We spent the next few days traveling out of the city and into the nearby farmlands. For the most part, we were safe from zombies outside the city. They seemed to be pack oriented, even though they hunted in small groups of no more then three. It was easier for them to find a pack once they were inside the city. I learned this from speaking with Gina, not from my own observations.
It took a couple days, but Gina admitted to be part of a team that was looking for a cure and studying those infected. Her partner was Colin Giordano, Mabel’s uncle. He apparently was one of the world’s foremost experts on exotic diseases. She spoke of how they never determined how the virus spread or even how it attacked the body. Cole knew more as she worked mostly with the sick, while he tried to study the disease.
She had read some of his reports that stated there had been no females who had been mentally deformed by the virus. Only males seemed to go into the state that I called a zombie. She said that females were either immune to the virus or they would die from it. It was unknown to them why the virus acted so differently with the male and female brains. There was also proof that around eighty percent of females died from the virus. Fifty percent of men died, while an even number of men were immune or were mentally infected.
What shocked me the most was when she told us that there was no single point of origin of the virus. It appears the same day in multiple areas on earth. The spread was so quick that it was impossible to prepare people for it’s coming. They knew months in advance that most the world’s population would not survive.
I remember the first day that I saw news footage of what was taking place. It was Houston, Texas that was first attacked. The hospital halls were filled with the dead or dying. The shops were being looted, children were crying for their parents, and parents for their children. I had looked at Drew, my boyfriend, and mumbled a truth that at the time I didn’t actually believe. “It looks like the apocalypse.” I had said.
Rumors of terrorism spread about, until reports of the virus taking roots all over the world began to come in. Every country was under attack, there was no safe haven from this virus. No where that we could hide. All we could do was sit and wait for it to find us. We knew it would come for us and we only prayed that we could be some of the lucky few. Now that we were among those lucky few, we wished that we hadn’t been.
Death would be so much easier then the hell that we were living in now. All this could end with one bullet, but there was more on the line. One of us falling could mean that the rest would die with them. We all needed each other to endure. No matter how strong we thought the others were, because the truth was, everyone was just carrying around their strong faces. We all acted as if we weren’t afraid of what was to come. No fear in the horrors that we had already been through. No regrets in what we had done. It was all a lie.
The truth was that every single one of us was terrified. Afraid of any slightest movement around us or anyone who was not part of our group. Even some in our group kept us on our toes and left us suspicious.
We were also tired. The combination of physical exertion and total fear just drained us all of any energy that we had. Some of us showed our exhausted with angry outbursts, others were just too beat to even talk, and I was just empty.
My entire existence was wrapped around keeping the group organized and alive. I had stopped caring about what would happen to me. I had stopped caring in general. All my attention and effort was spent watching the country side around us. Half the time, I didn’t hear what people were saying to me. With so little food, I barely ate my own share. I gave most of it to Mabel, who in turn would often share it with Gina and Vion.
Vion, on the other hand, seemed to have endless energy. He was nothing like the scared man that we had first met. He seemed braver and stronger now that we had left the city. It might have been due to the fact that we hadn’t seen a zombie in days or perhaps the group brought him courage. He had even stood up to Alec during one of his temper tantrums. I will never forget the look of disbelief on Alec’s face when Vion ordered him to silence himself.
I think Vion stood up against him, because I just lacked the strength to keep Alec calm. All his life, Alec looked towards me for courage and I was failing him. He could see that my will had been taken from me. I had to force each step to be taken, each breath to be inhaled, and each thought to be spoken. I was so tired and I just wanted this all to stop. I just wanted to wake up and find myself in bed with Drew.
It would never happen as I wasn’t so delusional to not to recognize reality. I knew all our lives were hanging in the balance. I just didn’t care anymore.
Those were my thoughts as I sat in the field a good distance away from the campfire. The stars were shining so brightly and so beautifully. The grass beneath me was still green and moist from the light shower an hour before. I had seen several birds flying above us that day and even a rabbit had crossed our path. Nothing was affected by the death of most humans.
It was almost like nature had enough of us. She no longer wanted to deal with how quickly we were spreading and how much we were destroying. So, she sent the virus. One that did to us what we were doing to her. She spared a few people, just like we spared a few forests. Yet, she also mutilated some of us like we do to her landscape. I didn’t want to believe this was Earth’s punishment, but at times, it just felt that way.
“Your share.” I heard Vion’s voice say behind me.
I felt him put a coat over my shoulders and then he offered me a small bird on a small branch. I had no idea what kind of bird it was or how Alec had managed to catch it. I honestly didn’t want to know. “Let Mabel have it.”
Vion sat down and offered it to me again, “Starving yourself to death? Would be better for us if you just shot yourself in the head.” He pulled the handgun that I had given him out of his belt and offered it to me.
“What is that for?” I asked.
Both of his hands were out, one with food and one with the gun. “Giving you a chance to live and a chance to die, pick one.”
“That isn’t funny. Mabel needs the food more than I do.” I turned my eyes back to the skyline.
“That’s not true. Mabel gets her fill.” Vion nudged both of his hands towards me. “Alec may give the orders, but you are the real leader here. He looks to you for strength and advice. He needs you in order to go on. You are failing all of us by allowing yourself to be taken by the darkness of your heart.”
“I don’t give a shit who I am failing. I am too damn tired to care about…”
“That’s not true. You do care. If you didn’t then you would have laid down a long time ago. You wouldn’t had stood up for me that first night that I found you. You wouldn’t be walking on tomorrow. You do care and I think that’s your problem. You don’t want to care.”
I stared at him for several moments as I was unsure of what to say. “You don’t know me. Don’t think you know anything about the secrets in my heart.”
“I don’t think that I know, Elliot. I feel the same way. We all feel the same way. Everyone of us wants to lay down and die. We want the others to just not care if we do, but we know that they do care. You know that if Gina, Mabel, or Alec… hell, maybe even me, if one of us chose to quit you would fight us. You wouldn’t leave us behind, just like we wouldn’t leave you behind. Unless you give us no choice.” He nudged me again with the gun. “Now, I am asking you. Do you care about what happens to us? If you don’t, use the gun.”
I looked down at his hand. My mind wanted me to pick up that gun and as I reached for it, I found myself with the bird. I began to nibble on it, which brought a smile to Vion’s lips.
“You had me worried there for a moment.”
“Who are you?” I asked him.
He looked at me curiously, “I am Vion.”
My head slowly shook. “No, there is more to you. I know you aren’t from around here. I know that is something strange about you.”
He grinned and stood up, “I get that a lot.” He said to me before walking back to camp.
I don’t recall the days that past by after that. I do remember thinking of that gun every time I thought negatively about my life. It wasn’t that I thought about killing myself but instead Vion’s voice would replay in my mind. He was right that the group would be better without me if I just wanted to end it all, but maybe there was a reason that I had survived. It may only be punishment for what I had done or perhaps it was because deep down inside I knew that I could.
With his words on the forefront of my mind, all I could do was focus on ensuring the group’s safety. Alec, Gina, and Mabel all needed me as much as I needed them. Any selfishness would mean the end of us all. So, we trudged on.
Eight days passed and we went through about the same number of cities. There were battles fought between us and the zombies when we were tempted to enter the city for food. We made fishing poles out of strings and branches, and we even shot a few dogs for meat. Every time we did, Mabel would break down in tears and we would have to persuade her to eat it. Now, Alec would yell rabid dog whenever he shot one so Mabel would think that there was a reason to kill it.
I remember having conversations, but forgetting what I had spoken about just moments later. My entire life was set on moving forward and nothing more. Most of the time I sat away from the camp, and prayed that they would leave me alone. They never did. Alec and Gina let me be most of the time, but Mabel occasionally would wander my way. It was Vion, however, that refused to leave me to my darkness. He would join me and we would speak on mostly superficial things. At times, I didn’t think he knew what I was talking about, but I had long ago stopped trying to figure out what was odd about him.
“Look!” Mabel cried out as we walked down a dirt road.
All eyes turned to a farm in the distance as we watched a frame for what appeared to be a barn being pulled up. My eyes turned curiously to Alec to see what he wanted to do.
“That can’t be zombies.” He mumbled to himself, but I overheard him.
“No, it can’t.” I replied.
Mabel took off towards them before we had time to discuss our plans. Gina called out her name before chasing after her. We had no idea who these people were or even if they were still people. I knew that zombies weren’t intelligent, but that was from meetings with them that lasted only a few minutes. They could have an intellect that I was unaware of.
Vion was soon running after Gina and the girl, which left Alec and I with no other option but to follow them.
“Mommy! Uncle Cole!” Mabel yelled out as we ran, though we were too far away to see the identities of anyone. Her arms were spread wide ready to hug her long lost family.
I saw a man near the old farm house drop some lumber and start running towards us. I couldn’t see him clearly enough, but I knew that he was heading towards Mabel.
“Mabel, stop! Please!” Gina cried out.
“Mabel! Mabel!” The man yelled out to her.
“Uncle Cole!” Mabel screamed.
Gina stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the man running towards them. Suddenly, she cried out in a voice that was full of tears. “Cole! Oh my god, Cole!”
Vion was still between us, but he slowed his pace so he could run with Alec and me. We watched Mabel being scooped up into the man’s arms and he hugged Gina when she approached. A group came over from the barn and some from out of the house. They ran towards us. A woman screamed Mabel’s name at the top of her lungs and when she reached the girl nearly squeezed her to death in her arms.
“My baby! My baby!” She cried when she ripped Mabel out of Cole’s arms. Her entire body shook with what I assumed to be overwhelming joy, and tears streamed down her face.
Vion, Alec, and I came to a stop a few feet away from the group. I couldn’t believe our luck, we could have walked right by had Mabel not spotted the barn being built.
After a few moments of the group welcoming their long lost companions back, I heard Gina speak. “Cole, these are the people that saved Mabel and me.” She touched the tall, tanned skinned, dark haired man on the shoulder to lead him over to us. “Alec and Elliot.” She introduced us when they reached us.
“I… I don’t know how to thank you.” He shook Alec’s hand and then my own. “We thought that both Gina and Mabel were lost to us.”
“You saved my baby!” A short, dark haired women pushed through them and hugged both me and Alec around our necks. “You two are angels! Sent from heaven!” She kissed us both on our cheeks which left some moisture on our skins. “My heart was broken when I watched them take my baby away and I could do nothing. You two, you are my heroes.” She pinched our other cheeks.
Alec and I stood flabbergasted at the reception that we had just received. It didn’t end there either, almost everyone came up to thank us. The words heroes and angels were repeated multiple times. By the time that everyone had thanked us the sun was beginning to set. Vion had also disappeared but to where I was uncertain. I had seen him over by the barn trying to help them, but lost track of him as time went on.
Finally it was just Alec, Gina, Cole, and myself standing down the road from the farmhouse. Everyone else was finishing up their chores.
“You two… and that other man with you are more then welcome to stay.” Cole told us. He kept touching my arm when he spoke and looked at me with curiosity whenever our eyes met.
“We will have to think about it.” Alec told him.
“You can’t be serious!” Gina squealed, “Where else would you go?”
“She’s right. We are trying to create a community here. Along the way we found around twenty people, so we are around fifty strong now. We left notices in all the cities we passed for any survivors to come here.”
“We never saw any notices.” I told him.
Cole rose an eyebrow, “Then how did you find us?”
“Dumb luck.” Gina answered. “Mabel saw you putting up the barn.”
He looked over his shoulder at the barn and then back to us, “If I didn’t believe in miracles before I am a believer now.” He joked.
Gina giggled and squeezed his upper arm.
A somber look returned to his eyes as he turned his gaze back to Alec and me. “You must stay here, we could always use more people. We have prepared gardens and there are plans to start building cabins for each family next summer. We found cattle along the way and the nearest zombie infested city is days away.”
“I said we will think about it.” Alec growled.
“Alec, come now!” Gina snapped.
“It’s alright, Gina. We can’t force them to stay if they don’t want to. Give them some time to talk it over.” He put his arm around her shoulder, “Let’s go help with dinner.” He looked back to me, “We will call you when it’s ready.”
I nodded my head before I watched them make their way back to the farmhouse.
Next Chapter: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=65
It took a couple days, but Gina admitted to be part of a team that was looking for a cure and studying those infected. Her partner was Colin Giordano, Mabel’s uncle. He apparently was one of the world’s foremost experts on exotic diseases. She spoke of how they never determined how the virus spread or even how it attacked the body. Cole knew more as she worked mostly with the sick, while he tried to study the disease.
She had read some of his reports that stated there had been no females who had been mentally deformed by the virus. Only males seemed to go into the state that I called a zombie. She said that females were either immune to the virus or they would die from it. It was unknown to them why the virus acted so differently with the male and female brains. There was also proof that around eighty percent of females died from the virus. Fifty percent of men died, while an even number of men were immune or were mentally infected.
What shocked me the most was when she told us that there was no single point of origin of the virus. It appears the same day in multiple areas on earth. The spread was so quick that it was impossible to prepare people for it’s coming. They knew months in advance that most the world’s population would not survive.
I remember the first day that I saw news footage of what was taking place. It was Houston, Texas that was first attacked. The hospital halls were filled with the dead or dying. The shops were being looted, children were crying for their parents, and parents for their children. I had looked at Drew, my boyfriend, and mumbled a truth that at the time I didn’t actually believe. “It looks like the apocalypse.” I had said.
Rumors of terrorism spread about, until reports of the virus taking roots all over the world began to come in. Every country was under attack, there was no safe haven from this virus. No where that we could hide. All we could do was sit and wait for it to find us. We knew it would come for us and we only prayed that we could be some of the lucky few. Now that we were among those lucky few, we wished that we hadn’t been.
Death would be so much easier then the hell that we were living in now. All this could end with one bullet, but there was more on the line. One of us falling could mean that the rest would die with them. We all needed each other to endure. No matter how strong we thought the others were, because the truth was, everyone was just carrying around their strong faces. We all acted as if we weren’t afraid of what was to come. No fear in the horrors that we had already been through. No regrets in what we had done. It was all a lie.
The truth was that every single one of us was terrified. Afraid of any slightest movement around us or anyone who was not part of our group. Even some in our group kept us on our toes and left us suspicious.
We were also tired. The combination of physical exertion and total fear just drained us all of any energy that we had. Some of us showed our exhausted with angry outbursts, others were just too beat to even talk, and I was just empty.
My entire existence was wrapped around keeping the group organized and alive. I had stopped caring about what would happen to me. I had stopped caring in general. All my attention and effort was spent watching the country side around us. Half the time, I didn’t hear what people were saying to me. With so little food, I barely ate my own share. I gave most of it to Mabel, who in turn would often share it with Gina and Vion.
Vion, on the other hand, seemed to have endless energy. He was nothing like the scared man that we had first met. He seemed braver and stronger now that we had left the city. It might have been due to the fact that we hadn’t seen a zombie in days or perhaps the group brought him courage. He had even stood up to Alec during one of his temper tantrums. I will never forget the look of disbelief on Alec’s face when Vion ordered him to silence himself.
I think Vion stood up against him, because I just lacked the strength to keep Alec calm. All his life, Alec looked towards me for courage and I was failing him. He could see that my will had been taken from me. I had to force each step to be taken, each breath to be inhaled, and each thought to be spoken. I was so tired and I just wanted this all to stop. I just wanted to wake up and find myself in bed with Drew.
It would never happen as I wasn’t so delusional to not to recognize reality. I knew all our lives were hanging in the balance. I just didn’t care anymore.
Those were my thoughts as I sat in the field a good distance away from the campfire. The stars were shining so brightly and so beautifully. The grass beneath me was still green and moist from the light shower an hour before. I had seen several birds flying above us that day and even a rabbit had crossed our path. Nothing was affected by the death of most humans.
It was almost like nature had enough of us. She no longer wanted to deal with how quickly we were spreading and how much we were destroying. So, she sent the virus. One that did to us what we were doing to her. She spared a few people, just like we spared a few forests. Yet, she also mutilated some of us like we do to her landscape. I didn’t want to believe this was Earth’s punishment, but at times, it just felt that way.
“Your share.” I heard Vion’s voice say behind me.
I felt him put a coat over my shoulders and then he offered me a small bird on a small branch. I had no idea what kind of bird it was or how Alec had managed to catch it. I honestly didn’t want to know. “Let Mabel have it.”
Vion sat down and offered it to me again, “Starving yourself to death? Would be better for us if you just shot yourself in the head.” He pulled the handgun that I had given him out of his belt and offered it to me.
“What is that for?” I asked.
Both of his hands were out, one with food and one with the gun. “Giving you a chance to live and a chance to die, pick one.”
“That isn’t funny. Mabel needs the food more than I do.” I turned my eyes back to the skyline.
“That’s not true. Mabel gets her fill.” Vion nudged both of his hands towards me. “Alec may give the orders, but you are the real leader here. He looks to you for strength and advice. He needs you in order to go on. You are failing all of us by allowing yourself to be taken by the darkness of your heart.”
“I don’t give a shit who I am failing. I am too damn tired to care about…”
“That’s not true. You do care. If you didn’t then you would have laid down a long time ago. You wouldn’t had stood up for me that first night that I found you. You wouldn’t be walking on tomorrow. You do care and I think that’s your problem. You don’t want to care.”
I stared at him for several moments as I was unsure of what to say. “You don’t know me. Don’t think you know anything about the secrets in my heart.”
“I don’t think that I know, Elliot. I feel the same way. We all feel the same way. Everyone of us wants to lay down and die. We want the others to just not care if we do, but we know that they do care. You know that if Gina, Mabel, or Alec… hell, maybe even me, if one of us chose to quit you would fight us. You wouldn’t leave us behind, just like we wouldn’t leave you behind. Unless you give us no choice.” He nudged me again with the gun. “Now, I am asking you. Do you care about what happens to us? If you don’t, use the gun.”
I looked down at his hand. My mind wanted me to pick up that gun and as I reached for it, I found myself with the bird. I began to nibble on it, which brought a smile to Vion’s lips.
“You had me worried there for a moment.”
“Who are you?” I asked him.
He looked at me curiously, “I am Vion.”
My head slowly shook. “No, there is more to you. I know you aren’t from around here. I know that is something strange about you.”
He grinned and stood up, “I get that a lot.” He said to me before walking back to camp.
---***---
I don’t recall the days that past by after that. I do remember thinking of that gun every time I thought negatively about my life. It wasn’t that I thought about killing myself but instead Vion’s voice would replay in my mind. He was right that the group would be better without me if I just wanted to end it all, but maybe there was a reason that I had survived. It may only be punishment for what I had done or perhaps it was because deep down inside I knew that I could.
With his words on the forefront of my mind, all I could do was focus on ensuring the group’s safety. Alec, Gina, and Mabel all needed me as much as I needed them. Any selfishness would mean the end of us all. So, we trudged on.
Eight days passed and we went through about the same number of cities. There were battles fought between us and the zombies when we were tempted to enter the city for food. We made fishing poles out of strings and branches, and we even shot a few dogs for meat. Every time we did, Mabel would break down in tears and we would have to persuade her to eat it. Now, Alec would yell rabid dog whenever he shot one so Mabel would think that there was a reason to kill it.
I remember having conversations, but forgetting what I had spoken about just moments later. My entire life was set on moving forward and nothing more. Most of the time I sat away from the camp, and prayed that they would leave me alone. They never did. Alec and Gina let me be most of the time, but Mabel occasionally would wander my way. It was Vion, however, that refused to leave me to my darkness. He would join me and we would speak on mostly superficial things. At times, I didn’t think he knew what I was talking about, but I had long ago stopped trying to figure out what was odd about him.
“Look!” Mabel cried out as we walked down a dirt road.
All eyes turned to a farm in the distance as we watched a frame for what appeared to be a barn being pulled up. My eyes turned curiously to Alec to see what he wanted to do.
“That can’t be zombies.” He mumbled to himself, but I overheard him.
“No, it can’t.” I replied.
Mabel took off towards them before we had time to discuss our plans. Gina called out her name before chasing after her. We had no idea who these people were or even if they were still people. I knew that zombies weren’t intelligent, but that was from meetings with them that lasted only a few minutes. They could have an intellect that I was unaware of.
Vion was soon running after Gina and the girl, which left Alec and I with no other option but to follow them.
“Mommy! Uncle Cole!” Mabel yelled out as we ran, though we were too far away to see the identities of anyone. Her arms were spread wide ready to hug her long lost family.
I saw a man near the old farm house drop some lumber and start running towards us. I couldn’t see him clearly enough, but I knew that he was heading towards Mabel.
“Mabel, stop! Please!” Gina cried out.
“Mabel! Mabel!” The man yelled out to her.
“Uncle Cole!” Mabel screamed.
Gina stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the man running towards them. Suddenly, she cried out in a voice that was full of tears. “Cole! Oh my god, Cole!”
Vion was still between us, but he slowed his pace so he could run with Alec and me. We watched Mabel being scooped up into the man’s arms and he hugged Gina when she approached. A group came over from the barn and some from out of the house. They ran towards us. A woman screamed Mabel’s name at the top of her lungs and when she reached the girl nearly squeezed her to death in her arms.
“My baby! My baby!” She cried when she ripped Mabel out of Cole’s arms. Her entire body shook with what I assumed to be overwhelming joy, and tears streamed down her face.
Vion, Alec, and I came to a stop a few feet away from the group. I couldn’t believe our luck, we could have walked right by had Mabel not spotted the barn being built.
After a few moments of the group welcoming their long lost companions back, I heard Gina speak. “Cole, these are the people that saved Mabel and me.” She touched the tall, tanned skinned, dark haired man on the shoulder to lead him over to us. “Alec and Elliot.” She introduced us when they reached us.
“I… I don’t know how to thank you.” He shook Alec’s hand and then my own. “We thought that both Gina and Mabel were lost to us.”
“You saved my baby!” A short, dark haired women pushed through them and hugged both me and Alec around our necks. “You two are angels! Sent from heaven!” She kissed us both on our cheeks which left some moisture on our skins. “My heart was broken when I watched them take my baby away and I could do nothing. You two, you are my heroes.” She pinched our other cheeks.
Alec and I stood flabbergasted at the reception that we had just received. It didn’t end there either, almost everyone came up to thank us. The words heroes and angels were repeated multiple times. By the time that everyone had thanked us the sun was beginning to set. Vion had also disappeared but to where I was uncertain. I had seen him over by the barn trying to help them, but lost track of him as time went on.
Finally it was just Alec, Gina, Cole, and myself standing down the road from the farmhouse. Everyone else was finishing up their chores.
“You two… and that other man with you are more then welcome to stay.” Cole told us. He kept touching my arm when he spoke and looked at me with curiosity whenever our eyes met.
“We will have to think about it.” Alec told him.
“You can’t be serious!” Gina squealed, “Where else would you go?”
“She’s right. We are trying to create a community here. Along the way we found around twenty people, so we are around fifty strong now. We left notices in all the cities we passed for any survivors to come here.”
“We never saw any notices.” I told him.
Cole rose an eyebrow, “Then how did you find us?”
“Dumb luck.” Gina answered. “Mabel saw you putting up the barn.”
He looked over his shoulder at the barn and then back to us, “If I didn’t believe in miracles before I am a believer now.” He joked.
Gina giggled and squeezed his upper arm.
A somber look returned to his eyes as he turned his gaze back to Alec and me. “You must stay here, we could always use more people. We have prepared gardens and there are plans to start building cabins for each family next summer. We found cattle along the way and the nearest zombie infested city is days away.”
“I said we will think about it.” Alec growled.
“Alec, come now!” Gina snapped.
“It’s alright, Gina. We can’t force them to stay if they don’t want to. Give them some time to talk it over.” He put his arm around her shoulder, “Let’s go help with dinner.” He looked back to me, “We will call you when it’s ready.”
I nodded my head before I watched them make their way back to the farmhouse.
Next Chapter: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=65