by Daniel Smith
“A car is coming,” he said shielding his eyes trying to make out the car. Looking down the street Dan shielded his blue eyes searching.
“It is a truck,” he said pointing.
As a large red four by four pickup truck burst around the corner to the sound of squealing tires and music blasting over the roaring engine.
“Stay low and let's see who they are,” Manny said cautiously.
Dan watched as the truck left a circle of rubber on the street as it burned-out to a cloud of smoke knocking several of the undead aside and under the large tires. The windows of the truck down letting a country-western music blaring out of them. Pulling to a stop in the middle of the street several people in the truck bed pointing at the supermarket they were staying in.
This gave Dan time to study the people in the truck. The driver and passenger were not clearly visible. The four in the truck bed three men and a woman one of the men not wearing a shirt with a pair of blue jeans and cowboy hat. Suspended from a metal pole on the back of the truck hung a large Confederate flag. With red background and a blue diagonal cross with white stars fluttering lightly in the breeze. Dan and Manny watched as several of the undead in the parking lot and street started moving towards the truck.
“Are they crazy,” Dan said surprised. “They are just sitting there?”
Manny studied the truck for a moment before speaking.
“They might be crazy,” he said with a sigh. “But I think they are just stupid. Remember the S factor.”
As several zombies approached the truck, they watched as the people in the bed of the truck started throwing empty beer bottles and cans at them. Most striking the infected people before bouncing off harmlessly and breaking on the street. Seeing the bottles harmlessly bounce off the zombies angered the shirtless man wearing a cowboy hat. Reaching into the bed of the truck, to pull out a pump action 12-gauge shotgun. The man gave off a loud rebel yell shaking the shotgun in one hand above his head. Before pointing the shotgun at the approaching zombies pulling the trigger while rapidly pumping the slide. Ejecting the spent cartridge before firing again after firing eight shots. He only managed to kill two zombies permanently.
Dan was not sure if you could kill the dead looking at Manny to see him shaking his head at them before their attention returned to the street.
“To many to make a beer run go to the gas station down the street,” the shirtless man yelled at the driver.
Hearing the engine revving loudly the truck lurched forward crushing one of the undead under the tires before driving off.
Dan awoke the next morning feeling stiff he stood managing to stretch before he went to get breakfast at the makeshift table. Here he found Manny-sitting waiting for him.
“After this morning's training I want us to move into the grocery store,” he said in the way of a good morning. Dan sat chewing on a pastry before taking a drink from a juice bottle.
“Why,” was his simple answer.
“With the people in the truck yesterday I figure that people will go there and not into an abandoned store,” he started calmly.
“Since we do not know what people might show up. This allows us to keep the van and traveling supplies hidden. We simply block the hole to this store and live in the grocery store or the other shops. Most people will not go into an abandoned store and we'll have it in case of an emergency,” Manny finished picking up his bottle of juice drinking it.
Dan just nodded his head agreeing it did not make any sense to him but he could not think of any reasons they should not do it so he finished his breakfast. Before settling in for today's training, consisting of the same routine of the past few days. Manny showing him some basic hand-to-hand fighting moves and kicks and practicing with the weighted bar as he would if he was using the sword followed up by archery practice. Then going into the grocery store grabbing several cases of water and canned food packing them into the minivan with the supplies they did not immediately need.
They had just finished transferring the makeshift archery target to the one side of the store that had a long aisle way for him to practice. He found himself surprised as they walked back into the empty building his mother was awake and moving about. Dan approached cautiously and asked timidly.
“How are you feeling?”
His mother looked a little surprised but managed to say.
“Okay what's going on.”
Dan was unsure what she meant for a moment but decided on the simplest answer.
“We are moving to the store next door,” he said. She just nodded her head and looked at her watch.
“Okay soon as we're done I will start dinner,” she said a little subdued as she moved off. Dan stood there suppressing a flash of anger welling up within him replaced by a guilty feeling this was the first time in several days. His mother has been moving and speaking to him the shortness causing him trouble understanding why.
He heard his name called turning to see Manny motioning for him. They spent the next several days following the same routine in the morning with only two changes. Manny insisted they transferred two white plastic chairs and a small plastic table onto the roof of the grocery store. Spending the rest of the mild afternoon on the roof. Unsure of what Manny kept watching or looking for he just enjoyed being in the fresh air before the sun would set and start to get cold. They sat listening to the radio most of the time the same prerecorded broadcasts. Occasionally punctuated by a live report late in the afternoon. These updates on the safe areas and steps the government was taking to control the outbreak. Weather reports predicting the onset of an early and severe winter causing problems in the Northeast. One announcer having difficulty saying.
“With the reanimated deceased biological entities,” the voice-over the radio started then stopped. When he stumbled on the words.
The announcer trying to pronounce the infected as.
“Reanimated deceased biological entities,” but after his fourth try of using this phrase this in the broadcast the announcer broke down.
“Just call the damn things zombies,” his frustrated voice announced. Causing Dan to break into laughter. His mother was getting up at least before noon and moving about the grocery store picking up the items dropped on the floor and generally straitening it up.
She would then walk the aisles as if shopping making, fixing lunch and dinner before retiring early to go to sleep. Dan tried several times over the days to engage his mother in conversation with various degrees of success. While having dinner Manny surprised Dan.
“Tomorrow morning I want us to take a look around outside,” he said calmly between bites of food. Dan looked up surprised, stopping eating, looking over at his mother who seemed not to have registered what he had said.
“Do you think that's safe,” he asked trying to keep his voice from trembling. Manny looked thoughtful for a second before speaking.
“I've been watching them the last couple of days I have only seen a few. If that is the case tomorrow I think we should chance it.”
Dan looked between Manny and his mother misgiving on his face.
“Would that be all right Trudy,” Manny said breaking into a smile as he looked at her. She looked up from the food coming back to reality at hearing her name.
“You do not have any concerns for me and Dan going out for a little while tomorrow morning. We will come back by lunch or a little later in the afternoon; you'd be okay here right.”
Trudy paused having trouble focusing for a second before she spoke.
“Yes that should be fine and I will pack you two a lunch after dinner for tomorrow,” she said before losing interest in the conversation and going back to eating her food almost mechanically.
Dan stared at her momentarily unsure of what he should be feeling at hearing that. He kept that feeling well into the night sleeping restlessly when he tried and pacing nervously when it was his turn for watch as he waited to see what tomorrow would bring.
Dan woke up earlier than usual the te
nsion in his stomach not letting him rest. He went to get some breakfast barely managing to eat anything. Watching Manny stick some bottles of water and a few packages of beef jerky and granola bars into two green military style backpacks. Taken from the pawnshop.
“Ready,” he asked with a smile, Dan nodded working up the courage to ask.
“To I get a gun,” he said hopefully.
Manny looked thoughtful for a second before he answered.
“I will take the shotgun and you take the sword.” Dan had a rejected look on his face at this
“I know I have had you clean the guns but you never fired one. We need to work on that next. I am planning on us not having to use them we will run away first,” Manny said with a slight chuckle.
“Let us go” Manny said moving towards the scaffolding and not the front door.
Dan looking puzzled with this as he followed Manny up the scaffolding and onto the roof. He stood puzzled by the look on Manny's face as they moved to the maintenance ladder that led over the side of the roof. To him it looked like he was expecting him to ask a question.
“Give me a moment before you follow me down watch and do what I do,” Manny said as he took hold of the ladder and started over the side of the roof.
Dan watched and waited as Manny moved down the ladder stopping at a metal door covering the ladder. Moving his feet to an odd angle behind the door on the ladder allowing him to climb down into the alleyway.
Watching as Manny moved away from the ladder heading into the alley stopping he motioned for him to follow. Looking down the alleyway and seeing nothing he took a deep breath releasing it before starting down the ladder. His heart was racing as they follow the alleyway to the edge of the store he watched Manny peer around the corner before motioning them on. They started moving across the open field behind the strip mall heading towards another building. His heart racing as they walked in the cool of the morning that was still present as they made their way across the open area. Dan constantly turning his head in all directions trying to make sure nothing approach them, Manny watched his behavior saying nothing for now as they approached a small street stopping.
“Try to relax,” Manny started calmly.
“Relax,” he thought he was standing out in the middle-of-the-road in a city with infected people or already zombies looking to attack you and the remains of their victims. Manny stood looking like this was normal.
“It's good to keep scanning the area but you don't have to do it all the time look if you see seen nothing. Judge the distance and time it takes you to get to the closest place something could hide. Then wait looking back after a few seconds.”
Dan nodded because he was unsure of what to say as Manny motion them across the street. They had gone some distance before he felt ready to run. Ahead of them to the right fifty yards away a shambling person moved diagonally to them. Manny put his hand on Dan’s shoulder whispering.
“Keep still and keep quiet I see only one of them and I want to see what it does.”
Dan looked at him as if he was crazy but stayed where he was. A thousand thoughts started running through his head. Making up his mind that if the person turned towards them he was running for the store. The shambling person took no notice of them as it continued moving further away from them. After a few moments, it continued down the road moving steadily towards the intersection. Manny smiled.
“Well, it seems that they have limits,” he said happily.
Dan looked at him unsure of what he was saying. They continued down the road towards a large apartment complex.
“What are we doing here,” Dan asked as they paused on the street outside the apartment complex.
“We are looking for anything that might help us,” Manny said nonchalantly.
“In there,” he said pointing out the apartment complex Manny just nodded his head agreeing.
“But isn't that stealing,” Dan asked puzzled. Manny took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking.
“There is a fine line between stealing, looting and scavenging for stuff you need to survive in cases like this. The trick is to know which one you’re doing,” he said.
“How do you know that,” Dan said without thinking. Manny had an amused look on his face.
“It is stealing if you know someone is living there. You are looting if you do it in an area with an active police force. And scavenging if there's no one around,” he said with a smirk. Dan was unsure if he was joking or serious but simply accepted what he said.
Manny motion for them to enter the apartment complex it was three stories tall and block like in shape as they moved between the buildings. Looking around they could see several apartments with doors left open.
“We will check those if someone was living there they would not have left the door open,” Manny said smiling as he moved towards the first one.
They were still outside the first apartment and slightly to one side of the door when Manny stopped.
“Watch what I do. I will go first and I will signal when it's clear,” Manny said as he turned but stopped and turned back to face him.
“If you see me running out don't stop to ask why just start running. If you hear, the shotgun go off just start running,” Manny said sounding serious.
Dan watched as he raised the shotgun up to about waist level with one hand on the pistol grip. His finger outside the trigger guard and his other hand on the slide to pump and chambered a round as he moved forward towards the open door. He pushed the door fully open with the shotgun muzzle turning his head from right to left to look into the open apartment. Before he slowly moved his way in before moving into the apartment.
“Come on in it's clear,” Dan heard Manny call from inside. He walked in to see a gloomy lit living room leading off to the kitchen he saw Manny moving down a small hall and into the bedroom. He waited a couple of seconds before following him to see Manny opening a couple of drawers on a nightstand.
“What are you looking for,” Dan asked in a questioning tone.
“Nothing and everything,” Manny said turning to face him with a smile on his face.
“Whatever we can find useful medicine, ammunition, weapons or anything else,” he said resuming opening the drawers. Dan turned facing a dresser and pulled open the first drawer reaching in to grab something.
“Is this useful,” Dan said with a silly grin as he held up a white lacy bra. Manny turned to look to see what he was holding.
“Only if you want to make a double-barreled slingshot,” Manny said calmly as he turned to head to the small bathroom.
Dan tossed the bra back in the drawer and continued to open several more seeing nothing that he considered of value before heading to the small bathroom that Manny had gone in.
“These are useful its amoxicillin,” Manny said holding up a small orange brown prescription bottle to show it to him. He watched as Manny slipped the bottle into the backpack before moving off towards the front door. They spent the rest of the morning going through several more apartments looking at various items taking only a couple more prescription medicine bottles. Dan fought a strange feeling as they entered yet another apartment where people lived or had been living.
Now sitting empty and quiet some doors sat unlocked and the few locked doors faced. A swift kick from Manny's foot managed to open them without attracting any attention or the police, which left an uneasy feeling in him. While Manny was searching the bedroom Dan sat down on a chair looking at a couple of pictures sitting on the coffee table. One of a father and son around his age standing in a wooded area the boy holding a pistol. Dan felt a sudden surge of emotion as he thought of his own father and looked down towards the floor at a footstool sitting in front of the chair. Fixing his gaze on the footstool reminding him of one they had at home it opened for storage. Reaching down he tried it and found the lid flipped over.
Looking in he stared at a small black box sitting in the footstool reaching in to remove it before noticing. Two other cardbo
ard boxes one-said CO2 cartridges the other said .177 pellets. Dan had just finished removing these and flipped the lid down on the footstool placing the box on the stool. When Manny entered the room.
“What do you have there,” Manny said curiously as he walked up.
“Not sure,” Dan said as he slid the black latches on the case to one side and opened the lid. Dan looked in amazement at the pistol sitting there.
“Now that's useful,” Manny, said appraisingly as he looked down at the box. Dan was looking at it puzzled.
“A BB gun,” he said rather disappointedly. Manny reached down and picked up the pistol examining it in his hands by turning it over.
“Yes and no it's a CO2 powered pellet gun and you can use them to hunt small animals, birds and squirrels. We can use it to teach you how to shoot and for target practice,” he said placing it back in the case. Picking up the package of CO2 canisters he opened the flap counting the number in the box.
He just smiled and nodded as he put it into the bag he was carrying with the pellets and pistol case.
“I think it is time we started heading back,” Manny said motioning them for the door.
They exited the apartment complex between two of the buildings walking over to the small grassy area near the road. Following the grass towards a small strand of trees that marked one side of an open field behind the strip mall. They angle onto the field starting to move away from the trees when they heard a moaning sound. Stopping to turn they saw a shambling figure moving out from the tree line further up to start moving towards them. They spotted the woman clad in a torn and smeared with bloodstains pale blue sundress. Her left arm torn off slightly below the elbow with a chunk of bone devoid of any flesh sticking out. The strands of dirty matted medium length brown hair hung torn slightly off her skull to the right. She extended her right arm as she moved towards them. Dan felt panic as he reached up for the sword on his back before Manny stopped him.
“There's only one and she's not moving fast let's move,” he said motioning to Dan as he started to walk fast away angling away from her but still moving towards the strip mall. Dan was following right behind him as they reached the center of the field they noticed the moaning sound was increasing. Turning again to see the woman was still following them but now two more figures were moving towards them from the street. Another zombie emerged from the trees closer to the strip mall moving at a slightly faster pace than the others appearing agitated.
