Death & Decay (Book 2): Divided

by R. L. Blalock

  Colin sighed and rolled over to stare at the television. The images flashed between different areas around St. Louis. The images were all the same. Bloodied people roamed the streets. Wrecked cars sat abandoned where they had been crashed. A few fires continued to spew out smoke and flames. The only thing that had changed was that now Colin saw very few survivors.

  Heavy footsteps rattled the stairs and echoed off the walls of the narrow stairwell. Colin sat up, his heart suddenly racing. Rotna snapped awake, her head swinging from side to side as she looked for danger. The sounds grew louder as more feet pounded up the stairs.

  Colin scrambled to his feet as Eric and Alex jumped up. He threw himself to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony and threw the blinds back.

  The crazed people were dashing across the parking lot from all over, heading straight for the stairs to the apartments.

  “Shit!”

  They had felt safe in the third-story apartment, high above the chaos. It had never occurred to them that those who were crazed might come up the stairs.

  A loud thud resonated against the door, and they all spun to face it. The doorknob twitched as someone on the other side tried to turn it. But it was locked.

  Alex had scooped up the hammer. Desperate for a weapon, Colin dove for the kitchen and grabbed a large chef’s knife from the block before returning to the living room. Eric brandished the poker that had been propped against the fireplace, and Alex clutched his hammer. Rotna had her knees drawn to her chest on the couch as she sat staring blankly.

  The door flung open and a man filled the doorway. With a half growl, half cry, Alex leapt forward, the hammer raised and ready to strike. The man raised a heavy ax in response.

  “No!” Colin shouted. His knife fell to the floor as he sprang between the two men. “It’s Sammy.”

  “Colin?” The howls that echoed up the stairwell and through the open door were deafening. A head appeared as more people climbed up the stairs.

  Samuel spun around and threw the door closed. An arm reached into the door just before it closed. Samuel’s ax fell to the ground with a heavy thump as he threw his weight against the door. Colin joined Samuel as the creature struggled to push its way it.

  “There’s a dozen more on the stairs,” Samuel said through gritted teeth. “We have to get that asshole dislodged or we’re going to be in deep shit.”

  A loud shriek erupted from within the apartment. Rotna leapt off the couch and ran to the door. In one fluid movement, she bent down and snatched up Samuel’s discarded weapon. She raised it above her head and swung it at the door. Colin shrank away as the heavy ax passed just inches from his face.

  The ax connected with the monster’s arm with a sickening wet smack. Rotna snarled at the arm as she raised the ax again and swung. The second time she struck the arm, it fell to the floor and the door slammed shut under the weight of Colin and Samuel.

  Rotna’s chest heaved as she stared at the door. A thud sounded from the other side, and she jumped back, brandishing the ax. The sound was closely followed by a second and a third.

  Colin locked the doorknob and the deadbolt, stepping away from the door as the creatures on the other side pounded against it.

  The ax trembled in Rotna’s hands. Her eyes remained locked on the door as it shook under the assault.

  “It’s alright,” Colin said gently. “They won’t get in.” He hoped his words were true, but there was no way of knowing how long the door would actually hold under the barrage.

  “They’re going to come in here and rip us all to shreds.” Her voice trembled as she spoke. Her eyes were wide and wild as they darted to the side to glance at Colin.

  “Why don’t you give me the ax and we can barricade the door to keep them out?” Colin was careful to keep his voice calm, but he didn’t like the borderline hysteria in her voice. “Come on,” he prodded gently, carefully laying his hand on the ax. “We need your help.”

  Colin tugged on the ax and Rotna released it from her grip, nodding. “Good.” Colin held back his sigh of relief. “Let’s move the couch in front of the door.” He leaned the bloodied ax up against the wall.

  The couch wasn’t very heavy. Colin could probably have pushed it across the floor by himself, but Samuel didn’t have any heavy furniture in his small apartment, so it would have to do.

  “Colin!” Samuel clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him into a bear hug. “Good to see ya!” Samuel released him and stepped back. “I’m glad you’re alright.” Some of the enthusiasm left his voice and the smile disappeared from his lips.

  “It’s good to see you too,” Colin said earnestly. “When you weren’t here, I thought maybe you were working and got caught right in the thick of”—he looked around the room at the dim lights, the burning buildings on the television screen, and the severed arm lying by the door— “whatever this is.”

  Samuel sighed heavily. “I was working.” He rubbed his hand across his hair. “The fire station went to hell in a hand basket.” He was silent for a moment as he stared down at the floor. “People came to us in droves looking for safety, and those…those people, the sick people, followed them. We just got overwhelmed.”

  “Freaks,” Colin muttered.

  “What?”

  “We’ve been calling the sick people freaks,” Colin explained. When Samuel only frowned back, Colin rushed to explain, “They aren’t people anymore. Not really. They’re dangerous and it seems dangerous to keep thinking that they are like us. So, we’ve been calling them freaks.”

  Samuel let out a long breath and rubbed his face wearily.

  “I’m sorry, Sammy. For everything that’s happened today.”

  Samuel cringed at the childish nickname. “Who are your friends?”

  “Eric and Alex were working with me at the mall.” Colin pointed to the two men in turn. “Rotna…” They didn’t know much about her and he wasn’t sure how well she would cope with being reminded of what had happened to her. “She needed our help.”

  Samuel nodded, not questioning the vague answer. “Nice to meet you!” He graced them all with a beaming smile. The smile then faded as Samuel rubbed the back of his neck, his lips turning down. “Does anyone have a game plan from here?”

  Colin glanced to the others. “We haven’t figured that out yet.”

  “Those things are out there.” Rotna’s voice was quiet. “Should we just wait here until help arrives?”

  “Honey,” Samuel replied, “there ain’t no help out there for us. The police are either dead or scattered. If the military comes, it could take weeks for them to get this under control. If they can at all. We have to help ourselves.”

  Eric frowned a bit as he mulled over the words. Alex nodded slightly. Rotna pulled at her long black tresses. But nobody said anything.

  “So how did you get back here?” Colin asked.

  “I ran.”

  Colin stared at Samuel in shock. “You ran? With all those things out there?”

  “Yeah. The roads are a nightmare. It was easier to just stay close to the houses and run. The car makes too much noise. It draws them all in.” Samuel looked down at his clothes and grimaced. The navy-blue t-shirt was dirty and stiff with blood. “It wasn’t easy, but it was easier to go unseen, for the most part. Those freaks out there aren’t all that bright. If you can stay quiet and out of sight, they don’t have a clue that you’re there.” He looked down at himself again. “Give me a minute.”

  Samuel disappeared into the bedroom. After a few minutes, he reemerged in a clean t-shirt and jeans. Blood still speckled his arms, and a couple of droplets marred his face.

  “I think we should head out towards Wildwood or Eureka. There isn’t much out there. Some houses and a couple of built-up areas here and there, but I think it’ll be easier to avoid the freaks.”

  Colin shook his head. “I have to go find Liv and Elli. They were caught just on the other side of the Boone Bridge when everything happened. I’m supposed to go pick them
up so we can head out to a farm outside of Troy.”

  Liv and her sister, Jorden, had come up with the plan one long night as they drove around aimlessly chatting. If a situation were to ever come about where they needed to leave town, they would meet at Slag Stead, a farm owned by one of Jorden’s friends. When Liv later told Colin about the plan, he shrugged it off. He never thought they’d find themselves in the middle of an apocalypse.

  Samuel chewed on his lip for a moment. “I hadn’t even thought about them.” He looked a little ashamed and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “The Boone Bridge is a feeding frenzy. You aren’t getting across it.” Colin’s gut twisted as he thought about his family trying to survive. Liv was strong and capable, but he needed to be with them.

  “Who’s Liv and Elli?” Rotna asked.

  “My wife and daughter.” Colin’s mouth was dry.

  Rotna’s mouth set into a grim line. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Colin snapped. “They’re fine. They made it off the highway. They’re going to be fine.”

  Rotna played with her hair as she thought. “What about Highway Three Sixty-Four? It’s newer than Forty. Less people use it. Maybe the Veterans Memorial Bridge won’t be as bad as the Boone Bridge.”

  The room fell silent.

  “You guys don’t have to go with me,” Colin said slowly. “I’m sure you have family you want to find, but I have to find mine.” He didn’t want to leave them. He didn’t want to be by himself, but he had to find Liv and Elli.

  “My parents live in California,” Rotna offered. “Charles and I moved out here a few years ago when he got a promotion. I have some friends, but no one I need to find.”

  “My parents are out in Springfield,” Eric volunteered. “I don’t even know how I could get to them.”

  “We aren’t going to let you do this on your own.” Samuel squeezed Colin’s shoulder. “Family is important, right?” He gave Colin a small smile. “We can head towards Three Sixty-Four in the morning once everybody’s gotten some rest.”

  Colin nodded. “Hey, Sammy.” He pulled Samuel aside. “Do you still have your cell phone? I left mine at the store. I want to see if I can get ahold of Liv.”

  “Sure thing.” Samuel dug the small square out of his pocket and handed it over.

  Colin retreated into the kitchen for some privacy. He tapped the screen and quickly located the telephone icon among the many apps on the phone. There were very few numbers he knew by heart anymore, but Liv’s was one of them.

  “We’re sorry,” an automated voice addressed him after the first ring. “Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later.”

  Colin stared at the phone as the message began to repeat itself. As it went into the explanation again, Colin angrily mashed the small red button to end the call. He immediately dialed again.

  “We’re sorry—”

  Gritting his teeth, Colin ended the call.

  Call. Hang up. Call. Hang up. Call. Hang up. Call.

  The phone rang. As Colin was preparing for the inevitable automated message, it rang a second time. His fingers tightened around the phone. It rang a third time. It was late. Liv might be sleeping. It would take her a moment to answer. It rang a fourth time.

  “Hi, you’ve reached Olivia Bennett. I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I’ll call you back later.” Colin’s heart fell as he listened to Liv’s cheery recorded message.

  Colin was silent for a moment after the beep told him he could start speaking. “Liv, it’s me. I’m at Sammy’s apartment. I’m trying to get to you, but things have gotten nasty really quick.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you earlier. I know you’ll be headed to the farm soon. I’m coming for you and Elli. We just have to find a way across the river.” He rubbed his face, suddenly feeling very tired and overwhelmed. “I love you, Liv. I’ll see you soon.”

  Reluctantly, he tapped the end icon and watched as the call flashed briefly before disappearing off the screen.

  “Couldn’t get ahold of her?” Colin jumped as Samuel’s quiet words startled him.

  “No.” Colin offered the phone back. “The lines are pretty jammed up. I finally got through but she didn’t answer.”

  Samuel leaned against the counter opposite Colin in the small kitchen. “I wouldn’t worry about Liv. She’s smart. She’ll figure out how to get herself and Elli through this.”

  “I know.” Colin nodded. “I just wish I was with them.”

  “We’ll figure this out.” Samuel smiled and chuckled to himself. “When we were kids we could get away with anything. If we could figure out how to sneak out past my mom, then we can figure how to get you back to your family.”

  Colin smiled at the memory. They were both silent for a moment as they recalled the trouble they had gotten into as children.

  “Hey,” Samuel finally said. “It’s not much, but I figured you should have this.” Samuel produced a crowbar he had hung from his belt. “It’s got more punch than that hammer and a bit more reach too.”

  “Thanks.” Colin smiled and took the crowbar, testing its weight. It was heavier. The single piece of iron felt wicked in his hands.

  “Come on.” Samuel nodded back towards the living room. “Let’s go get some rest. I’ve got the very distinct feeling the next few days won’t be easy.”

  The group had woken up to daylight peeking through the blinds. A look outside revealed that the parking lot was teeming with freaks. The horde had followed Samuel in during the night and was now stalking around the cars. Colin peeked between the blinds, fascinated but horrified by what he saw. The freaks weren’t just wandering around aimlessly. They were hunting. Occasionally, one would lift its head to scent the air before it continued to stalk around. Their heads constantly swiveled back and forth, their movements jerky as they twitched to attention at the slightest sound.

  They had spent the last three hours trying to figure out how to escape the apartment.

  Their plan still seemed more suicidal than Colin had hoped for, but they didn’t have many options. Colin pulled his backpack on over his shoulders. Samuel had several that he had used in school and several more that had been gym bags. They had each taken one and loaded up with a few essentials like food, water, and a spare change of clothes.

  “Is everyone ready?” Eric looked around nervously. None of them liked the plan. But none of them could come up with anything better.

  “Let’s do this.” Samuel nodded, moving towards the front door. The couch had been moved out of the way earlier in the morning.

  “Now or never.” Colin took a deep breath and moved towards the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. He held the crowbar tight, taking comfort in its weight.

  Rotna stood and gripped the knob on the front door. She still hadn’t said much, but she was doing better. She had changed out of own clothes. Samuel didn’t have much that would fit her, but he had managed to find a pair of drawstring basketball shorts and a t-shirt an old girlfriend had left behind. She still wore her flats from before, insisting that if they became a burden she could kick them off easily on the run.

  “On my mark.” Samuel crouched and took hold of the dining room table, which had been upended by the front door. Alex moved in next to Colin by the sliding door as Eric moved towards the front door. Colin glanced over at Alex. As much as Rotna was improving, Alex had slowly receded in on himself over the course of the night. He was in shock. Now wasn’t the time. They needed to be quick if they were going to get out alive. Colin wasn’t sure Alex was up to the task.

  “One.”

  Rotna unlocked the front door as Colin unlocked the sliding door.

  “Two.”

  Samuel and Eric grabbed the table by the legs and hefted it up as they stood.

  “Three!”

  Rotna flung open the door and jumped out of the way as the two men pushed their way out of the door with the table. They lunged forward, slamming into two of the frea
ks that stood on the landing. The freaks tumbled down the stairs.

  Colin slowly pulled the sliding door open, trying to make as little noise as possible as he peered out over the parking lot. Rotna snatched up two pots that sat by the front door and started slamming them together.

  “Hey!” She raised her voice and the freaks on the stairs whipped around abruptly at the sound. “Hey, you freaks! Come and get it,” she belted out, furiously slamming the pots against the concrete landing.

  Colin couldn’t hear the moaning over the ruckus she was creating, but the freaks in the parking lot jolted at the sudden sounds. They tensed up and sprinted for the stairs.

  The parking lot cleared out quickly as the freaks filled the stairs. Colin looked back over his shoulder at the open front door. Rotna bent down and speared a freak through the eye with a knife as it tried to crawl underneath the small gap between the tabletop and the ground. Samuel and Eric lunged forward in unison, pushing the freaks back no more than a foot. A few lost their balance and tumbled down the stairs, taking other freaks down with them. Just as quickly as they fell, others jostled in to take their place, packing the stairs with snarling teeth and grasping hands.

  Colin crawled out the sliding door, trying to stay low and out of sight. The parking lot was amazingly empty. Colin motioned Alex to one of the tall support beams at the edge of the balcony as he darted for the other. Alex hesitated, clutching the hammer, and Colin motioned again more urgently. Colin then tucked the crowbar Samuel had given him into his belt and wrapped his arms around the support beam.

  This is insane, Colin thought as he looked down at the ground. This is insane and I’m insane for doing this.

  He swung his foot over the railing and leaned over until he could feel a small ledge. Carefully he swung his other leg over, clinging desperately to the support beam. He moved into a crouching position, wrapping one foot around the beam below the ledge of the balcony. His heart jumped.

  “Now or never,” Colin echoed his own words from earlier.

  He lowered the other leg and wrapped it around the beam as well. Quicker than he expected, he slid down the beam. A sudden jolt almost dislodged his grip as he hit the second-floor balcony.