Bitters

Trying to Understand

I needed to recover from that shock before go look for the supplies and weapons so I walked to the lake and washed my face and hands. Cleaning my parent’s blood from my hands made me want to cry again, but I thought about my dad’s words ‘He is right. I am strong, I can survive and I will. I don’t know where these things came from and what happened to them, but I’m going to kill each one of these stupid dead Bitters that show up in front of me’.

I was staring at my own reflection in the water when I heard noises coming from the camp again. Quietly I crawled there and hid behind a tree, I saw that Mark, Ryan and Mrs. Hart had come back from the dead too. They were walking around slowly, bumping into each other; they had pale skin, blank eyes and a really bad smell because their injuries. I threw a rock in a random direction and they followed the noise. I scanned the camp with my eyes looking for the supplies and weapons. Mr. Hart’s gun was where he was laying before, I ran and grabbed it because those things were coming back and quickly shot them.

I searched for mine and my dad’s rifles, went to the tends to grab food and any useful thing I find and put everything in the car. I got in the car and placed the gun and my knife in the passenger seat. I looked one last time to the camp, the place that changed my life in the worst way. I turned the car on and drove way.

When I reached the highway I saw a bunch of abandoned cars ‘What the hell happened here in the last 3 days?’ I thought. A few Bitters were randomly wandering around the cars. As I was getting closer to the city more Bitters showed up, they started following the car and then I realized that the noise was attracting them.

I speeded up and reached the police station. I grabbed my knife and the gun and ran inside carefully looking around to see if there were Bitters near me, but I only saw all the officers dead with a gunshot in their foreheads. I tried to open the Sheriff’s office, but the door was locked. I heard noises inside.

“Sheriff Smith are you there? Are you alive?” I said trying not to talk so loud.

“Who is that” the man inside replied and I sighed in relief.

 “It’s me Mitch Grassi, please let me in sir.”

“Oh my God Mitch you are alive, I thought I was alone with those things” he said opening the door. I stepped inside and he locked the door again.

“Where are your parents?” he asked.

I looked down trying not to cry in front of him. “They didn’t make it.”

 “Oh sorry son. How did it happened?” he pushed two chairs and we sat down.

“We were camping. Today was our third day, everything was going good, we were having fun with the Harts. Then I went hunting with my father and when we got back to the camp the madness started. Those things killed them all, my dad said I should be strong and survive, but I don’t know how I can do it without him” At that point I was sobbing again.

He put his hand on my shoulder “I am sorry, I really am. It all started yesterday, we receive a lot of phone calls of desperate people telling that their relatives had woken up acting weird and tried to attack them. At first we thought it was a rabies outbreak, but when my officers went to their houses what they saw was a scary movie scene, people were literally eating each other. Some of my officers tried to arrest them, but those things attacked them too. They just killed them and came back. Five of my officers got bit, but they didn’t tell the others afraid I would send them home. They kept working and attending to the calls. A few hours later this city was a mess. One of the habitants came to me and said to turn the TV on and put on the news. Then I got shocked. The whole country was a mess. The government didn’t know what was going on either, but they were trying to figure it out and create some kind of vaccine to at least prevent that everyone wouldn’t turn into these things. The officers that got bit got sick, we tried to help them, but they died really fast and as faster as that they came back from the dead and attacked the others. I and those who survived killed them by shooting them in the head. They decided to run away with their families and well I don’t have a family so I just stayed here alone.” He finished his speech and I nodded.

I stared at the wall trying to process all that information. That was happening everywhere. No one knew how it started. More of the Bitters were showing up every hour.

“Do you have any weapons?” he asked.

“Yes, I have this gun, my hunting knife and two rifles in the car.”

“Um I don’t think that is enough. Wait a second.” He got up and searched for a bag behind his desk. He took another gun and a semi auto rifle and handed to me. “Here take this. Go to your house and grab food and medicine and get away from this city.”

“But aren’t you coming with me?” I asked concerned.

“No. I can’t leave. I don’t know how long I will survive, but my place is here.”

“Okay, good luck then, and thanks. Uh wait. Do you know anything about Finn?” Finn was my best friend, we knew each other since 4th grade. After the second I thought about him I got really worried. I needed to find him, he was probably the only one l had left.

“Um I don’t. We didn’t receive any calls from the Andersons.”

“Oh ok, I’ll look for him. Thanks again Sheriff.” I said taking the weapons with me, he nodded and opened the door slowly. I put my head out to see if the place was still clean and ran to the car.

I put those weapons in the back seat with the others and drove to my home. I stopped a few meters away to not to attract the Bitters in the neighborhood. I ran to my home, walked in and locked the door. I was going to the kitchen when I heard noises coming from upstairs. I blame myself for letting everything in the car, I thought I was going to be safe in my own house, but apparently I was wrong. I looked for a kitchen knife and walked upstairs quietly. The noises were coming from my room. As I was getting closer I wondered how a Bitter could enter in my room if the door was closed, or maybe it could be someone stealing my house. I put my hand in the door knob and slowly opened it. I walked in and didn’t see anyone. Suddenly I heard the toilet being used ‘What? This person tries to steal my house and even use my bathroom? Now that’s too much!’ I thought.

I stayed outside the bathroom just waiting for this person to come out. When the door opened I just pushed the person and pressed her to the wall placing my knife in his neck.

I was so furious I didn’t even notice who it was until he spoke my name “Mitch?!?”

I blinked a few times and dropped the knife “Oh my God Finn” I hugged him.

 “Wow you scared me man, I really thought you were going to kill me”

“Sorry I was just too furious thinking someone was stealing my house” we let go of each other and sat in my bed.

“Where were you when this madness started?” he asked.

“I was camping with my parents and the Harts. They all died.” I mumbled.”

"Oh God, sorry man. I don’t know how my dad is. I talked to him for the last time this morning before the energy went out. He said that there were a lot of those things around the city and that he was trapped inside his company with some other people.” Finn’s dad lives and works at a company in Dallas which is only 14 miles from Duncanville. I actually enjoyed living in a small city, but I guess that wasn’t possible anymore. “Do you think we can rescue him?” he asked worried.

“Yes, I have guns in the car. We just need to be really careful.”

“Ok let’s go” he said getting up.

“Wow man easy there. It’s getting dark outside. We will be in danger if we go outside at night. We can go early in the morning.”

“Shit. I guess you are right. Ugh dad please survive.” He said siting on the floor and closing his eyes.

“He will don’t worry." I sighed and then I realized the bad smell on me. "Ew I need a shower I smell blood.” I said and went to the bathroom.

I took a long shower trying to avoid the memories from what happened early that day. I got dressed and stepped out to see Finn sleeping on the floor. I covered him and laid on my bed. I closed my eyes and as the time passed and I tried to sleep the noises coming from those Bitters was getting louder.

 It was going to be a long night.