State of Decay (Omnibus (Parts 1-4)) (7 page)

M
y breath fanned out
before me in a small cloud of frigid air. I inhaled sharply and my lungs inflated painfully from the freezing cold. I pressed my back against the trunk of a tree that I’d quickly ducked behind. All around me I heard sounds, sounds I hadn’t heard just a few moments before. Groans, shuffling, and the tell-tale gurgling of the undead surrounding me in the forest. I wiggled my fingers that held my blade in a death grip. Even with the gloves on, they were stiff and nearly frozen. How far was I from my campsite? Half a mile? Maybe less. Which put these zombies wandering in the woods further out than any had in over five months. I’d been foolish to think the cold would slow them down or keep them out of the woods. I just felt so fucking tired all the time. I was always looking over my shoulder, always sleeping just enough to keep me going another day—afraid to sleep too long or too deeply and wake up with a zombie tearing into my throat.

I pulled my gun out of my holster slowly and considered waiting until I knew how many I was up against or at least what my odds were, but I had
stood still for too long. I was beginning to worry my reflexes would be slow from standing in the same position in the freezing cold for too long. I released a slow breath and watched as snow flurries floated all around me. I wiggled my fingers once more, trying to bring some warmth back to them before I made my move. The zombies’ movements grew so loud and harsh in the otherwise quiet forest that my head began to pound. I shook my head roughly, feeling disoriented and panicked. A branch snapped close by and I immediately swiveled in that direction with my gun pointed out in front of me. The wet gurgle of a fresh zombie came from directly behind me as a drop of sweat trickled down the side of my face just as an icy finger of dread danced up my spine.

I cried out and swung around, my numb finger already pulling the trigger as my body moved. The snow floated around me in a hazy mist as I turned, everything slowed and everything went silent. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in slow motion, I could hear the gun cock back and the explosion of the bullet leaving my weapon. I could hear … my father’s voice.
Melody?
He stood there with his hand outstretched toward me, his eyes wide in shock and hurt just before the bullet entered his forehead and a spray of dark red blood coated the fresh fallen snow at his feet.

“
Noooooo!” I screamed out as his body fell slowly to the ground. My voice echoed all around me, filling the forest up with the sound of my utter anguish, with the sound of my heart being torn from my chest.

I
sprung forward, my hand
immediately reaching for my knife under my pillow. My heart was thumping erratically and sweat had soaked through my tee shirt. I wiped my hair from my face and glanced around, trying to remember where I was. The previous day came back to me in bits and pieces and I slowly began to come to my senses. I was in an underground safe house at the army base. I sat my knife back under my pillow and swung my legs over the side of my little cot. It had been a long time since I’d had a nightmare and the pictures of what I’d dreamt were still flashing behind my eyelids. I pulled my hair back and tied it in a ponytail and then dropped to the ground next to my borrowed bed.

One, two, three,
I chanted under my breath. I began my pushups quickly, pushing myself until my arms were quivering from exhaustion. Even then I couldn’t completely erase the images that were burned into the back of my mind. I rolled over onto my back and placed my knees together with my feet flat on the floor. I did sit ups until I couldn’t even crawl back up onto the bed. Didn’t matter—I wasn’t used to sleeping on anything other than the ground anymore anyway. I drug my blanket and pillow to the floor and then tucked my knife back beneath my pillow. I laid there for several hours, staring up at the ceiling before I decided to get up and see who else was awake and then to find the Major to get some answers.

I needed to get my mind off of my nightmares and off of my memories. Going down that road would only make me lose my mind, and losing your mind in the middle of a zombie apocalypse is highly discouraged. Well,
losing your mind at any time is probably a bad idea, but doing so when you could have your insides ripped out by your next-door-neighbor-turned-flesh-eating-zombie would definitely suck
.

W
hen I made my way
to the tiny mess hall, I was surprised to find it already inhabited by several people. I scarcely paid them attention though, not with the yummy smells coming from the small kitchen area. My stomach growled as I strode over to the table where several bowls of piping hot oatmeal topped with cinnamon and raisins sat. I glanced up and met a pair of warm dark brown eyes belonging to a large, older woman who was setting out spoons and napkins. I glanced down at the bowls and then back up at the woman who smiled broadly and motioned for me to take one. I smiled my thanks and grabbed a bowl and made my way over to a table that sat furthest away from the other six or seven people enjoying their breakfast. My position also allowed me watch the entire room from where I ate. I scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it a few times before I stuck the yummy stickiness in my mouth. That’s all it took. I was in heaven. I had just shoveled more oatmeal into my pie-hole and was just about vibrating with happiness when a shadow fell over me.

“You almost look like a regular person when you’re eating.” A voice cut into my haze of euphoria. My back stiffened and I glanced up into his cocky face. I grinned and scooped out another bite of my breakfast.

“You know, you almost look like a regular person too, Jude,” I said as I turned my eyes back to my bowl. “Well, a normal person with one hell of a shiner.” I continued to eat, hoping Jude would take a hint. He sat down across from me at the table instead.

“You know, most people would think you don’t like me, but I’ve got a theory,” he said around a mouthful of oatmeal. My mouth popped open. This guy just wouldn’t go away.

“A theory?” I asked through gritted teeth. He nodded his head, oblivious to my death stare.

“Yup. See, I think you have some kind of post-zombie-apocalypse-stress-disorder or something and you’ve regressed back to you childhood.” He winked and took another bite. I crossed my arms across my chest and decided to do exactly what he wanted me to.

“Oh really? Regressed how?” I asked, knowing I was egging him on in his little fantasy, but I had to know what his puny brain had concocted. He looked over at me and shrugged.

“You know … back to the days where tugging on braids and hitting someone meant you really had a crush on them. Do you like me? Check yes-or-no type of stuff.” He
tsked as if he felt sorry for me and then grinned widely when my mouth dropped open again.

“You are such a jack a …” I began.

“It
is
you!” A voice echoed through the room. I flinched and had already rose halfway from my chair, grabbing for my gun before I realized what I was doing. Jude had stood quickly as well, his eyes studying me, his jaw set, wondering what I was about to do. I relaxed and breathed in deeply just as a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, tall and gangly strode up to our table. His eyes were wide with wonder, making me nervous. I sat back down and Jude followed, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Sorry, must have the wrong person,” I said sharply. “I don’t know a lot of people around here.”

“No, I’m positive it’s you,” the boy continued, his eyes wide and his smile huge. “I’ll never forget that day as long as I live,” he continued. “You freaking cleared out over a hundred zombies single handedly. You even set some on fire!” he said excitedly. My eyes widened and I stuttered a few times, but the kid just kept on talking. “You took out dozens and dozens, like it was just another day on the job for you. At first we didn’t know who was shooting, but then you came down and walked right out onto the street like you weren’t scared of anything, yelling ‘Come get some, bitches!’ I swear to god, we all about crapped our pants when you lit the old Starbucks and the zombies on fire.” I swallowed a lump in my throat and glanced up at Jude. He was watching me intently, his eyes searching mine for answers I didn’t really have, as the boy told his story for the whole mess hall to hear.

“We thought maybe you didn’t make it after that, but then you busted through the doors a few building down and just barely escaped from that zombie all lit up like a bonfire! Then we heard you laughing as you turned the music up. You even drove over a few more zombies as you left town.”
His eyes were shining as he remembered the day with all its ugly details. “You almost cleared out the whole town. You made it possible for my family and a few other people to get out of the town.” I began shaking my head, knowing where he was going with his speech. “You saved our lives. You’re a hero.” I stood abruptly and grabbed my bowl off of the table.

“I’m no hero, kid,” I said harshly. His eyes widened and he backed up a step.

“You are. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you,” he said vehemently. I got up close to him and looked him in the eye.

“How many of you escaped after that?” I asked sharply. He looked confused, but he answered me.

“There were about a dozen of us.” I clenched my jaw and looked down at the ground. Only a dozen?

“And how many did you have with you before I came that day?” I spat. I knew I was being unreasonable, being too harsh, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. His eyes shuttered and I saw pain flash behind his eyes. He looked at the ground as he spoke.

“At least fifty.” He regarded me reservedly now. I nodded sharply and continued on.

“And how many are with you know out of the twelve survivors from that day?” I asked softly. He shook his head and his fists balled tightly at his side. “How many?” I pushed mercilessly.

“Eight,” he murmured through clenched teeth. My stomach knotted and I finally looked away from the floor and met the kid’s stare.

“I’m no fucking hero, kid. If I were, I’d have come sooner and stayed longer.” He began to shake his head, but I just walked away. I sat my bowl in the dirty dish bin, aware that the eyes of everyone in the room were watching me as I marched from the mess hall. I was halfway down the long corridor when Jude caught up with me.

“That was a bit harsh, don’t you think, Melody?” I stopped mid stride.

“That’s none of your business, Jude,” I hissed. He raised his hands up in the air in surrender and smiled. I frowned. This guy was worse than any chick with his mood swings.

“Most girls like to be idolized,” he pushed. I rolled my eyes and began walking again.

“I’m not most girls,” I answered.

“That’s the understatement of the century,” he laughed. I cut my eyes over to him and found that Jude was even more devastatingly handsome when he laughed. He grinned when he caught me looking at him. Jerk. “Anyway, I’m supposed to deliver you to Major Tillman,” he said seriously.
Finally.

“Perfect,” I answered and quickened my stride. My steps faltered when I realized Jude had stopped in the middle of the hallway. I stared at him and raised my brow.

“He’s
this
way,” he said as he pointed the opposite direction. I set my jaw and just barely restrained my temper when I heard him chuckle under his breath. We went to meet the guy I’d been wanting to talk to all along … the guy I seriously hoped could give me some answers
.