The Dead Walking
Dominic Frank Baker
I was slowly walking home trying to pick off the sides of a leaf so only the stem was left. I couldn't find Amanda anywhere after school let out, but I wasn't worried she was sixteen she was a big girl who knew how to walk home from school. However I was 17 and still hated walking home from school myself, and it was a really hot day for being the end of September. It had to be at least 95 degrees however this was gonna be perfect weather for our barbecue at Uncle Rick's. I would be lying if I said I wasn't constantly worried about Uncle Rick at work him being a cop and all. Aunt Lori is my mom's sister and it was always fun seeing them, and Carl may only be like 12 years old now but we still have some crazy fun times I love that kid.
I was just about to pick of another piece of my leaf when something jumped on my back.
"Surprise big brother!" Said Amanda
I laughed and lowered her down off my back.4
"You can't scare me like that geez Amanda. You seem like you're in a better mood than usual." I said
We both turned the street corner and our house was in sight, I wiped my forehead of the sweat thank god we were almost home. Amanda smacked the back of my head and started running.
"Race ya home big brother!" She said.
I laughed rubbed my blonde hair and started running after her. I loved hoe even though we were older and almost adults we could still have fun and race home like we were 12 again. I ran and Amanda got into my house well before me so I just stopped and looked around and admired the fresh air.
"Gotta love this Georgia weather eh kid?" Said Mr. Hartnell.
I looked over to my left and saw my favorite neighbor Mr. Hartnell sitting on his porch rocking back and forth in his rocking chair. Mr. Hartnell had always been good to me, always talked to me when he saw me. He was in his late forties didn't have any wife and kids I knew of so talking to me and Amanda must have always been fun for him.
"Yup you gotta love it, how you doing today Mr. Hartnell?" I asked.
"Real good Dom thank you. What about you?" He asked.
"Really good, you see my Uncle Rick today at all?" I asked.
"Nope sorry kid, well I better get back inside before I burn up have fun today kid." He said going back into his house.
I realized that I needed to do the same and went into my house to find Amanda and my mother sitting on the couch there eyes glued to the TV screen.
Amanda looked up. "Ha you're so slow big brother." She said.
My mom got up and hugged me. "How was school today?" She asked.
"Pretty good what's so important on TV? Are they still talking about that infection that's spreading?" I asked.
For the past week the TV has been nothing but reports about this sickness or infection that's been sweeping the country but the government has told us they have it under control.
"Ya it just swept through Texas and Mississippi, I don't know whether we should be scared or not." She said.
"Don't worry about it Ma, is it time to go over Uncle Rick's yet?" I asked.
"Yes we'll leave soon, go get everything you need upstairs." She said.
Amanda ran upstairs, and I followed her. I put on a pair of cargo shorts and a white shirt, my room was stained with posters of the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks. I had always been a huge sports buff. I sat down and looked in the mirror; I rummaged through my dresser and pulled out my knife still in its sheath. I also picked up a picture off my dresser. It was me my mom and my Amanda, we were on the beach and my dad was in this picture. I felt a hinge of pain whenever I looked at this picture. I realized how much I looked like him, dark brown eyes and blonde hair. My sister inherited my mother's looks more, with her brown hair and brown eyes. I slid the knife out of its sheath slightly; my dad was a US army ranger and gave me this knife before he went on his second tour of duty. He died after a roadside bomb went off, that was the only time I ever saw my sister sad and crying, I promised myself I would never let her get like that again. I dropped my knife in my backpack I knew Carl always like to look at it. I also dropped in a few extra pairs of shorts and an extra short in case Uncle Rick tried to get us with the hose like he usually did.
I was interrupted when I heard a scream, a loud scream. My head shot up and I ran to my window. I looked out my window down to Mr. Hartnell's house, I saw through his kitchen window he was pinned down against his fridge, and something that looked like a man was trying to bite his neck. Something my dad always said rang through my head.
"If you feel like you're doing something that's right then it most likely is."
I had to help Mr. Hartnell with whatever was attacking him
"Mr. Hartnell! I'm coming!" I said I grabbed my backpack and ran out of my room.
I ran passed my sisters room into my mother's room and into the closet, my dad always kept a gun in the house in his closet in a secret panel. I flipped the little switch he showed me and I grabbed the ammo and the pistol. Amanda and my mom walked in.
"Dom what are you doing why do you have your fathers gun!?" My mom asked.
"Mr. Hartnell is being attacked!" I said running past them.
"By what!?" Amanda yelled.
"I don't know it looked like a zombie!" I said running down the steps.
I had just like every other kid in the world seen a zombies movie or played a zombies game, and what was attacking Mr. Hartnell looked and moved like one. I ran out the door and whistled.
"Come on Rocket!" I yelled.
My dog Rocket and big black and brown German Shepard ran through my house and joined me. Rocket was my dad's dog so he was a military trained dog, and dad taught me how to give him commands.
I stepped outside and stood on my porch in absolute shock. The sounds of screams and yells were throughout the air, I counted ten of whatever was attacking Mr. Hartnell in front of our house alone. Cars raced down the street and people were running away yelling. A man started running down my street screaming.
"It's the infection! It's the end of the world don't let them bite you! What oh NO NOOOO." He yelled as one of those things brought him to the ground and started tearing into him.
My mom and Amanda must have heard the commotion because soon they were right next to me; my mother covered her hand over her mouth and started sobbing. My sister was about to scream but I put my hand over her mouth to quiet her. I looked over to the man who was screaming; he rose up and started walking like one of those things.
I had no clue what was going on but Rocket started growling and I saw one approaching us.
"Rocket quiet!" I whispered.
He stopped growling and got into attack position. I leaned over to my sister and mom.
"I have to go find Mr. Hartnell, stay in the house and be quiet. Noise seems to attract them. Amanda take care of mom I'll be right back." I said.
Before my mom could protest Amanda dragged her into the house. I didn't know what these things were but I wasn't about to let them get my family. The thing crept closer, Rocket was ready to pounce. I quickly reached into my bag and pulled out my dad's knife. If noise attracted them I wasn't about to use a gun, I dropped the gun in my bag and got ready to attack it.
My dad would know what to do, but he wasn't here so I had to.
"Rocket! Do it quiet as possible." I said.
Rocket lunged and clanged onto the things leg and it started going crazy. It tried to reach Rocket but Rocket stayed out of its grasp. I took my knife and plunged it right into its heart and pulled it out. I smiled thinking I had killed it. It just growled and kept coming. Wait I stopped and thought, if these are zombies I need to get its brain. I grabbed my knife and plunged it into its brain.
It immediately fell to the ground and Rocket released it and growled. I had to get back on task. I ran off my porch and into Mr. Hartnell's house, I moved slowly and moved into his kitchen when I heard a growl. I turned the corner and saw Mr. Hartnell on the ground with one of those things on top of him. I wanted to throw up; it had ripped open his stomach and was eating his insides.
A rage built up inside me, I remembered all the times me and Amanda slept over or how he comforted us after dad died, how he always used to open his house to us. I pulled my knife out and held it with an iron grip.
"AHHHHH!" I screamed and I tackled the ting and plunged my knife into its eye over and over until the rage in me finally subdued.
I dropped my knife and slumped against the fridge and start to cry, by now all my friends were probably dead. Then something hit me, Uncle Rick, Aunt Lori, and Carl we had to see if they were okay. Rocket nudged me and I got up and grabbed my knife and started moving back towards my house. It was hard to believe just thirty minutes ago I was picking apart a leaf not worried about nothing. I stabbed on of the things I started hearing people running call walkers and walked into my house. Amanda hugged me and so did my mom.
"Mr. Hartnell?" Amanda asked.
"He's dead walkers got him." I said sadly.
Amanda started to cry into my mom. "What are walkers?" Mom asked.
"There what people are calling these things, if one bites you you turn into one. This is the infection we've been hearing about on TV." I said.
Amanda looked at me. "Wait what about Aunt Lori, Uncle Rick, and Carl? We need to see if there okay!"
"Ya that's exactly what I said. Now listen I have a plan. There are about ten walkers between our house and there's, Amanda you know how to get there?" I asked.
"Ya I've been there hundreds of times." She said.
"Okay good now here's what's gonna happen, I'm gonna take this gun shot a few and lead the others left down the street. After it seems safe Amanda you take mom and Rocket and you make a break for Aunt Lori's." I said.
"NO! I can't let you do that I already lost your father I can't lose you to." Mom said.
"Mom there's no other way!" I said.
"Just go with us!" Amanda said.
"No I gotta make sure you're safe first the last thing I promised dad was that I would keep you guys no matter what and I intend to keep that promise." I said with a stern look.
Amanda threw her arms around me and I hugged her. "Please don't go big brother I need you." She said.
"Listen I'm fast enough just stay with Aunt Lori I'll run around the block and be with you soon okay." I said.
She nodded her head and tears started rolling down her face.
"No you stop crying right now, now I will see you again. I love you little sis." I said.
"Love you to big bro." She said.
I got up and hugged my mom. "Please come back." She said.
"I will Ma don't worry." I said.
I leaned down to Rocket and whispered to him, because I knew he would understand me. "If I'm not back by sundown make sure they leave ok? Keep them safe buddy." I said petting him.
He licked me and barked. "Okay let's get this started." I said.
I put my knife in its sheath and handed it to my sister.
"Dom I can't take this..." She started.
"No take it protect mom, go for the brain it's the only thing that works." I said.
She nodded. I pulled the gun outta my bag and turned off the safety, I had extra ammo clips in my pocket. I've spent every summer at the police training academy since I was 13 thanks to Uncle Rick. So I could handle a gun.
I took a deep breath and kicked open my door and ran down the steps and started screaming.
"Yo ugly how about you chase me instead!" I screamed and almost immediately they started lightly jogging towards me.
I took aim and shot one in the head and they were running at me now.
"MA AMANDA GO GO NOW!" I yelled shooting at them more.
"YA YOU GUYS AINT SO TOUGH!" I yelled turning and running.
I looked back and saw Amanda running with my mom and Rocket closely behind. Okay they were safe that's all that mattered I shot another one and started running as fast as I could. I was running along the sidewalk, when a walker jumped out of the bush and grabbed me and brought me to the ground. I smacked it with my pistol and shot it once in the head, and I kept running. Soon the group behind me was close, so I dug deep and started to pull ahead. I turned a corner and the last thing I remember was being hit in the head by something big and blunt before I blacked out.
Amanda Marie Baker
"Come on Ma run we're almost there!" I yelled.
God I hoped Dom was okay, we were just about to reach Aunt Lori's when a walked was in front of us.
"Get it Rocket." I said.
Rocket jumped up and clenched its neck with his jaws and brought it to the ground. It tried to bite him but Rocket got outta the way. I grabbed the knife Dom had given me and stabbed it into its head. The blood that splattered almost made me sick. Another one was coming at me when suddenly its head came off and I heard a shot go off. I looked up and saw Uncle Rick's police partner Shane.
"Amanda, Sue is that you?" He asked running over to us
"Shane thank god it's you where's Uncle Rick?" I asked.
"Just get in the car I'll explain later!" He said as he shot another walker.
Me mom and Rocket all got into Shane's sheriff car and he drove us a little bit down the street to Aunt Lori's house. We got outta the car and ran into her house to find her and Carl frantically packing things.
Aunt Lori looked up and came and hugged us. "Oh my god Sue, Amanda thank god you're okay." She said.
"Where's Dom?" Shane asked.
I started tearing up. "He led the walkers away he said he'd be back." I said
"We have to go find him!" Aunt Lori said about to walk out the door.
Shane grabbed her and pulled her back inside. "Are you crazy Lori!? There are walkers everywhere we gotta get outta here!" Shane said.
"I'm not leaving without my brother!" I said crossing my arms.
"And what about Rick has he recovered, why isn't he with you!?" Lori said.
"Recovered from what?" I asked.
"He got shot yesterday at work they were chasing someone and he got a shotgun bullet to his shoulder." Aunt Lori said.
"What! Is he okay?" I said turning to Shane.
Shane lowered his head and we all knew what was happened. Aunt Lori started crying and Mom hugged her and they both started crying.
"What happened to my dad?" Carl piped up from behind.
I walked over to him tears leaking down my face. I got on my knees and hugged him. "He didn't make it Carl." I said sobbing.
Carl started bursting out in tears, and we just sat there and cried. Rocket even came over and licked us, Shane just stood there with a blank look on his face.
"We have to leave now." Shane said bluntly.
"HA not without my brother." I said standing up holding Carl's hand.
"What where's Dom?" Carl asked.
I had to tell him, he and Dom were close.
"He lead the walkers away, he'll be back soon." I said.
"Amanda's wright I'm not leaving without my boy." My mom said.
"She's wright Shane I ain't leaving my nephew here, it's bad enough Rick is gone. I can't lose my nephew to." Lori said.
Shane loaded his gun and paced for a bit, he seemed to be thinking.
"Listen you guys I don't like leaving Dom behind either, but he'll be fine. He's been the top of his class at the academy since he was 14 he can handle himself." Shane said.
"I know he can handle himself but we can't just leave him here!" I said.
"Here's what we do we leave now and if Dom."
"When Dom come back!" I corrected
"When Dom comes back he'll read a note that we will leave him saying were going to Atlanta, and he'll be able to find us." Shane said.
I thought about this for a second we did need to get outta here, and I promised Dom that I would take care of mom. I knew Dom could find his way back and he promised he would see us again, and Dom never broke his promises. I had to ask mom.
"He promised he'd see us again." I said.
"And he never breaks his promises." She said.
She smiled and I knew she agreed.
"Come on Rocket we're getting outta here." I said.
"Good I'll write the note for Dom then we'll leave get everything you need." Shane said walking into the kitchen.
I sighed as I helped Carl pack, I just hopped Dom was okay.