Survivors in a Dead World

by Gary M. Chesla

  “Maybe the next time we come back here you should just drop us off on the roof and fly over to Macy’s. Hopefully that will draw the dead over there and away from the warehouse,” Jim said.

  “That might be a good idea,” Bob replied. “Getting food here has made things pretty nice. I’d hate to have to go somewhere else to get supplies.”

  “My feelings exactly,” Tom added.

  “Time?” Carrie asked.

  “Fifty minutes,” Bob replied after looking at his watch.

  “Is that enough time?” Tom asked. “Those things are beating the crap out of that barrier. If we can, I think it would be a good idea to distract them before they do too much more damage.”

  “We could fly across and set down on the top of Macy’s now,” Carrie said. “There’s also a Giant Eagle Foods over there. We could check it out while we wait for the engine to finish cooling down.”

  “That could work,” Bob said. “Let’s do it.”

  Carrie started the engine as everyone strapped in.

  When the engine began to whine smoothly, Carrie pushed the throttle until the chopper hovered three feet above the roof.

  She guided the helicopter off the roof and hovered above the parking lot in front of Costco.

  “I see what you were talking about,” Bob said as he pointed to the front of the warehouse. The wire mesh was bent and stretched as it curved back into the store where the windows had been.

  “That’s not going to hold out much longer,” Jim said. “I would have been scared shitless in there if I would have known it was this bad.”

  “Shit, we’re going to need to be careful here next time,” Bob added. “Let’s lead them away from the store Red.”

  “I’ll try,” Carrie replied as she guided the helicopter slowly away from the front of Costco. She kept the craft at around fifty feet above the parking lot to keep the dead interested.

  “I’ve think they’ve seen us Red, how about taking us up a little higher,” Bob said nervously.

  Carrie guided the helicopter towards Macy’s as she increased the craft altitude to about one hundred feet.

  She flew over PF Chang’s restaurant, over Macy’s and crossed over the parking lot and hovered in front of Giant Eagle.

  “I don’t think we are going to be getting anything from Giant Eagle,” Carrie said as they watched hundreds of the dead stagger out the front of the store, working their way towards the sound of the helicopter.

  “Shit, where the hell are they all coming from?” Tom gasped.

  “They must be coming out of Homestead. I think the noise from the engine is drawing them all here,” Bob said.

  “You want me to set us down on top of Macy’s?” Carrie asked.

  “No, let’s just get the hell out of here,” Bob replied. “This place is making my skin crawl.”

  “Are you sure the engine has cooled down enough?” Carrie asked.

  “Does the helicopter feel OK?” Bob asked. “The stick feel smooth in your hand?”

  “It feels normal,” Carrie replied.

  “Then let’s just get out of here.” Bob said. “Circle up over Homestead and hope they follow us and stay away from Costco. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this many up close like this.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Carrie said as she flew over the end of the Water Front and started out over Homestead, increasing their altitude to five hundred feet.

  After a few minutes Tom finally started talking again, “It looks a lot better from up here.”

  “I thought I would never say this,” Jim smiled, “but I can’t wait to get back to Pittsburgh.”

  They flew back towards Pittsburgh in silence. The fact that Bob kept looking at his watch made Carrie nervous. She started to look for any tall buildings where she could land if the engine started to give them any trouble.

  It wasn’t until they passed over the south side and started out over the river that everyone started to relax.

  The big “X” on the helicopter pad at Mercy Hospital was now in view across the river, up on the hill above the Boulevard of the Allies.

  However it was here that Carrie felt the first vibration from the control stick in her hand. She instinctively pulled back to increase their altitude.

  The others saw Carrie start to take the helicopter higher as they began to feel the vibration and heard the engine begin to sputter.

  “Red?” Bob asked.

  “Make sure you are strapped in tight,” Carrie replied, not taking her eyes from the controls, “I think this is going to be close.”

  Carrie struggled with the controls.

  She angled the chopper towards the helipad. The engine was now cutting out and then back in more frequently.

  The good news was she was going to make it to the landing pad.

  The bad news was she couldn’t slow the helicopter down enough for a soft landing with the engine cutting out.

  The helicopter hit the pad hard, bounced and skidded across the roof.

  It was stopped and luckily didn’t slide off the roof and plummet to the street ten stories below, when it crashed into the brick structure where the stairway came up to the roof.

  The Plexiglas front of the helicopter broke as cracks rapidly spread out in every direction. Only the thickness of the Plexiglas and the plastic liner kept the entire front of the helicopter from breaking away and falling off.

  The helicopter groaned. A loud snap was heard right before the helicopter jerked to the right as the right side of the craft hit the roof of the hospital, jolting the four people in the cabin as their straps struggled to keep them in their seats.

  Chapter 5

  Jim woke to the sound of water splashing near his ears.

  Jim turned his head and saw Ed going to the bathroom next to his sleeping bag.

  “Damn it Ed,” Jim griped as he jumped up. “Of all the places you could go and you have to go next to my head.”

  “Damn it Ed,” Monica giggled as she ran over and picked up Ed.

  Jim looked at Moni and laughed.

  First he had to laugh at how Moni said “Damn it Ed” in her little voice. It sounded cute as hell.

  Second he had to laugh because he couldn’t be mad at Ed. They had tried but hadn’t been able to house train Ed, or in this case room-train her. As bad as everything smelled, he was sure it was confusing to Ed to know the difference between the room and anywhere else. Everything smelled like shit. If he was Ed he would be confused too. Jim thought Ed probably felt that going to the bathroom here in the room would only seem to enhance the smell of the place.

  None of them had had a bath in a while either. Ed probably thought they were all going to the bathroom in their sleeping bags the way they all smelled.

  On the plus side, their foul odor probably made it harder for the dead to smell them here in the school.

  Jim stood and looked around. Sun light was starting to shine into the room around the blinds that were pulled down all the way to the bottom of the window seals. Jim had apparently slept all night without being awakened by the dead or his usual nightmares.

  Jim’s eyes drifted around the room. He looked over at Debbie. She was still laying in her sleeping bag, but had the top of the sleeping bag pulled down below her chin and was giving him that look. The look she always gave him when she was mad at him for something. It was the same look he had seen his mother frequently give to his dad.

  “What?” Jim asked.

  “How am I supposed to teach the Shrimp to watch her mouth with you around?” Debbie complained.

  Jim smiled and replied, “God forbid she gets a mouth on her like you had when you were her age.”

  Debbie just glared at him.

  “Relax, you grew out of it,” Jim laughed, “If you grew out of it I’m sure she will too. After all she has a lot less to grow out of than you did.”

  Jim laughed. When they were little, Debbie had the foulest mouth on the block. Some of the neighbors had refused t
o let their daughters play with Debbie until she cleaned up her act. Jim never understood why Debbie never got in trouble at home for her language. Then again maybe his Dad thought it was cute the way he thought Moni’s language was cute.

  The girls always seemed to be able to get away with so much more than he ever did.

  “Sorry,” Jim said as he looked back at Debbie and smiled.

  Moni was being quiet, but he could tell by the grin on her face, she knew she was getting away with something again and that he was sticking up for her.

  Maybe he should try harder and tell Moni to watch it, but then again who was she going to offend, definitely not him. There was no one left to insist she watch her mouth or they weren’t going to play with her. The dead didn’t care what names you called them, as long as they could hear you they seemed happy.

  But he would try, if for no other reason than to keep Debbie happy.

  “Are we going to have breakfast today?” Monica asked.

  Jim looked over at Debbie. Pickings had been pretty lean lately and he didn’t know if they had anything left or not.

  “Do we have anything?” Jim asked.

  “We only have that small can of peaches you found last week in Mary Moore’s garage,” Debbie answered. “I was trying to hang on to it for an emergency.”

  “The way things have been lately, maybe we should eat it now,” Jim said.

  He was the one that went out on supply runs. Anything he brought back he gave to Debbie to take care of. Doling out the food was her job. It was their way of sharing the responsibility for the group between him and his sister. It had been a system that had worked well so far. So far he had been able to find things to eat but the system had been put to the test lately.

  “I guess so,” Debbie sighed. “Maybe if we go to the library today we could all go fishing after we’re done there? The peaches are all we have left. The Shrimp will be happy to know we don’t have any peas left.”

  “I don’t know Deb,” Jim replied. “You know I don’t like for all of us to go out there together. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I know Jim,” Debbie said. “But what if something ever happens to you? The Shrimp and I need to know at least how to fish or at least where to fish. Remember we used to all look for things together, before at the beginning.”

  “I know you’re right, but I sort of feel I need to protect you guys from what’s out there,” Jim said. “I feel responsible.”

  “Who is going to protect you out there?” Debbie asked. “We are a team. All we have is each other. I feel it’s my job to protect you and the Shrimp too. Besides you said there aren’t as many of those things out there like there used to be and they are getting slower. We get scared sitting here in this room all day when you’re out. I think we can help. Besides I don’t think I can handle another day of playing hopscotch out in the hallway with Ed and the Shrimp.”

  Debbie looked over at Monica rubbing Ed’s belly and laughed, “At least I can help you. Besides the Shrimp is right, Ed doesn’t play by the rules. Ed cheats.”

  Jim smiled, “You might be right. Maybe we can all start to go out on short runs together again. I guess we need to teach Moni how to survive out there, especially if we have to move on to somewhere else to find enough food to get by. It’s probably going to take all of us to get by from here on out as hard as it is to fund anything.”

  “Good”, Debbie said as she struggled with their old rusty can opener.

  When she finally had the peaches open, she set the can down on the floor between all of them and looked at Monica, “And you keep Ed away from the peaches. This is all we have.”

  Monica grabbed Ed with her left arm as she reached out with her right hand and grabbed a peach.

  She held the peach and let Ed bite off the end, then she shoved the rest of the peach in her mouth.

  Ed stretched his neck and tried to lick Monica’s face. When Monica pushed Ed away from her face, she started licking the peach juice off of Monica’s fingers.

  Jim laughed as he looked over and saw Debbie roll her eyes.

  “They say a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a person’s mouth,” Jim laughed.

  “I don’t know about that,” Debbie replied and laughed, “but I know Ed’s mouth is a lot cleaner than the Shrimp’s mouth. I hope Ed doesn’t catch something from her.”

  Jim ate a peach as he watched Monica and Ed share another peach, then he got to his feet.

  “You two finish the peaches while I go down and revisit my first grade classroom,” Jim said.

  “Try not to get your pants wet this time,” Debbie smiled. “The radiator is broken and your pants will be wet all day long.”

  “Smartass,” Jim grinned.

  “Be careful you don’t get your butt scratched,” Monica giggled.

  Debbie looked at Monica and laughed as Monica quickly put her hands over her mouth.

  Debbie looked at Jim, “See, when she wants something she knows how to control her mouth and use nice words instead of bad words.”

  “I’ll be back,” Jim grinned, “When I get back we can go over to the library and find you guys some books before we go fishing.”

  Jim returned to the room ten minutes later and received his usual greeting from Ed.

  “It must be true what they saw about dogs, that ten minutes is the same as ten hours in their mind,” Jim thought as he scratched Ed behind the ears. Ed always greeted Jim after ten minutes as enthusiastically as she did when Jim returned after being out all day looking for food.

  Maybe Ed was smarter than Jim gave her credit for. Maybe Ed realized that when someone walked out the door to the room, it could be the last time she would ever see them.

  Regardless of the reason, Jim always enjoyed Ed’s greetings.

  When he finished petting Ed, he looked over at Debbie.

  Debbie was busy making Monica hold still while she put her long sleeved sweatshirt and a hat on her. It was warm outside, but Debbie wanted to be sure Monica’s arms and head were protected. You could never have too many layers on around the dead and the green coloring would help her blend in with the surroundings. She didn’t know if the dead could distinguish colors or not, but it couldn’t hurt.

  It could also help protect her clumsy little sister from getting too scratched up by just walking across the street.

  Debbie stood up after releasing Monica, sighed and put on her hat and tucked her hair underneath the hat.

  “I think we’re ready, finally,” Debbie said.

  “Ed wants to come with us,” Monica said as she scooped up Ed from the floor.

  “OK,” Jim said. “Get her rope.”

  Monica ran over to the shelf by her sleeping bag and brought the rope over to Jim.

  “Do you think we should take Ed too?” Debbie asked. “The Shrimp is going to be a handful by herself.”

  Jim knelt down and tied the rope to Ed’s collar.

  “I think she will be fine,” Jim said fidgeting with Ed collar. “It will give Moni something to do. Besides have you ever heard Ed bark?”

  “Come to think of it, no,” Debbie replied.

  “Remember I found her living on the streets,” Jim said. “She wouldn’t have lasted long if she didn’t know how to keep quiet. The entire way home her head kept moving around like it was on a swivel. I think she was watching for the dead. Maybe she can help us keep an eye out.”

  Debbie laughed, “I think I heard that peas are good for your eye sight.”

  Jim smiled, “Then Ed should have great eye sight. She should be a great lookout.”

  Jim handed the other end of the rope back to Monica, “Here Moni, make sure you hold on tight so Ed doesn’t go running off somewhere.”

  “OK,” Monica said as she took the rope.

  “And you stay close to Debbie,” Jim said, “don’t make me put a rope on you too.”

  Monica giggled.

  “I mean it Moni,” Jim added, “It’s dangerous out there.”

  “Yea Shrimp
, those things will get really mad at us if they eat you and get indigestion,” Debbie grinned.

  Monica looked at her sister and stuck out her tongue.

  “Well if you two are done, maybe we can get going before it gets dark out,” Jim laughed.

  “Funny,” Debbie said sarcastically.

  Jim opened the door and waited for his sisters to go out in the hall.

  The girls and Ed then followed Jim down to the boiler room.

  He put his head up next to the coal bin door and listened.

  Jim had used the coal bin as his way in and out of the school ever since they came to the school. When they found the school was locked up, Jim remembered the day he spent in the boiler room with the janitor. Jim was sick, but it didn’t stop him from asking questions. By the end of the day, he knew how to work the furnace, what kind of wax the janitor used on the floors, what his wife packed in his lunch every day, which teachers had the dirtiest rooms and what that old iron door was for near the top of the wall behind the furnace. Jim was sure the janitor was relieved when the final bell of the day rang and Jim had to go home.

  None of the information was ever useful, except the information about the coal bin door. It enabled him and his sisters to escape into the school and get away from the horde that thought they had Jim and his sisters cornered.

  The information about the coal bin was probably the only thing Jim had learned in his time in elementary school that had ever come in handy. That and how to look pitiful when he was getting paddled. Looking pitiful always got the teachers to feel sorry for him and take it easy on his behind. If he wouldn’t have learned that trick, his bottom would probably still be black and blue.

  It sounded quiet outside.

  Jim looked back at the girls, “It sounds OK. You three wait here while I go outside and make sure we have a clear path to the library.”

  Jim turned and pushed the coal bin door open and crawled out behind the dumpsters. Jim was happy the school district had been too cheap to have had the old dumpsters hauled away when the school was closed. The dumpsters help hide his movements in and out of the school from prying eyes.