Decay | Book 1 | Civilization

by Spitznogle, D. L.

  At sixteen, Emalynn was still always excited when her daddy came home. Emalynn and her mother, Grace, had prepared Jared’s second favorite meal for supper. Tomorrow was his birthday, and they would make his favorite then. For tomorrow, Emalynn has a surprise visit to the office planned so she can bring him lunch.

  She stood up and stepped back from the window. Racing through the living room to the French style doors she almost knocked over a lamp. Her hands wrapped around the cool brass doorknob. She opened both doors wide. The bright world came bursting in to greet her.

  As her eyes adjusted, she found that she was still sitting against the wall of the news building, staring out into the town. Her wet cheeks were a sign that she’d been crying. She dozed off shortly after watching Bradley enter the bait shop across the street, and this is the last she would see him until he came back through.

  Her love for him rocked all her senses. Even though he’d told her that it wouldn’t work between them she still felt that he was the one for her. She did wonder from time to time if maybe he was right, and that her love for him was just teenage hormones or a survival instinct. In her heart, however, she knew their lives were meant to be shared.

  Until the day he realized that, she was perfectly content resting in his protective arms. With him watching over her she knew she’d be safe and well taken care of. After all he had kept her alive this long. She couldn’t wait for him to make it back so she could wrap herself in his warmth.

  Occasionally, a fiend would shamble past the building. Emalynn found it confusing that she felt awful for them. They’re monsters now, but before all this happened, they were people who loved and cared. They had families and friends. She lost herself in thoughts of her own family and friends.

  “Bradley’s out?” Roger’s voice startled her as it broke the quiet of the building. His voice wasn’t necessarily deep or powerful. It was soft with a strange gruffness that sounded as if his throat was dry, which it might have been.

  “Y- Yes,” she replied as she moved to her feet.

  Roger had lost about half of his weight in just the last few months, leaving him sickly looking. Weighing around 170 pounds now, his faded blue button up shirt hung off of him like a blanket, and he had to add notches to his belt to hold up his now baggy pants. The waist of his tan khakis was bunched up under the belt. Bradley offered on several occasions to bring back fresh clothes for him, but Roger only grumbled, “Just bring food and water.”

  “Whatever,” Bradley would say, and with that he would pass by the men’s clothes unless he needed something himself.

  He stared down at Emalynn with almost lifeless eyes. He started to lose touch with reality early on, and he always made Emalynn feel uncomfortable. Recently, however, he has become far more reclusive. When he did come out it was only briefly. His mouth hung slightly open, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

  Although he lost the weight well, there was still extra skin that hung loosely from the bottom of his face. He probably stunk a little, but Emalynn and Bradley were acclimated to it if he did. Roger was much dirtier than the other two. Caring much less how he looked, he sure as hell wasn’t wasting water, or even time, to clean himself up.

  “I thought I heard you crying. Is everything alright?” No concern showed on his face.

  Emalynn slowly started to slide her way along the wall and out of the corner. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you. Bradley should be back any minute,” she lied. She could hear it in her own voice and hoped that Roger didn’t catch it. “He was only going a couple blocks to look for food for the next few days.” Roger wasn’t much taller than she was, and even though he didn’t weigh what he used to, yet he could certainly overpower her quickly.

  Roger nodded while continuing to stare at her. If there was any thought process happening at all he didn’t show it in his cold, emotionless face. “How long can we keep assuming he’ll come back? One of these trips out’ll be his last. He’s going to have to go further to find food, and that’s when they’ll get him,” Roger spoke softly, running his hands along the makeshift ladder that hung from the window by a four-by-four Bradley had found on the roof. “Bradley’s been going further and further each time, only to find less and less.”

  Chills ran down Emalynn’s body as he talked. The voice coming out of the man standing just a few feet in front of her seemed to come from a source far in the distance. Like every word he spoke was just a memory. Noticing the tremor that crept through her, he stepped forward and placed both dirty, sweaty hands on her shoulders. This close, Emalynn inhaled the smell drifting off of him, and it caused her to gag. She could taste it on her tongue.

  “I can keep you safe too, you know?” The expression on his face never changed. “I just want us to be friends.”

  “We are friends, Roger,” Emalynn replied, forcing a smile, yet the terror in her voice couldn’t be hidden. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She thought of kicking the man hard in the balls and running for the window. Taking her chances with the fiends out there seemed like it would be better than dealing with the fiend in here.

  Before she could act Roger stepped backed. He looked at her once more with that blank face, than turned and walked away. Emalynn slid to the floor and buried her face in her knees. She couldn’t hold back any longer. The flood gates lifted, and she allowed her sobs to pour out.

  The exchange only lasted a few minutes, yet Emalynn felt like it went on for hours. Although she was very nervous around him, she never wanted to think she’d need to fear that man. He used to be a nice man that greeted her pleasantly when she stopped by to see her father. Resting her head back on the windowsill she continued to watch for Bradley through teary eyes.

  Before closing the door to his office, Roger stopped to listen to the young woman cry. He had no plan. Although she was beautiful, he didn’t desire her sexually. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he left his office, but for the first time in weeks a thought worked its way into his head. The empty expression on his face never changed.

  Bradley stood watch at the bottom of the ladder as Guillermo made his way down from the garage. The darkness was disheartening. Even though the moon was shining bright, without streetlights, neither one could see past the building next to them. The only advantage they have is that the fiends don’t care about staying quiet.

  “I should’ve asked earlier, but how many of these devils, fiends I should say, have you dealt with?” Guillermo asked in a whisper as they moved slowly between two buildings.

  “Only a few, counting the one in the park. You?”

  “Enough. The most I know is that they go down with a chop to the head,” Guillermo whispered confidently while making a karate chop motion to his own forehead.

  “I’m glad to have found you. It’ll be great to add another capable pair of hands to the group.” Not only did Bradley think he could be more than useful, but he also enjoyed the thought of having a friend. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Emalynn was a friend. Bradley just really liked the idea of having a guy friend again. Someone he could talk to about football while drinking a couple beers.

  “I think it was I who found you, but that’s beside the point.” A cocky smile crept across Guillermo’s kind face as he said this.

  “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough. Through here.” Bradley led the way back into the clothing store through the front door. “We’re coming back into the boundaries I’ve been gathering from. Over the past couple of months, I’ve had to reach further, but not by much yet.”

  The clattering sound of an empty clothing rack landing on the hardwood floor of the store made both men instinctually crouch down and freeze in place. The metal clothes hangers scattered about. Guillermo dropped down onto his stomach and glanced across the floor. The small bare feet were lightly covered in dirt and dry blood. A faded pink dress fluttered just inches above the dingy ankles.

  Guillermo made the sign of the cross and kissed a silver crucifix that hung at his chest as his heart sunk
deep into his stomach. “It’s a little girl,” he whispered.

  Both men had seen children of all ages roaming the streets, and the sight was never easy. Bradley had always tried to avoid any interaction with the children. He always waited them out as they passed by him. It may have just been in his head, but Bradley could swear the hint of terror and agony still lingered on the children’s faces more than any others.

  Guillermo, however, felt that their torment should be ended regardless of how much pain it brought him. He took no joy in what he had to do. It’s what he believed was right, and he wanted to live his life doing what was right.

  “I’ll do it, but never think that I want to.” The sadness cracked through Guillermo’s voice regardless of how strong he tried to stay.

  “Wait, do what?”

  “Put the child to rest.”

  “You can’t kill a child! We can easily move past her without giving ourselves away.” Bradley felt the tension in his stomach and thought he would be sick.

  “No. The spirit may still be trapped in the body. I can’t allow the child’s spirit to be forever consumed by that devil. I wouldn’t want my own children to wander this earth as a demon.”

  Guillermo removed the lawnmower blade from his pack and moved steadily around the store, keeping his back to the wall. The little girl came into view. Her matted brown hair and a pink sunflower pattern dress were filthy. The blood and dirt were stained deep into her clothing and skin. She smelled of rotting meat.

  Her left arm had been torn open, and the muscle hung loosely from the wound. Through the meat, broken bone could be seen. Her dress was torn in the back, and many of her vertebrae had been shattered, leaving her body grotesquely bent.

  Thoughts of the pain this child had to endure before succumbing to death filled Guillermo’s head. The terror she witnessed and fear she felt couldn’t be imagined. Tears rolled down his face as he crossed himself once more, silently praying for the lord’s forgiveness. Guillermo walked slowly up behind the girl and raised his blade above his head.

  The girl sniffed the air, catching Guillermo’s scent. She turned and looked at the man behind her, but before she could move, the blade was brought down, slicing cleanly through the thin layer of skin on top of her head. The skull parted nearly cleanly as the heavy blade, accelerated by Guillermo’s strength, cut through hard bone and into her brain, which was lacerated as the blade sliced through, exiting her head just above her bottom jaw.

  Guillermo’s work was revealed as the right side of her head hit the floor. The force of the swing turned her brain into a gray mush that oozed out onto the floor. Her body fell to the left. Guillermo crossed himself yet again. Bradley walked up beside him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and led him away from the body toward the tile in the ceiling that would take them to the other side of the building.

  Chapter 7

  Emalynn squeezed Bradley as he pulled himself into the window of the news building. The relief of seeing him again overwhelmed her, and she found it hard to stand as her knees weakened. She felt safe against his body. As much as he enjoyed her embrace, however, he pried her off him so he could turn back to the window and signal for Guillermo to come up. She wasn’t expecting Bradley to return with someone new, and she found herself very pleased to know that at least one other person survived.

  Bradley introduced them. Emalynn greeted him with enthusiasm, yet she was a little disappointed that this one man was it. Emalynn didn’t bother to tell Bradley of her encounter with Roger while he was gone. “So, does it look like we will be able to move from here?” she asked instead.

  “Yeah. Our plan is to move to the building that Guillermo has been staying in. Once there, we will lay low for a day or two. Then we’ll start scouting the area between us and whoever fired that shot. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue moving along from there. As we get closer, we’re hoping to pinpoint exactly where the shot came from. Have you seen Roger?”

  “No. I haven’t seen him today,” she lied. “That sounds like a great plan. When will we be moving along?” Emalynn was eager for a change of scenery, even if it was just another building.

  “In the morning we’ll pack up and move out, as long as the streets are manageable.” Bradley hugged Emalynn again, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll go talk to Roger.” He walked out of the room and down the hall toward Roger’s office.

  “Here you are, señorita.” Guillermo handed Emalynn a package of fresh vegetables from his garden.

  “Thank you so much,” she said and smiled at him. “It’ll be wonderful to eat something fresh.” She pulled a potato from the pack and took a bite out of it like an apple. It crunched loudly, and the flavor was wonderful. Most of what they had eaten recently was expired or at least close to it. Emalynn didn’t even attempt to contain her smile as she, if even for a moment, floated off to heaven.

  Guillermo thought it was strange watching a person eat a raw potato, but decided he wasn’t one to judge, especially now. Instead, he took a tomato from his own pouch and sliced it with a pocketknife. He was smiling like he hadn’t smiled in years. Being able to share a meal, no matter how little of a meal it was, with someone was a fantastic feeling after so long alone. He already cherished his new friends, and he would do whatever he could to protect them. His parents raised a loyal man.

  “Roger?” Bradley called as he knocked on the door to Roger’s office. “I brought some fresh vegetables. We’re also planning on moving out in the morning.”

  Roger opened his door. His eyes appeared almost empty to Bradley. The man had lost an incredible amount of weight over the seven months. His pale face hadn’t been shaved in weeks despite the amount of razors Bradley had managed to find.

  “No meat?” Roger asked irritably in his soft, gruff voice.

  He glanced at the fresh vegetables in the plastic sack Bradley was holding out. “Thank You” was printed on it in cold red letters. Roger seemed so distant, as if he were a lone wanderer within a sea of despair. This, unfortunately, was quite true.

  “No. Meat is impossible to find. This is better than nothing though, right?” Bradley didn’t expect an answer. After an uncomfortably long silence he asked, “Are you interested in leaving with us in the morning? We’d like you to come.”

  “Don’t bullshit me, Brad.” His soft voice became stern. “You don’t want me anywhere near you. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to kill me yet. Maybe these vegetables are poisoned.”

  “If I wanted you dead, Roger, I wouldn’t get food for you. I would’ve taken Emalynn and left. I want to see you make it through this. We’re friends, you and I. Besides, we’ll need your help. Together we can find somewhere better to live.” Bradley was not really sure how Roger could be of any help but felt obligated to be polite.

  “We’ll see.” Roger seemed to be more irate than ever as he grabbed the plastic bag and slowly closed the door, never taking his eyes off Bradley. Later that night, for several minutes it sounded as if Roger was tearing his office apart. The commotion was brief, and when it ended there was only silence for the rest of the night.

  As the sun rose the following morning, Bradley was already awake. He watched as the sun came up over the hills to the east. The rays of light burst onto the streets, illuminating the town and sparkling on the few windows that were clean enough to shine. He didn’t watch the sunrise very often before the attack. He was awake early enough, but he was reporting the news.

  Man, he thought. What a beautiful sight. Things were never really appreciated until you’ve had to fight for survival every day. The subtle, mundane, day-to-day moments that life is made up of can be truly cherished when each day is spent so close to death.

  The streets were deserted. This could be either good or bad, Bradley knew. Most of their route would take them through a couple different buildings, and if the dead weren’t on the streets then they had to be somewhere. With Guillermo’s help, however, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

  “Ema. We’ll be le
aving soon,” Bradley whispered in her ear and shook her gently. As she sat up, he handed her a bowl of the vegetables that was left over from the night before. “You need to eat first.”

  Guillermo was already sitting up as Bradley made his way over to him. Picking up his pack he reached in for breakfast of his own. He nodded to Bradley as he approached. Knowing that he would no longer be moving alone made him nervous. Protecting his new friends was now his top priority, yet he hoped they wouldn’t slow him down as they moved.

  “We’ll be moving out after we eat, following our exact path back to your place. I’ll go down first, followed by Emalynn, then you. That way you can keep an eye out from up above.”

  “Sounds like a plan. What about the other guy though? Roger? Is he coming or not?” Guillermo asked.

  Bradley turned to look down the hall, inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled slowly through his mouth. His cheeks puffed out as he did. “I’ll go find out.” He stood and made his way back to Roger’s office.

  He knocked several times, but he never received an answer from inside. “Roger?” Bradley waited for a reply. “We’re leaving in a few minutes. Please leave with us when we go. We’ll find others. There is a place for us out there, my friend. You will find a home. No more living in an office.” He kept his sentences short and to the point.

  Although he wasn’t really concerned about Roger, he continued to tell him the plan through the door before turning and walking away for the last time. If Roger decided to follow them, at least he’d know their path and destination.

  Before setting out, Guillermo handed Emalynn a small pistol. “You ever fired a gun before?”

  “No, my father said guns were for the military, not civilians. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, though.” She took the handgun and was surprised by how heavy it was. It seemed like such a small device.