Infected (Book 1): End of the World

by A. E. R. Kingsbury

  Landen pulled the truck over to the side of the dirt road and put the gears in park; they were close to the place. The road that leads to the parking lot in front of the building but it was completely blocked off by the infected. Landen had done his research on the area and found a trail through the woods close by.

  The others followed behind with not much other choice; they knew they needed to find something to bring back to the camp. They never knew what to expect when they went out on these hunts. Every location was a new and terrifying event. Every direction lurked danger, they had to keep alert and watch their backs. Weapons and skills meant nothing if you weren’t smart and above all, careful.

  Crisp leaves crunched under their boots as they walked carefully but on alert, keeping a steady pace and an eye open for the infected. It was best to make as little noise as possible; the infected seemed to have heightened senses. They could hear, see and smell live human flesh from miles away. The more they moaned and groaned, the larger the mob would become as others would follow the sound and join the army.

  Kris walked behind Sydney with her bow in hand prepared for anything. Kris was Sydney's younger sister. They were two years apart in age but ever so fearless like the other. Their father was a Military Sergeant in the old world. They were born with the strength of fighters and it took the end of the world to bring it out in them.

  Sydney whistled and signaled to Matt and Landen who were several feet behind them. They were getting closer to the parking lot that lead to the Rest Stop and Shop; growls and snarls from the infected could be heard from afar. This was a sound like no other, the sound of mutated humans, hunting for their next victim. It was a sound that made shivers run up and down their spines. They couldn't tell if there were five or five hundred to ward off.

  Chapter 2

  Landen gripped his binoculars tightly as he assessed the area. It looked as if it would be more difficult getting inside the building than they had thought. The parking lot was clear; most of the infected had already fallen or were too weak to get to them. Part of the building had collapsed; there was a pile of broken remains. The glass entrance door was also broken, Landen could see infected inside.

  He had been on too many hunts and had lost too many people over the months to want to do it all over again, especially for something they could look elsewhere for. He was right in a way; the four of them could have trouble getting by that many infected without someone getting hurt or killed. It looked like they were outnumbered this time but turning back was not going to be an option. They couldn’t afford to waste time or resources, this trip took much of both already.

  “I say we go for it, we’ve been through worse and survived to tell the tale.” suggested Matt as he wiped his face with his shirt. Everybody looked at Landen, he was outnumbered. The campsite needed anything they could get their hands on, they needed to find out and not take a chance at missing something good.

  “You’re right, let’s get in and out as quickly as we can. Only grab things that are useful please.” he said, looking over at Matt.

  “Beer was useful.” mumbled Matt.

  On one of their previous hunts to find rations and supplies, Matt came across an abandoned beer truck swarmed by infected. He risked his life and the lives of others by attempting to get into the truck and check it out despite everyone’s warnings. He came out with no ammo and a six pack of the county’s finest brew.

  The group slowly walked out of the wooded area and down the hill onto the broken paved parking lot of the once bustling Rest Stop and Shop.

  The shop was once a popular place for those traveling through town to town, city to city. It was owned for over 30 years by a local couple. They ran their business like it was their baby and they loved the people who stopped in to visit. It gave tourists a chance to take a break from the road, have a bite to eat at the small restaurant and maybe buy a souvenir at the shop. Now it looked like a war zone of the infected. All that was left was broken glass and debris, a once proud standing building destroyed. The pavement had grass and weeds growing through the massive cracks, rusted bullet shells lay on the blood stained ground beside the lifeless bodies.

  Taking cover behind cars, garbage bins and whatever else lying around, they got a better look at what they were getting themselves into. The glass door was barricaded by a large board of broken wood, the word “danger” was spray painted across it. They could see the infected clinging up against the broken and blood stained windows. The skin on their hands was shredded from ripping and clawing at the broken glass.

  It looked as though they had been there a while, weeks or maybe months. The more decomposed they looked; the longer they had been in their monstrous state. They could smell the living coming as they snarled and grasped at the air, some even biting each other. It looked like it had been a barricade for other survivors to escape. Those were most likely the last poor souls who tried to scavenge the place. The day the world ended, that shop was at capacity with people. Travelers seemed to have come from everywhere; the parking lot was almost full. Three hundred unsuspecting people died that day – not one person survived.

  ***

  The four backed up and Sydney fired several shots taking out two of the infected while Kris took care of the other two with a swift knife to the skull. They didn't have much ammo to waste but manpower was plentiful. Matt and Landen each grabbed a side of the wood and lifted it to one side, they could get in that way and find what they need and get out, quickly.

  Stepping over the fallen bodies with only the light of their flashlights, they headed into the shop and took a look around. The shop was set up inside like a small mom and pop style diner with tables and a broken jukebox on one end with a souvenir shop occupying the other half of the building. Shelves and tables had been over turned, items strewn across the floor. The group slowly walked around to see if they could find anything salvageable. Maybe some food that hadn’t expired or some other type of useful items they could bring back to the campsite.

  It was too quiet throughout the building, they could smell the infected and they could smell death. Kris covered her nose and mouth with her scarf.

  "Let's try to be quick." she whispered.

  Matt and Landen took one end of the store while Sydney and Kris headed in the opposite direction to see if anything was there. They headed down an aisle in the gift shop; there were about three aisles and each had high shelves with box upon box of useless junk.

  Sydney reached for a box on a lower shelf when a cold hand grabbed her. Items went flying from the shelf as an infected was attacking her from the other side. Sydney struggled, trying to get her weapon from her belt, the buckle was caught. Kris rushed over and brought her knife down through the eye of the infected, killing it instantly. She had no other choice. It was either the infected, or her sister.

  Landen rushed around the corner.

  "Everyone ok?” he was wide-eyed.

  "Yeah, an infected just caught me off guard."

  Sydney and Kris caught their breaths and the group proceeded to gather what they could. They walked the entire interior of the building and began searching. They began by checking drawers, shelves, cupboards, closets and any rooms that weren’t sealed shut. They didn’t find much more than a few boxes of energy bars and bags of mixed dried fruit, nothing that would qualify as extremely useful to the camp. Landen may have been right all along, this mission was looking like it was more of a dangerous waste of their time than anything else.

  The infected were unpredictable, just when they thought the way was clear to go back through the exit, they could hear it; more of them flooding in the only way out. They must have heard the sound of the gunshots earlier, making their way for a fresh bite. Snarling, growling and wanting nothing more than to infect and kill, these creatures would not give up until every living thing was like them. With weapons in hand the group fought their way through the crowd of infected. The sound of metal slashing weak flesh filled their ears. They could feel the cold blood
splattering on their own skin; a thing of nightmares.

  Knife knocked from her hand, Kris struggled and began wrestling one of the infected trying to fight it off and avoid being bitten or scratched. Her heart raced and just as she thought she was about to become one of them, Matt pulled the trigger and the infected fell to the floor, lifeless once again.

  “Are you alright? You have to be more careful!” he scolded with a finger pointing at her.

  Kris was a little bit shaken by the close call. She stepped over the bodies of the infected and the group made way through to the entrance. Sometimes these missions were more dangerous than what they were worth. All of this life threatening trouble for a couple of energy bars and dried fruit. The group finally made it out of the warehouse and headed across the parking lot. When they came to the path they could hear something that sounded like a voice coming from the east, it wasn’t that far away.

  They stopped in their tracks and listened. A voice could be heard in the distance, it sounded like someone in distress calling for help. Matt began heading in the direction of the voice out of pure instinct, he couldn’t just leave a man out there to die. Kris grabbed his arm.

  “Wait. It’s in the opposite direction to where we’re headed. It’s probably too late.” she said.

  Matt pulled his arm from her grasp and glared at her, shaking his head. How could she be so selfish, what if it was another survivor? Maybe it was someone who could be useful for the campsite.

  She seemed to have forgotten that she wouldn’t be around had someone ignored her calls for help when they found her and Sydney stranded.

  ***

  Everyone followed Matt’s lead as he ran toward the direction of the cries for help. He halted behind a nearby tree for cover as he tried to think of a way they could help the man before it was too late. He signaled for everyone to be quiet as they got closer to see what he was seeing.

  The man’s screams were bloodcurdling, he feared for his life as an infected clawed at him. It was too late; he had already been attacked and bitten severely all over this neck and torso. There was only one way to stop what was about to happen next. Matt raised his gun, put his eye to the scope and aimed it toward the head of the infected. With one swift pull of the trigger, both the infected and the unknown man fell to the ground perished. As he lowered his gun, he looked down at the ground. He hated having to do that but it was the only way. He looked up again and peered through the scope of his gun. He checked around for any more infected or any more people. The four moved out once he gave the signal that the area was clear.

  The group slowly walked toward the unknown body lying in a pool of its own blood and guts. Matt knelt down, pushed the infected body off the man and stared him for a moment. He covered the man’s eyes and closed them with a slight press of his palm for one final rest. The man was dressed in bloody, tattered clothing, no identification on his body; he had probably been out in the woods for a while. The smell was already starting to get bad. There was nothing anybody could have done for him. If it wasn’t from the virus, he would have died from his injuries without a doubt. Matt gently searched the body to see if he carried any clues as to who he was and why he was out in the forest alone. He reached into the interior pocket of the man’s vest and found a black bag containing something a little heavy. He unzipped the bag and inside was something that made his eyes light up.

  “Guys, check out what I just found.” He said.

  Sydney grabbed the radio from Matt’s hands and began frantically pressing buttons.

  “Do you think it works? HELLO?”

  The static sound diminished into silence.

  "We should bring it back to camp with us. We might be able to fix it with what we have.”

  Landen grabbed the radio and stuffed it into his backpack. The group said a silent prayer for dead and opened their eyes, heads down. Beside the body Matt noticed a brown leather backpack that had been dropped presumably by the man they couldn’t save. He picked up the backpack and checked inside. There were a few rations, half a bottle of water, some flares and an old piece of paper folded up at the bottom of the bag. Matt took the paper and began unfolding it, being careful not to rip it. It looked to be a map of some kind, a man drawn map.

  The map was ripped around the edges and stained with a coffee cup ring in the middle. It looked as if someone had mapped out a route to somewhere marked with an X. Examining the map a little closer, they noticed it was of the area. They could pinpoint their campsite, miles away from the X mark.

  Matt carefully folded the map up and put it back into the backpack with the rest of the items they found. They had better luck bringing it to the campsite for someone who was more familiar with maps to take a look at. It was going to be dark soon and the group still had to make their way back home.

  Chapter 3

  When a group was sent out to find provisions for the campsite, life wasn’t the same until they would return. More often than not, a group would return with little to offer and one more body to bury in the graveyard several feet off the campsite. Although the world felt like it ended, human beings still had humanity; compassion for one another. At least in this community they believed that no matter if you died by natural causes, by being infected or whatever the unfortunate fate you saw was, every single soul deserved a proper burial. Every single soul deserved their goodbyes.

  “They’ll be back soon, son.” Cal put his hand on Leo’s shoulder.

  Quiet in nature, Leo was only a little kid but he was as wise as Cal some days. He was only eight years old when Cal found him hiding underneath a car when the infection began to spread. They had been neighbors for only a few weeks as Leo and his family had just moved to the area. They couldn’t save his family but that little boy was grateful, he looked up to Cal as his adopted grandfather.

  “Cal, do you think we will ever find a cure?” he was always so full of questions which few other adults could even fathom answering.

  How could they find a cure for something that had nearly taken out an entire human race? How could they bring back those already infected, those already passed on. They didn’t know if or when it could happen again.

  “I don’t know, son. Even if we had a cure or a vaccine, there would be no way to save everybody...”

  Cal’s words trailed off; they could hear the sound of a truck engine coming up the path.

  “They’re back!”

  Leo jumped down from the crates he was sitting on and ran toward the entrance of the campsite. Landen and the group returned from a hunt, they felt like celebrities for a brief moment. People were waiting for them, people cared about them and people were happy to see them back alive. They were the unofficial heroes that protected the campsite and provided for everyone who lived there. They got out of the truck empty handed other than the backpack and few items they found in the abandoned shop. Cal looked hopeful but everyone had a tired and disappointed look on their face.

  Landen held out his arm, the backpack straps wrapped around his dirty hand. He knew Cal and the rest of the campsite were hoping for more than just that.

  “A map and a radio, do you think we can do anything with these?”

  Cal’s eyes lit up for a moment as he reached into the bag and took the radio in his hands. He pressed the button but heard nothing but static. His face frowned and he went silent for a moment. He handed the radio back to Landen, shaking his head.

  “Sorry son, it’s dead.” He said.

  Landen reached into the bag and pulled out the map and handed it to Cal. He knew he had experience with maps and could probably tell them what they should be looking for. Cal carefully unfolded the map and laid it across two crates. He reached into his pocket and took his glasses out. Leaning over the map for several minutes, Cal took a deep breath. He was no expert but from what he could see it was a map to the old mine north of where they were. That mine hadn’t been occupied by anybody for over thirty years before the infected took over, he doubted they would find anything u
seful there.

  Landen wasn’t one to just go out looking for trouble trying to save everybody but he had a feeling about this. He had to take this chance and find out why that man was heading for the old mine. With Landen himself, Matt, Kris and Sydney the group had more than enough manpower to make the trip. They would need to bring somebody to navigate the map. Unsure of what dangers lay ahead for the group, he was hopeful this wasn’t just another wild goose chase.

  He suggested they grab something to eat and talk from there. They would need Alex, one of the other people living in the camp. He was smart, good with electronics and he could also read maps. Landen threw his backpack over his shoulder and the group headed toward the fire pit.

  ***

  “This is a suicide mission, in other words?” Alex looked up from reading the map and laughed a forced, fake laugh.

  He was not much of a fighter; he was one of the smart ones. He often gave unwarranted advice to those who didn’t appreciate his know-it-all attitude.

  “We are heading into unknown territory, we don’t know if any of those things are out there or how many.”

  Sydney rolled her eyes at Alex.

  “Don’t be a wimp. Unfortunately, we need you.” She said.

  For all she cared, he could stay at the camp and wait for the infected to finally get him and his negative attitude. She for one could not stand around and continue living life like a scavenger, fighting to stay alive every single day without anybody worrying about what could happen next. This was not the world she wanted to be living in. It was time somebody took action and she felt it was up to them. Matt stood up and stretched his back.