No Where to Run (The Story of Alexis Rose)

by Raven K. Asher

“Hello?” I yell out again. Tornado is getting even more anxious and he’s trotting in place.

  I unexpectedly hear a snarl from behind. Tornado turns and rears up on his hind legs. I can’t completely comprehend what I’m seeing. Before me stands Max, the bar owner, I could swear I had just seen his body laying dead in the street.

  “Max, what the hell is going on?” I yell.

  He doesn’t respond normally, he just growls out at me. What the hell is wrong with him? I look closer and notice he has a huge bite mark on his neck and I can clearly see torn strips of his flesh. The blood around the bite is dry and his skin is a pale gray. Something is defiantly wrong here.

  Suddenly, Max charges toward us, Tornado turns and runs, taking me along for a bumpy ride. I look back as Tornado flees and see other bodies starting pull themselves up to stand. “Holy, shit.” I curse as I look forward. We make our way quickly out of the town.

  Soon we are back on a different road heading back toward home. Tornado slows to a trot and I pat his neck, proud of how he saved us from danger. “Good job boy, I think you just saved us.” I take a look around at where we are. Thankfully we are alone, I can’t see any more.......What the hell do I call them Dead, Undead, or Zombies? “I can’t believe this shit is really happening.” I mutter and shake my head as I turn Tornado toward Lucca’s house is at the end of the road.

  We reach his house quickly, and it looks relatively untouched, except for a few broken windows and the front door is hanging wide open. His mom and dad must have left in a hurry. As we approach the house slowly I dismount Tornado, and then tie him to the hand rail at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door. I stop at the door waiting and listening for any sounds. Not hearing anything I proceed inside. Everything inside has been turned over, broken or torn apart. I walk from room to room scanning for anything that might tell me where or what happened to everyone.

  As I near Lucca’s room I hear scratching at the closed door. I pull one of my pistols from its holder and hold it out in front of myself as I slowly nudge the door open. I’m stunned when Lucca’s large gray Irish wolfhound comes bounding out of the room. She leaps on top of me and licks my face. “Jesus, Cookie. What are you doing locked in Lucca’s room? Where’s Lucca at huh?” She stops licking me and whines.

  I check Lucca’s room. His bathroom door is open and the tub is full of water and in the corner is a huge bucket filled with dog kibble. Someone must have been planning on having to leave her here for awhile.

  I gather as much of the food as I can into a bag and tie it to Tornados saddle before going back into the house to leave a note just in case Lucca or someone familiar returns.

  “Come on Cookie, let’s go.” I yell to the dog as I walk out and untie Tornado. She runs out of the house and starts to follow as I lead Tornado back down the road.

  We walk halfway home. It’s late in the evening and I find myself yawning. My feet have started to hurt and my body and mind are exhausted. The sun is close to setting soon so I mount Tornado and ride the rest of the way.

  Once home I take Tornado to his stall and unsaddle him. I brush out his fur and give him and Cutter both food and fresh water. I put away the saddle and brushes then grab the bag of dog kibble and lock up the barn as I exit.

  Cookie follows me inside the house and I search around the cupboards for bowls to feed and water her in. Once I finish taking care of her I head downstairs to the generator and turn it back on. Ugh, I need a shower badly. I can smell the lingering stench of death and smoke on my clothes. Just then my stomach grumbles so I head back up to the kitchen to make myself a good meal.

  After I finish eating and cleaning the dirty dishes I head up to the bathroom to get a shower. I stop and take a good long look at myself in the mirror. I’m dirty and sweaty. I let out a sudden laugh as I read my shirt. “Oh, now that’s irony.” I state dramatically. I strip my clothes off and get in the shower. I scrub and wash my hair. I still feel numb to it all. I have no clue what I’m going to do, other than just survive.

  After my shower, I curl up under my covers in bed I think of Lucca, Duncan, Mel, and Katie, Kane, Kale, and hell even my mom. I miss them all so much and it’s only been a two days. I really miss my brother. I just wish I had someone to hold on to. I wish I knew that they were all ok, and that they were somewhere safe.

  Suddenly, Cookie jumps onto the bed stirring me from my thoughts.

  “How’s, my sweet girl? I bet you are missing Lucca.” I pat her head as she lets out a little whine and snuggles in close to me. “I miss him too, sweet girl.” I wrap my arms around her and drift off to sleep quickly. It had been a long horrible day. I only hoped that tomorrow and the days that followed would be better.

  Chapter 6

  Day 7

  It’s been a week since the day I went into town. I haven’t gone back or even left the property. No one has come by and I don’t know whether to be thankful for that or not. No planes have flown overhead and I haven’t even remotely heard a car, truck or otherwise.

  I’ve gotten myself into a daily routine of taking care of the horses and Cookie. I also have been patrolling the fence around the property. It has given me something to do and it makes me feel safer.

  Even though I’m trying my hardest to keep busy, the time has gone by slowly. I found the trap door that my father had talked about in his letter. I went down and to my amazement he had built an entire living unit down there. It was like a mini apartment. There were a total of five rooms. The kitchen and living/sleeping area were all one room, there was a small bathroom and three other rooms with beds on one side and the other side had been stacked to the roof with boxes of supplies. I realized that my dad must have stocked enough supplies to take care of us for years. Everything imaginable was there. Everything you would really ever need to survive.

  Dad had even included the horses in his prepping. He had all sorts of vet supplies just in case something should ever happen to one of them. He had even stocked up on their grain. I was extremely lucky too that Duncan had had a large supply of hay delivered a few weeks back. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the coming winter. If I survived that long that is.

  I saddle Cutter up this time to make my morning round. I had been giving each horse a break so I didn’t wear them out too much. I mount up and head off with Cookie following close behind as she has done every day.

  Halfway through my round I come across three dead trying to walk through the fence. I watch them for a few minutes. They are completely mindless, running into the fence over and over. They aren’t the first ones that I have had to deal with.

  I dismount and grab my pistol out of its holster, lock on the silencer and aim at the firsts head. My hand shakes, I lower the gun. I can’t do this. Just because they are the living dead doesn’t make it any easier. Most of them I still recognize. I raise the gun again and steady my hand. I have to do this. I have to survive. I pull the trigger and the dead goes down as the bullet enters its forehead. I make quick work of killing the last two. I re-holster the pistol and contemplate what to do with the corpses. They reek of death and I don’t want them anywhere near the property.

  I decide to finish my round first then deal with the corpses. There isn’t much I can do other than bury them or drag them away.

  After finishing my round and not finding anymore dead, I head inside for a quick meal. I leave Cutter saddled so that as soon as I’m finished I can ride out to where the corpses are and drag them all far away. I don’t have the energy to bury every single body that comes my way and I don’t want to leave them near the fence in case someone stumbles across them. I certainly don’t need anyone knowing there is someone alive living here.

  I clean my dishes and head back out to the barn grabbing some rope on my way through the barn. I mount back up and head down to the gate at the end of the driveway. I make my way through the gate but when I close it I decide to leave it unlocked. I haven’t seen anyone alive in a week so I doubt anyone will break in while
I’m away for just a few minutes.

  I leave Cookie on the inside of the gate and she whines to come with me, but I don’t want her around the corpses. “You have to stay, girl. I need you to watch the house.” I mount back up and make my way along the fence. Cookie follows along on the other side. I laugh I knew she would find a way to stay close rather than go back to the house. I swiftly reach the area where the corpses lie and dismount a few feet away. I pull on some old gloves and pull my shirt up over my mouth and nose. The smell of decay is horrible. I grab the rope and tie each of the corpse’s legs together before wrapping the rope to the horn of Cutters saddle. I mount back up and instruct Cutter to pull the bodies. It’s a slow process of getting the bodies through the wooded area but soon we make it far enough that I cut the ropes and head back home.

  On the way back I notice that Cookie is nowhere to be seen. I had figured she would wait by the fence. She must have gone back to the house. I reach the gate which looks untouched and pass through it. I lock it as soon as I’m on the other side. I breathe out a sigh of relief. I’m glad that’s over with.

  Cookie still hasn’t come to greet me and that worries me a little. Where is that silly dog? I walk Cutter into his stall and brush him down before feeding him. I pat Tornado on the nose before making my way back to the house.

  Cookie finally joins me outside of the barn as I lock it up. “Where have you been, silly girl?” She barks a response then runs off to the back door scratching at the bottom. Huh, that’s strange.

  I walk in looking around for anything out of place. My pistol is heavy in my hand as I look around, but I don’t see anything and Cookie just runs into the living room and quietly lies down on the couch. I should have known it was nothing. I was worried for no reason.

  “You’re a spoiled brat, you know.” I laugh at her as I pass through the room heading up stairs. She huffs at me and closes her eyes. I roll my eyes and head up the steps. I need a shower badly I can still smell the dead on myself. Yuck. In the bathroom I quickly strip and jump into the shower turning the water on as hot as I can stand it. I scrub my skin and wash my hair. Hoping it helps to get rid of the rancid smell. The water soon runs cold so I reluctantly get out, wrapping the towel tightly around myself.

  Feeling refreshed I brush through my hair and then head to my room. On the way there my gut twists, something feels off. But I ignore it and continue on to my room. I walk in and start rummaging through my drawers. The afternoons have been getting a little cooler with fall well on its way so I pick out a long sleeve shirt and a simple pair of jeans. As I begin to turn an arm comes out of nowhere and wraps around my throat in a headlock.

  “Who do we have here?” I swing my arms but don’t make contact.

  “Let me go.” I ground out, fighting against whoever is behind me.

  “Damn it, stop fighting and I’ll let you go.” A rough male voice growls, I feel his warm breath panting out near my ear. I fight more not wanting to give up. I’m in the worst possible situation and I don’t know how to get out of it. I’m terrified.

  Suddenly my towel falls and I’m completely exposed. “Oh, come on, really?” I growl out. Just when I thought it was bad it got worse. I stop fighting as I feel his rough fingers graze my exposed hip. Oh god.

  “Hmmm, I think I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think I want to let you go, now.” He laughs out as he nuzzles his face into my neck taking a deep breath. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “It’s Alexis. Please don’t hurt me.” I beg. “I’ll give you anything you want, if you just leave me alone.”

  “I want you, Alexis.” Is all he states as his hand travels along my stomach sliding to just below my breasts. I take in a deep breath and my skin tingles from his touch.

  “Please, don’t do this.” I plead again. Suddenly I hear growling come from the doorway. It’s Cookie. Thank heavens above, I do have some luck.

  The man lets go of me and turns toward Cookie. I take my chance and grab him in the same choke hold he had me in but I also grab his arms just like my dad had taught me.

  “Shit.” He mutters. “Come on little girl, you can’t beat me. You might as well let me go.” He laughs out. He’s just as tall as I am and he has a head of shaggy blonde hair. He smells good, a woodsy, manly smell. I shake my head slightly. I must be out of my mind to think that.

  I swiftly kick his knees out and he falls to the floor. Cookie comes closer standing just above his face, still growling. “Do you give up?” I ask.

  He dips his head “Yes, I’ll give up if you call off the damn dog.”

  I let him go and step back but I don’t call off Cookie. I rush to grab my clothes and slip them on. I look up and see that he’s watching me closely. His eyes are a startling shade of green.

  “Who are you?” I ask as I take in his dirty clothes. “Where did you come from?”

  “Call off the dog and I’ll answer anything you ask.” He gestures to Cookie.

  “Cookie, go lay down.” I yell at her. She whimpers but obeys opting to lie down on my bed.

  “Thank you.” He stands. “I’m Hunter. I use to live about ten miles west of here.” He sighs before continuing. “I wasn’t really going to hurt you. I’m sorry if I scared you. I kind of let myself get out of control there for a minute.” He laughs and rubs the back of his neck, looking back to the spot where he held me. “I haven’t seen anyone alive for the past week.”

  “Oh, really, you weren’t going to hurt me? You weren’t thinking anything else while holding me naked?” Hand on my hip I point in his direction.

  He ducks his head and actually blushes. He smiles “I really wasn’t going to hurt you but” He laughs “with you naked in front of me, I almost couldn’t help myself. I’m a guy what do you expect?”

  “So what were you going to do? Rape me?” I accuse.

  “What!” He yells out, his face quickly scrunching in anger. “Hell no, I wasn’t going to rape you.” He pauses. “I don’t know what I would have done, but I would never rape anyone.”

  This conversation is going nowhere fast so I change the topic. “What do you want from me?”

  He looks into my eyes. “I need help, a place to stay, anything.” He ducks his head. “I know I shouldn’t be asking for anything from you, but I have nothing left. When the military guys came through my town they burnt everything. I was lucky enough to get away with what little I had and hide.”

  I sigh. Damn it I have to help him. But what if it’s a trap? But maybe he can tell me what happened to everyone. “I’ll help you, but if for one second I think you’re lying and that this is some sort of trap, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

  He nods. “I promise I’m not trying to trick you.” He looks back to me with a sad smile.

  “Ok then now that that’s over, let’s go find you some clean clothes. Then you can get a shower to get cleaned up.” I motion for him to follow me as I walk down the hall to my brother’s room.

  I glance back to see him following me, he has a perplexed look on his face. “You have running water?”

  “Yes, we have well water and I have a generator, so you’ll have hot water, too.” He stops in the middle of the hall with a look upon his face as if I had just told him that he won the lottery.

  “That’s awesome. It feels like it’s been forever since I could find good clean running water. Let alone get a hot shower.” He smiles before falling back into step to follow me. As we enter into Duncan’s room I breathe out a sigh. I hope he won’t mind.

  I make my way to the largest dresser and open up a stuffed draw. I grab out some jeans, a shirt and a pair of socks. “Here these are my brothers. He was about your size so these should all fit you. They may be a bit long but not by much.” I smile at him sadly as I hand the clothes over to him.

  “What happened to your brother? I’m guessing something happened since he’s not here with you.” He asks quietly.

  I turn away, and gulp. “I don’t know what happened to him, or what happ
ened to my boyfriend, or even my mom. As far as I know they are all dead.” I walk out the door not wanting to talk anymore on the subject.

  “The bathroom is the next door down, towels are under the sink, and when you’re done come down to the kitchen. I’ll have something whipped up for us to eat.” I yell back to him as I amble off on my way to the kitchen. I grab two cans of beef soup and heat up some frozen dinner rolls. That should be good enough. I stare out the window as the food heats, wishing Duncan and Lucca were there with me.

  ****

  “That was the best shower ever.” Hunter states while walking into the kitchen with Cookie hot on his heels. Her nails click on the floor as she goes to her favorite spot under the table.

  When I turn around my breath catches as he runs his hands through his damp hair. My brother’s shirt is snug on his fit body. I can clearly see the curves of his chest and abs. A sliver of skin is showing just below the shirt and the jeans are hung low on his hips.

  “Like what you see?” He asks with a smug grin. I blush and turn back towards the food.

  “I hope you like beef soup and rolls.” I place the two bowls on the table and turn back to grab the rolls. I feel his arms come around me and I freeze. “What are you doing?” I ask with a shaky voice as I turn in his arms to face him. I find myself trapped between him and the counter. He pushes his body against mine.

  “I won’t hurt you.” I flinch away as his knuckles graze the side of my cheek.

  I close my eyes as a tear slips out. “I can’t do this. I don’t know you or if I can even trust you.” I whisper. Instead of letting me go he grabs me in a hug and I begin sobbing into his chest. All of my emotions that I had kept hidden for the past week come rushing out.

  “It’s ok, sweetheart. Just let it all out. I’m sorry. I can be stupid sometimes.” He croons.

  I let out a sad laugh. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’ve just been alone this whole time. I lost my brother, my boyfriend and everyone I cared about. I’ve been pretty numb to it all, till now. I don’t want to be alone anymore, but I don’t know if I can trust you. I really want to trust you.” I step back out of his embrace and wrap my arms around myself.