The Collapse - Beginning

by V. A. Brandon

  Walter started barking at the female Runner below, and Marie wrapped her fingers around his snout. “Quiet,” she commanded, even as he barked through his muffled snout, his furry body jerking with the effort. On shaking legs, Marie hurried across the board and handed Walter over to Daniel as she climbed down from the railing. Daniel gave a quick hug to his wife before setting the dog down.

  “Your turn,” Justin said to Amy as he picked her up around the waist. She placed her feet on the board and righted herself as she stood up. He gazed up at her. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she wobbled her way across the board, trying not to look at the Runners below, but her eyes were drawn to them in morbid fascination. One of the taller ones actually scrabbled high enough to touch the railing on a first-floor balcony. Alarmed, Amy jumped off the board and landed beside the Parks.

  In seconds, Justin came over and joined them. The group looked over at Patrick and Ms. Wentworth, who stood on the other side with fear plastered on their faces. Ms. Wentworth peered over the balcony, her terrified gaze on the Runners.

  “You can’t abandon us like this! How can you be so heartless?” she cried out.

  “No one’s abandoning anyone,” Justin said. “And Ms. Wentworth, please lower your voice. The Runners seem to be attracted to our presence and noise.”

  He was absolutely right. The sooner they entered the apartments, the better it would be for all of them.

  “We’ll come and visit you tomorrow,” Amy added, hoping that was enough to calm her down. She turned to Patrick. “Take care of Ms. Wentworth. And both of you – try to stay as quiet as possible. You don’t want a Runner to start slamming against your door.”

  This reminder silenced them faster than any promises to return. Grudgingly, Patrick and Ms. Wentworth returned back inside and slid close their balcony door. Justin turned and smiled at the Parks.

  “Do you want to stay back a bit? Or do you want to go to your apartment now?”

  “We will go now,” Daniel answered. He gazed at his wife, who was fussing over Benson. Judging by Marie’s maternal display, there was no question that the boy and his dog would be going with them. “There is work to do. I must make some kind of barricade against the front door.”

  It was a good idea. After promising to meet up the next day, each couple went into their apartments and slid close the doors.

  Amy and Justin padded into the living room and plopped down on a sofa, letting out a collective sigh. It was nice to have space and quiet once again.

  “Do you want to eat an early dinner before we start work on our own barricade?” Justin asked, tilting his head at Amy.

  She nodded. Daniel had given them extra cans of food from their own pantry, including a can of lychees. They decided to have that for dessert as they opened up two cans of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. As they sat down to eat, a comfortable silence fell between them, and a small smile formed on Amy’s lips as she twirled a soft spaghetti strand around her fork. It was nice to eat without having to constantly feel Patrick’s and Ms. Wentworth’s greedy eyes on her food.

  Once they cleared their table, they got down to work. They moved a large armoire into the living room and positioned it right in front of the door. Justin did most of the heavy lifting, which meant it took over a half hour to do what two men could have accomplished in fifteen minutes or less. Amy murmured an apology as soon as they were done.

  “No worries,” Justin replied, grinning as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “But you’ll have to clean Troy’s apartment tomorrow. The place is a mess.”

  “That’s fair,” she said. She faltered for a bit before asking, “What are we going to do about sleeping arrangements? Who gets the bedroom?”

  “We’ll take turns,” he said. He plopped down on the sofa and pulled off his sweaty t-shirt. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

  They weren’t dating anymore, but Amy didn’t like the idea of sleeping alone in a stranger’s king-sized bed. Especially now with everything that had happened. She wondered if she should say something, then thought better of it. It could quickly get awkward for both of them.

  She turned around and headed toward the bedroom. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sleep tight.”

  Once she settled into Troy’s bed, she lay there staring at the ceiling, listening to the low hisses and snarls filling the evening air outside the window. It sounded as though there were dozens of Runners just milling about, waiting for fresh prey to stumble into their midst. Amy shut her eyes and curled into a fetal position. Were there many people left? Or had most succumbed to the cannibalistic Runners? Had her mom succumbed to them as well?

  Cool air hit her legs, and the mattress squeaked slightly as a heavy body plopped down behind her. Startled from her thoughts, Amy looked over her shoulder to find Justin snuggling under the duvet. He quickly spooned her, placing his lips against her ear.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but it’s a bit lonely out there,” he admitted. “If you want me to leave, just say the word.”

  In reply, Amy pulled his arm closer around her and pressed her back against him. With a contented sigh, she closed her eyes and blocked out all the extraneous noise that had kept her awake. Her sole focus now was the sound of Justin’s soft breathing, and the way it tickled her ear with each exhale.

  Sleep came to her instantly.

  Chapter 6

  Just as Amy had promised, the group gathered at Justin’s apartment to check on Patrick and Ms. Wentworth. Marie remained in her apartment to watch over Benson and Walter. By Daniel’s account, it seemed they were getting along quite nicely.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Patrick and Ms. Wentworth. The old lady listed off her grievances, her chest heaving with dry sobs.

  “All I had was half a can of lukewarm chicken soup last night! Patrick ate everything. Everything! The man is insatiable.”

  “I’m a young man!” Patrick whispered fiercely. “I need the energy. Just be glad that you’re here with me. If you had been alone in your apartment, you’d already be dead by now.”

  Ms. Wentworth wept into her hands. “I feel so weak and dizzy. We need more food!”

  She was right, Amy thought. Food was running out fast, and they had to procure more. But from where?

  “We could go to Papa’s,” Amy said slowly, looking up at the others. Papa’s was a mom-and-pop grocery on their street. Daniel frowned at her as Justin shook his head vehemently.

  “Don’t be stupid,” he said. “It’s not just risky; it’s a suicide mission.”

  Daniel agreed with him. “Let’s try the other apartments first. Why don’t we try the one below us?”

  There was no harm in trying. Besides, it was high time to put their makeshift ladder to good use. Justin decided to climb down first, followed by Daniel. Amy would go last.

  “Are you sure you won’t join us?” Justin asked Patrick as the small group moved to the balcony.

  Patrick turned pale. “I’ll pass. I . . . I have acrophobia.”

  “So what?” Amy snapped. “Surely you don’t expect us to continue bringing food to you.” Justin shot her a warning glance, but she ignored him and turned to address Patrick and Ms. Wentworth. “It’s time we all helped each other. That means both of you have to start pitching in. If you don’t, you’re just a burden to us.”

  Ms. Wentworth’s hand moved to her chest, but Amy pounced on her. “Don’t even think about mentioning your health. That’s no longer an excuse.”

  “What can I do, dear?” the old woman asked, on the verge of tears. “Do you expect me to climb over balconies and help you steal our neighbors’ food? Why, that’s absurd.”

  “For starters,” Amy replied, gritting her teeth, “you can help by rationing your food. We are all hungry. We are all weak. But we can’t afford to eat like there’s no tomorrow, understand?”

  Without waiting for a reply, Amy stepped over to the railing and motioned for Daniel to join
her. “Let’s tie the rope ladder here.”

  Justin came and stood beside her. “I know you’re upset, but –”

  “But what?” She whirled around to face him. “But what, Justin? Do you see the world before you? It’s every man and woman for themselves now. If they don’t start pulling their weight, they’re useless to us.”

  Justin remained silent after that, because everything she’d said was the truth. He stared at her, then nodded in resignation.

  “All right, we’ll discuss this later. Right now, let’s just get this done with.”

  They tied the end of the rope ladder to the railing and dropped its length down. It reached all the way to the second floor.

  Justin took a deep breath and smiled at Amy and Daniel. “Okay, let’s do this.” He put a leg over the railing and carefully placed his foot on a wooden rung. He was about to put his entire weight on it when the ladder suddenly jerked away from him. He leaned precariously over the railing, his arms flailing, but luckily, Daniel grabbed his t-shirt and yanked him back in.

  Heart thudding, Amy leaned over and gasped when she saw a pale, beefy arm shaking the rope ladder from the third floor.

  The apartment below theirs was not so empty, after all.

  Chapter 7

  “Is it a Runner?” Daniel asked breathlessly, staring at the arm. As soon as the question fell from his lips, the ladder stopped shaking, and a head popped over the third-floor balcony. Wary dark eyes stared up at them, which turned to relief at the sight of the three young people.

  “You folks gave me quite a scare! For a while, I thought it was one of those cannibals trying to climb down the ladder.” When they remained silent, the man smiled. “Come on down. I made some scrambled eggs and hot coffee. It’s powdered egg, but what the heck. Still tastes pretty good!”

  Eggs. They hadn’t had that in a while. Justin climbed down like an agile acrobat, and Daniel and Amy followed in quick succession. When they stood in the man’s living room, their mouths fell open as they stared at the barricade blocking the door.

  It looked as if the man had moved every piece of furniture he could get his hands on. A wooden TV cabinet, a teenage girl’s pale pink cupboard, a heavy-duty metal desk, a leather sofa . . . the list was endless. There was no way a Runner was getting into this apartment through that door.

  The man smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I got a bit carried away. But it helps me sleep at night.”

  He introduced himself as Garrett as he spooned eggs onto four plates. A pot of coffee sat on a portable single burner, and Amy closed her eyes and breathed in the fragrance. It had been a while since they’d had a steaming pot of anything.

  Garrett was a high school P.E. teacher in his late forties, a burly man with salt-and-pepper hair who enjoyed traveling around in his campervan. His seventeen-year-old daughter, who was bound for college in a few months, was at a nearby summer camp as a camp volunteer. He’d lost touch with her about a week ago.

  “I told her I’d come and get her,” he explained as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. “And I will, as soon as I figure out how to reach my campervan.”

  “Where will you go once you find your daughter?” Justin asked.

  Garrett smiled. “I have a friend who owns a small farm out west. The place is fairly isolated; the closest neighbor lives about half a mile away.” He chuckled. “The man is a fanatic. Always believed that the world would end soon. He spent years building a massive bunker underneath his house and stocked it with all kinds of canned goods, bottled water, water treatment tablets, blankets, medical supplies, portable propane gas stoves, standby generators . . . you name it, he’s got it. I thought he was nuts.” He shook his head slowly. “I can’t believe he had it right all this time.”

  Amy exchanged a glance with Justin, then asked, “Would your friend be open to the idea of letting a few more people in? If the place is as isolated as you say, maybe we can help him build strong fences around the farm to keep the Runners out.”

  “Runners, huh? That’s an interesting name.” Garrett stood up and placed his plate in the sink, pausing to think. “Well, I suppose you can come with me, and then ask him when we get there. Right now, I don’t even know if he’ll take me in. But we’ve gotta try, right?”

  Once they finished their meals, Garrett poured more coffee for his guests and then moved to the balcony to sit on a folding chair. The others followed him outside. He sat there, staring at a couple of Runners milling about on the street a short distance away.

  “What do you think happened? Any ideas?” he asked, tearing his gaze away to look at his guests.

  “Some say that our government was experimenting with a dangerous virus, while others say it was a lone terrorist attack.” Justin shrugged. “Your guess is as good as ours.”

  Amy leaned against the railing, staring at the stray Runners. “I wonder where the government’s secret bunker is located. That crazy DJ said it was in a desert somewhere.”

  “If it does exist, good luck finding it,” Garrett said in a gruff tone. “But I wouldn’t waste time doing something like that.”

  “Hey! Is that coffee I smell? It is, isn’t it?” a voice called out from above. Patrick leaned over the balcony, his face pinched with fear.

  Daniel popped his head over the railing to look up at him. “Yes, we are having coffee.” He didn’t offer any, which made sense to Amy. It wasn’t his to offer, after all.

  “Well . . . make sure to bring us some when you return, okay? We would like some, too.” And he disappeared back into the apartment, judging by the sound of the glass door sliding shut.

  Garrett raised a brow. “You kids aren’t the only ones, then?”

  Justin shook his head. “Two more in my apartment, and two more in Daniel’s apartment. Including a dog.”

  “A dog?” Garrett rubbed his face with his hands. “Geez. Well, what about the rest? Are they all able men and women?”

  Justin, Daniel, and Amy exchanged glances before replying. “We have one elderly woman, and a nine-year-old boy,” Justin said softly.

  “I see.” Garrett shifted in his chair. “Do you have enough food to go around?”

  “It’s been okay so far,” Amy said. “But we’re running out fast.” She paused, then added, “We’re thinking of visiting Papa’s, the mom-and-pop grocery on the street.”

  Justin sighed. “I thought we agreed that it was too dangerous to go outside. That’s not an option, Amy.”

  Garrett seemed to be of a different opinion. “Now, hang on. We have to consider all of our options. Your girlfriend’s right: food’s running out fast, and we need to do what we can to make sure we don’t starve. We can’t stay in our apartments forever, you know.”

  “The Runners are too fast,” Daniel said, worried. “How can we outrun them? They will chase us into the store. And they will slam against the door until it breaks.”

  Silence fell as their eyes turned to gaze at the Runners on the street. Right now, they were tame, shuffling along with no apparent destination in their diseased minds. But once they zeroed in on a normal human, all hell would break loose. There was no way to outrun their freakish speed.

  “We’ll need weapons,” Garrett said at last. “I have a rifle, an AR-15. I sometimes go hunting with my friend whenever I have time. We could also use steak knives, baseball bats, walking canes, golf clubs, hammers . . . whatever we can get our hands on.”

  Justin didn’t look convinced. “Okay, let’s say we’re doing this. We might be able to fight off one, maybe two Runners. But what if there’s a horde of them? There’s no way we’ll survive that.”

  “Distractions . . . that’s what we need. Also, one of us can sit here and shoot down any Runner that comes too close.” Garrett squinted at Amy. “Ever shot with a rifle before?”

  Amy shook her head. “I don’t have any experience with guns. Never held one in my life.”

  Garrett shrugged. “That’s okay. I could teach you.”

  “You could,” Amy replied,
“but that doesn’t mean I’ll suddenly become an expert shooter. There’s no way I’d be able to kill anything that moves so fast.”

  “Fair point,” Garrett admitted. “Then what will you do?”

  “Go down, what else? It was my idea,” she replied, a little annoyed. “Besides, I’m a fast runner. I used to be in my high school track team.”

  Garrett looked interested. “Is that so? Which event?”

  “Relay. I was the final leg runner.”

  Daniel shuffled his feet, uneasy. “We must discuss this with the others. Garrett, can you visit us this evening? We will have dinner together, and then we can make plans.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Justin grabbed the rope ladder dangling in front of them. “Garrett, we’ll be waiting for you in my apartment; it’s the one right above yours. And I’ll leave the ladder where it is.”

  “Don’t leave just yet,” Garrett said as he stood up. “I believe you have a coffee delivery to make.”

  About five minutes later, he returned with two thermos flasks and a plastic bag filled with canned goods and packs of reconstituted meals. Amy stared at them, astonished.

  Garrett smiled. “My daughter Lily and I love camping, especially at the Forest Valley campsite. We take our campervan, stock it with all kinds of ready-made meals, and have fun canoeing by day and watching the stars by night.” He held up the bag. “These are some of the meals left over from our last trip.”

  “Are you sure?” Justin asked, hesitant. “It’s a lot of food.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Garrett said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “There’s plenty for me still. Besides, if our mission to Papa’s is successful, I can just restock my pantry.”

  They murmured their thanks and readied themselves to climb the ladder. Garrett stood next to them.

  “The blue flask is for the kid. It’s cocoa,” he said. He gave them a wide grin and rubbed his hands together. “I’ll see you folks tonight. Can’t wait.”