The group remained in the apartments above the furniture store for the next eight days. At this point they wanted to remain comfortable and close to the food source. Also slowing their progression was the high number of fiends out in the streets. The best guess any of them had was that all the commotion from the past couple of days had stirred them up. Bradley felt positive there were others out there, and what they were up to was a complete mystery.
After another breakfast of fresh vegetables, Bradley gathered Guillermo and Roger to discuss their plan. The fiends were out roaming the streets like an army. Their moans carried through the open windows of the building as they scuffled along in the streets.
The children showed no signs of being afraid as this has been a part of their lives for far too long. Emalynn sat with them while the men discussed their plan. Several board games were found, including Candy Land, which they played the most. An old Nintendo was also there, but there was no electricity to play it.
“I think the three of us can scout the area south-east of here. Either we move as a group or on our own. There’s an apartment building south-east of us about six blocks out. That’s the direction the gunshot came from, and where we heard the car. After the apartment it’s only houses from there on out.” Bradley carved various shapes onto a desk to help illustrate his plan.
“I think we have a greater chance traveling as a group. At least until we get there. After that we can maybe split up to investigate a couple of different options.” Roger’s trans-formation was captivating. He looked alive again, and he was proving to be quite useful. Maybe the fresh air was good for him.
“I agree. There are too many devils out there though. How do we make it past them all?” Guillermo wasn’t the only one concerned about this. Bradley had been watching the streets crawling with fiends. They’ve been moving haphazardly for days.
“We head out and down the garage, trying to stay between buildings as far as we can. Maybe even take out one or two of them as we go,” Roger suggested.
“It’s up to you guys. I’ll go with anything at this point. After being trapped in the news building for months on end I don’t really want to be confined to one building for very long. We just need to make sure not to get ourselves surrounded,” Bradley stated.
“Let’s go now. I think we can test the waters, so to speak. Maybe kill a few of those fiends.” Roger seemed ready for action; his fists clenched tight enough to turn his knuckles white.
Bradley told Emalynn and the children the plan. She worried about all the fiends outside, but for the children’s sake she didn’t show it. He wanted her to watch over them from the roof. Emalynn would go up, but she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to watch as the love of her life walked into a town full of dead cannibals.
Roger made it down the ladder first and signaled for the others to follow. They edged their way around the garage and crouched down behind a stack of planter boxes. The fiends moved along in the streets. When they had a large enough gap, they jogged quietly across to the buildings on the other side.
Emalynn peeked over the roof at them as they hurried across the street. She didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t help herself. Her nerves were completely shot at this point. Briefly looking around the town, she spotted groups of fiends wandering in every direction. She turned her back to the horrifying scene below and watched as the twins played with some action figures.
Noticing that Tyson looked sad, Emalynn decided to walk over to see if she could talk to him. Realizing then that she hadn’t really spoken much to him, she wasn’t sure how to approach him. Just going for it, she sat down on the ledge next to him.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Fine,” he replied quickly and turned his body to look out into the street below.
Emalynn stood, preparing to walk away when Tyson said, “I left Danni.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I went with her for the first time. She wanted me to know how to help scavenge for food as it became harder to find.”
Emalynn sat back down next to him. Tears ran down his face as he turned back toward her. For a short while he couldn’t hold it back any longer. Emalynn wrapped her arms around him as he wept. She let him cry for several minutes, shooing away the twins as they came over to check on their friend.
“I tripped. I wish I tripped over something, but I didn’t. I just tripped, slamming into a shelf and knocking it over,” he said when he was finally able to speak again. “The noise brought so many dead people out. Danni distracted them and told me to run back to the store. Then Bradley and Guillermo showed up and told me she was dead.”
Emalynn pulled him in tightly again as he cried once more. “It wasn’t your fault. She wouldn’t have thought that either, and you don’t need to think that now.”
Several minutes passed by and he stopped crying, sat up, and wiped his face off. “I’m sorry,” he said, noticing the wet spots on the shoulder of her shirt. “I won’t leave anyone ever again. From now on, I leave nobody behind.”
Staring at the boy for a moment, Emalynn came up with an idea. She stood and walked away, leaving him to stare out into the streets below. When she returned, she handed him a tomato. He held it in his hand and looked up at her with a confused look on his face.
“Throw it,” she said. Looking down below, she picked out a wandering dead man and hurled her tomato at him. With a thud, the tomato splattered on the street about four feet away from him.
“Here goes,” Tyson said. He smiled, pulled his arm back, and flung the tomato. It too hit the ground near the man, who was standing over the first one now. As it hit, the dead man turned and walked toward the new red blotch on the concrete.
They both laughed, trying to keep it quiet, as they watched the dead man move back and forth between the two tomato splatters. Quickly losing interest, he began to wander aimlessly once more. Emalynn nudged Tyson and they ran to the tomato plants.
Down on the street across from Guillermo’s apartment, the group crept through the busted glass pane of a door leading into a sewing shop. The large window was covered in dust, keeping it dark inside. Passing by the counter, they walked into the back room where all the work was done.
Sewing supplies were scattered about making Bradley worry that he would have a needle driven through his foot at some point. The dark wasn’t as bad as it seemed it would’ve been back here, but it was still tough to see. Sewing machines sat on a table against the wall.
Roger screamed as a fiend stepped forward into him. Its grotesquely mangled body didn’t even have a head. The man pushed off the fiend’s chest and plunged forward with his spiked club, bashing at its frame.
Guillermo laughed much louder than he intended. “It’s not real, man. It’s a mannequin.”
As the blood flow slowed back down in Roger’s body, he took a good look at the busted pile of plastic and aluminum wires that were wrapped in a white mermaid style wedding dress. The dress, now torn and stretched out, reminded Roger of his wife.
She wanted a nice dress, something beautiful like this, but at the time he couldn’t afford for her to have exactly what she wanted. Instead, they went to a rental place and purchased her the best used dress he could buy on a mailman’s salary. It was that day he decided to go back to school and buy her the best of everything.
After everyone but Roger had a good chuckle, the group set forth again. The back door was down a surprisingly well lit hallway off the back of the sewing room. By the time they reached the door and stepped outside, their eyes were adjusted to the light and they kept moving.
The next two blocks were clear. The trio ducked into an Italian restaurant as a small group of fiends came into view. Watching out of the red curtained windows as they passed, none of the men noticed the man walk up behind them. The moan and gurgles caused the three to jerk around quickly. Guillermo raised his lawnmower blade and stepped forward, prepared to defend his companions.
Before he had the c
hance to bring the blade down, the fiend’s head burst open. Wet bits of brain along with pieces of skull sprayed onto Guillermo’s face. Bradley and Roger turned away just in time to avoid this disgusting shower.
“You’re welcome.” The source of the cocky Australian voice was further back into the restaurant.
A fireman’s axe protruded from the split open head of the fiend. Roger handed Guillermo some dusty napkins from a nearby table to wipe his face with. The trio stood looking across the room at a young man who stood there patiently. The man was slightly taller than average, yet still shorter than Bradley. His hair was wavy blonde, and he was very muscular.
The Australian wore a black t-shirt made from thin cotton with a pocket on the left. The shirt was tucked into his faded blue jeans with a tear just below the right knee. A brown leather belt wrapped around his waist; it was more for style than to hold up his pants. Brand new boots matched the belt.
“Names Deacon Belle. Are any of you bitten? You need to leave if so or prepare to be dealt with with extreme prejudice.” Deacon’s Australian accent was strong, and his protective stance made him appear ready to counter any attack.
“I’m Bradley, this is Guillermo and Roger. We’re not looking for a fight, and we’re not bitten.”
“I know you. From the news, right?” He pointed at Bradley with a smile, then extended his hand. “We’ll get along great, I’m sure. After all, you spend your career hot on the tail of me and my career.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Besides we no longer have careers, Deacon. Maybe you didn’t notice. We’re all just trying to stay alive now.” Bradley took the Australians strong hand and shook it.
“I’m a firefighter, mate. You guys follow us around hoping to get a shot of a mangled and burned up body. Lookin’ to make a buck off death and gore. Now there’s death and gore all around you, walking the streets. I guess your ratings must have dropped off now that folks don’t need the news to see it.” Deacon’s tone made Bradley feel uncomfortable.
“We’re just passing through. We don’t want any trouble,” Guillermo said as he shook Deacon’s hand. “If you want us out we’ll go. All I can ask is that you allow us to wait for another clearing.”
“Where are you planning on going?” Deacon’s curiosity was beaming. “This whole town has gone to hell, mate. I can’t imagine there are a whole lot of livin’ people left here.”
“We heard a gunshot. A few days later we heard an automobile. I’m assuming it wasn’t you, and I intend on finding whoever it was,” Bradley said hurriedly.
“Why would you assume it wasn’t me?” Deacon asked. “I don’t look like the type to fire guns and drive cars? I ain’t action-movie-American enough for you?”
“Oh geez, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you at all. Please—” Bradley started to apologize.
“I’m just givin’ you a hard time, mate. Relax a bit.” Deacon laughed. “Why don’t you let me in on your plan?”
Over the next several minutes, Bradley filled in Deacon on their plan, as well as what they knew so far about their situation. Deacon also told the men what he knew so they could consolidate their knowledge for a better chance of survival for all.
After considering the things they discussed, as well as his own situation, Deacon decided that he could trust this group of people. He had them follow him to his own safe house. He led them out the back of the restaurant and into the back of the dimly lit building on the other side of the alley. They stopped in front of a wall made up of bricks, pipes, boards, and various pieces of furniture. Deacon lifted a cushion on a chair to reveal a tunnel.
“Head straight through,” he instructed, then struck two pipes together twice. The clanging of metal was loud, and the vibrations rang in their ears like church bells, or more like a dinner bell.
None of the men felt confident, anymore. They eyed each other and nodded in a silent agreement that they would stay alert and watch each other’s backs. Guillermo volunteered to go first, followed by Roger, Bradley, then Deacon, who closed up the tunnel behind them.
As they came out of the other side, each one was halted by a woman aiming a shotgun at them. As their eyes continued to adjust to the poor lighting, they could see she was short with black hair and pale skin. Her clothes were clean and gave her the appearance of a successful businesswoman. A gray pantsuit was perfectly complimented by a short thin tie, black shoes, and a bowler hat. She almost looked like she could be a new generation of a 1930’s mobster.
Deacon exited the tunnel and she smiled at him. As he climbed to his feet, she swept the dirt off of his clothes like a mother would her child before they went into the store.
“We have guests?” her voice was soft and kind as she spoke.
“Yeah. This is Bradley, Roger (which he pronounced Rod’jah), and Guillermo.” Each one waved as his name was called. “They seem to think that the gunshot was a signal, and that there’s someone else just south of us that is planning on getting the hell outta here.”
“Interesting,” she said with an intrigued tone. The smooth skin on her forehead wrinkled slightly.
“We’re with a young woman and three children. We just want to pass on through, and we’re hoping to secure our route. We would like to make this a stop if that would be fine,” Bradley spoke, taking the role of leader of the group.
“We can offer fresh vegetables as trade for your hospitality,” Guillermo added.
Deacon signaled that he’d need a moment, and he and the woman went through a door, shutting it behind them. There wasn’t much room in the area that they now stood. The only door was the one that the man and woman left through. It appeared that they were at the end of a long hallway.
Bradley suddenly realized that there was no other way out of this room. The tunnel they had crawled through had been closed and padlocked shut by the woman after Deacon came through. He turned to the others, who appeared to be calm and patient. Bradley’s blood pressure shot up. He was not claustrophobic, but the thought that he just walked into a trap screamed through him.
“Hey. Is anyone else a little concerned?” he asked in a loud whisper. A bead of sweat formed on his brow.
Roger looked back and noticed the lock Bradley was staring at. “Oh shit.” He walked over and rolled the heavy lock in his hand, hoping it wasn’t secured. It was.
“What are you worried about? They’re just through the door there.” Guillermo gave them an odd look as he seemed to be fine with their predicament.
“They may be cannibals. People in extreme situations will do anything to survive,” Bradley said, his loud whisper becoming louder yet.
This sunk into Guillermo hard, and he too started to panic. He ran to the door and tried the knob. When he found it to be locked too, he began pounding on the door. When the door didn’t open, he grabbed for his lawnmower blade and made for the padlock on the tunnel. After he began chopping at the lock, the door on the other side of the room opened and Deacon and the woman stepped back out.
“What the hell are you doing, mate?” Deacon asked with a look of shock on his face.
The three men stood there feeling a mix of confusion and embarrassment. “Well, uh. You locked us in here. That was my fault,” Bradley spoke up but spoke slowly. “I thought the worst of our situation.” He was still unsure if their situation was any better or not.
Deacon didn’t know how to feel, but he laughed. “I just had to talk to mama first. Any of you married? You can’t invite friends over for beers and a game without approving it with the boss first. Jesus, mates.”
“I’m Sophia Belle, by the way. We won’t eat you,” she laughed as she said this, walking away through the door.
“Follow me. We spend most of our time in the attic of the house next to the building we’re in now. This is just a safe house we’ve been working on in case we’re overrun and need something more secure. There’s an exit out this way.” Deacon took the lead once again as the three men followed him through the apartment comple
x.
Deacon and Sophia pulled a large desk away from its spot against the emergency exit. The tracks could be seen on the floor where the desk had been slid around many times before. With the desk pulled out of the way, Deacon slid the door open quietly and peeked outside.
The sun lit the room as the door opened the rest of the way. Deacon disappeared into the blinding light. Sophia looked on, nodded, and then urged the men out into the warm air once more. Deacon flagged them down about ten yards out.
The group made their way through a couple of loose boards in the privacy fence surrounding the yard of a small red house. Some of the grass was green, the rest of it was brown (most of it was just dead while some was covered in dried blood), but all of it was long and shaggy looking. This was the type of yard that drove Guillermo nuts.
The windows in the back of the red house had all been covered with thin sheets of plastic. The sliding glass door had obviously been repaired to shut again. There was an empty pool in the center of the yard. Running just along the grass was a series of thin ropes that all seemed to lead into the wall.
Deacon led them into the house, the front windows boarded up completely. He took them down the thin hallway and hooked the pointed end of his axe into a loop to bring down the ladder to the attic. “We started staying in the attic when we were attacked one night by a couple of them. Luckily, we managed to defend ourselves without any problems, but we decided it would be safer to stay off the ground.”
“We collected bells from some of the shops around town,” Sophia stated as she pointed out the thin ropes connected to the bells hanging on the wall. Bradley knew one of these must be the one from the clothing store. “They’re a useful way to hear anything coming.”
“Do you have cats in here?” Bradley asked as he put his ear up to a closed door halfway down the hall. The soft meowing and subtle smell of ammonia was enough to catch his attention.
Deacon looked slightly nervous as he nodded his confirmation. “We—well, we have to survive. Sometimes it isn’t pretty, but we do what we have to.”
Decay | Book 1 | Civilization Page 9