The Fall: The Apocalypse Diaries Page 5

  “Hey there Amber.” I looked to see who had spoken to me. It was Jarred, my other brother. We were never really close, but I was glad to see him just the same. Perhaps now we had a chance to change the past between us as I always wanted to.

  “Over the course of the past seventeen months, I had found my cousins. Granted, it wasn’t all of them, but I was happy with who I did find. In the movies, most characters lose all of their family. Not in real life. Humans realize there are strength in numbers and I truly believe that is why in seventeen months, I had never found just one person. I had found two but never only one.

  My daddy brought at least twenty people with him, and they were all family or close enough to be family. Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and my parents were back. I knew our forces were going to be stronger. I could finally see hope that we would survive. Once again, humans would become the majority.

  “Daddy!” It was Alex’s voice. No doubt he would be as happy as I was to see who was here.

  “I knew you were alive! I knew it!” I watched my brother throw his arms around our daddy. My mama nearly knocked me down getting to Alex. He was always a mama’s boy, and they were close.

  “Granny! Pawpaw! This is awesome! You guys are ok!” It was Tyler. My son fought his way past his uncle, and wrapped an arm around each of my parents Tara wasn’t far behind, heading straight for my daddy.

  “Mama makes me do work Pawpaw.” I couldn’t help but to laugh when I heard her say that. Daddy hadn’t been here an hour yet and Tara was already telling on me.

  “Well work is good for you baby girl.” My daddy took my side. That was great. I guess my daughter would be getting a reality check now that Pawpaw wouldn’t defend her on everything anymore.

  I gave my cousins Michael and Tommy the task of getting the others settled in. We had plenty of space, and I had never been so happy to make room for new people. Dinner was going to be a great event tonight. We may have lost one, but we gained twenty-one people, some family, and a few strangers.

  I went back to weapon crafting, and my daddy went with me. I was eager to show him that everything he had taught Alex and me was being used. I knew he would be proud of what Alex and I had built. We had a nice civilization going. Though we didn’t have the luxuries of TV and internet that we once had, we could still live comfortably and securely.

  “We have a really good set up here Daddy. Alex and I have taken everything you have taught us and passed it on to the others in the village.” I stated.

  “Everything looks good. It looks like you all have adjusted well.” Daddy said to me.

  “We have, but we all have to work together in order to make things work here.”

  “I don’t doubt that. A unit is only as strong as its weakest point.” Daddy replied.

  I was so happy to have him back. I couldn’t wait for him to go on a raid with the team. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be a valuable asset.

  There was so much about the past seventeen months that I wanted to know. I wanted to know where he had been and how they survived. I knew my father was a survivor. I had no doubt when all of this began that he would make it. I was still curious as to where he had been all this time, and why he had decided to come back to this area.

  “So Daddy, where have you been?” I asked, unable to avoid the questions anymore.

  “I went deep into the woods with your mother, two brothers, and sister. We went to Alabama, to a cabin I knew of. I knew that the less people there was around, the less chance we had of becoming a meal.”

  “I could see that. Did you try to come find me or Alex?” I needed to know the answer to that question. I wasn’t sure why. I had no doubt in my mind that he loved and thought of us.

  “I came to the store, but you were already gone. When I got there, the place was empty. It looked like you guys had cleaned it out.”

  “How did you know Alex was with me?” I asked.

  “It happened on a Wednesday. Alex was always at the store on Wednesdays.”

  My dad was right about that. Alex always helped me in the store on Wednesday mornings, ever since I first opened the store. I was amazed by how insightful my father was. Then again, I should have expected as much. My father was a simple country man. He lived in a simple house off the road and drove a simple truck.

  My father and I took a seat on the edge of the fountain in the public square.

  “Where did you and Alex go with the children?” my dad asked.

  “Well, Alex and I took the children, and Randy, and we went to the old Kingston Elementary School.” My mind took me back to that time, in the beginning of the apocalypse.

  The traffic on the roads had stopped completely. The only sound that could be heard was the moans and groans of the undead walking about on the outside. The trains had stopped running. Days went by without hearing a single whistle. We were safe in the store, but the space was too small for five people to live in.

  “Our food was still in good supply, but other things were not so good. We were all sleeping in the floor without blankets or pillows. We hadn’t changed clothes in a week and we were all past the point of deodorant helping us. We took baths by using baby wipes to wipe ourselves down. Tara complained often, and that didn’t make things any easier. She complained about eating ham and cheese sandwiches all the time.

  It took two days before we lost power. Our drinks stayed cold for a few days after that. Then, we were forced to drink luke warm soda, water, and juice. That also made Tara complain even more. I told her to get used to it. I knew that we would probably never see electricity again, and if we did, it would not be any time soon.

  Alex, Randy, and I talked a lot. We knew that we could not live in my small store forever. We needed to have a place where we could survive, we needed to be able to plant crops because eventually all of the food in stores would be gone. That is when we decided to head for the old Kingston Elementary School.

  The school had been closed for years. It was now the site of a local flea market. I hadn’t visited often, but I knew that there was things we could use in the building. We would need tools and weapons to protect ourselves. We may even get lucky and find a bed or two.

  We loaded down the back of the box truck with all of the food and drinks we could manage. We took chains and locks for our plan to secure the fence that surrounded the perimeter of the building. The fence was necessary to keep the undead as far away from us as we could. I loaded the books I had received the day the world went to shit. I knew we would meet others and we would need to teach them how to survive.

  We left out at day break. We put Tara and Tyler in the back of the box truck where they would be safe. The old school was only five miles away from the store. We weren’t sure how clear the roads were, but the box truck could move almost any vehicle out of its way. It wasn’t like we had to worry about legal repercussions for hitting other vehicles. The law and government as we knew it was gone. Of that, we were sure.

  We traveled the five mile journey down Hall Station road. The path was fairly clear, which made the travel easier. I was amazed at the sight around me. There were people walking, but I knew that they weren’t people anymore. They moved in an odd way, but still fast, except for those with injured legs or ankles. Blood clotted to their mouths, varying in color from red to as dark as the blackest shade of black. Their skin was gray like the summer clouds of a thunder storm. They looked the same as they would in the movies, only this was real life.

  We made the left turn onto Main Street in Kingston. The old school was just at the top of the hill. I readied myself, clutching to a chain and an open pad lock. I wore the keys around my neck. I hoped there were no zombies on the inside of the fence. I hoped that I was right in my original assessment that the flea market was closed. One thing was sure, we were about to find out.

  “Don’t stop for any of the undead. Plow right through them, and right through the fence.” I told Randy who was driving. Alex was ready to assist me. Randy did as I had instru
cted; he went straight through the gate as well. The box truck slid to a halt. Alex and I jumped out of the cab of the truck and closed the gate. We wrapped the chain through and secured it with the pad lock. Once the gate was secure, we rushed back to the truck.

  I climbed in first, and slid over beside Randy.

  “That was quick.” he stated.

  “Piece of cake.” I replied, trying to catch my breath.

  “Make one pass around the building and look for walkers or people.” Alex said.

  “Gotcha.” Randy answered. Randy drove around the building once. There were no vehicles anywhere. That was a good thing. It meant we were at the building alone more than likely.

  Randy pulled the box truck to the front doors. Alex got out of the truck armed with a crow bar. I went to the back of the truck to open the roll up door for Tara and Tyler to get out. My heart was racing. To the best of our knowledge, the coast was clear, but I knew that anything could happen. We had to keep our guard up if we wanted to survive.

  “Ok you two, stay close to me. Keep your guard up.” I instructed. I handed each of them mop handles. The ends had been sharpened into points.

  “If one of those things comes up, don’t be afraid to shove the end of this right through its head.”

  “Got it Mom.” Tyler said as he took the weapon from me. Tara was hesitant.

  “Take it and do what you have to do Tara. I don’t want to lose you.” I urged.

  “We are in.” Alex stated. I grabbed the flashlights and passed them out.

  “Everyone stay close. If any of those things are in here, we will be better off if we stick together.” Alex said. I agreed with him. I removed my gun from my pocket, and put a round in the chamber. Alex led our way inside. We stayed quiet so we could listen for any of the horrifying noises we were forced to hear when we were in the store; any noises that might imply that we were not alone.

  We searched every corner of the building from one end to the other. There was no one there but us. I breathed a sigh of relief. As difficult as life had become, it was nice for something to be easy.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Amber, Amber, snap out of it.” Randy said to me. I shook my head to push the memories away.

  “Yeah Randy, what is it?” I replied.

  “Dinner in the center of the village. Come on. Let’s go.” He stated. I smiled and turned to my father.

  “Well, shall we go?” I asked.

  “Let’s go.” He replied. We stood up and made our way to the center of the village.

  In the center of our village, or the old public square in Adairsville, there was a gazebo. That is where we set up the gas grills to cook. Our cooking team was the best. We may have only been able to eat canned meats, but our meals were great to say the least. We removed the tables from the fellowship hall of the church, and lined them down the parking lot in the square. We ate as a family. After all, that is what we were, one big family.

  I took a seat beside my father. I had missed him so much that I wanted every moment I could have with him. My mother Wilma sat on the other side of me, and for once since the world went to hell, I was genuinely happy.

  I looked down at my plate. Tonight’s dish was cheesy tuna helper with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and fried bread. I wasn’t a big fan of tuna, but I had come to like it when I wanted meat and it was all that was available. Now, I loved it, and even looked forward to it when it was served.

  “You have done a good job with this place daughter. I am proud of you.” my father said. I smiled at him.

  “Thanks Daddy. We all work really hard to keep things going.” I had to give credit where credit was due. I may be the Commander as people called me, but everyone here does their part. I couldn’t take all the credit.

  “So what do my grandchildren do around here? I know you have them working. They are plenty old enough.” he said.

  “Yes they are, and they each do their part. They sort supplies, craft weapons, cook. Tyler helps clean up the dead bodies, and Tara cleans the apartment and helps teach the smaller children.”

  My father nodded as he chewed up a bite of the tuna helper.

  “That’s all real good baby girl, but they need to learn more.” he said as he took a drink of warm sweet tea.

  “What did you have in mind daddy?” I asked. I was curious as to what he was thinking.

  “Well, what about these raids you go on?”

  “Oh no Daddy. They have never gone on a raid.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s too dangerous.”

  My daddy shoved the last of the food into his mouth and washed it down with the last of his tea.

  “The world is dangerous baby girl. Look, nobody knows how long this thing is gonna last. You can’t shelter these kids from the world. Those raids keep this place on its feet. Now they are almost grown. They need to know how to find their food. They need to know how to drive. They gotta learn how to be grownups.”

  I listened to my father’s words even though the very thought of sending my children out into the world beyond the walls of the village sent chills down my spine. I had seen things in the past seventeen months. I had seen what happens when children are not kept close. I had watched children become meals, become the undead. I had seen them walking or running in the hordes of the undead. I didn’t want that for Tara and Tyler. I didn’t want that for MY children.

  I searched within me for the words to defy the father that had only today returned to me. I wanted to deny his advice, but do so while maintaining my respect for him, for the man that raised me. I just got him back. The last thing I wanted was for him to be angry with me. However, I wasn’t sure that I could subject my children to the world outside of these walls.

  “Dad, I appreciate you trying to help, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. They are still young and there is plenty they can do here where they are safe.” I stated trying to plead my case.

  “I understand how you feel baby. Hell, do you think that one minute passed by that I wasn’t worried about you and Alex?” he asked.

  “I know you were worried, but I don’t want to worry about them anymore than I already have to when I am gone on raids myself. I am terrified about what may happen to them when I am away.”

  I continued to plead my case, though I could feel myself losing the argument, I knew that my case was one from a concerned mother, and not of the leader of a village full of survivors.

  “Daddy, I really don’t think now is the time. Tyler might be ok, but Tara lacks the discipline. She doesn’t take anything seriously.”

  “What better way to teach her that discipline than to place her face to face with the danger?”

  “Daddy, no. I could never live with myself is something happened to her.”

  “Don’t doubt yourself Amber. You are a good mother. You know how to protect her. She needs to know how to protect herself. What would you do if those things got inside these walls you built and you were not here? Do you really think you can count on these people to protect her?”

  “Yes, I do alright. I do believe that.”

  I could tell by my tone that I was getting frustrated with my father. How dare he question the authenticity of my villagers? Still, I knew that I had to get myself in check. I knew that my father meant no harm, but what he was talking about could cause harm to come to one of my children, and I didn’t want that.

  “Why do you trust every person in this village with the lives of your kids Amber? I know why. If one or two of those things came in here right now, there would be dozens of adults ready to defend the children of the village. With one or two, every adult here will kill for her, but what about more than that? Those things are moving in herds right now like cows. If it came down to choosing between their own life, and Tara’s, they would choose their own. She isn’t everyone’s baby girl here Amber. She is yours.” He stated.

  “And you wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice your life for hers?” I asked him.

  “Of c
ourse I would, but she is my granddaughter.” He replied.

  I looked into his dark brown eyes, silently pleading with him to drop the idea and let me go on with life as I knew it. I didn’t want a new way of looking at things. I had always believed that my children would be ok, and I wanted to continue to believe that. However, the conversation that we were having wouldn’t allow that anymore. I now had a new way of thinking thanks to the words of my father. I didn’t like it, but I knew that he was right. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that he was right.

  I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. The very thought of something happening to my little girl frightened me. The fears of a mother plagued me, and I knew I could not fall victim to those fears. My father was right. No matter how much I wanted to deny what he had told me, I couldn’t. Tara and Tyler needed to know how to defend themselves. They needed to know how to survive, and how to watch out for each other. I knew now that I could not deny the advice my father had given.

  I looked down the line of tables at my children. I watched them laugh and smile with their uncle Alex and uncle Jarred, they were my life. They were my babies, but I had to face the fact that they weren’t babies anymore. They were both pushing fifteen. I wondered how I would break the news to Tara. Tyler would have no problem with it. He had begged me to take him on a raid. Tara would complain; of that I was sure. I decided not to say anything to either of them until we turned in for the night.

  I looked down at my plate. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry anymore. I excused myself from the table, and went to throw my paper plate of food in the trash. I decided to sit alone and contemplate how I wanted this to go. I knew that I needed to plan something fast before my motherly instincts got the better of me and I changed my mind all together. I supposed that tomorrow would be as good a day as any to take my children on a practice raid. Sure the village was stocked well, but having more wouldn’t hurt.

  I thought about a place that I could take them to. I could take them to a small grocery store I knew of in Cartersville. I would take one member of the village with me, someone I trusted with my life, with their lives. We could take one of the pickup trucks. I knew we could fit four shopping carts full of supplies on the back of a full bed pick up. We would have to leave the tail gate down and pull a strap across the back to keep from losing the supplies, but it could be done. I should know. We have done it before.