a short story

This isn’t living.

You can’t trust anyone alive anymore. The dead were worse. But we kept moving. I remember saying good morning to my neighbour, Ms. Josephine. What I would give to speak to her again…

Jubba needed me. 

Jubba and I walked many miles to a broken down city covered in snow.. The air smelled like months old decaying meat.  I pulled my skull cap over my ears and breathed hot air on my cupped hands. Jubba walked with mild body shakes. There was no sign of life. I kicked the snow and exhaled. I looked to Jubba, “Guess we got to go a little further.”

We went deeper into the city. The crunch of snow under my feet and Jubba panting was all I heard…then something strange happened. Every few steps we took, I heard the sound of crunching snow behind us. But when I looked- nothing. I hoped we would find any sign of life soon. That place gave me the creeps.

We were searching for a sanctuary. We journeyed for weeks trying to find this place.

The travel was hard for us.

We escaped from an outbreak. The undead took our home.

I lost everyone.

Mom.

Dad…

Even the woman I loved.

It happened so fast. I couldn’t get to them in time.

All I have left is Jubba. She was my girlfriend’s dog. And every step we took to get here, was a promise to her. We had to survive.

The travel was easy that morning. There wasn’t an undead in sight. We stayed off the main roads. People told me it was the safest path. Now they search for life on those same roads- with the other zombies.

We walked a few blocks though the city. It seemed safe to roam. Then we heard moans that made us stop walking. Jubba whimpered and couldn’t stand still. We needed to hide. I lead Jubba by her leash into a corner store. We rushed to a counter and ducked. I put a muzzle on Jubba. She barked when she was scared.

The groaning got closer.

Jubba whimpered and growled. She wanted to get out of there. I didn’t blame her. But if she ran, she’d get caught. They ate animals too. I didn’t want to lose her.

We tried not to make a sound.

I peeked over the counter to see them. They slid toward our direction. I held my rifle close to my chest. My hands were wet and my breath was heavy. We needed a way out. I checked my rifle’s magazine.

5 bullets left…

Shit.

Jubba pulled from the leash. Poor dog- she was shook. And so was I.

I didn’t know what to do. We were cornered. We couldn’t run. There were ten of those zombies. Three of them were dogs. The dogs gurgled when they growled. Like there was liquid in their throats. They were sniffing the area.

We were going to die. Our bodies would be half eaten and walk around without our souls. I was terrified at the thought.

When all hope was lost, something happened. A loud siren echoed throughout the area. The Zombies turned and let out a beastly roar. Guns popped seconds later. Bullets blew past our heads.

I held Jubba close.

The shooting stopped. I carefully looked out the store. There was a woman with a speaker and two soldiers, pointing their weapons in our direction.

“Hello?” The woman’s voice echoed through her loud speaker. “Is anyone there?”

I got up slowly with my hands raised. My rifle and leash were in each hand.

“It’s ok now. We’re not going to hurt you.” Said one of the soldiers. They lowered their weapons.

Tears ran down my face. My mind was gone. All I could do was shake and smile. I held my rifle and leash with a tight grip. My gun and my dog were my lifeline. I couldn’t let them go.

The two soldiers walked to me and asked my name. I couldn’t speak. Even if I tried. One of the soldiers turned to the woman. “I think he’s going into shock.”

She walked to me and spoke softly. “Are you looking for the sanctuary? Nod if you are.”

I nodded and couldn’t hold back my tears. The entire journey was fight. I was told no one survives the dead land. But we did it.

The woman turned to the soldier on her right. “Get them some water.”

Hearing the word “water”, calmed me down. We ran out of water a week ago.

We traveled by military car moments later. We were headed to the sanctuary. I took the muzzle off of Jubba. She finally calmed down.

I pet Jubba on her head and looked out the car window. All I could think about was our journey.

How did we survive? It was a miracle- I suppose. Everything was stacked against us. And yet, we survived.

“It’s a good thing we were scoping this sector. A few more minutes, you’d be zombie food… Where are you coming from.”

I turned to the woman. “Gatana.”

The woman’s smile shifted. Like she was surprised. “You came from the south?”

I nodded. Memories of my loved ones entered my mind. They were Good memories.

It was silent in the car. Which was fine. I wasn’t in the mood to speak. Memories of their tragic end popped into my head.

“I haven’t heard or seen anyone from that part of the country.” Said the woman. “And the road to get here would take weeks to get through. How did you make it here safely on foot.”

“I avoided the main roads.”

The woman seemed impressed. “That sounds pretty risky walking without the roads.”

“I’ve seen many die walking on them. So I took my chances.”

“Well, I got to say. You’re the first living soul we found in the dead lands in months. We thought we were the only ones left.”

She put her hand out to me. “Susan Beckman.”

“Larry McKay.”

“Well, Larry. Where we’re going, you can sleep soundly. We never had an invasion since the outbreak. The facility is secure, and we scope the areas daily to prevent any sudden attacks… you don’t have to worry anymore.”

It sounded like a dream come true. But from what I’ve seen. I don’t trust a place people call paradise. There’s no such thing in the dead lands. That kind of thinking got you killed. Either by a zombie, or a scavenger trying to steal your resources.

I don’t know how long this was going to last. But I lived in the moment. And in that moment, we found salvation.

Thank you guys for reading. I’m going to post short stories once a week. please tell me what you think of this story. I’m trying to improve my writing, so any comments are welcome. Again, thank you for your time.