Thump, thump, thump the rabbit's paws patter across the grass while sniffing the air likely searching for its next meal. It stops for a moment looking up from the grass towards the trees, nose twitching with an almost thoughtful look on its face. With an inaudible motion an arrow flies through the air piercing the creature in its lower abdomen. "Yes!" I cheer from my hiding place in the bushes as I step out toward the tiny vermin. Its limbs move erratically for a second more before it finally submits and dies. Picking up the arrow from the shaft the body slumps to the side and catches on the arrowhead as blood drains down dripping on the ground as I walk.
Looking up at the sky I hold up my hands up towards the tree line looking on for a moment. Three fingers separate the tree line and the sun meaning I have about 45 minutes of sunlight left for the day. "I shouldn't have gone after that deer." I pout while continuing onward towards the bunker. I had spent the better part of the afternoon chasing down a deer in the woods only for me to lose it after the second arrow was shot. I should count my blessings that I was able to shoot the rabbit honestly. While I was great with an arrow I was missing some much-needed training when it came to hunting. I had no idea how to track the animals, so if I didn't already see them sitting somewhere or they moved slowly I had no hope of finding a meal. Worse so, I rarely dealt with moving targets in school, let alone targets that were actively trying not to get shot, or can keep moving once pierced. I suppose with how things have been going the past few months I would find plenty of time to practice at least.
Nearly half an hour passes as I finally near back to the bunker only to find yet another demon wandering the woods near to my home. This one looked like any average woman, she wore a blue romper atop her black leggings. She looked so normal, like anyone I would have run into before the end began. She began to move towards me slowly giving off a disgusting growl with each advancing step. Looking at my surroundings I step backwards luring her further away while making sure she was the only demon near me. I was coming across them more and more lately, it seems like they were beginning to move away from the city in search of, the living. Over the weeks that passed I have learned a few things at least. Guns were a total no, they were loud and drew in more of the demons. Besides I couldn't risk them attracting humans too.
After luring the demon away a bit I run back towards the bunker hoping that I pulled her far enough away that she wouldn't come across the bunker but also that on the way back I would not come across anymore of them. Killing was not something that came easy to me, even with these demons. Sometimes they looked so normal, they were once people just like me then they were possessed by demons. Is it right for me to come along and snuff out their life? Just as the sun begins to dip beneath the horizon I make it to the bunker and quickly enter in the code stepping inside. It takes a moment for the light to cut back on and just like every time before I feel my heart plummet.
Emmanuel still hasn't made it. I must stop myself from thinking about all of the possible outcomes that could explain why he isn't here. I have gone over this plenty and every time I come to worse conclusions as to what may have happened to him. It doesn't matter anymore however, I was going to find him myself. After Emmanuel didn't arrive the first month I began preparing. I noted points on my father's map that Emmanuel could have gone; his home, work, the routes he might have taken. I even began stocking up on food and supplies from my father's house and the woods surrounding. Today was the last day I was going to wait, if by dawn tomorrow Emmanuel had not arrived I was going to find him myself. I know that he's out there somewhere, Emmanuel was bred for this world, he wouldn't be dead. I often had to remind myself of this when my thoughts turned dark, but I know it to be true, he may be sidetracked but he is out there somewhere, alive.
Clutching the cross around my neck I think back to the time when our father dropped us off in the woods and told us to find our way home. At the time I was just six years old while Emmanuel was nine, the both of us were trained plenty of times before but being told how to survive verses being thrown out to fend for your lives were completely different. Within a few minutes of wandering together I began to cry and panic leaving Emmanuel to comfort me and attempt to calm me down. Sensing that I was not going to be able to move on Emmanuel planned to go on ahead scoping out our surroundings and coming back for me once he found a way back home. I was terrified of him leaving me back then but Emmanuel was better than me. He could find his way home and save us both. So, I waited, and waited with what felt like hours passing by. My fear began to overwhelm me when he didn't return so I called out to him. "E? Come back please!" I shouted receiving no response. I tried a few more times with each outcome being the same.
I had to do something, what if he got hurt out there while walking alone. I wiped away my tears and stood up on shaky legs and began walking through the woods in the direction I remember him going. Time passed by and I attempted to use all of my father's teachings to help me find my brother but everywhere I went I was filled with doubt when I would call my brother's name and hear nothing back. Hearing movement far off I turn in the direction before feeling my feet become damp. I looked down and found that I stepped into the edge of a small creek, there was a creek near our home, could this be the same one, maybe this would be the way home. I followed the creek going with the direction of the water before it became wider looking more like the creek I was familiar with before calling my brother again.
This time I did get a response, not from the prepubescent voice I expected though, it was my father's deep almost grisly voice that I heard. "Elijah?" Then I can hear crunching leaves come towards me before my father's silhouette shows against the sun and the trees. "Good job boy, never thought you would have made it back on your own. Guess Emmanuel didn't find you before you went off on your own?" A puzzled look crosses my face and my father smirks at the reaction he caused. "What do you mean?" I ask looking around for any sign of my brother. "He came here a few minutes ago then went back to go bring you back home. Guess he underestimated you though huh boy." My father says patting me roughly on the back looking impressed. He begins leading the way back home before I stop myself firmly and look back at the woods. "If he's looking for me in there he could be looking forever, we gotta go get him." I look back at my father and he just shrugs turning back towards the house. "He found his way here once, he can do it again. 'Sides, if he was good enough he could track you and find out where you went." He keeps walking for a minute before turning back towards me and finding me walking back towards the woods. He didn't try to stop me as I went back for my brother.
As I walked back up the creek I called desperately for my brother, he was coming back for me. He found his way home but continued searching for me. I would do this same for him. Much time passed as I made my way back to the edge of the creek I found then called for Emmanuel. I can hear a faint noise in the distance, the same direction I had heard before. I slowly walk away from the creek towards the noise when I came across a small cliff and there at the bottom in an unnatural position lay my brother. "E! Are you okay?" I shout looking for a safe way to scramble down the small hill. He looks up at me and mutters something I can't hear. I eventually slide down the hill scarping my hands before I make my way to him. "Are you okay?" I ask looking him over to see his legs is what looks the most worse off. "Peachy." He mutters reaching out to me so I can pull him to a sitting position. It is difficult but eventually he is sitting up on his own with both of us looking down at his possibly broken leg. After a few minutes of silence, I stand up quickly. "I'll go get dad, and we could bring back the truck to come get you." As the words leave my mouth Emmanuel grabs my hand and pulls me back to the ground. "Don't bother, he wouldn't come. We can get out of here together." I allow him to pull me back down to the ground knowing his words were likely true, our father would think of this as yet another test, even if I could talk to mother about it she would likely bend to his will. "What do we do? I don't know if I can do the fireman's carry with you all the way out of here." I ask feeling helpless. Emmanuel shakes his head rolling up his pants to look at his leg. At the sight of his bare leg I must turn away as it is covered in blood from a deep gash just under his knee. "I think I can still walk, if you can get me the parts for a splint that should be enough to support me." He says ripping his jeans to completely expose his leg. I nod my head at his words standing up looking around. "So we need, two sturdy sticks of even length and rope, right?" I ask looking around there area where he rested. "Where can we find rope out here?" He looks around us thinking for a moment. "Maybe some vine, if you go just east of here there was a tree covered in it that should be sturdy enough to support the splint.
Minutes later when I return with the supplies we sit back on the ground as Emmanuel puts his splint together. "I'm sorry." I whisper as he toils away on his make shift support. He glances up at me for a second before turning back. "Nothing to be sorry about. It's my fault for not looking where I was going. I heard you call to me right after I fell but was winded from the fall and couldn't respond. Where did you go?" He asks looking back at me curiously. "I made it home, I followed the creek near our house thinking I could catch up with you. Dad was there and told me you had went back looking for me." I pause for a second still filled with guilt. "I think I might have heard you earlier but got distracted when I found the creek the first time." I say with my eyes welling up as I look at his leg. My tears are wiped away by his hand causing me to look up at him. "You found me, we are both safe, nothing to be sorry for." Emmanuel stares me in the eye for a moment until I nod my head back at him showing I understood. "Now, let's get out of here huh?" He reaches for my hand again and slowly stands up applying pressure to his splint. It isn't pretty and he is wobbly but the splint is enough. We make our way back out of the woods slowly following the trail of scratches Emmanuel had made on the trees when he was going home the first time. Nearly an hour later we make it home with our father on the porch smoking marijuana as he liked to spend his evenings.
He looks down at his watch and smirks, "Damn, took you an extra two hours, you both found it the first time what took so long?" He bellows in laughter looking far too pleased with himself. I am ready to say something when Emmanuel speaks up first while casting me a calming glance. "My fault, we had to make a splint to get back out of there." Emmanuel says it so calmly that it would be understandable to believe that he had never been hurt. "Can you take me to the hospital?" He asks as my father finally looks down at his leg before kissing his teeth and walking towards us. "Impressive job Emmanuel, could have used your cut off jean as a cushion and these nots are absolute shit but it gets the job done." He says walking around us in an almost predatory circle. He smiles for a moment and walks over to his truck waiting for us to join.
Emmanuel was a survivor, even in the worst of times he would find a way to pull though. I knew that no matter what he was never going to stop looking for me, but it was my job too to look for him. He may have been stronger, smarter, and more determined than me. However, I was strong in different ways, I am not a quitter, and I too had an endless drive that would push me on until we found each other. Packing the last of my clothes and dry foods I place it by the entrance with a tote filled with guns and ammo for tomorrow. Kneeling beside my bed I press my palms firmly together again and pray. "God, tomorrow I intend to go and find Emmanuel. I don't doubt he is making his way to me as well. Please lord grant us with guidance and strength until we are together. Protect us from the evils of the world and corruption of the mind. Ward us in our sleep and walk with us in our journey lord." I pause for a moment thinking to myself. "Please God, let my brother know that I am alive and well, and I am coming to find him. In Jesus name, amen." Unclasping my hands, I lay myself in bed and think about the morning and the days to come.
As if no time had passed at all I wake up the following morning knowing in my heart that Emmanuel still has not arrived. I make my bed and dress myself in my slim fitted hiking pants and with a thin cotton t-shirt to be covered in a light green wind breaker jacket. Just as I walk out of the room I grab the quiver from behind the door noticing for the first time a hand-woven leather arm guard behind the door as well. I brush my fingers over it reflecting on the care that must have gone into making this brace. Shockingly it fits like a glove as it slides down my arm stopping just below my elbow and comfortably clinging to my fingers. In the living space I look once more around the room cataloging everything I would need for my trip while simultaneously making sure there would be enough here for Emmanuel if he came here. As this thought occurs to me I take a few minutes to write a letter to Emmanuel should he make it here once I am gone. Should he make it before I find him he would know to wait here for me and once every thirty days I would come back to search for him.
I pick up both bags from the ground and take one last look at the bunker. Who would have thought this place would have actually been so important, that it would have ever have been necessary? I suppose I should be thanking my father, without our unusual up bringing this world would be way out of my league. For a moment I think about praying for my father but dismiss the idea. I may have forgiven him for my soul, he may have made this bunker for us, but he would always be the man who treated me like an abomination and mental abused me from my youth. Subconsciously I reach for my cross while thinking about my father before turning towards the entrance and walking out of the bunker.
The day is still early enough that the sun has just begun to rise in the sky so I have approximately twelve hours' worth of time to begin my search. With my hiking boots trudging through the grass I make my way back to father's property to the car I left behind. Thankfully the walk is quiet with no signs of any demons around. The straps for the bags are digging into my shoulder and I can already feel them begin to bruise from the pressure and time they rub into my skin. As I finally round the side of the house I can see the shrubs I use to cover the car still looking perfectly intact. Seems no one has come this way thankfully. Knocking the leaves and branches off from the car I look up toward the house again when I notice something off. The front door is wide open. I silently rack my mind questioning if I left the door open when I came here weeks ago.
I had been here when I came for supplies but I explicitly remember closing the door behind me when I came back for the whisky my father kept in his study. Someone else had been inside the house. I couldn't push back the hope that maybe it was my brother that had opened the door. The hope was faint though since he would know better, leaving the door open was already a mistake and he would have no reason to go inside since he knew where the bunker would be. I pick up my pace knocking the debris from the car and shoving my bags and bow inside. As I open the door and once again hotwire the car I hear movement coming from the house, movement that was too sudden and even to be a demon. With the car on I put the gear in reverse and begin pulling away when I see a man toting a gun in his arm come running out the front door. Seeing his weapon, I slam on the gas and drive away quickly, once a few hundred feet separate us I turn the car around driving down our long driveway.
A loud ringing noise goes off around me and the glass from the backseat implodes with shards of glass spraying into the front seat. As I feel the warmth of blood running down my cheek I know I have been shot at. My hearing still rings but I don't dare look back at the man who shot at me. More shots echo around me but seemingly none of the others connect with me or my car. Once I turn the car away from the road I look in the rearview window to see the hole in the back. While looking at the reflection I see a slice on my cheek and the blood slipping down my neck, hopefully that doesn't scar I think to myself. The window wasn't that bad thankfully, the hole was about the size of a fist and beyond the hole the glass around it just appeared to splinter but not fully break. While the damage was not too great it was clear I was going to need another vehicle if I still planned to sleep in the car overnight.
A few more miles down the road I can't help but think about what transpired. Someone shot at me, a human, a living breathing human pulled out a gun and shot at me. No questions were asked, but he aimed his gun at me and pulled the trigger. It's kill or be killed, the only thing deciding which one you are, is who acts first. My father's words echo in my mind causing me to blink back tears before vigorously wiping away at my eyes and my bloody face. It's been just over a month and people are already willing to kill one another to get what they want. I clutch my cross, thanking God that I was able to get out of there in time before this day ended much sooner. The man looked fairly familiar now that I think about it more, he may have even been a local to the town. He likely was searching my father's home since he was a well know apocalypse enthusiast and figured he would have something of use in his home. Fortunately for me I had been there weeks ago or I might have ended up in that house at the same time as that man in a gun fight I could not win.
Trying not to think any further about what had happened I continue down the road and onto the highway. Many cars pulled off to the side of the road with demons inside banging on the windows and others drawn to the noise clamoring around them. The demons turn as I drive by but in a moment, I am gone so they never have a chance to stop me. They look so much like normal people it is hard not to think about who they used to be. They were once living people with hopes, dreams, families, and a soul. Seeing the shells of what they once were is heartbreaking and it's enough to make me question if they can be saved or not. Kill or be killed. Yes, I needed to make sure I survived instead of empathizing with the demons but it didn't mean I could just shut off my emotions and not mourn what was for the people that used to inhabit their bodies.
As I near Mableton to search for clues in my brother's home I feel my heart way heavier in my chest. What do I expect to find exactly? He won't be sitting in his living room waiting for me nor will he have left a note somewhere for me to find as to why he never came to the safehouse. Sadness strikes through me again but I should shake it off and push forward. I play the Johnny Cash CD once more listening to my current favorite song, "Hurt".
When I finally turn onto my brother's street I have to quickly slam on the breaks because down the road are over a dozen of the demons. They seem to be swarming around something in the street. I had an idea of what they were feasting on but I couldn't bring myself to think about that now. They weren't too far from E's house and if I wanted to get inside I would have to sneak by them somehow. Shutting off the car I reach for the Springfield XDs and a small knife I got from my father's house. Once outside of the car with the door closed behind me I look ahead trying to gauge the best path for me to take. Most of the demons seemed far too distracted by whatever was ahead of them but there were two walking in the front yard of our house that I would potentially have to deal with.
Walking as quietly as I can I make my way toward the house sticking as close to the neighboring houses as possible while keeping a vigilante eye on the demons walking nearby. For now, they don't seem to notice me as most still try desperately to get at whatever lay in the street dying. A few anxious seconds later I make it to the front porch and look back to find that none of the demons have come for me yet. I let out a mental cheer as I make my way up the steps to the house and turn the handle to the front door experimentally. The door opens easily and my heart sinks, any hope of Emmanuel being here is now dashed, he wouldn't leave his door unlocked with all the demons and possible intruders outside. As I take a step into the house I feel something pull against my leg causing me to quickly look down and see a trip wire connected to a rope at my feet. In an instant something is falling from the second floor and I barely manage to jump out of the way of the dishwasher plummeting down the stairs at the door. Though the fall dents the floor and slams into the doorway making a very audible crashing noise, the snarls from outside are most alarming to me. Attempting to barricade the destroyed door behind I see the demons coming towards the house leaving their feast in the road completely focused on me and the noise now.
With the door sufficiently blocked for now I sweep the ground for anymore of my brother's traps and run towards the stairs when I hear clamoring behind me. The demons aren't smart very smart but if enough of them press against the dishwasher they can force it open and the longer I wait in this house the smaller the chances of me getting out become. Once upstairs I make my way towards my brother's room to quickly search for any sort of clues. He had a calendar that he kept at his bed side, maybe he would have something on there to explain where he was. Once inside the room I can hear the downstairs door break open and the growls fill the house. I close the door behind me and immediately start dragging his dresser to block the door. It scrapes across the floor alerting the demons of my presence but I persist and wedge it behind the door. Just as I back away the door begins to rattle as a growl from the other side grows in volume and something presses to the door. For a moment I stare at the door as it rattles with the force of the demon behind it. They weren't fast but if I managed to get swarmed in this house they would easily get me.
"Okay, not much time I have to focus now." I chastise myself while turning away from the door and moving towards my brother's bedside dresser. Just as I thought he has a calendar on it with a number of notes and circles written in sharpie. I begin looking over his calendar but the noise behind the door makes me panic and it is harder to focus on the words in front of me. Looking back again I can see a splinter in the door as the dresser begins tilting forward like it could fall over at any moment. I pick up the calendar and roll it to fit into my pants moving towards the window across the room. Looking out I can see many more demons flooding into the house while a lesser few wonder the street still. I look toward the ground deciding that the only way out of here is to jump, but jumping to the ground here is too close to the demons, I would still have to run through them to get back to the car.
The door bangs behind me as it splits open and a group of the demons reach through now pushing directly on the dresser and splitting the door further. No time to think further I lift open the window and an alarm begins ringing in the air. "Really E?" I mumble out as I clamber out the window looking towards the house across from me. Figures my brother would have all of the trap in place on his house, likely had this as a failsafe in case he was not able to get out before the outbreak. The demons did seem to be distracted by noise so if I could get far enough from the house they would all be drawn here now. The sound of the dresser falling alerts me back to the demons and without another thought I jump for the house next door and cling desperately to the vines receding down the side. A few snap off in my hold but I don't fall far before others manage to support me and hold my body in place. I begin climbing right away towards the roof of the house hearing the demons below me as well as from the window now. I push through the fear that courses in me now, the only thing I can focus on now is getting out of here.
Once at the edge I struggle to pull myself over the top for a moment before finally getting a good foot hold and easing myself up. I breathe heavily realizing just how out of shape I was but thanking God that I was fit enough to pull those stunts off. After resting for a minute, I pull myself up and look down at demons. Some are still in the house reaching for me out of the window while others below have dispersed and appear to be walking back out front to the house. I step quickly across the roof top to the other side to get closer to the neighboring one. Taking a deep breath, I step back before running full force and leaping into the air. For a moment it looks like I will make it until I slam on the edge with my stomach smacking soundly against the edge of the roof tiles. I can't help the cry that escapes my lips as I struggle to breathe after that landing but I still pull my legs up over the side and take quick shallow breathes. "If I make it out of the apocalypse I seriously need to start working out more." I wheeze while standing up again.
Down on the ground I see no demons so I side step to the edge of the building and grip the edge of the building to scramble down. As I try to displace my weight by gripping onto the windowsill it breaks away causing my body to plummet down the fifteen or so feet down to the ground. For a moment I lay dazed, my back is sensitive to every movement and I can hardly breathe. I open my eyes to the sky to see that my vision has tripled and everything is dancing back into a clearer focus but not before I see a demon coming around the side of the lot and creeping towards me. Though disoriented I pull myself up to a kneeling position looking in the direction of the demon and pulling out my handgun. "Stay back!" I shout at the undead person pointing the pistol at it's head. "Don't make me shoot you." I cry out with my eyes coming into focus only to feel hot tears begin leaking out. Kill or be killed. I was not a killer, I didn't have it in me to kill these demons even if there was no saving them. Seeing a clear path on the right side of the demon I take a chance and dash past it staying as close to the wall as possible to avoid him.
I barely squeeze by out of the lot before I am knocked to the ground by another demon. It's fallen on top of me with its teeth biting just in front of my cheeks. Its putrid breath blocks out all other senses filling me with a sense of disgust, fear, and desperation. An inch more and I was dead. I hold the demon back by its shoulders with my right arm trying desperately to shove it off of me. However, the desire to eat is giving the monster a strength I didn't expect. I could hold it back for now but from the position we were in with him on top of me, I could never push him off. Least of all before the other demons arrive to help him.
I close my eyes for a moment and take a look at the demon's face before praying. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The end of my prayer is punctuated with a bang as the bullet leaves the chamber blowing the demons head off its shoulders and decorating the panel of the house next to me in its brains. I quickly pull myself off the ground and shrug the corpse off of my body. I take a deep breathe before standing upright and looking at the other demon coming from the side of the building. I inhale once more and raise my gun before firing at the demon; once, twice, three times into it's chest, neck, and head. It lays dead on the ground as I tower over both the bodies feeling hollow.
Snarls come from nearby causing me to look away at the dozen or so demons nearing closer. Without a moment to spare I run towards my car with my boots slamming into the pavement. When I make it to the car door it all happens in one moment that I cut the car back on and rev the engine to drive out of the neighborhood plowing through two demons on the way out. In my rearview I can see them all, more than thirty or so walking in a hoard in the direction of me and the car. Hunger driving them to keep going as I continue to get father and father away until I can see them no longer.
Nearly an hour passes that I continue down the same road, driving without a thought running through my mind. Just silence and the open road, that is until the road grows thinner due to a number of vehicles blocking the road. After squeezing my car through the limited space, I finally stop once on the other side. Without the lull of the engine and the detours to distract me my thoughts come flooding forward and warm tears slide down my cheeks. I was a killer, the two demons I shot down may have been ready to murder me but I was the one to walk out alive while their bodies lay forever dead in the dirt. A sob racks through my body and my body begins to shake at the thought. I took two lives today, for all I know they could have been redeemed, maybe there is a cure, and for my own fear and weakness I killed them, I was a murderer. Holy father forgive me.
Through my tears I reach for the rolled-up calendar in my pocket now covered in dirt and blood. Fortunately, I can still make out all of the pages in between just nothing for January. No note on it to say exactly where he was going but there are plenty of notes about meetings and dates with a girl named Lucille. Emmanuel had a girlfriend, I mean, I know we were drifting apart a bit since I went off to school but how could he have something so significant going on in his life and he not tell me about it. I shake my head trying to focus flipping back through previous months seeing they have been having these dates for quite a while to find a page back in March where he wrote down her address with a big red circle. It wasn't much but seeing how long they had been in contact it was possible he went to save her so maybe he was actually in Atlanta. Or maybe he was going to bring her to the safe house all along, he did tell me after all to stay away from the city.
I wipe away at my tears as I hear a noise somewhere nearby causing me to look around for the demon interrupting my break down. After looking around I eventually see him walking onto the road, his snarl was almost like a call for help, he too seemed to be a lost soul dealing with an enormous grief. After watching him for a few seconds I notice him amble towards me in the car. He doesn't move and this allows me to take in his features. This was no demon, this was a living human, a human with a gun at his hip. He moves towards my car saying something loudly as he picks up his pace and starts a run to my car. I immediately take the wheel in my hands and slam on the gas to get away from the man. This time however, unlike before with the man outside my father's house I look in the rearview mirror and see him fall to his knees calling out, for help. Seeing the sight of the man, broke me further. I was already made a killer, could I really leave this man when he clearly was broken and alone, just like me? I press on my breaks coming to a complete stop and upon seeing this the man jumps to his feet and walks towards the car. Though the gun is resting in his holster he never once makes a move to grab it as he nears my car. Maybe the sheriff uniform he wore was really his? Maybe he wasn't dangerous? Maybe I wasn't a fool for stopping for this man. Maybe this was the beginning of something different.