Living the Dead

Chapter 11: Lead Me Home

Two lone zeds wandered on the sidewalk. They were wrinkled to the bone, their flesh was dry and loose. Soft moans escaped their shriveled wind pipes as they aimlessly walked on the road. With no prey in sight they had nothing driving them. Just two lost souls.

It was a warm spring day. It has been four months since winter ended. Spring had arrived and it seemed the natural world was finally beginning to rebalance itself. The trees were regrowing their leaves and blossoming with pink petals. The grass had begun to grow greener and wildflowers started getting pollinated by busy bees. Though the natural world was brimming with life, the human world hadn't changed at all. It was still full of dead.

The two zeds continued to walk their way. That was until an arrow pierced one of their foreheads. It's moans were instantly silenced and it fell. A black-haired girl soon chopped off the other's head with her hatchet. She surveyed the area and watched for any signs of other enemies.

Once she knew it was clear she signaled the rest of her group to come.

"It's all good! These retards were the only ones on the road." She poked at them with her weapons.

"Good job, Sam." said Ben. He pulled the arrow shaft out of the corpse. Ben hasn't changed at all during the months. Still as short as ever but his aim has improved significantly.

The rest of the group came out. Many months since Mason's attack on them. They've been on the run ever since, never settling down. They always intended to fortify a location but nowhere was safe. There was always too many zeds to consider it safe. It was especially difficult during the winter. The canadian winter was harsh and cold but they survived it. Taking advantage of the cold, they slayed every frozen zed they came across. Obtained a few snowmobiles to make runs and always made sure they kept warm. Now the zeds had thawed and it was back on high alert.

Everyone was shabby and ragged. They scavenged clothes from any store they could find but their bodies looked like they have been homeless for years. The constant running and fear coated their skin with sweat and oil. It felt like a layer of filth surrounded them. It was unbearable and they were ashamed of looking like bums.

On their backs they carried their bags full of supplies and ammo. In their arms were there weapons. Trusty guns that protected them the whole way through. They were dangerously low on ammo though. Being conservative was tough since they often got in sticky situations.

Camille still had Ash, her horse. They had a close bond and she always made it a priority to keep it healthy and fed. She was lucky to not have to walk on her own.

Gaffney saw the general supply store down the road and instructed Marco, Michael, and Alana to follow him. They held their axes and blades in hand and marched toward the entrance.

Michael opened the door to the dark and abandoned shop. Inside were four zeds just staring into space. Once they four of them walked in, they turned their heads towards them. Gaffney didn't even need to say anything to signal them to attack. They each picked their target and swiftly killed them with little effort.

Alana went to grab the others while the rest explored the store. To their luck it wasn't looted at all. Aside from a few messy shelves it looked like the store was untouched since the outbreak. Michael grabbed any water he could find while Marco was stocking up on canned food and sealed bags. While they were filling their bags, Gaffney went to the back of the store.

He shined his flashlight on the wall and racks and he saw nothing but swimwear. Trunks, bikinis, and even goggles and caps. It was strange since there was no water in sight, or was there?

The rest of the group got inside and began to look around. Gaffney instead closed his eyes and focused on the sounds.

At first he heard nothing but footsteps and hushed voices. Once he concentrated harder he could hear the slight sound of swooshing and water. He could hear waves crashing on the shore and then receding back. It was the most pleasant sound he had ever heard in so long. It felt so soothing to hear something so natural and beautiful. But where was it?