Young Writers Society

Word Count: 2964

The trio rushed down the wreck filled road and took a moment to view the strip mall in front of them.The parking lot was clear save for a few bodies of those that were trying to get away from either the crazies or the mob of people that undoubtedly came to get supplies.“Alright.Sue-Anne goes and gets the belt we need.Jerry and I will go to the grocery store and gather as many supplies as we can in that time.”

“See you fellas at the finish line,” Sue-Anne said bolting across the street.

Jerry and Roy hurried over to the grocery store, surprised to find that the electronic doors still worked when the locked doors attempted to open.Smashing through the glass windows with the butts of their guns, they quickly entered the store.Head height shelves lined with food were dimly lit by the emergency lights that dotted the store and the beams from the small lights on the sides of Roy and Jerry's weapons.“I'll bet this store has its own backup generator,” Roy said quietly.Moving around to the other side of the registers the duo each grabbed a cart and pushed it down the main aisle.“I'll go for canned goods.You get the formula and baby stuff.You should probably get diapers and the like too if you see any.”

Pushing his cart down the aisle and making a quick right he stopped in front of the cans of formula.He quickly checked both ends of the aisle before looking at the cans.Not sure what to get he just started filling the cart with everything that they had.Reaching over to another empty cart he began dropping bags of diapers and wipes into it.Hearing a can drop he quickly raised his shotgun.His flashlight illuminating a man dressed in a police uniform with a revolver aimed at him.“Put the weapon on the ground,” the policeman ordered.

Jerry could see the frightened forms of a small group behind him.“I'll lower my weapon if you lower yours,” Jerry countered.As an act of good faith, Jerry started to lower the muzzle of his shotgun and the policeman followed suit.“I'm with a group of survivors.We have a baby.I'm just trying to get some formula and diapers.My friend is over in canned goods trying to get some more food.”

The policeman nodded.“We're just taking cover here for a bit.Take what you need.Did you see any cruisers out there?”

“No.There's nothing moving out there.Do you guys have a plan to get out of here?”

“We're just gonna stay out of sight until we get to safety.”

“Jerry, what's taking so long?” Roy asked coming around the corner with a cart full of cans.“I see you have company.”

“You think we got room?” Jerry asked.

“We'll make room,” Roy stated.“If you guys want, you can join up with us.We've got a truck big enough for everyone.”

“We're headed to the shelter,” an older man said quickly.

“The shelter is destroyed,” Jerry said.“There's nothing there.The crazies got in and it isn't safe anymore.Come with us and we'll get out of here.”

“I told you,” a smaller man said holding up a bible.“Those people were blasphemers.God is punishing them for their sins.”

“What?” Jerry questioned.

“That's just Craig.Ignore him,” the policeman said.“If the shelter really is gone then we would sure appreciate a ride.”

“Alright, then you guys can help us out.Get as many carts of food and baby stuff as you can manage and take it to the front.We're gonna wheel them out of here,” Roy said turning his cart around.

“Got your belt guys!” Sue-Anne said waving the piece around in the air.“Oh, hey Carl.”

“Sue-Anne?What're you doing here?” the policeman answered.

“Helpin' these guys fix their truck,” she responded.

“Well, at least you guys got the best mechanic around,” Carl said holstering his revolver.

“Shoot Carl.If I was anymore lady-like I'd be blushin'.”

“If you were any kind of lady-like maybe you wouldn't be a drunk that I would have to keep in the tank for days at a time,” Carl jeered back.

“Alright,” Roy chuckled, “Let's get the food and get going.I don't want to leave the rest of our group out there for too much longer.”

With ten carts of food being pushed and pulled down the road, Jerry was feeling pretty good about their chances of survival.“What the fuck happened?!” Roy called from the front of the line.Jerry quickly ran up and saw Bryan, with a cracked skull, lying in a pool of his own blood and Greg holding a bloody crowbar.“Somebody better start talking!”

“He said he was gonna nap for a minute,” Dave said quickly.“He sat down and a few minutes later he attacked us.He was acting like one of the crazies so... we killed him.”

Jerry walked over to Bryan's unmoving body and pulled up his right sleeve.“He was bitten.I'll bet it was Pat,” he said.“Less than twenty-four hours.That's a fast kill rate.”The good feeling that he had vanished like dew at sunrise.It seemed with every step of progress they achieved, they would lose ground somewhere else.

“Alright,” Roy said patting Greg on the shoulder.“You did good.Go sit in the truck for a bit.We'll get this.”

Jerry and Roy stood guard as Sue-Anne got up in the hood of the truck and started weaving the serpentine belt around the pulleys. Everyone else, under Carl's instruction, started to load up the truck with the newly acquired supplies.Jerry paused a moment hearing Craig talking to the rest of the group in a hushed tone.Walking up slowly, he could start to hear what he was saying. “We need to return to the path of righteousness.God is punishing us for our sins and wants us to repent.These men are murders and beyond God's help; but, we can be saved.Let's abandon these blasphemers and pray for redemption.”

Jerry could see that Craig's words were starting to make the group uneasy.Beth's eyes darted about in fear that this man might attack them.Unwilling to hear another word, or watch this man terrify this small group, Jerry walked up to Craig and drove his fist as hard as he could into Craig's face, knocking him down.Craig stared up at him in shock as two small streams of blood began to trickle out of his nose.“Shut the fuck up,” Jerry growled.“We need to stick together now.Our only chance of survival is if we work together and watch each other's backs.I know you're scared.I'm fucking terrified.But we can't scatter now.If we divide now, none of us are going make it through this.We can do this together.We can survive.”His small speech seemed to inspire the group, and they began filling the truck with a renewed sense of purpose.

“My, my,” an older woman said.“I need to sit down, William.This is more excitement than I'm used to.”

“You go ahead, Anna,” the older man, William, responded.“We've got enough strong, young bodies here to take care of this.”Anna sat down and leaned back against the building.Her eyes slowly closing.

Jerry walked back to the front of the truck and was met with an approving nod.“I think you handled that nicely,” Roy commented.“A little brash, but nicely.”

“Yeah,” Jerry said.“Just hurt my hand.”He rubbed at his knuckles.Quietly wondering if he broke one of them.

“The more you do it, the less it hurts,” Roy laughed.

“Alright,” Sue-Anne said dropping down to the ground.“Your good to go.”

“Sue-Anne, we could really use a good shot like you.Come with us,” Roy asked.

“You sure it isn't my feminine wiles that you're attracted to?” Sue-Anne teased.“I think I will.I got nothin' better to do anyways.My pickup is just around the corner.I'll lead you guys out of the city.I know the quickest, unbarricaded route out of here.”

“Alright everyone.Let's load up,” Roy called walking to the back.

“Anna, it's time to go,” William said sweetly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.“Anna?”He shook her a little as panic started to creep into his voice.“Anna, wake up hun!”

Roy walked over and placed his fingers against her neck.Placing a hand on William's shoulder he whispered, “I'm sorry.She's gone.”

“I thought she was just resting.She had been tired for some time,” William said through the tears.Sitting next to her he cradled her body to himself.

“William,” Carl said quietly, “We have to go.”

Jerry knelt beside him.“I know it's hard; but, we have to keep moving.”

William looked to Jerry with a kind gaze.“We've been married for fifty-three years.Been together for fifty-seven.In all that time we never once broke up or even have a thought about divorce.I couldn't leave her then.I can't leave her now.”

Jerry nodded slowly in understanding.Carl pulled out his revolver and held it out to William.“There are only six bullets.Make sure to save at least one,” he said.William nodded taking the revolver in his hand and waved the group away.Piling into the truck, Roy and Jerry took their usual spots in the front of the truck.

Turning the key, the truck rumbled to life, and the group took off down the road once again.“It's nice to know that there are some things that will never change,” Jerry mentioned.

“Like what?” Roy asked.

“Like how hearing how long those two have been together still amazes me.Even when things like that don't matter anymore, it's still amazing.”Roy nodded.A pickup filled with guns and hundreds of bottles of liquor pulled in front of them and the pair started laughing.“I'll bet you money that's Sue-Anne.”

“Hey boys,” Sue-Anne's voice said over the radio.“I was starting to think you weren't comin'.You like what's in the back?I raided a gun store and liquor shop before we met.”

“Glad I didn't take that bet,” Roy commented before picking up the radio.“Nice to hear from you.How long until we're out of the city?”

“I don't know.Never timed it,” Sue-Anne responded.

“Well, just make sure we don't get any dead ends,” Jerry said.“We have a rather large following.”Jerry took a glance into the mirror next to him and watched the large crowd of crazies that were following the truck.“I don't know if we could run our way through something like that.”

“I'm guessing that diesel you guys are driving is bringing them to us,” Sue-Anne commented.“That thing is loud as hell.”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Jerry heard Beth cry from the back.

Turning Jerry tried to see what what happening as the group was leaning out the back of the truck.“What is that crazy fucker doing on top of your truck?!” Sue-Anne blared over the radio.

Jerry stuck his head out of the window and saw Craig climbing up the side of the truck to the roof, and in his arms he held a bundle of blankets.Jerry felt his heart literally stop for a moment when he saw a small hand reach up out of blankets toward the passing street lights.“He's got Marian!” Jerry cried.

“We can't stop!” Roy yelled.“Go get that fucker!”

Jerry opened the door of the truck, watching the asphalt zip underneath his feet.Stepping out onto the metal ledge that ran along the side of the truck he pulled himself from the safety of the cab to the outside.The door slammed closed after being struck by a light pole that barely missed Jerry's lean body.The wind whipped against Jerry with a loud howl in his ears.Over the screaming wind, he could hear Craig's mad rants about “falling from the path” and “sacrifice of clean blood.”Dragging himself on top of the truck he could see Carl peeking his head out of the cloth fabric that covered the sides of the truck's bed.Craig lifted Marian over his head as he screamed at the sky, trying to appeal to God who we had, apparently, offended in some fashion.“We give you this sacrifice of innocent blood to pay for our transgressions,”Craig cried as Jerry snuck up behind him.“We the harlots, and murderers.The liars, the cheats, the lustful, and adulterers.We repent of our sins, oh Lord.”Craig lifted Marian high into the air, ready to cast her to the mob of gnashing teeth and grasping hands.“Accept this – our payment – for our sins!”Jerry quickly reached up pulling Marian from Craig's hands and rushed back to the front of the truck.Handing her off to Carl, he turned and drew his pistol to take care of Craig.Before he could get a shot off, Craig barreled into him.Wrestling for the firearm, Jerry lost it and it slid over the edge of the truck, disappearing in the darkened street.“You can't interfere with what must be done!God demands sacrifice!”

Jerry grabbed Craig's shirt and smashed his skull against Craig's face.Jerry groaned in pain with Craig as he gave himself a headache from the badly delivered headbutt.Rolling to his feet Jerry began swinging at Craig with all his might and Craig returned every punch with his own.The two dropped to the roof of the truck as they made a hard turn.Jerry propelled himself toward Craig as they came out of the turn and rolled toward the back of the truck.Landing underneath Craig again, the crazed religious nut pushed his head back over the side of the truck.In his peripheral, Jerry could see that a light pole was coming up and his head was aimed to have a very violent encounter with the wooden beam.Doing what he originally thought he could never do to another man, Jerry kicked him hard in the balls and rolled away from the edge.Jerry reeled back as his foot nearly sent him plummeting off the back of the truck when it half rested on air.A cut over his eye and his cheek bruising he squared off against Craig.Jerry began wishing that he had taken that offer to go to boxing camp when he was a kid.Weaving away from a jab, Jerry grabbed Craig by the shirt and started hammering him with his right fist until Craig could barely see.Holding him on the edge of the truck by his shirt, Jerry contemplated whether he should let him fall or not.“God demands blood!It's the only payment for our sins that he will accept!” Craig cried over the howling wind.“You have to see that this is the only way!He demands blood!”

Jerry pulled him close.“Then yours will have to do,” he growled before shoving him back.Craig lost his footing and fell, rolling on the pavement.He cried out in horror as the mob that had been following the truck bared down on him.He limped after the truck in a desperate attempt to flee from the hungry beasts that were ready to prey on him.His fearful screams slowly faded as the truck continued on, with Jerry watching every gruesome moment of the mob surrounding and dividing handfuls of Craig to the rest of the crowd.

Jerry crawled down into the back of the truck and took Marian from Carl, cradling her close to his chest and collapsed to the floor.He began sobbing, having nearly lost everything in his tiny world for a second time.He stared at Marian's smiling face, relieved that he had been there in time to save at least one of them.He rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears, as Marian gave out a giggle.“Where are as supposed to go now?”Beth asked, giving Jerry the bottle that she had been feeding Marian.“That safe house was our last option.”

“We'll just have to make our own safe house,” Carl said quietly.“We can rebuild using whatever rag tag skills that we might have that could be of use.”

“It would have to be rather remote to avoid the crazies,” Roy said from the front.

“I hate to be eavesdroppin',” Sue-Anne said over the radio.“You left your mic open.I got a cousin in Kansas that owns his very own missile silo.It's underground, so it's easy to defend and he's got lots of land for farming.I'm sure that he would be willing to work with us in giving us a place to live if we help grow food.”

“You have an address?” Roy asks.

“No, but I know that it's just outside of Great Bend.If we get there I can just guide us to his place.”

“What you think, Jerry?” Roy asked.

“Why are you asking me?” Jerry asked.“You're the military trained guy.”

“Because in my book you're my partner.I don't make decisions without consulting with you.”

Jerry looked to the rest of the group.He could see that they were tired and the loss of the safe house has devastated their morale.“All we can do is keep moving forward.Let's go for it,” Jerry responded.A small amount of hope crept back into the group's eyes.Roy punched the destination into the GPS, getting a confirmation in a feminine, robotic voice.“Let's hope that this one actually pays off.”