Blu Blood

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
137 days after infection

I remember this town, but it looks so different than before. The jail looks like it had been victim to some type of explosion. Large, clay bricks lay in pieces at our feet. The north wall is tilted, falling layer by layer to the ground.

A small school is surrounded by a chain-link metal fence. Some spots are dented, some have holes the size of a small human cut into the wires, and some places the fence collapsed to the floor altogether.

I remember this town. It was filled with young children and small dogs that barked unendingly. Teens would hang out at the diner or the pool. Adults would host barbecues in their backyards. This place was a small heaven.

Now, it looks like it went through hell and back.

"Blu, lookie! There's a library!" Garrets jumps up and down as he points a scrawny finger at one of the surviving buildings. It doesn't even look like it's been touched.

"Stay by me, Garret," I command my baby brother, afraid he'll run off and get himself hurt. It wouldn't be the first time that that has happened.

"Can we go check it?"

My eyes are on the falling sun. "We'll check tomorrow, alright? We need some sleep and then we can wake up bright and early to go check out the books."

He nods his head like he's on a super speed roller coaster.

"Just stay by me, Bubba." Only when I feel his petite hand on one of my pack's straps is when I start moving forward again. Those things come out at night, but humans can still function during the day. Humans could be just as dangerous, if not more, as those things.

I estimate that we only have forty minutes before the sun sets and night falls upon us. I still have to find shelter, scope it out, then barricade it so we'll be safe during the night. That's not much time, so I have to wait tomorrow to find some bandages. I just need to make sure to keep an eye on Garret until I have what we need.

Maybe, I think, we should stay in the library. No one has touched it, so it is unlikely for someone to go stay there. But there's no weapons there to keep us safe. The jail would have been a good option if the walls weren't falling down.

Then I see the bakery.

"Let's go check that out, Bubba." We tread towards the bakery, my gun already cocked and ready to shoot if need be.

I pray that the place is still full of food. The owner, I remember was chunky and short, but her heart and kindness made her beautiful. I think she had cancer before they came. She uses to give out pounds of goodies to the children playing in the street, free of charge, and the people of this town supported her by buying more. It wasn't just that the woman was nice, her food was delicious as well.

I push the door open with my foot, cringing as the tiny bell above the door sounds. Bubba follows behind me.

"Stay right here, Bubba, okay? I'm gonna scope this place out, and if I tell you to run, you sprint back to the way we came and climb a tree. I'll come find you, alright?"

He nods, standing by the door where I told him to. I raise my gun as I walk around the bakery. The back room is empty, and the kitchen has been untouched. On one of the metals counters, I see a box of chocolate cake mix.

There's an empty closet, which wouldn't be much use. Garret wouldn't be able to hide inside because if the shelves, but it will have to do.

A door leads to the back alley, and a metal ladder leads up to the roof. I close the back door, then use a metal pipe to stick in between the handles.