Human Zombies: The Compound

Nicholas DiLeo Jr

Human Zombies: The Compound

By Nicholas DiLeo Jr

Copyright 2013 Nicholas DiLeo Jr

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Chapter 1

With my hopes running dry, being driven purely by adrenaline, I ran through the night from my pursuers.  I could hear the stomping of their footsteps and the sounds of their moans driving the wildlife far from this place.  I had little idea where I was, but the thickness of the woods gave me both a sense of security as I fled, as well as fear for what I may not see coming ahead of me.  I did not dare look over my shoulder, because I knew in the back of my mind that they would never stop, no matter how far I ran, until I was theirs.  They knew no other way.

The thought of fleeing upwards into the safety of the trees gave me solace, but the rationality sets in when considering their persistence that stopped my drive to do so.  They would be waiting for me at the bottom of these wretched trunks until I was to expire.  They knew no other way.  I could tell they were newly infected because of the speed they traveled.  They moved with the same swiftness as the living when they were freshly infected, but as time traveled on they were faced with deterioration of the limbs.  Thankfully, through this process, they were turned into a much more docile enemy.  But it would be foolish to gain a false sense of security by their sluggishness, because at the same time they tended to gain a pack mentality.  So the swiftness associated with their early lone wolf hunting style transformed into a sluggish group in their state of degradation.  I'm not sure if this was an actual conscious mental decision to travel together as a group.  But who was I to analyze their decisions?  I could feel the buildup of lactic acid in my legs.

“Oh, how much it hurt.”  I thought to myself.

I couldn't stop to rest because I knew they didn't feel the same pain.  They would never stop until they fulfilled their most basic instinct to feed and in turn, me becoming one of them.  They knew no other way.

It’s funny how society weakens a person.  As children we would run from each other for pleasure and joy, playing games and finding out who was the fastest on the playground.  But now, we run from them to survive.  How had we become so ill prepared?  Had mankind been so far removed from its animalistic roots?  Man found his way to the top of the food chain by his use of tools to hunt.  This is what separated us from other species.  Without the use of tools man himself was susceptible to most predators in the wild.  Fortunately, or unfortunately in this situation, with the vast evolution of tools used by man, life had become withdrawn from its original roots.  Society could be run like clockwork.  Living for the thrill of television and hunting our food at the supermarket.  But very few were prepared to go back to the way it was before technology and face the tasks of fending for one’s self with a new predator above him on the food chain.  How the “mighty” had fallen.  It was no longer about the digits in your bank account, but the amount of digits in your magazine.  I peered down at my handgun, which I so unluckily, had zero.

As I continued on, up in the distance I could see a dull light burning through the night’s darkness.  I didn’t know what or where it was coming from, but it didn't matter.  Any place I could take refuge temporarily was heaven, as I had not been able to rest for days.  I ran and I ran, until I eventually could see I was approaching a clearing in the forest.  And as I reached the edge of the clearing I could see what that dull light, now shimmering, was attached to.  It seemed I had come to the right place, because in front of me stood a tall wall.  One which was not built to keep out wild animals, this was clearly created in order to keep them out.  I made a break for the entrance screaming at the top of my lungs,

“Help me!! Is anyone there? Let me in! I’m a survivor!”

As I was approaching the front gate out of the corner of my eyes I could see one of them feasting on a corpse near the tree line.  Something seemed very different about him specifically.  But I was not going to stick around to find out for fear of becoming like that corpse.  When I reached the gate I began to bang on the metal door.

“Please open up!” I screamed.

I could see and hear them approaching from behind me.  I continued banging on the door.  And then finally I saw them breach the tree line.  They had made it into the clearing.  I made a grave mistake stopping here.  I should have kept running.  For all I knew this place could be infested as well.  Why had I made such a poor judgment call?  My desperation had done me in.  They were too close for me to flee any further.  It seemed like this was the end of the road for me.  After all this time of running for my life it seemed my time had finally come.  When they had reached 50 feet or so from me I began to recite prayers to myself, preparing to meet my maker.  I had many questions to ask him about this wretched reality he had placed us in.

Suddenly, from inside the gates behind me I could hear a noise.  The shuffling of feet could be heard up and down stairs and ladders.  And then above shined a spotlight on the group of ghouls, which so hauntingly had stalked me up until this point.

“Open fire boys!” I heard shouted from above the wall.

And at that moment my pursuers were mowed down in their footsteps by artillery fire.  Hot brass rained down from above.  But it was the least of my concerns.  I sighed a breath of relief as the gate opened behind me.  A group of men came out to meet me and I smiled as I walked towards them, but I was met with a rifle butt to the head…

Chapter 2

As I began to regain consciousness I could feel that my hands and feet had been restrained, as I could not move my arms or legs.  I could hear voices in the room talking with a sign of urgency.  I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious once again.

“We can't keep him here!  I'm sure he's infected!  We can't take a chance and jeopardize everyone.”

“Quiet, we’ve already checked him and he's in good health.  Can’t you see?  There are no visible bite marks or even a scratch on his body.  He's been on the run for a long time. He's physically exhausted and has finally reached a  safe place.”

“But we know nothing of this man; even if he’s not infected we don’t know what he’s capable of.  We should put him out of his misery now as he’s lying here unconscious.  Loose ends like this can put us all in danger.”

“Settle down Roger, we’ve had many survivors come in here before and not one of them has given our community a problem we couldn’t handle.  I’m sure he will fit in perfectly with our rule of law.”

I waited a little while longer until I revealed myself to them as being conscious.

“Hey, why am I tied down?  Who are you people?” I asked.

“Settle down, we’re extremely sorry.  We needed to examine you first to make sure you weren’t infected.  I’m sure you understand.  I'll untie you now.”

The man untied the ropes that held me down and smiled at me as to show a sign of trust.  But, it seemed as emotionless as the looks on their faces.  I had to be careful before I began to blindly trust them.  Nothing was the way it actually seemed anymore in this world.  There were no guarantees.

“Thank you; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any other survivors.”

“I’m sure you’ve had quite a journey to reach us here.  What is your name?  Ah, never mind, now is not the time! We'll show you to your room and start fresh in the morning.  I’m sure everyone here will be absolutely delighted to meet you.” He said.

“Everybody?” I asked.

“Indeed, we are a large community of survivors, probably about 100 in total.  But unfortunately, we do fall on hard times if we face a large attack by them, especially when food is short.  But enough with our problems, being alive is more than anyone could ask for given the circumstances.  So rest up and we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow, until then I welcome you to the safety of The Compound.”

Chapter 3

In the morning I was awoken by a foreign yet so familiar sound.  I could not pinpoint what it was at first, but I knew I had heard it before.  And then it hit me, had I really been that removed from society since all of this began?  Granted I had never actually experienced it first hand, but I'm positive anyone could relate.  It was the sound of a rooster crowing at sunrise that had stirred me from my sleep.  But I didn’t mind because it made me feel somewhat normal again.  For a moment I had almost forgotten the situation that mankind had been thrown into.  I had learned once that a rooster crows at sunrise to alert other roosters of his territory.  This was an interesting concept as it seemed these people had fought to hold on to their safe haven, this Compound.  Unfortunately, I was drawn away from my momentary dream world by the creaking sound of my door being opened.  I quickly hopped out of bed, not knowing what to expect to enter through my doorway.  These were the new types of reactions you needed to develop in order to survive.  Slowly, I saw a figure entering the room.  In front of me was a woman who appeared to be about 60 years of age.  But it was extremely difficult to tell.  The expression on her face seemed vacant of any type of emotion.  I could tell a great sorrow had touched her life.  But who, out of any of us survivors, hadn’t faced such hardships?  For the time I’d been traveling I had learned one thing that I felt was extremely important and I wish I had known this when these troubles first occurred.  The more severe of a situation a person is faced with, the stronger willed they must be to survive mentally sound.  I’d seen strong people face the most troublesome situations, where the weakest of people would crumble and lose the very life force that once drove them.  It seemed as if these people had lost the will to survive.  Although they were still alive, they had died with those who they had lost along the way.  It was sad to see someone suffering through life over those who they had lost, rather than carrying on with their lives in order to keep the memories of those lost alive.  That is the true gift of survival; carrying on the memory and ideals of those who had passed.  Because although they may no longer be with us, their ideas and memories will change how we shape the world for future generations to come.  And we could only hope to be so lucky to see that future.

To my surprise she cleared her throat and began to speak.

“They’re waiting for you in the main hall.” She said.

She turned around began walking out of the room.

“Thank you.  Can I ask your name?”

She continued on as if the words I had spoken never existed.  Maybe to her any free thought of her own no longer existed for the fear of remembering the past.  Without a rigid schedule to hold her life together she would fall back on what haunted her.  A shallow existence I could never imagine experiencing.  I began following her.

As I made my way to the main hall I passed many of the townspeople.  I was extremely curious to the lives of the people around me.  But as I was looking around I lost sight of the old woman I was following.  I guess I was on my own now.  I continued walking around but had little idea where I was going.  I peered into open doors as I walked past with great curiosity, there were many eyes fixed on me.  Some doors were closed.  I guess I shouldn't be so nosy.  But I was in awe to this new world around me.  It's as if I was a newborn opening its eyes for first time.  I was greeted by children and young women bearing flowers.  Ironically, although carrying such pleasantly smelling gifts, it seemed as though none of them had showered or bathed in months.  But I suppose I shouldn't be one to talk given our current situation.  I would guess that it had been a very long time since any other survivors had reached them in The Compound.  For someone as I, who they know nothing about; it seemed shocking to be so welcomed with open arms.  I could be no different than those who lay outside of these walls.  Maybe these people were the beacon of hope that a dark and dismal world such as this needed.  I really hoped this to be the case.  But I tried never to ask for too much.

The halls of The Compound were far from what one would think is the last refuge from what lurks outside.  It was nothing more than a collection of debris from houses and what seemed to be mobile homes stitched together and fortified in order to support the local survivor's needs.  The outer walls themselves were what truly protected the people, but this was the heart of their operations.  And as architecturally gruesome as it may look compared to past civilizations of the Greek and Romans, it served its purpose tenfold.  Let's be honest, they didn't exactly have the most time in the world to begin planning their fortress.  Living conditions seemed decent.  But how could it get any worse?  The luxury of protection was all that mattered.  The dirt paths on the ground seemed to have only been placed there by the heavy travel of the people.  And having a constant roof over your head, whether it be a makeshift shanty or broken down mobile home, was like living in paradise.  I continued walking around until I finally made my way into what must have been the main hall.  I could see that this was of a far different quality than the rest of The Compound.  My guess is that this had to be part of the original building.  There must have been a free standing structure here prior to The Compound being constructed.  As I stood in the entrance way I was met with the eyes of what seemed to be a majority of the townspeople in front of me.  I felt as if they were staring directly into my soul, searching to see what type of person I truly was.  I suppose to them my presence was as foreign as one of those things outside being brought to live within the safety of their walls.

“Yes, yes my dear man!  Come in!  Your seat is waiting at the front of the room!”

As I approached the front of the room a large table, which was raised on a platform stood in front of me.  There were five men seated, who my guess would be the leading council of the town.  A large burly man sitting in the middle of the table looked down to me and said.

“Come up here and join us!  Any man who could reach our Compound deserves to dine alongside us!”

So I climbed onto the platform and found my seat near the middle of the table.  There was a moment of silence and then uproar of cheering as the townspeople raised their glasses and let out hurrah’s, which seemed a little over enthusiastic for my tastes.  But I brushed it off.  After all, who was I to judge the very people who only moments ago had saved my life.  Voices could be heard coming from somewhere in the back of the room.

“What’s your name?”

“Yea who are you?”

“Tell us!”

“How’d you get here?”

The large burly man spoke up again.

“Please, please everyone; we have all the time in the world to trade stories with our new friend.  For now we must enjoy our feast and celebrate his arrival!  We never know when opportunities such as these to dine with our loved ones may be taken from us.  But, I as well would like to know your name.  I, for one am Gregory, and I’m leader of this council of The Compound.”

“My..My name?” I said with a stutter.

What is my name? I thought to myself.  It had been so long since I had anyone ask me my name.  I hadn’t forgotten it, but something that at one time was such a frequently asked question was no longer so easy to answer by a preconditioned response.  I guess my thought process had been rewired to compensate for this new life on the run.  It felt good to be posed with such a “human” question.  I chuckled a little because memories of similar situations from how we used to live rushed back to my mind.  Embarrassing moments where you'd be walking down some arbitrary hallway and someone you barely knew said, “hey, how about this weather today?” but you expected them to say, “hey, how have you been?” and you respond, “I'm good.”  And then you both walk down the hallway in different directions, pause for a second, realizing what just happened and then continue on as if it never occurred.

“My name is Barrett.”

The crowd cheered and Gregory raised his glass.

“Well, tonight we drink to you Barrett, who knows what tomorrow may bring?!”

And the crowd let out yet another loud cheer as they began to dig into their meal.

As I sat at the table, I peered to the left and right using my peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of the other councilmen who were sitting with me.  To my right was Gregory, the large burly head of the council.  And to my left was a smaller man; who seemed to be no more than 5 foot 2 inches and 100 pounds.  But my lord did this man pack away the food.  His gluttonous eating habit made me wonder where he hid all of the weight?  I was mesmerized by the muscles in his jaw flexing with every bite he took.  I couldn't catch myself in time to notice him turning towards me.

“Well, hello my good man.  How are you? Put’Er there!” He said to me grabbing my hand and shaking it violently.

“My name is Dorian, it sure is a pleasure to meet you.  It isn’t everyday that we meet someone from the outside in our part of the woods.  No pun intended.”

Had they really sealed themselves off so well from the rest of the infected world?  If I were to make it here, I’m sure others could have before me.  Or was I just that lucky?

“Well, it was my luck to be able to find this place when I did.  Or else I possibly could be looking at you all through a much different perspective!”  I said jokingly.

“I'm glad to see you still have a sense of humor, I could only imagine what you had to endure on the outside!  I have to apologize ahead of time if any of my jokes offend you.  I feel it's good to keep a light mood in times like these.”

I nodded my head in agreement and turned back to my plate.  I lifted the fork slowly to my mouth.  How long had it been since I had a meal prepared for me?  I couldn’t bear to try and recollect such trivial things.  It was no longer important.  But, before I could begin eating Gregory interjected in order to introduce the remaining three council members to me.

“Of course you’ve already had the pleasure of meeting Dorian and myself.  As for the others, I hope you’ll get more acquainted with them as your stay continues.  Roger, who is at the end of the table is head of supplies.  Next to Roger is Susan; she’s in charge of education throughout The Compound.  And on the opposite side of the table seated next to Dorian is Phillip, who provides medical care for the people of our great community.  He’s the one who took care of you when you first arrived.  As for Dorian and myself, we take care of the infrastructure and military operations.  It’s been an integral part of keeping the grounds inside these great walls safe.  I’m hoping now we may learn a bit about you.”

About myself?  I thought… How long had it been since I had spoken to another person about myself, let alone a group of people this large?  The idea in itself was extremely overwhelming.  I couldn’t even fathom where to begin.

“Don’t be shy.  These people have not seen any of the outside world in a long time.  You are a breath of fresh air.” said Susan.

I looked out into the dining area to see all the eyes of the townsfolk fixed on me.

“How long have you people been here?” I asked.

“If you’re referring to what year it is behind these walls, I will tell you we refer to it as the year 3 A.I.”  Replied Gregory.

“3 A.I.?”

“Yes, three years after infection to be exact.”

Had it really been three years already?  I suppose it shouldn’t be that shocking to me.  I had little contact with people and always being on the run it was disorienting to try and keep track of time.  After all, what is time other than a tool created by man to separate his schedule of the day?  And what importance is a schedule of the day that needs to be accomplished when survival is your only goal?  Life became one large appointment that never ended since humanity went AWOL.  There were only two things about the day that were still important; night time and day time.  And I can tell you, one was extremely scary compared to the other.  I’ll leave that up to you to decide.  I took a deep breath and stood up from the chair.

“My, My name is Barrett, and….”

Suddenly my introduction was halted by the sounds of a bell being rung.  The townspeople began running.  But they didn’t seem panicked.  This must have been an all too familiar situation for the likes of these people.  I turned to Gregory as if to question the normalcy associated with the situation.  Maybe there was some way I could help without getting in the middle of things.

“That bell signifies an undead attack.  But don’t look so grim Barrett, we live for this!  Come with us, and you’ll see how our best defense is a brutal offense.  After all, what other pleasures are there in life besides pounding those zombie bastards into the ground where they belong?  And the ultimate goal of recapturing the essence of what we lost those three years ago little by little.  Man has fought this way since the beginning of time.  The only difference now that brings us back to our roots is the justification of survival against the undead hordes.  Kill or be killed, live or become one of them.  You may be feeling drained and tired of this dismal world now… But do not fear!  Killing will make you feel alive.”

We fled from the dining hall, traveling through a labyrinth of hallways and staircases.  Eventually we arrived in what seemed to be the armory of The Compound.

“What type of ammo do you need?” Asked Gregory.

“.40 S&W.”

“Alright, here, take what you need.  But if I were you, I’d take a rifle off of the wall to your left as well.”

I turned to my left and was astonished by what I saw.  They were armed to the teeth.  No wonder they were able to fend off the undead hordes so successfully. They clearly spent a lot of time here, as there were weapons spread out across the room.  I didn’t even realize there were that many survivors in The Compound.  But I suppose you could never be too prepared.

“Quickly, we haven’t got much time.  They’ll be approaching the wall soon.”

There was an AR-15 on the wall that I reached out and took.  I don’t know why I had chosen it.  Maybe from video games I used to play when I was younger.  It’s funny how the subconscious draws on things like that.  Especially in a time so disconnected from the past.  There was always a debate whether or not children were subconsciously being trained by and recruited through video games.  I guess this might prove the theory right to some extent.  But I’d also confidently say that same theory was the reason I, like many other of my generation had possibly survived this long.  Survival training without ever having to leave the comfort of your bedroom.  Nonetheless, if I could put one between their eyes with it, it was the right choice for a weapon.  Continuing onward we arrived at the front walls of The Compound.  Our enemy was approaching sluggishly from beyond the tree line.  That could only mean one thing, there would be massive numbers swarming us.  I couldn’t help but think they had come here looking for me.  I had put everyone in danger.

Gregory began to prep his soldiers.  But it didn’t seem like this was anything new in the life of a zombie apocalypse soldier.

“Everybody listen up, get into firing positions and prepare to engage the enemy.  Snipers may begin picking them off, but I don’t want the rest of you to waste your ammo.  When they come in closer and we have a clear line of fire I want you to reign down on the bastards.”

The expression on their faces led me to believe this speech was all too familiar.  The fire that began to blaze in their eyes showed me why The Compound was still standing today.  These men truly found enjoyment from fighting the undead.  I guess it made sense though.  In order to survive in a mad world, you yourself had to be truly mad.  And quite frankly, I didn’t know if that gave me comfort or scared the ever-living crap out of me.  I suppose being by myself for so long had made me hyper sensitive to the raw emotions others were experiencing throughout the aftermath of the apocalypse.  Growing numb to your own emotions made it somewhat difficult to understand such passion others might be experiencing.  For those living in densely populated areas it was very common to have to kill someone you knew that had changed.  Do you realize the type of rationalization and mental disconnect that must be obtained in order to commit such an act?  It’s the type of situation that would make or break a person, sculpting how they would survive from that point on.

Suddenly they broke through the tree line.  Immediately one of the men began picking a few of them off.  It was like shooting fish in a barrel.  Although they had high numbers their slow movements made them easy targets.  But then something they did not predict happened.  Beyond the tree line approached more zombies.  But not the sluggish hordes we originally prepared for; a group of freshly infected came darting out of the woods.  They were the ones to fear.  They had most, if not all of the physical capacity of a human, but with none of the negatives.  Any damage inflicted on them, other than a head shot was a waste of ammunition.  And the biggest advantage to a soldier on the field of battle in a conventional war is fear.  The fear of death by the enemy made it possible for one side to gain an upper hand on the other, but the infected felt no fear.  They only forced fear on their victims.  There was no battle cry that would deter the attack of the undead.  The most heavily trained soldier would have difficulty fighting through the mental stress.  I don’t think soldiers were ever required to attend zombie-killing 101 in boot camp.

“Dorian, keep the men in line and do not cease firing until they’re all gone.  You, you and you, follow me, we’re going to flank them.”

Three soldiers came off the firing line and began following Gregory.  He motioned for me to follow them as well.  And then we were off, back into The Compound; running down flights of stairs and through hallways into its underbelly.  Suddenly I noticed we were entering a series of underground tunnels.  They weren’t structured like the rest of The Compound.  They were intricate mines that must have been dug out before they settled here.  The whole community would be able to take refuge in the mines if they were ever overrun by the undead.  If these walls could talk who knew what other secrets these mines might hold?

Up ahead in the distance I could see a couple of figures waiting at the end of the tunnel.  That must be the exit to the mines.  It made sense that they would have men stationed to protect it at all times.  If they were ever infiltrated by the undead through the mines without a guard posted The Compound would not know before it was too late.  They turned towards us and saluted Gregory sternly.

“At ease boys, we need to go up to the surface.  We’ll catch these bastards from behind and put an end to this puny skirmish.”

There was a rope ladder, which led up about 15 feet to a hatch, and as we swung the door open and emerged from the underground we could see The Compound wall, as well as our enemy up ahead.  But, they were unaware of our presence as we approached from behind.  We quickly took care of the sloth’s without discretion.  This was the way things were now.  No names to be put with these faces.  Kill or be killed.  The runner's continued to bounce around clawing angrily at the walls.  Nonetheless, they were neutralized with the same deadly discretion as the sloth’s.  A cheer of victory could be heard as the front gate opened and we were ushered inside.  This clearly was an activity practiced on what one could only assume as a daily basis.  They were on point.

“I want a squad outside now to secure the perimeter and clean up the bodies.  Make sure they're all dead.  The last things we need are rolling zombie heads nipping at our ankles.”

I was extremely impressed with their organization.  They worked together flawlessly, like a well-trained military unit would.  Darwin would be proud to proclaim this as proof for his theories; survival of the fittest at its best.

As we were walking back inside I saw a face that I knew I had seen before, but, where exactly?  The man in question was balding with curly hair on the sides, wearing tattered clothing.  I knew I had seen him before, and then it hit me.  The day I first came here, as I approached The Compound I saw an undead feasting on his victim.  I didn’t know how, but he was that man feasting!  My legs stiffened and my heart felt as if it had stopped beating.  I couldn’t draw in a breath of air to speak.  And then finally I found the words.  Pointing towards the man I yelled.

“STOP, You.  I saw you. You’re infected!”

The attention of the crowd turned on the man.

“What is the meaning of this?”  He questioned.

Gregory turned to me, “This man is Paul, and he’s been with us since the very beginning, why would you think he's infected?”

“The day I came here, as I fled through the woods I saw him eating someone near the tree line.  I was certain that it was an undead when I passed him, but now here he is in front of me.  I don’t know how else to explain.”

“Is this true Paul?  What do you have to say to defend yourself?  This is really an odd happenstance...”

The man stood there squirming anxiously.  Why would he have been outside The Compound doing such a thing?  Not a word was spoken, when suddenly Gregory drew his pistol and painted the wall directly behind Paul with his brains.

“He knew the rules; take his corpse to the Butcher.”

Gregory walked away without flinching.  The expression on his face seemed to show that some sort of unspoken justice had been served.  There was more to this than I could understand on the surface.  But maybe it wasn’t my place to be digging into the affairs of these people.  What did he mean by, “He knew the rules?”  As if this was some sort of common occurrence.

“The Butcher?” I questioned aloud.

Gregory turned around and looked at me.

“Yes, please Barrett, why don’t you just come with me and I will explain on the way”

Hesitantly, I caught up to Gregory as he escorted Paul’s corpse to the other side of The Compound with his men; his skull leaking fluids all over the floor as we walked.

“You must understand, we don’t have an unlimited amount of human resources.  So, some people must serve dual purposes according to their specific skill set available.  The town butcher has a vast understanding of anatomy; both human and otherwise.  Therefore he oversees the slaughtering of our livestock, as well as controlling the morgue.”

As we approached a shack that was separated from the rest of The Compound the putrid smell of rotting flesh began to linger in the air.  A man exited the shack wearing a leather apron; wielding a large meat cleaver.

Gregory turned to me and said.

“Barrett, I’d like for you to meet the Butcher.”

As I looked this man in the eyes I could see vast emptiness.  As if this man had seen things no other in The Compound had.  I had a bad feeling about him…

“Nice to meet you…Butcher”

I stretched out my hand in a gesture to shake his.  He looked down and let out a tremendous laugh.

“Hahaha, please, please, the others here may call me the Butcher, but you can call me Jeffrey.  I’d love to shake your hand, but I’ve been elbow deep in pig excrement all day and I’d rather not subject you to such a horrible first impression of me!”

Was this guy for real?  He was the first person I met all day that had such a wacked out mental disposition.  This man was clearly a few cards short of a full deck.

“Jesus, is that Paul?”  Inquired Jeffrey.

“Yes, yes it is, it seems he had gone mad and Barrett witnessed him feasting outside the walls.”

“I see…Well, we can’t have any of that going on around here can we?  In order for a society to function everyone must have the same standard of moral values.  And that for sure will not stand.

”Quickly, bring him inside and I will prep him.”

The men brought Paul’s body into the shack and as I began to follow them in I was abruptly stopped by Gregory.

“I’m sorry Barrett, but we cannot allow you to enter this shack.  Paul was one of our own and we must handle this ourselves.  I’m sure the townspeople and council are anxiously awaiting your return to the dining hall.  I will be back shortly.”

I gave Gregory a nod as he shut the door to the shack.  As I began to turn around I could hear a faint screaming but I couldn’t pinpoint its location.  It was clearly not coming from one of the shacks around me.  And I doubt it was coming from outside the walls.  The screaming stopped abruptly as I made my way back to the dining hall.  Almost as if they were forced to end.

I reentered the dining hall but the scene was much different than when we had left it.  The stoic glare I received from the townspeople as I walked back to the council table sent shivers down my spine.  The love they had first shown to me when I arrived had seemed to turn into disgust.  As if I had wronged them in some way…But how?  I had never felt so relieved to be safe from the outside but at the same time felt so insecure in the arms of these people.  Had I made a mistake pointing out Paul to Gregory?  He was fast to condemn him.

As I returned to my chair I began to eat the now cold food that had been served to me.  The meal continued in silence until Gregory returned.  His presence brightened up the entire room.  He seemed to be the life-force of The Compound.  I suppose without him the spirit of the people would wither and die.

After the meal I returned to my room.  I couldn’t help but think of the faint screams I had heard earlier in the day.  Where could they have come from?  Was it just my imagination?  After all, how much screaming had I heard throughout the last three years?  It was deeply ingrained into my brain.  Or was there something truly sinister going on here.  I shouldn’t think that way about the people who had saved my life.  But what else could it have been?  Pondering questions like that will surely cause trouble for me with these people.  It was clearly the death of Paul that led to the silence in the hall today.  They blamed me for it, even though it was his actions that got him there in the first place.  Something seemed rotten within these walls.  But was it really my place to find it?  Maybe it would be best if I were just to gather my things and leave in the morning.

I turned around as I heard a knock at the door.  The door began to open and I could see a figure entering the doorway; it was Gregory.

“Gregory, before you utter a word I have to tell you that I am sorry for the trouble I have caused your people in such a short time I have been here.  I am going to set out at first light so your people do not have to worry about anymore disruptions on my behalf.”

“Nonsense, I won’t allow it.  You were brought here by the grace of God and the safeties of these walls are the only hope you have left in the world.  I’m sorry, but I must insist you stay and quite possibly try to integrate yourself in with the rest of our people for the time being.”

“I don’t know…From the looks I received at the dining hall tonight I don’t feel very welcome among your people.  And I can’t blame them.  I caused the death of someone important to them.”

“Please, they mourn the death of a fallen comrade.  There’s nothing more to it.  Paul has been in the community as long as anyone else here.  Losing him will be hard on the people, but they’ll move on.  We always do, or else we wouldn’t be here today.”

Before I could catch myself the words were already spilling out of my mouth.

“Alright, I’ll stay for the time being.”

I don’t know if it was a subconscious sign of hope in the back of my mind.  Being around people again, regardless of their disposition towards me, brought everything back to better days.  Days when we tried to avoid people who we didn’t want to have a conversation with.  Irony at its best.  But I knew deep down I would come to regret it.  In a world like this, you can’t fool yourself forever.  Better days are memories of the past.

“I suggest you get some sleep tonight, tomorrow we’ll try to find you some work.  We start our days early around here; there aren’t enough hours in the day.  Fall is fleeting, as winter is soon to arrive.  And if we don’t all pitch in to prepare we’re no better off than the poor souls lost outside our walls.”

Gregory turned and began walking towards the door.  Before leaving he turned to me and said.

“Pleasant dreams, from all who reside within The Compound to you, my new friend.  With the help of each other may we endure whatever storms the world may throw at us in the future.  After all, if we can’t rely on each other in times like these, who can we trust?”

Chapter 4

I was awoken suddenly in the night from the sound of rustling in my room.  I quickly sat up on the cot and looked around.  The noise stopped but I knew whatever had begun the ruckus was still here with me.  I reached for my flashlight and gun, which I had made a habit of sleeping with on my person at night.  I also had learned to keep one eye closed to preserve my night vision.  This was to ensure that no sudden presentation of light would obscure my vision, ultimately leaving me vulnerable to attack.  I pointed the flashlight towards my clothes, which I had laid out on a chair near the wall.  When I turned on the flashlight I could see a small figure huddling near the chair.  I got up out of the cot and turned on the light in the room.

“What are you doing in here?”

There was no answer.

“What are you doing in here?” I repeated.

Still there was no response.

“What were you looking for?  You better not have taken anything.  What’s the matter with you?  Answer me!”

“I…I’m sorry, Mister…I didn’t do nothin’ wrong.  I was just curious that’s all.”

And then it hit me.  Had this dismal existence made me that callous?  An empty shell of a man fighting for survival, void of the emotions he once felt?  Cowering in front of me was a boy dressed in tattered clothing.  His dark brown hair growing onto his shoulders was messy and unkempt.  Judging by his gawky appearance and cracking voice I would say that this boy was no older than twelve or thirteen.

I lowered my weapon slowly and began wondering why no one had responded to my quarters.  Clearly they could hear what was going on.

“What are you doing here?  And why are you going through my things?”

“I was just curious that’s all.  I haven’t seen a new person come here in a long time.  I…Was just curious.”

“Whatever you took of mine you best put back or else.”

“I didn’t take nothing Mister, I swear.  I was just curious that’s all.”

“Where are your parents?  Why hasn’t anyone come looking for you?  I’m sure most of the people in the building are awake after the noise you’ve created here.”

“I ain’t got no parents Mister.  And no one here cares for me.  I’m on my own.”

“How is that possible? How old are you?”

“I’m thirteen, Mister.  And I don’t need nobody to take care of me.  I can take care of myself.”

“Where are your parents?”

“My parents are dead, Mister.  Them and my sister didn’t make it.”

At another point in time it would have broken my heart to hear this from a kid his age.  But situations similar to this had become so common.  Kids his age had become orphans in an instant.  But, unlike the other poor kids, this one made it to sanctuary.  Such demons he must live with on a daily basis.  To be alive in a world like this at his age with no family.

“I’m sure someone here takes care of you.  Where do you live?”

“No one here cares about me, Mister.  They have their own problems.  I’m on my own.  I stay wherever I can.  I sleep on the street if I have to.  I used to sneak into the dining hall at night but they started locking up the doors.  I don’t care for the people here and they don’t care for me.  But it’s okay Mister I’m a tough kid.”

Has he really been taking care of himself all of this time?  I’m curious as to why the people here have shunned him.  I had to be careful not to be too trusting of anyone here.  But there was something different about him that separates him from the others.  Maybe it was because I saw a little bit of myself when I looked him in the eyes.

“My name is Barrett.”

“Well nice to meet you Mister Barrett, my name is Jesse.”

“I’m sorry if I scared you.  Surviving out in the world is much different than being in a place like this…”

“It’s okay Mister Barrett, I’m sorry I was going through your stuff.  It won’t happen again I promise.”

“Please, just call me Barrett.”

“Okay, Barrett, I’m gonna get goin’.  The sun is gonna be up soon and I need to find a place to get some sleep before the night guards find me out!”

Jesse turned around and began walking towards the door.  I thought for a moment and then asked.

“You could stay here for tonight if you’d like, as long as you promise not to go through my things anymore.”

The boy turned to me with his eyes wide opened and proclaimed, “Really Mister?!  Uhhh Barrett!  You mean it?!”

“Yea, yea sure, that’s fine.”

“I’ve never slept in one of the rooms before! I really owe you!”

“Don’t mention it, just get a good night’s rest, that’s all.”

I laid back down in my cot and watched Jesse curl up on the floor.  The room was bear and there wasn’t much to offer him in terms of comfort.  I grabbed my pillow and turned to Jesse.

“Hey kid, here, take my pillow.”

But there was no answer.  He had already fallen asleep.  Peering out my window it looked as if it was getting close to daybreak. So I suppose it was time for me to do the same with the few hours I had left in the night.  I rolled over and went back to sleep.

In the morning I woke up to find Jesse was no longer in my room.  But this didn’t come as much of a surprise to me.  Like me he didn’t seem to be planted to one specific area for very long.  But who was nowadays?  Obviously other than the people who had settled The Compound.  I’m sure I would be seeing him again.  I was still exhausted from the events that took place only a few hours ago.  I pulled myself out of bed and prepared for the day ahead of me.  I needed to meet with Gregory to find what work he had in store for me.

I made my way to the dining hall in hopes of finding myself some breakfast to start the day.  On my arrival I was met by Gregory and Dorian.

“Nice to see you up so early today.”  Said Gregory.

“Just in time for some breakfast before we get down to work.”  Said Dorian.

I stood in line with everyone else, plate in hand, waiting to see what was for breakfast.  Memories of pancakes and waffles on Sunday mornings ran through my mind.  But I had little faith that we would be having any sort of continental breakfast in this dining hall.  A guy can dream can’t he?

When I reached the front of the line I stretched out my plate and began receiving my breakfast from the women standing behind the table.  We were served starting from the left and moving down towards the right end of the table.  It was watery oatmeal with an egg and some meat.  I found a table off to the side and began eating.  It had to have been the blandest meal I’d ever had in my life.  The meat tasted like some sort of bird, which I could only assume was the same bird who laid the egg I was also eating.  Sadly enough, it was probably the best tasting thing I’d eaten in a long time.  I could feel the warmth traveling down my throat and into my stomach.  It was one of the best feelings in the world.  Up until now my meals had primarily consisted of whatever canned food I could find or small animal that I could possibly capture along the way.  But who had time to hunt for their food when they themselves are being actively hunted around the clock?  I wouldn’t say it was so easy to keep an organic diet.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Gregory and Dorian approaching the table at which I was sitting.  They sat down across from me.

“I know what you’re thinking.”  Dorian said.

“This food is devoid of any flavor palatable by man.  But boy does it feel good going down.”

“You read my mind,” I responded

“So let’s try to get down to business.”  Gregory interjected.

“We’d like to start you off with some work, but we know little about you.  How old are you?  What is your working background?  Any skills you have we could utilize around here?  Any information you could give to us would really help us put you someplace where the whole Compound may benefit from your skills.”

These questions, like the questions that were posed to me the other day by the townspeople brought back memories I had not recalled since the world had been turned upside-down on itself.  Because I had come to realize that the only way to survive in this world was to forget where you had come from.  The memories, for myself at least, were too painful to deal with on a daily basis.  And to relive them constantly would have broken my will to survive.  It’s funny how the mind will repress memories in order to help you survive; it’s instinct after all.  A subconscious wall built to protect you from your own personal demons.  But now the floodgates were open and all of the memories were rushing back into my mind.  I had no choice but to remember the history that was me.

Chapter 5

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Barrett, happy birthday to you!

“Blow out the candles honey! Happy Birthday!”

“Happy 21 birthday son, how does it feel to be a man now?”

“Thanks everyone, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.”

As I sat at the dinner table with my family I didn’t have a care in the world outside of those four walls.  I was very similar to all the other boys my age growing up in the United States.  I was reaching the end of my college career; I had a girlfriend and loved to spend time with my friends playing online games.  Thinking back, my parents always used to ask me to go outside instead of sitting around on the computer or the couch all day.  I guess they were right.  I could only imagine how much more prepared I might have been if I took the time to venture outdoors.

I remember looking down at the piece of birthday cake my Mother had just cut for me and how happy I was back then.  Poor sap didn’t even see it coming.  Who would have thought everything would have ended up this way?  If only I could have done something for them in place of myself.  If I could go back I would make things different.

I could still remember the taste of the cake in my mouth.  It was a vanilla cake with butter cream frosting, my poison of pleasure.  But who cared back then?  No one remembered where any food came from.  It was all from the supermarket.  Real, artificial, whole grain, partially hydrogenated, these phrases meant very little to those who were just going with the flow on that roller coaster we called life.  I too was a passenger on the ride, but unlike the others, no matter how close to me they were, I was fortunate enough to get off.  If you call this new life fortunate…

I looked up at my younger brother Josh who was seated across from me at the table.

“So what did you wish for Barrett?”  He asked.

Looking back now I can’t even recall what I had wished for.  But I can tell you I’m sure it was some commercial crap that no one ever needed in life.  Built to make you think it was something you couldn’t live without, but in reality it was what caused this whole mess.  Everyone was so caught up in material objects that they forgot what was important in life; family, friends and the value of being able to take care of yourself.  I realize that now.  Imagine what the current state of the world might be in if people still valued these things?  Maybe there would be other Compounds throughout the world, I didn’t know if there were; I suppose anything’s possible if somewhere out there people knew how to survive in this situation, or just got lucky.  Thinking back now, whatever my useless wish was, I know it would have been much different if you asked me today.  What I wouldn’t give to be able to change it all.

“If I tell you it won’t come true!”

There was an empty seat at the table where my girlfriend, Vanessa, should have been sitting.  But, there was a death in her family back in California and she had to leave unexpectedly to be at the funeral.  She wanted me to go with her, but it was too short notice and no more tickets were available for the flight.  I hope she wasn’t upset with me.  I know I wasn't going to hold it against her for missing my birthday.  We had met in our freshman year of college, me living at home close to campus and she living in the dorms.  We couldn’t be happier to have found each other.

We finished eating cake and my parents gave me a surprise birthday present that I was not expecting.

“Barrett, we know you said you didn’t want anything for your birthday this year, but we thought it was important to get you something.  After all you only turn 21 once.”

My Mom presented me with a small box she had hidden behind her back.  I was a little confused as to what it could have been.  I opened the box and looked inside.  It was a set of keys, to what I was unsure of at that time.

“Keys are always a good start to a present.  But what do they go to?” I questioned.

My Parents told me to close my eyes and brought me outside to the front yard.  And when I was able to open my eyes I gasped with astonishment.  The keys my parents had given to me were to a car.  Not just any car, but I could only assume MY car.  The car I had always dreamed of since I was younger watching movies and playing racing games.  To others it was probably a hunk of junk.  But to someone who loved import cars it was a treasure.

My Dad turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“We know how much you’re into cars like these.  It’s going to need a lot of work to get up and running again.  But we thought it would give you a project to work on.  Just promise us you'll be careful.”

I grabbed both my Mother and Father and gave them a huge hug.  I was so excited.  I had to run and give Vanessa a call.  I knew she would be too!  She knew how much I loved these cars and now I had one of my own!  But as I thought more and more I realized that it had been awhile since I had heard from her.  She hadn’t even called to wish me a happy birthday yet.  I guess I was just so caught up in everything that was going on today that it had slipped my mind.  She always complained to me that I was too forgetful about important things.  I wouldn’t say I was forgetful, I just liked to live a stress free lifestyle.  Nevertheless, I picked up my cell phone and called her.  The line was busy, which is odd for a cell phone.  I tried calling again and sent her a text message.  After waiting for 3 hours there was no response.  I finally called her cell phone one more time and I was forwarded to a recorded message.

“I’m sorry, the number you have dialed could not be reached at this time.  Please hang up and try again later.”

I was extremely worried, but there wasn’t much I could do about it but wait to hear back from her.  Interestingly enough, studies have come out that show teens who are away from their cell phones for periods of time suffer from separation anxiety.  I guess I was part of that statistic.  A product of societies technological innovations.  I looked up at the clock on my wall and realized it was already two o’clock in the morning.  I had been up waiting all night.  I’d better get some sleep because I’m supposed to pick her up at the airport tomorrow afternoon.  If I was late I would never hear the end of it.

The next morning I woke up to find a missed call on my phone.  It was from Vanessa.  But when I called my voice mail to listen to the message she had left for me it was nothing but white noise.  And when I called her cell phone back I received the same message as I had heard earlier.  She must had been having phone problems.  No big deal though, I’ll be picking her up at the airport in a few hours.  I sat down for breakfast and lost myself in a daydream.  If only I could surprise her by picking her up in my new car!  Unfortunately the engine would not be up and running and I would not learn to drive a standard transmission by this afternoon; no matter how much I wanted to.  Not to mention I had never worked on a car before by myself, I’d say I might be in a little over my head.  I returned back to reality and realized I had better get to the airport soon if I wanted to find a spot to park and wait near the terminal entrance.  Maybe I should pick up some flowers too.

I went upstairs, picked out some clean clothes to wear and hopped in the shower.  By the time I was all done getting ready it was time for me to hit the road.  I grabbed my Mom’s car keys, which she had left for me to pick up Vanessa today, and left the house.  I hopped into my Mom’s minivan and was off.  I’m sure everyone was jealous of my hot ride.  I truly hated driving that car around.  But at least it looked like that would be changing soon.

Living in New York had its upside and downside.  We didn’t live in the city, so it was easy to live the New York life without so much of the traffic you’d find there.  Unfortunately, we still paid the premium associated with living in New York.  But my parents had good jobs, my Father working in the city as an architect for new city development and my Mother a department head in one of the more prominent school districts out here on Long Island.  So we didn’t worry too much about money.

As I got closer to the airport I realized that traffic was abysmal.  It took me an hour to reach the parking lot from the front entrance of the airport.  But, I was able to find a spot after fighting with another driver for a couple of minutes.  Clearly my minivan intimidated them.

I ran into the airport expecting to see Vanessa waiting for me.  I hope she wasn’t mad.  But when I got to the terminal she wasn’t there.  In fact no one was there.  I must have been too late.  She must have left the airport already along with the other passengers.  I really should have gotten those flowers.

But then I realized, it seemed that no one had gotten off the plane yet.  I let out a sigh of relief for a moment thinking I had gotten to the terminal just in time.  But then I looked up at the computerized board that listed the flight arrivals.  Every flight from California had been canceled.  I thought this must had been a mistake.  I walked over to the front desk located in the terminal to speak to one of the employee.

“Excuse me, what’s going on with all of the flights coming in from California?”

“Oh, they’ve all been canceled because of technical difficulties they’re experiencing in all the airports along the Western Seaboard.  If you look at the other flights coming out of the West you’ll also see that Washington, Oregon and parts of Nevada are also canceled.”

“Do you know when the flights are supposed to be up and running again?  I was supposed to pick up my Girlfriend here today and I haven’t heard from her in a few days.”

“No, I’m sorry Sir.  That’s all of the information we were given.  We know as much as you do at this point.  But we have a service available to text message you with updates of the flights if you’d like me to set that up for you.”

“Thanks, that would be great.”

I gave the customer service rep my cell number and sat down in the terminal.  Many of the other people who were waiting to pick up family and friends from the flight had begun to leave the airport.  Hours had past as I sat waiting in the terminal for new information to arrive.  The rep eventually brought me a blanket and pillow, which I reluctantly accepted in my anxious state.  I was hungry too, but apparently most airlines had stopped giving out peanuts.  I looked down at my cell phone; I still had not received any new information.  The clock showed the time as being 4 A.M., I had been in the airport for over 12 hours.  I closed my eyes for a moment only to rest and but I quickly dosed off.

I was yanked from my sleep abruptly by the vibration of my phone.  I quickly sat up and put the phone to my ear in hopes it was Vanessa.

“Hello? Vanessa?  Is that you?”  I repeated into the receiver.

But there was no answer.  And then I realized, I hadn’t received a phone call.  It was a text message from the airport service center.  I held my breath and opened the text in hopes of receiving good news about the flights coming from California.  The text stated.

“All flights departing California are suspended indefinitely until otherwise approved viable by the Federal Aviation Administration.”

What? This couldn’t be…All flights leaving California were suspended?  What was going on over there?  This had to be a mistake.  I walked back over to the front desk to speak to the woman who had helped me earlier.

“Excuse me, I just got this text message from the service you signed me up with earlier.  This has got to be some sort of mistake.”

“No, I’m sorry Sir, it’s not a mistake.  We just received this information as well.”

“But why?  Why have they grounded all of the planes from California indefinitely?”

“I wish I could help you further Sir but we have no more information than you do.  Now if you’d please leave the terminal we’ve been advised to cease operations for the time being.”

I was amazed by the turn of events that had unfolded before my eyes.  What in the world was going on?  As I left the airport I felt as if I was in a fog mentally.  It must have been the lack of sleep from staying in the airport all night.  It was now 6 A.M. as I drove my way back home.  I was on the brink of tears as I wondered what could possibly be happening in California and if Vanessa was okay.

No, I told myself, don’t worry everything is fine with Vanessa.  What could possibly go wrong?  We live in a world of science, medicine and technological advancements far beyond anyone’s imagination.  Nothing could possibly go wrong.

As I pulled into the driveway I realized that my Father had not left to catch the train for work.  I couldn’t remember a time that he late for work, let alone be miss it.  I opened the front door to find my family sitting on the coffee table in front of the T.V.  with the glow of the picture reflecting on their faces.  It was common practice in my house to sit on the couch and never put your feet up on the table, let alone sit on it.

As I entered the room no one even acknowledged my presence.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Why aren’t you on your way to catch the train for work yet, Dad?  You’ll never get into the office on time.”

There was no response from my family.  My Mom sat clenching my Brother tightly while my Dad was sitting with an awestruck look painted on his face.  What was on the T.V. that left them like this?  My only thought was it couldn’t be good… And something told me it must have been what stopped all the flights leaving California.

I walked around to the other side of the table so I could see what was on the television.  There was a news reporter standing in front of LAX in California.  But, this couldn’t have been just a typical news report.  The reporter was wearing a biological suit and being escorted by the National Guard; guns and all.

“This just in from the newsroom, it seems that the West Coast has been hit by a biological attack.  There is no word yet where this attack could have originated.  There is no confirmation of whether it is of man made or natural origin.  But, there is hope as patient zero has been secured at an undisclosed location in California that has been deemed the epicenter of this disaster.  The United States Government has urged citizens nationwide to stay indoors until more information is gathered regarding this mystery virus.  Please stay tuned for more news as it breaks.  For channel 2 news, I’m Sandra O’Brien, signing out.”

There had to be more information than this.  A biological attack?  Man made? Natural?  These were the questions I asked myself.  What were they talking about?  It seemed like they had absolutely no clue of any real information.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they made up patient zero and the undisclosed epicenter location.

“Mom? Dad? What’s going on?” I asked.

But they didn’t answer me.  I walked in front of the television and turned it off.  They quickly arose from their catatonic states.  My Mother turned to me.

“Barrett, you’re home.  Thank God.  Something horrible has happened out in California.  Have you heard from Vanessa?”

Had she really not seen me come in the house until I turned off the television?  They must have been in a stupor.

“You have to tell me what has happened.  All the flights coming in from California were canceled.  And I haven’t heard from Vanessa in a few days.”

The look on my Mothers face told a story that I did not want to hear.  Clearly something horrible had happened in California.  She turned away from me and began staring blankly at the floor.

“Are you just not going to tell me what happened?” I asked.

She didn’t respond.

I quickly ran upstairs to my room and powered up my computer.  I’m sure the answers I was looking for could be found on the Internet.  After my computer finally booted up I began searching the net.  But, the load times were at snail speeds.  I could only assume that so many people had resorted to the Internet and the connection was slowing down.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the internet service provider’s were throttling the bandwidth.  The front page of every news website I visited had similar headlines of escalating fear.

“Deadly Virus Overtakes West Coast”

“California Struck By Terrorist Attack”

“Riots Ensue as California Crumbles”

There was still no solid information about what had happened.  But I knew there was another place to find information on the net, a place few people ever visit.  The underbelly of the Internet was a place where hackers and conspirator’s called home.  I typed in the address, but the site would not load.  Someone must be trying to block information from reaching the masses.  In my frustration I began clicking refresh at a furious rate.  All of a sudden the site I was trying to reach loaded.  I didn’t dare click again in fear this was the only time I could be able to find a connection.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t much information to be found right away.  The site was littered with its usual smut and garbage found across the Internet.  Why was no one discussing what was going on?  Maybe all the posts had been deleted.  But there was one post I came across that seemed different than the others.  I began looking through it when I spotted a link that was secretly embedded into its content.  When I opened the link in another window I was immediately prompted to download an encrypted document.  In any other situation I would have canceled this process, as I would assume it would be a virus planted by hackers.  But at a time like this I could leave no stone unturned in my search for information.  I downloaded the file and began decrypting it.  Suddenly my computer was bombarded with photos, text documents and video logs.  I clicked on the first photo and was met with a horrid image, piles of dead bodies being shoved into a furnace by men in biological suits.  There was a text document associated with the photo.  So I opened the document, which was labeled Project Zeta.  I began reading through the document.

“Project Zeta

Dr. Theodore – This Document is for Your Eyes Only

For some time the United States Government has been interested in the development of discrete, untraceable, biological warfare as well as the application and effects of biological compounds on our soldiers in order to boost stamina and morale in the field.  In addition, Project Zeta has been formed in order to develop a method to revive soldiers on the battlefield indefinitely in mass quantity.

It is in the best interest of the United States Government to award this program an unlimited budget toward future findings with an unlimited window of operations.  The existence of this project, which is in its Alpha stage, is restricted to Black-Ops.  No Government clearance is awarded, as the Government does not acknowledge the existence of this project.  In the event of Project Zeta’s failure, all experimentation and documentation of events are to be destroyed immediately.”

Was this legitimate?  Or some prank being pulled by some punks on the Internet.  I began looking through more of the pictures and documents.  The next picture was similar to the previous, dead bodies being hauled into a furnace.  But there was something different about this picture.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  As I progressed on I finally found a picture that stood out from the others.  It seemed to have been taken at the same location.  But instead of bodies being hauled into a furnace they were being walked into a laboratory and shackled to the wall.  How does that make any sense?  Dead bodies…Up and walking on their own?  I had to hand it to whoever created these files; they were superbly edited photos and fabricated documents.  But then I realized there was a video log attached to this photo.  I opened the attached file and a video began playing.

“Log date Unknown, Location Classified, Experiment status Success”

“This is Dr. Theodore recording this eventful log to announce that after 100 days of experimentation we have gained success in Project Zeta.  We never thought we would reach this point so early in the study.  In all of my work I find great pride in announcing the results of my findings.  As you can see by the attached photo documentation, we…No, I, have successfully reanimated our test subjects after their clinical expiration.  It brings me much pride to announce the movement of Project Zeta into Omega stage, which is further experimentation and application in the field.  I will report back with findings as our experiments move forward.”

The video stopped playing and I began searching back through the documents.  But there was only one more file left in the folder, another video log.  I held my breath in anticipation and opened the file.

“This is Dr. Theodore, Please dear God, what have we done?  Please someone must send help.  I don’t understand what’s going on.  Everything was going wonderfully.  But then the test subjects…They began going mad.  Furious with anger they broke free of their shackles and ransacked our laboratory.  I retreated back to my quarters as I could hear my staff being slaughtered behind me.  But wait; there’s a knocking on my door now.  Ah, I see it is one of the lab assistants.  He’s bloody as all hell but he must have been able to escape the labs.  Come in my dear boy come in!  What is wrong with you?  Surely you seek shelter from those heathens in the laboratory.”

Suddenly the lab assistant jumped on Dr. Theodore and began ripping at his flesh, blood could be seen gushing out of his jugular vein.  In the struggle Dr. Theodore fell to the ground and I could no longer see what was taking place out of frame.  And then the sound of struggling ceased.  After a moment both the lab assistant and Dr. Theodore rose to their feet.  But it was clear that this was no longer the same Dr. Theodore that began filming this video log.  He had become one of them.

As the video ended the lights in my room began to flicker and then the electricity went out.  In a panic I jumped up from my chair, but fell backwards falling onto my shoulder.  Luckily I was able to get to my feet, but the pain in my shoulder was excruciating.  I think my arm might have popped out of the socket.

Suddenly I heard screaming coming from downstairs where my family had been watching television.  Forgetting about the pain in my arm I quickly ran downstairs to see what the commotion was.  Standing in front of me in the dark was a shadowy figure, but I couldn’t make out what it was as my eyes had not yet adjusted to the light.  And that’s when the electricity began flickering on and off; for a moment I could see what was in front of me.  It was my Father, but he was standing propped up against the wall.  As if he was not using his own strength to be doing so.  Then I realized there was something else behind him.  The electricity came back fully and I could see what I originally thought was only my Father.  It was a decrepit mass of what looked to be my next-door neighbor.  But it looked like he had received the lashing of a lifetime; bloody and limping.  My first reaction was to ask him if he was ok but then I realized he was missing his left arm.  He stood there dripping coagulated blood all over the floor.  What the hell was going on?

As I stood there I couldn’t help but think about the photos and videos I had just watched.  There had to be a correlation between that Project Zeta and what was going on in California.  It was real after all  But now, as I stood face to face with a scientific experiment gone wrong, I could see that the steps taken to quarantine the outbreak had been a failure.  That’s if they ever actually did try to contain it.

I had to get out of the house while I still had the opportunity.  What about my family?  Suddenly in that moment the electricity went out again.  I moved slowly towards the front door when I began to hear something coming up behind me.  I turned around as quickly as I could but was knocked to the ground.  I landed on my shoulder that had popped out of the socket.  I screamed as I struggled for my life.  Thinking quickly I remembered that he, or whatever it was, had a limb missing, I was able to roll him off of me by pushing it off balance onto the side he could not support while on the ground.

I opened the door and began running down the street.  The pain in my arm felt much better, the fall in the struggle must have popped it back into the socket.  As I ran down the street I could hear screaming coming from the houses in my neighborhood.  But most importantly, my house.  The screeching of tires could be heard as people frantically tried to escape their assailants in the night.

I kept running but it seemed as if I would never reach a safe place.  Everywhere I turned seemed to be worse than where I had come from.  Eventually I arrived at checkpoints where survivors grouped together in hopes to stay safe.  But they never seemed to last very long before the infected turned up.  Many people would hide their wounds and get into the camps.  The guards were inept and we would pay for it over and over again.

After a month or so on the move, there were no more safe checkpoints to find shelter.  We were on our own from that point on.  The survivors that were still alive from the checkpoints, or those who were picked up along the way relied on each other to survive.  But as each day went on there were less and less of us.  Every time a survivor was infected they would hide it from everyone else.  As if they would never change into one of them or a magic cure was right around the corner.  Deep down I know they feared we would leave them behind or kill them.  This always led to casualties within the group.  Trust was always an issue.  Eventually I was on my own, but at that point it didn’t matter; by losing everything I had become self sufficient.

Chapter 6

“So what kind of skills do you have?”

The question posed again by Gregory rescued me from the shackles of my past memories and brought me back to the present.  The horrors that I had been running from for so long had come back for its revenge.  I looked up at Gregory and responded.

“Not many skills past survival.  That’s all I’ve needed to know up until now.  But I’ll gladly do what I can to help the community.”

Gregory shot me a smile as if this was the response he was waiting to hear.  Hopefully it wouldn’t come back to haunt me.

“I’m sure we can find something for you to do around here.  After breakfast we’ll start you off with something small and you can work your way up from there.”

I nodded my head to Gregory and continued eating my food, although my appetite had all but disappeared after my little flashback.  I better eat while I can, who knows what they’ll be putting me through today.  The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence.  The townspeople seemed to have made it a point not to socialize with me.  I finished my meal and walked out of the dining hall with Gregory and Dorian.

“So where are we off to?” I asked.

“We’ll just start off with something easy today.  No need to rush.  We’ll start slow with your jobs until we find something that suits you.” Dorian responded.

As we began walking it seemed that they were taking me towards the front gate.  What could we possibly do there?  Maybe they were getting ready to kick me out of The Compound.  As we approached the gate I could see a team of men assembled and waiting for our arrival.  Gregory addressed the awaiting group of men.

“Alright everyone listen up quickly.  Barrett is going to be joining you for today’s work.  So show him the ropes and everything will go smoothly.”

Gregory turned around and began walking away with Dorian.  I quickly ran over to ask exactly what I would be doing.

“Hey Gregory, what exactly will I be doing with these guys today?”

“Simple stuff, just doing a cleanup of corpses outside the gate after the skirmish we encountered the other day.  The stench that these bodies leave is unbearable.”

“Why don’t any of these guys have guns on them?  What if we get attacked?”

“Don’t worry, we do hourly perimeter checks.  Everything has been cleared and deemed safe.  If there are any stragglers around I’m sure you and the team can handle it with ease.  Just don’t get lost in a day dream.”

I walked back towards the gates and realized the team of men assembled had already gotten to work.  I quickly rushed outside to help them.  That was the first time I stepped outside the compound since my arrival days earlier.  The men had already begun gathering and sorting loose limbs into piles.  They were also collecting any shell casings that could be found on the ground.  I suppose this is how they are able to stock such high numbers of munitions.  They collect all of their casings and reload them for later.  It’s completely obvious if you think of it.  There would be no way to have such supplies otherwise.

I peered off to my left and saw a man dragging a corpse over to add to the pile.  I ran over to give him a hand.  I picked up the legs while he had gripped the corpse underneath the armpits, locking his hands around its chest.  He didn’t seem too phased by the notion that this zombie could still be alive.  He must have been doing this for awhile.

“This is some job.”  I said.

But the other worker didn’t respond to me.

“How did you get stuck with this duty?”

Finally he looked up at me and responded.

“We didn’t get stuck with it.  Someone has to do it and since everyone here has to pull his or her own weight it doesn’t matter if it’s me or someone else.  So how about we stop talking and finish this up.  I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be out here all day long.  Not to mention I’d rather not be seen talking to the likes of you.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“What does it even matter to you what my name is.  You want to say I was out here gnawing on some poor guy so you can have me killed?  No thanks outsider, I don’t need any trouble from you.  I think it would be best if you stayed away from me.  I don’t need any of your help.”

The man stormed off in the direction of the other workers.  I guess that was proof that these people clearly harbor a vast amount of resentment towards me.  But then why are the council members being so nice to me?  I suppose they need all the help they can get.  I kept working, solo of course, until the work appeared to be done.  Everyone went back into The Compound.  It was still early in the afternoon so I figured I would walk around to see if I could find anything I hadn’t seen since my arrival.

I began heading towards Jeffrey the Butchers when I saw Jesse walking in front of me looking down at the ground.  I called out to him.

“Hey Jesse how are you?”

He was startled by my voice, but when he turned around and saw it was me a look of delight spread across his face.

“Hey Mister, uhhh...  Hey Barrett, nice to see you again.”

I stuck out my hand to give him a high five, but the gesture seemed a little foreign to him.  It felt a little awkward at first but the moment passed.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked Jesse.

“Oh nothing really, just walkin’ around town tryin’ to find the voices.”

The voices?  Maybe he was talking about those screams I had heard the other day.  This may be the only opportunity I get to find out what was going on.

“What do you mean the voices?”

“You haven’t heard them?  Sometimes I hear people screaming for help when I walk around this part of town.  But I can never find where it’s coming from.  I tried askin’ people but they said I’m hearin’ things.  And then they stop talkin’ to me.”

“So this is the only part of town you hear anything?  You’ve searched everyplace else?”

“Yea, I looked everyplace in town.  I’ve sneaked into every building in town…Sept for the Butchers and the tunnels.  I won’t go into those tunnels, they give me the creeps.  And they’re always guarded.”

Hmm… Could it be that there was something going on in a part of the tunnels?  When I first went down there it seemed to be an intricate system that stretched below The Compound.  Is it possible that they’re hiding something under there?  And the Butcher has something to do with it as well?  Maybe that was why they wouldn’t allow me into his shack with Paul…

“Hey Jesse, let me ask you a question.  Does anyone ever go into the Butcher’s house?”

“Nope, only people I ever see go in there are the council and the Butcher himself.  Everyone else stays away from there.”

It seemed like the only way I was going to find out what was going on would be by exploring the tunnels or gaining entrance to the Butchers house.  The latter of the two seemed to be the more difficult.  I guess the tunnels would be my next journey.  But how would I gain access?

“Jesse, do you know how to get into the tunnels?”

“I told you I don’t like goin’ there.  The main entrance in town is always guarded so I wouldn’t try goin’ there for anything.”

“Alright, thanks for the info Jesse.”

I had to think this over before I did anything that might land me in more trouble with the council or the townspeople.  But I knew I just had to get to the bottom of this.  I had a feeling it could take me awhile to gain access to the tunnels to do any type of searching.  But when the opportunity presented itself I would have no choice but to take the necessary risks involved.

Off in the distance I could hear a bell ringing.  I could not remember hearing it since I had arrived.  Was there another zombie attack?  This bell was different than what had summoned us yesterday to fight the horde.

“What is that?” I asked Jesse.

“That’s the dinner bell.”

I didn’t realize how hungry I was up until that moment.  I had not eaten anything since breakfast earlier in the day.  Odds are the food is horrible, but a hot meal was more than appetizing nowadays.  I turned and began walking to the dining hall.  And then I realized Jesse was not following me.

“Aren’t you going to come get some food?”

“I’m not allowed to eat in the dining hall with everyone else.”

Has the town really shunned Jesse to that extent?  How is it possible that he has survived all this time on his own?

“It’s ok though, don’t worry, I’ll eat the scraps that they throw out later on tonight.”

I was furious that anyone could treat another human being, let alone an orphaned child to this extent.  I could not just walk away from him so easily.

“I think it will be okay if you come this time.  After all, I’ll be with you.”

“Are…you sure?  I don’t wanna start any trouble again...”

“I’m positive; nothing is going to happen if you come with me.”

So Jesse and I started to walk towards the dining hall.  But had I made the right decision?  Who knows what would come of this.  After all, I did not really know the full extent of his history with the council or other townspeople beyond what he had told me.  And all of that could have been a lie.  But I had to take a leap of faith to help him.  After all, in a world such as this, who else is going to help him?  Everyone is just looking to help themselves.  And this place seemed to be no different.  I owed it to Jesse after all the selfish choices I had made up until now to pay it forward.

As we entered the dining hall all eyes were fixated on us.  It seemed clear that Jesse was not welcome here.  And I suppose my presence did not help the situation.  One woman stood up towards the back of the room.

“What is that street urchin doing here?  We don’t want the likes of him in here.  And to be honest I think I speak for many when I say we don’t like you in here either.”

I was taken aback.  So the true colors of the people begin to show themselves.  After all the silence it seems that my alignment with Jesse had been the last straw for them.

“Alright.”  I said.

“We’ll leave you to your food.  We don’t want to cause any trouble past the aggravation we have already caused here.  But I think all of you people need to take a look in the mirror and see what you’re doing.  We’re no different than you.  We’re all survivors.  Are you forgetting who the real enemy is?  Let’s go Jesse.”

I turned around and began walking out of the dining hall just as Gregory began walking in.  I’m not sure how much he heard of what had just happened.  He walked up to Jesse and me.

“Barrett, my good man, how are you doing?  I see you’re with Jesse.  You have to forgive everyone.  This boy has been very troublesome for many who live within The Compound.  But please, sit down and enjoy your meal, I promise no one will cause you anymore problems tonight.  Keep in mind, the future may bring question to those you choose to align yourself with.”

It appeared everyone had sat back down in their seats and continued on like nothing had ever happened.  Was that it?  One word from Gregory and it was all over?  That was extremely peculiar.  Was all of this out of fear or respect?  Nevertheless, Jesse and I grabbed plates and began eating.  For all we knew if Gregory left the townspeople might kick us out.  It seemed as if Jesse had not had a meal like this in a long time.  He ate and ate and ate and when he was done eating he ate some more.  I was glad I could help him out today, even if were just for one meal.

As we left the dining hall my thoughts began to wonder, I didn’t know what would happen to Jesse.  The people had pure disdain for the boy, and I’m sure just as much for me.  I knew that he needed someone to help him, but in reality I knew that I was the one that needed help from him.  He knew the ins and outs of The Compound.  Without him I may never really find out what was going on.  I needed to make sure I kept an eye on him.  If the others knew that I was suspicious of anything then they might go after Jesse in order to silence him.  I couldn’t have that on my conscience.

“You know, winters going to be here soon.”  I said.

“Why don’t you just sleep on the floor in my room instead of out on the street?”

“It’s alright; I’ve always been fine with what I have now.  You don’t have to worry about me.  After all, if I’ve survived this long than I’m sure the winter will be a piece of cake!”

Jesse was so optimistic, even after losing his family and being shunned by the people in The Compound.  It’s a breath of fresh air to see someone like him in a world like this.  Unfortunately his sunny disposition would not stop the others from hurting him.

“I insist Jesse.  I think you know as well as I do that we’re very similar.  We need to watch out for each other here.”

“I never really thought of it that way.  It’s always been this way for me, so I’ve never thought anything of it.  But I still don’t think anything is going to happen.  If it’ll make you feel better I guess it’s alright Mister Barrett.”

I was relieved to know Jesse would stay in my room tonight.  I feared that they might come for him while he slept on the streets.  They could do whatever they wanted to him and no one would question how it happened.  In fact, I’m sure they wouldn’t even question it.  They would be happy to have him out of their hair.  But at least if he was with me I could protect him.  I really doubt anyone was going to come after him while he was with me, but what about the morning?  I can’t watch him every second of the day.  I shouldn’t worry about that now.  The night was upon us, and I had a feeling there were more dangers than zombies lurking in the shadows.

We arrived back in my room and I set up a temporary bed for Jesse on the floor.  This time with a spare sheet and pillow I had in the room before he drifted off to sleep, unlike the previous night.  I checked the hallway and locked the door securely.  There was a shelf on the wall opposite the entrance to the room.  Sitting on top of the shelf were three clay figurines.  I’m not sure who put them there, but they seemed extremely out of place.  Why hadn’t I seen them earlier?  There was a little angel, devil and oddly enough Santa Claus.  I picked up the angel figurine and walked over to the door.  The figurine would come in handy in case someone was able to unlock the door during the night.  I would be naive to think no one had a key.  I carefully balanced the figurine on the door knob.  If someone were to open the door it would come crashing to the ground.  Ironically enough, giving us warning as a fallen angel.

“You’re way too paranoid, Barrett.  There’s no reason to set up all these traps.  Just go to sleep and everything will be fine!”

I hoped Jesse was right about everything.  He had such an innocent mindset.  But deep down I knew something was rotten inside these walls.  And I knew I had to figure it out before it was the end of me.  I walked over and got into my bed.  I’m not sure if Jesse trusted me as much as I trusted him.  There were no other words spoken as we drifted off to sleep.  That night was quiet and the figurine never fell off the door knob.  It seemed as if all was safe, for now at least.

Chapter 7

The next morning I got up to go to work and much to my surprise Jesse had already left to do whatever it was he did during the day.  It was going to be more difficult than I thought to keep an eye on him.  As I approached the front gate I could see there was no group of men gathered to go cleaning outside.  But I could see that Gregory was waiting for me instead.  Maybe I would have the day off to go exploring again.  This would be perfect.

“There won’t be any pickup outside today Barrett.  Everything was cleaned up and there’s been little activity, so I’ll be giving you a new job to start.”

Even if I didn’t have the day off this could be progress; maybe I would be given a job that involved the tunnels.  But could it be that simple?  I doubt it.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“We thought you did well enough in the past assignment that we could move you on to something that’s not so much grunt work and involving more trust.  So for today you’ll be doing a simple lookout in the west tower.  But this job will be a 24 hour shift.  Follow me.”

I began following Gregory towards the west end of The Compound.  When we arrived there was a rope ladder leading up to a lookout tower.  I climbed up first with Gregory behind me.  When I reached the top I could see there was not enough room for two people in the tower.  Gregory stuck his head up from below.

“Your job for the next 24 hours is simple.  Just keep a lookout and if you see anything hit that bell that’s behind you to alert the others.  We haven’t seen much activity lately so you don’t really have to worry.  There is some food here for you to eat while you’re here.”

“I think I can handle this.” I replied.

“Just try not to fall asleep.”

With that, Gregory climbed back down the rope ladder and I was alone.  It was kind of nice to be up there alone for once.  Not having to worry about the others.  There was a set of binoculars hanging from a strap affixed to the wall.  I picked them up and began scanning the tree line, but I found nothing.  Nothing at all for hours on end, in fact the peacefulness I had first found had turned into extreme boredom.  Not to mention extreme eye fatigue because the binoculars were missing a lens in one of the eye pieces.

I started looking through some of the food that was stocked in the tower to eat: fruits, nuts and stale bread.  This would have to suffice for now.  I bit into an apple and began staring off into space for a second.  But then a bright glare caught my attention.  What the hell could be reflecting such a bright light in the middle of nowhere?  I grabbed the binoculars off the wall and started scanning the area.  That was when I spied something I did not expect to see.  Someone was out along the tree line.  I’m positive it was not one of them.  But I’m also certain it was not anyone from The Compound either.  The person was looking back with a pair of binoculars and their clothing was very different.  When they saw that I spotted them they jumped out of sight for a moment.  I could only assume out of fear that I might ring the alarm bell.  But after realizing I would not alert the others they came back into my field of vision.  They stayed for only a moment and then they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

Who could they have been?  Did they know I would be the one in the tower that day?  I could have easily been one of the others, which would have meant trouble for them.  The encounter also meant there were others outside of The Compound, surviving.  But what was their alignment with The Compound?  I could only guess. They clearly didn't want to be seen...

As night approached I continued to scan the area in hopes I would encounter my new friend once again.  I was curious as to where they were from.  And what they might know about The Compound.  I’m sure there were more out there somewhere.  From time to time I saw rustling in the bushes along the tree line.  I was actually surprised to see animals were still living in the area.  I hadn’t really seen any since today.  They’re better at adapting than we give them credit for.

Hours had passed and the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon when I caught a glimpse of the stranger in my binoculars again.  But this time there seemed to be a greater sense of urgency in his signaling.  After emerging from the tree line he ran off towards the north.  And then I realized why he was in such a panic.  They emerged from beyond the tree line only minutes after he rushed past.

“What should I do?” I thought to myself.

If I ring the bell then the others will go out after them.  But, then they might run into the stranger.  I could only assume he was not welcome inside judging by the distance he kept.  But, if I didn’t ring the bell it could mean far worse problems for everyone else.  And I don’t know how I could go about explaining why I didn’t alert everyone of the dangers.  Then I would never find out what was going on here.

I reached over and began ringing the bell.  I could hear bells being rung from the other towers as well.  I climbed down the ladder and began running towards the armory.  Gregory and the others were already gathering supplies.  I waited for them to leave before I entered to get what I needed.  This might be the only chance I have to find out what was really going on here.  Hopefully I could find him before the others did.

I stocked up on ammunition and headed towards the front gate.  I started making my way around the perimeter of The Compound hoping to run into him before the others found him.  When I arrived at the southern wall of The Compound there were a few of them lurking.  I quickly disposed of them and made my way towards the tree line.  Quietly I walked through the woods looking for any sign of the stranger.  And that’s when I heard it, but it was already too late.

“Click”

“Don’t move or I’ll blow your brains out.”

I could feel the cold barrel pressed against the back of my head.

“Now listen to me and listen to me good.  I want you to slowly turn around and if everything goes the way I want it to I’ll lower my gun.”

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…I began turning around slowly with my hands above my head.  I looked at the man standing in front of me.   It was the same person who had signaled me while I was in the tower.  But why?

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“My name is Barrett, I was in the tower earlier today when you signaled.”

“Why didn’t you warn the others that you saw me?  It’s your job after all.”

“I was up there to warn them of the undead, not other people.  You’re the first person I’ve seen outside of The Compound since I arrived a few days ago.”

“I figured you were new here…”

“Can you tell me what the hell is going on here?” I asked.

“You really don’t know?  I’m surprised they’ve just let you roam around and try to integrate yourself into their society.  There are a bunch of survivors like myself held up in a town about five miles from here.  We’ve worked together to survive and stock up on whatever we can in hopes of weathering this storm as time goes on.”

“Why don’t I ever see anyone coming and going from The Compound to your town?  I’m sure there’s some sort of way you help each other.”

“We’ve tried to form alliances with them a bunch of times.  But we learned the hard way when they ransacked our town leaving us for dead.  Luckily we had reserves that we didn’t tell them about and we were able to survive that harsh winter.  From that point on they came only to threaten us for our supplies.  And when we stopped giving them what they wanted they started taking our people.”

“What would they want with the people in your town?”

And then it hit me…

“The screams I heard…”

“So you’ve heard the screams?  Then it is true…Those sick bastards.”

“I’ve heard them, and I think I know where they’re coming from.  But I have no clue what’s going on.”

“When they ran out of supplies for the winter they began kidnapping people from our town and taking them back here.  We’ve never seen any of them again.  We can only imagine the worst fate for them…Those savages are no better than them.”

“Cannibalism?!” I exclaimed.

“Yea, can you imagine that?  A world where you run for your life so you don’t get eaten by the undead, only to be eaten by the living.  It makes me sick to my stomach.”

“I knew something bizarre was happening here, but I never would have guessed that…” I replied.

So that’s why he was so quick to shoot Paul when I first arrived…He didn’t want their secret to be revealed to me.  I thought to myself.

I turned around as I heard twigs snapping in the distance.

“That must be them.” He said.

“We have to get out of here before they find us.” I replied.

“You go and try to find the others while they’re preoccupied.  I’ll distract them.”

“But that’s suicide!”

“You’re the only one who can help them now.  There’s nothing I can do for them from the outside.  There’s no way I’d be able to get inside The Compound with you.  It would be my honor to give my life for them to live.  I’ve been able to survive this long for a reason.  I’ve grown tired of this life.  When you find them look for my younger brother, Hector, he’ll be able to help you from here.  Tell him his big brother Victor loves him.”

I turned around and began running back towards The Compound.  As I approached the entrance I could hear gunshots in the distance.  I had a bad feeling about them.  But I couldn’t turn back now.  As I ran through the baron streets it was clear that everyone had either taken cover or was outside of the walls fighting off the undead.  The entrance to the tunnels was left unguarded for the first time since I had been here.  I dropped down into the tunnels and began searching for any signs of the survivors.  But as I ran around I found nothing but empty rooms.  All my searching had led to nothing.  But then I realized something that I hadn’t before.  There had to be an entrance from the Butchers shack, but that couldn’t be the only one.  I tried to trace the tunnel walls to find out where the Butchers shop was above ground as opposed to my location in the tunnels.  As I got closer I could hear moans and groans coming from somewhere.  I placed my ear against the wall and they began to get louder.  But how could I get in without going through the Butchers shack?  I looked down at the floor and noticed there were some scratch marks across the floor as if something swung over it.  Was this really a solid wall separating the tunnels?  I began to push and pull with all my might when it began to budge forward.  Little by little I was able to push my way into the next room.  What I saw next would be the most shocking thing I had seen in all of my life.  There were dozens of people, some dead, some still alive in a large fenced in area like livestock.  The conditions were horrid; fecal matter strewn across the floor.  How could anyone ever survive like this?  The mass of people turned to me and began talking amongst themselves.  I began to call out.

“Hector, are you here?” I heard no response.

“Hector?”  I called out again.

“Who are you?”  Someone asked from the crowd.

“I’m looking for Hector.” I replied

“What so you can chop him up?” Someone yelled.

“His brother Victor sent me for him.”

A man emerged from the crowd.

“What did you say?  How dare you say that name as if you knew him.”

“Listen It’s hard for me to explain now but I was just with your brother and he told me if I came to look for you you’d be able to help me.”

“He’s here?  Where is he?  I need to see him.  I won’t say anything until I can see him.”

“They...shot your brother outside of The Compound.  He was holding them off so I could come find you.”

“You liar!  You killed my brother you asshole I’ll end you!  You coward how could you do this?!”

“Listen, I know it’s hard to believe me but I swear I was with your brother and he asked me to come find you.  He wanted me to tell you that he loved you.”

Hector fell to his knees as he cried uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure if he believed a word I was saying.

“Listen, Hector, I know you don’t believe me but you have to help me out before they come looking for me.”

“Why should I help you, you killed my brother.  What did he ever do to you?”

“He told me about the town five miles from here.  I have to get to that town so I can figure out how to get all of you people out of here.  Where is the town?”

It was clear that everyone could hear the approaching footsteps through the tunnels.  I could only assume it was Gregory and his men coming to look for me.

Hector looked up at me and knew he had to make a decision before the others arrived.  He knew that if I was telling the truth I was his only hope.

“The town is five miles west of here.  It’s pretty straight forward.  Just keep going west until you hit the old logging roads.  Once you hit that you’re half way there.  If you follow the roads you’ll get to the town but it will take you double the time.  As long as you keep cutting through the woods you’ll get there faster than any vehicle traveling on the road in case they set out after you.”

“Thank you.” I said

“I promise I’ll be back for all of you.”

I turned to leave and realized I could no longer go the way I had originally come from.  The only other way out was through the Butchers shack.  There was a rope ladder hanging on the far side of the room that must have led up to the shack.  I quickly ran over and began climbing up the ladder.

“Hey wait!” Hector yelled out to me.

“When you get there make sure to tell them, Tempus Edax Rerum.”

I nodded to Hector and continued climbing up the ladder.  I had no clue what he was talking about.  But it must have been important.  Just as I made it up the ladder I could hear Gregory and the others down in the tunnels.

“Well Well Well.” Said a voice standing behind me.

I had neglected to look around the room when I came up the ladder.  How stupid could I have been?

“Did you think you’d be able to snoop around and never get caught?”

I turned around and came face to face with Jeffrey, the Butcher himself.

He walked over to the hatch and yelled down to the others.

“Hey, he’s up here.  Don’t worry I have him.”

He turned his attention back to me.  It didn’t seem like I was going to get out of here without a fight.  I had to be careful, who knew what this man was capable of.  I couldn’t draw my gun without the others knowing what was going on.  I would have to fight him hand to hand.  But how do you fight a man twice your size?  In normal circumstances a man wouldn’t do such a thing, but under the current conditions I felt no remorse in my decision.  There was no escape.

He was standing in front of me, I could tell he was sizing me up.  He knew as much about me as I did about him.  He clearly had the size advantage, but hopefully what he had in size he lacked in combat experience.  Unfortunately, I lacked much experience in fighting the living.  Most of my fights had been with the undead.  Unless you count childhood scuffles on the playground.

He began to charge towards me.  Thinking on my feet I moved out of the way.  What was I supposed to do?  I kicked him in the groin from behind, but this didn’t seem to do much but anger him further.  He lunged towards me again, but this time he was able to grab a hold of me by my shoulders.  I tried to break free of his hold but he was too strong.  He began punching me repeatedly in the side.  The pain was excruciating.  For a split second I felt him loosen his grip and I was able to slip out.  Holding my side, I tried to catch my breath.  Looking into Jeffrey’s eyes I could tell he found great pleasure out of this.  He was just toying with me, I was no match.  We circled around the room, staring each other down.  As Jeffrey approached his table he grabbed a knife that was lying on it.  I wish I had seen that earlier.  A large grin took over his face.  I couldn’t say the same about mine.  He raised the blade to his mouth and ran it across his tongue.  No words had to be spoken to understand his intentions.  As he began running towards me again I realized that as we moved around the room I was situated above the opening to the tunnels.  And at the last moment I moved out of the way of the approaching Jeffrey.  He tried to stop himself, but his momentum was too strong.  He plummeted through the hatch and I could hear a thud as he hit the ground.  There was no time to check if he was still alive.  I had to get out of here before it was too late.  I left the Butchers shack immediately.

I didn’t know where to go from here.  I’m sure Gregory and the others would be coming for me soon.  I started running towards the entrance when I saw Jesse running towards me.

“Barrett!! Barrett!! You gotta get outa here they’re coming for you!  No time to talk just follow me!”

I followed Jesse as we ran through The Compound.  Zigzagging through the streets and houses like one big obstacle course.  I had never seen a majority of the area Jesse had taken me through.  I could hear the noise of our pursuers behind us as we ran towards what looked like a passageway in the back of The Compound wall.  As I approached the passageway I realized there was no way I’d be able to fit through it.  There were boards running parallel that must have been nailed to keep the wall fortified.  I started pulling at them and they began to come loose.  After a few minutes I was able to clear enough room to slip through.  I turned around to grab Jesse.

“Come on Jesse we have to get out of here.”

But it was too late.  Before I could grab him Gregory and the others had already arrived.  They dragged Jesse back into The Compound as he kicked and screamed for my help.  As much as it hurt me, I only had one choice.  I had to leave Jesse behind or else there was no way I’d be able to make it to the town.  There would be no other way for me to save him without first going for help.  I just hope he could survive until then.  After all he’d been through I’m positive he’d be able to withstand whatever they could throw at him.  But everyone has their breaking point.

I started to run into the woods.  I couldn’t hear anyone pursuing me past The Compound's wall.  But why wouldn’t they try and capture me?  I was a little confused.  Nevertheless I pushed my way through the woods.  I had to be careful because although it seemed I was not being followed I needed to be on the lookout for the undead roaming the area.  I still had my gun, but that would alert everyone of my location regardless of their intention.

I eventually made it to the road Hector had told me about.  That meant I was half way to the town.  But in the distance I could hear an all too familiar sound coming up the road, one I had not heard in years.  It was the puttering of an engine.  Was it possible they had sent out someone to come find me?  I never saw any vehicles while I was inside The Compound.  They must only use them for emergency situations.  I ducked down in a ditch on the side of the road and waited for them to pass.  But the vehicle began to slow down.  One of the men jumped out of the truck and began walking around; it looked as if he didn’t see me.  But suddenly, he jumped back in the truck and then they threw it in reverse.  They must have spotted me.  I quickly ran into the woods on the other side of the road.  From this point on I had to push myself to make it to the town before them or else they’d cut me off at the entrance.  I would be done for.  I wouldn’t be able to help Jesse.  That wasn’t an option.

The fatigue in my legs burnt as if I was on fire.  Unfortunately, stopping for a rest was not an option.  I kept moving forward but the woods seemed to never end.  Once again I crossed over a road and could hear the engine off in the distance.  But I couldn’t tell whether it was ahead or behind me.  For the first time I could see billowing smoke off in the distance.  I must be getting close now.  I was invigorated with new motivation to keep on moving.

Up ahead I could see light beyond the trees.  Was I finally through the woods?  I broke free into the unknown.  But what I saw next was nothing of what I expected.  There must have been some sort of mistake in the directions Hector had given to me.  Did I go the wrong way?  No, this must be the town they told me about.

In front of me stood a dilapidated town comprised of small shops situated on a main road that ran through the center.  It looked as if there were some small alleyways in between the buildings, but no side roads.  At the end of the main road was a tall cliff.  It seemed there were only one way in and one way out.  I began running down the main road in hope I would find someone or someplace to take refuge before the others from The Compound arrived.  I could hear the motor approaching in the distance.  I quickly ducked into one of the alleys to hide from the search team.  I saw their vehicle turn onto the main street.  It seemed I had moved off the road just in time.  I peered around the corner of the building to see how far away they were from me.  I didn’t have that much time until they would spot me in the alley.  If I ran out now they would see me and I would have no way of escaping them.  But there was no other way out of the alley and nothing to hide behind.  Looking across the street I could see a fire escape leading up to the top of the building.  It looked like that might be my only option.

I looked back around the building in hopes they were still far away from my location.  But they were only a few stores away by now.  I waited until I felt the moment was right and bolted across the street as fast as I could.

“Hey, there he is!” One of the men yelled.

They began firing at me until I made it across the street.  Quickly checking myself I was relieved to see I have not been hit.  I jumped onto the fire escape and made my way up to the roof.  But not too far behind me was one of the other men chasing me on foot.  When I reached the top of the building I was taken aback by what I could see in the distance.  On top of the buildings on the end of the main street were tents situated on the roofs.  I questioned whether or not my eyes were playing tricks on me, it was too good to be true.  No wonder there were no signs of people on the streets.  Rather than fortifying some sort of barrier around the town they took to the roofs for safety.  But there were no undead to be seen.  How did they keep them all away?

I continued running along the roof of the building.  My adrenaline was pumping as I made the leap over the gap between the two buildings.  I was hoping that my pursuer would not clear the gap.  But as I looked back in dismay he was still trailing me.  And it seemed that he was beginning to close in on me.  I kept moving and made the jump to the next building.  But this time I was met by a surprise on the other side.  Part of the roof had collapsed in and if I had jumped any further than I had I would have surely fallen in.  I moved over to the side of the roof that was still intact and kept moving.  But I lost a lot of time.  My pursuer must had seen me catch myself from behind and used it to his advantage.  He jumped to the left of the roof where I had continued to flee.  In turn he was able to make up even more of the distance between us.  I was only two buildings away from the tents, but could I make it before he caught me?  I had to.  Everyone was relying on me.

As I jumped to the next building my pursuer was only a split second behind me.  I could practically feel his breathing on the back of my neck.  But if I were to look back I would not be able to keep the pace I had set.  what could I do?  There was no time to sit down and contemplate a plan that was going to save my hide.   I had no choice but to make the next jump and hope someone was there who could help me.  My leap of faith.  I took to the air and found myself rolling onto the roof on the other side.  But I was not alone.  My pursuer began grappling with me on the ground, rolling over each other struggling for dominance.  It was my experience versus his.  Unfortunately, I had very little experience fighting the living compared to my experience with the undead; I learned that earlier against Jeffrey, I got lucky then..  Soon he had found his way on top of me, pinning me to the ground.  I began looking around for any signs of my impending rescue but there was none to be seen.  Where the hell is everyone?  Maybe this wasn’t the right place after all…

“You think you’re so much better than us don’t you?  We’ve all hated you since the day you arrived.  If it weren’t for Dorian and Gregory having such a fascination with you we would have done you in a long time ago.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way!  We’re all survivors in this mess.  We should be working together, not killing each other.  Don’t you realize who your enemy is?”

“Ha!  You make me laugh.  You know, I pity those like you.  We all may be the same when compared to the undead, but that’s where our similarities end.  It’s survival of the fittest and you’re just taking up my oxygen.”

I couldn’t think of a response to what he had just said to me.  I was looking into the eyes of a crazy man.  But there was no soul behind his empty eyes.  As I continued to struggle he began moving his hands onto my throat.

“I’m going to enjoy this.” He said

As he began to constrict my airways I felt as if my lungs were going to explode.  The same feeling I experienced as a child when I had swam too deep in the ocean and could not resurface in time to catch my breath.  But this time I feared there would be no happy ending.  No time for me to resurface and catch my breath.  My vision began to fade to black and the sounds around me became muffled.  In a world such as this who would have thought this is the way I would go?  Not by the teeth and claws of the undead hordes I had so narrowly escaped in my journey before reaching The Compound.  But by the hands of a psychopathic marauder who would just as easily murder his mother for the fun of it.

Suddenly the darkness surrounding me began to lift as my vision returned, albeit blurry beyond any recognition.  I could see figures standing above me but could not make out who or what they were.  Had he left me there for the undead after he had gained pleasure through my demise?  It’s the only explanation I could think of.  But as my vision began to come back I could see they were not the undead, but other survivors.  I could feel air being forced into my lungs as they worked to resuscitate me.  The sounds around me were still muffled and my pursuer was nowhere to be seen among the faces. I gasped for air and turned on my side as I could finally breathe on my own.  Coughing, I opened my eyes only to see my pursuer lying next to me dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

I quickly repelled away from the body and sat up against the side of the building.

“Are you okay?” The woman asked me.

In front of me were three survivors, an older man to my right, what looked to be a woman of the same age in the middle and a younger man on the left.

“Can you hear us?”  The younger man asked.

I sat in a daze trying to comprehend what had just happened to me.  The lack of oxygen had left me in a stupor. But then I found lucidity.

“Thank you.” I said.

“Looks like he’s okay.” Said the older man.

He moved closer and stood over my body looking down at me.  I wasn’t sure what he was doing.  I reached out my hand for him to help me onto my feet.  He smiled and began to speak.

“Time to go back to sleep.”

And in one motion he struck me in the head with the butt of his rifle.  The same rifle I could only assume had saved my life; lights out.

Chapter 8

I awoke from my slumber and struggled to get to my feet.  But something was holding me back.  I realized my hands had been bound behind me, around a column of some sort.  The room was pitch black and the stench was overwhelming.  It took but all of my strength to hold back from vomiting.  My legs were stretched out in front of me and I could feel a hard object in front of me, that I could only assume was a wall.  I slowly began moving around the column to position myself towards what I was hoping might be the other side of a room.  After an eternity of struggling I had finally made my way to the other side of the column.  I must have been at the end of a large room because I could see light faintly on the floor from underneath a doorway.

“Hello?” I said.

There was no response.

“Is anyone there?” I spoke in a louder tone.

“HELLO?! IS ANYONE THERE?  I’M ALIVE IN HERE!”

Were they ignoring me?  Maybe they thought I was a threat.  Or had they saved me only to leave me here to die?

I sat and waited but no one came.

“I guess this is it.” I said to myself.

Abruptly I heard a noise in the shadows.

“Who’s there!?” I asked.

There was no response.

“I know someone’s there.” I said.

I heard nothing but laughter. Then they spoke.

“Have some pride in yourself.  Leaving the world crying, like the baby you were when you entered it; despicable.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Just a man, like you, in this dark room waiting to expire.  But at least with some pride, unlike you.”

“How did you get here?”

“They put me here just like you.”

“But why?”

“The same reason they put you here.”

“And why is that?”

“Because Dorian sent us.”

“Dorian didn’t send me here.”

“That’s the story I tried when they found me out as well.”

“I’m not lying.”

“I said that too.”

“I had only been in The Compound for a few days before I escaped.”

“I tried to tell them that too but they saw right through me.”

“I’m not lying.”

“There’s no use lying.”

“If they didn’t believe me they won’t believe you.”

“I’m not like you.”

“Yes you are.”

“How is that?”

“We’re both going to die here.”

From that point on there was silence.  For all I knew the man in the shadows had expired.  There was no way to know because of the foul stench of death that was already in the air; good riddance.

The room was silent for hours.  So silent that it could drive a man insane.  The light from underneath the door had gone out hours before.  It must be night.  But there was no way to be sure.  Silence.  Darkness.  Alone.  Life.  Death.  Death.  Death.  All I had was death.  How long had I slept?  Was it day? Was it night?  Life.  Death.  Alone.  Silence.  Where was the man in the shadows?  Was he here? Had he died?  Was he real?  Had I imagined him?  I hated him.  He was mocking me.  I wasn’t like him.  He wasn’t like me.  He wasn’t me.  I wasn’t him.  I’m me.  Am I me?  Who am I?  Me.  Alone.  Darkness.  Silence.  Death.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I could hear myself scream, but was I really screaming?  I don’t know.  I was alone.  What is a scream?  Does it really make noise?  Is there noise here anymore?  I don’t know.

I was exhausted.  Maybe I should go to sleep.  I shouldn’t go to sleep.  If I go to sleep I will die.  And if I die I’m the same as the man in the shadows.  I wasn’t like him.  No.  If I wake up I am not like him.  If I sleep now I can wake up.  And if I wake up I am me.  And if I am me I am not him.  And If I were him I would die.  I will not be like him.  I will not die.

I shut my eyes for a moment and dozed off.

I tried to open my eyes but the pain was too much to bear.  The once dark room was filled with bright light.  The brightest light I had ever experienced in my life.  Had I died?  Was this heaven?  If I died then I was him.  But if I were him I wouldn’t be in heaven.  So then I am not him.  I am me.  And if I am me then I am alive.

Slowly my eyes began to adjust to the light in the room.  I began looking around the room for the man from the shadows.  There were no other columns in the room.  Does that mean I was alone the whole time?  If so then I was him after all.  Tears had begun to stream down my cheeks.  But there was no use crying.

The door at the end of the room began to swing open.  A figure stood in the doorway for a moment before entering.  It was the man who had saved me and sentenced me to this room.  He walked over and sat down on the floor next to me.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

The voice was all too familiar

“I see you recognize my voice.  Good boy, I didn’t think you’d realize so soon.”

He was the man in the shadow, which means I was not him.  I am me.

“I know that your stay here has not been a pleasant one.  But we need to be careful who we allow in our group.  Dorian and Gregory  have sent others in the past like you.”

“But Dorian didn’t send me.”

“I know, you did enough talking for us to know your intentions.  And I can tell you we’ve been waiting awhile for an opportunity like this.  But for now you need to rest and regain your energy.  Sensory deprivation can take its toll on the human well being.  You weathered the storm nicely.”

He untied the ropes that bound me and helped me to my feet.  The young man who was also with him had entered the room and helped carry me out.

As we left the room all eyes were on me.  Men, women and children alike, staring into my eyes.  But this time, unlike at The Compound, there was something different in their souls when I looked back.  There didn’t seem to be any malice or spite behind the eyes of these people.  They seemed innocent, not what I ever imagined could still exist in this world today.  Especially after experiencing The Compound.

Moving forward, we entered a large corridor.  And eventually we arrived at a small room with a bed.

“You can rest here for the time being.  When you’ve gathered your strength we can talk more.  I know you have a lot on your mind.”

They turned and began walking out of the room.

“Thank you, but I don’t even know your name.” I said

“My name is Marshall, this is my son Damian and the woman who helped you when we first found you is my wife Sarah.  You’ll get to know everyone in due time.  Just get some rest and we’ll start fresh in the morning.

I tried to sleep, but it was no use.  All I could think about was Jesse.  How could I leave him behind like that?  From the moment I met him I had put his life in danger.  As it is he was already shunned from their society and living on the streets.  Now they’ve found a reason to be done with him.  It’s all my fault.  All he did was try to help me.  I have to think of some way to help Jesse.  But is he even still alive?  I had to keep hope alive that they hadn't done anything to him.  Finally I dosed off to sleep…

Chapter 9

In the morning I left my new quarters to find a similar hustle and bustle of people working as in The Compound.  But the people here just seemed to be so much happier.  It was remarkable to see the smile on their faces.  Although from the looks of it, these people didn’t have nearly as much supplies or equipment as in The Compound.  But it looks like they’ve made due.

Interestingly enough, I still had no clue where they had brought me.  We were inside of a structure, but some parts were of building and other parts seemed to be cavernous.  Up ahead I could see Marshall and Sarah approaching me.

“How are you feeling this fine morning?” He asked.

“Relieved.” I said.

They both laughed and we started to walk together.

“So, I’ve wanted to ask, where are we right now?”

“Right now we’re situated inside a cavern in the mountain that we access from the roof of City Hall.  But, as you could tell the other day, the top of City Hall looks like a deserted tent city and the entrance is hidden.  We don’t have to worry about any undead getting to us, but the living, that’s another story.”

“But what about some of the rooms I’ve seen.  They’re clearly not carved out of stone.”

“Clever observation; some of the rooms that you’ve seen are still part of City Hall.  We’ve closed off access from the lower levels and made entrance ways from the cavern.  But enough questions about us for now, let’s continue to walk and talk about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, from what we’ve gathered already, you were in The Compound for some time.  And in the time you were there, you were able to gather some information as to what’s going on.  If you hadn’t, I’m sure you wouldn’t be with us now.”

“From the moment I was brought in I could tell that something wasn’t right there.  At first I brushed it off as being the new norm for a world thrown into such turmoil.  But as time went on, I saw The Compound for what it was, a cannibalistic playpen, where Gregory and his men do as they please and no one is safe.”

“So is the council is still in power?”

“Yes, I met all of them when I first arrived.  Gregory, Dorian, Roger, Susan, and Phillip.  But it seemed as if everything went through Gregory and Dorian while the rest did nothing.”

“So it seems as if nothing has changed.  Gregory is still in power with his whipping boy Dorian by his side.  Roger, Susan and Phillip were always along for the ride as long as Gregory took care of them.  They have no real power, nor did they ever want any.”

“What about Jeffrey?” I asked.

“Jeffrey?  Before all of this happened in the world, Jeffrey was being processed to serve out a life sentence for a chain of serial murders; mutilating his victims beyond recognition.  Before he could be shipped out to the state penitentiary all hell broke loose and he found his way back into the general population.  I guess Gregory found use for his talents.”

“They call him The Butcher now.” I replied.

“They called him The Butcher back then too.  But now I suppose more respect comes along with that title.”

We continued walking until we arrived at an area with a group of people gathered.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It's the most important time of the day.”

I kept watching the crowd of people for a moment, but nothing happened.  Then, as time went on the crowd began to separate slowly.  They formed a line and then I realized, they were waiting for breakfast.  I joined the line but I couldn’t see the food from where I was standing.  I wonder what they ate compared to The Compound.  When I reached the front of the line I was surprised to see an assortment of fruits, eggs and loaves of bread.  I piled whatever I could grab onto my plate and moved off to the side to find a place to eat.

I plopped down on the floor and devoured my food.  I’m sure anyone who might have glanced over at me was disgusted.  But I didn't care.

I could see Marshall and Sarah across the room calling over to me.  I got up and walked over to them.

“How did you like your meal?” Sarah asked.

“It was delicious, I haven’t eaten such fresh fruit in a long time.  Where do you get it from?”

“Well, Gregory may have control over a lot of the equipment and machinery, but we maintain control of the farmland.” Marshall replied.

“He hasn’t tried to take it from you?”

“We used to fight over it, but the feuding over the farmland stopped when Gregory began pursuing new avenues for sustenance.”

“How do you know so much about Gregory?” I asked.

“He’s my brother.”

I was shocked to find out Gregory was Marshall’s brother.  They seemed nothing like each other.  Although, they were both men of power.

“Everyone who is in The Compound now at one time lived in this town.  But after everything went sour, Gregory and I fought over the ideals of surviving like humans instead of animals.  Eventually he left for The Compound with other survivors who’d rather lie, cheat or steal in order to survive.  The only times we’ve spoken since is with guns pointed at each other.  He is no longer any brother of mine.”

“Marshall, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“What does Tempus Edax Rerum mean?”

Marshall’s eyes opened wide and the expression on his face became very serious.

He stood up from the table.

“Come with me.”

From that point on Marshall did not say a word to me, we walked and walked through different sections of the cavern.  Eventually we arrived at what seemed to be the lowest room in the cavern.  There was a large metal door built into the stone.  Marshall knocked on the door with a specific pattern that must have been some sort of code.  The door swung open to reveal living quarters and an armory.  There were men living here that I had not seen since I arrived.

“A little early aren’t you Marshall?” One of the men said.

“Things have changed.”

The men looked at each other in confusion.

“What do you mean things have changed?”

“Tell them what you just told me.”

I was a little puzzled.

“What?”

“This isn’t the time to mess around.  Tell them what you told me.”

“I asked what Tempus Edax Rerum means.”

The man who had spoken to Marshall stood up and walked over to me.

“Who told you to ask that?  Where did you hear that?”

“Hector”

“What about Hector?”

“He told me that when I got here I should tell you Tempus Edax Rerum.”

“It’s too soon for that.” The man said.

“Get a hold of yourself Reese.” Marshall said sternly.

“We knew this was inevitable.  The time has come.”

“What about him?” Reese said gesturing towards me.

“I guess we’ll have to bring him up to speed.”

I stood with a puzzled look on my face.  I had no clue what they were talking about.  But I could only assume it wouldn't end well.  Marshall turned to me.

“Tempus Edax Rerum... Time; The Devourer Of All Things.”

“The devourer of all things?  So besides being a heavy thing to say in the face of the horrible times we live in now, what does that mean for us?”

“For the longest time Gregory and his men have done as they pleased.  Attacking our small community for any supplies they need.  Then it moved from supplies to people.  They treat us like livestock.  Just another tool for the survival of The Compound.”

“We fear them more than we fear the undead.” Reese interjected.

“For the longest time, man had conquered the majority of primitive causes of death.  Antibiotics, artificial hearts and the development of nanotechnology.  What is left for man to conquer but time?  In the end, time will catch man regardless of all he has accomplished.  But now, time has gotten complicated.  Those who time had defeated have come back to strike us down for all our wickedness.  Man has been the destroyer for too long.  And now the chickens have come home to roost.  But in our situation, the chickens have come home to roost for Gregory.  And we shall make sure he gets what he deserves for all the heinous acts he has committed.”

“Hector and Victor knew they weren't going to return from their mission didn't they?  They were on a suicide mission to assess the situation for those who had been captured and knew I would be there to relay the message back...”

“We had all intentions for them to return from the mission, but they also knew the risks involved.  You have to understand how many people we've lost.  It was the most important thing we've ever had to ask anyone to do.  By giving you the code, they felt that the situation had reached a critical point.  Something must be done or else we'll be the ones suffering.”

“Barrett, can we count on your help if we take the fight back to The Compound?  You're the only one who knows the intricacies inside the walls.”

“I'll tell you the same thing I've told myself... We are all human, and we shouldn't be fighting each other.  There is another enemy out there and we're all on the same side...But I cannot forget those who have been left behind.  And I will do whatever I can in my power to make sure they are unharmed.  No one deserves the fate Gregory has in store for them.”

“Thank you, Barrett.  Why don't you go enjoy yourself for now, we will come for you when everything is in order.  We'll have 10 days to prepare.”

I left the quarters and went back to the main area.  Enjoy myself?  How could I do that knowing what was going to happen in 10 days.  Would I be involved at all in the planning?  Or was I just going to be there to guide them on the day of whatever they decide their course of action might be?  I'm not so sure this would turn out for the best.  But my main goal was to get Jesse out of The Compound safely.  I owed him more than anyone else.

With so much on my mind there was not much to do but wait for the inevitable.  Time dragged on infinitely.  I never thought of time as the enemy until what I had learned today. I tried to keep a positive outlook regardless of what happened, but deep down in my heart I knew the odds of success.

As I leaned against the wall I observed the occupants of my new home.  They were so happy compared to inhabitants of The Compound.  I had a feeling that many of these people had not experienced the true outside world.  They were lucky enough to shut themselves out from the rest of the world.  The Boogieman was not the undead lurking around the next blind corner, the Boogieman was Gregory and the fear of The Compound.

I noticed in one corner of the hall there were children sitting in a semi circle.  It looked like a kindergarten class.  They were singing and dancing along to the alphabet and numbers.  The innocence of children was a beautiful thing.  It's upsetting to realize eventually this warm world will one day come crashing down on them as it did us all.

As I stood there watching the children, I began to notice the teacher.  She seemed to be around my age, with dark hair and olive skin.  Our eyes met for a split second and she smiled at me.  In that instant my breath was taken away.  She continued to teach her students.

I turned around and began walking towards the dining area.  For once in a long time I was looking forward to eating.  When I arrived it was still the same food from this morning.  Not a problem really, but from a nutritional standpoint how can they work all day without protein; other than a few eggs?  I suppose Gregory had his answer for this problem.

I found an empty table and took a seat.  There were less people in the hall at this time of the day then there were this morning during breakfast.  As I ate my food I noticed someone approaching my table from the corner of my eye.  When I looked up the school teacher from earlier was standing next to my table with a tray of food.

“Do you mind if I join you?” She asked.

I nodded my head and smiled.  I couldn't find the words to respond.

“I saw you watching my class today.  It's not everyday we have a new person arrive and I wanted to welcome you.  I know how difficult it can be to be alone in a strange new place.  My name is Cynthia.”

I gathered my composure.

“My name is Barrett, it's nice to meet you Cynthia.  I'm sorry if it seemed a little strange that I was watching your class earlier.”

“Oh, I didn't even think of it that way.  I thought it was nice for someone to show an interest in the children.  They're my everything.  Do you mind if I join you?”

“Of course, I'd love the company.”

She sat down next to me and began eating.

“So is it true you came from The Compound?” She asked.

“Yeah, I was there for a little while...”

“If you don't want to talk about it I understand.  I'm sorry I brought it up.”

“No, it's okay.  Maybe it's better for me to get it off my chest.”

“No, I understand.  The Compound is a really touchy subject here.  We've all lost some of our closest family members to The Compound.  A Majority of the children I teach are orphans because of The Compound.  Most of their parents left them behind to go to The Compound with Gregory.  And the others...  They never made it past the first few days of the outbreak.  I lost my family to The Compound too.”

I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

“That's the world we're living in today unfortunately...”

She nodded in agreement.  There was a brief moment of silence.

“So, how do you like the food?” She asked.

“It's nice to be able to have a meal like this.  I can't even explain the type of food I had to survive on for awhile.  And I'd say this is miles ahead of The Compound as well.”

“Well, that's good to hear!  I couldn't imagine living there.”

“At first they weren't bad people.  But you could tell something was going on behind the scenes.  They seemed to turn on you easily.  I think it's safe to say I didn't have many friends for the short time I was there.”

“It's okay, you'll never have to go back there now.”

With that statement, thoughts of Jesse flashed through my mind.  I knew I would have to go back soon.  But the words spewed out of my mouth.

“It's a breath of fresh air to think I'll never have to go back.”

I smiled and she giggled.  It was an interesting turn of events.  Although it was only for a brief moment.

“It was nice meeting you Barrett.  I have to get back to teach the children again.  I'm sure I will see you again.”

She got up from the table and walked back to her class.  She turned and waved as she left the room.  I was left speechless.

After finishing my food I left the hall and went back to my bedroom.  There was not much to do from now until they called on me for the mission.  I laid down on my bed for a short time until I heard a knock at my door.  Was now the time?  I walked over and opened the door.  I was expecting to see Marshall, but it was not.  Before me stood his wife Sarah.

“Barrett, can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure, I'd be glad to help you anyway I could.”

“Well, seeing as I'm sure you're bored out of your mind I figured you wouldn't mind walking up to the orchard with me and some of the others to gather food.”

“I'd love to.  I've been curious as to how you operated the farmland safely since I had breakfast this morning.”

“Great, I'll be back to get you in 10 minutes.  But make sure you have your firearm with you.  You can never bee too careful on the outside.”

And with a smile she was off.  I guess the farmland wasn't as safe as I expected it to be.  Better safe than sorry.

Like clockwork Sarah was back in 10 minutes, ready to go.  I followed her outside along with five other women and three men, who I'd also point out were armed.  But who wasn't nowadays?  We took a path through the mountain that led us outside in a direction that could not be accessed from the front of town.  This would be a great escape route, especially since it looked like Gregory's men could not access it without an extensive hike over the mountains.  But, in the same vein, the undead could potentially attack from both entrances of the mountain, effectively pinning the survivors in the mountain permanently.  A classic military pincer attack strategy.

Much to my surprise one of the other women in the group was Cynthia.  I walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around with a smile.

“Long time no see, how was the rest of your class?”

“You know how it is, some  things just don't change, children hate school now as much as I did when I was little.”

“I know the feeling, but it must be nice to be able to distract them from what's really going on out there...  Give them a small taste of a normal childhood even if it's only a taste.”

“Trust me, it means more to me than you'd ever realize.  I lost my family before coming here and I would give anything to get them back.  Especially my little brother.  I see him everyday in the children I teach.  It's the only thing that keeps me sane.”

“I lost my parents and brother too.  It makes you wonder why all of this had to happen.  After all of mankind’s accomplishments, it's like being thrown back into the stone age.”

We continued walking through the fields.  It was nice change of scenery compared to all of the woods I had been traveling through up until this point.  For the second time I saw some animals running around, but this time much smaller.  Different from what I saw at The Compound.  I was sure they would have fled the area or been hunted out.  But I guess this was a safe place to them.

“I wish my friend Jesse could see this.” I said.

“Your friend Jesse?” Cynthia asked.

“Yea, a boy from The Compound that helped me escape.  I owe a lot to him.”

Cynthia's eyes opened wide and she began to cry.

Before I could ask her what was wrong she ran ahead to the others sobbing uncontrollably.  I was a little confused what had made her so upset.  The other men looked at me in disgust, not knowing what made Cynthia cry.  I tried to approach Cynthia to find out what was going on but she refused to acknowledge my existence.  I followed the others as we continued walking in silence.  I didn't need to get on their bad side too.

When we finally arrived at the orchard there were a few dozen trees that seemed to be bearing fresh fruit.  But the rest of the field contained dead trees, which I found to be extremely odd.  I walked over to Sarah to find out.

“What happened to the rest of the trees?”

“That would be the work of Gregory...  Before they left for The Compound he and Dorian tried to light fire to our crops to force us to go with them.  Luckily we were able to stop the fire before all the trees were destroyed.  We still have enough trees to sustain our people, but if we were still together with The Compound food would be extremely tight.”

This must be the last time they'll be able to pick anything before the winter sets in. I had a bunch of questions as to how they stored their food for the winter, but now wasn't the time.

I looked over at Cynthia, she refused to make eye contact with me.  I kept looking over at her until I finally stole a glimpse from her.  She tried to ignore that I saw her looking at me.  I started to make funny faces at her whenever she would look over.  But a stern look stayed on her face throughout my attempts.  Finally, I tried one more time and I saw a small grin emerge from behind the facade.

As we began to walk back Cynthia approached me.

“Was what you said true?  Did you really meet Jesse in The Compound?”

“While I was in The Compound I became friends with a small boy who was shunned from the others.  He was about 13 years old and his name was Jesse.  He was all by himself, he's the reason I was able to reach The Town.”

I saw tears rolling down Cynthia's cheek and I thought I had offended her again.

“I'm sorry if I said something wrong to you.”

“No, I'm just so happy.  Jesse is my brother.”

How stupid could I be?  I never put two and two together that Jesse and Cynthia could be siblings...

“I thought Jesse had died alongside my parents and this is the first time I had any confirmation that he was still alive.  Thank you Barrett, you don't know how much this means to me.”

Cynthia reached out and gave me a hug.  It was the first time I had felt any physical contact since I lost Vanessa three years ago.  Had it really been that long?  I held back my tears and we continued walking.

“So he's safe in The Compound now?”

“I wish I could say for sure that he was...”

“What do you mean?  If he got there safely why wouldn't he be okay?”

“The people in The Compound didn't seem to show much care for your brother Jesse...  Jesse and I were able to help each other while I was in The Compound and he is the only reason I'm here right now.  But as he was helping me escape Gregory got a hold of him... I'm sorry but there was nothing else I could do.  In order for me to help Jesse I had to get here so Marshall and the others could get back to The Compound and end this once and for all.  I promise you Cynthia, I'll bring Jesse back into your life if it's the last thing I ever do.”

Cynthia looked me in the eyes and stopped crying.  The expression on her face changed completely as if she had reached some sort of moment of clarity.

“I understand completely.  I've lived this long thinking my brother Jesse had died.  But now that I know there's even a shred of hope he's still alive I know I can trust in you to bring him back to me.  Thank you Barrett.”

I was stunned by her response.  I thought that she would never speak to me again after confessing how I had escaped The Compound.  But the idea of reuniting with her brother Jesse must have reignited a fire in her belly.  A fire that burns for the will to survive and see her beloved younger brother again.  Hope is all we have left in this world and she's holding on for dear life.

The walk back was more pleasant than I had anticipated.  The sun could be seen setting in the distance.  It was the first time in a long time that I was able to enjoy a sunset.  It's funny how we all took these things for granted before the world fell into the crapper.  The Sun was never something I cared much about, but now things were different.  Nature is an interesting thing.  If our entire race was wiped off the face of this Earth, the Sun would still rise and set without a hitch.  The Moon would still look down at us in the night sky.  Plants would continue to grow and the tides would continue to roll in and out.  It's true that time is fleeting for every man; no one is exempt.  But it's also fleeting for the Earth.  It's foolish to think the Earth will be here forever.  And it's obvious many men have taken this for granted.  Mankind as a whole will be gone long before the Earth ceases to spin.  But until that time comes, nature marches forward along with time hand in hand, regardless if we're here or not.  Now I understand the meaning of Tempus Edax Rerum.

Chapter 10

The next few days continued on in a similar fashion.  Cynthia and I spent more time together and I felt as if I had a family again.  This was developing into the best time of my life.  I helped Cynthia with the children and Sarah with various odds and ends.  Marshall would come and speak to me about times before the outbreak.  How life was in this quiet town in the middle of nowhere.  They were a good distance from any major cities so they seldom were visited by travelers or strangers alike.  I could tell that although Gregory was his new found enemy, he missed his brother deeply.  Reminiscing of their childhood together, days spent playing by the creek and family hunting trips with their father.  I could see the emotions being hidden behind his eyes.  But let's be honest with ourselves, nothing this great could ever possibly continue.  The Boogieman is out there waiting for all of us.  And unfortunately, Marshall's own brother had become the Boogieman.

I had asked Marshall what The Town was like prior to Gregory and the others leaving to form The Compound.  It seemed at the beginning they were all a cohesive group.  Surviving together, killing any wandering undead that might approach The Town.  But one day, unbeknownst to Marshall, everything seemed to change.  Gregory, which he shared leadership of The Town with, began venturing into the woods to start building The Compound.  He told Marshall that it was a contingency plan in case something were to ever happen to The Town.  But as The Compound continued to materialize, Gregory and others, such as Dorian, spent more time there.  Eventually bringing supplies and staying overnight.  Until one day, Gregory approached Marshall and spoke to him about The Compound.  Proposing a plan to move people there to help scout new supplies and help relieve some of the pressures associated with all of the survivors being in one central location.  Crowding had always been a problem so Marshall could understand where Gregory was coming from.  But Marshall was concerned with splitting up the group.  They would be separated from each other, which could lead to problems down the road.  Which obviously came to fruition.  But nevertheless, Marshall trusted his brother and that's when the group split.

In the beginning Gregory only took those with him that volunteered.  But eventually the number of people who wanted to leave dwindled down, most likely because of the rumors of hard times in The Compound.  This was when Gregory started offering positions of power and grandiose awards for living in The Compound.  Marshall insisted that Gregory not persuade people to join The Compound with promises and rewards in fear that there would be a power struggle between the two brothers.  Loyalty had begun to become an issue as Marshall had originally feared.  Eventually Gregory and the others from The Compound began demanding more and more supplies.  It became too cumbersome to support both groups and Marshall demanded that Gregory bring the others back from The Compound.  But that was not an option for Gregory and the others.  They refused to come back.  And this was when the great divide of the group finally took place.  There was no turning back from that point forward.  At first there was no contact between the groups and they coexisted peacefully.  But as time went on, winter eventually set in, and that was when Gregory and those in The Compound became hostile towards Marshall and the other survivors.  They demanded supplies and would raid The Town at night.  Prior to these events, everyone lived in the actual town and not behind City Hall.  It was no longer safe to do so once Gregory and the others began pillaging on a regular basis.  At first they had to set up a new perimeter to watch for them.  But the area was too large to successfully monitor and repel attacks.  It was a totally new scenario that Marshall and the others never imagined they'd be facing.  They were prepared for a zombie attack, but an attack from their own people?  Relatives and best friends?  It certainly put a different spin on the situation.  Much more personal, putting a once trusting face on your enemy.  This was another problem for Marshall and his men.  Gregory and the others from The Compound seemed to have no problem with the atrocities they were committing on a nightly basis.  They had become a shell of their former selves.  They seemed to have no remorse when stealing or killing their once best friends and family.  On the other hand, survivors from The Town had a very difficult time facing them.  They still had love for their lost brothers and sisters.  It was completely different from fighting off the undead.  Many people cracked under the pressure of having to defend themselves from those who they once fought side by side with to survive through the zombie apocalypse.  Some ran off into the woods and were never seen again.  Others fled to The Compound to rejoin their loved ones in hopes they wouldn't have to fight any longer.  And unfortunately, others took their own lives.

After we moved everyone to our current location, and brought everything we could fit that wasn't permanently attached to the floor, Gregory and the others only visited a few more times to try and find whatever supplies we might had left behind.  They left us alone for a little while.  We thought maybe they assumed we had left...  But they knew we were still there.  And that's when they stopped trying to steal from us and started trying to bleed us dry.  Gregory knew about our crops, but up until then we had thought it was impossible for him to reach them without venturing over the cliffs.  We were wrong.  He lit the trees in the orchard on fire, luckily we were able to put it out before it was too late.  If he had been successful in destroying all the crops we never would had made it through the winter.  To this day I'm not sure how Gregory was able to make it into the fields.  I've tried finding his tracks and tracing them back but haven't been successful.  And he's never attempted to visit the location again.

When I finally assumed the storm had passed, Gregory and the others began to commit their worst deeds.  Anytime someone would go foraging or on patrol they would be abducted and we would never see them again.  No body to be found, no clues, nothing.  At first we thought it could have been an attack from the undead, or they defected to The Compound in fear of what future attacks may bring.  But that wasn't the case.  After more and more began to turn up missing we called for a lock down and no one was permitted to leave the grounds through The Town, the fields were still safe.  Marshall took a group of men and made their way over to The Compound to investigate.  Up until this time Marshall and the others had only visited The Compound during the initial construction.  When they breached the treeline they were shocked at the massive structure that stood in front of them.  It was many times larger than the initial group of shanty huts and walls that were initially erected.  As they approached Gregory and Dorian opened the front gate and met them in the middle of the field between The Compound and the treeline.  This was the first time they had spoken to each other face to face in some time.  Although Marshall approached the situation seriously, Gregory and Dorian treated it as if it were some kind of joke.  They clearly felt they were in complete control of the situation.  Marshall was speechless at the changes that had taken place.  The Compound was fortified and the size of Gregory's militia was formidable.  And with this so apparent, Gregory informed Marshall of his intentions...

“We are going to eat every single one of your group to ensure the survival of The Compound.  You are like cattle to us and there is nothing you can do to stop us.  If you try to attack us we will crush you and feast on the corpses of your dead.  And you brother, I will take pleasure in devouring your heart so then we can live together in The Compound until the end of time.”

With that, Gregory and Dorian turned around and walked back into The Compound.  After the gate closed Marshall and his men could see the faces of soldiers emerging from above the wall, and with them rifles staring at them with what could only be assumed as the intent to kill.  As they began slowly walking back to the treeline the group of men behind the wall lowered their weapons and could no longer be seen.  On the way back to The Town everyone in the group was speechless.  In fear of alarming everyone of Gregory's true intentions Marshall swore his men to secrecy and proclaimed that all those who had left had joined The Compound.  But deep down everyone knew what was going on.  From that point on those who were still in The Town were in a state of arrested development.  Surviving on a day to day basis waiting for the day that was ultimately inevitable.  Time had become the enemy alongside Gregory.  And clearly time had run out.

Chapter 11

Eight days had passed and I knew the clock was counting down to the zero hour.  I was in the middle of helping Cynthia with the children when Reese approached me.  It was the first time that I saw him step outside of the armory.

“It's time for us to sit down and talk.  Marshall and I will be waiting downstairs, come after you've finished up with the children.”

I nodded my head and Reese left the room.  I wonder what they had been planning these past couple of days.  I helped Cynthia with the children and told her I had to go speak with Marshall.  She gave me a kiss on the cheek and I made my way to meet with them.

When I arrived the door was already open and they were sitting at the table waiting for me.  I walked into the room and took the closest available seat at the table.  At this point not a word had been spoken.  Marshall stood up and began pacing back and forth in the room.  Then he spoke.

“Barrett, first I just wanted to thank you for all the help you've given to us since you arrived.  But we need to get down to the brass tacks.  Things have begun to change dramatically.  Gregory and the others are pushing much harder than we could have foreseen at this point in the game.  When we spoke to you eight days ago about forming a plan we never though we'd be facing a situation as we are today.  We've had men patrolling the perimeter of The Town and even some pushing down the road towards The Compound.  They've been reporting signs of scouts from The Compound pushing closer and closer to us on a daily basis.  It seems as if they are also planning something.  And we're afraid if we don't strike first it will mean the end for us all.  We've devised a plan that we think will help neutralize the threat of The Compound, but we need your help in order to complete it.  We're hoping to rescue our people who are still alive and take out Gregory and the others in one fell swoop.”

“So what do you need from me exactly?  You know I'll help you in anyway I can.”

“You've been inside The Compound and are somewhat familiar with the layout, specifically where our people are being held and where the council members might be.  But we can't think of a way to gain access to The Compound without taking heavy casualties.  If we attack from outside the walls we'll be mowed down just as quickly as the undead.”

“There's a tunnel system that The Compound relies on to move people in and out during a zombie attack.  It's also connected to where the others are being held.  I assumed you knew.” I said.

“No, That's amazing, no one has ever been able to come back with any information about secret tunnels in The Compound.  They must be using the old mining tunnels that the towns people worked in before they were closed down.  Can you get us in?”

“There's an entrance to the tunnel in the woods, but it's always heavily guarded.  I can tell you during a heavy attack they open the tunnel to get behind the undead.  That would be the best time to force your way inside and get into the tunnel system.  If you were somehow able to lead a horde into the clearing I could see it being possible...  But I don't see how you'd possibly do that.”

“Leave that to me.” Reese interjected.

“We move them around like that all the time.  Have you taken a look around recently?  We barely have any undead roaming our area.  We round them up and use a runner to point them out of our vicinity.  We've actually begun corralling them in an old horse stable located not too far from here.  It's risky and we've lost a few good men doing it, but it's for the greater good of the people.”

“...That's pretty demented, but if it works then we can do this.  So what's the plan once we get into The Compound?”

“It's simple, first we rescue the people in the tunnels, which should be quite easy since they're located so close to the secret entrance.  But then we're going to burn down The Compound from the inside.”

“That's pretty bold...”

I thought to myself before responding.

“Leaving all the people inside to stay and burn or flee to the woods to fend for themselves... I understand they're your enemy... But they also were once your family and friends...  My conscious is telling me this is wrong on so many levels.  I can help lead you into The Compound and rescue your people, but I won't burn it down with everyone inside.  That's up to you to accomplish, I won't have that on my conscious no matter how badly others might have been treated inside those walls.  My prerogative is to help whoever is still down in those tunnels before it's too late.  There's just one thing though, you aren't worried about any backlash reaching the town?”

“We're actually planning on it.  We can only assume Gregory is planning to infiltrate the town and take as many people as he can to stock up for the winter.  That's why we're going to secure the entrances to the town and hopefully hold them off.  If need be we'll evacuate following the paths through the fields and keep the women and children safe.”

“So when does all of this go down?”

“Tomorrow night, we're hoping to get all the men prepped and ready, Sarah is  going to gather the women and children and make sure they're safe in the event that anything goes awry.”

I wasn't sure what else I could say.  Everything had happened so fast I wasn't sure if my brain had totally comprehended all of the information.  This is truly a sick world that we're living in today.  Not only do we have to worry about the undead.  But we're fighting a war against our own brothers and sisters.  Could I live with the deaths of those people on my mind?  I suppose in reality they were no different than the undead, both of which are eating the living to survive.  But my only real mission was to rescue Jesse.  I could only hope that he was still alive in The Compound, that they hadn't punished him for helping me.  If I could find him and bring him back to Cynthia everything would be okay.

“You have tonight to get your affairs in order, in the morning we'll meet back up and prepare for the mission.”

I nodded my head and turned to walk out of the room.

“Oh, and Barrett.  I know religion has lost most of its meaning in days like these, but maybe say a few prayers before going to sleep tonight.  Every man has to meet his maker eventually.  Hopefully this time around it won't be us.”

I left in silence and began walking to my room.  On the way I saw Cynthia and she greeted me with her usual smiling face.  It was obvious something was wrong and she began questioning me immediately.  It was important that I let her know what was going on.  But I needed to make sure no one else became aware.  I leaned over and whispered into her ear.

“Meet me in my room after everyone's gone to sleep.  I promise I'll tell you everything then.”

Without waiting for a response I went into my room and shut the door.  Cynthia walked off with a look of bewilderment on her face.  But soon enough everything would be clear to her.

Chapter 12

I laid in bed for hours pondering the best plan of action for tomorrow nights siege.  For the past three years the only thing running through my mind was my own survival.  Now others were counting on me to rescue their loved ones.  But most important to me was getting Jesse back.

At that moment I heard a knock on my door and I slowly walked over to see who it was.  Cynthia had come to my room like I had asked her.  I quietly let her in and we sat down on my bed.

“What's going on Barrett?  Why did you ask me to come here this late?  Is something wrong?” She questioned.

“Cynthia, I need to talk to you about this now, because I won't get another chance until it's too late.  Tomorrow Marshall and his men are planning to infiltrate The Compound to rescue the others and put an end to Gregory's reign of terror.  I'm leading them into The Compound and hopefully everything will go smoothly.  I just want to let you know that I promise you, with all my heart, I'm going to bring Jesse back with me, or I won't be coming back at all.”

Cynthia began to cry and clenched me tightly.

“But why?  Why does this have to be happening now?”

“It has to happen if we're ever going to be safe from Gregory and the others.  They're planning something big and if we don't do something to stop it now everyone we love and care for will suffer.  And I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you.  But you need to listen to me very carefully.  I have a bad feeling that things may not go as smoothly as Marshall and Reese have planned.  Sarah is going to be in charge of the women and children in case something bad reaches us here.  I want you to stay close to Sarah, but if something happens you have to promise me you'll leave everyone and look out for yourself.”

“I...I can't do that, they're all like family to me.”

“Listen to me carefully, if you stay with the group they might catch you and then that's it.  I won't be able to find you and we might not get an opportunity like this again.  Once I find Jesse I'll make sure to make my way back here to you.  But if something happens, it is extremely important that you wait for me in a location away from everyone else.  Sarah is going to lead everyone through the caves and into the farmland.  But after you've followed them through the caves I need you to wait for me in the orchard.  Climb up into one of the trees and wait for me there.  I promise I'll come get you with Jesse.  I promise.”

Cynthia laid crying next to me in my arms for the duration of the night.  No other words were said.  The emotions that we shared with one another were unspoken.  She eventually drifted off to sleep as I laid staring at the ceiling.  I knew Gregory had something planned far more sinister than Marshall could ever prepare for.  I owed my life to these people, but I need to ensure Cynthia and Jesse would be okay.

The sun began to rise and I woke Cynthia up so she could go back to her room before anyone could become suspicious as to why she was with me all night.  I needed to make sure everything was kept a secret in hopes to her being able to successfully hide in case something were to happen.

I left my room and walked down to grab some food.  The hall was packed with men who I had only seen in the armory, never really mingling with the other survivors.  Everyone must be trying to get some food before the mission began tonight.  As I ate my meal I noticed Marshall and Reese standing on the other side of the room.  When I finished up I walked over to them to see what was going on.  They gestured for me to follow them and we continued to the armory.

“Grab everything you're going to need now so we don't have to worry about you being stuck in a bad situation later.  You're the most important person on this mission and without you there is very little hope for success.” Marshall said.

I took the ammo I needed for my handgun and a few extra magazines to carry just in case.  I wasn't planning on doing very much shooting during this mission.  But you could never be too certain.

“You aren't taking a primary weapon?” Asked Reese.

“I don't think I'll need anything passed my handgun.  I've been through hell and back with it and I've never needed anything else.”

“I really insist that you take something else with you.  You never know what you're going to encounter.  We aren't just fighting the undead here...  Gregory and his men will be out for blood.  Here take this.”

Marshall reached out and handed me a rifle.

“That carbine uses the same ammo as your handgun.  So if you have any problems you can interchange the ammo between the two.

“Looks like I’m good to go.  But I wanted to ask you, how are you going to round up the undead needed to pull this off?”

“We’ve actually been corralling the undead in a stable not too far from here for awhile now, even before this plan came into fruition.  As you know, the more time that passes the undead become slow and docile, traveling in herds.  We found that if we corralled the undead rather than killing them, we noticed fewer occurrences of fresh zombies.  I suppose they can sense large number of other zombies and this makes them stay away, assuming there is less food in the area to survive, if you can still classify it as survival.”

“But how are you going to get them to go towards The Compound rather than back to the town?”

“It’s common sense that zombies lust for human flesh.  And when blood hits the air a zombie can smell it.  I suppose with the dulling down of all their other sense, they have a heightened sense of smell strictly for human flesh, but especially blood.  We have a few runners who will head towards The Compound.  They’ll be carrying clothing items that have been doused in blood.  We’re confident the zombies will be preoccupied enough to disregard the town and stay focused on our runners.”

After explaining the rest of the plan Marshall, Reese and I met with a group of men in town.  Everyone armed to the teeth, ready to lay siege on The Compound.  Marshall turned to address the men.

“Alright everyone, there’s little time for me to be giving a long drawn out speech.  We all know what’s on the line here today.  There’s no other choice but victory.  A loss today means game over for everyone here.  We’ve gone over the plan with everyone in depth and you all know your tasks.  Everyone here is to follow Barrett to the entrance to the tunnels while Reese leads the other group that’s awaiting orders at the stables.  Lets move out.”

We began traveling on foot towards The Compound.  Cutting through the woods between each road to minimize the odds of possibly being seen by a scout.  The trip seemed much longer this time around when compared to my initial trip.  I suppose my nerves were much different now than before.  After all, there was much more on the line this time around.  I had to find Jesse...

With every road we crossed tensions steadily rose.  Everyone knew what was in store for us the further we traveled.  Were they anticipating our attack?  Had Gregory set traps?  The mental anguish was tormenting.  These are things you don't have to worry about with the undead...  They don't prepare... They don't set traps...

We stopped before we reached the treeline.  If we went any further it would be possible that anyone in the towers could see us.  It was important not to lose the element of surprise.  We waited for some time as we couldn't move forward with our plans until the undead had arrived.  Reese met with us after giving orders to the runners.

“They should be here any minute.  I caught up with you after leading them here.  Be careful as they're behind us.  They won't discriminate between The Compound or us.  No use dying that way with The Compound in our sights.”

Faint moans could be heard coming from behind us.  Looking back a few dozen zombies could be seen sluggishly approaching our location.  If we wanted everything to go smoothly we had to move.

“Quickly, everyone follow me.  We have to move or else they're going to see us after they exit the tunnels.”

We moved from our location so we would be behind the tunnels.  The zombies kept moving forward until they breached the treeline.  Everything was silent for a moment.  And then a bell could be heard from inside The Compound.  It wasn't like them to wait so long to alert the others of an attack.

Shots began reigning over the undead horde.  But unlike the usual pinpoint accuracy, these shooters seemed to be blindly firing in the general direction of the undead.  We waited for the hatch to open, but it seemed as if no one was using the tunnels to attack the zombies.  The number of undead approaching The Compound from the clearing was thinning.  Still, no sign of life coming from the hatch.  But that's when something unexpected happened.  Violent moans and groans could be heard coming from the opposite side of The Compound.  Suddenly a group of freshly infected undead appeared, and they were hungry.  We had not planned for this.  Where the hell did they come from?  Marshall took control.

“Don't worry everyone, this could work in our favor.  Stay quiet, hopefully they'll use the hatch to gain access.”

It seemed that they had not noticed us as they kept their attention on attacking The Compound.  Small noises could be heard coming from inside the hatch.  We moved back as to not be seen.  The hatch door swung open and a handful of soldiers began to come to the surface.

“Don't fire on them.  If they don't take care of the undead out here we might not be able to make it back to town after completing our mission.”

We dropped down into the tunnels which was oddly enough left unguarded.  Why did it seem that they were so short on men?  As we continued on I pointed out the secret door that housed the survivors.  Marshall and half of his men went to rescue the others while Reese and the others followed me up towards the surface of The Compound.  When we reached the surface I split away from the group and started searching The Compound for any signs of Jesse or Gregory.  But where the hell was everyone?  I couldn't find any of the usual faces...  Gregory wasn't in his room or the dining hall.  Maybe everyone was hiding because of the attack.  But Gregory and Dorian usually led the assault.  I knew it was risky, but I ran down to the armory.  The walls were bare...  Not a single gun left on the rack.  What the hell was going on?  I came back up and made my way towards the front gate.  And then I realized...  None of Gregory's men were here protecting The Compound.  The survivors in The Compound had been armed and were fending for themselves?  Where the hell were Gregory and the others?  Dear Lord...  They must have left The Compound to attack The Town.  They knew we were coming and armed the civilians to defend so we wouldn't realize until the last minute.  I had to let Marshall know!  I made my way to Jeffrey’s shack.  I needed to make sure the survivors were not attacked or followed.  It seemed all hell had broken loose inside The Compound.  The civilians were having a difficult time fighting off the undead.  This must be the first time many of them ever actually handled a firearm.  When I entered the shack I immediately ran over and looked down into the tunnels.  There were no survivors to be found.  Marshall must have already taken them out of the tunnels.  I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  But then I could see Marshall on the other side of the room in the tunnel system.

“Marshall, what are you doing down there still?” I yelled.

“None of the survivors were in the tunnels when we got here!  Where the hell is everybody?”

“Gregory must have moved everyone!  Marshall, you have to get back to The Town!  Neither Gregory or his men are here!  I think they knew we were coming and are on their way to attack The Town now!”

I could see a grimacing look wash over Marshall's face.

“Get back to the town now!  I'll go tell Reese and his men so they meet you there.  We don't have any time! Go now!”

Marshall exited the tunnels with his men and I made my way back into The Compound to find Reese.  Where the hell was everybody?  As I approached the front gate I saw one of our men laying on the ground.  He had been shot in the back.  I ran over to him assuming the worst.  But as I leaned over his body he screamed out with a blood curdling cry.

“Ahhhhh, you have to help me please... Don't let me die here.  I don't want to become one of them...”

“Please, you have to tell me what happened.  Where are Reese and the others?”

“Reese... That monster...  As soon as we made it into The Compound him and his men shot me and left me for dead.  It was a double cross.  He's been working with Gregory this whole time.  He left to go back to The Town to meet with Gregory and the others.  They're going to slaughter everyone...”

With his last dying breath he had warned me of what was to come.  His death wouldn't be in vein.  I wouldn’t let it be.

The gate to The Compound had been left open and the undead had begun infiltrating, Both slow and fast alike.  I had to get back to The Town... But I hadn't found Jesse yet.  I've looked all over.  Maybe Gregory brought him back to The Town with him...  But then I realized there was one other place I had not looked.  I began running towards my old room.  I swung the door open and looked around, Jesse was no where to be found.  But then I heard a faint noise coming from underneath the bed.

“Jesse?” I yelled.

A second passed before I saw Jesse's head poke out from underneath the bed.  The boy must have been hiding this whole time.  In tears he ran over and hugged me close.  I couldn't imagine what he had been through since I escaped The Compound and he was captured.  But how did he escape?  That wasn't important right now.  We had to get back to The Town.

“We have to get out of here Jesse.  This place is overrun with the undead and everyone at The Town is in trouble.  I met your sister Cynthia there and she's waiting to see you again.”

I could tell he was too distraught to respond.  We began making our way to the front gates.  There were dead bodies everywhere.  Lucky for us the undead were preoccupied with the fresh meat was strewn throughout The Compound.

We began running through the woods to get back to The Town.  Hundreds of the undead could be seen making their way over to The Compound.  The smell of fresh meat must have driven them all in that direction.  But once they finished would The Town be safe anymore?  I don't see how anyone would be able to fend off a horde that big...

As we approached The Town Gregory and his men, along with Reese, were standing in front of the entrance.  Marshall stood between them and the town.  But to my dismay in front of Gregory stood the survivors that were kept in the tunnels.  What was he going to do with them?  Trade them for supplies?  As if it would be that easy.  I could hear Marshall and Gregory screaming at each other angrily, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.  I noticed Marshall and his men took a step back towards The Town...  And at that moment Gregory and his men raised their weapons towards the survivors.  Jesse jumped up and screamed.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

But it was too late.. At that moment they were all executed...  I  grabbed him and pulled him to the ground as he screamed violently.  I covered his mouth in hopes that we wouldn't be spotted.

A firefight broke out between Marshall and Gregory.  Marshall and his men began falling back towards City Hall.  There's no way we could make it to City Hall without being spotted.  We had to get to Cynthia.  Some of Reese's men had begun going towards City Hall to back up Gregory.  I was furious with anger.  How could they betray Marshall?  I picked up my carbine and fired on them from behind cover.  The men fell to the floor before they could realize where they were being fired upon from.  This was the first time I had taken a shot at a living person in my life.  My heart was pounding but I felt sick to my stomach.

“I know another way.  Follow me.” Jesse said.

There was no time to question Jesse.  We began walking away from The Town.  I wasn't sure where he was taking me but I was confident he knew where he was going.  After all, he did grow up in The Town before moving over to The Compound.  He stopped and gestured over to part of the mountain covered in vines.

“It's over there.”

“What's over there? I don't see anything...”

Jesse walked over and pulled away some of the vines from the cliff.  At first I didn't see anything, but then I realized there was a small crawlspace on the ground.  This must have been the same passageway Gregory had used to gain access to The Town like Marshall told me.  We got on our hands and knees and began making our way through the hole.  It  was dark and smelled rancid.  I didn't want to know what had possibly died in the passage, but luckily I wouldn't find out because it was too dark to see anything.  I could see a faint amount of moonlight at the end of the tunnel.  When we emerged on the other side, I had no idea where it had brought us.  In the distance I could see a pillar of billowing smoke.  It must have been coming from The Town.  The fire intended for The Compound must have been set on The Town instead.  We started sprinting towards The Town through the fields.  I could hear a woman crying off in the distance.  As we got closer I saw Sarah lying in the grass covered in blood.  It didn't look like her own.  She screamed my name as she saw me approaching.

“Barrett,  Barrett! Where's Marshall?”

“Sarah, where are all the other women?”

“Where's Marshall?  Is he okay?  What about the others?”

“Sarah, you have to calm down.  Tell me what happened.”

“As soon as you all left a group of men took over The Town.  They killed anyone who resisted and set up in City Hall, waiting for Marshall and the others to return.  I tried to take the woman and children like we had talked about but they captured most of them.  Cynthia was with me but when we got outside we separated.  I don't know where she is now.  Where's Marshall?”

“Marshall is in The Town fighting Gregory and Reese...  He's the reason all of this is happening.  But he doesn't know The Town was infiltrated...  If he reaches City Hall he'll fall right into their trap...”

Sarah began sprinting back towards The Town.  I ran after her and grabbed her from behind.

“Sarah, if you go back they'll kill you.  Please you have to stay out here.”

But it was no use, she got back up and continued running back to The Town.  There was nothing I could do to stop her.  I couldn't say I blamed her either.  Marshall was the love of her life, without him I don't know how long she would make it.

I realized that Sarah mentioned Cynthia had made it out of The Town.  I started running towards the orchard and Jesse was following behind me.

“Where are we going?” He screamed.

“To get your sister.”

We made it to the orchard and I began yelling out to Cynthia.

“Cynthia?  Are you here?  Where are you?!”

There was no response, but then I heard screaming.  I looked over and saw a zombie underneath one of the trees.  How the hell did he get in here?  And then I saw what he was going after, Cynthia was in that tree.

“HELP ME, BARRETT!” She screamed.

I ran over and drew my gun, shooting it in the head.  It fell to the floor beside the tree, lifeless once again.  I helped Cynthia out of the tree and we met with an embrace.  She cried and gave me a kiss.  She hadn't realized Jesse was standing behind her.  She let go of me and I gestured for her to look over her shoulder.  I'm not sure how long they had been apart from each other, but it seemed like it must have been an eternity.  It warmed my heart to see them together again.  But there was no time to celebrate.

“Where did that zombie come from?” I asked.

“I don't know, everything happened so fast.  After Sarah and I escaped from The Town I ran for the orchard like I promised you.  I climbed up into the tree and then he came along.  I thought it was you at first...”

“Were there any others?”

“No I don't think so, I haven't seen any others.”

This was bad.  Somehow some of the undead were able to get behind The Town.  I'm not sure if they cleared the cliff or were already on the other side.  There have never been any signs of them here.  Regardless... This meant much more trouble than Gregory and The Compound.

“Listen, I need for you and Jesse to get back up in that tree.  Be quiet and hide yourselves.  Don't come down until I come back to get you.”

“What?... Where are you going?  It's not safe, we have to do something.”

“Listen to me, I'm going back to The Town to see if Marshall and the others are okay.  I owe them my life.  But I promise, I'll come back to you when everything is safe.  I haven't come this far to lose everything all over again.”

I boosted them back up into the tree and handed Jesse my handgun.

“Keep that safe for me while I'm gone will ya?”

I started to make my way back to The Town.  The pathway was littered with bodies.  People must have tried to escape with Sarah and Cynthia but were gunned down before they could make it out safely.  I slowly made my way into City Hall.  I could hear gunfire coming from the rooftops.  As I approached the rooftops I saw Marshall leaning against the wall.  It looked like he had been shot.

“Marshall, are you okay?!”

“Listen Barrett, things went bad.  There's no way we could have seen this coming.  That rat Reese was working with Gregory this whole time.  And I thought I could trust him.”

“Where's Sarah and Damian?  I asked.

“Damian... They got him after we left for The Compound... He tried to fight back and they killed him.  And Sarah...”

He paused mid sentence and began to cry.

“Sarah opened the entrance to the roof to let us back in... But Reese shot her before she could come back inside.  We're in over our heads Barrett...  We've failed everyone... Gregory and the others are going to be here any minute...”

Marshall stood up and hobbled over to the roof entrance.  His men were firing  in hopes to pick off any of the men before they reached City Hall.  But there were too many of them.  I looked and saw Gregory on one of the rooftops with Reese and Dorian.  There wasn't much longer until they would be here.  Peering beyond the rooftops I noticed something I had not before.  And that's when my greatest fears came true... The zombies from The Compound had made their way over to The Town after finishing off whatever they could get their hands on to eat.  It didn't seem like Gregory and his men realized they had been essentially trapped between The Town and the undead coming up behind them.

“You see them too, Barrett?  Looks like no matter who wins here today. Everyone's a loser.  There's no Compound to go back to and I'll be damned if Gregory is going to settle here.  The undead are going to reach us soon and take care of the task I could not.  Barrett, there's one last thing I have to ask of you before this is all over.”

“What is it?”

“In the armory there is a stash of detonators.  I need you to go get one and set off some explosives that are planted in the main hall of the cavern.  We installed it underneath the table closest to the exit without the detonator in case we were ever infiltrated and needed to seal off the cavern.  There's no code, just set the time and run.”

“That's madness, you'll be killed with whoever is left alive in here.”

“Lets face it, look around.  Do you see any survivors left in here?  The bodies of my family and friends are lying on the ground because of Gregory.  They've slaughtered everyone...  I've been shot, and my wife and son are gone.  Please, you have to do this.  If not then what was all of this for?  You have to get going now or else they'll capture you before you can do it.  I'll hold them back as long as I can.”

“I... I don't know what to say Marshall...”

“Don't say anything.  Just do this and get out of here.  Live your life for as long as you can.  Protect the ones you love better than I did today.  And never look back on your life in regret.  It was a pleasure getting to know you for the past few days, unfortunately this is where we must leave each other.  What's that saying?  I bid you adieu.”

I got up and ran to the armory that I had first met Reese in when we started planning this awful siege...  Rummaging through the few crates that had been left behind in the corner of the room there were no detonators to be found.  Where the hell was it?  Had they moved it out of here during the attack?  And then as I was pulling away some tarps and cloth I found it.  A small box marked DANGEROUS.  I opened up the box carefully and sitting in front of me was a single detonator.  I didn't even want to know where they got this from.  There was no time to waste.  I ran down towards the main hall.  As I passed the entrance I could see that the men were barely able to hold back the others any longer.  I could see Marshall sprawled out on the floor.  He must have bled out from the gunshot wound.  I continued on to the main hall and set the detonator on the explosives  underneath the table just like Marshall instructed.  I hoped Gregory and his men had no clue where it was located.

I had absolutely no clue how to activate the detonator on the explosives.  I began pressing buttons and prayed that I didn't accidentally blow myself up.  Eventually a timer began to count down.

“Holy hell I only have 100 seconds before this thing explodes!”

I began running towards the tunnel to get back to Jesse and Cynthia.  I looked back over my shoulder and met eyes with Gregory who had finally gained access.  He began chasing behind me.  I hoped that the explosives would detonate before he could make it out of the cavern.  After I made it out I had to keep running as far away as I could before the explosion.  I began seeing undead roaming the fields in front of me.  What the hell?  More must have been able to get through.  Fear of losing Jesse and Cynthia ran through my mind.  But I had to keep faith that they would be okay.  We've come too far to lose each other now.  But no one promised life would be fair living with hell on Earth.  No one is safe...

I heard an explosion behind me and I was thrown into the air from the blast.  I turned around and saw the cliffs crumbling before my eyes.  That stuff was no joke.  And it seemed that Gregory was no longer chasing behind me.  He must not have gotten out in time.

I continued on in hopes of finding Jesse and Cynthia untouched in the orchard.  But as I approached there were dozens of undead lurking around the area.  I quickly found cover in some shrubbery.  I could see Jesse and Cynthia in the tree where I had left them.  It seemed like they hadn't been found yet.  But how long would it take before they were?  I had to figure out a way to draw the zombies away from the orchard and get them out of the tree to safety.

I slowly moved out from behind the shrubbery and made myself aware to the zombies.  With a piercing glare they acknowledged my existence and became fixated on their new goal, to capture and kill me.  Here we are again... Running from the undead.  I started running away from the orchard.  But they were hot on my tail.  No matter how I moved, zigzagging between fields or hiding behind shrubbery, they kept up with me.  At least they had moved away from the orchard.  As I got further away I could see more zombies.  Where the hell were they coming from?  It looked like I was boxed in...  But then I remembered the tunnel Jesse had brought me here with.  I located the entrance and plunged in.  I sat in the dark, pondering what to do next.  They weren't going to just go away now that they knew I was trapped.  I had no choice but to go back through the tunnel and hope there were no zombies on the other side.  I pushed my way back through the tunnel and poked my head out through the vines.  I didn't see any undead in the area.  It seemed they all had been drawn away by the explosion I set off.  I began running along the wall that was adjacent to The Town.  I had never been so far away from The Compound or The Town since I had arrived that one fateful day.  It felt like an eternity as I made my way further and further away.  And then I found it, a break in the wall.  I squeezed my way through the crack, but I had to make up a lot of ground to get back.  Luckily I was able to drag those undead a reasonable distance from the orchard.  But how would I get back without them seeing me?

I had no clue where I was as I slowly moved back towards the orchard.  I had run out of energy and there was no second wind to be found.  As I reached the area where I had initially escaped through the tunnel there were no zombies to be found.  Where did they go?  Maybe they went towards The Town like the others...

As I entered the orchard there were still no signs of any undead.  I sighed a breath of relief as I walked over to the tree that I had left Jesse and Cynthia in.  But they were no longer in the tree.  Where could the have gone?  Did they get out of the tree and the undead followed them?  I began to panic.  I couldn't think of any way I could track them from here.   I nervously started to call out their names quietly.

“Jesse?  Cynthia?  Where are you guys?”

There was no response.  I kept searching to no avail.  Then I heard Cynthia's voice from behind me.

“Barrett.” She called out.

What I saw when I turned around is the furthest thing from what I expected.  Gregory was holding Cynthia at gunpoint.

“It's good to see you again, Barrett.”

Gregory grinned at me and cocked the hammer on his pistol.

“It looks like all of this was for naught.  Here we are, standing face to face after dismantling what little shred of humanity that was left in our screwed up world.  Did it go the way you planned?  Because I couldn't be happier.  I'm finally free from the shackles of civilization, there's nothing that can stop me now.”

“Gregory, please, let her go.  Take me instead.”

“You fool, you think you can negotiate with me?  I've been playing games with you since the moment you arrived here.  It's all thanks to you that my plans fell together so nicely.  You were the missing puzzle piece that allowed me to make all of this possible.”

Gregory removed the gun from Cynthia's head and pointed it in my direction.

“I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of ever knowing if your girlfriend got away safely.  I'm going to shoot you here and now.  And you'll die wondering if I let her go or killed her too.  But I can tell you, she sure is pretty.  It would be a shame to let her go to waste.”

“You better not lay a finger on her, I swear!”

“You swear what?  You think God can hear you?  The world has fallen to pieces and you still believe there is a God looking out for you?  Well, the fairytale ends here for you, Barrett.”

I heard a gunshot and I clenched my chest tightly.  But when I looked down I found no entry wound.  Had he missed?  When I looked up Gregory looked around in bewilderment before falling to the ground.  Jesse stood behind him shaking, with gun in hand.  He shot Gregory with the gun I had left with him.  He must have slipped away before he grabbed Cynthia.  I collapsed to my knees but there was no time to rest.  The commotion must have drawn the undead back towards us.

“Hurry we have to get out of here!” I yelled.

Jesse and Cynthia followed me back to the tunnel once again.  Hopefully it was still clear.  We made our way through, but this time there were zombies waiting for us on the other side.  We began running again.  The area looked all too familiar...  This was the way I had gone to find my way back to the orchard.  But this time there was no place to go back to.  We had to keep on moving.

Chapter 13

We ran straight through the night until the sun began to rise on the horizon.  I'm not exactly sure how far we had gone.  But for the time being it seemed safe.  We found an open field where we could see in all directions.  This would be the safest place to rest.  Food and water was limited to whatever wild berries we could forage or stream we could find.

We traveled for a few days before reaching a lake.  It was quiet, there was a large beaver dam in the middle of the lake.  But I couldn't tell if it was still living inside or had vacated the area long ago.  I didn't have the energy to go and check.  We sat by the waters edge contemplating where we would go next.  For the moment we were safe.  But how much longer could we keep going?  It's times like these you realize how important it is to live for the now, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.  Or if tomorrow would come for you at all.  There are no guarantees in this world, especially now.  We had seen many more tomorrows than the others who were not as lucky as us.  I suppose if you want to call that luck.  We had each other for now and that's what was most important.  But there's always tomorrow...

Table of Contents

Human Zombies: The CompoundBy Nicholas DiLeo JrCopyright 2013 Nicholas DiLeo JrKindle Edition

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13