by Marie Lanza
“Think we can lose them?” Beck asked.
In that instance, Jason answered by veering off the highway and headed for the forest. “We should find out what’s on the other side of these woods.”
It was a bumpy ride, but the Humvee powered through, disappearing behind the tree line, taking down bushes and shrubs.
Beck pulled out the map. “We got a small community right on the other side.”
“They’ll for sure see the mess we just made getting off road.” Mike was still looking out the window behind them.
“Those trucks can’t get back here, so unless they’re so desperate and plan to follow on foot…” Jason didn’t need to finish his thought.
“It’s not ideal, but this community can also get us back to the 59 by surface streets.” Beck glided his finger up the map in the direction they needed to be heading. “From there, we’re not far from Camp Glen.”
Jason splashed down to a low creek bed, hauled back up to the side, and found what looked like a hiking trail. It wasn’t wide enough without getting brushed by the shrubs and trees lining it, but it gave them a smoother ride.
Melody finally started to feel a little settled. “Some pretty harsh extremes to go through for a ride,” she said to Mike, breaking the stress levels in the vehicle.
“I like to make an entrance.” Mike smiled.
Jason took at quick look over his shoulder with a grin then went back to staring straight ahead. It seemed everyone was feeling the relief of getting away unscathed from the attackers. They all let out almost a chuckle that sounded a little unhinged.
The forest began to thin as homes popped up against the tree line. They began seeing privacy fencing protecting properties and more rooftops as they reached the outer neighborhoods to the community.
The dirt trail began to widen until they reached the trail that lead them into a playground. Jason paused and looked around before moving out into the open.
Melody watched the swings silently sway in the breeze, in an almost ghostly movement. She thought about all the children that played in this park. Sliding, climbing, and riding on the merry-go-round. It was awful to think about where they were now and what happened to them. All the families living in this area, gone.
There was an eerie absence of infected. As Jason rolled through the park, abandoned cars sat in the lot, grass grew wildly, while trash was tossed around by the breeze. Continuing on brought the ugly reality of the outbreak with boarded windows, spray paint used to write messages on walls, structures burned down to nothing.
“We should find a place to lock up for the night. Everyone could use some food and rest,” Jason suggested as he exited the park and made their way down a quiet neighborhood.
No one needed to answer. Melody looked at each of their faces, with each answering in their own silent way they agreed. She couldn’t remember when the last time Aubrey ate and was surprised she hadn’t asked for anything.
“A place where we can hide this truck.” Mike leaned back in his seat the best he could. “We need to get ourselves organized.”
“Agreed.” Beck slightly looked over his shoulder.
Jason didn’t drive far to find a house with an open large garage with nothing inside but mostly empty shelves. It looked like the family that lived there packed fast, leaving piles of belongs all over the yard. “As long as the garage door shuts.” He looked around for any infected or living attackers before pulling in.
With Beck and Mike piled under their supply bags, Jason jumped out of the vehicle and quickly ran to the garage door to see if it could pull shut. With a tug, it slid down without a fight. The metal clanked and rattled, sending an echo through the cement room.
Melody tried to quietly remind herself the noise was louder to them, worried that Jason alerted anything in the area to their location.
When the door was shut, Jason opened Melody’s door. “What do you say we dump the bags and make sure this place is clear?” He paused. “Mel, stay here.”
Beck and Mike were already on it, climbing out of the truck, dropping the bags to the ground. Mike was first at the door that would lead them inside the house. To his luck, the door was unlocked, which gave him a small hesitation to just barge in. Beck was quickly behind him, and with this backup, Mike opened the door and the two men disappeared in the house.
Jason followed, closing the door behind him.
Melody hated waiting.
Aubrey looked up at Melody and pointed. “Daddy go bye bye?”
“He’ll be right back, sweetie.”
It was only a minute or so when Jason returned and waved Melody the OK from the door.
Melody didn’t need any other reassurance it was all clear. She was happy to get out of the Humvee and take a break. She pulled Aubrey out and walked inside the house.
Inside was surprisingly not too disrupted except for the kitchen where it appeared the cabinets were rummaged through in a hurried fashion. Through the kitchen, the living room was more tossed, almost looking like a fight may have broken out. Dirt covered the floors and muddy footprints trailed out a back sliding glass door that was shattered, which lead to the backyard.
“Is it safe with the door open?” Melody asked as she looked under her feet where glass was crunching with each step she took.
“The backyard is small with a privacy fence. We’ll take shifts when we sleep.”
Mike came through the smashed door and Beck emerged from the back of the house.
“I’m gonna go get the supplies organized.” Mike paused as he spoke then headed back out to the garage.
“I’ll grab some food and water, bring it in.” Beck followed Mike out.
Melody walked into what was the family’s dining room and sat Aubrey down at a chair. “Sit here, sweetie.” Melody took the chair next to her.
Jason stood to the side of a window that looked out to the street. When Beck returned, he placed four water bottles down along with some MRE’s. Jason sat next to Aubrey.
“Dig in.” Beck passed the water over to Melody along with an MRE package.
Mike entered the dining room to join the group, and placed three candles on the table. “I found these in the garage.” He lit a match. “Dinner by candlelight.”
“Nicely done,” Beck chuckled at him. The sun was slowly falling, and with the curtains closed, it didn’t seem they would have light for much longer. “If we wake up early enough, we should scout the area, more supplies, maybe survivors.” Beck was all business. “We could still have time to make it to Camp Glen.”
“Stop,” Melody spoke out.
It caught everyone off guard.
“Just stop it. Drop this mission of yours to find survivors. Beck, someone just shot at us.” It was just built-up word vomit coming out of Melody, but she couldn’t hold back anymore. It had to be said. “No one wants your help! The only thing they want is the truck and what’s inside. That’s it.”
Neither Jason nor Mike jumped in, nor did they stop Melody from speaking up. They both knew any mission was Beck’s alone.
“You don’t think we should try to still do what we can?” Beck asked, but not just to Melody, he included Mike and Jason in his stare.
“No. I’m a hundred percent with Mel. We’re on our own and so is the rest of the world,” Jason said plainly as he took a bite of his food.
“If there is a rest of the world,” Mike said with a worry in his words. “Look, I’m all for picking up survivors along the way if they need help. I’m not up for getting shot at again.”
Beck nodded as he listened and took it in. He was the losing vote and part of him knew that was the case. It was difficult to take in, as ‘staying on course for the mission’ was built into his bones.
There was a pause in the room.
The rumbling of truck engines.
Truck doors slamming shut.
Mike jumped up and blew out the candles.
Jason was already at the window peeking out to see if he could get a look.
“I see four, no five men, two trucks. Three of the guys are on foot, the other two are driving. They’re searching…” He looked back at the table. “They’re a few houses down the street.”
“We need to move fast. I’ll barricade the door. Mike, help me grab some furniture,” Beck said as he left the dining room.
Melody was already on her feet, pulling Aubrey from the chair.
“We may not be able to run from this,” Jason said with a crack in his throat. “Mel, I want you and Aubrey in the garage.”
“No, wait. What are you planning?” Melody backed herself away from Jason to prevent him from guiding her out.
“Mel, listen to me, if shit goes down, you blast through that garage door.”
Mike rushed in. “They’re going door to door. I’m not seeing a lot of gun-power but you never know.”
Beck dragged furniture across the living room and piled it against the front door. “Guys, get in here.”
In the living room, Beck had barricaded the front door with a small love seat couch and pushed an armoire against the window.
“Look, maybe we greet them before they greet us. Know what I mean?”
“No, no I don’t,” Mike said, a little worried Beck was thinking of doing something crazy.
“I’ll go outside through the backyard and see if I can’t reason with them.”
“They already shot at us. How about we layer these windows with some more furniture and empty our rounds,” Jason argued. He wasn’t interested in reasoning anymore.
“You’re not going out there, Beck. Reason with them from an open window or something,” Mike suggested.
“I’m going out there. You’ll just have to cover me.” Beck was already through the back door before anyone could say another word.
Melody went back to the dining room and looked out the window behind the cover of the curtains. Jason stayed in the living room windows for a straight-on view of the front yard and driveway. Mike followed Beck to the backyard.
Outside, the men walked casually up and down driveways peeking through windows of the homes and garages. When Beck came around the corner of the house, the three men walking were already in the middle of the street making their way to the house. A fourth put the truck in park and stepped out.
The driver was carrying a small firearm in his waistband. He was an older man, much older compared to the other three who looked barely thirty.
Melody thought the old man resembled Roger; a man who looked older than his years, dressed in dirty overalls. The other four also looked like they came from the backwoods, certainly not from the city, from their clothes to the overgrown mullets for hairstyles.
“Can I help you?” Beck called out.
Mike stood just at the corner of the house out of sight with his weapon ready.
“How ya doin’?” the older man called out, standing his ground in the middle of the road.
Beck didn’t answer.
“My boys and I were just on a run through of the neighborhood.”
“And firing at innocent people?”
“Sorry about that. Can’t be too careful anymore. Of course we’re uh… Not lookin’ for any trouble. Just supplies is all.”
“My name’s Major Tyler Beck with the US Army. We can help you with that,” Beck spoke up. “Our mission is get the living to bases. Safe zones with food, water –”
“And how’s that goin’ for ya?” the old man cut Beck off. “I’m afraid I’m not interested in your help,” he spit off to the side. “I’m not much of a fan of the military. You see, they raided my home, dragged us out to one of those safe zones. Lost my wife there.”
“There’s definitely been a few accidents, but…”
“I think I made myself perfectly clear. We’re looking for some items and I believe you have what I’m looking for.
Beck just stared. Part of him wanted to rip the guy’s head off and feed it to his boys, but he still wasn’t sure how out gunned they were. So he continued to try and reason with them, “I’m afraid anything I have is for those we pick up. You should be on your way.”
The old man gave a smirk and turned around. “All right, fellas, let’s get on our way.”
Something didn’t sit well with Melody on the fact they were just going to leave and was confident everyone else was probably on the same page. These guys were trouble and they needed to move the moment they had a chance.
Beck stood firm on the lawn as the trucks pulled out of the neighborhood. When they were gone, he turned around and nodded at Jason who was still standing hidden in the living room window.
When Beck and Mike made it back inside, Melody and Aubrey were already standing in the living room waiting for them. Jason didn’t move from the window, standing watch in case the group returned.
“We’re leaving, right? We can’t stay here.” Melody looked back at Jason.
Before any other words could be spoken, tires screeched, then suddenly glass and wood shattered inward like blades of rain.
Everyone hit the floor, taking cover. Then silence.
Aubrey’s blaring cry was all anyone could hear. A piercing shriek ringing the ear drums.
Jason laid against the base of the window. He lifted himself to look out the window, then turned to Beck and Mike, making hand gestures that two were making their way to the front door, the other three were going around to the garage.
Mike signaled he was heading out back, got up, and disappeared through the back door.
There was a loud crash in the garage from the attackers making their way in.
Beck moved to the kitchen and positioned himself behind the counter with his weapon aimed at the back door.
It was sinking in quickly these men had no cares there was a baby crying. Nothing was stopping them from getting what they wanted and she was having doubts they would be able to stop them. Before she knew it, Melody hugged Aubrey tightly to her chest, got to her feet, and ran out the back door.
Melody didn’t know where her feet were taking her; she just knew she had to get out fast.
The backyard was surrounded by a fence only waist height. Past the fence was a wooded area, thin enough to let the moonlight cast through the trees and give some visibility.
She heard sporadic pops of gunfire from the house. At the fence, she looked carefully on the other side to make sure the area was clear and set Aubrey over the fence before she climbed over herself.
Find somewhere to hide.
Jason will be fine. Jason will find you.
In Melody’s mind, the only thing that mattered was to survive and survive for Aubrey, not herself. Melody stopped behind a tree that still let her see the house. Shadowy figures moved around the property, gunfire and a scream.
Then, more gunfire.
Aubrey continued to cry, clinging to Melody.
Melody was certain all the noise was drawing the infected. She tried to calm Aubrey by quietly shushing her, bringing Aubrey’s cry to a whimper. The smallest sounds seemed to echo loud and travel far in the wooded area.
They had to keep moving and find a better place to hide away. With each step, leaves cracked beneath her feet, twigs snapped, and her breathing seemed extra heavy as they moved deeper into the woods.
Melody stopped behind another patch of trees.
Leaves rustled like a breeze was blowing through, but it wasn’t a breeze at all. Melody laid her eyes on infected in the woods. Everything was harder to make out among the trees, but there was no doubt of what she was seeing. The infected had distinct movements, clumsy, not controlled, and they were headed straight for the house.
Melody stayed frozen, holding Aubrey tight against her body and scanned her surroundings to make sure none of the infected saw them. She counted only three shadowed bodies and figured they’d stop at the fence not being able to get through it.
There wasn’t a lot of noise coming from the house anymore. Melody could see very little of the house. She needed a plan. Staying out in the woods wasn’t an op
tion, but she needed to make sure Jason could still find them. Melody knew she needed to stay within shouting distance, and from where she was, she imagined she was reaching that limit.
More rustle in the leaves.
Melody froze. Aubrey pulled away from her giving a look of curiosity, but Melody placed her finger to her lips to signal they needed to be quiet.
There was more stirring of the forest floor, and the pace began to quicken.
It was coming from the side of them.
Melody turned, pulled the handgun Jason had given her, and pointed at her attacker.
It was one of the men from the group. He stopped dead in his tracks, holding a large butcher knife. “What are ya gonna do, lady, shoot me?” He gave her a look over. “You ever even shot a gun before?”
Melody’s mind was racing – Was he the only survivor? What happened to the others? Are they all dead?
“Don’t step any closer you son of a…”
With those words, the man was slammed against a tree with Jason on top of him. Taking his pocket knife, Jason plunged it into his throat, feeling the crunch of tiny bones and cartilage as it slipped through his larynx. The man tried to speak, but only a gurgling bloody mess leaked from his mouth as the blood welled up in his throat. Jason held the knife firmly inside of him, staring deep into the man’s eyes as they grew wider, knowing he had taken his last breath. The man’s hands flailed as the only response his body could trigger, trying to paw at his throat to move the knife, and push Jason away from him. But Jason held firm. With the man’s body going limp, Jason released his grip, letting the man fall with a heavy thud.
Chapter 10
“I knew –”
Jason didn’t even have time to wipe the blood from his hands. He quickly put his finger over his lips, telling Melody to stop talking, and swiftly got over to her and Aubrey, hugging them against a tree. “Infected,” he whispered in her ear almost so quiet it was inaudible.
“Daddy,” Aubrey whispered, almost as if it was a game that everyone was whispering together.
Melody felt her knees begin to shake when she heard the rustling of the leaves as the infected shuffled through the woods, hissing and growling as they made their way to the house. From the sound, she thought it was a much bigger group than the first three she saw earlier. Too afraid to speak, Melody tried to read Jason’s expression to give her some idea of what was happening. “Jason…”
