Friends Against The World (Book 1): Bite Me

by Walters, Geneva

  As soon as we finished, we stood in a group between the two cars, conversing about the trip. Lee is holding a map and he and Idris are deciding their route, Quiyl and Vi looking over their shoulders as they will help navigate. Xavier, Anthony, James, Avyanna, Liam and I are looking around, listening for any danger.

  "Okay so the main highways are going to be chaos, people will have attempted to leave the large cities and it would have jammed up. I vote we go for the side roads, even off-roading if we have too." Idris proposed, and Lee looked back at his Saturn, shrugging.

  "I don't know if my car can do that, but we shall see what happens." Lee said, and Idris nodded.

  "I will lead, and we will take it slow as needed."

  They finish deciding and we get into the separate cars, the two groups hugging each other and wishing for them to stay safe. When we start to drive away from Idris' cabin he sighs and looks in the mirror at it. Vi pats his knee as a sign of comfort, and he focuses back on the road. He raises his voice so we all can hear.

  "Let's go back to Gordon's store and get the guns that were there. I know this seems unreal, but we might need them." He proposes, and we voice our agreement.

  Within the next ten minutes we reach the store and turn, Lee following. As we get out Vi explains the idea to Lee's group, and we push the doors open with caution. We all wield our knives and walk further into the store, keeping an ear out for danger. We walk over to the display and Xavier hops the counter, breaking the protective locks on the guns and handing them out. There is a total of eight guns, and everyone but Quiyl and I taking one. He then passes out the appropriate ammunition and joins us back on the right side of the counter.

  "I prefer my knife, plus my hands are shaky, not good for aim. Plus, I have never held or shot a gun in my life." I tell the group, and Quiyl nods in agreement.

  Everyone begins to inspect their weapons, and Anthony raises his voice, so everyone can hear.

  "Okay, so I have probably the most experience with weapons, so I would listen up. Judging by my observations we need to shoot them in the head or cut it off. So, we can only assume the way to kill them is to sever the brain stem and spinal cord. Vi, you are holding a .357 Magnum, so a few rounds to the back of the head should kill them. Avyanna you have a .22 LR Browning handgun, I don't need to explain to you though. Liam, you are holding a Browning AB3 rifle, a bolt action shot, be prepared for a bit of a kick with that one. James, you are holding a Walther P22 Target Military Pistol .22 LR, its pretty standard action. Idris, you are holding a good old-fashioned Winchester. Lee, you are holding a Savage Model 110, again, watch the recoil. Xavier, you have a good old-fashioned shot gun, but I get the feeling I do not need to tell you anything about it either. And I have a .44 Magnum, let's go over each quickly and how to fire them, but keep in mind we are now on limited ammo so please stick to your knives."

  I stand near the entrance and guard, not sure if I could even defend because I have never fought before, much less with a knife. The gun lesson is quickly over, and we jump back in the cars, agreeing to the same order of cars. Idris begins to drive, and I stare out the window, holding Xavier's hand as I looked at the scenery. The tree's pass by, serene, not knowing of the dangers that humanity has brought upon itself.

  The trees clear as we come up to Toronto, and Idris takes a hard right to avoid going through the city center. Cars litter the road, abandoned to get away from the infected. We drive slowly, avoiding cars on the road and I look in a grim fascination about some of the bodies lying in the cars, flies circling in and out of them. The car grows quiet as everyone looks at the carnage, and Idris drives on with his mouth in a grim line. Suddenly, something shrieks from our left side, and then other voices join it. In the car, everyone unsheathes their knives besides Idris, who speeds up slightly.

  A group of infected come into view, their veins black under their skin and blood-like foam is leaking from their noses and mouths, when they notice the car they begin to run. They reach Lee's car quickly one jumps on the windshield, the car screeching to a stop. Idris slams on the brakes and Liam and I jump out, Xavier following as he was sat in the middle.

  More and more jump on Lee's car, banging on the windows and hood. We hold our knives out in front of us and walk slowly towards them. A few falls back from the car as our friends push open the doors, Anthony shoving a blade into one’s chest and pushing it into the others. As I approach I count the infected, about thirteen, and look to either side of me.

  Xavier is on my left, holding his knife, it's easy to tell he has practice holding knives. Liam is on my right, his knife in his right hand as well. Vi watches our backs with her gun, and Idris has his knife. The infected suddenly notice the newcomers and before I could think about it, my instincts kicked in and I took a running leap at the closest infected, impaling it on my blade through the neck. I pull the knife to the side, and the infected slumps down. One infected attacked from my right, until Liam stabs it through the chest and kicks it away, where Lee beheads it after he fights off the one that was pinning him. Avyanna and James work together, bringing down two more. Quiyl fights her way to Lee's side, where they fight back to back and bring down two more. Vi fires her handgun and a leaping zombie falls to the ground, stopping it from jumping Lee from the side. Xavier brings down two by himself, and I behead one that was going to attack him from the back. Liam finishes the fight by beheading the last infected, and the shrieks stop. We take a breather and inspect each other for bites.

  "Everyone good?" Vi poses the question, and we nod, looking to each other.

  "Let's get back on the road guys." Idris sighs, and we put our blades back.

  The cars start up and we continue driving, the car remaining quiet as we absorb the fact the world will never be the same again.

  Chapter 16

  The rest of the drive passes with minor incidents, a few more infected attempted to attack our cars and we take care of them quickly. Liam and Anthony carrying the team as they both have previous fighting experience. The Brantford sign comes into view 4 hours into our trip, and we find the restaurant I usually meet my dad at. We park in the middle of the deserted lot, and stand in a circle around the cars, waiting for my Dad to appear.

  "Hey, while were waiting, let's raid the restaurant for any supplies. It's soon to be hard to come by anything in terms of that." Vi suggested, and Idris, Anthony and James followed her in, the rest of us standing guard.

  They walk in through the front door, and we hear no further noise. I continue to look around and Xavier comes to stand beside me, and I subconsciously take a step towards him. We observe the overturned chairs and abandoned playroom.

  "It's kind of surreal to be standing here and to see this playroom abandoned." Xavier observes, gazing around.

  "Sad too…" I trail off, looking around and picturing my mom smiling, sitting across from my dad.

  "Mommy! Mommy! Watch!" My 6-year-old voice rings out from the echo-y room, and I slide down the round slide.

  "Good job honey!" My mom smiles, and my Dad chuckles.

  "Are you going to come eat your ice cream before it melts?" My Dad holds out the sundae, and I run over and clutch it, the condensation making my hands slip.

  I dig my spoon in and bring it to my mouth, some of the fudge spilling on my chin. My step mom reaches for a napkin and gently tugs me over, wiping it off my chin.

  "Suggest more sugar, thanks. You don't have to deal with her energy for 3 hours." My mom says sarcastically with a good-humored gleam to her eye.

  "Okay, Eva darling, want another sundae?"

  "YES!" I squealed, more ice cream dripping onto my shirt.

  My mom groans. "You are paying her dentist bill then."

  "Geneva." A voice breaks through my daydream.

  "Hun, you with us?" Violet comes up, lays her hand on my arm and looks at me with questions in her eyes.

  I shake my head, sigh and run my hand through my hair. "Yea, I am."

  Xavier grabs my hand and we wander to
the back of the store, and he goes digging in the storage room for a moment. He re-emerges with a wink, his hands behind his back.

  "Guess what I have in my hands."

  "Something I am going to enjoy?" My voice raises a pitch with questions unanswered.

  The packages crinkle as he brings his hands forward, showing off packages that say 'Honey' on them.

  "Honey for my honey's smile?"

  I giggle and take one, inspecting it closer. "Didn't you already use that line on me?"

  His brow crinkles in confusion, then his eyes widen with remembrance. I caress his cheek and smile.

  "Still works on me though." I lean down, and my lips meet his, loosing myself in a few precious moments of joy.

  A soft clearing of a throat behind us interrupts the dancing of our lips and we separate, looking to the perpetrator.

  "You done eating face or what?" Violet smirks, and I turn the same shade as the restaurant around us. "I think your dad is here, well someone tall, dark and scary is scoping out the building with a very large knife and I really hope it's him. Otherwise it's about to be a bad time."

  A smile splits my face and I run out to the lobby and see the silhouette of a tall form in the window, the sun starting to set within the sky. My hand rests on my knife’s handle, moving slowly to see the shape's features. Some of my friends gather behind, each in various stages of wielding their weapon. The form stops, and the sun shifts just enough for me to see the features.

  The door slams into the wall as I rush outside, a 'ugh' sound from the shape I tackled, and tears wet the shirt my cheek rests on. A strong hand caresses the back of my head as I sob, and a deep voice hums with contentment.

  "Eva, daughter of mine, I am right here. I love you so much." My father's voice rumbles against my cheek, and my arms constrict his torso.

  "Daddy, I love you too." He huffs a laugh. "Oops, sorry!"

  I release him and lean back, catching his dark green eyes staring at me, shining with love and sympathy. A voice coughs from behind me and I turn to catch Xavier looking at me nervously, and I step back a little bit, still leaning into my father’s strong form.

  "Hello sir, my name is Xavier." My boyfriend held his hand out and my dad shook it, not breaking eye contact.

  "Nice to meet you Xavier, I am your worst nightmare if she ever gets hurt by you." My dad replies with a pleasant smile, using one hand to tuck his long brown hair behind his shoulder.

  "Dad," I gently shove him. "Don't be mean."

  "I am not being mean dear, just being real." He returns his green eyes to me with a playful glint.

  "No, it's okay Eve. I understand why he would be protective of a beautiful girl such as you." Xavier has the gall to wink at me and I roll my eyes.

  "Bee, he has your charming attitude." A feminine voice rings out from behind my dad, and my step mom steps out from behind him, wrapping me into a gentler hug.

  "Hi beautiful girl." Her hand wipes some of the tears from my cheeks and some of the tension leaves my body, relaxing into the hug.

  A sudden clap rings out, and my step mom and I separate, turning to the sound of the noise. My dad lets his hands fall and then turns to address us all.

  "So, the rest of you can call me Rob, let's get started on a plan."

  Chapter 17

  The sun was setting as we all gathered in the restaurant, some taking chairs and some sitting down on the floor. Anthony and Liam take watch at the doors, and my Dad waits until we all settle down. Once quiet falls over the room, my Dad begins to speak.

  "So, how bad is it in Bracebridge?"

  "Pretty deserted actually, no one was up there as it is still April. The only occupants...turned." Idris answers, trailing off as him and Liam trade a look.

  "Good to know what we are getting ourselves into." He leaned against a table, palms flat. "I can tell you at least 80 percent of London has turned by now...including my dad and step mom."

  A sob escapes from me as Xavier wraps me in his arms, and James awkwardly leans over and rubs my shoulder.

  "But, at least all of you are safe and have each other. That's about all we can ask for at this point-" He is cut off by Liam wielding his knife against a figure that just opened the door.

  "Hey, hey, stand down there, tiger." A higher masculine voice comes from the mystery person, and I shrug myself out of the comforting embrace and walk over, pushing Liam out of the way to hug my Uncle Jay. "Hey kiddo, good to see you."

  Liam relaxes back against the door, rolls his eyes at the push, and my Dad continues his briefing.

  "So, what's the plan when you guys hit Niagara?"

  We all traded looks as I moved to stand with my friends, Uncle Jay walked to stand beside my dad, his small frame dwarfed by my dads 6'4" stature.

  "Well I was going to propose that we go to each person’s house, raid it, and then think about the best location for our hideout." Idris proposed, and some of our group nodded.

  "Our high school?" James chimed in, and Anthony perked up.

  "That's not a half bad idea, it's got the kitchens and thick concrete walls. We could use some construction materials and block off the exits we don't use. The school is high ground from everything else, and there's an orchard besides, with a greenhouse that could be reinforced." Anthony mused, and Idris lets his backpack slide onto the table, and digs up an old sheet of paper.

  Anthony locates a pen and begins drawing out a rough schematic of the main floor, Lee grabs another pen and begins pointing to areas to correct the plan. "If we close off here, here and here..."

  He crosses off entrances and openings that wouldn't be used that much, my Dad walks up and observes, agreeing with the ideas.

  "That's a good idea, does your school have any concrete machines as well? You would want a permanent barrier." My dad mentions, taking Lee's pen and writing on each area to permanently shut down.

  The light dims as they continue planning, and Violet and Quiyl come up beside me, one on each side, Violet lowers her voice to me.

  "I hope that when we get back, we find some good news. I think some of us could use it."

  I reach my hand down to hold hers with a sad smile. "Me too, lovely."

  "I wonder where my dad has gone..." Quiyl questions, and I hold her hand as well.

  "We will find him, and until then, we have each other."

  "Ladies?" My Uncle Jay interjected, and we look to him, my hands still holding theirs. "We don't mind some of your input here, after all, we are now designating sleeping arrangements."

  We are about to walk over when Anthony suddenly unsheathes his knife and faces his door.

  "I think we have company." Anthony reckoned, and some of us raised our weapons as well.

  As we start to quiet down we hear groaning and a slow shuffle of feet to the door, the glass fogged up from us all in the small lobby of the restaurant. Suddenly, a hand slaps against the window, some of us gasping in disgust as we realize half the hand has rotted away, exposing bone and tendons. Another hand joins the banging against the door, then another set. The groaning and wailing grows to a more frantic level as we wait for one of us to make a move. The door creaks against the strain, and Anthony reaches over and opens the door, so it doesn't break. It slams against the wall and two infected wanders in, half rotted and moaning. Liam kicks one of them in the lower stomach and it flew back across the threshold, and he follows as Anthony beheaded the other infected. The moaning outside suddenly cuts off and Liam comes back in, wiping the gore off his blade onto a towel he found from the kitchen. Anthony shoves the other back out the door and slams it back closed.

  "I think we might want to barricade ourselves in for the night." Anthony declares, and the rest of us nod our agreement.

  "We have to get our cats out of the truck but sounds like a plan." My dad mentions, Uncle Jay and he begin preparing to go back outside.

  "Crap, we need a few things from the car." Avyanna says, and Anthony sighs, then walks closer to the door.

  "Lia
m, Xavier, want to back us up?"

  They nod their consent and the outside group gather, opening the door and file out one by one to where the cars are. Some of us wait by the door with weapons ready, and some gather around the paper plans and discuss the ideas.

  After what seems like an eternity, they begin to come back inside, my step mom having hung back. They begin to drop bags on the floor and my Dad and my Uncle place the cat carriers on the floor, a gentle meowing coming from inside. They kick the door closed behind them and James, Liam, Idris and Avyanna start barricading the doors closed. After a few solid minutes of work the doors are covered, and we all gather around the plans again.

  "I think you guys have a solid idea here, just don't get cocky and be there for each other." Dad announces after a few more moments of finalizing the rough idea. "Now then, who was the electrician here?"

  "I am, sir." Liam puts his hand up, and Dad chuckles.

  "This isn't school, boy. Now do you want to learn about solar panels or not?"

  "Hell yea!" Liam cheers, and Dad brings a backpack to a table, gesturing to a chair that Liam takes.

  Idris wanders over to listen in, and so does Xavier. Lee wraps Quiyl in a hug and the rest of us sit down, the cats let out of their kennels and wandering the restaurant. I lean into Violet and James walks over to join the solar panel group. My step mom comes over and observes me with kind eyes, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear.

  "You okay, darlings?" She askes us, and I hug Violet a bit tighter.

  "Vi lost her parents to the infected, and the rest are not sure of their parent's whereabouts. Anthony and Avyanna's parents are dead, and Quiyl isn't sure about her family…" I trail off in thought, then meet her eyes again. "I am just afraid for Will and for the rest of our friends, what are going to find when we get there?"

  Liz pulls us both into a hug, her hands rubbing each of our backs. "Whatever you find, you will have to deal with the situation. You will pick each other up, hug, cry and laugh together. You will fall asleep hearing things you shouldn’t and be sworn to secrecy. All of you just have to remember, you were friends long before this and will get through this."