by Max Lockwood
“Naturally, we booked it out of there,” Sergio said. “We had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into. Along the way, we picked up Lucas. Then we just drove aimlessly. Ideally, we’re trying to get somewhere without zombies. Obviously, we haven’t found what we’re looking for yet.”
Matthew was horrified but not completely surprised. If the military was turning, then it made sense that there was no one to stop the spread of the disease. It confirmed his suspicions—the civilians were on their own.
“That’s why everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut of,” Ellie said. “Anyone who could stop this thing is contributing to it.”
Carl nodded. “We’re trying to contain it as well as we can, but at a certain point, it’s just too hard. I mean, we want to protect ourselves as best as we can. That’s hard to do when we’ve got a two-man military trying to save the country.”
Matthew understood this sentiment. He had also been toeing the line between taking care of himself and fighting for his country. It was a relief to hear from others and know that his feelings were validated by others in the service.
Everyone sat in silence, contemplating how dark their world had become. Matthew was glad he could provide food and shelter for weary travelers, but he felt hopeless for the future of humanity.
“You never showed us what you got at the store,” Ellie said, breaking the silence.
“Oh, right,” Matthew mumbled, thankful for a break in the uncomfortable quiet. He handed the bag over to her, where she proceeded to dump its contents on the floor like a child on Christmas morning.
“Aren’t you the sweetest?” Ellie exclaimed as she picked out the items he was almost too embarrassed to collect. “You’re too thoughtful.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, his face reddening. “I couldn’t fit a lot in my bag, but I tried to grab a lot of stuff that Genevieve might find helpful.”
“Can I look?” Jennifer asked, finally speaking up. “I don’t have a lot of training, but I was going to go to school to be a nurse before all of this happened.”
“Okay,” Genevieve said. Lucas rushed to her side to act as translator as Jennifer examined her injury.
“The three of us have spent a lot of time in here,” Matthew said, “but there’s actually a pretty nice lounge on the third floor. I think that might be a better place to hang out. This room is too small and doesn’t have bathroom facilities. We might be more comfortable upstairs.”
“What about Genevieve?” Ellie asked. “She can’t climb stairs.”
“I can carry her,” Matthew said. “Besides, I don’t think we’re going to have to make a run for it anytime soon. We might as well make ourselves comfortable.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sergio said. “We haven’t slept much in the past few days.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll ever sleep again,” Pip interjected. “I’m so wired from all of these energy drinks. I thought they would take the edge off, but it might be making it worse.”
Matthew tossed the bottle of sleep aids onto the table. Pip’s eyes lit up.
“That might help,” he said. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping too.”
“Just don’t overdo it,” Carl warned Pip. She gave him a dirty look in response.
“How’s it going, Jen?” Pip asked, trying to take the heat off her problems with her brother.
“I think the tibia is fractured, down by the ankle. The rest of the damage seems to be bruising, maybe a strained ligament or two. You were right to get the supplies you did. She’ll have to keep her weight off it for a while, but it should heal. Of course, I can’t be for sure without an x-ray, so this is as good of a diagnosis as you’re going to get right now.”
Lucas quickly translated, much to Genevieve’s dismay. She was tired of being confined to the couch. Matthew was just glad to have a comfortable place for her to rest.
“Bummer,” Pip said. “Well, at least we found each other. Being in here really beats driving around in the car.”
“Absolutely,” Sergio said.
“Well, make yourselves at home,” Matthew said. “We’ve been trading off guard duty so someone is always awake and alert at all times. Would you be interested in taking a turn?”
“Say no more,” Carl said. “We wouldn’t think of lounging around without helping. We’ll be part of the team. I’ll even take first watch if you want.”
“Oh, no,” Matthew said, holding out his hands. “The three of us are well-rested. Why don’t you guys go upstairs and sleep? It’s only fair that you get your chance to rest. It’s safer that way.”
“Right,” Carl replied. He got to his feet and opened the door. “I want to thank you guys again,” he said as the others made their way upstairs. “You don’t know how bad it’s been.”
“I’m sure he knows,” Pip said softly.
“You’re right,” Carl said, looking at the floor. “I just—”
“I know,” Matthew interrupted, saving Carl from having to go through the motions. “Have a good rest. I’ll hold down the fort until you wake up.”
Carl nodded and closed the door behind him. Matthew sank down in the old chair and let his aching arms fall to his sides.
“Good people,” Genevieve said, though it sounded a little like a question.
“I think so,” Ellie replied. “They all seem very nice. I think we would be able to tell if something was off about them.”
“I agree,” Matthew said wearily. “I’m glad they’re here, to be honest. This place is too massive for just the three of us.”
“It feels good to be able to help,” Ellie said.
Matthew smiled. She had just said his exact feelings about the situation. “It does feel really good to help,” he repeated, letting his mind and body relax for a moment. Matthew had far from saved the world, but at least he was making progress. A tiny victory was better than nothing.
11
Matthew was feeling more optimistic than he had in a long time. The group of survivors were still stuck in an abandoned office space, but at least the original three had a little more company. He was ready to pick their brains and get some more information as to what was really happening out in the world.
Especially for the age of technology they were in, information about the zombies was scarce. At first, Internet rumors ran rampant, causing more harm than good. For quite some time, people believed that the zombie disease was spread through sexual contact only, leading people to believe they were safe as long as they used protection. This was quickly proven false when children turned after being bitten by other kids on the playground.
Another wild rumor involved government conspiracies. A lot of people actually believed that government groups were pumping toxic gas into the air in order to rid their cities of the homeless population. According to legend, the poison created zombies and didn’t kill the undesired population. This led to a widespread outbreak, especially in urban centers. Of course, this rumor didn’t last long, especially when outbreaks were first recorded in wealthy parts of town.
But there were still a lot of questions left unanswered. No one knew the source of the zombies and no one knew how to stop the disease from spreading. It was possible that the disease hadn’t reached certain areas of the country, but no one knew where those places were. Also, Matthew assumed that help would arrive at some point, but he had yet to see it. Had both his country’s government and the rest of the world abandoned them?
Of course, no one knew the answers to the big questions, but it would be helpful if Matthew could grab fragments of information here and there. A puzzle with only a few pieces missing was better than only having a few pieces at his disposal.
He wasn’t sure why he needed to know what was going on. When he thought about it, having all the answers wouldn’t make a lick of difference. Even if he knew where the outbreak began, that knowledge wouldn’t keep him safe. In fact, he’d probably encounter more trouble trying to figure those secrets out. For some reason,
he just had this thirst for knowledge that couldn’t be quenched. It killed him to have no control of the situation.
Matthew paced the halls of the second floor, waiting for the others to wake up from their nap. He didn’t necessarily want to give up his post, but he wanted to talk to someone who knew something he didn’t. As he walked, he was finding it increasingly hard to think about anything but the unanswered questions.
Thankfully, he heard footsteps on the stairs on the fourth hour of his watch and quickly ascended to see what was going on.
Carl and Jennifer had woken from their rest and decided to explore the building. Not wanting to scare them—or appear creepy—Matthew called up to them to make sure everything was okay.
“Yeah, we just couldn’t sleep anymore,” Carl said. “We were going to look around. Anything interesting?”
Matthew smiled. “Are you afraid of heights?”
When they got to the top, Carl and Jennifer were breathing heavily, but not completely winded, like Ellie had been. It made Matthew wonder how things would have been different if he had attached himself to another group earlier on.
“This is pretty incredible,” Jennifer said in a hushed voice. “I mean, it’s kinda terrifying to see how bad this city’s gotten, but it’s a view that I never thought I’d ever see.”
“I know what you mean,” Carl replied, touching the glass of the window. “It still doesn’t seem real. Who would have ever thought that New York City would be this dead?”
“Literally,” Jennifer said darkly. “I feel like we were just back at Pip’s place for her party. Now, basically everyone we know is dead.”
Matthew walked a little closer to the window to see if he was still okay with heights. He stood inches from the glass and felt nothing.
“It’s the kind of thing that makes you wish you had never known anyone to begin with,” Matthew said softly.
“Yeah,” Jennifer replied, turning to Matthew. “It also doesn’t help that I had to leave friends and family behind. We didn’t have time to go back. I still don’t know if my parents made it out alive. It doesn’t seem likely though.”
Her head bowed to her chest. Carl placed a hand on her shoulder.
Matthew cleared his throat. “You said you went to your base, right? Did they tell you what was going on?”
Carl scoffed. “Not really. Our orders were to get the hell up there because weird things were happening. I mean, we already kind of suspected it. I watched a girl get attacked and turn, right before my eyes. But by the time we got to base, we couldn’t even get inside the base. We stood outside and shot any zombie who made it past the gates. We made the trip thinking we’d get new orders for controlling the chaos in the city, but there was no one there to take orders from. We got the hell out of there.”
Matthew sighed. He couldn’t imagine having no one left to report to. It was unheard of.
“So you just abandoned your post?” Matthew asked, trying to understand the story.
Carl sat down on the floor and leaned up against the window. “I know it sounds really bad. Anyone who’s ever served is going to hate me for doing this. I realize that I made a promise to serve my country, and that promise is not technically finished yet. What I did was inexcusable, but I . . . I don’t know. I just can’t do it anymore. I want to go back to my normal life.”
Matthew sat down next to Carl. Jennifer joined on Carl’s other side.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Matthew said. “I totally get it.”
Carl shook his head. “You were honorably discharged. That means you did right by the Army and they gave you permission to move on. I technically abandoned. That’s a serious crime, you know? I don’t feel good about it.”
“Of course you don’t,” Matthew replied. “I think the circumstances allow for you to do whatever the hell it is you need to do to protect your friends and family. Isn’t that what the job is about, after all?”
“That’s a romantic way to look at it. I always saw it as a chance to make people proud of me.”
“Yeah, that too,” Matthew added. “Honorable discharge or not, I still chose to make a clean break from the military. I could have taken an office job somewhere, but I’d had enough. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something else.”
“This wasn’t what I wanted either,” Carl said darkly. “It makes combat feel like a day at the spa.”
“Do you think that any troops are out there?” Matthew asked. “Obviously, there probably aren’t any active platoons here, but have you heard anything from anyone? Like, is the National Guard in Wyoming making the rounds?”
Matthew was so desperate for a glimmer of hope. Having been both a civilian and a solider, he understood how bleak their reality was. He depended on people who performed the same job he had, years ago.
“I haven’t heard anything, really,” Carl admitted. “I think it’s safe to say that everyone else is in a bit of trouble too. I certainly don’t blame people for taking care of their families first.”
“Yeah,” Matthew agreed. “I know we like to talk a big game about being loyal and doing whatever we’re ordered to do, but that’s only because our families are safe at home while we’re deployed. If war happened on our soil, then things would be different.”
“I think we are at war,” Carl replied. “I spend most of my day fighting the enemy so healthy people aren’t killed or turned. I think that qualifies as war.”
Jennifer got up and walked down the hall. Matthew expected Carl to follow her, but he stayed seated, his eyes closed.
“When we were outside earlier today, why didn’t you shoot the zombies? You had guns—are you out of ammunition?”
“No, we have plenty of ammo. We’ve found that the noise of gunfire attracts the zombies like no other. You’ve noticed how the attacks are worse when the victim is screaming, right?”
Matthew nodded. He had noticed a correlation between noise and increased numbers of zombies.
“A gunshot increases the number of zombies that show up to a feast. I’m pretty sure they can hear it a mile away and will hunt down the source of the noise. If the crowd is completely out of control, we’ll use a little firepower. If we can avoid making too much noise, we will.”
“You can’t just shoot them from the Jeep?” Matthew asked. It seemed much simpler to gun them down. It certainly would have saved his group the overuse injuries if they could hide out somewhere and pick them off.
“We tried that,” Jennifer said, returning with three paper cups in her hand. “It didn’t go well.”
The men accepted the water and Jennifer returned to her seat.
“At one point, we had a lot of people on our little team,” she continued. “Carl, Pip, Sergio, and I were together from the beginning. We picked up Lucas right away. His car broke down and he was stranded on the side of the road. Then, we found Alan. Alan was an ER doctor who had seen the zombies in his hospital and tried to warn people about it. He joined us when his group was ambushed. I really miss Alan.”
“Jennifer wants to go into medicine,” Carl explained. “On our long drives, Alan would talk to her about all sorts of medical stuff that the rest of us didn’t really understand. But it seemed to have made a difference, right?”
Jennifer nodded. “I know much more about practical emergency medicine than any textbook could have told me. I still don’t know a lot, but I know some pretty important signs and symptoms to look out for. I just wish he were still here. There was so much more to learn.”
Carl placed his hand on her shoulder. Matthew wondered if the two were dating, but it felt intrusive to ask.
“He’s the reason we try not to use guns. During one particularly bad attack, we were using the three guns we had to hold off the zombies. Alan wasn’t experienced with a gun, so he was using a crowbar as a weapon. The shots brought more in and we couldn’t shoot them fast enough. He was overpowered and killed. We don’t want to risk it if we don’t need to shoot.”
Matthew sighed. “That’s where it would be useful to have a military or a police force working on this. Civilians shouldn’t have to defend themselves.”
“I agree,” Carl replied morosely. “But I’m just glad we have the weapons we need.”
Matthew thought about how inefficient and futile self-defense seemed. From the number of zombies he’d seen in a concentrated area, explosive devices would be a logical option for the military. A loud noise could lure them in, then a drone could drop an explosive onto the group. Or a tank could roll through the streets, firing at anything that moved. If everyone stayed inside, the zombies on the street could easily be taken care of.
Instead, civilians had to swing paltry weapons at whatever was attacking them. If they weren’t skilled at fighting, the healthy people would die. It was a cruel irony that calm, peaceful people were at risk because they didn’t have violent tendencies.
“I know that Ellie, Genevieve, and I won’t be able to replace the ones you’ve lost, but I hope that we can form some type of alliance. Even if it’s just for a short period of time, it’s good to have capable people around.”
“Likewise,” Carl said, smiling. “Thanks for listening to my bullshit. It’s always nerve-wracking to share my military experiences, especially to someone who may not agree with how I feel. I hope you don’t think poorly of me now.”
“Not at all,” Matthew replied. “I think we share a pretty similar view of it all. I’m just so relieved you guys are taking care of yourselves. I don’t know if I could carry a group any further on my own. The girls are like family now, but it’s hard to fight for three people.”
“Well, you seem to be doing all right thus far,” Jennifer said warmly. “If you can survive for this long, you’ve got to be doing something right.”
Matthew smiled. He’d been hesitant about the new group at first, but he was really warming up to them. He didn’t want to speak prematurely, but he wondered if the new allies were the answer to his prayers. If so, God worked quickly. It must be easier to respond to requests when the human population was dying out.
