Empty World

by Zach Bohannon

  Caleb swung a bat at the creatures, but more continued to pour through the door. Shell watched a Dead fall on top of Caleb.

  “Everyone, grab your weapons and fight!” Paul commanded. He swung his machete into a Dead’s skull. “We’ve got to keep them out of here.”

  Shell aimed an arrow toward the door, but couldn’t get a clean shot between all the people.

  “It’s not gonna work,” Keon said. With his crossbow in hand, he ran for the door.

  “Keon, wait!” Shell yelled.

  But he didn’t listen. He pushed between people until he got close to the door, then fired his crossbow point-blank into a Dead’s temple.

  Shell looked in the vicinity for anything she could use as a weapon. She happened along a board. Picking it up, she noticed a rusty nail protruding from one end of it.

  This’ll have to do.

  She turned to head for the door and noticed Katrina pinned against a wall by a Dead. It snapped its jaws inches from her face as she tried to fight it off.

  “Help!” she yelled.

  Shell ran over to her and swung the board, driving the nail into the Dead’s brain. It held onto Katrina for another moment before its grip loosened, and Katrina shoved it to the ground.

  “Thanks,” Katrina said.

  Shell nodded, turning as she heard a scream. Lindsey, a single woman in her thirties who Shell had only talked to one brief time, had been taken down by a Dead, which was dining on her throat now.

  At the back side of the room, Caleb had made it to his feet, having survived the previous creature that had taken him down. He wrestled with a long-haired Dead wearing coveralls. The creature had to weigh two hundred and fifty pounds, making it a tough match for the large Caleb. The Dead pushed Caleb against a wall. It then lunged its face at Caleb, who ducked out of the way. The Dead knocked over two candles.

  Shell turned her attention to a creature coming at her. It extended its arms and she side-stepped it. Then she pulled an arrow from her quiver and drove it into the side of the monster’s head. As it fell to the ground, she armed herself with another arrow and looked around for the next Dead to take down.

  Orange flames rose from the floor as the back of the room became illuminated. The candles which had fallen had landed on something flammable. Scattered on the floor were Deads along with the few humans the creatures had killed. Several more Deads blocked the front door—the only way out of the burning building.

  “We’ve got to clear these bastards out of the way and get the hell out of here,” Paul said.

  The world slowed around Shell. She saw the Deads tearing into humans on the ground. Others in the group screamed as they fought off the monsters. Shell had never been in a situation like this.

  Hands grabbing onto her shoulders pulled her from her daze. Keon stood in front of her.

  “We’ve gotta get out of here, now,” he said. “Grab your shit and come on.”

  Looking around the room, Shell shook her head. “We can’t just leave them here.”

  Keon looked back at the bodies on the ground. Then he glanced back at Shell.

  “We don’t have time. We’ve gotta go.”

  But Shell couldn’t move. The surrounding death consumed her, taking her back to her town and when all her friends had died.

  Keon pushed an oncoming Dead away, sending it across the room. It bumped into another Dead and they both fell to the ground.

  “Shell! Come on!”

  He grabbed Shell by the hand and pulled her toward the door. Aware of her surroundings again, Shell pulled her hand away and reached down to grab her gear. Then she hurried over to Keon. Together, they helped the last few remaining people in their group to get away from the Deads, and then joined the others outside.

  Paul ran toward the door, ready to go back inside, but Keon stopped him.

  “This is everyone.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Keon nodded.

  Shell moved a safe distance away from the building and then looked back at it. Flames licked at the air, which was filled with the scent of rotting flesh. Shell covered her mouth, trying to keep herself from puking. She heard a grotesque snarl then and glanced back to the building

  A Dead had walked out the door, its body engulfed in flames.

  When she saw the creature, all Shell could think of were the dead humans inside. Her look of disgust turned to anger. She stood up straight, drawing an arrow from her quiver and nocking it into her bow. She pulled back and aimed at the flaming creature.

  “Smile, you bastard.”

  She let go and the arrow landed between the Dead’s eyes. It fell onto its back and stared straight at the sky, the arrow protruding from its face like a grave marker.

  Inside, the last few remaining Deads were surely looking for the exit. There were no human screams.

  “We’ve gotta move,” Paul said.

  He started jogging away and the others followed. Keon waited for Shell.

  “Come on,” he said.

  Shell took one last look at the burning Deads exiting the building and thought of those who’d perished inside. Then she joined Keon and they jogged away, catching up to the others in what remained of their group.

  37

  Paul wasn’t sure how far they’d walked, but it had to have at least been a mile and a half. He’d kept his focus forward and hadn’t looked back. Dawn had arrived, but other than that he’d been oblivious to his surroundings. He’d barely noticed the ache that had built up in his legs from all the walking, ignoring it as he worked to get as far away from the burning building as possible.

  “Paul, I think we’ve gone far enough,” a male voice said from behind him.

  Paul stopped, unaware of who had even been speaking. He turned around for the first time since leaving the building. The remaining members of the group stood ten yards away, staring back at him. His throat was dry, and he breathed heavily.

  He fell down to one knee.

  “Paul!” Keon said, running toward him.

  Hands touched either side of his back as Keon kneeled at one side of him and Katrina the other.

  “Give him some space,” Katrina said to the others who’d approached to see if he was okay.

  Paul heaved for air.

  “Let’s help him over to that rock,” Keon said.

  They each took Paul under an arm and helped him to his feet. Holding him up, they led him to a large rock at the nearby tree line. They set him down onto it, and Keon squatted in front of him.

  “You all right, brother?”

  Paul stared blankly into Keon’s eyes.

  “Paul?”

  Paul gagged, then leaned over the side of the rock and vomited onto the ground. People in the group gasped and Keon put his arm around Paul again.

  Wiping his mouth, Paul stood up. Keon tried to stop him, but Paul pushed his friend’s hand away. He walked away from the rock, catching his breath. Once he’d calmed himself down, he turned to the group.

  Everyone stared at him. He knew the look on their faces. These people looked to him for guidance, for leadership. And, once again, he’d failed them. Unable to look at them any longer, Paul turned around even before he got around to speaking.

  “Hey, dude,” Keon said, approaching. He spoke low enough to where only Paul could hear. “You okay?”

  Staring back at his friend, Paul narrowed his eyes. He shook his head.

  “No, I’m not okay.” He spoke loud enough to where everyone could hear, and he sidestepped Keon to address the whole group. “What the hell are we doing out here?”

  “What do you mean?” Caleb asked.

  Paul pointed down the path from which they’d come. “Look at what happened back there. How many people did we lose?”

  Everyone stared at him. No one answered. Paul glanced back at Keon.

  “How many?” he asked, raising his voice and demanding an answer to a question he already knew.

  Keon looked away, putting his hands on his hips. “Four.
”

  Paul focused on the group again. “Four. Four more people dead. Dead under my leadership. And all because I thought that we could walk out here and take back some land from a bunch of thugs who have no reason for being there. But how the hell are we supposed to do that if I can’t even keep us safe from a bunch of brainless monsters?”

  “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself, man. Why don’t you step over here and—”

  “And what?” Paul turned to Keon again. “Calm down? Is that what you were gonna say?”

  Again, Keon averted his friend’s gaze.

  “You can’t put all the blame for this on yourself,” a female voice said.

  Paul turned to see Shell had stepped out from the group.

  “These people don’t aimlessly follow you. They’re with you because they believe in you. And I saw firsthand exactly why they do when you told me you wanted to come and take back my town. Because of the passion you have and how selfless you are. It isn’t just your family you want to protect. You want to make life better for everyone here, and people believe that. I believe that.” Shell approached Paul, stopping only a few feet in front of him. “Those people who died back there didn’t die because you made them come along with you. They died because they believed in you and knew that you were only trying to make their lives better. None of us are here because we have to be.”

  “She’s right,” Katrina said. “Shit, we’d all be lost without you around.”

  Keon placed his hand on Paul’s shoulder. “Seriously, brother. You bear a lot of burdens for all of us, and you’re one hell of a leader. We’d follow you into hell if we had to. Wouldn’t we?”

  The group gave a mixed response of “Yeahs” and “Hell yeahs.”

  When they fell silent again, Shell said, “I chose to stay with you all because I believed you when you told me we could get my home back. I believed in you. And there’s no way in hell we’re turning around now. Not after all we’ve been through and how close we are.”

  Paul scanned everyone’s faces. Shell was right. They did believe in him. Though they were broken, sad, and beaten, everyone was still there, standing alongside him. Bailing out now would only be disrespectful to those who had perished. He looked at Keon, and then back at Shell.

  “What the hell are we all just standing around for, then?” Paul asked. “We’ve got a town to take back!”

  Everyone raised their fists and hollered. Paul turned and wrapped his arm around his friend Keon, and they started down the train tracks again, moving on toward Yazoo City.

  38

  By the middle of the next afternoon, the group moved along the tracks like the Demons they worked to avoid. They dragged their legs, hunching over their limp bodies. Paul knew the constant moving from place to place had taken its toll on them. The train tracks were out in the open now, and the flat landscape provided little escape from the sun’s rays. He looked back at the tired and hungry group. It was clear they were in no shape to fight. They would reach Yazoo City soon, and he wanted to attack the gang some time the following day, but that was only if they got there with enough time to find food and to rest. Going into the town before everyone had had the chance to recharge would only lead to a slaughter.

  He swung his backpack off his shoulder, dropping it to the ground. “Let’s rest here for ten minutes.”

  A collective sigh passed through the group, and their bags hit the ground almost in chorus. The only one not to drop her things was Shell. She walked away from the group and past Paul, finishing the climb up the short hill. Using her hand as a visor from the sun, she stared into the distance. When she turned around, a smile stretched across her face.

  “What is it?” Paul asked.

  Shell gestured for him to join her.

  Paul jogged over to her and looked out over the hill himself. About a mile down the tracks, he could see buildings. They were much shorter than the ones in Jackson, but it was clear there was a town ahead.

  “That’s downtown Yazoo,” Shell said. “Well, if you want to call it that.”

  “How far is your house from here?”

  “A mile or so away once we get on the other side of town.”

  Keon and Katrina approached.

  “That’s your town?” Keon asked.

  Shell nodded.

  “Thank God,” Katrina said. “We should keep going and get there while we’ve still got sunlight.”

  “Hold on,” Paul said. “I know we’re all tired and anxious, but we’ve got to think about this a little bit. If we had a whole town to ourselves, where would we be?”

  Katrina’s expression turned sour.

  “He’s right,” Keon said to his sister. “No way we wouldn’t search every inch of those buildings in town.”

  “I did that a long time ago,” Shell said. “Surely, they’ll know that’s why my house was so well-stocked. If I had to guess, they’re probably going to be staying close to there.”

  “I wouldn’t go assuming that,” Paul said. “If I were to take a guess, I’d say they’re still going to look. Honestly, I would. Either way, we can’t afford to risk it. We’re gonna have to walk around the downtown area to avoid it.”

  “How much time is that going to add?” Katrina asked.

  “Probably at least an hour,” Shell said.

  “Well worth it,” Paul said. “I know everyone is exhausted, but it’s what we’ve got to do to stay safe. I’m not losing anyone else over being careless. And we can’t relinquish our element of surprise because that’s how we’re going to take those bastards down.”

  “All right,” Katrina said. “I’ll go ahead and let the others know we’re going to get moving again. If we’re going to lose an hour, we need to move. We need to find a place to stay close to town so we can go to Shell’s house early in the morning.”

  Paul nodded, then turned back to Shell. “Do you know of anywhere we can stay the night?”

  “I’ve got a few ideas. We should head around on the east side of town. There’s some houses and buildings over there for us to choose from, and I don’t think it’s anywhere that gang would be hanging around.”

  They departed only a few minutes after that. Most in the group remained positive, happy that they were close to their destination. But Paul could feel a sense of nervousness amongst everyone. Being closer to the town meant being closer to war.

  With a couple of hours of daylight left, they found a building east of town. It had once been a church, its white steeple still in place on top, though it had faded to a dull gray. Nevertheless, the structure was in good enough shape to offer shelter for the night. Paul allowed everyone to get settled in before informing the group of his next move. He stepped up onto the stage at the front of the room and looked out over everyone.

  “I know you’re all tired and exhausted, and you’ll have your rest tonight. We’re all going to need it because tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting forever for since we lost our home in Georgia. But before we get there, a few things need to happen.

  “We need sufficient food for the evening. There’s a lot of open country in the area, which means there’s a good chance of finding something to eat. A deer would be nice, but there should at least be some squirrels or foxes around. Caleb, I’m going to leave you in charge of hunting. You should take someone along with you.”

  “I’ll go,” Keon said.

  Paul shook his head. “You’re coming with me.”

  “Where?”

  “We’re going to go to Shell’s house tonight.”

  Chatter spread among the group. Paul raised his hands, then whistled to get everyone’s attention back on him.

  “We can’t just march on in there tomorrow with no plan,” Paul said. “Shell can draw us a map, sure, but that won’t help us with knowing how many people we’re up against. So, we’re going to go there tonight and scope the place out.” He looked at Keon, then at Shell. “Are you two all right with that?”

  They looked at each other, the
n nodded. Paul returned the gesture.

  “Good. We’ll leave once the sun goes down, then we can sneak over there without being seen. In the meantime, let’s all continue getting settled in and hope that Caleb can catch us something to eat.”

  The group spread out and Paul stepped off the stage. He found a place to be alone for a while where he could think of his wife, and pray that the night went well, putting him one step closer to being reunited with her.

  39

  Shell’s heart beat faster as they got closer to her home. The sun had gone down, but she’d traveled these roads and fields so many times that having no light was no issue for her. They stayed low, hiding in the tall grass and behind buildings, trees, and the metal remains of vehicles. Even with a light breeze, she couldn’t help sweating, and felt overheated due to her nerves. At any turn, they could come across members of the gang roaming the town, or a herd of Deads. A fight with Deads could bring the attention of the gang, so Paul had advised they avoid any confrontation with them if they could.

  When they reached the top of a hill near her house, Shell lay down on her belly. She signaled to Keon and Paul to join her. Then she crawled the few feet up to look over the top of the slope.

  “There it is,” she said.

  A giant bonfire illuminated the front yard of Shell’s farmhouse. Torches had been lit around the yard, as well. A group sat around the campfire, conversing with each other and laughing. Several others walked around nearby. Shell saw two people harvesting crops from her vegetable garden. She pulled back, shifting onto her back and lying out of sight, and Paul and Keon followed suit.

  “There has to be at least twenty of them,” Keon said. “How the hell are we supposed to face all of them with the numbers we’ve got?”

  “They might have numbers, but we’ll have the element of surprise,” Paul said. “The right strategy can trump numbers. Didn’t you ever read about the Romans?”

  Keon shook his head, smiling, and then turned to Shell. “This place is exactly as you said it was.”