"Can you no longer see yourself?" The voice echoed through his head along with the darkness around him.
"Who are you?"
"I am no one. Do not worry yourself with me. Just know that you are dead." The voice replied.
"DEAD?! I'm not dead. What happened, I was just driving and next thing I know I'm here." The man said turning to search for something other than darkness.
"Yes…you were driving."
He felt the sweat on his forehead grow chilled and his heart labored to beat. Sweat? No, not sweat, dew. His eyes slowly opened and the darkness lifted slightly, giving way to an early morning scene. That's when the pain took over. His chest felt as though it was about to crack open, his head ached and the glass in his shoulder twinged painfully. Glass? The sound of glass shattering suddenly pierced through his aching head, tires squealing, he tried to stay on the road but…
The memories flooded back into his mind as he slowly and painfully brought himself to a sitting position. Looking ahead all that revealed itself to him was a long misty country road. Why had he been here? The flashing taillights of his car caught his attention and he groaned when he saw the condition of his car.
The entire font end was bent around the truck of a misty white tree. Why was everything so misty? Pulling himself shakily to his feet, the man stumbled to the trunk of his car and leaned against it. Gripping his head he slowly rubbed his temples in hopes to relieve his headache.
"Oh…what the hells wrong with me? Why can't I remember?" He muttered to himself as he pulled a few glass shards from his shoulder. "Just start with…your name."
The effort of remembering pained his head horribly but he gritted his teeth and continued to push through the fog in his mind. Everything around him seemed to be in the same fog that clouded his head but he began to notice the mist slowly lightening.
…Darren…
He gripped his head as the information broke through the blockage.
…Darren Williams…
The pain made Darren wince as he remembered. Opening his eyes he stared down at the black trunk and then stared down the road.
"Alright, my name is Darren. That's a start." He muttered to himself, "That's enough for now."
Reaching back to his shoulder Darren began pulling the glass from his tender flesh and finally he tore the last of it from his bleeding arm. It wasn't too bad he would survive.
Standing Darren felt the trunk pop and open slightly. Turning around he lifted the trunk and peered inside the tan carpeted trunk. Two shotguns sat in the trunk along with a pile of ammo and two pistols. He couldn't imagine why this was in his possession; then again he didn't know why he was there.
…A scream…A house shrinking in the distance…the weapons in the back of his car his only protection…
"Damn it!" He swore as another streak of pain pierced his skull.
Sitting on the lip of the trunk Darren clutched his head while the pain slowly receded. The weapons were his protection, but from what he wondered. Looking back at the silver barrels and the red shells something pressed at the back of his mind but he was tired of a headache and so, he forced it back.
Pushing away from his car Darren walked to the door and gripping the handle with both hands he pulled it open. Darren was average in height and weight. He had blue eyes and long brown hair that reached his bloody shoulders. He wore a red shirt that buttoned up to the neck; it clung loosely to his body, torn from the wreck. Blue jeans and thick black boots completed his attire, no article of clothing perfectly intact.
Finding a silver cell phone in the passenger seat Darren picked it up and flipped it open. A dark screen stared back at him. Pressing the 'ON' button Darren smiled as the screen lit up and a loud ring tone greeted him.
The music drifted through the trees on either side of the country road, through the damp fog that was becoming lighter with the early morning rays of the sun. Checking his contacts Darren found a number with the simple name of 'Home' and pressed send eagerly. Maybe this would bring memories back less painfully, having someone to talk to.
One ring, two rings, three rings.
"Hello this is the William's residence. We are not around our phone right now so please leave a message and we'll call you back." A female's voice cut in followed by a short beep.
Shutting the phone slightly disappointed Darren sat in the drivers side seat and stared out at the road. This whole ordeal was giving him a headache, not only from the crash. Looking up Darren stood from his car, as a figure appeared the mist. A smile appeared on his face as he walked to the center of the road.
"Hey. Over here." He called as he waved his good arm.
The figure wasn't moving. It was simply standing in the mist and as the sun climbed a little higher in the sky Darren saw the figure more easily. It was a man with a dark mustache and a button up plaid shirt. A large dark spot sat on the front of his shirt and he seemed slight drunk, waving side to side.
"Hey, I wrecked my car! Could you help me out?" Darren asked stepping forward toward the figure, which stood a few yards away.
The man looked over at him and just stared, mouth slightly agape. Darren felt a warning prick at the back of his mind as the man stepped a shaky foot forward. Stepping back Darren kept his eyes on the man as he reached his hand back for his car.
…Too many of them…Blood…Moans…Death…A little girl…
Stumbling back into his car Darren yelped at the sudden pain then turned his eyes back to the road. The man was gone. Closing his eyes, Darren waited for the pain to go away, that's when the sound of breathing caught the attention of his ears. Opening his eyes Darren felt a spike of terror tear up his spine.
The man stood before him, breathing ragged, eyes glazed. The dark spot in his shirt was wet and sticky in appearance, blood. For a moment the man just stared at him, mouth open and rotten teeth bared. Then with a scream the man slammed Darren into his car and jumped.
Darren felt the air leave him as the steel hit him in the back. He scrambled to push the man away and for a moment he did. Slamming a fist into the man's face Darren heard his jaw crack. Kicking the man in the stomach Darren scrambled to the back of his car and stared down at the shotgun.
…"The head, that's the only way to…"…
Grabbing the gun Darren turned and leveled the barrel at the man who lay on the ground.
"Listen I don't know what your fucking problem is but all I need is directions to the nearest town." Darren said loading the pump shotgun. "Just leave me the hell alone."
With a groan the man brought himself to his feet and turned to look at Darren with the same enraged look in his glazed eyes.
"Back off." Darren ordered pointing the tip of the polished barrel at the man's head.
…Pulling the trigger had become second nature ever since the virus…
The man seemed to not notice as he stepped forward, one, two, three steps. Pulling the trigger Darren watched as the man's head split and his body hit the ground, gore splattering in the grass.
He couldn't believe what had just happened. Did he just kill a man? It was so natural. As if he had down it a hundred times before. Had he done it a hundred times before? A small voice in his head told him he wouldn't like the answer so instead Darren grabbed the second shotgun, slung them both on his back and stared down at the ammo in the trunk of his car. Slipping the pistols into his pants pocket he reload all of the weapons till they were full.
Looking down the road he weighed his odds. There was no way he could carry all of the ammunition and if he set off now he would have to reach the next town before running out of ammo. Wait why was he thinking like this? Was he so paranoid over one crazed man that he thought the whole world was out to get him?
…It seemed as if the whole world was out to kill him…get his blood…tear him limb from limb…
Terror shot up his spine with this thought. The thought of his memories eluding him had becoming more terrifying than anything he could imagine the memories could be. That was it he wasn't taking any chances. Whatever he didn't know was dangerous for him to be blind to and he wasn't about to be defenseless through it.
Grabbing two extra clips for his pistols he turned to look at the road as the sunlight turned the horizon red. For now he would have to just make it to the next town without letting whatever it was out there get him. Once he got to the next town he would sort everything out and then go home and find his family.
Unfortunately the exact same thing that clawed at the back of his mind warning him of some unforeseen danger was the thing that would turn his world upside down and cause his fear to completely take him over. He didn't know it but he had been Left for Dead and in the end he would realize that death wasn't the horrifying part. It was what came afterward.
