Bloodshed (Book One in the Apocalypse Trilogy)

Epilogue: A Descision

Cal

A light wind billowed around him, shifting the golden sand. The tracks in the sand had long ago disappeared, as had the zombies and Sarah. Her screams had faded until they were no longer audible. He had no idea where they had taken her. For all he knew, she could be flying in the sky, on the rotting wings of manmade demons.

“Zombies don’t have wings, idiot,” he said to himself.

The truck behind him was turned off to conserve what little fuel he had. Most likely it would die before morning, rendering it useless.

He’d taken with him his shotgun, even though it was empty, and his machete, which he had held onto while fighting his way out. Dark blood had dried onto the blade.

Behind him, just a speck in the distance, was Perth, and somewhere amid the buildings, the Bunker. They wouldn’t be happy to see him again, provided they didn’t think he was dead. He had abandoned them when they needed all the help they could get, and for all he knew, Williams was lying on the dusty plain, his blood leaking into the dirt.

In front of him was the vast expanse of the desert, a gigantic landscape filled with death. Out there somewhere out there was a woman he barely knew, but loved more than he had loved anyone for a long time. She could be dead, or worse.

A decision had to be made, he knew. Out of all the uncertainty he faced, that was the one thing he was sure of. It wasn’t one he could make lightly. Too many people he cared about hung in the balance. To go back, or not to go back, he thought sarcastically, although not amused at all.

He leaned against the door of the truck, watching the sun disappear over the horizon. The sky was painted with streaks of gold and orange and purple, like a painting he’d seen somewhere before in his life.

In the dying light, he saw a glint in the sand. He walked over, and picked up the object that gave off the shine. It was a gold chain, the same one that Sarah had worn.

He got back into the truck and distractedly played with the keychain dangling from the ignition, desperately trying to make up his mind before the sun went down and the zombies would come. And being the only living person for miles, he didn’t want to be sitting where he was.

The sun slipped away, and in the dim light he saw the zombies emerge from the tunnels they had dug all over the country. He made his decision as the dozens of glittering white eyes turned to him, slowly advancing.