the begining

(1)

 

“ Jade come here and look at this!” Emily Baker yelled from the living room. Emily was my best friend in haven high school. We had been hanging out since both our parents won a cruise last week and left us home to finish out the month of school we had left. I didn’t mind, we both were almost 18.

“ Jade come here and look at this!” Emily Baker yelled from the living room. Emily was my best friend in haven high school. We had been hanging out since both our parents won a cruise last week and left us home to finish out the month of school we had left. I didn’t mind, we both were almost 18.

 

“well we live in Haven Michigan, I think they’ll figure it out before it gets here, don’t you think?” I asked.

She nodded and I could see Emily felt a little relieved that I said what she was hoping out loud.

 

We shut the TV off and went to my room. My room was the favorite place in the house as far as I was concerned. My mom and dad went over sea’s a lot for business and always brought me back things from different places, I had a sword from china, pottery jars from Russia, posters from different country’s and a lot of nick knacks.

 

I also had a big stereo that my dad got me for my 16th birthday. Emily always brought a lot of CD’s over so we could listen to music and dance around my room. She liked Mark Greene from my second hour. But of course he never noticed her. Emily was a little heavy but I thought she was beautiful. Her reddish blond hair was always so sleek and hung down her back in soft waves. She had green eyes that were big with long lashes. I had blond hair that was so straight I didn’t even try to curl it because it never worked. But it was thick and long. My eyes were a light blue and I think was my best feature. I was slim, almost skinny as a rail as my mom always said.

“I wonder if mark is going to Sandy’s party next week.” I almost rolled my eyes when Emily asked that. She couldn’t go 5 minutes without mentioning Marks name.

“ I don’t know, I heard his brother Seth will be in town then. So maybe not.” I explained. Seth Greene was a god among us little people, I had a crush on Seth since 3rd grade. Seth had joined the army and did four years. Next week he would be coming home to take over his dads store in town.

I was musing in my head about Seth and didn’t notice that Emily had fallen asleep on the cot. I shut the lights off and crawled in to bed. I was tired and Emily and I had plans for the afternoon to baby sit for the Rogers down the street, we would need a good nights sleep to put up with their boys.

 

A sound woke me, I rolled over in bed and looked at my clock on my nightstand. 5:13am. The sound came again and it sounded like gun fire. I sat up just as Emily woke up.

“what the hell is that?” she asked groggily.

“I don’t know. It sounded like it came from down the street.” I replied and got out of bed with Emily right behind me. We went to the window and looked out in to the front yard. Shapes of people were running around and it looked like some were fighting. More gunshots rang out.

Screams started and Emily clenched my arm tightly.

“let’s go out in to the living room and see what is going on.” I said and headed out of the bed room to the living room.

We stood in the window, peeking around the heavy curtains that hung closed. The thin moon barely showed us what was happening out there. Police sirens could be heard in the distance.

“I want to go home right now!” Emily yelled. I could tell she was scared to death, so was I but didn’t think it would be wise for her to go outside while the gun fire and people fighting out there was going on.

“I think we had better stay put, we don’t know what’s happened.” I said and turned to the TV and turned it on. Nothing happened. There was no power at all. Emily tried the light switches. Nothing.

Suddenly something crashed in to our front door and Emily screamed out.

I whispered and told her to be quiet. I crept to the door and looked out the eye hole to see who it was. Tom Rogers stood on the porch, in the dim light it looked like something was wrong with his face.

“who is it?” Emily whispered to me.

“Tom Rogers.” I replied but made no move to unlock the door.

“aren’t you going to let him in?” Emily asked.

“no, something’s not right.” I told her. And there wasn’t, I couldn’t see very well but he looked funny, just not right.

I ran to my room to get dressed out of my PJ’s.

I hurried and put on jeans and a shirt and had just came back in to the living room when Emily had opened the front door.

“Emily, get away from the door!” I was practically yelling by this time. But it was too late, the door swung open and showed a shadowy figure standing there. It was moaning.

“ Jade I think he’s hurt.” Emily got out before Tom Rogers lurched in to the room and grabbed Emily by the arm. She screamed and tried to pull away. I started towards them when Tom bent his head towards Emily’s face and bit a chunk of meat out of her cheek.

Emily’s screams were loud in the small room and other people came through the door and fell on her. I ran out the back door in to the yard and out the back gate.

 

The alley was clear so I ran west as fast as I could, I was in shock over the horror I had seen, my breathe was hitching in my chest and I was crying hard with tears blurring my vision so I didn’t see the shape that rose up in front of me and I crashed in to it sending both of us crashing to the ground.

“oww damn it.” a voice said under its breathe.

As soon as Seth took a good look at me, he gathered me in his arms and tried to calm me down.

“shhhh jade, its me Seth. Are you hurt?” he asked while patting my back clumsily. I shook my head no and he got to his feet and helped me up.

Seth pulled me along behind him through town until we got to the woods behind park lane mobile homes where my teacher Miss Hyatt lived. But there was blood everywhere and the houses all had their doors opened or ripped off the hinges. We kept running until we stopped at a tree.

“think you can climb up?” Seth asked me as he pointed upwards.

I glanced up and saw a tree blind. A ladder was built out of boards in the tree trunk. I nodded and started to climb with Seth right behind me.

The tree blind was a plywood box nailed to branches high up in the tree. 2 open windows were cut open with a saw to allow hunters to shoot out of them with a gun. The ladder went up in to a trap door in the floor and I was glad to see it locked once you were inside.

I was still crying and shaking, Seth pulled me down on to the floor next to him and hugged me against his side. After a little bit I had calmed down enough to ask him some questions.

“what happened? They hurt Emily. People I knew. What’s going on Seth?” I asked with my voice rising in horror.

“shhh have to be quiet jade. Okay?” I nodded in response.

“ I don’t know much, I heard on the radio that a man made virus was released by terrorists all over the united states. It makes people get sick really fast and then die, they reanimate and attack other people spreading the disease. “ Seth explained.

“ you mean like zombies?” I asked incredibly.

“ yeah just like zombies.” Seth said as he hugged me tighter. I shivered in fear.

“I know its going to be hard, but try to get a little rest okay?”

I nodded and snuggled a little closer to him. I was exhausted and worn out from everything so it wasn’t that long before I was out. Seth held me and listened to the night.

When I woke, Seth was no longer beside me, I started up fast and caught sight of him at the window. I got up and went to him. Outside the sun was high in the sky, it was afternoon. I had slept a while.

We could just see over the tree line to our town, people were walking around in a slow jerky kind of walk. I started to get excited.

“there’s people there, lets go and find some help!” I said.

Seth shook his head and told me no.

“those are infected Jade, see how they walk? Its not normal.” he pointed towards town.

I looked again and saw he was right.

“so what are we going to do?” I asked.

“first off we need to find weapons, clothes and food.” Seth replied. “but I am going alone, you are going to stay here and wait for me to come back.”

“NO! Seth you can’t leave me here!” I sobbed.

Seth gripped my arms tight and looked deep in to my eyes.

“listen jade, I am trained for this, remember I am a soldier, I’ll be fine, I ‘m quick on my feet. You need to stay here and hold down the fort okay?”

I understood I would slow him down so I nodded my head. He hugged me tight and headed through the trap door and climbed down the ladder. I shut the door and locked it again and ran to the window, I watched Seth walk away from the tree until I couldn’t see him anymore.

 

I sat down with my back against the wall of the blind. Now I had to wait, I was worried because what if he didn’t come back? What was I going to do. I pushed those thoughts from my head and sat there quietly to wait until he got back.

 

I was almost crazy with fright and worry when Seth got back a few hours later. He carried with him my sword from my room and a rifle. 2 trash bags were slung over his shoulder. He climbed up and shut the trap door.

 

Inside the bags were clothes and food. Canned goods and box stuff. Bottles of water. Seth handed me the water bottle after taking a drink and I took a long pull from it.

He opened a can of potted meat and cracker and had me sit down and gave me some to start with. I hungrily ate them.

“slow down jade, I don’t want you getting sick.”

I tried to eat slower and we finished off our meal in no time.

“we’ll eat more in a bit. In the bottom of the bag with clothes are two blankets. We are going to stay up here for a while.” Seth explained.

“do you think we’ll be safe?” I asked.

“oh yeah I do, the deadheads can’t seem to climb or open doors unless they break them down. So we should be okay.”

I looked at him, “deadheads?”

Seth gave a small laugh, “yeah that’s what I call them. It kind of fits them don’t you think, a lot better then zombies.”

I had to nod. It did fit them.

We spent the rest of the day looking out at the town and the deadheads that were moving around.

Later we made a bed on the floor and cuddled for warmth. The temp had gone down during the evening and it was cold. I fell asleep with my head against Seth’s chest.

 

The morning dawned bright and early, I stood at the window and looked towards town. There were a few deadheads stumbling around but for the most part, a lot had wondered off since there was no more food around.

“good morning, did you sleep long?” Seth asked as he came up behind me.

“for a while. Seth where’s Mark?” I had to ask. It hit me last night that Seth was here with me and not with mark.

“ I don’t know jade, my parents and Mark went shopping in the city and I haven’t seen them since.”

I lowered my head and looked at the floor. The city was 20 minutes from our town, if we had been over run, what did the cities look like?

Seth made a simple breakfast for us and I sat down next to him to eat it.

“after we eat, I am going to teach you how to use that sword of yours. Just like in the movies, you have to kill the brain, or they will still come after you.” Seth told me.

I nodded in agreement.

I had a lot to learn and quickly too.

 

We climbed down out of the tree and set up in the field. He taught me how to use my sword and to fight hand to hand if I needed to. I was small and skinny, not a lot of strength but Seth taught me that I didn’t need to be strong to kill these things. I just had to be fast and not hesitate, because if I did even for a second, I could get bit and turn.

 

The war had started and we needed to survive.

 

The storms came in about a week after we had come to the tree blind. Heavy rain fall with huge sounding thunder and bright lighting, had me huddled in a corner. The wind rocked and shook the blind and I was scared it would fall out of the branches to the ground. But Seth was calm, he never showed any emotion about anything. It made me feel better to see he wasn’t concerned.

He had to yell to be heard over the storm.

“its going to be okay jade. Just a summer storm. Nothing to worry about. “ I nodded and looked out to the gray sky and watched the lighting flash.

 

*

Sam Wheatfield was scared. People had come to his house and hurt his daddy. Momma had made him go to the basement and then after a while she started crying and then screamed. He had wanted to go upstairs but momma said to stay down in the basement so he did. But now it was quiet upstairs and the food his momma put down here with him was gone. He was so hungry. He laid curled up in a blanket and whimpered in the dark. He wanted his mommy and daddy.

 

*

 

“are you ready for this?” Seth asked me one more time. We were going back to town to look for any survivors that may be hiding out. But food was the main reason, we had run out last night and needed to re-stock. I took my sword and Seth took his rifle and long hunting knife and put it in his belt. we headed down the ladder and walked to town.

“we are going to go through the track of houses on the east side near the mobile home park. Then from there we will take the alleys to the super market west of town. There will be a lot of food there if the deadheads are clear of the place.” Seth explained to me.

I nodded that I understood and we made our way out of the woods. Bodies lay in the streets half eaten and forgotten. I was shaking and barely holding it together. I had never been so scared.

 

As we neared the houses, a few deadheads were wondering around aimlessly, so we ducked out of sight and crawled on hands and knees past the first 3 houses. The fourth house had a space between the other house and it led all the way to the alley so we crawled there.

A whimpering sound was coming from the basement and I stopped to listen.

“Seth you hear that?” I hissed.

Seth paused and cocked his head to the side and listened. The sound came again and we heard it more clearly, it was coming from the basement of the fourth house next to us. It sounded like a child.

“what do we do?” I asked.

“we go inside and see if it’s a kid or a deadhead.” I had to swallow a lump in my throat when he said that.

I wasn’t ready to face a deadhead up close and personal. But I couldn’t leave a kid to the fates either. I nodded and we headed to the back door.

There wasn’t any deadheads in the back yard so we stood up and moved quietly to the back door, there was blood and gore smeared all over the door and frame. The smell of death was strong. I swallowed hard and followed Seth inside. He shut the door after me. I gave him a questioning look.

“so no deadheads come in while we search.” he explained.

The kitchen was clean except for a trail of blood from the back door leading to the front room. I gripped my sword tighter in my hand and followed behind Seth as we made our way to the living room.

2 bodies laid near the chair. They were torn up and parts were missing. The stench of rotting meat so strong and I almost gagged from the smell. Seth stepped over the bodies and closed the front door.

We checked the rest of the house and saw it was clear of anything nasty. We headed back to the kitchen and opened the door to the basement. Dim light from small windows made the stairs visible. We headed down slowly and could hear more whimpers in the dark.

“hello?” I whispered.

At first we heard nothing then sniffles coming from the corner of the basement. In the dim light a young boy of maybe 10 sat on a few blankets. He was shivering from fright and had a haunted look in his eyes.

“ my names jade. What’s yours? “ I asked him coming a little closer.

“saaammm.” he stuttered.

“Sam this is Seth, we want to take you with us, its not safe here anymore.” I whispered to the boy.

Seth held out his hand and at first I thought Sam wouldn’t take it but after a moment of hesitation, he slowly came towards us.

 

Seth pulled him in a firm hug and ran his hands through Sam’s hair.

“are you hurt Sammy?” Seth asked while I looked at Sam’s clothes and arms for anything that would show a bite mark. There was nothing.

Sam shook his head no.

Because of the death and bodies upstairs, Seth didn’t want Sam to have to see it so we wrapped him in the blanket and Seth carried him upstairs and through the kitchen to the back door. I went out first and Seth followed me.

We went down the alley for a while and came to the shopping center. Seth put Sam down and un-covered him.

“Sam we are going in to that store. We need food. But I want you and Jade to be quiet and keep close to me, do you understand?”

Sam nodded and we opened the door and went in.

The smell of the bad meat in the freezers hit us first. The power had been off for a week so the food had started to spoil.

Seth loaded a cart with canned food, batteries, a radio, flashlights and coloring books and crayons for Sam. I grabbed soap and box stuff like crackers and cookies and things. Seth had told me we were going to take a truck out back and fill it with the food we are taking and leave haven. He said there had to be places that were set up with soldiers to make safe zones.

 

After we loaded up everything we could in to a truck that Seth had backed in to the loading dock. We got in and left. Deadheads came stumbling out from behind buildings and gave chase but they were slow moving and we got away. The roads were clogged with abandoned cars and trucks where people had tried to flee the carnage. But most were killed right in their cars. It was awful to see the blood and gore and the many bodies, some half eaten and still moving, trying to crawl after us. It was terrible.

 

Seth turned down a secondary road and for a while it was clear. It was surreal, there was no traffic, no people, it was just a huge nothing out here. Everything I had known, all the people I loved were either dead or still out there somewhere . My parents were on a huge ship in the ocean, I only prayed they were still okay.

Sammy sat between us and colored in his book Seth had got him. Kids bounced back pretty well when bad things happen. I was glad for that. He was a cute kid. His round face was dirty from the basement but his eyes were a bright green. His hair was blond and curled around his small ears. He was small for his age, which I was right, he was 10 yrs old.

We stopped at a space behind a traffic jam that Seth had to figure out how to go around. Sam and I need to pee. We got back in the truck just as Seth shut down the truck and told us to get on the floor and be quiet, he bent down as well.

A huge horde of the un-dead were moving down the road towards us. There was hundreds of them. When I took a peek over the dash, I could Cleary see that they were quiet, no moaning nothing, just doing that stumbling walk they do and coming right for us. I ducked down again.

 

The horde walked around our truck, sometimes hitting the sides and making it move and shake, I held my hand over Sam’s mouth in case he got scared and yelled out. A deadhead came right to the window and seemed to look in but no sound came from it so I knew it hadn’t seen us. It moved on with the rest of them and it seemed like hours until they all passed the truck and rounded the curve in the road and disappeared.

“we are going to stay here for a few more minutes and make sure they are gone, a horde that size could tip over this truck.” Seth whispered to us. Sam and I nodded that we understood.

Seth started the truck and we were on our way.

(2)

 

Handmade signs were posted along the highway pointing to a safe zone. It was an air force base! As we pulled up to the gate, we all sat in horror and looked around. The gates were busted and there was fires in the building and bodies lay all around. It had been over run by deadheads. Recently if Seth was right. Maybe even from that horde of hundreds that passed us on the way here.

 

I started to cry, I didn’t realize how much I had needed to be around other people, how I wanted to be in a safe place and be normal for once and not so terrified.

 

“ we are going to get away from here and find a place to sleep for the night. Its getting late and we need to rest. We’ll keep looking until we find a safe place to stay. You guys okay?” Seth asked warily. Sam nodded but I still sat crying and looking out at the carnage.

“jade? Its going to be okay, we’ll find help.”

I nodded but didn’t really believe it.

We found a barn and pulled the truck inside. Seth shut the doors and we crawled up in to the loft for the night. We all were tired and exhausted but Seth made us eat some food to keep up our strength. Soon we were sleeping to the sounds of crickets in the distance.

 

Seth woke me up in the early dawn, he was going to go check out the house and wanted me to know so I didn’t freak out and find him gone. I told him okay and cuddled in to my blanket more, it was warm in the straw in the loft but the air was a little nippy.

“jade? I need to go to the bathroom.” Sammy said next to me.

“okay bud, but stay behind the truck and go there okay?” Sam nodded and went down the ladder. I watched him go behind the truck.

 

When his scream came, I was almost drifting off to sleep again. I sat bolt upright and looked down. A deadhead was crawling towards Sam, he was trying to climb a bench. I didn’t think at all. I grabbed a rope that was hanging and slid down it really fast. Rope burns made my hands scream in pain but I didn’t stop. I pulled my sword and swung it with all my might at the things head. Whack! My arms shook from the waves of pressure. The things head rolled away from it’s body and I saw with horror it was still moving its mouth and trying to bite.

 

It was a farmer, its legs were gone, probably eaten by a deadhead. It had turned and been in the barn when we got here. It was bloated. Gray skin sagged and mucus was running out of its mouth, it was thick and black. The smell was something rotten and long dead. It’s eyes were cloudy, the white part big and the pupil almost non-existent. I took my sword and stabbed it through its right eye and it stopped moving. Seth ran in to the barn after hearing Sam scream in terror.

He came to me as I put my foot on the things head and pulled my sword free. He moved slowly as to not scare me but I was fine. It didn’t bother me to kill it as much as I thought it would, I just had thought about Emily and how she looked at me as these things started to eat her. It was pay back.

“you okay?” Seth asked as he took my sword out of my limp hands.

“yes I am. Sam did it bite you?”

Sam shook his head no but was shaking so bad I went to him and held him until he quieted down.

“jade, I found this in the house, it’s a government list of safe zones that people were told to go to. I marked off the one at the base, but look, to the south is another one. We should get a move on and try to make it their before dark.”

Seth showed me a pamphlet of safe zones and where to go in an emergency. I nodded and got our stuff from the loft. I took my sword from Seth with a look to let him know I was okay. He handed it to me and we all got in the truck.

We didn’t have a lot of fuel so first things first, we had to find fuel quickly.

The next town had a gas station and we stopped to look for fuel. Since the power was out, we needed to find a hose and siphon the fuel into our truck. I went in to the station to have a look around, Sam stayed with Seth and looked for a hose in the garage part of the station.

 

It was dark inside and in the gloom I saw the bodies. Painted on the wall behind them was this:

Take what you need. We have gone on to a better place. God bless and good luck.

I looked around a little more but there wasn’t anything we could use so I walked back out to where Seth was putting fuel in the tanks of the truck.

 

“anything inside we can use?” Seth asked me. I shook me head and I guess he saw my face because he told Sam to stay with us. With the outbreak, I bet a lot of people had taken their own lives instead of becoming a monster.

A deadhead came around the back of the garage and headed for us, Seth started to put down the hose and go to it but I put out my hand to stop him.

“I got this, finish fueling so we can get out of here.” I stated firmly.

The deadhead was a women, newly turned because she didn’t smell as ripe as some of them. Her moans were loud in the still air and I readied my sword. I swung it at her head and cut her head in half. Her body fell to the ground and was still.

Seth stood and watched me with a strange look in his eyes.

I wasn’t the same shy girl he knew before in school. I was someone else. Someone stronger.

 

We got back on the road soon after. When we left the gas station, Seth had turn left on to an older dirt road, the map said this road would take us out of the way of the cities and towns . Less traffic in the way.

The moving motions of the truck had made me sleepy and I was resting my head against the trucks window when I saw through the glass a young girl run from a house to a shed.

“Seth stop the truck! I just saw something.” I exclaimed.

“are you sure jade?” he asked. Oh I was sure alright, I may have been tired but I know what I saw.

The house was standing in desolation in a rotten field of tomato’s. peeling yellow paint and sagging roof told of neglect and waste. There was an old metal shed behind the house, rusting so bad, I couldn’t tell what color it was supposed to be.

 

We got out of the truck, leaving Sam to keep watch for deadheads. As Seth and I walked up the driveway to the shed, 2 girls came out of the shed. Both were starved looking and worn out. The youngest was wearing a pink dress that was dirty and ripped. that’s the one I had seen in the truck. The other one was around me age, starved as well but more healthier. Her clothes were also ripped and dirty. Her dress was blue.

As we got a little closer I could see they both were getting ready to bolt.

“we’re not infected, we’re okay! I’m jade and this big guy is Seth.” I shouted to be heard.

The older girl looked at us hard for a minute. She didn’t seem scared, more determined to protect the younger one from harm. I guessed they were sisters because both had dark brown hair and brown eyes that were shaped the same.

“I’m jess and this is my sister rain.” the older one said and took a step closer to her sister.

 

‘Are you too hungry? We have food.” Seth stated. Jess and rain seemed to make up their minds about us because they came towards us slowly. Food always wins when your hungry enough to skin a cat. At least it looked like a cat hanging from the sheds doorway.

 

Rain and jess’s dad owned the old farm that the crops were rotting in the fields we could see. The outbreak happened in the night and their parents had been killed. Jess took rain and they came here. This old house and shed had once been her grandma’s place. It had been empty since her passing 10 years before.

We took out food and let them eat. Rain and Sam ran around the yard afterwards and played tag. It was nice to see sam smile again. Since the deadhead in the barn, he had been quiet

Seth, jess and I sat on the porch steps of the house and watched the kids play while keeping an eye out for deadheads as well.

“we are heading to a safe zone, should get there by tomorrow, want to come with us?” Seth asked jess while handing her some more water from the bottle in his pack.

“yeah that would be okay if it’s okay with jade.” she said as she turned to look at me.

I smile and said it was a good ideal. I got up and started for the truck.

“where you going?” Seth asked.

“going to dig in mine and Sam’s pack and see if I can find some clean cloths for these 2 to put on.” I replied. There was an old hand pump out back that we could get water from, we didn’t drink water from wells or rivers, we didn’t know if the virus had effected any of it but had saw enough fields of rotted crops to think so. It was the middle of summer yet these tomato’s were already rotted, a corn field near the gas station was rotted. So we never drank anything unless it came out of a bottle or a can.

I got back from the truck with clothes for both girls and called them to me. I led them around back and found a large bowl and pumped water in to it with an old sock I had found in my bag. Would make a great wash cloth to wash up with. I opened a bar of soap from the super market and had them wash. Even their hair.

Jess wore my jeans and red tee shirt. For rain I had found a green shirt with light green jogging pants. After helping the girls brush their tangled hair, they looked human again and not something from the wild.

The trucks cab was a sleep cab, in the back was a bed. So the girls climbed in first and sat back there. Sam went back there to hang out with rain. Seth and I got in and he started the truck.

“everyone ready?” he yelled and after screams of “ready” we backed out to the road and once more headed south.

The going got more difficult the closer we got to the area the map said was a safe zone. Besides abandoned vehicles in the road, there were deadheads here and there as well. That was scary to me because what if this safe zone had been over run?

A large wall surrounded the camp. It must have been 10ft high. Dead and burning bodies littered area’s a little way from the gates. Soldiers with escorts stood outside the gates moving the dead bodies to piles to be burned. Uniforms of many colors were worn by the soldiers, Seth explained that all armed forces had banded together to fight the un-dead. It made sense. These were tough times, we all needed to band together.

 

As we got closer, men manning the walls and the soldiers on the ground all pointed their guns towards our truck. Seth rolled to a stop and turned off the engine. A soldier broke away from his gate post and walked slowly towards our truck. Seth had put the window down so he could talk to the guy.

“name and who are you?” the soldier asked in a harsh voice.

“I’m Seth, this is Jade and in the back we had Jess and 2 little kids named rain and Sam. We are survivors of haven and Littleton.” Seth said slowly and calmly.

Littleton was where we had found rain and jess.

“get out of the truck and put your hands in the air.” the soldier said while pointing his gun at my head.

“we have food in the back of the truck!” I yelled.

But the soldier didn’t seem to care. We got out and lifted our arms in the air. Another soldier came forward and patted us down at first I thought for weapons, but it was bite marks and wounds he was looking for.

After we got the all clear, the soldier put down his gun and stuck out a hand to Seth.

“My name is LT. Harris, sorry but we have to make sure. This virus is a nasty business.” Seth shook his hand and we were invited in to the camp.

“what about the food? Oh and I want to keep my sword with me.” I asked the LT.

He turned and looked at me.

“you can keep your weapons, in fact I insist on it. As for the food, we’ll send out some grunts to empty the truck. Right now we’ll show you to your camper. food is served in an hour. We have medical staff on hand if you need to be seen.” he stated and turned on his heel and walked towards the gate. We all hurried to catch up with him.

 

Inside the walls it was beautiful, rows and rows of campers were set up. Fema signs were posted on the trailers. each trailer had a number painted on its side. A young woman Named Helen took over for Harris and escorted us to trailer 1346. “You’ll have to bunk together. There are rules here, if you come in together, you stay together. There is a building over near the food building where clean clothes are kept, you are allowed 5 outfits each. Take care of them. Its all you get for a while.” Helen said quietly as she pointed to a big trailer in front of us.

“what about our clothes in the truck?” I had to ask because my own stuff from my house was in there.

“oh you can keep those as well, I was just letting you know that from the clothes dispensary, you are only allowed 5 outfits.” Helen explained.

We went in. this trailer was big with 2 slide outs in the kitchen and living room. A bunk room in the back had bunk beds and the front bedroom had a large bed. The living room had a pull out couch bed and the kitchen eating area pulled out in to a small bed as well. Since jess and the two kids wanted to stay together, we gave them the large bed. I wanted to sofa bed and Seth took a lower bunk bed in the back room.

There were curtains in the windows of the trailer and I kept staring at the fresh white material.

“what’s wrong jade? “ Sammy asked me while look towards the windows.

I laughed and turned towards him to hug him to my chest. I had grown to love this little guy.

“ nothing bud, just haven’t seen really white curtains in a long time.”

Sam laughed and rolled his eyes like he was saying “girls”.

 

We got settled in and put our meager belongings in dressers and closets. It would be time to leave for the food building soon. I was amazed that the water worked in the trailer. No hot water but at least it was something to wash in.

But the stove and frig were electric so we could heat water up and wash with that. I smiled and thought I had found heaven.

 

We went to the building and fell in to line behind all the others and got our trays. It was set up like a lunch line in school. Kitchen help would put a plate on our tray and we would move down the line for other things. There was even cake for desert! Real milk in plastic glasses were served or cold pop of any flavor. I picked a pop while the others had milk. I found out there were cows in camp that were milked twice a day.

This place was amazing.

 

 

 

 

(3)

 

It took a couple of days for us to get used to this place but we settled in pretty good. To stay here, you were asked to help out with any jobs that were posted on the main building’s wall. Thee were gardens that needed care, there were soldiers jobs on the wall. Burn duty to burn the bodies of the deadheads. There was clothes duty, making clothes and taking care of the dispensary. Trash duty. Around the camp, there were huge barrels that had to be emptied and the trash burned. I saw at the bottom that there was a job for a helper in a lab. I was a grade a student in science so I signed up for that. Seth signed up for wall duty of course, he was in the army after all and a good shot. Jess wanted to help in the school where Sam and rain were sent during the day.

Helen came by with everyone’s place sheet the next morning except mine.

“umm I signed up yesterday Helen, do you have my sheet?” I asked.

“no jade, but you did get it. Report to the building 8.” she said with a strange look in her eyes.

Building 8 was away from the camp, still behind the walls but protected on the outside by many soldiers. I was nervous but curious at the same time.

After showing the guard my badge that Helen had put around my neck with a string, I was led inside to another door, he used a keycard and the door made a ping sound. They had power here as well as we did in the trailers but I was still surprised.

The room I was led to looked like a waiting room of sorts. Chairs lined the walls and a few pictures of nature scenes adorned the walls.

I was told to sit down and that someone would be with me shortly.

I waited for hours. It was quiet in the room and when I tried both doors I found them to be locked. My sword was in my trailer so I had no weapons on me.

The door open suddenly and in stepped a tall man.

He wore a white lab coat and had broad shoulders. A shadow of a gray beard had started to show on his square face. Hazel eyes looked in to mine and his mouth was a grim line across his face.

“jade sorry to keep you waiting, My name is Grayson, Whitmore. Before we get started and I show you around, I need to explain what we do here. In order to understand our enemy, we have to study these creatures.” He paused at saying this.

“deadheads” I mumbled.

“what was that, that word you just said.” he asked me

“we call them deadheads sir. It seems to fit better then calling them zombies.” I explained.

Grayson seemed to think it over for a minute and smiled for the first time.

“ I agree, it does fit.” Grayson smiled and turned and opened the door leading away from the outside door.

 

The labs were like out of this world, something alien and had machines I had never before seen. There were many people in these labs, each one was separate from the other. But the walls were glass so you could see in every lab no matter what. Grayson handed me a white coat to wear over my clothes and he explained my job.

“you have simple things to do. You’re my go to girl, go for this and go for that. You told Helen you were a science geek in school. You can also help read out reports on compounds and other things as well. “ I nodded and he put me to work.

We were served lunch right in the building so I didn’t get to see the others all day. But it was good work and I loved what I was doing.

It was late when I was sent home for the night.

Jess was up waiting for me. Seth was still at the wall and the kids were in bed so it was just her and I in the living room.

She seemed nervous and upset.

“hey jess, how did your day go?” I asked as I took off my shoes at the door.

Jess grabbed my arm and led me outside away from the trailers.

“hey what the..” she turned on me and put her finger to her lips.

I nodded that I understood and we walked away from the trailers.

she stopped and looked around before she began.

“jade there’s something going on here. Something not right. I think the trailers and building are bugged too.” I could hear the fear in her voice. She was scared to death.

“what do you mean?” I asked.

She took a deep breath and began.

“today I had school duty. I met a real nice woman named penny Goodman , another school helper like me. She seemed hollow, broken. So I figured she needed a friend to talk to. So at lunch, I told her how much I liked this place, how you and Seth had found us. She made a remark under her breath like “yeah right, nice place.” then she acted all weird and stuff, started looking around like she done something terrible. All of a sudden, we heard foot steps like someone running and she made me get in the closet. Soldiers came in and asked her where I was. She lied and said I had got mad and went back to my class. They took her jade. They said that LT. Harris warned her not to say anything to us.” Jess was breathing hard and almost in tears from telling me this. I pulled her close and hugged her. We were going to find out. I needed Seth home right now. We headed back to the trailer and went inside.

 

Seth still wasn’t home so I sent her to bed. I stayed up and waited for him. Around 3 in the morning Seth came in the door. He was in full army uniform and for a minute I had to stop and stare at him.

“hey baby, want to go for a walk and be alone?” I asked in my sexiest voice. I needed him away from the trailers like Jess had done to me.

Seth stared at me like I had grown another head. I put my finger to my lips and then pointed to my ears. He nodded and understood me.

“sure baby, let me change my clothes first okay, easier to get out of them then this uniform.” he laughed wickedly.

It only took him a few minutes to change and then we walked towards the back fences where it was more darker.

“what the hell is going on.” Seth demanded.

Seth listened to the story and let me finish before he said anything.

‘ I don’t trust anyone in this camp except you and jess. If you feel there is something wrong, then there’s something wrong. I just don’t know what it is. “ Seth said quietly.

We decided to keep our eye’s more open and watch things a little better from now on. We headed back to the trailer and went to bed.

The next morning Grayson had me shifting through a bunch of reports of blood work. He wanted all blood work on a subject numbered #659 to be put in a file and set on his desk.

Just then my door opened to the office I was working in,

“you ready for lunch?” Rosa levy was a lab tech and had been with Grayson way before the outbreak. She was an heavy set black woman about my mom’s age. She had taken to me at the beginning and had me under her wing so to speak.

“sure if you are.” I said smiling. She nodded back and we headed for the small room away from the labs to eat the lunches that soldiers brought to the labs everyday.

Just as we were finishing up, Grayson came in and stood before me.

“jade we have meetings today so your free to go home. Tomorrow there will be no labs working so you can work something else if you want to or spend the day resting. “ Grayson said and walked back out of the room.

“I wonder what that was about?” I mumbled and Rosa patted my arm .

“its just normal meeting, grunts are not invited, sorry jadey, but at least you get 2 days to do what you want.” Rosa smiled to take the sting out of what happened.

I nodded and went and got my things from the office. I took a minute to shift all the papers in to a neat pile. I didn’t want them all to think I didn’t do my job professionally.

Jess and Sammy were home when I got there. Both were sitting outside under the awning and enjoying a cool glass of tea. It was hot today, middle of summer usually is but today was in the 90’s.

“hey guys, what’s up?” I asked as I sat down next to jess and took a drink from her tea glass.

“nothing, we were sent home today early. No school tomorrow either.” Jess told me.

There must be something going on but I decided not to speak out loud just yet. I wanted to see if Seth had anymore ideals.

We spent the rest of the day hanging outside. As night fell, we made a light dinner and jess and the kids went to bed. It was too hot unless they were under the fan that was in their room. I said goodnight and went back outside to sit. Seth came out of the darkness quietly and at first I was startled, I didn’t see or hear him right away.

“hey.” I said softly.

“hey yourself. Been out here for long?” Seth asked as he took off his army belt and laid his gun on the chair next to him.

“ no not long. Jess and Sammy are sleeping and rain is at a friends down the roll of trailers. “ I said and handed him a beer out of the cooler next to me.

“ I have tomorrow off, I was wondering if you all want to go outside the fence to the lake just north of here. I asked LT Harris if we had permission and he said yes. So what do you think?” Seth asked.

“ oh Seth that sounds wonderful, do you think it will be safe enough?” I asked him. I didn’t want to be in the water and have a deadhead come up on us.

“yes, Lt .Harris gave me use of one of the jeeps to use. It will make getting there quicker and easier.” Seth told me.

Now I was troubled, what was going on that we were being allowed to leave the fences and be out of the way. What was going on? But I knew not to even bring it up. I too believed we were being bugged.

Seth finished his beer and we went inside. I started for my room and Seth followed me without saying a word. We laid on the bed and held each other through the night.

Tomorrow a lot of things had to be figured out.

 

(4)

 

The lake was beautiful, it was some kind of camp ground as near as we could figure, the only building was a bathroom and shower. Tree’s dotted around the lake with picnic tables near by to eat on. A small dock led out in to the water and a floating dock was out in the middle. It was a perfect day as well. Still in the 90’s but not as humid.

LT. Harris even had the kitchen pack us a lunch and we were told to spend the day out here. Seth was allowed to bring his rifle and I had my sword. Jess had a long wicked looking hunting knife as well. We would be okay.

 

We got in to our bathing suites and went swimming for a while, rain and Sammy were screaming and splashing and having a ball.

Jess and I got out while Seth swam to the floating dock.

I quietly told the kids to be a little more quiet. I didn’t want to but deadheads could hear pretty good and was attracted by the sounds.

Seth came back and climbed out of the water and came to sit with us. I handed him a towel and he sat across from me and jess.

“I parked the jeep across from us so the sounds of the kids playing will drown out anything we say. There is something fishy going on at the camp, I don’t know what it is but I have a bad feeling. I think we need to maybe get out of there soon.” Seth said firmly.

Jess and I nodded at the same time, we both had those feeling as well.

“Penny never came back to school. I looked for her but that trailer she said was hers? Its empty.” Jess said quietly next to me, I turned to look at her.

Seth nodded.

“there was a guy on wall duty with me a few nights ago. 2 mp’s came and got him. He’s not been back either.” Seth told us.

I was shocked. If there were people missing, why haven’t anyone been concerned or asking questions?

 

That was easy to answer, because everyone in the camp knew what would happen if they did ask questions. The 5 of us were in the dark for some reason but I had a feeling we were going to find out what was going on sooner then we thought.

 

“lets not go back.” I said looking at the others. “lets just get in the jeep and leave, make our way somewhere else.”

 

I could see the others thinking about it. Then they both looked at the kids. It was hard out here with out the protection of the army. I understood it. I didn’t agree with it.

 

It was getting late when we headed back to the wall. We were checked just like last time and told to go home after we were cleared by the gate people.

Lt. Harris was standing inside the gate with 10 soldiers waiting for us.

“Jade will you come with us please?” Harris said and stepped closer to take my arm.

Seth went to jump in front of me and the soldiers raised their guns at him and jess and the kids.

“private Greene, you will stand down and go to your trailer with miss Jessica and the children. Jade will be fine. We just want to ask her some questions. If you try anything, I will kill you and the others in front of her, do you understand soldier?” Harris was practically yelling in Seth face.

Seth nodded and was taken with the others to the trailer. Harris made me get in to the jeep and I was put in to handcuffs.

I was taken to the labs to a south eastern door I didn’t know had been there. It was dark inside but Harris and the guards seem to know it all well enough that they didn’t need a light. I heard the scrapping of a door opening and a bright light suddenly came on. A small room with a table and 2 chairs were in there. I was put in to one chair and harris sat across from me.

The other soldiers left and closed the door behind them. I was scared to death. Harris laid a Glock pistol down in front of him.

“where is file 654?” he said very quietly.

He was doing this to me and my family over a damn file?

“its in the office I was given to use. Its on the desk.” I replied.

“no, no NO!” he shouted in my face. “its not there, it was searched, so lets try again, where is the file jade!”

I started to sob. “I don’t know, I went to lunch , it was sitting where I left it on the desk!” I shouted back at him. I may be scared right now but I wasn’t going to let this little piss ant bully me.

 

A low beep sounded and Harris got to his feet with a sigh. He left the room and I was left alone. My arms and wrists were aching so bad after 3 hours of being handcuffed to the chair. A click sounded and Grayson stepped in to the room and stood looking at me.

“well my dear, it seems Harris was wrong about you, we caught the thief, it was Rosa. But now that it is taken care of, we now have a new problem, do you know what that is?” Grayson asked as he sat down across from me.

“no I don’t know, please let me go. I just want to go home.” I said plaintively.

“I’m sorry my dear, but we can’t do that. There is too much at stake right now. But you will be a subject for a new trial that may save the rest of mankind. So your life won’t be a total loss. “ he lunged towards me and a needle went in to my neck.

 

The world tilted on its side and everything went black.

 

When I woke, I was tied to a wall next to 5 others, I turned my face to the side as much as I could and saw Rosa tied like I was. Inside the room were a lot of people. Grayson and other lab techs as well as military personal I had never seen. The 5 of us had duck tape over our mouths so we couldn’t scream for help.

“ok gentlemen, my name is Grayson Whitmore. We are about to test virus RT-85. As most of you were informed, RT-84 was released by terrorists 2 ½ months ago, 60 % turned to Deadheads, 30% of the population was killed off right away and remained dead. The remaining 1% are non infected. Us in other words. RT-84 was the United States greatest man made weapon of its time. But there was not a cure of it. RT-85 was made to kill off RT-84 and give protection to the 1% from getting the RT-84 that may still be in our soil or drinking water. So far it has worked with a 40% success rate outside the fences. On human trials, it was much lower. “ Grayson paused here to let it sink in and I was staring at him with horror. That’s where the people had been disappearing to. We were experiment lab rats.

“so we went back to work and made the RT-85 better. On the tests outside the fence, it worked 81%. Tonight we will be injecting these subjects with the RT-84 virus by natural methods. Then we will wait for the change and start the 85 trials. Any questions before we start?” a few hands went up and while Grayson was answering them, a lab tech went around and closed a clear glass wall around us. I, like Rosa and the others tried to struggle free but it was no use.

Everyone in the other room sat and watched as 3 soldiers brought in a deadhead man, it was almost rotted away. The soldiers had a collar around its neck and it was attached to 3 poles. They brought it to Rosa first and let the thing bit her arm. They got to me and I tried to scream as the thing got closer to my shoulder. Its slimy wet mouth closed over my upper arm and bit down. The pain was like nothing I had ever known.

 

Hot fire raced through my veins, I could hear the others trying to scream and struggle, the 3 soldiers went out towing the hideous thing with them. My heart started to beat weirdly and I passed out.

I could hear strange sounds all around me, screaming and shouting, gun fire. It was confusing. I got my eyes opened slowly and saw to my horror, that the others were full deadheads. I saw Seth’s face come in to view but couldn’t make out what he was saying, it kept going in and out of my head.

I heard Grayson yelling something, something like “you can’t take her. She’s the key!’ but I felt myself being carried outside to fresh air and a warm breeze.

 

I could hear more gun fire and moans of the dead. It was close. Screaming was also heard. I wanted to ask what had happened but I just could not keep my eyes open.

I thought I heard Sammy or rain ask if I was okay, I saw Jessie’s face above me and realized I was laying across her lap in a truck. Everything darkened once more.

 

I woke up to bright sunlight. My head was pounding so hard. I tried to put my hand to my forehead and realized I was tied with both hands to a bed frame made out of metal. I started to struggle when a mans soft voice spoke to me.

“It’s okay Jade, we had to tie you in case you turned. How are you feeling?” a mans face came in to view above me, his hair was grey and his eyes a deep hazel. He had a sad but kind face.

“ my head hurts.” I choked out. My throat was so dry.

The man reached over me and cut the ties that held me to the frame. I almost screamed when he eased my arms down to my sides. He held a glass of water and I took a drink, it was cold, colder then I had in a long time. I drank it greedily until he made me stop.

“I’m Doc Willis, I was at your camp but Seth got most of us out of there. Your safe right now. I’ve been giving you fluids but if your feeling up to it later, ill bring you some food. “ the gentle touch of the Docs hand and then it was gone.

I fell asleep again and it was later when I woke to Seth sitting next to me.

“hey “ he said softly.

I smile then frowned. “what happened? Seth, I was bitten.”

“I know baby, I know you were. The bite was infected but we got it cleaned out and sewn up. It will leave a big scar though.” Seth told me as he rubbed my hand on the blanket.

“I didn’t turn.” I made the statement.

“no babe, it seems your immune to the virus that started all this shit.”seth replied and I tried to sit up but got dizzy and passed out once again.

 

It took 5 days before I was able to get up and walk around. My arm felt like I had lost half of it but at least I could move it. My wrists were blue, black and green from bruising but seemed to be okay as well. Seth had gotten away after they took me and opened the gates to deadheads. People in camp were with him and attacked the guards and soldiers and came for me. They took food and trucks and the Doc knew of this place where we were at now, it was called a gated community for the rich. Seth and some of the other guys had went all over to the house’s around here and taken down the garage doors. They chained them together and made our own camp with metal walls for protection.

 

The community was pretty good sized, it had rod iron fencing all around it except for the lake area. This place butted up to a large lake. Besides houses, there was another lone building in the gated community, a club house or community center. There was a large kitchen and dinning area, this would be our new food center. There was about 50 of us here. We all worked together and made things to help us. Down by the lake, there was a metal wall that went in to the lake a ways, it sectioned off an area to wash our clothes in. In the middle of the town was a hand pump that gave clean water. A scientist name Geoffrey had told us all that the virus hadn’t been able to stay alive in the water and it would be safe to drink it. Scouts had went searching nearby areas and had gotten a lot of jugs for water and food and extra things we would need.

The doc and Seth had snuck to a local hospital and gotten drugs and medical supplies we would need. The docs house was made in to a small clinic for the sick. The living room was a waiting area, the 3 bedrooms on the main floor were examination rooms and the kitchen, a drug room where pills and other stuff were kept. . He lived upstairs in the last bedroom.

 

We were set up here and it felt very good. In the back of my mind I worried though, I was immune to the virus, I knew Harris wasn’t going to stop or Grayson, until they had me back. I remember the last thing I heard Grayson say, “I was the key” but like Seth said, we had weapons, and the men to stop harris and any army he had left after the deadheads were let in.

Joanna Morse was a school teacher so with Jess and a few other women, a school of sorts, in one of the empty houses near the center, was made. Roger Hemmingly , our town builder, had found flat black paint and had painted a wall in what used to be a living room. Now they had a black board.

Tables and chairs were found and for the 12 kids in our group? School was back in session.

 

We had found seeds to start a graden in a hardware store, but because it was coming on winter, we would have to wait until spring of the next year. I had to stop thinking about that. It was just starting fall and soon winter would be here. I don’t think anyone thought about that. We would need a way to get the power back on and a way to heat the homes here.

 

Later I found Seth in the center going over a meal planner with the cooks. We had food but not enough to survive all winter, just a few months. We needed to talk about hunting as well. The virus didn’t effect aniamls, no scientist knew why but they were immune.

“ hey Seth. We need to talk , got a second?” I asked as I walked up to him.

“sure, I’ll meet you outside in a minute.” he responded.

I headed back outside and sat at a picnic table that was set up near the door.

 

Seth finally came out, he was all smiles. God I loved him. I didn’t know how he felt but it really wasn’t the time to discuss it either but I knew soon we would have too.

”what’s up?” seth asked and sat down across from me.

 

“well I have been thinking about a few things, I think we need to call a town meeting today. We have to get ready for winter and some other things. “ I told him.

Seth looked thoughtful for a second and then smiled.

“your right, lets get this show on the road now.”

When he got up and started yelling for everyone to meet right here where I was sitting, I almost swallowed my tounge. I thought he would ask me what I meant or we would talk about it , not just jump the gun.

 

A crowd started fileing in towards the center. Word was spreading fast. It took almost 15 minutes for people to get in place faceing the picnic table but it seemed everyone was there.

“its all yours.” Seth said with a smile. I cast a murderus look at him and stood up on the table top to see everyone.

 

I was so nervous I had to clear my throat several times before I could talk. Every pair of eyes were on me and seemed to bore in to my skull. I hated public speaking, that’s why I never took it in school!

 

“hi everyone, my name is jade. We need to start making plans for winter, getting the power back on, finding a way to heat the houses, food. Anything, medical, or whatever that we all can use here. The army is still out there as well and we need to make plans to fight if we need to. Our future depends on us staying on guard.”

Everyone started to nod at what I was saying. Seth agree and took over for me. 2 county workers before the virus knew which grid this community was on, they had an ideal of how to get the power on. Then sme others wanted to be on the search missions for the stuff we would need. Some others wanted to know what I thought we could do about heat.seth handed the top of the table to me to stand on and answer that if I could. Still wanted to beat him for doing it though.

“I thought about wood burners. It would be easy to install them in a house, run a pipe through the wall and bingo, instant heat. Same wih the community center. Some of the houses, like my own, have fieplaces but we all know that will not heat a full house.” I told them.

More people wanted to go look for wood stoves. We all had a game plan and it was going to make things easier here to live when winter came.

We broke for lunch and seth and I took a short walk to my house I shared with him and jess and the kids.

“that was a great ideal. I never thought about any of that to tell the truth. And bringing up the ideal about hunting, I think you made every redneck here think they be in heaven.” I had to laugh, there was 6 guys, all seemed to have a leader named Billy jo. They were a bunch of good ole’ boys but I liked them well enough.

 

We sat out near the porch. The day was warm but not too warm. A gental breeze was blowing in from the lake and it felt good after so many days of scorching weather.

“ do you think we will be able to make it here?” I quietly asked Seth.

“I think we have a better chance then anywhere else. Your ideals this morning was good, keeping fires buring on the ice once the lake freezes will keep deadheads from reaching us, the hunting to feed us and the wood stoves for every house to keep us warm. All great ideals.” Seth replied.

I saw a crew yesterday fixing the gates to better keep out deadheads, steel poles were welded to the gates so a thick bar of steel could be put across it. Deadheads wouldn’t be ables to break through that.

“Seth!” a voice yelled from across the street.

I looked up and saw a guy around my age coming towards us.

“hey marcus, whats up?” Seth yelled back with a smile on his face.

Marcus was once a soldier in harrises army. He had left when we did because of the strange things that had happened there.

“we need you at the kitchen, we have an ideal and want to run it by you.”

Seth looked at me and smiled and touched my hand and then was gone.

I planned on going out alone tomorrow to search for stuff. I didn’t tell seth because I knew he would have been upset, but since I found out I was immune to the virus, I wasn’t afraid anymore like I used to be. Sure those nasty deadheads could still eat me alive but at least if I could fight, I would be okay.

 

That night I slept with no dreams and woke up to bright morning light , feeling wonderful for the first time in months. When you in an end of the world frame of mind, you welcomed anything to keep you busy and free of worry. Today I planned on going out with the other srearchers. I knew seth wouldn’t want me to go but I really wanted to have a part in this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5)

 

The air was warm and moist from the rain the night before. I had left to search about 3 hours ago and hadn’t seen any game so far. I had my pack and sword with me plus 2 knifes. Seth had wanted me to use a gun but I did better with the knives and sword.

 

I had been walking south of the gates when I came to my first house. As I stepped out of the woods, there in the distance was a lone house in the middle of a clear field. It was old, 2 story job that looked like it had been re-done to be seen by aliens from space.

 

Bright gaudy yellow paint was thick on the outer walls. All the trim was done in a bright neon green. In the yard was 20 or more pink famingo’s standing at attention along the path to the front door. I had never seen anything like it before. The strangest thing about it wasn’t the color or the birds, it was the fact that it was clean, there was no body’s outside, no deadheads, no blood or gore splattered on the walls. It was rare to find a house that hadn’t seen the virus spread horror and destruction. This was way to different, it was clean.

The path led right to the front porch, the house loomed over me and I realized it was a three story house. I tried the door handle and it was unlocked. I slowly open the door and knocked loudly to see if any deadheads were around. Quiet greeted me so I entered and shut the door behind me in cas any deadheads were outside.

The house was extremely clean as well. Fancy furniture nestled in the living room and looked like something out of stars and us magazine. A couch and 2 chairs faced a huge fireplace. A stairway the a hallway, I took the hallway and followed it to a bathroom and then the kitchen. It was a clear and clean as well. The kitchen had been painted a bright peach color and the cupboards were stark white. I opened some of them and found canned food, puddings, frostings, babyfood jars, canned meat of some kind, canned corn and beans, it was like a mini super market.

I backtracked to the stairway and started up the thickly covered stairs in a blue colored carpet. Up stairs were 4 closed doors. The first one I opened was a little boys room, trains and planes were the wall paper on the walls. A twin bed and toy boys showed the child had loved this room. Hand drawn pictures showed a woman, man and 3 kids. I wondered if one of the kids was who the room once belonged to.

The second room was done in pink and white and held 2 cribs. A rocking chair was in the middle with a dressing table to change diapers was near the door. Size 3 month clothes were in the clostet.

 

The third room was for a teenager, a male from the look of things, rock posters to a band I barely remembered was all over the walls which were white. A full sized bed was against one wall and a football uniform was hung up with jeans and shirts in the closet. It felt strange to find all this and no people.

The last room was a parents room. Pics of smiling kids and adults were on the walls. A queen sized bed and dessers were the only furniture in the room. Clothes in the clostet showed a man and woman had lived in here.

I stepped out and closed the door. Another stair way led to the third floor. I climbed slowly with my sword at the ready, upstairs was a huge room filled with books and games. Not games you played on a tv or computer, I mean board games. It was a play room of sorts. I searched all the cupboards and only found attic storage of xmas decorations and winter clothes.

I headed back down to the kitchen and used my hunting knife to open a can of butterscotch pudding, which was my favorite. That first bite was like the past slamming in to me, I remember eating some one day when my mom had taken me to the doctors and found out I had strep throat. I was almost tempted to open another can but decided not to. I saw out the kitchen window there was a small barn behind the house.

I went out the back door and found a sight that at first froze me to the ground. The whole family was together at the barn doors, they were arranged in a line on the ground. Another of a man laying a short space to the left of them. As I got closer, the smell was terrible. I knew what had happened. The father had shot his wife and kids then turned it on himself. A note was pinned to the chest of the father but I knew I would not be able to read it, blood and brains covered it.

They had been dead for at least a week.

I went in to the barn and it was empty of anything useful.

I heard a distant moaning and hurried out of the barn, in the field to the west of the house were 6 or 7 deadheads. I went east and soon was lost in the darkness of the trees. Deadheads had a radar to humans, they always showed up when you didn’t want them to. I cut back south to the road.

The sun was beating down on me when I came across a police station. A notice on a board said it was for sale.

 

A brick wall surrounded the place. Steel soild doors made up the gate. I tried the gate handle and they swung open easily. The wall was at least 12 ft high with razor wire over the top. The station must have been a something special for it to be guarded like this. A brick building stood in the middle of the walled grassy area. A path made its way to the front doors and I secured the gates and headed that way. Better to shut the gates so I didn’t walk back out to deadheads.

 

The doors to the building were also steel. The right door to the double doors was unlocked and I held my sword at the ready as I swung it open. It was dark inside. Faint light came from small slit windows near the ceiling.

 

The room was large, a desk was on the right and 2 couches with 2 chairs were on the left. It was a sitting room, a fireplace filled the wall in front of the furniture. A hallway was in between both parts of the room.

 

I stood in the doorway until my eyes adjusted to the gloom. There were light switches near the door and for some reason, I flipped them on, the lights came on! I stepped in and closed the door. The walls were a soft tan with brugany carpeting. The couches and chairs were done in a muted red. The tables a maple wood the desk was the same.

 

I started down the hallway and came to a set of doors that followed the whole length. All the doors were opened and I looked in to bare rooms, this would be a great place to make bedrooms. The light switches worked in those rooms as well. 10 bedrooms, 5 on each wall.

At the end of the hallway, a door was shut.

I opened it and found after turning the lights on that a huge kitchen with many cupboards and tables and chairs filled the room. There was food! Canned and boxed stuff fill the cupboard to the rim. The frig and stove worked and the frig was empty but cold.

In a doorway off the kitchen was a washer and dryer. Another door on the other side was a storage room filled with more food. There was enough to feed about 10 people for about a year.

I stepped back out and took another door that was closed near the kitchen island in the middle of the room. It was a huge school style bathroom with showers, 5 stalls lined the wall and sinks and mirrors lined the other wall. I walked past all that into an archway and found 10 showers ready and waiting for someone to shower, there was a shelf that held shampoo and towels, and bars of sweet smelling soap.

 

I turned on one of the showers and put my hand under the water streams, it was turning warm, then hot within mintues. I found robes of different sizes on that shelf and also deodorant. This was a dream come true. I took off my clothes and stepped in to pure heaven, the water streamed down my body in rivers of warmth and I felt each part of my body relax. Since the outbreak, my hair hadn’t been washed very good, the shampoo felt and smelled so nice. I had to wash it twice to make sure it was clean.

 

I turned off the water when it started to get cold and put on a robe of white. Taking my clothes to the washer and dryer, I quickly put them in and started the load. Everything worked. This place was perfect. I didn’t mind the gated community but didn’t really feel safe there. The lake was a big problem, when it froze this winter, it would allow the deadheads to walk across and end up in our back yards. More peple had arrived from the army compound and it was getting crowded.

 

This place was going to be a secret. I found keys to the gate and front doors, I would lock it up and go back to Seth. If he agreed, we would invite a few trusted friends and come here and start our lives over the way we wanted to. I shut off the lights after my clothes were done and I put them back on. It was time to head becak to the community.

 

I walked back towards the farm and then headed north. I had to walk slow and be careful, there were deadheads still walking around the farm house but they never got wind of me. Seth and marcus were at the gate when I got back.

“I was starting to get worried. We have a problem, billy jo and his boys want to have a vote to see who is leader here.” Seth said grimly.

“but you’re the leader right now. Why is he doing this now?” I asked as I walked in the gate and watched marcus shut and lock it.

“said he thinks he can do a better job here then I can.” Seth replied.

That was bullshit, if anyone could get this place organized, it was seth.

 

Later that night after all scouts got back, billy jo did indeeed call for a vote. He lost 100%. Seth was still in charge.

I didn’t tell seth or anyone else about the station, I didn’t know why but wanted to keep it a secret for a while more.

 

I sat on the front porch and watched the lighting and thick storm clouds move closer. We were in for a bad thunder storm. I wished we had electricity, but so far the guys hadn’t figured out how to get it back on.

 

I went inside and light the three oil lamps in the sparse kitchen and sat down at the table. I picked up a book I had taken from the living room and started to read. The people who had owned this house before the virus, had been advid readers. That was great to me because their tastes were close to mine, stephen king, dean koontz, and many other horror writers filled the shelves in the living room. All favorites of mine.

 

The thunder boomed often and loudly as the storm came over our little town. Lighting flashed and lit up the darkest corners of the room for sheer seconds only to repeat it again and again.

 

A shadow passed by my back window and startled me. I jumped to my feet and tried to see outside. At first I couldn’t see anything and then a bright flash happened that lit up the whole yard.

Deadheads!!!

They were all over the yards. I ran to get my sword and ran for the door but a body was standing there.

“well well, if it isn’t little miss immune.” Doctor Graysons lab tech named Jeff Roberts said from the doorway of my front door.

 

I stood there in fear while he laughed and something came over me. The big picture had finally hit me hard, these maniacs had cut the gate locks and let in hundreds of deadheads so they could come and get me. Since the living room was dark, I knew I had the advantage, he didn’t know my sword was near the couch. I had to keep him busy so I could get it.

“what do you want asshole.” I said as I stepped closer to the couch.

“ why you of course. Harris will give me whatever I want if I bring you back alive.” Jeff smiled evilly when he said it to me.

I had to shiver but held my ground. Jeff took a step closer to me and I lunged for my sword.

“stop!” he yelled but it was too late. I grabbed the sword and swung it at his head. It connected with a jerk and Jeff’s head was rolling across the carpet. I was out the door before the body fell. Deadheads were everywhere. In the loud rain and storm sounds, I could make out screaming all around me.

 

Jess and the kids house was next door to me and I hurried there. As I rounded the corner of the house, I found Seth just getting done with killing a soldier. Jess and sam and rain stood on the porch with marcus.

“common, I know of a safe place, we have to get out of here.” I yelled to be heard over the rain and moans of the dead.

We went off the porch and headed for the broken gates that laid open. Doc willis was there and I grabbed his arm.

“come with us, I know of a safe place. This is done for.” I yelled in his ear.

Doc willis nodded and we hurried in to the woods.

As we hurried away, we could still hear the screams of the people we knew, part of us wanted to rush back and fight but I knew by now we would be out numbered. We kept going south away from the community.

 

We took a break at the farm house because the kids were tired. We went in to the barn to get out of the rain. I noticed marcus had a large bag filled with guns and ammo.

“you were prepared.” I stated.

“I grabbed them out of Harris’s jeep before I went to find Seth.” marcus explained.

“harris was there?” I asked fearfully.

“yes but didn’t plan on fighting so many deadheads.”

I nodded but then had to ask. “where did all the deadheads come from?”

It was seth who answered me.

“harris brought 6 jeeps full of men with him to take over the community, he made too much noise and brought the deadheads right in to the gates after he cut them. They tried to fight them but the rain made it hard to see them and they were attacked, our people saw what was happening and some took off. Most stayed to fight and were killed.”

 

 

 

 

 

(6)

 

It was almost dawn when I lead the weary travelers through the steel gates. I made sure to lock them tight and headed for the doors to the buildings. I could see everyone looking around in awe. Just wait until they see the lights. And the hot water showers.

I was just about to unlock the front doors when one of them swung open and in the doorway stood the biggest man I had ever seen. Long grey hair was pulled into a braid down his back, his face was covered in a grey beard that reached mid chest. His eyes were kind though, and his mouth was smiling.

He was wearing deer skin coat and boots.

“come in, welcome back Jade.”

I lifted my sword at him and stood my ground.

“how do you know my name?” I asked in a firm voice.

“My dear, I know everything about you. Your fathers name is walt, your mothers name is Jane. Your best friend was Emily and you are immune to the RT-84 Virus. Did I miss anything else?”

I didn’t know what to say or do. But seth decided for me, he stepped around the man and brought everyone in to the building. I stepped in after the bear of a guy and shut and locked the door behind me.

 

“my name is Grizzly, I set up beds and stuff to make this a home for now. I broke in to the bed bath and beyond place plus the art van down the road about 20 miles. Hope this is all okay for you guys.” the man named Grizzly stated.

The living room area had been changed, the desk was now gone and a large tv with a few popular game consols were in place.

The bedrooms now had full sized beds in them with dressers. Along the hall wall, there were plastic tubs with sizes of the cloths inside. He lead us to the kitchen where a pot of spagetti was waiting for us to eat. The table was set with plates and drinking glasses.

“lets get you all fed and I’ll explain things after you eeat and take a shower okay?”

Everyone nodded but I could tell they were still in shock because of the food, electricity and the guy himself. Shit I was in shock that this huge man knew my mom and dad.

We all ate hungerly and finshed in no time. He had us find fresh clothes from the tubs and go take a shower. I could hear the sighs of satisfaction as we washed. We all showered at the same time, the guys faced the right wall and us girls faced the left. There wasn’t any modesty anymore in the world. You did what you had to do to make it in the world as it was.

 

When we were finished, we all gathered in the living room area. Grizzly had taken off his deer skin coat to reveal broad shoulders wearing a black tee shirt and heavy black jeans. He really was built like a mac truck.

 

“ ok exactly 5 months ago, a government lab lost a virus named RT-84. Jades father and mother were the lead scientists on that project. A vascination was made to protect people from the virus but was never allowed to be administered to the public. But it didn‘t matter anyway, the virus changed and now there isn‘t any protection from a bite, but there is a shot I have to give you that will keep you healthier now that food is scarce.. When things went to shit in a hand basket, we all took to the base under ground. Our family’s were left behind. Now this LT. Harris is one of many that took the virus and released it in the first place. They want to take over the world. What better way then to kill off everyone and anything in their way, bad thing was, they didn’t know the virus would turn people into the walking dead I can’t stay with you all. I have other survivors to help. But I got you started here. The electric is from a wind turbine not to far from here. Everything is electric. The switch on the wall right here, is to electrify those fences from deadheads and assholes alike.” grizzly said as he pointed to a switch panel I didn’t notice before near the tv.

 

We all nodded and he began the shots for everyone else. We all knew we could still die from deadheads, they could eat us alive. but with the high vitamin shot, we would be strong enough to fight them off better. Afterwards we all picked out bedrooms and headed off to bed except me. I had more to ask.

“Grizzly, what happened to my mom and dad?” I asked him

“as far as I know, they are in a bunker under ground. Sorry jade that I don’t have any more info then that. Just stay safe until we can find a way to kill these things. Okay?”

I nodded. There was more then just deadheads to worry about, the LT harris and his wacko army was still at large somewhere.

It also was strange that I found this place, a place this grizzly had set up for us to protect us. But I wasn’t going to worry about that right now. It was time to take charge. Grizzly told the others that he was leaving me and seth in charge until he got back.

 

I went to sleep that night with hope in my heart for the first time.

 

It was easy to loose track of days and even weeks when you lived like we had to. Our first snow fall was heavy, 6 inches the first day. The station had a heating system that we couldn’t see, it was all electric but was warm and comfy in there. We found out that our water supply came from deep under ground and was safe to drink. Jess took over the kitchen duties and cooked all the meals for the group. Rain and Sammy still had school and jess taught them while she did the cooking. Marcus and the Doc made a trip to a town and found drugs and medical supplies we could use so now we had a make shift clinic in the storage room.

I had taken off this morning in the light rain that was falling to search my old hometown. I don’t know why I had to do this but seth didn’t argue, he found a truck with fuel in it and drove me to my house. Nothing in town had changed, there still was dead bodies, blood and gore, still nothingness. It was heartbreaking but no different then the other towns or citys I had been to.

At my house, a deadhead was on the porch and seth quickly took it out. Emily’s body was gone and so was Mr. Rogers. That kind of freaked me out. I hurried up the stairs with seth right behind me. I went to my parents room first. I had never knew the true story behind my parents always going away. I needed, no I wanted to see if there was anything in their room to tell me more. But after searching, I found nothing of use.

 

My room held a lot of things that meant something to me, I know it was stupid to worry about it now but I wanted my pictures, my special things that my parents got me for my new room. I needed to have something that would always remind me of who I was before the virus, not who I am now. Seth seemed to understand that. We gathered up stuff and took it out to the truck. It was only a few boxes and some bags of my own clothes but it was a piece of me that I needed to have.

 

When we got back. I stayed in my room for the rest of the night, seth brought me a tray of food and left me alone. I unpacked my boxes and put away my clothes. It was a vase that was my favorite that held a place of honor on my dresser, that made me feel finally at home. It was red, green and black blown glass. My mom had brought it back from Russia when I was 10. Tho now that I knew what really she and dad had been up too, maybe they never had left the country.

Being in my room let me decide what I wanted to do. I really do love Seth but until I can find out what really happened, I didn’t want to stay here. I needed to find out what happened to my parents, were they still alive? Were they really underground at a base somewhere south of us? I needed to know.

 

It was time to call a meeting.

 

“No!!!!” Jessy’s voice rang above the others protests in the living room.

“this is something I have to do. I will be back. You all are safe here, we know I can’t get the virus, ill be okay. I want you all to get this place up and running better while I am gone.” I replied while looking at each and every one of them.

Seth was quiet while I talked.

“I don’t agree with you on this jade, but I’m not your boss either, we’ll hold the fort down here, do what you have to do, but please come back safe.”

Everyone looked at Seth in shock. They all figured he would stop me.

I nodded and the meeting broke up afterwards.

Later my door opened to my room and seth stepped in.

“I know I can’t talk you out of this, but I do want you to take a gun with you and some ammo.”

“Seth I know your worried but this is something I have to do. My parents are the key to everything. I want to show you something. “ I said as I got up and went to my dresser. I picked up the vase and smashed it on the floor.

Inside was a small folded paper.

“I saw this vase has a fake bottom, this is a map. I think its where my parents are.” I said , holding out the map to him.

Seth took it and smoothed out the wrinkled edges. It was a map of the game reserve almost 120 miles from us. A red circle was drawn in the south east part of it with my mom’s wirting.

Baby, if you have found this, I need you to head here. Hopefully Grizzly has found you and got you set up in the base camp. Please be careful. I love you.

“I’m leaving in the morning Seth.” I said finally. Seth nodded and left my room.

I knew he was upset but at least he wasn’t showing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7)

 

I had been on the road for a few days. My pack was heavy on my back but I was used to it. MRE’s and bottled water, a change of clothes, some ammo for the pistol in my belt and my sword in my left hand. I also carried 2 hunting knives at my side. I followed a secondary road so I hadn’t seen that many deadheads. I had killed 2 that morning but since then I hadn’t seen any close.

I found a huge shade tree at the edge of the road and decided to stop for lunch.

It was quiet here. The sounds of bugs and bird filled the quiet but it was strange not to hear cars or people from the houses I had pasted along the way. I was just finishing an MRE of mystery meat stew which wasn’t half bad when I heard the first moaning sounds of many deadheads coming my way from the road. I had to get out of here.

 

I took off in to the woods on the right side of the road and ran for all I had. From the sound of the moans, there had to be a huge horde coming my way. Deeper in the woods I came across a hunting blind in a huge oak. I quickly climbed up and sat in a corner and kept quiet.

 

I looked down between 2 boards that had a space and watched the horde move slowly by. Their gray skin, black bile blood and the horrible smell almost had me gagging but I kept quiet and swallowed it down. The cold air was getting colder and I worried I would freeze to death if I didn’t get somewhere warmer soon.

 

It seemed like hours before it was all quiet again in the woods, my hands were numb and my face felt frozen. I climbed back down and headed back the way I had come.

An inch or more had already fallen sine I was in that tree blind. I was so cold. I was shivering so much my teeth were rattling.

I hit the road and kept going the way the map told me to. I knew I was already in the area my mother had put on the map, I just had to find the lake. I was so cold. So very cold. I was so tired. My legs felt like a hundred pounds, my hands and feet were numb, my face numb. I kept falling down, after falling down for the 10th time, I just laid there in the faling snow and cold. I was just too tired to get up anymore. The last thing I remembered was the sound of a jeep when everything went dark.

 

I woke up realizing I was slung over some guys shoulder. I felt like hell and was still cold but warming up quickly because of a blanket wrapped around me.

When I heard my mothers voice, I almost flipped over the guys shoulder in my haste to look up to see if it was really her.

“hi baby.” my mom’s beautiful face came into view.

“just relax, we’re almost to the elevators. Grizzly will put you down in a minute.” mom said from behind grizzly.

“yeah light weight, if we hadn’t been out looking for some supplies at a local hospital, we would never of seen you and you’d be dead.” Grizzy’s rough voice said as he carried me in to an elevator.

I almost through up on his back when the elevator started to move, the motion made me get dizzy. It seemed we went down for a long time. I must of passed out again, because when I woke up again, I was in bed in a room with soft tan walls. It was small , like a single hospital room. An iv hung from a pole at my bedside. I felt weak but better. I was warm.

The door opened and there stood my dad.

“hey honey. How you feeling? Think you can eat?” dad asked as he walked towards me to set a tray of food next to my bed.

I nodded because I knew I couldn’t speak right now. I didn’t expect to find both of my parents alive. Maybe one of them but not both. My dad pulled up a chair and sat down next to me and took my hand.

“why didn’t you stay at the station honey?”

 

“why did you and mom lie to me all these years.” I asked right back. They were going to learn that I wasn’t the same person I used to be. I guess fighting zombies all the time can do that to someone.

“ I didn’t want to not tell you honey, we had too. Your mom and I worked in this lab way before you were born. We were told to keep it a secret for the safety of our family and friends. We had no choice.” My dad explained. He looked tired and worn out. Dark circles were under his eyes and his handsome face was haggard.

“Dad, what happened?” I asked as I sat up against the pillows behind my head.

“eat and ill explain it okay?”

I nodded and dug in to my breakfast of eggs and toast.

“Your mother and I stumbled on to the RT-84 virus. It was an air born virus that killed the lab rabbits so fast there wasn’t time to even record the first tests. It was unstable and as we worked with it in the early stages, we realized that it could mutate. We sent our findings to the milarty because this virus was going to be a weapon against our enemy’s. your mother and I felt this was not stable enough to be used. The government wouldn’t listen to us so we were given lots of money and help to figure out how to make it better. We were told to test it again. We used lab rabbits again and all died right away except for rabbit 65. It got sick but lived. We started to find out why. During a routine blood test on the animal. It bit your mom in the hand. She didn’t know at that time she was carrying you. The rabbit died the next day and the project was terminated due t the virus mutating. It was put in to a cold storage place and forgotten about. Your mom had you 9 months later, we did tests on you to make sure you were okay. Everything showed you were fine. We went on with our lives. 3 months ago, a group of people known as freedom USA, broke in to the storage facility and took the virus. They released it in to the air and the infection spread. Except in storage the virus had mutated in to something we had never seen before. It cause dead flesh to come alive again and attack anything that moved. We were sent back to the labs to try to find a cure. We heard from a soldier spy in Lt. Harris’s camp that you were bitten but survived. Somehow when your mom was bitten with the original virus, you received an immunity to the one we are dealing with now.” my dad sat back in the chair tiredly and looked at me. I sat there in stunned silence to absorb all that he told me. LT haris and Grayson was telling the truth, I might be the key to this whole thing. I said as much to my father.

 

“you might be right honey, but Lt Harris wants the cure or immunity from you to protect his own people, the freedom USA fighters. Not share it with anyone who is still alive and fighting to stay that way.”

Just then my mom came in to the room and we hugged and I cried. This was so much for me to take in. My parents wanted me to rest some more so they left me to sleep. My mind wouldn’t shut down. I was so normal once upon a time, went to school, had friends, hoped to get a boyfirend, now I could very well be the only person that could stop others from getting infected. It was a lot to deal with.

I fell asleep with thoughts of Seth and the others at the station and wondered if they were okay.

In the morning, I let my mom take some blood samples from me and my dad to make me breakfast. I had missed them so much. They showed off their labs and all the things they were doing. It was the last lab that had me cry out in fear, there chained to a wall was a deadhead child of about 12. It was a male, naked except for dingy underware, its bones shown through the things thin skin. It was aweful to see. Mucus and old black blood was running out of its mouth in a thin line and dripped off its chin. I knew this walker. It was one of the roger’s kids who Emily and I were going to watch the day after the virus hit our town of Haven.

 

My father walked up behind me.

“dad what is this doing here?”

“we are doing an experiment. We don’t know how this virus works fully. In fact we don’t understand how they can be dead but still move and kill people.” my father explained.

I still didn’t like it, they were using children because thy thought they were safer to handle. No deadhead, no matter how big or small, was dangerous. They weren’t people anymore.

 

I spent the rest of the week helping out in the labs while grizzly left again to spread the word to the other compounds. LT. Harris was still alive and making trouble all over. Killing anything or anyone that got in his way.

 

My mom kept a calender on the wall and everyday since the first day of the outbreak was marked off in red. If the days were correct, my 18th birthday was tomorrow. Since all this had happened, I realized my parents had never had time for me, when I was younger, they left me with family and friends, when I turned 13, they deicded I could stay by myself . I always hated that they went on trips and saw different places, now I realized they were in a lab somewhere, creating things that could wipe us off the face of the earth and the last thing they made nearly did. It had been 5 months since the outbreak and over a billion people were dead or turned this very minute. My parents did this. When I was younger I always thought they were awesome like super hero’s, their cover story to me was they helped other countries with finding water or food so babies weren’t starving anymore. Xmas and birhtdays wre forgotten and then weeks later a gift would arrive in the mail.

I wanted to go home, to the station where I had people that loved me and cared for me and who I could protect. My parents had already taken enough blood from me to figure out why I was immune. They didn’t need me here where I was usless.

Of course they tried to talk me out of leaving. But I just couldn’t stay, it was a Wednesday so I told hem I would leave on Friday.

The morning of my birthday dawned bright with new ideals and thoughts about going home. The station was safe from deadheads, the electric steel walls kept them off the wall and they couldn’t break through the fencing, but if Lt. Harris came with his army, we could be doomed, I had a few ideals on how to stop him but wanted to talk to seth about them.

God I missed Seth. Somehow he always made everything seem possible.

 

At breakfast I was surprised to see my parents at the table. As I sat down I could see both of them seemed excited and for a moment I was hopeful they had remembered my birthday.

“jade we have good news! We may of found the compund in your blood that made you immune.” my mother said with a huge smile on her face.

I nodded.

“that is great news mom, I was going to stay until tomorrow but I am leaving after breakfast is done, I need to get back and talk to the others.”

I piled food on to my plate and started to eat. It had took a few days to get here so I wanted a full stomache to get back on the road with. Sometimes you couldn’t eat a meal on the road with the deadheads around, all you could do is run and hide.

My parents didn’t really hear me because they were still talking about the blood I had donated to them.

After I finshed my meal I stood up and faced them. My parents must of knew I meant business because they stopped talking and looked at me.

 

“good luck, I really do hope you find a cure for this, since its my birthday it seems fitting to find a cure for all those poor souls that might be turned because of a virus you both made.” I said this harshly. My mothers face paled and my father looked down. I don’t know if it was because they forgot another birthday or that what I said hit home hard. I turned and walked away to my room to pack my stuff to leave.

I left and never saw my parents. They didn’t follow me to ask to be forgiven and I really didn’t care. Their world was in a lab, mine was outside in the hell they had made.

 

I had walked most of the day when I came upon 3 walkers in the road ahead of me. A lone human was walking up behind them and at first I thought it was another deadhead until it waved at me. She was covered from head to toe in blood from a deadhead, it was black and foul smelling. The other walkers didn’t even turn around and she stabbed each one in the head and watched as they fell to the ground and didn’t move. It was amazing.

 

“hi, how are you?” she asked and walked closer to me. The smell was horrendous, blood and gore covered her in a hick coating and I couldn’t tell even what color her hair was.

“my name is jade, how did you figure out to do this, the deadheads didn’t even smell or see you like they do us.”

“I’m Sara. To answer your question, a few months ago I was fighting a walker, more then 50 were coming at me from across a field. The walker was newly turned and as I stabbed it, its blood sprayed all over me. I was litterly bathed in the shit. I got sick, was bent over throwing up when something hit me from behind, a deadhead walked right into me and then walked past. I walked through them with my knife ready but they didn’t see me. So I do this when I want to go out and find food or whatever, it lasts 2 days before you have to do it again. “

So we put our hands in to one of the deadheads and coated me all over, she was right, the smell of rotted flesh was making me sick but afer a while you got used to it.

She decided to come with me to the station after I told her we had food and a safe place to sleep.

 

It was nice to have someone with me on the long walk home. She was a year younger then me but we liked the same music and guys. I told her about everyone at the station and she wanted to meet marcus really bad. It was warmer, a lot better then the walk here so besides being a little cold, we enjoyed our walk.

I stopped suddenly in the road.

“whats wrong?” sara asked.

I pointed up ahead and she saw them. A huge horde was walking towards us. I took out my sword and she put a hand on my arm.

“you can leave it out if it makes you feel any better but jade, they can’t see or smell us, we are safe. We are going to walk riht past them.”

 

I nodded but was scared to death. The horde got closer and I knew not to talk. They shuffled up to us and then wet past like we were not there. She was right, they didn’t see or smell me. We moved to the side so I wouldn’t have to brush up against them and walked forward at a slow pace. Soon they were long behind us and it was safe to talk again in whispers.

“that was amazing, I can’t wait to show the others. This makes us safe.” I said to sara happily.

“well it does until it rains.” sara repided with a sad look on her face.

She saw my questioning look.

“yeah I lost a good friend, we were out hunting for food and it started to rain, I got in a house and didn’t get wet, she did. I held there and watched a horde the size of what we just passed , rip her to pieces in front of me and there was nothing I could do. “

 

I stared at her in horror. That had to be the hardest thing to ever see and not be able to do nothing. We were quiet after that and kept walking.

 

It was getting late so we picked out a house in a subdivision and laid down to rest. The blood and gore was uncomfortable and we felt sticky but it was worth it if it kepts us safe and from being eaten.

 

The next day it was more of the sme, sometimes we passed deadheads, not a big horde but still enough od a pack to kill is if we were discovered. When it got dark, we still walked. The station was only a few miles away and I wanted to get there and get a shower. As we neared the darkened compound, a bright light suddenly turned on from the wall and I was blinded.

“its me jade, don’t shoot.!” I screamed towards the light.

“jade???” The Doc’s voice cut across to us.

“yeah let us in.”

The gates swung open and seth was there to greet me. He stopped walking and stared at me. I realized he saw the blood and gore all over us.

“its okay, ill tell you about it after I shower.” I laughed.

We were taken to the back of the building and washed with a hose to get most of the blood off of us. The water was cold as hell but the stuff did rinse away easily.

We went to the shower room right away and took off our clothes. In to a trash bag they went to be burned later. The hot water felt wonderful and I could see that in 5 months of walking around, sara had not known such heaven.

Jess brought me some clothes from my room for sara and I. we had washed 3 times to make sure all the deadhead shit was off of us.

 

I took Sara to the kitchen so we could eat a hot meal. a woman was standing at the stove, cooking hamburgers.

She turned around when she heard us enter the room .

“hey guys, I am making hamburgers and French fries for dinner. Be ready in a minute, go sit in the dinning room and we’ll be bring it out to you.”

I nodded and took saras arm. I didn’t know who that woman was but the smell from the kitchen was heavenly.

Everyone was at the table.

I sat down near seth and Sara sat next to marcus and jess.

“who’s the new cook?” I asked.

“her name is maggie, she was found by doc in an old apartment building west of us. Great shot with a rifle.” Seth told me with a smile.

Maggie brought out the food and we ate in silence.

Afterwards we went to the living room and I told the group why we had shown up covered in deadhead gore.

 

“wow that should help us if we are ever attacked outside the gates. They wouldn’t get us and we could still fight harris or whoever we run across. The deadheads will attck them and we can get away just fine.” jess said.

We hung out with the group until late and everyone said goodnight after jess said she would take Sara to an empty room that would be hers.

As I opened my door, I found a surprise inside, on my bed was a package wrapped in red with a green bow. A banner across my wall said “happy birthday.” it had everyones name on it and it brought tears to my eyes.

I sat down quietly and opened the package. Inside was a CD player with CD’s of my favorite music. I plugged it in and put on a cd of soft music. Seth came in and offered a hand to me and I stood up to dance. We held each other and I knew I was finally able to relax and enjoy my new life. The good and the bad.

 

Living at the station was great but sometimes borning, when spring finally hit with warm temps and spring flowers, I wanted to go outside in the yard and do something.

“hey jess, want to go out and help me plan some gardens?” I asked at breakfast.

“sorry jade, I have school with the kids, wwhy not ask maggie, shes got a green thumb.” jess pointed at maggie.

Maggie laughed.

“well I would say just a finger but ill help you.” maggie said as she got up to take her dishes to the kitchen.

 

The sun was warm on my face as I tilted my head back and looked up. The wall gave me piece of mind. I left my sword in the station. The yard was wide and mostly dirt because the shod was never put down. The rolls were still near the wall in the back. Maggie came out and we got shovels and started to dig up the earth in sections .

 

We worked all afternoon, taking a small break for lunch and then going right back to it but with marcus and seth helping. As the day wore on, maggie went inside taking the boys with her to start dinner. I didn’t mind, the hard part was done, now all I had to do was plant the seeds I had kept from the compound and we would have fresh food from our own garden.

The moaning had gotten louder as the day wore on, I climbed the small rise and looked over the wall. About 20 deadheads were lined up near the gates. Seth told me every morning they climbed the wall, him and marcus had a shoot fest until the deadheads were all dead and then burned them away from the wall. But they kept coming, everyday there were more and more.

 

The spring storms started the next day. Durning the night I was woken to loud booming thunder and flashes of bright light. The station was dark, everyone was in bed , as I went to the kitche and got a cup of coffee. I had started to enjoy it once I figured out it helped keeep you awake during watch.

I pulled a chair to the front door and opened it to sit in the doorway and watch the rain fall in a heavy curtain. It was the most amazing sound because it reminded me of Emily and how when we were kids we would play out in the rain until after dark.

“ jade? Can I sit with you?” Sams small voice said behind me.

“sure buddy, grab you a chair.” I replied and sam went running off to the kitchen to do just that. I I moved me chair over and made some more room for him. We sat there in silence for a long time before he spoke again.

“when I was in the basement, I knew my parents were dead. I was so scared. But then you and seth cme and got me. Do you think there is anymore kids like me out there jade?”

I had to think before I said what I really thought, I didn’t need Sam to have nightmares.

“I don’t know bub, but I hope they were saved by people like us. “ I replied and sam nodded and laid his head against my side.

After sam went to sleep I took him to his room and laid him in his bed. I went back out to the chairs and watched the early morning light begin to rise over the trees .

I didn’t know how many kids were killed or still out there. It hurt to think of all the babies that would have been left in cribs for the dead to kill and eat. I shuddered to think of this.

When I heard the rest getting up and around for the day, I took the chairs back after locking the doors.

A few of the adults and rain was ill in the morning with something not seen by our Doc. Red splotches and high fevers made our crew very ill.

“jade we are going to need IV fluids, meds for the infection and pain meds. Seth and I had already cleared out what was left of the hospitl in the next town, we need you to go to the CDC outpost that was at the Capital. Hopefully they still have what we need there. I’ll make you a list. “

I nodded and went to see seth.

The room was dim and I could just make out his body under the sheets on his bed.

“hey” he groaned when I sat down in the chair near him. I couldn’t touch him because it was so contagious.

“hey yourself. I’m heading out soom to get some meds. Want me to pick you up something?” I asked with a smile on my face, didn’t want him to see I was scared, I was heading for a city and we all had saw what the virus did there with the dead. It was always over run.

“who’s going with you?” Seth asked.

“no one seth, everyone, including the doc has this. Except for me, I guess I found something else I am immune to.” I smiled to ease the humor. Nothing about this was funny and I didn’t wat to upset Seth anymore then I had to.

 

I set out the next day , early in the morning, I carried my small pack and my sword and a knife and a small pistol. I had to find this cdc place and then get all the stuff we would need. Then find a vehical to get back to the station with that would have gas in it.

 

There was 6 deadheads at the fences and I had to take them out once I got out of the gates. I didn’t have time to move the bodys so I left them there and headed to the west with the map doc had drawn me this morning.

It should take 2 days walking to get there, 2 days back. One day if I found a car. It was a plan but hopefully I would have no trouble getting there.

 

I cut in to the woods and fields, it would save me some time if I stayed off the roads. It rained as I made my way ver rocky and uneven fields. It was slow going in the fading light and found a farm house in the middle of nowhere to spend the night. With deadheads around it was crazy to try to walk around in the dark.

It was a mess. Insdie was old blood and gore from a major fight. One deadhead was left alive but the flesh had almost rotted away from its thin body.

I locked my self in a upper room and went to sleep.

 

I came out on to a road the next day after leaving the farm house and making my way more to the north. The road was on the map and I needd to get back to the road so I wouldn’t miss the CDC outpost.

As I neared the outpost mid-afternoon, I stopped and stared. Newly turned deadheads and older ones were stumbling around inside a torn down fence. There were maybe 50 of them. I needed to do the trick with the deadhead gore and blood if I was to get past them in to the tents that were all around the capital building.

I ducked in to the trees and grabbed some rocks. A deadhead closer to the torn fence was a newbie, the soldier uniform had a few rips in it from being attacked and bitten. I didn’t want to fight a newbie. So I waited until an older one stumbled near the gate. I threw a rock and it hit it in it’s shoulder. I ducked down when It turned its rummy eyes my way.

I got ready when It started my way. I had to be quiet so I didn’t get the rest of them coming my way.

It came slowly, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, the body was almost all gone except for bones and tissues holding it together. The smell was aweful.

I used my knife and came behind it and stabbed downward. It dropped like a ton of bricks and I dragged it away in to the tree line.

Smearing this crap all over me wasn’t easy but I knew it would work. As long as the rain didn’t start back up that is. I gripped my sword and made it out to the road when I got finished. No deadheads even turned my way. So far so good.

I found a shopping cart with duffle bags in them. I took 3 and headed in to the tents and found a lot fo whast I needed in the first three. There were no meds on the list there and I searched the rest with no luck. I went to the capital building and went inside. There were a few deadhads walking around but nothing like outside.

 

In an office in the back, the CDC had made a temporary medical place and inside I found all the meds on the list plus some others I didn’t understand. All three bags were loaded and across my back. It was heavy but I was strong.

I made my way out the door and rain came down suddenly in a torrent.

The blood washed off in a second and I suddenly knew I was in trouble, deadheads stopped still and slowly turned towards me, the moans started as they came at me from all sides.

I took up my sword. I started slashing left and right trying to make my way through the deadheads in my way.

I suddenly screamed as a mouth bit down on my back and I could feel the flesh tear away. More grabbed me and I was pulled to the ground, mouths were on me and the pain was incredible. I fought as much as I could. Blood flowed from my body in a thick river and I thought I was a goner. Shots rang out and deadheads laid still over me. More shots came from somewhere over my head to the right of body. A hand grabbed mine and pulled me to my feet,

“we’ve got to run!!!! Now!!!!!” Grayson’s voice yelled in my face. He looked like a wild man. I could barely stand but knew if they got me to the ground this time, I would be dead for sure.

As I turned to run the other way, LT Harris was standing there. Or at elast what was left of him. Blood covered his shirt and pants and his intestines were dragging the ground. I jerked away from Grayson and swung my sword and watched as Harris’s head rolled away. Good got the bastard.

I was dragged to a jeep I hadn’t seen before and shoved in the seat. It started as deadheads came closer but Grayson got us away from there in short order.

 

I copuld barely keep from passing out but managed to tell Grayson how to get to the station. I had my arms around the 3 bags and held them to my body, I wasn’t about to let them out of my sight.

 

I heard yelling as we pulled to the gates, it was grayson because of more deadheads surrounding the walls to the station but he was able to get us through and safetly inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8)

 

I woke a few days later. The man leaning over me changing my bandages was not Grayson, it was a man who looked like him.

“hello so your awake, so you are immune. I was wondering becaue you never turned.”

I tried to sit up but dizziness made me lay back.

“yes I’m immune, who are you?” I asked him.

“Name is Rob. I went to the CDC to see if my brother tim was there. Your people here were really sick, all of them but I administered the meds and did iv’s and they are all getting better. Ready to eat something?” rob asked me as he checked the iv on a pole next to my bed.

I could see he didn’t look like Grayson as much as I first thought, but I wasn’t ready to trust him as much as he wanted me to.

“I think I can. But just give me a can of something and I’ll open it okay?” Rob gave me a small smile and left to get me something from th kitchen.

He was back quickly and gave me a container of crackers and a can of potted meat. Rob left to check on the others and I ate what I could handle and fell back to sleep.

 

A few days later we were all up. It was good to see everyone again. Sara was a lot better then anyone else because she had caught it last. The doc was on his feet and seth was doing okay. Maggie was still in bed but the kids acted like they had never gotten it. Jess had hollowed eyes and a sunken face from it but seemed to be in good spirits.

Rob figured the virus we had gotten was just a regular flu strain that had mutated. That was scary because what else was floating out there?

Rob was still taking care of us all and I grew to like him. Not full trust mind you but it was on its way.

Rob had taken the last room in the hall and it was okay with me, he was next to the doc. He seemed to have some medical knowledge so doc had him help him with the rest of the ones that was still sick.

Maggie was doing good enough to get back to her kitchen so we let her. The deadheads had grown in size at the gates and we had taken turns to get rid of them. I was on the wall with jess and seth that morning.

“we have to burn them, its going to be bad. Might need a truck to move all the bodies away from the station.” seth said while taking aim at another deadhead.we had been shooting all morning and it seemed they were still coming towards the walls.

I nodded and took aim myself. I liked my sword better then a gun but shooting from the safety of the wall was better when you had a horde of a hundred or more deadheads trying to eat you from the ground.

By lat afternoon we three sat on the wall and kept watch, it had been a few hours since the last deadhead had fell. So far no more had showed up.

We finally climbed down and got doc, sara, rob, to help get the bodies in the truck to get them away from the station, seth and I kept watch and jess stood guard at the truck. It was almost evening when the fires blazed high and we could relax downwind from the smoke.

“seth, I think when I was at the capital, I think I found LT. Harris as a deadhead and killed him.” I suddenly said as we watched from the wall.

“jade are you sure?” Seth asked turning towards me.

“ I don’t really know, I had been bitten and was in pain, my mind was crazy, I even thought rob was Grayson.” I replied.

“I’m not sure if I trust him jade. He watches all of us when he thinks we are not watching him.” Seth replied.

I nodded because I had caught him doing it to me.

Jus tthen the door to the station opened and sara came out and walked towards us.

 

“hey jade, I heard turkeys earlier when we were moving bodies, want to know if you want to go hunting with me in the morning?” Sara looked up at me with a huge smile. When we were on the road, she had told me of all the things she would miss, turkey dinners were on top.

“sure, sounds like a plan.” I said with a laugh.

“are you up to it, I mean you just got over being sick?” Seth asked me quietly.

“yeah its just hunting, I feel pretty good.” I replied with a smile.

Seth nodded and we got off the wall and headed inside with Sara. Dinner was a lot of laughing and good times, we all felt better in some way. I was looking forward to hunting with sara in the morning. Rob had asked to go with us but seth told him he was needed here with doc. I was glad. I didn’t like the way he watched all of us either.

 

The next moring I got up at dawn, the sun was just rising over the trees when I got dressed and headed to the kitchen, flapjacks were on a plate in front of where I sat each day. Maggie was busy at the stove.

 

“hi jade, thought you and sara would like breakfast before you headed out.” maggie said over her shoulder as she flip another on the grill.

“looks great mag’s, thank you.” I said and dug in to the treat. Sara joined me soon after and we ate while talking about the day ahead of us.

We headed out soon after and walked the fields to the west of us for a while. It was quiet in the woods. It was my favorite place to be. We finally saw our first turkeys, a tom and hens were eating in an old forgotten field of soybeans. I readied my bow and took aim at the tom. Letting it fly, I hit it dead on. Sara took out a hen and we now had turkey dinner for the night.

“this is great!” sara exclaimed as she picked up her turkey.

“yes it was. I wish we had eggs, real ones, maggie could make deviled eggs to go with our meal. “ I said wishfully.

“hey wait a minute, I found a chicken coop that had some chickens in it last week before I got sick. I took some of them and made fried eggs on a fire. Lets go see if they are still there. I hope the deadheads haven’t got them.” sara said and pointed to the north from where we were.

I got an ideal, if they were still there, I would find a bog and put them in and bring them back to the station, they could run around in the yard and eat bugs and stuff out of the garden.

We would have fresh eggs too or eat chicken once in a while.

The old chicken coop sat behind a barn. It had maybe 10 chickens in it and a few nests with eggs. I didn’t know how to tell if the eggs were good or have baby chicks in them but knew maggie did.

Sara found 2 burlap sacks and we put five chickens in each, the eggs we took were put in a wooden crate and carried carefully home. A few deadheads we came across, sara took out with her knife.

 

At the station, magie used a candle and figured out that 22 of the eggs could be eaten. The rest were put out side for the hens to sit on. We would have babies soon if maggie was right. The chickens were a little underweight but sara had found some feed in the shed near the barn and we had taken that too. I set out a bowl of water and we soon had happy chickens in the yard.

Maggie taught sara and I how to clean and gut turkeys. We built a fire under a huge pot that seth had rigged over the fire and soon was dipping the trukey’s in and plucking them of their feathers. It was nasty work but soon we had them both done, th hen went in to the freezer and the tom was stuffed with homemade stuffing maggie had made.

Sara boiled the eggs and maggie mixed up the stuff to fill them. Even jess came to do something, she took the rest of the homemade bread and made bread pudding out of it.

It was then that we all found out that rob could sing. He mixed up a salad from dandelions that were around and started to sing a gospil song I remembered.

I made a fruit punch my mom used to make for party’s and we put it all in the frig to keep cold.

 

As dinner cooked, rob and I sat in the living room with the kids and rob sang some favorite songs from the radio before the virus. I left rain and sammy there with the others and headed for the shower.

In a few of the toats I had found dresses and mens fancy clothes. At first I thought it was weird but now was thankful. This was a party and I planed on being a girl for once, not a deadhead killer.

I washed my hair and got everything in my room, the dress was like a prom dress, long to the floor and was blood red, which with my coloring looked great on me. Jess had some makeup so I did my face and hair. My hair being so long I decided to put it up in a bun with ringlets hanging down on each side of my face. I looked at my self in a mirror in the bathroom and was stunned to see that I looked beautiful.

 

Seth came and got me for dinner. All the boys wore dress pants and a vest with long sleeved shirts. The girls wore fancy dresses of different colors. We all looked so good.

The table was beautiful as well. Rain and sammy had gotten pine branches and cones and had decorated the table with center pieces made out of stuff they had gathered to go with the pine cones and pine branches.

Maggie had set the table and the food looked wonderful.

 

I tried everything, everyone was moaning and grunting with delight. It was all so good.

The boys all got together and did the kitchen clean up which was super nice since all us grls had cooked.

 

That night I was so full. I laid on my bed so sleeping and comfortable, my door opened slowly and seth stepped inside. He laid next to me and held me close as I fell asleep in his arms.

We hadn’t made love yet, I wasn’t ready for that but we were close and I loved him very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9)

 

Spring finally broke in to summer and the garden was growing well. Seth and marcus were building a pen in the back for pigs we saw that were loose just south of us. They were going to try to cath a couple to raise here for food. We had a lot of food in the cupboards but fresh meat was always welcomed.

 

The chickens were now fat and the eggs had hatched giving us more chickens to raise. Everyday we had wall duty o get rid of deadheads but not as much as before. One or two a day.

It had been months since I had went to find my parents, we hadn’t seen anything of grizzly. I thought maybe he was dead by now. It wasn’t easy to think that, because it could mean my parents were gone as well.

 

Seth and I had made the descision to head out of search missions to get things we could use at the station. We all took turns with a partner. I was paired with rob one day. We had gotten a tv and dvd player and some movies to watch. It helped pass the time at night. Games and things for the kids. We had a good life at the station. We also looked for weapons and ammo as well. It didn’t hurt to have a lot.

 

We set off at dawn after packing small bags each.

We used a map to head to a community where there were a lot of house in a subdivision. The houses were creepy quiet and no deadhads were seen. That didn’t mean they weren’t there.

 

The first house was a beast, it was huge.

There was stains on the floors and walls of the living room that showed deadehads had been here a long time ago.

We had taken a truck that seth had gassed up for us. A noise from upstairs alerted rob and I and we cautiously headed up there to check it out.

All the bedroom doors were opened and we looked in ad made sure they were clear.

The last door held an horror I had not seen.

A crib stood in the corner, a dead body of a woman was sitting in a chair next to the crib. Her head was almost taken completely off her neck.

A movement in the crib had me shocked in to standing there.

“I’ll take care of it jade, go downstairs.” rob said to me quietly.

I shook my head. I had to see for some strange reason.

The baby was a deadhead, about 3 months old, its body thin and nasty. It had died from a bite on its right leg.

I pulled my knife from my belt and leaned over the crib. As I slammed the knife down in to the baby’s head, I closed my eyes. It was horrible but it answered my questions from before, what happened to the small children, now I knew, like this one, they were probble still in their cribs, or deadheads had eaten them like a snack.

Rob and I looked in closets and cupboards but found nothing of value. We moved on to the next house, there we found 2 deadheads in the dinning room and took them out fast. There was canned stuff in the kitchen and we took them.

A few houses down, we found strawberrys growing in the back yard so I took a bowl from the kitchen and soon had it filled. That went in to the truck with some new sheets for a bed that rob found.we finished the houses in good time and was heading back to the truck when the street seemed to explode with deadheads.

 

I took out my sword and got ready, rob had a gun and a large knife. We had to get to the truck and get the hell out of here. A zombie moved closer to me and I swung on it. Rob killed another on his side with the knife and we got the doors to the truck opened. Both jumping in, we got it started and took off with deadheads stumbling after us.

“wow that was close.” rob said loudly above the sound of the truck.

I nodded. It had been close. We were going back tot h station when around a crub in the road, we saw thousands of deadheads heading our way.

Rob slamed on the brakes and threw it in reverse. There was a side road and he took it to advoid the horde. We traveled in slience for a while and came to a town that was not listed on the map.

Shops were lined down the main street and there were no deadheads to be seen. The funny thing about it was that there were also no signs of volence either. Most towns had been looted, busted windows, dead bodies all around, spent aseings of bullets. There was nothing like that here. It was like everyone had lockd their doors to the shops and walked away.

“this place is creeping me out jade.” rob said from the drivers seat.

I had to agree. It was creepy.

‘we should check this out tho, you never know what we can find.” I said and got out of the truck, rob followed and reloaded his gun.

The shops were typically what you find in middle america, clothes, food and an Indian store full of native american stuff. that’s where I wanted to start. I know it wasn’t needed but I really wanted to add some color and flair to my room a the station. There was a candy store next to it and rob went there, all the doors were locked so we busted out the door windows to get them opened. In the candy store, we baged up sweet treats by the dozen.

“wow magie is gonna love some of this stuff. Lots of things she can bake with as well. “ rob said as he took everything out to the truck. I went in to the store and looked around, tee shirts with dream catchers were on racks in the front and I took 2 in purple and red and one in black.

 

I took a necklace. It reminded me of Emily, it was a dream catcher with a wolf in the middle. I put it on and looked in the mirror. It was perfect.

“remind you of someone?” Rob asked from behind me.

I turned and looked at him.

“yes my best friend Emily.” I stated.

“what happened to her if you don’t mind me asking”

Rob moved closer to me.

“she was killed by a guy we both knew, a father of two boys we were going to watch the next day but the virus hit and he was turned, he killed her in fornt of me.” I said and moved away to look at the bows and arrows they had displayed on the back walls.

 

I took one of those as well. It was hnd carved out of a strong wood, the arrows were all hand crafted wood and the shelve was made out of cow hide so the arrows could sit in safety across my back. I loved it. I tried it out on a board across the street and its aim was dead on.

“I’m really sorry your friend died. I was alone when the virus hit. I lived on my own, no family so I didn’t really loose anyone I knew.” rob said as he got a bow and arror set up like I did.

I nodded and looked at another store, this one was a food store and rob yell with joy when we got the door opened, it was full of canned and boxed stuff, all the coolers were empty so it didn’t smell bad in there. We loaded the truck to th brim.

“think the road is clear of the horde by now?” I asked rob.

He looked like he was thinking for a minute.

“yeah they should be gone by now. At least I hope so.”

I nodded and we got in the truck and turned back around.

 

The ride was quiet. We went slow in case we ran in to the horde again but once we turned off the secondary road back to the station, it was clear. Up a head a lone figure was walking towards us, at first I thought it was a deadhad but as we got closer, I noticed it was marcus.

We pulled up next to him.

“hey marcus, what are you doing out here.” Rob asked him when we stopped.

“was following the horde, what are you guys doing?”marcus asked

“what you mean you were following the horde..why?” I asked him.

 

Marcus looked at me for a moment before he explained.

“a horde usually goes after humans, the smell of them makes a horde move towards where they are. I was checking it out but didn’t find where they went off the road. So I was just getting ready to turn around.”

 

“well come in the truck with us, we are heading back.” I said as I scooted over for him.

Marcus got in and rob put the truck in to drive.

We drove until we got to the gates, a few deadheads were waiting around so marcus and I got out of the truck and took them out fast.

Everyone came out and started unloading the truck of supplies.

I took my 3 shirts and headed to my room, it had been a long day and I just wanted to lay down.

“I left you a tray of food honey, try to eat something before you go to bed.” maggie said as she passed me in the halls.

She was a sweet woman, always looking out for me and the others.

 

I ate and laid down on the bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw that baby in the crib, its dead grey skin and sunken body. I woke my self up quickly. I didn’t know if I was going to be bale to sleep tonight with all the images of baby crawling towards me but I had to try.

My second try worked like a charm and soon I was lost in a good dream.

 

The next morning I woke to a weird sound. I got up and dressed and went out to find seth holding a baby pig. It was yelling something fierce.

“where did you get that?” I asked him as I took it from his arms. The piglet stoped crying and snuggled in my arms.

“at a farm, I got the mother and other 6 babies. This one was smaller then the rest so I brought it in to ask maggie about it.” Seth replied with a grin.

I was going to be teased big time. Rob didn’t help when he called me a pig whisperer.

We took the pig back to it’s momma and I went to the garden to work on getting the weeds out.

Everything was growing real well. I wanted to go searching today but everyone had projects they were doing. Seth and marcus was doing the pig pen, rob and maggie was building a trelis for the tomato plants to grow up on and jess was doing school with the kids and doc was setting up a clinic in the back room for illness and accidents. I was the only one who rreally didn’t have anything to do.

 

I walked out to the gate and looked threw the slit in between the gates, it was all clear.

“want to go with me to get some berrys to make strawberry mixed pie for dinner tonight?” Sara said from behind me.

I turned and smiled at her.

“where are any berry’s I haven’t seen?” I asked. I had been every where around in the area and hadn’t seen anything .

“at a farm south of here. I want to surprise maggie with them, what do you say?” sara looked at me.

I said yes and we grabbed our weapons and headed south. I felt funny not telling anyone where we were going but sara said she wanted everyone to be surprised.

I knew it was wrong but I trusted sara and knew I was a good fighter so we should be okay, I should of told seth, I should have thought twice but I didn’t. I shouldn’t have left without anyone at all knowing where I was going.

 

But I trusted sara.

We walked south for a while and came to a big field of corn, through the corn roll, I saw a big older famr house sititng next to a willow tree. We headed for it.

“the berry’s are right next to it.” sara said and I nodded and walked behind her so she could lead the way.

 

We rounded the corner to the back yard when a sudden pain behind my head made me fall to the ground, before everything went black, I saw sara and Grayson standing over me.

 

 

 

 

 

(10)

 

I woke in a lab, the stark white walls and the smell of antiseptic was strong. I was on the floor inside a cage of some sort. Thick steel bars with a chain and paddlock held the door shut between me and a deadhead. It was a big man, only dead for a short time based on how it smelled and looked. It was also chained to a wall to my right. But against my cage where it could easily try to bite me if it wanted to.

 

Grayson and sara stood side by side behind a thick glass in another room watching us. I gave them the finger and turned my head away from their eyes. I hoped the deadhead would break through the glass and eat them both. Poor thing would choke on them of course but shit happens.

A funny smell hit me and I looked around for the source, it was coming from a hose coming out of the wall. Everything went black once again.

I woke strapped to a table in another lab. Sra stood next to me and I looked up at her once my head stopped being so wuzzy.

“why.” it wasn’t a question but more like a statement. I did want to know why she did this.

“grayson has my mom jade. He said if I bring you to him he will let her go. I’m so sorry.” sara said as tears ran down her face.

Grayson came in through the door and gave Sara a hard look.

“I told you before, jade is off limits, you can go now.” Grayson said harshly. Sara went to the door and without a look back, exited.

I tried to talk to him but he acted like he couldn’t hear me. It was fustrating and I was getting mad. But he put an iv in and soon I was sleeping once again.

I woke in the dark with a small beam of moonlight coming in through a window above my head. I was in a cage again. Next to me I could hear a deadhead moaning with need for my flesh.

I hurt all over. This was bad because I also felt weak. I didn’t know how long Graysion had kept me drugged but it felt like days.

 

The light suddenly napped on and I laid looking at Grayson just inside the doorway.

“hello jade, how are you feeling?” Grayson said pleasantly.

“go to hell.”

“now now jad, that isn’t the way to be, after all you are a part of something great here.” grayson said and waked closer and took a chair. He sat down just out of reach from the bars of my cage.

 

I refused to anser him so he went on.

“Sara learned to shut up when I was trying to talk as well. Think she learned her lesson?” Gayson asked and pointed to the cage to my left.

Sara sat with her back to me, she slowly rocked back and forth while moaning.

“Sara?” I whispered.

The deadhead that once was sara turned around and got to its feet. A bite on its neck had ripped out a large area of skin and blood covered her shirt. She had been changed recently. I started to cry and hugged my arms around my legs and buried my head as not to look at her anymore.

 

Grayson chuckled and went to work at his station. He ignored me for most of the day except to give me a sandwich and a cup of water. I ate fast and got a belly ache from it. I kept my body turned so I wouldn’t have to look at sara anymore.

“what did you do with sara’s family you told her you would release?” I suddenly asked Grayson. At first I didn’t think he would answer but he turned around to look at me.

“they died in the camp of course. I didn’t do anything.”

I shook my head and just sat there. I had to get out of here. I just had too.

 

A few days later I got my chance, I was still in the cage but felt better, Grayson had started feeding me better, why? I didn’t know. He was at his usual spot at the work station and had got up to take a skin sample from the deadhead(sara). I still could ay her name anymore, it was just a deadhead now. I had to think like that or I would loose my mind.

Grayson went to her cage and took a small knife out of his pocket, he wanted a skin sample. As he grabbed her arm, she surprised him and yanked him forward and bit down on his arm, through his screams, I watched as skin, and blood tore from the bite. The look on his face was priceless. Horror and fear. Good then he would know how she had felt when he left her turn.

 

It took 10 mintues for him to die, the fever came on and just burned his mind up. He staggered to his feet and wondered around the lab, crashing in to the tables and making a mess. I knew the keys to my cage were in his pocket but I was afraid of getting them. I know I’m immune but the bites still hurt something awful.

“here Grayson, here buddy, common , fresh food.” I yelled while waving my arm out of the cage.

It came to me on shaky legs. The sharp moaning was loud in the small room, when it moaned, so did the deadhead known as sara. When it got closer, I grabbed its lab coat and hauled it to the bars. I felt its pckets and found the keys. Its mouth was inches from my face but I kept a hold of it as tight against the bars as I could. In the other pocket, I found a knife. Taking it I was able to slam it in to the deadheads right eye. Grayson fell to the ground and didn’t get back up.

 

I opened my cage door and stepped out. I slowly walked to ther other cage. Sara stood still, it was like she knew the horror would soon be at an end.

I cried when I took her out. We had been close back at the station.

I gathered up my stuff I had found in another room of the labs, it was time to head home.

 

I had no dieal how long I had been gone but I couldn’t wat to see my family and friends back there. If I could redo this all over, I would do things a lot differently. But of course, no one had the power to go back in time, but if I did, I would keep Emily, sara and the rest safe.

As I opened the door to the lab complex, a thousand deadheads rushed in to the doorway, I screamed and turned to run…
I came to in my own kitchen. I was standing in front of the stove making popcorn.

 

“ Jade come here and look at this!” Emily Baker yelled from the living room. Emily was my best friend in haven high school. We had been hanging out since both our parents won a cruise last week and left us home to finish out the month of school we had left. I didn’t mind, we both were almost 18.

I ran in to the living room and saw the same news station first reporting the virus on tv before the outbreak hit my area.

“Emily listen to me, this shit is real. We have to get this place buttoned up tight, tonight tom rogers will kill you.”

“jade? This isn’t funny.” Emily said with tears in her eyes.

No it wasn’t funny but we were best friends and something in my face told her I wasn’t joking. We nailed boards on the wondows and locked all the doors. I got dressed in pants and a teeshirt and made her do the same. We also packed some food and I took my sword. The late afternoon sun was starting to go down and I taught her all about deadheads., she never questioned me which I was thankful for.

She watched me pick up the phone and call mark and Seth Greenes number.

“what are you doing?” she whispered as I dialed.

“saving 2 lives.

“hello.“ marks voice cam across the line loud and clear.

“hi Mark, can I speak to Seth?” I said.

It seemed to take forever for Seth to come to the phone.

 

“Seth, this is jade. Your parents are going to town, they want to take mark with them, don’t let them. I need you to come here with mark. Its important and may save your life.” I rushed the words.

He was quiet but said, “okay be there soon.”

30 minutes later they both showed up on my door step.

I let them in and they stood in my living room looking at me and Emily like we had lost our minds.

“so you say this virus is going to make everyone zombies and kill us all?” mark asked sarcastically.

“yes! You have to believe me. “I was almost yelling by then and suddenly the pwer went out. It happened so fast that we all stood stock still. In the distance I heard gun fire and sierns start.

Seth believed me and so did mark, we sat on the floor in a huddle and I whispered the rest of what I had dreamed about.

A noise at my front door had seth and I up and looking out the eye hole. It was tom rogers and he was aready dead. I knew the signs but to seth he just looked funny.

“be quiet, they won’t stay around if they can’t figure out where we are. “ I whispered and seth nodded. We sat back down side by side and waited the night out to turn in to dawn.

All night we heard people screaming in pain and fear, gunfire and then silence.

 

I knew we had to get to the station as soon as we could. I wasn’t going to LT. Harrises camp. No way in hell. If I was immune like my dream said I was, then I didn’t want him or grayson to know that since they started this shit.

“ok guys, theres a little boy out in a house near the trailer park, we have to go get him, his name is sammy.” I said and looked at each of them in turn.

Emily was scared so I made her and mark stay in the house and seth and I went to get him.

We found him right where we did the last time but this time I knew more about him.

“sammy, my name is jade honey, your mom heather sent me to get you. Are you ready to leave?”

Sammy looked up at me with tear filled eyes.

“mom sent you?”

I nodded and just like that, he crawled in to my arms and I covered him with a blanket.

We got back to my house and I the others pack more food and find something to use as a weapon. We have to get to the farm house before Jess and rain starved more then they were already.

 

The roads were just like in my dreams, I followed the remembered track and we found jess and rain, they were dead. Torn apart from the deadheads on the ground around them. LT. Harris and his men had already been through here.

 

“a bad man named harris and grayson are setting up a safe zone camp 10 miles up the road, but we can’t go there, I found a station, we have to cut across this field and head to the station, is everyone ready?” I asked and they all nodded. I didn’t look back at jess. It was hard leaving her and rain there on the ground.

 

We made our way a fast as we could. Seth and mark took turns carrying Sammy. We spent the night in the barn of the weird colored house where the family had killed themselves. They were dead when we got there already.

I looked extra careful under the truck in the barn and found the half eaten farmer. I quickly took him out. The rest watched on in horror at the thing on the floor trying to crawl towards me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11)

 

Grizzly had already been here because the gate was unlocked. I lead everyone in and locked the gate behind me.

 

I took them in to the station while telling them how it worked and why we had power. Since no grizzly, there was no beds or anything like that but the food was there. Lots of it. More then I thought had been in my dream.

“okay we have to make this place more safe then it was. I need you and mark to help me, Emily you and sammy will stay in here and wait for us to return okay?” Emily nodded and I led the guys outside with me. Already there were 2 dedheads waiting utside the walled area. I took my sword and quickly cut them down. As I cut them opened I heard mark yell.

“what the hell are you doing?”

“this watch and then help me.” I said and cut one of the deadheads opened. I took blood and gore and smeared it all over the wall in front of me as high as I could.

“this will keep them from hanging around the wall. We’ll have to do it again if it rains but it will keep us safe.” I explained.

Seth bent down and started smearing the stuff on the walls and soon mark was helping. It took most of the afternoon but we soon had it all done.

The shower when we came back in was so worth it. We smelled like the dead.

 

The next day a truck motor could be heard coming in the gate. Grizzly got out and looked around.

I stepped out with the others behind me.

“hi grizzly, I hope you brought the beds with you. I hate sleeping on the floor.”

 

I had to hand it to the guy, if he went in to shock, he sure didn’t show it. He just nodded and walked to open the back of the truck up. Inside were all the things I remembered from my dream. Totes with cothes, the furniture.everything.

Later after they got everything in and moved around and set in place. I sat in the living room with the others. Before grizzly could say anything, I spoke to my group.

“my mom and dad work for the government, they are working on a cure. We are going to stay here and survive until they do. There is a scientist named Grayson that is a bad guy, he is with a LT harris that is even worse. A camp has been set up by these guys an they are usinf humans as lab rats. “

Grizzly nodded and the others looked on in horror at the thought.

My dream was right, grizzly wanted us to sit tight and stay alive until he got back to us.

He left later that night and we settled in.

I was a little sorry my dream and now. hadn’t included seth and I being close, truth was I felt like seth didn’t even like me.

A few days later I woke to the sounds of rain falling on the windows near my bed. I got up and walked in to the living room and opened the door. The rain pelted down in heavy drops and I could barely see the wall around the station.

“can’t sleep?” Seth asked me from behind me.

“no, not really. You can’t either?” I asked.

Seth came and stood next to me and looked out over the storm.

“no. why do you think you were able to dream about all this?” seth asked me seriously.

“I don’t know but its different as well. In this one jess and rain died.” I said and turned towards him.

We looked at each other for a long time, at first I thought he would kiss me but he turned back to the storm and after minute, I did to.

“I know I don’t know you that well, I mean I remember you from when we were in school but I don’t really know you. What are you planning to do about harris?”

 

I had to think about that for a bit before I answered. If I could someway take him and Grayson out, sara would be okay and so would all those they had killed in the name of science. “well I’m thinking about killing him and Grayson to.” I stated quietly.

I meant it to. My dream had showed me how cruel they both were.

Seth nodded nd we parted ways to head to our rooms, he didn’t say anything to me abut what I wanted to do. I didn’t know if it was because he believed my dream, or just thought I was crazy. Either way I was going to start making plans.

 

The next morning I got up and made breakfast. The plan was to re-do deadhead blood on the walls then maybe take a walk to the house down the road and get the truck from my dream we had used to go to that clean town. I wanted that new bow and arror set. Swords were great from up close and personal but a bow was better when you had to take out one or two.

I had Emily watch sammy as seth and mark did the walls, I left and got the truck. I was going to go back to the station but decided to head to the town by myself.

The town was exactly like I dreamed, clean and closed up tight. No signs of deadheads. Still seemed strange but I was used to this place even if it was in a dream.

 

I opened the store with the Indian stuff and went to the back and got my bow and set of arrows. I heard a sound and saw an army truck was pulling in to the middle of town, 4 soldiers got out and started to look around. I ducked behind a display of shirts and kept quiet., hopefully they would move on soon.

But I gripped my sword tighter in my hand. They had guns, so I didn’t want to start a fight with them because I would loose.

 

I crawled to the store room and hunkered down in the boxes of extra stuff. It was dark in there and I figured I could hide easier. I heard the truck start up and leave. I waited for a mintue more and headed out. A man grabbed me from behind.

“well well well, I think I found me a new toy.” a husky voice said as his arm tightened around my neck a little more.

“come on, let her go. Its just a young girl.” I knew that voice! It was marcus from my dream.

I struggled harder and cried out .

“marcus help me!” I yelled.

Marcus looked confused and then raised his gun and shot the other guy in the head. The other 2 came running and marcus took my hand and pulled me away from the window. They were shooting at us!

“stay down jade, I am going to try to get a better angle on them.” marcus whispered to me.

I was in shock, he knew me!

“I dreamed about you.” he said as he looked in to my eyes then he was gone, he moved closer to the windows and took aim.

 

I didn’t know what was going to happen nw that I had found him but with mark and seth, Emily and sammy, I had almost come full circle on my dresm but also a better understanding on how to stay alive. I didn’t need to go looking for harris or anyone else for that matter, I just needed to stay safe and live with whatever the world was now.

 

Zombes, deadheads, whatever you wanted to call them were real. I still didn’t know if I was immune but I decided now to take any chances.

I looked towards marcus as the last army guy fell. It was time to go home to the station and keep my butt there from now on, maybe my parents would find a cure, maybe they wouldn’t. time and dreams would only tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR MY KIDS AND MY HUSBAND

THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my first attempt at writing anything . I hope you liked it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.03.2014

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Widmung:
to my 3 children, haley, cory, may. thank you for putting up with me and teaching me about things that go bump in the night