Surviving Earth: Makayla's Journey (2 page)

Pulling the big truck to the side of the road I jump down, we'll soon be back on foot unless I find us some fuel. Cars litter the highways, but they are also great hiding places for zombies, chancing it would get us the gas but are the risks too great?

"Blu, can you drive?" I ask, while looking in every direction.

"I've never drove a big truck like this before, but I can try." He says with bright shining blue eyes.

"We need gas, but I don't want to just have you all out here wandering around. Get behind the wheel and be ready if anything happens. Just don't leave me." I say fiercely as I look him in the eyes. "Lock the doors and give me thirty minutes.”

All three kids jump in the truck, Blu at the wheel, Gage and Tessa by his side, they all three look nervous. Handing him a rifle I'd taken from one of the men yesterday, I look at him, trying to tell him with my eyes to watch their backs. I don’t want to frighten Tessa. 

What the hell am I thinking taking on three kids? Hell, I'm only nineteen and doing all I can to survive. Thank God my dad had been pro-gun and taught me all the survival skills I needed. Our Saturday's were spent in the back woods practicing shooting or working with my katana. My first gun had been a pink camo Winchester rifle and I loved it. I cleaned it every night, just like Daddy taught me. Thinking about my dad now brings fresh tears to my eyes. I miss him and Mom, but I know they are in a better place. What is left of the earth isn't worth them being here to see. It is a vast, dry wasteland now. Shaking myself I walk on.

Chapter Two

A half mile ahead I see what appears to be a wreck, or someone has piled the cars together to look that way. Sighing under my breath I start in that direction, then it occurs to me I need something to hold the gas. "Grr." Throwing my hands over my head, I turn around. I will search the back of the truck and see if I can find anything there.

Before I can reach the truck I hear screaming and shots being fired. Crouching down, I hide behind the dried weeds on the road. Three grinning men circle the truck, each leering in the windows, wanting to get at Tessa. The truck roars to life, pulling away from the curb where I parked it. With some difficulty Blu steers it away from the men, running over the curb and taking out one of the men.
Good for him
, I think.

Aiming my Glock straight at each man, I take them down with head shots. They fall by the road and I know the scent of blood will bring out the zombies. We need to move on. A loud moan to my right lets me know I am not alone. The bag of bones creeps closer to the tree line, the hunger for meat driving it out into the sunlight. It's eyes flash that deep, burnished gold glinting in the sun’s rays.

Running to the truck, I jump in just as Blu opens the door. "Zombies are nearby. We need to find another place to get fuel. The scent of fresh blood is driving them into the open." I say as we peel out. I hear soft sniffles coming from the backseat, looking into the review mirror I see the tear stains on Tessa's cheeks. I'm going to have to toughen these kids up, just as my dad did for me.

Food and gas are now our utmost priority. Keeping a close watch as we head down the road, I know I’m quiet, but all I've had was myself for two years. Just me with my thoughts.

"Mak?" Blu asks from beside me.

"Hmm." I respond.

"Thanks." He says as he flips his shaggy blond hair to the side.

"You're welcome. As soon as we find a safe place for a couple days, you're all going to get some training on guns. In today's world you need it just in case we get separated." I respond.

Traveling onward, we reach a small town on the outskirts of Missouri. It looks relatively safe. I drive through once, but know I don't have the gas to keep going. Pulling into the driveway of a small, brick house, I look around for any signs of danger. Two cars sit in the driveway and I hope syphoning gas from them won't be any problem.

"Stay with the truck. Blu, get in the driver’s seat and take off at the first sign of danger.” I say, giving them all my Dad's serious face.

"Mak, I can help. Let Gage do it and I can cover you." Blu says from the seat beside me.

Turning I look into the frightened eyes of fourteen-year-old Gage, he isn't ready for that kind of responsibility yet, but if I have anything to do with it, he will grow up quickly out here.

"Compromise, you stay with the truck, gun in hand, ready if I need you. Gage and Tessa can't survive in this world without someone looking after them so I'm not chancing something happening to both of us." I say with an easy grin, trying my best to appease them all.

Running a hand through his hair, Blu just stares at me for a second before responding, "Fine, fine, but you're a damn hard headed woman."

Smiling, I lean into the side of the truck. "That's the best compliment I've received in two years."

Walking toward the small house, I decide to walk in a circle around it first, making sure to check far and wide for any movement. When I see none, I tighten the circle, my sawed off shotgun in my hand, at the ready for when it is needed. I cut my eyes quickly to the truck, the kids are tucked safely inside. I can feel Blu's eyes as he scans the area for dangers. I reach the front door and try the knob, it is locked and I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad sign.

Using the butt of my shotgun, I shatter the door’s window pane. I often feel bad breaking into homes, but not today, these kids need nourishment. I unlock the door slowly, not sure what awaits me inside. Nothing moves as I slide the door open gently. I've been on my own so long I am attuned to the silence that greets me from within the home. Going from room to room, looking under beds and in closets, I find nothing until I enter the master bathroom.

What greets me there will sadden my heart for as long as I live. Lying in the tub are three bodies; two small children and what looks to be an adult. They are all cuddled together and after two years there is nothing but their precious bones left. A lone tear escapes from my eye, but I quickly wipe it away. This world is too harsh for tears. Straightening my spine, I turn to go in search for a shovel. They will have a proper burial.

The small mound of dirt behind the house will always remain in my memory. The way they had cuddled together in that bathtub is the way I'd buried them. The grave wasn't deep, but it was all I could scratch up from this dry place. Thinking back over the years, I didn't believe it had so much as rained once since the day the earth opened up and let loose the virus and strains of bacteria never seen before. People died off. Animals and plant life died. Parts of the earth rose up, breaking off land masses, leaving the land in destruction. Some parts just opened wide, leaving gaping holes in the surface the size of the Grand Canyon. Shaking myself, I leave my thoughts behind. Turning, I head back to the front of the house.

Waving for the kids to come out of the truck, I say "Go on inside, there's nothing in there that will bother you. Look for supplies while I try to find a garden hose and a gas can."

"On it." Blu says while holding my Glock close to his thigh. Each one files inside, just as the sun starts to shoot its final rays of the day across the small house.

Looking around, I know this will have to do for the night. Blu and I will have to take turns on guard duty. Turning to the old shack where I found the shovel earlier, I search for a hose and gas can. Sometime later I walk out of the shack with a few usable supplies; a dirty gas can that will hold five gallons of gas, a garden hose that will work wonderfully as a syphon, an old pitch fork that can be used as a weapon and some oil for the truck.

Walking toward the truck, I realize it's gone dark on me and in the distance I can hear the first moans of the night. Racing to the truck I jump in and pull it behind the house at the closest door in case we need a fast getaway. Damn, I think, I didn't get a chance to syphon the gas. I know we are on empty now, the red light had been on for five miles. Finding this house, and the two cars out front, I had hoped was a good sign.

Walking in the door, I see that the kids have gotten what few supplies they can muster together. On the floor is a pile of blankets and clothes and the table holds four cans of corn, a can of some kind of soup and three cans of tuna. "Any water?" I ask.

"We've checked everywhere, Mak, and we only found what you see. There's clothes for you and Tessa, blankets and the small amount of food you see." Blu says.

"Ok, we'll just have to make do with what we have. I'm not a fan of tuna, but after two years a meal of tuna and corn sounds good." I laugh. "We need to get the house ready. We don't want any unexpected guests during the night." I say trying to be calm for the young ones. Tessa moves closer to Blu and Gage as I am talking.

Two hours later, the house is as secure as we can get it. We decide to sleep by the back door, as close to the truck as possible. The couch sits in front of the front door and the windows were covered with the drapes blocking out the light from our single burning candle. After the small dinner that will sustain us for a day or two, we all huddle together next to the door. I take the first watch letting Blu, Gage and Tessa rest up.

"Mak?" I hear Tessa ask softly.

"Yeah, Tessa?" I answer, looking in her direction. She is lying propped up between her brothers, both having already succumbed to sleep.

"Mak, will we be ok in here?" She asks. 

Standing, I start a perimeter walk. I've stayed in places like this before and usually they are fine, but there have been times I felt trapped and scared as the night wore on. Sometimes though I ended up having to run, shooting zombies as I raced into the night. The candle flickers and I look at the young girl. I know she is truly frightened. Calmly I answer her question, "We'll be fine here tonight, now go to sleep. I'll be keeping watch."

Wiping a hand across my brow, I am tired, but don't want to wake Blu yet. He needs his sleep. Besides, I am used to only sleeping here and there. The crashing of a window breaks me from my thoughts. Jumping from my resting place by the door, I wake each child quickly. Tessa opens her mouth to scream as the first zombie comes into view. Holding my hand over her mouth, I draw my katana from my belt and shake my head at her. Not wanting to attract more zombies, we'd have to do this quietly.

Handing my Glock to Blu, I tell him quickly, "Only use it if they get past me, understand?"

His big blue eyes shine back at me, fright making them huge. "Got it." He says while his eyes beg me to kill them all.

The moaning is getting louder as three zombies walk into the kitchen. I run full force at them, my katana connecting and cutting a head from the first one’s body. The body falls to the floor, his nasty brown blood spilling out into a puddle. The second comes at me, trying to reach and claw my arms. One scratch and I know I'll contract the virus. What is left of his teeth are rotten and barely hanging in his gums, but they are snapping furiously, hoping to come in contact with skin. I slice the head clean off his body, while his arms keep trying to grab at me. My deadly katana making quick work of all three in turn.

"Mak, watch out!" I hear Blu scream just as I'm yanked off my feet by a fourth zombie. Falling flat on my back, the zombie falls on top of me, clawing, trying to get a better hold so it can sink his teeth into my flesh. I use everything in my arsenal, and Dad taught me how to defend myself well. My elbow flies into his nose, spilling out his pus-ridden blood over my face and neck. Next I push my fingers into his eye sockets, they are so rotten, they sunk in completely and I can feel the mush of his brains behind the eyeballs. Grossed out was definitely the perfect words for how I feel, but at least the zombie fell over, dead.

Looking around quickly, I see all is quiet. No more zombies enter the room. Jerking up the edge of one of the blankets, I wipe the gore off my face and neck. I see the kids staring at me with gigantic eyes. Holding up a steady hand I tell them, "I'm ok, don't be afraid."

Tessa stares back at me with fear written across her face. Jumping from the floor, I grab my katana and shotgun and walk across the room. I start the search of the house and after going room to room, I am assured there were no more zombies within. When I reenter the living room I notice the shattered glass of the big window and know that we won't be able to stay here the rest of the night. It is too easy for more to come inside.

I walk back into the room where the kids all sit huddled together by the kitchen table and realize I should stop referring to Blu as a kid, he is almost as old as me. "Get all the blankets and what supplies there are together, we can't stay here any longer tonight."

"But, isn't it safer in here than out there with the zombies roaming around?" Blu asks.

Running a hand through my tangled ponytail, I am faced with walking out to the truck with possible dangers just waiting for us or we could stay inside, with eyes on the open window. I don't want us to get overrun as I have very little ammo left. "I'm used to making my own decisions. I'm not sure how to handle these situations any other way." I say as I cast my eyes around the room. The candle is down to the last flicker and the shadows are closing in on us. "We either move now or watch that damn window all night." I state, giving them no quarter to change their minds.