Capítulo 18: First Building
There was a knock at a door which continued for a while and was followed by voices outside. "Are there any living people inside?"
"Answer or we will be forced to open the door."
The door was hit repeatedly as the force increased until the door was finally opened to reveal the insides.
There was nobody inside the front room but then moaning and scratching was heard by the three people who had entered.
They paused at the door awaiting any potential threats coming outside but they were relieved to find that nothing had come to them so they entered.
Brick walked ahead and got closer to the place where the noise was coming from then pushed a door open.
A figure stumbled out of the room not long after then Brick took up some distance away from it.
While he was stood away in the distance, he crossed his arms over his chest and said. "The two of you should be able to handle a single one."
Alice had been helping him out to clean up the outer area so she had some experience so she could support Tristan who had less experience than anyone else.
Within the main room, there was a small kitchen and lounge area which was connected to each other so there was a lot of room but also many obstructions.
Tristan was pulled away by Alice who had moved behind a couch in the middle of the room which was placed in between them and the approaching zombie.
The zombie approached slowly until it reached the front of the couch after it had stumbled over a small coffee table then continued.
The zombie fell over the couch in its way while trying to crawl over it to get to Tristan.
Tristan was trembling in fear while clenching the bat in his hands and he raised it above his head. "I..I.."
The zombie was a middle aged woman who was one of the cooks or maids within the Reed residence so it made Tristan hesitate to attack. "I cannot do it.."
Brick's cold voice came from behind him. "Do not hesitate. That thing is not the person you may have known, hesitate and you will die. I will not help you."
Just as the female zombie was reaching over towards the other side of the couch and was about to reach behind it to get to him, Tristan tightened his grip onto the handle of the bat then swung it downward towards the top and back area of the head. "Aaah!"
There was a crack which formed on the skull but the zombie still remained alive so in the next moment, a knife stabbed into the temple which had been exposed then stabbed again at the same spot.
The female zombie died from the first stab but the second was to make certain that it had died.
Alice took a step back and then patted the arm of Tristan. "Next time, do not pause in between your attacks because one attack may not be enough to kill it. We do not want to leave them lying around still alive only to harm us later."
She had been following the tips and habits of Brick ever since she had been dragged along with him so she had picked up on a lot of useful knowledge.
Alice was doing her best to keep Tristan alive and to pass on what she had learned because he was in a difficult place that she had been in much earlier in the day. 'Was this what I was like once I had first hesitated and Brick was trying to get me to overcome it?'
While Alice had a difficult time to overcome that barrier, she adjusted quickly to killing the zombies and gained more proficiency killing them.
It was a weird experience to see for herself how others had hesitated to kill the zombies just like she had just like Brick had watched her with a similar outlook.
It was the difference between those who were experienced and those who were not or the difference between a survivor and those that would become prey for the zombies.
The new world had descended upon them without warning and many would be faced with the same scenario many times.
Those that hesitated died while those that took action would survive.
Alice held the knife tightly in her hand and sighed. 'So this is how things are now. This is how we have to survive.'
She did not feel good about the state of the world and how people would have to live in it but then she looked towards Brick who was stood there calmly. 'Perhaps if it is him.. then we can find our way.'
With the tales of the potential threats that were ahead caused by the zombies and human disorder, Alice had some fead about what they could face in the outside world but having Brick close by, there seemed to be some sort of place where it was safer or people could grow enough to survive on their own.
Tristan had stopped shivering while looking at the blackened blood on the bat. 'They are right.. I cannot keep letting them down or they might just leave me behind.'
One saw Brick as someone that could provide a safe environment while the other was fearful that their lack of abilities would leave him abandoned with no means to survive.
Brick walked into each of the rooms while the two went over their own thoughts then a door was opened within the main bedroom which the zombie had come from.
There had been several things piled up in front of the door which had barricaded the door so Brick had moved them out of the way before opening it.
Brick shouted outside which caused both of them to snap out of their thoughts. "Come here!"
Alice was the first to enter the bedroom and asked. "What is wrong?"
Tristan followed behind and asked cautiously. "What is it?"
Brick pointed towards the small bathroom where there was a figure shivering underneath a pile of clothes and towels. "If my guess is correct.. the owner had a child and had locked the child away from herself to prevent them being harmed."
The door had been blocked off to prevent her from being able to enter but also from the child being able to push open the door on their own.
Within the room that the child was hiding in was a water bottle and some empty packets of biscuits and crisps which showed that the mother had tried to provide a way of life for the child before they had turned into a zombie.
Brick had seen an open laptop within the bedroom which had a website opened up which described certain aspects of how to survive and how to deal with infected people. 'It seems that my post has helped to prevent some tragedies.'
Brick slowly walked towards the pile and stretched out his hand as he pulled at a large and thin dirty bed sheet which covered the top.
He was quick to step back the moment he pulled it to prevent himself from being caught by surprise but he found that his caution was not needed.
A young girl was among the dirty clothes pile and was seated with her head against her knees while trembling silently.
Her eyes met with his own once she had raised her head cautiously. "…"
Brick coughed awkwardly then turned towards Alice. "Can you take care of the child.. Tristan, I want you to go and cover that.."
Tristan nodded hurriedly while taking the sheet from Brick as he ran towards the room to cover the dead zombie from their sight. "Got it."
Alice slowly approached the young girl and lowered her body while patiently waiting for the girl to respond. "It is safe now. You can come out."
The girl timidly hid with her head in her knees again which showed how bad of a state she was in so Alice sat by her on the ground and removed the overalls and face mask to make herself look less scary. "We will take care of you from now on. That man out there is strong and will protect you from the bad monsters."
Although it was presumptuous of her to make promises on Brick's behalf towards the child, Alice did what she could to lessen the girl's guard.
Brick stepped out of the room while thinking things over. 'A child would be quite a burden unless they can become stronger and can contribute to the group. Most children would either form their own groups to survive or would be abused and abandoned unless they have someone who can continue to care for them. Would the Reed family be willing to care for and give some of their supplies to a child? Will this girl become my responsibility now?'
His expression showed his hesitation and confusion towards the current situation but then his eyes turned towards the cupboards.
Brick walked towards the covered zombie then placed his hands together and bowed a little. "I will do what I can.. your efforts will not be in vain. As payment.. I will take all that I can use."
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