One month and a half, that is how much time I wondered to find him. I travelled from the safety of my camp to the nearest camping site to the city to park the bus. Once the bus was securely hidden away in a barn, Thor, Loki, and I walked around the outskirts of the city. Exploring for signs of living people. We found gatherings of survivors moving in small numbers, but the man I was searching for seemed to be nowhere to be found. We religiously avoided the aggregations and kept to ourselves. Hunting and foraging were out of the question since entering the city, which distraught mostly Loki and Thor. Nevertheless, I made sure they ate a sufficient amount of meat, be it squirrels, birds, or the occasional hares we encountered.
Once we explored the suburbs - and still didn't find him - it was time to move to the city center. The cold weather of autumn was shifting to the freezing winter. That meant winter clothes and lots of food were needed to survive. Numerous survivors would risk going into the dense concentration of infected that the city contains. If they failed to find resources near them.
Clothes were the hardest to find since most of the homes were raided. Taking clothes from a dead body on the street would be pointless since their clothing was lacerated and torn to shreds. I accounted for all the places someone in need of resources to survive the winter would go. Restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, outdoor shops, liquor shops, hardware stores, clothing shops, malls, etc. The recoupments logically would send their fittest man or the ones that could put up a fight. This was my chance to find the one I was looking for. And if I did not locate him, my other option was to go home empty-handed and break the news to Clover. I was eager to find him in one piece and alive.
Hence, why I find myself in the middle of the largest two-story mall in the city, surrounded by infected.
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It's been a little over a month since we haven't eaten anything substantial, mostly occasional canned goods, cambium, and the scarce edible greenery that winter offers. The edges of the city don't have much to provide. With a lack of proper nutrition comes lethargy and depression. Everyone is tired, sleeping with one eye open at night. We did not prepare for the upcoming winter and planned a day at a time to focus on our survival. At the moment, we thought it was our best course of action, and that's what we were taught in the military: how to survive a day at a time.
But now that we experienced the first freeze and we only have dirty rags on our backs, we are desperate. I wish my Rory was here. Rory would have known what to do. Rory was always outlining, planning, calculating, and at least three steps ahead of everything. In the past, I repeatedly accused Rory of being a bit of a control freak with a hefty imagination. Now, I'm eating my words with tree bark on the side.
Coats, boots, mitts, beanies - and if luck was on our side, fuzzy blankets - are what we needed for the seven of us. Despite all the homes we raided, we had no luck finding winter attire near us. The clothing stores outside of the city center were either plundered or held no clothes of value for us right now. Therefore, we concluded that we needed to go together to the city, to look for something to keep us warm. Leaving those who cannot fight behind was not an option, for obvious reasons: malnutrition, inability to defend themselves, and the threat roaming the streets. With that being said, the task at hand was precarious. But it's either that or dying in the cold - if we were not dying of starvation before that.
Consequently, we made somewhat of a plan for our dangerous trip to the city. Survivors like us avoided it like the plague, and reasonably so. The shopping centers were abundant in resources - and with great rewards come high risks - going there guaranteed you a slow and painful death. Our plan really consisted of simple rules to ensure some of us made it alive. Stay close; there should be no more than 3 feet of distance between each other. Everyone needs to be as silent as possible. Fighters circle non-fighters, and non-fighters stay in the "circle". The designated scout needs to be in sight at all times. With those rules in place, we half-heartedly hoped for everything to go smoothly.
But someone once said that doubt can sink a ship. Well, our ship sank to the very bottom of the ocean. We didn't have time to look for clothes in the outdoor shop before being attacked by smelly, crusty-looking, eyes rolled in the back of their heads and stiffly moving zombies.
Percy and I were on high alert. Looking everywhere around us, making sure we swiftly avoided any walking dead. Fortunately, most of the zombies we encountered so far were lone wolves and the most harmless zombies. They were brainless and uncoordinated - while they were strong, they lacked agility due to their very dead bodies rotting away. Our instincts kicked in the moment we left the comfort and security of our shack. All of us were walking the deserted streets high on adrenaline with weapons in our hands. The sharper weapons were reserved for us privates - well, ex-privates. Two axes for me, a machete for Percy, a round-point shovel for Amy - as for the others, the three of us made sure to give them weapons they could handle. Milo, Ashley, and Mira got baseball bats; a metal one for Milo, Mira and Ashley each got a wooden baseball bat with nails at the end. For the youngest, we had to improvise long-range weapons. Akira was most comfortable with the crossbow. As for Caspian, archery was once a hobby of his, so he was gifted a bow and arrows.
We left early in the morning, taking advantage of the hours of the day - that seemed to dull zombies. According to our observations, the Deads are creatures thriving in the midnight hours. We advanced through the suburbs slowly but surely. Amy and Percy led the group and exterminated the solitary Dead we encountered. While I watched at the back of the group for any sign of danger. Mira and Milo were on the flank, watching over the young ones and Ash, who were in the middle.
As I watched over our group, I couldn't help but notice how we could all be mistaken for Deads. We were all skin and bones, dirty, and walked like we had lost all motivation to live. And somehow, I found myself thinking that this was where we were going to die. Better die trying to survive than die doing nothing, is what I thought.
Suddenly, a wash-up sign with a bear without his head on gets my attention. Looking carefully, I read "outd bers" on the shopping complex 20 yards away. I looked around before speaking.
"There seems to be an outdoor store 20 yards east," I said it in a low voice.
Everyone's eyes turned in the direction of the store with a ghost of a smile on their lips.
"Let's check it out," replied Percy quickly.
Today was cloudy; everything looked gray and depressing, as to predict the events to come. The only ray of sunshine we had at the moment was the prospect of not freezing tonight. Our pace increased as everyone was cold and excited to get something to keep them warm. The parking lot was occupied by vehicles with either smashed windows, missing pieces, or some that were burned down. There were also numerous corpses of Deads and survivors littering the asphalt - by now, we treat it like dog poop on the sidewalk, avoid walking on it, and continue on our way - only in the most populated areas can you find corpses every ten feet. When I took my first steps into the building, I was overcome with a nauseous feeling of fear. Everything was in shambles; the walls, the ceiling, the storefronts, the once green and healthy plants, etc. Notably, we did not come face to face with any more Deads. And that, in itself, was quite alarming. Add it to the busted windows of the shop and the dimly lit interior of the complex, and you have yourself a very peculiar situation. I was about to voice my concerns when Ashley took us by surprise and ran past Amy and Percy.
"They have coats!" she hollered excitedly. Indeed, there were, to our left, tussled-over mannequins wearing thick coats, scarves, beanies, and even snow pants.
"Ashley, wait for us. It's dangero…" Percy started to plead as she disappeared inside the store. He did not have time to finish his sentence before she let out a blood-chilling screech.
Amy was quick on her feet, she raced to help Ashley with Percy and me on her trail. Once inside, I got a good look at the situation. Asley was corned by two zombies and swung her bat frantically. The two terrors seemed more coordinated than the ones we usually see. Amy took on the one behind Ash, hitting it in the back of the neck. The creature gnarled and turned around at the speed of light, launching itself at Amy.
The Dead looked like it was once upon a time a grannie, its short stature draped with the remains of a floral dress and the sporadic clumps of white, dirty hair on its head. Despite its frail body, it gave Amy a hard time. Having no time to strike the Dead with her shovel, she pivots slightly and leans on her right leg, kicking it in the abdomen. It stumbled backward before coming back, enraged. Meanwhile, the other Dead who was cornering Ash, snatched the weapon as she whirled it around. Percy first reached her, having a head start on me. He managed to yank Ashley backwards. All the while swaying with precision his machete, cutting the monster's fingers and leaving deep cuts on its flesh. If the first one looked meek, this one looked mean with its bulging muscles, its flesh dark and falling apart. It didn't look like it was once human, its rotting skin was barely hanging on, and bones were noticeable in certain places. A true horror vision. I made my way to a shaken Ashley.
"You ok?" I simply asked, giving her a once-over. She didn't look hurt; she was just a little ruffled. "Let's go, we need to get out!" she still didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on me, but she did not seem to see me. She had frozen, her mind was miles away from where we stood. I brought my hands to the side of her head and clapped loudly. That seemed to wake her up a little. "I said, get the fuck!" my voice leaving no place for argument.
She swiftly exited the store where the others were waiting.
"Fuck! Don, we got a problem!" Percy vociferously shouted.
When I lifted my head, five more Deads were making their way toward us, from the back of the store. Percy and Amy only put one of the initial Deads down. Six against three didn't have good odds, and in our states, it would be suicidal to even attempt to take them on. Furthermore, they moved way faster than the Deads we have taken down. And they appeared to move as a group, we never fought against a horde of zombies.
Without saying a word, we all bolted out of the store. Outside, the rest of our group was waiting on high alert. Ash seemed to have informed them of what we found in there.
"RUN AND DO NOT STOP!" my voice boomed through the hall as I ordered.
Everyone scampered like scared rabbits chased by wolves.
I quickly glanced over my shoulder, and what I saw made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. The zombies were tripping over their feet to get to us. They are running! Zombies don't run, what the fuck is going on? I thought to myself. I had heard of hordes of Deads, but no one told me they could run! In the process of running for our lives, we made it out of the building. The Deads were still on our trail and closing in. Our group resumed their position as per the plan. But by now, it was pointless.
"Stupid shit plan! Bullshit rules! We're going to die because of a fucking stupid plan!" I bitterly rambled to myself as I felt the zombies hot on my heels.
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Discouraged.
Disappointed.
That is mainly how I felt. I didn't find him. I searched every store in the shopping mall. The chocolate shop, the candle shop, the drugstore, the linens store, the outdoor store, the cutlery shop, and a whole lot of stores and shops. I looked in every restroom, supply closet, and employee lounge. And I came out without the man I was looking for.
Sitting on the hood of a beat-up jeep - drowning my sorrow in the whiskey I picked up along my journey and washing down my bitterness with jerky - I studied the map on my thighs. Thor and Loki, at my feet, were laying and lazily munching on bones. Thor nuzzled my leg with his big head to comfort me - I petted him, cooing sweetly at his gesture - his tail wagged in response. Loki, the rascal that he was, continued gnawing at his bone, oblivious. I watched him with a half-hearted pout. Coldhearted mutt! Loki lifted his muzzle, and he grumbled, offended by my banter.
"Stupid shit plan! Bullshit rules! We're going to die because of a fucking stupid plan!" a hushed baritone voice abruptly erupted, maybe a couple yards northeast.
Regardless of the scratchiness and hoarseness of the voice, it is one I would recognize at any time.
I jumped to my feet, making the Jeep shake lightly. My companions followed my example, perked up, and lifted themselves off the ground, furiously sniffing the air and listening closely to the noises surrounding us. I hastily climbed the roof of the vehicle and looked in the direction of the voice. My heartbeat picked up when I saw a small group of humans running away from a Horde of infected. Feeling my anxiousness, both hounds dashed to the rescue of the party. I followed suit right in their tracks, jumping from car to car to get quickly to them. The Horde was closing in on the one at the rear of the group, luckily, Locki leaped on the Dead as it was about to claw at the man. I hurried my pace, quickly reaching the last car. The small band of survivors ran past me before I jumped once last time. Propelling myself forward, my hand reached back to the handle of my blade and unsheathed my sword midair. I wielded my sword sideways and swiftly swung the blade through the skull of Dead, before landing on the parking lot ground.
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I was about to be mangled when something snarled audibly and breezed my back. Deafening cracking noises followed suit. I curiously glanced back to see two humongous wolves tearing apart our pursuer like they were filet mignon. No more than five seconds later, a lean figure clothed in leather from head to toe jumped out of nowhere. Slaying one of the creatures. I found myself stopping in my tracks to observe the scene that was unfolding behind me. I turned fully to observe. Conscious that doing so could cost me my life, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the small figure that was dancing with a sword. Their feet barely touched the ground. They waltzed with the zombies, always striking their skulls, with black splatters succeeding the path of their blade. Strangely, the big ass wolves relentlessly attacked the other zombies - while avoiding smashing them to pieces like the first one- leaving the killing to the mystery person.
"Don what the fuck you doin'!" one of my peers yelled. I ignored them, too enthralled by the ninja slaying the Deads. Their attire was quite unique; they were clad in a reddish leather jacket covering their torso up to their neck, dark baggy leather pants, sturdy leather boots, and even a leather mask. The mask covered their whole head, only leaving their eyes and nose uncovered. Motifs consisting of bending lines decorated the strange mask. And there were also pointy protrusions on each side of it where ears were, almost like horns.
My shoulder violently jerked backwards. I whirled my head around and came face to face with a confused and heavily frowning Percy.
"Bro, we need to move now!"
The rest of the group had gone ahead already. I reluctantly started running in their direction with my friend by my side.
"There's no way," I muttered lowly.