In Der Stadt (A Search for the Uninfected City)

Chapter One: Call Me Any Thing?

I will never forget that day. The day the bearded man saved me.

About a minute went by and the two of them stood in silence. The woman’s fear must have subsided because once the gun went off, her sobs died along too. She just stood there, facing away, not knowing exactly what to say.

"How many more are there?" The bearded man had a deep raspy voice yet somehow felt very safe.

"Uh... uh.. wh...what?" The woman’s voice was very soft and sweet without the blood curdling shrieks.

"You know, how many more like ... THAT... are there?" He said with his slight German accent becoming more prevelant. He  had raised up the six shooter, and pointed directly at my body that lay closer to the trees.

"I just..." Her cries began again and the bearded man looked irritated . "He killed my Aunt and... and I just ran."

"Look... miss I'm sorry but are there anymore coming?" The man was on edge. Concern swept over his face. "If there are we have to go... like now!"

*Sniffles* "No I think it was just him..." She began to clear off the tears that rolled off her eyes. "He came out of nowhere and he was so fast." She turned her head to see the bearded man easier. " My aunt was the last one with me before that thing killed her."

"Well I’m sorry miss." The man was being alittle more sympathetic, "What's your name anyway?"

"Catherine and thanks for listening," She responded back a little less shaken, "how about you...?"

"It’s nothing..." The man looked down and away ashamed.

"What you have to have a name what is it?" She now turned completely at him.

"Umm it’s nothing, forget about it," He looked back up as if he snapped out of a bad memory. " I have small tent over there," He gestured over behind Catherine at a shabby run down looking thing that should have been replaced years ago. "If you want you can stay in there for the night ,  I'll stay up to make sure none of those things are still coming, but in the morning it would be best if we just went are separate ways, the rotting flesh will attract more of them here."

She honestly could not bear the thought of being alone after just losing her family, but she thought best to agree with him and bit her lip before arguing and just smiled and nodded. She and her aunt had been walking for days before they got to the little town where more of the zombies had been. Thats where they stayed, oblivious of the dangers and her Aunt had been killed whilst she slept. The screams her aunt gave were a nightmare that ahe would never forget.

"What will I call you?" Catherine said catching the man off guard as he headed toward the tent to clear it. "You know I can’t just say you or sir or mister."

"I don’t know call me anything." His voice muffled over the ruffling of the synthetics of the tent.

"Haha ok... anything." Catherine just smiled at the dumb joke but it made her feel a little better to be able to laugh. The man popped his head up and smiled at her laughing. "Fine just thing." She began to giggle harder at the even dumber request that made the man laugh a little in protest of the new name. "Fine then." She got out after her laughing fit, "It’s Any."

The man chuckled once more before returning to the clearing of the tent. "Call me what you want but I didn’t say I’d respond to it."

"Okay." Cathrine said while dodging a small blue duffel bag Any threw out of the tent. "You will hence be known from this day forth as Any." Cathrine stated in a courtly fashion. Any was now retreating out from the confines of the small Tan tent looking at Catherine’s dark eyes that were reflecting the sun quite nicely. " That is until I find out your real name." She winked at him.

"Now that I have a name why don’t we have supper I’m a bit hungry, what about you Catherine?" Any asked while moving towards the other end of the clearing.

"You can call me Catt," she responded with an uplifting smile, "We called my grandma Cathrine."

"Sorry... Catt." Any hadn’t turned back to look at her, "Why don’t you come give me a hand."

Catt sprinted towards Any and fell into step next to him. She was small and petite next to this guy and looked at least a foot shorter but compared to his stern serious face, Catt was becoming more bubbly as they walked into the trees.

"So what were you and your family doing heading into the woods anyways?" Any had broken the awkward silence with what he hoped wasn’t an awkward question. "Not many people come here any more... you know... since the out break."

"I wouldn’t know I was 2 when that all went down." Catt had fired back avoiding the original question for now. "All I’ve known is this world... I guess it’s made me a little tougher though."

"Yeah the world used to be nicer, still bad but not as terrifying as this shit." He responded looking around in thought. "That’s why I’m out here and away from all the nonsense in the world." He gestured back to his little encampment. "Wait you were 2?... so what that makes you 16?"

"Yup!" She said nice and short. "But this life has made me feel at least 30..." She added mockingly. " How old are you Any."

Any ducked under a low branch before responding. "I’d say 34 by now..."

"So you were what 20 when the infection hit." She calculated after a little finger math.

"Well no I was 20 when it devastated the Americas it didn’t make it over her till I was 26." Any corrected her.

"Wait what?" Catt looked genuinely confused by Any’s statement. "What are you talki..." Catt had bumped into Any’s back without watching where she was going. She plugged her nose and grimaced at the smell. " Oh that’s awful!" She was uselessly swatting at the air.

"That’s just the older carcass’s." Any reassured her. "I just got a fresh kill yesterday." He gestured towards a gutted and partially sliced up deer hanging from a nearby tree. "It should still be good for today at least." He unsheathed a knife from his lower back.

" Gross!     " Catt responded. "Won’t that thing be rotted."

"Should be good still." Any pondered. "Well it’s all I have soo."

"I think I’ll pass on supper for tonight." Catt said regretfully clutching her now grumbling stomach.

"That may not be a good idea." Any responded as he cut the last strip of meat from the dead dear. "You’ll need energy specially if things go sour tonight or tomorrow."

"Fine but I won’t like it" Catt spun quickly back the direction they came. She stared out into the trees not realizing till now that they must have walked at least a mile out if not two. The two of them started back in the direction they came.

*******

Chapter 2.

"Oh yeah you wanted to know why were out here," Catt excitedly remembered. "Well there’s this city..."