I peered off to my left and saw a man dragging a corpse over to add to the pile. I ran over to give him a hand. I picked up the legs while he had gripped the corpse underneath the armpits, locking his hands around its chest. He didn’t seem too phased by the notion that this zombie could still be alive. He must have been doing this for awhile.
“This is some job.” I said.
But the other worker didn’t respond to me.
“How did you get stuck with this duty?”
Finally he looked up at me and responded.
“We didn’t get stuck with it. Someone has to do it and since everyone here has to pull his or her own weight it doesn’t matter if it’s me or someone else. So how about we stop talking and finish this up. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be out here all day long. Not to mention I’d rather not be seen talking to the likes of you.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“What does it even matter to you what my name is. You want to say I was out here gnawing on some poor guy so you can have me killed? No thanks outsider, I don’t need any trouble from you. I think it would be best if you stayed away from me. I don’t need any of your help.”
The man stormed off in the direction of the other workers. I guess that was proof that these people clearly harbor a vast amount of resentment towards me. But then why are the council members being so nice to me? I suppose they need all the help they can get. I kept working, solo of course, until the work appeared to be done. Everyone went back into The Compound. It was still early in the afternoon so I figured I would walk around to see if I could find anything I hadn’t seen since my arrival.
I began heading towards Jeffrey the Butchers when I saw Jesse walking in front of me looking down at the ground. I called out to him.
“Hey Jesse how are you?”
He was startled by my voice, but when he turned around and saw it was me a look of delight spread across his face.
“Hey Mister, uhhh... Hey Barrett, nice to see you again.”
I stuck out my hand to give him a high five, but the gesture seemed a little foreign to him. It felt a little awkward at first but the moment passed.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked Jesse.
“Oh nothing really, just walkin’ around town tryin’ to find the voices.”
The voices? Maybe he was talking about those screams I had heard the other day. This may be the only opportunity I get to find out what was going on.
“What do you mean the voices?”
“You haven’t heard them? Sometimes I hear people screaming for help when I walk around this part of town. But I can never find where it’s coming from. I tried askin’ people but they said I’m hearin’ things. And then they stop talkin’ to me.”
“So this is the only part of town you hear anything? You’ve searched everyplace else?”
“Yea, I looked everyplace in town. I’ve sneaked into every building in town…Sept for the Butchers and the tunnels. I won’t go into those tunnels, they give me the creeps. And they’re always guarded.”
Hmm… Could it be that there was something going on in a part of the tunnels? When I first went down there it seemed to be an intricate system that stretched below The Compound. Is it possible that they’re hiding something under there? And the Butcher has something to do with it as well? Maybe that was why they wouldn’t allow me into his shack with Paul…
“Hey Jesse, let me ask you a question. Does anyone ever go into the Butcher’s house?”
“Nope, only people I ever see go in there are the council and the Butcher himself. Everyone else stays away from there.”
It seemed like the only way I was going to find out what was going on would be by exploring the tunnels or gaining entrance to the Butchers house. The latter of the two seemed to be the more difficult. I guess the tunnels would be my next journey. But how would I gain access?
“Jesse, do you know how to get into the tunnels?”
“I told you I don’t like goin’ there. The main entrance in town is always guarded so I wouldn’t try goin’ there for anything.”
“Alright, thanks for the info Jesse.”
I had to think this over before I did anything that might land me in more trouble with the council or the townspeople. But I knew I just had to get to the bottom of this. I had a feeling it could take me awhile to gain access to the tunnels to do any type of searching. But when the opportunity presented itself I would have no choice but to take the necessary risks involved.
Off in the distance I could hear a bell ringing. I could not remember hearing it since I had arrived. Was there another zombie attack? This bell was different than what had summoned us yesterday to fight the horde.
“What is that?” I asked Jesse.
“That’s the dinner bell.”
I didn’t realize how hungry I was up until that moment. I had not eaten anything since breakfast earlier in the day. Odds are the food is horrible, but a hot meal was more than appetizing nowadays. I turned and began walking to the dining hall. And then I realized Jesse was not following me.
“Aren’t you going to come get some food?”
“I’m not allowed to eat in the dining hall with everyone else.”
Has the town really shunned Jesse to that extent? How is it possible that he has survived all this time on his own?
“It’s ok though, don’t worry, I’ll eat the scraps that they throw out later on tonight.”
I was furious that anyone could treat another human being, let alone an orphaned child to this extent. I could not just walk away from him so easily.
“I think it will be okay if you come this time. After all, I’ll be with you.”
“Are…you sure? I don’t wanna start any trouble again...”
“I’m positive; nothing is going to happen if you come with me.”
So Jesse and I started to walk towards the dining hall. But had I made the right decision? Who knows what would come of this. After all, I did not really know the full extent of his history with the council or other townspeople beyond what he had told me. And all of that could have been a lie. But I had to take a leap of faith to help him. After all, in a world such as this, who else is going to help him? Everyone is just looking to help themselves. And this place seemed to be no different. I owed it to Jesse after all the selfish choices I had made up until now to pay it forward.
As we entered the dining hall all eyes were fixated on us. It seemed clear that Jesse was not welcome here. And I suppose my presence did not help the situation. One woman stood up towards the back of the room.
“What is that street urchin doing here? We don’t want the likes of him in here. And to be honest I think I speak for many when I say we don’t like you in here either.”
I was taken aback. So the true colors of the people begin to show themselves. After all the silence it seems that my alignment with Jesse had been the last straw for them.
“Alright.” I said.
“We’ll leave you to your food. We don’t want to cause any trouble past the aggravation we have already caused here. But I think all of you people need to take a look in the mirror and see what you’re doing. We’re no different than you. We’re all survivors. Are you forgetting who the real enemy is? Let’s go Jesse.”
I turned around and began walking out of the dining hall just as Gregory began walking in. I’m not sure how much he heard of what had just happened. He walked up to Jesse and me.
“Barrett, my good man, how are you doing? I see you’re with Jesse. You have to forgive everyone. This boy has been very troublesome for many who live within The Compound. But please, sit down and enjoy your meal, I promise no one will cause you anymore problems tonight. Keep in mind, the future may bring question to those you choose to align yourself with.”
It appeared everyone had sat back down in their seats and continued on like nothing had ever happened. Was that it? One word from Gregory and it was all over? That was extremely peculiar. Was all of
this out of fear or respect? Nevertheless, Jesse and I grabbed plates and began eating. For all we knew if Gregory left the townspeople might kick us out. It seemed as if Jesse had not had a meal like this in a long time. He ate and ate and ate and when he was done eating he ate some more. I was glad I could help him out today, even if were just for one meal.
As we left the dining hall my thoughts began to wonder, I didn’t know what would happen to Jesse. The people had pure disdain for the boy, and I’m sure just as much for me. I knew that he needed someone to help him, but in reality I knew that I was the one that needed help from him. He knew the ins and outs of The Compound. Without him I may never really find out what was going on. I needed to make sure I kept an eye on him. If the others knew that I was suspicious of anything then they might go after Jesse in order to silence him. I couldn’t have that on my conscience.
“You know, winters going to be here soon.” I said.
“Why don’t you just sleep on the floor in my room instead of out on the street?”
“It’s alright; I’ve always been fine with what I have now. You don’t have to worry about me. After all, if I’ve survived this long than I’m sure the winter will be a piece of cake!”
Jesse was so optimistic, even after losing his family and being shunned by the people in The Compound. It’s a breath of fresh air to see someone like him in a world like this. Unfortunately his sunny disposition would not stop the others from hurting him.
“I insist Jesse. I think you know as well as I do that we’re very similar. We need to watch out for each other here.”
“I never really thought of it that way. It’s always been this way for me, so I’ve never thought anything of it. But I still don’t think anything is going to happen. If it’ll make you feel better I guess it’s alright Mister Barrett.”
I was relieved to know Jesse would stay in my room tonight. I feared that they might come for him while he slept on the streets. They could do whatever they wanted to him and no one would question how it happened. In fact, I’m sure they wouldn’t even question it. They would be happy to have him out of their hair. But at least if he was with me I could protect him. I really doubt anyone was going to come after him while he was with me, but what about the morning? I can’t watch him every second of the day. I shouldn’t worry about that now. The night was upon us, and I had a feeling there were more dangers than zombies lurking in the shadows.
We arrived back in my room and I set up a temporary bed for Jesse on the floor. This time with a spare sheet and pillow I had in the room before he drifted off to sleep, unlike the previous night. I checked the hallway and locked the door securely. There was a shelf on the wall opposite the entrance to the room. Sitting on top of the shelf were three clay figurines. I’m not sure who put them there, but they seemed extremely out of place. Why hadn’t I seen them earlier? There was a little angel, devil and oddly enough Santa Claus. I picked up the angel figurine and walked over to the door. The figurine would come in handy in case someone was able to unlock the door during the night. I would be naive to think no one had a key. I carefully balanced the figurine on the door knob. If someone were to open the door it would come crashing to the ground. Ironically enough, giving us warning as a fallen angel.
“You’re way too paranoid, Barrett. There’s no reason to set up all these traps. Just go to sleep and everything will be fine!”
I hoped Jesse was right about everything. He had such an innocent mindset. But deep down I knew something was rotten inside these walls. And I knew I had to figure it out before it was the end of me. I walked over and got into my bed. I’m not sure if Jesse trusted me as much as I trusted him. There were no other words spoken as we drifted off to sleep. That night was quiet and the figurine never fell off the door knob. It seemed as if all was safe, for now at least.
Chapter 7
The next morning I got up to go to work and much to my surprise Jesse had already left to do whatever it was he did during the day. It was going to be more difficult than I thought to keep an eye on him. As I approached the front gate I could see there was no group of men gathered to go cleaning outside. But I could see that Gregory was waiting for me instead. Maybe I would have the day off to go exploring again. This would be perfect.
“There won’t be any pickup outside today Barrett. Everything was cleaned up and there’s been little activity, so I’ll be giving you a new job to start.”
Even if I didn’t have the day off this could be progress; maybe I would be given a job that involved the tunnels. But could it be that simple? I doubt it.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked.
“We thought you did well enough in the past assignment that we could move you on to something that’s not so much grunt work and involving more trust. So for today you’ll be doing a simple lookout in the west tower. But this job will be a 24 hour shift. Follow me.”
I began following Gregory towards the west end of The Compound. When we arrived there was a rope ladder leading up to a lookout tower. I climbed up first with Gregory behind me. When I reached the top I could see there was not enough room for two people in the tower. Gregory stuck his head up from below.
“Your job for the next 24 hours is simple. Just keep a lookout and if you see anything hit that bell that’s behind you to alert the others. We haven’t seen much activity lately so you don’t really have to worry. There is some food here for you to eat while you’re here.”
“I think I can handle this.” I replied.
“Just try not to fall asleep.”
With that, Gregory climbed back down the rope ladder and I was alone. It was kind of nice to be up there alone for once. Not having to worry about the others. There was a set of binoculars hanging from a strap affixed to the wall. I picked them up and began scanning the tree line, but I found nothing. Nothing at all for hours on end, in fact the peacefulness I had first found had turned into extreme boredom. Not to mention extreme eye fatigue because the binoculars were missing a lens in one of the eye pieces.
I started looking through some of the food that was stocked in the tower to eat: fruits, nuts and stale bread. This would have to suffice for now. I bit into an apple and began staring off into space for a second. But then a bright glare caught my attention. What the hell could be reflecting such a bright light in the middle of nowhere? I grabbed the binoculars off the wall and started scanning the area. That was when I spied something I did not expect to see. Someone was out along the tree line. I’m positive it was not one of them. But I’m also certain it was not anyone from The Compound either. The person was looking back with a pair of binoculars and their clothing was very different. When they saw that I spotted them they jumped out of sight for a moment. I could only assume out of fear that I might ring the alarm bell. But after realizing I would not alert the others they came back into my field of vision. They stayed for only a moment and then they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.
Who could they have been? Did they know I would be the one in the tower that day? I could have easily been one of the others, which would have meant trouble for them. The encounter also meant there were others outside of The Compound, surviving. But what was their alignment with The Compound? I could only guess. They clearly didn't want to be seen...
As night approached I continued to scan the area in hopes I would encounter my new friend once again. I was curious as to where they were from. And what they might know about The Compound. I’m sure there were more out there somewhere. From time to time I saw rustling in the bushes along the tree line. I was actually surprised to see animals were still living in the area. I hadn’t really seen any since today. They’re better at adapting than we give them credit for.
Hours had passed and the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon when I caught a glimpse of the stranger in my binoculars again. But this time there seemed to be a greater sense of urgency in his signaling. After emerging from the tree line he ran off towards the north. And then I realiz
ed why he was in such a panic. They emerged from beyond the tree line only minutes after he rushed past.
“What should I do?” I thought to myself.
If I ring the bell then the others will go out after them. But, then they might run into the stranger. I could only assume he was not welcome inside judging by the distance he kept. But, if I didn’t ring the bell it could mean far worse problems for everyone else. And I don’t know how I could go about explaining why I didn’t alert everyone of the dangers. Then I would never find out what was going on here.
I reached over and began ringing the bell. I could hear bells being rung from the other towers as well. I climbed down the ladder and began running towards the armory. Gregory and the others were already gathering supplies. I waited for them to leave before I entered to get what I needed. This might be the only chance I have to find out what was really going on here. Hopefully I could find him before the others did.
I stocked up on ammunition and headed towards the front gate. I started making my way around the perimeter of The Compound hoping to run into him before the others found him. When I arrived at the southern wall of The Compound there were a few of them lurking. I quickly disposed of them and made my way towards the tree line. Quietly I walked through the woods looking for any sign of the stranger. And that’s when I heard it, but it was already too late.
“Click”
“Don’t move or I’ll blow your brains out.”
I could feel the cold barrel pressed against the back of my head.
“Now listen to me and listen to me good. I want you to slowly turn around and if everything goes the way I want it to I’ll lower my gun.”
Human Zombies: The Compound Page 5
