Trying to Survive (Part 3)

by Crowley,C. J.

  “Help me find stuff to throw at the cars. I’ll just keep setting them off until you get back.”

  After a few minutes of cautious rummaging, Allen and Veronica had collected a wide assortment of items – dishes, heavy bowls, large candles, random decorative items and even a pair of Allen’s boots. The window was no more than thirty feet away from dozens of cars, so Veronica was confident in her idea.

  Allen leaned down, unlocked the window and crept it open. Luckily, the apartments were somewhat new so there was no squeaking or scraping of any kind. Veronica picked up a thick cereal-bowl and said “Whenever you’re ready. It’s going to start getting dark soon.”

  Allen left the window and approached the top of the staircase, having forgotten what awaited him.

  He came to a stop and dropped his head. When he realized he’d have to move his wife’s body aside so he could open the door, his teeth clenched down to the point where it felt like they were going to crack.

  “Hold on, there’s something I have to do first.”

  Allen took a few deep breaths and began making his way down the steps. He couldn’t help but fixate on the amber of her eyes as they seemingly stared up at him. A gash on her brow left a dried stream of blood that followed the contours of her face until it reached the small pool on the floor.

  Her body was twisted from being wedged in the small space between the door and the bottom step. The bone in her right forearm was slightly poking through the skin near her wrist. Her neck had broken so severely, that when Allen moved the body aside her head flopped around like a ball on the end of a rubber-band.

  On his way back up the small, awkward and poorly built steps, he began to cough and choke from fighting back his emotions. His anger caused him to pull on the banister with such force that it broke at the seams and started to come away from the wall. The loud crack brought Veronica to the top of the stairs.

  Allen began shaking his head. “I’m fine… Go ahead and set one off, then let me know if it works and I’ll run out.”

  Veronica recognized his pain, and purposely prolonged her short walk back to the window so he would have a few moments to pull himself together and concentrate on what he needed to do.

  She watched as the shredders huddled together in the shade underneath the carports. They were almost completely still, but for whatever reason they seemed to slightly sway back and forth. It reminded her of being underwater and watching the blades of sea-grass near the shore following the force of the waves in unison.

  She picked up the heavy cereal bowl and aimed for the newer Honda to her far right. Her nerves caused her to miss and it shattered on the asphalt next to it. Every shredder within earshot instantly jerked its head in the direction of the sound – some took a few steps, but most barely reacted.

  After a deep breath, Veronica threw a candle in small glass jar and hit the center of the hood. Even though she knew it was coming, she jumped when the alarm began to sound. Every shredder nearby began coming to life and heading for the blaring noise and flashing lights.

  She ran to the top of stairs and loudly whispered “Go!”

  Allen glanced down at his wife’s body before he eased open the door. He paused for a spit-second, and his is heart rate instantly spiked when he saw dozens of them no more than ten feet away, mindlessly heading toward the car. The sounds of their groans, growls, labored breathing and the chattering of their teeth made him cringe.

  Allen hugged the outside wall and moved slowly so none of them would pick him up in their peripheral vision. His fear made it physically impossible for him to stop watching them. He led with his right hand until he felt the warmth of the sunbathed doorknob.

  When Veronica set off the third car alarm, he took several steps back and broke open the door with a single kick. Allen may have been a little on the older side, but he was a large man and it was easy to see that he used to be a regular at the gym.

  He flew up the stairs going two steps at a time, reaching the kitchen within seconds. The fridge held a single, small bottle of water and a partially empty two liter of mountain dew. Everything else was perishable and dangerous to eat.

  “Fuck!”

  Allen set them on the counter and began searching the cabinets. After opening every single one, he was rewarded with nothing but a half-empty bag of Doritos, a can of tuna and two boxes of macaroni and cheese.

  He put his hands on the kitchen counter and hung his head. “Goddamn idiot… Why would you go into a single man’s apartment?”

  His fist slammed down on the counter. It was followed by a light, but frantic knocking on the wall, surely coming from Veronica… What is she trying to tell me?

  Allen put everything on the counter near the sink, and rushed to the front window, almost tripping over the coffee table on his way. “Veronica.”

  They had already lost interest in the noises, and the ones who couldn’t fit underneath the carports started coming back near the front doors to seek shade under the small overhangs and randomly placed trees. They were both trapped, and Allen was the only one with food. He knew if Veronica tried to make the short run over to him that they’d see her and follow behind.

  Allen began to panic and pace the floor. The thought of losing his sister as well drove him to the brink of insanity – she was all he had left. Even though his attitude may have made Veronica feel otherwise, the only thing he cared about was protecting her and trying to ensure she lived.

  When she began knocking again, the sounds of a hollow wall made him remember how cheaply made the apartments were… It’s probably only insulation and drywall separating us…

  Allen went back to the kitchen and flung open the drawers until he found a large serrated knife. The blaring car alarms convinced him that he could start cutting out a large square of drywall without alerting the shredders.

  Just as he’d hoped, removing the square of drywall and the thick insulation revealed the backside of his living-room wall. He knocked a few times and said “Move back” before he put the tip of the blade to the backside of the drywall. A single strike with his open palm sent it through and he began cutting.

  The moment he sawed out the next square, Veronica appeared in front of the hole – wide eyed and pale. “Allen, we made a big mistake… We drew in hundreds more… hundreds.”

  “It doesn’t matter, we had to do something.”

  “What did you find?”

  He shook his head. “Enough food to not go hungry tomorrow, and a bottle of water. A small bottle.”

  “Of course.”

  “I should have known… The guy was young and he lived alone – I didn’t think.”

  Allen left the hole for a few moments and came back holding the bag of Doritos and a box of macaroni and cheese. He passed them through to her and said “I know this is going to sound gross, but it’s really not… If it comes down to it… I just realized the toilet tanks probably have at least a gallon of water in them.”

  Veronica scoffed “Fucking toilet water, Allen?”

  He sighed and replied “Think about it. It’s the same water that comes from a faucet, and it just sits in the tank. It doesn’t actually become toilet water until you flush it.”

  Her face softened as she looked off to the side and thought about what he said. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still freaks me out though… I’ll get over it. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “Yeah… Well, I’m going to start cutting through into the next apartment so I can look for more food. Then I’ll open this wall up the rest of the way and squeeze through... If I keep going we could end up with a month’s supply of food. Maybe even some guns.”

  Allen turned around and began walking away, Veronica said. “Please be careful.”

  Chapter 3

  The sky grew darker as Lee struggled to decide whether he should just stay put or risk looking for a better place to hide before it was too late. His hope rested on a patch of woods behind the store that could allow him to safely reach some taller buil
dings he could see in the distance.

  Every time he looked at all the glass at the front of the store, he could picture droves of them crashing through and chasing him down before he got to the back door – which wouldn’t buy him more than a few seconds, even if he did make it and shut it behind him.

  At the same time, Lee worried that leaving could result in running into several packs of them and losing the ability to get somewhere safe without being seen. He’d already discovered it was still extremely difficult to outrun them during the day after his car sputtered to a stop just outside of town.

  They may not be as fast when the sun is out, but they don’t get tired and begin to slow down like a normal person. They just keep coming, and once night falls and their full strength returns – no door will stop them if they know someone is behind it.

  When Lee heard the sound of a store window shattering nearby, he practically sprinted for the back door. Feeling any questions he had were just answered, he headed for the trees and went in as deeply as he could without getting too close to the street and buildings on the other side.

  The trees were short, thinner than his body and mainly spread far apart, so Lee had to stay low and constantly check to ensure the shredders weren’t looking in his direction. He only had an idea of where he should be heading. The rooftops of a large collection of two story buildings were visible beyond the end of the trees – no more than a hundred yards away.

  Lee came to a stop when he thought he heard the sounds of multiple police sirens. The possibility of other survivors caused him to start sprinting as he tilted his head and tried to focus on the sounds.

  When he finally realized they were car alarms, his heart sank and he slowed his pace… Probably just those things starting to become more active and fighting each other… I guess it could be a good thing – it’ll draw them all in and clear out other areas.

  As the end of the trees and the start of the collection of two story buildings came into sight, a new thought entered Lee’s mind – There are at least four different alarms going off. What are the chances those things would set off that many car alarms in one place?

  He sped up again when he decided it had to be other survivors setting them off to use as distractions. Even though he hadn’t actually seen anyone yet, he felt the fear of being completely alone start to dissolve… I knew I couldn’t be the only one…

  When Lee reached the edge of the wooded area, he could see at least six apartment buildings and the five cars in the parking-lot making all the noise.

  He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen so many shredders gathered together in one place. There was no way for him to know how long the alarms had been going off. He feared that if other survivors did indeed do it on purpose, they could already be long gone.

  The alarms had drawn almost every shredder in sight to the front of one apartment building, so he began to head toward the furthest one on his right. Lee’s only wish at the moment was to have the company of other survivors, but he also knew he had to make it up to one of the second floor apartments before it was dark.

  He had no choice but to retreat and plan on continuing his search in the morning.

  Chapter 4

  Allen’s adrenaline and anger allowed him to quickly cut his way through into the next apartment and begin searching for more food. Veronica could see that his luck had been slightly better when he passed her three cans of food, a box of cereal, some crackers and a near-full gallon of water through the hole in the wall.

  “Stand back, I’m going to cut my way through.”

  As Allen tirelessly sawed away at the drywall, Veronica walked over by the window and looked down at the flashing cars. She thought about how annoying the combination of the five different car alarms was starting to become… Please don’t let this shit last all night…

  The sun was minutes away from beginning to disappear on the horizon. It was turning the sky to different shades of red, pink and purple, and the clouds had taken on a golden glow. The beauty of it held onto her gaze and even blocked out the blaring alarms for quite some time. It was the first time she felt at peace since the night it all started.

  The growing activity of the shredders below eventually drew her attention. They were already starting to wander away from the carports in search of people.

  She grimaced, knowing that the starving ones would soon start attacking their own kind for food once it was completely dark and they began to rage. It would be just like the other nights, except the monstrous screams and roars would be accompanied by car alarms… Definitely not getting any sleep tonight…

  Veronica was so busy studying them that she almost didn’t pick up the figure moving through the trees. At first she just assumed it was another shredder, but soon realized it had to be a regular man. He was crouched down, and seemed to be observing the pack as well. When she saw the shotgun, she rushed over to the hole in the wall.

  Allen had just finished cutting out a body sized section on the other side, and was about to start cutting again when Veronica’s frantic voice stopped him. “There’s someone outside! They came to check out the car alarms.”

  Allen paused for a moment and said “Take a few steps back. Fuck this, I’m just gonna kick through – they won’t hear it. Go try and get his attention!”

  “He’s got a shotgun. He can help us.” Veronica said before she ran back to the window.

  As Allen began kicking his way through the wall, Veronica stood at the window and waited for an opportunity to wave her arms without being seen by any of the shredders, but it never came. By the time Allen joined her, the man was already out of sight.

  Just as Veronica said “Shit! I couldn’t do anything. If I started flailing my arms around they would have spotted me” one of the car alarms cut off.

  Allen sarcastically remarked “Only four more to go.”

  “Ugh… How long will they last? The one that just stopped was an older car, so the battery was probably near dead anyway.”

  Allen shrugged and crinkled his forehead. He wondered what would make her think he could possibly know something like that. “I have no idea. I’d assume if the battery is somewhat new it’ll take hours. Some of them might even still be going off by morning… But I do think some companies make them so they shut off automatically after a set amount of time.” He turned to her. “Don’t expect to get any sleep tonight.”

  Veronica scoffed “Yeah… Well, a least it might help drown out those horrible screams we’ve been having to hear every night for the last week.”

  “That’s a good thing, Veronica. They’ll eventually kill themselves off. There aren’t any people around for them to eat, so it’s just going to get worse and worse as the days pass.”

  “It looks like some of them are actually starving away.” She pointed at an especially thin female with short blonde hair. “Look how skinny that one is – and there’s no blood on her… It actually looks like she’s dying.”

  Allen began shaking his head. “I don’t think they’ll starve to death in a couple of weeks like we would. Like you pointed out earlier – they aren’t human anymore.”

  Another car alarm stopped sounding – this time, on one of the newer models. An idea came to Allen, and the slightest bit of excitement broke through, momentarily softening his stone-like expression. “I think you were right. He was probably here to see if some other survivors set them off on purpose.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it’s almost dark, so I doubt he’ll stay out there for long. He’ll probably hide out in one of the apartments close by.”

  Veronica turned to him, frowned and brought her hand to her hip in a displeased fashion. “You’re not about to suggest going out to look for him tomorrow, are you?”

  “No, of course not. But once a few more of those alarms stop – if we start setting off more he should get the message and come back around.”

  Veronica fell back onto the couch and folded her arms. “Now that I think about it… Do we really
want to try and make contact with this guy? We have no idea who he is. He might use that gun to rob us.”

  “Yeah, I guess there’s a decent chance he could be a piece of shit.” Allen grasped his broad jaw. “But I’m telling you Veronica – larger numbers and weapons are exactly what we need. He might even have more guns, or be able to get to a car and help us escape. He isn’t trapped like we are.”

  “I’m not saying we shouldn’t try. I’m just saying if we do actually get together with this guy, you need to watch him closely. Hang on to that knife and don’t hesitate if he does anything weird. If he tries anything – we kill him and gain a shotgun.”

  “Jesus, Veronica…” Allen said when he noticed an unfamiliar, cold tone of voice.

  Veronica leaned forward in her seat and looked up to Allen. “We have to think about things differently now… Hunger and desperation can turn almost anyone into a monster. People might be even more dangerous than those goddamn things.” She said with the utmost seriousness.

  “I know.” Allen said through a long sigh.

  Chapter 5

  Brian switched the knob for the AC from low to medium, then turned to Jenny and said “We’ve been on this road for a while now. What am I looking for again?”

  Jenny quickly finished off a small bag of chips and wiped her mouth clean. Once she had the map folded out, she inspected it for a few moments and replied “We’re on highway-57 at the moment, but I don’t know where. We’re looking for 84, which should take us to Hinesville where we can get on to 119.”

  Brian put his hand up, chuckled and said “That’s enough for now – just keep watch for 84 in case I zone out or something.”

  Jenny slightly jerked her head back and frowned. “Zone out?”

  “I’m just tired.”

  Walt said “I can’t believe we still haven’t seen any decent SUVs. If we run into anyone else before we find one we’re gonna need a second car.”