Age of Decay (Book 1): Contagion by Brian Lamacraft Page B

as his rounds tore into her neck and head to silence her. She crashed into the wall and left a bloody smear as she slid down.
    Trevor lowered his weapon. “Samantha? I’m coming into your room, it’s Jason’s father. Just hang on.” He opened her door and saw the mattress on the floor. The young girl sobbed under it. He pulled the mattress away. Samantha got up and wiped her eyes. Her mascara was smeared all over her face. She put her arms around him and hugged him.
    “Samantha listen to me, you have to get some clothes. We have to leave right now. Do you have a school backpack or something else you can use?”
    The girl sniffled. “Yeah.”
    “Good, get some clothes as quickly as you can. I’m going to look around the house. Make sure there’s no more of them. Be as quick as you can, okay?” I’ll close this door, don’t leave your room.”
    “My parents?”
    “They are gone, honey.”
    She began to sob again, holding onto her dresser for support. “No! Mom? My dad? No!”
    “Samantha,” he said. ‘You have to be strong, can you be strong for me? We have got to get out of here. It’s happening everywhere.”
    “Yes,” she said, through her sobs. She wiped tears from her eyes. “I’ll get my things.”
    Trevor went downstairs for a moment, but the house was clear. Thank God . He noticed a liquor cabinet and went over to it. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass and quickly downed a shot. Got to keep it together. This madness gonna tear out my soul. How can I deal with this horror? He downed another shot, then another. The liquor quickly became an old friend.
    ***
    Lauren waited patiently in the caravan, her hand gripped the crowbar tightly beside her chair. She looked outside and saw Jason standing here, his AR-15 over his shoulder just like a soldier. What a way to grow up fast. Now it’s us against the world. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. I wish it was back to normal, just like before when we were one happy family. When she opened them, Jason was gone. “Jason!” she screamed. She saw him standing by the trees relieving himself, and she sighed with relief until she saw it coming up behind him. The man with the torn shirt, the pale gray skin, the hungry open mouth. She grabbed the crowbar and leaped out of the vehicle. She ran up behind the thing then slammed the crowbar into the back of it. You won’t hurt my son damn you, damn all of you. Go back to hell where you came from! The ghoul lunged for her, but she brought the crowbar down upon its head. The bar buried into its skull, and it collapsed onto the grass. She brought the crowbar up then slammed it down again and again, pounding it into the thing’s head until it was a bloody pile of gore.
    Jason whirled around reaching for his weapon. “Mom, you alright? Thanks, I didn’t see it.”
    She wiped the sweat off her forehead. “They got our neighbors. I won’t let them get you.” She looked down at the blood-soaked crowbar. I’m a killer now .
    “Shit,” said Jason. “Over there!” Down the road about twenty of the ghouls shambled slowly towards them.
    ***
    Inside, Trevor went back up the stairs and opened Samantha’s door.
    “Come on, let’s go. We have to get out of here now!”
    He helped her get the last of her things when he heard the gunfire outside. “Come on. Close your eyes, I’ll help you down the stairs. She doesn’t need to see the remains of her parents, holy fuck! It’s a nightmare! He put his arm around her and grabbed her bag. They ran down the stairs and out the door.
    “Samantha,” Jason said as he ran over to her.
    “Get her in!” Trevor aimed carefully and dropped the nearest of the dead with AR-15 rounds as they shambled towards them. They jumped in, and Trevor gunned the engine, backing up out of the driveway. He backed into one of the dead before peeling away out of the neighborhood, which was being quickly overrun by a horde of the dead.
    Samantha collapsed into