Infected: They Will Eat You!: A Story of Family Survival in a Zombie Apocalypse (12 page)

There were two rounds left in my magazine so I switched to a full one, took a deep breath said “Thank you God.” aloud and started walking.

My thirty yard rule I expanded to forty yards and fifty if possible. There was no need to get too close in more confined areas. As I walked I would count steps, stop and put down any infected within my safety zone. There were no cars parked along the streets but I could see barricades ahead, military vehicles on side streets and body’s lying around. The stench started to get thicker.

Everything was going well for two blocks then I heard a crash to my left. An infected had charged through a display window and was closing in on me. Two quick shots dropped it just feet away. I looked down the street and could see dozens more moving in my direction. They didn’t appear to be coming for me just moving toward the noise. Glancing over my shoulder I saw two rounding the corner of a building. I slowly moved to the sidewalk testing doors. They were getting close enough that I thought I may have to shoot my way out when I pushed a door open and stepped inside.

Quickly making sure the space was void of danger I turned and watched as the infected from the west walked past my hiding spot. The ones coming from the other direction kept walking as well. They all passed each other and soon the street was clear as far as I could see from my position inside.

It was getting close to check-in time so I took this opportunity to call home. “We having fun yet? Over” I said into the radio.

“Oh good, I was getting worried, over.” It was Christine.

“Why? It’s a beautiful day, over”

“No it is not. It’s a miserable day! I want you home, over”

“I’m on my way. I’m downtown in the guitar shop, over”

“Where?, over”

“The guy who makes fancy guitars around the corner from the coffee shop, over.”

“I know where that is. When will you be home? over.”

“I’m on schedule although it’s slower going now, over”

“Why’s that? Over”

“Less open, more infected. I have to go much slower, over.”

“I wish you would just come home now, over”

“I am, I just have to move slowly, over”

“OK, be careful, we want you home just like when you left, over.”

“I’ll be fine and I’ve learned a lot, I’ll tell you when I get there, out”

“I love you, out.”

I took a drink of water as I was checking out the street. I pulled my rifle up and opened the door. Stepping out I eased the door closed and glanced up and down the street. There were no infected in site. The noise got them moving and they had just kept going. I wondered how far they would go before stopping. What would make them stop or change directions, another noise or some movement that attracted their attention? If this were the case we may be able to Pied Piper them.

“Hey, over” I said into the radio.

“Hi daddy, over.” it was Caleb.

“Say Pied Piper to me when I get back, over.”

“OK, over.”

“Thank you, out”

“Bye, out.”

Moving down the street was quicker for the two blocks cleared by the noise of the breaking window. I took the time to glance in windows on the ground floor so that I wouldn’t be surprised again and higher windows to see if I could find anyone alive.

The closer I got to town hall, which housed the police station, the more carnage there was. I guessed this was where police and National Guard had made a stand. It was also populated by more infected. The sound of the crashing window must not have carried enough to attract their attention so they were hovering in the area.

That was also my intersection, I’d be turning north there. I had a twelve story hotel to pass on my right, the theater further down on the right then the newspaper building. The left had a vacant building a bank then a parking lot surrounded on three sides by buildings, restaurant, alley then town hall. The hotel and theater could be a place housing a lot of infected. The alley on the left could be dangerous, I couldn’t see down it ‘till I got close unless I hugged the theater.

Walking on I started shooting infected as I came within fifty yards. There were nearly forty in the parking lot alone. Thank God their
radar
had such a short range.

As I worked my way around barricades, police cars and military vehicles I found myself moving through dead bodies. “
Keep your distance
.” the voice inside my head instructed. Beside the bodies there were weapons lying around, not much ammo, which made since. I picked up two AR’s and slung them over my shoulder. They were full auto which may come in handy. We could make a plan to come back and pick more up if possible.

The rest of the journey went much as before, there were infected spread out on streets, in parking lots and yards. By the time I’d reached our street I had one full magazine left and half of the one in my gun. That was nearly three hundred rounds I had fired on this trip, mostly one shot kills, almost three hundred infected down. The last time I knew the city population was 32,000. It had grown since then leaving a large number still out there.

When I made the turn home I called in “Hello, over.”

“Are you here? Over.” Christine asked.

“Coming down the street from Market now, over.”

“Oh good I can’t wait ‘till you’re safe inside. There are two out front maybe you should come down the alley, over.”

“I want to show you something first. Watch out the window over.”

I could see the two she meant, one was directly in front of our house the other a little past. I walked in the middle of the street then moved to the southern sidewalk.

“What are you doing!” Christine’s voice came over the radio “Don’t get so close.”

I moved on slowly and stopped about forty yards away from the first infected. I looked at the window from where I knew they were watching, nodded and took a step, then another step. At the third step the infected looked around and started moving quickly toward me. One shot put it down and I moved to the porch of our neighbor across the street.

The infected down the street was moving my direction as I sat down in a chair. It walked by me, by the dead infected and kept on going. I got up, took aim and
phut
, it went down. I sat back down and took a drink of water.

“What are you doing?”

“You forgot the over, over.”

“I want you inside now, OVER!”

“I’m coming, out.”

I got up and went to the back yard and inside. It had been an interesting trip and I had a lot of notes to share.

-——————————————

“I still don’t like what you did out there.” Christine was still chastising me for “not being more careful”.

“I was being careful, I was also giving you guys firsthand knowledge of their behavior.”

“We don’t need that kind of knowledge firsthand if you could die.”

“If we are going to stay alive we have to know how these things act that was one example. It doesn’t mean all of them will act like that but for three hours yesterday every one of them did.”

“But what if the boys think they can do something like that?”

“We all need to work on it. I’d like all of us to go out today.”

“There is no way I am letting my children go out there!”

“I want to go.” Caleb had woke up and was standing in the doorway listening.

“You are
not
going outside. That’s final.”

“I’ll take you all around the neighborhood. We can go to Cochran.”

“NO! no one is going outside ever again!”

“Get your brother up and let’s eat.” I told him. We had had enough of that conversation and needed to move on. I felt it was important to learn more but maybe I was pushing it.

After breakfast we talked about yesterday, made notes and evaluated what we learned. We played games and read and did family things inside. There were no infected within our view all day, no sounds from outside. Squirrels played in the trees and rabbits ate the grass. Joey went in and out as he pleased and life seemed more normal.

As darkness fell I could not keep from staring at the infected I’d shot lying in the street. They were bloated and foul. Tomorrow I’d move and burn them.

-——————————————

“Today is Monday.” I said to myself.

“What are you doing daddy?” Caleb asked as he walked into the room.

“I’m watching outside and writing a journal.” I answered, “I figure that keeping a journal of our experiences will help us later and may be helpful to others.”

“Makes sense. Mommy makes us write a journal for school.”

“I know. Seeing you guys do it yesterday gave me the idea. Your journal could help later.”

“Are there any out there?” he asked wanting to change the subject from school work.

“Nope, haven’t seen any, but it’s still pretty dark.”

“Are you going back outside today?”

“Yeah, I want to move those infected bodies before they get too stinky.”

“I think it’s too late.”

“Yeah, should have done it yesterday but I felt it was more important to stay in with you guys and make mommy happy.”

“Can I go with you?”

“I’ll need help but we’ll have to see how mommy feels about it.”

“She won’t let me.”

“Well, we’ll see. At some point everyone needs to go out and learn what to do.”

We sat for a while talking about what I had learned, what I saw, and then he asked “What do you think will happen?”

“With you going out, with breakfast….?”

“With the zombies, the world?”

“Don’t know. I don’t have to think about the world I just have to do my job and right now that is protecting you guys and teaching you.” I paused and thought for a moment, “Part of teaching you is learning myself so I may do some things that you shouldn’t just so I can learn if it’s good or not. “

“Like getting close to that infected.”

“Yeah, but I had tested that earlier with one that was alone. I could have shot it at any time but kept testing distance. I’ve tried different sound and distances and movement…. We, I, have to try things to learn then teach you, but, we have to remember that just because ten infected react one way does not mean that the eleventh will act the same.”

“Everyone acts differently, even zombies.”

“Yep.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Then let’s go get breakfast.”

We went downstairs to find Christine and Jesse cooking.

“Hi daddy.” Jesse greeted me coming for a hug.

“Hey bud.” I said as we hugged.

Christine gave me a kiss and went back to making breakfast.

“We need to plan the day.” I finally said sitting down to eat.

“We’re not going outside.” Christine said matter-of-factly.

“Well, I’m going to move those infected bodies from in front of the house. They are getting stinky and will only get worse. And, they could attract attention if there are bad guys roaming around.”

“The children are not going out there.”

“But we can help.” argued Caleb.

“Quiet.” I instructed, “I can do it myself but having extra eyes watching would be nice, and safer.”

I looked at the boys and shook my head. This was not a time to argue. We needed to let the subject settle down for a while.

We ate then cleaned up. The boys started checking around the house.

“It’s light outside, I want to get this done before it gets too hot.” I said.

“I don’t want them going outside.”

“It would be safer for us all to go and watch out. I’m not going to put us in danger.”

“Going outside is dangerous!”

“Being alive is dangerous. This is what we’ve been given so let’s work at making the best of it.”

She didn’t say anything, just crossed her arms. I went to get ready.

I was setting my gear by the back door when she came and asked “What would we be doing, if they are going to help I’m going too, they are not going out there without me.”

I straightened up and smiled. “I’m moving those bodies, maybe to the hospital parking lot. I think I’ll burn them. I may need a hand getting them into the truck and could use someone watching out so I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t want them touching those things.” That was the first time she had referred to the infected as
things
or anything other than people.

“Then I’ll manage to get them into the truck and you guys look out.”

“OK, but if there is any sign of danger we are running back to the house.”

“I understand.”

“And you must wear gloves when you’re handling those things.”

“OK.” I chuckled.

Everyone got ready and I let them out the back door hatch. I went to the basement, and out the access under the deck. This was not the most convenient way out but we felt it was essential to keep the house secure at the most obvious access points.

“Let’s remember that we need to devise a better way to get back in when we all leave.” I said to the anxious group waiting on the deck. “Come on.”

We made our way to the front yard then onto our porch where I sat in a chair. Caleb and Jesse quickly followed sitting down leaving Christine standing looking at us.

“Doesn’t it feel good being outside?” I asked

“Yeah!” cheered the boys.

“No, I’m confused.” said Christine, “I thought we were going to move those bodies but instead we’re sitting on the porch.”

“We don’t just charge into the street, we need to look around first. A porch is a good vantage point to do so.”

“Oh, OK.” she said and sat down.

“Just look up and down the street. Look at houses and in windows.” I started explaining, “Notice for any movement. Listen for any sounds. Remember, sound and movement get them moving and they will just keep moving ‘till something attracts their attention or they run into something and have to go a new direction.

“If we see any DO NOT get within 50 yards of any……understand?”

“Yes.” they said in unison.

“This is for real guys. It’s not a game. We can live life but have to be much more careful than a few weeks ago.”

The boys eyes got big and they nodded.

“Let’s be quiet now. I’m going to check the side of the house and up and down the street. I’d also like to find another truck and not use mine.”