by Weeks, TJ
The lights flickered through the store and soon went out, the darkness was setting in quickly and she had to find some light. She ran to the
hardware area and located flash lights and batteries. She loaded two
flashlights with batteries and one of the small battery operated lanterns and turned it on. She grabbed a bag from the counter of the department and placed her flashlights inside of it. She walked with the bit of light that the lantern put off back towards the food section and ran across an aisle of purses, bags and back packs. She grabbed a black Easton back pack and began loading the flashlights into it, then placed the few knives she had into it and kept the machete in her hand for safe keeping.
Finally finding her way back to the food, she grabbed some fruits and vegetables that she thought might stay good and put them into the bag. She found the canned good aisle, making sure that the cans had pull tabs, she grabbed what she thought she could carry in the bag. She soon came to the drinks and twisted open a bottle of water and took a huge swig from it. She replaced the cap, set it back on the shelf and began to load down some of the bottles into her pack. She grabbed her open bottle and made her way back to the front of the store.
Zombies still covered part of the front of the store but Chelley could see the car. She decided that waiting until morning would be the best idea, she needed some more rest after all that had gone on. She went back to the camping aisles, she grabbed three sleeping bags and laid across the aisle and another to cover up with. She took another one and tied the strings of the bag to her back pack with plans to take it with her. Chelley placed her bag next to her pallet on the floor and laid down. She covered up listening to the distant banging and growling coming from outside. She laid for a long time trying to get comfortable finally turning over on her back, she tried to decide on which way she wanted to go when she left the next morning.
Soon more of the memories began to flood back to her about what she had done to her innocent husband that did nothing but try to keep her safe, he was innocent of anything but loving her and she had killed him in a fit of rage. She chastised herself for doing so as tears ran down her face and almost into her ears before she wiped them away. She cried herself to sleep again.
Before she knew it the store was lit with sunlight peeking over the
shelves. She sat up and smoothed her hair, she wiped her swollen face from crying and grasped the machete and her bag. She swung the pack onto her other shoulder, and made her way back to the front of the store to see what the population of zombies that she was going to have to make it through was. She quietly reached the registers and ducked down so she was not seen by any that remained at the window. The windows and doors all seem to be clear, there were a few that lingered in the parking lot, but a
majority had seemed to move on throughout the night.
“I can do this.” She thought to herself. “I can make it to the car.” She unlatched the small latch at the top of the door that her and Kevin and the baby had entered the day before. She slowly pushed the door open and scanned the parking lot before fully stepping out.
Chelley dreaded the East Texas humidity, but scanned her
surroundings and with only two zombies far off to the side of the store and one on the other side of the parking lot from the car, she took off in full sprint. She made it half way to the car when a man stood from behind the car and headed her way. She was at the hood before he met her with his deformed hands outstretched to her. The shirt that had been wrapped around her placenta was hanging from his mouth. She drew the machete back over her shoulder holding it with both hands and swung. The man’s head came off with hardly any effort at all and rolled underneath the car while his body fell to the ground. Chelley barely missed stride and made it to the door of her car when she caught the other two out of her peripherals stumbling her way. She opened the barely closed door and threw the full bag and attached sleeping bag into the passenger seat and got in. She locked her door and reached over and opened the passenger side and shut it better since she knew she had not shut it well. The keys were still in the
ignition where Kevin had left them. Before starting the car, she placed her hand on the keys and closed her eyes. Knowing that the dome light inside the car had been on all night, she hoped that the car would start.
She turned the key and the car hesitated, the sound of the engine made almost a coughing sound and then roared to a start. Chelley pressed on the gas to rev the engine and popped the gear shift into drive. The tires squealed and she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.
Chelley let out the breath she felt like she had been holding since she walked out of the store and slowed her speed to maneuver around the abandoned vehicles that were
scattered along the highway. She weaved in and out of cars and around any zombies that were wandering through them. She soon came to a spot where she was unable to get around the plethora of cars and guided the car to the grassy median. She drove slowly as to not damage her vehicle. She watched as she passed by the zombies and began to miss her husband. She needed him at this time. It was her only normalcy at this point and she had taken the life of the only safe haven she had. She was now stuck in this apocalypse alone with nowhere to go. She drove on and was finally able to move back on to the road where the cars had finally cleared out, it was as if zombies had just stopped cars and taken the people out of them. The road was practically clear of vehicles now and a few zombies remained on the sides of the road instead of in the middle of the road.
Chelley then realized that she was only a quarter of a tank away from running out of gas and almost began to panic until steam in the air caught her eye. She wondered what was there. As long as she had lived here, she had not seen steam like that. It wasn’t as though something was burning, it was like a factory or something was producing it. If steam was being produced, someone was there to produce it.
She wondered if she would be able to get there on the gas she had. She decided she was damn sure gonna try. She drove on and headed down the highway and followed the steam before she finally saw a fenced off area. She slowed her car and watched the place from far off for a moment, she couldn’t see past the large wall that had been put up. Chelley pulled slowly up to a sign that stood showing an arrow that said school. Chelley passed the sign and the low fuel light came on.
She lightly pressed on the gas as she topped the large hill and coasted down it, hoping she could make it to the fence and then had even more high hopes that someone was there to help her.
She approached the fence with caution as her car started to sputter. She scanned the area and readied her machete. She shouldered her
backpack and stepped out, carefully walked to the fence and peered in the small opening; she looked one way and then the other as a face jumped into her view.
“Are you al one or are there others? Have you been bitten?” The man spat at her.
Chelley quickly jumped back, “No just me, my husband and child were killed and I have not been bitten yet, but there are a few stragglers down the road that I am sure will hunt me down.”
The gate opened just enough to let her in and closed directly behind her and was locked by the man with glasses.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, just careful of who we let in. I’m Martin, and you are?” He asked.
“My name is Chelley. I am sorry to intrude, I just saw the steam and figured someone had to be here.”
“Well, you were right. We have a group that has taken over here just recently and have made it as close to home as we can for now, but still working on it. Let’s get you cleaned up and helping to get it on track, this is Kris, she knows a little bit of everything around here and her husband heads up the outings with a team to bring back food and supplies, she can help you out.” Martin
explained as Kris arrived at the gate.
Chelley and Kris shook hands and Chelley followed her toward the school.
“Is there somewhere I might be able to take a shower
?” Chelley asked.
“We do have that luxury here, let’s get you settled and I will take you. What kind of work did you do
before?” Kris asked.
“I was a man ager of a call center, but have done some waitressing in my day and a little office work.” Chelley explained.
“Awesome, we don’t have a call center here but the girls have been needing a little help in the kitchen, you think you could handle that? Did I hear you say you had lost
someone?” Kris queried.
“Yes ma’am, my husband and newborn were killed, I made it by chance. I wish I could have saved them, I miss them both.” Chelley stated.
“My name is Kris, no need to call me ma’am, we are all fighting for our lives here. That’s rough shit, a newborn huh? Well, we have all lost someone here pretty much. I think we are all in a grieving process at this point, but we are having to push forward to survive. I have two of my children, but have not been able to find my third.” Kris admitted.
Kris took Chelley to the room where Bobbi stayed in and pulled an extra cot in from the hallway.
“Bobbi recently got here as well and works in the kitchen, so y’all will be matched well. She lost her husband as well as some other family.” Kris told her the story.
Chelley got her much needed shower and was soon introduced to her new work crew. Kris welcomed Chelley to the crew and left her to learn her new life.
JASON NIELSON
“Okay, I’m up. Damn!” Jason told his drooling solid white American Bulldog.
He pulled back the covers and stumbled sleepily to the back door to let him out. He slammed the door behind the dog that disturbed his one day off they finally gave him from the power plant.
“What damn dog has to piss at four AM? Only mine” He said out loud. He had worked a seventy hour week in four days and had planned on sleeping in. Apparently, that was not his dog Booker’s intentions.
Jason moved to the coffee maker and started a pot, he readied a coffee mug to pour his first cup of the morning to get some kind of caffeine in his system as soon as he could. He would have never survived the past week without caffeine and knew that he would need it today; even though he was subconsciously planning a nap later in the day already.
In the last few months, Jason’s life had become a fairly simple one. His wife had recently filed for divorce after eighteen years of marriage to be with a man that lived in a one
bedroom apartment and took the bus to a job of flipping burgers.
He had worked his whole life to get what they had, and had given her a huge house with numerous cars that she had asked for. Never had he expected to sign divorce papers on their only son’s eighteenth birthday.
His wife had told him that she had only stayed for their son and that she was thankful for all that he had given him over the years, but was ready to move on. Jason had been crushed. He quickly sold the four bedroom, two story, Victorian style home she had asked for and moved out of the quaint well known gated community to an old neighborhood he used to live in. His parents recently deceased of old age months apart and he took over the house. He immediately remodeled the inside and added an extra room to the two bedroom house, for that just in case guest room that may be needed.
Jason and Booker were perfectly content with their simple little life. He had gotten his truck and the ex-wife had gotten her cars. The house was put up for sale and they were to split the money after their son’s college was paid for.
Their son, Adam, had just
graduated high school and was moving from the little suburb East of Dallas to Tyler to attend University of Texas. Jason was proud of his son; but felt for him to now be in a
situation where he would have step father that did little to nothing to live a mediocre lifestyle and set no example of hard work at all. Jason had kept contact with Adam daily since they told him about the divorce to make sure that he was still on track of his plans. They encouraged him to continue on with life as he had planned since he had worked so hard to get where he was and because Jason had worked so hard to help him get there.
Jason still went to work to make sure he did have enough to retire on to keep himself and booker comfortable for the rest of their lives. As well as to set an example for his son that you have to work for what you want.
Booker pawed at the back door as Jason took his first sip of coffee. Jason rose from the small linoleum covered table and opened the door. Booker barreled in and straight to his food bowl to scarf the rest of what was in it, knowing that Jason would fill it up. Jason closed the door and waited for him to move and poured the rest of the fifty pound bag of dog food into his oversized bowl.
“Guess dog food is on my to -do list today, huh you damn pig?” He shot out to Booker.
Booker took a few bites and looked at him while he chomped as if to tell him it was a good idea. Jason sat back down and drank some more of his coffee to wake up a little more before starting his day.
The sun shined through the thin curtains that he had kept of his
mother’s; which seriously made Jason think about going back to bed for his nap.
He laughed when Booker thrust his head under his hand obviously in need of attention.
“Okay, let me at least get dressed.” Jason told him. Jason stepped into the shower and bathed and stepped out to Booker sitting in front of the bathroom door with his leash in his mouth. Jason passed by him and found a pair of shorts and shirt and slipped them on. He hooked Booker up to his leash even though he knew that he would not leave his side no matter where they went. They walked out the front door together and to the new boat he had gotten a deal on just last week. He hooked up his Ford F350 to it, Booker jumped up on the bumper and sprang into the boat.
“No boy, we have to take it to the lake first. Go get in the truck.” He laughed at the over anxious dog.
Booker jumped out and sat down next to the driver’s side door of the truck waiting on Jason.
He bounced into the driver’s seat and took his spot on the passenger side. Jason started to roll the
passenger side window down as Booker pressed his drool filled jowls onto it.
“Thanks for giving me a r eason to wash the INSIDE of the truck bud.” He glared at his companion.
Booker quickly stuck his head out of the window and back in to look at Jason, as if to tell him he was ready to go. Jason started the truck and took a look in the rear view and began to pull forward to make sure that the boat was following as it should be. Booker waited for Jason to turn onto the highway to stick his head back out into the wind. His wrinkled face flapped in the breeze. Jason laughed as the drool flew off of his face through the air and patted his buddy on the side. They drove the fifteen minute drive to the lake and down to the boat ramp. He backed in slowly and put the boat in the water, got out of the truck, unhooked everything and tied the boat off to the nearby wooden dock.
“Booker in.” He commanded. Booker jumped from the truck, bounded down the pier, into the boat and sat in the driver’s seat.
“Stay boy.” He pointed at him.
Booker sucked his tongue in his mouth and sat up straight, knowing it was an important task to protect the boat.
Jason hurried to the truck, pulled the trailer out of the water and over to the parking lot. He walked back down to the pier and stepped in the boat.
“Move it!” He laughed at Booker still guarding. Booker jumped down and over to the passenger seat. Jason untied the boat and started the roaring motor. He emptied the contents from his pockets into the glove compartment below the steering wheel, pulled away from the dock to the middle of the lake and headed to a favorite spot to catch some catfish.
He turned off the motor and dropped his anchor. He grabbed his favorite red and black rod and reel and rigged it up with a new hook and some weight along with some awful smelling catfish bait he had from the last outing. Booker stuck his paw over his nose as Jason held the small container up to his nose.
“Well, th
e catfish like it.” Jason told Booker. He cast out his line and sat in the extra swivel seat on the front of the boat. Booker jumped to the floor and laid down next to his master waiting for him to start reeling in the next big one.
Jason opened the small
compartment in the floor of the front of the boat and pulled out a bag of chips and began snacking while he waited. Booker raised his head and waited for the few to fall that he knew Jason would throw him. Sure enough, Jason tossed a few of the bigger sized potato chips in front of him and stuck a few more in his mouth.
Jason suddenly dropped the
oversized bag quickly and grabbed his pole and started reeling it in. Booker knew exactly what it meant and stood up at attention waiting for the
flopping goodness to make it into the boat. Jason fought with the other end of his line and grabbed the net hooked to the side of the boat. As he bent over, his line snapped.
“Well, God dammit, you have got to be kidding!” Jason hollered at the now free fish.
Booker laid down and secretly stuck his head in the opened bag that laid on the floor while Jason tended to his broken line.
With a new hook, weight and bait, Jason cast back out into the small cove and sat back down. He bent over to pick up the bag.
“BOOKER! Really?” He hollered.
Booker lifted his head with the bag still on it. Jason pulled the bag off and Booker put his head on the floor while still chewing the last bit of chips he had in his mouth, knowing he was in trouble.
“Thanks buddy, you ass.” He told him. Booker backwards army crawled down to the lower floor of the boat and laid in between the seats.
Jason grabbed the few remaining chips left and put them in his mouth. He began watching his pole with a bit of intensity since he had seen it move a bit. The second vibration of the pole, he grabbed it quickly and was surprised that anything was on it so quickly. He held it still for a moment and reeled some of the slack off of the line. He felt another small tug, and quickly pulled back on the pole to set the hook. He kept the line tight and began to reel. Booker sat up at
