The Last Days
The Last Days
Chapter 2
Last time:
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
7:54 am
Sutherland, Virginia
Trip suddenly starting barking furiously toward the street. Jason's head whipped up and he stared at the new small horde of zombies.
"What are you going to do, huh? Either you three get in the truck now or I will leave you here to die." Jason said quickly, shouldering the Remington. "Choose now!"
"Quickly now! Malcolm, Hannah, get in the truck!" Azi ushered them into the truck.
"Good choice. Get in all of you!" Jason opened the door and let Trip jump in the back with Hannah and Malcolm, while Azi got in the passenger seat.
"Everyone get on your seatbelts and hold on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride." Jason said as he turned on the Chevy and hit the gas, sending the truck flying out into the street, narrowly escaping the every growing horde.
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
7:54 am
Perry, Georgia
"Hey man, what are we going to do? I mean, there are zombie-like things running around all over. What's gonna happen to us?" Don asked 'Raf.
"I dunno Don. I really don't know." 'Raf said. They jerked their heads up at the sound of the front door opening and closing.
"Are these things smart?" Don asked tentatively.
"I have no idea. Let's go check it out." "Raf said, shouldering the Mossberg 590 and limping toward the stairs. They slowly made their way to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. 'Raf gave Don hand signals telling him that he was going to go downstairs. Don shook his head and mouthed 'Don't'. 'Raf shook his head and began limping down the stairs. When he reached the corner of the stairs, he slowly stuck his head around the corner. As he listened, he could hear slow, rhythmic breathing. He looked up at Don and mouthed 'There's one in the house!'
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:11 am
Ford, Virginia
Malcolm Curtis looked at the other occupants of the red '08 Chevy Silverado. There was his long time neighbor Azibo Ghazi. Malcolm had known him for as long as he could remember. Azi and Malcolm's dad had been close friends. Malcolm looked at the seat across from him. There sat Hannah. She had been his babysitter for five years. He looked at the driver of the truck. The man had introduced himself as Jason Alexander, and his dog was Trip. Malcolm liked the big German shepherd. He was a good watch dog and a loyal companion to Jason.
As Malcolm shifted around in the seat, he felt the weight of the ASP handgun in his pocket. After the group and escaped the horde of zombies, he had tried to give the gun to Jason, but he had refused to take the gun saying "That gun could save your life, or the life of another one day." Malcolm sighed as he thought about what he would normally be doing. 'Right now I would be at school making fun of Mrs. Pollock with Tyler.' He remembered with a pang of sadness at what had happened to his best friend.
Flashback
When Malcolm had woken up that morning he had taken a shower and got ready for school. He and his father had been sitting down eating breakfast when his mother burst through the front door clutching a bloodied arm.
"Some homeless guy outside just ran up and bit me on my way back from the store!" His mother exclaimed. His mother, Julie, was a nurse at the local hospital, and had the bite cleaned and properly dressed. Malcolm had gone up to his room to grab his things when he heard his father yelling at someone to "Get off!" Malcolm ran to the door to the living room and swung it open to find his father on his back and his mother standing over him chewing on a piece of flesh.
His father looked at him from is position on the floor "Run Malcolm, run!" Then his mother ripped out his throat.
Malcolm screamed at the sight before him, gaining the attention of his mother. She looked up at him, hissed, and bolted for him, teeth bared and ready to sink them into his soft flesh. Malcolm shut the door quickly and bolted for his room. He slammed his bedroom door shut and locked it. He looked around the room in a panic, looking for a place to escape. His gaze landed on the window. As he emptied out his backpack and filled it with personal items he could hear his mother slamming against the bedroom door. He ran to the window, grabbing a picture of him and his parents for his tenth birthday earlier in the week. As he jumped out of the window onto the roof he could hear the door break under the combined force of his parents. He ran to the edge of the room and started climbing down the vine covered lattes.
Then he did what his father told him to do: Run. He tightened the straps on his backpack and ran for Old Man Azi's house, just down the street. When he reached Azi's front yard he heard someone running up behind him. He took a chance and looked, only to see his best friend Tyler running at him, snarling. The boy was missing several large chunks of flesh from his arms and neck. Blood poured from the wounds as he ran at Malcolm, only to have his brains explode out of the back of his head in a cascade of blood and mush.
He looked up at the porch. Standing there, holding a Zastava M76 sniper rifle, was Old Man Azi, a 52 year old ex-Egyptian sniper. Malcolm ran to him and hugged him around the waist, crying.
"It's alright Mal. Get in the house, hurry." Azi all but pushed Malcolm through the front door.
"Azi, what's going on? Why did mom eat dad and try to eat me?"
"I don't know Mal', I don't know." Azi handed him a gun. "This is an ASP. It's small enough; you should be able to easily handle the recoil."
"I don't want it Azi." Malcolm said as he tried to give it back.
Azi pushed the gun back to him. "Mal', this gun could save your life, or the life of another one day." Malcolm put the gun in his pocket.
End Flashback
Malcolm could feel the tears threatening to fall as he recalled the morning's events. Hannah leaned over and put her hand on his cheek.
"Everything will be alright Malcolm. You'll see." She said with a slight German accent.
Malcolm looked out the window as she withdrew her hand. The sun had just come up over the horizon, shining its light on a new day. A new, horrible, bloody day where he lost most of the people he cared most about. The days to come would be challenging, for him, and for anyone that survived.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:23 am
Highway 460, Virginia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
7:54 am
Perry, Georgia
Don's eyes widened. 'What?!' He mouthed, disbelieving.
There's one in the house!' 'Raf repeated. 'I'm going to check it out.'
"No, 'Raf!" Don whispered but it was too late. 'Raf disappeared around the corner.
'Raf eased cautiously around the corner and into the hall. Not seeing anything, he continued down the hall towards the kitchen. As he approached, he heard a crash come from the direction he was headed. 'Raf turned quickly into the hall that leads to the living room, where he could hear the TV still playing the grim news. Out of sight, his heart began to race. He could hear footsteps coming down the hall in his direction. He pressed himself to the wall and waited. A tall, hooded figure began to walk slowly past. 'Raf jumped out of the hall, bringing his gun up and pulling down the figures hood. The figure spun around…
And came face to face with 'Raf's Mossberg 590, the barrel stuffed into his nose.
"Who are you?" 'Raf asked as he studied that young man in front of him. The young man was black and almost a foot taller than 'Raf, the figure standing at 6' 2". He wore a bloodied blue t-shirt, blue hoodie, and black jeans.
"M-my name is Marcus sir, Marcus Ross." Marcus stuttered nervously.
"Did you get bit by one of those rioters?"
"N-no sir!" Marcus answered quickly. "This blood ain't mine."
"Whose is it?"
"It's my twin brother Jamal's. One of those things ripped out part of his neck on our way to school." Marcus answered sadly.
'Raf took the gun out of Marcus' face. "Hey Don! It's alright, it's just some scared kid!"
"Well that's a relief!" Don said cheerfully as he walked down the stairs. He took one look at the kid before saying "What the hell happened to you?"
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
7:59 am
Perry, Georgia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:23 am
Highway 460, Virginia
What a change. Going from hardly ever being around anyone, to practically living with an old man, a young woman, and a little kid. It was really strange. At least Trip was here. Trip had been a constant companion to Jason ever since he was released from Camp Lejeune. It was actually kind of nice.
Until Azi wanted to head to the city.
"We are not going anywhere near big cities." Jason said.
"We are going to be needing supplies." Azi argued.
Jason pulled out his Guide and tossed it to him. "Read this book and you will find out just why going to a big city is such a bad I idea."
"Why is this book of such importance?" Azi asked as he stared at the book. "These creatures can not be 'zombies'."
"These things run around even though they are missing body parts and organs, they want to any living humans, and after you get bit you become one of them. Do they still not fit the description?"
"…" Azi had no reply.
"Besides, if we need food, water, or ammunition we can find those in any small towns we come across." Jason said.
"But what about clothes?" Hannah said.
"Maybe there will be shops that sell clothes."
"All the more reason to go to the city." Azi cut in.
"Good God! Do you want to die or become one of those things, old man?" Jason shouted.
Hannah placed an oddly calming hand on his arm. "Please Jason? You may not need clothes, but the rest of us do. Do you expect us to go around for weeks wearing only what we have on?"
"Fine. We'll go, but don't expect me to help if you get into trouble."
Hannah gave him a smile. "Thank you Jason."
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:32 am
Highway 460, Virginia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:06 am
Perry, Georgia
After telling his story to 'Raf and Don, Marcus was given a gun. He held the .223 caliber Kel-tec SU-16 rifle. The gun weighed about five to six pounds and had a clip of thirty rounds. He had only fired a gun when he went to the shooting range with his step-dad when he was 10.
He looked over at the short, Italian man, 'Raf, who held his Mossberg 590 as he stared at the chaos in the street below them. People weren't running around in the streets as much, but every once in a while someone would try to get to their car, or try to get out of the garage. No one succeeded. They were caught by the zombies before they could get very far. What was strange was these zombies didn't act like the ones he had ever seen the movies. They seemed intelligent. They ran around in packs like animals. Each 'pack' even had its own leader. They would spread out and hide, just waiting for people to make a break for their car, thinking that the zombies weren't there.
'Raf was shocked by what he had been seeing. Zombies were working together to catch their prey. This wasn't right. Zombies were suppose to stupid, undead creatures that lumber around in groups, not smart little fucks that run around in packs, laying traps for his neighbors. His mind was racing. As he saw it they only had two choices: 1) They could stay here until they ran out of food, then try and make a run for it, or 2) They could try to run. Neither option held much of a chance of survival.
He made up his mind.
"Don, Marcus! Start grabbing all the food, water, and ammo that you can grab in one trip." 'Raf said, standing up.
"What's going through that head of yours 'Raf?" Don asked.
"Right now we have two options: Stay until our food runs out or take a chance and run."
"Run? Are you crazy? Have you been watching what those zombies have been doing outside?" Marcus said.
"Yeah I have. I think we have a chance to get out." 'Raf said confidently.
"Oh really? What's your plan?" Don asked.
As 'Raf smirked, a chill ran down Marcus' and Don's spines. They knew this wasn't going to be good.
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:47 am
Perry, Georgia
As the front door to 'Rafs house swung open, the nearby pack of zombies came charging to the door. They tore into the house, searching every hallway and room for their prey. After they all ran into the house, the garage door opened and a big, black H1 Hummer came rolling out. As it rolled into the street and took off, the pack of zombies charged out of the house, chasing after the large military vehicle.
"Holy shit! I can't believe that actually worked!" Don whooped.
"Were you doubting me Don?" 'Raf asked him.
"Yep I reckon I was."
"I doubted that plan myself." Marcus and Don jerked their headed at 'Raf.
"What?!" They said in unison.
He shrugged. "I've never been very good with making plans like that. This would be one of the only ones that ever worked."
"What if it had failed?" Don asked.
"Then we would all have joined that zombie pack back there."
"Shit…"
"But we're alive and that's what counts." 'Raf said cheerfully.
"We're alive but our relatives are most likely dead. Don't you feel anything for the loss of your family?" Marcus asked.
"Kid, I'm an only child. It was always me, my mom, and my dad and both my parents died years ago. I don't have anyone to mourn the loss of anymore."
"I'm sorry..." Marcus said quietly.
'Raf waved him off. "It's all in the past. If there's one thing I learned in the military, it's that no matter what, you can't change the past and bring back the ones you lost."
They continued driving down the road in silence.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:49 am
Perry, Georgia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:47 am
Highway 460, Virginia
"Look out!"
The Chevy Silverado swerved to the right, almost hitting an oncoming car. But it swerved right into an empty field. Jason held his head as the truck came to a stop in the middle of the field.
"Is everyone alright?" He asked.
"I will live." Azi said.
"I'm alright." Hannah said, holding the side of her head in pain.
"Me too!" Malcolm piped in. Trip barked energetically.
"Good." Jason said. He turned the key… only to get nothing. "Aw shit!"
"What is it?" Azi asked concerned.
"The truck won't start. I think the impact jarred something. It could take some time to fix."
"Well it looks like we don't have time." Azi said, pointing out the window. Jason looked at the woods. He could see the buildings of , and headed toward them was a pack of zombies. Jason guessed they were 300 meters away and closing fast.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jason shouted. He turned the key again only to get nothing. "Damn it!" He looked at the street where he could see an abandoned 780 Volvo semi truck. "Alright, when I say go, run to that white semi. Do not, I repeat, do not look back."
They all climbed out of the Chevy. Jason handed the spare rifles, handguns, and ammunition to Hannah and Malcolm. "Run on my mark." He yelled opened fire with his M16A2. Azi did the same with his Rasheed Carbine "Go!" Hannah and Malcolm turned and ran as fast as they could with Trip at their side, not looking back once. They ran as fast as they could while carrying all the extra weight. Hannah held the other M16A2 in her hands while Malcolm had his ASP in left hand. They were about to climb up to the road, when a rotted hand flew out and caught Hannah by the hair, dragging her to the ground. She screamed as the zombie dropped its head down to bite her, when a small hole appeared in its forehead. It fell over, obviously dead. She glanced up.
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Seconds before
Jason fired shot after shot, killing the zombies one by one, when he heard a scream and spun around. Hannah was on the ground with a zombie above her, getting ready to bite her. He aimed quickly and fired, putting a bullet right through its forehead. Jason looked at her. His electric blue eyes met her coffee brown eyes for an instant before he tore his gaze away. He tore away his gaze and kept firing…
Until the M16A2 clicked on empty at the same time as Azi's Rasheed. They turned and ran. Jason pulled out his .45 caliber LAR Grizzly and his Beretta 87. He tossed the Beretta to Azi and kept running.
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Hannah's coffee brown eyes met Jason's electric blue eyes before he turned away. She watched him start firing, and then she turned and ran to the semi. Malcolm had reached the semi before her, climbing in through the open driver's door and jumping in the back with Trip. Hannah climbed up into the driver's seat and closed the door. She looked in the ignition and, to her surprise, found that the keys were still there. (1) The engine sprang to life as she turned the key over. She looked out to the truck when she realized there was no more gunfire. As she made to open the door, it swung open, to show Jason, sweating and climbing into the cab.
Azi climbed up into the passenger seat, blowing a zombies head to nothing as it tried to bit his leg. He slammed the door.
"Shit, this truck is an automatic!" Jason exclaimed.
"Does that mean you can't drive it?" Hannah asked, worried.
"No, but it'll take me a minute to figure out." He said.
"Well we do not have a minute!" Azi said loudly.
Jason looked down at the control pad on the side of the driver's seat. There were five buttons: R, N, D, shift up, and shift down. (2) He assumed 'D' meant drive. He punched the button and hit the gas. To his surprise the truck lurched forward, separating a zombie's torso from the rest of its body. Jason held his foot to the gas pedal as he looked at everyone. Azi had reloaded his carbine and it now sat in his lap, his Zastava M21 sat next to him on the floor.
"Is everyone alright?" Jason asked.
"I am fine." Azi said.
"I'm alright." Malcolm replied.
Jason glanced at Hannah. She sat in the back, quiet. She just stared at her lap.
"Hey Hannah, are you alright?"
She looked up at him. "I'm alright." She said, her voice quivering. He could see her eyes water, threatening to spill.
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Outside, a zombie crawled in through an open door into a car. The keys were twisted and the engine turned on.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:55 am
Highway 460, Virginia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
8:56 am
Perry, Georgia
'Raf stared down the road at the large roadblock on Main Street.
"They is all idiots." Don said.
"Yeah they are. There have to be hundreds of those things running around, and these guys sit here, out in the open. They might as well have a neon sign above them saying 'Come eat me!'"
'Raf slowed down the Hummer as they got closer to the roadblock. He could see a police officer shouting at him, but couldn't tell what he was saying, so he rolled down the window.
"Stop the vehicle now! It is now the property of the Perry Police Department!" The officer yelled.
Don rolled down the other window. "Screw you pig! We ain't givin' up our only option for survival!" He shouted back.
The man and his fellow officers drew their pistols. "If you do not surrender the vehicle now, we will open fire!"
"These guys just want to get out of here as much as we do." Marcus said.
"Yeah, but we're not giving up Chrissy. No chance in hell." 'Raf said.
"You gave your damn Hummer a name?" Don asked incredulously.
"Every good vehicle or boat needs a name." 'Raf smirked. "And Chrissy here gets every job I need done. Like, running through a roadblock."
Don's eyes widened. "Oh no. Not with me in here your not!"
'Raf just grinned and punched the gas. "Here we go baby!"
"Shit!" Don and Marcus yelled.
Chrissy jumped forward, speeding towards the roadblock. "Fire!" The chief officer shouted. The bullets smashed against the metal of the Hummer, not slowing it down in the least. Not even when the officers shot at the glass. Or when they shot at the tires. The glass didn't break and the tires didn't pop.
Inside Chrissy 'Raf smirked. "Bulletproof glass and rubber tires. This thing is a tank."
Outside, the officers jumped off to the sides as Chrissy came crashing through the roadblock. The chief stood up and dusted himself off.
"Damn it! We're going to have to find another vehicle."
"U-um, sir?" A man stuttered.
"What is it Stevens?" The Chief snapped.
"Look." Stevens pointed in the direction the hummer had come from. The Chief looked and immediately wished he hadn't. It seemed like all the zombies in Perry were coming their way.
"Sweet Mary mother of-"He raised his pistol and aimed at the zombies. "Don't fire unless you're sure you can get a kill!" He shouted to him men. 70 feet… 60 feet… 50 feet… BANG! BANG! BANG! Shots echoed throughout the area. As zombies fell dead, their undead brethren climbed, walked, and jumped over them, wanting to reach the fresh meat in front of them.
"Run!" The Chief screamed at his men. As he turned to run, he could hear the screams of his men being torn apart. He looked at the direction he was running. "Fuck…" There in front of him, snarling as they ran, were more zombies.
"God forgive me." He said as he placed his gun to the side of his head and pulled the trigger… CLICK! The gun clicked on empty as the horde reached him. The first one to him teared into him with ferocity not unlike that of a starving animal. Blood sprayed through the air as his throat was ripped from his neck and consumed. His left arm was ripped from its socket, blood pouring from the wound like a fountain. He found his eyesight fading as we watched these ungodly creatures tear his flesh from his body and eat it. He could feel the binding pain as they ripped open his abdomen, blood pooling around his dying body. The zombies pulled out his internal organs and consumed them. Finally the pain ended as a zombie ripped out his heart with many other organs and began to feast upon them.
Minutes after they were done, the zombies ran off in the direction of the Hummer, in the lead was the Chief, missing his left arm and had a gaping hole in his stomach. He had what could be described as a look of hatred as he charged after the fast disappearing Hummer…
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
9:05 am
Perry, Georgia
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
9:03 am
Evergreen, Virginia
Tobias Xavier was shaking as he clutched his .270 caliber hunting rifle. He had woken up this morning, hearing a woman screaming as she ran around in the streets. People watched from their windows as she clawed at her face. Tobias watched as the woman ran around in circles, screaming gibberish. The sheriff had been called down, and when he got there, the woman took one look at him and said clearly:
"They're coming." Then her eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed. The sheriff ran forward and felt her pulse.
"She's dead!" He called out. Suddenly the woman's eyes shot open and she snarled as her head shot up and tore into the sheriff's neck. He yelled as she let go, blood dripping down her chin and neck. She ran at an elderly woman who had been watching. The elderly woman screamed as the woman leapt on her, biting and scratching. Things had only escalated from there. The sheriff had stood up, hissing and snarling and ran at the nearest bystander. Every time the sheriff or the young woman bit someone, that person would become one of them. Whenever someone who had been bit had bitten someone, they turned into one of those… things...
Only a handful of people had survived after the first half hour. Some had tried to make it to their cars, but were attacked and turned before they had a chance. Now Tobias was alone. The last man, Carl Springston, had been attacked as he tried to make it to Tobias' apartment. There was no one else. He was alone in this new, horrible place. And there looked to be no chance of escape, until he thought he heard an engine. He passed it off as a trick these creatures had used early on to lure people from the buildings. As it got louder he realized it was real. Someone was coming this way!
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Jason looked at the town sign as he passed: Welcome to Evergreen!
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
9:05 am
Evergreen, Virginia
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TO BE CONTINUED
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The keys were still there because the truck driver was either pulled from the truck or he got out and tried to help someone.
There are actually automatic semi trucks. I would know, I live in one.