The Rot: Book 2

Chapter 1

 "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I shouted as the mob of undead creatures chased Angela and I down the street. I looked at her, "You just had to go out on your own again, didn't you?" I asked her in a tone that was less than friendly.

"I'm sorry, Reid," Angela replied.

Ang had wandered off early in the morning all by herself, and her big sister Cynthia and our buddy Janice sent my sorry ass out to go and find her. It's not that Cynthia wouldn't have gone out to get Angela herself, it's just that Cyn was sick with some kind of virus, probably the flu, and Cynthia couldn't venture out. Janice volunteered to stay behind and watch after Cyn while I got stuck with the rescue mission.

It was pretty early in the morning, and it was a dark gray outside. Thick, heavy, clouds had rolled into our area and with them, a light snowfall which was sure to get worse as the day wore on.

Angela and myself could hear the dead things running behind us, snarling and growling. They were really worked up into a frenzy this morning too. Probably because Angela and I were the first meals that the dead things have seen in a little while.

Ang had wandered off early in the morning to check out some of the nearby stores to see if she could find any medicine for her sister. The apartment we had been staying in had some medicine, asprin mainly, but Cynthia needed some kind of cold medicine. Cyn insisted that it was just a case of the sniffles, a result of her and I looking for some supplies during a downpour, but Cyn's cold got worse and worse. Cynthia was coughing and hacking like crazy. Now, I'm sure her smoking habit didn't help matters much either, but I'd work on getting her to quit if I survived getting away from the eaters.

There were about twelve dead things on our tail. I found Angela inside of an abandoned gas station earlier in the day, and rather than taking her back to Cynthia, I let Angie talk me into going to the pharmacy down the road from the apartments.

I should have known that idea would go south right away as Cynthia and I saw the stenches wandering in and out of that place months prior. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I figured the place would be emptied out since it had been a little while. It wasn't in case you were wondering.

Angela and I didn't even make it through the broken down front doors of the place when the eaters that were inside spotted us and gave chase. Me and Ang turned and started running back towards the apartment complex.

The problem with this whole 'undead apocalypse' bullshit is that a five minute walk to the drug store can turn into a three day ordeal if you're not careful enough. Nothing like being stuck two blocks away from your shelter for half a week while you wait out a horde that's passing through the area. It stinks.

"Reid, my legs are starting to go," Angela told me. She glanced behind her and saw the stenches still chasing the two of us. If Angie's legs gave out and the undead got her, Cynthia would be mighty pissed at me.

The snow started to come down a little bit heavier, making our visibility  more challenging. Ang and I weren't that far from the complex, and I could see the wrought iron fence that surrounded the apartments, but it didn't appear that Angela could carry on any longer. She was wincing in pain with every step that she took. She hadn't been out and about as much as Cyn and I, so it was understandable. I grabbed her right arm and threw it around my neck, assisting her in our escape from the dead things.

"Just keep running, Ang," I said. My lungs felt like they were going to explode at any second myself, and the cold air sure as shit wasn't helping.

The undead behind us were keeping up a pretty good pace themselves and a few eaters at the front of the pack could practically reach out and grab the two of us.