A Tale of Forgiveness, Redemption & Resurrection

This is the very first short novel I've started work on, so feedback would be greatly appreciated! It's a horror/psychological thriller. It's based off of dreams, personal experiences as well as a little Hollywood added into the stew. I stirred it around, it bubbled a little, resulting in this! Enjoy!

Part I

I walked out of the cabin with everyone into the daylight, cautiously. We looked around the tree line, eyes and ears open. Funny there was nothing visible, as we were surrounded last night. Just as I was getting some last minute things to the vehicles, something happened. Everyone turned around and pointed their weapons at Bob and I! I was stunned! Bob wasn't. He just stood there and smiled that big, stupid smile.

"Weapons boys. Drop them and take a few steps back for us!" Dan called, while he made a motion with his gun to back up his sincerity.

Everyone drawing on Bob and I had a nervous look about them. There was awkward silence in the air. They looked to Dan eager for him to say something, as if he were the leader. I quickly dropped the six shooter I had in my holster and took a couple steps back. I was afraid. Bob slowly lowered his shotgun to the ground, chuckling until it turned into a hacking cough.

"Heh... Well, well. What we got here?" Bob said in amusement.
"It's what we don't got Bob, and that is room." Dan replied.
"Shoulda figured. Ya'll ungrateful swine! Hehe!" Bob smacked his knee while laughing.
"Way of the road" as you would put it, Bob." Cheryl said, looking at him like he was crazy.
"Got me there Cheryl! Ma hearts a bleedin!" He gripped his chest mockingly, as if he were wounded.

Little Sam was the only one without a weapon. He looked shocked, and his eyes were tearing up. He let out a cry, and started running over to me.

"Sam!" Dan tried to stop him, but the kid pushed past him.
"Now ain't this sentimental N' shit!" Bob chuckled.
"Sam please! Come back here!" Cheryl said, putting her gun away.
"NO! Not him!" Sam cried. "He didn't do anything!" He wrapped his arms around me. He hugged harder than I've been squeezed by any adult! Everyone concentrated their aim exclusively on Bob.
"It's okay man, I'll figure it out..." I said softly, patting him on the head.
"No you won't! You'll die just like everybody else!" He said up to me. "Please dad, let him come!" Sam turned to his father with puppy dog eyes.
"..." Dan stuttered. He couldn't say anything in response to the boy. He looked away for a second, taking a deep breath.
"No cryin little man." Bob laughed. "Y-won't grow up that'a way!" Bob went to wipe the tears from the boy's face. The child turned away from his hand. He also tried to run his fingers through the boy's blonde and tangled hair, but his hand was met by a smack! The boy stepped back and scowled at the large man.
"Fuck you!" Sam yelled to Bob.
"Hey now! Whoa now, little buddy!" Bob snickered, pretending to be frightened.

Cheryl raised her weapon at Bob again, and came up close enough to put it in his face. She also gave the big rough looking man a glance of disgust. With one hand, she grabbed her son Sam and pulled him back to the SUV. She had to calm him down, as he fought with her in the background. Dan then holstered his weapon, and came over to me. He pulled me aside.

"I'm sorry. Really." Dan scratched his head. "We had to make a choice... We originally thought of Forest cause we don't know him too well, but with your limp-"
"I'd hold you back, I understand..." I finished his sentence.
"Jesus I..." Dan was dumbfounded. He had a look of pure guilt on his face.
"You want you and your family to live Dan, and for that I forgive you. All of you." I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eyes.

I looked at everyone who was ditching me. I couldn't decide what emotion I was feeling, but it was unsettling to say the least. Forest couldn't even look at me for more than a second. He looked towards the ground, and joined Sam in the back of the SUV. Everyone else slowly and awkwardly came over to say their goodbyes to me. They were still keeping an eye on Bob. He just stood there watching, hands in overalls, snickering to himself. I shook Dan's hand and tried to smile while holding back tears. Then, I was hugged by Cheryl, John and Martha. There were a multitude of "sorry's" and crying as they looked back a final time, and go into their vehicles. Dan and Cheryl joined Sam and Forest in the cream coloured, Lincoln SUV. John and Martha got into the beat up faded blue sedan. Forest and Sam gazed at me as the engines started up, and as they drove off down the dirt road. It caused a cloud of dust in their wake. Bob was on the ground, laughing until beat red. I looked at him in utter puzzlement....

"What... was that?" I said to myself.
"Well, least they let us keep our guns n' packs! What great fellers!" Bob said in a sarcastic tone.

There was only silence in the SUV as well as the sedan. A few moments later, they heard a gunshot in the distance. It was followed by an other. Everyone flinched. They kept driving, not saying a word...

 

Part II

"Well boy, lookin likes we's a team!" Bob exclaimed. "Just like the old days!" He never seemed to run out of enthusiasm, did he?
"No... We're not a team." I said, looking off towards the road.

Just as I was holstering my six shooter again, Bob advanced towards me. He got in my face, this time looking dead serious. I could feel a sensation that made my skin crawl as he firmly gripped my junk.

"What you say, boy?! No back talk! That's the way of my road!" He released his grip from me with a push.

Bob walked over to retrieve his shotgun from the ground. He rested it on his shoulder, and turned to me.

"Got a shitbox truck bout a mile down the trail. Should get us back to town."
"W-what? You have a truck?" I asked, quietly.
"Hell yeah, dumbass! Y-think I wouldn't ? This my cabin, 'member?" He responded rudely.
"Well... Let's go then..." I shrugged.
"WhoooWeeeee! Let's get truckin! But keep an eye out fer them critters will yeah?" he started off towards a trail at the edge of the property clearing.

Just as he set foot on the trail, he heard a distinctive click. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hey boy, y-know I know that click!" He said, with the first hint of nervousness I've heard out of him.
"Good. Then you'll know this one too."

There was a loud pop that echoed throughout the forest. I shot him from behind. The big man stood there for a couple of seconds. He stumbled a bit, but fell forward onto his face with a thud. I approached him, with weapon still drawn. He wasn't moving. I threw his shotgun a few feet away, and began to remove the pack from his back. I examined it to find there was a hole in it, and he had a bit of a spasm! I jumped back in excitement! He slowly rolled onto his back. One of the clips on his overalls was now disconnected. His face was covered in dirt, and his mouth was full of blood. He looked up at me, and let out a couple coughs.

"Sonofabitch boy! Thought I taught you how to shoot!"
"Shit..." I rolled my eyes.
"Shit's right son! Hurt like a motherfucker!" He yelled.
"Why can't you just die already? It's your fault I'm in this mess!" I yelled back at him.
"Hey! Who gave you that shooter? Who housed you in my god damn cabin?! ME!" He pointed at himself with his thumb in anger.
"Guess this is the way of the road..."
"For fuck sake boy, punchline's been used up dry! You need me! Let's not do nothin rash. This just a wound. Patch it up, and we forget about all this." He said, attempting to get up.
"Give me a good reason. A real good reason to keep you alive." I stated, putting my foot on his chest and preventing him from getting up.
"World's already fucked up! No need to be reducin yerself to animals... Reducin yerself to be like them..." He started coughing again, spitting up blood. For some reason he still managed to smile.
"We can run from them critters, but -" He started as I shot him once more. This time I didn't miss.
"We can't run from ourselves." I smiled back at him for a second.

I continued down the trail about a mile, until I came upon a dilapidated barn. Just like he said there was an older Ford truck in there. Looked around 1980s. The body of it was rusted out pretty bad. I was praying to high heaven that it worked. I stopped praying to Thor and Zeus last week because I had no such luck in thunderstorms. I opened the door with a loud creak. No keys!

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I cried.

I also realized that the gas meter was at empty. My heart started racing. I frantically looked around the barn. I noticed that there was a tube hanging from the truck's gas tank. It was dripping its last few drops. Pretty sneaky Daniel, I thought. Thankfully, on a shelf next to some old style tools, there was a rusty antique can labeled "Gasoline". I shook it only to reveal that it was empty. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up! I made my way back down the trail towards the now silent Bob. I liked him better that way. I kneeled down and searched the front pocket of his overalls. I found a key that said "Ford" on it. I took it. His eyes were still open, looking at me in a dead stare. Only he could be that amused with a hole in the middle of his forehead. I closed his eyes as they were really creeping me out. Even in death he was still a scumbag... On my way back to the cabin steps, something caught the corner of my eye. The tool shed! Of course!

"Hell yeah Bob! This is what I'm talkin bout!" I pointed at him where he lay.

I limped to the shed as fast as I could! There was a rusted lock on the door. I didn't care much for setbacks in my current situation, and vigorously attempted to pry the door open. It was thin and gave a little, but I couldn't quite squeeze inside. There was a lawn mower and a more modern gas can in there, so the hell I was being kept out ! I went around the back of the shed, and smashed a section of the window with the butt of my pistol. I unlocked it, and climbed in. A feeling of joy overcame me when I picked up the small gas can! It was nearly full! It was like playing the first video game console I ever had. You had to appreciate these things because electricity barely existed now.

I threw the gas can out the window, and started climbing out myself. I went backwards. Something grabbed my hand! I heard a disturbing moan right next to my ear! It startled me so much, I ripped myself from that grip, and fell backwards out the window! It was one of them. She had one eye and was wearing a tattered dress with a floral pattern on it. She fell to the ground in a sloppy motion, and began grabbing for my legs. I kicked her nose in, and crawled away backwards. I drew my pistol as she let out an other horrible noise. She was showing an incomplete set of grimy, yellow teeth. It was as if she was challenging me. I didn't hesitate to take the shot this time! I let out a breath of relief. I quickly picked up the gas can and my fallen pack. To my horror, I heard an other moan. This one was deep, loud and certainly angry! It was followed by a symphony of them, bouncing throughout the trees. I took an other deep breath, then turned around. There were about six or seven hanging around Bob now. Their mouths were dripping with blood, and one of them appeared to be holding his dismembered arm. All eyes were on me. I should've hesitated to take that shot! There were more where that came from, swarming out of the woods towards their new target! I made a mad dash past a few and headed towards the barn once more. Good thing I limped faster than them! I didn't have time to get the late Bob's shotgun or supplies though. Shame, really.

I spilled some of the gas trying to fill up the truck's gas tank, but I was scared shitless! Way more scared than when everybody had guns pointed at me, that's for sure! It finally emptied, and I looked to see a crowd gaining ground on the barn! I hopped in and turned the key in the ignition. The engine was struggling to turn over. Go figure! Just then, an other set of hands reached through the window at me! It was a little girl... The noise she made was an unworldly screech... I aimed my pistol between her eyes... I caved in. I just couldn't make this shot. I decided to hit her with the gun instead. She fell backwards, just to get back up again! I began manually rolling up the window, and her hands gripped it. Her wrists got stuck and prevented me from closing the window anymore. Her face was pressed up against the glass. I opened the door again, and kicked it into her! This time she fell back hard, ripping off her hands, then impaling herself on what appeared to be an old trident. She couldn't get up this time, but had her stumps extended out towards me. She was still shrieking loudly! It hurt my ears! Her hands were hanging from the window, and didn't have time to remove them... I finally got the engine to turn over after I gave it some gas. I rammed right through the doors of the barn, taking a couple of them out along the way. I sped down that dirt road as fast as the thing would go. I could not get that little girl's face out of my head... I didn't even have the balls to set her free.

 

Part III

For the first time in a while, I could think long and hard. The wind was blowing through my hair and it felt nice. It blew around wildly, restricting my vision, because it was all long and poofy! I could feel the dust and debris in it. In the rear view, I looked like I was wearing Jesus' crown of thorns! Like a damn dirty hippie, but I didn't care! I cared about very little. I thought I only cared about getting that much farther, staying alive that much longer. Now I didn't know what I wanted. There were a few rock n' roll mix tapes in the glovebox. Maybe this would take my mind off of things. I still hadn't decided if I was pissed off or not at everybody for ditching me back there... I decided to let AC/DC do the thinking for me. I popped the tape in the cassette player. There was silence for a second. Then, a not-so-good sounding clicking noise... "Harder than a rock! Na na naaa nananana! Na na! Na Naaaa!..." Sweet, sweet music! At least the stereo worked. The "check engine" light was bothering me a little though. Oh well, couldn't do anything about it. I wondered if there was a freakin map around the car somewhere, and started to feel around with one hand. I had never experienced driving while trying to multi-task before. It was annoying. You had to adapt to these times though, there weren't many options now. No, no, no. Very few options. From personal observation, I'd say it came down to fight, run or die... Bottom line was, you were probably doing one of those frequently. Or a combination of them. Enough of this shit, I thought. Guitar solo now!

The dirt road came to a straight and narrow, so that some of the trees were brushing against the truck. I could see an opening in the foliage ahead of me. It was the road! The real road! One made of pavement! I tried to drift on to it, just like in the movies. Apparently I sucked at it, and started to swerve from the shoulder gravel at the side of the road. Luckily I was able to turn into it, then back out of it before losing control. Classy recovery. In all fairness, the truck's handling wasn't exactly the best in the world. Made things more fun for me though! There really wasn't anybody to crash into anyways. Unless they were parked, and you'd be an idiot for hitting something that's parked. I nearly swerved again as I passed a couple of abandoned cars while having that thought. There wasn't a point in checking them again, had already been through them on the way here. I wasn't from around here, but I could still vaguely remember the way to the highway. It seemed like a good idea. Twenty-five. "Dixon Springs" highway... That's the one! If it weren't for these signs, people like me would be absolutely screwed. Maybe I should've used Bob for directions before blasting him... A man would do extraordinary things when his junk was threatened, that was for sure! A startling realization was coming to mind at that moment. A lot of road appeared to be blocked by more and more vehicles the closer I got to the highway. There were usually a lot of ways around them, with a little patience. That took time though, and what there usually wasn't a lot of was gasoline.

I saw a few of those things that attacked me earlier on the road. They tended to hang around the more dense population of parked vehicles. Zombies, those living dead things, gouls, demons- the list of names people had for em went on and on. I liked Bob's word the best out of all of them. Critters... Thanks Bob. They appear to be unintelligent, flesh-mongering creatures. Like bugs, they hunted their food on instinct. If they couldn't see you, they could hear you. If they couldn't hear you, best believe they could smell you! Unlike bugs, these things didn't want to die easily. It took a blow to the brains. That was my way, and it was the only way in my eyes. Sure, some said that severing the spinal chord worked. The hell it did! Those buggers could still use their arms if you cut below there. Not a kill. They could even still chomp at your ankles if you chopped their whole flippin head off! Not a kill. When it comes to critters, the threat dies partly with the brain. That is a kill. To completely diffuse a threat however, the area had to be cleaned. You didn't want to get sick by any means. This wasn't just us against ourselves and ourselves... It was some sort of biological warfare. Human, nature or some other worldly force? That I did not know.

I made a tight squeeze between a small two door electric golfcart, and an older looking mustang from the early 70s. I wish I didn't break the mirror off the mustang back there. It had a beautiful coat of red paint! After a lot of maneuvering and hopeful re-routing, I was able to find the off ramp to the highway. I was excited, but I didn't let it get a hold of my emotions. The sun was beginning to peek at me from over the trees. It would be night again soon. I decided to pull into a small picnic and camping area that I was guided to via a sign with a tent on it. I didn't see many cars or critters around here at all, looked like a good place. I drove up onto a hill overlooking the surrounding area. There was a giant pecan tree atop of this hill. Behind me was a charming creek that extended far off into the distance. The hill gave me great visibility towards the road, and the creek behind me provided a challenge for any ninjas trying to sneak up behind me. I resisted eating some of my travel bars in my pack. I had a feeling I'd need to ration things again. I searched around my pack, and felt the advanced first aid kit, ammo and lunch box for my thermos. I took a couple swigs of water, that was all. I had also made sure the doors were locked up tight. Then was time for sleep. It was cramped and uncomfortable snuggling up next to seat belt buckles, but I wasn't quite ready to step outside. My eyes were slowly becoming more and more closed...

Clouds started rolling in. They made menacing shapes and faces at me from the skies. I heard a loud crack, followed by a flash of lightening. It was an awesome sight, with many colours and intricate electrical patterns extending from the clouds all the way to the ground. The wind picked up. It was as if it was blowing in circles around the truck. The trees bent accordingly to this wind pattern. It was really odd. The pecan tree seemed to be the focal point of the wind, and it appeared to be spinning three hundred and sixty degrees in circles. The pollen element to the tree looked like a bunch of Rastas with dread locks, dancing around the tree top. Was this a small hurricane, or tornado? I hoped not. I peeked up and over the dashboard. My head felt really weird, like it was floating. Perhaps it was anxiety brewing. Rain started to pound the roof of the truck. Amongst the patter, I thought I saw a figure next to the giant tree. I gripped my pistol, and squinted. With the next flash of lightening, it was reveled that nobody was there. I sighed and lay back down. SMASH! I was wrong! Rain, glass and hands flew towards me! I let out a cuss in the commotion, covering my face from the shards! I tried to raise my pistol, but to no avail. I was disarmed and struck in the head with my own gun! I was dazed and could not see my attacker. Just a large, dark figure. What I heard next petrified the very depths of my soul. It was that laugh. That cough-ridden chuckle! It echoed around the area, very phantom-like. But-but, I killed him!

"Remember me, boy?! Way of the road? Backtalk? Running from ourselves n' shit? AhHeheheehehehehe!"

My legs had that strong grip upon them. It wasn't coming off. Felt like a damn vice! I reached for the seat belt, but in my dopey state I couldn't grab it hard enough. I was pulled out of the truck and onto the wet grass and mud. My face was then shoved into the mud so that I was almost choking on it. I could feel my gun belt being removed. I tried to elbow behind me, but I was struck in the head once more. I was pressed into the mud much harder this time. The rain was puddling up around my face, it was a struggle to breath! I could feel rain water and slop going down my wind pipes! My pants were being violently ripped off. So many panicked versions of "no!", "fuck!" and "this is not happening!" went through my head. My insides felt like they were being stabbed repeatedly! He was inside of me, and there was nothing I could do about it! My screams were well muffled by the storm and the rains. What wasn't muffled was that sick, sick laugh! This was probably the dirtiest I had ever felt and been. Suddenly, he pulled out extremely hard and fast. My insides followed close behind. I could only gasp, feeling like those were my last breaths. My organs were literally glopping out of my rear end! Along with the brewing puddle of blood, one by one, my organs joined the rain and the mud on the ground. Intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach, heart... Suddenly, I jolted back up in an other flash of lightening! I felt much taller for some reason. I was standing again, in the same place. It was still raining and I couldn't see very well, but I could still make out the big tree on the hill. Funny, I felt a tad larger than I did before. Around the legs, belly, arms, face, everything. I didn't feel the same. To my disbelief, I was also wearing overalls with one clip missing, and a strap hanging. I felt something lodged in my forehead. I pulled it out, and a fountain of blood came out as a result. It was a bullet! My only reaction was to run! I immediately tripped over something and fell face-down in the mud once more. Upon checking what I tripped over, I yelled so loud that I felt it could be heard from the entire world! It was me, face down in a puddle of water! I turned myself over. Bob's laugh echoed from my lips and into the night...

I shot up, and hit my funny bone on the back window of the truck and struck my knee under the dashboard in tandem. I let out a small yelp... I looked around everywhere to see daylight. I took an other one of those deep breaths of easement to calm down. Thank fuck that was just in my head!

To be continued...

 

Part IV

Couldn't imagine how much I had previously taken the daylight for granted. I rubbed my then bruised knee and elbow. My mind was still shaken from the ghastly events of yesternight. My eyes still partially blinded by the light, I awoke completely upon glaring at the gas gauge... The dreaded red "E"! I'd be stupid as hell to try and drive around the highway with that much juice in the tank! If the highway was any worse than the previous road, I couldn't even begin to calculate how long it would take to snake my way through all of those cars! I became optimistic because it was an other day. An other day to escape my own mind! It was probably time I stepped foot out of that truck anyway, it was starting to feel more like a box of madness on wheels. You had to keep yourself mentally occupied in times like those. Oh yes. Anything that kept yourself going. For instance, my current mission was to find gasoline and or a better means of transportation. Both would be best...

The trees were gently swaying in the breeze. Some dust blew around, ominously. Everything seemed silent, other than the whispers of the wind. Sometimes the wind it made whistles through the trees. Sometimes those whistles sounded like cries of despair, with their pitches selected entirely by nature. It was Beautiful in a sense. Very, very disturbing in an other...

I took a last look up at the hill, the old truck and the towering Pecan tree. I was happy it was returned to its original state. I continued down a dirt driveway that was connected to the vacant gravel parking lot I had just walked through. It ended up at the pavement road that I traveled yesterday. To the left it was the route in which I came. The Mustang I struck was off in the distance, but I could see it clearly. My eyes could admire that red paint job all day... To the right of me the road continued down a slight slope, beyond my line of sight. The off ramp to the highway was about an other mile or so in the same direction. I could make out the bridge over the highway, and there was a large gap in the trees. There were about six abandoned cars in between me and the bridge. At the front of this parade of death was a red ambulance of some sort, lights still flashing. It looked as though it was responding to a scene of a brutal collision between a white Grand-AM and what looked to be a "U-GO" rental truck. After the collision happened, some larger vehicles probably cluttered up and got stuck as well. Man I would've hated to be stuck on a bus when all of this broke out! I was tempted to take that beastly red stallion of a car behind me, but I chose to continue towards the highway. More cars meant more gasoline and more transportation.

While passing the ambulance, it was like a scene suspended in time! For every shocking sight, there would always be a human that would want to see it, no matter what it would do to their mind. Gazing closer into the ambulance, there was a woman wearing beige boots, jeans and a pink tank top. She was strapped tightly into the stretcher with her head raised. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was open wide. It seemed her last words were painful ones. The paramedics were frozen by her side, in full uniform. They were worn down to almost skin and bone. The lady paramedic's scalp appeared to be falling off with her blue cap. Half of her cheek was missing, exposing her blackening jawline. The male paramedic had his hand on an IV line and was slumping onto the side of the stretcher. They jerked up and slammed against the windows! The lady paramedic's cap, scalp, hair and all finally fell from her head. Time for viewing was over. I left them to their squallier. Looking around at all the other vehicles, the ambulance seemed like the most obvious choice to take. Problem was, I had to clear it out and it had quite an infestation! I decided to investigate farther downwards.

The rental truck and the white car were vacant. Seemed like they had been gone through, ransacked. I cautiously moved around the truck. On the other side there was a woman critter, facing away, with her head resting on the back of the truck. She had on a pair of big yellow rubber boots, as well as a long yellow dress, with a brown spots all over. Her hair was wild and grey, resembling the snake hair of Medusa! I tried to click the hammer back as quietly as I could. With both hands, I calmly aimed at her head. I heard a long "Huh?" out of her. Suddenly, I heard a sickening crack and her head fell backwards! She was now facing me with her head, but facing away from me with her body! Her tongue lashed out, possibly for a final time, and she fell towards the ground backwards! I smiled a litte, while avoiding her fall. No need to waste that shot. I retracted the hammer...

Farther up, I came across two diesel pickup trucks on either side of the road. There was also an old bus behind that, blocking both lanes of the road on a diagonal. The front of the bus was facing my direction. My leg was giving me a bit of trouble and it began to throb, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I had to search these vehicles... The trucks were unfortunately ripped apart along with anything useful in them. The bus reminded me of the 1950s-1960s "space-era". Some people would say those buses looked like a shiny tin cans. I had to agree with them. I didn't know what to make of what I saw next. A short man, wearing an all red robe with a blue collar, was the first to leap over the divider between the back and the driver's seat! He was followed by about 10 more people, who were all wearing white robes with blue collars. It was a pastor... and a choir... They were all fighting, lashing out towards me! Just a few bus windows separated them from me. Were they still able to make music from their moans in a weird way, or was that just the world getting to me?

I made my way passed all of the cars, as the Medusa Lady hissed at me, and back to the ambulance. My limping was a little worsened. I rested for a bit with my hands on the hood, which was well needed. The lights were still on, flashing red and blue. I could see it was attracting company from where I came from earlier down the road. There were a couple wearing green and black about three quarters of a mile out, and an other one wearing blue about a quarter mile behind them. I found the occupants of the ambulance in the same position in which I left them. This time I gently tapped on the window with my gun. Once more, the paramedics jumped up and glued themselves each to a window! I clicked the hammer and shot right through a window, hitting the male paramedic just under his nose! He fell back, as his teeth and brain matter littered the walls. I rapidly pulled back the hammer with my palm and fired through the second window, completely removing the females jaw! She too made quite a mess while dying again. I slowly opened the doors to the ambulance, and what remained of the female paramedic's head fell out. The petrified patient wasn't moving. She just had that same look stuck on her face. I popped a shot into her head as well, just to be sure. I didn't have much time. I dumped the patient off of her stretcher, and onto the pavement. It made a splat, followed by a deflating noise. She let out an extremely fowl smell, which was much, much worse than her rescuers! I threw them out of the back too, and they joined their patient on the road. I hopped in the drivers seat, and I saw that the keys were still in the ignition. Nice! I turned them, and the engine started up with ease. I didn't know much about engines, but this one sounded like a badass diesel under the hood! It took a few good seconds before it warmed up and I could put it in gear. When I did, I made my way passed all of those parked cars with ease! I was headed towards the highway, trying to turn off these lights that said "eat me, eat me!"

 

Part V

"Holy cow! Holy shit! Holy cow shit!" John yelled, pushing up his glasses, and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He was accompanied by Forest at his right, and Martha bringing up the rear. To the left of them was the blue sedan. It was now immobile at the side of the road. It was one of many parked cars dispersed throughout the highway. They were just under the overpass and the off-ramp.

"This is gettin' fuckin' ridiculous!" Martha said, looking down at the pile of bodies around her. "How many was that? A little more than a dozen?" She asked nervously.
"Sounds about right." John replied. "What say you Forest?" He looked to him. Forest nodded in agreement.
"Ammo check please!" Martha ordered.
"Probably didn't use more than twelve, thirt-" John was cut off by her.
"Ammo check! Now!" She snapped, as John quickly fumbled with his gun. Forest was already looking into his clip and his pack.
"Must've used about three clips from the Sig afterall." John observed.

Forest signaled the number "5" to them with his fingers.

"Five?" John and Martha said together, looking at him in awe. He nodded in response. He was five for five!

He casually put his 9mm Glock with 17 round capacity back in his belt buckle next to his hatchet. The buckle was large and made of silver, with a majestic horse on it.

"You must really be an Apache warrior!" John joked, running his hand through his hair. It had grey streaks of various different shades in it. It was in more of a "flop over" style than a comb over.
"I used bout 2 clips from the LCP." Martha said, finalizing her calculation. "That means we expelled round thirty four, thirty five rounds in all..." She began to shake with nervousness again at the realization.
"So we have somewhere in the ballpark of 116 rounds left for the .38's... And round 51 for the glock." John thought out loud.
"I'm not stayin here! " She was starting to lose it. "I am not doin this every day!" She complained. "Why in the hell did we decide to come to use the highway anyway? Now we're stuck! Stuck and they ain't coming back for us!" She pointed up the road.
"Hey. C-come on now." He said to her, trying to maintain posture over his own nervousness. "You don't know that."
"I know that all we did was screw people!" Martha was starting to cry now through her glasses. She removed the red bandana from her head, and used it to wipe them. Her hair was mostly shaved, with the exception of a bit of top hair, hanging down to the side.
"We were only trying to stay alive." John said, trying to comfort her.
"Tell yourself that, just keep tellin yourself that!" She groaned, sliding with her back against the blue sedan until she was sitting on the ground. "And now we die..."

Forest came over and covered her mouth to silence her complaints. She tried to resist for a second, but he motioned for her to be quiet. John wondered what he was doing. He made the same motion to John, and did a signal for "listen". An engine was approaching from above! The small roar came to a halt at the top of the bridge they were under. John had trouble bending his knees, but got lower and hid himself behind a silver Volvo. Forest and Martha slowly dipped in behind the blue sedan. They peeked upwards to see a red ambulance now parked on the overpass.

"It's an ambulance!" John said excitedly. He got up out of position, and waved. Forest was quick to diffuse this however. He went over, pulled him down behind the Volvo and silenced him once more!
"That doesn't mean they're paramedics!" Martha fiercely whispered to John, the hint of fear and uncertainty in her voice still in full tilt. Forest also nodded in agreement.

Just then, Forest turned around to see about 3 flesh mongers making their way towards them. They were trying to clumsily walk through the network of cars, tripping over things. Two of them were wearing Chicago Bulls snap backs with baggy clothes. The other had the jersey. They were a long way from home.

"W-what do we do?" John whispered to Forest.
"Shit, shit, shit-!" Martha had her Ruger out again.

Forest motioned for John to "stay put", and snuck back over to Martha. He lowered her weapon with his hand, and showed her to not move as well. He then disappeared between a couple of cars. John peeked over the Volvo towards the ambulance, but there was no activity up there that he could see. Martha was almost in a full panic, she breathed heavily as she clutched her chest. She lowered herself more towards the pavement. She could see one of the three undead boys wearing the jersey a couple of cars away. Just then, the one wearing the jersey was swept off his feet. A hollow noise sounded as his skull hit the ground! Forest poked his head around the back of a car and signaled that everything was cool. He snuck round back of the other two, and surprised them. He bashed their heads together! A frenzy of hacking, squishing and splattering noises followed. Everything went silent again...

Forest popped out to show that everything was fine once more, but his eyes opened up wide! He pointed to Martha urgently. It was too late! She was already being grabbed and mounted by an elderly granny with a muffin top, who was wearing a white knit scarf. Martha's gun fell underneath the car in the attack.

"John!" She cried, barely able to push the granny's face away from her. She couldn't reach the gun with one of her hands.

John raised his weapon. Beads of sweat poured down his face as he adjusted he glasses, and closed one of his eyes. He froze. He didn't have the confidence to take the shot. He looked to Forest who was rushing back through the cars and jumping over bodies. The granny chomped at Martha's cheeks and drooled green stuff onto her face! Martha turned her head away, and tried not to get any in her mouth! She yelled out helplessly as John stood there like a deer in the headlights. Right as her attacker was ready to give her the kiss of death, a loud bang rang out right next to her...

More to come...

 

Part VI

I was crawling on all fours in a ditch. There was some brush that kept me hidden. I peeked up and over some grass to have a good view from ground level of those who betrayed me... I felt a wide range of heated emotions... I saw these people as pirates. Funny we even called ourselves a "group" or a "team". I didn't know many "teams" that went around robbing people... I guess I should have been just as angry at myself, but my mind was on other things... From what I gathered, Martha was struggling to stay alive... I watched for a second in thought. I debated whether to let live or die in my head... I drew my pistol. I steadied my aim. I fired! Decaying brains splashed all over Martha's face! She was temporarily deafened and in shock, but her attacker was dead! I was getting good at this...

"Weapons boys. Drop em and take a few steps back for me!" I called out to John and Forest.

John almost vibrated the gun out of his hands he was so scared! It fell to the ground. Forest said nothing.

"...Oh my lord! Oh my god! Oh my Lord God!" John said when his vision came into focus.

"You too Forest! I see you!" I said towards a Jeep. A gun slid out from underneath the car. Forest quiet stepped out, and stood next to John.

They seemed overly compliant with my order because I had my left arm squeezing around Martha's neck, and my right arm holding a pistol to her temple! I could feel her irregular heart beat as she struggled with me. Her grey sport shirt smelled disgusting from this distance! I hated being a bad guy, but I didn't want to end up like Bob...

Martha was a farm girl from a few miles south of here. She enjoyed playing all kinds of music like blue grass, jazz, rap, classical and so on. She sang and played guitar, fiddle and bass. What a gal! The music she liked the most, though, was punk rock! Her hair was jet black, and she kept it extremely short at the sides, and long at the top... Guess it was her thing. I kinda liked it though. She had a lip piercing, as well as a lot of tattoos of different coloured daisies that extended the length of one of her arms. There were a variety of pinks, yellows, greens, purples, reds and blues in this ink... She said she didn't exactly know when it all went south... She wasn't approved for evacuation because of "exposure to contaminants or the infected". It sounded familiar... She remained in a ghost town, separated from her family by military personal... Shortly after the military rule collapsed, Marta hadn't collapsed. Tending to her crops alone, hunting for food and bashing critter skulls were daily occurrences for her.... I remember the day we found her clearly... Her face, dripping in the sun. Bent over as she planted seeds in the dirt. Not a worried thought. Red bandanna, frayed jean shorts, grey sport top with red "A" painted on it. Her shirt was covered with dirt and sweat. Large breasts popped out from that shirt! It was a happy thought. The group corrupted her way of life though. What she had going... Shame, really. She was a moderately tall girl, around the same age as me. In her mid twenties. Physically, I thought she was pretty fit for this apocalypse. She had a very muscular body, and she looked well fed. She had erratic mood swings however. I didn't blame her because it was probably our fault. For pulling her into our crazy world.... In my mind, she was probably the most prepared in survival skills. Every day living. Anywhere. Not necessarily the best fighter, but she had heart. That was fore sure.

"Well well." I smirked. "If it isn't the 'Anarchist', 'The Apache' and 'The Retiree'..." I looked towards the three of them, ending at Forest. He greeted me with a straight face.

Forest was always like that. Silent and serious. It was just his thing. He randomly came out of the forest one day, bravely fighting off a hoard of undead. He had only a bloody hatchet, and a hell of a determination! He saved us that day... He was a tall, skinny man of aboriginal decent. He had little fat and all muscle. Braids and beads were throughout his hair, and they were pretty neatly done. He spoke no English. In fact, he didn't speak at all! The group decided the best representation of what his name meant, was Forest. It's the only thing we could come up with when he tried to explain with his non-verbal nature. His mute ways caused others not to trust him. I got this vibe at first, but upon getting to know him better, that subsided. He was a born fighter and tactician. He seemed honorable enough...

"Drop that chopper of yours too." I said. "Then we begin negotiating..." I pointed my gun at his hatchet. Forest seemed to become frustrated by that and threw it to the ground with a clang! It was still dripping blood. His eyes locked onto mine.

I was honestly trying not to feel intimidated. Trying to have the upper hand. Get dealt the best card. I had him remove the hatchet because he could potentially throw it at me... I doubt he would, but I had to make sure. He was crafty.

"P-please! We're sorry! No one has to get hurt here!" John pleaded.
'I'll decide that, but thank you very much for your input!" I said, with fire in my voice.

John was your typical resident of Florida. He enjoyed Hawaiian shirts, and $3 margaritas on Thursday nights. He was also a heavily devout Christian. A couple of years after his wife's passing, he decided it would be fun to travel one day. He had no idea why. Said he thought society seemed fake one day, and had to get away from it all. See other places that were different. That was his reasoning. To me, that was an understatement... He had this habit of saying a succession of cusses and or biblical references, then mixing them all together. This was only when extremely excited though... I couldn't believe that he used to be a cop! He was a little unfit to say the least. I Couldn't blame him though. He was pushing seventy. There was something that John was really good for in my mind though. He was good for morality. Short, AND sweet are two words I would use to describe him.

"Now what's going on, where the fuck are Cheryl and Daniel?!" I barked at him, glancing from side to side.
"P-please! We've been in some trouble! We had car problems. Blew the transmission." John answered. "D-dan and Cheryl. They said they'd be back in a few days..."
"Is this true? Is this true?!" I whispered into Martha's ear with authority, squeezing harder.
"Y-yes!" She said, out of breath. "They abandoned us here... You fuck!" She yelled, as I let her breath more.
"Calm down. Calm down!" I warned her.
"Where's Bob?" John asked. "He gonna jump us?!" His eyes darted from side to side in search.

Forest also looked around for Bob. He shook his head. "Negative".

"No Bob. Just me. I'm alone." I stated.
"W-what happened to him?" He asked, with sweat-drenched eyebrows raised.
"Shot him. He's dead..." I said, staring at him with a dark look.

John looked at me in horrified silence like I was some sort of extra terrestrial... Even Martha stopped struggling for a few moments, with a new found fear for me... Forest is the only one who just stood there, looking at me in that dead serious stare. I could've sworn he nodded at the thought of Bob being dead though...

"Unbelievable!" I said under my breath, looking to the sky for a second. "So you screwed me. Then you got screwed by someone else... And now, that makes us?" I smirked a little.
"Well uhhh, I dunno... We don't know that for sure..." John stuttered, looking to Forest.
"I'm sorry to say, but I think you've been screwed." I chuckled a little. "What did they leave you with?" I asked.

I wasn't angry enough to gun them down in cold blood... I thought that perhaps I could take a portion of their things.

"...Some water, vitamins, energy bars and a couple canned things... They took the rest." John said, like he was pressured to pick these answers out of thin air.
"Serious?...Guns and Ammo! What about guns and ammo?" I was becoming increasingly tense at the thought of supplies.
"We got a Sig Sauer P238, a Ruger LCP... and a Glock 17." John said as he looked at the guns on the ground. "Got just over a hundred rounds for the two first guns and about fifty nine millimeter for the Glock." He explained.

Good thing he explained that ammo thing, I wasn't too up to par with my gun lingo! They'd been screwed alright.

"It's official... You guys got screwed..." I said, becoming more sympathetic. "Where're they headed? Dan and Cheryl?" I asked more calmly.
"Hartsville." John replied, wiping his forehead. "Northwest of here. I think..." I glanced at him as if he was feeding me bullshit.
"Hartsville? Why would they go there?"
"They said it was their hometown. Said they had a cache of weapons and supplies there." He answered.
"They're going to die." I said.

I didn't know if I was happy or sad about the thought of that... Cheryl and Dan being dead... I did know that I started to find fewer and fewer quarrels with John, Forest, and Martha.

"What do you mean, they're going to die?" He looked puzzled.
"The whole town and surrounding area was declared a quarantine zone." I remembered. "People were dying to get out... You'd be batshit insane to go there..." I told him.
"Good! I don't give none shits if Dan and Cheryl and-" Martha tried to say, as I cut off her air supply a bit more, which prevented her from finishing. "-Get fucking killed! Let go of me!"

Martha attempted to break free from my grasp once more. It was ignored. John continued to explain.

"Can't go south either..." John said. "It was quarantined too." He looked down, as I gave him a surprised look.
"How far south?" I asked, as I began to stare at him blankly. My restraint on Martha was running thin.
"All of it?" He said, hesitantly. "We're in the quarantine zone right now." He pointed downwards.

 

Part VII

I released Martha. She tripped over her near successful attacker on her way back over to John and Forest. She said some filthy words, some of which I didn't understand, and talked about "blasting my brains out". I didn't care though. I had run out of anger...

Now it all seemed pointless. There really wasn't a "way" to go. Not a safe one anyways.It seemed like my only option was time to team up with this band of mismatched pirates again... In reality, I actually sort of missed them. They always gave me a sense of direction, whether I liked it or not. I realized that even though they kind of betrayed me, they weren't my Judases. Besides, maybe they could relate to me better, now that they'd been screwed over.

There was only a brief period of reconciliation. That was normal in those times. You had to act quickly, no time for heart-to-hearts. Nope! It was worth taking the time to talk about plans though. It was smart to have one in development or in motion. It's something that kept you going... I was taking the ambulance, end of story. It had lots of juice, not to mention the medical benefits. John, Forest and Martha agreed with that. Good choice! However, we had an intense discussion about which direction we were going... After a vote, it was decided that we would travel North Westerly...

I didn't know why we eventually agreed to go to Hartsville. I knew full well it was infested... John, Forest and Martha knew it was infested too... I thought that maybe it was because some of us had a personal vendetta with Cheryl and Dan... My mind pondered that some of us were probably thinking about saving Sam. Maybe he restored some purity to this evil world. A world that needed it... I also thought that deep down, maybe I wanted to survive only for selfish reasons... I lost track of what I really wanted.

Right after we had made our travel plans, I looked up and saw a dead thing wearing a Tilly hat and cargo shorts falling from the sky! He had a gaping chest wound. He landed right on the roof of the blue sedan, and crumpled it a little! It scared the shit out of me! I'm sure it scared everyone else too! A second later, he started moving! He snarled, then reached out for Martha and John! His heart was exposed, but it wasn't beating! To my relief, Forest impaled its head with his hatchet... Just then, more ghouls started to rain from the skies! One,two,three,fourfivesixseven... It was like a waterfall of bodies! They were climbing over the railing of the bridge, and falling to the ground around Martha, John, Forest and I! Some of them broke bones on the cars and pavement while landing, but they were still able to crawl! Others had their falls cushioned by the mass of bodies piling up. Martha and John started firing shots into the crowd, but only a few went down! Forest ducked under one, took out its legs and smashed its head in with a couple agile moves! I told them the "hell with all that", grabbed a bag out of the sedan, then threw it on my shoulder! It made things a bit harder on the limp, but I knew we needed it. Forest and Martha also followed suit and decided it was time to go. They grabbed two packs each, and followed me down the ditch and towards the ramp up to the bridge. John was a little behind, as he grabbed a box full of ammunition. He was nearly being consumed by the growing crowd! He let out couple of shots, and one of them fell. Forest, Martha and I lost sight of him from the side of the road!.. Forest threw both the packs down and started back up towards the sedan. Thankfully, there was no need! John came around the other side of the sedan, shooting a couple more! He fumbled with the box, but managed to use it to push a couple aside. He made his way back over to us. That was close!

On the bridge, there were easily twenty, thirty more of those critters! Most of them clambered towards my group, moaning eagerly! Others still hadn't gotten word that jumping off the bridge was going out of style... A large flock had already jumped off, and were below us, so we didn't have a lot of time to deal with these ones. I had to get the hell out of here, and so did everybody else... On instinct, I started to get in formation. Forest, John and Martha were already in formation. Just like I remembered, Forest would take the front, Martha and I in the middle and John took up the rear. This was to cover all directions from attack. Forest used one hand to shoot, and the other to knock heads in with his hatchet. He went forward when offensively striking, and back into formation after the threat was clear. We fought our way back towards the ambulance. I shot at least five, killing three. That emptied my gun. Martha and John took out around eight between them, while Forest gunned down a good chunk of them of ahead of us with great precision! From what I noticed in the chaos, he also hacked down about three more of them who standing near the ambulance...

 

i've only read part I so far. reminds me of the walking dead.

even though you hadn't mentioned zombies yet.


now i'm on part VI


i notice that you write "an other" instead of "another"
and in the sentence "Beads of sweat poured down his face as he adjusted he glasses" the 2nd he should be his

 

:daisy:

 

Part VIII

"Good to see you again, good to see you my friend! Afterall." Martha sang with a lot of soul. It was really nice...
"Bullet in purse n' I drive in my hearse, droppin' critters first when they call...

Wouldn't it be fun to shoot some guns? Afterall?
Great that you're back, that's damn true in fact,
an other one's I'm thirsty, did you bring some Jack?
n' Bullet in my heart, nor steak or a dart will, keep me from huggin' yall....

So ain't you a fan of our wonderland? Afterall?
Bullet in brain i can rest again, knowin' that you're safe an' times are peaceful in the end,
when I fall. Oh! When I fall!"

It wouldn't be long until I reached Hartsville. The meter on the ambulance showed more than enough gas. There was also more than enough daylight to go with that. It felt like a blessing that there was both of those things on my side. I was also sure my partners were having similar thoughts. Probably lucky to be alive themselves... Something felt too easy about this though. And "too easy" was never good feeling in those times. It definitely wasn't...

I could tell we were at the outskirts of town now. To my left and right there were farm fields, but I could see parked cars and houses ahead. I was surprised to find that there were not many critters around this area. Only a few wandered aimlessly, turning their heads like dogs do when they don't understand you. After passing some houses, there was a bridge with a blockade in front of it. I came to a halt. There was no one around. A vacant police car stood vacant in the middle of the bridge too, with one of its doors open.

I remembered something... I had never planned to return to this bridge, ever...I started to get an extremely uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Forest seemed to be on high alert now. Martha and John were wiping down the back with disinfecting wipes, but they stopped to peek out. The first blockade was at the left side of the road. It consisted of a sandbag supporting a wood frame with barbed wire on it. A second one of similar nature followed on the right, so I had to turn in an "S" fashion to get between them. I didn't take this bridge on my way out of this town the first time... No I did not. It wasn't safe! Critters weren't the problem though. People were the problem... I knocked the door of the police car a little while passing it. Martha and John winced. There were other blockades at the other end of the bridge that were the same style as the first, only this time they were on different sides of the road. I stopped. I saw that there were some blockages in between these ones. Forest was already hopping out of the passenger seat. I got out and started toward the blockage along with Forest. Martha and John followed to help. Forest was tossing bodies off the bridge, as Martha and John helped each other move sand bags and debris out of the way. I struggled as I dragged one of the deceased to throw them off the bridge myself. I noticed that this one was a cop. His gun's trigger mechanism, slide and barrel were missing. I was pretty sure that wouldn't be useful. I threw it along with the officer off of the bridge... Looking down after that splash, I had a flashback!

Her face... No, no, no! I couldn't see her anymore...

I jumped a little when John put his hand on my shoulder! He asked if everything was okay. I said that I was fine. Indeed I was not fine, but I was recuperating at least. I took one of those famous breaths that helped me calm the hell down... A little up the road, I nearly clipped a small black pickup truck trying to go round it. Forest grabbed onto the handle to his top right. To my excitement, someone stepped out right in front of me! I ran them right the hell over! Thunk! Hoped they were already dead! The back bounced when the back tire went over them, causing John to fall! Shit... I apologized over my shoulder, then continued watching the road. Martha helped him up. We saw a storage facility, then car lot coming up on the left, but they were infested. Forest, John, Martha and I quickly decided to continue towards town, we already had a reliable vehicle, and I didn't think stopping here would do us any good anyways. I ran down a couple more undead things in front of the car lot. To the left, I could see a white water tower off in the distance. Great, more fucked up memories... There were also small clouds of smoke up ahead. What was that? Forest was squinting. John and Martha once again peeked out from the back. As I drove closer to the smoke, I looked to the right to find it was coming from a funeral parlor... White disaster relief tents could been seen in the parking lot, just as I remembered them... There were also an abundance of parked cars in the lot that I could see. I caught sight of a mass pile of black body bags behind some of the tents. It was the source of the smoke. I gripped the steering wheel harder. I was starting to sweat. I quickly turned my view back to the road. The red heart for "Hartsville" could be seen on the water tower now. I focused my eyes on that. I tried to let it make me smile, "Hartsville." I see what they did there... It wasn't making me feel too much better.

A glimmer of light, right in the middle of the heart, I thought. As I was trying to see what it was, Forest quickly put his hand on my shoulder! A shot rang out! It echoed, reaching my ears like distant thunder! It was followed by an other loud pop. This one wasn't as loud, and came from my lower left! Then... An expulsion of air! I started losing control of the ambulance! I tried the turn in turn out trick I had used earlier, but it wasn't working! The tires screeched, burning up rubber! It veered me towards a rock wall at the right side of the road! "FU-!" I thought... Time slowed down... I looked right to see up close the jagged, slanted rocks of the wall. Ahead of me was a huge, ramp-like boulder leaning against that wall! I also saw the face Forest made, right on indirect impact!.. I heard a sound just like pop cans crumpling and his side of the ambulance clashed with some rocks!.. His hand was still on my shoulder, his face said "I'm ready"... I started to ride up the boulder ramp a little, and it caused the ambulance to start tipping over hard left... Martha was in the back to my right, frozen in shock, trying to anchor onto something! It looked like she was a little late! She was falling face first towards John!... John was behind me, falling backwards in the middle of saying something along the lines of "Jesus Fucktits!" in slow motion. Good last words, John!... Stuff like medical supplies, books, scissors, guns, glass, ammo, and food seemed to be floating around in mid air with them back there!... It was like space! I was too immersed in the effect of that moment to think it would end.It felt like it would go on forever... Just as the ambulance was slowly taking flight into a roll, my eyes caught something to the left! It looked like a guy in the water tower! He, he had dreadlocks, I thought! I lost sight of him with that glimmer of light again. My last thoughts were of the man in the tower... Who was he? SMASH! Darkness...

 

Part IX

I remembered how ridiculous it was... Going to Nashville on vacation... Just happened to be when everybody started to freak out, like it was some sort of hip dance or something. There was always some flu, or some bug, or heaven forbid, a cough from a foreigner that caused people to lose their minds! Like, really lose it! Germophobes flipping out and going to live in clinics, and hooligans looting, rioting, pillaging. That sort of crazy stuff. In fact, I heard people smashing windows! Ransacking a place! Right out side of the hotel! Then, automatic gunfire not too long after that!... I wasn't feeling too good about the gun control laws in this country. Maybe it was cause I was Canadian though. Maybe I wasn't used to all this gun business down south...

We were glued to the television that day, in the hotel room. Click, click, click... Every station was apparently the emergency broadcast system now... Weird, there didn't seem to be a catastrophic weather event happening outside... Nope. It was about the "flu", "the sickness" that was the cause of the commotion outside. It was saying that this sickness was comparable to a rapid version Aids. I started to take things more seriously now.... My parents were already soaking it all up, listening intently. I also listened in more closely on the broadcast... Basically, the man on the television was giving updates on what was going on outside. He said that we had to evacuate the area. It was declared a state of emergency. Nashville and surrounding area was declared quarantined until further notice. It was mandatory that you passed a health inspection before you left... Funny, I thought the police could handle beating down some folks! I also thought that people payed a pretty penny for doctors around here as well... Why would they be evacuating people because of some germs and some rioting idiots?! Were we seriously dealing with something like, what, "Ebola"?!

My mom was nervously doing her hair. It was short and blond, and had highlights of various blondes and browns throughout it... She parted it, making it have a very modern feel. I like it that look for her. She looked at least 10 years younger than she was... She had very caring eyes, but those were full of worry... I told her everything would be fine... My father had his hand on her shoulder. He patiently, but firmly told her that it was time to go.... My father was a plump man, with slickback hair and a very light attitude. He was full of endless energy and optimism. He was always the life of the party, that was for sure!... He looked at me, scratched his goatee, and said something like "Time to join the crazies out in the street!". I nodded to him in agreement.

On the street, everybody was going nuts! Cars could barely fit by, lots of hustle and bustle, and everything was in all out pandemonium!... Military personal started directing people towards different tents and barricades with loud speakers... What I could only describe as a mob of human bodies came toward us. Heeding the call of the loud speaker... A mosh pit was consuming my parents!... My mom's arm was hard to grab onto! My own arm was being bent in a weird direction! It started to hurt! I cried out as I lost grip of her! I hated to see that look of despair in her eyes, as she looked into mine... They disappeared into the crowd... She never gave up on me. No she did not... Finally! I neared the barricades with the white medical tents! I could meet up with them later, after this, I thought... A woman was coughing uncontrollably, in the crowd, a couple people away. She got to the front of the barricade before me... She was denied entry immediately, being pushed back... "GO BACK THE WAY YOU CAME! I REPEAT, GO BACK THE WAY YOU CAME! THERE IS NO MORE ROOM AT THIS EVAC STATION!" The loudspeaker became staticy. Military personal raised shield and arms towards the crowd... I didn't exactly know when they got authorization to shoot everybody, but I wasn't sticking around to find out! I waved and blew a kiss to my mom and dad, who made it behind the barricade. They were being pulled away by soldiers! They were yelling for me... I went the opposite way... The cackle of machine gunfire began to drop the mass group of confused and helpless people, running for their lives...

It was night time now... I was in full sprint, running through a field in the moonlight! My heart was pounding, and I was drenched with sweat. I was telling someone to keep up. I turned to my right. Holding my hand was a beautiful blond girl. She had her hair back in a pony tail that almost reached her waist, and wore a white dress with black polka dots on it. Her hair was almost as white as that dress. It flew around from side to side as we ran. Her hazel eyes were dripping with tears. We were just underneath a white water tower with a red heart on it. She had to take a break. I told her we had to go... Somebody was gaining on us! There were lights in pursuit off in the distance! I pulled her farther... Looking back, I saw a twinkle in the heart on the tower! There appeared to be a man with dreadlocks standing up there... I didn't have time to think about it! I continued on towards the forest with her... We blindly ran through a bunch of trees, scraping ourselves along the way. We hit a snag! We nearly fell down a hill, but she grabbed onto a small plant! The moonlight reflected off of water... There was a river at the bottom of the hill! I saw something, and we both got down, hiding with in the treeline. Spotlights panned towards us! They were coming from a bridge to our left! We heard people screaming to "let us leave"! Somebody on the bridge was telling them to "STAND BACK! DO NOT COME ANY CLOSER!" in a familiar, robotic voice... The people on the bridge couldn't leave and couldn't stay... An angry mob started towards the robotic voice!...

Behind us! I heard foot steps and branches breaking! Flashlights were coming for us! They were close! I grabbed her, and pulled her down the hill towards the river! Sticks and debris came with us as we fell! She let out a small cry as we splashed into the water! I struck my left leg extremely hard on something jagged! I let out a silent scream!... I was dazed, there was bloody water all around me! I surfaced, desperately trying to tread! My leg was bleeding! I caught sight of her again. The light from the bridge panned over our heads for a second! We darned not breath!... Then, it panned back towards the advancing mob... What a relief!... Just then, somebody gave word to "open fire"!... A volley of automatic fire ensued! Taptaptaptaptap!.. Bodies started to rain from the bridge, splashing into the water, nearly kicking and punching our heads like rag dolls! We tried to swim to the other side, but something was preventing me from pulling her!.. She had a look of pure terror in her eyes... She was being dragged under... I lost sight of her in the dark, bloody water... No, no, no! I didn't know your name!... I panicked and felt around for her... I couldn't find her!... A handgun was falling! It fell right on top of my head! It broke into several pieces, then each piece plunked into the water, one by one! Ow! Looking up, I saw a decaying police officer. Falling, falling, BOOM!... It landed on me! ...The impact felt like the effect of a giant bomb going off in the water!... It made the sound of a distorted explosion that lasted several seconds!... I found myself being propelled farther and father into the depths of the river! I could only see the moon above me, and a figure on the bridge... It was me!

 

Part X

My mind played tricks with itself for what I thought was eternity... I was alive though. Something other than myself kept telling me that. It's what kept me going. Going for that much longer because I had gotten so far...

"Rasta man! Rasta man! Does whatever the Rasta man can!
he hides in wait,
in the dark,
decides your fate,
never misses his mark,
look out here comes a Rasta mann-" An unknown male voice with a deep southern accent was cut off.
"Cut that shit out!" An other voice said to the first.
"Ow!" Said the first one back to the second. "Fuck's the matter with you Tyreece? Don't believe in the 'Rasta Man'?"
"We ain't arguin about whether he do or do not exist right now! That's for another time, an other place!!" Tyreece said to the first unknown, "What matters right now is you gots to 'shut the fuck up', cause this dude right here is all movin around n shit!"

My mind wasn't playing tricks on me this time... I could feel a tingling sensation in my extremities. My head was throbbing. On the top of my skull, I could feel a long hardening scab that ended at my hairline. I felt ridges of little stitches in it as I ran my fingers back along. It stung, so freakin much!.. I couldn't even begin to tell what else on me hurt. All of the above, and more, I guessed. Everything short of my toes was aching... Wait a minute! Hurting meant that I was awake! Okay, good. Hoped to stay that way...

My vision came into focus to find that I was in a plain white room, with a metal table in it. The table had what looked like boxes full of green paper on it. Water splashed all over my face, wetting my hair and the blood on my head again! I blinked for a second, and I thought I was in Canada! There were two men in front of me, wearing full black sets of hockey apparel! These guys were packing and ready to play! The one known as Tyreece had on red and black gloves, as well as a helmet in those same colours. He had some sort of M4 rifle in one hand. The unknown was holding what looked like an old school tommy gun with a green strap around his shoulder. He was wearing helmet and gloves that were black and blue. I couldn't see either of their faces because they also wore black cage masks.

"He's alive! Hallelujah brothers and sisters!" The unknown said down to me. "Most of em die after havin nightmares like that, all pissin 'emselves, 'Save me Save me Rasta Man' I didn't even know your name Rasta Man! " He laughed, imitating me in a high voice.
"I wonder how long this one gonna last? Wanna bet, say a 'million dollars' on it?" Tyreece joked, looked down into my face. "This one right here, he got no purity tattoo... You know what happens to cats around here that don't bare true the mark of the pure?" He looked at me, wide eyed.

I was scared as... that was for sure! No point in stopping now, I thought. Had to buy some time in those types situations...

"F-fuck you! You and your shower room butt buddy over there too!" I said in a drunken stupor, trying to sit up. I flinched though, in preparation for what would come next... Nothing.
"Ooooooo..." The unknown said, as a crowd would in those old world comedy show audiences.
"Fuck me and my shower room butt buddy." Tyreece said smiling, repeating me. "Now, what could that mean when he referred to you as my "Shower Room Butt Buddy" Cap?" He said sarcastically to his partner. "Cause I can't hear bad sportsmanship, and that shit right there didn't sound like no good sportsmanship." He smiled largely towards Cap.
"Well Tyreece-" Cap played along with him. "honestly I-I feel very belittled right now. Heartbroken even! Why would anyone refer to me as a homosexual to hurt my feelins? I thought society was way beyond this... I got the boo hoos all over my face Tyreece! Hurts to the bottom of my heart n' soul, really do!" Cap pounded his fist dramatically on his chest a couple of times.
"Let me feed you a little somethin somethin." Tyreece was putting a long cigar through the grill in his mask, while he bent down to me. "Ironically, me and all my 'shower buddies' will be literally fuckin you in your asshole this evening. Nah, not like a bunch of faggots though. Shit you'd like that too much, wouldn't you? For your entertainment tonight, we gonna do it with a sharp, splintery, wooden objects. Yeah... Then, motherfucker, when you're screamin for death, you know what we do? Do you know just how the fuck we do around here?" He lit the cigar, taking a couple puffs.
"Whoo!The HOLY fire!!" Cap was getting excited.
"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talkin bout Cap!" Tyreece said in agreement, as he blew out smoke. "Oh Lord, show us the bills of the chosen." He picked something up from the table. "Show us the cash money of judgement!" He held up a stack of American Money high. "Show us, all mighty God, The Holy Fire!!" Tyreece concluded, as he got up on the table, bills still held high. He began burning them with the cigar. He waved them all around in the air, with both hands up!
"Whoooooooooo! Amen to that brother!" Cap yelled.

Tyreece jumped back down from the table, then threw the stack of burning bills at my face! Fucking coals! hot, ow! Cap made a howling laugh in amusement... I was finally able to brush them off. I had a couple of burns on my hands and forehead now. I was checking them, trying to keep my mind off of what just what the hell was happening. Thought I was crazy, but nope, that scene was as twisted as the mad hatter's tea room as far as I was concerned! My mind was broken, like a clock! The gears inside weren't working properly. Everything that was before my eyes, I couldn't tell if I was being fed bullshit. If I had drank more water, I would be pissing myself...

"No but seriously, we will then burn you alive white boy..." Tyreece said in a menacing tone. "Startin with the chodes of your little asshole... And just when you thought it couldnt get any hotter, it will then continue up that puny asshole son, eternally burning your black and infested body.. Your liquids will then start to boil, motherfucker... Mmmm Mmmm mmm, just like mamas home made chili! You know what I'm sayin, gettin all bubbly and spicy!... It takes a while to cook to a dude to his impure center, the core of his soul. But shit.. the fire gonna do its job every time, just gotta be patient! Some dudes scream like little girls durin the process, when other dudes, some other dudes got like their brains comin out their mouths, noses, eyes n ears n shit... The next step is simple though, It come down to just how many licks of the lolly pop it take. Meltin that hard white candy coating of yours, in a total of, how long do you think this one's hide will last, Cap?" He pointed to my chest.
"Wouldn't last more than five minutes, I reckon!" Cap reckoned.
"Five minutes..." He repeated thoughtfully, while smiling at me.

As Tyrece went to continue, I heard a long and loud metallic creak behind them! Both men jumped, and the cigar was quickly putr out on the table!

"The fuck's going on in here? Get back to your damn posts!" A deep voice roared.

Cap and Tyreece then stood at attention at either side of the door. They revealed a man that was nearly seven feet tall! He was wearing a referee's outfit. His face was painted accordingly with white and black stripes. Like some sort of demonic clown. His giant nostrils flared.

"What did I tell you two?" He looked at them.
"Shut your fucking mouths and guard the prisoner, sir!" Cap and Tyreece replied at the same time.
"Good! Fucking simple. Next time, do it!" He pointed at them.
"Sir, yes sir!" They both agreed.

I slid backwards more towards the wall when he turned around. My head was swaying side to side in a sickening nature. He approached me, and bent down. He looked at me right in the eyes. This man was big! Way bigger than Bob! I didn't want to even want to imagine what this guy would cook up for me next... I had to keep buying more time though, I thought...

"Now, I'm only going to ask you one time: Where are the pirates that have been causing so much trouble? Where is their ship and booty?" He asked me, calmly.
"F-fuck you!" I spat blood at him.

He wasn't amused. He wiped his face, got up, and turned around to Cap and Tyreece that were still standing at the door, at attention.

"Your new orders are to torture our prisoner, therefore finding out where his leaders are!" He barked. "You have permission to use electric shock therapy to find out this intel! Also gentlemen, if you are feeling extremely kinky tonight, you will have special permission to use the wife's arsenal on the prisoner's disrespectful, white asshole! Do you understand your orders?!" He yelled to them.
"Sir yes sir!" They replied again.
"Good." He told them, slamming the metal door behind him!
"This gonna be fun!" Tyreece laughed, as Cap grabbed a box from the table. The box made the clanging noise of chains and tools. I could see a car battery on top of the box!

Just as they were coming towards me, I heard a sound from outside the door! It was like a dirty cutting noise, the way a cleaver cuts into meat! There was a gargling, like someone brushing their teeth soon after! I heard the cleaving again a couple more times after that! The sound of a melon falling, as it rolled around on the ground! Blood started to seep out from under the cracks of the metal door!

"What in the fu-" Cap began to say, as the metal door creaked open again.

Bang! Bang bang! My ears started to ring! Blood sprayed into my eyes and face as Tyreece fell over! I wiped some red out of my eyes to see that Cap dropped the battery, as well as the box he was holding. There was a crash of rusty tools on the floor from screwdrivers, chains, knives, pliers scalpels and sickles! Cap started to fall over, clutching his throat, squirting even more blood in my direction! He landed amongst the battery and pile of rusted objects. I crawled away from their bodies... Just then, Martha and Forest cautiously entered the room! I was shocked! They weren't. Forest holstered his glock, and Martha did the same with her Ruger. I was relieved to see them!

 

Thanks for reading this so far! It's obviously far from complete editing wise. It's those little details that I'm getting stuck on now, so it's good you've pointed some out to me.