The Birth Of Decay (6 page)

             
I
walked into the shop and was in deep thought.  I took a few steps in and suddenly the two girls ran up and hugged me.  “Your back!”  They said excitedly.  It broke me out of my thoughts and I looked down at them.  Claire walked up and joined the hug.  Tears filled my eyes and I embraced them tightly.  “I was worried.”  Claire whispered in my ear.  I started crying and she rubbed the back of my head.  “Are you okay, what happened?”  She whispered.  I shook my head and stepped back; I did not want to think about any of it anymore. 

             
I looked at the girls and I heard Ricky and Dennis start brining in bags.  “I got you guys some presents!”  I said excitedly.  The girls jumped up and down and giggled.  “You guys go in the tent and no peeking.”  I said.  They ran off and jumped into the tent.  I noticed their heads peeking out of the doorway.  I laughed and looked at Claire.  “I got you a few things too.”  I said.  She smiled and hugged me again.  “Just promise me you will be alright.”  I rubbed my lips on her ear.  “I will be alright, just a lot happened.”

             
I went outside and helped Ricky and Dennis unload the car.  We put everything in the office and the room quickly filled up.  I took out all of the toys and divided them into two separate piles.  Claire walked in and started watching me.  “They are going to love this John.”  She said tearfully.  I turned around and looked at her.  “They deserve to have fun.”  I said.

             
I ripped off a price tag on one of the stuffed rabbit ears and looked at Claire.  “I don’t want them too know what I paid.”  I laughed.  Claire laughed and shook her head.  “You didn’t have to pay anything.”  She replied.  I pulled the rest of the prices off their toys and thought to myself. 
This trip cost the life of an old man.

             
We all set the toys up outside the office and created two large piles.  I opened a can of cherry cola and looked over at the peeking girls.  “Okay, you can come out now.”  I called.  The girls ran out excitedly and they each picked a pile.  They laughed loudly and started playing with the toys.  I walked over and put batteries in the toys that needed them and the girls giggled and watched the stuffed puppies walk.  I walked over to Claire and stood next to her.  She started crying and looked at me.  “You have saved my kids.”  She cried.  I hugged her and the room filled with the sounds of laughter and toys beeping and music.

             
We let the girls continue to play with their new toys and we all walked into the office.  I walked over to a couple of bags I hid behind the desk and handed it to Claire.  She wiped a tear from her eye and opened the bag.  She pulled out the makeup, perfume and black nose ring I found her and smiled.  “Oh my god, I can be normal now!”  She laughed.  She walked around the desk and grabbed my hand.  “You’re my boyfriend!”  She said with a playful demand in her voice.  I laughed and looked at her.

             
Ricky walked up and handed her a couple of backpacks.  “We got you and the girls some clothes.”  He said.  She smiled and kissed his cheek.  “Thank you guys.”  She said emotionally.  Ricky smiled and walked over to Dennis and started going through the guns.  Claire gathered her stuff and walked out too her girls.  I watched her sit down and show them their new clothes.  Ricky walked over and slowly closed the door.  “Now onto the guns.”  He said not wanting the girls to see all of the weapons. 

I cleared off the draft table near the large window and we started to lay the guns out with the many boxes of ammo.  We stepped back and stared at the arson.  Ricky took off his hat and threw his hat up in the air.  “Woo hoo, we have enough weapons for an army!”  He cheered.  I patted him on the back.  “We sure do!”  I said excitedly.

After we organized everything and put the food on a shelf, we took out the propane stove and cooked some Spanish rice and macaroni & cheese.  We all sat on the floor in the shop and ate our first good meal in weeks.  It felt good to have all of these new supplies and in a way, I felt rich.  The girls seemed happy and even in this new world; they were laughing.

             
I kissed Claire and walked outside with Ricky.  We both lit a cigarette and stood there in silence.  We were both replaying the day’s events in our head and watching it like a movie.  We gathered some loose wood from around the building and tossed them in the barrel.  After we got the fire going nice and hot, we sat down and relaxed.  We smoked a few cigarettes and Claire came outside too join us.  I found a chair and set it next to mine.

             
“Why do you thank this all happened?”  She asked breaking the silence.  I thought about the question for a moment.  “I really think it’s a test from a higher power.”  I said.  Ricky nodded his head and took another drag from his cigarette.  Claire stared at the fire and thought about my answer for a moment.  “You may be right; I think mankind was doomed from the beginning. Years of technology and living as easy as we could and now the technology killed off almost all of mankind.”  She said.  Her words haunted me but they were true.  As each day passed, we were forced into using our hands and minds, not programs and machines.

             
I noticed headlights coming down the dirt road.  I pulled my handgun out and aimed at the approaching vehicle.  “Get inside Claire.”  I said.  She ran in the building and Ricky stood beside me with his shotgun pointed firmly at the car as it stopped at our gate.  “Do you guy’s have any food?”  A man asked.  I kept my gun pointed.  “Turn off your headlights!”  I demanded.  The lights turned off and my eyes slowly readjusted to the dark.

             
Ricky and I walked up to the gate.  “We don’t have a lot to offer.”  I said.  The man got out of his car and held his hands above his head.  He turned in a circle and stopped.  “I am not armed.”  He said.  We lowered our guns and I looked at Ricky.  “Grab him a few things for the road.”  He nodded and took of to grab the items.  The man lowered his arms, walked closer to the gate, and smiled.  “Bless you.”  He said tearfully.

             
Ricky ran out with a grocery bag and slid it through the gate; the man took it and ran back to his car.  “Bless you guys.”  He called out from his window.  He turned around on the road and drove off.

             
A
couple of weeks had past and we had settled in nicely.  The coming winter had started to show signs that it was ready to move fall out of the way and have its turn.  We were beginning to run low on food and we were planning our next run into town.  This time we decided to grab soil and as many seeds as we could carry; we wanted to gave an in door garden.  I figured a few grow lights and that should do the trick.

             
I was outside in front of the building gathering piles of dead leaves and dumping them on the side of the building.  I leaned the rake up against the wall and lit a cigarette.  I looked up, noticed a few large crows land on the edge of the roof, and peer down at me.  I heard something rumbling in the distance and I turned around and listened closely.  I held my breath and realized the sounds were getting closer to me.  I ran around the front and looked at the road; a large semi-truck came into view and was heading for the gate.  I ran into the building and locked the door.  “We have visitors!”  I yelled.  Ricky and Dennis came running out of the office and I walked passed them.  I pulled down a couple of the blinds and looked out.  Ricky and Dennis look out the window with me.

The large semi-truck came to a stop and the passenger door opened.  A tall skinny person with long greasy hair walked around the front of the gate and looked at the chain.  I noticed he was carrying a shotgun and was pointing it at the paddle lock I put on the chain. 
Boom! 
He fired a shot and the chain broke off the gate.  He opened it up and the truck pulled in.  Claire walked into the office and stood behind us.  “What the hell is going on?”  She asked.  I turned around and looked at her.  “Take the girls and hide in the bathroom.”  I said.  She took out her handgun and ran out of the room.  I reached out and slowly pulled the window open; Ricky and Dennis helped.  I pulled out my semi automatic 9mm and pointed at the man’s feet as he slowly approached the building.  I fired a few shots at the dirt.  “Oh shit!”  The man yelled.  I kept a close eye on him as he ran behind the truck and out of my view.  The driver door opened and a few rough looking men came running out and joined the other person behind the truck.

             
A few gunshots fired and we ducked behind the window.  “Shit!”  Ricky said in frustration.  I looked at Ricky and Dennis.  “You two go out the back door and each of you takes a side of the building.  I will stay here and that way we have them at three different angles.”  I said.  They nodded and ran out of the office.  I lifted my gun up and shot a few rounds out of the window.  I heard metal ping and the men talking.  “We know you got guns in there, give um up!  The gun store is pretty much wiped out!”  A man yelled.

             
I slowly peered up and back out of the window.  I loud bang rang loudly and I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder.  “Shit!”  I yelled.  I dropped back down and felt the wound; I had been shot.  I shook my head and started thinking about the woman in my life.  I raised my gun and fired a few more blind shots.  I then heard gunfire from either side of the building; Ricky and Dennis were opening fire.  I sat back up and felt a sharp pain shoot down my shoulder.  “Damn!”  I cried.  I pointed my gun and fired around the truck. 

A fat man suddenly ran out from behind the truck and shot his shotgun at the right of the building.  He pumped about three rounds before I could gun him down.  He fell face first into the gravel and dropped his weapon.  I ducked back down and heard shots fired from the left of the building.  I looked down and noticed my blue shirt was soaked with blood.  I did not want to die or let my girls die.  “Damn!”  I yelled.  I ran out of the office and opened the front door.  I ran towards the truck and the skinny man jumped out and started shooting at the left of the building.  I pulled the trigger and filled his chest full of bullets.  He fell down and I kept walking to the back of the truck.  I came up and noticed a man pointing a handgun at me.  He looked weathered and he had a long frizzy beard hang down to his chest.  “Put the gun down son.”  He said with his aim on my head.  I slowly lowered my gun and kept my eye on him.  The man took a few steps towards me and his wide eyes kept on me with each step he took.  “Now listen boy, I’m taking every damn thing you got, and do you understand me?  I like this building and I am taking it.  He slowly walked up to the front of his truck and stepped up his gun still pointing at my head.  He opened the door with his free hand and grabbed the radio.  “Charlie seven this is big bear, come on north of I3 and follow the old country road to heaven.”  He said into the receiver.

              The man started laughing and I noticed Ricky sneaking up from the side of the building.  He got close to the front of the truck and pumped his shotgun.  The man quickly turned around and I lifted my gun and shot him down.  I heard him grunt and he suddenly fell from the truck and landed hard on the ground.  I felt the pain in my shoulder start throbbing hard and I covered the wound with my hand. 

“Clear, we are clear!”  Ricky yelled.  I looked up and realized he was inside the truck.  He turned it off and took out the keys.  Dennis came limping up to us and I noticed blood on his right leg.  I shook my head.  “You got hit too huh.”  I said.  Ricky jumped down and helped Dennis into the shop.  I walked in and Claire was covering her mouth and looking at us in horror.  “Oh my god, you’re shot!”  She yelled in a panic.  I walked up to one of the first aid kits on the wall and took out the sewing kit and some bandages.  Claire ran up and I handed her some of them.  “I’m going in the bathroom and taking care of this.  You help Dennis.”  I said.  She let out a sigh and gave me a serious look.  “Okay, but I am checking on you in a few minutes.”  She said.  I nodded and walked away.

              I turned on the bathroom light and walked up to the large mirror.  I turned on the water and made sure it was warm.  I took off my vest and belts and dropped them on the floor.  My shoulder hurt and I finally managed to pull off my shirt.  I looked at the wound and studied it closely.  “Son of a bitch!”  I heard Dennis yell from outside the bathroom. 

“What’s wrong John?”  One of the girls asked.  I turned around and noticed the girls standing in the shower.  I covered my wound and forced a smile.  “It’s okay, I just got a boo boo.”  I said calmly.  Beth was holding her sister tightly and was looking at my bloody hand.  “What were those loud sounds?”  She asked.  I walked over and knelt down fighting against the pain.  “Those were just some fire crackers okay, now you guys should play with your toys.  Follow me.”  I said. 

              I opened the office door, walked over to the back of the shop, and found a nice clear area.  “You girls sit here and I will be right back.”  I said.  They nodded and I ran to their tent and grabbed a small purple basketball.  “God, that hurts like hell!”  Dennis yelled.  I turned around and noticed Claire digging at his bullet with a pair of tweezers.  She shook her head.  “I almost got it.”  She said.  I walked over to them and looked at Dennis.  “Keep it down, the girls are getting scared.”  I said.  Dennis lifted his shirt, stuffed some of it in his mouth, and bit down.  Claire turned and looked at me.  “I’m so stupid; I panicked and forgot about them.”  She said sadly.  I looked at her and smiled.  “It is okay, I got it.”  I said.

             
I ran back and handed Beth the ball.  “Okay here is the game.  Beth you sit on this side and Claire Jr. you sit opposite of her.  Now you both have to try and roll the ball to each other as many times as you can.”  I said kindly.  Claire Jr. walked over, sat a few feet in front of Beth, and looked up at me.  “You mean like a bazillion times?”  She asked.  I laughed and nodded my head.  She rolled the ball to Claire and they started playing.

             
I walked back into the bathroom and pulled my hand away from the wound; blood trickled down from the black colored hole.  The door suddenly opened and I noticed Ricky walk in.  “Holy shit man, you got it good!”  He said.  I shook my head.  “Damn thing hurts like hell.”  I moaned.  Ricky looked at the back of my shoulder and looked closely.  “There is an exit wound, so that’s good.  At least we don’t have to dig a bullet out.”  He said.  I opened the medicine bag and tried pulling out the iodine and it ended up rolling into the sink.  Ricky picked it up and opened the bottle.  He set it down and ran water onto a washcloth.  After it was soaked with warm water, he wiped my wound on both side.  I had never felt such pain and prayed that I would never have to again.  He held the bottle of iodine over my wound and looked at me in the mirror.  “Ready, this shit burns.”  He said.  I closed my eyes and felt the liquid hit both sides of my wound.  Suddenly the pain hit and it hit hard.  It felt like a welding torch was burning my skin away.  I clenched my teeth and growled in pain.

             
The bathroom door opened and Claire walked in.  “Are you okay honey?”  She asked.  Even through all of this agony, her words were beautiful.  I was pleased being called honey.  “I’m going to fix the gate.”  Ricky said.  He handed Claire the bandages and he left the bathroom.  She walked up behind me and started dressing my wound.  She wrapped me all up and my shoulder looked like it belonged to a mummy.  She hugged me from behind and kissed the back of my neck.  “You’re my hero.”  She whispered.  I smiled warmly and looked at the well-dressed bandage in the mirror.

             
I grabbed my guns, vest, and put them on my desk.  I heard the diesel start up and the garage door open.  I grabbed a blue shirt with buttons down the front and walked out into the shop.  Ricky drove a few feet then hit the brakes hard; he then drove a few feet and hit the breaks again.  I walked outside, climbed up the driver side, and opened the door.  Ricky moved over to the passenger seat and I looked at the large dashboard.  I looked down and was glad to see it was fully automatic.  I put it in drive and parked it inside.  I looked down at the gas gauge; it was at a half a tank.  I looked over at Ricky.  “That man called for some people too come here.  We need to fill this truck up and get the hell out of here.”  I said.  Ricky nodded and jumped out of the truck.  I drove further into the shop and stopped near the gas pumps.  I turned off the truck and climbed down.  I put the nozzle into the first gas tank and let it automatically fill it.  I ran back to Claire Jr. and Beth and noticed Claire was with them.  “Claire, grab all of your stuff, we are leaving.”  I said.  She stood up and gave me a worried look.  “What?”  She asked.  I started walking away.  “No time to explain, grab everything you can and load the sleeping cab of the truck.”  I said.

             
I walked into the office and looked at Dennis lying on the couch.  “Dennis we need to help you in the truck, we have to leave.”  I said.  He shook his head and looked at the ground.  “I know, Ricky told me.”  He said, his voice showing the pain.  I turned and noticed Ricky was packing the food and I ran over to help.  We loaded all of the guns in the cab of the truck and I started filling the other gas tank.

             
I helped Claire and the kids into the truck, ran around to all of the first aid kits, and emptied them into a backpack.  I walked over and tossed it up into the truck. 
Boom! 
The sudden violent gunshot came from the office.  I slowly opened the door and looked around.  I did not see Ricky anywhere and I looked over at the couch; Dennis was twitching and he had a gun in his left hand.  I gagged in horror and noticed the back of his head covered in blood.  I ran out of the room and shut the door.  Ricky came running up and looked at me.  “What was that?”  He asked.  I looked at him and shook my head.  “Dennis shot himself.”  I said sadly.  Ricky covered his mouth and shook his head.  I looked at him.  “Do we have everything?”  I asked, trying to keep my mind on the task.  Ricky looked around the shop and nodded his head.  “We got it all man; I even threw in some tools and stuff.”  He said.

             
We jumped in the truck and I backed it up out of the building.  I felt sadness overwhelm me and it really hit me, we were leaving our first home since the zombie mess had begun.  I parked at the gate and looked at Ricky.  “I will be right back.”  I said.  Claire reached out from behind me and took my hand.  “Where are you going?”  She asked sadly.  I turned and looked at her.  “I have to do something.” 

             
I jumped down from the truck and ran over to my car.  I started it up and drove it into the shop.  I kept it running in park and jumped out.  I pulled off the gas cap and let it dangle down on the side.  I headed for the gas tanks and felt my shoulder throb with each step I took.  I grabbed an old shirt on the way and ripped pieces from it.  I took out one of the gas nozzles, tied the cloth around it, and forced it too pump fuel onto the ground.  I took an old coffee can, filled it halfway with the gas, and tossed the nozzle to my side.  I ran over to one of the candles we would burn and walked back to my car.  I dumped some of the fuel onto the hood, walked to the side, and poured some around the open gas tank. I took out my lighter, walked outside of the garage door, and lit the candle.  I set it down on the floor near the garage door and looked up; I noticed the fuel was slowly covering the ground and heading my way.  I reached in, pushed the button to close the garage, and ran back to the black semi-truck.  I jumped in and drove away from the shop.  I stopped the truck at the main road and suddenly the late evening sky began to glow in the distance.  Ricky looked out the window and noticed the heavy fire flicker in the sky.  The building suddenly exploded and a large cloud of smoke filled the air above our home.  I turned the truck and drove back into the zombie-filled world.