Chapter 8

Justine gave me a stern look when I told him that we had to go. He was hesitant at first, but I didn't even bother explaining it to him because he should know what I meant by now. Justine nodded at me when he realized why I was in a hurry, so he grabbed all the things he got from the counter. The two of us immediately made our way to where our car was parked. 'Where's Peter?" Justine asked when we got to our hummer. I shrugged. 'I don't know. He's probably still out there," I paused to gasp some air. 'Justine, we need to go," I continued. He nodded and opened the trunk of the car. He put there all the things we got, while I looked for our surroundings to check if there's any rotten. When we're already done putting everything inside, Justine slowly closed the trunk and glanced to where the junkyard was. 'I need to go to Peter. Stay here inside the car and don't come outside," Justine said to me. I frowned. What? I do not want to stay here though. 'I'll come with you," I replied. 'I need to go to Peter. Stay here inside the car and don't come outside," Justine said to me. I frowned. What? I do not want to stay here though. 'I'll come with you," I replied. Justine glanced at me for a moment before nodding and grabbing his gun to defend himself. Of course, I have to take mine as well, just in case. We made our way towards the junkyard, where Peter was. The strong breeze then swept some few tangled strands of my hair's breadth away from my face, carrying a harsher stench from the ancient hardware with it. Justine and I kept heading towards it, and we were almost there when we saw Peter emerge from the old store. And when I detected something in my peripheral vision, I smelt the air and growled deeply. When my eyesight was clear, my eyes lit up as I noticed a rotten coming from the opposite direction. It had most likely been aroused by the disturbance, and sadly for us, it now had us in their sights. 'Guys, we have to hurry up. There's a rotten on the other side!" I said in a low tone. Peter and Justine both glanced to where I talked about. Peter put his palm on his forehead as he brought the weapons, he got from that old, abandoned junkyard. He was bringing with him a Kriss Vector Assault Rifle, a Windham Weaponry's new RMCS-3 AR-15 - Silenced, Scoped, a Kel-Tec KSG-25 Shotgun, a grain sickle, and an axe. I smirked when he brought good and best weapons to use. 'Here, hold this for me for a meanwhile," Peter gave me his axe and grain sickle. We sprinted towards our car, the three of us. I accelerated and dashed to the backseat before rushing to apprehend the rotten. I placed all of my belongings beside me as Justine sat in the driver's seat and prepared his keys. Unfortunately, just as Peter was about to get inside the car, a rotten leaped on top of him out of nowhere. 'Oh, fuck," Justine cursed, and he went outside the car. Oh, my goodness! When Justine was about to help Peter, another rotten sprang out of nowhere, now attacking Justine. Peter struggled to fight the rotten as he slowly fires the bullet from his rifle. I stretched between my back and my rucksack for my most lethal weapon. The grain sickle had initially been provided to me by Peter from the hardware earlier, but when I was in the car, I refined it into a dangerous weapon competent enough of chopping throughout a rotten's throat. I jumped out of the car and hurried to Justine's assistance. When the rotten spotted me, he naturally stepped away from Justine. And as I approached him, he hissed, but before I could even use the grain sickle, Justine had already fired a shot with his shotgun. The bullet managed to cut its collar with a grunt and a wiggle, allowing the rotten's head to fall on the floor while its body slumped. 'Woah! That was gross, but it was pretty cool," I said. He smirked and we both looked at Peter who has also already killed the rotten. I heaved out a deep long sigh as the three of us went back to our car. For me, the last phase of the voyage moved far too slowly. I was fighting aggravation and boredom, but it was a losing struggle. Fortunately, the two people in front of me were saving me by listening to their nonstop chats and keeping up with our quicker speed. Despite this, they constantly tripped over stumps and twigs in the pitch darkness. But I had to give them some slack for their perseverance. They weren't going down without a fight, even if it meant pushing themselves to the brink of giving up. Because the sun had already set and the moonlight was creeping in, it was natural for all of us to be drowsy. Peter strained to stay awake, but he never spoke again. I felt the same way. It's safe to say that all of us were already fatigued. Somehow, Justine found enough breath to mutter. 'Are you okay? I glanced at him from the rearview mirror. I smiled at him and nodded. 'Yeah, I do. How about you? Are you okay?" For some reason, I saw amusement on his face. I don't know if I am just hallucinating or what, but I really did see it. Or maybe it's just because of the darkness. He glanced at me once again. 'I guess I am okay too. There's no room for me to accept any negativities." I nodded. I was somewhat amused by what Justine had said to me. I bit my lips and looked outside the window when the silence between us was further stretched. I don't know if it's just me, but there's something within me that tells me to speak or say something. To break the silence. Of course, I was thinking of that too, of what topic I should bring up. Fortunately, Justine was able to precede me first with a question. 'Aren't you hungry or thirsty?" My lips got stuck in the air because of his question. I laughed in my mind. I don't know why but for some reason, I find his question a little bit cute that I didn't even notice that a smile has escaped from me. I nodded. 'No, I'm all good. You should be asking yourself." 'I'll probably eat later," his eyes focused on the road. I smiled. 'Yeah, I figured you'd say that. I'll do that also with you later." He glanced at me for a second before he averted his gaze back to the road, with a smile plastered on his face. For the second time around, the silence was once ignited again. So, to cut it off, I asked him something stupid. Well, this question has been bothering me ever since, so I figured out why not ask him that? I cleared my throat as I leaned back to my seat more comfortably. 'Why did u help me?" I noticed that Justine's brow creased a little bit. 'What do you mean by that? 'You know, from that building. You could've just left me there when I told you to go, and you also came for me at Pittsfield. I mean, I left you, and it's just so… you know, sort of weird that you went through troubles just to come for me again," I said, shrugging. He didn't respond for a while, and it almost took him a minute before he answered me. 'I don't want to see you gone." Suddenly, I felt like all my sane has left my body. The words he said didn't process on my mind that it felt like he was tripping me. I gasped that I did not notice my mouth has been opened since he said those exact words to me. I licked my lips as I struggle to find words but then, Justine continued speaking. 'You're still a human. You're not infected, so why should we leave you? You deserve to live and survive." I closed my mouth and slowly nodded at him. I still couldn't understand his reasoning for that and when he noticed the confusion on my face and because I did not reply to what he said, he spoke again. 'I need you," in a serious tone, he replied. What? He… He needs me? My eyes immediately went to him and through the rearview mirror, I saw his expression over there. Once again, I gasped. I was so shocked that my heart skipped a beat. I leaned more back to my seat as I felt some bullets of sweat trickling down my forehead. It wasn't hot, but for some reason, I felt hot. My cheeks turned red, and I was still in awe because of him. He did not talk too, but just to save myself from the awkwardness, I tried to divert our topic into something else. 'How many hours do we still have to drive before we got there?" Justine looked at his watch. 'Probably two more hours. It's already ten in the evening. We can't make it through today." I nodded. Judging from how dark it was already, I don't think it's a good idea to push our little voyage. Well, we could just go there tomorrow morning since it's going to be a two-hour drive only. We're almost there. 'So, where are we now?" I asked. 'We're at a nearby forest park or something. I saw a cabin house there from the woods. We could just go there and spend our night." 'Yeah, that would be okay too. Where'd you see that again?" He pointed to his left side. 'Over there." I looked at that and averted my gaze back to him. 'Are we safe there?" Justine shrugged. 'We have to check. No worries, we're pretty equipped. I got your back. You just have to inspect the surroundings and I'll deal the rest." I nodded at him, ultimately agreeing with what he said. After that, I didn't respond anymore, probably because I was too exhausted to say anything else. Peter, on the other hand, started shivering as the temperature inside the car fell, although he didn't dare protest. With the dwindling light, their stillness was prudent. Based on my observations, some rotten couldn't see well at night, but it probably won't stop them from attempting to find anything they sensed or smelled. It was also unusual to come across them in the middle of the woods like this, and luckily, we hadn't come across any so far. Besides from their loud footsteps and rapid breathing, the only thing that shattered the solitude was the subtle rhythmic thumping of the stream we were strolling by. We didn't have to look far to find the cottage because it was located along its banks. It wasn't too much longer before we sighed in relief, finally spotting an abandoned house. Of course, we had to examine the place first for any possible rotten before we go ahead and stay. We staggered into the clearing in an exhausted daze. 'We're here," Justine muttered. Peter blinked and glanced up, exhausted, recognizing we have eventually found a clear place. I opened the door and took a look inside. It was a massive cabin residence built of wood, surrounded by birch trees. It was rather large and visually beautiful to live in, in my opinion. I pushed open the door and peered inside. There was no evidence of the owner, and just the furnishings remained. 'Hello?" I asked, trying to make sure if someone's here. 'Hello?" I repeated. But when no one answered, I knew it was clear. I glanced at Justine and Peter who was behind me and still examining the outside surrounding. They were both holding their guns and they just put them down when they saw me looking at both of them. I cleared my throat. 'It's clear. I saw a fireplace or a hearth inside. I'll get the fire started." Justine took a deep breath as they both entered inside the house. I walked to the woodpile inside the lodge, collected an enormous pile of firewood and charcoal, and hauled it on the inside, keeping the door open. The two guys with me tracked behind me until they were standing beside me, attempting to peek into the darkness as they staggered from tiredness. With a sigh, I placed my pallet of wood near the wood-burning stove and took a flashlight from my bag. When I turned it on, I found it hard to find the light switch, but thankfully, I did. I spotted a few oddities within the log cabin. The heat is thermostatic, with glycol coolant routed through all the floors and ceilings from a subsurface furnace. Because it is natural gas-fired, it is incredibly cost-effective, and the warmth is distributed evenly all through the house. The kitchenette has an island floor layout, granite countertops, and all contemporary, updated equipment. A patio wraps around four edges of the wood cottage on the upper story. A separate veranda off the master bedroom on the third story. The log is even the vehicle garage below, which has a workshop and a wood-burning fire. There is no outhouse at this cabin house. It features four full bathrooms, one for each of the four bedrooms. But, of course, we have to stick together in case something bad happens. Peter sat on the sofa, his backpack on the floor. "Get some rest, you two. I'll keep an eye on things till the morning," Justine told us. Peter was now lying on the couch. "Are you certain, man?" in a sleepy tone, he questioned, hesitantly, while staring at him. "We can take turns keeping an eye out for problems." As I prepared the kindling for the fire, I snorted softly. "You'd definitely doze off. I'll make do," Justine answered. Peter nodded, and I shook my head, too exhausted to disagree. Justine trailed after me as I struck a match and observed the fire grow and spread, throwing a few more tiny twigs before placing larger ones on top. Justine trailed after me as I struck a match and observed the fire grow and spread, throwing a few more tiny twigs before placing larger ones on top. "Are you not going to sleep?" Justine inquired after I had finished lighting the fire. Justine asked after I had finished lighting the fire. I cast a peek at him and saw his reflection in the flames. I shrugged and shook my head. 'No. I have an insomnia." He nodded as he placed his backpack on the floor. "I'll check and see if I can grab something from the kitchen. Stay here," he said, leaving me in the lounge room. Of course, I didn't listen to him. I did a circle all around the house to make sure there was nothing lurking inside, even though the air merely smelled like it was midnight. I returned to our trail a mile later to look for any indications if zombies had ever crossed it and attempted to follow it. I returned to the living room once I saw it was clear. Before settling in a neighboring armchair, I added more words to the blazing fire. I didn't even bother grabbing a comforter from the couch. The stove was now producing plenty of heat, which I didn't require. The stem exuded a sharp, crisp odor when I crushed it. I rubbed my nose with the fluids. It helped a little, but not enough to make the effort worthwhile. As that modest optimism was destroyed, I grumbled beneath my breath. Justine emerged from the kitchen, holding two cups. I fixed my position from the armchair as I looked at Justine who was coming to my way. He gave me the other mug. 'Here, I saw a kettle there at the kitchen. There's some instant coffee there, so I made one to warm us up," he said. I reached for the mug. 'Uhm, thank you." He smiled at me as he sat in the other armchair beside me. The silence was once stretched as we both watched the ceaseless fire on the hearth. 'Do you have any siblings with you?" he suddenly asked which made me shocked a little bit. I sipped from my coffee as I placed both of my palms on my warmed coffee. The heat coming from it made me more comfortable than I was before, and it soothes away the cold breeze of air, although, I wasn't cold or anything. I nodded at him. 'Yeah. I…" I paused, remembering the gorgeous face of her. 'I have a sister. Her name's Georgia." 'It's a beautiful name. How old's she?" 'It was indeed a beautiful name. She's quite older than me. She's twenty-nine and she has a kid who's out there in France. Her daughter Niki was with her father. And Georgia happened to come back here at NYC, but then this shit apocalypse happened as well," in a low mediocre tone, I replied to him. He leaned more his back on his chair as he stared at me intently with those hypnotizing eyes. It's just like he's waiting for me to tell him more. So, that's what I did. I stared back at his deep blue eyes as I continued telling him things. 'I live in a not-so-good family background. My mother was divorced and my father? I have no idea where he went to, but I heard he remarried. I was thirteen at that time. So, it's just the three of us," I told him, and he just stared at me without saying anything at all. 'But then Georgia met an Australian guy. They fell in love with each other, and it's just a matter of time when Georgia got pregnant with Niki, and the two of them moved to Massachusetts, leaving me and my mom alone," I said. Justine licked his lips. 'That's sad." I smiled at him and sipped from my mug. 'Yeah, it is. My mother had become addicted to gambling that we started losing money, and she suffered from depression. But as I grew older, I realized our home, or that home isn't a home for me anymore. So, I moved out from our house. I moved to NYC. I got a job there," I nodded to myself. Justine stayed silent. And that's when I realize I have a thing for leaving people whenever I feel like leaving them. I was selfish, immature, and I never considered the feelings of others as long as I am not suffering, then I'm good. And that's some of my red flags. I realized how bad of a person I was. To my family, to Justine and Peter, to other people, and to myself. 'I am selfish, and my selfishness brought me to something I had never expected will happen to me. I saw…" I paused, trying to breathe as much as I could. 'I saw how Georgia died in front of me. And I saw how mom lose all the colors on her face as she becomes pale slowly and slowly. And regret was what hit me the most. I have lots of regrets. I realized lots of things," in a small voice, I continued. I sipped again from my mug and stared at the fire. For some reason, I saw my reflection from there. I tried to remove all my thoughts away from my mind and as I was about to divert our topic into something else, Justine spoke which made me shocked. 'You're not selfish, Clem. You just did what you had to do. Even if I were in your situation, I'd probably do the same thing." I gasped and I felt like something touched my heart. Something was churning beneath my chest. 'You don't have to feel those feelings, Clem. Your feelings are valid. And I'm sure, both your mom and sister were proud of you. So, don't be harsh to yourself. It's not your fault." I pressed my lips into thin lines as I watched him smile at me. I smiled back at him and nodded. 'Thank you," I said. He smirked. 'Thanks for what?" 'For your little advice?" 'I wasn't comforting you though," he arched his brows but also laughed eventually. 'Suit yourself, Justine." I waited a few hours before daylight and silently began preparing things for my buddies. I grabbed a pot in a closet and filled it with water from the tap. I put it on the woodstove to heat up and surrounded it with empty beer bottles. I started digging through the drawers while the water was heating up. I located a couple of canned goods and set them on the table, along with a frying pan full of canned items that they only needed to heat up. By the time I finished, the water was boiling, so I transferred it to the empty bottles to chill. I couldn't think of anything else to do indoors, so I walked outdoors for some fresh air. I sat in front of the cabin on an old armchair, taking in the air. However, I was taken aback when Peter approached and sat alongside me. I took a leisurely look at him, but he was just sitting there staring at the shrubs. We sat there quietly for a few minutes until I heard someone meander around inside. Those hefty steps could only be Justine's. He walked out, squinting at the harsh light, as the door cracked open. He approached us and sat in a neighboring chair, holding a box of bran flakes and a can of pomegranate juice that we had brought from his apartment. Of course, Justine chose the closest chair to me. "Good morning," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Morning," I said, hoping my morning voice wasn't too bad. Peter yawned and turned to face him. "Good morning, man." "What are you doing here, you two?" Justine questioned. Before I could even respond to his question, Peter had answered him already. "We're just taking in some fresh air before we depart. So, how close are we to the interstate?" he eventually inquired. Justine took a peek at the driveway and the lush trees. 'About a thirty-minute drive." "We wouldn't be able to hear a car from here," I added. "Unlikely. At this distance, even I wouldn't be able to hear one unless it was incredibly loud, so if they heard it, we'd have other issues," Justine said. Peter sipped from his pomegranate juice can before asking Justine a question. "So, what's the plan?" Justine pointed our hummer. 'We'd still use that." 'After what you've said?" I asked, my brows arched. 'Yes, after what I've said." So just like what he had planned, the three of us decided to use the car back to the interstate. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put on the orange jacket I had discovered earlier in this log home. It was far too large for me, yet it was far too comfortable to give up. I strolled over to the bathroom mirror, crinkling my brow at my reflection. My hair was a tangled mess that hung to the middle of my back and seemed browner than its true hue. I grabbed my backpack and put it over my back, then I picked up my baseball bat from the vanity. When everything was arranged, the three of us returned to the car. We made it through the trees without drawing any rotten, and Justine proceeded along the freeway with me in the front seat and Peter in the passenger's seat. I exchanged seats with Peter for some reason that I want to be in front. I stood with my back to the automobile, watching the dust whirl behind the hummer. "We have a rotten ahead, and I won't be able to circumvent him," Justine hollered as he called out to Peter and me. Do you have any suggestions for me?" Peter sat up in his seat and looked around the car. "Keep going, dude. I'll keep him in the rear." Justine veered off the road, and hence the rotten was now on my side. As we passed the infected woman, she sprang towards the car with her arms spread, nearly missing the rearview mirror. Oh, holy crap! I moved forward, grabbing Peter's weapon and pointing it at the rotten. As she swiped out with her fingernails, she let out a ferocious snarl. And before she could even reach my wrist, I fired the bullet, knocking her to the ground. nd blood splashed onto our window. 'Goddamn it. Peter pass me some napkin papers," I asked Peter. He gave me the whole packet of napkin paper as I growled. 'Dude, that's so disgusting. But you're good," he complimented me. 'Thanks. I learned it from you," I replied as I wiped some residues of blood from my right hand. Justine glanced at me and chuckled. Within seconds, the car had passed the rotten, and even as slow as we were going, its speed wasn't sufficient to catch up. As I sat back down, Justine offered me a bottle of water and I downed everything, leaving nothing inside the bottle. He grinned widely at my method of firing bullets. 'You're pretty cool," he said. I smiled at him. I leaned to the side and rested there my arm lightly. Due to weariness, I lifted an eyebrow in front of me and hissed quietly. Well, I've been exhausted since yesterday. I checked the weather and examined the horizon. However, it was only a minute later that I realized I was sinking into a black bottomless abyss. The next thing I knew, I was downstairs, hearing a sluggish thump of footfall. As I try to hear, my entire body stiffens. Going down to investigate is a must, so I left the mattress and went out into the corridor, my pulse pounding against my chest. As I approach the stairwell, all I can hear are muffled noises and the odd sniff. The sounds that an animal might make if anything scared it. What's going on? As I poked my head downstairs, the odor of rotting flesh assaulted me, and I realized the source of the noise was neither animal nor terrified. The front door was wide open, enabling a dazzling ray of sunshine to shine squarely on the staircase in front of it. I consciously retraced my movements, trying to recall whether or not I had closed the door. I'm pretty sure I did. In fact, I'm certain I did. But I must also be mistaken. Because they can't open up the door without shattering them. It isn't long before the source of the noise appears, walking into the pool of sunshine at the bottom of the steps. My heart began to pound as I pulled myself farther behind the wall. A rotten. Clumps of hair encrusted with dried blood stains around a missing piece of its skull. The white of its head was apparent underneath the grime scalp, illuminated by the sunlight. Its clothes were ripped and damaged in several places. Long limbs dangle languidly at its sides, slender fingers clutching and puckering at irregular intervals. Notwithstanding this mobility, it manages to maintain still, its body oriented towards the open door, distracted by the noise of the breeze. Oh my goodness. Perspiration wet my brows and flowed down the sides of my face as I scanned its whole body, scrutinizing every quiver and spasm. My heartbeat faster with each little, anxious movement is made. I had no idea I was keeping my fingers crossed until it hurled itself towards the stairs and an unintentional gasp escaped my lips. I was softly sprinting back towards the bedroom in an instant, my pulse racing in time with the footsteps I heard coming up behind me. Panic gripped my thoughts as my gaze flew to every corner of the living room, eventually settling on the door of a small compartment. Risking a peek beyond me, I moved and pulled the door slowly, leaving it open a little to prevent making noise. I'm not sure whether it heard me; I can only hope it didn't. The darkness then gripped me, and it's only now that the smallness of the place has registered in my thoughts. I'm imprisoned with no other alternatives. My adrenaline hammered in my ears like a piston, overpowering the noises of its footsteps and grunts. The infected came at the bedroom door in no time, its movement subtle in comparison to my heart's frantic thumping. It discovered the room so quickly that I'm very sure it recognizes I'm over here. A monster in the middle of a hunt halted in the doorway and put its head up in the air, nose sniffing for a human scent. I chewed my tongue to keep a breath from escaping. Its head jerked downwards like a lever, and it entered the room with the uncomfortable stumble of its type. It stalked towards the hiding spot. Its long legs drew it in with fast steps. I rolled onto my hands and scooted as far away as I could, shoving myself into the closet's corner and squeezing against its walls. The horrible just got closer, and I'm sure it heard me. Spare me. Mom, please help me. Georgia, please. Justine… It walked inside the room, its arms still lifeless, approached the cot, sniffing the air with a raspy loud sound. It approaches the cradle until it is exactly above it. I dropped myself as far as I could to the ground, my hands shaking and unable to keep motionless. It resumed walking after a brief pause. I returned my gaze to the door behind me, the thought of running appealing. But I elected to remain still until it started moving again. Finally, we've returned to our previous places. Looking up through the slats, my perspective was unstable due to the brutal trembling that rocked my body in pulses. Finally, its gaze caught me, plagued by a dead stare that searched the room's walls, never glancing down at me. As its pupils expanded with each momentary sniff, the look depicted on its face remained one of consuming frugality. While its mouth has lost the vitality of words, they separate just enough to enable a sneer as it walks closer to me. It walked inside the room, its limbs still lifeless, approached the mattress, snuffling with a scratchy distinctive noise. It approaches the crib until it is exactly above it. I dropped myself as far as I could to the ground, my hands shaking and unable to keep motionless. It resumed walking after a brief pause. I returned my gaze to the door behind me, the thought of running appealing. I took one step back, slowly and deliberately. But then it shouted, and it was poised to devour me! No, don't come near me! Where are you, Justine? Please help me. But it was at that point that the concept soothed the great anxiety that had accumulated inside me. When I spoke his name again, I was jolted back into reality, and the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was, indeed, Justine. As I remained inside the car, another repressed breath expelled itself from my lungs. Justine was looking at me with his concerned eyes and that's when I realized it was a nightmare! 'Are you okay? You've been calling for my name since earlier. You had a bad dream, didn't you?" in a worried tone, he said. I chased for my breath as I looked around my surroundings and noticed we were at a different place already. My eyes widened when I saw a large grey infrastructure and a big metallic gate behind us. 'Where are we?" I asked. Justine smiled at me. 'We've made it, Clem. We're already here at Fort Hamilton," he pointed to Peter who was busy walking towards another entrance.