Trying to Survive (Part 3)

by Crowley,C. J.

  Even though Allen may have just saved my life, he was also protecting his own by doing so. Therefore, I couldn’t allow it to have an effect on my necessary distrust. I picked up the 9mm. “Sorry, Allen. But I need you to put that down.”

  He took a deep breath and shook his head, then turned it sideways so I could see the ejection port and pulled the action back. “Look, it’s empty. Just like he said.”

  The moment the entrance came into sight, I could see that Brian had lost the pack and was flying toward us. I said “Walt, get out to the main road, then get Brian to stop.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t feel comfortable having to watch over three people at once. Lee can go with them.”

  Allen scoffed “Oh, come on. I just saved your ass.”

  “You saved your own ass. I just happened to benefit from it.”

  “What about Clara?” Walt whispered.

  “Jenny won’t let anything happen. And we’ll make sure he’s unarmed before he gets in.”

  Lee turned away and blankly stared through the window for a few moments before he said “Is it really that bad out there? That you have to be this scared of us?”

  “When we have time to tell you the whole story, you’ll understand.” I tried to appear apologetic when my eye moved to Allen. It appeared as though he wanted to hit me… Guess I can’t blame him. Having a gun pointed in my face would piss me off too… Especially if Walt was with me…

  Since the shredders were far back, but still visible in the rear view mirror, Walt drove about a hundred yards once he turned out of the complex. The tired brakes of the Volvo sounded off like nails on chalkboard when he came to a stop so we could wait for Brian and the others to catch up.

  I said “We can’t keep this car. The shredders can probably hear those brakes squeal from a quarter-mile away.”

  Veronica tilted her head, and mockingly said “Shredders? Sounds like something from a bad horror movie.”

  “I didn’t come up with it…”

  “Eh, I guess it makes sense. Have to call them something.”

  After a quick look around to make sure it was safe to get out, I turned the gun on Lee. “Sorry, but I need you to step out so I can search you.”

  Lee seemed to understand why we were being so cautious, even though he was still intensely nervous. Without hesitation, he quickly opened the door and stepped out.

  Lee looked so young, even more so than Walt. I could tell by the way he carried himself that he was at least twenty-one, but his soft features and reddish cheeks suggested otherwise. He was tense, and it seemed as though he was currently struggling to stave away a panic attack.

  When I approached him, he put his hands in the air and turned around. As I felt around his belt line and checked all of his pockets, I said “Thank you for understanding.”

  “You have no idea how happy I am to see other people. No idea... I had a machete and an axe too, but I totally forgot about them when I saw you through the window.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Once we have larger numbers we’ll be able to clear out stores during the day and get whatever the hell we want.”

  I continued down his legs to ensure he wasn’t hiding a knife or a small pistol. “We were in the same position not too long ago. My brother and I ran into a few people over the first couple of days, but after that we didn’t see a soul for almost a week… That’s another story.”

  Brian and the others pulled up in the Cadillac, and Jenny got out. “What’s going on?”

  “This is Lee. He was hiding out in another one of the apartments. I’d feel more comfortable if I didn’t have to keep an eye on all three of them… Just in case.”

  “Understood.” Jenny said as she walked over and took his arm. “I’m Jenny, nice to meet you.” She apologetically smiled. “Sorry for the treatment… I’m sure James explained it to you.”

  Lee nodded and followed her to the car. As I watched Jenny put him in the back with Clara, I could see her glaring at him. She leaned back against the door and raised her rifle. When he stepped into the car, it was easy to see that he was a bit thrown by the image of a young girl sticking an AK47 in his face.

  I walked up to Jenny and leaned in close. “Maybe you should put him up front.”

  “I’m worried he could go for Brian’s gun, or even grab the wheel… Don’t worry, I’ve got a quick finger.” She said in a whisper.

  Jenny put one leg in the car and turned back to me. “I know it’s dark, but we’ll just keep going until we get to a less crowded area, then we’ll find a place to stay for the night.” She looked over to Walt. “How much gas do you have?”

  “A little over half a tank. It’ll probably last forever in this Volvo.”

  “Okay, just follow us… Three quick beeps if you want us to stop.”

  “Got it. Be careful.”

  The second my ass hit the seat, Veronica said “How old is that girl?”

  “Twelve.”

  “It’s good to know some children survived.”

  I shifted to my side, picked up the 9mm and went back to watching Allen and Veronica.

  “So, you aren’t from around here?” He asked.

  “No, we came from Florida. The other people we met up with, Brian and Jenny, they found us on their way to D.C. from their Air Force base in Melbourne. We’re basically along for the ride… They saved our lives.”

  Walt interrupted us. “Something’s happening, look. Jenny’s yelling at Clara… I think.”

  The headlights of the Volvo were perfectly illuminating the inside of the Cadillac as Walt followed closely behind. Jenny was leaned over the front seat with her palms out, and it did seem as though she was yelling at Clara. Like she was begging her to stop doing something.

  Veronica asked “What’s going on?”

  Before I could answer there was a loud pop and a flash, followed by an explosion of red all over the back windshield. The car violently swerved. Brian slammed on the brakes, causing Walt to skid to a stop and come within inches of slamming into the Cadillac.

  Walt and I sat there in shock, both staring at the blood all over the back windshield. The windows were down so I could hear Jenny yelling, and I could still see the back of Clara’s head… The blood must be Lee’s. What the fuck?.. Clara?

  Walt cracked his door open, but shredders were starting to approach from all around us so Brian was forced to quickly take off. We’d have to get somewhere safe before we could find out exactly what happened… Though I suppose that was pretty clear already…

  Allen and Veronica immediately became panicked. As Walt peeled out and tried to catch up with the much faster Cadillac, Veronica started demanding answers. “What the fuck just happened!? Is he dead!?”

  I tried to calm her down, but she wasn’t having it. “Get that fucking gun out of our faces and tell me what’s going on!”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Why would one of your people just shoot him!?”

  Allen put his hand on her arm, but she quickly yanked it away. “Let us out! Right now!”

  Allen forcefully grabbed her arm. “Quiet!”

  When he looked back to me, I could almost smell the fear. His expression made me think of what I probably looked like when I was sitting in the car with that psycho Darren… Pure logic and Jenny’s behavior were telling me that Clara killed Lee because the trauma has made her so paranoid and afraid of everyone but us... But, I didn’t know for sure, so I didn’t even want to bring it up.

  Allen calmly said “Let us out near the next buildings you see. We’ll take our chances and find a place to hide.”

  I shook my head. “Please, we aren’t going to hurt you. I don’t know what happened, but there’s an explanation.”

  Veronica snapped “Don’t tell me not to be scared! You’re holding us at gun point, and that kid’s head just got blown off by one of your friends! He was harmless and you know it!.. Is that why you had him get in the other car? So it would be easier to kill all of us
!?”

  Allen grabbed her arm again. He was a strong looking guy, like an ex-bodybuilder, and his well contained, but frantic state caused him to squeeze too tightly. She winced in pain and he immediately let go. “Just stop.”

  He looked back to me. “Let us out here. This is fine, there’re plenty of homes around... I don’t care why he’s dead. We’d rather be on our own.”

  “Please, you’re making a mistake. We aren’t gonna get through this unless we work together. If you try to survive alone out here you’ll be killed. Just like my brother and I almost were.”

  “We’ll take our chances.”

  Walt turned to me, silently asking whether or not he should stop… We can’t force them to stay. Then we’re just like those men. “Do it.”

  Walt beeped the horn three times and Brian began to slow down. As Walt came to a stop, I decided to take a risk... I’ll probably regret this, but we need each other’s help.

  I moved my finger away from the trigger of the 9mm and held it out as an offering of trust. “I’ll take the first step.”

  Allen didn’t even flinch, he simply looked down at the gun and then back to me. I pleaded “Please, I think I can explain what happened if you just give me a chance. I know what you’re thinking – you’re wrong… Please.”

  Walt said “I know it’s an overused, bad movie quote, but… If we wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead. You don’t have anything for us to steal. Why would we just want to kill you for no reason?”

  Allen and Veronica exchanged questioning glances before he reached out and pushed the gun away. “Keep driving.”

  Walt beeped again and pulled up close behind the Cadillac. Brian’s voice came from the darkness. “Everything okay!?”

  “Yeah, just keep going! False alarm!”

  Veronica quickly began protesting Allen’s decision, but I cut her off. “The young girl in the backseat, Clara… She’s the one who shot him.”

  She turned to Allen and scoffed “Now he’s trying to tell us a goddamn twelve-year old is the one who”

  “Let him finish.”

  I sighed and put the 9mm down on the center console. When I started to recall everything that had happened so I could explain Clara’s mental state, I was suddenly hit with a burst of emotions. I’d been trying to block it all out so I could concentrate on surviving and helping to keep everyone safe… It all just came rushing back.

  I had to take a few moments to calm myself so I wouldn’t get all choked up when I tried to speak.

  “There used to be another woman with us, Melanie… The night before we met her, Walt and I escaped my neighborhood so we could look for help.” I pointed to my face. “That’s when this happened. I was badly injured, so we had to just keep going… but I saw Clara in the window of her house just as we were leaving the neighborhood.”

  I paused so I could take a deep breath and fight off the trembling. “The next day, after we met Melanie, we went back and saved her… It turned out she had a brother too. Anthony. He was a little over a year younger.”

  As I continued on, Walt didn’t say a word. I wondered whether he was actually listening, or just doing everything he could not to… That’s what I’d be doing.

  Before I even got to the part about those men, and Naya, Anthony’s death already had Veronica close to tears. By the time I described following the trail of Melanie’s blood to find Clara huddled in the corner, they were both nothing short of stunned. They must have gone close to a full minute without blinking.

  “Clara shot him because of that woman Naya… She thinks she can’t trust anyone.”

  Walt said “We’re gonna have to take her gun away. She could end up hurting any one of us.”

  The only response I could muster before lighting a cigarette was a slow nod… It’s done… She killed him… It’s not like we can take her to a fuckin team of child psychologists who specialize in extreme emotional trauma.

  A derisive laugh echoed in my head as I said to myself – And I used to think my old life was complicated…

  Allen was deep in thought. Not a single part of his face remained still. His eyes darted back and forth, the corners of them wrinkled and his jaw would periodically clench down. I sensed that he was having trouble accepting our story.

  “Believe me… I wish I was lying.”

  Veronica, still stricken with a look of utter disbelief and sorrow, simply muttered “Poor girl”.

  Chapter 7

  As planned, Jenny began directing Brian to the small town of Fleming, located between Hinesville and Savannah. When we reached the mainly empty, two-lane country road leading there it was clear that Jenny had guessed right.

  It was pitch black, but the headlights revealed enough to tell that there was absolutely nothing around. There were no mailboxes or paths leading onto properties – not even fencing around a property line. There seemed to be large open fields that were most likely farmlands, and the rest of the road was lined with trees.

  It wasn’t until a few minutes after we passed the welcome sign for the town that we started to see signs of civilization again.

  After my lengthy account of horrific deaths, murders and betrayals, Allen and Veronica didn’t have much to say. They were too busy trying to understand the new world they’d just been introduced to. Of all the things they expected to be fearful of, the new and even more prominent examples I had just presented most likely outweighed all the others.

  We were learning to predict and control the shredders. If we continue to be careful and think things through, we’ll be able to stay safe… But people are totally unpredictable, and those with bad intentions generally tend to be more cunning than the average person. They have a different mindset, one that’s difficult for people like us to understand.

  Walt cranked down his window a few inches more to let in the cool night breeze. He’d just finished checking the radio for any emergency broadcasts for the third time when he scoffed “I’d be surprised if this place even had its own zip code.”

  Allen replied “It does. I have a friend who lives out here… Or used to, probably... We should be coming up on a gas station very soon, and there can’t be more than a few hundred people in the area. This really is a perfect place to hide until whatever food we can find runs out.”

  “I hate it out here, it’s creepy, even during the day time.” Veronica remarked negatively.

  “It’s just old, and the people don’t have the money to fix things up.”

  “I know, I just can’t help but hear the dueling banjos… Well, you are right. It’s a perfect place to hide. I’d be shocked if we ran into more than ten shredders.” She shook her head. “God, I feel so stupid saying that.”

  I said “I did too. But it’s either that, or… those things.”

  “We could always just call them walkers like they do on the Walking Dead.” Walt suggested.

  Veronica and I both said “That’s even worse” at the exact same time.

  I added “Yeah, plus the shredders can run like fuckin cheetahs at night time. We’d be lucky as hell to be in their situation right now… I doubt I’d be blind in one eye.” After a brief laugh, I said “We could have just strolled out to the car, man.”

  Walt cut me off. “Look, a gas station.”

  As soon as the headlights washed over the gas station, I could see the rust and peeling paint all over the pumps. The asphalt was grayed, cracked and full of holes. The building itself looked like it was built in the fifties and left completely unmaintained since its doors first opened.

  “One car and two trucks in the parking lot. That could mean at least three… shredders… around.” Veronica pointed out.

  I turned back to them and said “Roll up the windows and don’t get out until we tell you to.”

  Brian and Jenny wasted no time. Before he even came to a full stop, Jenny had already jumped out so she could start scanning the area. Walt pulled in sideways to illuminate the rest of the property since the Cadillac’s headlights
were covering the front of the store.

  When I got out of the car it was reminiscent of stepping into a piece of our old world. The store windows weren’t smashed out, and the cars were just parked and untouched. I didn’t even see the usual dried pools of blood and streaks running across the ground and up walls… The only car showing the signs of death was our own…

  We’ll just have to deal with that situation later. If this store actually has some food and water, this would be our first real break from the usual shit-storm of false hope…

  Jenny called out to us “You two stand watch – we’ll check the store out.”

  “Three cars could mean three shredders.”

  Jenny nodded, then headed over to the front of the store. Brian stayed several feet away and trained his M4 at the door. She stood up against the wall on the left side, reached over and held it open. Brian took a few steps forward and looked around the inside.

  He turned to us and said “Go move the car over a little so the headlights are shining directly into the store. Can’t see shit.”

  Walt and I both started heading for the car. “You stay out here, you can move around a lot better than I can.”

  “Yeah.”

  Jenny and Brian both watched as I made my way over to the car (finally walking somewhat normally).

  When I opened the door and the small light at the top of ceiling shined down on Clara, she didn’t even acknowledge me. She just stared straight ahead, clutching her rifle. I could see where she’d been sprayed with some of Lee’s blood. She didn’t even bother to wipe all the little specks off of her face.

  I did my best not to look at Lee’s body as I climbed in. As I reached for the keys and closed the car door, the thud was joined by a loud crash. The front door shattered, and a shredder had Brian pinned face-down before all the shards of broken glass even hit the ground around him.

  Jenny fearlessly lunged toward him, practically touched the barrel of her rifle to the shredders head and pulled the trigger – ensuring she didn’t harm Brian.