Chapter Three: Safety
It was an unremarkable building, six storeys tall, made of brick and appeared to have been built at least thirty years ago based on its architecture. A small family-run pharmacy occupied the right hand side of the ground level floor, its windows all having been smashed and its supplies long since looted, but it was not this establishment Merle concerned himself with. A solid metal door stood in the middle of the building, presumably the access point to the apartment complex above, and appeared to have survived the looting. Merle thinks to himself that the vandals probably left the dozen or so apartments alone, seeing as how they would have been able to gather ample supplies from the pharmacy. Merle thinks back to the news reports of when everything first started and remembers how this area was one of the first to be evacuated to the so-called safe zone. Once again, it wasn't those previous people's homes he cared about. To the left of the door was a beaconing light that made him believe he could actually survive this disaster. A stark white sign with large red letters reading "Methadone Clinic, Referals Only" hung limply above a darkened alcove.
The clinic was untouched. Its secure barred metal door and lack of windows acted as a deterrent to the common looter but Merle was no common man. He knew of the glorious drugs lying safely inside the building and he was dying for his next high. Seeing as how Officer Friendly had tossed his last remaining hits of cocaine off that damned roof and there were no longer dealers occupying the sketchy street corners of this city, he really had no other option. Merle decides that the easiest way in would be from the apartment above. There was no way he could bust through that door without attracting every undead corpse in a ten mile radius. He also could feel that the adrenaline coursing through his veins was fading fast and he knew he would be crashing soon.
Merle makes his way to the side of the building where he spots a fire escape. "Damn," he mutters to himself, seeing that someone had chained up the pull down ladder. He spots an old dumpster nearby, rusted and smeared with streaks of dried blood from some long ago end of human life. He pushes the metal box using his uninjured side and is relieved when he feels it slide forward. Unfortunately, a loud grating noise is emitted from the metal grinding on the pavement, and Merle knows he needs to act fast. Drenched in sweat and feeling weaker with every push, he moves the dumpster until it is almost under the fire escape. A few walkers roaming the nearby streets are attracted by this new noise and just as Merle hoists himself up onto the dumpster, they enter the alley and beeline toward the panting, exhausted man.
He knows he only has one shot at this, so Merle takes a few deep breaths then leaps off the dumpster, remaining arm outstretched and ready to grab onto the railing. He feels the cool metal make contact with his palm and he immediately encircles the bar with his hand and starts to pull. He feels his muscles burning and twitching under the weight of his body, sweat begins to pour out of places he didn't even know could sweat. The half-dozen animated corpses gathered below reach out to grab him, swatting at his feet. The thought of being eaten alive by those fucks gives Merle the last bit of power he needs as he drags himself onto the metal landing and stares down at the moaning creatures through the grating.
He lies there for several moments, letting his body rest, allowing oxygen to pump back into his spent muscles. "Fuckin' dumbass cannibals," he sneers as he stares down into the rotting eyes of his predators, "guess y'all forgot how to jump, ya fuckin' shit brains?" he spits down upon the former humans. Merle realizes he still has much work to do before he can get to his honeypot so instead of giving in to his bodily needs, he slowly stands up and looks through the nearest window.
He peers into a small dirty kitchen and swiftly bangs on the glass panel to draw out any inhabitants of the dwelling, dead or alive. Several minutes later, no movement can be detected within so Merle attempts to push open the window and is surprised when it easily slides open. "Finally, a fuckin' break," he smirks to himself as he leaps through the opening and lands on the black-and-white tiled floor. He quickly rummages through the kitchen cupboards, finding only a few cans of cat food. "Fuck that shit, ain't that desperate yet," he mutters to himself as he tosses the cans onto the countertop. He opens the refrigerator door and regrets ever doing so as the pungent odour of rotting food ransacks his nostrils. "Fuck!" he exclaims, slamming the door shut.
As he bends down to check the lower cupboards of the kitchen, his body begins to tremble and shake involuntarily as he is overcome by a wave of nausea and a feeling of light headedness. He stands up on his wobbly legs, grabs onto the countertop with his only hand in order to stop himself from collapsing onto the dust covered floor, and vomits profusely into the kitchen sink, the spew of half-digested food nearly missing the sink completely. Swear pours from his weakened body, blurring his vision and burning his eyes as it drips down his face. It is as though his body has been waiting to enter somewhere safe, and after deeming this scummy apartment secure enough, it decides that it has finally had enough, and begins to exhibits signs of shock and utter fatigue. The sounds of Merle retching mask the creaking made by the opening of the apartment door and the fall of footsteps made by the new arrival.
"How the fuck did you get in here, you undead bastard?" a gruff voice demands, as the person steps cautiously toward Merle.
No one fucking mistakes him for one of those cannibal corpses, Merle thinks to himself as he slowly pushes himself up from the sink. "Fuck you," he growls as he starts to turn around to face this new assailant.
Before he can see who is making those threats, his world begins to pulsate, he can feel his strength fleeting from his body, his vision becomes spotty and everything starts to look grey as his body crumples to the floor. But before he completely succumbs to the dark depths of unconsciousness, he hears his would-be assassin utter, "Holy hell, you're alive!" Then there is darkness.