Trying to Survive (Part 1) (8 page)

   Melanie nervously smiled, crinkled her brow and said “Looks like we’re in the same boat.”

   I thought to myself –
Not really. You can still run. Now I’m nothing more than a liability and a danger to us all...
I said aloud “Yeah, I guess so.”

   Melanie walked over and sat down next to Anthony and Clara. “We’re going to be fine. James and Walter saved us again. Those things can’t get up here – I promise you.”

   Anthony didn’t respond, but Clara wiped away her tears, took on a stern expression and nodded. I couldn’t help but smile at her attempt to be brave, though it didn’t last long. They needed to learn to be strong… and quickly.

   I did my best to ignore the pain in my calf and staggered over to the edge of the roof. As soon as I looked over and one of them saw me, they all became active again. It was like they were all connected. I could actually watch it spreading through the crowd like a large ripple in a pond.

   I quickly stepped back and made my way over to Melanie. When she saw me struggling to walk, she jumped up, helped me the rest of the way and then guided me to the ground so I didn’t just fall.

   Anthony was staring at me. He obviously knew that I was hurt badly, so I tried to take on a calm disposition as I said “I’m gonna be fine buddy. We’re all gonna be fine.” I smiled. “Plus, it’s pretty cool up here during the day time. You can see far into the distance, and I’ll even let you look through the scope on my rifle if you want... And tonight, we all get to sleep under the stars.”

   I felt stupid saying it… I knew all he would see is a bloody ocean of the infected and it would just scare the shit out of him. I don’t even know why I said it – but it seemed to make him feel better so it didn’t matter.

   Clara’s eyes were still filled with tears – glistening in the moonlight and presenting the tragic portrait of a little girl, running and fearing for her life.

   My sadness for her quickly turned to rage. I wanted to know why this was happening.
Was there someone to blame, or was it caused by nature?
I just wanted someone to explain why these children are having to go through this. Why anyone was having to go through this.

   It made me so angry. Angry at the world, and even the universe itself…
Or maybe Melanie was right… and God was to blame…

Chapter 9

   By the middle of the second day on the roof we were all sunburnt, baked from the inside out and dying for more water. Walt was only able to fit a gallon into the duffle bag with all the food and supplies, so we were already through more than half of it. Even on a strict rationing of two half-cups a day it was going so much faster than I would have guessed.

   It was the beginning of August – the worst possible time for this specific situation to occur.

   We had enough food to last several more days, but that wasn’t a concern at the moment. We can go quite a while without food if we had to, but going without water during the summer in Florida for more than a few days was a death sentence.

   Last night, we heard several of the windows break, followed by thunderous crashing and banging as the infected rummaged through the building for the rest of the night. I could hear them really start to go wild when they discovered Chris’s corpse… One of them must have finally smelled it…

   There was no going back for more water and we only had seven firecrackers left. Their numbers have increased by so much over the last 24 hours that it’s rendered trying to create a distraction almost pointless.

   No one actually said it, but I knew we were all thinking the same thing –
We aren’t getting out of this. We either die of thirst, or try to escape and get killed in the most nightmarish way imaginable…

   The noises coming from inside the building didn’t bother me. It was the sounds of them fighting and turning on each other for food that kept me awake. When one of them started to eat another, they would all whip into a frenzy and try to join in.

   The screams of the ones being eaten were different than those of a normal person. They were deeper in a way that made them sound demonic – like monsters from the underworld were waiting for us down below. In many ways, it was actually worse than listening to a person being devoured.

   I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it…

   As the sun moved, we moved with it. The three-foot wall surrounding the entire roof provided an ounce of shade at certain points throughout the day. Though at high noon, there was no escape.

   I looked over at Walt, then to Melanie, Anthony and Clara. I could see that their lips were dry and just hours away from beginning to crack. We were all drenched in sweat, which only added to our already extreme states of dehydration.

   “Melanie, let them share half a cup.”

   Walt looked at me, frowned heavily and widened his eyes as if to say “What the hell are you doing!?”

   Melanie hesitated, apparently waiting for me to confirm what I had just asked her to do.

   “Think about our situation, Walt… What does it matter? Eventually, we’re gonna have to try using the firecrackers to get one of us back into the building to get more water… and it’s probably not going to work.”

   I could hear the exhaustion in his voice as he said “Don’t say shit like that.”

   “Well, I have another idea… Use the fireworks to get me in one of the cars so I can lead them away.”

   “I think he’s right Walter. You’ll need more than twenty seconds to get to the water, and whoever goes is going to need the time and space to lean the ladder back up.” Melanie said combatively in her usual sharp, confident tone.

   I added “And I wanna do it when it’s getting close to nightfall so they’re active but not at full strength and speed.”

   Walt got to his feet and began aggressively walking towards me, frowning and pointing down at me. “Now you wanna go at night!? By the time you lead them away and try to make it back they
will
be in full kill mode… or whatever the hell you want to call it. Fuckin things can run like thirty miles an hour, man!”

   I calmly replied “I’m the one that has to go because of my leg. I can’t be the one to make the run for the water, so I’ll do it the way I want to... If they aren’t active enough, I won’t be able to draw all the ones out of the building and we’ll just be wasting our time. My only concern is making sure you get that water back up here. You really wanna sit here and…”

   I glanced over to Anthony and Clara, then pulled myself up using the wall and leaned in close to him. “I’d rather get killed trying to save them than watch them die. And I’m doing it my way because there’s a better chance it will work.” I threw my hands up in the air. “This is our new life, Walt… Every day is gonna come with a big, shitty serving of danger – you just have to accept it.”

   He muttered “Fuck you, man” and walked away to take his usual spot so he could stare off into the distance… We both did it for the same reason. We were still hoping to see someone coming for us.

   Melanie softened her expression, leaned over and put her hand on my forearm. “He just cares about you.”

   “Yeah, I know.”

   She relaxed and let her head rest against the hard, uneven brick wall. “So what did you do before all this?” Her voice was raspy and somewhat faint, so she cleared her throat and tried to gather up some saliva to swallow.

   I was somewhat surprised by the question. I hadn’t even been thinking about things like that, or about any of the people who used to be in my life. We had no family left, only recently acquired friends. Walt and I had only been living in the State for a little over two years.

   “Walt and I worked together – installing windows and doors on new homes.”

   Melanie grimaced and moaned out “You worked out in this heat?” She rapidly shook her head. “I don’t know how people do that.”

   “We’ve only been doing it for a little over a year, but yeah, it’s pretty horrible. Especially after growing up in Pittsburgh… Good money though.”

   “Oh, how long have you been here?”

   “Just over two years.”

   She laughed and said sarcastically “Aren’t you two a little young to be relocating to Florida?”

   I half-smiled. “Our parents died in a boating accident while they were on vacation… We just needed a change of scenery and cheap easy living.”

   “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to” I stopped her and said, “It’s okay, you didn’t know. Plus, it’s really nice here… or was really nice…” I raised my brow and took a deep breath. “So, what about you?”

   Melanie looked me up and down, then leaned forward took on a more depressing aura. “My kids. They were my job – my whole life… Chris worked so hard, just so I’d be able to raise them myself… I miss him too, of course… There’s just something about losing children that surpasses everything else, you know?”

   We were right.

   She looked up to the sky for a few moments and then continued. I could tell she was finally ready to let it all out, and I was ready to listen. “We were coming home from Chili’s in Daytona. We didn’t realize what was going on until we turned down our street.”

   Her eyes began to tear but she quickly wiped them away. “There was a big truck on its side in the middle of the road. By the time Chris turned the car around, those things pulled them out through the back windows and got a piece of my arm… Ashley and Sarah were only six… They didn’t even know anything about life yet.”

   I reached out and took her hand. “I’m sorry, Melanie.”

   “It feels good to finally talk about it. Chris and I never even really got a chance.”

   “Whenever you want to talk, I’m here. We’re in this together now, so your problems are ours too.”

   Melanie smiled, squeezed my hand and then looked over at Anthony and Clara. “It’s strange how things work out… I just hope I can keep them safe.” She shook her head. “So, what’s Pittsburgh like? I’ve never left Florida and I’ve always wanted to see snow.”

   Right as I was about to reply, Anthony cut in. “You’re from Pittsburgh!? Me and my dad always used to watch the Steelers play. Do you like football?”

   Melanie and I looked at each other in shock. It was probably the first time one of them actually tried to talk to us on their own. I almost didn’t know how to respond.

   I didn’t watch football very often, but just to be nice, I said “Yeah, and I love the Steelers too.”

   Melanie groaned. “Oh my God. Chris was crazy about football. He’d even watch games on ESPN classic that were from before he was born!”

   She looked over at Clara and smirked. “Us girls hate football, right?”

   Clara nodded shyly and softly replied. “I like the National Geographic channel.”

   I said “Oh me too. Did you get to watch Blue Planet?”

   “That was my favorite. I love the penguins.”

   Anthony excitably said “Me too! And all the cool stuff at the bottom of the ocean.” He stood up and proudly remarked “Did you know that we know more about outer space than we do about the bottom of the oceans?”

   I did, but I wanted to nurture his improving disposition, so I raised my brow, shook my head and replied “No… and that’s pretty crazy when you think about it, huh?”

   Walt came walking back over to see why we were all smiling and laughing. I could tell he was annoyed that Melanie and I weren’t paying attention to his frustration, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to argue right before I go back out there…
My leg
…
I might never see him again…

   The sun was just getting to the point where it would start to disappear behind the wall of gigantic trees lining the side of the road. I already knew Walt wanted to discuss the plan before he spoke.

   “So, after you two lower me down on that AC unit and I raise the ladder – how are you gonna get down it without hurting your leg? If you get the wound all flared up, it’ll take you forever to make it to the car… That is, if you don’t fall on the way down and mess yourself up even more.”

   “I’ll make it down.”

   “I guarantee you it’s gonna kill your leg, but it’s the only way so… hopefully, you’ll have enough time to crawl all the way to the car.”

   I took a deep breath and turned to Melanie. “You’re gonna go to the front of the roof and distract them.”

   Walt still looked enraged and clearly portrayed the feeling that my plan was going to be a complete failure…
He’s probably right…
“How long?”

   I shrugged. “At least another hour or so.”

   When I stood up, the painful reality of his point about my leg was unavoidable. It was probably going to get me killed, but I couldn’t be the one to make a run for the water either… That would be even more difficult.

   Melanie must have noticed me wince in pain and take the weight off of it. “You know what?” She quickly rose to her feet. “This is ridiculous – you’re sitting this one out, James. I’ll be the one to lead them away or get the water. Whatever Walter wants me to do. You two have to stop trying to protect me and allow me to contribute – you’re hurting us all by doing that.”

   I went to respond and she interrupted me. “You know I’m right, and so is Walter. It’s just stupid for you to try – especially when I’m perfectly able. I can drive a damn car, James.”

   Clara’s little brow raised and the corners of her mouth shot downward. “I don’t want you to leave, Melanie.”

   Melanie took a knee, brushed Clara’s light-brown hair away from her face and held her cheek. “James will be here the whole time I’m gone.” She smiled. “You’re much safer with him anyway.”

   Clara grabbed on to her tightly, leaned into her chest and cried out. “Please, don’t!”

   Melanie embraced Clara for several moments, then gently pushed her away, looked into her eyes and said “We’re going to run out of water soon, so I have to go. You just have to be strong while I’m gone, okay?”

   Anthony stepped forward, clenched his little fists and puffed his chest out. “Me and James won’t let anything happen!”

   We all smiled and lightly laughed. Melanie tilted her head in a comforting manner, still looking down at Clara. “See? You’ll be just fine.”

   Walt put his hands on his hips and said “Then it’s settled. Melanie’s the distraction and I head in the building with the shotgun in case a few of them stay behind. Just lower me down first so I can raise the ladder up.”

   I wasn’t happy with what had just happened, but I also had no rational argument. Every time I tried to put any real weight on my leg, the pain destroyed any hope I had of being able to make it to the car quickly enough, or even get down the ladder.

   I just stood there, struggling to keep straight and growing angry with my new condition. I could feel myself trembling from the pain and difficulty of trying to balance on one leg. I glared at Walt for a few seconds before Melanie drew my attention away. “I can do this guys. And I’ll give you the same lecture you’ve given me, James. You need to heal or that leg will never be right.”

  
It’s probably never going to be normal again no matter what I do
… “Yeah.”

   Walt walked over to the duffle bag, kneeled down and started taking out the remaining firecrackers. “You two wait by the wall so you can lower me down and I’ll throw the first firecracker out into the parking lot. Once I see that it’s working, I’ll run over and have you help me down to the AC unit… James, the second my feet hit the ground, you get to the front and throw another one to reset the clock – then just keep it goin until I get the ladder up and Melanie can make it down and to the car.”