Devour: Death & Decay Book 1

by R. L. Blalock

  “Be safe. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Liv didn’t want to hang up but she knew she had to.

  As anxiety crept back in, she hugged Elli close and took comfort in the small child’s nearness. Elli, though not entirely calm, clung to Liv’s shirt and looked around at the trees as they walked.

  Liv looked down at her child and saw a whole new world of fear open up before her. Before now, her biggest fears for Elli had been whether or not her speech was behind or whether her curious nature might get her into trouble. Now, the thought of Elli trying to climb the stairs on her own paled in comparison to the worry of what the world might be transforming into.

  Maybe this would blow over in a couple of days. Maybe this was the birth of a new world order. Something that wouldn’t be restricted to St. Louis but would span the globe and alter the course of human history forever. What kind of future would Elli have? Would Liv even be able to keep them alive long enough for her to have a future?

  Day 1

  7:12 pm

  Liv crouched just inside the tree line by a neighborhood. It was the first place she had come across since leaving the highway. She had crossed a few empty roads but not a single building or home until now, which had been a blessing, but she was starting to wonder if she was walking in circles. She had begun to wonder if she would ever find a place where Colin could pick them up.

  The neighborhood had been touched by the mayhem of the highway. Down the street, a few—thankfully only a few—of the monsters mingled on the lawn of a neighboring house. Some of them limped or shuffled on deformed legs. Others stalked around, their heads snapping around at the slightest sound. Their clothes were bloodied and torn. Their face ranged from slack-jawed, vacant stares to twisted snarls and gnashing teeth.

  In the driveway sat a minivan, the passenger door wide open, its interior coated in red. The blood spilled out of the open door and pooled on the ground. A smeared trail ran across the driveway into the grass of the front yard and reappeared at the walkway to another house.

  Liv had been watching from her hiding spot in the tree line, waiting to see if any more of them would emerge. So far, none had. The blood trail led her to expect that at least one other house might have come under attack. Perhaps the others had too.

  The neighborhood would have been pleasant otherwise. Neatly trimmed lawns with small trees and decorative shrubs lined the roads. The houses were mostly single-story ranch houses with simple brick or tan façades. Children’s toys dotted a few of the front lawns. A bike here. A basketball hoop there. Even a small battery-powered car sat abandoned on its side in one of the driveways. It was a family neighborhood where parents could let their children play and roam.

  She had moved through the trees around the neighborhood in an attempt to survey as much as possible. Finally, she had settled behind a house closest to the tree line in the cul-de-sac. The house was brick with white trim and shutters. Shrubs and roses decorated the front of the house, but the backyard was simply grass. The driveway wrapped around the side of the house. The west side of the front yard was a rock garden dotted with fresh, vibrant flowers that sloped down towards the woods. The east side, with the driveway, was more level.

  The house was quiet, but a car sat parked in front. Someone might be home. Someone who could help her. Some who could at least give her shelter.

  As a monster wandered around the far side of the minivan, away from her position, Liv bolted from the tree line to the corner of the house. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of a sliding glass door that looked into the basement. She yanked on the handle and to her dismay, it didn’t budge. For a moment, she rested her face on the glass before moving on.

  Slowly, she inched along the side of the house. At the corner, she scanned warily for any changes. The monsters were gone.

  All the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Surely they had wandered around the side of the neighboring house, but she hated not knowing where they were. Liv tried to fight the urge to run back into the woods. It would be dark soon and she wanted to be inside when the sun set.

  Her eyes constantly searched back and forth as she moved up along the garage, now visible to most of the street. The blinds in the house were all drawn, and it was impossible to tell what waited inside.

  The next corner led to the front of the house. All clear but the front door was on the far side set into the brick face of the house. Shrubs and flowers surrounded by a rock bed lined the walkway and small porch, but none were tall enough to obscure her from view. Once she was at the door, she would be cornered.

  With one last look around, she dashed up the walkway.

  “Hello.” Her voice remained quiet as she frantically knocked on the door. “Hello! Please, I need help.” Her call was met with no response, so she knocked again.

  From behind her, the rocks in the garden clanked together. Liv spun around to see someone clawing their way through the shrubs. It was one of them.

  A man. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of dirty gray sweatpants. His chest and paunchy stomach were a patchwork of blood. Chunks of flesh had been savagely ripped from their place, exposing muscle and bone. His chin was red and shiny as ropes of blood dripped from his mouth.

  He was having trouble on the steep side of the yard as he tried to take the most direct route to her through the rock bed. The small stones rolled under his feet, making his footing unsteady.

  He looked up at her from his struggle. His face was a chewed-up mess of loose and missing flesh. He might have snarled at her, but there wasn’t enough of his lips left to tell. She could see his entire eyeball, rolling around in the socket, where his eyelid had been chewed away.

  Liv leapt off the small porch and ran back towards the side of the house that she had come from. The wood line was only a short sprint away.

  As she rounded the second corner, dismay flooded through her. Within the woods, she could see them as they ambled aimlessly. A dozen or so that she could see already. There were probably more that she couldn’t see. They had probably followed her and others like her as they fled the war-torn highway.

  Three of them at the very edge broke away and headed for her. Low, guttural groans emanated from their lips as their eyes locked onto her. Their faces contorted into gruesome snarls as their fingers grasped for her, clenching and unclenching in anticipation. Liv looked around for an escape, a weapon, anything.

  Across the street, the monsters she had seen earlier had reappeared from their hiding place. The same gurgled grunt rumbled from them as well, rising to join the chorus of the others in a maddening cacophony.

  They all moved at various speeds; some closed in fast, while others shuffled and stumbled their broken limbs. An attack was inevitable and Liv needed something to defend herself with.

  Next to the garage stood an old, worn long-handled shovel. She snatched it up and dropped the diaper bag so it wouldn’t hinder her movement. Liv gently kissed the top of Elli’s head and shifted her grip on the shovel to hold it like a baseball bat.

  More of the monsters had entered the street from between the house and out of the trees. Dozens of them now. There were too many. She knew there were too many to fight them all off. All she had to do, though, was make a hole big enough to escape through.

  One had broken away from the others that had emerged out of the trees: a girl. She closed in on Liv at a debilitated jog. Her right leg dragged behind her, twisted at an odd angle. The girl ran on her ankle with her foot turned disturbingly to the side. She hardly seemed to notice the injury.

  Blood had dripped from her mouth, down the front of her mint-green shirt and dark denim jeans, all the way to her white shoelaces. Some of her hair had come free of its braid and had become matted by blood against the side of her face. The girl’s jaws gnashed excitedly as she approached.

  “Get back!” Liv shouted weakly, taking a few steps away from the bloodied redheaded teenager. “Stop right now. All of you.” The shouts fe
ll on deaf ears and the monsters continued to push forward.

  Liv stepped back. She had never had to fight anyone. Never wanted to hurt or been forced to hurt anyone. It went against everything she had been taught since childhood.

  The girl crossed within the shovel’s reach, and Liv took a few more steps backwards. She hesitated to attack another person. Liv struggled between restraint and the desire to pummel the savage beast into nothing.

  “Get back!” The words came out more forcefully.

  The girl’s arms came up and a snarl mangled her otherwise pretty face. The vision transformed her from what could have been a young woman, injured and in need of help, into a rabid animal ready to strike.

  Liv swung, the flat side of the shovel connecting squarely with the girl’s left shoulder. She spun around and landed hard on her knees. The blow hardly fazed the girl. No cry escaped her lips. No tears of pain fell from her eyes. Not even a grimace crossed her face. After a brief moment, she began to pick herself up again.

  A hand brushed Liv’s shoulder and she screamed as she whirled around. It was the man who had been struggling up to the house in the rock garden. His eyes looked straight at her, but there was no life in them.

  He grabbed for her again. This time, Liv swung with the edged side of the shovel. The weapon implanted deep into the man’s neck with a wet smack. The handle was ripped from Liv’s hands as his body toppled to the ground.

  But the man didn’t stop moving. Instead, the man rolled around as he awkwardly tried to right himself with the shovel lodged in his neck. Clumsy and unbalanced, he struggled to his feet. He almost seemed unaware of the large protrusion that jutted out of his neck.

  Liv reached for the shovel’s handle but it was pulled out of her grasp. The girl had regained her footing as well. The monsters from across the street were in the cul-de-sac. More had emerged from the woods. As each second passed, the situation worsened. Escape was impossible.

  A roar from behind rattled Liv’s already frazzled nerves. A brawny man no taller than Liv brought a hammer down squarely on the head of the man who had stolen Liv’s shovel. Two more long strides and he swung again. His strike sent the girl spinning to the ground, but she did not get back up. His brow furrowed in concentration as he swung once more. Three swings, three lifeless bodies. The hammer seemed to be a natural extension of his arm.

  “Get in the house.” He pointed to the house she had been investigating.

  Liv bolted for the door, snatching up the diaper bag as she ran by the garage. At the door, a woman stood guard and let her in. The man flung himself in only a second later. The door slammed and locks clicked into place as Liv took in the interior of the house. A second later, a thud resonated through the door. It was quickly followed by more.

  The rooms were painted a muted taupe and furnished with two oversized chocolate-brown sofas. On the walls hung wedding pictures, family portraits, and candid photos of the man, woman, and a child at various ages.

  Liv noticed the woman just inside the door. Her wavy, blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face and fell just passed her shoulders. She had wrapped her arms around her willowy frame and was staring at Liv through fearful hazel eyes.

  “What are we going to do?” The woman’s words were barely audible. Liv looked between her and the man. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. She hadn’t thought about what would happen if the monsters attacked the house. What if they got in? What would they do then?

  “Help me move this!” The man grasped one side of a bookshelf. Liv and the woman sprang into action. They gripped the other side and pushed while the man pulled on the tall, sturdy furniture. It slowly slid across the carpet and they carefully maneuvered it in front of the window.

  A squeal echoed from outside. Liv pushed the blinds apart and peered through the small gap between the window and the bookcase. A small silver sedan sped down the street towards the house. Suddenly, the car’s tires began to smoke as the driver laid on the brakes.

  For a moment, the car idled at the entrance to the cul-de-sac. More of the deranged people rounded the corner and stumbled onto the street after the car. Liv’s heart sank. There were dozens more.

  The monsters at the door shrieked and ran toward the car. This seemed to be all the incentive the driver needed. Smoke once again rose from the tires and the car lurched backwards. The people ran straight at the car, unafraid of the large, metal projectile.

  The small car bounced as the vehicle collided with their bodies. The driver didn’t even try to slow down. Didn’t try to avoid them.

  The car halted abruptly as the driver shifted back into drive and jerked forward. Some of the infected had reached the car. The vehicle clipped a man as it moved forward again. Liv cringed as he spun around, falling underneath the back tires as he hit the ground. Another clung to one of the mirrors and was dragged along as the car sped off again.

  The monsters howled and gave chase. After a few moments, the neighborhood was quiet once again.

  Liv breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the creatures vanish down the street. The breath was cut short as she caught sight of movement in the street. Several of the creatures that had been plowed over by the car began to slowly pick themselves up.

  Her breath came in short quick gasps as she watched the people stumble to their feet. They looked wrong. Their limbs hung down, bent and broken. Their bodies twisted unnaturally as they moved.

  Liv leapt back from the window, her wide eyes searching for comfort. Her own horror was reflected in the woman’s face, but the man’s face was blank and stony.

  “I’ll fix up the rest of the house.” He turned, leaving them alone.

  The woman’s expression softened but her smile was stiff. “Come on,” she beckoned to Liv. “Why don’t we sit down. You could probably use a little rest.”

  Liv hesitated. Her body was still tense, ready to move at the slightest sign of danger. “I…” She looked around the room. “Uh, shouldn’t we do…something?”

  “It’s alright.” The woman’s voice trembled slightly as she worked to erase the worry from her face. “Nate will take care of things.” The woman busied herself straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair a bit. “You’re safe here.”

  Liv took a breath. “Thank you,” she said shakily. “Thank you so much. We-We would have been goners if it weren’t for your help.” As Liv raised her hands to stroke Elli’s head and calm the cries that had started during the scuffle, she noticed red spots dotting her arms. Her heart thudded against her chest. She scanned Elli for any sign that the blood had gotten on her.

  None had.

  “Are you hurt?” The man’s voice was gruff and held no concern.

  “No.” She shook her head and looked at the woman. “Would you mind unbuckling the carrier and taking Elli for me? I don’t want to touch her until I’ve washed my hands.”

  The woman looked to her husband, but he had already turned to walk into another room. “Shush, shush, shush, sweet girl,” she cooed as she worked the straps with experienced hands. The woman was at least a decade older than Liv. “Aaron,” she called over her shoulder, “would you please show our guest to the bathroom?”

  “Thank you. My name is Olivia but call me Liv.” A boy too young to be a teen appeared from the kitchen. He had a head of raven-black hair, his short curls bouncing with each step. He looked more like his father than his mother. The boy led her down a short hallway and opened the first door on the right.

  “Could you please turn the hot water on all the way?” The boy obliged and Liv waited until she could see steam rising before she began scrubbing her hands. The water burned but she wasn’t willing to take any chances.

  Her mind still rolled through the last few hours like snapshots. The faces. All the blood. The monsters. Zombies. Was that really what they were? She didn’t like that word. It didn’t seem like something real. Zombies were monsters in movies, not real things.

  On the highway, the paramedic had bitten his partner. Th
e partner had changed, become just as vicious and crazed. If whatever was causing people to change could be carried in saliva, there was a good chance it could be carried in the blood. She scrubbed harder at her hands.

  “Excuse me,” she hollered down the hallway.

  “What?” The man appeared like a ghost in the doorway, making Liv jump.

  “Uh,” Liv stammered. His presence was unnerving. His lack of emotion to what had just happened seemed unnatural. “Do you have any iodine or bleach? And some paper towels. I just want to be extra careful…”

  He walked away abruptly. A couple seconds later, he reappeared and deposited the bleach and a handful of paper towels onto the bathroom counter before walking off again without a word, shutting himself in a room down the hall.

  Liv bit her tongue against a snarky comment. The man had just saved their lives and let them into his home when he could have left them outside to die. It wouldn’t be a great show of appreciation to comment on his callous behavior.

  Nevertheless, his behavior bothered her. It didn’t just bother her own ideals of behavior. He seemed detached. Not just from her but from his family. Now more than ever she thought a family would come together to take comfort in one another. Instead, he chose solitude.

  After scrubbing her hands with the bleach, then again with more hot water and soap, Liv carefully inspected the rest of her skin and clothes for any more splatters.

  The mirror’s reflection was not flattering. A quick look down revealed that her old, sturdy steel-toed work boots were caked in mud.

  She carefully rinsed them in the sink and splashed a bit of bleach on them in case any of the grooves harbored blood. Her clothes had streaks of dirt and sweat. Branches in the woods had pulled bits of hair free of the ponytail gathered at the nape of her neck.

  Liv straightened her clothes, tried her best to wipe away the dirt, and constrained her hair in a ponytail once again before she reemerged from the bathroom.