Through Hell

I immediately scurried upstairs through the darkness. I tripped over something in the dark and felt the pain shoot up my leg but continued up the steps before grabbing Kara.

"Sh, they're here."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know," I responded in a whisper. "We have to be quiet."

I hoped and prayed with everything in me that they wouldn't smell us. Vick claimed they wouldn't and as long as we don't make noise, they'll keep moving — just incase, he had us gear up and wrap duct tape around our arms and legs. He warned that this wouldn't make us invincible, it would just give us more of a chance.

It's as if they sweep the land in search of food. They washed over the community similar to a wave. The banging on the house got louder as more of them now surrounded the home we reside in. We didn't have time to run this time like we did on Barry's farm.

Grrrr... gghhh...

"Goddamn it, I'm not going to sit here and wait to be eaten!" Christie demanded angrily.

"Shhh, please," Courtney hushed her sister softly. "You're going to let them know we're in here — that's if they don't already know."

"Jake," Kara gripped my arm tightly. "I need you to know how much I love you. We've been together for so long, I — I'm sorry for what I did before. You know I never wanted to hurt you, right?"

I gulped as I debated on scolding her for speaking that way. Then, I decided she was right — we may not make it out of here alive.

"Kara, I know," I reassured her. "My life got better when I met you. You've always been my angel through hell. That's why I won't let anything happen to you."

I placed my hand over hers and softly stroked her pale skin.

"That's just it — we don't know when we're going to die, especially now. You can't promise me that and I don't expect you to. You saved Courtney because Barry asked you to look out for them — don't let me feel like that type of burden."

"Okay, Kara. I won't."

Our fingers interlocked as our hands shook in anticipation. I gripped my baseball bat in the other hand.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Each clunk got louder.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Then, it stopped.

It was when the growls finally died down that we heard the siren. It was a loud, continuous whooping noise that I'd never heard before. A civil defense siren?

All we knew was that it saved our lives.

The noise distracted the infected long enough to deter them away from the community we hid inside of. Most of the zombies shuffled away although some lingerers remained.

Our first order of business: get this community cleaned up of infected and fix the fence.

_

"We have to clear the lingerers out." Vick stated hawkishly. "As soon as there's some sunlight, we'll head out. I see at least three out there."

He peaked out the upstairs window as we hid in the attic. Though it was getting chillier outside, the attic was hot and caused us all to perspire. I could see Kara attempting to remain calm but her hands shook. She's scared and so am I.

"What if the herd comes back?" Christie questioned as she practically shoved Vick away from the window to sneak a peak. "We can't go out there. We have to wait at least a couple days."

"That siren drew them. They won't stop until they reach the source," Vick explained. "That's how it happened when we popped our guns off. They followed and didn't stop even when the noise ceased."

Courtney inquired curiously, "But why would we take the chance?"

I reached over to grab Kara's hand in an attempt to comfort her. She stared out the window mindlessly.

"Kara," I called to her in a hushed voice. "I'm here. You're here. We're going to get through this."

She turned to meet my gaze. "Jake, those things were right outside and we were cornered. We couldn't do anything. What if we're not so lucky next time?"

"All that matters right now is that we're alive." I assured, "that's all we got now — our lives. We didn't get everything taken from us. Not today. We have to take it day by day."

We stared into each other's eyes before the two of us leaned in for our lips to meet.

Now, we clear out the lingerers.

Whoosh! Whack!

The baseball bat embedded with nails smacked across the dead man's face. Blood splattered into the air and landed on the pavement below. The blow to his head caused him to fall and he now lay lifeless and resting at last.

Rrr...

A woman approached, revealing herself as she turned the corner from behind the house nearby. She had a knife sticking out of her chest as if someone tried to put her down but failed.

Whack!

The blunt force of my swing took her out. I've been practicing my aim and force lately and it seems that it's paying off.

"That it?" Vick questioned as he skimmed the area. "There were eleven, not three. We still took 'em all out. Any injuries?"

Each of us shook our heads to signal that nobody was hurt. I observed the people who stood around me, each with blood specks on their faces and a determined expression in their eyes.

Vick nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Start cleanin' our the houses. There's probably more of them inside."

And there was.

Kara and I cleared out one house without coming in contact with any zombies. The next was different.

"God, it smells fuckin' awful in here." Kara commented, pinching her nose with her thumb and index finger. "The zombies always stink but this — this smell isn't zombies."

"Kara, it's probably been awhile since these people died. They're more than likely decomposing —"

"Jake, I know the smell of death. This is death — it isn't zombies."

We shuffled through the kitchen and into the office that sat estranged down the dim hallway.

"Aren't death and zombies the same thing?" I questioned, opening the door to the office.

The stench of decomposition hit me. A man sat in the swivel chair with his back to the doorway we stood in. The damage to his head was still noticeable as there was a bullet wound through the back of his skull.

Kara fell to the ground as she choked on the smell before finally vomiting on the brown carpet below us.

I slowly approached the man in the swivel chair. Gently, I gave it a push in order to face him our way.

His hair was balding at the top of his head and the blood was everywhere. The bullet entered under his chin and exited through the back of his head. A note on a little yellow piece of paper sat in his lap.

I'm sorry for what I've done, Diana. I can't stay here and neither can you or the kids. We all know what awaited us if we had continued living. I'm sorry.

Love you guys always, and see you when I get up there

Rob

"What — what's it say?" Kara's hands shook as she grabbed the letter and examined the page.

I gulped in anticipation. "I think I know what else we're going to find here."

The yellow note fell out of Kara's hand and landed in the dried blood on the floor.

"No. No. No."

"Kara, you don't have to go through the rest of the house, alright? Just step outside and I'll check it out."

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "No. I have to do this with you. Regardless of how we feel, the world is the way it is. We have to know the truth even if it is fucking heartbreaking."

"You know the truth," I assured. "You don't have to see it first hand."

She shoved by me before continuing our journey through the unfamiliar home. There were picture frames everywhere containing memories of the family who once lived here.

The man in the office was one of them. In one picture, he clung to his two children who seemed to both be in their childhood years. All three of them smiled in front of the purple and pink sunset that colored the sandy beach they stood on.

"How could this happen?" Tears streamed down her face as she observed the photos that hung on the wall. "I don't understand. I don't want to understand — I wish I could just make everything normal again and bring everybody back. I'd do anything."

I didn't have a response because I felt the same way. Since this all happened, I've been unable to believe it. Now that it's becoming real, it's hitting me like a ton of bricks. Nothing will ever be the same and my brother is gone.

"I know, Kar. I know." I assured, reaching over to rub her shoulder gently. "We have each other still. That's something, right?"

She nodded through tears without responding verbally.

I inquired gently, "Enough to live for?"

Bang!

Grrrrgghhh...

A zombie banged on the other side of the bedroom door we stood near. The wooden door shook as the infected person attempted to get to us. We must've woke it up.

The zombie behind the door turned out to be one of the sons of the family. He was shot but his brain was missed so it kept him alive — in a way. The other brother's brain was damaged and I let out a sigh of relief knowing we wouldn't have to put another kid out of their misery.

_

Since the electricity went out, we've been struggling more than I thought possible. The homes inside of the community have electric stoves so they're now deemed useless. We've set campfires up around the the perimeter of the house in order to cook. The water went shortly before the electricity and left us empty handed when it comes to hygiene.

"Remember the chicken burritos we used to make at school?" Kara reminisced as she cooked over the campfire. "The rice, cheese, beans, tortilla, then we'd smother it in ranch. Sounds good right now."

"Can't believe we used to call that jail food," I shook my head with a chuckle. "I'd take it in a heartbeat if I had the chance."

Kara smiled as she met my gaze. "Well, I'm making it."

My eyes widened in awe. "No way."

"We have to use up the meat before it goes bad. No more electricity means there's a lot of meat we have to use up. Therefore, we're having chicken burritos tonight."

My smile widened as I leaned down to kiss her lips. I pulled away before muttering three words.

"Even the ranch?" I inquired.

She let out a laugh against my lips. "Wouldn't be the same without it."

Vick approached the blazing fire we stood around, observing the chicken that roasted over the warm, open flame.

"Fence is all fixed up. Started pullin' some of the extra cars apart to use the metal as reinforcement." He explained with pride on his withered face. "Whatcha got there?"

"Chicken for chicken burritos." I answered, nodding to the poultry. "You're welcome to some, Vick. So are Courtney and Christie but I know they're too stubborn."

"They're just mourning, kiddo. Their vision is tinted with grief right now." He voiced in a somber tone, "let them do whatever it takes to get them through. Besides, brown rice tastes like shit."

I met his gaze and a playful smile appeared across his face. I smiled in response and let out a chuckle, secretly happy that he said no.

More for me.

My gaze shifted to the now fixed portion of the fencing that surrounded us. "Glad you got the fence fixed up. Thanks, man."

"Whatever it takes." He responded surely, "y'know, we'll have to head out for gas and whatever else we're lucky enough to find. I'm thinking as soon as the sun rises tomorrow."

I don't think I'll ever not hate having to go back out into that world. Over the past few days, I've started to feel comfortable, even safe where we're staying. When we build the fence up, it'll just be even safer.

"You sure we have the resources to go back out there?" I inquired skeptically with my brows furrowed. "Every time we go out there, we're gambling with our lives, Vick."

"We'll go to the department store. If we're going to minimize our time spent out there, we have to start gardening. By this time next year, we'll be in better shape."

"Gardening?" I asked, thrown off guard. "Do you know how to garden, Vick?"

"You didn't see the goddamn green wonderland in my backyard?" Vick hissed. "I'm the best gardener you'll ever lay eyes on, kid."

I stared at him in shock as I didn't take Vick for the gardening type. He was in a motorcycle gang and still wore the leather jacket and baggy blue jeans that he always wore. When did he stop and take the time to learn how to grow fruits and vegetables?

"Will you teach me?" Kara questioned blatantly. "I want to know — well, I need to know how now more than ever."

Vick nodded in response, meeting my gaze before turning back to Kara. "You'll both be learning soon enough."

Christie approached with a firm, hawkish expression on her pale, freckled face. The three of us fell silent as our gazes traveled to her.

"I made some steaks and noodles for dinner tonight," she spoke monotonously, locking eyes with Vick. "The three of you are welcome to have some."

"Hey, thanks," Kara chimed in softly. "We're making chicken burritos over here. Maybe we could just have dinner together?"

Christie fell silent as she now gazed at Kara. After some moments, she responded.

"Thanks but — we'll be staying home tonight."

Within seconds, Christie was walking away. Kara and I met confused gazes.

"Let 'em do what they have to do." Vick interrupted, staring at Christie as she trudged away. "They need each other more than ever right now. Since Barry died I feel like half of me is missing — can't imagine how they feel."

"Well, I won't offer anymore. I thought it'd be nice to have dinner together — thought we could use a relaxing night before we head out again."

Vick sighed. "You two go on and eat your shit burritos. We head out as soon as the sun rises."