After the eighth year of the apocalypse, supplies were next to impossible to find. We had to travel greater and greater distances and we were lucky if we could find so much as a can of food. Some of our group had left to find family or somewhere were the infection had not reached. We all wished the luck. One family had taken Gina with them for an extra warning for when the zombies were near by. They had four young children, so Jason felt that they needed Gina more than we did.
We were on the road for a few days before we found somewhere else that was safe. We ended up living in a mall. We searched the building for zombies but we didn't find very many, and we were relieved, and surprised. After we did a full sweep of the entire airport, we took out what few bodies there were, because of the horrid smell, and to make it a little more like a home. The mall's generator still worked so we had power. As long as we had gas and the generator worked we would be ok. We had TV and running water, and radio so we could stay updated on the situation, but one day the reports just stopped, and all that was left was static.
We were searching some of the nearby farms, to see if anybody was living there, but we didn't find anyone. We did find a few farm animals that we took with us, but that was it. After a few more weeks, we decided to search some of the nearby houses for more people and supplies. We found a 7 year old girl with a baby in her arms hiding in a closet.
"Where are your parents hunn?" I asked.
"My dad got infected. After three days he died. Then he came back and killed my mom and older brother, but I was able to grab my baby brother and hide in the closet, and I've been in here for three days." Madilyn said, as a few tears fell down her cheek.
"That's so terrible. We lost both of our parents too, so … I know how you feel. We have a group of survivors at the airport if you want to come with us." I say, with the same amount of sadness in my voice.
"Ok that would be great, because I am starving." She says.
"Well we have plenty of food so you can eat all you want. My name is Alice and this is my brother is Jason. What's your name." I say.
"I'm Madilyn, I'm 7 and this is Isaiah, he is 4 months old." She says.
"It's nice to meet you, you know I wasn't that much older than you were when this horrible tragedy began." I say.
There is a low moan of in the distance. "We should get going before they catch up to us." Jason says.
We rushed back to the airport to avoid danger. We were all settled in and made it like a home, when everything started going wrong. A large group of people showed up outside the barricade, they started making threats and demanding supplies.
"We don't have a lot of supplies." Jason says.
"I don't care give us supplies or we will come take them." The stranger she demandingly.
"We have kids in our group, would you really take food from them?" I say.
They yelled out a few insults and threats and then left. We thought that we wouldn't see them again, but we were wrong. A few weeks later they returned but this time they had about 30 people with them.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's up to you I don't care either way, but we are getting those supplies." The stranger says angrily.
I whisper to my brother, " Maybe we should just give them what they want, after all they do out number us."
"Alice, I can't just stand here and watch while these terrible people come into our home and take whatever they want." Jason says.
"I know Jason, I don't like it either, but I don't want to see anyone get killed. And besides I have been storing supplies in places where no one would ever think to look, so don't worry we won't be left with nothing." I say.
"Really?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, part of me knew that something like this would happen at some point." I answered.
"How long have you been doing that?" Jason asked.
"Pretty much since we first came here." I stated.
"Well in that case I guess that they can have this place." Jason says.
"Hey! Are you gonna give us what we want or do we have to take it by force?" The stranger yells questioningly at us.
"It's not worth the lives of all these good people, so you can have it, just let us get out of your way first." Jason says.
"Ok good now hurry up!" The stranger yells.
We run inside to tell everyone to get out as fast as they can. I run back to my room and grab my bag full of books and sketch pads and then run to help Madilyn pack up the baby supplies. Then we all run out of the gate and hand over mall to the group of strangers who felt that they needed it more.
"What is in those bags that you are trying to sneak out of here." The stranger asks angrily
"Just some books and stuff for the baby in that girl's arms." I say.
"Well that's fine you can take that stuff we don't have a use it." The stranger says.
We begin to walk away, and Madilyn says, "I don't want to leave Alice. This place is like my second home."
"I know, hunn, but if we don't leave then he will kill us." I say.
We all loaded up into the bus once again and set off for the locations of my supply stashes. My brother drove us to the locations and I went out to get them. When everyone saw what I was doing they were so happy that some of them started to cry.
"I thought that those people had taken everything from us." Jason says.
"Why didn't you tell us that you were doing this?" Tommy asks. "We would have helped you."
"I know, I just didn't want to put any of you in danger." I say.
"I get that but I wish that you would have told us, because I don't like the idea of you going out there into all that chaos by yourself." Jason says.
"I'm not a little kid anymore, and I know how to use a gun." I say. I hand the map, with the locations marked on it, to Jason
We had gone to several locations to get supplies. Each time dividing them amongst the others in the group. The bags had food, weapons, clothes, and first aid supplies in them.
"How many locations are left, Jason?" Tommy asks.
He looks down at the map. "Thirteen."
After we gathered up all of the supplies and then began to look for another safe place. We searched and searched for days but couldn't find anything. Suddenly something happened that made us all lose hope. The bus we were in began to smoke and sputter, then it ground to a halt.
"God Damn it!" Jason shouted while pounding on the steering wheel.
"Jason, watch your language there are kids around." I say.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so tired of nothing going our way." He says.
"I know, I am too but getting mad and cursing isn't going to help our situation at all, and besides I saw a train station a little ways back, if we follow the tracks we might find the train. Maybe we could use that as a shelter for a while, or maybe even get it running." I say.
"I don't know, what do you guys think? Should we do it?" Jason asks the group.
"Yeah!" Everyone says in unison.
"Alright everyone pack it up and let's get out of here." Jason says.
As we were walking back to the train station we hear a blood curdling scream.
"Change of plans everyone, let's go check that out." I say.
What we found was a girl standing on top of a truck hacking off the limbs of the zombies that were reaching up at her. I run to help her. With my machete in hand I begin to work my way toward her, killing one zombie at a time.
"Alice! Look out!" Jason shouted to me.
As I turned around a zombie tackles me to the ground and starts trying to bite me. Jason runs to help me, everyone else who had a weapon went to help the girl. He pulls the zombie off of me and quickly kills it, then he helps me to my feet.
"You need to be more care. I what if I wasn't able to get to you in time." Jason said in a frustrated tone.
"I know, I just got distracted." I answered, with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.
"We'll be careful because next time I may not be able to get to you quick enough." Jason stated. The way he said that… he sounded just like Dad.
My group had cleared out all the zombies and the girl was safe.
"How old are you kid?" Jason asked.
"I'm not a kid!" She yelled.
"Oh sorry, how old are you?" Jason asks.
"I am 24 years old." She says.
"Really? You don't look 24. The you look more like 12." Jason asks.
"I know everyone thinks that, but I have a disease that causes me to look like a child." She says.
"Well that's good, in a way." Jason says.
"Not really it's kind of a curse, I'm doomed to look like a child for the rest of my life." She says.
"Well my name is Jason and I'm 26, and Alice, my little sister, is 15. What is your name?" He asks.
"Sarah." The girl says.
"That's a nice name, anyway you can join us if you want to, you'd probably be safer with us than on your own." Jason says.
"Well I guess that I can join you until I get where I'm going." Sarah says.
"That's good news because we can always use more people, even if they only stay for a little while." Jason says.
We begin making our way to the train station again. This time we are uninterrupted, but when we get there we discover hundreds of zombies their waiting for us. As quietly as we can we turn around and leave. My brother comes up with this idea to lure them out so that we could get in without any problems. He pulls out his gun and fires a few shots into the air. We hear a ruckus from in the train station. Then the zombies pour out of the train station.
My brother suddenly realizes the shear number of zombies in the horde, so as a distraction he runs in the other direction firing shots into the air as he goes to keep them interested in him and not us. When all of the zombies are out of site we enter the train station.
"Okay everyone, let's wait here for my brother to get back." I say.
After a little while I start to get nervous. And I hope that my brother is ok. So I decided to go look for him.
"Alright I'm gonna go look for my brother. Sarah, Joe, come with me." I say.
We exit the station and begin to follow the direction that my brother and the zombies went. Suddenly I see my brothers gun on the ground so I pick it up and continue to walk down the street. A little further down and there is a few puddles of blood. I begin to get nervous and tears begin to well up in my eyes. I continue to walk expecting to find my brother's lifeless body laying on the street but I don't, I only find more blood. I notice a bloody handprint on a nearby building. The hand print then turns into a bloody smear on the wall leading towards double doors. We enter the building and find my brother sitting on the floor.
"What happened Jason why didn't you come back?" I ask.
He doesn't say anything, he just looks down at his lap. I then notice all the blood.
"What happened?" I ask again.
He sighs. "One of those damn zombies bite me on my hand when I was trying to push it away."
Suddenly Sarah grabs her machete and in a single, quick motion cuts of my brothers hand just past the wrist. My brother screams, not at the pain, but at the sight of his hand on the ground and all of the blood spurting into the air. I push Sarah away from him and scream, "What are you doing!"
"Saving your brothers life, now let me go before he bleeds to death." She says.
She goes to work doing her best to stop the bleeding. When he is stable enough we help him to his feet and walk back to the train station.
I remember what Madilyn had said about her dad when he got bit. "We have three days until he starts to show symptoms. So hopefully what you did works."
We rejoin the group a short while later.
Tommy about jumps out of his skin when he sees Jason. "What happened?"
"He got bit on his hand, but Sarah cut it off." Joe says.
We wait in the train station for two days to see if he starts to show symptoms, but he doesn't.
Jason walks over and sits on the floor next to Sarah.
"How did you know cutting my hand off would stop the infection?" Jason asks.
"To be honest, I didn't. I just took a shot and hoped for the best." Sarah says.
"Well I'm glad you tried instead of just shooting me." Jason says. Then he leans over and kisses her … It's weird to think that in a situation as terrible as this that people can still fall in love. The kiss was long and passionate, then he stands up. "We move out in the morning, so be ready."
I wake up a little later that night to moaning and groaning sounds, my first instinct is to grab my gun. When I stand up I realize that the sounds are not from a zombie but from my brother and Sarah. My face turns red with embarrassment but it was so dark that I don't think my brother knew that I was awake. I go outside to keep a look out for zombies, and to get away from their sounds.
I sat down on the ground outside the station. I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep that I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep. I dreamt of how life was before the years of this tragedy. Of school, and my parents. I woke up to a warm salty tear running down my face. I began to cry for the first time in a long time. I still couldn't believe that my parents died the way that they did. The thought of that terrible tragedy would not leave my mind no matter how much I tried to not think about it.
To keep myself from thinking about it I exercised. I ran around the block, and up and down the stairs. I guess I was making too much noise because I woke up Isaiah. He was crying so loud that he attracted the attention of some nearby zombies. I run down the stairs as quickly as I can to warn everyone. Everyone scrambles as quickly as they can to pack up, Madilyn does as much as she can to quiet Isaiah down. I barely had time to warn everyone. They began to pour down into the station, most of them running full speed at us, the rest of them just stumbled around before we were able to pack up. Me, Jason and a few other people kill as many of the zombies as we can to buy time for everyone to pack up their stuff. Once everyone had finished packing we leave. Everyone scrambled to get out of the train station. We had managed to escape with all our supplies, but not everyone escaped with their lives. We lost four people, one of which was Jason's friend Tommy. Sarah was there to help me pull Jason out of the station.
— 次の章はもうすぐ掲載する — レビューを書く