by Beus, Kris
“Wow that’s incredible.” She said smiling at me.
Her adoration shined and for the first time we had shared a personal moment together. I realized this was the first time in a while I thought about the world before. The peace, love, and happiness which was expected in everyday life. I thought of the miserable people I knew, who even though safe and loved were still not content. I wondered if they were still miserable now, or were they able to find meaning and happiness with the little things in life now. I looked over at Amanda, she seemed to be waiting for more conversation.
“What about you?” I asked. “What things before all this happened filled your day to day life?”
She sat silent for a moment then with a look of tremendous sorrow said “My husband.” Looking down I realized she was wearing a wedding ring. I supposed due to the circumstances it had taken till now for it to register. She continued, “They devoured him right in front of me. We would do everything together, we had one of the rare relationships which were perfect. We both worked in the First bank on Main Street. I was a teller and he was a loan manager. We bother enjoyed the work, but also working together. After work we would go out to dinner, or to a movie, whatever we wanted. For five years we spent every waking moment together and neither of us wanted less.”
As she looked down remembering her life previously, I understood why the death of our other companion shocked her so severely. Just recently she witnessed those things tear apart her husband and a few days later I kill a man right in front of her. These events were anything, but the norm and I was the instigator of one. Perhaps the deaths of the two men who would have held her prisoner letting her starve to death brought some perspective.
I suppose there was nothing in this world besides time that would allow someone to become accustomed to our circumstances. If you had asked me a week ago if I would have murdered three people in the coming week I would have laughed, yet here we are. The blood is on my hands and even with justification nothing will wash it away. Amanda seemed to be zoned out, our conversation must have drained her.
Jaime on the other hand was quite perky. Even with the terrible story we discussed nothing seemed to break her spirit. I looked at her asking, “What was your life before all this Jaime?”
“Well, I came from a pretty simple family who lived out in the country. Being so far removed from the thrills of big city life I relied on books and tv when it came through. I also found happiness simply out in the woods near our farm. Have you ever rode a horse for days on end not sure where you would end up?”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“Oh it is such a magical feeling. It feels like all the worry of the world will have to wait until you get back. Time, money, and everything else people in the world live by mean nothing in the woods. Nature is the only place that can strip everything away and let you simply be yourself.”
With thinking like that it was easy to see why her happiness would not be shattered. She had found something Amanda and I have never even seen. She had found herself and found it by being alone.
“What did your parents farm?” I asked wanting to hear more of such happiness.
“Mostly sunflowers,” she replied smiling. “They smelled amazing and would go on for miles. They were so big. As I walked into the field they were taller than I am and would surround me on all sides giving me this feeling of security. I remember sitting on the porch reading some old book my parents owned and watching the sun go down. Whatever color the sunset would be it seemed to reflect off the flowers and fill them with its light. My favorite sunsets were the ones that turned the flowers into a deep dark red. It was so beautiful I loved every second.” Again the happiness in her voice was contagious. I myself saw the fields she gazed upon and my mind loved every second of it.
“That really sounds wonderful.” I said sincerely.
“What time do you think we should go?” I asked them both.
“Whenever you want” Jaime quickly replied.
Amanda still seemed to be in a daze not really caring much for Jaime’s story, but more for her own. “Amanda, what about you?”
She looked up slowly, “What?”
“When would you like to leave?” I asked kindly understanding the pain she was going through.
“Yea we can leave now.” She said quickly attempting to conceal her pain.
Chapter 8
The sun was getting much stronger making it a bit warmer. We each grabbed a bag. I grabbed the compass out of my front pocket. I took the .357 out of the pack and placed it in my belt line. I helped Jaime with her pack since she was still quite weak from the starvation and torture inflicted. She placed the pack on her back and held the .22 rifle I found in the men’s supplies. Amanda decided only to leave her cleaver out of the pack for quick retrieval.
“Why don’t you take a gun out?” I asked.
“I would prefer not to shoot anyone.”
Understanding I shrugged looked down at the compass knowing only that we should head north and began walking. Both the women began as I did and together we began our search for the hope of a disease free civilization. We were unable to move at a quick pace. All three of us were quite exhausted. The pine grove was still very thick. As we walked the sounds of birds and animals gave me a good feeling deep inside.
After an hour or so walking the pine forest slowly began to thin. From what I could tell we were heading up an incline making our journey all the more difficult. The incline was barely noticeable at first, but quickly began making each step more and more difficult. Every couple hundred feet I would turn back and make sure the other two were doing well. Both of them seemed to be ok, but very tired. As we reached a plateau I turned and asked if they would like to rest. Without either saying a word they dropped their packs and sat down. If I had to guess we had crossed around ten miles or so in the last couple hours. My canteen still had a bit of corn water which was amazingly good being cooled the night before. I passed it to Amanda who looked disappointing feeling how light it was realizing that it did not contain much liquid. She took a drink and passed it to Julie.
We sat quietly for a few minutes letting our bodies rest from the climb. Our packs made good seats and it was difficult to find the motivation to get moving again. The chill of the morning was completely gone and the sun beat down on us. It was only seventy or seventy five degrees, but all the physical exercise made it feel much warmer. All three of us were dripping with sweat and the bit of water from the cans of corn would not be suitable if we expected to gain any real ground over the next few days.
Slowly we stood and began climbing the mountain once again. With the heat and exhaustion our movement could be categorized as a crawl. It felt as though we were not moving at all and the mountain would go on forever. The ground was a bit sturdier than the mountain I had to climb to catch Amanda, but every so often one of us would fall forcing the other two to stop and help whoever fell. Finally the top was moving closer and seeing the climb almost accomplished our speed increased. The three of us were out of breath, but reaching the top gave us a sense of real accomplishment. The view was breathtaking though offered no hint of any civilization. We all sat on top of the mountain with a smile that we had made it this far. Looking at the compass towards the north there were not many major obstacles other than one hill which looked as if it could be bypassed. In the distance towards the North West I saw a break in the trees and what looked like increased growth which could be a creek or river. That is what we would head for.
Once again we began moving this time with much more enthusiasm since gravity would be our friend rather than opponent. I told the other two to watch their step and not go to fast. The walk down was made much quicker and without rest. With less struggle I was able to take in the beauty before me. The wilderness untouched by human hands was beyond description. There are no words for something so simple and beautiful. Each step seemed to be easier than the last and pushed the mountain further out of our path. Reaching the bottom
seemed to come quick and the ground leveled out forcing us to work harder for each step taken.
I could hear one of the two struggling behind me so we stopped in a grassy field. It was Jaime she was completely out of breath and was looking sick. I helped her take the pack off and took a can of green beans out asking Amanda to hand me the can opener out of her pack. We took the bowls out and split the food and liquid into equal portions. Watching Jaime I took a sip from the liquid and dumped the rest into her bowl. Surprised she tried stopping me telling me she was fine.
“You need this if you want to make it.”
She let me finish pouring the rest of food and liquid into her bowl. Watching the two of them eat I was quite happy to have company. It would be hard to imagine going through all of this alone. Thinking about our situation I began chuckling at the way in which we all came to know one another. It was clear from the surprise of the other two they had no idea of what I was laughing at. Trying to make myself seem less insane I said “Just thinking about the last few days and how we came to be together.”
They seemed to have their curiosity satisfied and began finishing their lunch. My stomach was growling simply watching them eat. I found myself mainly staring at Jaime entranced with her beauty. The man’s clothing she wore was not flattering, but did not seem to stifle that natural beauty few women are given. She looked up seeing me staring and her shyness became apparent. Smiling and seeming quite flattered by my visible attraction she looked back to her food and continued eating. I stood up and began walking around the area somewhat bored of laying down. The tree line was not far off and I carried the compass in front of me trying to gage where we would be exiting this field.
In the distance I heard sticks snapping to my right. Not being familiar with the area I had no idea if it could be one of the undead. Fear shot through me petrifying me in the position I was in. My mind ran back to the street where they chased us down and I had almost lost my life. After a few seconds I decided to duck down giving me what little cover I could get out of this field. Slowly I reached down grabbing my gun thanking god I had reloaded it before placing it in my pants. Every breath seemed to scream “OVER HERE”, I tried holding my breath, but could not with my heart beating so rapidly. Brushes rustled the sound was certainly coming closer.
Staying as low as I could while keeping vision on the tree line, I caught the first glimpse of movement. It was at that second I knew it couldn’t be an animal. The movement was slow and without grace looking very unnatural. After a few seconds I got sight of bright orange. Both the chest and the head had bright hunter orange on it. The air seemed to cool as the beast moved from the tree line and into the field my partners and I shared. “Amanda and Julie!” I thought quickly looking at how far away we were from each other. Seeing this one dead was terrifying and led me to believe he was not the only one around. My companions were seventy or eighty feet away still slowly dining on the can of beans. They took no notice of the dead and luckily the dead had not spotted them.
I was unsure what actions could get me to my partners unnoticed by our guest. Feeling under me there was a golf ball sized stone. The dead hunter with his long grizzly beard roamed aimlessly. I saw his right arm drenched in blood. Perhaps that was where he got bit. Picking up the stone I waited for my chance to throw it back in the tree line without being noticed. The man walked towards me for a few steps then stopped and turned to his left. Thinking this would be the best chance I looked deep into the forest ahead of me. I kneeled up and with all I had threw the rock deep into the forest. As it left my hand I let my body fall to the ground letting the grass cover me once more.
After a couple seconds the sound of the rock hitting trees and bushes echoed through the forest. A loud grunt came from the direction of the dead hunter then silence. Not being able to see if my actions had any effect I sat breathless and in silence. After a moment I began hearing footsteps trail off towards the rock. After a few moments I sat up silently and turned to my companions who had noticed what was going on. Julie sat with her gun pointed in our direction and Amanda looked like she was digging in her bag for her pistol. As low and stealthily as I could I began moving towards the two. Putting my finger to my mouth in a shushing motion Julie understood instantly and put her hand on Amanda’s back so she could see as well. They both remained still as I covered the distance between us. As I reached them the fear on their faces told me they had seen the undead. Silently I pointed towards the tree line away from where the hunter entered. We packed up camp as quickly and quietly as possible and began moving towards the trees.
Each step brought us closer to the safety of cover. Not looking at where I was going my foot caught a rock imbedded in the earth. Falling didn’t hurt, but as my pack hit my back the metal pans inside clashed letting anything within a hundred yard distance know exactly where we were. I jumped up immediately looking to where the hunter entered the forest. He had not come out yet so we continued on now running and not caring about noise. We made it to the trees which would give us good cover. I pointed back deeper into the woods telling the other two to find safety. Without a word they walked ten feet deeper into the forest. I stayed with my eyes across the field between the two trees where the hunter had walked into the forest. After a few moments that bright orange visible before any other feature came running through and into the open.
Once there the dead looked around without making a noise. He certainly heard the noise and was expecting a meal. The thought of food blasted away at that aimless meandering so common to these cannibals. Backing behind the tree my heart raced. My gun was in my hand cocked and ready to go if need be. Not wanting to give away our position I went deeper into the woods and huddled down with the two women. Steps in our direction began getting louder. Easy to see this hunter knew where his prey laid. All of our eyes were pointed in the direction of the field. The steps were right out of the trees. Suddenly the beast stopped as though not sure where to go next. The next moments felt like hours with our lives hanging in the balance. To our horror the steps once again started, somehow the hunter chose the right direction and began walking towards us.
Laying in the bushes the bark from trees and bushes we were laying on was digging into our skin making our wait even more uncomfortable. Once silent Jaime began whispering, “NO, NO, NO” and slowly began backing away from the oncoming footsteps. The sound of her footsteps broke the small bush branches, just loud enough to draw attention. Looking behind I pointed at Jaime then my finger to my mouth telling her to be quite. Once she did I pointed her towards the ground and she sat. It was all too little too late. The once far away footsteps which slowly approached became barreling thuds on the ground as he began sprinting in our direction. Jaime still panicked because of the monster pointed her .22 in the direction of the approach. Quickly I pulled the lucky board with the nails still covered in blood from my bag. I motioned towards the other two with my hand telling them to stay back.
The hunter came through in a blaze of fury. His mission to eat us and ours to stop him any way possible. I was behind a tree, the girls a few feet back lying down within some bushes. The steps echoed in my head while I attempted to gage the distance. Within seconds he passed my tree seeing the two women in the bushes. Over my shoulder the board raised and I followed him towards the bushes. He had several feet on me and as I brought the board down it sunk deep into the middle of his back causing him to collapse landing in the bushes on top of Amanda. Her hands were placed on his face attempting to push the ravenous jaws away from her body. Ripping the board out of his back I took aim at the back of the head and sank the jagged nails in with all my strength.
The hunter stopped moving and I helped Amanda push his body off. Everyone we had killed thus far died quickly. The nails must not have hit the right spot because this one gasped with his eyes still wide open and aware. No longer with fire, but confusion of its inability to move. Rather than killing him the nails had only caused paralysis. Blood was spurting from his mouth and nose.
For the first time I saw one of these things as a human. It had the exact same structure as us and could be wounded just like we could. The other two stared at the man lying there with the same shock that filled my eyes. After a minute I could hear Amanda whisper “Kill him.” Slowly I stepped closer with the beast’s eyes following me the whole time. The board was still in my hands. As I raised it above my head the eyes followed almost begging “Please don’t”. I drove the board deep into the man’s skull and the life those white eyes once held depleted instantly.
After pulling the board out I took a couple steps back to absorb what I had just seen and felt. I sat looking towards the man in a daze. The thought overtook me “I had just killed someone”. Never before had I been able to see their humanity until this man sat defenseless and hopeless staring at us. I thought back at the bullets I let fly realizing they were hitting mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. These were people and simply sick. Still there was the feeling of self-preservation which over powered remorse. If I had not ended this man’s life he would not have stopped attempting to eat us.
After a while we decided to move again. This time we stayed out of the field and kept to the forest for cover.
Chapter 9
Over an hour we walked before hitting the small creek I had seen from the mountain. The other two ran for the stream attempting to drink their fill. I ran toward them pulling them away telling them to stop. They looked at me with surprise.
“We have to boil it to kill anything that may be living. Amanda fill the pot with water while I get a small fire going.” I said.
