Apocalyptic Love

Watch it burn

Our new home was blossoming into a safe haven, we had running generators with scavenged fuel, a stocked armoury and kitchen. The storeroom here was almost full when we found this place, luck was on our side; People had found a few RVs from a trailer park a few miles our and were living in them instead of the tents.

The only thing missing was a sufficient food supply that we knew would last, that's what we were assigned with. An elder man name Garret owned a farm in the past life and told us he wanted to start anew here, all he needed was the right tools and supplies.

Myself, Carter, Melanie and a scout named Brent were all huddled into a small car, following a map that had been marked with a few scattered farms. "I feel like I need a nickname for Brent" I twisted my neck to look at Brent and Mel sitting across the back seats.

Brent was roughly our age, his hair was slightly auburn under the sun with a dark stubble following his cheeks, green eyes and tall frame; Melanie was eying him since the moment he jumped in the car. "A nickname? The hell for?" The boy looked to Mel as if I'd lost the plot.

"She does it to everyone, she is slightly unhinged" Carters laugh grew louder from the front and I slapped his shoulder playfully.

The car ride was surprisingly fun, it made us feel our ages as we laughed together, we all matured too fast and being able to have fun made us realise the life we were missing out on.

We made it to the first farm in easy time, the roads were bare excluding a few stragglers.

"You two take the house" I pointed to my friend and our newbie "We will take the barn. Make sure to follow the list and look for anything we could use" Mel sarcastically saluted me while I rolled my eyes and Brent muttered a quick "Yes boss" before heading off.

"Ready Lucifer?".

A crowbar was jammed between the thick chain around the barn doors while I held my knives ready in each hand, the faint growl of rotter's was growing louder through the rotting wood.

Carter was at my side in an instant when the door was pried open, watching as the dead corpses limped towards us. The smell was foul, the rotting flesh inching its way into our nostrils, that was something I could never get used to. Two neared me while Carter took the dead behind.

The first was a woman, her face melting from her ashen bones while her teeth chomped towards my scent. My knuckles gripped her shirt using the leverage to sink my blade through her crown whilst kicking my boot into the others ribcage.

Its body hit the floor with a ghastly crack and my boot sunk through its skull with little resistance. Bile rose as I watched black brain matter cover my boots "You good there?" The boy laughed watching me shake the liquid from my shoes.

I flipped him off getting a harder chuckle as we ventured into the barn. We scored pretty well considering this was the first place we checked, a bucket full of seeds, fertiliser and a few tools. "I hate when it's too easy, makes me nervous" I admitted to the man, the last time I had a feeling like this shit went south.

"Please don't jinx us again Kate" Carter smiled as he brushed a few strands from my face, following his finger down the stretch of my cheeks. Tiptoeing to reach his height I pressed my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his shoulder as I lost myself in him. Each time we connected was like disconnecting from the world, it was just us in this moment, and nothing else matters.

But disconnecting in this world is dangerous, we were so lost in each other we didn't hear the groans growing louder until we parted. "You had to jinx it didn't you" Carter rolled his eyes as he grabbed our bags, the moment we hit the grass a huge herd was heading our direction. We didn't have time to catch a break as we sprinted to the house, they were surrounding us and the moment we pelted through the white oak doors, their claws were scratching against the flimsy wood.

The two were at out sides in an instant, both their faces white with worry as we all pushed against the door. "How many?" the girl asked.

"Too many" we were panting hard as the dead pressed against the hinges, but it wouldn't hold for long "We need a plan guys".

We all looked speechless until Carter spoke up "Do we have any flammables in here?".

"There was like three bottles of Anti-freeze in the kitchen" Brent huffed "That's flammable isn't it?".

Carter looked to me for reassurance and I knew what he was planning was going to be dangerous, but we were out of ideas "You two grab them, cover every inch of downstairs in it" the pair nodded rushing away.

I looked to the boy in fear knowing this was risky "It's the only way, the fire will distract them, and we can jump from the window upstairs" Nodding I reached over and intertwined our fingers whilst keeping my weight against the door.

"I'm with you" his hazel eyes glistened under the faint smile "You really do have a habit of making me jump from places though".

The two worked in record timing, finishing just when the metal hinges started to break away from the wood. They went upstairs first to pry a window open for us, while me and Carter prepared ourselves.

"I love you" I whispered before taking my weight away from the door.

My body inched forwards almost falling up the first few steps, the moment Carter launched towards me the wooden barrier was forced open, and the dead piled through the small arch.

"I love you too" Carter added before sparking his lighter and throwing it to the crowd of monsters.

The place went up in chaos, the fire started at the floor spreading through the room like water until the flames crawled up the rotting legs of the corpses. Their groans growing faint, but their charcoaled bodies still heading for us.

Carter took my hand in his and pulled me up the stairs into the small bedroom where the others were waiting, they were already halfway out the bay when we came pouncing through breathless. Brent went first, pulling his large frame through the window, he hesitated for a moment looking at Melanie and then jumped; his body hit the floor effortlessly landing with a roll.

"I got it" Melanie looked to me as I spoke "Ninja, his nickname" she laughed before jumping to the boy whose arms were already open waiting.

"You are crazy woman" Carter laughed as we balanced ourselves on the small pane just as the fire reached below the window "Now!" The boy ordered as the smoke started to enter our lungs, he jumped down landing on his feet. I tried the same but ended up landing on my bottom, my clothes slipping against the damp mud. "Now that" My boyfriend laughed as he held his hand out "Made this whole day worth it".

I smacked him while watching the other two cackle to themselves. By the time we made it back to our vehicle the house was almost dust, the foundations were the only thing left standing. We all sat on the roof of the vehicle, watching the house we barely escaped slowly disappear, it was almost relaxing if you forget the part of us almost dying with it.

"Am I the only one who wants marshmallows" Looking back to the group, their faces crinkled with disgust.

Carter jumped from the car first "That's our cue to go" shaking his head.

Melanie was next "The fact you can think about food after we just toasted a load of deadheads. Girl you got problems".

Then Brent "What she said" he laughed, hopping into the backseat.

Even with the close call today I felt lighter for the first time in days. We got what we needed, we were all safe and we actually had fun. This could be something I could get used to.

"Traitors" I pointed to each of them before smiling back to myself.

Edited