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"Cayden!" said a disgustingly singsong voice.
Without turning around he quipped, "You do know we're in a hurry, right?"
"We're all done loading the car. Just waiting on you…again."
Cayden shot her a look and resumed looking for his gun.
"You've never been very good at looking for things," Ally said lightly.
He straightened up from under his pew, looking around. They were in the bomb shelter, the pews having been brought down from the old church above them ages ago. He slept in the third pew from the door, the blankets for his bed heaped at one end. At the other, where Ally was staring sadly now, were stacks upon stacks of books.
"What?"
She pointed sadly at the top of the highest stack of books at something metallic glinting in the dim light of the open door.
"Oh -right. Let's go then." He said as he swept up the large gun.
He led the way up the stairs, the most theatrical exasperated sigh following him.
They were walking through their small city. Coming out of the church bomb shelter they all slept in, strolling past the empty general stores and other odd shops. They lived in southern Georgia, close the Corporations Wall. It was a small, out-of-the-way city, off of any major roads and close to a spring for fresh water.
The group was waiting around the car, laughing. There were three guys and two girls. All around Caydens age, sixteen. Macky, short for Mackenzie, was a year younger. Macky was and had been Caydens best friend since they were born. He was a little shorter than Cayden, about 5'7 and dark-skinned. Anytime these salvage missions turned up fruitless he would insist on stopping at a hair salon and get obnoxious hair color. Today he was an obscene blue. Macky threw the keys to Cayden; he always got shotgun. As Ally loaded into the backseat with the others, Sam, Caydens older brother by three years, said, "Sorry, couldn't find a black one," nodding at the car.
"As long as it's got plenty of gas…. We got a long way to go."
"Don't worry Cay," said a smile voice in the back seat, "maybe we'll find something good this trip."
Cayden exchanged a look with Macky. These salvage operations had been going on for years. They were like birds picking the bones of anything left over before the disease wiped out the entire population. The problem was that past generations had gotten everything locally over the years. They had to travel farther and farther out each year to find more supplies.
"And then what, Ducky?"
"Why Cayden, we could give up this penniless existence, retiring in luxury and riches!" Ducky said, trying to keep herself from smiling. That was Ducky. She thought everything she said was funny. Nobody had ever seen her without a smile on her face. She was the youngest of the group, fourteen.
They drove along in silence for a while. The radio was turned on, the volume too low, but it was only static anyways. Music hadn't come through those speakers in ages. But every community like theirs had a radio on in case of emergencies. Other communities were in charge of keeping everyone who had chosen this way of life as informed and united as possible through the now unused radio waves. They'd tune in every once in a blue moon to tell every one of known government bomb drops or whereabouts of vampire raiding parties on the move.
Ducky was itching to break the silence.
"What would happen if we tried recovering the goods from those deserted cities near the Wall?"
"I dunno, Dee," Macky began in a richly condescending voice, "maybe that's where all our riches lie? Maybe you could carve your initials in the Wall if you get close enough?"
"We'd get tagged, Duck," said Sam, "They'd start dropping every bomb they had on Georgia and our little 'hide-right-under-their-noses' plan would be completely blown!"
"Hmm." Ducky crossed her arms and began humming Georgia on my Mind.
"She's got a point though," started Sam, "If things get desperate enough…"
"Things not desperate enough for you?" Cayden eyes flicked questioningly at Sam in the rearview mirror.
"Quit being such a pessimist, Cay," came Allys demanding end to this line of conversation and they fell back into silence.
Finally, they came to a new city. You could always tell because, if a city had been searched before, it was common courtesy to tie colored string or some material in view along the entrance roads. They passed a lot.
When they finally came to a good area Cayden parked the car and went back to pop the trunk, taking out the ammunition. They geared up and started walking down the main shop road, Sam up front.
"You know, these trips would be a lot more efficient if we didn't have to carry all this ammo with us," said Ally in a whisper.
"Yeah?" said Cayden, "and I bet these trips would more efficient than that if we could use you as bait for the vampires while we work. Feeling helpful?"
"You wouldnt d-"
"Shh!"
"Ducky, stay in the middle of the road," Sam advised.
"Well," she complained, "you guys seemed too busy with your ever witty arguments, so I decided to see if we wanted any of these stores. Theres a general store over here."
"Fair point. You and Sam start in there," said Ally.
"Why? So you can take pushover Cayden and find your stupid black shoes?" said Ducky waspishly.
"Maybe," she said with a sly glance at Cayden, who crossed his arms.
They took off in the opposite direction, wandering tensely down the derelict, dusty road. The town still seemed to be in running order; except for the fact it was overgrown with shrubbery, there was no electricity and certainly had been no people around for years. Luckily, there was no sign of a struggle; this town wasnt ever hit by the vampires.
They walked in silence, letting the abandonment of the city wash over them.
The government buses had simply pulled in and lined up in the roads. They demanded everyone to drop everything they were doing and that they board the buses immediately. A quarantine was going into effect. People, by that time, were already scared, latching on to any hope for the nightmare to stop. Theyd already heard all the stories and lost family. Bloodthirsty vampires by the thousands had already cut the population in half...
"You ever stop to think just how scared these people were to just drop everything, leaving their keys in their car, supper burning...to just trust the government after everything theyd put them through?" asked Ally in a whisper, "When it was common knowledge that they were the ones that infected everyone in the first place?"
"People were scared of their government, Al," said Cayden, "not the virus."
"Cheer up, Ally. Theres a shoe store," said Macky.
She shot a pleading look at Cayden.
"Oh cmon! Im not a push-over! We have priorities!" he was faltering under her look and decided it best to change the subject, "Lets go in that clothing store there and see if there something good we can find to trade tomorrow.
Ally put on her best pouty look.
"Sheesh, well get them on the way out," he muttered, defeated.
Macky passed by him into the store and muttered something that very much sounding like "sucker."
The town was quite quaint and there were only second hand clothing stores and 'ye olde' hobby shops. The store they entered now had a manikin in the window sporting a muumuu with very bright colors and an interesting floral pattern.
'Nice taste, Cay."
"What? It looks very...soft. Ill buy it for you if you ask nicely?"
"I hate you." She said simply.
Of course she didnt need new clothes. She had plenty and took good care of them. Contrary to the guys at home who seemed to simply rip them to shreds daily and throw them on the ground. But these leftover clothes had lasted ages from when the virus hit and fell apart very easily.
Ally was wearing a loose red dress and her staple black Converse, shed wear them with anything. Not to mention the gun slung over her back. She looked out of place in a store like this.
Cayden stood on guard while the other two filled a cart with the highest quality of clothes and shoes they could find, which wasnt that high.
"Cayden, what d'ya think?" She'd found another muu-muu. She held it up to her, smiling, tossing her long brown hair over it as if to ask if it went well with her hair. The dress was neon green with a huge pouch on the chest bearing an ugly stitched kitten.
Cayden raised one eyebrow. Macky burst out laughing, clutching his side.
"Well...," he said, searching for the words, deciding he really couldnt, "its lovely. But it does seem a bit big on you. And, look, the kitten has the same big buggy brown eyes as you. How charming."
"Do you really like it? Its okay that its too big, Ill wear it to sleep in. And the kitten is adorable. I think I'll keep it," she threw it over her arm. As she did Cayden spun fast toward the window. A sound caught his attention. Something fell and broke outside.
"Did you hear that?" he whispered.
"Yeah." He heard the sound of both of them cocking their guns and drawing closer to him.
"Could it be the others?" Macky asked.
"Too close."
Cayden exchanged a look with them both; they knew what to do. They both nodded and swiftly went out the back door.
Cayden slowly eased out the front door. Any vampire out there would stay in the dark and it was getting into dusk, they didn't have much time. There was a small, dark alleyway next to the shop, he was sure that was where the sound came from. He made eye contact with Ally lying on the roof of the opposite build. She gave him a serious nod and pointed straight under her, then held up four fingers. Cayden muttered a curse under his breath. They were outnumbered.
He looked down the street for the others, nowhere to be seen, and resigned himself for the fight. He looked at Ally again and mouthed "Macky?" She gave a thumbs up. They were as ready as they were going to get. He nodded again at Ally and she pulled out her gun silently, nodding at Macky at the other end of the alley to do the same. Cayden held up three fingers, Ally copied. He dropped one finger, so did Ally. He closed his eyes, preparing his eyes for the dark. Dropped another finger. He inched around the corner with the tip of his gun. Took a deep breath.
He dropped his pointer.
Ally began shooting straight down, causing a distraction, not to mention shooting one in the head. One down. At the same time Cayden leaped around the corner shooting. Frightened of the gunfire coming from two directions, they took off to the opposite end of the alley.The closest vampire, however, was aggravated. He leaped at Cayden, angry, as he finished off his friend behind him. Two down.
"Ahh!" The vampire locked his dirty hands around Caydens gun. It was a disgusting sight. It was so close to him. The smell of dried blood coming from it was enough to suffocate him. Its fangs were abnormally long. Its eyes huge black marbles stuck in its pale, dirty skin.
Cayden tried to jerk the gun away, but these were the only creatures in the world stronger than he was. The vampire was getting frustrated though, bloodthirsty. Cayden felt the ground shake subtly- the others heard and were coming to help. The vampire got distracted and Cayden was able to snatch away his gun. Almost instantly, the creature, refocused, grabbed his face and shoulder, jaws open. Cayden could taste its dirty hand in his open mouth. Its fingernails drove deep into his skin. Sickened, he rammed the gun into his chin, knocking him back.
With a quick climactic click of his gun, he pulled the trigger. Three down for sure. At the other end of the alley he could hear the sounds of a struggle and rushed towards it. Ally was still on the roof, ready to shoot as soon as she had a clear shot. Macky finished one that now lay broken at the base of the brick wall behind the store. Another had come. Sam was holding it in an arm lock, gun knocked away. Ally yelled for him to let go, he did, backing away quickly. Ally fired.
They were clear.
A voice came from behind Macky, it was Ducky, and she sounded terrified.
"More."
They turned toward her. Seven more vampires whipped out from behind various alley walls.
"Run?"
"Everyone! Move! Now!" Cayden stayed at the entrance of the alleyway, shooing everyone past him, into to the alley, towards the car. He quickly jumped in behind them, urging them faster. He experienced a moment of sudden terror, his stomach dropping, when he realized Ally wasnt one running in front of him. Then realized she was probably running away on the roofs.
They could see the car up ahead. They heard, with a huge relief, it rev up. Ally got there faster and was ready for them.
But the vampires were gaining, it was dusk and they could smell the blood in the wounds they'd inflicted.
Ally was already moving before Cayden even opened the door. He held her pace and jumped in, Sam falling on top of him immediately after. Macky fell in from the other side. Ducky held on to the window, being dragged along by the car, tiring. Macky reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in.
The car sped onward.