• Chapter 3: On the Brink of Insanity


    A few days after the Battle of the Lake as we had termed it, I was sitting in my new favorite room; a big, opened room with a very high ceiling and a glass wall facing the hills. It just happened to be sunset, and that’s what I just happened to be watching.

    It was perfect. Watching the sun sink beneath the horizon, it was hard to believe that in the last few days I had been fighting for my life. Watching the sun disappear, I took a deep breath in, and smile for the first time in a long, long while.

    Then someone coughs behind me. I turned around in surprise, to see Clara there, standing and watching me.

    “So, how long have you been standing there?” I asked.

    “Long enough.” She said, and then smiled. “Dinner is ready, if you’re hungry.”

    “I think I can wait a while to eat.” I said.

    “You sure?” she asked. “Matt and Ian raided the food mart today, and they brought back some frozen beef, a few chickens, and some pies. Should last us a while, right?”

    “Not if I went and ate dinner right now,” I replied, and she laughed. For a moment, I wonder what exactly was so funny, but the sound of her laughter distracts me. The noise was a full octave above perfect; I smiled again, wider this time, and joined in the laughter. She pushed me, and I lightly pushed back, then she shoved me forcefully and I fell on my butt, and then we both just started laughing hysterically, shoving back and forth until I fell on the couch, and she sat next to me, and she shoved me again, and before I could sit back up, she grabs my collar and dragged me into a surprise kiss.

    Stunned for a moment, I just sat there, stupidly staring at her, wondering what I was supposed to do. Then I thought to myself; Kiss her back, stupid! So that’s exactly what I do. And as soon as I close my eyes to fully enjoy this surprise kiss, the door slams open, and Ian walked in and looked at us.

    “Oh… um… dinner is ready.” He awkwardly walked out the door.

    Clara pulled away from me and smiled, and I sat there for another moment, and lean back in the chair. “I’ll come down and eat dinner in a minute or two.” I said, and she nodded, and then walked out of the room. I smiled, quite pleased with myself. Then I too walked downstairs to eat.
    At the dinner table, I looked at all my friends, everyone who had survived with us. From the four of us that started out together, to the crazy chick with the shotgun who joined at the farm, to Shrimp, the pathological liar and escape artist, and Jonathan, the psychotic, bloodthirsty sniper. How the seven of us, who under normal circumstances, most likely would either hate each other, or never had even met, were sitting here at this dinner table, closer than family.

    Looking at me from across the table, Clara smiles, then looked down. I tried to smile back, but she turned too quickly and didn’t see. I shrugged, then turned to enjoy this chicken dinner, compliments of Matt and Ian.
    After dinner, Matt walked into the freezer room, and brought out a few boxes.

    “What’re those?” I asked, rubbing my stomach that was full to bursting.

    He smiled.

    “PIE!”
    I guess I wasn’t THAT full….

    After another session of stuffing our faces, we sat around the table, moaning in self-pity.

    “Uuugh… I definitely should NOT have eaten that twelfth piece of pie…” moaned Matt, as Daniel, the only one who ate with some self-control, laughed to himself.

    “You probably shouldn’t have eaten the FOURTH piece of pie, let alone the eight more after that!” I said, and then turned back to my own stomach. I felt like I’ve gained fifteen pounds in one meal, and another seven or eight pounds for dessert. I was surprised I wasn’t vomiting everywhere. Then we looked out the window, and saw the moon was sitting in the middle of the sky, and it’s probably getting pretty late.
    “We should probably go to bed now,” I said, then got an idea to get Clara’s attention. “At least, I am. You should rest up too, Shrimp, you’re coming with me on tomorrow’s food run.”

    He looked at me with wide eyes. “What?”

    Clara looked at me with eyes even wider. “WHAT???”

    “You heard me; I’m taking Shrimp on a food run tomorrow.” I said, and crossed my arms. “And if you have something to say, I suggest you share it with us.”

    “There is NO WAY IN HELL you were taking Shrimp on a food run!” Clara screamed at me.

    “Awww!!! But Claaaaarrrrraaaaaa……” Shrimp whined. “I reeeaaaaaallyyy wanted to go….” And he started to pout and put on his biggest, shiniest puppy dog eyes.

    Clara turned to me, and punched me square in the face. “If he has a SINGLE SCRATCH when you two get back, you’re going to wish you had never been born!” she walked away, flustered and shaking her hands around her head.

    I wiped my face a little, and turned to Shrimp, then gave the little guy a high five. “Alright, man. Get to bed, so you’re not all exhausted when we go exploring tomorrow.” Shrimp hopped up, his face still shining with glee that’s bordering on maniacal. I turned to Ian and laughed.

    “What the hell, man?” Ian said. “This is a really stupid idea.”

    “Don’t worry, I have it covered.” I said.

    “Some sort of plan?” he asked.

    “You could say that,” I replied, then turned my back to the table and fold my arms.

    “Let’s just say… I have a feeling things are going to be a little interesting tomorrow.”

    “Interesting like, how?” Matt asked.

    “Like, figure out what the hell we’re going to do, interesting.” I replied, and then walked away from the table. I headed to the Map Room, which was once some sort of dining hall, converted to a planning room, with a large circular table in the middle. Nailed to the table, a map of the town and surrounding area. All the spots likely to have food had been marked in red, and all the spots that had already been searched were crossed out in black.

    Checking the large map, I saw that most of the red spots had already been marked off. Looking around even more, I saw there were only 3 spots left on the map that hadn’t already been searched. I sighed to myself. “Well, it was nice while it lasted…” I turned back to the wall, and put my hands behind my head. I walked towards the couch near the wall, and right as I started to sit down, Ian walked in the room.

    “Thought I’d find you here.”

    “Yeah… you know this is the last week in this house. And if tomorrow’s food run isn’t a good one, it might be our last night here.” I said, nearly monotone.

    “Well, as long as we all stick together, we’re probably safe.” Ian said.

    “I’m not worried about sticking together,” I said.

    “Then what are you worried about?” he asked, with one eyebrow raised.
    I shifted uncomfortably. Then I walked over to the map table. I pointed to our mansion. “This is where we are now, right?” I said.

    “Yeah… why?”

    “Where are we going to go? There are mountains to the east and west. South is Mordreth, which was where we just came from less than a month ago, and something tells me wiping out the Nest didn’t kill the crazies. The only direction to go is north, and that’s the direction that BOTH of the last swarms came from.” I said, scratching my head.

    “Well… could you fly us over the mountain?” Ian asks, in a pathetic attempt at a plan B.

    I looked at him as if he’s growing a second head.

    “You’re right. Sorry, stupid idea…” he shrugged, and then walked over to the corner.

    “Maybe…” I pulled out a green marker off the table, then walked towards the table and uncap the marker.

    “Maybe what?” Ian asked.

    “Well, if we could get to here, with some supplies…” I underlined a bus depot at the far west side of town.

    “What kind of supplies?” Ian asked.

    “Food, water. Just supplies. Maybe grab something to trick out some of those buses out to be crazy-smashing machines?” I replied.

    “And just drive out of here?” Ian said. “And where exactly would we go? We couldn’t very well drive around forever.”

    I sighed. I thought it was a good idea, but the more I thought it over, the more I realized how desperate the situation was. “Every plan has a few good flaws,” I said.

    Now it was Ian’s turned to looked at me as if I were growing a second head.

    “Whatever, man…” he sighed, and walked out of the map room.
    A while passed, and I scuttled about the room, scribbling notes on pieces of paper and sticky notes, then putting them on the large corkboard on the far side of the Map Room. Then returned to the map, drew a few lines with a pencil, scratched my head. Thought it over for a moment. Erased that line, going in that direction would never work. Thought for another moment. Walked back over to the corkboard, looked at my notes. Hustled back to the map; drew a line taking a less direct route. Smiling, I clapped, and then capped the marker.

    Right as I head for the door, it opens in front of me, and Daniel walked in.
    “So, what’s all this about a ‘convoluted scheme’?” he asked.

    “Was that what he called it?” I laugh, and then show Dan to the map, and my notes on the corkboard.

    A few moments of him studying, he turns to me. “Seems solid enough, definitely possible…”

    “Possible?” I asked. “Just how ‘possible’ were we talking here?”

    “I’d said, and this was just a guess…” he pauses, then looked around. “Dramatic enough for a dramatic pause?” He asks, after a few seconds.

    “A few more seconds wouldn’t kill it,” I said. “But enough with the dramatic pause. Tell me about the plan!”

    “Oh. Right. The plan… let’s see here… I’d say… about a 45% chance of survival and completion of this plan, as you have it.” He said.

    “Only 45% chance?” I ask, disheartened. I sigh, and turned back towards the corkboard. “Well, it’s the only chance we have of actually getting out of here alive… right?” I asked.

    “True…” Daniel replied.

    “Well, sounds like we have a plan.” I said. Then I walked out of the Map Room.

    “Where were you going?” Daniel asked.

    “Bed,” I replied. “Big day tomorrow…”

    I woke up to the smell of something burning. Instantly panicking, I jumped over the railing into the kitchen. I looked around for the source of the smell, and I saw Ian standing over the oven, and what used to be a pie sitting on the counter.

    “What did you do?” I ask.

    “I figured, since we were leaving soon, and we have some leftover pie…” he said.

    “You crazy fool! You could’ve burned the house down!” I said, my voice rising slightly.

    “Jeez, you sound like my mother!” he replied. We both look at each other for a moment, very seriously. Then, we both burst into random laughter.
    Then Clara and Shrimp walked into the room, followed by Jonathan and Matt. They stared for a moment, then, after I explained quickly, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Then I looked around, and notice something missing.

    “Hey, where’s Dan?”

    “Oh, he’s in the Map Room, something about a ‘convoluted scheme’.” Clara answered.

    “Alright. Well, while he looks that over, I guess Shrimp and I should start that food run.” I said, and then laughed.

    Shrimp ran over to me. “Alright! Let’s go!!” he said, already more enthusiastic than I could handle without going crazy. I looked to Ian, and he chuckled lightly.

    “This is going to be… interesting,” I sighed.

    Matt laughed, “Well, you two have fun now!”

    “Oh, just OODLES.” I reply sarcastically, and grabbed the food backpack, and immediately walked out the door. I turned towards Shrimp, and said,

    “So, you ready?”

    “Yeah! Let’s go!” he shouted excitedly.

    “Alright, just a few ground rules before we get started,” I warned.

    “Rules?” he said, instantly less enthusiastic. “What kind of rules?”

    “Well, Rule one: stick with me at all times, no matter what.” I said, and tried to make my voice sound either threatening or intimidating.

    “Sounds easy enough,” he retorted.

    “Rule two: shoot the crazies.”

    “Pfft. Obviously,” he snorted.

    “Rule three: if you fail to obey rule number one, chances are you will die unless you hide. So if you run even though I told you not too, hide until there are no more noises. Got it?” I spoke quietly and cautiously, as if we were about to be ambushed.

    “Uh huh…” he sighed, now uninterested.

    “And rule four: stay fast, stay quiet, and do NOT under ANY circumstances will we started screaming. Even if we get attacked, I need you to stay quiet. Ok?”

    “Alright, sounds good.” He said.

    “Ok, then let’s head on out.” And I walked down the hill, kid tailing behind me.

    I pulled out the map I copied down, with the list of places still unchecked. The closest one to us was on the far west side of the plaza that the clock tower was in, near the middle of town. Not too far, but quite a walked for someone smaller. So, deciding that flying would mean being spotted by any crazies still around here, I stopped behind one of the houses. It was a two story, wood-paned house with green shutters and beige painted siding.
    I ran around to the front, and saw exactly what I was looking for: a garage. Hoping it wasn’t locked, I try and opened it. “Of course.” I said when I heard the grinding of the lock mechanism as I tried to push the door handle up.

    “Looks like we’re gonna have to do this the hard way,” I said, and turned to Shrimp. “Back up.”

    “Don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, then scurried a few feet behind me. I imagine the back of the garage door; just thought about it for a moment. The bars holding it in place, the lock mechanism sitting on the center of the door. I imagine inside the lock mechanism, and slowly push apart, unlocking the door. I try opening it again and sure enough if it didn’t open. I smiled, and turned to Shrimp.

    “That works, I guess.” He said. “Now, what were we doing, raiding some random person’s garage?” He looked around the now opened garage.

    “There’s a car, but that might be too noisy…” I walked into the garage, looking around frantically and quickly for an item of particular interest. Shrimp walked in after me, after checking nervously around outside, looking down the street.

    “Hurry up, whatever you’re looking for,” Shrimp said.

    “There. Bikes,” I said, pulling out two bicycles, although both slightly large for Shrimp.

    “Uh…” He stammered, suddenly no longer confident in our plan.
    “What?” I asked, to which his reply was the most unfortunate:

    “I never learned how to ride a bike.”

    I stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. “You didn’t know how to ride a bike?” I ask, momentarily stunned.

    “Nope…” he said, clearly disappointed in himself for ruining my idea.
    “Looks like I’m going to learn how to drive,” I replied, and opened the (thankfully) unlocked car door. Starting the car, however, turned out to be a bit more challenging. I put my finger on the ignition slot, and tried to see my way inside it through my mind. The unfamiliar metal and confusing wires made no sense; I didn’t even know how to try and started the car.
    “So much for THAT idea,” I heard Shrimp mutter as we walked down the driveway, away from the house.

    “Well, we successfully wasted about five minutes,” I said, trying to lighten the mood of failure.

    “We didn’t have five minutes to waste,” the kid replied, shaking his head.
    “Then, I guess that means we have to fly,” I said, and picked us both up. I turned us to the direction of the first spot; a group of houses clustered in a cul-de-sac, and then landed in the backyard of the largest house.
    “Alright. So, you take the upstairs, I’ll take the downstairs.” I said.

    “What happened to Rule number one?” Shrimp said sarcastically.

    “We’ll be in the same house. Close enough for me to not have to worry about you ditching me. And besides, I’m on the downstairs, if anything’s up there just came down the stairs and I’ll take care of it.” I retorted.

    “Fat chance,” Shrimp sneered, as he loads the shotgun we grabbed. He pumped it, and heads inside the house. I thought I’m really starting to like this kid.

    I headed inside, and looked around. A dead body, well into decomposition, was sitting on the couch, facing the wall, where another corpse, this one much fresher, was laying with part of its skull missing. Closer inspection reveals a .44 magnum in the first cadaver’s hand, which I pried, quite literally, from its cold, dead fingers.

    Looking at this new weapon, I check the ammo, and it only had 3 shots left. “Oh well,” I said. “There’s bound to be ammo around here somewhere.” I went into the kitchen, not forgetting the original reason we came. I opened the fridge, wondering if any food survived this long.
    My hopes were crushed as the smell of rotting food crosses my nostrils. A wave of nausea passed over me, but just to make sure, I opened the fridge even further, and peer inside. Rotting food sat on plates in plastic wrap, spoiled milk in glasses on the shelf. At this point, the smell was too much, and I shut the door.

    I headed towards the pantry, in hopes of better luck.

    I opened the pantry door, and saw a few cans of soup. As sick of soup as I was, I grabbed the cans anyway and put them in my backpack. Knowing full well that these few cans won’t last more than a day, I kept looking.
    A spilled box of instant mashed potatoes, a few crumbs, shredded cereal boxes. Nothing of any value. Except an interesting box lying on the floor, under the lowest shelf, back behind the corner of the door.

    I pull it out, and opened it, examining its contents. A small handgun, probably not very powerful, and its barrel cracked. No good. I tossed it to the side, and kept scrounging around. I found a few more rounds for my new .44, and put them in my pocket. I found a large knife, and a strap for it, so I attach it to my belt.

    Looking around, the box emptied, I spotted a pile of crazies lying on the floor. Now I knew what happened to the former inhabitants of this home.
    But it made me realize something: that meant that there were more survivors than we thought!

    That means that we may meet some more people, we may even be able to build a fortress and start a survivor city! Or something like that, I thought to myself, snapping myself out of random hopes.

    Then, I heard a scream from upstairs. But it wasn’t Shrimp’s voice. I knew that scream all too well to stay down here. I looked up, and, probably against my better judgment, I flew through the ceiling, breaking a hole and going up to the second story. A quick look around told me I was in the wrong room, so I went for the door.

    Of course, it was locked.

    Not having time to do the telekinetic lock-pick trick (catchy, isn’t it?), I tore the door off its hinges and threw it behind me. I rushed out of the room, my mind already racing, imagining different things that might have happened.

    Then, the scream again, and I know exactly what’s going on: Shrimp was under attack. Obviously, I think sarcastically to myself.

    I was right at the door the screaming was coming from, and I blasted it open. It flew through the room, and smacked into the crazy that was standing over Shrimp, about to attack.

    Shrimp was cowering in the corner, staring wide eyed at the crazy, its body now hanging out the window, dangling like a rag-doll. Then, he looked at me, and scoffed.

    “I had it covered,” he said, and his voice shook just enough for me to know he was lying.

    “Yeah, that must have been why you were hiding in a corner with your gun across the room,” I snorted, and handed him his shotgun.

    “Yeah, thanks.” Shrimp said, then grabbed the gun and headed out of the room.

    “Hey, was that the only one?” I asked, and he stopped in the doorway, and pauses for a moment.

    “I think so, but we should probably be careful anyway.”

    I walked out the door after Shrimp, looking around for any crazies still lingering about. A low growl rumbled behind me. I turned swiftly, ready to strike out-

    And a very large, nearly wolf-like dog stood in the hall, staring at us with its teeth bared.

    “Good doggy. Nice doggy…” I said, and then whispered to Shrimp, without taking my eyes off the dog:

    “Were animals affected by the machine?”

    “Not as far as I know,” he whispered back.

    I looked around quickly, hoping to found anything to distract the dog. A purple chew-toy in the shape of a bone lies a few feet to my right, in the doorway to a bedroom.

    Perfect.

    I reached out to the chew-toy, and launched it towards the dog. The dog leaps up, and catches the toy in mid-air with powerful jaws.

    “It’s good,” I said, and turned to Shrimp and smile. “You good with animals?”

    “Not a chance,” he replied, with a hint of what I thought was sarcasm. He walked up to the dog, and points to the ground. The dog immediately responded by dropping the toy, waiting eagerly for the toy to be thrown again.

    “Sorry, but we don’t had time for fetch,” Shrimp said, almost sympathetically. He reached out for the bone toy, and the dog ran happily in a circle, thinking the game was on.

    Shrimp tossed the toy bone behind us, into a bedroom. The dog followed, and then Shrimp slammed the bedroom door shut before the dog could react. I looked at him, and said,

    “You realize you just killed a dog by starvation, right?”

    “Yeah, so?” he shrugged, and turns and ran down the stairs. I follow, but halfway down the stairs, I opened the door a crack. The dog, busy chewing on the toy, didn’t notice as I quietly slid the rest of the way down.
    I looked out the window, hoping the clutter of recent events hasn’t attracted any unwanted attention. Nothing moving that I could see. We’re clear.

    I tap Shrimp on the shoulder, and point to the front door, which was hanging opened on its hinges.

    “That wasn’t like that when we came here, was it?” I ask.

    “Uh… No?” Shrimp said, and looked around again.

    Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong.

    I turned and looked behind us, and I didn’t see anything suspicious. No blood, no bodies…

    No bodies. Something moved the rotting corpses that were here earlier.
    Either moved them… Or something else entirely.

    “Where’d the bodies go?” I asked Shrimp, and he looked around.
    “Wait, what?” he asks, then it hits him. He sees the lack of previously found corpses. “What in the world…” He gets cut off by a shriek in the distance.

    We both jumped around this time, looking in the direction of the distant scream. The direction of the mansion.

    “So much for a food run,” I said, with a little more than a hint of sarcasm.
    I picked up Shrimp, and then jumped in the direction of the mansion, and grabbed myself in mid-air, and started heading towards our destination.