They Knew

No sleep. No sleep.

Every time I close my eyes I see them... pawing, scratching and grunting.

Benny is trying to be upset for Davis. Lilly has now become the recluse. Davis spoke to me yesterday since he was relieving me of my patrol shift. I didn't say anything at first but as I was walking away he stopped me.

"They knew." Was all he said. I turned to look at him with a puzzled look on my face. "They knew I would take them out at the first sign of infection." He was making eye contact so I tried to keep my facial expression as neutral as possible. "I have been a dooms day prepper since my daddy was alive. He lived through a war. I was raised to think on my toes and do what it takes to survive. My girls shown such weakness."

I slowly sucked in air through my nose but my throat felt like it was closing up and I could feel the tears roll down my face. "Don't... just... you don't have to explain anything to me. Honestly, you did the right thing. It just.... fucking sucks. It sucks that they're gone no matter how they left, ya know?"

Davis wiped his face with his handkerchief and took in a deep breath, "Thank you. Thanks for saying that." After an awkward shuffle he gave me a one armed bro hug and I went back to my apartment to sob.

As far as I know no one else knows the full story. Other than the "leaders" of the group. I hope it stays that way. Davis wasn't sparing Lilly of much, she considers them dead just like all of her other family she can't keep close tabs on.

Out of nowhere Jeremy brought me a duffle bag and said, "it was hers." Without any more follow up he walks off. I think he needed it out of their apartment so it wouldn't raise suspension. I found small trinkets from her past that I only know vaguely of. Her wedding band, a pocket photo of her daughter and husband, a couple pieces of jewelry, clothes, and a couple letters.

I also have her weapons. She had a knife on her that I had found in the bushes by my building. It raised more questions than answers but I knew it was Buffy's weapon. I close my eyes and play the scenarios out in my mind.

Elliott is asleep in the apartment Charlie is held up in. Charlie decides to end herself in the middle of the night, maybe in the empty tub with the bathroom door closed. Charlie awakens to strange noises only to open the door to find an already mobile corpse of her sister. Stunned she stands there, reaching out to the image of her sister only to realize it's too late as Charlie chomps down on Elliott's hand. Then I don't know... Elliott runs from her sister out of the apartment leaving the door open? Once Elliott is safe she realizes she's already been bitten and is too scared to go get help?

Then as Buffy is on her way to my place she spots Charlie facing a bush? With Charlie's back to Buffy, just standing there motionless it must have freaked her out. Buffy pulled her knife and had a scuffle with undead Charlie and managed to get bit on the shoulder. Charlie feasted until Buffy began to reanimate... then they decided to pay me a visit?

I'm going to puke.

Erased.

Last night I immobilized Buffy's shambling corpse.

I was waiting.
Waiting for her arrival.
Waiting.

It was late... or early. Depending on what your stance is.

I heard the bells.  The soft twinkle of foreboding.  The bells I had strapped to the barbed wire wrapped around the rails of the stairs leading up to my apartment. I had carpet on the stairs under it so humans could climb over without harm. Zombies would get snagged.

Zombies did snag.

Two of them.

Charlie and Buffy. Scratching at the air in my direction. Rumors amongst the living is that shamblers have acute memory of their living past. A fresh zombie does unfinished business by reflex.

Even in the dark I could see the deep gashes in Charlie's wrists. The dark ooze that ran down Buffy's front. I could imagine how it all panned out. I pushed Charlie down the stairs so I could deal with Buffy. I gritted my teeth and brought my machete around to decapitate Buffy. Her head just past Charlie on her stumbly crawl back up the stairs. I patiently waited for Charlie to get back up to the barbed wires. I hesitated before I took her head off too. I did three almost hits before I connected. I didn't even know I was crying until I sounded the alarm on the walkie. One by one the apartments checked in.

"Benny. All is safe."
"Jeremy. Missing Buffy."
"Davis. Missing Elliott. "

Elliott. Elliott. Elliott. Elliott. Elliott.

"Use caution but I need you guys here. Code Z. I repeat: Code Z."

I dropped the walkie and ran down the stairs. I collectes the heads and put them safely in the middle of the bodies. Their jaws still moving and gurgling noises escape their mouths.

The guys got to me right as I tossed the heads.

"Davis.... I'm so so sorry." I put my arms up just in time for a scream to be heard from the apartment Charlie was staying in. We watched as Elliott ran over and threw herself at her father's feet. She raised her bloody hands in a begging jester and Davis pulled out his hunting knife and plunged it deep into her eye socket.

We all must have been equally shocked because as he cleaned his knife off he simply said, "She had a bite in her hand. Behead her and toss her into the pool with the rest. Burn them before Lilly sees. As far as she knows these girls ran off. As far was as I'm concerned they left together weeks ago. Sunrise is about an hour. I'd be grateful if they were embers before breakfast." He nodded to us and left somberly.

We did as he said.

No one but me cares that Buffy hasn't been seen. Jeremy started a rumor that she helped the twins leave and probably too ashamed to come back. That she probably feels obligated to help them survive. The bodies we burned were the shamblers that breached the gate as they slipped out. Their pockets were empty.

Erased. Just like that.

Just like that.

Comfort & Gossip

Buffy visits me at night. 

We, uhhh, get acquainted and then she goes back to her apartment that she shares with her group. 

Even though they have been brought into the group officially we aren't sure how everyone will react. Charlie has locked herself in a apartment apart from her parents.  Elliott is often seen breaking in through an unlocked window because Charlie refuses to unlock the door. 

Surprisingly enough Davis doesn't hold a visible grudge towards me about his daughter.  He doesn't even talk about her unless asked. We always ask. Krista is making bets for cigarettes saying that Charlie will kill herself. Elliott assures us that her sister is just in mourning and will be back in the group functioning in no time. Until then I have picked up some of Charlie's chores to show no hard feelings. I even tried to visit her but she just stayed in there, silent.

Kroger is starting a garden. Benny had a small one but Kroger has green thumbs. Both hands. In the short time he's been here he has made the squash flourish and every leaf on every plant seems happier. Kroger even talks with Benny and his kids. He doesn't talk too much to anyone else though. Buffy says he just is picky about who he warms up to but not to take it personally. Kroger doesn't speak to her either but he is kind in his silence, anyway. 

We are pretty sure that Davis and Krista have hooked up too. Even though Krista is my age and Davis is easily in his fifties, she isn't being covert about it. Lilly just ignores it. Amongst Buffy's group they think that Lilly will join as a sister wife with Benny's crew. 

The heat comes and goes, the abundance of rain has kept the shambling idiots at bay. No one has ventured outside the gate in awhile. We have started a paper inventory of what we have in stock so we can plan on a scavenge mission before we get too low on anything. There are enough of us now that we only have one overnight of watch a week on a rotating schedule. We have scheduled voluntary training Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. We rotate who runs it but mainly it's Davis with his military training.

Awhile ago Benny found a rather old metal push mower that doesn't need gas or electricity. I have found a new love for cutting the grass. It's such a workout! My shoulders have gotten brown from the sun. Buffy likes to count my freckles. 

It's so strange that we are becoming so comfortable in our living situation. Even Imogen is allowed out of the apartment and so far her cries have only attracted a few manageable zombies to the gate. We stab them in the eye socket with a rather large knife with little effort. It seems like the only time we get out of the gate is to collect the bodies and burn them in the pool. 

I can almost relax. I get nightmares. We all get nightmares. But I think I can manage. The only thing I take seriously is myself and my safety.... everything else is a wash.

Undead Girlfriend

Yesterday was such a mess.

Buffy wasn't out to sabotage the group but it still sent a ripple out. Soon after I made the entry yesterday there was a knock on the door, the twins.

Elliott and Charlie were both highly upset about my house guest. Their yelling woke Buffy up. I had no words, I didn't know what to say... how to make it right again. Apparently Jeremy was frantically searching for her and was causing everyone else stress.

"I just thought-- Nevermind." Charlie said with tears swelling up. I knew what she thought, and she was right. We had been playing a mental game ever since I got here but we had never physically acted on it. Just random touches here or there, spotting each other during work outs or lingering hugs. I thought it was just the need for companionship, not sexual. I guess I was wrong. "Hey, life is to short for drama, okay? This sucks but I don't want to be on bad terms. I don't want to regret words. We can talk later." Charlie shot Buffy a look, bit her lip and motioned to her sister to leave with her. They closed the front door and I spun around to face Buffy.

"Well, I should get back now. I don't want Jeremy to cause us to get kicked out." Buffy finished getting dressed and left... not even a kiss good bye.

I sat by myself and sipped my coffee. My stomach was in knots. I did a breathing exercise I used before the zombies, my anxiety breathing. My, "Everything works out in the end" and "I can do this." mantra. Having feelings was strange. How calm everyone was even though tension was high was strange. Things are different now.

Another knock at the door.
This should be wonder-fucking-ful.

"Hi. Umm, sorry about earlier. I just--- didn't know how to act. Ya know... about that girl." Charlie stood there, sniffling between words. I couldn't help but be surprised at how upset she was. Even though we flirted it always felt more of a reflex than anything else. Teenage girls flirt and especially flirt with people that would make their Daddy angry... that's all. I thought. "Jasmine, one of the cheerleaders... well... come with me." She grabbed my hand and lead me to the far corner storage unit. My throat was clogged with anxiety, I could barely swallow. I knew what she was going to show me before she pushed open the large door. A hog tied zombie lay in the corner. The smell made my eyes water.

You never get use to the smell. Out in the open it becomes a tool to know when they are coming but in close quarters it's just like finding a dead body that has been forgotten about for months, in a car, on the hottest day of the year. Bugs won't even feed on these gnarly bastards. I covered my nose and mouth with my shirt. From the noise of us approaching the tied up beast started thrashing and kicking. Black ooze leaked from around her bindings, her skin was torn from thrashing around. Charlie sat down on the floor beside me. We had an easy six feet between us and the thing Charlie called Jasmine.

I pulled my knife from it's holster and looked at Charlie. We both jumped when Elliott slipped under the storage door. Charlie continued into her quiet sobs while Elliott put a hand on my shoulder.

"Jasmine was Charlie's girlfriend. They were on the squad together and our parents just thought she was a close friend. Charlie saved Jazzy in the beginning and we moved here. Their relationship became hard to hide when we were all crammed in the truck for days getting here. Daddy even blamed Jazzy for the deaths of the other girls. Our parents ignored their relationship because obviously there was bigger shit to deal with. Jazzy got bit while we were helping Benny and his family secure these apartments. Charlie and Jazzy wanted to have their own apartment to have more privacy." Elliott made a grimace, "Well, Charlie tied her up when she died before she... came back. I helped her put the body in here. I thought--" Elliot choked by a sob, "I hoped that Jazzy was taken care of."

"I couldn't do it." Charlie sobbed.

I walked over and plunged my blade deep into the skull of the undead cheerleader. The thrashing stopped and her body went limp. I pulled the knife out and blackness oozed everywhere. I spat at the ground to get the smell out of my mouth. I wiped my knife off on the dead girl's pant leg. I calmly walked back over to a hunched-over sobbing Charlie and her sister who was consoling her. I leaned over to be face to face with Charlie and lifted up her face by the chin with my now black ooze splattered hand. She shivered with pain and tears as I told her very solemnly, "That wasn't your Jazzy. This isn't a game. You put everyone at risk. Are you hiding any more dead girlfriends? You have to clean this shit up. Got me?" I kissed her forehead, nodded to her sister and walked out of the storage unit straight to Davis and Lilly who were talking with Krista and Jeremy in the courtyard. I had black splatters on my pants and shirt. As I approached Jeremy and Davis reached for their weapons.

"I would say relax it's me, but I'm pretty sure my news isn't going to be a day at the spa." I said through clinched teeth.

Since it was in the middle of the day we all helped the twins clean up the storage unit and burned the officially dead girlfriend. Charlie won't even look in my direction and Elliott keeps talking for her and apologizing profusely. Buffy and I haven't spoken about our night together. No one in the group has brought it up either. Tonight is my night to keep watch so people think I will be sleeping most of the day. I think it's a good thing.

It's amazing how the end of the world can put things in perspective. Krista is banging all the men in her group. Even Kroger who apparently doesn't speak. They call him Kroger because that's where they found him. Held up in a grocery store he was a night janitor at. Smart hiding place, if you ask me. He kind of speaks through hand jesters and Jeremy swears he's said a few words in the year they've been in the "Zed Wars" together. Jeremy was a teenage drug dealer turned distributor to now zombie killer. Kroger was the first "living being not out to kill anything that moved" (his words) he came across after the dead stopped dying completely. Point is-- no one cares about that extra drama. If anything the group is just happy to be "gettin' some" and now they are happy to be semi-comfortable. They have a whole apartment building now like the Benny's. Both levels of building seven. It was decided last night to integrate them officially. That means putting them on the patrol and the work schedule. We run like a hippy commune. I guess it helps that Benny's family has training in running and feeding large groups.

We are all just happy to be alive and now that all the skeletons are out of the... umm... storage units, we may be able to move forward.

Dumb Libido

Is this what being hung over feels like?

It feels like it's been years since I've had this pang between my ears and the nausea built up inside. It's so bright outside.

I woke up next to Buffy this morning.

Yes, like the vampire slayer. She said she always loved the show and renamed herself almost instantly once everything went to shit. She met up with Jeremy and the others after a few months on the run. Jeremy is smitten with her but is involved with Krista. Krista is also involved with Oliver and John, from what I gather.

I'm warming up a few coals to boil water to make coffee. Buffy is still passed out inside. What the fuck is wrong with me? These people have been here for three days and I'm shacking up with one?

Well, I don't think we did anything too much last night. Not that I remember anyway. It's all a blur really. A big, big, blur. I can't trust this girl, she may have planned something awful for the rest. Maybe she was just slowing me down so her friends could get to the others?

Fuck.

I can't believe I let my dumb libido get in the way... again.

Fuck.

New Comers

A bullet whizzed through the apartment and embedded its self in the wall in the hallway.

What. The. Fuck.

I'm so lucky that I was doing my crunches in the living room when it happened. I heard the pop and only knew where it ended up when the picture in hallway hit the floor. Glass everywhere. Up until that point I didn't even realize there was a picture in the hall. I crawled over to the picture, a loving couple and a baby. A family photo. I grabbed my weapons and left the apartment. I went around the corner of the building and could hear the yelling on the far side of the complex, near the 301. Shit.

I noticed the twins crouched behind a building on the inside of the courtyard. I join them and ask what's going on.

"New comer. Benny saw them and the dude shot at him. Lucky for Benny the dude is a shitty shot." Elliott said with big eyes.

"Yeah, well, it could've been me. The bullet is in the wall of the hallway." I replied.

We turned to listen more as Davis went to the gate. Luckily the new guy hadn't breached the gate. The men were discussing what the protocol of the new guy crossing the gate should be. I gripped my knife and cleared my throat. I got this.

I came across the parking lot and cuffed the knife against my arm. I approached the men and took note of the packed truck in the road behind the guy. I saw movement. He's not alone. I tab the shoulders of Benny and Davis to stop the arguing. I pull them a couple feet back after giving the "One moment." motion with my hand to the guy on the other side of the gate. We move far enough away from the guy so he can't hear us whisper.

"Look, we're mind fucking him right now. He shot at you and he is obviously looking for some form of comfort. We all have locks on our doors and we have walkies between us in case shit hits the fan with this guy. I say we let him in--"

Davis cuts me off, "But what if he jumps us as soon as we let him in?"

"Look-- that gun shot let some shamblers know we are here. Either we let him in and set him up at least temporarily or risk him trying to set up somewhere else and leading the fuckers even close to us, but en masse." I made sure to make eye contact with both men to gauge their reactions. They weren't opposed. "First, we assess their group and make them strip. We have to make sure they aren't bit. They should at least appreciate that. Once they are okay we make them leave the vehicle on the outside and allow them within the gate. What house would be better for everyone, Davis?" It's strange how they just let me take control. It must be my time on the outside.

"Uhhh, probably building seven. It's on the corner in between us all. Benny can see them from his place and you're on the backside so if they are trying to do anything funny out of sight you are more likely to catch it." Davis said, gripping his shovel.

"Hey, fellas. I don't like being so out in the open here. We deciding something?" The guy called, carefully, while glancing around.

"Right. We don't tell them where we are held up. Tonight we eat picnic style outside the pool gate at the tables there. We escort them to their apartment, ground level. Keep a copy of the keys. You guys watched me so I trust we can watch them the same. Integration starts once we gain that trust." I nodded to the guy, "You see anything?"

He shook his head no, "Sorry I shot at you, dude. You gotta understand why I'm jumpy."

"Davis, go get the keys to seven. Benny, come with me." Benny and I approached the guy on the outside of the gate. When we got up to him he seemed a lot calmer than before I joined the discussion. "Okay, this is how it's going to go. You're going to get everyone you have with you out and by the gate. Strip to your skivvies and once you're cleared you guys can come in here. We have plenty of space. No more than one melee weapon per person. Leave your firearms in your vehicle until we're sure you aren't here to take us over.  We won't bother them. You can park outside the gate to where you can keep watch to make sure. There is safety in numbers. We don't fuck with you, you don't fuck with us. Got it?"

The guy seemed visibly annoyed but willing. "Sure. Where do I need to park?" I motioned to the 'Exit Only' gate. It was the only gate they hadn't completely blocked off with a car. It was a gate we could unlatch a few chains to let people semi-comfortably squeeze through the opening and we could easily re-secure it. Easy, but time consuming.

When it was just me, I had jumped the fence and broke into my apartment through an unlocked window. I knew the chances of finding an unlocked window was better on a second level.

The guy re-parked outside the gate and showed up with with five others. He had been driving a diesel full sized truck so that many people wasn't so far fetched. Four men and two women, counting him. They each had large bags with them. Nothing too big though, everyone traveled very similar these days. Even the Benny's each had a duffel they would grab to go if need be. Without a word they all undressed, Benny and I had our quiet distance weapons at the ready in protective stance. The guy was so nervous I promised we'd watch their backs since they promised to do our song and dance to get in here. The sun was starting it's slow slink behind the horizon. I wanted them inside before true dusk. The group as a whole looked very underfed. Their lips parched with dehydration. No wonder the guy seemed so desperate for us to help. I could hear the twins, their mom and Randi setting up dinner in the courtyard. We all wanted to be in our homes before the curfew we had set up for each other. Even though we have been broken, now that there are new people our unit has become one again. Us against them. Maybe this is what we all needed. Fresh blood.

Davis rejoined us with keys and started un-threading the chains. The first guy undressed and passed inspection first. Davis checked their bags on the way in to make sure they weren't carrying. The whole process took maybe fifteen minutes but felt like hours. They grouped up behind Benny and I as they shuffled in. Just as the last person crossed the gate we noticed four shamblers coming down the road. Benny and I nodded to each other silently and climbed the car that had been rolled on it's side and jumped the fence. Davis hurriedly re-threaded the chains as Benny and I approached the zombies. We separated and coaxed two a piece in opposite directions.

I had dropped my distance weapon within the gate and was now holding my two go-to melee weapons: a miners shovel strapped to my back and a machete in my hand. Benny had an aluminum baseball bat and his large hunting knife. I had my knife on my thigh strap but that's too close for comfort for me to melee with. I teased my two with the machete and kept my distance. I saw my chance and kicked the kid shambler in the chest, landing him on his back. I then ran circles around the other shambler disorienting it and kicked it over as well. As it lay face down I put a foot in the middle of it's back and brought the machete down taking off the head. I glance up at the kid zombie who had now gotten back to his feet. I glance over to Benny who had also taken down one and was now working on his second. The kid shambler was an easy target. I used the shovel to keep the distance between us and swung my machete around to sever the head.

Benny was wiping off his bat using the shambler's jacket when I came over to him. We shook hands and nodded to each other. We headed back to the gate and used a ladder Davis and the new comers had launched over the side to aide us in getting back over. We climbed the ladder onto the roof of the storage units that line the outside fences and pulled the ladder back up to then get off the roof.

"Let's eat and then we'll show you to your temporary home, eh?" Benny said, propping the ladder on it's side away from the gate.

"You guys have enough food?" One of the women said, putting a hand on her stomach, "For all of us?"

"Yes. We have enough." I said with caution. They don't need to know the wealth of food here just yet.

We got to the rest of the group and they introduced themselves, starting with the dude who came to us first.

Jeremy.
Buffy.
Oliver.
Krista, with a K.
Kroger.
John.

And then there was 18.

Broken

They've added me to patrol. Davis and his family moved into a new apartment to be away from 301.

The twins have started crashing at my place at least once a week. It's a mess. The group is broken. Benny tries to keep watch but he mainly seems to be focusing on his house. I haven't heard the baby cry at all. I don't know if that means it didn't survive or the house is just excellent at hiding noise. They've had their windows closed.its been a hundred degrees. I don't know how they are dealing. I haven't been in there.

Group meals are now a thing of the past. Davis sneaks over to peek in on the Benny family to make sure no one has turned.. for our safety. He often jokes about going in and killing Benny, the sisterwives and the infant. The eldest child is almost a teenager and could be of use and the other two are old enough to adjust.

I told him I'd only kill them off once they join the ranks of the undead. Not before.

I keep waiting for the screams of despair and more death. We are less safe being broken. I realize now how much I need people. Being alone made me go crazy. I survived but to what avail? The twins and I made a pact. If their parents die or their parents and the Benny family start a war within themselves, we are booking it elsewhere.

I just hope the group can recover.

Shadows

I awoke to knocks on my door. I peered through the peephole and saw Benny and the tomb raider dad and daughters. I opened the door and took a step back so they could enter.

"Hi. We weren't formally introduced the other day. I'm Davis and this is Elliott and Charlie. Lilly is my wife." The girls nodded as their names were called, his wife must be back with the sister wives.

He thrust his hand out in front of him for a handshake and retracted it after a few moments when he realized I was keeping my hands to myself.

"We were going to take care of them stragglers you talked about. Seems as though you've had the most hands on experience... and well, ya want to join us?" Benny asked, breaking the frigid akwardness.

"Erm. Sure. Let me get my shoes." I walked to the bedroom and retrieved my shoes; I joined them in the living room to put them on.

"How did you know about the herd? From my estimations they were an easy four miles away." Davis inquired, apologetically. "You have some Spiderman senses when it comes to ghouls or something?"

"I've been on my own since the second this shit reached the east coast. It's second nature to me. I haven't been stationary in quite a few months, I learned to pay attention to my surroundings." I responded without looking up from my shoe laces. The one thing I made sure to keep stock of was decent shoes. I have three fresh pairs with me at all times. This new location seemed like a good reason to break out a new pair. I'm going to have to find a way to replace these to keep me at three. "I'm sorry, what?" Apparently another question had been asked of me while I had drifted off in shoeland.

"I asked-- You got any weapons? You seem to only have a rather large hunters knife and a miners shovel. We've got some to spare for the trip if you don't, I'm just trying to keep an inventory." Davis tried to keep his voice level. Benny must have told him to play nice or he genuinely appreciated me saving our asses the other day.

"O yeah, I have an escape stash by the road. This will suffice for now, though. Don't you worry." I winked at him. Remember the rules? Don't ever let anyone know what you have.

We used a ladder to get over the wood fence farthest away from the main road. I haven't been stationary in a place so far away from the down town area. It's nice being able to relax. I stopped suiting up like a ninja too. After seeing Knox get a blood spray to the mouth and eyes and not becoming one of those things I loosened up my get up. Not to mention the farther south I went the more I felt like melting I keep my skin covered well enough though so I'm harder to bite. Mainly I wear running gear under my clothes now. It's breathable and clingy. Safe.

Davis took out the first walker with his machete, straight off the fence. We had all agreed no guns unless absolutely necessary and if we did use said gun, we were to cut our trip short and book it home. I had a small gun hidden in the small of my back. I wore a concealed weapon police strap under my shirt. It is what I call a purse gun. I had to alter the strap and I have to wear a running jacket to keep the lump concealed. I've lost so much weight everything sags at least a little on me. These people are skinny but plump, healthy skinny. Healthier, I guess.

We rounded the corner and Benny took out two in the road with his crossbow. The girls rounded out the back and double tapped and dragged the bodies to the center of the road, for clean up later.

"You guys going to bring them all back to the pool?" I ask Davis, who seemed to be keeping a close eye on me.

"Nah, those were bodies from ghouls that either managed to get within the gate or were in the apartments when we claimed the place." He spit out brown nastiness from his chewing tobacco. Barf.

"What will we do with these bodies?" I ask, without saying anything he did a hand motion to the four stop signs at the end of the road. A large black scorch mark and lumps of charred bone answered my question. "You round them up after a sweep and camp out to make sure it doesn't spread?"

"No reason. As long as we burn on a day that isn't windy it stays contained. We will pile up some fallen limbs and finish it off tomorrow. We only burn during the day so the light doesn't attract any at night. If we make a pile tonight and it gets dark before we can spark them, we'll come back in the A-M and finish the job. It takes longer but it's worth it." Davis jogged a few paces ahead of me and brought his blade down on the unsuspecting 'ghoul' as he calls them.

We spent a couple hours being super thorough. We managed to clean up the residence directly behind us, the main road is next. Apparently they had already cleaned up the gas station on the corner the day previous when I was sleeping. Elliott said she got something for me while they were there but for obvious reasons I'd have to wait until we got back to the 301. That's the apartment number for the shared dwelling they meet for lunch most days.

We didn't finish burning the bodies but we decided to head back before dusk kicked in. "Shadows play tricks on you." Charlie had said. I haven't decided if Charlie and Elliott are twins or just really close in age. They have the same tight hay colored buns on their heads like ballerinas and appear to be the same height. They both have hazel eyes and seem to communicate through telepathy. Davis seemed to have been born and bred in the military. From what I understood he has been in the military since he was seventeen and as far back as he understood there was at least one member of his family each generation in the military. Of course his only children would be brought up as such.

We knocked the ladder over once we had all jumped back over the fence. We all ate dinner together at 301 and the girls gave me my gift: a zippo with lighter fluid, a bottle of rum and assorted food items. It was a whole box of stuff, I noted the chocolate tucked away as if they weren't even suppose to know about it. There were a few random brain teasers in the box too. They both smiled at me as I thumbed through the box.

"Without those little nothings, life loses it's grasp and flies away into oblivion." Whispered Lilly as she hugged me on my way back out to my apartment.

Freedom

I think the herd is finally passed. It was strange to have so much silence between the largest group of breathers I've come across in years.

I warned them all about the stragglers. With a herd that large there are bound to be a dozen or so that broke off and are now left behind.

I quietly came back to the apartment, I couldn't sleep in that stuffy attic. We were up there for well over 12hrs. I had to make sure the zombies were out of ear shot a couldn't smell us disperse to our own dwellings.

I'm so tired.

I told them I may skip lunch today. Sleep, I need sleep.

Tomorrow, we hunt.

Lunch

I went.

I went to lunch.

It was....

interesting.


I took note of my appearance. My hair had grown out and was ratty. My clothes hadn't been washed in weeks. My shoes ragged. I looked homeless. My face was smeared with dirt. Lets not even talk about my nether regions...

I'm glad I didn't step closer when I met them earlier. They probably smelled me anyway. Whew.

By some miracle the water pump still worked here but was frigid cold. The cold would have almost bothered me if it wasn't sweltering hot outside. I took my cold shower and walked around the apartment naked. The place was pretty nice. Large leather couch to go with a large flat screen tv. What a brilliantly expensive paperweight. I chuckled to myself as I went into the master bedroom. Male and female clothes were strewn around. Whoever lived here either packed light or had way too much to begin with. The place was spotless, if they died it wasn't within these walls. I put on some leggings and a simple shirt. The clothes didn't fit me perfectly, but at least I wasn't a shambly corpse anymore.

I looked turned around to see the perfectly made bed. I ran my fingers along the edge of the mattress and imagined the couple intertwined, rolling around together. There were a small army of ties in the closet and a few abandoned suits. A straight laced type. Most of the walls were bare. This was either a temporary home or they had just moved in. There is unpacked boxes neatly places around edges of rooms. There wasn't any power on but the apartment was surprisingly tolerable with windows open. I had been sleeping on the floor in the living room and hadn't been in the rest of the place other than to secure it.

On the way over to the Benny people I walked through the courtyard and noticed they had used the drained pool as a burn pit. Clever.

"Welcome!" Benny greeted me at the door. Ten people were scattered around the living room and kitchen. The kids were playing cards in between scoops of something in a bowl. I gave a weak wave. "This is... uhhh, I'm sorry, I don't think we got your name."

I contemplated using my real name or just initial or -- "Beth. My name is Beth." I gave a long exhale, I hadn't realized I had been holding it for so long. So very long.

The entire room did various "Hi Beth"s and I some didn't even look up at me. In addition to the Benny family there were two teenagers and two adults. Three women and a male. They each had handguns strapped to their thighs and hunting knives to their calves. It was very tomb raider. Khaki shorts and all. I couldn't help but notice random skulls artfully placed around like trophies.

"I hope you like beans and pasta." Isabelle said, approaching me with a bowl and spoon. I took the bowl and utensil and took a seat on the floor. I looked down into the bowl: Spinach, maybe Navy beans and elbow noodles. I think there were chunks of tomatoes floating in the bean juice. It looked like a thanksgiving meal. I could smell the goals cooling off on the balcony. They also had all of their windows and doors open. "I made enough for seconds, everybody."

I  hesitated before digging in. Everyone else was eating theirs and quietly talking amongst themselves. The air was thick with negativity and anxiety. I could choke on it. "Look-- maybe I should go." I put my spoon back into the bowl and stood up.

"No, no, no. Now calm down. It's okay. Everybody relax." Benny moderated.

"Why should we relax, Ben? Tell me, how is this procedure, Ben?" The other man asked rather sternly.

"Dad, stop." One of the teenage girls chided.

"Listen. I'm sorry I'm invading whatever you guys have going here. I can leave within the hour." I felt the room relax instantly. "And you can keep your stash. I've done okay so far, I can do it again. I'm not anchored here. You guys are. I've traveled more than a thousand miles on my own, whats a few more?" As I turn towards the door I smell the stench. "Their coming." I say just above a whisper.

"What?" Randi asks, getting to her feet.

"I can smell them. It's got to be a herd." I say, taking it upon myself to close their windows and doors. "Do you guys have an escape route? Panic plan? Anything?"

"The attic. We should go to the attic." Benny said, gathering the children, even the tomb raider family followed their lead. There was a poorly ripped up hole in the ceiling that they put a ladder up to. We all crawled up single file until we were on the second level. The second level just had beds and bedding strewn around with piles of books. Obviously down stairs was the living area while up here was where all the slumber happened. It looked like the sister wives and children all slept with Benny in the living room area turned into a large bedroom. In the master bedroom we single file crawled up a folding ladder that was already pulled down in the empty closet. Randi and Isabelle closed the doors and windows as we all filed up into the attic. The smallest child was whimpering. The attic was big enough for maybe twenty people comfortably but wasn't tall enough for anyone but the children to stand completely upright. I notice an easy months worth of canned goods and yoga mats and pillows for sleeping for a dozen people.

Benny walked bent over to the window facing the road and moved peered out towards the main road. "Which way do you think they're coming from, Beth?"

"From behind us, it felt like." I felt silly saying my words out loud. I sound so much more sure of myself in my head.

"Behind us? Please." The tomb raider dad scoffed. "There is nothing behind us but houses that we've cleared ages ago."

"Haven't you guys ever seen a herd before?" I asked, astonished. In two years there is no way that they have escaped this phenomenon.

"Well, duh, lady." The Dad said, rolling his eyes. Well, it was dark, I assume he rolled his eyes.

We waited in complete silence for twenty minutes before the moans started. It was like an ambulance siren. You hear it before you see it. As the moans got exceptionally louder Benny peered out of the window again, but this time only his eyes peered over. By the look on his face there must have been a rather good sized herd. I rubbed the hilt of my knife nervously. Randi and Isabelle had rocked the kids and themselves to sleep and were quietly snoring in a clump.

Down South

Didn't I say I was going north?

I lied.

Well, I didn't mean to. I mean-- I never I intended to.

It's been years-- right?

I have been carrying around this phone like a good luck charm. It died long ago. I managed to find a solar charger thing. The sun is plentiful here.

I keep getting glimpses from my past. The facts and fiction have blurred so heavily I don't know what is fantasy and real memory. I'm afraid I have lost myself. I just ran. I remember falling in love and then blood... Nothing but blood.

That's past me now. Past. Past.

How did I get here? Bike. Motorcycle. Little Geo looking car. Yes, many ways. Many ways.

I traveled over a thousand miles. I traveled super light and then found a fully stocked hummer. That helped me feel safe the nights I had to sleep parked on the road. It's nerve wracking to sleep under the stars at ground level with faint moans and grunts in the distance.

I got turned around somewhere... Took a wrong highway. I started seeing signs for New Orleans and knew to avoid such a large city but I kept finding the gravitational pull so strong. There is a voice in my head. It won't stop.

I've found a gated apartment complex. It's abandoned for the most part. There is another family trapt here. They don't trust me. That's fine. I don't trust them. I set up on the opposite side of the complex. It's a small complex. Direct doors and cheeky residentials behind it.

We still talk. The neighbors and I. They left a random can of beans and a note: "Plenty of room for all of us. Plenty of resources. No need to fight. Welcome."

I was confused because all I had done was avoid them, but I guess others have passed through wanting anything that wasn't theirs. I took the beans and ate graciously. I had found MREs in the hummer and had stretched them as far as possible but the supply was mighty slim. I had taken to looting gas stations because they were easy for one person and if I avoided the bathrooms and the coolers I sometimes wouldn't even come across a dormant corpse ready to pounce. The hummer saved me. Obviously he was on his way to New Orleans, or from New Orleans?

Like I said, I took a wrong highway somewhere. I have no idea how I ended up here. It's sweltering heat and it rains buckets. The stairs are concrete leading up to my level (of course I will take the second level) so I have to figure that out. I've tied it off about six steps up but that isn't good enough. Zombies can pile up and break the ties too easily or even flip over it. I'm going to have to see what the neighbors have done. I came in on the side they are not on and after cleaning out my area I haven't ventured out much.

The stench here isn't bad or maybe I'm numb to it. This is just a place. Solo is secure. No friends. No allys. Solo is secure. Solo is secure.

Solo is secure.

Thursday

I have had neighbors for a month now. Kore and Knox still sleep across the street but sometimes they sit on my balcony with me and we shoot arrows at the shambling idiots as they pass by. I'm starting to forget what it was like to be so sad. My emotions are getting twisted into theirs. Kore and I have already kissed. It was like heaven.... but I've walked in on her and Knox having sex. (More times than one) So I am refraining from killing him in his sleep while she smiles at me sweetly while he embraces her.

We are three people left in this world and I should be hurt that Kore is basically the only woman we can pass back and forth and be completely okay with it. Knox and I have even had a conversation about it. Kore sometimes slips up and calls him by my name while they have sex. I'm unsure of why he told me. I'm unsure of how I feel about it. Knox shook my hand and like society still existed promised me that he didn't care, he just wanted to get off. Sex helps people keep their head clear, he said. The first time they had sex was the first night they spent on my street. When I had escaped out of the shadow of night and hyperventilated about how much I wished to just embrace Kore, he was fucking her at full advantage of her broken state. Even at the demise of society I am still getting passed up for a heartless prick that just wants to evacuate his juices on an unsuspecting female. It's difficult to be sad about a subject that seems so passe in comparison to everyone I've ever known being dead and trying to consume each other.

It does get to me.

I took a trip. I traveled. It had been many months since I have spread my wings farther than my 10 block radius. I left without a word. I came back to my house untouched but the routine continued as if I never left as far as clean up went. I had to clear my head. I had to get her sweet smell from my nostrils. I was angry when I came back and nothing had seemed to change. The only difference was Kore ran up to me and hugged me and kissed my neck. She whispered how much she had missed me but I could still smell him on her. His nasty musk from not cleaning himself like he should. The infection he is probably spreading within her flesh. It made me disgusted. The first woman I see in over a year and she's allowing herself to be used by a surface desire rather than a deeper passion just waiting to be unleashed. I sometimes fantasize about killing them both and bathing in their blood. I have so much rage within me it's hard to contain it sometimes. Luckily I have an abundance of zombies to take my aggression out on. There is never enough cleaning to be done. To hear the crush of their bones as I make them no longer a threat.

"You know, if all three of us wanted a night together, I'd be okay with that." He said.
"I'm not in love with him, we're just going through something together" She says.
"Hey look over there... that zombie looks like a rotting, disfigured Zach Galifianakis." I say.

Monday

What can you do for strangers?

"You're a girl." was all the dude said when I removed my headgear.
"And you've got a penis." I replied. "Now, are we done with the sex ed or do you need further proof?"
"I'm just... I didn't know... I mean... with all that stuff on you... and your hair." He motioned towards my face.
"There are fucking dead idiots shambling around outside and are you really upset about genderbending?" Instantly, I'm not pleased.

"Both of you. Shut the fuck up." She spoke with such distraught, detached anger we both instantly looked at the floor and away from each other.

"What should I call you guys?" I ask, attempting to break the awkward silence. "You can call me E."
"Well, E, this is Kore and I'm Knox." The man instructed.
My eyebrow raised, "Kore? As in Queen of the Underworld?"
The girl, called Kore, looked up to me, "You read?"
"I've got plenty of time." I felt my face form into a smile and instantly I forced my lips back into a scowl. "So yeah, there is food, a wash basin in the other room and we should be safe here for a few days"

And we were. We were safe. For a couple days. Then it became too much. The smell, the craziness, my uncomfortable disposition of where I was. I couldn't take it. I told them to stay in that attic and I would take a peek and see if it was safe to stretch our legs. If it's just me, I have enough hidden nooks around the neighborhood that they wouldn't have to worry a bout me. I got this.

I'm freaking the fuck out. They knew each other for only a couple days. Knox met up with the trio somewhere in Kentucky. Knox is called Knox because it's short for Knoxville, the city in Tennessee he is from. I've never been there-- but from what he says I never want to now. Both groups were going east to the coast. They heard there were a fleet of abandoned boats here just up for the grabbing. From there they could take those boats to an island somewhere and be safe. Somehow they ended up in North Carolina and in my town. In my neighborhood. On my street. I'm four hours from the coast. My parents are residents in the coast. I promised myself I would never go east, only north. It's colder up north and I could only imagine how sluggish it would make the shambling idiots and how much easier my life would be. But that would mean uprooting, being a nomad... something I'm not ready for... a year after everything has settled into the way it's just going to be.

"I don't want to know your stories." I said. I got it. Big Man and Brother were related to Kore. Knox had a pregnant wife with him when this started. A pregnant wife and two other, younger, children. His pregnant wife had brought along her brother. As a group Knox tried to get them to the east, to these imaginary boats. No one knew that his wife's brother was sick with Infection. It took a full week of travel before Knox realized that his brother in law was infected. When he tried to abandon his brother-in-law his wife became angry and they had a fight. Long story short, the wife chose to stay with the brother-in-law and Knox abandoned his entire family on the curb. Knox feels guilt and anger over the situation. The story spilled out of him like a busted water balloon. I couldn't shut him up fast enough. Kore zoned in and out during the story. Obviously she had heard it a few times.

Later, Kore thanked me when he wasn't around. "I've heard that story countless times. You'd think he'd be sick of hearing it. I think he has decided it's a daydream and not real, so the more he vocalizes it the more it is legit and not pretend. He's trying to get a grasp of him abandoning his small children.... I think he didn't mind leaving his chick behind so much." She shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Thank you, by the way. About... uhrm... earlier? That thing that happened? You saved us."

I remember taking a huge gulp. She said it. She said I saved them. There is no saving in this situation, only prolonging. I told her just as I told you just now...

thank me when it's over, for right now it's just begun.

Sunday

If my calendar is correct my mom's birthday is coming up in a week. I don't know what to think about it. I mean... it's not like I can call her or anything. I have no idea if she's alive or not. I have a pretty good idea that she isn't but I'd rather keep my hopes low instead of having them shot down later.

I did a scavenge mission last week. It took me four days and I was drenched from head to toe. I love it when it rains, they seem to sidetracked by the smell of nature to really notice me. Visibility is always an issue but that's why it took so long. I had to find a safe house and make sure I had plenty of weapons. Downtown is so dense with the dead I'm paranoid I will lead them back to my house on the trip back. I always take a super long way and take my time. I don't even know why I went, really. I don't need anything. Maybe just a change of scenery? See if any nomads have gotten stranded and need some rescuing? O, if only.

Instead I got some coffee and other needless things that I probably could've done without. I found some new clothes that will work out nicely and... I saw another one. One that I knew once. It was Rosie from work, she was still in her maids uniform. She was milling around with the other couple dozen in the streets as I pass them she almost seemed to nod her head at me as a greeting, just as she always did. Any time I see one I recognize I kill them for fear that they will remember where I live and come find me... and usually it keeps the nightmares at bay. If I kill it in real life that's my only memory I can replay, if I allow the thing that looks like someone I once knew to continue to shamble around, well, they might find me... and crawl into my bed while I rest...

I don't want to think about that right now. The shift in weather has caused the shambling idiots to slow their pace and notice me less. I think they're distracted by the cool air and constant bustling of dried leaves. I am still doing my daily rounds and killing as many as I can without being worried about my own safety. The coffee gives me a false sense of energy but I'm mentally so expendable it's making me sick to my stomach. I've taken to talking to the zombies before I kill them. I check their pockets and create stories in my head on how they got such a miserable end. Then I think about what I said earlier... about being catatonic? What if I'm putting these souls to rest, for real... am I helping?

What if there is a cure and I'm just killing these suckers off? Is there police or military anymore? Will I be reckoned with once they realize the scorch marks and brittle bones on corner of the road is the only thing left of hundreds of bodies I put out of mobility? Will I care if I am jailed? You could say I'm already a caged bird... too big for the cage... pecking endlessly for rescue but to no avail.

I guess I'll never know.

Monday

I use to be so fragile... so weak.


On the first day of this mess I was at work, a fancy hotel downtown. I was a nobody... unless, of course, you needed your room cleaned or more towels. The only white girl amongst middle aged Latino women. Their ethnicity only matters because of the language barrier. We talked work only because anything else was a chore. I think some of them cared enough but after awhile gave up. I kept to myself and did my job right. They respected me and made working there worth-while but I still felt unnoticed. I was a ghost before the shit hit the fan. In hindsight I saw red flags of the apocalypse hitting, weeks before I saw my first zombie. I listened to an abundance of NPR and the stories all seemed to be talking about the same thing: Infection.


That's all they called it-- Infection. No fancy name or even a true explanation of how the Infected became exposed to Infection. Infection started popping up in Middle America the same way Mad Cow Disease made everyone more paranoid but not any more careful. The only thing I could gather about Infection was that you could catch it at the hospital... and everyone could get it. From ICU to itty-bitty babies. Anyone with Infection had 3 weeks, then eventually 2 weeks, then just days. Because of the slow transition the dead ended up being buried at first, before the second symptom of Infection became realized. No press release was ever made about the second symptom, reanimation, until much later... when it was too late.


The first red flag of the coming apocalypse, I now realize, was the people flooding into town because a loved one was transported to our hospitals, "No reports of Infection have been from your hospital, so we drove Billy here to be treated" they'd say. The hotel was at 100% and overbooked for two solid months. Everyone was crazy. People quit and were begged to at least finish out their two weeks. That's when it got ugly... with the hotel full we had over 1,100 guests and over 250 employees in the building at all times. We had people camping out in the hallways and our restaurant was out of orange juice and hot tea every two days. The sick were spilling into our hotel because the hospitals had no room. The CDC was called and we began washing the hotel linens three times total and with some extra strength anti-bacterial products given to us by the CDC. At some point the Governor shut off our water for a few days because it was feared that it been contaminated by a dead Infected that was caught floating in a lake, fifty miles upstream from our city water supply.


I saw my first zombie while still on the clock, on the 11th floor of the hotel. A smell had developed in the guest quarters of the hotel. It was a mix of dried flowers and Clorox. No one seemed to notice it but me. The smell made me dizzy and nauseous. I had taken to wearing my chemical face mask as soon as I entered the building and wouldn't remove it until I was in my car at the end of the day. I was doing my normal rounds, three sets of three loud knocks before entering a room and loudly announcing myself as I enter a room. It's protocol. It's what saved my life.


Three firm knocks, no answer.
Three heavier knocks, no answer.
Three very prominent knocks, no answer.


The silence acquiesced my way into the room. I slid my digital skeleton key into the slot. Two blinks yellow, one blink green. I opened the door, my heart thumping and my breathing loud due to the mask. The smell of death hit me hard and my eyes began to water. I took a step back and pressed my spine against the entry door. I had heard rumors of the morning staff entering a room to find a corpse awaiting them. Was it my turn? I heard a gurgling noise coming from the bathroom, "Fresh linens!" I said to the gurgling noise "Fresh Linens!" I said again, a little louder to the half opened bathroom door. My back firmly against the door and my hand resting on the door knob. The bathroom door slowly swung open to reveal a bloody torso that resembled a hunk of meat. I blinked until I forced myself to acknowledge what I was seeing was real.


A small girl, about the age of seven or eight. looked up at me with one bloody hand pulling the door back to see me. Nothing happened, we just stared at each other. I was petrified and motionless. She looked past me and I questioned if I were actually a ghost all these years after all. A gasp escaped my lips, muffled from the paper mask across my face. The little girl suddenly grew very interested in me. The same gurgling noise I had heard earlier now leaking out of this tiny framed girl, the iris of each eye submerged in a milky haze. As she got to her feet blood oozed out of her sagging, open mouth. I quickly opened the door and let myself out. I was on the opposite side of the door pressing my back against it once more. I slumped over and slid to my knees, letting the panic attack flood over me. Even over my labored breathing amplified by the mask I could hear little fingernails pawing at the door and her little body limply pressing against it. I got to my feet and searched for my bag I always hid in my laundry cart. I unearthed my keys and quickly walked to the service elevators. I abandoned my cart, pressing it against the door and putting a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the knob. I could still hear the little girl flinging her body against the door and that god-awful gurgling noise as the elevator doors closed. I gripped my keys like a knife. O yeah, that's right. I dug out the pocket knife I had in my bag and opened it at the ready.


The elevator doors opened to reveal Tim, the bell hop, one hand resting on an empty luggage cart. It only took a couple seconds for the bell hop to realize I had a six inch blade pointed in his direction.
"Whoa, Pretty lady! Put that thing away!" He waved his hands in front of him in peace.
"I'm leaving and you should do the same." Was all I said as I pushed passed him.


I didn't even make it out of the parking garage before my cellphone started ringing. I answered, it was my boss explaining that although carrying a knife at work is against policy they would gladly do whatever it takes to get me to finish my shift, in the very least.
"Go home. Go home to your family and barricade yourself inside. Do it now before it's too late.... O, and call the cops, there has been a murder in room 1157." Click.



I never did find out what happened to that little girl.

Wednesday.

Rules. I have rules.

1. Don't trust strangers
2. Cardio, cardio, cardio.
3. Don't tell anyone about supplies you have.
4. No one is allowed in this house but me.
5. If someone gets bitten in front of me, kill them without question.
6. I don't care if it's your 5yr old daughter, she's one of them now.
7. Never get too distracted with anything. Keep an ear out, constantly.
8. Never use a gun unless its absolutely necessary.
9. Don't fear the zombies, fear nomads. (Traveling still-have-a-pulse-people who travel for survival)
10. Keep a sharp knife close at all times.
11. Carelessness is what kills you.
12. Stay quiet at all times. Loud noises attracts very unwanted attention.
13. Never get under the influence of anything. See #11 and #7
14. Your family is dead, get over it.
15. Burn the remains.
16. Wear something covering every inch of skin when outside. Your pores absorb blood, the blood carries the virus.
17. It's better to run and live, than kill and put yourself at risk.
18. Being alone and alive is better than being one of them and dead.
19. Help isn't coming. You are your own help.
20. Have a hobby, it helps you keep your sanity.
21. You are never safe.
22. There is no such thing as "comfortable" anymore.
23. It's not stealing, it's scavenging.
24. It's not killing, it's surviving.
25. Take multivitamins every day.
26. Remove the head at the jaw line. If the jaw is separated it can't bite you anymore.