On the Road

On the Road
By: Mason Handsford
         Grrr! Hurrying down the street with no direction a growl emerges from behind me. I don't think at all I just turn and jab my spear into the lifeless creature's eye. If they were quiet they might actually get to sink their gnarled yellow teeth into some flesh.
         I am not having a good day surrounded by zombies on highway seventy six. I am out looking for help, my son Jake broke his ankle and can no longer walk. I left him with my wife his mom Sharla down the road in a rotted shack a ways back. Twenty zombies surround me closing in. BOOM, BANG BOP! A buff looking man on the rooftop of Home Depot shoots three zombies giving me a clear path to him. His intentions are obvious he wants to help. I ran toward the store dodging and thrashing the rotting flesh.
         I ran into the store and slowed to a walk wondering how I was going to get to the roof with the man. Shouts boomed from the back of the store "Hurry to the back at the emergency exit" the shouts nearly made me scream they were loud and filled with urgency. I took off at the back of the store as heard the hungry moan of the dead sound off behind me. I met the stranger at the back of the store by the emergency exit. I followed him out back. He hurled his massive body up the sturdy ladder on the side of the store. We climbed fast so the undead wouldn't see us and wait forever at the bottom of the ladder the thought of that was depressing.
         The first thing I see when I poke my head over the ladder is an old man with his left thigh covered in blood. The other is a black haired boy tending to the man. No introduction "Has he been bit?" is the first thing I ask. "Yeah dang thing got me on the way up that there ladder." The sick man barely manages to sputter out.
         So here is how the virus goes you get bit, you get sick, you die and then you wake up lifeless and reanimated. "How many days since he was bit? I ask with a tone of uncertainty. "Two the frightened boy squeaks out."You otta just shoot me now." the man groans out. "Don't be silly grandpa." the boy replies. The buff man with the 44 caliber revolver on his hip butts in, "Well son would you rather him rip out our throats." "Just kill me I can't take the pain anymore" the older man barely manages to say before a bullet nails him between the eyes. "HI name's Jed." " My name is Barron" I slowly reply still putting everything that just happened together in my head. "Well nice to meet you friend we better go or else we will have every dead thing in town here when we leave." My new friend Jed Says humorously as he nearly jumped all the way off the roof. "Anywhere you know of Barron." Asked Jed. "My family is holed up in a shack down this road" I said as I hear the moan of the dead. "Lead the way." Jed shouts out pointing down the road. "Follow me." I screamed as I saw the hordes of undead stumbling in our direction.
         I took down at least a dozen zombies in just seconds. Then I heard Jed's scream turned and threw my spear into the zombies head that was pulling the boy in close for a bite. "Here boy" I shout wanting my spear to fend off the group of dead approaching. He tossed the spear to me it landed in my left hand I brought the double bladed spear tip across the zombies faces dropping all three in one hit. "Whoo! Three in one." I scream out. We fought until the massive horde finally broke to pieces giving us a chance to take off down the highway. We ran for a long time until our lungs set fire.
We slowed to a walk. "Hey mister thanks for saving my life back there, my name is Marcus." Sounded Marcus grateful of my actions in the fight. "No problem Marcus it's nice to meet you, how old are you. " I asked. "I'm fourteen" the boy said. "Well Marcus my son is the same age you two would get along." I explained. "Cool", said Marcus, " I will have somebody to talk to!" "He broke his ankle so no roughhousing until its healed." I said matter of fact. "I guess we'll just talk for a while, and if we need to get anywhere fast I will help him." Offered Marcus. "Thanks you're a good boy Marcus." I said softly. "How did your son break his ankle?" Jed asked. "We were running from horde up a steep hill and his foot twisted on a rock. He fell on his ankle. It's pretty ugly." I said disgusted. "I served as a medic in the military. Maybe I can help" Said Jed. "Awesome, that would be good." We came upon the shack that I left my wife and son in. "Knock, knock I shouted in a strange tone". "Y'all can come out now. It's safe" I said. Slowly the door creaked open. My wife and son Jake came out. Jake is held in his Mom's arms. "Well honey meet Marcus and Jed. They saved my life." I explained realizing how much Jed had just helped me. "Jake come over here and let Jed take a look at your ankle" I commanded Jake. He slowly limped to Jed with uncertainty filling his eyes. "Oh yes, that's a nasty break. We'll have to stay here for the night so I can get his ankle cleaned." He pulled some alcohol from his backpack. "This will hurt" he said and poured it on the open wound bone and all. "Ouch" pained Jake. He popped the bone back into position and wrapped it with some gauze.
Late that night I lay awake thinking how the world has gone to waste. Going to work or school didn't seem so bad now. Thump, thump! Suddenly Jed jumped up out of his bed and asked "what was that?." "I don't know" I shivered out. The beating on the door continued. I looked out the window and saw nothing but rotting flesh coming towards me. "Everybody wake up" I yelled causing a couple of aggressive pounds on the rotting wood. Jed thought fast and grabbed a ladder. He climbed it and used the butt of his pistol to break a hole in the roof. He pried a couple of the 2x4's off leaving a hole big enough to climb through. "Everybody up here" he said. My wife Sharla pushed Jake up then climbed up last just as the door broke in. Everyone felt so helpless up on the roof. The fact that the hungry corpses below us will never leave until we die was depressing to think about. In about an hour everyone was passed out on the old rotted roof. I heard a loud vehicle behind us with gunshots being fired. The noise roared through the night. The sound began to veer in our direction. I woke everyone up. "What is that" asked Jed sleepily. "Sounds like help is on the way", replied Jake. I was so excited I almost slipped off the roof into the horde of rotting flesh. We saw headlights and then three Humvees emerged from the night. Three soldiers hopped out and mowed down the horde surrounding us. We all hopped down off the roof and gave our thanks. "Come aboard to the safe city of paradise. It is only a few hours away" said one of the barrel chested soldiers with an M16 hanging at his hip.