Unhappy Endings

by Chris Philbrook

  Once each tower was completed, we sent up a shooter with a rifle with a scope so we could keep eyes on the roads and neighborhoods leading up the Fort. We were able to shoot at just about anything and anyone who came at us if they was uninvited.

  And we certainly did some shooting. A few weeks later, well hell, I think might've been a month or two later, September I think, we had a three truck convoy roll up on the Fort and try to ram their way through the front gate. No slowing down, no stopping, just driving like a maniac straight in. We figured out later they was trying to get at the fuel, and they weren't the last.

  Theo in the tower on the corner called out that they was coming, and we all grabbed our guns and headed to our muster spots. Theo was the first to shoot. He had himself a hella deer rifle and could shoot the wings off a fly at a hundred paces while chewing gum. I listened as he put two through the windshield where the driver was, stopping the first truck cold. It drifted off the road and into a bit of a flat where the passenger got out. He shot at the tower a few times using the truck as cover, but Theo's deer rifle did work on him too.

  The second and third trucks made it all the way to the first gate, but didn't get to ram it. A whole bunch of us were either in towers or on the other side of the fences when they got close, and not one of us wanted to, but we lit 'em up. I put a half magazine from my SKS through the engine block and windshield of the second truck myself.

  Helluva mess to clean up. We learned a lot that day. Salvage the vehicles as best we can for parts, and the company wrecker was worth its weight in cowboy boots. We towed all them cars to the back near where my new house was, and I was able to strip 'em down and salvage what I could. Good way to pass the time kids.

  And that's how the Fort came to be. There's plenty more story after this, but I'm tired, and it's chilly, and I wanna put my head down now. I'll tell you more about the attacks on the Fort, and how we met some new friends soon. Sleep well kids.

  Someone's out there right now fighting to keep us safe.

  Amy's Daycare

  Sherry Knight

  Groaning softly, Amy hit the snooze button and tried to settle into her pillow again. Knowing that going back to sleep would be not be possible, she slowly opened one eye and as it focused on the clock, she saw that it read 4:30am and she cursed softly under her breath.

  Suddenly warm, friendly arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Amy heard a tiny moan leave her lips as she felt Andy’s lips touch the nape of her neck softly. Smiling as she turned in her husband's arms Amy whispered, "Happy anniversary my love.” She found his lips and felt herself giving into his kiss and eventually his morning salute.

  Afterward, smiling as she heard Andy sing in the shower, Amy moved her hand down and softly caressed her lower abdomen. “So when are we gonna tell Daddy that you’re on the way little one?”

  Amy knew that the news would be a shock for Andy. Hell, it had been a shock to her too. Only yesterday Dr. Howard confirmed the little stick with the plus sign for her. Amy had been told going on five years ago that having a baby was no longer an option for her. Not since the afternoon the drunk hit her while she was jogging.

  After the initial shock of learning the sad news, Amy and Andy decided to use the insurance settlement from the accident to build this house and the daycare business she now ran. Since it would only be the two of them, they decided to have their ‘house’ upstairs. That meant they had a cozy 2 bed/2 bath with a full kitchen and living room built above the daycare Amy had always wanted to own.

  Downstairs, there was a full kitchen and a craft room. What would have been a living room in a normal house was made into a media room. There were also two classrooms and three half baths, two of them with size appropriate fixtures for kids. And the best room of all, the baby room. The basement had a closed in laundry and the rest of the area was finished off as a baby nursery. It held four cribs, two rockers and changing tables. Everything was as cute as could be.

  Andy was on duty today. As a Paramedic his schedule could not have been more perfect. He was on duty for 24 hours and then off for 48 hours. This allowed him time to help out downstairs. A lot of ‘her kids’ came from broken homes so having a father figure around to play with, talk to or just hang with really made a difference.

  Even though Andy was on duty today, the guys at the station had worked it out so that Amy and he could go out for dinner, and that was where she was planning to tell him about the baby. She was nervous, but oh so excited.

  As Amy was heading into the bathroom, Andy was heading out pausing just long enough to kiss her deeply and massage her breasts. Amy pulled back and laughed as she swatted him on the ass. "Go on mister; go save people." She knew that she would be hearing from him during the day.

  He had bought her an emergency radio and had one of the dispatchers hook it up so that Amy could listen to his calls as they came in.

  Every time the radio would go off all of the little boys and even a couple of the little girls would all grab a toy fire truck and go racing around the room and it sometimes got a bit loud. Amy loved it, because she knew how much Andy meant to the little ones and how much they meant to him.

  Amy finished her shower, dressed and headed downstairs to get the day started. Seeing her two younger employees Jessica and Kelly outside, Amy unlocked the door and everyone went about their normal morning activities. Amy started breakfast for the early arrivals, while the two teens made sure the changing tables had diapers, etc and that all the toys were put away.

  Then the triplets arrived. These three boys were demons from hell. Four years old, each red headed and with tempers like nothing else. They could never enter a room quietly; they had to make sure that everyone knew that they had arrived. They came three days a week, and the only reason Amy continued to accept them was because their mother had basically begged her. Apparently they were banned from other daycares. Amy got them settled and got them some oatmeal to keep their mouths busy. Normally, they had four infants, and thirteen toddlers up to age five. Today, however they would have Mattie, a seven-year-old sister of one of the babies who had trouble during the night with her asthma. Mom decided to keep her out of school.

  The morning went smoothly, first breakfast, then Sesame Street while the kitchen was cleaned. Then school as the little ones called it. The three women divided the kids and everyone worked on their ABC’s and 1-2-3’s.

  Just as Amy was finishing up a rather nasty poopy-filled diaper, her phone rang with Andy’s ring tone. Amy laughed and rubbed noses with Scotty and handed him off to Jessica. She had barely got a 'hello' out before Andy was rattling off orders to her, she could tell from the tone of his voice that he was serious, and scared.

  Amy motioned to Jess that she was going upstairs and then tried to get Andy to slow down so she could understand him. Sitting on their bed she finally got him to stop and start over more slowly this time. As he talked, Amy could feel the color drain from her face.

  "Amy, Babe, you need to listen to me. Listen good ok Hun? I need you to get all the kids down in the basement take diapers, food, water, bottles, formula, use the fridge that is down there. Take some toys too and you better take bedding, take their nap pads and grab some clothes and pillows for yourself and also food for you and who's there with you today?'

  "Jessica and Kelly," she heard herself whisper.

  "Ok good," he continued, "Get them to get the kids downstairs, take a TV and DVD player and some of their DVDs. DO NOT turn on the TV to the news, please, I am begging you, you do not want the kids to see what’s on it right now. I am on my way home. Make sure you have everything down there when I get there. I can't stay long, Betty is riding with me today and we'll have to get back to the station. Amy, I love you Babe, please do what I say and I will see you in a few."

  The click as he hung up seemed to echo in her ears. Amy sat there for a minute just staring at the phone and then sprung into action. Running down the stairs, she called for the teens to meet her in the kitchen. “I ne
ed you two to say nothing, just listen to me and do what I say. We need to pretend we are going on an adventure for the kids. Kelly, help me move two of the cribs down to the basement. Then we’ll grab pillows, blankets, and the kids nap mats. While we are doing that, Jess, I need you to move the small TV out of the kitchen and the DVD player downstairs, also take a couple of Dora the Explorer DVDs. You know which ones they’ll watch better than anything else."

  Jess started to say something when Amy held a hand up. “Girls all I know is that Andy called and something is going down, he wouldn’t say what it was. He just wanted us to get the kids down to the basement and make them comfortable and make it fun. While you two are doing what I’ve asked, I’ll be getting stuff out of the kitchen and down there. Once we are set then we move the kids. Oh and one more thing; Andy said to make sure that NO ONE turned the TV on. He said there was some bad stuff on the news. So until he gets here, we do what we need to do to keep these babies all safe and happy.” The three of them then moved out.

  None of them said anything that was out of the ordinary. Kelly decided to fold up the two pack-&-plays that they used for the infants. She placed all four of the tiny babies that they had there today in one of the big cribs. Just as she had finished folding the portables, three year old Tammy started yelling, "Miss kewy, the babies are eating each other's hands." Of course this strange comment captured the attention of all the kids as they crowded around the crib and watched.

  Amy was glad that they had this distraction for a few minutes as she grabbed a laundry basket and started filling it with everything she thought they might need. She had no idea how long they would be down there, so she put everything her hands could grab in the basket.

  Just as she finished delivering the fifth basket downstairs she heard Andy come in the door. All but a couple kids had given up watching the fist sucking competition and were playing with their favorite toys. As always when the first child saw Andy everyone else heard about it. Someone called out his name, and everyone rushed to try to be the first to grab a leg. Laughing like he always did, Andy placed his hands on little heads and ruffled hair. As his eyes met Amy’s she noticed that the laughter was not in them, they seemed wild and scared. And that scared her more than anything ever had before.

  "Ok guys, let's let Mister Andy have a quiet minute with Miss Amy." Jess said as she shooed everyone back into the playroom. She winked at Amy as she led the kids out. Grabbing Amy’s hand, Andy almost pulled her upstairs, taking two at a time.

  Once inside their bedroom, he pulled her into a hug, a very strong hug. "Baby, something is going on. People are acting crazy, going around biting others and I don’t just mean biting, I mean taking chunks of flesh and eating it. I haven’t seen it personally, but it's all over the news. Our radios have been going off all morning." Amy nodded her head as he continued. "I have to get back to the station but I need to make sure you and the kids are all safe, so I have a plan. I have Betty calling all the parents, letting them know that their kids are safe here, and that they need to make sure their homes are safe enough and then they can come pick them up. She’s telling them where we keep the spare key so they can get inside and then they are to put it back for the next parent."

  The nodding Amy had started earlier suddenly stopped. "Why don’t I just let them in when they get here?" She asked quietly.

  His reply was the one that started her tears. "Because Baby, am locking you guys in the basement, so no one can get you," he said, and then he kissed her passionately.

  As he broke the kiss, Amy remembered what she had been waiting to tell him. "Honey, I have something I have to tell you…"

  "Not now babe, we got to get moving," he said and then Andy was off back downstairs. As Amy stood in their bedroom trying her tears, she could hear him talking to the kids. "Hey troop, here's the deal; we are having a game. It's time to hide from Mom and Dad ok? We’re going to go to the basement and when they get here, they’ll have to say ‘yooo hooo where are you?’ and then when they come downstairs, you can all say HERE WE ARE! Sound like fun guys?” She listened to them screaming their approval. Amy knew that anything Andy suggested the kids would agree with. Within minutes, they were all heading downstairs. Kelly stayed upstairs with the babies until the other three adults got all of the toddlers into the basement. The three women then each grabbed up a baby with Amy taking two and then she handed one off to Andy who was waiting at the top of the stairs.

  After everyone was settled on mats or chairs or in bed, Jess started handing out snacks and drinks. Kelly looked at Amy and with her eyes begging harder than her words were, asked Amy if she would mind if she left. Apparently her boyfriend Bobby was getting ready to leave work and wanted her to go with him out of town. Amy kissed Kelly’s cheek and told her to go.

  Andy started back up the stairs with Amy behind him the whole way, watching as he went to the laundry room and pulled out his toolbox. Turning, he noticed Amy has confused look and he started to explain.

  “I’m going to take the handle off the door. Then I am going to push the bookcase in front of the door, that way, unless you know the door is there, no one will think of looking for you. Just in case you need to get out, I grabbed some large eyehooks from the station and some rope, come on and I’ll show you what I’m planning."

  As they made it back into the kitchen, Amy stood frozen as she watched her husband, her mind reeling from everything she’d heard in the last fifteen minutes. After the door knob was removed he grabbed a wrench and took one of the eyehooks and on the bottom left side as she faced it, screwed it into the wood. As it got harder to turn, he switched to the wrench. When he finished there, he moved down the wall to the door jamb and attached the other eyehook. He then took the rope and tied it securely to the bookcase. He ran the length of rope to the second hook and pulled it through.

  He started to explain, "I’ll push the bookcase in front of the door. Just far enough from the wall so that the rope can slide behind it. You will have the end of it with you downstairs. I’ll slide it under the door. If and only IF you need to get out of there before someone comes to push it open for you, all you have to do is pull on the rope slowly so that the traction of it being through the second hook will slowly pull it away from the door. If you try to go too fast, it might break the rope or topple the bookcase and then you’ll be trapped." Amy wrapped her arms around herself and nodded at Andy. He finished his work, stood up, and hugged her again. "When this is over and it will be over, the police are on this big time. We’ll go out for that anniversary dinner ok babe?" Andy kissed his wife, holding on to her for dear life. He had not told her that there were rumors out there that the people who were bitten usually died. Just as their kiss ended his alarm went off.

  Units 4, please respond to Moore’s sporting goods store. PD request, gunshots fired. One reported victim. Over.

  “Hurry Honey, get downstairs, I have got to run. I love you Amy." He kissed her forehead and she walked down the stairs. She stood there as Andy shut the door and she saw the rope snake under the jamb. She heard the scraping sound as Andy pushed the bookcase in front of the door, hiding them. Then he was gone with Betty heading downtown to the shooting at Moore’s.

  For the first two hours things went smoothly, the kids had their snacks and then laid down for naps. Amy was visibly shaken the whole time, especially after hearing on the EMS scanner that was still on in the kitchen that something bad was going on down at Moore’s. The sound was too muffled for her to hear clearly though, so she decided to put the TV on and turn it away from the kids so she and Jess could see what was going on.

  The images popping up on the screen could have been from a horror movie. The two women looked at each other and with tears in their eyes looked beyond the TV at the fifteen little souls sleeping like angels. Even the redheaded triplets looked precious right now.

  Amy whispered to Jess, "We have to keep them safe." Jess nodded quietly then grasped Amy's arm and pointed to one of the ground level windows.r />
  Outside, there was two pair of feet walking around, just moving back and forth. Slowly and unsteady. Amy moved towards the window, looking up. One of the babies woke up and Jess checked his diaper, pulling him up into her arms. The crying woke the oldest child there today, the seven year old named Mattie. The girl whose asthma had been acting up all night.

  Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she watched Miss Amy go towards the window. Suddenly, the dog from down the street ran past the window barking and growling. Mattie watched as one of the people outside reached for the dog. Abruptly, the second person walking outside lunged forward, falling on the dog. Amy was close enough to see the horrible face of the person who fell, or what was left of their face.

  All Mattie could concentrate on was the dog. The animal cried as the two people outside both pulled in it. Her eyes widened as she watched them bite the dog, its red blood splattering all over the window. Amy turned away fast her hand over her mouth and her eyes met Mattie’s. Then all hell broke loose.

  Mattie started screaming, waking everyone else who in turn started screaming or crying. Amy rushed to Mattie to try and calm her but nothing worked. Mattie started wheezing. Amy hollered to Jess to grab her inhaler.

  Jess looked in the baskets they brought to the basement but couldn't find the inhaler. Fighting panic she asked, "Where did you put it Amy?"

  Amy felt the blood drain from her face when she realized that she hadn’t grabbed Mattie’s inhaler or any medications for that matter. Mattie's wheezing soon turned into gasps for air. Amy called for Jess to come hold Mattie and try to get her to calm down and breathe slowly so that Amy could try to get that damn door open.

  Suddenly other kids started screaming even louder. Looking up, Amy saw that the two men outside were peering into the basement and pressing on the glass trying to break it. Jessica started yelling for Amy who was at the top of the stairs pulling on the rope, but not feeling it give any. When she glanced back down the stairs Amy saw Jessica lay Mattie down and cover her up with a blanket. Their eyes met and Jess just shook her head and started crying. The chaos in the basement seemed to settle a bit when the men left the window. Jess, sitting next to Mattie gasped when she felt movement coming from the little girl. Uncovering the child, Jess leaned over to caress Mattie’s face. Suddenly the little one's eyes opened and what had previously been a beautiful blue were now a milky white.