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Winter 1: A Sheep Among Wolves
All of the news regarding the Apocalypse is becoming nonexistent. This is the scariest part of the whole thing. I have been keeping up with events via my Smartphone. Every YouTube video and social networking site shows you more and more of the horror in the world. In some countries, the winter storms have silenced entire governments. The dead is overrunning India and China faster than any medieval conqueror. Battling the Mannys AND the weather is a losing scenario. Luckily, I'm in South Florida. Hopefully, it's not too bad where I'm headed. I must get to New York...
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Maya looked up at Heartless, trying to find any sign that she could trust him. She could not be sure that he was going to save her, but time really was not on her side. If he wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. "If I'm going to get out of here alive, I don't have a choice," she said as she grabbed his hand. Heartless scooped her up with ease and placed her on his back. The blue robe that Maya was wearing flopped like a small cape on Heartless' back as he made his way towards the ladder at the back of the dungeon. His broad shoulders reminded Maya of a grizzly bear. It was impossible for a human to have such a build with the strength to back it up. There was something definitely different with Heartless, but she could not pinpoint it.
As he passed the metal bed that he was once strapped to, Heartless grabbed a syringe that was filled with a light green liquid and shoved it in the side pocket of his cargo pants. "What is that for?" Maya asked as she looked down at the large needle. "It's for me," he said. "There are plenty of those dead things up there. This will help me if I get bogged down. If I'm fortunate, I will not have to inject it." This made Maya very uncertain. She started to think that Heartless was sick with the infection, but she could not see any bite marks on his upper body. The only scar that was visible was in the center of his chest. She decided not to think about it as Heartless grabbed the rungs of the towering, metal ladder and ascended.
The ladder seemed impossibly long. Whatever building they were in, they were underground. Maya started to ask questions so that her mind was occupied with something other than fear. "Do you know where we are?" she asked. Heartless kept climbing as he answered. "We are under a prison in Florida. The local police department was outnumbered by the dead and the Burning Bones," he said. "The Burning Bones were run by Jeremiah Moore and his brother. They were a biker gang before all of this sent them over the edge. They had connections and members throughout the entire Atlantic Coast. Some were DIY scientists that were adamant about finding a cure for the infection. No cure was found, but they managed to torture the shit out of hundreds of people. I was one of those 'lucky' people. So were you."
Footsteps stormed liked tumultuous thunder at their destination. Vibrations from the walking rippled through the ladder and caused Heartless to slightly wobble. Maya held on to him with a death grip; her hands like giant clothespins pinching his neck. Heartless did not feel them. All of his senses were focused on what was beyond the trapdoor that led to the cells. It was seventy meters away and getting closer. "So, uh, what do you call the Mannys?" Maya asked. Heartless looked back at her and said,"Ha. Well, a few of my buddies call them The Vacant. I call 'em kills. I figure if you put a name to them, you're acknowledging that they're here to stay."
The ladder seemed impossibly long. Whatever building they were in, they were underground. Maya started to ask questions so that her mind was occupied with something other than fear. "Do you know where we are?" she asked. Heartless kept climbing as he answered. "We are under a prison in Florida. The local police department was outnumbered by the dead and the Burning Bones," he said. "The Burning Bones were run by Jeremiah Moore and his brother. They were a biker gang before all of this sent them over the edge. They had connections and members throughout the entire Atlantic Coast. Some were DIY scientists that were adamant about finding a cure for the infection. No cure was found, but they managed to torture the shit out of hundreds of people. I was one of those 'lucky' people. So were you."
Footsteps stormed liked tumultuous thunder at their destination. Vibrations from the walking rippled through the ladder and caused Heartless to slightly wobble. Maya held on to him with a death grip; her hands like giant clothespins pinching his neck. Heartless did not feel them. All of his senses were focused on what was beyond the trapdoor that led to the cells. It was seventy meters away and getting closer. "So, uh, what do you call the Mannys?" Maya asked. Heartless looked back at her and said,"Ha. Well, a few of my buddies call them The Vacant. I call 'em kills. I figure if you put a name to them, you're acknowledging that they're here to stay."
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After what seemed like an hour, they had finally reached the final rung. Heartless pushed open the trapdoor and sun rays shattered their dimly lit space. What they gazed upon was juxtaposition. Tens, if not hundreds, of Mannys were walking aimlessly. It resembled the streets of a metropolitan during rush hour. Instead of cars and office buildings, there were cell doors agape and trash everywhere. The Mannys were bathed in sunlight and they slowly started to realize that two fresh bodies had entered the ranks of the dead. "Stay behind me!" Heartless growled. He stood up and closed the hatch. Maya stood with her back to him because the Mannys were surrounding them. Heartless pulled out the sharp tongs and crouched like a hulking beast primed for a kill. Maya's stomach was twisted in several knots. She was unarmed; and it was time to fight.
No matter how much fighting Maya did against Mannys in the past, nothing could have prepared her for this. She was beaten and traumatized by the late Jeremiah Moore to the point of exhaustion. She was scarred and half blind. Without Heartless, she would already be dead or worse. Fortunately, Heartless did not break his promise.
Heartless soaked up the environment. His breathing escalated to the point of hyperventilation. Every dead eyeball focused its attention on the huge man. Heartless clinched the sharp tongs in his right hand tighter than a rabid dog with lockjaw. Then, he began to move in several directions with unparalleled calculation. Between Maya's stomach pain and adjustment to the light, she only saw brief glimpses of Heartless. It was, without a doubt, the most glorious display of violence that she had witnessed. She was assured that Heartless was the guy that would save her life.
Violence was nothing for Heartless. It was how he had survived, and his fight started long before the dead decided to wake for dinner and a stroll. He knew that he would escape the prison. He just had to do so without making Maya a casualty. That is why he decided to make quick work of the Mannys.
No matter how much fighting Maya did against Mannys in the past, nothing could have prepared her for this. She was beaten and traumatized by the late Jeremiah Moore to the point of exhaustion. She was scarred and half blind. Without Heartless, she would already be dead or worse. Fortunately, Heartless did not break his promise.
Heartless soaked up the environment. His breathing escalated to the point of hyperventilation. Every dead eyeball focused its attention on the huge man. Heartless clinched the sharp tongs in his right hand tighter than a rabid dog with lockjaw. Then, he began to move in several directions with unparalleled calculation. Between Maya's stomach pain and adjustment to the light, she only saw brief glimpses of Heartless. It was, without a doubt, the most glorious display of violence that she had witnessed. She was assured that Heartless was the guy that would save her life.
Violence was nothing for Heartless. It was how he had survived, and his fight started long before the dead decided to wake for dinner and a stroll. He knew that he would escape the prison. He just had to do so without making Maya a casualty. That is why he decided to make quick work of the Mannys.
Two Mannys died instantly as the metal tongs entered their eyeballs, spread out inside of their brains, and yanked out of their heads. Heartless' skill with the crude weapon was impeccable. He killed five Mannys by puncturing the weak skull bones like a balloon and cutting through the brain tissue like wet hamburger meat. Each kill made him faster and deadlier. With every Manny dropped, Heartless made sure three more fell before the first one hit the ground. It was almost as if he had deemed it a natural law of physics. Watching him was truly astonishing.
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A Manny was behind Maya. It was the undead version of Moreland. "Holy shit!" she screamed as she turned around to see starving teeth gnashing at her face. Maya kicked the Manny with everything that she had. The dead body stumbled into another Manny and created a domino effect for the next six Mannys in front of Maya. The kick, however, sent her weak body crashing to the floor. This gained the attention of the entire group of undead. It was as if they could sense Maya's weakness and chose to take the easy meal, as opposed to Heartless. Within a matter of seconds, she was concealed by Mannys.
This sent Heartless into a typhoon of rage. He darted across the room like a streak of lightening. He ran through groups of Mannys like a bulldozer. Smothered underneath the rotting cesspool of hungry dead, Maya could not be seen. Then, Heartless managed to burst his arm through the pile. He pulled Maya out and threw her to the other side of the room. She watched as the Mannys chewed on his arm and back. It was not long before Heartless exploded in rage and jumped out of the pile. "Ohmygod! You were bitten! You were bitten!" Maya felt her chances for survival diminish. Heartless looked at her and with a somber face. "So were you, love," he said with a soft tone. Maya looked down at her ankle. There was no confusing the bite with the rest of her welts and cuts. It was fresh and circular. Blood dripped onto her foot as she began to cry. "We were so close. So fucking close, and now we die in a prison," Maya said as she held her head between her legs.
"I have to tell you something, but we have to get outside," Heartless groaned as he picked Maya up. He ran for the exit and out into the courtyard of the jail. There was a police helicopter parked on a slab of concrete in the middle of green grass. This was the sound that Maya had heard when she was held prisoner underground. She had thought that it was an elevator, but it was something far greater. When they made their way to the aircraft, Heartless sat Maya down and strapped her in. "You can't pilot a helicopter. You're bitten," Maya said as she viewed the controls in front of her. "It's not the first time that I've been bitten. It certainly won't be the last," Heartless said as he pulled out the large syringe from his pocket. "You, however, need to survive. At least until we get to North Carolina." He jammed the needle into Maya's stomach and squeezed the plunger until the light green liquid was emptied from the syringe. "Be calm," he said. "You're pregnant." As Maya heard this, she was overtaken by a warm sensation and slipped out of consciousness.
TO BE CONTINUED
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-Terry
Love the new story, man. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
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