Alpha of the Omega

by Corona, A. M.

  He brought the belt to the kitchen and laid it down. Then he took a knife out of the block and cut small holes in the faces in the top, sides and the bottom of the victims. He wove the dipshit cord through connecting three faces from top to bottom. Then he fastened each section through the notches in the belt until enough notches were filled for him to wear the belt. Then he took his first and second face and cut holes through the top and wove the dipshit chord through the top and fastened them in the front of his kilt letting them dangle.

  Chapter 14 – The Plan

  Hobbs kept swatting away the flies that plagued them. It seemed like the store was beginning to be filled with them. “Cowan can you help me for a moment?” Cowan looked up at him puzzled. He didn’t want to leave the sight of Becky. Since she took off her chain mail he was able to see her figure and how beautiful she was and looked a lot like his love from before. She seemed to even dress like her. Becky tried to stay away from him as much as possible. She even gave excuses to leave the common area. “Yeah what’s up?” “These flies are becoming too much and the rotting smell is just getting worse. The meat needs to be taken care of.” “So what are you thinking?” “Well I was thinking of putting them in the freezer. It would at least get the stench out a bit and it’s sealed so the flies should dissipate in time.” Hobbs and Cowan went to get the carts that were held inside the store. Thomas over hearing got up to help. They went to the meat department first and started to grab the rotting, maggot filled meat and threw them into the carts and put the meat in the freezer. It took several trips but they were able to get the meat, dairy, and eggs into the freezer. “Cowan.” “Yeah Hobbs.” “I was thinking maybe we can make it to the bunker.” “Well that is a good idea but that is a ways away and how would we get there? I mean hell who knows if there is anyone left in there? We certainly can’t use the cars that are outside because we don’t have the keys and we can’t possibly hot wire all the cars.” “I was thinking of using the Humvees. They run off diesel and we don’t need any keys . Plus on the run we can find diesel fuel. The pumps should have plenty plus there are plenty of cans full of fuel in the back of them.” Cowan thought about the idea trying to figure out how it would play out. They would have to be on the road and who knows what that would entail. He certainly did not want to get stuck out there with nowhere to go. It could be a death trap. Then there would be those who would try and kill them for what they had. He shook his head. “I don’t think that is such a great idea. I mean first we would have to go out there and get them. There are still zombies out there you know. Plus how would we even know how to get there.

  We don’t have a dagger or anything.” “What is that?” asked Thomas. “It is a GPS of sorts. We can enter in our coordinates and it would show us the way.” “Oh.” “Plus I mean we flew over here and you saw all the destruction. If we got caught out there where would we run? Not to mention all the noise those Humvees create. What if we got there and there was no one there? I mean it could have been raided already or worse destroyed. Then what would we do? There are just so many things that can go wrong. What if they break down who would be there to fix it? I mean I don’t know a damn thing about fixing them.” “Well I still have the coordinates to the area when we went out on that mission before we were whisked away. If we can get a map we can try to avoid the main roads. It would take us longer but it would be less cars to deal with. Plus those things are tanks. In the case we got caught out there it would be hard for someone to get in. Hell we can grab one that has the fifty cal. There still has to be ammo and we can resupply our rifles. We will be taking a big risk but we could make it there. It would be better off than being here and waiting for the food to run out. We could fill up the Humvees with plenty of food for the trip and I am sure that bunker will have plenty of food to sustain us for a long period of time. Those zombies out there are decaying and we could possibly out live them. They would have to die off eventually right? They can’t last forever.” “Well you do have point there but it would still be taking a big risk.” Thomas intervened, “Well I think it is a good idea. I mean hell I would love to get out of here. There is nothing here for us. I think that we need to leave it to a vote.” Hobbs just nodded in agreement. “Yes since it would affect all of us I think we should leave it to a vote. You guys are not in the military so I think that would be a good idea,” said Hobbs.

  The three men walked up to the front of the store in order to lay out the plan and make a vote. Cowan and Thomas both sat down in their usual spots and gave their full attention to Hobbs. Hobbs remained standing in order to be the focal point of the conversation. He wanted to be somewhere he could see each of the survivor’s eyes and facial expressions.

  “Well you guys know we can’t really stay here forever.” He paused for a moment to let that phrase sink in to their minds. Since there was no response he continued on. “Cowan and I came from a bunker that was I would estimate to be around four hundred to five hundred miles away from here.” Again Hobbs paused to see the reaction from the group. Hobbs took his time and looked at each one in their eyes fishing to see if there was anything that could show they were rejecting the plan. Their faces were stone and void of any expression. Hobbs swiped at the fly that was circling around his head. “I have the coordinates but we don’t have any GPS devices.” With perfect timing Edward pulled out his phone and pressed the power button. The phone lit up flashing to the lock screen. He gingerly entered in the pass code to unlock the device. Then he opened up the maps app that he downloaded onto his phone. The screen came up but there was a warning that followed. No Internet Service. Edwards face turned sour. “I am sorry I was hoping we could use it in some way but it needs internet service in order to work.” He turned off the phone to keep the battery from draining in hopes of being able to use it again in the future.

  “That’s ok Edward it was worth a try anyways. Like I was saying I have the coordinates but we really do not have any maps that we can use to get there. I know the general location and I am confident we can find it. All we will need to do is head towards the south, southeast and when we get closer I can take us right to it.” A hand up came from Lilly as if they were in class. “Yes Lilly.” “Um I don’t want to be a downer but what if we never find it? You say you know the general area but there are so many of those things outside and there are just so many different variables that are not in our favor. For one where would we get cars? Second where would we get gas? We just can’t stop off at gas stations and pump fuel they need electricity for the pumps to work. Moreover, if there was electricity does anyone here know how to turn on the pump?” She looked around at the others to see if they had any answers to her questions.

  “Lilly you are right we would need gas and it would be hard to get them from gas stations. That is why I propose we make it out to the Humvees outside near the gates. They don’t need keys and they should be filled with diesel fuel. It is protocol that there are extra diesel cans for the Humvees. So we should not have to worry about fuel or finding a vehicle.”

  “Our biggest issue is first getting to the gate and navigating our way to the bunker. Now there comes our next issue. We don’t know what state the bunker will be in when we get there. When we left it was intact. It is in a rural location. They should have plenty of food to last us for years and MREs last more than two or three years. They are able to produce their own electricity, and they have an air filtration system.” The group perked upon hearing the fact about food and electricity. “They are on a well system so we won’t have to worry about water. The place is rather big and has a lab and a small hospital floor. If we are lucky the staff will still be there and the bunker will be up and running. We should be able to outlive those zombies outside. They are already decaying and my hopes are they will not last more than a few years. That would then allow us to start over.”

  The room was rather quiet. It caused a little bit of anxiety that crept in. He wanted someone, anyone to say something. They just sat there quietly s
taring at him. He broke the silence. “Well we need to take a vote and I vote we go with the plan.” No hands went up. “Well I guess that settles it then we are not going to do that.” Thomas spoke up first. “It is a lot to take in Hobbs. I think that we should sleep on it and then we should decide tomorrow morning.” Feeling better Hobbs agreed. Then that terrible voice crept back inside his head. So do you think they will go for it? I mean that was an excellent speech about making it and having all the necessities of life. Do you think it is still there? Yes I do think it is still there. It has not been that long. Oh but what if that horror thing you brought back somehow infected someone? What then? I don’t think they would want to cuddle and go to bed with you. Do you think it would embrace you and give you a big wet kiss on the cheek? Mmmm. Yeah I didn’t think so. What about Jerry huh?

  The image of Jerry and how sickly he looked appeared in Hobbs head. How they carried him from the bunker into the lab and laid his body down on the table. He did not know what tests and cruel punishment the man had to endure before he would succumb to the virus. He just wished Jerry would have gone quickly and painless. The image faded away. Hobbs clenched his jaw and tightened his fists. “I will not let that happen again,” he said gritting his teeth. Is that right baby boy. It happened to Bobbie’s wife and you even let it happen to his friend. Do you remember the screams baby boy? You didn’t even really stop to help now did you? How would you protect these people? Shut up you demon! Hobbs had yelled inside his head. The voice went quiet.

  The rest of the day Hobbs was trying to finalize the plan he was for sure would work. Every opposing idea that ran in his head he quickly dismissed it with what he believed to be a rational thought. The batteries have been lying there in the Humvees for a long period of time. He would rebut it with the Humvees would be a month or two before they were started when it came to drill. Then another opposing thought was if the fuel would be any good after being in there for a long time. Again he assured himself the fuel in the trucks back at the armory would be there for a long period of time. This went on for the rest of the day. When it came night he had a hard time falling asleep wondering if the group would decide to take the plunge.

  In the morning Becky woke him up gently and offered him a can of peaches. He graciously accepted them. He opened the pop top and dug in with his fingers pulling up each piece and sucking on his fingers to capture the juice before it fell to the ground. “You know I don’t think your plan is such a bad plan.” “Oh you don’t?” “No I don’t I just think there is so much that can go wrong. Four, five hundred miles is a long distance to go in a world like this. It just makes me wary of the idea… However, if that place is as good as you say it is then it would be worth it.” She smiled once more at him and brushed her hair out of her face. He smiled back at her and gazed into her eyes. They were soft and kind. They were welcoming begging him to take her away from all this bloodshed and horror. Although he couldn’t not yet at least. Then the thought hit him. He could go just with her. They could run away together and find their paradise. Then he felt prying eyes looking at him. He turned his head and caught Cowan staring at him. His face cold and harsh. Hobbs thanked Becky and walked over to Cowan.

  “So what do you think about the plan?” Cowan mumbled something that was not audible to Hobbs. Cowan got up and walked towards the back of the store. Probably to relieve himself Hobbs thought. He knew Cowan was not pleased. He knew he had to be hurting on the inside as he watched him talk to Becky. He could not imagine what Cowan would be feeling. He did not want to bring Cowan. He couldn’t force Becky to like Cowan. Yet could he be that guy that would bring even more pain to him? Hobbs decided he would keep his distance from Becky for now. He did not want to make any enemies at this point in the game.

  After the group had their morning breakfast of canned fruit and meats they all sat together in a circle. Hobbs once again took the lead. “So we need to decide what we are going to do. Are we going to make it to the bunker or stay here?” Lilly was the first to speak up. “Well I have one question. What about the helicopter? Are we going to try and see where that went too? I mean that would be something worth investigating right?” “Well Lilly that is a good point but we have not heard or seen it since that day. We do know what direction it was heading but it could be a long ways off. What we know is, there is a bunker that will meet all of our needs and we know that is real and tangible.”

  Cowan then stood up to speak. “The bunker yes is indeed real and a possible choice. However, we still just can’t let go the possibility of searching for the helicopter. There could be, maybe just maybe, that they have a safe place and they are thriving. I do like the idea of the bunker but I think we need to check out the helicopter first before we go on that long trip of making it to the bunker.” Hobbs thought about the idea. He so desperately wanted to make it to the bunker but yet what Cowan had said made sense. Baby boy… baby boy as the voice stressed the “y” at the end. You could send Cowan away and then you can do what you want with Becky. I know you have looked at her more than once. If he is out of the way then you would not have to worry now would you? You can call it collateral damage. He fails at finding the helicopter or worse dies in the process or if you want to make yourself feel better you can let them decide on who they want to go with. Would that ease your conscience? Hobbs ignored the comments but decided the helicopter was worth checking out. Cowan could go with a group to investigate the helicopter. He would give them a week to find what they were looking for and then if they did not return he would head over to the bunker.

  “Ok what we will do is we will breakup into two teams. Cowan will take one team to recon the helicopter. The other group will stay with me and we will wait about a week giving Cowan’s team enough time to recon the area. If you are not back,” Hobbs looked in Cowan’s direction, “Then we will head out towards the bunker. If you find anything useful then come right back. Now I will give you guys the choice of which team you guys want to be a part of. This is not the military so I will not tell you who should go with who.” The group was rather silent not sure what they wanted to do. On one hand they would be going out into the unknown and if something happens they will be left out there to die and on the other they could wait here in safety and then head towards the bunker, a more permanent home than their store.

  Bobbie was the first to speak up. “I will go with Cowan. I know the area and that can be useful so if we get in trouble I know where we can try to find somewhere to hold out until it is safe to proceed on.” Cowan’s eyes were like daggers piercing Bobbie in the heart. “So old man you want to go with me?” Cowan gave a small laugh. “You just better not slow me down.” “Cowan I have been able to keep up with you so far and besides Hobbs I am probably the best one with a rifle and Cowan you will need that if we get in trouble.” Cowan just smirked at the comment and was rather surprised he had come up with a clever way to go with him. Cowan just wondered what was Bobbie’s ulterior motive. Whatever it was it could not be good and he decided he would have to be careful and watch his own back. “Well if Bobbie is coming with me I want to take Thomas if he is up to it?” Thomas was taken back that he had been chosen and was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to leave his little hole in the world. “Cowan it is up to them to decide if they want to go,” Hobbs stressed to them. “No it is ok I will go but I will not go unless I have something better to defend myself with. I want one of those rifles. Cowan, you will need to show me how to use it but that is my terms.” “Thomas there is not enough to go around and since you don’t know how to use it I don’t think that is a good idea.” Thomas turned to Becky. Becky noticing what he wanted held tightly onto her halberd. “You can’t take this. It’s mine and you don’t really know how to use it. It has taken me a long time to master it.” “Thomas there will be plenty of rifles near the gate we can get you one of those,” said Hobbs. “Well we can make a run for my shop? I mean there is plenty of ammo and rifles there.”

  “Wel
l Cowan, Bobbie, and Thomas are going is there anyone else?” Hobbs looked at the other three. “Me and Lilly we will stay here where it is safe. I am not the adventurous type anyways.” Lilly just held and squeezed Edward’s hand. “I don’t think we will be of any help to you Cowan. I am sorry.” “Becky?” “I will stay as well. Cowan you have Bobbie and Thomas they will be a good addition to your group and that will leave Hobbs with no one to help him. No offense Edward and Lilly.” If they were offended they did not lead onto it. “Fine,” came the reply from Cowan partly hurt.

  “Bobbie, Cowan and I will head to Bobbie’s shop. Then we will come back with what we can. Then we will make a run to the Humvees,” said Hobbs, as he peered out the door estimating the zombies that were outside. “There are not that many out there so I think we will have a chance to make it. You guys ready?” “Yes,” came the reply from the two men. The three men walked to the door and removed the barricade enough for them to slip through. The door opened with ease and very little noise. Bobbie took point walking briskly in the direction of his store. The closest zombie turned and headed in their direction. Cowan ran up and struck the zombie across the head. The skull gave way with ease indicating how much the creature had decayed.

  They ran down the street with utter ease striking down the few zombies as they went with the butt of their rifles until they made it to the door. The door was off its hinges from the attack weeks before. Bobbie quickly scanned the small shop for any zombies but there were none. They all had moved on. He went behind the counter and opened the small drawer that contained the 5.56 rounds for their rifles and placed the boxes on the counter. Then he proceeded to open up another small drawer underneath the counter that contained magazines to could hold the 5.56 rounds. Hobbs took the first box spilling out the three batches of ammo and bent the small metal piece off of one end and continued to pull out the rounds one by one until all ten came out of their holsters. The other men followed suit pulling out their three batches of ammo bending the small piece at the end and loaded their magazines. Bobbie only filled up three magazines as his pockets could only carry two magazines at a time. Cowan and Hobbs filled up seven magazines each. One to go into the rifle and six to fit into their vests.