The Safe Zone

by Ethan Chione

  Unless. I have a couple of ideas. Two ideas that just might work.

  I run to the tent and I find Lucy. I tell her the bad news. She is not happy either. But together we begin to tell everyone else the problem. The people get scared. I don’t blame them. I can’t blame anyone but...but they know. They know that if we are confined to the Safe Zone for more than a couple of months we will start starving to death. They know it. They are afraid. After I stand on my bed and shout and whistle to get everyone’s attention I tell them to calm down. I will share one of my plans with them.

  My first plan is to gather up all the cans we have and send two groups. One group will go north. The other group will go south. Both groups will take cans with them. The sections further to the north and to the south are not confined to the Safe Zone. They will have scavengers who still go out into the Badlands. Though it will be expensive and we will use all our cans, both groups will travel until they have bought as much food as they can. With the trades we can maybe make it better. Until we can go into the Badlands again maybe. Then the groups will return here and give it to the people of Section AAA. The trades will help. Though I am sure we are not going to be the only section here that will do this, so I do not know how much food our cans will buy, but it is the best shot we have. Though I have another plan. I do not share this plan with the people. First I find some good leaders. Men and women who I know I can count on. Then I form the two groups. We then bring in the soda. Of course we cannot all drink it at once, and we do not want to either. We each drink a can and then take what other cans we have and pool them together. We will fill up bags with the cans and then the two groups separate. The group that is going north goes up the beach and crosses the harbor. Carefully they move the cans across to the beach on the other side. The group that is going south heads down the beach. It is evening now and the water is cold. I feel sorry for swimming group but they do it quickly. No cans are lost in the crossing thankfully. Once they are gone I go back to the tent. I tell everyone to go back to what they were doing, and then me and Lucy begin looking for my other friends. The ones I go into the Badlands with. They are my most trusted friends, apart from Lucy. I tell them my second plan. I am breaking rules again.

  While the two groups are going north and south to buy what food they can with the soda cans, me and my friends will sneak into the Badlands. I know it is not right to go against Captain Barnes’ orders. I hate doing it. It is not right. But I must do it to save our family of Section AAA. My friends agree immediately. We decide to sleep tonight and go tomorrow night. We will need the rest to preserve our strength. We will have our work cut out for us. We will have to be quick and cunning. We can’t get caught. If we are caught for real, they will not let us back in anymore. I know they won’t, and so do my friends. So does Lucy.

  It is dark now. We go to bed. I think as I lay on my bed about the people of Section AAA. They are my family now. My real family is dead. But I have a new family now. I know I must do this. I must do this to save my family. I must do this to save Lucy. Because I love her.

  Chapter 5

  Me and my friends and Lucy wake up early in the morning. We all go out to the rock formation that borders the harbor and juts out into the sea. We sit on the rocks. The waves in the ocean are wild. They smash against the rocks with a loud sound that sounds like the clap of thunder. The cold salty water sprays on us as we sit. But we do not mind it. When breakfast comes we go and get our food then eat it out on the rocks. We do the same with lunch. We get our food and eat it on the rocks. The food almost tastes so much better staring out at that beautiful sea. The beautiful sparkling water. The beautiful crashing waves. When dinner comes though, we get our food and eat it in the tents on and around our beds. We sit on our beds and eat and talk. We are ready.

  It is dark now. It is time for action. I say goodbye to Lucy. She is not coming with us. I don’t want her to. She has to be safe. I am afraid she will not be safe out in the Badlands. I am afraid that...I cannot keep her safe out there.

  So me and my friends sneak to the hole in the wall near the harbor. We move the rock and sneak out through the hole. It is good it is a new moon. It is very dark. The guards do not see us at all. Even with their flashlights on their guns and the big spotlights along the wall. They do not catch us. We put the rock back so it covers the hole and then we begin to walk. Because we have looted most areas close by we have to walk far. And since we cannot hot-wire any cars or trucks to get home, we will be doing a lot of walking. Since we cannot hot-wire cars or trucks to carry the supplies, we get we all have backpacks. The cars and trucks will be too loud. We do not want to attract any Stumblers. We are being extra cautious tonight. Extra sneaky. Extra quiet.

  We walk for about two hours, maybe three. We find a supermarket that is locked. The doors are locked. That is a good sign. There are no broken windows or glass anywhere that we can see. This means that no scavengers have come here. It is our supermarket now. There will be plenty of supplies to get from there. We break the door open as quietly as we can and then move into the store. It is quiet inside. There could be Stumblers around but we do not hear any. Or smell any. The store smells bad. But it is easy to tell the difference between the stench of a Stumbler and the stench of food that has gone bad. I smell a lot of bad food. That is all. We move through the isles looking for the snack isle. We have to pass through the meat isle. It smells terrible. Flies buzz around the packages of rancid meat. Rotten meat, black and rotting. Smells terrible. Yuck. At one spot several packages have been torn open and strewn across the floor. This is a sign that there is at least one Stumbler in here. If it is not dead that is. Something is or was in here at some point. Maybe not anymore. Maybe still is. We move even more cautiously. We stop every few feet to listen for the sound of a Stumbler. We hear nothing.

  We find the snack food isle. We open our packs and get to work. We begin loading up on things like chips and crackers and, my personal favorite, dried beef. Jerky is great. I fill my bag with dried beef jerky because I love it. And it keeps pretty well. Once our backpacks are full we go back to the front of the store. We each grab two baskets and go to the canned food isle. We fill up each basket with as much cans of beans and canned fish and fruits and vegetables as we can. We each have a weapon. We carry our baskets of canned foods in each hand and our weapons we keep at our sides, but easy to access if we need them. The baskets are full. We are ready to leave. Ready for the long and heavy walk back to the Safe Zone.

  As we make our way to the front of the store we hear a sound. The sound of feet scraping along the floor. It is slow and deliberate. Then comes the groan. A long drawn out groan like the sound I make when I stretch after doing my exercises. But this groan is much longer. It is low, almost inaudible. The moan stops but the shuffling of the feet continues. We know what it is. The Stumbler is coming down an aisle just ahead of us to our right. We all get back and hold our breath. I am at the front of our group so I set down my baskets and grip my machete and get ready to kill the Stumbler. I set my baskets down so they do not get in the way. I am quiet about it. But I forget that the handles are up. When I let go of the handles they fall with a loud clacking sound.

  The shuffling stops. The groaning and moaning stops. There is silence.

  Then we hear the pounding of feet on the ground as the Stumbler runs. As it sprints. It sprints out of the aisle and looks around. Once it sees us it begins to scream. Loud and long. It is a Screamer. I act immediately, but it is too late. The Screamer has screamed long enough and certainly loud enough. I cut off its head with my machete. Blood sprays in the air. Onto me. Onto the floor. Onto the wall. I pick up my baskets and we make our way to the front of the store. Four Stumblers are there. Three regular ones and a Juggernaut. Me and my friends kill the regular Stumblers quickly and easily. But the Juggernaut is the tough one. I swing my machete at its leg. My machete cuts half way through but then gets caught in the bone. I pull the machete out. But too late. The Juggernaut swings its powerful arm
and hits me in the chest. I go flying back and hit the wall. One of my friends, the one with the hatchet, attacks from behind. Hacking and hitting the Juggernaut in the back. Another friend, with the pitchfork, spears the massive Stumbler in the face. The Juggernaut sways and then falls back. Dead.

  My friends help me up. They ask if I am alright. I am alright. But I feel dazed and my chest hurts a bit. We all catch our breath and gather up our baskets and any stray cans that fell out. We go to the bathrooms and clean the blood from the Stumblers off of us. The antivirus has worked so far. We do not think we will get infected. But it is not good to walk around with Stumbler blood on you. It is just not good. It’s gross. Honestly.

  We walk out into the parking lot. All seven of us stop and listen. We are listening for any sign that other infected are coming. We are thankful that the Screamer was inside. It must have muffled the sound and not attracted any Stumblers outside. We still wait for almost ten whole minutes though. Listening, and waiting. We decide it is safe to go, and we begin the short journey back to the Safe Zone. It takes us another two hours to get back. We have been gone for about five or six hours now. The sky is getting a little lighter. We will have to be very, very careful getting back into the Safe Zone. Quiet, sneaky, and careful.

  We get to the Safe Zone. We wait until there are no guards around then we go to the hole in the wall near the harbor. We move the rock. My friends go ahead of me, and I am the last one through. As I am pulling the rock over the hole I hear the sound of guns being cocked. I freeze and then I feel the rock pulled free of my grip. Strong arms grab me and pull me out of the hole. I am not in the Safe Zone. We are on the other side. I am not in the Safe Zone. I am in trouble. The soldiers force me to my knees and tell me to put my hands on my head. Sergeant Williams walks up to me. He has his 9mm handgun out and is pointing it at my head. There are half a dozen soldiers around me. They all have assault rifles. They are pointing the guns at my head too. I am in big trouble.

  “Well, well, well,” says Sergeant Williams. “What have we here?” His head cocks to the side. “Wait a moment! I know you! You’re Tom…Tom…Tom Wrangler that’s it! What on earth are you doing?” I remain silent. I’m not sure what to say, or how to say it. “Let me guess,” Sergeant Williams lowering his gun and holstering it. He puts his hands on his hips. “You and your friends were out scavenging weren’t you?”

  “Yes, sir,” I say. I am in big trouble.

  “It seems to me,” Sergeant Williams says, “that Captain Barnes ordered you to not go out into the Badlands until he said you could. Am I right?”

  “Yes, sir,” I say reluctantly. I am in huge trouble.

  “Well then, why were you—” he is cut off by a yell. It is Captain Barnes.

  “What is going on here?” Captain Barnes asks. He is mad. He takes a look at me and his face contorts with rage. “What on earth are you doing here, Wrangler?” He has never called me by my last name like that before. When we first met he called me Mr. Wrangler. Then he called me Tom. But never has he just called me Wrangler. I am in massive trouble. You know it when someone yells at you by your last name alone. Gigantic trouble. Ginormous trouble. And there is no way out of it this time.

  “I…I…” I cannot say anything.

  “He and his friends were out scavenging Captain,” Sergeant Williams says smugly. “I told you this one was trouble. If you ask me—”

  “I did not ask you Williams,” says Captain Barnes. “Shut up. I know what he was doing. I wanted him to tell me.” He turns to me. “Come with me Wrangler.” I get to my feet and Captain Barnes grabs the collar of my shirt and pushes me forward ahead of him. “Sergeant Williams. Get Tom’s friends from the other side of the wall and hold them in detention until I say otherwise. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Sergeant Williams says. He motions to the other soldiers and they close up the hole with the rock and then run back to the gate and into the Safe Zone. Captain Barnes moves me forward and we walk through the gate. The last time I went in through the gate was when I first came to the Safe Zone. I was screened and then injected with the antivirus. It happens again. A soldier holds a scanner to my face and when it bleeps once he pulls out a needle and sticks it in my arm. He pushes down on the syringe and my arm tenses as the antivirus is injected into my arm. I hope I will not be getting sick again. After that, I follow Captain Barnes into his tent.

  The soldiers and officers have tents along the inside of the wall. That is where they sleep. I have never been in these tents before though. Lieutenant Davis is in the tent. Captain Barnes walks behind a desk and sits in a chair. He stares at me for a moment then motions for me to sit in the other chair on the opposite side of the desk. Lieutenant Davis is standing between us.

  “Would you like me to leave, sir?” Davis asks.

  “No, Lieutenant,” says Captain Barnes, “you can stay.” He is still staring at me. Glaring at me. I am in very big trouble. I know I am.

  “Alright,” Davis says as he takes a seat as well. There is silence. Davis and Barnes are simply staring at me. Making me feel very uncomfortable. My arm feels weird as the antivirus works into my bloodstream.

  “Well, damn it, Wrangler,” says Captain Barnes harshly. “What did I say to you only the day before yesterday?”

  “You said not to go out into the Badlands,” I say as politely as possible.

  “And yet you did it anyway!” Barnes is very mad. “Why on earth did you disobey a direct order?”

  “I’m not one of your soldiers,” I say. I am a bit rude about it. I regret it right away. But Barnes ignores it. He leans back in his chair and folds his hands together.

  “You are a citizen of Safe Zone, Section AAA are you not Wrangler?” he asks. Sharply. Curtly. God is he mad.

  “Yes, sir,” I say. I bow my head slightly. I am embarrassed at being caught and getting in trouble. I knew better. I know better.

  “Well Wrangler, I am in charge of Safe Zone, Section AAA. Therefore anyone who lives in it or works in it is subject to my orders. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “So tell me, Wrangler. Why did you and your friends disobey me and go into the Badlands?”

  “You know why,” I say trying to be polite about it.

  “I have a hunch, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

  “Well, sir, we went because we need to provide for the people here. I explained to you that we can’t survive off of the military rations alone.”

  “You have extra food stored up don’t you?”

  “Yes, but that will only last us a few weeks. We can’t stop collecting food otherwise we will slowly die of starvation. You know that. There are too many people to live off the rations you give us. That’s just a fact.”

  “My men eat the same food your people do. They don’t complain.”

  “You know damn well that they get more food than the citizens do. I get it. They protect us; they need to keep up their strength. But still, we can’t survive on military rations alone. With what we have now and what the groups I sent out will bring back we might have enough extra food to eat for another couple of months.”

  “What groups?”

  “I sent out two groups. One to the north and another to the south. I sent them to trade for food.”

  He looks thoughtfully at me.

  “I see. Well if you think you’ll have enough for a month and a half or so once they get back then you should be fine. I can’t imagine I’ll have to confine everyone to the Safe Zone for too long. The Stumblers will move out soon enough. Then I can let you and your friends go back to breaking the rules and no harm done.”

  “What if they don’t? What if we have to stay in here for a while? What if they attack directly?”

  “Listen Tom. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll ask HQ if they can start sending more food for each person in the Safe Zone. I can’t make any guarantees, but I will ask alright?”

  “We can be very careful in the Badlands. We’re good at it. We got-” />
  “That may be. But I won’t take any chances. I’m sorry, Tom. Just use what extra food you have and I’ll see what I can do. But listen to me. Do not travel into the Badlands anymore. Do you understand me? Because if you’re caught again I will have you shot, and your friends as well!” I hesitate in answering. “I said do you understand me?”

  Finally, I nod. “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Barnes dismisses me. I think of the food we have. With what we brought back tonight and what we have stored in the Keeper’s cave, we should have enough to last us about a month. Plus whatever the groups bring back. Hopefully we’ll have enough for a month and a half or so. It is better than nothing. I am not dead at least…yet.

  I know that Captain Barnes will ask HQ about more food per person. But I also know that HQ will say no. Not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t. I know very well how short supplies are. I get it I do. It doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Any less scary. It is amazing they can give us the food they do already. We are in a bad situation no doubt. I do not know what we will do once we run out of our extra food. I suppose we have no choice but to continue eating what the military provides and hope that the army of Stumblers clears out soon.

  I check on my friends. They are alright. Captain Barnes let them go. They apologize for letting me get caught. I wave them off. It is not their fault in any way. I was the one who asked them to disobey the rules in the first place. It is my fault. And my fault only. I apologize for them getting caught. They are fine. We are all fine. I go into tent AAA1. Lucy is lying on her bed staring up at the blank white ceiling of the tent. She jumps up when I say her name and she gives me a big hug. She kisses me on the cheek and then smiles at me. She kissed me. On the cheek. I hope I am not blushing.