by Jeff Olah
“Thanks man.”
“Don’t thank me; I was thinking more about how your special training could keep me and my family safe than I was about your safety.”
Randy wasn’t offended, hell this was as close to a compliment as anyone had ever given him. No one had ever said they needed him… for anything. Both his parent treated him and his siblings as servants and left them alone every chance they got. His childhood was one bad memory after another. He joined the military the first chance he got and never spoke to his mother or father again.
Leaving the window and walking back over to Mason, the pair shook hands and nodded in a silent bond.
“Mason, you and I are going to leave this building and were going to do it together. Where are April and Justin?”
“At home and probably out of their minds. I told them I would be back in an hour or so.”
“That didn’t quite happen.”
“Tell me about it.”
Mason looked around the room and noticed his backpack on the floor next to the couch. Leaning over to grab it, he felt a twinge of pain at the back of his head and winced in pain.
“Still hurt?” Randy asked.
“A little.”
Mason dug around in the bag and finally withdrew his cell phone, powered it on and noticed he had no signal. “Damn it.”
Throwing his phone back onto the couch, Mason turned and headed to his home phone sitting on the kitchen counter. Randy noticed this and shook his head. “All phones lines have been out for at least two hours, even the landlines.”
“How about carrier pigeons, I suppose they all took a leave of absence… right?”
Randy laughed aloud. “Mason, you kill me. How on earth do you manage to still have a sense of humor through all this?”
“It’s all we have…” Mason stopped and listened for a moment.
“Randy, have you wondered why there are no sirens? I haven’t seen any law enforcement or emergency services since this started.”
“Not really, I talked to a cop buddy of mine as this thing was going down earlier and they were getting way too many calls to handle. They called in all the off duty personnel to cover the additional calls and sent the deputies out individually. I’m sure they were just overrun.”
Randy walked back to the door and looked out of the hole into the hall. Turning back toward Mason, he still had a smirk on his face.
“How’s it look?” Mason inquired.
“The same.”
“Then what’s with the look?”
“Were going out there, it’s the only way. We just have to get to over to my place and stay inside for maybe two minutes, then we are out of here.”
“Ok…”
“I’m not smiling; this is the look I get just before I go into battle. It’s crazy I know, but that’s just the way I am. I hate those things for what they have done and we’re going to do some serious damage to them. Aren’t you excited?”
“Not really, obviously you are though.”
“It’s more adrenaline than excitement.”
Mason made his way over to the door and stood next to Randy, putting his ear against the door.
“Yeah, Randy I guess adrenaline might help. How we gonna do this?”
“I have an idea, help me.”
Randy moved to the closet door and began to remove the pins that held the hinges in place. He motioned for Mason to hold the door upright as he removed the final pin and set the door against the wall next to the kitchen.
Mason looked confused. “What are we doing, and what’s with the door?”
“We’re going to use it as a shield. You hold it by the handle and the hinge and push forward.”
“Ok?”
“When they get too close and you knock them over or you lose your balance let the door go to the ground and we’ll use it as a bridge to go over them.”
“Randy, that’s brilliant and just might work, what about the ones from behind?”
“Don’t worry about it; I’ll take care of anything from the rear. They won’t even get close. You take care of the ones coming at us from the front. I’ll handle the rear.”
“Ok, how about the keys to your place?”
“It’s unlocked, I made sure when I left. Also, what we need is in three bags in the middle of the living room, so once we get in just grab the big green one and I’ll get the other two.”
“Then what?”
“Then we’re gonna use these.”
Randy opened his jacket to reveal two Desert Eagle 50 Caliber handguns.
“Mason, you know what to do with this?”
“Yeah, but what about the noise?”
“Doesn’t matter at this point. We need to get out of here in the next few minutes and without these it won’t happen.”
“You’re right.”
Randy looked out, into the hall one last time.
“Once you set the door down and grab the bag, I’ll hand you the gun and then we need to head for the elevator… FAST!”
As the magnitude of what they were about to do started to sink in, Mason began to think about the two people he had left behind just hours ago. He thought about never seeing them again and realized they were the only reason he needed to get out of here. He slapped Randy on the shoulder and grabbed the unhinged closet door.
Randy stepped in front of Mason, looked back and smiled one last time.
“Let’s go…”
28
The street outside their home still appeared unaffected by the events of the past twenty-four hours, although William knew this wouldn’t last. He felt a pressure building inside him that would only be relieved once they were clear of the city and into more open space.
With only a few hours left before he needed to meet with his new friend Mason, William was on edge. His wife Karen had been completely inconsolable since hearing about the loss of her parents. She sat on the edge of the couch in the living room and continued to cry.
William’s uncle Joe, at seventy-eight years old, couldn’t be of much help. He did what he could and struggled to carry anything heavier than a few pillows and blankets. Joe was at an age where he may end up as more of a liability once they were outside, literally fighting for their survival. The thought of having to care for his uncle and keep Karen safe were more than he wanted to think about right now.
With every trip he made to the truck, William made sure to check the windows for signs that the Feeders were starting to make their way into his neighborhood. This was his only sense of comfort, although he knew it wouldn’t last. It was only a matter of time before he and his family came face to face with them, he just prayed it would be later rather than sooner.
On his way back to the garage he stopped for a moment, shook his head and let out a little chuckle.
“Am I really packing for the end of the world? What is my suitcase supposed to look like while I am being chased by deranged, flesh eating half -humans?”
He knew that the only thing he really needed for survival, he and his family didn’t possess. For years he had wanted to purchase a handgun that he could keep locked away. With no children in the house, he figured this would be an easy sell to Karen.
He was wrong…
They met in their last year of college and Karen was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was also the smartest. Karen became one of the most sought after negotiators in all of Orange County. In the last year alone she had brokered three of the most lucrative Real Estate deals the State had ever seen. She had a Masters in Psychology and used this to her advantage while in the boardroom. Trying to convince her of keeping a gun in the house was a battle he lost before the thought even entered his mind… and he knew it.
He did still have that kettlebell Mason gave him yesterday as the two parted, although that wasn’t going to cut it. William would talk to Mason about stopping on their way out of the city and borrowing a few items from the local sporting goods store. He knew there were only a few that carried gun
s and was certain that all the gun shops had been picked clean hours ago.
Coming back in from the garage, he noticed Karen was no longer on the couch. William turned into the kitchen where Karen was putting items from the pantry into plastic bags. He stopped just behind her as she turned to greet him.
“Are you…” William didn’t even know what to ask her.
“I’m going to be ok.”
“I’m glad,” he said as he pulled her in tight, the last of her tears running down her face and onto his shirt.
“William, the sun will be up soon. Do you think your new friend is coming back?”
“I know I just met Mason, but I get the sense that he is a good guy, someone I would like to have on our side. I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“Did you trade numbers with your new best friend?” Karen said with a grin.
This was the first smile he had seen since yesterday morning. William knew it was going to take time for his wife to overcome the loss she suffered less than a day earlier and that she was hiding her emotions for the time being. He knew this was the best she could do for now.
“I think because we were both in a hurry to get home, we just forgot to ask for each other’s numbers; although it wouldn’t have mattered… the phones are out.”
Karen picked up the home phone and listened for a moment before putting it back on the counter.
“If the phones are out, why is the power still on?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I just hope we make it to sunrise so we aren’t running around here in complete darkness.”
“William, what did you find online? Were there any answers to what’s going on and where we need to go?”
“Not really, most of what’s being spread around is just gossip. I don’t think anyone knows for sure. The one theory that seems to be running through most of the reports is that this somehow started with the military and that’s why we haven’t seen or heard any response from the government. It is believed that they were completely overrun in the first few hours and that’s why it spread so fast. Big Brother was already knocked down. There is no military or government to help; at least that’s what the conspiracy theorists are reporting on the internet.”
“Do you think it’s true?”
“I’m not sure about anything anymore… well, at least since yesterday morning.”
Karen took William’s hand and looked into his eyes. “I know you said earlier that we should head to the coast. Do you still think that’s a good idea? I don’t want us to get stuck out there on a crowded freeway when those things come back.”
“I think it is the best bet we have. If we can get through the mess out there, I believe it will be the safest place to ride this thing out. That way we only have to worry about those things coming at us from one direction.”
“Ok, it looks like you put more thought into this plan than I have. I’ll help you get the rest of the things into the truck.” She paused for a moment.
“William, I cannot lose anyone else… I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Karen grabbed a few bags and headed out to the garage as William put together the last of the packaged food and looked for more bags.
As she laid the packages into the back of the truck, a transformer at the edge of their community exploded with a shock so powerful that it nearly shattered the windows on the front of their home. The streetlights and the power to every home in the surrounding area were instantly shut down.
“WILLIAM!”
29
It all felt like a bad dream. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and the more she struggled the worse things got.
Tugging at the seatbelt to loosen its grip as she put the car in park, she inadvertently caused the belt to tighten, pinning her back against the driver’s seat. With the window already down, April pushed open the driver’s door and was immediately met with resistance.
Another group of Feeders had come from the other side of the garage and were now trying to get to her through the window. They began to grab and claw at her as she blindly reached for the button to unlock the seatbelt.
“JUSTIN!” she screamed so loud that the sound echoed through the interior of the car, even with the window down.
The sound of her voice didn’t seem to have an effect on those things that continued after her son or the group to her left that she was now trying to escape, even though they were only inches away from her.
Looking out through the windshield, she saw that Justin and his attackers had fallen to the ground. The two fought for position to be the first to reach their newfound prey as Justin scurried backward and got to his feet. The Feeders weren’t interested in standing and continued to crawl forward, lunging at Justin’s legs.
She had to get out of the car and help her son and the driver’s side wasn’t going to be an option.
Justin continued to move away until he was stopped with his back against the cabinets. With nowhere to go, he kicked at them as they clawed their way forward, scratching at his shoes. He tried moving to the right and then to the left. He tried climbing onto the cabinets with no luck as they were too high and there wasn’t much to get a grip on.
Finally locating the release, April freed herself of the restraint and slid into the passenger seat kicking at the Feeders behind her in the process. She was able to unlock the passenger door and step out into the driveway with nothing between her and Justin but the two Feeders she was now determined to rip apart.
“MOM… HELP!” Justin shouted.
She could hear the terror in his voice that was also evidenced by the look on his face. April’s fear for her son had rapidly devolved into anger. She could feel the warm blood start to fill her face as she clinched her hands into tight fists and started for the garage. April had reached her breaking point and she felt a change start to move over her.
She didn’t speak another word as she moved quickly to the left side of the garage and grabbed a large metal pipe from the rack next to a bicycle. April looked Justin in the eyes and swung the pipe at the group of Feeders that had followed her from the driver’s side of the car and made short work of all three. She was filled with rage and the only sounds she made were the screams and grunts related to the battle she was engaged in.
Justin, now out of time and options, just watched as his mother calmly set the pipe up against the wall and grabbed the first Feeder by the ankles and dragged it to the driveway, pinning it under the car tire.
April quickly returned to the garage and grabbed her weapon. With one hand she pulled the last attacker far enough away from her son that he could get around it and gripped the pipe with the other. She pointed to the car and spoke only once.
“Get back in the car and stay down…NOW!”
Justin hung his head as he walked back toward the car picking up the plastic container he dropped only moments before. He set it behind the passenger seat and jumped in without ever looking back. One Feeder was still pinned under the rear tire. Each time it struggled to get free, it actually locked itself in tighter.
As she raised the pipe above her head, she noticed that this thing on the ground beneath her, desperately struggling to scratch or bite anything it could, was once a very beautiful woman. Thick blond hair covered in blood and debris and deep blue eyes that were barely visible through a milky white haze. April imagined her face was once so beautiful that it could have graced the cover of any magazine. She was now the target of April’s indescribable fury.
She wanted to destroy this thing at her feet, she needed to…
A single tear ran down her cheek as she swung the pipe, squarely making contact with the once beautiful woman’s skull. It tried in vain one last time to sink its teeth into April’s leg as she struck it a second time.
She felt her humanity slowly slipping away with each strike that landed. April felt as though the person she was less than a day ago had slipped down deep somewhere inside her and this new person had taken control of her acti
ons. She was afraid that this new version of her would be void of any feelings or remorse as she acted out her hatred in such a violent manner. Even though this thing wasn’t human any longer… it once was.
Landing blow after blow, the monster that lay at her feet had gone limp and was now merely a five foot three inch target for April’s rage. She continued to swing harder and harder until her hands cramped and she could no longer grip the piece of metal in her hands. April tossed the pipe to the side, grabbed a hand towel from the work bench and wiped the blood from her arms and face as she walked back to the car.
Justin peered out from the backseat, making eye contact with April. She wasn’t sure exactly how much of the last sixty seconds he witnessed, although from the look on his face it was more than she would have liked.
April rounded the front of the car, opened the driver’s side and slid in behind the wheel.
As his mother sat motionless in the front seat, Justin watched out the rear window and began to tremble. The number of Feeders heading in their direction continued to grow as each second passed. He knew they needed to move soon or they would have to replay the events of only moments ago, this time with a much different outcome.
“Mom?”
April sat up straight as if being pulled from a trance that held her hostage in some alternate reality. She turned her focus to Justin. Reaching back, April brushed his hair away from his face, pulled him close and kissed his cheek. She finally found the words she needed.
“Never do that again… I mean NEVER!”
30
With the front door not quite open enough, Mason failed in his first attempt to exit the apartment quietly, as the closet door slammed against the door jam. This sent a crashing noise down both sides of the hallway. The route from his apartment to Randy’s didn’t appear to be too much of a challenge as there were only four Feeders between them. Mason wouldn’t look back, as they agreed Randy would bring up the rear and could no doubt handle it himself.
The hall was dark, although there was just enough light filtering through the windows at each end to make the short trip to Randy’s apartment doable.
