by Jason Alters
‘Yeah,’ Opal entered the conversation. ‘Nolan and I love the outdoors and a friend of ours mentioned that the woods in Altoona are pretty quiet. She used to live here as a child and after seeing the pictures she took out here, I just knew we had to see it for ourselves.’
Personally, I didn’t think there was anything spectacular about Altoona and especially not the woods. I smiled, anyway, not wanting to seem rude. But then a sound caused my head to whip around rapidly. There they were standing in front of us and I could still hear footsteps. I walked over to Brandon and Anton who had taken a break from standing and had found comfort on a fallen down tree.
‘Guys,’ I whispered, not wanting the campers to hear me. ‘I really think there’s something out here and I don’t think I’m just being paranoid.’
‘There are a lot of things out here, Liz. But I really don’t think it’s one of the things, you’re thinking about. I’ll gladly check again though. We can’t afford to be taking chances.’
‘Not now,’ I said, putting my hand out to stop him from getting up. ‘We don’t need to ruin their vacation or camping trip or whatever it is they’re on.’
‘You don’t think we ought to tell them that Altoona is under attack,’ Anton intruded.
‘It’s not under attack,’ I said defensively. ‘We had one attack...’
‘Actually, two,’ Brandon said. ‘If we count yours, that’s two.’
‘Okay, whatever. But that’s different than having the streets swarmed with these things.’
‘But still, don’t you think they ought to know,’ Anton repeated.
‘Yes and no,’ Brandon replied.
‘Absolutely,’ I chimed in.
Brandon shook his head. ‘So we should ruin their vacation over a hunch?’
‘Seriously, Brandon. Over a hunch. You flip flop so damn much it’s ridiculous. When I was denying that these things even existed, you were right there telling me how foolish I was. But you don’t think it’s worth telling some people -who have probably been in the wild forever- that quite possibly, some flesh eating creatures are going to try to turn them into dinner.’
‘Yep, I think we should say it just like that, Liz,’ Brandon chuckled but I couldn’t tell if he was laughing or mocking me. Perhaps a bit of both. ‘Or maybe we should just tell them that they’re dead already and they just don’t know it yet.’
‘Of course we wouldn’t say it like that.’ I looked at Anton who was busy picking at his fingers as to avoid the sibling squabble taking place in front of him.
‘Then how would you say it? Plus, I’m guessing that they’ve heard already. How long could they have possibly been camping out here?’
‘Long enough to still think it’s safe or else they would have gotten out of Alabama a long, long time ago.’
‘Birmingham has been infested with these things for over two months now. You don’t seriously think they’ve been here for over two months, do you?’
‘Well, it’s not like everyone believes it. At first, I didn’t believe we were in danger. So maybe they were the same. Or maybe they just didn’t believe those things would come here. I know it’s not like Birmingham’s far or anything, but still.’
‘If that’s the case and they’re just like you, then there’s nothing we can do to convince them.’
‘Oh come on, Brandon. You’re not really evil enough to have these people wandering through here with no idea.’
Perhaps my concerns were solely based on the fact that I was one hundred percent sure that I heard something scavenging through the woods. Yes, I’d been the one who was in denial. I’d been the one who was telling everyone they were crazy. But shouldn’t it mean something coming from me?
‘Maybe I just don’t want to seem crazy or maybe I just don’t want to ruin their little vacation.’
‘The zombies will ruin their vacation more than you could even think about ruining it. You could shoot them and they’d still be safer than if those things are really out here.’
I wanted to get Anton involved but figured that his opinion would only leave me or Brandon feeling some form of anger toward him.
‘Whatever, Liz. I don’t have to say anything anyways. It seems like mom gave them all the warning they need to want to grow wings and fly the hell out of here.’
‘How would you know?’
‘Just look at them.’ His head slightly nodded in their direction.
I turned to see that the calm look they’d worn on their faces earlier had vanished. In place were raised eyebrows, widened eyes and mouths that seemed as though they wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Mother turned and pointed at me. I bowed my head, not wanting to make eye contact. I knew just what she was saying- that I’d been grabbed and if it weren’t for Brandon shooting the thing off of me I would have been gobbled up like all those people in Birmingham.
‘Satisfied?’ Brandon asked flatly.
I didn’t get how he did this- this flip flop dance. One minute we were all in full-on danger and the next, the only thing that mattered was us. When he was trying to convince me that mom had a point, he didn’t give two ticks about looking crazy.
‘It’s not about feeling satisfied. It’s about not feeling like an asshole.’
‘Well thanks to mom, you don’t need to feel like one. I just don’t get why you didn’t walk over there and tell them yourself. If it bothered you that much then there’s no reason why my approval should have mattered.’
‘Guys,’ Anton finally managed to pull his eyes away from his fingers. ‘Is this really something to fight about?’
‘We’re not fighting,’ I smiled, wanting to dissolve the tension that had built between Brandon and me.
‘Correct,’ Brandon returned a smile and patted me on the back. ‘Now, will someone tell little Miss Chattermom that we ought to get going. She’s been insisting that we don’t get held up for too long and now she’s making new best friends.’
‘You go get her,’ I said as nicely as I could manage. Though I wouldn’t have minded sitting down for another ten minutes-or more- Brandon was right. The longer we stood around, the longer it would take for us to get to the bunker.
‘I’ve merely even said ‘hi’ to the people, I think this is up to you.’
‘Seriously?’ I huffed, rising to my feet and heading in mom’s direction. ‘Hey,’ I addressed, mom and the two campers, ‘I think we’ve got to get going soon. We need to find some place to settle down for the night.’
‘She’s right,’ mom turned to the campers, reaching out a hand which they shook firmly.
‘Do you mind if we camp alongside you? It’ll only be for the night, then we’ll head back on the nearest track in the morning.’
‘Absolutely. Absolutely,’ mom looked at me for approval.
I shrugged my shoulders. There was no harm in having a few other people with us, unless they slowed us down. Considering I was the one always lagging behind and that they were seasoned campers, I didn’t believe they’d be a burden.
‘Yeah, I don’t see why not,’ I replied.
Opal smiled at me; a sincere smile. She tossed her backpack over her shoulders and her husband, Nolan, did the same. We set off, deeper and deeper into the woods; further and further away from home. After what seemed like forever, the skies darkened and the pace at which we’d been traveling slowed.
‘I think it’s time we set up and call it a night,’ mom said, loud enough for me to hear her.
I quickened my steps, placed my bug out bag on the floor in front of her and caught a long, deep breath. ‘Right here?’ I asked hopefully.
‘Right here,’ she chuckled, patting me on the back as though to congratulate me for getting by.
‘Perfect because I don’t think I could go another centimeter. My legs are just about burning off of my feet.’
‘You’ll be fine, love.’ Mom placed her backpack next to mine and perched herself on an oversized log. ‘I’d say the girls take care of dinner and the guys take
care of tents and traps?’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Brandon agreed.
‘Will do,’ Anton chimed in.
Opal and Nolan nodded. They’d been relatively quiet for the entire walk and I could tell that their minds were flooded with images of the things they’d never seen but truly believed were out there. We separated from the guys to prepare a fire far enough away, but close enough to keep them in our line of sight.
‘So,’ mom said to Opal, poking around at the ground close to a tree, ‘I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Dakota Fire Hole or as some call it, the Dakota Fire Pit.’ Opal shook her head. ‘Okay, well this is the perfect fire for us, for many reasons. First of all, it burns exceptionally hot and thus, any water that we’ll need to boil up will be done in an instant. We also won’t need as much firewood and because of that, there’ll be less of a need to have anyone go scavenging away from camp. But most of all, I like this option because of its low visibility. Only God knows what these zombie-like things are attracted to which means the less attention we bring to ourselves, the better off we’ll be. Now, for starters, we need to find moist soil because that will definitely be easier to dig into. Like this spot here,’ she whacked her stick on the ground, ‘this is just perfect.’
‘Why so close to the tree, though?’ Opal asked.
‘That’s a great question.’ I could tell that mom was in full on ‘know-it-all and brag-about-it mode’. ‘Building the Dakota Fire Hole close to the base of a tree will assist in the diffusion of smoke. This will also work to our benefit when it comes to avoiding unwanted attention.’
‘That’s pretty interesting.’ Opal looked sincerely interested. ‘I’ve definitely got to try this with Nolan on our next trip.’
The three of us got to digging, ruining the cleanliness of our pants while we knelt on the floor, exercising our arms by shoveling one pile of dirt after the next. Getting deep enough didn’t take very long, though we did go a bit deeper and wider than usual. The fire was lit with firesteel, which Opal kindly offered to us. Over the opening of the pit, we placed a few green sticks which served as the base for the food which we later placed on top to be heated
Dinner went quickly, with little chitter chatter as everyone was keen on turning into their tents and getting some rest. On our way over to the campsite, the men carefully guided us around the tracks they’d set up. Anton was keen on telling me every tidbit about what they’d built and how they managed to incorporate the nails mom had picked up at the last minute. Though I doubted that zombies would be turned off from their goals by having a ball of pointy twigs and nails drop on their head or stepping on wood dressed in sharpened nails, the traps would at least cause a distraction. If it slowed them down, great. If it alerted us that a threat was present, great.
‘Okay, so I must take back the part where I told you that camping was fun,’ Anton said, easing one shoe over his indisputably sore feet.
‘You’re keeping up well. Trooping right on with the troopers. I feel like I’m trying to catch up with one of those Jamaican athletes.’
Anton laughed. ‘You’re not doing that bad. Plus, I’ve got my eyes on you, so you have nothing to worry about.’
‘So I take it that if my feet give up on me, you won’t mind tossing me over your back in place of your bag?’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ he chuckled. ‘I’d probably attach a rope to you or something and drag you along.’
I punched his arm. ‘You wouldn’t!’
‘No, I probably wouldn’t. But you can’t honestly say that it wouldn’t be a funny sight.’
‘Considering the fact that I’d be watching it from the ground, nope, don’t think it would be funny at all.’
‘I could always take a video,’ he laughed louder this time, conceivably running the image through his mind.
***
Night came. With each minute that slipped by, another star twinkled high in the sky. There couldn’t have been a more peaceful thing to appreciate that night. Anton and I cuddled up in our tent, observing the stars in silence. Then, out of the blue, a racket thundered into our silence, disrupting the calm that we’d been able to relish for only a short period of time.
‘What’s that?’ I pushed at Anton’s side with my arm. He seemed to have been drifting away into a much needed sleep.
His head shot up and even in the darkness, I could see his eyes widen. ‘Someone’s screaming. But it’s not coming from right here. It’s coming from a distance away. There wasn’t someone else camping out here, was there?’
Just as we were about to head to mom’s tent, her voice came. ‘Get up. Get up. Get up.’
‘What’s wrong?’ I exclaimed.
‘Can’t you hear the screaming?’
‘Yeah, but it’s not coming from our camp.’
‘Opal and Nolan are gone. They must have been dragged out or something. We have to find them.’
‘Mom. I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘We’re not going to do nothing, Liz. We will not stay here and allow these people to be gobbled up by those beasts. We will do something.’
‘Flashlight,’ I said to Anton, not noticing that he’d already emptied out our packs and was holding on to two flashlights as well as his gun.
‘I don’t need it,’ I informed him. ‘I’ve got one right here,’ I tugged the mini flashlight from my belt and flicked it ‘on’.
‘Where’s Brandon?’ I asked, quickly making my way to my feet.
‘He’s gone to look for them.’
We traveled quickly through the woods, following our memories more than our sight. ‘Brandon,’ mom called out, blowing her whistle immediately after.
‘Here,’ he yelled back.
We followed his voice, the sound of his whistle and then when we were close enough, his light. Brandon had his arms wrapped around Opal who was crying profusely.
‘He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone. Oh my God. What do I do? He’s gone,’ she sobbed and sobbed.
‘We’ll find him,’ mom said, with a vengeance in her voice.
Brandon who was still holding on to Opal, shook his head. Though he didn’t speak, I knew exactly what he was saying and he was right. There was no way that we’d be able to find Nolan; at least not in one piece. It was better leaving him behind and having Opal remember him whole than stumbling across her husband who would more than likely had the majority of his flesh eaten off its bones, and that’s only if the zombie didn’t have an appetite for masticating the hard stuff.
‘Mother.’ I grabbed her wrist, preventing her from charging off into the darkness. ‘We can’t. I mean, we won’t find him.’ Though it felt wrong lingering around doing nothing, I knew there was nothing to be done. We were all in danger. We were in the wild, with a predator or predators who had an craving for us; an appetite that would lead to our demise. ‘We’ve got to head back,’ I said firmly but softly enough to show that I cared about what had happened.
It was hard. Even though we’d merely brimmed the surface of getting to know Opal and Nolan, it didn’t make it easier to know that one of us had been taken. These things, these zombies, they had a strength that we couldn’t dream of possessing. They’d win every time and the only way to protect ourselves was to prevent them from getting to us.
Mom reached down and pulled Opal up. ‘We just wanted to use the bathroom,’ Opal cried. ‘We just wanted to use the bathroom and then out of nowhere, it just grabbed him.’
‘You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be all okay.’ I could tell mom was close to tears.
What Opal had said sat with me. For some reason, I’d believed that her husband had been dragged out of his tent but that wasn’t the case. They’d ventured out into the wild- unprotected and unaware. Perhaps there was some truth in the belief that they wouldn’t make their way into our homes. Our tents-even if in the smallest way- resembled homes and rather than attacking there, it seemed as though they watched and waited for one of us to head out. An
d when we did, bam, they didn’t hesitate to attack.
Anton moved closer to mom and draped Opal’s arm around his shoulder, relieving mom of some of Opal’s weight. ‘It’s going to be okay,’ Anton promised this stranger- an empty promise, a promise that wouldn’t manage to lift her spirits in any way.
But what was there to be said? She needed to be consoled and even if it wouldn’t bring happiness to her, she needed to know that we’d keep her safe. Unfortunately, there was another question lingering deep down. How long would we keep her safe for? We couldn’t just start collecting new members along the way. Our bunker was only as big as it was and it wasn’t getting bigger. The question of whether or not we’d eventually leave her behind was one I’d ask mom, but not in that instant.
‘We’ve got to get back to the tents and we’ve got to do it fast. I don’t think these things enter the places we live,’ I said loud enough for anyone to hear me. With that, everyone sped up. ‘Remember when I got attacked outside the house,’ I continued, ‘this thing could have easily gone inside because the door was open. But it didn’t. Now, our tents are acting like our homes, so we’ve got to stay there. We can’t go out in the open. It seems as though they don’t attack when the sun’s out, so hopefully that will hold up and we’ll be safe to travel in the morning. But for now, our tents it is. If you’ve got to pee, hold it. If you feel the need to go for a walk, don’t. If you hear something, don’t play hero. ’
‘Oh no,’ Opal wailed. ‘This is all my fault. He’s dead because of me. I was the one who really wanted to go. I was the one who convinced him to follow me.’
‘None of this is your fault,’ mom assured her. ‘No one truly knows what to expect from these things. I’m so sorry that this happened to Nolan, I really am, but you can’t go blaming yourself. We need to be strong. We all need to be strong.’
‘But it is,’ she cried- harder this time. ‘My husband’s gone and it’s all my fault. I might as well just stay right here and wait for them to attack me. It’s going to happen sooner or later. I’ve got to find my way back. I’ve got to find my way back without him. Oh my God, he’s gone.’
