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  That is how we got trapped here. That was yesterday. We heard nothing else from whoever had run into the other room. No screams or anything. So, I’m sure there is a live person somewhere below us. I had distracted the zombies when I opened the door to get my bag, maybe it saved a life, for now. I hope they get a chance to escape.

  9:46 AM.

  He is full out undead now, and I feel sorry for him. He looks pitiful. Such a lost and helpless look on his face, and the moans, it sounds like he’s weeping. This is all too much for me. He doesn’t know anything but gnawing hunger now. The zombies are victims, too. They didn’t ask for this. These zombies were once the people we love, friends and family.

  I should’ve ended this, hours ago, but I wanted to finish my account of the events. And now, I have. What I could most clearly recall anyway. I hope that you may have found some of this useful. Though I don’t know what you’ll use it for. I know it’s the end of the world, so if you find this, It’s just a matter of time for you as well.

  If I could’ve had just one more cup of coffee with this last cigarette I am smoking, that would’ve been good. For the past three weeks, we have been doing nothing but running. If by chance, this curse is lifted from us and my sisters managed to survive, I want them to know that Evan and I did not get torn apart and consumed in such a grisly manner. I want them to know we took the easy way out when we realized there would be no escape. I want them to know I was thinking of them in my last moments. April and Marie, I love you.

  I know, it’s all too soon for me as well but I have nothing left to tell you. These are the last few moments of the last day of my life and I want to say that I got the chance to know happiness and true love, and I have few regrets. Life could’ve been so much harder for me, as it was for so many other people.

  I am going to go to him, and I’m going to wrap my arms around him and kiss him. I am going to imagine that we are headed to a better place. The moment he sinks his teeth into me, from behind his head…I will pull the trigger. This is a .357, ya know. If it does what I think it will do, one bullet just might be enough. We will die locked in a macabre lovers embrace forever. It’s looking like we are both going to get what we want after all.

  Stop here, my friend and cast an eye. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. Prepare for death and follow me. – Anonymous

  Chapter Fourteen

  Punta Gorda, Florida

  October 3rd 2014

  “Are you sure this is where it came from?” Preston asked as they approached the beautiful small Victorian style home that looked out of place on a street that consisted of mostly, of one floor ranch style homes. “No,” Kate said as she mounted the porch stairs. “But we’ll search the house anyway. We need a place to rest and this looks like the best we’ve come across lately. Let’s go and see what’s up.”

  “All right,” said Preston ”we’re gonna get in here and find out what’s going on, clear it out if need be and we’ll stay here for the rest of the day and head out tomorrow morning.” Kate sighed loudly as Preston repeated what she had already pretty much said. “If there are any people in there, Preston, you shoot one and I won’t give you the chance to shoot another.” Dave said.

  “Well, you two were told the same thing. What makes you above the command? Nothing. When we get back to Base, you will probably be reprimanded.” Preston said as if he were telling them something they actually gave two shits and a fuck about. They could care less, given the situation. “Um... Preston, I don’t give a shit about your base, and I have just two words for our command center, if it even still exists. We haven’t heard from them in four days. How long has it been since you’ve heard from your people?” He looked down at the ground without saying anything. “Exactly,” Kate said and turned to Dave. “It was only one shot, I don’t think there’s anyone left alive.” Preston just had to get the last say. “Okay, Roland you kick in the door and Fraley you take the lead. I’ll bring up-”

  “Let’s get this straight right now, Preston.” Dave said trying to control the anger in his voice, “I’m tired of playing the game your way. You don’t give me orders, and you don’t tell me what to do. You can ask me but I can’t guarantee I’ll do it. I don’t like you, and you’re lucky we let you follow us along. I don’t give a fuck if you are a Marine or not, which I’m suspecting you may not be…The one thing I’m sure of, is that you’re a fucking murderer.” Dave was not afraid of him in the least. Preston sneered and opened his mouth to say something but Kate moved between them and put a hand on both of their chests pressing them back away from each other because they had gotten a little too close over the last few seconds.

  “Now, that’s enough! We’re standing out in broad daylight and there’s infected walking around here somewhere. I’m tired and I know you guys are too. We could all use some rest. Let’s get on with it.”

  “Okay, as I was saying.” Preston continued giving orders, “Roland, kick the door. Fraley, take the lead and I’ll bring up the rear. Now, Go!” Ignoring Preston, Kate walked up to the door and put her ear against it and heard the moans of the dead in the distance. “I hear something, there’s at least three or more, possibly on the second floor. Let’s take it slow and quietly.” She tried the knob and it turned. “What the fuck are you doing, Roland?!”Preston shouted, “I said kick it, not make love to it!”

  “Shut the fuck up, asshole! We want to be able to shut the fuckin’ door!” Preston had pissed her off with his shouting and she flung the door open hard, took the lead and they rushed into the living room of the house, weapons at the ready. Kate took the first five steps of the staircase in front of her in one quick, easy stride. Hearing Preston shout out “UNITED STATES MARINES”, she lost all hope of a silent attack on the zombies that she knew waited on the second floor. She looked back at him to and said “Shut the fuck up, dumbass!” and as she turned back around to continue up the stairs and abled infected appeared at the top of the staircase and screeched. It bounded down the stairs towards her at an incredible speed, so fast that she had no time to react and it would’ve gotten her, but Dave shot from behind her and tagged it right between the eyes. The infected fell toward her and she pressed her back against the wall to allow it to tumble down past her to land at Dave’s feet.

  “Thanks,” Kate told him as she eyed the top of the staircase as she expected for there to be more to come. “Anytime, thanks for taking lead. I was going to do it; I just wanted to give him shit about it. I hate him more every minute that goes by.” Preston had already begun searching the first floor so Dave and Kate continued to the second. At the top of the stairs a few feet from the landing, a door to a bedroom stood ajar and there were several infected in there that had begun to slowly shuffle their way towards them. Grateful there were no more of the abled infected, they picked the remaining zombies off pretty quickly.

  The room wasn’t very big, with only a large dresser, a full size bed and end table. The bed had been slept in and the blanket was missing. There was a water bottle full of cigarette butts that floated atop the surface of the remaining contents, now tainted and brown from the tobacco. A crumpled washrag sat in the floor next to a bowl of dirty water that had been overturned by one of the fallen infected, and spread about its head in a nasty, bloody puddle. Through all that, whoever they were had still been concerned about their hygiene.

  “Well there are eight of them here; there might be some up there though.” Dave said as he nodded his head toward the ladder extending from the ceiling. The end table that should have been beside the bed had been moved to just under the hatch and a filthy jagged edged knife lay in the floor. “That fucker on the stairs I killed,’ he said “that’s what he was doing. He was up there before he heard Prestons’ big mouth. I reckon there’s somebody up there.” Kate didn’t want to go up first so she said with a wink and a nudge forward with her elbow, “You go first.”

  “Okay, wait for my signal.” Kate waited at the bottom as Dave went up through the hatch
, and heard his footsteps as he searched through the room above. “All clear, come on up.” Kate climbed the ladder and stooped to pick up a cell phone that was close to the opening of the hatch as Dave continued on a little further into the attic. Kate flipped the phone open and it was still working. The picture on the screen was of a smiling young couple, early thirties, cheek to cheek and the ocean behind them. “Kate, Come here.” Kate walked over to where Dave was standing in the corner under the slant, and the bodies of the couple in the picture, were on the floor. “Look at this,” she said as she handed him the open phone. “Do you remember them? We met these two during our post at Eiler Street.”

  “Yea, I told them to run. It’s a shame; I thought they’d make it.’ He looked at the picture and then at their bodies. “They’re unrecognizable now.” he said as he shut the phone and gave it back to her and she put it in her jacket pocket.

  The male was lying on his right side and his hands were bound behind his back, his feet were bound at the ankles. His body looked to be in a later stage of decomposition than hers. His face was a shattered mess. The female was lying on her left side facing him, and her face seemed to be in as bad a shape as his. There were bits of his brain matter clinging to her face, neck and upper chest region, but they really couldn’t tell what was hers and what was his, it was all sort of a mushy red and black mess, with specks of white bone, shards of teeth and ripped flesh in several places. There were bites taken out of her right outer thigh and a small portion of her rib cage showing. Kate noticed the white of her shoes in the near darkness and saw the K-Swiss emblem embroidered on the side of the shoe in pretty sea green thread, and wondered how she had kept her shoes so clean with all the running they must’ve done.

  “Looks like the Abled cut the string and got in here. I hope she was already dead,” Dave said.

  The gun was behind the male’s head, the angle of the gun and the female’s hand indicated her intent to kill them both with one shot. Kate picked up the gun with a shirt that was lying in the floor and popped open the chamber to find only one bullet remained. “It’s a .357. Good choice, looks like it did the job.” Kate said while laying the gun back down on the floor. “She was already gone.”

  “What’s this?” Preston asked as he walked up behind them, kicked the female in the back and snickered. Her body remained stiff but jumped forward a little with the impact. He pulled his gun to shoot her but Kate put her hand on the barrel and pushed it away and Dave stared at him with hard, steely eyes.

  “She’s gone asshole. This was the gunshot we heard. She’s not gonna rise, she killed herself before they got to her. And don’t kick her again, have some respect!” Kate turned to look him directly in his ugly, beady, shifty little eyes. “What the hell was that downstairs? What fuckin’ part of slow and quietly don’t you understand? That thing wouldn’t have charged at me if you didn’t make all that noise! I was almost killed! United States Marines,” (she said mocking him). “We’re not fucking Marines. In fact, you’re not even a Marine anymore. It’s every man for himself, now. You can’t see that? We need to be a team if we’re going to get through this alive and you are not a team player. You’re creepy and sneaky and don’t you EVER let me catch you standing over me while I’m sleeping again. In fact, tomorrow, we’re splitting off from you.”

  “Let me just shoot her one more time to make sure.” he whined. She shook her head in disbelief. “You don’t even care, do you? Did you hear even one word I said?”

  “Okay, Preston.” Dave said in an eerily calm voice. “You’ll be better off staying away from me from this point on. You’re a rude, disrespectful bastard, and your loud mouth is going to attract unwanted attention. Now, remember that I said that, because when those things are on us again and it’s your fault, because of your lack of use of common sense, I will have no mercy. This means I will shoot you right in the fucking balls before I let you put the two of us in danger. I will NOT blow your fucking brains out to put you out of your misery while you’re begging for your life. I will let those things eat you alive.”

  Preston stood there, staring at Dave with narrowed eyes in an attempt to intimidate him, but he failed. “I don’t know how the fuck they even let you join the Marines.” Kate said with disgust. “I’m taking this pack downstairs and see if we can use anything.” Dave picked up the back pack that was lying a few feet from the couple. “The other one is under their heads, we won’t be able use anything from that,” and he headed back down the hatch. Kate turned back to Preston. “Did you run into any infected downstairs? What were you doing and why didn’t you come to see what was going on when you heard our fire?” She asked.

  “I was locking up! The back door was open. That must be how they got in. I locked all the doors and blocked the main entry with the sofa. I covered the windows with blankets I found in a small laundry room under the stairs. The only other rooms are a kitchen, large living room, a half bath. There’s a full bathroom just outside the door to the room below us and another bedroom beside it that’s about the same size and it’s clear.” Kate smiled broadly and Preston realized why she was smiling.

  “As if I have to explain anything to you.” he said sarcastically with knitted brows. “Thanks for locking up. So please, just go away now,” she told him. He began to stomp away but then so suddenly and loudly, startling Kate, “Hey! Would you look at that?”

  He was smiling as big and goofy as a kid in a candy store. “It’s my lucky day.” He picked up a marijuana cigarette that was lying amidst the contents of an emptied purse that had been scattered in the floor. He put it in his mouth and took a lighter out of his pocket and Kate slapped it out of his mouth just before the flame hit it.

  “What is your fucking problem, Roland!?” He said clenching his teeth and balled his fists; he bent to pick it up the joint and feigned dusting it off. “You,” she screamed at him. “You’re my fucking problem asshole! Flex your jaws all you want, Preston. Take that shit somewhere else and smoke it, I don’t want to smell it. And by the way, getting high right now is the worst mistake you can make. You’re not sitting at home playing fucking Resident Evil, Asshole! I shouldn’t have to tell you that. I don’t know where your head is at, you don’t make any sense. I wish we would have never met you.” She put her hand over her eyes and rubbed her temples, he was giving her a migraine. “I can’t wait to get away from you,” she said with much less anger than she felt. “Fuck you.” he said and stormed off taking the marijuana cigarette with him.

  Kate stood and stared at the bodies for a few more moments and scanned the floor. She saw a pen and pad of paper about ten feet to the right of the bodies. The pen didn’t seem to have anything on it, but she rolled it off of the paper with her boot anyway and picked up the pad of paper with a handkerchief that she pulled from her back pocket. She moved a little closer to the little window that faced the street; daylight illuminated the page so she could make out the words.

  I’m not really sure how I should start this out; I’ve never been much of a writer. But I’m stuck here and have only two bullets left which are reserved for use in the very near future, I might as well start with the beginning of the events that led us here.

  The time on the paper said that it was 12:34 AM. It was 10:54 A.M. by her watch. It was written less than twenty-four hours before. She flipped through the pad and saw that there were many, many pages. Kate sighed and folded it over in her hands, and bent down to pick up two of the several lighters that were also scattered across the floor and Kate wondered why they had needed so many. There was a comforter lying on the floor under Jillian’s feet, the missing blanket. She picked it up, draped it over their bodies and proceeded to go back downstairs. Her boot caught on a nail sticking up that had the majority of the hatch cord wrapped around it. So that’s how she kept them out of there so long. Kate had wondered where she got all that time to write.

  Downstairs, Preston was kicked back in a recliner smoking the joint that he had found, making the room smoky and sm
elled like a dead skunk. He deliberately smoked it to piss Kate off but she was too tired to give in to her anger at that point. She only mumbled just loud enough for him to hear her. “You’re an idiot.” He gave her the finger. Kate stepped over the body of the Infected that tried to attack her and went into the kitchen with Dave, who was already eating a ration of pork and drinking bottled water. He threw her one and she caught it as she sat her backpack and the papers she had found upstairs onto the table. Kate drank the water in two big swallows.

  “What’s that?” he asked motioning to the paper with his head. She slid it across the table to him and began rifling through her bag to see what she had to eat. Several granola bars, an apple, an orange and a couple rations of pork and beef. She settled for a granola bar. Dave quickly flipped through the pages and slid it back to her. “Let me know how it ends,” he said sarcastically.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Oh, my head...what is that smell? It’s so dark… “ Jillian sat up and the blanket that Kate had thrown over them fell away. “Wait a minute….where…I’m still in the attic. I’m not dead…” She looked down at her hands and could see they were bluish and swollen; globs of bloody flesh fell off of her face and chest to land in her lap. “Eww…”

  Her first reaction was to fling the carnage off of her, but her hand had reached for it with eerie speed and she was unsure at that moment if she had popped it in her mouth or chucked it somewhere behind her, she really didn't want to know. She tried to lift her arms with her own will and her body would not respond. She tried to talk aloud and could only hear a low growl emit from her lips.

  “Oh… I’m dead all right… just not as dead as I should be. FUCK! Am I really still thinking?! Oh, this is so much worse than I thought it was going to be…I can’t feel my face, I can’t feel anything! I can’t speak. I can’t move my arms at will... But I can think, and taste and…whatever is in my mouth is bitter and oddly sweet at the same time, but it feels nasty… Eww... it's probably that thing I... eeeww! Don’t think about it, don’t think about it! I don’t want to know! I don’t want to know! What the fuck it that SMELL?”