Days Until

Chapter Three

The days melted into one another. Each one was the same: wake up, eat, help around the house, eat, sleep, repeat. Tyler wouldn't call it tedious, necessarily. But he assumed it had been at least six days now. The meals got less creative as the pantry gradually emptied and the electricity flickered often. No news from the military came on; the same damn broadcast played on a loop. On the bright side though, the neighborhood was exceptionally quiet. Aside from the time some neighbors knocked on the door in a panic, but they handled them fine and even learned where they lived. No infected had wandered even close to the yard too, thank the lord.

"Still nothing new?" Carmichael walked up behind the couch and watched as the same episode was played for the umpteenth time today. "Just the same old shit... Things aren't looking too good." Tyler sighed and ruffled his hair.

Carmichael, being the unrealistic optimist that he is, just patted Tyler's shoulder. "Well, being negative isn't going to solve anything. What'd ya say we head out and go pick up some groceries? There isn't much left to cook and it'll be better to go out when it's not so bad." He pointed outside to the first light of daybreak.

"Everyone's still asleep, right? We should get a list from everyone if we're going out." Tyler suggested, not wanting to go back out twice if they forgot something.

"Can I come too?" Henry seemed to appear from nowhere, startling both of them. "Woah, hey Henry. Look, it's dangerous out there and you're just a kid. It'd be better if you stayed here." Tyler tried to reason with him.

"C'mon dad! Being cooped up in here is boring and we aren't even allowed in the backyard. Plus I can just be like Carmichael and hit zombies with pipes. Wouldn't that be cool?" Henry put his fists together and swung them up and down.

Tyler and Carmichael glanced at each other in a silent conversation. Henry's suggestion sparked an idea in Tyler. An idea involving self defense. Barely anyone had knowledge about protecting themselves, but that had to change if they were going to last throughout the weeks.

"Alright, Henry, You can come under one condition. You do as I say when I say. Got it?"

Henry nodded frantically and grinned. "Yes, yes, yes! This is going to be so much fun!" He pumped his fist in the air and leaned on the couch so his feet hung in the air. "Where are we going anyways?"

That got a nice laugh out of Carmichael.

"Okay, Claire wasn't too happy I woke her up, but I got a pretty decent sized list from her. I say we stop at a Pick's Sporting Wares to find some baseball bats and such. Not that we'd have to use them, but just in case we run into some ferals." Carmichael rambled on as he entered the car and placed a considerably long piece of paper on the dash.

"Alright then... Henry, you brought your backpack, right?" Tyler looked into the rear view mirror.

"Yup, right here!" He shook the newly emptied bag side to side. Tyler nodded and revved up the car.

Bad idea.

Apparently, in the last few days, stragglers had hidden themselves away in the neighborhood. About three or four infected came running out from behind the neighboring house. They plastered themselves on the car's windows, banging on the metal and attempting to break in. Their gnarled hands scraped along the dusty glass and left sickening blood trails.

Tyler let out a string of profanities under his breath and looked at Carmichael for help. "Any ideas?"

He stared wide eyed at them and shrugged. "Just drive! They'll follow us for awhile then give up. That way they won't be left in the yard." It sounded as good a plan as any.