by Daniel Smith
“Hey.”
Dan turned quickly to see Tom running at him from between two trailers.
“Damn it,” he thought as he looked past him. Out of Toms view, he could see a group of people consisting of Miss Crockett, Mr. Sherman and three other people. A man in a tan military uniform another man and woman in business clothes take notice of Tom running at him. Taking the only choice he felt he could taking off sprinting towards the fence making about three quarters of the distance risking a quick glance over his shoulder. He was glad he did Tom had gained on and would overtake him soon. Making a snap decision he let the overstuffed cheap canvas backpack fall from his shoulder to his hands to stop suddenly pivoting on his feet to swing the backpack savagely hard throwing it at Tom. He watched the backpack sail across the short distance between them to strike Tom in the groin region causing him to crash to the ground screaming in pain.
Dan wasted no time as he saw the group of people had notice what was happening and were now running towards them. Dan closed the distance between him and Tom and started violently kicking him hard several times on the last kick he felt more than heard something crunch under his foot. He grabbed the backpack off the ground and pulled open the straps. Dumping the schoolbooks and supplies onto a screaming Tom. He wasted no more time as he started running again towards the fence while pulling a blanket from the canvas pack. He did not turn when he heard the people running after him calling for him to stop. He just increased his pace as he ran towards the chain-link fence. Leaping he jumped onto the fence grabbing onto the links with a shake and rattle of the fence climbing up towards the barbed wire sitting on top of the fence. Stopping he took a look back seeing the man in the tan military uniform and the two in civilian clothes gaining on him. Mr. Sherman and Miss Crockett stopping to attend to Tom. Wasting no more time he threw the blanket over the barbed wire to protect his skin. He climbed over dropping into the overgrown grass sitting on the other side of the fence.
Running down a small incline past a patch of scrub woods and thick underbrush close to a small creek with slow moving water. Doing his best to stay on the firm ground that was smooth. Running along the creek bed ignoring the calls for him to stop and come back he did not look back but concentrating on running and the plan. He was jogging now down the mall of Louisiana road across the cement lanes of highway ten. Not bothering to look both ways as his parents taught him no cars where on it. Dan slowing as he climbed up onto the cement barriers dividing the lanes of the freeway crossing over to the other side. Giving him a view of the drainage way under the raised freeway, which Manny had described to him. His bid for freedom short-lived if someone repaired the fencing Manny cut for him. Splashing threw the dirty water he cleared the passageway and turned to the right as told staying close to the raised wall of the freeway and the trees. He started breathing heavily as he stumbled up the small inclined and faced the housing track in front of him through the trees and shrubs. He stopped to catch his breath panting as he surveyed the large homes now abandon filled with grass and weeds growing around them.
Dan turned at the shout to see three adults starting to run up the incline in pursuit of him he took off running again down the street passing the first few homes. Towards the third, he saw the large planter in front of the home. Running up to the dead plant yanking them out of the planter to see his sword and gray daypack with a plastic bag of clothing. Quickly grabbing these he ignored the open wood gate into the backyard. Moving into the overgrown flowerbed between the front of the brick home and the plants. Kneeling down out of sight and fighting to calm his breathing and stay quiet, Staying low, he peered out of the bushes to see the three adults stop in the street. Dan strained his ears and could just make out what they were saying.
“Split up he cannot be far,” the man in the tan military uniform, said.
“Are you crazy,” the woman in the business clothes next to him replied panting for breath.
“I’ve got it covered,” the military man said as he pulled a Beretta 92 model autoloader from a hip holster. The two others looked at him for moment before slowing moving off.
“Kid where are you,” he heard one of the men call out.
Dan flinched was this person an idiot he thought as he waited. After a few minutes of watching and seeing nothing. He reached into the plastic bag to pull out a brown flannel shirt Dan pulled off the pale blue school shirt and put it on over the white tee shirt he wore. He then opened the gray daypack, pulling out the forty-five autoloader in his Blackhawk shoulder holster, to putting them on before putting the sword on to his back then the gray daypack. Dan looking out of the bushes confirming the street was clear before pulling off his pants and black dress shoes to pull on a pair of black jeans. He had just finished putting on the outdoor hiking shoe on when he heard the first gunshot. He hastily tied the shoe as a second then third rang out.
He had the second one on and tied as the fourth, fifth then sixth shot rang out as they came closer. Spotting the woman first before the man with no gun. They both looked scared as they scanned the street as several more shots rang out. The man in the tan uniform ran up to them holding the autoloader.
“Infected are coming,” he panted pointing down the street the way he had come.
They turned to go but stopped short looking down the street; Dan heard it then a soft moaning sound.
“Shoot them” the woman shouted.
Military man turned and fired off several more bullets. Before the slide on the autoloader locked open.
“I’m out of bullets,” the man said in a worried tone. Dan shook his head at the man and the look the woman gave him the range had been too far to hit them accurately. Dan thought.
“That house,” the third man said as he pointed at the house with the bushes Dan was hiding in.
“Damn it,” Dan thought as he saw them move towards the house.
He stayed still as he watched them run towards the front door and heard the sound of glass breaking and excited talking before the door slam shut. Moving slightly as he looked up and down the street. He saw two shambling men coming from one direction with a woman coming from the other. Dan rolled his eyes looking amused.
“Only three,” he thought shaking his head again.
The three zombies stop in front of one another as if to converse only no talking took place as they swayed unsteadily in the street. Dan waited seeing if they would wonder off. Tensing suddenly at a tapping noise behind him. His face broke into a look of annoyance as the zombies responded to the noise and started to move again. Turning slowly as the tapping came again with more intensity. He saw the woman from the street tapping on the glass of the window behind him then mouthing for him to come inside. He saw the two men appear looking shocked to see him. One moving to the window his hands running over it looking to unlock the window to open.
Dan stood then waved his hand good-bye as he left the flowerbed to face the undead creatures coming at him. Pulling the blade from his back as he risked at look at the house. Seeing three adults looking out of the window in shock at him before he returned his attention to the zombies. He moved out of the bushes the black blade of the katana leading the way as he jog down the driveway angling down the street away from the undead still standing there. One zombie moving faster than the other two at him. These two zombies seemingly still deciding if they would move. Dan looked puzzled why did some of them do that and others did not as the zombie moved to intercept him.
Slowing he took the blade in both hands pulling back. Swinging at the emaciated man in a torn dirty white tank top exposing a large tear in the flesh showing his ribs. Dan could hear the tapping in the window stop as the groans of the zombie grew in volume. He swung the blade in a baseball bat motion. He knew he had misjudged the swing. The blade cutting through the bottom of the jaw sending rotten teeth and part of the zombie’s tongue flying as it passed out the front of his face. The milky white eyes did not register the blow as his head jerk from the impact before turning his attention b
ack to him. Dan stopped shifting his body weight before lashing out with his left leg catching the zombie on the side of the right knee with his brown hiking shoe. He felt the bone break as the man collapsed to the street. He risked a look at the three adults watching out the window of the house smiling at looks of shock and amazement on their faces as he took off running. He did not look back to see if the other two zombies started following him or stay to watch the house. He did not look back to see if the adults left the house or not, he just ran. Figuring the adults would not try following him with the undead roaming out here. Jogging down the street his blue eyes scanning for any more of the undead as he approached a sweeping turn in the street as he pulled the map from his pocket.
The handwritten map Manny placed there studying the map before replacing it into his breast pocket. He started moving towards two large homes. Stopping near the sidewalk looking at the body lying a few feet away. Looking at the woman in a sundress the remains of her head sitting in a pool of yellowish pulp on the ground. Looking around he saw no other bodies making him wonder if this was what the man had been shooting at. He started to move between the homes into the overgrown backyard. The backyard was large as he walked towards the faded wood fence. Pushing a couple of loose boards aside going through the fence instead of climbing over going about fifty feet threw some trees exiting onto a small overgrown road. This road long abandon before the plague judging by the neglect. He leisurely walked down it, his eyes still scanned the area. Dan came to the power lines and started to follow them through the trees.
“Manny was right,” he thought. Walking through the tall grass as he avoided a few of the thick power lines that had fallen from the pole just in case the power was still on.
“No one is going to look for me here,” he thought.
He felt at ease for the first time in days as he followed the power lines occasional catching glimpses of wood fences and rooftops between the trees. Leaving the small stream he had been paralleling to cut into the forest once again. He heard voices as the trees started to thin staying just in the tree line. Looking into the backyard of a large home to see several people removing solar panels from the roof of the home. Dan could see a man with a rifle watching over them as they worked. He watched them for a minute before following the fence line next to the trees for about three homes before jumping the fence and making his way on to Fenbrook Avenue. Leaving, the backyard he looked up the street. Spotting a flatbed truck parked in front of the home with the work crew he could see no one in the truck so he left the safety of the backyard. Now he started to jog down the street past the abandon homes and towards a lone figure coming at him as he approached the end of the street. He wanted to go between two houses but she blocked his way.
Dan pulled the black blade again with a metallic his as he squared off with the approaching woman. Her shambling gate was erratic the darkly stained bathrobe might have started out white now stained a shade of gray and black gaping open in the front reveling wither grayish breasts. Dan’s face wrinkled at the smell coming from her as he started to circle her as she started grabbing at him with withered hands. He swung twice with the black blade cutting deep into the chest and left arm with what would have been deadly injury’s once now did not even faze the woman. He was getting irritated this was taking too long. He stepped in, swinging the blade down hard, catching the woman just above the left knee cutting through the leg completely. The severed limb fell as the lady toppled over her milky white eyes staring up at him from the street as she struggle to get up.
Dan reversed the blade thrusting straight down into her face into her brain with a satisfying crunch. Using his foot to help wrench the blade from her head as he moved to the end of the street. Leaving the pavement moving into the overgrown grass between two homes as he came to a fallen section of wood fencing. Looking through the scrub trees and underbrush at a four-story hotel. He moved between the underbrush with some difficulty worried about the noise he made next to the wood fence to get closer to the building. Crouching in the underbrush and studied the building and parking lot looking for Manny or anything else. After a few minutes, he spotted what he was looking for. Middle row third parking spot on the inside near the trashcan was the burgundy minivan.
8 THE FARM
Dan climbed into the van to see the white teeth of a smiling man who just nodded his head at a job well done. Manny started the van and spent more time then he would have liked maneuvering threw several side streets passing abandoned cars and homes with the occasional shambling figure.
“Can we go faster,” he asked nervously. Manny looked at him.
“What’s wrong,” he asked calmly.
“Do you think they will come after us,” Dan said turning to look out the rear window failing to mention the visit from the military.
“Eventually they might figure everything out. When they do we will be faraway with nothing to worry about,” Manny said. Swerving the van around a group of figures standing in the road.
The van moving onto the sixty-one heading north the two lane road mostly free of abandoned cars. He was feeling slightly better as he watched the rows of trees and gentle hills flashed by with the miles as Manny drove on. Manny slowed the van as they approached the 563 highway turn off stopping. Sitting on the left side of the highway, they could make out a prison. Manny eyed it carefully.
“Great place to setup a base and it might have supplies,” Manny said thoughtfully.
“Do you want to look,” Dan asked looking at it. Manny just shook his head.
“We would be in over our heads with just the two of us,” Manny said as he made the turn right.
To start driving up the sloping incline on the forested road. They passed only a few homes before seeing only trees lining the road as Manny picked up speed. The trees sat close to the two-lane road as it made their way along the rolling hills.
“We don’t stop unless we have to,” Manny said conversationally as he drove. Dan turned to look at him.
“Way too many problems can be hiding in there,” he said motioning to the tree line Dan nodded silently.
The trees thinned slightly as they came to a crossroads with the thirty-three Manny stopped the van. Looking in all directions.
“We have a half of tank of gas. While it is clear Let’s fill up,” he said.
Dan agreed helping Manny remove some spare fuel from the back of the van keeping watch as Manny refilled the van. The only incident of their trip came approaching the eighty-four turn off near a town called Roxie. They had several wildly clad people in torn shirts and pants run onto the highway trying to get them to stop the van. Dan was wondering what Manny was going to do. When he heard the engine accelerate as the van picked up speed and he watched with some amusement as the people jumped in all directions to get out-of-the-way of the speeding van. Dan watched threw the rear view window as they got up of the roadway shaking their fists at the van.
“Interesting bunch,” Manny commented absently.
Manny did his best to keep up the speed as the van raced north. Dan jerked back to reality hearing a female voice announce.
“Destination in one-mile on right,” Dan sat startled as Manny slowed the van down before he realized Manny had turned the GPS on.
Dan tried to see everything as Manny raced through Fayette before turning west onto the sixty-one.
“Are we going to check for supplies,” he asked trying to remember where in the town they were.
“I was here a few years ago and mostly remembered the farm,” he added.
“Later we will stop at the farm first,” Manny said checking the GPS as it spoke.
“Destination on right.”
Manny slowed the van in front of an asphalt connector that crossed over the grown grassy medium separating the highway. Looking to the right he saw what looked like a dirt road leading into the trees. As they both looked up the slight inclined paved road into the trees.
“The road is just dirty and unkempt here,” Manny,
said slowly turning to face Dan.
“It looks familiar,” Dan started pausing as an anxious feeling overwhelmed him at what he might find. Manny smiled.
“Well we came this far,” he said as he put the van into gear and started up the road.
They drove slowly scanning the thickly packed trees for any sign of movement as they went further down the road. After a quarter of a mile they broke into a large clearing a large barn coming into view. Dan’s heart sank looking to the right of the barn at the house. Manny slowed the van before turning it so it pointed the way they had come.
“Let’s look around,” Manny stated calmly as he opened the minivan door climbing out with his rifle.
Dan climbed out of his door holding the recurved bow in one hand with an arrow notched on the string falling into step with Manny. They stayed clear of the barn with one door open as they looked around. Dan looked to the remains of the house. The large two-story home now partially collapsed, burned with black beams sticking up from a pile of debris. Looking around he could see a couple of animal pens with fencing collapsed on the ground and several chickens moving about. He looked beaten when Manny walked up to him.
“There was trouble here,” he said as he handed Dan a dirty spent shotgun shell. He took it numbly looking at Manny.
“Look there,” Manny, said pointing to a fallen motorcycle.
“The gas tank took a shotgun blast. There are more shells on the ground and a destroyed truck,” Manny said pointing.
He looked numbly to where Manny pointed.
“I thought we would be safe here,” Dan stated flatly. “That I would find.”
However, before he could finish the statement, a crashing sound caused them to turn. A figure was struggling to get off the ground a few feet from the open barn door it had fallen over several wood boxes. They watched as the man unsteadily regained his feet. Long dirty hair fell over a gaunt face with a stringy goatee. His bare chest torn and scratched with a chunk of the rib cage showing as it groaned. Before Manny could speak Dan snapped, the bow up pulling back on the string launching the arrow with a twang. They watched as the shirtless man fell backwards the shaft of the arrow sticking out of his forehead before walking over to him.
