by James Bailey
*
After an hour of hard work the truck was loaded with canned goods, bottled water and as many fuel cans as I could fill. There was still enough there to warrant a second trip if the people at Jay’s camp wished to return. I had checked the map Jerome had made for me, their camp looked to be about fifty miles north from here at the top of a hill outside a town. Good spot I thought, then remembered that my old camp was in a similar position when it was attacked.
There was an old street directory in the service station which I had appropriated. I found the site of my old camp fairly swiftly. It was about ten miles south of here, I’d have to take some dirt roads to reach it but the truck looked like it could manage it.
Getting into the truck I checked the arms were all locked and loaded on the passenger seat, three hand guns, a shotgun and two rifles. I was ready to find my brother.
The truck started with a roar, its eight cylinder engine rumbling nicely.
“See you guys, thanks for your help.” I said sadly as I pulled out of the station and headed south, my eyes starting to tear up. It still scared me how quickly someone could be ripped from my life these days. So many of my friends and family had died around me, yet still I hadn’t grown numb to the loss. I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Driving along the road I remembered some of the landmarks from when I was walking. The abandoned yellow Volkswagen Beetle a mile or so from the service station. The old farmhouse a couple of miles after that, just before the forest started. What had taken me all night and morning to half stumble, half run through I had driven past in under an hour.
As I entered the forest I slowed down and kept my eyes peeled for any movement. The turned generally moved in packs, new members simply absorbed into the collective. If I could find that main group then I would likely find my brother.
A name for what happened to those who were bitten had yet to widely be decided upon by the survivors. The media called them the turned for the first few weeks, before the plague had really spread. Once people realised that those who were bit would never be the same and would happily tear the throat out of their own flesh and blood, people started to call them simply ‘the dead’ or the ‘undead’. I refused to call my brother dead until I had properly put him down.
After a few minutes of driving in the forest the asphalt ended and the road degraded into a dirt trail. I slowed the truck down further, careful to not let the bumps and potholes knock my collection of firearms onto the floor and out of reach. I was less than a mile from my old camp and knew the pack wouldn’t be far, they would have taken their time feeding before shuffling off in a new direction.
Between the trees and foliage ahead I saw a flash of blue, I brought the truck to an abrupt halt and grabbed the rifle from the chair next to me, placing it on my lap. I waited a few moments but nothing emerged from the woods. I honked the horn a few times, experience had shown that noise seemed to attract the creatures.
Slowly out of the trees the body of a middle aged man wearing a faded blue suit emerged. One of his eyes was missing and the sleeve of his suit jacket was ripped off with the flesh on his arm torn asunder from where he had been first attacked. I looked behind the man but couldn’t see any of his fellow pack members. As he saw me and recognised a potential meal the creature sped up, racing forward it’s arms flailing around it and it’s mouth wide open, yellowed and rotting teeth exposed.
I wound down the window, aimed the rifle carefully and blew the creatures head off without a second thought. If anything was going to attract his friends that noise would. I quickly wound up the window and drove on, I didn’t want to get caught in a narrow road when the whole pack arrived if I could help it. One of the scattered campsites would be better, a clear space to time my shots and escape in the truck.
Driving along I checked my rear view mirror sporadically. There was a good chance his buddies would be running after me now. I felt my hands grow sweaty and my heart start to beat faster, I had never actively looked for a group of turned before I was far more used to running away from them.
Suddenly one of the creatures ran out in front of the car, before I could even think I had run it down, it’s body going underneath the wheels of the truck. I swore to myself and started praying for a clearing. I needed to be able to see these things coming.
In my rear view mirror I saw several of them running after the car, their ungainly gait unnaturally fast. I sped up, taking a corner ahead faster than I normally would even if I wasn’t being pursued by the undead.
With a shout of relief I saw a sign for a campsite a quarter mile ahead, the trees began to clear out around me giving way to a wide clearing. I vaguely remembered passing through this area weeks ago when we first entered this forest to make our camp.
I checked my rear view mirror again, more of the creatures had joined the pursuit, almost twenty of them now running behind me although I had managed to put a decent amount of distance between us.
The campsite came into view, nice and open just like I needed. I pulled in fast, turning the truck around hard so that the truck was facing the oncoming rush of undead. I wound down my window and aimed my rifle at the point where they would emerge, trying to calm down my breathing. I had the other rifle next to me in case I needed it. I only cared about killing my brother, the rest could wait for another time.
The first emerged around the corner, heading straight for me. It wasn’t my brother, I aimed down the sight and held my breath as I took the shot. One bullet straight to the head and it dropped to the ground, limp. Three more emerged from around the corner, all women. I quickly shot these three too, although in the time it took to take them out six more had already followed the trio and were now running towards me. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I took out two more, swearing as I heard the empty click signalling the rifle was out of ammo, I threw the weapon to the side and quickly picked up the other in my lap. I fired again but was starting to panic and missed. Adjusting, I quickly took out four more. One bullet left before either I reloaded or grabbed the shotgun. Neither was a particularly attractive choice as both meant the creatures would be at my window by then.
A dozen of the creatures were charging at the truck by this time, the closest only yards away I peered through the bunch, praying that I would recognise my brother amongst the creatures. Finally I saw him at the rear of the group. His face was half torn, as if one of the creatures had clawed at it and his shirt was hanging on by a thread but it was definitely him.
I took aim, knowing I only had one shot left. I muttered a prayer for my brother under my breath and fired. He dropped to the ground, lifeless.
Throwing the rifle onto the passenger seat I frantically wound up the window and put my foot on the gas. As the truck took off the first of the creatures reached me, clambering up the windshield and bashing on the glass. I floored the accelerator, and the creature slid up on to the roof and fell off the back of the truck. Two more of the creatures crashed into the truck, sliding under the wheels. I turned away so that I wouldn’t have to run into any more of them, I didn’t want to risk damaging my vehicle, leaving me stuck in the forest with a dozen angry undead.
Leaving the pack behind I drove back on to the road and sped back down the way I came. I looked in the rear mirror and saw the remaining undead still in pursuit but fading fast.
“Well that wasn’t the touching moment I was hoping for.” I said to myself as I left the creatures behind me. I quickly made my way back on to asphalt and floored it back to the open road.
Half an hour later I was driving past the service station, this time heading north and to Jerome and Jay’s camp. I considered stopping to bury the bodies at the service station, however it was already mid afternoon and it was far more dangerous to drive and travel at night.
As I drove into unknown territory the roads remained clear, I hoped that remained the case for the rest of the journey. Snarls of abandoned cars were some of the most dangerous places to be in these days
, plenty of hiding spots for random undead to pop up and try and snag a meal. I glanced at the map, there was only one town I had to pass through before the camp.
After an uneventful hour of driving, in which I was able to finally relax from my harrowing experience in the forest, I saw the outskirts of the town in the distance. Scattered farmhouses and fields began to appear as I drew nearer as well as the occasional empty abandoned vehicle. As I entered the main area of the town the abandoned vehicles began to grow in number, luckily someone had already pushed them out of the street allowing my truck to pass through with ease. I slowed down and kept my eyes out for undead as I drove through. Urban areas were their ideal environment which was why I and so many others had abandoned the cities.
I passed through the town with no incident and headed towards the camp site, going by Jerome’s map I would be there in under an hour. I started to think about what I should say when I got there. I was a little worried they would blame me for the deaths of their friends but then thought the fact I had a map drawn by them and was delivering supplies should be reason enough for them to trust me. Before the disaster strangers would rarely nod hello when passing in the street. These days people banded together and helped each other more than any other time I had experienced.
Eventually I found the hill and was driving up the slope towards the camp. I was surprised to see a tall chain fence with barbed wire surrounding the top of the hill. Two men were standing behind a heavy steel gate watching me drive up, rifles in hand. I slowed down as I approached, one of them raised his rifle and pointed it at me when they noticed I was alone in the car.
The other approached the driver’s side window.
“Where is Jerome and Jay!” The man demanded as I wound down the window.
“They are dead. I was travelling along the road and met them at a service station. I was helping them load the truck when one of the dead came out of the toilet and killed Jerome and bit Jay.” I said, raising my hands from the steering wheel so they could clearly see them.
“Jesus,” the man said in a tone that was both angry and sad. “They were our two best suppliers and good guys too.”
“Jay asked me before he died to deliver the supplies, said you guys needed some help. I am pretty resourceful, happy to help out where I can.” I said hopefully. The other man had since slung his rifle back over his shoulder.
“Well I can’t see we aren’t grateful for your delivering this stuff and we do need help around here, especially with Jerome and Jay gone. Not going to be fun breaking the news to the rest of the camp. Drive on in and park the truck with the rest of them, I’ll tell the boss the situation.”
“Thanks.” I said with a smile. The other man nodded and, with the help of the other man, swung open the heavy steel gate.
I slowly drove my truck into the camp. Caravans dotted the camp site, children were playing in an open area nearby, a few mothers watching them with smiles on their faces. A couple of the children waved at the truck as I drove past. I smiled at them and waved back, perhaps I had found a new home here.
I parked the truck amongst several others in what appeared to be a parking lot at the rear of the camp. I noticed a couple of other armed men patrolling the perimeter. It was by far the most secure camp I had seen.
As I got out of the truck a middle aged serious looking man in khaki pants and a denim shirt walked towards me a woman in tears was beside him.
“Hello there stranger, I hear we have you to thank for these supplies. My name is Henry,” he held his hand out for me to shake, I grasped it firmly.
“Hello Henry, I am Frank. I am sorry I couldn’t bring your two friends with me.” I said with genuine sadness.
“It’s a damn shame but they died trying to help the camp. Can’t ask for more than that. This here is Michelle, she was Jay’s sister.” Henry said, the woman moved forward.
“Did he suffer at all? Is he one of them?” She asked with a voice cracking with emotion.
“No,” I said shaking my head. “He told me to tell you he loved you and goodbye, then he let me take care of him. He went out the way he wanted.”
She burst into sobs and hugged me. I didn’t know what to do for a second, my arms just hovered in the air unused to human contact before I hugged her back.
“Thank you,” she said after a few seconds, pulling away and walking back the way she had came.
“You did a good thing bringing all these supplies, you didn’t have to I know. Was wondering if you’d think about staying. We could do with another man to help keep this place stocked up and Jerome won’t need his caravan any more if you want to stay there.” Frank said.
“Thank you, I would like that.” I replied.
“Follow me and I’ll introduce you to everyone, you have found your new home my friend and I can tell you we intend on keeping this place out of those creatures hands.”
I looked around the camp, the people smiling, the children playing. It was the closest I had come to feeling comfortable, feeling human in weeks.
“Thank you Frank, it feels like home.”
