All That Remain

by Travis Tufo

  “How is it going over there, Eli?” Kyle yelled over, observing a fast approaching group of infected coming in through the front doors. Kyle grabbed his bottle full of brown liquid and drenched it over the three infected on the ground before him. One of them was still alive. He then pulled a Zippo lighter out of his bag and lit the three infected ablaze. The one still living screeched and cried out as its flesh and fungal growths were charred.

  “Alright Eli, that’s great to hear but it’s time to start moving on,” Kyle said, gently. Eli took a deep breath and lifted Shaun’s uncomfortably light body up and onto his shoulder. Near black blood seeped from all his open wounds; the stench was nearly unbearable. Eli’s entire face puckered up. He took one big gulp, swallowing a mouthful of air and pushed on towards the front of the store. Kyle, seeing this, reached into his bag for the last time. He pulled out a large squirt gun—a Super Soaker—and another Zippo lighter. He then placed the lighter onto a stick attached to the end of the squirt gun, creating a makeshift flamethrower. He pumped the gun super-fast, spreading liquid from one side of the gun into another chamber, readying it to be fired in a constant stream. Kyle sprinted ahead of Eli and aimed at the half dozen shuffling infected before him. He pressed the trigger, letting out a long stream of the brown liquid. He held the trigger down for a good ten seconds, soaking them all head to toe. Eli never took his eyes off the exit, he was truly on a mission to get Shaun’s body to safety. Once Kyle felt he’d sprayed enough of the brown gasoline, he lit the Zippo. The tiny flame sat just a few centimeters from the barrel. He pressed the trigger ever so slightly and a fierce plume of fire shot out towards the infected. Like a dead pine tree, the infected lit up in a violent flame. They screamed and flailed their appendages as they stumbled around. Flesh boiled and dripped onto the floor until finally they, too, collapsed to the ground, dead. Their lives were over, yet the burning continued until there was nothing but ash. Kyle and Eli rushed back towards the car, having killed enough of the forsaken for today. Eli threw Shaun’s body in the back bed and hopped into the passenger side. They quickly peeled out of the parking lot and headed back towards home. The trail of infected behind them was relatively impressive, considering they’d set off an explosive. Kyle was jumping up and down in his seat like a kid.

  “Did you see that? We kicked ass!” He was hyped.

  “Kyle…”

  “What?” Kyle looked to Eli with excitement.

  “What in the actual hell was that bomb?” Eli sat there, soaked in clotted, putrid blood.

  “Oh that! Ha! That was a pressure cooker bomb! I fill them with nails and other little pieces of metal! It shredded them, huh? Wait!” Kyle pulled a U-turn, nearly tipping the truck.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Kyle?” Eli was worried about what had gotten into Kyle.

  “I didn’t burn their bodies!”

  “Whose bodies? I saw you burn those infected freaks!”

  “The ones from the explosion.” Kyle was driving right back towards the front entrance.

  “Kyle, there were no bodies left to burn!” Eli yelled. Kyle parked the car in a screeching halt right next to the pile of gore that was once many human beings and grabbed his bag. He poured out the rest of his bottle of gasoline, covering most of the bits of body and innards.

  “Let’s go! Your crazy-ass theory is going to get us killed!” Eli yelled from the truck, which was quickly getting surrounded. Kyle grabbed a third Zippo from his pocket, clicked it and threw it behind him, lighting all of the mess into one big bonfire. He hopped behind the wheel and this time drove back towards home for good.

  “How many damn lighters do you have?” Eli asked, his eyes still bulging out.

  “You never know how many you’re going to need,” Kyle replied, feeling much better now that he had burned every body that he killed.

  “And that bomb, like…what the hell man? Everything I saw you use today was homemade, wasn’t it? It’s like you were ready for this apocalypse. Did you have some kind of vision about it?” Eli was joking, but there was never any telling with Kyle.

  Kyle shook his head. “I just like to be ready for anything.” His response was short and sweet. Eli let out a heavy sigh.

  “Well, I’m just glad we made it.” Eli wiped some sweat from his forehead.

  “I never had a doubt in my mind,” Kyle replied, that same old smile shining through his whiskers.

  “Thanks again, man. Really. I know I never would have been able to do this without you.” Eli had now cooled down and felt it was the right time to be appreciative.

  “No, Eli, thank you for seeing that even in times like this, we need to look out for our friends and others in general. You’re a special one Eli, I see that in you already. Not even twenty-four hours later and I can tell that you are going to keep those girls in good hands. But as far as getting this one’s body; that was a genuine act of heroism. I’m just glad I can help another one pass on successfully; especially a good one.” Kyle never took his eyes off the long road ahead.

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah, I do. You cared so much for this man, and I know that you will only care more for those girls now that you have experienced something as tragic as his death. You’re going to do whatever it takes to keep them alive, right? Die for them if that’s what is needed?” Kyle asked seriously.

  “Yes. I would kill or die for those girls. And that’s the strangest thing! I have only known them collectively for maybe a few weeks. In fact, Niva, I’ve still barely met.”

  “I know what you mean. When the world takes away everything it once gave you and you are left with only other people, you see how valuable they truly are to you. Eli, let me tell you something.”

  “What is it?” Eli turned to face Kyle, who was obviously very sincere.

  “You are going to run into some good people out there in your travels and unfortunately you are going to run across the bad ones too. You need to determine which ones are which real quick because they have that advantage on you from the start. It’s hard; I know. There seems to be only a few living, breathing humans left out there, and yet some still choose the darker side. The side that will harm others for their supplies or for whatever reason. We are a terrible creation, human beings. But whether our roads part or not, I need you to bring in the good ones; keep them close to you. You will know what to do with the bad ones when the time comes. Do you understand?” Eli nodded his head.

  “I do, and you’re right. But I have another question. I know—big surprise, right?”

  “Ask me anything, son.”

  “You say that our roads may part, right? Well, why? Where are you going? So far you and your brother have been the best thing this group has come across. I speak for all of us when I say I think we need you. Look at what you did back there.” Eli was referring to Kyle’s aggressive blunt force against the infected, yet he remained calm and logical.

  “Eli,” Kyle interrupted, “me and my brother Kameron are going to Vermont.” Eli was nearly blown away that he’d got an answer so easily.

  “Whoa! I thought you were trying to keep it a secret?”

  “I was; I wanted to really see what kind of person you are, but I learned that just now. I’ve been trying to read you completely since I met you, and this little ‘favor’ that you did today really showed me. We are going to meet up with our parents. There is supposed to be a refugee camp up there, and as far as I’m concerned they need us as much as we need them. We were trying to hold down the fort here back home, but things are only getting more hectic.”

  “Vermont, huh?”

  “Yeah, and I’ve heard that New Hampshire got it pretty bad.”

  “Great. I mean why wouldn’t it?”

  “I know, but that’s just another obstacle on this course of life,” Kyle responded.

  “Well, that leads me to my next question….” Eli began.

  “Eli, you and your friends are more than welcome to join us. That is entirely up to you, and that offer stan
ds forever. However, I do need to have a talk with the entire group before any last decisions are made. Before you say any more, I just want you to know that whatever awaits us in New Hampshire will not be pleasant. It will be brutal and it will try to beat us. It will try to strip us down and defeat us, but we cannot let that happen. Now, if you don’t want to take your group through that, I understand fully.”

  “Kyle…you are so kind. I don’t get it. I try to be the good guy, but...damn it! Never mind. Thank you so much! And yeah, I agree they will all have their own things to say about it, but they are strong enough to make it through anything. I just know it.”

  “It’s settled, then. We will all have a long talk around a roaring fire tonight at dinner.” Kyle clapped Eli on the shoulder. Eli gave Kyle a weird look, seeming concerned.

  “Oh, no!” Kyle said, “Not around the bonfire for the lost!” Kyle burst into laughter. Together they finished their trip back home safely, a new understanding between them. When Kyle pulled into the driveway, he had to shake Eli awake.

  “Well, let’s get your friend his proper passage shall we?” He stepped out of the truck. Eli saw Aurora outside with Niva. They were standing next to a large hole in the ground.

  “What the…” Eli whispered under his breath. He jumped out of the truck and started to piece together what was going on.

  “You guys…dug him a grave? I was just going to burn his body because Kyle said he didn’t have time to bury all the bodies.” Eli got choked up, this time with tears.

  “Eli, Aurora and I dug this hole very early this morning while you slept,” Kyle said, walking up to the grave. Tears threatened to overflow Eli’s eyes.

  “No…you guys…” He was at a loss for words. Aurora smiled at Eli, tears forming in her eyes as well. All the while, Kameron had already retrieved the body from the truck and was placing it at the bottom of the pit.

  “You are all truly the greatest people left standing on this crumbling earth,” Eli managed to say. He pushed out the most emotional smile he had ever experienced. Aurora ran up and threw her arms around him. Niva started to bawl her eyes out, she didn’t believe in holding back. Kyle started to speak on behalf of Shaun. Eli was too caught in the moment to really hear what he was saying, but he knew it was a worthy speech. After a few more sentences asking God to give Shaun a spot in Heaven and to let his soul rest in peace, Eli took the floor.

  “Here’s to the closest thing I’ve had to a real friend in many years,” he said, fighting back the tears to continue on.

  “I only knew him for a few days…yet in the little time I had with him, he became so close to me. He was so kind, so entirely open. And was taken so soon. Because of Shaun, I know now what I have to do for all of you.” Eli nodded, referring to all four of those around him.

  “I will do whatever it takes to keep every single one of you safe because I can’t handle going through what happened to him again with one of you. And now, if you two wish” he said, setting his sight on Niva and Aurora, we will go with these two great men to Vermont.” The sobbing trio stopped; they all smiled together and agreed without even having to say a word. That’s when Kyle stepped in.

  “Great! Eli, I hate to break your moment, but I already told the girls about Vermont.”

  “Wait, what?” Eli was stunned.

  “Yeah, they’ve known since this morning.”

  “What the hell Kyle!” Eli yelled back, not angry, just confused.

  “We all agreed that right after the fast approaching winter, we will head west,” Kyle responded.

  “Yeah, and the party will only get bigger when I go get my wife and daughter later today,” Kameron pitched in.

  “After winter, huh?” Eli raised his brows.

  “Yeah, it would be too dangerous for all seven of us to travel and possibly get caught out in the middle of a Northeast winter. Especially with a child around.” He referred to Kameron’s daughter who wasn’t yet with them.

  “Good point.” Eli looked to Aurora; they exchanged a quick kiss. “Then it’s settled!” He smiled.

  “Well, let’s not get too excited now,” Kyle added. “The winter will be extremely rough here. I mean Maine has one of the toughest climates in the states and I doubt we will have power by then. It’s too late in the year to try and travel past the snow belt, so we are going to have to just buckle down and embrace it. But I do think together we can push through.” Kyle was being realistic.

  “We will all need to pull our weight,” Kameron stepped in.

  “Yeah, we can all do something to prepare for the long winter,” Niva spoke up.

  “Look at us. We made it this far, we can make it through anything.” Even Aurora had a positive outlook on it all.

  “Well shit, guys, we can start today!” Kyle said, getting excited by the group’s enthusiasm.

  “I haven’t a doubt in my mind that we can survive a bitter winter,” Eli said. He stood tall, filled with purpose and ready for absolutely anything else this cruel world was going to throw his way now that he was surrounded by four of the kindest, most courageous, and strongest people he had ever met.

  About the Author

  Travis has decided to become a teacher. Until he is out of college he has decided to put pen to paper. His first offering is Red Sky. He is busy working on this second book.

  * * *

  Travis Can Be found at:

  http://www.amazon.com/Travis-Tufo/e/B00HD4IH74/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

  Also by Travis Tufo

  The Hollowing

  Also From DevilDog Press

  www.devildogpress.com

  * * *

  * * *

  Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo

  * * *

  Forneus Corson By Heath Stallcup

  * * *

  Nemesis by Suzanne Madron

  * * *

  Shifters A Samantha Reece Mystery By Jaime Johnesee

  * * *

  Mossy Creek A Maggie Mercer Mystery By Jill Behe

  Thank You!

  Thank you for reading All That Remain: The Last Autumn. Gaining exposure as an independent author relies mostly on word-of-mouth, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased this story.