Human Zombies: The Compound
Nicholas DiLeo Jr
Human Zombies: The Compound
By Nicholas DiLeo Jr
Copyright 2013 Nicholas DiLeo Jr
Kindle Edition
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Chapter 1
With my hopes running dry, being driven purely by adrenaline, I ran through the night from my pursuers. I could hear the stomping of their footsteps and the sounds of their moans driving the wildlife far from this place. I had little idea where I was, but the thickness of the woods gave me both a sense of security as I fled, as well as fear for what I may not see coming ahead of me. I did not dare look over my shoulder, because I knew in the back of my mind that they would never stop, no matter how far I ran, until I was theirs. They knew no other way.
The thought of fleeing upwards into the safety of the trees gave me solace, but the rationality sets in when considering their persistence that stopped my drive to do so. They would be waiting for me at the bottom of these wretched trunks until I was to expire. They knew no other way. I could tell they were newly infected because of the speed they traveled. They moved with the same swiftness as the living when they were freshly infected, but as time traveled on they were faced with deterioration of the limbs. Thankfully, through this process, they were turned into a much more docile enemy. But it would be foolish to gain a false sense of security by their sluggishness, because at the same time they tended to gain a pack mentality. So the swiftness associated with their early lone wolf hunting style transformed into a sluggish group in their state of degradation. I'm not sure if this was an actual conscious mental decision to travel together as a group. But who was I to analyze their decisions? I could feel the buildup of lactic acid in my legs.
“Oh, how much it hurt.” I thought to myself.
I couldn't stop to rest because I knew they didn't feel the same pain. They would never stop until they fulfilled their most basic instinct to feed and in turn, me becoming one of them. They knew no other way.
It’s funny how society weakens a person. As children we would run from each other for pleasure and joy, playing games and finding out who was the fastest on the playground. But now, we run from them to survive. How had we become so ill prepared? Had mankind been so far removed from its animalistic roots? Man found his way to the top of the food chain by his use of tools to hunt. This is what separated us from other species. Without the use of tools man himself was susceptible to most predators in the wild. Fortunately, or unfortunately in this situation, with the vast evolution of tools used by man, life had become withdrawn from its original roots. Society could be run like clockwork. Living for the thrill of television and hunting our food at the supermarket. But very few were prepared to go back to the way it was before technology and face the tasks of fending for one’s self with a new predator above him on the food chain. How the “mighty” had fallen. It was no longer about the digits in your bank account, but the amount of digits in your magazine. I peered down at my handgun, which I so unluckily, had zero.
As I continued on, up in the distance I could see a dull light burning through the night’s darkness. I didn’t know what or where it was coming from, but it didn't matter. Any place I could take refuge temporarily was heaven, as I had not been able to rest for days. I ran and I ran, until I eventually could see I was approaching a clearing in the forest. And as I reached the edge of the clearing I could see what that dull light, now shimmering, was attached to. It seemed I had come to the right place, because in front of me stood a tall wall. One which was not built to keep out wild animals, this was clearly created in order to keep them out. I made a break for the entrance screaming at the top of my lungs,
“Help me!! Is anyone there? Let me in! I’m a survivor!”
As I was approaching the front gate out of the corner of my eyes I could see one of them feasting on a corpse near the tree line. Something seemed very different about him specifically. But I was not going to stick around to find out for fear of becoming like that corpse. When I reached the gate I began to bang on the metal door.
“Please open up!” I screamed.
I could see and hear them approaching from behind me. I continued banging on the door. And then finally I saw them breach the tree line. They had made it into the clearing. I made a grave mistake stopping here. I should have kept running. For all I knew this place could be infested as well. Why had I made such a poor judgment call? My desperation had done me in. They were too close for me to flee any further. It seemed like this was the end of the road for me. After all this time of running for my life it seemed my time had finally come. When they had reached 50 feet or so from me I began to recite prayers to myself, preparing to meet my maker. I had many questions to ask him about this wretched reality he had placed us in.
Suddenly, from inside the gates behind me I could hear a noise. The shuffling of feet could be heard up and down stairs and ladders. And then above shined a spotlight on the group of ghouls, which so hauntingly had stalked me up until this point.
“Open fire boys!” I heard shouted from above the wall.
And at that moment my pursuers were mowed down in their footsteps by artillery fire. Hot brass rained down from above. But it was the least of my concerns. I sighed a breath of relief as the gate opened behind me. A group of men came out to meet me and I smiled as I walked towards them, but I was met with a rifle butt to the head…
Chapter 2
As I began to regain consciousness I could feel that my hands and feet had been restrained, as I could not move my arms or legs. I could hear voices in the room talking with a sign of urgency. I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious once again.
“We can't keep him here! I'm sure he's infected! We can't take a chance and jeopardize everyone.”
“Quiet, we’ve already checked him and he's in good health. Can’t you see? There are no visible bite marks or even a scratch on his body. He's been on the run for a long time. He's physically exhausted and has finally reached a safe place.”
“But we know nothing of this man; even if he’s not infected we don’t know what he’s capable of. We should put him out of his misery now as he’s lying here unconscious. Loose ends like this can put us all in danger.”
“Settle down Roger, we’ve had many survivors come in here before and not one of them has given our community a problem we couldn’t handle. I’m sure he will fit in perfectly with our rule of law.”
I waited a little while longer until I revealed myself to them as being conscious.
“Hey, why am I tied down? Who are you people?” I asked.
“Settle down, we’re extremely sorry. We needed to examine you first to make sure you weren’t infected. I’m sure you understand. I'll untie you now.”
The man untied the ropes that held me down and smiled at me as to show a sign of trust. But, it seemed as emotionless as the looks on their faces. I had to be careful before I began to blindly trust them. Nothing was the way it actually seemed anymore in this world. There were no guarantees.
“Thank you; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any other survivors.”
“I’m sure you’ve had quite a journey to reach us here. What is your name? Ah, never mind, now is not the time! We'll show you to your room and start fresh in the morning. I’m sure everyone
here will be absolutely delighted to meet you.” He said.
“Everybody?” I asked.
“Indeed, we are a large community of survivors, probably about 100 in total. But unfortunately, we do fall on hard times if we face a large attack by them, especially when food is short. But enough with our problems, being alive is more than anyone could ask for given the circumstances. So rest up and we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow, until then I welcome you to the safety of The Compound.”
Chapter 3
In the morning I was awoken by a foreign yet so familiar sound. I could not pinpoint what it was at first, but I knew I had heard it before. And then it hit me, had I really been that removed from society since all of this began? Granted I had never actually experienced it first hand, but I'm positive anyone could relate. It was the sound of a rooster crowing at sunrise that had stirred me from my sleep. But I didn’t mind because it made me feel somewhat normal again. For a moment I had almost forgotten the situation that mankind had been thrown into. I had learned once that a rooster crows at sunrise to alert other roosters of his territory. This was an interesting concept as it seemed these people had fought to hold on to their safe haven, this Compound. Unfortunately, I was drawn away from my momentary dream world by the creaking sound of my door being opened. I quickly hopped out of bed, not knowing what to expect to enter through my doorway. These were the new types of reactions you needed to develop in order to survive. Slowly, I saw a figure entering the room. In front of me was a woman who appeared to be about 60 years of age. But it was extremely difficult to tell. The expression on her face seemed vacant of any type of emotion. I could tell a great sorrow had touched her life. But who, out of any of us survivors, hadn’t faced such hardships? For the time I’d been traveling I had learned one thing that I felt was extremely important and I wish I had known this when these troubles first occurred. The more severe of a situation a person is faced with, the stronger willed they must be to survive mentally sound. I’d seen strong people face the most troublesome situations, where the weakest of people would crumble and lose the very life force that once drove them. It seemed as if these people had lost the will to survive. Although they were still alive, they had died with those who they had lost along the way. It was sad to see someone suffering through life over those who they had lost, rather than carrying on with their lives in order to keep the memories of those lost alive. That is the true gift of survival; carrying on the memory and ideals of those who had passed. Because although they may no longer be with us, their ideas and memories will change how we shape the world for future generations to come. And we could only hope to be so lucky to see that future.
To my surprise she cleared her throat and began to speak.
“They’re waiting for you in the main hall.” She said.
She turned around began walking out of the room.
“Thank you. Can I ask your name?”
She continued on as if the words I had spoken never existed. Maybe to her any free thought of her own no longer existed for the fear of remembering the past. Without a rigid schedule to hold her life together she would fall back on what haunted her. A shallow existence I could never imagine experiencing. I began following her.
As I made my way to the main hall I passed many of the townspeople. I was extremely curious to the lives of the people around me. But as I was looking around I lost sight of the old woman I was following. I guess I was on my own now. I continued walking around but had little idea where I was going. I peered into open doors as I walked past with great curiosity, there were many eyes fixed on me. Some doors were closed. I guess I shouldn't be so nosy. But I was in awe to this new world around me. It's as if I was a newborn opening its eyes for first time. I was greeted by children and young women bearing flowers. Ironically, although carrying such pleasantly smelling gifts, it seemed as though none of them had showered or bathed in months. But I suppose I shouldn't be one to talk given our current situation. I would guess that it had been a very long time since any other survivors had reached them in The Compound. For someone as I, who they know nothing about; it seemed shocking to be so welcomed with open arms. I could be no different than those who lay outside of these walls. Maybe these people were the beacon of hope that a dark and dismal world such as this needed. I really hoped this to be the case. But I tried never to ask for too much.
The halls of The Compound were far from what one would think is the last refuge from what lurks outside. It was nothing more than a collection of debris from houses and what seemed to be mobile homes stitched together and fortified in order to support the local survivor's needs. The outer walls themselves were what truly protected the people, but this was the heart of their operations. And as architecturally gruesome as it may look compared to past civilizations of the Greek and Romans, it served its purpose tenfold. Let's be honest, they didn't exactly have the most time in the world to begin planning their fortress. Living conditions seemed decent. But how could it get any worse? The luxury of protection was all that mattered. The dirt paths on the ground seemed to have only been placed there by the heavy travel of the people. And having a constant roof over your head, whether it be a makeshift shanty or broken down mobile home, was like living in paradise. I continued walking around until I finally made my way into what must have been the main hall. I could see that this was of a far different quality than the rest of The Compound. My guess is that this had to be part of the original building. There must have been a free standing structure here prior to The Compound being constructed. As I stood in the entrance way I was met with the eyes of what seemed to be a majority of the townspeople in front of me. I felt as if they were staring directly into my soul, searching to see what type of person I truly was. I suppose to them my presence was as foreign as one of those things outside being brought to live within the safety of their walls.
“Yes, yes my dear man! Come in! Your seat is waiting at the front of the room!”
As I approached the front of the room a large table, which was raised on a platform stood in front of me. There were five men seated, who my guess would be the leading council of the town. A large burly man sitting in the middle of the table looked down to me and said.
“Come up here and join us! Any man who could reach our Compound deserves to dine alongside us!”
So I climbed onto the platform and found my seat near the middle of the table. There was a moment of silence and then uproar of cheering as the townspeople raised their glasses and let out hurrah’s, which seemed a little over enthusiastic for my tastes. But I brushed it off. After all, who was I to judge the very people who only moments ago had saved my life. Voices could be heard coming from somewhere in the back of the room.
“What’s your name?”
“Yea who are you?”
“Tell us!”
“How’d you get here?”
The large burly man spoke up again.
“Please, please everyone; we have all the time in the world to trade stories with our new friend. For now we must enjoy our feast and celebrate his arrival! We never know when opportunities such as these to dine with our loved ones may be taken from us. But, I as well would like to know your name. I, for one am Gregory, and I’m leader of this council of The Compound.”
“My..My name?” I said with a stutter.
What is my name? I thought to myself. It had been so long since I had anyone ask me my name. I hadn’t forgotten it, but something that at one time was such a frequently asked question was no longer so easy to answer by a preconditioned response. I guess my thought process had been rewired to compensate for this new life on the run. It felt good to be posed with such a “human” question. I chuckled a little because memories of similar situations from how we used to live rushed back to my mind. Embarrassing moments where you'd be walking down some arbitrary hallway and someone you barely knew said, “hey, how about this weather today?” but you expected them to say, “hey, how have you been?” and you respond, “I'm good.” A
nd then you both walk down the hallway in different directions, pause for a second, realizing what just happened and then continue on as if it never occurred.
“My name is Barrett.”
The crowd cheered and Gregory raised his glass.
“Well, tonight we drink to you Barrett, who knows what tomorrow may bring?!”
And the crowd let out yet another loud cheer as they began to dig into their meal.
As I sat at the table, I peered to the left and right using my peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of the other councilmen who were sitting with me. To my right was Gregory, the large burly head of the council. And to my left was a smaller man; who seemed to be no more than 5 foot 2 inches and 100 pounds. But my lord did this man pack away the food. His gluttonous eating habit made me wonder where he hid all of the weight? I was mesmerized by the muscles in his jaw flexing with every bite he took. I couldn't catch myself in time to notice him turning towards me.
“Well, hello my good man. How are you? Put’Er there!” He said to me grabbing my hand and shaking it violently.
“My name is Dorian, it sure is a pleasure to meet you. It isn’t everyday that we meet someone from the outside in our part of the woods. No pun intended.”
Had they really sealed themselves off so well from the rest of the infected world? If I were to make it here, I’m sure others could have before me. Or was I just that lucky?
“Well, it was my luck to be able to find this place when I did. Or else I possibly could be looking at you all through a much different perspective!” I said jokingly.
“I'm glad to see you still have a sense of humor, I could only imagine what you had to endure on the outside! I have to apologize ahead of time if any of my jokes offend you. I feel it's good to keep a light mood in times like these.”
I nodded my head in agreement and turned back to my plate. I lifted the fork slowly to my mouth. How long had it been since I had a meal prepared for me? I couldn’t bear to try and recollect such trivial things. It was no longer important. But, before I could begin eating Gregory interjected in order to introduce the remaining three council members to me.
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