Aftershock: A Collection of Survivors Tales by Valerie Lioudis, Kristopher Lioudis Page A

roof. I was going to have to venture out into the street if I hoped to get one of them. Yet again I was faced with leaving the kids vulnerable if something happened to me, and what for, a stupid piece of paper. I knew I would have to get to them fast before the wind took them further away, so I started planning my route from the roof. I could see a few of them over in the neighbor’s yard. If they blew away another few were on the street. I’d rather grab from the yard, even with the extra climbing it looked like the fence has deterred the dead from roaming freely back there.
    I was so locked in my head in planning I didn’t hear Garett climb up behind me on the roof. He was awestruck at the sight of thousands of papers floating gently to the earth. I could see he had begun to form his own plan on how to get one. That was not an option. He was not going out there to try to retrieve something that we weren’t even sure had any value. We spent a minute silent, just staring at the sight.
    “You and your sisters can watch me go from here.”
    “We don’t go out alone. You always need someone watching you. You taught me that.”
    “Garett, this isn’t up for discussion. On a trip for supplies it makes sense, but this is a one man job.” I could see in his eyes he was about to argue who that man should be. “No Garett, me, not you. I’m going into the Henderson’s backyard to grab one and I am coming back right away. That’s how it is going. You grab a gun and sit up here. You can watch, and help if needed. It should be a quick grab and go. I don’t want to have to worry about you and me, just me. I promise I will make it back. We don’t even know what they say.”
    “It’s the first thing we have seen since the TV and radio went out. It’s gotta be important.”
    “Agreed, but I have my plan and that’s the way we are doing it.”
    Garett rounded up his sisters and took them to the roof. Once I was sure he was ready with his gun in his hand I began the process of getting outside. It wasn’t an easy task because we had made every entrance and exit secure. Layers of wood had to be pulled off, and when I got back they would have to be put back up. When I stepped out the back door my anxiety level peaked. My heart raced and I broke out in a sweat. Venturing outside was terrifying.
    I scouted out the best way to climb over the fence quickly and land without breaking my neck. To be honest with you I’ve never been in “athletic” shape, and weeks of rationing food and water have left me frail. I could hear the moaning and shuffling out in the street. Any noise would make them take interest in what was going on, so I had to be extremely quiet as I hauled myself up over the six foot privacy fence. I piled my picnic table and a chair on my side of the fence. Then I peeked over to see if there were any dangers on the other side.
    Glancing up at Garett and giving him the thumbs up I hoisted my rear end up over the fence. I came down on the other side in a crash. My ass hurt, my side hurt and my wrist hurt. Plus the noise I was avoiding making had now been made and a dead thing was scraping at the fence near the front of the house. I knew I had to be quick. Those things use some kind of alert system, when one catches your scent a swarm will form. I looked around the yard, and couldn’t see any of the papers. Maybe it was the pain, or the dead thing clawing but I felt exposed and disoriented. Then I saw it. There was a paper stuck in between the slats of the fence on the other side of the yard. All I had to do was grab it, and get back over the fence.
    First things first, I had to set up my way back over that damn fence. I drug a stainless steel grill over to the fence. It was all they had left in the yard. Not really the greatest thing to get you over a fence, but it was the only thing I had to work with. My side was killing me as I pulled the thing over. There was a crack as the dead thing ripped off one of the slats