family, they were
amazed at the news. Now we knew that civilization not only survived, but there
were THOUSANDS of people out there, working, building, and creating the world
of tomorrow. It really changed our entire outlook on the future.
A few months had passed, and one day while checking
the fences, I found an infected female clawing at the boards. This was nothing
new, as they still showed up on our land on occasion, though over the last
year, we’d seen less than a dozen. What made THIS infected different than the
others, was the rate of decay. At this point, what few infected we found were
practically mummified, or so deteriorated that they could barely walk, or
sometimes even crawl. This female, however, had died very recently. I noticed
that she wore one of the armbands of The Chosen. I figured that she must have
gotten bitten on one of New Evanston’s scavenging missions. It was
unfortunate, but even after most of the dead had crumbled apart, the infection
still lingered out there, and had to be watched for at all times.
I put her down, and this time, instead of just
burning her as I’d done to hundreds of the things over the years, I decided to
bury her. She was from a different generation, and to have survived as long as
she had, I felt she deserved better than the fire.
A few more weeks went by, and I found another of The
Chosen, this man torn to shreds, but rotting flesh, not just tanned hide on
animated bones like the rest. I buried him next to the woman. We assumed he
must have been from the same scavenging party. Perhaps they’d gotten swarmed.
Even in this day and age when most of the infected are barely able to walk,
there are still those that can move enough, that in a group, they could pose a
serious threat.
I awoke one morning to a beautiful sunrise gleaming
through the windows. I stepped out onto the porch and inhaled deeply, hoping
to get a whiff of that sweet morning dew on all of those yellow and purple
wildflowers that seemed to have taken back the earth. I immediately threw my
hand over my nose and coughed and sputtered. The air was rancid. The smell
was so familiar, yet certainly no longer possible. It smelled of death en
masse.
I ran barefoot to the fence, and before I even got
to it, I saw the boards of the fence rattling in their frame. I began to step back,
when one of the sections suddenly splintered apart, and dozens of rotting
corpses came rushing in.
I sprinted for the house, and as I came careening
through the door, I screamed to my family to grab the guns. They were all
rushing to the door, and when Laura saw what was coming through the window, she
began to scream.
There had to be 40 or 50 of the things, half
running, half stumbling towards the house, and there were dozens more still
working their way through the break in the fence. I slammed the door shut, and
moved the family to the back door.
We rushed out into the foul air. Little Brice and
Jessica were in Laura’s arms, screaming, as they both sensed our terror. Sam
was trailing quickly right behind her. I had a pistol in each hand, and a
rifle slung over my shoulder, and kept up the rear, guns blazing, as we ran
like mad. We headed for the south part of the fence, but just as we got there,
the fence began to buckle forward, and planks began to splinter apart.
When the wooden walls came smashing down, one
knocked my wife to the ground, and Brice and Jessica tumbled screaming from her
arms into the dirt. I dropped my guns to the ground, and scooped the kids into
my arms, as I turned I saw the things clawing their way across the downed fence
towards Laura who was half trapped under their crushing weight.
I began to run towards her, but she screamed for me
to save the kids. My eyes were blurring with tears as I turned and began to
run, yelling for Sam to follow. I heard Laura shout how much she loved us, and
as I made it a few dozen feet towards the
amazed at the news. Now we knew that civilization not only survived, but there
were THOUSANDS of people out there, working, building, and creating the world
of tomorrow. It really changed our entire outlook on the future.
A few months had passed, and one day while checking
the fences, I found an infected female clawing at the boards. This was nothing
new, as they still showed up on our land on occasion, though over the last
year, we’d seen less than a dozen. What made THIS infected different than the
others, was the rate of decay. At this point, what few infected we found were
practically mummified, or so deteriorated that they could barely walk, or
sometimes even crawl. This female, however, had died very recently. I noticed
that she wore one of the armbands of The Chosen. I figured that she must have
gotten bitten on one of New Evanston’s scavenging missions. It was
unfortunate, but even after most of the dead had crumbled apart, the infection
still lingered out there, and had to be watched for at all times.
I put her down, and this time, instead of just
burning her as I’d done to hundreds of the things over the years, I decided to
bury her. She was from a different generation, and to have survived as long as
she had, I felt she deserved better than the fire.
A few more weeks went by, and I found another of The
Chosen, this man torn to shreds, but rotting flesh, not just tanned hide on
animated bones like the rest. I buried him next to the woman. We assumed he
must have been from the same scavenging party. Perhaps they’d gotten swarmed.
Even in this day and age when most of the infected are barely able to walk,
there are still those that can move enough, that in a group, they could pose a
serious threat.
I awoke one morning to a beautiful sunrise gleaming
through the windows. I stepped out onto the porch and inhaled deeply, hoping
to get a whiff of that sweet morning dew on all of those yellow and purple
wildflowers that seemed to have taken back the earth. I immediately threw my
hand over my nose and coughed and sputtered. The air was rancid. The smell
was so familiar, yet certainly no longer possible. It smelled of death en
masse.
I ran barefoot to the fence, and before I even got
to it, I saw the boards of the fence rattling in their frame. I began to step back,
when one of the sections suddenly splintered apart, and dozens of rotting
corpses came rushing in.
I sprinted for the house, and as I came careening
through the door, I screamed to my family to grab the guns. They were all
rushing to the door, and when Laura saw what was coming through the window, she
began to scream.
There had to be 40 or 50 of the things, half
running, half stumbling towards the house, and there were dozens more still
working their way through the break in the fence. I slammed the door shut, and
moved the family to the back door.
We rushed out into the foul air. Little Brice and
Jessica were in Laura’s arms, screaming, as they both sensed our terror. Sam
was trailing quickly right behind her. I had a pistol in each hand, and a
rifle slung over my shoulder, and kept up the rear, guns blazing, as we ran
like mad. We headed for the south part of the fence, but just as we got there,
the fence began to buckle forward, and planks began to splinter apart.
When the wooden walls came smashing down, one
knocked my wife to the ground, and Brice and Jessica tumbled screaming from her
arms into the dirt. I dropped my guns to the ground, and scooped the kids into
my arms, as I turned I saw the things clawing their way across the downed fence
towards Laura who was half trapped under their crushing weight.
I began to run towards her, but she screamed for me
to save the kids. My eyes were blurring with tears as I turned and began to
run, yelling for Sam to follow. I heard Laura shout how much she loved us, and
as I made it a few dozen feet towards the
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