part 8!

From a girl’s perspective. (sadie!)

the sun beams hit me directly in my eyes. i cannot see. i am momentarily blind. is there anyone in the boat? i squint as i walk, continuing to round the bend.

slam. i scream. limbs and bodies go flailing – mostly my own because i feel like i just hit a brick wall.  the burns on my stomach flair in pain again.
“sadie! sadie you’re ok!” arms fling around my waist.
“benjamin….ow!” i yelp breathlessly.
“oh. sorry. what’s wrong?”
“oh just some casualties of war.  my stomach is killing me. i think i sprained my wrist.”
i can see again. there is a man standing beside ben. survivors! i almost sink to the ground in relief.  maybe the town had been evacuated.
“hi there. i’m sadie.”
“frank. hammill.” he says in a short tone.  i raise my eyebrows. frank is rigid and gruff like a man in his late fifties but he’s probably closer to 33. he has shaggy brown hair and a scruffy beard.  in other circumstances i might have looked twice.
“are you from the village? are most of the people safe? have they left town?”
“not likely.” he doesn’t elaborate.
“do you know what’s going on here?”
“not sure. but we will have time for that later.” he looks at ben.  “now that we’ve found the other girl, maybe we should take them back to my house and then continue to look for the other boys.” i see ben cringe at the word ‘boys’. this man is only a couple years older, yet obviously condescending us. do we really seem like mere children to the guy?

frank continues. “it is going to start to get dark soon. i am telling you now, they will want to be somewhere safe. you have seen the very least of the problems in this town. it’s part of the reason i haven’t been able to call anyone for help.  i got in last night. late. village was already in mayhem. i didn’t leave the basement until i heard the two of you blundering around upstairs.” i almost laugh. i probably would have in another situation. it was almost exhilerating to see ben get put in his place.
“and you. how fucking stupid to you have to be to go wandering into a house alone after what you’ve seen?” i am instantly unamused.
“oh i’m sorry that you don’t approve.” i start with attitude. “but we were sitting all alone down here while the boys had disappeared. forgive us if we wanted to find some protection.” i glance over their shoulders and see the girls and jake sitting in the boat.  and a dog? i would save those questions for later.

“ryan and bradley?”
“Went to call 911. never came back.” ben shakes his head. “wish we hadn’t split up.” i can see frank, almost gloating behind him. i do not like this man.
I glance back at the boat again. the girls are huddled in a bunch. there are a couple, by what i can see from a small distance, two corpses (headles?) by the water. clearly it had not been fun and games for anyone today.
“ben. i think frank’s right. if he says its going to get worse at night. we should get everyone to some type of safety. i had like four try to attack me today. luckily they were slow but i’m tired. and in pain and if i have to fight something off right now, it will overtake me.”

ben looks at me, then frank and then back to the others. he begins to nod. reluctantly. i begin to walk down the path toward the small group in the boat.
“sadie!” melody calls. “we were so worried about you!” mira and melody jump off the boat and we embrace in a tight hug. sammie hangs back. after only two days, we haven’t had the time to get to know each other but there is relief written on her face.  I jump into the boat and grab her in a quick hug.  we all deserve it.
“whats with the dog?” i finally have to know.
“ben found it.”
there are so many stories that need to be told but with the sinking sun hanging ominously in the west i bite my tongue. i tell the others that we are heading somewhere more protected.  the thought of getting off the boat again has them grimacing reluctance but they begin to follow me up the path to ben and frank.

as we begin back up the hill, frank in the lead, i hear him muttering about the extra burden and frustration we would cause him. i roll my eyes. whatever. hopefully by evening this place will be swarming with cops and ambulances.

I keep my eyes peeled for any signs of life and remember the incident when i saw someone running through the houses.
“hey! were any of you running away from something earlier? through the houses further up the hill?”
everyone shakes their head. “why?” mira asks.
“i saw someone running. i heard a shout.”
“why were you at the other end of town.” frank inquires.
“i — uhm..had an incident and freaked out. i didn’t stop running until i was as far away from whatever those people have become as possible.”
“how long ago?”
“probably only 10 or 15 minutes ago.”
ben checks his watch. it’s been just over an hour since we arrived.
“definitely wasnt any of us. maybe it was brad or ryan.”

i don’t know if i should feel hopeful because they were still alive then. or worried because they were running. i see mira’s pain etched face. “don’t worry hun. they aren’t fast. brad could definitely outrun them!”

“ok. enough talking.” frank demands. “its getting too late in the day to feel confident that there will be nothing around.  i was depending on your friends to make a 911 call but no one has arrived so i have to deduce theywere never able to do it. i will call when we get back to my house.”

everyone becomes silent. this guy really knows how to make people feel better. what a jerk.

we walk  between houses and down streets. nothing is paved here. just small gravel lanes that weave through the homes.

the crunching beneath our feet lulls me into a drowsy gait. my body is exhausted. my mind is swimming with questions and possibilities and things we could have done differently up to this point.  why didn’t we just drive into the other town? why didn’t we call 911 right away? why did any of us split up?

i almost splutter out a laugh when i realize we’ve made all the mistakes that happen in dumb horror flicks. all the times i had watched a movie and thought – there is no way i would be so stupid! and here we are. so stupid. it couldn’t be helped. i let my mind wander through the events of the day, trying to puzzle them together to have something cohesive, something that makes sense. nothing make sense.  frank looks over at me and notice my smirk. he frowns and walks closer to me.

“whats so funny?” he mutters.
ugh. i think. “nothing. honestly. morbid sense of humour i suppose.”
“you think this is funny!?”
“no!! i don’t. people are dying. i’ve watched people die. of course i don’t think its funny.”
“then why are you smiling?”
how could i explain what i’d been thinking to this man? obviously people he knows have died. he must think i’m completely callous and unthoughtful.
“god. im sorry. i was – its just — i was thinking about horror movies….” i lamely trail off.
“Horror movies?”
“Ya. and about everything we’ve done wrong today. its stupid. really. im sorry.”
we lapse into silence. everyone has heard the argument and there is tension throughout the group.  obviously no one else had made the connection. i am all alone in that department.

we walk up to a large farmhouse.  the door is open and i wonder if there’s any chance that i will see another creature before the day is over.  frank doesn’t seem concerned and walks into the house without hesitation.  he takes us down the steps into his basement.  there is another room at the back. he leads us into it.
“here. its a metal door. i leave all my hunting gear and camping equipment in here so it doesn’t get stolen. we’ll have to take some of it out to make room.”
he looks at ben and jake. “help me grab some mattresses and blankets from upstairs.  while we do that. start making room in here.” he glances at us girls as he finishes his statement.
as they walk away i turn to the girls “seriously? he thinks his shit is going to get stolen in this god-forsaken town?”
i don’t get the response i was expecting. they just shrug and start to move the equipment. i think its strange that frank has this room. i will ask him about it later.  i start to grab tents and icepicks and throw them out into the main basement.

five minutes later, the room is mostly cleared. we’ve kept any type of weapon we could find. i had grabbed the icepicks and put them back. who knows when they’d come in handy.  the boys arrive with mattresses, blankets and pillows.  we set them up in the room and frank turns to us all.
“i’m going to make the phone call. stay here.”
“What about the other two guys?” ben asks.
“we’ll look for them once i’ve made the call. it will take anyone close to 50 minutes to get here so we need to phone them now. “

we wait in silence. there is so much we could be saying to each other but everyone is lost in their own thoughts.  frank comes back after a few minutes.

“they thought it was a hoax at first. but some police and paramedics will be here soon. i told them the severity. i think they want to arrest me. whatever gets them out here.”
im not surprise. what do you say to the operator? “hi there. some strange disease has taken over the town and now everyone’s either missing or have turned into some zombie type creature.” Zombies! thats what these things were.

man. i really am in a bad horror flick.

Part 7!

(a boys perspective cont’d – benjamin)

jake and i (and ruby) walk through the rows of houses, trying to find one on the outskirts of the hamlet. we assume that we will have more luck finding a gun in larger properties that edge the forest than in the middle of town.  it only takes us about ten minutes to find a large farm house. we have decided to meet bradley and ryan back at the boat when we’ve stocked up on some supplies we feel we need until someone comes to help us out.  we step onto a lane that is lined with small, well-kept hedges.  a tiny paddock area has been broken through by something and wooden slats are strewn across the lawn. as we walk toward the house i take ruby’s rope and tie it to the porch. if she sees or hears anything, she’ll bark and i will be able to come back out.

“be careful.” i mutter.  jake nods as we step cautiously closer to the front doorway.  i click the safety off the browning and turn the knob.  nudging the gun in first, i swing it open.  too much force. the door slams into the wall behind it and the sound echos through the hallway.  we freeze.  a cold fear is slowly running through my body.  i center myself and listen for any movement in doors. i hear some scuffling somewhere within the house.  i quickly motion to jake, a hand to my ear, that there is something inside. he takes a stance behind me; my gun is at my shoulder. 

we start to search the house, one room at a time.  the main floor has a long hallway from one end of the house to the other, with a back door at the other side.  to my left, there is a doorway that enters into a parlour. it could be their living room but it seems to small.  up on my right there is another opening.  i turn the corner and see nothing.  these rooms are bright with the low sun peaking through the windows.

Coming out of the kitchen we see that there are two options ahead of us.  we can climb the stairs to the second floor or move further down the hall.  jake decides that we should finish checking the whole main floor before we go into the top floor or down into the basement. i agree. with growing confidence that we wont see anything in the house, we move forward. the scuffing sound was probably a small mouse or rodent of some kind.  i put the safety back on, on my gun. if i trip, i don’t want it to fire. 

just as im about to step into the last large room of the house, i notice something from the corner of my eye.  before i am able to even shout a warning to jake that there’s a trip wire, i find myself on the floor with a net wrapped tightly around my body.  a trap. i have walked right into a trap.  are these monsters smart enough to do something like this?

“jake get out of here!” i desperately want him to leave. im not feeling particularly heroic today but i don’t want him to get caught in the same sort of trap as me, nor do i want him to see what ends up happening to me.  the net is some sort of heavy metal wiring that can probably only be cut with a special tool and my gun is wedged up against my body, useless.

“i’m not leaving you here man. i’m sure there’s a way to get you out.” he starts to investigate the trap, looking at the opening that has pulled tightly shut and snapped a trigger into place.  “this set up is complicated. there’s no way one of those creatures did this. maybe someone who was trying to protect themselves.” we look at each other then. “do you think there are any survivors?”  neither of us had even thought that it was a possibility because the town had been ghostlike when we arrived. 

soft footsteps approach from the basement stairs.  “jake. hide. just in case.”
with jake out of sight, my body tenses in anticipation.  they are the footsteps of a grown adult. 

i see a light brown shoe step into sight and then a pair of faded jeans.  “hello?”
a man’s face comes into view. “what are you doing in here?”
“um. it definitely wasn’t on purpose.” i try to glance around at my helpless situation but my neck is curled to my chest and there is no room to move.
“no. what are you doing in my house? or in this village?”
“we ran into some animal issues at our cottage. we were coming into town for help but found it empty, minus one run in with someone who was obviously infected with something.”
the man walks around to the opening of his contraption and with a small key, turns a lock and it fall instantly away from my body.  i stretch my limbs and as i sit up, jake steps out from behind a cabinet where he had hidden.  the man jumps up, tense, with a bat wielded at his side.
“hold on. its just my friend. jake. i’m benjamin, and you are?”
“Frank Hammill. I have a small bunker in the basement. come on down where we can talk safely. there’s sunlight so were probably relatively protected but its better to be smart in times like this.”

“We have friends down by the docks. and others calling authorities. we need to get back to them.”
“You split up? are you crazy? do you even know what you’re dealing with here?”
“No! actually! we don’t. and if you could maybe fill us in, that would be great but we have to get back to them. you said something about the sunlight, well, its starting to set so if they are in more danger at night, we have to find somewhere safe.”
the man stares at me like i’m an idiot. “you think the two of you are going to be able to find somewhere safe in this town before nightfall? i’ll come with you and we’ll bring them back here.  it will be crowded but i will be able to fill you in on what i think has happened. i haven’t left my basement since last night. your friends are calling the authorities?”
“I hope so. they should have already been able to make the call by now. but we need to find them.” i look down at my watch for the first time in what seems like hours. it has been only 35 minutes since we left the girls. i silently hope that they have stayed with the boat. 
“well let’s go now then.” i know i sound a little frantic but i’m worried that the longer we linger, the higher the chance is that the girls will come looking for us.  we didn’t realize that the danger was so high until speaking with this man, but he seems urgent and it is contagious.
“hold on” the man says and starts to walk toward the basement. “I’ll go grab some equipment.  only a couple minutes later he walks up.  he has two hand guns and a small hatchet in his hands. he holds out one of the guns to jake, who grabs it willingly.  he attaches the hatchet to his belt and beckons us to follow.
as we leave the house i grab ruby’s rope and untie her. 
“you found ruby.” frank looks startled.
“ya she was in the shop.”
“its bill jeffry’s dog. if she’s here, maybe he found a place to wait this thing out.”
jake and i look at each other, unsure of what to say. frank sees our exchange and shakes his head.
“you think you know something i dont.”
“we went into the shop earlier today. a man tried to attack one of the girls with us and we — took care of him.”
frank’s head droops and lips tighten. “this is a bad scene. a truly bad scene. there is an evil in this town.” he shakes himself. “well. we need to get on. lets go ruby!”
we hurry toward the path that will lead us down to the docks.  the previous ten minute trip only takes us five.  when we get to the top of the hill, we see notice footprints and scuff marks leading from a point a small way up the hill down toward the boat.  we hurry down and turn the small corner to the docks.
The boat is pulling away from the docks and there are two creatures approaching the edge of the water. ruby starts barking frantically and pulling at the rope that i have looped through my belt. i stumble a little and then regain my stance.
“mira. sammie.” I call. they turn as we run toward them. i dont see sadie. jake and frank pull their guns, click off the safety and begin shooting.  I pull my browning up. I have three shots.  I stop and look through the scope attached to the top.  pull the trigger and feel the empty shell fall to the ground. pull the trigger again.  one of the creatures falls into the water.  as i turn to shoot the other, i see it crumple to the ground.  we rush forward and i call to the girls that it’s ok. 
“No!” frank insists.  “stay in the boat.”  He rushes up to the first person and unclips his hatchet.  in one smooth action, the head is lopped off.  he approaches the second one, and as he swings upward, one of the hands grabs his leg.  i don’t react fast enough but jake pulls his gun and shoots the arm, while frank hacks at the diseased neck.  it twitches a few times and then lays still. 
we call the girls to bring the boat forward.  “where is sadie?” i ask, scanning the three girls.  
“we went to look for you. she was in the house when these — things came from the side of the building. we called but she didn’t come out. we had to run. we had nothing to protect ourselves with. she’s inside the house still.  she said that she would be back soon. she said she would be –” 
“stop!” i interrupt.  mira is talking rapidly and frantically. i know she is trying to make sense but i need to calm her down. “its ok. don’t worry. they followed you so she’s probably ok.”
frank frowns as i say this and i shake my head subtly. “what house was it?”
“white. big porch with flower beds. yellow flowers. oh my god benjamin. oh my god. what if she dies? we shouldn’t have left but we were so worried. you didn’t come back. why were you gone so long?” mira starts to cry and i pull her into a quick hug.  jake and sammie are holding on to each other. melody is standing alone, shaken by the scenes that have unfolded in front of her. 
“mira.” i say quietly, trying to reassure her. “go sit by melody. calm down. we will go look for her.”
i stop for a moment. i forgot one thing. one important factor.  I know this is going to set mira off again but the other two should have been back by now.
“mira.” i pause, cringing internally over what i have to ask. “have brad and ryan been back to the boat yet?”

mira’s eyes widen in panic. she looks around as though willing them to be there, to walk around the corner in that moment.
“no. no! where are they? where did they go? why aren’t they with you?” her voice sharpens and gets higher as she speaks.
“they went to call the police or someone to help us. don’t worry. i know where they went. when i go to look for sadie, i will keep my eyes open for them as well.”

i take mira’s arms and gently, but firmly push her down into the seat beside melody.  melody reaches her arm around and pulls mira close to her.  they sit, tears streaming down their cheeks. 

I look toward jake, knowing he doesn’t want to leave sammie here alone again.
“jake. take care of the girls. frank and i, if he doesn’t mind coming, will go look for sadie and the others. i’ll leave ruby here with you.”
frank nods abruptly and jake shoots me a grateful look.
“we’ll be back soon. this time — do not leave!” as i turn to leave, i see mira pull ruby close to her and melody and the three of them huddle together.

i turn back toward the village with frank.  sadie is missing. i close my eyes for a moment.  she has to be ok.  i know she’s not mine to lose, i’ve made sure of that, but i definitely cannot lose her to this town.

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” All sections to date from sadieslashcharliej blog

 V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” PART 6

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags zombies, guns, death, disease, boys, phone, apocalypse, cannibalism, infetion, pain, dog on July 8, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

a boys perspective. (benjamin)

we finally get the blood washed off ourselves and the girls. they are hysterical, crying and babbling about what just happened.  they are safely in the boat when we decide to make a trip back into the village to find a working phone, some weapons and more ammunition for the gun.  although three out of four of us have used guns in the past, i have the most experience with a shotgun so we decide that i will keep it until we find others.

i run my hand long the browning gold hunter i had found in miras cottage.  someone obviously loves this gun. i can’t see any scratches and every inch of the gun is polished and clean.  the semi-automatic still has three shells left in the magazine. i have about 10 more rounds in my pocket. i had felt silly putting the extra bullets in my pocket but now i’m glad i made that call.

“ready?” i ask. jake and sammie and mira and ryan are locked in embraces that might never end. i turn to sadie and roll my eyes a little. she hides a smile and turns to melody who is still shaking from our earlier incident. she’s lucky. we all know that. i’m just glad that the self-control i maintain came through when it was desperately needed.  i feel myself getting restless. i know the others don’t want to leave each other. i would go alone. it would actually suit me better but the others are adament that we stick together.
finally, the two couples break apart. one last kiss good bye for each of them and we are off. sadie glances up at me, fear written in her eyes but we don’t speak. almost an unwritten rule between us.
we turn and walk away, leaving the four girls huddled in the boat. we have promised we will be back soon. we will have to be back — soon.

we don’t creep up the hill quietly. we are stealthy, but also confident that we will be able to take on whatever has taken over the village.

“where should we start?” i turn toward jake who is looking around, as though he’s trying to sense which way will be best.

“let’s go back in the store. for sure that guy had at least one gun laying around that place. and maybe there is some more ammunition lying around his shop.” the others agree with me and so, we walk forward and pull the screen door open.  almost instantly we are bombarded with a cluster of flies that have already begun to swarm to the dead body in front of us.  i try hard not to breathe as we walk in a wide circle around the corpse.  there is a door at the back of the room and i wonder if there is more stock through it.  ryan starts to rummage through the shelves, pulling out a couple hunting knives and some boxes of bullets. they wont fit my gun but we decide to take them – in case we find others that will work.

i walk closer to the back door and listen carefully.  i think i hear a noise from within but after listening for another minute, i hear nothing.
“guys. i’m going to check this out.” the others come closer, standing behind me. bradley and ryan hold their knives at their side. jake takes a fighting stance.  i swing the door open and almost before i can move a yellow shape flies forward hitting me full on.  i am knocked backwards onto the ground. my arms are around the animal, ready to take its neck and break it. the animal is struggling against my grasp and panting loudly beside my ear.  my breath is slowly coming back into my lungs after the hard fall and i push the animal off of me.  the others come to my aid, knives ready to cut into the soft flesh of this beast.

I hear a wine. and then the dog licks my face.  “hold on” i yelp quickly at the others and ryan has to pull his knife in from mid-swing.  i push the creature back gently and look into its eyes. it doesn’t look wild. now that it’s been released, it is panting gently, sitting there looking at me expectantly. i reach out and pat it’s matted fur.  it is a small golden retriever with liquid gold eyes.

i pull myself up into an upright position. “looks like we have an addition to our group fellows.” i brush the dirt off my jeans and find a small cut in my index finger.

“we need to locate some first aid stuff. i think we may need it.”  i don’t want this cut to come in contact with anything to do with the disease that has caused this town to empty.

as i step away from the dog to enter the room it came from, i see it walk closer to the dead man on the ground.  as instantly as i leap to pull it away, the dog recoils back as though bitten by a snake.  there is something in the scent that repels it.  i realize that we have found one of our weapons.  the dog’s reactions may tell us when someone infected is close.  to be safe, i quickly find a rope and tie it to the yellow collar around its neck. as i do so, i notice a tag. ruby. what a stupid name for a dog.

“so you’re a bitch, huh!.” i mutter as i pat her on her head.  “ok ruby, lets go!.”

as i walk further into the shop, which is slowly turning into a house, ryan and bradley walk out the screen door to check for any signs of life on the pathway.  we hadn’t talked about splitting up but somehow, in the time that i get to know my new friend ruby, we become two search units.

jake and i open closet doors, check cabinets and back rooms but don’t find anything to use as weaons.  bradley and ryan have the two hunting knives but we need to find something for jake, and the girls in the boat.  i look at my watch.  we have been gone 15minutes. the girls are probably starting to worry about us ut i’m confident that they are level-headed enough to stay at the water.

a shout reverberates the walls.  jake and i look at each other for a split second and burst down the stairs of the house and out the front door.  about a hundred yards away, bradley and ryan are crouching down, investigating something.  jake and i walk over and glance down at the ground.  there is a badly gnawed hand sitting by a small flower garden.  the blood has already begun to dry out and insects are crawling all over it, searching for food.

“well, guys. after the attack on melody i was pretty sure these creatures had an appetite for human flesh. this pretty much seals it.  we kill at first sight.”

as we stand in silence for a moment, all reflecting in some way on the half eaten hand, i realize that there is something we have all neglected to think of.

“why haven’t we telephoned anyone? 911. has anyone evened checked a phone?”  in the village we don’t have any cell phone reception but there are home phones in every house.  the others look at me and then everyone bursts out in conversation about our oversight.  ryan and bradley decide to go back into the shop to find a phone and call while jake and i try to find some weapons for the group.

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” PART 5

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags cottage, fear, death, disease, infection, story, zombie, reminiscing, lake, trip, alone, survival on July 4, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

“Its cottage weekend!!” was the first exclamation i heard from melody when i picked her up from residence at school. she was the last to leave campus, staying on to be a residence assistant for one more summer.  this was our first summer as free, educated adults. i turned to look at the school behind me. only one brick building for our small university. i wondered if i would ever see the inside of those four walls again.
“I know!” i burst out. i had been gushing about cottage weekend v.2.0 since the cold, snowy nights of january.  for months i had been counting down the days until i could relax in the sun, take a spin in the boat and drink keg beer all weekend.
i squinted up into the bright sunlight. it was the perfect beginning to our mini roadtrip to mira’s cottage.
“ready to go?” i asked, taking in melody’s orange strapless.  she was already tanned from the summer sun and her dirty blonde hair had turned into a straw-coloured blonde.  she shot me one of her open, toothy grins and nodded happily.
she quickly threw her luggage, a couple duffel bags, sheets, comfortor and pillow into my trunk and we hopped back into my little civic. it had been my love and bane for almost two years but i wouldn’t part with it until it’s last dying breath.

“when is mira showing up?” melody asked.
“oh, she said 3 – so let’s hope for 6.” i joked and we laughed. mira’s lateness was a continual inside joke from university. she was perpetually behind schedule for almost everything.

as we drove back to my new basement apartment we gushed about the weekend’s plans, the beginning of our summer and the latest man drama that had plagued us both.  it would be a pleasure to have a weekend away from the toronto scene.

mira showed at four. “Well,” i laughed, “she exceeded our expectations.”

rush hour traffic caused a 45 minute journey to turn into two hours. we stressed about a potential lack of gas, road construction and red lights. by six we arrived at jake’s place. he and his girlfriend were the only two that melody and i had never met.

on the trip mira, melody, sammie and i would be the estrogen. balancing us with testosterone would be jake, benjamin, bradley and ryan.  when we finally pulled up at a generic, white suburbian home, we found the five others waiting semi-patiently out in the yard. two other vehicles, a black sports car and white suburban were full with cottage supplies and ready to go.  Mira put her car in park and slid lithely out of the driver’s seat.  her long legs were a constant envy.  she pulled her wavy honey brown hair into a loose ponytail and walked over to the group.  she gave ryan a quick hug and kiss on the lips.  their four year anniversary would be sometime this summer.  Mira’s almost too large features gave her a unique beauty that had someone looking twice to take it in.  she had a permanent tan, even in the winter and long limbs that women killed for.  she had a quick smile and was ready with a witty, or potentially cynical remark in any situation.  even in first year university, we had gravitated to each other – we were both prone to lateness, procrastination and sarcasm.  melody had always been the one to keep us on track, giving us due dates, project details and exam schedules.

sammie and jake were newcomers to the cottage trip bonanza.  jake had attended school with ryan and ben, but i had yet to meet them.

“hi there! i’m sadie.” I smiled and quickly scanned them both.  i already knew from mira that they had modeled here and there and could see why.  sammie’s legs went on for miles and her perfect, clear skin glowed in the low sun.  she had short, cropped black hair that streaked red in the sunlight.  jake was somewhere in the six foot range with police cropped brown hair and a body that clearly visited the gym on a regular.

We made our introductions, hopped in the three cars and made our way out of town.  we only stopped to buy more alcohol and food for the four days we would be staying. we finally said goodbye to toronto with the setting sun.

*           *             *

i shake myself back into the present.  it had been idyllic, the first two days of our vacation.  swimming, fishing, drinking, eating. we hadn’t had a care in the world.  just 8 twenty-something kids leaving our financial, school and life cares behind for awhile.  and now im sitting under a tree, in a vacant town, alone.  i need to find the others.

i look to the west and notice the sun is slowly sinking to the horizon.  it will only be a couple hours before i am immersed in total darkness.  i leave a light on in the city. how am i ever going to survive here. alone. with death circling me like a savage vulture.  the grass beneath me is warm and moist.  it rained for two days and now the sun was shining. our one day to enjoy the weather on the lake.

in an instant, my hearing sharpens.  i think i heard voices from within the village.  and then i hear a shout, and gravel crunching furiously.  is it coming toward me? no. it is heading in another direction.  i creep closer to the houses below me, following the sounds, hoping i will see someone from my group.  i see a shape run between two buildings only a few hundred yards in front of me.  i can’t tell who, or what it is but my body tenses in anticipation.

i am leaving. now.  i keep to the grass to muffle my downward approach into the cluster of houses.  i decide to abandon pursuit of whoever slid past my view and make my way to the docks.  long shadows are forming to the east and i do my best to stay within them, hidden from view.  as fast as i reached the top of the hamlet, it is a slow descent.  i shimmy through hedges and slide around fences.  i see the house i had investigated only fifteen minutes ago. had it only been fifteen minutes? my hand clenches on the useless gun in my right hand. it is a burden but i will use it like a bat if i must.  the adrenaline that was coursing through my body is gone and now my wrist is throbbing mercilessly and the burns on my stomach feel lit with fire.  i don’t know if i’ll be able to escape another brush with these creatures.

the path downward steepens and the docks are only around another bend.  i close my eyes in a quiet prayer, hoping there will be someone there.  i quicken my step, there is nothing around me. perhaps the infected are dying. although i’m surprised that i have seen so few.  there are probably a few hundred people in this town and i have seen no corpses out of doors and only a handful of those with the unknown disease.  i decide to ponder on this later. my main objective – get to the boat.

I round the bend and the sun hits me directly and i lose my vision for a moment.  i can only see an outline of the boat.

is there someone there? is there anybody else around?

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” PART 4

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags zombies, blood, guns, fear, vomit, kitchens, windows, disease, infection, panic, relief, escape on June 28, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

i glance behind me. there is an open window only a few feet away.  a screen covers the opening.  i sneak backwards keeping my eye fixed on the door.  there are chairs and a round table in the alcove i’m backing into so i keep my arms stretched out behind me.  i cannot make a noise.  my hand hits the wall and i feel for the window pane.  found it. i sigh in relief.  i know i have to turn around to see how to get the screen out but the noises outside the kitchen are closer, louder.  my eyes skip to the window and instantly i know i will be able to push it out but the noise it will make will surely bring whatever is out there, in here with me.

my eyes scan the outside of the house.  i will be coming out onto the porch close to where i left the girls.  have they seen what’s inside? are they gone? will i be alone when i finally make it outdoors?

will i make it outdoors?

this thought process, which seems to span hours takes a few mere seconds and in this time i see a foot slide into the view of the door.  without thought i turn and slam the gun into the screen and it explodes outwards.  i hear uneven steps behind me but i refuse to look and jump through the window onto the porch.  it is not graceful.  my stomach is on fire with long, harsh friction burns.  i fall on my wrist and it feels as though i’ve twisted something inside.

i scramble up off the wooden deck, grab the gun and jump over the white picket railing that runs the whole length.  yellow flowers crunch beneath the weight of my feet as i scurry around the last corner to the front of the house.  there is no one. i am completely alone.  if they left it would be for two reasons.  they found the boys or there was imminent danger.

suddenly the hairs on my skin begin to rise.  i whip my head around to see something, that had, im sure, once been a someone lurching toward me from the porch.  its gait is close to a jog but lurching and uneven.  it is still rounding the corner.  relief fills me.  these infected people are slow and unstable on their feet.

there is a crunch close by.  i turn to look.  another infected woman is stepping onto the path.  to my left, a man. and then, to my dismay, from my front right, a small child.  they have me surrounded in a semi-circle and are slowly closing in.

i know the only safety is in the boat but i will have to run up hill to escape them, and double back to the boat.  i beg myself to start to run but i’m frozen, watching this motley crew continue to stagger ever closer.

their eyes are a light, gleaming red and are sunken into grey skin.  it is as if muscle has started to atrophy and melt, causing their skin to sag and pull downward.  clothes are clotted with deep red stains and patches of dirt and grime. i notice they are not trying to attack each other, but are focused on me and i find it strange that they’ve lost all other intelligent thought but to band together as a type of, well, species.  all these thoughts continue to scramble through my brain as i try to force myself to fly into a full-tilt run up the hill.  a finger grazes my arm and finally, my legs find their strength and i begin to tear away from the diseased group.  my legs pump and blood rushes through my body.

i run. and run. and continue to run until my lungs begin to wheeze and my head, to spin.  i slow down and look around.  the panic that engulfed me when the creature touched my arm has propelled me to the complete opposite end of town.  i now have the daunting task of making my way back down the long hill to the dock.  there is a patch of woods only a few feet away and i remember my brush with death when the wolf had me pinned in a tree.  i had thought then that i had never felt fear.  but today had tested me in ways at this point i could not even put into a rational thought.

i am alone.  all alone in this town. everyone else could be dead or infected with whatever has happened here.  i need to find a phone and try to get in touch with some type of authorities.  whatever happened here had obviously happened quickly because looking around i see no evidence of outside sources of help.  was it air-borne? would i contact it even if none of  the infected touched me?  i stop for a moment as i catch my breath, thinking about how this had all started.  we had been so excited. it was our second annual cottage trip.

i sit down, listening carefully but knowing i have to regain some strength in my body before i make my way back down into town.  i silently cross my fingers and send out a quick prayer that i will be safe for the next five minutes. i begin to reminisce on the days that lead to this.

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” PART 3

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags adrenaline, blood, corpses, death, guns, kitchens, knives, ooze, terror, zombies on June 27, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

it is in this moment i remember i am gripping a knife.  i look down at my hand and realize my knuckles are white and veins are protruding from my skin with the strain.  i glance down at the corpse.

can i do it? i think. can i really bring myself to cut through this man’s wrist.  i think of a chicken leg and thigh.  how many times in my life had i found the joint and broken clean through? i visualize the pop as bones snap from one another.  i’ll have to cut and break the fingers. one at a time.

only minutes have passed since i left the girls standing outside. only then do i stop and listen again to make sure that there is nothing lurking close by.  silence.  never has something so innocent filled me with such fear.  i kneel down beside the man’s arm (i am sure, at this point, that it is a man) and grab a finger and put my knife by the joint. my face cringes into a grimace and i shut my eyes tightly.  as i start to saw through the flesh, i feel it give way until i hit bone.  i can feel something oozing onto my hand but i refuse to look.  i saw all the way around the bone and grab the tip of the finger.  holding on tightly i pull back as quickly and sharply as i can.

its like making a wish on a turkey bone. i think. and instantly feel nauseous again. did i just compare breaking a dead man’s bones to a thanksgiving festivity?  the snap resonates in my ears. only 9 more to go.  i feel for the second finger and repeat the motions.  tears leak from my eyelids and i wonder where i am finding the resolve to do this.  slowly i make my way through the first hand until all five fingers have been snapped back. i grab the gun and wiggle it forward. it starts to move through the other hand and with one final pull that rockets me backwards into a kitchen cupboard, the gun is free.  my head ricochets off the metal handle and i feel a small trickle of blood start to fall from a cut in my scalp. almost instantly i reach up to wipe it off.  suddenly adrenaline rushes through my body and i snap my hand back to my side.  the corpse’s blood and puss is all over my hand.

i vomit. my head hurts, but i have the gun.  i stand, slowly, holding my weight up on the counter as i pull myself to my feet.  looking around i notice that this kitchen was obviously, before whatever massacre had occurred, a beautiful country layout.  pots hung from wooden hooks along the wall, while white curtains fluttered in the summer breeze.  a small flower pattern on the wall has faded into a light pastel colour and the linoleum floor is cracked and worn with age.  i realize my senses have almost become accustomed to the vile smell of death.  how quickly we acclimate ourselves to our surroundings.  i had almost found a peaceful moment in this destroyed kitchen.

i hear a stair creak. every sense tingles with adrenaline.  my muscles clench in a defensive position.  i listen closely and hear nothing more.  i creep backwards toward a kitchen table, and the safety of a wall to hide behind.  i look down at the gun in my hand and realize i have no idea how to use it.

another creak. closer, so i know that there is something there.  my heart is beating wildly in my chest.  i wonder if i will die of a heart attack before i am attacked by whatever creature is only feet away from the doorway.

something scratches the wall just outside the door frame and scuffs along the floor.  terror has my throat clenched in agony.  i am going to die here.

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story” cont’d

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags death, fear, friendship, guns, scary things that go bump in the night, vomit, zombies on June 25, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

we creep quietly up the slope together, hunched shoulders touching, willing the warmth from each other’s bodies to help abate our growing fear.  our eyes scan the horizon for any movement while mira clutches a knife we found back in the boat.  after much debate we had decided that she, out of the four, would find the strength to use it during our rescue mission.  our ears are keen for the most minute crack of a branch or scuff of a shoe.  the rocks crunching beneath us echo loudly through the still air.  I realize, in that moment, i can hear no chirp of a bird or whistle of a cricket. it is as though we are completely alone in the world.

there are about fifty houses in this hamlet and the boys left no indication as to where they might head.  a door to the left of us swings forward on its hinges and with more than one shriek we jump together, clutching hands and wrists.  it is just the wind.
give me the knife. i say. mira hesitates and puts it in my outstretched hand.
stay here.

I edge forward, willing my feet into silence.  a rock shifts and tumbles down the hill. each small skip as it rolls echos in the still air. i freeze, hardly breathing, the quickening beat of my heart nearly deafens me.  the rock settles and i scan the horizon. there is nothing.

I move forward again, slowly, my heart squeezing the breath from my lungs.  i must move forward. i peer into the haze within the nearest house.  the door, still flapping in the subtle wind, beckoning me to come forward.

my foot scuffs the wooden porch as i make my way forward, leaning in to see around the door corners.  my eyes adjust to the gloom and bile quickly rises in my throat.  only feet away i see a dark pool of congealing liquid.  without thought or hesitation i stumble backwards, tripping down the steps as the other girls run forward.

what was my reaction about? they want to know. i close my eyes and tell them quietly what i saw.  i know i must move forward, and wanting them to stay within relative safety of the boat i tell them to move back toward the hill again.

this time, more quickly i make my way to the door and look inside.  the smell of death hits me. i know it’s death. it smells much like days old roadkill, mixed with a fresh scent of blood. i know that smell from the raw meat we had bought and barbequed only hours earlier.  finally, i see what my mind and heart had been dreading from the beginning.  a limp hand is peeking through another door jamb down the hallway.

fear immobilizes me. three years ago i had felt much the same way in the cn tower, willing myself to walk onto the clear glass floor. now, i wished it was as simple as closing my eyes and moving my feet forward. i had to be aware, and wary.  one foot. just one foot forward. it drags slowly as i force it to take one step.  my survival instinct is in overdrive.

inching forward i keep my eyes on the swollen, and now that i am closer i can see, stiff fingers of the hand in front of me.  i see the brown hair, matted down with what i’m sure is blood. one more step. i expect to see a face.

i am paralyzed by the reaction my body has to the sight before me.  dry heaves wrack through me, clenching my stomach, my bones, all muscles seizing involuntarily.

white, brown, even reddened maggots swarm the bloody mash of brain matter where human flesh once was.  the smell of putrefying flesh fills my nostrils and slides down my throat. i have never tasted death but in this moment my whole mind is filled with its smell, its taste. the sight.  dragging my eyes away from the sight before me i notice something that almost gives me hope. for myself, at least.  this person, perhaps male, judging by the rough hands, is holding a rifle.

then despair.  even with a gun. this person is dead – no, desecrated, defiled. panic has me lurching forward and attempting to pry the gun from stiff fingers.  rigor mortis has created concrete, vice-grip flesh.

what can i do?

zombie apocalypse V.3.0. ‘09 “a lake kashwakamak story”

Posted in Zombie Stories with tags blood, cottage, heroism, mind-numbing drama, zombies on June 24, 2009 by sadieslashcharliej

it starts off with a walk down a very woodsy path in the middle of nowhere. There I am, minding my own damn business and I see this speck of an animal running full tilt down the road toward me. Of course, it takes me only split seconds to realize its a large black wolf and, being fearful of such creatures, I quickly scramble up a tree.

As I make it to the first branch (just out of reach), the terrifying creature reaches the foot of the tree and I realize that it’s eyes are blood red and he has only one thing on his mind. Of course, knowing that zombies don’t exist I quickly come to the conclusion that this wolf has rabies and call my friends from my cellphone and tell them to come rescue me. Within minutes they arrive and my buddy, benjamin (who i’m aware is the best shot out of everyone) shoots the creature, saving me and the day!

We decide that it’s a good idea to drive back to the house to find some shovels, gloves, etc to go clean up the mess and find a way to transport the wolf to an animal control center. We drive back, only to find twenty other animals are ripping into the dead wolf’s flesh and devouring it.

“Well shit!” we think and deduce that there is obviously a rabies epidemic occurring in this part of Northern Ontario. What are we going to do? There are copious rabid animals running around everywhere and there are only 8 of us. Instead of, and I suppose this is what happens in every zombie story, being smart and continuing to drive to the next town, we go back to the cottage, rev up the boat and make our way over to the refill dock across the lake.  We are confident that someone there will at least know who to contact.  We drive slowly up to the pier and look around. No one is there, but we’re not surprised because it’s a pretty ‘ghost town’ at the best of times.

We walk up the path, a little bit wary because we don’t want to meet another rabid animal and make our way to the small convenience store shack at the top of the hill.  Our first clue that there is something wrong — a blood stain trailing from the corner of the house, into the shack.  We sneak up cautiously and peak in.  There is a low-pitched growl from the shadows and benjamin raises his gun as we ease our way toward the noise.

Without warning an old man leaps frantically from behind the counter and, screeching high-pitched, yet gutteral noises, he lurches toward melody who is only a few feet away.  She stumbles back into days old piles of newspapers as this, once humanoid creature continues to bear down on her.  I do not react fast enough -this is a man, after all and I have never seen this kind of behaviour.  My heart stops and my mind races as I realize that this man is trying to kill melody.  benjamin, who’s gun was already raised, takes one shot at point blank range and we are all showered with warm, red liquid.  My stomach heaves as I wipe one hand across my oozing forehead. Vomit, sticky, acid bile, chokes up into my throat as tears run down my face.

Get out of here. now. someone says. get to the water and wash off. there is something wrong.  I am blind and hysterical. coherent though is replaced by a frenzied mental breakdown that has someone dragging me to the beach as I struggle to pull together.

The cold water I am shoved into finally clears some of the awful red thoughts that were dragging through my mind.

Something is wrong. We know that now.  has anyone seen rabies in a human before? we all say no and try to figure out what our next step is.  we know we should search more in the town but there are two things we are fearful of.  one, we know there are probably others like the man benjamin decapitated with his shotgun. two, one of us could be infected with whatever disease has spread through this small cottage village.

We need weapons. guns. ammunition. the men, four of them, decide the danger is too formidable for the other half of the group.  the girls, myself and three others are to stay down at the pier, in the boat, ready to escape if need be.  they would come back, they promised, with some type of protection (in form of guns, hopefully) when they could.

Five minutes pass. ten. fifteen. twenty-five. the fear that was pushed down by cold water is now rising in our throats.  where are they? two of the men had left girlfriends sitting in the boat to worry about the many fates that could be met on land.

We decide to investigate.