New Beginnings

by A. H. Frederick

  "Looks like I need a place to sleep before night." I said, knowing that Sestra will be worried about me. I followed the mystery woman until we reached the campsite. I only saw one tent and sleeping bag inside. The only other thing that was in the camp was a bag laying in front of the camp. "There wasn't a can trap when we got here."

  "I don't need one." She answered, entering the tent. I look around, thinking that I make not be covered in her camouflage area effect. I then got the idea to climb a tree and sleep against the branch.

  I did so, wasn't the most comfortable bed I had, but I was leaning against the tree so I wouldn't fall from it. I woke up in the dream of be just standing on a beach, facing the ocean as the waves come up to my bare feet and the sun beating on my face. It feels relaxing and so good. I missed this feeling. I felt clean, not sweating and covered in dirt or blood.

  "Alex!" A woman calls behind me. I turn my head to the familiar voice, seeing a woman in the sundress and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Alex!" She calls.

  "What is it Caroline?" I yelled.

  "It's going to rain! We have to go!" She yelled. I nodded, then looked down to get my flip flops and realized that I was wearing shorts and a button up shirt that’s open with the wind blowing it more open. I got my flip flops and jogged up a small sand hill where the woman was and saw a jeep she was getting into. I smiled at her, then started to jog. When I realized, I was watching myself going to the blonde woman who was waiting for me. I woke to morning with a smile on my face, but questioned the dream, but then sat up and rubbed my eyes to get the crust out and to wake up. The birds that usually chirp, were surprisingly quiet. I lock my feet together, then hung upside down from the branch to stretch and let the blood rush to my head to wake up better. I then hear the zipper of the tent, begin to unzip. I climbed back on the branch to properly jump down. I landed in front of the tent just as the woman comes out with her K9 companion.

  "Good morning." I greeted. She looks up at me as I scared her a little.

  "Well, good morning to you too! Glad to see a smile on your face." She said.

  "I never got your name?" I asked, checking the perimeter of the campsite out of habit.

  "I-I actually don't know my real name, so call me Zulu." She said with a heavy sense of sorrow. I looked to her and saw that she had some bad memories.

  "Zulu? Isn't that a military code for Z?" I questioned.

  "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it." She said. I nodded, but was very curious, knowing only that the military may have something to do with her condition.

  "Well, I'm sure I make my friends worry enough by now." I said, taking my rifle in hand and walking towards the way we came in at. I finally reached the road after the rough terrain tired me out. I then smelled rotten flesh and looked towards the source to find a few zombies staggering my way. I take out my knife and throw it at the closest zombie’s head. I then charge towards them, dodging the other two's reach as I take out the knife from the skull and ran. They were easy to loose from their slow speed. The wind picked up and blew heated air into my face. Sweat ran down the side of my face in droplets. Luckily, I was close to the enclave and reached it when the sun was straight above me. I pounded on the gate.

  Chapter 9:

  The truth.

  "James, you fuck! Open the door before I sneak in." I yelled over the gate.

  "Just a second!" James yelled, then the gate begun to open slowly. I squeezed through when it was open enough that I could and ran past James to find Sestra and the others.

  "Sestra!" I called, running through the town, passing the old man's workshop. I called out to her again and she stepped out from the bar and runs to me. We run to each other and hug. She squeezed tighter, probably thought she never got to see me again. I grip her shirt as I tighten my grip on her, then looked up and saw Karla and Jason standing in the doorway of the bar, watching with smiles on their faces. I then looked into her eyes. "Are you ok?

  James didn't hurt you or anything, right?" I said, grabbing her arms to look for wounds, but the only one I gave her when I pushed her in the enclave. She made me look at her and shook her head. "That's good then." I said, releasing her from my grasp. We then walked together to leave until I stopped at the work shop. Sestra stopped and looked back at me. "I have to see if my sword is done." I said to her, still looking at the work shop. I then entered, hoping to have the sword done. I walked through the shop until I got to the forge and saw the sword in a sheathe on the work desk with a note. I picked up the note and it read: Take care of it. I'm off to get supplies. - Teacher. I picked up the sword and noticed that the blade was thinner, more balanced than it was. It was also longer. I tied it to my waist and rushed out to find Sestra standing by the door way. She looked at me with curiosity, then saw the sword. "The old man fixed it." I said, then we walked to the gate and went on our way without James involvement. I wondered if that man with the jean jacket was the cause. We walked together in silence until we decided to rest in a ditch on the side of the road. I laid on the small hill and placed the sword down my chest. "Sestra, I think it would be a good time on what happened with the spider zombie?" I asked.

  "Wait, what?" Jason spoke, sitting across from us and Karla beside him, looking at us with curiosity.

  "Sestra and I found and fought a spider zombie. You know, body of a human, only with giant spider like legs out of its back like some monster in a nightmare. That’s where I found this sword and decided to try and kill it with that instead of wasting bullets. I tried to fight it, but it hit me against the wall and made me pass out." I explained, then looked at Sestra as she signs. She said that she wound it with her rifle, then ran to get the sword and threw it, slicing straight through it's skull. After that, it collapsed and only twitched. I translated for Karla and Jason, then looked at Jason and saw guilt in his eyes. "So, Karla, is our story fact or false?" I said, still looking at Jason.

  "It has to be false. How would spider legs grow out of something dead?" She said, eating some nuts from trail mix. She looked up at me and notice my locked stare at Jason who hasn't look up and messing with an ant hill.

  "What do you think, white coat?" I said bitterly. He looked up at me.

  "False of course." He said while looking down at my feet. I chuckle, then placed the sword across Sestra's lap and stood up. I started to chuckle, taking out my pistol and aimed at him.

  "False huh?" I said. He looked up at me with sorrow in his eyes. "True." He said.

  "Mind telling the story of why it came to be?" I said as I sat back down, keeping my pistol aimed on him as Sestra crawled over and took his weapons from him.

  "We were trying to make a cure. We had power, medicine, samples, everything. This was in the lab of the C.D.C. where I use to work before all this chaos came and washed the world away. We tried every cure, every method, everything and nothing worked. We kept working, capturing live subjects. I was the one who thought to use spider venom to see if there was at least some hope in a cure. others thought of grinding up porcupine spikes. Let's just say, it didn't work. We didn't count for the zombie being just a sack of D.N.A. ready to mutate! All it needed was an idea! A form to take hold of! Then they broke out! Killed most of us. Those three guys I was with were the only ones who made it, as far as I know. Anyways, that's the story and my nightmares are my punishment." He said. We all grew silent for a while.

  "Nuts anyone?" Karla asked. Sestra shrugged and took some while everyone else didn’t pay attention to her.

  "So, you’re the reason why-" I stopped in mid-sentence, then got up, grabbed my sword and got onto the road. Sestra was the first to follow me.

  Chapter 10.

  Evil has a form.

  Karla and Jason followed behind and I could hear them chattering. As we walked, I got lost in my thoughts of deciding whether or not to tell them about my coma adventure. We came to the police station back door and it was slightly opened already. I grabbed my pistol and looked over at Sestra and the others. They got ready and I swung
the door wide open to find bandits, caught in the middle of tying up Trevor. I then felt a sharp pain on the side of my head before getting knocked out. I then woke up, facing the beach as the water licks my feet, then retreats.

  "Alex." A woman said softly. I looked and saw the silver haired girl from before, standing next to me.

  "Who are you?" I asked.

  "You already know that." She answered. I then notice that she's hugging an ancient looking book to her chest.

  "Psykhe." I said.

  "You got it." She said. I looked out into the ocean.

  "Why am I here." I asked.

  "Why are you at the ocean?" She asked.

  "Why am I alive?" I answered.

  "I don't know, but you have Sestra to look after."

  "Yeah, a child who can't speak, but can kick anyone's ass if she focused. She still likes to hear the story." I said with a smile.

  "Alex, their coming!" Psykhe said with excitement.

  "Whose coming?" I said, then looked over to find that she had vanished, only her foot prints in the sand stayed behind. What did she mean? Suddenly the water turns red and thick like blood. I then saw something as the blood became eerily still and in the ocean, far out, there was a dark mist forming. I squinted to see more clearly. The mist formed two dark arms and slammed its hands on the blood, as if it was a solid, then pulled its head out. It peered to me and struck fear into my body. It then started to laugh and charged straight at me. I put my arms to cover my head. "Stop!" I yelled, then woke up in the real world, chained to a cross and a man's fist in my stomach. The pain made me cough.

  "Are you religious, boy?" The man said, grabbing my face in his filthy hands. I looked at him with anger in my eyes. He chuckled and back handed my face. "I asked you a question!" He yelled and I spit onto his face. He then kicks me in the crotch as he wipes away my spit. I groan in pain, but I still looked at him with anger. He left me after another hit across the face. I was only able to sleep from exhaustion in the middle of the night. "Wake up, bitch!" Was the words I woke to. In a daze, I forced my eyes to open to find the same man standing in front of me. I lifted my head up, still feeling the pain from the last time I saw him. "Are you religious, boy?" He said. I sighed and he hit me for it. "Now, today you’re going to work for us. Do anything to hurt anyone and I get to torture you." He threatened. I agreed with it in my head. My time to streak wasn't anytime soon and so I let him unchain me and drag me to the outside world. The bright light blinded me and the man pushed me to walk forward. I do so, rubbing my eyes to adjust to the light and found that I was walking on a sidewalk with the sun beating down on my head and shoulders. I rubbed my shoulder to find that I was shirtless. I looked back at the man and he was smiling ear to ear, waving to his friends as if they were praising him. I looked around some more to find buildings, this must be the enclave the prisoner was talking about. I then saw a mother with her child. She looked tired and had holes in her large enough that they looked ripped and she had large scratches on her legs. I switched my focus to the little boy as we got close. I smiled down at him and when he smiled back, sharpened teeth flashed back at me. We walked past him and it came to me that the only need for sharpened teeth is to tear flesh without a knife. These people aren't human anymore.

  "Where are you taking me." I said. "Well, he can speak."

  "I'll only speak again to tell you another sentence. You and anyone in this puss soaked hell, are not worthy of my breath.

  "That was pretty. I'll say this. You’re my slave and you'll do whatever I order you to do unless you want to be in pain for weeks. Now, shut up and keep walking." He said, giving me a rough nudge forward. I looked forward when I got my balance back and saw a large cage at the end of the road. With each step now, I can hear cheers become louder and louder. We then came to a large, dome shaped cage and the enclave members were all over it, cheering on the fight happening inside.

  "Make room, let the newcomer see what's inside!" The man that lead me here yelled. The two men blocking my view moved aside, grinning. I walked closer to have a look inside and found two men fighting, but one was a giant compared to the other. The smaller man was badly beaten and bloody.

  "What weapon should we toss to the losing one?" A woman said on top of the cage.

  "Maybe the branch we tore from out front." Another man's voice came on the other side. Their delay caused the smaller man to get hit and fall and the giant started to pound on him until his face was only blood, crushed bone and brain.

  "Well, guess he doesn't need it anymore." The woman said. "It's your turn rookie." The man beside me whispered.

  "Are you scared?" The other man beside me said. I climbed up and found a hatch. When I opened it, the others pushed me through and locked it. I stood back up and looked up at my enemy. He charges at me and I backed up close enough to the cage that they still couldn’t reach me. When the giant tried to punch me with all his strength, I stepped to the side and his fist met the iron hard cage. I then kicked his knee to bent it and when he knelt, I grabbed both hand full of his hair and smashed his face into the cage. The giant fell to his back and for extra insurance that he's down, I kicked down onto his face. I then looked up to my peers to find them stunned at how quick I took the giant down.

  "Beginners luck." I hear. A woman was then pushed into the cage with me. I look at her and she's in rougher condition than me. I thought to myself that she needs someone to show her mercy. I charged forward to her and as she put her guard up, I slid behind her and wrapped my arm around her neck, anchored by my other.

  Every second then she tried to struggle me to get me off, but she quickly passed out. I gently laid her down on the ground.

  "Well that wasn't very exciting." The woman said above me.

  "Maybe he wanted no struggle while he does her?" The man beside her. Are these creatures really narrow minded?

  "Well, since he won two rounds, what weapon should we give him?" The man who held small daggers and a ninja throwing knife. I pointed at the dagger and he was about to give it to me until the man that beaten me intervened and threw me the ninja dagger. I smile because that's just what I wanted. Now, let's see what they throw at me next. I look back at the time when Trevor and I found a military camp. Our plan was to get information.

  When we got caught by the captain, we made a deal. He would train us and in return we would attend missions that he assigned. We completed the training course with flying colors. One of the soldiers was also trained in martial arts. I picked up the kunai and got ready as a giant man comes into the cage. I grab some dirt into my hand and let a stream of it fall, but keep some still inside. As the man charges, I throw the dirt into his eyes and step aside as he runs into the cage. I then punch the man's head into the cage and he calls to the side, passed out. I spent the whole day beating down the opponents that they throw at me and only the last one caused me to break a sweat. I sat down then as they gauged at me. They whispered about me being dangerous.

  "We should kill him." One whispered.

  "Are you kidding? He's the only one whose lasted this long."

  "Speaking on lasting, everyone better penny up before I get my pistol out."

  "Which one?" The woman flirted. My breath has calmed as I watched everyone giving my enemy money for my success.

  "Come on newcomer. Time for you to get some rest for tomorrow where you will expand our home." My puss filled captor said. I climbed through the hatch and followed him back to my cell. I looked at the cross in the middle of cell, then at the captor. "You know what to do." He said. I sigh and placed my arms out so he can chain me up again. I suffered through a month of the same routine. A week of agonizing work to build a metal wall that surrounds their enclave and a full day of fighting in the cage and not be beaten. I found out where they kept their weapons and ammo, but no sign of Sestra or the others. They have slowly starved me to the point that I was just skin and bones, but I was still unbroken. I had bruises on my chest, neck, and arms, with black eyes and scratches.
I was still breathing and I couldn't say that for the other guys I faced in the cage because of my weak appeal.

  Chapter 11.

  I could see the light.

  I was in the cage with an opponent who also knew how to fight. He ended up choking me and I didn't have enough strength to force his elbows to bend. As I was believing that in that moment, I was going to lose to a slightly bigger man with large lensed glasses. I then hear a shot ring out, but I thought it was a hallucination until the man stopped to wonder where the shot came from. Suddenly, he come to find out as a bullet goes through his skull. Another shot took out the man guarding the hatch and a third made the lock have a hole through it. I pushed the door open. I crawled through and tumbled out, then looked around to see everyone panicking and getting killed trying to run for cover.

  "Where do you think you’re going?" The captor said, aiming his pistol at me. I knew that this was my chance to rebel, so I dug up the little strength inside of me and pushed the gun barrel away from me before it went off. I then grabbed his hair and kneed his face. It caused him to fall back on his ass and drop the pistol beside my foot. I picked it up and aimed it at him.

  "Stop right there!" A man said, stepping behind me and placed a gun right upside my head. A shot echoed through the enclave and I felt wetness from behind me. I looked and saw that I was lucky. The bullet went through his bicep and into his chest. I looked back to the captor and he was frozen in fear with tears running down his cheeks.

  "I don't want to die; I beg of you!" He yelled over the roar of everyone's confused chatter. I thought for a moment whether to kill him or not. As I stared into his eyes as he kneeled before me, I aimed the pistol and shot the opposite side shoulder. He groaned in pain until I slapped him across the face with the butt of my gun. He passed out and I looked toward the chaos and saw the piles of pus filled bodies cowering behind anything that was closest to hide from the sniper that continues to pick them off one by one. Someone busted through a side door and ducked behind a stack of concrete blocks. Whoever these people were, they seemed to be looking out for me and the aim on the sniper is close to perfect. Which reminds me of Sestra's. I then saw two of the guards that were hiding behind cover and didn't notice me. I quickly shot them both before I rushed over to one of the bodies and used the gun to shoot three other guards. As they collapsed, I counted two that were remaining and were hiding together.