Remember The DEAD

Chapter 3

"Lysander. Good thing I got here. Phone lines were cut, couldn't get ahold of you." It was my friend Clay. "Figured this was a good time to pop in." He wasn't really a friend, someone from AA a few years back. One of the few that actually got off the wagon. He was still trying to help me get sober even to this day. "You alright, buddy?" He stuck his hand out, helping me up to my feet.

"Better now that you're here. Son of a bitch broke into my house." I glanced down at Ryan, his eyes still wide open, now glossing over as blood drained from the bullet hole in his head. "I don't know what the hell is-"

"I can tell ya, it ain't pretty. At this point at least half the city is sick, and the other half is running away." He looked down at the body. "This guy must have gotten infected a few hours ago. He's your neighbor, right?"

"Yeah, he was." I cleared my throat and started towards the door. "I'm going to my cabin, I got his wife and kid up there right now. Wanna help me get some stuff and load up the truck?" I glanced up at Clay, he nodded.

"Sure. Lets hurry though before more of them come, Doc." He quickly kneels down at the body, closing his eyes then digging through his pockets. "I've had to do this 3 times now..." he grabs the wallet he was carrying, pulling his ID out and stuffing it in his pocket. "There's nothing else I can do for them except this." He pulled the hood Ryan was wearing up over the bodies head and covers his face. "Sorry."

"What.... what the hell is happening, Clay...?" I glanced down at him, I could smell it. His drink of choice Moonshine. "It's that bad, huh?" I felt bad for him, he was sober for 2 years.

"Just shut up and get packing." He grumbled and stood up. Swaying ever so slightly as he did. "We don't have time to talk about it." He brushed off what I insinuated and quickly started through my kitchen, grabbing as much food as he could and stuffing them in plastic shopping bags. "Might wanna hit the store before the shelves get picked clean. I dunno when you left to the cabin, I know I started right after that broadcast earlier. Things are crazy and dark right now." He somewhat chuckled. "I mean, I've just shot 3 people dead because they were going crazy. And I've seen at least 14 other people out there that weren't doing so hot face to face, not including anyone the News mentioned, I mean shit did you see what those people did to that paramedic or to Jackie?!"

"Yeah, Clay, I saw. But, they're playing it off like this is just rabies. What I just witnessed with Ryan.... They're lying. This ain't rabies, this is something else entirely." I spoke to him from across the room as I was stuffing batteries and bullets in my pockets. "Lisa wanted me to grab some stuff from her place too. Are you coming with? We'll head up to my cabin after we get everything we need." I glanced up at him quickly. He was shaking his head..

"Nah, brother, I gotta go see if my wife and daughter are okay- I mean, my ex-wife... With everything going on, I gotta go get them to a safe place." He shrugged, "But I can help ya grab the your neighbors' things first. I just wanted to check in on ya. I know my first reaction was to grab the bottle I kept on my bedside table, I figured you weren't doing much better." He sighed and pulled his bottle from his pocket. "To this shit show?" Chuckling, he twisted the lid off, holding the bottle out. "Shot for shot?"

Of course I obliged. Who wouldn't after what we'd just been through? I quickly pulled mine from my pocket and twisted the lit off. "And for old times sake." We clinked our bottles and both took large swigs. He shuddered a bit, looking me up and down. "What?" I chuckled. "Too good lookin' to ignore?"

"Nah, just happy to see you again." He nodded and we eventually finished stuffing the grocery bags with what I felt was enough to keep me and the woman and child good for at least a month.