going to be dark soon. That bitch said there’s some safe homes in Oak Bridge, let’s go.”
“Honey!” Aimee scolded, “The kids…”
Madi spoke up, “Mom. He’s right.”
I smiled as I checked Madi’s revolver. Five rounds left. I tucked it into my pocket.
Chapter V: Oak Bridge
We pushed through the brush, emerging on the other side with reddening scratches, but relieved at the unexpected clearing. Madi clung to my neck as I held her close, but none of us spoke as we crossed the dead, but still plowed, fields towards Oak Bridge. The distance wasn’t too far, but Madi’s weight and the soft ground made travel grueling.
We closed on the town as the sun fell low at our backs, spilling our shadows far before us. I spotted a human form- dirty, still and face down- in the dirt several yards to my right; no one else seemed to notice, so I continued walking. We increased our pace, knowing we were racing the waning sunlight.
Exhausted from the day, we reached the outskirts of town with enough light left to see the carnage that was left. The scene was violent, chaotic and tragic. “Cover your eyes, Madi,” I whispered.
“Oh, Lord,” I heard Aimee behind me, but I didn’t feel that we’d find God here. The streets were still, but overpowered by the now-familiar stench of death and decay; bodies could be seen in every direction- men and women, the young, the old. None showed any signs of mercy; instead, some had been pulled forcibly from their homes and were consumed where they laid. Some had died huddled together, families perhaps, and were left as nothing more than a butcher’s pile of discarded meat. Others, the rare ones, had the tell-tale head would of a reanimated corpse that had been destroyed. The horrors that filled the streets contrasted eerily with the quant beauty of the town.
Amongst all the death, the body of a young woman caught my eye. She was draped over the curb and lying halfway in the street. Her eyes were open and stared blankly in our direction; she didn’t move, but instead seemed to be more grotesque than any actual threat. Her lower jar was gone entirely and her tongue hung limply from the gaping cavity. Her hand, bloody and locked, still grasped the hair of an unkempt man in a hospital gown; his face seemed deformed, as though he had too many teeth for his mouth. Repulsed, I realized- they were her teeth.
Night had nearly fallen, and I was growing concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find a safe place for the night. Nearly every home or business that we passed had shown signs of breach- nowhere seemed to be untouched in this strange time, but time was running out and we had to find somewhere while we could still see. Hurriedly, we passed from building to building, finding not one without broken windows or doors; in one case, a home was missing the majority of an entire wall- it had been breached by a large pickup truck. The driver’s seat was empty; I hurried past.
“This is creepy as hell,” I whispered over my shoulder to Aimee- the pun was unintentional, but fitting. Aimee, however, didn’t answer. I whirled around, my mind already running over the countless terrors and tragedies that I was sure I’d find. But she had simply stopped, staring off the road with a look of solemn concentration fixed on her face. I joined her side and followed her gaze.
We stood in front of a simple and unremarkable building. It was old, but homely, and was identified only with a simple bright painted sign; “Happy Hearts Daycare”. Poorly, but lovingly, painted images of teddy bears and ducks accented the border. She turned to me and said, simply, “Most of Jake’s things are in the RV.”
I knew what she was asking me to do. She was right. “Yeah,” I answered. “I’ll be right back.” I took a few steps towards the door before reason overrode my fears and I returned to the street. “Take this,” I said, handing the revolver to Aimee. You need to run- run, we’ll find each
“Honey!” Aimee scolded, “The kids…”
Madi spoke up, “Mom. He’s right.”
I smiled as I checked Madi’s revolver. Five rounds left. I tucked it into my pocket.
Chapter V: Oak Bridge
We pushed through the brush, emerging on the other side with reddening scratches, but relieved at the unexpected clearing. Madi clung to my neck as I held her close, but none of us spoke as we crossed the dead, but still plowed, fields towards Oak Bridge. The distance wasn’t too far, but Madi’s weight and the soft ground made travel grueling.
We closed on the town as the sun fell low at our backs, spilling our shadows far before us. I spotted a human form- dirty, still and face down- in the dirt several yards to my right; no one else seemed to notice, so I continued walking. We increased our pace, knowing we were racing the waning sunlight.
Exhausted from the day, we reached the outskirts of town with enough light left to see the carnage that was left. The scene was violent, chaotic and tragic. “Cover your eyes, Madi,” I whispered.
“Oh, Lord,” I heard Aimee behind me, but I didn’t feel that we’d find God here. The streets were still, but overpowered by the now-familiar stench of death and decay; bodies could be seen in every direction- men and women, the young, the old. None showed any signs of mercy; instead, some had been pulled forcibly from their homes and were consumed where they laid. Some had died huddled together, families perhaps, and were left as nothing more than a butcher’s pile of discarded meat. Others, the rare ones, had the tell-tale head would of a reanimated corpse that had been destroyed. The horrors that filled the streets contrasted eerily with the quant beauty of the town.
Amongst all the death, the body of a young woman caught my eye. She was draped over the curb and lying halfway in the street. Her eyes were open and stared blankly in our direction; she didn’t move, but instead seemed to be more grotesque than any actual threat. Her lower jar was gone entirely and her tongue hung limply from the gaping cavity. Her hand, bloody and locked, still grasped the hair of an unkempt man in a hospital gown; his face seemed deformed, as though he had too many teeth for his mouth. Repulsed, I realized- they were her teeth.
Night had nearly fallen, and I was growing concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find a safe place for the night. Nearly every home or business that we passed had shown signs of breach- nowhere seemed to be untouched in this strange time, but time was running out and we had to find somewhere while we could still see. Hurriedly, we passed from building to building, finding not one without broken windows or doors; in one case, a home was missing the majority of an entire wall- it had been breached by a large pickup truck. The driver’s seat was empty; I hurried past.
“This is creepy as hell,” I whispered over my shoulder to Aimee- the pun was unintentional, but fitting. Aimee, however, didn’t answer. I whirled around, my mind already running over the countless terrors and tragedies that I was sure I’d find. But she had simply stopped, staring off the road with a look of solemn concentration fixed on her face. I joined her side and followed her gaze.
We stood in front of a simple and unremarkable building. It was old, but homely, and was identified only with a simple bright painted sign; “Happy Hearts Daycare”. Poorly, but lovingly, painted images of teddy bears and ducks accented the border. She turned to me and said, simply, “Most of Jake’s things are in the RV.”
I knew what she was asking me to do. She was right. “Yeah,” I answered. “I’ll be right back.” I took a few steps towards the door before reason overrode my fears and I returned to the street. “Take this,” I said, handing the revolver to Aimee. You need to run- run, we’ll find each
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