CHAPTER 4
“What the fuck are we going to do?” Kenzi yelled, while looking out the window, “They are all over the street now.”
“Babe, yelling is the last thing we should do, that is for sure,” Guy whispered as he walked up behind her and gently removed her hands from the blinds and pulled her back.
My Father was asleep in the only bedroom in my shack as we all stood around. Andrew was by the kitchen, using my wet stone to make sure his axe and sword were sharp, Joey and Michael were in the bedroom playing a silent game of GTA 5. Guy was trying to console Kenzi as she slowly broke down. Dan and I kept our eyes out the windows. We watched as “sleepers” walked around aimlessly, and the dead ones stumbled around like, well, dead ones. Only showing any interest in anything that moved or made noise. At this point, there was, maybe, one dead to every ten “sleepers” walking around.
Dan kept an eye on his cell phone as he said, “Whatever we do we have to wait for Erica and Pam to make it out here. They said they were on their way till my phone stopped getting signal.” The look on Dan’s face told us all that he was worried about his sister, Erica and his niece Pam. With us out here and them all the way north in Wauconda, Illinois, there was nothing we could do but hope they make it down here safely.
I turned around and looked at him, “We will make sure that they can find us no matter what we do, we also need to make sure any family and friends that makes it out here can find us.” I walked over to Dan and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“John, I have to talk to you,” Andrew said, I knew what he was going to say and I could see the pain in his eyes as he whispered. “Your father was bit, at what point do we figure out what we have to do with him?”
“Andrew I know. For right now we do nothing until…”
“Don’t you fucking say a word about my father.” Guy spit out in a high whisper.
“Guy, I am sorry, but we all know what might happen. We have all seen the movies.”
“This isn’t a fucking movie, so we do nothing.”
I stepped in between them, “Chill out; we will wait. I have been keeping time. It will tell us if the bites lead to that,” I pointed out to the street, “Or if it does anything at all. Bottom line is we don’t know what is going to happen, so I am not going to jump the gun until I know.”
“I can understand that John, just know that it will have to be done when it needs to be done.” He slid the wet stone across his sword as he spoke, making sure I knew he was willing to handle what might have to be done.
As everyone stood silent, the moans from the sleepers and dead could be heard easily all over, in the little house of mine. My mind was churning with what we could do. I have spent many nights growing up, thinking of my zombie apocalypse plan. However, at this moment though, I was drawing a blank I always thought the plan was airtight. Little did I know the sleepers and dead would multiply so quickly.
“Alright, we can’t stay here, that is for sure. We will have to be quick but we need to get everything in the truck and Dan’s Volt, and we need to get to Wal-Mart.” I started my directions as I knelled down and lifted the door in the floor of my shack. Like I said I have always thought of my zombie apocalypse plan for a while and with that I always kept a Go Kit in where ever I lived. Mine was not the “normal” go kit. Mine consisted of a laptop with a 3 terabyte solid state drive filled with movies, tv shows, YouTube videos of DIY survival stuff and general knowledge, a translation program, Word 360, and other needed programs. Along with that it has 3 boxes of ammo for my Eagle, six MREs, cloths, and the basic survival items (fire starter, compass, knife, emergency blanket, etc.) it all rested on the back pack that I would throw it all into and that all sat inside a Faraday cage under my floor. Once it was put together and slid my desert eagle into my holster, I turned to Dan and continued, “You will have to wait till we leave and jump in your Volt, so we can draw a few of these things away. Plus, the silence and size of your Vote will help us later when we get to Wal-Mart.”
“What about my car?” Andrew now stood at the window staring.
“We don’t need it, and I would like you Michel and me in the bed of the truck. Guy, Kenzi, Dan, and Dad in the Volt. Joey will be driving the truck as we jump down and clear a path to the doors of Wal-Mart. Then Dan will drive the Volt with everyone else up to us. Just bring your weapons since we won’t need anything else.”
“John, just leave me here, I am not feeling great, and I think I will just slow you all down.” I looked over to see my father being helped out of the room by Joey.
“No you are going with us, it will be fine.” I looked him over from where I stood. He looked weak and seemed to be shivering, and he kept sniffling like he was sick.
“Everyone get ready to book it to the Volt once these things follow the truck. Andrew, Michel and I will keep those morons busy by making even more noise in the bed of the truck. Guy, get dad to the Volt and keep him safe. When we run out of here, we all go to Wal-Mart. Make sure if for some reason, we get separated go straight to Wal-Mart. Dad, give Joey your keys.”
I grabbed the handle of the door. My palms started sweating, my heart was racing, and everything got brighter, and the adrenaline surged into my body. I had always loved the feeling I got when this happened. The last time I was this jacked on pure adrenaline like this was in a bar fight in Jacksonville. So when it went into overdrive in me, I was in overdrive. I also know this is why I survived so long after so many have fallen around me.
I knew we would be tested from here on out. I also knew that we would lose someone soon what I didn’t know is that this would be the first day that we would lose one of us.
CHAPTER 5
With little resistance we hopped in the truck and just like I thought, the Sleepers and Dead followed us. The rest were able to get to the Volt and get around the monsters to get right behind us. We headed to Wal-Mart with the truck leading the way to move sleepers and dead out of the way.
There were only a sparce amount of Sleepers and Dead when we got to 47 once we turned left more could be seen wondering the road and sidewalks. People stood, scared, in McDonalds as we passed. As we got close to Wal-Mart I say a group of Sleepers and Dead eating the crew at Dolphins Car Wash. We got to east route six in good time as we turned off 47, Joey couldn’t slam on the breaks fast enough. In front of us, there was a scene out of a war movie. People were trying to run out of and into Walmart, but they were all being taken down faster than they could get away. Mostly Sleepers we chasing them down and eating them. The ones that were killed were awaking as Dead. I site still haunt me to this day.
“What do you do now John?” Andrew leaned over and picked his axe up from the bed of the truck.
“Put it down I have an idea.” I grabbed my phone and dialed Dan, “Stay in the car till we wave you over.” after I hung up I turned to Joey, who was leaning out his window,
“Andrew will drive you hope up in back here,” I turned to see Andrew and Michael jump out the bed and I continued, “Get us about ten feet from the grocery side doors. Then you and Michael stay in the truck till Joey and I thin out the Sleepers and Dead.”
Joey was jumping in the back as I removed my Eagle from the holster and checked the magazine. I slapped hard on the roof as Andrew slowly drove closer and closer to Walmart. “Joey we have to thin this out so we can get the volt in and the doors shut off and blocked with a bunch of carts. Head shots only, I don’t want any of them getting back up.”
As we got within fifty yards, I put down my first sleeper, which in hindsight wasn't the best idea because we were not close enough and the shot got the attention to ever monster in the parking lot. But, my second second shot went through three Sleeper's heads so I wasn't thinking about that at all. I looked at Joey and laughed “HA, see that is how it is done.” He just chuckled as he took down two others. We fought our way to within ten feet. Of the doors and Andrew stopped.
I was on my fifteenth sleeper and was about to reload when I turned to see Joey jumping out the bed of the truck, “Joey! No, not yet. Get back in the truck.” As he landed, I watched two sleepers rush him. I didn't even worry about reloading my gun and dropped it throwing myself out of the bed and at the closest sleep.
I heard a sickening crack as it’s head smacked on the ground. I rolled and jumped to my feet just in time to see Kenzi at full sprint hit the second sleeper, they both crashed into the yellow pillar in front of Walmart. I ran over to help and noticed that as they hit the pillar Kenzi’s head was down and to the side of the Sleepers body so when the hit Kenzi’s head hit the pillar first and the weight of the Sleeper and her momentum managed to snap her neck.
The Sleeper was still moving as I walked up and snapped its neck as well.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Joey we need to get this cleared. Andrew, you and Michael take the ones in the front of the truck.”
As we cleared the few remaining Sleepers and Dead Gut had gotten out of the Volt and we knelling next to Kenzi stroking her hear and crying. I could hear him saying, “Please no, Kenzi please wake up baby. Please, I need you to wake up.”
Once we cleared the Sleepers and Dead I ran over to the Volt and yelled at Dan, “Why the fuck didn’t you stay over there. You were supposed to wait till we waved you over.”
Dan yelled back, “You looked like you needed help and Dad said to rush over and help.”
I knew it wasn’t Dan’s fault, but he should have stayed where he was. But, if he had, Joey might have been killed.
“Fuck! Ok everyone, get in Walmart. Dan, once the doors are open drive into Walmart and get Dad somewhere to rest up.” As I spoke, I pushed on the doors, and they popped off their rails. “Dan park in the opening were Subway used to be. “We need to make sure none of these things are in here once we blockade the doors.”
Once I got the doors open, Dan pulled in. I ran over to Guy as Andrew and Michel watched our backs. “Guy let me help you get her inside. We should not leave her here. Let’s go.” I pulled him up by the arm to get him to stand up. I then helped him lift Kenzi and brought her into Walmart.
We lay Kenzi on a bench just inside the second set of doors. I ran over and started helping everyone cram all the cart in between the two sets of doors but leaving a little walkway to the security room located there. We all ran over to the other side, where I proceeded to shut off the doors and we filled in that area as well with carts but no walk way since there was nothing of need over there.
As we all gathered back by the Volt I started, “Alright, we have to check for survivors and monsters. Andrew and Michael take the right of the store. Joey, Dan and I will take this side. We will also lock down the garden center doors.” As they walked away from us, I grabbed Guy’s arm and spun him to me. “Are you going to stay level-headed and not do anything dumb?”
“The only thing I am going to do is kill anything that isn’t us.”
“That is not level-headed Guy. You have to make sure it isn’t a survivor. We need numbers, not dead people. You stay here with Kenzi and watch Dad, when we are done securing everything we will take care of Kenzi's body”
“Fine, go I want to be alone!”
“That is fine, just don't do anything stupid” I said over my shoulder as I walked away.
I helped Dan and Joey lock down the doors in the garden center, and we split up to clear the rest. I could hear the chopping and grunts from the other group signaling that they were getting their job done. As I turned to walk down the next row, I ran into Joey kneeling and crying, halfway down the row of paint.
“What’s wrong Joseph? Are you ok?”
“Why John, why did she have to help me? Why? I would have gotten that one once you took care of the other one. I never wanted her to die; I didn’t want her to die.” He started crying again.
“Joe it isn’t your fault, she was just the only other one that could help fast enough. She was sitting at the door of the volt, Guy was in the middle of it, or it would have been him. It might have had a different outcome if Guy was sitting at the door. But, for now, we need to work. You get three minutes, three minutes of self-pity, remorse, and fear. Three minutes and then we fight. We fight to survive, we fight to save, and we fight to keep everyone else safe. Now you have another ten seconds, and then we move.”
He looked up at me in disbelief, I am sure, not knowing how I can be so callused and disconnected. I knew he didn’t know everything that I had done in my life; I tried to shield him and everyone else I knew from the worst stuff I have had to do in my life. Little did I know at this time was, my past would be a major issue later in our survival and things would come to life that I wished would never see the light of day again. But at that time I only hopped Joey would never have do the things I had done in my life to survive.
I put out my hand to help him up. As he grabbed my hand said, “Now let’s get up and make sure all is clear and that everyone is ok.”
“Is everything ok?” Dan asked as we rounded the corner
“Yeah, Joey skinned his knee and cried like a little bitch.” I watch Joey out of the corner of my eye as he laughed and punched me as hard as he could in my arm. I knew it would be hard, but he would some day would forgive himself for what he believes was his fault. He would work through it and use that to survive and save others. It was apparent that from this day forward that we would have a lot of surviving and saving to do before we could start fixing the world. At the time I didn’t know it would take so long to start fixing it, nor did I know we would lose so many.
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