I hear it."

  "New York had more than twenty million when the zombies hit. Like every place else we lost like ninety percent, brought us down to like two million. We kept going, kept fighting. A little while later we had more, we're back up to six, with people coming in from outside, kids being born. There's a ton of room, a ton of food. It's awesome, the best place around. Rebuild from the ashes. You should visit."

  Bob started singing "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today, I want to be a part of it, New York, New York." He was cut off with another kick. "Fuck you, I can drop you."

  "So do it. Show me how big a man you are, tough guy. Drop me in the zombies."

  "No, I think I make you hurt a lot, then I drop you in the zombies."

  "What, no more question... agggh"

  Junie stomped on Bob's hand, driving his heel in the bones, hearing it crack.

  "No, I don't think you're going to tell me anything useful. Instead, I'm going to beat you until my desire to beat someone passes."

  He broke Bob's arm, started punching him in the face, kept punching until the soldier's face was a bloody mass, eyes swollen too shut to see. Every hit made a meaty thud, then a squishy thud. Junie looked at his knuckles. He might have broken the largest one on his left hand. Oh well, not the first time, not going to be the last. He started kicking Bob in the ribs until he coughed blood. He looked down at the bloody mess and said, "Alright, I think I'm in the mood for questions and answers now. So, where the fuck are you from boy?"

  Bob looked up at him and said, "Okay, I admit it. I lied."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, I'm from Long Island. Guess I just couldn't face the shame."

  Junie kicked him again, hard enough to drive him into the wall behind him. Bob slowly crawled up the wall. Junie let him stand, letting him get to his feet so he could take him down, take away his hope, his belief in himself. Bob got all the way standing, still hunched over with the pain in his ribs. Junie slowly walked forward when Bob turned and ran, straight for Rich. Junie tried to grab him, but Bob had developed some last reserve. He grabbed Rich by the collar and dove through the window to the zombies waiting below, taking Rich with him as he fell. His last words as he jumped were "My names not Bob mother fucker."

  A Jaunt Along the Shore

  Chad looked good in his role. Tamra was impressed with how much he'd grown. Some men collapsed when things got too tough, but not Chad. He grew into the role, became who he needed to be to save them all. Okay, it hadn't worked, but still, despite being ten years her junior she had decided that he was what she wanted in a man. Hell, he'd even developed some courage when it came to interacting with her.

  They were trekking along the coast now, making much better time. There was a road for them to follow, not much of one, but so much better than the deep forest.

  They were making the kind of time that was possible in the old days. Remote as this area was there was no issue with zombies, it was just a straight shot to Sydney. Well, not straight, kind of twisted and crazy, but Tamra thought they might be making eight to ten kilometers an hour. A respectable pace to maintain, and it wasn't killing them. Water and food were a problem, of course, but that was hardly new.

  After a full day of walking with relative ease, they found a small community. It wasn't much, a few houses that hadn't been occupied in twenty years or so, most in an advanced stage of rot, but it was something, anyone who was still alive in this world had scavenged in worse. "Hey, how about this one?" Chad asked.

  "Sure, looks good." There it was again, he had picked one, led. Sure, he phrased it as a question, but that was good leadership, making the group feel involved, but not burdening them with the weight of the decisions at the same time. The four of them waked up to the house, it was weathered and ancient, but it also looked like a certain type of place, the kind of place a poor family would have lived in back in the old days. Not trailer trash, not like her family, but still... poor. Working class. Families like that didn't tend to have high-end food, fresh food, all of that. They had bulk food that lasted. Especially in a place like this, where winter might mean you couldn't make it to a larger center for months on end.

  Tyson smashed the door in, not bothering to preserve it. A zombie came rushing at them, but Chad slammed his machete into its head before it could even reach the door. It was an overweight woman, the tattered remnants of a floral print dress draped over her grey, decaying flesh. They stepped into the gloom. There were two more zombies, children. Chad
decapitated the first with a savage blow and Tamra took the second, driving a knife into its temple. Tyson and Evie followed along.

  The place was awful. Tacky in a way that defied the mind. Every square inch of wall was covered in commemorative plates or spoons. The center of the room was an overstuffed couch and chair set, corduroy covering all of it. There was no way to know where to look, every surface had something on it. There was a large picture of a blonde woman with the words "A Candle in The Wind" written beneath it. Tamra started to feel claustrophobic just standing there.

  They looked through an open door into a small kitchen. The fridge was sealed shut, but rust had taken its toll, leaving gaps in the door. The food inside was decades past rot and had lost all odor. It was inert. They checked through the cupboards. This place had never been looted, twenty years and it was untouched. The bottles of water, lined up in plastic, were still clear, no trace of contamination. It was better than they could have hoped for. Chad cracked one open and passed it to Tyson. Tamra realized that in that moment she might actually be in love with him. The second bottle went to Evie, third to Tamra, and finally, he took one for himself. "Bottoms up. Let's see if there's any food."

  They ransacked the place and found some. The basement contained shelves of preserves and a good collection of rum. Tamra said, "So, guess we get to go home rich huh?"

  "What do you mean?" Chad asked.

  "You have any idea what pre-apocalypse rum is worth? And most of this stuff was worth a lot before the world went to hell. You are looking at being able to retire if you play your cards right with this stuff."

  "Had no idea. Wait, how the hell does a TV star know the price of things on the black market?"

  "Girls gotta have her secrets."

  They took one of the bottles and cracked it open. Tamra insisted. "We aren't going to finish it, but you should at least try it, find out what it's like to live the high life."

  They all took a swig, even Evie, who said, "I'm an adult now, at least in my home. I've had a drink before."

  The rum was smooth and sweet, leaving a pleasant burn in their chests. Evie said, "That's nothing like what I've had before."

  "Moonshine, right?"

  "What's moonshine?"

  "You guys made it yourself."

  "Oh, yeah, Clyde lets a little of it be brewed for festivals. Not too much, he believes strong drink is a tool of the devil, but on festivals it's alright right."

  "Yeah, shine was basically free in the old word. Some of this stuff was north of a hundred and fifty a bottle."

  They stopped after a couple of drinks, Tamra had a nice soft glow on, feeling happy and soft. She had found something else. An amazing find. These were the type of people to prepare for an emergency. There were tubes of toothpaste and unopened toothbrushes, many of them. She handed Chad a tube of toothpaste and one of the toothbrushes, then started brushing her own teeth. He took the hint and did the same. Tyson grabbed a set himself and went to brush his teeth. Evie looked at them in puzzlement. "What are you doing?"

  "Cleaning our teeth. Don't your people do that."

  "No, not ever."

  "Okay sweetie, just watch what we do. It makes your teeth last a lot longer."

  The girls copied them as well. Once Tamra was sure her mouth felt like it belonged to a human being again she walked into the other room, beckoning Chad to follow her. "So, now that I have reasonable breath I think it's time we did a lot of kissing.'

  He walked straight to her, took her in his arms and started kissing her, a deep passionate kiss.

  It was an amazing moment, an amazing kiss. It was everything Tamra hoped it would be. Chad held her body tight, close to his. He was slender but surprisingly strong. They kissed for a long time until Evie cleared her throat behind them. "Um, guys, we might want to keep going. Clyde is still looking for us."

  "Yeah, sorry kid. Tamra, that was amazing! A lot more of that once we aren't being hunted by a tribe of cannibal religious fanatics."

  "Agreed. Let's go."

  They took as many of the preserves with them as they could, only ones that appeared to still be good, and they went looking for another house. No point in staying inside a place after breaking the door, that just announced their presence.

  There was a place a bit set back from the road. The door was open already, no need to break in. They made their way inside; the place was little more than a mobile home and was in terrible shape. It was warm enough that it didn't matter too much, and they just needed shelter for the rapidly approaching night. They huddled under blankets they had raided from the first house, moth eaten and threadbare, but there were enough of them that they kept them warm. It was the first night they had been truly comfortable since they escaped from Meat Cove.

  The next morning was rainy again, a slow, insidious rain. The kind that seeps color, warmth, hope from the world. However, they were able to raid several rain coats from the houses. The coats had mold on them and weren't nearly as waterproof as they had been twenty years ago but were better than nothing. Tyson finally had proper clothing as well, it was decayed, falling apart around him, but again, better than nothing. They started down the coast in the grey drizzle.

  Later that day they reached the ferry. It was a narrow channel, leading from the part of the island they were on to the part of the island they needed to reach. The ferry was there, three-quarters submerged rotten decks sticking up above the waterline. The boat felt like the death of hope. If there was a ferry that meant it was probably a long way around, and there was no way they could swim that. It wasn't far, but they were too cold. Maybe if it was still the height of summer, but it was a cold autumn day. They would go into the water and not come out.

  "We need to find a boat. Might be one of the houses has one, or at least something we can use as one. Let's start searching, remember, any house with a closed door absolutely without question has zombies in it," Chad said.

  They split up, traveling through the small town that used to service the ferry. It was slow going, each house had to be cleared of zombies before they could go in, and then once the house was deemed safe they had to search it. Tamra hadn't hit a single zombie so far, which made her decided she needed to be extra cautious.

  She heard a sound behind her, coming from outside the small house she was searching. A giant man with a long beard was behind her. He swung his fist catching her in the side of the face, knocking her to the ground. As she fell she realized that he was living. She tried to turn over and crawl away, but he took a giant gaff hook and drove it through her shoulder.

  Tamra had always thought that enough pain would make you pass out, but apparently, that wasn’t true. There was no relief for it, the giant hook ground inside her flesh, pulling and tearing, but so deep in the meat of her shoulder that it couldn’t pull out. She tried and tried to stop, to brace herself, but the giant man holding the other end of the hook didn’t even seem to notice. Her hands ripped off anything she held on to, leaving her palms bloodied and bruised, flesh torn to ribbons. He dragged her through the street, yelling as he went, "You want to see your pretty blonde friend again, come find me."

  A Scream in the Daylight

  Chad heard Tamra's scream. He ran out of the ruined house he was exploring, vaulting over the front railing and running as fast as his legs would carry him. He heard the deep voice telling him to follow. He knew it was a trap, but he didn't care. He ran towards the voice anyway. As he rounded a corner he saw the man Evie had called Clyde walking down the street, dragging Tamra along behind him. The cruel hook in her shoulder shedding her blood into the wet street. Chad ran towards the man until suddenly he stopped short, fell backward onto the street. Tyson was standing above him. "That's just suicide. You want to save her you have to do it differently."

  "Fuck."

  Chad lay on the ground, back aching. There was a dozen or so villagers around the big man. How they had missed seeing his mad dash he didn't know, but they hadn't.

  Clyde had Tamra. Also,
Chad loved Tamra. Completely and unreservedly. It had taken him a while to separate that from what he'd felt for women before, the kiss had clarified it, let his head know what his heart was already certain of. He needed to save her, to reach her, but Tyson was right. If he could trade his life for hers, he wouldn't hesitate, but his mad rush would have only served to see them die together. It needed to be smarter than that.

  Chad gathered his wits, pulled himself together. He got up off the ground and walked to a nearby porch. He sat down on the step and took a deep breath. "I think I fucked this up."

  "Yeah, just a little. We all did. So, how do we save her?"

  "Give me five minutes to think and I'll figure it out."

  Evie caught up to them a second later. "Told you he didn't give up."

  "Yeah, you were right. Now we have to get her back."

  "I know. I'm not sure I should stay with you though. I don't want to go back. Not ever."

  "What else would you do?"

  "I'm away now, I can make it to wherever I want. I can find your people, get them to take me in."

  "Okay. Look, it's not like I'm somebody there, okay. I'm just a soldier, but there's enough people who know me. Tell them you know Chad Lee, tell them everything. Hell, get them to send in the cavalry."

  "What does that mean?"

  "You know, I don't have a clue. It's just something I hear the old folks say from time to time."

  "Okay. Thanks for all the help you've given me. I don't think I would have had the courage to leave on my own."

  Evie left, walking through along the shore. She vanished from sight. Chad had no idea how she planned to make it to Sydney, but he believed she would accomplish it. In the short time since he'd met the girl, he'd seen her manage amazing things. He was almost jealous of her, provided he didn't remember that she had been raised by a crazed cannibal cult who wanted to marry her to a junior psychopath.