Dead Paper Birds

by Megan McKinney

  I swallowed my retort before spinning on my heel and walking off. Rick grabbed my arm stopping me. He spoke in a deadly voice to my back, “When it happened it happened fast. Your dad and I, we were both enlisted. At that point we both had two different focus points. Mine was keeping the dead at bay, keeping them contained. Keeping them isolated. But their ranks still grew and grew. I helped hold them back, to try to give humanity the chance to live. Your dad though, his focus was trying to reverse the process. To try to bring those who were already turned back to themselves. When that proved to be a complete and utter dead end he turned to trying to save those that weren’t infected. At the time he was one of the most brilliant minds in the field.

  “Our walls didn’t hold. When they started to wash over our cities and homes, he became our hope. When the city started to fall I was called in to pull him out. He wouldn’t listen to reason. Insisting that he stay. When I pulled him out via helicopter. It was a city of the dead. I got him out but what was left of his team stayed behind. So, if there’s anything, if they found anything then it’ll be in there.”

  “But if he was in the military and he was your quote unquote hope, then how did he wind up with me and my family. Why would you let him go?”

  “We didn’t. He left. He never even gave me a reason. Just a thank you and he was gone.” Rick was looking at me with something like pity in his eyes. “He only joined the military because they offered him what he wanted.”

  “Which was to help people?”

  “No. Opportunity.” Ricks eyes glittered. “All he wanted was to shove more knowledge into his head. They gave him the opportunity to do just that.”

  He dropped his hand from my arm. “If he were still alive, you wouldn’t think of him the same way that you do now.” With that he pulled his supplies out of the truck to go collect gas.

  I rubbed my head right above my left eye. It was beginning to pound, with the temple being the epicenter. Was that it? Was dad really just a giant nerd who was more focused on learning things over interacting with other people? I remembered him being smart yes, almost freakishly, but he loved Emmie and I. He loved mom. Mom never seemed to harbor any anger towards him. She always talked about him like they’d been in completely in love with each other. I mean if dad had really been like that then why did mom stay with him? In all seriousness, I didn’t even know that he’d been in the military. Let alone a researcher or doctor of some kind. The dream that I had after killing Vince though. The one with the needle. It felt real, like it was a cross between a dream and a memory. Can I even think about trusting something like that? Obviously not.

  I leaned against the back of that blazer. If he was a researcher, hell even Vince was convinced that dad had succeeded but just wrote Vince off as a failure. He was crazy, unstable I can’t listen to anything he says. It could have been as simple as just the standard vaccinations that he was given. My fingers ran over the remnants of the cuts from the barbed wire. They were practically gone. My shoulder where I’d been shot was closed completely. It hit me with sudden surety that the dream I had wasn’t just something that my imagination cooked up. He must have done something to me. But what was it? It seemed like the people who knew him didn’t like him that much, not even Rick. Maybe I wouldn’t like him if I knew the truth or maybe I would. He loved me. I can’t let other people ruin my memories of him. If my memories are true.

  My thoughts were interrupted by Dean. He stopped to stare into the organized chaos of the cargo area. Inspiration struck me, which doesn’t happen all too often. “Dean, when we get back home. I’d love it if you would meet my mom. I have a feeling that shell adore you.”

  Confusion then shock rolled through his features before settling on an eye crinkling smile. “I would love to.”

  My skin started flushing, it moved up across my face till I could feel how red I was. I smiled shakily, oh man do I have to blush so hard? It’s so obvious. I was so focused on myself that when his hand touched mine I nearly jumped out of my skin. I forced myself to look up from the ground to look at him. He pressed his lips softly against mine. Leaving them there for just a split second before pulling away. He smiled again, this time it lit up his entire face.

  “You two. Come up front.” Rick called impatiently.

  I followed Dean up front where Richard was standing beside Rick. Rick spread out a map across the hood of the blazer. He was making marks on it with a black pen. “You need to get to Mercy Hospital. That’s where everything when I was last here at least, was at.” He circled the general location of the hospital, then pointed, “this is where we’re at. This place is huge so luckily the hospital isn’t in the direct center of it. Close but not quite. Because we came down around managing to avoid the rest of the mess were actually closer than I thought we would be.” He ran the pen along a route he had already marked up, “The most direct way would be to go through here, avoiding most of the downtown area. The army demolished a good portion of it to try to slow down the dead but all it did was make things worse. I’d stay on the main roads, no point in going around everything, try to keep it as direct as possible.” While he talked he finished sketching out a route to take. Then he drew alternate routes that we could take.

  When he finished, I ran my finger slowly across it. “So basically,” I planted my finger right on top of Mercy hospital. “If we get lost or just generally we could head southeast and look for the river.”

  Rick nodded. “Basically, yes.”

  We only packed the essentials, little bit of food with a little bit of water, plus weapons. I was carrying my bow, with my quiver full of arrows, a borrowed knife that was nearly big enough to be a small sword, and a shot gun that Rick insisted that I take. While we walked away Rick whistled to his dogs and they disappeared in the sea of cars.

  I missed them already, Rum and Coke. Their warm fuzzy bodies, combined with their happy-go-lucky attitudes made them the best companions. They were the scouts, the alarms, they made traveling through this wasteland easier. But I wasn’t going to risk their lives in there. If Rick was going then yes, because at the end of the day no matter how much I loved them, they didn’t belong to me.

  The three of us walked in a single file line on the shoulder. We were able to make the best time by not having to avoid most of the vehicles. I kept careful watch whenever we passed by a group of cars. I had my bow ready to fire at the slightest movement. My ears were straining to catch any kind of forewarning of an attack. Once we got further into the city, I wouldn’t be able to rely on my nose. Out here in the open air it was easy to smell just a single zombie. They stink, they are rotting corpses afterall; and a corpse loves to let everyone know that they are there through their smell. There must be some memories left inside their brains. It’s the only explanation for why a grand majority of them seem to congregate in cities.

  After about a mile we ran into a wall of dead traffic. The shoulders weren’t even passable from here on out. All the cars had shoved themselves as far as they could, even if it meant smashing into other cars.

  Grumbling we climbed on top of the cars and traveled over them. The cold metal bit at my skin through my clothes, which was made easier by the rain from last night. On some of the cars someone had spray painted warnings: all dead, no hope, no safety. Hanging from an overpass someone had left a sheet with the faded words: Go on if you dare, truth or dare players all die.

  I stopped to stare up at it. “Truth or dare players all die? What does that even mean?” I asked.

  Dean stopped next to me, looking up too. “I don’t have the faintest idea.” He then continued walking. After a moment I followed his lead.

  Not long after that we got off on our exit. It had enough room for us to be able to walk on the road next to the cars instead of on top of them. The small one laned road joined another road not too long after. This was a two-way road with three lanes on each side. They were all full of burned vehicles. Tall walls rose up on either side of us with ivy having completely taken over i
t. The cars that were closest to the walls were all overtaken by ivy. I was stepping on branching tendrils even in the middle of the road. In another couple of years, it’ll be ivy through here. No one would even know that this used to be a highway. No one will realize that this is a graveyard.

  I kept glancing over my shoulder nervously. The walls were making everything echo unnaturally. I half expected to see dozens of people following us with the amount of echoes. This was a bad place to be. Our only options were to keep going forward or go back. If we got attacked right now, we would only have the two options. Dean was falling back, letting me take the lead while positioning Richard in between the two of us. At the head of the traffic jam were four large military vehicles blocking the road. Two for each direction. The closest vehicles had more bullet holes than intact metal. Piled up around the cars were skeletons. Right in front of the mounted guns were mounds of skeletons. I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that was growing in my chest. We kept going forward, towards the roadblock. We had no choice anymore; our only option was to walk over the cars. They were crammed in like sardines, slowly and inevitably being pushed forward by those in the back. Why would anyone choose a place like this to die? Oh wait.

  Glass shattered behind me followed by a string of curse words. I turned around raising my bow, ready to fire. It was only Richard. The windshield that he’d been walking over broke. He was sitting half in-half out of the car. Dean rushed over to help pull him out.

  “You ok?”

  He jerked his hand out of Deans. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just, I’m fine.”

  It took every ounce of self-control that I possessed to keep from screaming in rage. Might as well of shouted out that were here. I hopped to the next vehicle watching for any movement. More glass shattering. I swiveled on the spot. I only saw Richard and Dean who were now hurrying towards me. We continued moving forward. Ours eyes peeled for anything.

  Sandbags created a perimeter both in front of and behind cement blocks. I vaulted over them easily, sliding over the fabric. I dropped to my knees and peered from under the truck. It was pressed tightly enough to the other one that there was no way for us to fit through. I pulled my backpack off my back before sliding it in front of me. I crawled under the truck on my belly while pushing my bag in front of me. The pavement quickly started working on stealing my hard-earned body heat. I crawled through quickly. On the other side while I waited for them to come through I scanned the area. As soon as they were both through we sprinted for cover.

  I ran into a small building, with my bow ready. Tables were lying on the floor with broken chairs lying around them. All the windows were broken which let the weather do to it as it wished. Water damage was obvious. Enough dirt had been brought in with the wind that grass covered the ground, small trees had taken root in here and were actually thriving.

  I righted a table for Richard to set the map down on it. The three of us stared at it trying to get our bearings. Richard ran his finger down one of the black lines, “I think were on this road. So..” he peered out the building, “... if we take Auburn Rd. it’ll intersect 225th ave, and that’s where we should start heading.” He rolled the map up and placed it back in the pocket of his pants.

  “Infected!” Dean warned.

  A small group of them had appeared from seemingly nowhere. I crouch ran over to the far side of the room for a better vantage. “They’re slowly moving away from us. If we keep quiet we can sneak around them.” I called.

  Surprisingly no one argued. We took turns running across the street, keeping our eyes on their retreating backs. By hugging the buildings, we were able to make good time, not great but good. Most off the obstacles on the sidewalk we were easily able to pass. Our footsteps echoed off the buildings all around us, so when we did speak it was only in whispers.

  I stopped panting, holding a stitch in my side, to stare at a sea of grass. “What?” I muttered. How did a whole field of grass grow in the middle of this?

  Richard collapsed onto a bench nearby, his head thrown back gasping for air. Dean who was also breathing heavy walked a little way down. I watched him out of the corner of my eye while simultaneously trying to watch Richard and the surrounding area. Dean trotted back.

  “It’s a park.”

  “You call this a park?”

  “Obviously not now. But it used to be.”

  “Wouldn’t a park always be a park though? We still call this a city?”

  “Fine. It’s still a park.”

  “It’s horrible. I bet something will try to eat us.”

  “Who said we were even going to cross it?” Dean exclaimed. “I was going to say to go around.”

  “It’s the most direct way. I’m tired of avoiding the shortcuts. Let’s take this one. It’ll be fun. “I waggled my eyebrows at him.

  He stared back impassively. “What is wrong with you? You’re not acting like yourself.”

  I looked at him surprised, “You of all people should now. There’s something about you. I don’t know what it is but…” I felt my face start turning crimson. Behind me Richard shrieked.

  I turned pulling my bow up simultaneously. Infected were running towards us. A small mob of them. Too many for my bow. Too many to handle by hand. Not big enough to warrant a gun. I ran into the grass, shouting over my shoulder for them to follow. Richard yelled something inarticulate but I’d already disappeared into the grass. It loomed over my head blotting out any way for me to tell what direction I was running in. I could only press forward and sprint as straight as I possibly could. The ground squished under my boots, while the grass slapped me in the face and arms. The end of the grass came so suddenly that I ran straight out of it.

  I slowly turned in a circle. “Oh, where am I?” I muttered. I’m alone and I’m lost. Oh, this day is getting better and better. At least we have the same destination point. I crossed into some sort of residential slash office area. Tall buildings blotted out the sun. Forcing me to cross through the shadows that were freezing in comparison. I passed bicycle that I looked longingly at but the tires were flat and I didn’t know how to ride it anyways. The traffic wasn’t bad here. A few cars were parked in the street but most of them were parked on the sides.

  Ahead of me there was shouting followed by gunfire. I dropped to the ground nearly smashing my face into the concrete. I shuffled under a car, looking for the source of it. I wasn’t the target. Not yet at least. I shuffled forward. The space in front of this car was clear enough for me to see nearly a block down. Figures were scattering into buildings or taking cover behind cars.

  I watched long enough to make sure that it wasn’t Dean or Richard under fire before moving back. I kept low while I moved back the way I’d come. At the next intersection I went left. I held my bow at the ready, while watching for any kind of movement. An engine roared to life behind me. Throwing caution to the wind I sprinted down the road. I needed to get some distance between us. Ahead of me there was a roadblock. Using my momentum, I leaped over it and continued running as my feet hit the ground. The sound of squealing tires forced me to look around. I’d run right into the path of the armored truck. I rolled out of the oncoming path of it. The truck’s brakes squealed while they came to a stop, rolling right over where I’d just been. I didn’t stop to see who they were or whey were doing. I ran into the nearest building not thinking about the consequences, just thinking of getting away.

  I rammed my shoulder into the door, slamming it open with enough force to bounce off the wall. I shut it and locked it. Then I turned to face the building that Id entered. The only light was coming in through the broken window on my right. I moved in deeper. I had my flashlight. That’s the only light I need. Enough dust covered everything including the floor to prove that I was the first person to come through here in possibly years. I only took shallow breaths. The air felt thick, just breathing in made me want to cough. The air itself was stagnant, intermingled with decay. Just because I was the first person down here didn’t mean anything about
upstairs and animals. Animals will find a way in somehow. Behind me the door snapped and broke.

  I left the large room Id found situated behind two offices excluding the one the main door opened into. Now I was in a hallway that had multiple doors and ended in stairs. The stairs were covered in thick carpeting that each foot sunk into. Making it the most silently stairs I’d ever climbed. The stairs turned back on themselves two more times. I was halfway to the door on the fourth section of stairs when the building all around me groaned in a sudden rush of wind. I felt it move and twist as the wind buffeted it. I froze in place. I just couldn’t bring myself to move. In my chest my poor heart was beating frantically enough it felt like it was trying to climb out.

  During the last few days of television, or I should say live television, reruns continued until there was no power left. When the news teams still had crews to send out, they would show buildings collapsing that were either rigged to blow or for whatever reason. Even over the reporters voice the screams could be heard. Nothing could block those out. Rescuers would be crawling all over the rubble trying to help those people. They would be pulling debris away only to be chased off by infected. All those people died knowing that no one was coming to help them. They were going to die under millions of pounds of concrete and steel.

  A deep voice cut through my mind like a shot. “She went through here all right.”

  Seriously.

  I climbed the rest of the stairs in three strides. Fighting was off the table. At least for now. I pulled the door open to find it blocked. I peeked down the center of the stairs. I couldn’t see a thing. I went back to the blockade and climbed it. I slid over the top of the filing cabinets, the cold metal dented and groaned under me. I slid around to land on my feet. The hallway stretched out in front of me; branching out into three hallways. I crept up to the intersection. Straight ahead it looked like the hall ended in a room. The left the cushioned carpet changed to black and white tile, the doors changed from a dark wood to a light wood with frosted windows set in the center of them- some of which were broken and covered in old blood stains. The hall continued till it turned a corner. To my right the hall looked like a mirror image of the left.