Guillermo removed the lawnmower blade from his pack and moved steadily around the store keeping his back to the wall. The little girl came into view. Her matted brown hair and a pink sunflower pattern dress were filthy. The blood and dirt were stained deep into her clothing and skin. She smelled of rotting meat.
Her left arm had been torn open, and the muscle hung loosely from the wound. The bone that could be seen had been broken completely in two. The dress was torn in the back, and her vertebrae had all been shattered, leaving her body grotesquely bent.
Thoughts of the pain this child had to endure before succ.u.mbing to death flooded Guillermo"s head. The terror she witnessed and the fear she felt could not be imagined. Tears rolled down his face as he crossed himself once more, silently praying for the lord"s forgiveness. Guillermo walked slowly up behind the girl and raised his blade above his head.
Guillermo"s scent was caught by the small girl. She turned to look at the man behind her, but before she could move, the blade was brought down, slicing cleanly through the thin layer of skin on top of her head. The skull shattered as the heavy blade, accelerated by Guillermo"s strength, burst through hard bone and into her brain. The brain was lacerated as the blade tore through, exiting her head just above her bottom jaw.
As the right side of her head hit the floor Guillermo"s work was revealed. The force of the swing turned her brain into a gray mush that oozed out onto the floor. Her body fell to the left. Guillermo crossed himself yet again. Bradley walked up next to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and led him away from the body toward the tile in the ceiling that would take them to the other side of the building.
Chapter 7.
Emalynn squeezed Bradley tightly as he pulled himself back into the window of the news building. The relief of seeing him again overwhelmed her, and she found it hard to stand as her knees weakened. She felt safe against his strong body. As much as he enjoyed her embrace, however, he had to pry her off of him so he could turn back to the window and signal for Guillermo to come up. She was not expecting Bradley to return with someone new, and she found that she was very pleased to know that at least one other person survived.
Bradley introduced them. Emalynn was very pleased to meet him, yet she was a little disappointed that there were not more people with him. Emalynn didn"t bother to tell him of her encounter with Roger while he was gone. "So does it look like we will be able to move from here?" She asked instead.
"Yes. Our plan is to move to the building that Guillermo has been staying in. Once there we will lay low for a day or two. Then we"ll start scouting the area between us and the gunshot. Hopefully we will be able to continue moving along from there. As we get closer we are hoping to pinpoint exactly where the shot came from. Have you seen Roger?"
"No. I haven"t seen him today," she lied. "That sounds like a great plan. When will we be moving along?" Emalynn was eager for a change of scenery, even if it was just another building.
"In the morning we"ll pack up and move out, as long as the streets are manageable." Bradley hugged Emalynn again, kissing her on the forehead. "I"ll go talk to Roger." He walked out of the room and down the hall toward Roger"s office.
"Here you are, senorita." Guillermo handed Emalynn a package of fresh vegetables from his garden.
"Thank you so much," she said and smiled at him. "It will be wonderful to eat something that is fresh." Emalynn pulled a potato from the pack and took a bite out of it. It crunched loudly, and the flavor was wonderful. Most of what they had eaten recently was expired or at lease close to it. Emalynn didn"t even attempt to contain her smile as she, if even for a moment, floated off to heaven.
Guillermo took a tomato from his own pouch and sliced it with a pocket knife. He was smiling like he had not smiled in years. Being able to share a meal, no matter how little of a meal it was, with someone was a fantastic feeling after so long alone. He already cherished his new friends, and he would do whatever he could to protect them. His parents raised a loyal man.
"Roger?" Bradley called as he knocked on the door to Roger"s office. "I brought some fresh vegetables. We are also planning on moving out in the morning."
Roger opened his door. His eyes appeared almost empty to Bradley. The man had lost an incredible amount of weight over the year. His pale face had not been shaved in weeks despite the amount of razors Bradley had managed to find.
"No meat?" Roger asked irritably in his soft, gruff voice.
He glanced at the fresh vegetables in the plastic sack Bradley was holding out. "Thank You" was printed on it in cold red letters. Roger seemed so distant, as if he were a lone wanderer within a sea of despair. This, unfortunately, was quite true.
"No. Meat is impossible to find. This is better than nothing though, right?" Bradley didn"t expect an answer. After an uncomfortably long silence he asked, "Are you interested in leaving with us in the morning? We would like you to come."
"Don"t bulls.h.i.t me, Brad." His soft voice became stern. "You don"t want me anywhere near you. I"m surprised you haven"t tried to kill me yet. Maybe these vegetables are poisoned."
"If I wanted you dead, Roger, I wouldn"t get food for you. I would have taken Emalynn right now and left. I want to see you make it through this. We"re friends, you and I. Besides, we will need your help. Together we can find somewhere better to live." Bradley was not really sure how Roger could be of any help, but he felt obligated to be polite.
"We"ll see." Roger seemed to be more irate than ever as he grabbed the plastic "Thank You" bag and slowly closed the door, never taking his eyes off of Bradley. Later that night, for several minutes it sounded as if Roger was tearing his office apart. The commotion was brief, and when it ended there was only silence for the rest of the night.
As the sun rose the following morning, Bradley was already awake. He watched as the sun came up over the hills to the east. The rays of light burst onto the streets, illuminating the town and sparkling on the few windows that were clean enough to shine. He didn"t watch the sunrise very often before the attack. He was awake early enough, but he was reporting the news.
Man, he thought. What a beautiful sight. Things were never really appreciated until you"ve had to fight for survival every day. The subtle, mundane, day-to-day moments that life is made up of can be truly cherished when each day is spent so close death.
The streets were deserted. This could be either good or bad, Bradley knew. Most of their route would take them through a couple different buildings, and if the dead weren"t on the streets then they had to be somewhere. With Guillermo"s help, however, it shouldn"t be much of a problem.
"Ema. We will be leaving soon," Bradley whispered in her ear and shook her gently. As she sat up, he handed her a bowl of the vegetables that was left over from the night before. "You need to eat first."
Guillermo was already sitting up as Bradley made his way over to him. Picking up his pack he reached in for breakfast of his own. He nodded to Bradley as he approached. Knowing that he would no longer be moving alone made him nervous. Protecting his new friends was now his top priority, yet he hoped they would not slow him down as they moved.
"We will be moving out after we eat, following our exact path back to your place. I"ll go down first, followed by Emalynn, than you. That way you can keep an eye out from up above."
"Sounds like a plan. What about the other guy though? Roger? Is he coming or not?" Guillermo asked.
Bradley turned to look down the hall, inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled slowly through his mouth. His cheeks puffed out as he did. "I"ll go find out." He stood and made his way back to Roger"s office.
He knocked several times, but he never received an answer from inside. "Roger?" Bradley waited for a reply. "We are leaving in a few minutes. Please leave with us when we go. We will find others. There is a place for us out there, my friend. You will find a home. No more living in an office." He kept his sentences short and to the point.
Although he wasn"t too concerned about Roger, he continued to tell him the plan through the door before turning and walking away for the last time. If Roger decided to follow them, at least he"d know their path and destination.
Before setting out, Guillermo handed Emalynn a small pistol. "You ever fired a gun before?"
"No, my father said guns were for the law enforcement, not civilians. I guess it doesn"t matter anymore, though." She took the handgun and was surprised by how heavy it was. It seemed like such a small device.
"This is your safety switch," Guillermo said as he pointed it out. "I"ve fired guns before, but I"m no expert. Only fire it if you really need to. They will be attracted by the noise." He could see the fear settling into her face. "Don"t worry. Bradley won"t let anything happen to you, and I"ll be right there to make sure nothing happens to him. You won"t even need to fire it."
"Thanks." Emalynn"s angelic smile was a sign of hope to him.
"There is no point in waiting any longer. Let"s get moving," Bradley ordered as he lowered the ladder and straddled the window.
"I"ll go first." Roger stood there in the hallway. His face still lacked emotion. In his hand was a wooden leg from his desk. The end of the heavy oak leg had a sharp hook whittled into it. The end he held had been shaved down to fit in his hand and wrapped in leather from a jacket he kept in his office for cooler days.
"Wow. What is that?" Guillermo said with excitement.
"It"s just a desk leg." Roger said with little concern for it.
"That is a stupid name. You need something menacing. That will strike fear into the hearts of your opponents."
"I doubt they care," sighed Roger.
"You see this?" Guillermo pulled out his lawnmower blade. "This is Kadavre -with a K." The smile on Guillermo"s face spread wide.
"I see no point naming a desk leg. I also wouldn"t name a knife."
"This isn"t a knife." Guillermo stated matter-of-factly. "How about Skull Smasher? That"s a good name. Oh, Dead Breaker." He was pleased to have come up with something so quickly. "Dead Breaker it is then."
Bradley stepped back in from the window as Roger made his way closer. "Thank you for coming along," he said as Roger stopped in front of him.
The two men came face-to-face, much closer than Bradley felt comfortable with. "I"m coming along to make sure you don"t get that young lady killed," he said quietly. "Everyone ready?" Roger climbed out of the window and made his way down the rope without waiting for an answer.
Bradley looked at his other two companions and shrugged his shoulders. He leaned out the window to watch Roger"s decent. As soon as he was on the ground Bradley made his way out of the window and down to the alley bellow. Once on the ground he signaled for Emalynn to follow.
The concrete felt so strange under Emalynn"s feet, even with her shoes on. The sensation of being outside again was like pure ecstasy to her. The warm breeze carried the salty aroma of the ocean with a hint of death that wafted through the alley.
Roger moved to the end of the alley while Emalynn stayed close to Bradley. When Guillermo made it down they set out toward the street where Roger stood. Looking in every direction he could, Roger found himself satisfied that their path was clear.
"The way looks clear. The bait shop is your building right, which is where you want to go?" Roger asked Bradley, who was surprised by Roger"s sudden "take-charge" att.i.tude change.
"Yeah, once inside we go to the back of the store. I"ll run over first and check the building. When I am sure it"s clear I will signal for the rest of you." The three nodded in understanding, and Bradley double checked the street.
As he made it across the street he pushed open the door to the bait shop and slowly entered while staying low to the ground. Moving quietly to the back he concluded that the store was empty. Opening the door to step back out onto the street he noticed that there was a man making his way down the side walk in front of the news building.
They did not plan well enough he realized, when he was not sure how to signal this to them. He held up his hand as to say, "stop". Then he raised his index finger to show there was one fiend, and he pointed in the direction he was coming from. Guillermo gave a thumbs up in acknowledgement, understanding the impromptu sign language, and led the group behind a dumpster in the alley.
The fiend kept a slow pace as he moved down the sidewalk. Standing roughly six feet tall, the fiend"s long, slow stride was unbalanced yet steady. Blood stained the dead man"s legs, and it was a miracle his flip flops were still on his feet. Baggy Hawaiian floral swim trunks hung just below his waist.
His shirtless torso showed off what was once a muscular chest and well defined abs. Now, however, ribs poked through the thin gray flesh, and his stomach was distended from the buildup of gas. The man"s gray skin was probably darkly tanned while he was alive.
The neatly trimmed beard hasn"t changed since the day he died. It came down out of his s.h.a.ggy, sandy blonde hair. In a thin line, it worked around his chin and back up the other side of his face. At least it would have, if the other half of his face was intact. His left eyeball bulged out of its socket, the flesh around it gone.
As he walked by the opening to the alley he came to a stop and looked around. His long body tensed up, and he quickly moved down the alley. Before the fiend could make it past the dumpster Roger stood up, drew his weapon back, and swung the wooden hook powerfully through the fiend"s temple. The force caused the left eye to fall free and hang above the lip.
Maybe I was wrong about Roger. He can handle himself out here just fine. Bradley thought to himself in amazement before signaling the trio across the empty street. "Nice work," he complemented Roger, who ignored him as he walked into the shop.
Guillermo went through the ceiling first. Partly so he could check the next shop out, but mostly so he could hide the body of the little girl. He did not want Emalynn to see her and what he had to do. After a couple minutes of work he signaled the group to follow him through.
The sun was rising quickly through the sky even though it was still early. The group made their way out of the store and across the park where Bradley and Guillermo had first met. The stiff body of the fiend that attacked him was still lying in the gra.s.s, his brains gradually squeezing through the gash in his head.
Bradley would not mention this encounter to Emalynn. He only told her that this was the spot he ran into Guillermo. She would begin to worry if she knew what had happened even though he clearly survived the ordeal. Guillermo continued to lead the way, followed by Roger, Emalynn, and Bradley who kept an eye on things from the rear.
They made it safely to the back of Guillermo"s garage and he put the ladder in place. "Go ahead on up first, senorita. It is safe up there."
After Emalynn made it through the window, Bradley followed. Before he reached the window, however, gunshots were heard out in the street. Bradley hopped from the ladder onto the roof of the garage. "Hurry up, guys," he urged Roger and Guillermo. Both men scrambled to make it up the ladder. A black woman limped past the garage out in the street followed by four fiends.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, but it was hard to tell anyone"s age anymore. She wore a long black skirt suit with a black jacket the sleeves have been torn off of for comfort. Her long black hair was in a loose pony tail, and she had black-framed gla.s.ses. At the bottom of her long legs her feet were bare.
"I"ll see if I can help this woman," Bradley said.
"I"ll go with you. If that is fine with you of course?" Guillermo pulled his blade from his pack and jumped from the garage before Bradley could answer.
"Can you wait here with Emalynn?" Bradley asked Roger. "We will be right back." Bradley jumped down from the roof and pulled the handgun from his belt.
Emalynn felt terrified to know she had once again been left alone with Roger. She stepped back to give him room to climb through the window. Smiling at him, she hoped he would keep his distance. His face no longer seemed to be drained of color, but he still looked like he lacked his humanity.
Bradley caught up to Guillermo just as he had chopped into the skull of the closest fiend, a teenage boy who was wearing a torn Call of Duty t-shirt. He went down to the concrete hard, landing on his face. His front teeth shattered against the street. The fiends moved slowly, but the woman was injured and not moving much quicker.
Aiming his pistol at the next fiend, Bradley realized how bad of a decision it would be to continue firing. The woman had fired a few shots and somehow not attracted an entire horde, but Bradley didn"t want to risk it. Instead, he unsheathed a large hunting knife he had found in the bait shop, jumped on the fiends back, and drove the knife into his head.
The third fiend went down after Guillermo"s blade sliced through the back of her neck. Her body stopped working, yet she kept her eyes on Guillermo. Clack. Clack. She bit at the air. Guillermo swung the blade to the right, connecting with the face of the last. The blade was buried in the fiend"s head, entering at a slight downward angle that sliced through both eyes.
"Ma"am! You can stop now. You"re safe," Bradley shouted to the woman.
She slowly came to a stop and turned to them as they came up to her. It was obvious she was out of breath. From the looks of her she had not eaten in days. The deep bite marks on her thin left arm spewed blood along with a foamy white substance that dripped onto the concrete. Bradley knew from the experience of the initial attack that anyone who was bitten would not last much longer.
Her southern accent wasn"t thick, but it was enough to confirm she wasn"t from around here. "Three children are on the roof of the super market just a few blocks from here. They are waitin" for me to return with food. I can"t go back to them like this, but they will starve to death by themselves." The words she spoke were carried with forced breathing.
"We will get to them. Are you the one who fired the shot?" Bradley asked.
"No sugah. We heard it, so I moved to the roof thinking it meant a chance at being rescued. Will you promise to get the children?" Her face was wet with tears and blood.
"We will get to your children. I promise."
"They ain"t my children, but I couldn"t leave them by themselves. I saw what those characters did to my family, and I couldn"t let that happen to them poor babies. Promise me right now you will get them and keep them safe."
"We will go for them now," Guillermo said rea.s.suringly.
"Thank you kindly." She looked up into the sky. "It"s time for G.o.d to take me to see my own family." Before she could be stopped, she put her gun to the roof of her mouth and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang through the street. Her head snapped back on her neck. Skull fragments and chunks of her brain splattered sickeningly on the concrete as they fell from the hole in her head.
"I can get to the children if you want to head back," Bradley said without taking his eyes off of the dead woman.
"No. I"ll go with you. We are close, so it won"t take long." He placed a hand on Bradley"s shoulder when he saw the pain that he felt over the loss of a woman neither of them knew. "If we can save those children, then her death won"t be for nothing."
The two men slowed down when they heard the gurgling moans of the fiends growing louder as they approached the gas pumps. The super market was on the other side of the station. Inside the small Sh.e.l.l gas station, fiends wandered around in the isles. Keeping low so they wouldn"t be seen, Bradley and Guillermo crept past. With the gas station cleared, they both ran at a dead sprint toward the super market.
Bradley found that he was surprised how easy it was to make it this distance, and it gave him hope of finding the big gunshot. Most of the fiends that were in this area had gone out to inspect the commotion from just a few moments ago. At the back of the building they found a ladder that went up to the roof. There were marks on the ground from where the woman had been moving a stack of crates to and from the ladder.
"h.e.l.lo?" Bradley spoke quietly as they looked around for the children. Swaying gently in the breeze was a large blue tarp propped up as a makeshift tent. A boy about eleven or twelve stepped out from around the tent first, holding a baseball bat defensively.
He was less than five feet tall. His s.h.a.ggy brown hair curled up an inch or so as it emerged from the dirty Zoo York hat. The low top Vans on his feet were also beat up pretty bad, and he wore a sweat stained blue shirt with amanager" embroidered on the left breast that must have come from the super market.
"h.e.l.lo. We"re here to help you. A woman sent us up here to take you back with us. You"re safe." Bradley held out his hands to show he was unarmed.
"What did you do with Danni?" The boy demanded with a stern voice. The fear could be seen in his brown eyes.
"We didn"t do anything ok. She was attacked, we tried to help her. She told us there were three of you up here, and we needed to get to you." Bradley kept his hands out as he slowly moved closer to the boy. "We have food and shelter. You will be safe with us."
The boy sat the bat down against an HVAC unit and went into the tent. A few moments went by before Bradley could hear the children inside crying. It broke his heart to have to hear them taking the loss of this woman, Danni, so hard. He decided it best to give the children some time. Both men understood that losing someone who had cared for them for this long must be very hard.
While waiting for the children both men heard the sounds of a car engine coming from the south. The sound only lasted a few seconds, yet it was loud. Almost as if the driver was in a hurry or possibly stuck. They waited silently for a few minutes hoping to catch a glimpse of the vehicle on the road, but they never saw it.
"Must have come from where the gunshot came from?" Bradley asked.
"That would be my guess. It looks to be to our advantage. Most of the fiends are moving that way now," Guillermo pointed out. Several fiends moved below them on their way to find the new noise. He crossed himself and brought his silver crucifix pendant up to his lips. "Just the Lord looking out for us."
Over the next couple of minutes Bradley could hear the children moving around as they gathered their meager belongings. They continued to weep softly as they worked. When the boy stepped out of the tent a few moments later, his eyes were red from crying.
"We"ll go with you then. If it"s ok," the boy said.
"Of course, that"s why we are here," Bradley said with a welcoming smile.