The Journey: Chapter 4

Chapter 4



Robert sat there in Joe's Pub finishing off another brew and trying to make sense of the all of the events going on a few counties over. Being a former cop, he still gets rather curious about these kind of things. "A little to close to home for comfort." he thought. "Probably just some rebel rousers drunk and stupid and pissed at the goverment trying to raise some attention in the area and to themselves." But he couldn't shake the thought that might be alot more serious. "It's only a four hour drive. I'll go tomorrow." He said to himself.

"Bartender. I need another, please." he said.
"That's your fourth one in an hour. You think you should pace yourself a bit?" the barkeep asked.
"I buy 'em, you pour'em. Isn't that the way a bar works?"
"Have it your way sir. You puke it, you clean it. That's also the way it works around."
"Whatever, just keep them coming."

Then he started thinking about his son again. He and wife of 4 years seperated a few months back. He had fallen into a alcohol induced depression after her miscarriage of their second child. One night he got so drunk that he attempted to kill her. Landed him in jail for a while and today is his first day out. We wanted to stop in and check on them, but the restraining order disagreed. "That bitch better be taking care of the boy." he thought to himself again.

"Jesus it's loud in here." He said, referring to the karaoke going on. It was so distracting in there that he almost didn't noticed the fight about to break out in the corner. He walked over to them and attempted to separate them.

"Let's break it up fellas. We're all just here to have a good time." he demanded.

"Who the hell are you? The G-G-Goddammed national guard or something? Go si-si-sit back d-down." he drunk stuttered out.

He was about to say something else, then someone came in shouting as loud as possible.

"They're here! They're fucking here!" the drunk said. "The biting and pissed off bastards just attacked Mrs. Bleets down the street."
"Are you sure?" Robert asked him.
"Go check for yourself. Ripped 'er to itty bitty pieces right before my very eyes."

Robert ran outside to look and it was quiet. Nothing going on there. Everybody at the bar started to laugh. That guy had been making rises like that to new people at the bar for years.

"What the hell is your problem pal? Don't you know that there really are people getting killed like that all across the country? Could be you next."

"Are you threatening me man? I got about forty friends who almost want you to be threatening me. Slow night, ya know? Plus you've been pissing people off since you got here, with your attitude, Mr. Wife-beater. We know who you are and you're not welcome much 'round here."

"Fuck you, pal." Robert said to him, took the last swallow and slammed the bottle right down on the bar top in front of him.

"Fuck me? OOh. Sounds like somebodies been in jail a little to long. I don't swing that way faggot. Ha-ha-ha." the hick chuckled.

The music started back up again and the hicks went back to drinking as Robert made his way to the door. When he stepped outside, he saw a person walking down the street and a few more behind him. Probably just some more drunk rednecks. Then they jumped on him and started attacking.

"Hey, cut that shit out!" Robert shouted to them and ran to help the guy. As he got closer he started to notice that they didn't look right, they were biting and ripping and clawing the poor man.

"Jesus." he muttered to himself. "They are here." He ran back inside.

"Turn that fuckin' music down! Now listen up, We've got to seal up the doors in here as best as possible. Those things really are here and they just attacked some guy down the street."

Nobody took him seriously. They all shrugged him off and turned back to drinking. The one hick he almost got into a brawl with walked up to him.

"I thought we made it really clear that you're not welcome here. Are you deaf and dumb or something." he asked.
"Look, this isn't a joke. Those things are right outside and they're going to get in here. I have a funny feeling that the locks aren't going to be enough to keep them out. We have too..."
"I've had just about enough of you. Chucky, Cletus... it's about time we teach this guy some manners."
"We have to lock this place down, they'll be in here any second!"

The redneck clenched his fists when his two buddies got behind him. "Who the hell are you to bark demands at us?" The drunk hick shouted.

"I used to be a cop. I know how to..."

"Yeah, yeah. Used to be. I'm getting the hell out of here and going home and watch T.V. Even if there's some pissed off people out there, they got no business with me, I don't even know 'em. But first we're going to kick your ass."

"Back off pal. It doesn't matter if you know them or not. I've seen the news and know that they are dangerous. We have to stay in here and lock this place down."

"Ah, bullshit...", then the hick went to swing.

At about the time, the door came crashing open. About ten of those things came pouring in and just started attacking. Ironically the first person person to get it was that mouthy little hick who wouldn't shut up. Robert grabbed for his gun and shot a couple of them. The hicks friend saw the gun.

"Give me the gun."

"Back off sir. That's not a good idea."
"Give me the fucking gun!!!"

The man tried to jump on him for the pistol and ended up taking the handle of it right to the mouth. He went down immediately, spitting out blooded and shards of broken teeth. He didn't want to do that but they also didn't have time for this nonsense. That guy was down.

"There has to be a back way out." He thought to himself.

There was a back way out but it was swarmed by those things too. He had to get the hell out of there. Then he noticed the vents. Was he small enough to fit into them? He didn't know but he was about to find out. Luckily he could. A little snug and got a few scrapes from sharp pieces of metal sticking out, but he made it through them after what seemed like days and found himself on the roof. The only two things on his mind now was surviving and getting to his son to make sure he is
protected.

After getting to the roof and being able to see onto the streets, he realized that getting out of the bar was the easy part. After only a few hours, this small quiet had town had turned from peaceful looking mom and pop area into a war zone. There were ripped up bodies everywhere. Men, women, children. These things didn't discriminate. But why do they attack like that? He was going to find
out one way or another.

"This is bad, very bad." he thought to himself. He has about ten blocks to go and the roads are getting thicker and thicker with those things every minute. Seems the only option is going to be to take the alleys, they seemed to be the clearest route. It's a horrible thought, he said inside his head, but at least there's still some people running around down there that will cause some distraction. He made his way down the fire escape and once he got down there, there was a couple of them in the alley.

"S-s-somebody please help." he heard the stuttering guy screaming in the background as the man was being shredded.

But he was faced with his own battle with those things ahead of them in the alley. Rather than shoot them, however, he ran passed them. They saw him of course, but he was much faster and was a block away before they even reached the end of that one.

After what running for what seemed like forever, he got to the bridge. It was covered. "Dammit." he thought.

There was no way he'd be able to fight off that many. The only way across that will be to swim. He had noice choice. He quietly made his way down to the edge of the creek and slowly made his way in. Swimming normally would make to much noise, so he tried to float. Hopefully that would be quiet enough for them not to know he's down there. He kept looking up to keep an eye out. It seemed to be working.

About half way across, a branch fell into the water, immediately attracting the attention of those things. He kept floating, maybe they thought he was dead. Apparently one of them got a little curious and jumped into the water, landing about five feet from him. He kept still. Trying to keep his cool enough though the thing was getting nearer and nearer, almost face to face with him.

"My god these things stink." he thought to himself. Then the thing reached out and tried to touch him. He freaked, and started swimming away from that thing as fast as possible. They now knew he was alive and started making their noises. About
ten more of them jumped into the water. But he was gone.

He got out of the water and started running, half frozen to death and soaking wet. He couldn't make it fast enough in the clothes he was wearing but luckily enough spotted a clothing thrift store half a block away. He planned to break inside and take what he needed. He grabbed a brick and SMASH!!! The security alarms went off screaming. He wasn't depending on an alarm and he didn't have time to get the clothes so he took off once again down the alley way. He was running passed a dumpster and something reached out at him and grabbed him by the leg..

"Mr., please help me." It was a man, a bum really. "I need your help. Both of my legs are broken. Those things freaked out a couple who was driving and they hit me with their car. I need your help, please."

Robert looked down and sure enough. Both legs were mangled to hell.

"I'm sorry man, I have to get to my son. I can't help you."

"Then kill me. Shoot me or something. I can't run away from them and I can't let them get to me. I survived this way for days and I don't have anymore strength in me."

Robert just shook his head and started running. "I'm sorry."

"Please, you can't just leave me here like this!" the man pleaded.

Hearing those things get closer to the man, he turned around. Those things began swarming the man and he was screaming. He couldn't have this on his mind. He pulled out his gun and put a .38 bullet right between the guys eyes while they were gnawing on him. "Hope God will forgive me for that one." he thought.

He finally got to his exes apartment building. One of those things were lingering around outside. He didn't think twice about putting him down. After getting through the front door, he made his way around the twists and the turns and hallways that would lead him to his exes apartment. There was blood everywhere on the outside and he feared for the worse, even though he tried like hell to block it out.

Now he was at the door to the apartment and it was cracked open a bit. "Oh, my god." he thought, "They aren't here. But where are they?" Freaking out, he decided to check it out anyway. He got in there and it was dark and cold, like a funeral home. He looked around and all the rooms were empty. No signs of life anywhere. At least that gave him a little hope that they had gotten out.

He locked the door and went to his old dresser to find some clothes. Luckily she hadn't gotten rid of them yet. He got cleaned up and dressed, while trying to figure out what his next move is. There was only about three bullets left in his gun and time was very limited. After sitting down at the computer desk, he put his hands in his head and damn near starting weeping with memories of his family flashing through his head. .

From behind him, he heard a noise. Like a whimper and he jumped up.

"What the hell was that? Who's there?" He demanded.

Sitting in the corner, facing the wall, he saw the shape of a little person. His son.

"Max!" he shouted. And the boy made a little movement. He ran over and grabbed him up and held him as closely as possible. "I'm so glad you're ok. I love you boy. But where's you mom, huh?"

The boy didn't say a word. Robert was so excited, however, that he didn't even notice the fact that his son is covered in blood plus it's dark in there and it made it a little difficult to see clearly. The boy started shaking, opened his mouth and took a little bite right into his fathers neck.

"Fuck!" Robert grumbled out and sat the boy on the floor. His son is one of them. His mother must have gotten bitten and infected and did the same thing to him. Now it was only a matter of time before Robert became one of them as well. Not if he had anything to do about it. He looked his son right in the eyes, said a prayer and all choked up with tears, shot him. Being guilt ridden, after about five minutes, he picked up his sons now limp body held him close in his arms and turned the gun on himself. They both layed there dead in the middle of the floor.

Twenty minutes later, the floor door came open. It was the boys mother. "Max! Max! My god where are you?" She walked into the living room and saw the bodies laying there. "How could this have happened? When..." she thought. She fled, ran right out the front door and out of the building. She didn't know where she was going, and didn't know what to do, but she just ran. She didn't care anymore. Her every reason for living is now gone.

She got to the edge of river and was preparing to swim across to get to the Island, the safest place she could think of. She was staring up into the night skies and praying then,

"BOOM!!!."

A bright flash covered the area for a split second.