Chương 4: Chapter 3: I got shot... nope I died and Camp Chump!! U.S. goes to s**t pt1!!
Chapter 3: I got shot... nope I died and Camp Chump!! U.S. goes to s**t pt1!!
(Previously...)
I even packed a few different types of RV's as I went along. Hey, never know when I'll need one for myself, right!! Since then, I'd have been carrying myself at a distance from anyone, especially those that resembled being bitten or infected. I had collected a few things on the way, you know the basics; like food, water, guns, ammo, fuel, and the most important, toilet paper.
You can't live without toilet paper in a zombie apocalypse, no matter what, butt whipping paper is a must in the apocalypse. And if you find wipes it is even better but make use of them lightly...
--August 2, 2010—
Well, I've been shot, don't even now that happened. All I know was that I've been on the road on I70 for the past week. I left the big city as fast as I could, and I acquired a good working SUV with tinted windows. I might have stolen it from an undercover agent or something because the place I acquired the SUV was surrounded by FBI agents like if some terrorist was about to hit the place.
It was a good thing that I had my inventory to hid the SUV from everyone there. But let's get back to where I was at before I got myself shot. Well I was entering the little town called Richfield in Utah, I only stop to get two things every time I stop somewhere and is to get snacks or fuel up the SUV. I have noticed as I was on the highway that there were fewer vehicles on it.
But anyways, I was buying some snacks and was about to pay for all the stuff I had in my hands when I suddenly felt a slight sting on my right side of my chest. As I looked down I saw blood was coming out from a small hole that wasn't there before. I barely turned to look to my left as I saw two males that were pointing their guns at the cashier as I fell to the gas station floor. I knew it was a mistake stopping here.
I felt like something was gonna happen, but nooo... I never listened to my instincts, and this is what I get for not doing that, I GOT SHOT... Fuuuc... and then I lost consciousness. As I was fading in and out of consciousness, I was hearing voices, "Is he alive? He doesn't look alive. He looks almost dead. He looks so pail. He looks dead, Tess. Let's put him out of his misery before he turns into one of those things."
It was the last thing I heard before blacking out. While I was unconscious, the entirety of the human race was now getting infected with the Wildfire Virus that the news had been going on about for the past month. Where it all started from overseas to what it is now. The Recently-deceased who were already dead, to people who have or die normally were coming back to life and infecting everyone they bite.
--August 8, 2010--
Says a male voice, which was getting me a little to agitated while he was talking. "No you can't do that, Jack. Look, he's still breathing, and I just saw him open his eyes. I won't let you murder a live person." Whoever this Jack was, I'm gonna punch him in the face once I'm up and healthy, the bastard sounded surprised I was still breathing. Soon after I heard a loud snort from the man.
It was sounded like something between sarcasm and disbelief that I was gonna survive this wound. "He's barely f**ken alive. You should let me put him out for good. No one wants to live, what's happening now. He'd probably be happy I put him out of his misery." This Jack will pay for trying to kill me, but that will be for later. I need to wake up or I'll be in a heap of trouble if this Jack decides to end me.
"He's still breathing Jack. We're not going to do what you want Jack. Go be happy trigger-happy gun asshole somewhere else. We're going to do whatever we can to keep him alive." Then I figured that there was another person here, so there's three voice I was tracking, but only faintly. The last voice sounded a little further away from the first two. That one sounded further away and garbled like he or she was under water.
I knew I was barely alive; I knew that much. "You're too much of a softie, Frank. Don't come running to me if that guy gets up and bites one of you. I warned you." There was a chuckle from the a**hole as he walked away from Tess who was tending to my gun shot. I was still thinking to myself, 'No, I was very much almost dead. Wait... I'm pretty sure that my heart was hit. I felt it, I was shot in the heart. How am I alive?'
I started thinking about how I could still be alive, when it hit me. That god said that when he got killed, that he was placed back into his body as if he was stuck in it forever. Maybe that is what is happening to me as well. I may be killed, but I'll revive if I am in a safe place and have my body repair itself. That had to be, that's the only explanation that could explain it. 'So, now I have the power to revive if I get killed, but how long have I been dead.'
'I need to find out how long I've been on the floor.' I thought to myself as I started to move. Startling the young girl that was tending to my wound. I Knew on some deep and unhappy level that I deserved to get shot, probably for all the bad I had done in this and my old life. My entire body ached and surged with pain, especially coming from my left chest area. 'Why would these people bother with me anyway?'
I thought to myself as I started to open my eyes. "Have you seen Sam? I need more gauze and he was the last one who had the first aid kit." Said the girl holding me down. "No. You know Sam's a free spirit, I mean junky. Very imp-like." There was an audible sigh coming from the girl in front of me. Then I heard Jack speak again, "I still think he's dead." Then I noticed that wasn't Jack. The voice sounded like a female kid.
She sounded young. A kid. 'A snotty little s**t, too. Mind your own business and leave the tending to Tess.' I said in my inner voice. After a while, the voices started to faded again as I lost consciousness again, but before that happened there were more footsteps heading my direction. Soon I awoke up again and this time I opened my eyes not seeing anyone. The voices and the people were gone. 'Was I dreaming the whole thing?' I thought to myself.
As I stood up and headed outside, I was taken by surprise because I wasn't at the gas station where I was hot at. The place I was looking at looked like a farm... strange. It looks like something I've seen and been before, I've seen this place in my dreams. I closed my eyes to take in the fresh air to now operating lungs. As I opened my eyes again, I was met with a grin attached to a man and young girl that were staring at me.
The old man was a 5'9" or 5'11" tall blonde, close to my fathers' age it seemed. Though the crow that was on his head almost covering his eyes and his stubble made him look older than that. Today's world ages everyone quicker I would say. "Look at that, he lives. Where's Jack so I can rub it in his face." The young girl said. Then I spoke, "Yeah!! Where's that trigger-happy a**hole at. I need a few minutes with his ass."
I said as the girl was surprised that I heard them before. The old man's voice dipped with a long, drawn-out drawl. Very much like the kids back when I was in and out of consciousness. I looked at the man as a whole. "Dude, do you remember who you are?" The young girl asked. "Of course I know who I am. Do you know who you are because I sure as hell don't. How did I get here?" I asked rhetorically.
After a minute or two, another voice behind me answered. "We found you washed up on the shores of the river not far from here. You were barely alive when we found you. Well, Rex over there found you." The older woman said as she pointed at a young boy who was unloading a canoe from the back of truck bed. "You were soaking up water and bleeding pretty bad when he pulled you out. You're a fighter though, congratulations to that."
Jason did everything he could to keep you from dying… oh, right." The woman whipped out a marker and pen, clicked the point to come out from the pen. I flinched as I remembered the nurse from the hospital who didn't warm me she was giving me a shot and I got a little spooked by that. But then I noticed it wasn't a pen, well it was, but it was a nurse light she was holding. A bright light flashed in his eyes as I blinked rapidly from the sudden light.
"Please follow my fingers would you? Gotta check if your brain is working cognitively or if you have any brain damage, due to too much exposure to not breathing well for far too long." I did what she asked, it was easy enough. Though my head still ached, making his eyes blink rapidly trying to focus on the now and not on the pain that the headache I was having. I felt thirsty and was trying to swallow my saliva faster, but my throat was dry and sticky.
"Do you remember how you got here, young man? I mean I know I said you washed up from the river, but you look don't look like you are from around these parts. Where are you from? Or wherever you hail from." The old man asked but as I started to think, my head started throbbed harder, spikes of pain shooting around in my skull. "I'm from New York, but I don't remember how I got to this place or that river you all found me in."
The old man sighed, pursing his lips as to think, it wasn't disappointed look. It was more like a confused and frustrated look. I knew those looks well; I've had them before too. "Well, how about you try your name again? You know who you are, right? It'd be really helpful for a start. Everyone here has been coming up with their own names for you. Since you know, you were still out of it."
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to speak again. "Jack Willson, at your service." I said as my voice sounded raspidy, barely any sound came out, it was more air than noise. The three that were there nodded and then the woman behind me frowned. "Well, you sound like you need time for your throat to heal. Follow me to the pharmacy to get some soothing lozenges for your throat, and it should take a few days to clear up."
"So, don't worry and rest, while there is time for that. I'm Tracey by the way. This places nurse and resident doctor. Your caretaker if you will. So please rest up and no heavy lifting. And also drink a lot of water for that throat." I nodded to the house doctor slash nurse and went to rest as she told me to do. I could always find out where I am later from the others that tend to visit me, but I haven't had the chance to ask.
--August 10, 2010--
Over the next couple of days, Tracey the nurse was in and out of the room, in the morning and at night to check up on me. She was keeping track of the amount of water I was drinking, as well as the food I was given, making sure I wasn't brain dead. And then the question hit me again, Why wasn't I braindead? The headache I've been having has lessened, but it was still there. Two or three times a day, that I had to rub my temples daily.
I even asked Tracey about it, but she would always say the same, "don't worry. It must have been when your brain was low in oxygen and those are just after-effects of almost drowning." I should have been a goner. And why couldn't I remember how I got here? Or anything after getting shot. Am I still in Richfield Utah? The only thing I could recall was falling to the ground after I saw the blood. I'll have to think and meditate about this later.
So far, I've been confined to this small hospital recovery room until Tracey deems me stably to move around outside, or even just stable enough to stay standing up without help from anyone and keep the food down. Been having a lot of trouble doing that lately. Both were standing and eating was difficult right now. And this room, there's something really weird about it, it reminded me of a prison cell I used to be in back in New York.
Wonder if that's the reason I feel to uncomfortable here? I know it's far from being an actual cell, but those are the vibes I'm feeling right now about it. I tried not to think too much about it, as I looked out the window of the room, looking over the wide forest of trees behind the cabin I was in. This room was a decent enough size room, it had all the necessities one would need for an apocalyptic age.
As I looked out, there were other rooms and buildings in the area too. All of them looked expertly crafted, you know what... it looked like one of those places you send your kids out to play camp. Oooooh, that brings back memories of scary woody places too. I just hope this isn't one of them. Looked like all the buildings were connected by bridges to each other. I was seeing a few people cross them, but then it hit me.
I was standing higher than normal. And that was when I looked down and saw many walkers with their hands up, trying to reach out for the people who were walking on those bridges. 'Well, would you look at that. Smart f**kers, these bunch.' I thought in my head as I was seeing geniuses at work. I didn't know this place and this place didn't know me. I hope that I can leave once I heal, I don't want to play camp counselor to anyone.
I've got things to do. Maybe they were hoping I lead them back to some large resources. Well, I could do that, for helping me that is. Yeah why not, let's get them a whole lot of supplies, hopefully they'll last longer than the ones on the TV show. Then I heard a voice call out from behind me. "How are we feeling today, Jack? How's the headache doing? Drinking enough water?"
Tracey had gotten the habit of somehow sneaking up from behind him all the time. It was annoying as hell as I never saw her or heard her doing it. My head is still giving me trouble, but not as much as yesterday. So how are you doing? And what is up with the rope bridges?" I asked, and she would probably tell me the same answer as yesterday. Every time someone came to see me, they would drill with questions.
And Tracey was not excluded, "I brought Troy with me today," Tracey said. "He wanted to wait until you were copasetic before bombarding you with questions, but he's a chilled old man." Troy nodded numbly as he walked up behind Tracey. I honestly didn't care who came and talked with me. The leader of this place was bound to come sooner or later. So, far I've had four visitors since I awoke, Tracey, Sam, Tess, and this old man.
He looked like an old gentleman, English type of person, one who looked older than my father's age. Though my old man was much taller than this guy was by far, as he soon got my attention as he walked around Tracey and sat down. He smiled kindly enough at me, like I was going to do something bad, please. He wasn't tall but he was a big man. He filled the doorway to the room well enough. I saw him swallowed as he was about to speak.
"It's good to see you up and around, Jack was it?" I nodded at his question. "We were worried for a while that maybe we would have to put you down. Tracey is good at her job, for a drop out med student that is. She took good care of you; it was touch and go for a second there. Most of us almost couldn't believe you'd make it through, but Tracey over here never doubted you for a second." I looked at the nurse and Tracy smiled wider with pride.
"I do with what I got, it ain't much but it will do." Tracey said, not at all being humble. This was a perfect time to ask my questions for once. "Where am I if I might ask? Where is this place/ Not the exact location, don't get me wrong. I want to know what state I am in. The last time I was awake, I was in a gas station in Richfield, Utah." I said as they both looked confused when I said that. And... he still didn't answer me.
"Where are you from originally? How did you get here? I mean the river." Troy countered my questions. "ARGH!! This is getting us nowhere. You ask the same questions everyone else asks. And I keep telling them the same thing. Look, if you don't want to tell me, then blind fold me and take me out of this area. I'm done answering questions, and I don't get answered any." I was starting to get pissed off.
I was being nice because they were gracious enough to save me from wherever I was. That's if they actually were telling the truth. Troy whistled into the air and Tracey' s eyebrows shot up. Both of their movements were surprising and that made me a little nervous. I almost pulled out a weapon from my inventory at their surprised movements. "You know Jack, you're damn lucky to be alive. And thanks to Tracey here, you pulled through."
"Like, you got some kind of guardian angel or somethin. Troy said. "Well, Jack, You're in Nevada. We're in Toiyabe National Forest, camp and recreational park." Troy said as he looked at my surprise as if I wasn't expecting that answer. 'Nevada? How the hell did that happen? My eyes widened and I stopped breathing for a moment. How was I even alive? This was becoming a major f**ked up.'
As I went through many scenarios as to how I got here. "Come on, Jack. Let's step outside for a breather." Troy asked me as I only nodded in response. Soon I was followed out toward the exit door to my caged room. "You must be stir-crazy staying indoors for so long. Let me show you around, mind the undead. They don't bite... from up here I mean. Now if you were below, well that's a different matter all-together."
"Let's walk and talk, dinner will be soon. Some of the other men will be back from fishing and checking the traps in the woods out back." As Troy points to the large fenced in forest in the back of the buildings. "Ah, yeah, that's the ticket.' As Tracey stretched her body out, and then droned out happily. "aawww, man. I missed the whole day. But the nights out here are fabulous as well. Mmmmhhh."
I don't know why she moaned but it sounded nice to me. "So, who built this place? What is this place?" I asked as the three of us took our first step out of the room and onto the balcony rope bridge that circled around the place. This building I was in is connected to six other buildings around this one. It was a good idea whoever came up with it. Keeps the people safe and the walkers where no one was. "It's the end of the world, son."
"Haven't you seen the undead walking about?" Troy laughed dryly acting all sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at the answer he said and coughed interrupting him. But Tracey beat me to saying something else, "This is a place and home for anybody we find that want to live. Up here," She points to the mountains around the park. "we're far enough from city and most of the undead, a few still walk on by, we kill those, and we don't get eaten."
"We're very careful when we are around them." She said as she saw a group of men walking back from the forest nearby. "But isn't it dangerous going into the woods like that?" I asked as I looked towards the group that was walking back. "Isn't it dangerous everywhere? We just make sure that we reckon where we go first. If we see that it's too dangerous for us to send anyone, we don't. We wait it out and let the undead pass us by."
Troy said as his eyebrows rose looking towards the woods. I turned to see what he was looking at, and then knew what had got his attention. It was a few straggler walkers that were following the group of four youngsters. Then a familiar voice came from behind us, "This the dead guy from before? How is he doing, Tracey?" And there it was, the third voice I had heard before, it belonged to the young girl who was helping me, Tess.
The one I had first heard upon waking up. She wasn't even half my height, she looked like a small elf. She was craning her head all the way back to take in the full view that was me. "It's Jack, Tess. I told you before what his name was. And of course he's obviously alive and well." Troy said as his lips pressed into a thin line in an effort to not laugh at the young girl for her forgetfulness. It was a common thing for her, always forgetting the basics.
"Well in my opinion, he still looks dead. Look how pale his face is! Should we put him down.' Know I know she's trying to tease me. Not good for a person who loves to tease back. She exclaimed incredulously. "these tiny humans, I swear… sometimes we need ladders to hear what they say." Tracey bulged out her eyes when I said that, and troy started laughing his ass off. And Tess was giving me the stink eyes and being all agitated.
We all laughed at first and then I stopped and asked, "are we going to help them." As I point to the walkers that we nearing the four young men. "They don't seem to know they've been followed." I looked towards Troy. He shook his head at my question, "No! They know they've been followed. The thing is that we have others that do the killing. Those that need stress relief and anger issues to do that. Like that ass hat, jack from before."
Oh, I was surprised they had a nice system going here. Well, time moved forward, and two weeks went by, all was well in the park, but I needed to move on. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place to be at, but I wanted to follow my own story, not others story. I had healed nicely and was allowed to roam the campground and help here and there. But I was getting to comfortable in this place. And tonight I wanted to ask the others if I can move on.
Things were well in the beginning; I was helping with runs to find more resources for the camp. They loved me working with them, but things started to change when I asked if I could leave. The people around me started to distance themselves from me. At times I found myself alone walking through the park after the little talk during that last meal I had with Tracey and Troy. They were humble but I could see the conflict in their eyes.
--August 12, 2010--
Then two days later, the leader from the camp finally came to talk with me. He was a tall man, 6'2". I believe he was bulky huge, like muscle bulky. He came into the same room I was still in and told me I had to leave that night. He said that I was disturbing the camps reason to live, and I was not wanted any more. "Do they now that? Or are you worried some might want to leave with me?" I said and he looked livid at that response.
So he had his four bodyguards follow me to the exit and close me out, not knowing if they others knew what was happening. And if they did, well... it's not a place for me anyways. *SIGH* I let out a large breath out and moved away from the camp. 'I just hope they make it through all that's coming.' I thought to myself as I speed through the forest not wanting to attract any attention from the undead in the area.
Well anyways, it took one time for me to experience how much people are so selfish, and now I stay my ass away from large groups indefinitely. I had helped a group of people when all this started, found myself waking up in a safe haven and you know what those people in charge of that group did? Those a**holes had me thrown out from that safe place, I help make that safe place for them, and found plenty of food as well.
Just because I wasn't going to follow their leaders lead, there were over 30 people in that group, and the leader Jarad had 4 bodyguards with guns at the end. I did so much for these fools, I found weapons, ammunition, food, even a few vehicles they might need if emergencies arose. Two ambulances full of medical supplies, and even a large fire truck, those new ones that have those huge ass ladders to them, just in case a fire broke out in the forest.
Even after all that, I still didn't get any support from the so-called friends I made while I was there. And I was the sucker who fell right into their niceties and welcoming act. I told myself right then and there that I would never be that helpful or vulnerable again, A**holes!! That no matter what, I wouldn't depend on any other person, when I could provide for myself. Since then I would stay in one place for less than a week at a time and moved on.
It has been a month since the camp incident, and I was getting numb to all the killing that was happening around me. I had to make myself numb, no more feelings, no more attachments to myself. I just did what had to be done and kept moving in order to survive. I'd been alone ever since, I have learned to listen to my instincts, they were the only thing that have kept me alive, and they work very well when danger is about to strike.
In the past few weeks, I've broken off from many smaller groups that wanted my help. And whenever I decided to help them, and again they would let me down. And the chump in me, so optimistic I was, not wanting to believe that there were people that were so cruel and dangerous. Again, I left another group, they kept wanting more than they deserved, I left, without a word, packed my s**t and disappeared.
I had broken away from several other groups like that, those who thought that they deserved everything I had and wanted more. Like one time we helped this small family of three, after helping them, the group I was in wanted all their things including the 17- or 18-year-old daughter they had with them. They thought that they were entitled to their things and the daughter that was with the group that was being forced on.
(To be Continued...)
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