My story for this week I have actually been working on for a LONG time! I wrote it for my dear friend Kelley. She wanted a story about her and her family so I wrote them as a badass brood who survive a zombie apocalypse. I am honestly beyond proud of this story and I am so happy she loves it as well! So here you are, Kelley's story!
Week
11 (16-22 March 2015)
The Family That Slays
Together Stays Together
“Mom!
The bells!” whispered the little boy down the stairs.
Kelley
tapped her husband and motioned for her son to come towards her, “Go
to your post. Stay quiet and keep watch from your spot. Don't forget,
one whistle for an animal, two for living people and three whistles
if you see a zombie. I love you, now go. Daddy and I will get you
when it is safe,” she explained to her youngest.
She
took the front door as her husband Kacey took the back and they
waited for their signal. Silence over took the air for a few moments
until a breeze rattled the leaves around them. Kelley took in a deep
breath to steady herself. For a moment, the calm was fairly
reminiscent of the days before the dead reanimated and zombies over
took the world. A calm the Hunt family hadn't felt in many years.
Just as she took her deep breath a whistle blew above her head. Only
one but she waited. She had yet to see an animal, or anything else,
walk out of the trees but she didn't hear another whistle. A deer
sauntered out of the trees and Kelley took aim. They would have a
wonderful dinner tonight with the sacrifice of this deer and she was
thankful for that. She was also thankful it was dinner and not
another person, living or dead.
She
shot her deer with a precisely aimed arrow, tapped the porch to let
her husband know she made the kill and watched the deer to make sure
nothing came out after it. That night they ate a modest meal but
Kelley could not help but think of better times. The zombies began to
reanimate and attack over five years earlier. Kelley and her family
had moved to a remote part of the mountains with a small community of
people. They were all scattered around the mountain; close enough to
go to for company and support but far enough away to not attract
unwanted guests or too much noise. Kelley and her house of men may
have been eating a modest meal, they had to preserve the meat as food
was scarce, but they imagined they were dining like kings.
In
the past five years they had lost everything. Ever prepared, the
Hunt's skipped town as soon as they heard people were getting sick,
dying and slaughtering others around them. The death was brutal. A
person would fall ill with flu like symptoms in the beginning. They
would anguish in pain for days. Hospitals were filling to the brim
and supplies were running low because doctors could not figure out
what was causing their patients to be so violently ill. The people
would die but shortly after dying they would come back to life
spewing spit and blood. Entire hospitals were overrun with crazed
people everyone swore was dead. The reanimated dead would rise
without a pulse. They were beginning to rot and their eyes were
glossed over from their lack of a heart beat. They were not strong
but their saliva and blood would infect you with the disease that had
killed them in the first place. Their nails and teeth were decomposed
and jagged allowing disease to seep into their victims body.
Kelley
was honestly surprised at the lack of strength the zombies possessed.
They weren't weak by any means but they certainly didn't have the
brutal strength and power she had imagined. Everyone knew about
zombies. They were a long sought after idea in literature, art,
television and movies for years. They were always displayed as
crazed, man eating beings that could only be killed with a hit to
their brain. The present situation was far more terrifying. They came
back and you couldn't just shoot them in the brain. You had to severe
the brain stem; a tiny target made tinier by the fact that they were
mobile. You could run away yes but people were falling ill at
horrendous numbers. As the disease evolved people would fall savagely
ill and die within hours instead of days. Thousands of zombies wold
inhabit small areas and had no qualms about using numbers to shatter
a door and bite a person. When there were lots of zombies, a person
would be devoured simply due to sheer numbers. The zombies did not
eat, they no longer had working intestines and stomachs, they bit to
spread the disease that occupied their bodies.
After
the first year, those who survived and didn't fall ill noticed the
zombies did not live forever. They would live a couple years until
they were rotted to the brain stem and then they would cease to bite
another day. Their remains were nearly as deadly as their animated
corpses though as the disease still ravaged them. Kelley learned
early on to burn the zombies once they were dead or if she came upon
a departed corpse. In the first two years of the disease, most human
life was destroyed. People were living like gypsies and generally
steering clear of one another. Technology lasted a few months but all
worldly communication was gone. As far as Kelley knew, the whole
world was dark, the whole world had been ravaged by the zombie
disease.
For
being in an overrun world, Kelley, Kacey, Ryot and Raynar lived
relatively normal lives. They worked their land, foraged for food,
Kelley taught the boys school (zombie world didn't mean they
shouldn't know things in her opinion) and lived a quiet peaceful life
that any mountain folk would be used to. They knew how to survive and
protect themselves. The first couple of years were difficult. Living
people were often just as scary as the dead ones. They were robbed of
all their food by one group of people and they had to kill another
group to protect Ryot and Raynar. Fear always lived in their bellies
but it was so normal now it didn't rule their lives.
Spring
was there and the cool breeze mixed with the warm sun led Kelley to
feel it was time to forage for food. She gave he boys their sacks,
their hunting knives and their bows, “Don't forget, keep an eye out
for one another, only kill food if you think we can eat it so we
don't waste animal meat and come back within the next two hours or I
will come looking for you.” She kissed their heads and sent them on
their way. The first couple of years she would have never thought to
let them out of her sight but as time went on the boys grew older,
wiser and incredibly well trained. They really knew nothing but the
zombie disease as a life so she let them enjoy some freedoms near
their home.
Ryot
always stayed near Raynar; he never left his brother's side. He was
the protector and dad would be mad if he didn't do his job protecting
his brother. They scoured the ground looking for edible mushrooms,
leaves, nuts and berries. They filled up their little sacks and
decided to pick wild flowers. The boys would gather as many as they
cold and take them to the neighbors. Their mother was the only one
who still had her husband and children so they figured flowers would
be a small bit of sunshine in this harsh world. First they went to
Mrs. Baker's house. The mountains were never quiet but today they
were. Mrs. Baker's house was frighteningly quiet.
“Stay
here and watch the yard Ray,” Ryot whispered to his brother. The
front door was ajar so Ryot decided to peek inside. He could smell a
warm metallic scent wafting from the upstairs and books were
scattered in the hallway. “Mrs. Baker? Are you okay?” She was an
old lady and Ryot knew it was possible she had fallen but her son
should have been around to help her and he hadn't answered either.
Ryot quickly and alertly walked upstairs. The old staircase creaked
under his light footstep but no other sounds in the house could be
heard. “Mrs. Baker? Alex? Are you guys here?” he opened the door
to Alex's room and was paralyzed in fear. Alex lay in his bed as if
he never woke from sleep. His face was nearly unrecognizable as if
someone had stabbed him several times in the head. He rushed from
Alex's room and ran to Mrs. Baker's. She too had stab wounds in her
head and a large butcher knife protruding from her skull. Someone had
killed them in their sleep and it was most definitely not a zombie.
Ryot dashed down the stairs and out to his brother.
“Is
Mrs. Baker okay?” Raynar realized Ryot looked like a ghost.
“No.
No not at all. She is dead. So is Alex. Someone killed them. We have
to go check on Mrs. Parker and Charlie. Their houses aren't far,”
the boys ran to Mrs. Parker's house. She was also dead in her sleep
for what looked like over a day. Her nephew and cousin lived with her
and they too had been killed in their sleep. They ran over to
Charlie's house. He lived with his sister and their cousin. Charlie
was outside reading when they boys ran up.
“Boys,
is everything okay?”
“Someone
killed Mrs. Baker, Alex and the Parkers. They were stabbed in their
sleep,” huffed Ryot.
“Marie!
Stacey! Get weapons and come to the front! Okay boys, go home. We
will meet you there. Someone is hunting us. I am going to check the
other houses including the ones you went to and see what we have. The
girls will get things ready at your house. We may have to bunker down
and wait for the killer to find us,” Charlie instructed them which
way to go home so the girls could follow behind in a few minutes.
Ryot ran first with Raynar five minutes behind, Marie was five
minutes behind him and so forth with Stacey. If someone was out there
they didn't want to alert them.
Ryot
ran like the wind itself was carrying him. Someone had killed their
friends. They had lived in peace for years with these people. They
had eaten with them, protected them, loved them like family and
someone had killed them. Ryot was always afraid of zombies but today
it wasn't a zombie he feared most. He sprinted over fallen trees and
large rocks until one caught his foot. He thought he had cleared that
last log but his foot caught a tip of it and spilled out onto the
ground. Angrily he cursed the log, gathered his foraged food and
weapons and dusted himself off. That's when he heard a noise.
CRACK!
Behind
him was a zombie. They rarely made their way up the mountain but on
occasion they caught wind of people. The disease inside them guided
them to people and it had found Ryot. He wasn't sure if he should
charge it or if he should shoot it's knees and let it fall so he
could stab it in the head. He decided to shoot the zombie's knees.
First shot was perfect, it hit the knee and the zombie stumbled. It
let out a loud gurgle and Ryot became scared. Others could be near
and they surely would head the sound. He shot the other knee then
slowly but meticulously walked to the fallen zombie, stabbing in the
head where his brain stem was, making sure not to get any fluids on
him in the process.
“That
was a beautiful kill young man,” came a voice from behind a nearby
tree. A man walked out lightly clapping. Ryot spun around wielding
his knife. He knew this was likely the man hunting them, “I knew
several people lived up here but I didn't know you all were such
excellent zombie slayers. Why don't you take me to your house?”
Ryot
wasn't sure what to do but he knew he had to get the man out of their
before Raynar came along, “It's this way,” he motioned to the
left and shuffled his feet as he led the stranger to the left. He
figured his brother would see the killed zombie and his shuffled
steps away and he couldn't have been more correct. Raynar came upon
the zombie and double footsteps leading away from the scene. He
stopped and looked around, listening for voices but couldn't hear any
so he followed the footsteps. Quietly, he finally approached his
brother. They weren't far from home and they had a call in case
anyone was in trouble. He tweeted like a little woodland bird to
alert his parents and their neighbors. Ryot didn't defy his knowledge
of what the whistle meant and the man didn't seem concerned with a
tweeting bird as he walked with his hand on Ryot's shoulder to keep
him from running.
Kelley
was in the front yard waiting for the boys, they should be back any
minute now, when she heard the distinct whistle. Not once, not twice
but three tweets to let her know something was not okay. She ran up
to the porch for her bow and began to follow where she heard the bird
sound. Charlie came bursting through the woods from behind her house.
“Charlie
where are my boys?”
“What
do you mean?” he panicked. They were supposed to be here. He had
come from another neighbor's home where they too were dead.
“Charlie
where are my boys!”
“Shhhh!
Quiet!” he hissed at Kelley, “Get Kacey, we are being hunted.
Your boys are on their way with Marie and Stacey.”
“Hunted?”
“Yes.
Hunted. Someone has killed all of our neighbors in their sleep over
the past week. I think I was next and you guys would have been last
since you're furthest up the mountainside,” Kelley was shocked. All
of their friends were gone. They hadn't lost anyone in over three
years. She ran inside, grabbed Kacey and off they went in search of
their family. Kelley wasn't even scared, she was angry. The zombie
disease did not mean people had to lose their humanity. They would
have taken a stranger in and given them a home. No one needed to die
and now her sons were out there with this maniac. They made their way
through the woods when they heard distant voices. They stopped where
they were and listened as the voices grew closer.
“It
is lovely in these woods, isn't it young man?”
“Why
did you kill my friends?” Ryot spit the words as if they were
daggers themselves.
“This
world is evil now. People are evil. We are not meant to live. Once I
have eradicated all the living people in this world I will kill
myself. We cannot let evil to continue destroying the planet. This
disease is killing us because Mother Nature is angry. I am here to
fix that problem and let the world mend itself without people,”
proudly announced the man.
“You
can't possibly think you could kill every person who remains alive?”
The
man stopped, swung Ryot towards him and yelled, “Of course I can!
Of course I can! I will and your family will be last. I prefer doing
this at night as people slept peacefully but you interrupted my
stalking you little brat!” The man raised his hand to slap Ryot
when swoosh swoosh swoosh three arrows flew from three
different directions. One stuck in the man's raised hand, one in his
left thigh and one in his right knee. As he was about to scream in
pain Ryot punched him in the head knocking him out.
“Ryot!
Are you okay?” Kelley came charging into view with Kacey and
Charlie in tow. Raynar, Marie and Stacey followed suit.
“Yes
mom I am fine. He killed everyone. He did it. Now what are we going
to do?”
Kelley
and Kacey were still reeling from the news, they had only just
learned of everyone's deaths and the situation but only had the
knowledge a few minutes after everyone else. Once they made sure
their boys were okay Kacey made a plan, “Tie him to the tree. We
need to make sure he is alone. Marie take the boys home. They don't
need to see this.”
“The
boys are not leaving, no one is. We need to stay together. If someone
else is out there we will be separated and vulnerable. My boys are
not leaving,” sternly stated Kelley to her visibly annoyed husband.
He took a deep breath and acknowledge it was fine.
They
stood around the man for a while, listening to hear of any others
around. When he finally stirred they all stiffened up. He was tied up
but he had also secretly killed most of the people they knew. He was
clearly stealthy. The man let out a deep groan from his injuries and
blinked his eyes open to see Kacey in his face.
“Is
anyone with you?”
“Yes,”
groaned the man.
“Who?!”
Kacey punched the man in the stomach.
“UGGHH!
Stop!”
“Who
is with you?”
“HAHAHA!
The grass and trees. The deer and bears. Nature is with me. Nature
wants you to die. I am helping the world,” the man chuckled in
pain.
“Dad,
can I talk to you?” Ryot and Raynar went away from the man with
Kacey, “Dad I think he is alone.”
“Yeah,
while I watched them he never once looked for anyone and never
implied anyone was with him,” whispered Raynar. Kacey nodded his
head at his boys. He felt the man was alone as well and they had all
been through enough.
“This
time everyone go to the house. I will deal with him,” he whispered
to them all so the man wouldn't hear, just in case someone did
follow. Everyone walked home and left Kacey alone with the stranger,
“We no longer have law in this world we live in. I have seen people
tear each other apart as often as I have seen zombies. You are a
danger to the world and we cannot rebuild with the likes of you,”
before the man could say another word Kacey shot an arrow through his
head sticking it to the tree he was tied to. The man died instantly
and Kacey went home.
From
then on, the two neighbors lived together. When they needed peace and
quiet they went to Charlie's old house. When a zombie came they were
better equipped to keep an eye out for where it was. They lived in
harmony, or at least as much harmony as survivors of the zombie
disease could live. Never again would a zombie be their worst fear,
in fact they quite enjoyed when a zombie sauntered into their yard.
Zombies were proving safer than people.
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