by Morse, K. A.
Fuck.
Now I turn, bringing my M9 out, so I can keep the flashlight out. Those two are easier to carry together. Thankfully the EMP didn’t knock my flashlight out when it hit. One good thing about having an old flashlight, it can stand the test of time. Slowly, I trudge through the store, shining the light throughout the building in all the hiding places, with the hopes there’s nothing lurking, ready to eat me.
Damn, I know I’m delicious but not fucking edible.
A giggle comes out of my lips as I find the luggage. Jackpot, the one I want is right in front of me. Thankfully, there is a pile already on the floor, so I don’t have to try to look around for a good fucking one. As I grab the suitcase, my flashlight starts to dim.
“Fuck, fuck.” Unzipping my new bag and shoving the ammo bag in it as quickly as I can along with my M4, I close it back up, now heading off to find more batteries. Camping supplies is in my line of sight, hopefully the EMP didn’t fry all battery-operated things, too. A couple camping lanterns would help out nicely in a shit-storm. Just as I see the lanterns, the fucking flashlight goes out. Hitting it against my hand, it comes back on, so I waste no time and grab four of the lanterns. The search for batteries is on.
This is really what my life is right now. Looking for crap in the dark, while praying that this fucking flashlight will last long enough to find fucking something to power this shit up.
I stumble around the corner as my light is dimming again. If only I could chuck this fucking thing. A/C would be fucking awesome, too. Or could this bio weapon have come when it wasn’t so fucking hot? With a pull on my suitcase to get it over the shit that’s on the floor, I spy a display of what I need. Just in time, too, as my fucking flashlight goes out again. This time when I hit it against my hand, it doesn’t come back on. In the dark, my clumsy ass stumbles around trying to get to the batteries, saying a few choice words as I finally do. The batteries are farther away than they looked. Finally making it there, I start feeling the packages to find the right size for the flash light. Once found–well the ones I think are right–I rip the package open, then unscrew my flashlight, letting the old batteries drop out. Then I pop the new ones in, screwing the bottom back on, and I should have light again.
“Motherfucker,” now mumbling, I unscrew the flashlight then put the batteries in the other way.
Finally it comes to life, and just in time, as an infected is upon me, just feet away. Fumbling to pull my M9 out of my jacket, I scold myself for putting the M4 in the bag. The infected is now inches from me, ready to grab my arm with the lanterns. The M9 finally wiggles free, just in time to shoot the infected square in the head.
“Why can’t these dickheads be like zombies; all dried out and not get this shit all over me?” I wipe their brains off of my face with my wrist.
Now to find some fucking batteries to see if these lanterns work. With a kick and shove, I move the body out of my sight then set the lanterns down. I pop them open and see they take AA. Quickly grabbing a pack, I fight to get it open and finally pop those babies in. Fingers crossed that when put back together, they turn on. Sometimes, an EMP will destroy everything electrical, but there’s a low chance that anything powered by a battery may work. With a little faith, and a pull to open the camping light, it about blinds me. This was one of the moments to jump for joy, but it's short-lived as I see I’m all but surrounded by the infected. The gunshot must have drawn all of them to me.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” only a couple more rounds in my M9 and ammo in the fucking suitcase. Acting fast now that I can see them all, I take out the two closet to me. One shot left, and I fucking miss, hitting this one in the shoulder. Now three infected are coming right for me, and those fuckheads Harris and Metzger are nowhere in sight.
“If I get out of this alive I’m kicking both of them in the nuts for not helping me out of this shit,” I mumble, looking around to see what I can use to kill these fuckers with.
Out of the corner of my eye I see an umbrella, better than nothing. I rush for it as the infected are almost on me.
Strip tease
Brandon Harris
As I turn the corner, Carter reaches for a fucking umbrella. I’m almost going blind by the light she’s made. My eyes had adjusted to the dark. She’s got three infected moving in, and she’s going to use a fucking umbrella to save her ass.
“Carter, I got this. Can you just fuckin’ duck?” I yell at her.
She instantly ducks, and I let loose. Three rounds from my M9, and down those fuckheads go.
“About time, asshole,” is all Carter says to me as she picks up her stuff and hands me a lantern. “Here’s one for you. It takes AA batteries. I took all the good ones.” She proceeds to stick her tongue out then walks away.
“You could have said ‘thank you!’” I call to her as I fumble around to get this stupid-ass battery pack open. “At least reload your fucking gun, dumbass!” I yell to her, but she just gives me the finger and keeps moving.
Finally, I get this fucking package open, pop out four of the bastards, and pop them into the camp light that Carter’s left me. It is nice to be able to see in this huge place. Grabbing as many AA’s as will fit in my pack, I go to find Carter, so I can keep her ass safe. We need to get her home to Ellabee. That kid had better not have a scratch on her, or there will be hell to fucking pay.
This light is great, something that we have all taken for granted. I go looking for Carter, feeling it’s best to stay close to her after her close call, even if she doesn’t want the help. She’s only a couple aisles away, looking at shampoo and soap; something I could really go for, too, not that there will be running water soon if the whole fucking world is overran. But Carter throws me the soap I use.
“Fuck, Carter, why don’t you just marry me?” I question her as I slip some shampoo into my ammo bag.
“Because I don’t fucking like you that much,” she replies with a smile as she grabs what she needs and moves along. “And could you imagine us having sex?”
We both start to laugh, knowing that could never happen.
“So, what have you gotten so far?” Carter asks as she cruises the aisles, making a beeline to the women's clothing.
“I got shampoo!” I yell at her as I make my way to the men’s clothes.
Thankfully, my size is easy to find since it’s a common one. I find some nice sports shorts that seem to breathe well, they should do great in this fucking heat. All the black and dark-blue ones my size go in my backpack as I take out the pants I had gotten.
“Hey, Carter, you’re okay if I go shirtless, right?” I call out into the store.
“Only if I can, too!” she yells back.
“Shirtless it is!” I holler to her.
“Keep dreaming, ass, so get something to wear,” is all she says back.
I already have a couple shirts in my hand as well as some swim trunks. Maybe we can find a lake to take a dip in along the way home. Once my bag is full of new clothes and a set draped over me to change into, I head towards Carter’s light. My light is now put up, so it’s easier to find Carter in the dark. Metzger is nowhere to be found, and I wonder if that fucker has been eaten yet or not. Then again, fuck him for how he treated Carter yesterday.
“So, buttercup, did you find all you needed?” Carter jumps at my words, which makes me laugh since it’s hard to ever catch her off guard.
“For fuck’s sake, Harris, where is your light? Don’t do that shit again. I could have shot your ass,” she tells me, frustrated as she finishes filling her bag with clothes. She’s already in a new outfit, a simple pair of jean shorts and a dark-purple tank top that reads ‘chaos coordinator.’
A laugh comes out as I read it, “Fucking perfect for this hell.”
“Hell, yeah, and it came in three colors, so I got one of each.” She smiles then says, “Now let's find some bras and underwear. Then on to food?”
“Yeah, my bra is really bugging me, so a new one would be nice.” I smile back at her. �
��Or braless is an option,” I add with a shrug.
She gives me a slap on the back of the head, then we start looking for some bras. Now that she said food, I’m hungry again, so she’d better hurry the fuck up because there are some chips in here calling my name. I just have to find them.
“You’re thinking about food, aren’t you?” She pokes my side as she asks.
“Fucking, yes.” I hang my head down; good timing, too, as a hand comes out of nowhere, trying to grab my leg. With a kick to the head, the body slides slightly away but he’s still reaching for me. Since this one can’t really move, the ammo would be wasted on the infected. Carter spots what she needs, going right to them and grabbing a couple. There is one that catches my eye, so I pick it up. “Carter, what about this one? This one is nice.” It is pink lace and very much see through.
“Yeah, I’d like to see that on you, Carter,” Metzger says from behind me.
“Damn, fuckhead. I thought you might have been eaten,” Carter responds. “Also, I’m not trying to fuck either one of you, so my granny panties and bras will do just fine.” She shoves what she wants in her bag.
We move on to the food now; just snack food mainly, since it won’t go bad as fast as fresh food. Canned foods would be good but can be found along the way home. Hopefully, we are close to being out of the EMP zone, so we can get a fucking car. Walking is already getting old, and Ann has been a real bitch so far. These towns haven’t been very big, well this one is okay sized, but why haven’t we seen anyone else alive?
Now that we are close to the entrance, I see there are plastic bags. Unloading my haul of goodies into a couple of them, the others to do the same. We head out the broken door whence we came.
“Alright, are we going to stay in this town or keep walking and hope we come upon someone?” Metzger’s now fucking trying to take over what we're doing.
“Well, I want to keep moving, get as far as we can each day,” Carter pipes up. “Every step I take is one step closer to my daughter.” The pain in her voice comes out when she says ‘daughter.’
“But what if you get home and this is all for nothing?” Metzger questions her.
Carter walks right up to him and slaps him right in the face. “Don’t you ever say that again, asshole! She is the only thing I have left in this hellhole of a world. So, don’t take my fucking hope away, EVER!”
I’m so proud. Her voice didn’t waver at all when she said it. Sergeant Die Hard has come out to play. I open a bag of my chips waiting to see if this goes any further, popping a couple in my mouth. Carter turns and glares at me now.
“What? You handled him great, Sergeant Die Hard,” I eat a couple more chips. “I was just going to see if the show was going to go on.”
“Show’s over,” Carter says, gritting her teeth and walking away.
“So, we’re walking to find another town, I take it,” comes out of Metzger’s mouth.
“How bout you fuck off, Jim?” I spit out to him then jog up to Carter.
She is not pleased with me when I try to offer her some of my chips. Carter pushes my hand away without saying a word, making me almost drop the fucking bag. I flash her a dirty look, and she just smiles at me.
“For fuck’s sake, you know not to mess with my food. And for the the love of everything, why the fuck did you get that noisy-ass bag?” The sound of the wheels on the pavement is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
“Stop your fucking whining, you pansy. I didn’t want you to have to carry my ammo bag, asshat, so this bag was my ticket to not hear you complain . . . as much.” Her smile sends a shiver down my spine.
“Fuck, I never changed.” The clothes I had grabbed to change into are still on my shoulder. Feeling super hot, I stop walking and start taking my shirt off.
“Shit, Harris, can you give me a fucking warning before you start getting naked?” Carter’s hand is over her eyes now. “Or do a dance first, so I can get my money's worth.”
“Oh, no, this show is always free for you, Carter. Metzger’s ass has to pay. One of his Red Bulls will do,” I say as I pull on my new shorts, quickly followed by my shirt, so Carter’s arm doesn’t get tired of holding them out for me. “Still so fucking hot here.”
“Well, shit ain’t going to get cooler where we are going, ass.” Carter has started walking again, I just discard my old clothes where I am.
Who the hell cares here, anyway? Now to get my shoes back on and catch up with those two, who can’t seem to wait for me. Should’ve grabbed fucking slip-on shoes, these are a bitch to get on. Finally, they slide on, and I lace my boots back up. I’m a fucking fashion statement now. Pink tank top, dark-blue sports shorts, and combat boots. Standing back up and grabbing my bags, I run to catch up with the others.
“I hope by the time we hit the next town, we can at least get a car. This walking shit is for the birds.” No one says anything to me. They must have said something to each other and gotten mad again.
Not wanting to push it, I just grab my water from the side of my backpack and take a drink. We all walk in utter silence. About three hours of walking–well I’m going with three since my stomach is growling again–later, we come upon a huge lake to the right of us with a couple trees around it. There’s movement in the water, my M9 is a lot harder to get out of these fucking shorts. How many fucking bullets do I have left in my gun?
Rockstar
Lacey Carter
All of a sudden, Harris is struggling to get something out of his pocket. Once he does, I see it’s his M9. What the fuck does he see? Then I see him. He doesn’t look infected. Doesn’t move like them, but I’m not taking any fucking chances. As he sees us, he starts to wave. I still don’t bring down my guard, but none of the infected have acted like this.
We move in closer, and it’s like I’m in a movie. My heart slows down, or speeds up, I'm not sure. There’s a tightness in my chest, I can’t breath. Fuck, I’m having a heart attack. He looks like a Norse God covered in tattoos, and fuck, the muscles on him, too. The only thing he’s missing is the fucking hammer then he could be my Thor. He stands at least six feet tall, black hair falling in one of his eyes until he slicks it back. His white shirt clings to his body, completely drenched, only giving me hints of the tattoos that are hidden by it, but my eyes want to know more. His black jeans have some rips in them giving me a glimpse of those massive leg muscles he’s hiding.
“Carter, you can put your gun down, he’s not infected,” Harris’s voice breaks me from my trance.
Slowly, my gun comes down. I’m shaking my head as I do. “Man, this fucking heat must be getting to me,” I say, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Harris leans in, “So are you regretting those granny panties now?”
He has a smug look on his face, his ass knows me too well. A karate chop to the Adam’s apple would shut him up real fast.
“Nope, I’m just fine with my life choices.” I give him a smug look back. “So, who the fuck are you, and where the fuck did you come from?”
“Whoa, calm the fuck down, buttercup,” the stranger says, which makes me furious. Harris starts to laugh, knowing I’m about to go off on his ass.
“One, the name’s not fucking ‘buttercup.’ asshole!” One thing I hate is a hot guy who thinks just because I’m a woman, they can treat me as less than an equal.
“Sergeant Carter, can you just let him speak?” Metzger steps in between us.
“Fuck, I just asked a simple question. Why can’t he fucking answer it?” I mumble. “I thought I said it nicely.”
“Nice for a jackal, maybe,” Metzger tells me. “Anyway, I’m Ranger Metzger, and these are Sergeants Harris and Carter.” He points to each of us.
“Well, I’m just Carson. Sorry, nothing fancy in front of it.” He smiles hugely, making me melt a little more inside.
“Okay, Carson, where did you come from?” I try to ask him in a nicer tone without gritting my teeth.
“I’m guessing probably the same place you did,”
he says, trying to wring his wet shirt out.
I have to look away, or I might lose myself right there. The sound of a Red Bull can opening snaps me back to where I need to be. Metzger seems to only drink that crap, how does he even sleep at night?
“Man I’m dying of thirst, you don’t have any Rockstars do you? I would kill for one of those,” Carson asks longingly.
“Yuck, no, Harris and I are smart and packed something fucking useful and needed. They call it water, fucking heard of it? Ugh, I feel like I’m talking to my teenager.” Throwing my arms up, I grab my suitcase and keep walking.
I don’t have time for this shit, the sun is starting to go down. Finding a place to stay for the night is my only goal. Well, that and to stop fucking lusting over that Carson guy. My body hasn’t felt like this towards a man since my husband. As I think of my husband, tears roll down my face. Staying strong is so fucking hard, and now that Ann has been unleashed and we don’t know what damage has been done, I want to cry harder. I say a silent pray for my baby girl.
Finally, there is a sign saying we are about four miles out of the next town. Also one step closer to being home to Ellabee. All three guys have been talking the whole time, but I just ignore them. I’m mentally exhausted from the last couple days, all I really want is to cuddle my daughter and watch TV. Maybe fall asleep and wake up still next to her and out of this fucking nightmare. We haven’t gotten out of the EMP blast radius yet, but I’m hoping beyond all hope that we have gone far enough to finally get a vehicle, so we can travel faster. Hell, find an airport; I’ll fly anything out of this bitch at this point.
Thankfully, we haven’t come upon any infected out in the open, they are mainly in the city. The part of Colorado we are in doesn’t have a huge population, but I know we will hit one sooner or later. The fear of what sort of hell it will be to get through a more densely populated area sets in. If we don’t go through the big towns and try to stay on the outskirts, it would mean more time taken away from getting home. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation. It’s now dusk as we make it into the town of Rocky Ford. This town is by far the nicest one we have come across, so far, anyway. I stop and turn around to the three dumbasses.
