Walking Bodies

by Durman, Jason

  I sighed and began walking the other direction, towards the city again. I should have just kept walking in the first place. I knew that this would somehow just come back to bite me in the ass. But I checked my bullets, only a couple, but still some.

  I saw the city over the horizon, tall buildings about to crumble, and the smell of waste became strong. I raised my gun and readied myself. Whatever didn't attack us getting out, will attack me getting in. I'm sure the infected will be light since we almost cleared it out, but I still can't let my guard down.

  I was too preoccupied with figuring out how I was going to get in; I didn't notice the hovering shadow above me.

  Chapter 4

  Getting into the city wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Instead, all I had to do was hop over a fence. When we escaped, we had to fight a massive horde and ended up losing some supplies and gaining multiple injuries. I saw a couple of dead rotting bodies with bullet holes in them. I gave a guess to which body belonged to who.

  The ones sprayed with bullets would be victims of Aiden's shotgun, or maybe Markus's. Then the ones with precise headshots would either be mine or Steve's. Neither of us liked to waste bullets so we made sure to make everyone count. And I can aim pretty damn well if the target is close to me.

  There's maggots and flies everywhere. It would be futile to just try to swat them away. I had a little bit of a fear of them eating me like mosquitoes, so I quickly left the scene. I ran away from the bloody mess and deeper into the city, almost tripping on bodies and bullet shells as I ran past. Sometimes I never notice how much I've done until I look at the aftermath.

  The streets were the same way we had left them: complete chaos of cars and corpses. I spotted a little general store out of the corner of my eye and recognized it. It was a place we didn't have time, or even the energy to scavenge. You can't really pick out what you want from the store shelves when you've got an entire city's worth of insane cannibals on your back.

  Walking through the front door, I found it was one of those ones where it spins and you could get trapped in. I hated those even before the break out. I remember getting stuck in one of these at the mall and having to call a friend to come help me out. It was embarrassing as hell.

  The place already looked bare of anything useful; still it couldn't hurt to check around. I raised my gun up and glanced around every corner that I turned, just in case an infected decided to buy some milk or some pain killers for their aching headaches or stomachs.

  Well, aren't you funny?

  I decided not to question my sanity as the moment as doing so will just make me want to chase after my friends so much more. I already know that their long gone, without me. So the only thing I can do right now is survive and escape the city, this time heading south.

  Something shuffling was heard behind me and I flung my gun up in defense, but met with nothing. I flicked on my flashlight. Still nothing. I pressed it aside as just being paranoid and continued searching for whatever would be of use to me.

  I found period pads. Wonderful, the whole shelf was stocked while everything else was empty. A little plan came to mind and I stuff a pack into my back pocket. You never know, they could make good bandages one day. Though not really the same as a medkit, good for padding wounds.

  Ok, so maybe I should be concerned on my decreasing level of sanity.

  I thanked the gods when I discovered pain pills. I guessed it was that really strong stuff you needed to have an over the counter prescription, because it was hidden away inside some locked up drawer. What kind of general store has a pharmacist anyway? Well, I'm not complaining.

  I almost tripped myself on the way out, trying to quickly move the spinning door. Taking a deep breath, I started walking again. It wasn't until the sun came out that I realized I was being followed.

  It was hot. So I stopped for a split second and put my hands on my knees. I wiped the sweat from my forehead wiped it off on my hoodie that I had tied around my waist. As I was looking at the ground, I saw a defined shadow soar above my head and disappear with the shadow cast by the building next to me.

  By the time I had my aim set, it wasn't even there, whatever it was. I figured I rather not wait to see if it would stick its head out again and kept moving, this time a bit faster and more alert.

  I didn't care if it was a Trapper, a Leaper, or my nightmare of a winged infected. I thought for a moment. A Leaper, maybe that same Leaper that followed me from the abandoned house and into the woods. Now I was wishing it was a winged zombie. Having the same Leaper follow me for three days was just unbelievable. Then again, I did save its life…

  …and it still wants to kill me. So much for gratitude.

  Too focused on searching the rooftops, I ran straight into a car. Cringing at the loud horn, I waited for the howling of the infected and screams of an horde, but instead, a measly group of staggering cannibals stumbled out of a nearby broken window.

  Thinking that they would be the first of many, and having so many bullets I decided not to waste them on five common infected. The first two went down without even throwing a hit; I simply smashed their skulls in with the butt of my handgun.

  The other three weren't as easy as the two. I ended up getting caught from behind and fingernails dug into my arm. I swung around and kicked the infected in the stomach. It staggered back and landed on its comrade. I forced them both back onto the car I bumped into. This time I kicked him even harder and ended up crushing them against each other, splattering all over the hood.

  I turned around, fist raised and ready to spill blood. But the infected that was left over was already dead, entrails out and everything. I raised an eyebrow and hoped that this was the same infected that ran at me, and that there wasn't another one lurking out there somewhere.

  The poor guy had his guts and even some pieces of his ribs splayed out on the concrete. I didn't even care if he had just spontaneously combusted, I was just glad there wasn't another problem to take care of.

  Carefully, I made sure not to get any slop on my shoes as I stepped over the body. They have surprisingly lasted throughout the apocalypse and I think I would like to keep them a little while longer.

  It was getting darker a lot quicker than I thought it would, and I didn't have a proper way to get some rest. I'll just have to hold out until I get to the nearest saferoom. My stomach growled and I realized how long it has been since I truly ate something.

  A startling noise caught my attention. I turned up towards the roof and finally saw the creature that has been stalking me for the last few days.

  It was that same damn Leaper, I could tell. It had somehow plastered duct tape to the spot where the bear trap had pieced him on his leg, but I could still see blood seeping through the edges and darkening the pants leg fabric.

  I just glared him down, or really…up, since he was up higher than me. I still couldn't see his eyes. He was crouching on the edge of a two three story building, a small apartment.

  Options ran through my head and all I could think of was shoot or run. Shooting would be useless, since I 'm sure that if I get pounced on my a Leaper, no one would be around to save me, my gun would be knocked out of my hands and I would be a goner.

  The running option sounded legit and a lot safer to me. I'd gotten faster, running from Heavys and all, so out running a Leaper, while unlikely, was still possible. So I gave him one last look, and then bolted.

  I avoided cars and stepped over dead bodies. Not really caring on the quality of my shoes anymore, I stepped on a couple of corpses so rotten, that their chest actually caved in when I put my foot on them. I kept running, not looking back.

  Rounding a corner, I looked for a route to escape. The Leaper growled from behind me. Fear was beginning to creep up inside of me and I spotted a door, a back entrance into some sort of hotel.

  Maybe I can lose him there. I bust open the door with my shoulder, and shut it behind me. I've learned overtime that infected, special o
r common can't open doors. I didn't care if they just lacked the intelligence to do so or preferred to knock them down entirely. I was just glad a simple door could be an efficient barrier against them.

  It looked like it would have been a pretty nice hotel before shit hit the fan. It even had a big chandelier still hanging from the ceiling. Now, how that survived on that weak chain it hung from, escapes me. I can't stay in the first floor, he'll just brake down the door and corner me if I do. There were two ways up: elevator and staircase.

  I took the staircase, obviously. Electricity was out almost everywhere. So trying to take the elevator would either have me fall to my death or just get stuck and starve.

  Running up the stairs, I listened. From outside, I heard the howl of the Leaper and figured he was at the door. By the way it sounded down in the lobby, he was trying to get through. I smirked. He wouldn't be able to open a steel door-

  There as a loud bang, and I didn't even have to look back. I mentally scolded myself. Well, at least his little argument with the entrance had bought me some time.

  I think I was on the 4th floor when I decided to hide. Looking down the hallway, I saw that some doors were open, while some were still closed. I ran halfway down the hallway and shut myself in an open one. Trying to open a closed one would just waste time as it could still be locked, and who knows if there is an infected in there.

  Shutting the door, I locked it out of habit. Then, I turned around gun raised and ready to fire if something was really behind me.

  It wasn't as messy as it should have been. In fact, it looked as if room service just left this place. The bed was neatly made, the curtains nicely drawn, the kitchen spotless and there wasn't a single blood stain.

  My nose detected something and I pulled back the curtains. I immediately took a step back. There was bloody skid marks that led out the window, which I realized were open. I shut it, not wanting for anything unwanted to barge right through my hiding spot.

  There was a bathroom, but I highly doubt there would have been any plumbing or medical supplies. Still, I raked in pills at the store, might as well check. You never know what wonders you can find. The bathroom door creaked open as I walked through.

  The bathroom was as clean as the rest of the hotel room itself. It spotted the medical cabinet over the sink and I went straight for it. I flew it open and although it wasn't anything I can really do something with, it was something I could use later if I got the chance.

  It was a bottle of women's perfume, two little bottles of that fancy hotel shampoo, and a packet of those fancy mints that room service leaves on your pillow. I snatched the mints first and ripped it open, popping one in my mouth.

  It quickly replaced the lingering taste of bile with a minty fresh flavor, it would have been better with water, as it mixed a little with the bile itself, but I rather taste minty flavor gunk than have to bite my own tongue off when I couldn't take it anymore.

  I was still savoring the lovely taste of the mint when I heard the window budge. I went into full survivor mode and ran behind the door. My mind raced and wondered that since I shut the window, how did anything get in? I took a deep breath and glanced around the corner.

  Well, I was dead. The Leaper I've been trying to lose was now in the same room as me. Behind him, the window was open enough for him to crawl through. He was in crouching position, sniffing the air. I held my breath. He sniffed the air and growled multiple times, then turned back to the window, unsatisfied and ready to leap. I let out the breath I was holding and instantly regretted it.

  He stopped and turned to face the bathroom.

  I heard him crawling over closer to me and did the best thing I could think of at the moment. The second he was in just the right spot, I slammed the door in his face. I heard a pain filled yelp and then silence. A little part of me believed that he just left, too frustrated to deal with me right now. But my hope was crushed when I heard claws scratching at the door.

  I sat on the floor, leaning against the side of the bathtub and held the gun up, pointed directly where his head would be if the door wasn't there. There was whining coming from the other room, but I wasn't stupid enough to fall for the hurt puppy trick.

  How much time has passed was important, but how tired I was getting was. Holding a gun up in the same spot and not eating anything for what feels like a month really strings people out, you know?

  My eyelids started to drop as I fought against them doing so. I felt as if I took even a little nap, I wouldn't wake up again, or I would at least be missing a couple of limbs. I guessed that the Leaper outside the bathroom was either gone, or still there and just waiting me out.

  I know he could break down doors, so why didn't he this one? I thought about how he knew about the gun back in the woods and came to a conclusion. He must know I'm ready with a weapon should he choose to try and bust in. Smart.

  That gave me an idea. I could still get a bit of rest, and keep that Leaper from ripping me to shreds if I just keep him thinking that I'm armed and awake. That way, when I do really wake up, I'm rested and can take on a tired, injured Leaper easily. Besides, we've been having this waiting game go on for what feels like hours, and I think it's night anyway.

  Maybe luck was on my side today, and he really was gone. Maybe he thought I was just too much trouble for a single meal and decided he would just let me die of fear and starvation. Speaking of starving, I never checked the kitchen for anything edible since I got here. Probably should of done that before locking myself in here.

  Keeping hold of my gun, I crossed both of my arms. My gazed still lingered on the door as I let sleep take me over. Now, I only hoped that what I was doing wouldn't get me killed. But if it does, at least I won't suffer.

  I slumped against the tile, and the gun fell loose from my hands as I fell into slumber.

  Chapter 5

  The first thing that came to mind when I awoke was that I wasn't dead. The second was that I could be if that Leaper is still out there. I picked back up my gun and aimed for the door again. It was so quiet. Now I seriously wondered if he was even out there anymore.

  My stomach yelled at me for food and threatened to digest itself. I suppose I didn't have a choice but to check. I swear, if he's hasn't been out there, then I starved myself for nothing.

  I remember indulging on tons of junk food and candy back in collage. Game nights would come and I would gain a few pounds or so. I used to be a little chubby before the first infection. Now, seeing myself in the bathroom mirror, I look like a little stick compared to what I should be.

  Placing a hand on the door knob, it slowly turned. I swung the door open and held the gun up, searching the room. Completely empty. I gave a sigh of relief and put away the gun. I made a beeline for the kitchen, hoping that there was at least some sort of nutty bar or something in there.

  I opened the cup bored and felt like crying. Whoever was here before me must be a fatty who really loved their food, because what a found surpassed any saferoom haul before this. It was all in cans, but everything things like canned peaches and things of the sort. Hell, they had canned fish.

  Pulling out my gun, I gave it a good observation, thinking maybe I can shoot open a can. But that would just be wasting bullets and making too much noise anyway. I set it on the counter to focus on the task at hand.

  Didn't even care to check the expiration dates, I grabbed the nearest can and hoped to god that they had working can opener around here. There as a can opener on the counter, but it as electric and needed electricity. Luckily, I found a can opener in a drawer, along with knives and forks and other silver ware.

  Cracking open the can, I dug in. While I ate, I turned it around and check the expiration date. I was safe; it didn't expire until around next year. I'm just gonna go ahead and say that it was the same for the rest of the food in there.

  Feeling food go down my throat was a feeling I cherished nowadays. Just having the mints was good enough, but eating and
tasting real food made me feel like I could take on anything right now. I'm rested, filled ….but of course alone, and don't really have that many bullets left. Still, this city is pretty much empty and I can take on a couple of common infected unarmed.

  I spotted the bed and smiled to myself. After spending the last two nights in a tree and on the hard tile floor, I would love to just lay back and rest for a little while. I mean, I know I need to start heading south, but I wanted to take advantage of right now.

  I plopped myself on the bed, and my back and legs screamed with aching pain and I almost considered getting up again. But a minute passed and I was comfy enough to roll around. I put the can on the end table and just rolled like a pig, feeling the mattress underneath me.

  Somewhere in the mist of my rolling, I felt something press on me on my back. I sat up, and looked at where my back was before. There was nothing there. I raised a brow to sheets and rolled over on my stomach.

  Decided to take a chance, I leaned over. I peeked ever so slightly under the bed. I didn't see anything, just darkness. I was about to shrug and go back to my rolling. Then I heard a barely audible but frightening growl somewhere underneath the bed.

  My heart thumped in my chest and I scrambled to the middle of the bed. This gave the whole 'monsters under the bed' a whole new meaning. My gun, I thought. I needed my gun. My hand flew to my waist, expecting to feel my pistol against my palm. Instead my hand felt air, and I remembered how I had left it in the kitchen, on the counter by a rusty can opener.

  Options ran threw me and I stayed put in the middle of the bed. The growling had stopped, but I knew he was there. Maybe I could jump off and make a break for the kitchen. Will his claws amputate my legs before I even get close? Or maybe he'll try to tear one off by lunging out and latching on with his teeth.