As the sun comes up, the warmth on my face awakens me. I look around to make sure nothing had made it up the ladder and through the barricaded trap door. I am still alone in my attic. Its a 20ft by 20ft room with the ceiling about six feet making me have to duck when I walk around. The walls are bare sheet rock with a family portrait when my son Ethan was six months old. The only furniture in the room is an old wooden desk that I slid on the trap door with an antique typewriter on it that Emily, my wife, bought me while I was in college , a cot we used for guests, and a chest full of extra blankets. I think back to the summer I spent making the attic into my office. It was a place for me to write and think. I am a writer for our local newspaper. My name is Theodore. Most people call me Ted and my wife called me Teddy. I start thinking of my wife and son and wonder how they are. We have been divorced now for three years and she moved to California to open a new branch of her law firm about six months ago. I haven't secured a job to move myself nor have I made the trip to visit and now I desperately wish I was there with them.
I try to call them for what seems like the millionth time. Her cell phone has been off since before the dead started to walk. Her home phone still goes to the machine. At least I know they still have electricity. I just hope they are safe.
I look out over the streets and see three walking dead. Slowly moving towards an unknown destination. I recognize one of them from Smitty's Pub. He was always there when I went. Sitting alone in the corner with a table full of empty beer bottles. I never knew his name and never wanted to. His abdomen was torn and what was left of his intestines were hanging dripping a black ooze. Another one had its face smashed in and covered in black ooze. Its clothes torn showing dried blood and cuts along its body. The last one didn't look like one of them at all except it walked in the same stagger, was very pale and has the same blank look on her face.
It has been four days since they started showing up everywhere and two days since all live brodcasting has stopped. All the television stations and radio stations were repeating the same message telling everybody to stay in a safe place until this situation is taken care of. I was hopeful and believed them. I stayed waiting for more news with nothing more and no sign of another living creature in two and a half days. Food was running low but I did have about six gallons of water. I knew I would have to leave soon or wait and starve.
I spend my days listening to the same broadcast on the radio hoping for some communication to the livning or at least an update on what we should do and watching out my window for a sign of another living creature. I am confident today will be no different.
After my lunch of cold tomato soup I resumed watching the streets. My house is at the end of a street that splits in two that continue past my house. From my attic window I was able to see up two of the streets pretty well and only about ten feet up the street on the other side of the house. On one side I can see where the road ends at a cul de sac and the other way my view is cut short by a hill about a block and a half away but I sit hopeful someone will come over the hill to rescue me.
I see one of them start to breach the crest of the hill in a slow stagger. It is another clean looking one. No signs of blood or injury at all. I watch it. As it starts to descend the hill, a large car flies over the hill hitting the walking dead at its shoulders impaling it on the front of the car. It looks like an old 80's buick with pieces of metal secured all around as makeshift armor with a small slot for the driver to see out of the windshield and sharp looking spikes were attatched in the front and looked as if they were covered in a black ooze. As it lands the body is torn off the spikes and crushed under the weight of the car. The car is doing about fifty miles per hour and the driver is having trouble regaining control after it lands and is heading directly for my house.
As it nears my house the car begins to fishtail and starts sliding sideways hitting the tree in my front yard. I hear a loud crash and glass break. From my angle I can't see in the small window of the windshield and cannot tell if the driver is alive. I can hear the car still running. The driver and any passengers are not attempting to get out nor are they trying drive away.
I look around and don't see any other walking dead.
Due partly to the need to help, partly curiosity, partly a desire for human contact, I decide to go check on the driver.
I move the desk off the trap door and lift it open. I peak down checking for intruders and the hallway is empty. There are three doors to the two bedrooms and a bathroom. All the doors are closed so I feel confident I am alone. I climb down the ladder happy knowing I never decided to build stairs to my office. I walk slowly to the end of the hall towards the stairway. I reach the balcony and look over the edge into our entryway. It is empty except the coats on the wall by the front door. I edge my way down the stairs being cautious in case they broke in through the plate glass window in the family room. I get to the bottom of the stairs and look into the hall leading to the kitchen and see no movement. I stay away just in case. I get in the front closet looking for anything I can use as a weapon. I find an old wooden baseball bat I bought for Ethan before he left. It sat in the closet unused until now. I pick it up and decide it'll work. I look out the small diamond shaped window in the front door to see if there are any of them in the yard. I don't see any so I unlock the padlock and take the chain off the door. I open the door slowly and see the car still there. This close I can hear the car trying to move as if its in drive with no brake pressed. Some of its armor is caught on the tree so it won't go without provacation. I look up the street I couldn't see from my window and see one walking dead staggering the opposite direction.
I approach the car slowly and cautiosly in case the owner thinks I am one one of them. I get within five feet and call to the driver,"hello, my name is theodore"
There is no answer. I walk around to the front to try to look in the windshield and see a body hunched over the steering wheel. I walk up to the driver side door and peer into a small slit in the side and see that the person is still breathing but still not moving.
I try to open the door and I hear the lock open so I pull on the door and it opens very hard due to the added weight of the armor. I get it open and tap the driver on the shoulder.
I repeat ,"hello, my name is theodore"
She regains consciousness and franticly tries climbing in passengers seat but her seatbelt is still on. She screams,"get back!" She reaches for a small handgun on the floor, but it is just out of her reach.
I hold out my hand palm out as if it would stop a bullet. I yell,"its ok! I'm here to help. I live in this house and saw you crash."
She turns and stares at me solemnly as if she has never seen another living person.
She looks to be in her mid-thirties. She has shoulder length wavey black hair pulled back and tied with some string. She has a pale complexion, her face is round and covered in dirt and grease. She was wearing navy blue coveralls like a mechanic also covered in dirt and grease.
She unlocks her seat belt and grabs the gun. She points it towards me and fires.
I close my eyes assuming my life was about to end as I hear the bullet fly by my ear. I open my eyes and I hear a thump behind me as a body drops to the ground. I turn around and see one of them with a fresh bullet hole in its head.
I look back to her as she is getting situated back in the drivers seat and closing her door.
She steps on the gas working the car off the tree and stops a few feet ahead. She opens the passenger side door and yells," you coming? Or you want to try to make friends with them" she points behind me at a group of forty or more of the living dead pouring out on the street from bushes, trees and over the hill.
Without giving it much thought and knowing this may be the only chance I have to get away, I run and jump in.
she slams her foot on the gas. I put on my seat belt knowing how she drives. She heads away from the growing mob of the undead towards the freeway.
"What's you name? I'm Theodore."
"Angela"
"Where are we going? What's going on? What are these things?"
She looks at me. "We are getting some provisions."
She looks back at the road as if to say the conversation is over. I sit back wonder what I am doing here. It was bad enough that the dead are returning to life and feasting on the living but now I am on the run with a woman I know nothing about. No knowledge of where we were heading or whether we would be safe. I begin regretting my choice to join her.
We drive on, I see a couple walking dead along the way but my vision is severely limited to the two inch slit in the passenger side armor. We stop abruptly after a few minutes and I peer out the slit not recognizing the area.
"Where are we?", I ask
"Gun shop. Be careful there are a few out there and bring your bat. Aim for their head if they get too close and be quiet!" as she is climbing out of the car.
I reluctanty get out looking around to see about four of them about half a block away. There's one about ten feet to the right of the front door of the gun shop. We slowly make our way trying not to grab the attention of any of them as they seem to appear without much warning and in hordes.
The one close to the door turns and starts heading our way. Fear overcomes me. I freeze not able to move or even speak. It is within a few feet from me and Angela forceflly rips the bat out of my hand and bashesit in the head. It drops and the black ooze slowly drains out of its mouth and eyes. She shoots me a glance of disapproval of my actions.
She walks up to the door as if nothing happened and tries to open it but it is locked. I follow her and we peer in the window and see no movement inside. We walk around to the side to find a window without bars on it. Its a smoke colored window about two feet wide and tall and five feet off the ground. She uses the bat to break the window and clear the glass away. She pulls herself through and tells me to go around to the front where she'll let me in. I go around to the front glancing at the now dead creature.
"Collect as many bullets as you can carry and be quick," She says
I grab two handled paper bags and fill them up with various boxes of bullets. She does the same and we take them to the car tossing it all in the back seat. Being careful not to attract the attention of those foul creatures.
Another walking dead has come close so Angela tosses me the bat telling me to bash its head in. I reluctantly swing the bat hitting its lower jaw. Its jaw is knocked free from its face and it falls down from the force of the bat.
"That wasn't so bad," I exclaim looking for praise from Angela
"Its not dead," she comments pointing at the fallen creature
I look down in time to see it grab my leg. I scream and swing the bat at the creature not hitting it with enough force to kill it. It gets its mouthto my foot trying to bite me but without luck due to its lack of a bottom jaw. I finally manage to to break free and begin attacking the creature with the bat until its head is no more than chunks of skull and a puddle of black ooze.
Shaken up I ask, "Why didn't you help me?"
"You were fine. Now lets finish up here," she casually remarks
We head back in, I fill two more bags tossing a few handguns on top while she grabs four or five shotguns. She put a couple guns in her pockets as well.
We head back to the car, there is a group of six that has gathered behind the car by the driver's side door. Slowly making there way towards us.
"Get in the car now!" She says sternly
I obey, tossing the ammo in the back and slamming the door shut. She drops the guns and pulls out her handgun shooting all six of them in the head with seven shots shots. They all drop instantly. She picks up the shotguns and proceeds to get in the car tossing them in the back seat. She closes her door and glances in the back seat at our new found treasure. She reaches back grabbing two pistols and a box of bullets. She starts loading them.
"You ever shoot a gun before?," she asks
"I used to hunt with my father when I was a teenager up until he died about ten years ago. I haven't gone since though.", I reply
"Load up the rifles than we're going to need a lot more firepower at the next place."
"I can't handle this! What is going on out there! I was nearly killed! You were going to let them get me!"
"You were fine. We are both here still, now relax. We are going to load up on food at the supermarket. It is sure to be crawling with the walking dead. If we plan on living we need to stock up on things." she replied unaffected by my outburst
"Why are the dead still walking and why are they trying to eat us?"
"At the shelter I was at, people were talking. I heard some people say it was a virus or a parasite over taking the body."
Unsure of what to make of the whole situation, I climb in the back seat and start sorting and loading all the guns. She puts the car in drive and heads towards our next destination. This whole ordeal makes me worry more and more about Ethan.
We collected about fifty boxes of bullets of various sizes. Only five of which we couldn't use. We had three 12 guage shotguns one a six shot the other two eight with fifteen boxes of bullets(ten boxes slugs, five boxes buckshot), four 9mm hand guns with twelve round clips with two extra clips and twenty boxes of bullets, two .22 magnum pistols with eight boxes of bullets, and an ak-47 with two extra clips with only enough bullets to fill the three clips.
After I organized and loaded our gun collection, I climbed back in the front seat. We have been driving for about an hour. I have finally calmed down from our encounter.
"What made you leave the shelter you were in?" I asked
"We let some surviors in and one of the loners had been bitten and didn't let anyone know. He turned into one of them about sixteen hours later. By the time he was taken care of there were too many infected and I knew it was no longer safe. I had been a scout for the group so I took our car and the gun. Another came with me but he was overtaken when we stopped for some food. I wasn't going back to die so I left him to die. The market we went to was crawling with the walking dead so I didn't manage to get any food. I parked down by the docks for the night without a plan. I decided to search for places that were less crowded which led me to your neighborhood and here we are. Why did you come out?"
"I was locked in my attic for the past four days. I was going to run out of food soon and I just needed to have contact with another living person. I want to see my son and his mother again. I am hoping to make it to San Francisco to find them."
"We're here and there aren't any around outside that I can see. Grab a handgun and a shotgun and aim for the head if you need to shoot one."
We get out and we can see a few inside the market but it seems like there is plenty of food inside. We edge closer to the door and see the door is locked. She uses the butt of her gun to break the glass. The living dead inside hear the noise. There are six of them heading towards us five dressed in the stores vest and one in a shirt and tie with a nametag that says General Manager Bob Whittaker.
Bob is a balding man with his hair combed over trying to hide the fact. He is about 5'8" and about 225lbs. He has a bite mark on his neck and a combination of blood and black ooze covering his shirt. He is the closest of them all.
"Grab a cart and fill it with dry and canned food. I'll keep em away from you." she says
We walk in, I put my shotgun in the seat of the cart my handgun in my front right pocket. The store has been looted but it still contains some canned goods, some boxed food, some four day old produce but the freezers are stocked well. There are a few places covered in blood and a lot of places covered in the black ooze. I start grabbing what canned goods are left and some energy bars and granola bars and try to avoid anywhere the black ooze is. I grab a few gallons of water and some soda and juice.
Angela walks around the back of the grocery store luring the walking dead away from me. She keeps her handgun aimed at the closest one ready to shoot.
As I am shopping, I notice in the back of the store there are blankets, candles and empty food containers. It looks like they were camping in the back. Thought it was safe in here if they locked themselves in. The encampment is covered in blood and black ooze. Off to the left there is a streak of black ooze all the way to the corner where lays a body. It looks as though it was beaten. I see a broken mop and a piece of wood that looks as thoough it was taken from a broken pallet covered in that black ooze just tossed to the side. Its head has pieces of splintered wood stuck in it. Its face indistinguisable as human.
I finish getting what food was left and even remembering a can opener, a pot, sterno cans and a lighter. I signal that I am finished and head towards the front door. I look out the large front windows and see a group of thirty or so walking dead coming towards us about 100 feet from the car. I hurry out and unload all the food. There was about 3/4 of the cart filled so I put all the canned food in the trunk and the drinks, granola and energy bars and crackers in the back seat. The undead are slowly getting closer and Angela is still inside making her way out. I grab my shotgun and pump it ready to dispell the walking dead menace.
I look over the car and they are about 50 feet away. Angela has reached the front and is ready to fight her way to the car. She is a safe distance away from the crowd inside but will need to take care of a few to get in the car.
I take aim at the closest one and pull the trigger. The blast hits it in the shoulder knocking it back and taking down three with him. I pump it again and fire again hitting another in the chest also knocking a few back with it. Angela is running towards the car.
Surprised I find myself saying, "Get in! I'll hold them off"
She climbs past me into the car and starts the car. The two that I shot are begining to get up. Taking aim once more I pull the trigger hitting one in the neck decapitating it. I climb in the car closing the door. With adreneline pumping and the thrill of getting away safely, we drive off.
