{"id":218,"date":"2013-07-21T13:18:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=218"},"modified":"2013-07-22T15:30:35","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T15:30:35","slug":"chapter-41","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-41\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 41"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART IV: \u00a0THE GATHERING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 41<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Those first few days after, I saw them every time I closed my eyes.\u00a0 I dreamed of them every time I fell asleep.\u00a0 I woke up screaming every time I dreamed.<\/i><\/p>\n

In some ways, it\u2019s gotten better since then.\u00a0 Some days, if I keep myself busy, I can go a few hours without seeing them, without thinking about them.\u00a0 Some nights, I don\u2019t have nightmares.\u00a0 Some nights, I don\u2019t dream at all.\u00a0 Those are the best nights, the nights I find it easiest to rest.<\/i><\/p>\n

But in some ways, it\u2019s gotten worse.\u00a0 Because when I do think of them, when I do see them in my memory or in my dreams, I see them how they became, so much more vividly than I can picture how they were before.\u00a0 As time goes by, it gets harder and harder to see them clearly, to get every little detail \u2013 the laugh lines around Leighanne\u2019s eyes; the freckles across Bonnie\u2019s nose; the devilish smile on Brooke\u2019s face – just right in my mind\u2019s eye.\u00a0 Sometimes, I\u2019m afraid a day will come when I won\u2019t remember what they look like anymore.<\/i><\/p>\n

But I tell myself that will never happen.\u00a0 I have a picture of each of them \u2013 an old photo of Leighanne from around the age when I met her, and the twins\u2019 first grade school pictures \u2013 that I kept in my wallet, and whenever I worry I\u2019m forgetting, I take them out and look at them, practically study them, like I\u2019m trying to relearn every last detail.\u00a0 Those small, single photos could never capture the spirit of the real people they represent, but they don\u2019t need to.\u00a0 Their spirits, the essence of each of them, live in on my memory.\u00a0 The day may come when I don\u2019t remember the exact shade of Leighanne\u2019s roots, or which twin had a cowlick at the back of the part in her hair, but I will never forget the love my wife and I shared, or the two daughters we brought into the world together.<\/i><\/p>\n

The world is a different place, and so much has changed since that infernal Friday, it\u2019s almost hard to recall what our lives were like before.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t forget.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to forget.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monday, April 16, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\n9:00 a.m.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Their voices came to him in the midst of his sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian opened his eyes, blinking blearily as they swam into focus:\u00a0 blonde and tiny, standing barely four feet tall beside his bed.\u00a0 He sat up quickly, the tangle of covers falling down from his bare chest.\u00a0 \u201cBrooke,\u201d he croaked, his voice hoarse from sleep.\u00a0 \u201cBonnie.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked upon his beautiful twin daughters, smiling at him, innocent and angelic, and tears of relief filled his eyes, as he realized he had been dreaming.\u00a0 Their deaths, their transformation into bloodthirsty monsters\u2026 all a nightmare.<\/p>\n

\u201cGirls\u2026 my girls\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He swung his legs over the side of the mattress and opened his arms wide, eager to hold his daughters tightly.\u00a0 They clambered onto his lap, wrestling each other for space as their blonde heads nestled against his shoulders.\u00a0 He wrapped his arms around them both, savoring their soft, warm weight on his knees.\u00a0 The dream had seemed so real, he\u2019d thought he would never hold them on his lap like this again.<\/p>\n

He hugged Bonnie to his chest.\u00a0 He ran his hand through Brooke\u2019s silky hair, gently untangling the gnarls made in her sleep.\u00a0 When his fingers got stuck in a particularly knotted clump, he gave a little tug.\u00a0 Brooke\u2019s head tipped back\u2026 and when he looked down to make sure he hadn\u2019t hurt her, Brian saw that her face had turned a deathly shade of grayish green.\u00a0 He gave a little gasp of fright, and her head toppled back further, clean off her neck and over his arm, bouncing once off the mattress and landing on the floor with a sickening thunk, where it rolled once and came to a stop.<\/p>\n

Brian screamed and let go of his daughter\u2019s decapitated body, watching in horror as the bloody stump of a neck slid out of sight, the body dropping into a heap at his feet.\u00a0 No sooner had he turned to Bonnie than he felt an immense pressure and ripping, tearing pain in his chest.\u00a0 He looked down and saw Bonnie\u2019s fist inside<\/i> his chest cavity.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d he choked, but he could not draw breath back in.\u00a0 He could feel Bonnie\u2019s small fingers literally squeezing his heart, her fingernails digging in, and then, all of a sudden, her arm yanked back, and he retched as his heart was wrenched out of his body.<\/p>\n

He looked down in shock at the gaping hole in the center of his chest, then slowly up at his daughter, still sitting on his lap.\u00a0 She was holding his heart up to her mouth; it filled her hand like a large apple, fleshy and blood-soaked, still vigorously beating.\u00a0 She lowered it slightly, revealing a sinister grin, and he saw that her lips were dripping with his blood; it beaded at the corners of her mouth and trickled down her chin.\u00a0 Then she bowed her head, tipping it slightly at an angle, opened her mouth wide, and sank her teeth into the organ.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d he cried again, as she ripped another chunk out of his heart and rose up, stringy bits of vein and sinew dangling from her teeth.<\/p>\n

Then, from behind, he heard a woman\u2019s voice whisper his name (\u201cBrian\u2026\u201d), and he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, and he stiffened, for he knew this was Leighanne, and in a second, he would feel her taloned nails dig into his skin, and he would turn, and there she would be, not his beautiful wife, but a monster, dead-eyed and hungry for his flesh\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d he moaned once more, and the grip on his shoulder relaxed, and he could feel the hand moving over his arm.\u00a0 But this hand was not heavy and menacing; it was delicate and very soft, almost comforting\u2026<\/p>\n

Brian rolled over in bed, and when he opened his eyes, he saw not Leighanne, but a different woman, a stranger:\u00a0 brown hair, fair skin, and a look of deep concern etched upon her face.\u00a0 It took him a moment to realize the face was not a new one and put a name to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGretchen,\u201d he mumbled, and as he sat up, his conscious brain sorted his muddled thoughts into clarity, and he became aware of his surroundings once more.\u00a0 This was not his own bed, not his house.\u00a0 He was in a stranger\u2019s home, somewhere just across the Georgia\/Florida border, where he and Gretchen had stopped to stay the night.\u00a0 They\u2019d been fearful to travel at night, he recalled, because of the zombies.\u00a0 Those were real, but what he\u2019d just experienced was not.<\/p>\n

Only a nightmare<\/i>, he realized, looking down at his bare chest, which was unblemished but for the scar running down its center.\u00a0 He placed his hand there, his fingers slipping over his clammy, sweat-soaked skin, and felt the reassuring pulse of his heart racing beneath it, and he let out his breath in a long sigh, then inhaled shakily.\u00a0 He felt his heart rate begin to slow as his body started to relax from its dream-induced state of stress.<\/p>\n

He looked up at Gretchen, who was gazing back at him, her mouth pursed with pity.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry if I startled you,\u201d she said timidly.\u00a0 \u201cYou must have been having a nightmare.\u00a0 You were\u2026 twitching\u2026 and sort of gasping in your sleep.\u00a0 I was afraid you\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She trailed off, shrugging apologetically.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he whispered, still taking measured breaths.\u00a0 \u201cIt was\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He, too, trailed off, shaking his head.\u00a0 There was no way he was going to relive what he\u2019d just experienced in his sleep.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you woke me,\u201d he finished dully.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem.\u00a0 It\u2019s already nine in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat??\u201d\u00a0 Shocked, he turned towards the window nearest his bed.\u00a0 The light filtering through the curtains was still dim and gray.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s raining.\u00a0 The sky\u2019s all dark and overcast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pausing to listen, he could hear the rain now, spattering lightly against the windowpanes.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you\u2026 d\u2019you wanna stay here awhile and wait it out, or should we get going?\u201d she asked hesitantly.\u00a0 She seemed to be tiptoeing around him, as if she were afraid of upsetting him.\u00a0 He must have been a sight to see in the throes of his nightmare, he thought, a dull flush creeping up his cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, it sounds like a light rain\u2026 I think we can drive through it,\u201d he decided, adding, \u201cI mean, if you\u2019re okay with that.\u00a0 If we leave now, we should be able to get to the base before nightfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen nodded quickly.\u00a0 \u201cThat sounds like a good plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

They should have been in Tampa by now, thought Brian, as he got up and moved around the room, dressing and gathering up his belongings.\u00a0 With the roads clear, the drive should only have taken seven or eight hours.\u00a0 But the freeways were cluttered with the abandoned vehicles of those who had died in their attempts to escape the plague, and they couldn\u2019t drive as fast or as freely as they normally would.\u00a0 Thus, each mile traveled took significantly longer.\u00a0 They had meandered south for a few more hours the previous afternoon, after leaving the farmhouse, where they had stopped to rest and freshen up and gather supplies.\u00a0 They\u2019d finally reached the Florida state line just before sunset and had agreed to find another place to stop and stay the night.\u00a0 The last thing either of them had wanted was to get stalled in the midst of another horde of zombies in the dark.<\/p>\n

They had stopped in another rural area to find a house because lower concentrations of people before the plague struck meant lower concentrations of zombies afterwards.\u00a0 And indeed, after locking up the house and laying low, they had not been bothered all night.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s sleep had been restless, permeated with nightmares and flashbacks, but Gretchen, at least, appeared to have slept reasonably well.<\/p>\n

She and Brian repacked the white SUV they had been driving since yesterday with their supplies, a mixture of the few personal possessions they\u2019d brought with them and supplies they had scrounged from the homes they\u2019d stayed in.\u00a0 Another perk of choosing country homes was that the owners tended to be well-stocked with food, both fresh and canned, tools, and weapons.\u00a0 They were now armed with a pair of hunting rifles and plenty of ammo, along with other necessities, and as Brian climbed into the driver\u2019s seat that morning, he felt confident that they would have no trouble making their way down the Florida peninsula to Tampa Bay.\u00a0 If they did run into trouble, this time, they would be prepared.<\/p>\n

And so they set off, iPod playing softly, wipers swishing across the rain-spattered windshield, headlights beaming through the gloomy morning mist.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s nightmares were shoved firmly into the depths of his mind, while on the surface, he focused solely on his driving.\u00a0 Their spirits were as high as could be expected, given the circumstances.\u00a0 They had a plan now, at least, and they were hopeful that they would find other survivors \u2013 perhaps even, miraculously, cousin Kevin among them \u2013 at MacDill Air Force Base.\u00a0 Brian refused to lose sight of that plan, for it was the only thing keeping him going, the only hope he had left to live for.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had thought to leave a note or something,\u201d sighed Gretchen, as they wove through the stalled traffic on the freeway.\u00a0 \u201cIf Shawn\u2019s made it home by now, he won\u2019t have a clue where I\u2019ve gone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She had mentioned this several times before over the past day.\u00a0 Brian knew she was worried about her husband and worried that, if he really had left the army base in Maryland at which he\u2019d been working, he would come home to an empty house and not know what had become of her.\u00a0 He was surprised she hadn\u2019t yet asked to turn back, but she seemed to have enough sense to know better.\u00a0 There was no way he was going to head back to Atlanta, not until he found out what was waiting in Tampa.\u00a0 Likewise, though he sympathized with Gretchen\u2019s situation, he\u2019d had enough sense not to tell her what he really thought \u2013 that there was no way her husband would ever make it home alive.\u00a0 He was probably dead \u2013 or undead \u2013 like everyone else\u2026 like Brian\u2019s own spouse\u2026 and children\u2026<\/p>\n

He swallowed hard, forcing thoughts of his family to the back of his mind again.\u00a0 To Gretchen, he replied, \u201cYou couldn\u2019t have left a note; from the sound of things, there wasn\u2019t much time.\u00a0 You had to get out of the house.\u00a0 And anyway, what would you have said?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t know where you were headed till we decided on MacDill.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you\u2019re right\u2026\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know how I\u2019ll be able to reach him, with the phones down\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She trailed off sadly, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched her fumble with her backpack and take out her cell phone.\u00a0 She turned it on \u2013 she\u2019d kept it off to conserve the battery that was left \u2013 and played with it for a minute, checking for signal bars, even trying to make a call, but of course, there was still no service.\u00a0 She put the phone back without a word, and Brian kept on driving and didn\u2019t mention it.<\/p>\n

They made good time crossing the Florida panhandle, for along their route down I-75, there only seemed to be small towns, few and far between, which meant there were fewer abandoned vehicles to get around.\u00a0 It was only once they reached the intersection with I-10, which ran east towards Jacksonville to west towards Tallahassee, that the freeway became crowded again.<\/p>\n

As he navigated through this mess, Brian was aware that they would need to stop and get gas for the SUV soon \u2013 that or abandon it for a vehicle with a full tank.\u00a0 But the cloverleaf at this interchange was crawling with rain-soaked zombies, who had forced their way out of their cars that still clogged the exit ramps, and there was no way he was going to leave the freeway \u2013 or the SUV, for that matter.<\/p>\n

The empty light came on a mile or so past the interchange, and the SUV emitted a friendly warning ding.\u00a0 Gretchen looked over in alarm.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re almost outta gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat??\u00a0 Well, we better find somewhere to stop!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will.\u00a0 We can try the next exit.\u201d\u00a0 Brian wasn\u2019t too worried; he knew that most gas tanks had a decent-sized reserve.\u00a0 They were never really empty when the fuel gauge said they were.<\/p>\n

But the next exit ramp, a few miles down the interstate, was completely barricaded by stopped cars.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s keep goin\u2019,\u201d Brian said, swerving back into the left lane.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s gotta be another exit up the road a ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen looked uncertainly at the exit sign as they drove past it.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure?\u00a0 The last thing we need is to run out of gas\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t,\u201d Brian insisted, and still, he felt confident.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon we could go another twenty miles on empty.\u00a0 There\u2019s bound to be a clear exit in that span.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he kept on driving.<\/p>\n

They had traveled only ten miles or so \u2013 which took nearly half an hour, during which time they saw no exits, clear or otherwise \u2013 before the engine began to sputter.\u00a0 Gripping the wheel tightly, Brian heard Gretchen\u2019s sharp intake of breath beside him.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t say \u201cI told you so,\u201d only looked at him with wide, frightened eyes, as he grimaced and took his foot off the accelerator, allowing the SUV to coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere!\u201d he said suddenly, pointing to a green sign up ahead.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s an exit up there!\u00a0 There\u2019ll be a gas station.\u00a0 We can make it down the ramp if we coast.\u201d<\/p>\n

He fed the engine the last of its gas, giving them enough acceleration to reach the exit sign.\u00a0 Ellisville<\/i>, it read, with an arrow directing them to the off ramp.\u00a0 The engine died as he swerved onto the ramp, but the SUV hurtled down it with no trouble in neutral.\u00a0 Afraid to brake, he blew past the stop sign at the foot of the ramp and took the turn practically on two wheels.\u00a0 Next to him, Gretchen had reached up to grasp the clothes hanger bar above her door and was clutching it tightly, white-faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost there,\u201d Brian chanted, spotting the sign for a gas station up ahead on the two-lane road.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the road was flat, and the momentum of his acceleration slowed, until at last, the SUV slid to a stop.\u00a0 Brian released his breath in a low sigh.\u00a0 \u201cWell,\u201d he said, gazing out the windshield.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re close, anyway.\u00a0 The station\u2019s right up there.\u00a0 We just need to walk and fill a gas can; that\u2019ll give us enough juice to get the car up to the pumps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen bit her lip.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if there are zombies?\u201d<\/p>\n

They both looked out the windows, all around.\u00a0 It was hard to see out, through the misty drizzle, but they didn\u2019t see any of the undead, nor hear their distant moans of hunger.\u00a0 \u201cI think we can make it,\u201d said Brian.\u00a0 \u201cListen, if you want, I\u2019ll go, and you can stay here in the car.\u00a0 If you lay low with the doors locked\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen shook her head furiously.\u00a0 \u201cNo way, I\u2019m not staying in here by myself.\u00a0 If we\u2019re going anywhere, we\u2019re going together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAlright,\u201d he agreed.\u00a0 \u201cThen we\u2019re goin\u2019, right?\u00a0 Because sittin\u2019 here ain\u2019t gonna do us any good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you\u2019re right,\u201d Gretchen sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWe might as well go now, before any of them<\/i> show up.\u00a0 But let\u2019s take the guns, just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely.\u201d\u00a0 Cautiously, Brian climbed out of the SUV.\u00a0 He stood by the driver\u2019s side door for a moment, looking and listening, and when he was satisfied that nothing was going to jump out at him, he went around back and opened up the hatchback to retrieve the weapons.\u00a0 When Gretchen came around to join him from the other side, he saw that she was carrying her backpack.<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw everything back in it,\u201d she explained, \u201cjust in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood planning.\u201d\u00a0 He handed her one of the loaded rifles, taking the other for himself, and closed the trunk on the rest of their supplies.\u00a0 Then they started up the road at a fast walk, which quickly turned into a jog.\u00a0 The rain rapidly drenched them, but getting wet was the least of their concerns.\u00a0 As she trotted ahead of him, her bag bouncing on her back, Gretchen repeatedly looked right and left, like a scared animal.\u00a0 Brian didn\u2019t blame her.\u00a0 He did the same.<\/p>\n

He felt a feeling of immense relief when they reached the gas station and found the building unlocked.\u00a0 They ducked in quickly, found a gas can, and hurried back outside to the nearest pump.\u00a0 It was only once Brian reached up to select options on the pump that he realized the electronic screen was dark and blank.\u00a0 \u201cOh no,\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong with it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo power.\u00a0 Modern gas pumps run off electricity, same as everything else.\u00a0 The pumps are shut off; they won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are we gonna get gas??\u201d Gretchen\u2019s voice rose shrilly as panic set in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno,\u201d Brian sighed, looking around.\u00a0 \u201cLemme think\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He racked his brain, eyeing the covered manholes around the perimeter of the station, which he knew lead to the gas tanks underground.\u00a0 If they could pry off one of the covers, maybe they\u2019d be able to rig up a hose and siphon gas manually straight from\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cBrian!\u201d Gretchen gasped suddenly, and he felt her grab his arm.\u00a0 She turned him around, and, following her line of sight, he saw her cause for alarm.<\/p>\n

Zombies had appeared on the outskirts of the property, emerging from the trees, rising out of flooded drainage ditches.\u00a0 Moaning at the scent of living flesh on the wet breeze, they converged upon the gas station.<\/p>\n

Brian looked around wildly for a means of escape, his mind racing, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping.\u00a0 There were two cars parked at the station; if just one of them had keys inside, they could drive off before the zombies reached them.\u00a0 \u201cCheck that car for keys!\u201d he ordered Gretchen, pointing to a Cadillac pulled up to one of the far pumps.\u00a0 While she darted off, he hurried over to the pick-up truck parked in a space in front of the building.\u00a0 But both doors were locked, and peering through the windows, he didn\u2019t see keys inside.\u00a0 When he looked up and over at Gretchen, she was already running back towards him, shaking her head in defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo keys,\u201d she confirmed.\u00a0 \u201cNothing here either?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head, feeling panic starting to rise up his throat, as the zombies staggered closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go inside,\u201d said Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cWe can lock the door and hide out in a back room or something until they go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian saw no other option.\u00a0 He gave a single nod of agreement, and together, they ran back inside, as the zombies shambled across the forecourt towards them, their clumsy feet splashing through puddles of rain.\u00a0 Brian slammed the glass door shut and fumbled with the lock, while Gretchen looked around in dismay.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole front of this building is nothing but windows,\u201d she observed.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think they\u2019ll crash their way through?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian rapped his knuckles on the glass.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s probably safety glass.\u00a0 They\u2019d want it to be strong, in case of a car crashing through\u2026 or an armed robbery or something\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen\u2019s eyes suddenly widened.\u00a0 \u201cI have an idea!\u00a0 Open that door again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 But\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He looked outside.\u00a0 The zombies had reached the pumps.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust do it!\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen raised her rifle.\u00a0 Brian quickly unlocked the door and thrust it open, but she wasn\u2019t pointing the gun at him.\u00a0 She aimed through the open door instead.\u00a0 He realized what she was about to do a split second before the did, and as soon as she pulled the trigger, he fell upon her, throwing her to the floor and covering her body with his own as a colossal boom rocked the station.<\/p>\n

He felt the wave of heat sweep over him and heard the roar of flames.\u00a0 Looking up and over his shoulder, he saw a massive fireball rising up from the pump Gretchen had shot.\u00a0 Burning debris from the explosion littered the pavement, and several zombies tottered around in flames, their dead flesh melting away from their bodies in sheets.<\/p>\n

To his surprise, the front windows of the station had not shattered with the blast; indeed, the glass was as strong as \u2013 perhaps stronger than \u2013 he had hoped.\u00a0 The fire seemed contained to the pump embankments for now \u2013 perhaps the falling rain was helping to keep it under control \u2013 but he imagined more explosions, as the other pumps went up, and couldn\u2019t imagine they\u2019d be safe in front of a wall of glass.\u00a0 \u201cCome on,\u201d he muttered to Gretchen, pulling her up from the floor as he climbed to his feet.\u00a0 They staggered off to the back of the building, where there was a door marked Employees Only<\/i>.\u00a0 They pushed their way through, and Gretchen screamed.<\/p>\n

There was a lone zombie wandering stupidly around the back room.\u00a0 At the sight of them \u2013 and the sound of Gretchen\u2019s scream \u2013 it halted in its tracks and looked right at them, letting out a rather excited moan.\u00a0 Immediately, it started lurching towards them.\u00a0 This time, Brian raised his gun, and with a single shot to the forehead, sent the zombie crashing to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we get rid of it?\u201d pleaded Gretchen, eyeing the fallen zombie warily.<\/p>\n

Obediently, Brian grabbed its legs and dragged it out of the back room, across the tiled floor of the building, and kicked it through the door, which he\u2019d forgotten to re-secure in his haste to take shelter from the explosions.\u00a0 Rolling the dead zombie out onto the wet pavement, he closed the door and latched it, then ran back to Gretchen.\u00a0 He found her trying to drag a set of supply shelves across the floor \u2013 \u201cto block the door,\u201d she grunted, struggling.\u00a0 Brian hurried to help her, and together, they moved the shelves against the closed door to the back room, barricading themselves in.<\/p>\n

Once that was done, he looked around.\u00a0 The room was small and windowless, with a table and a couple of chairs, a coffee maker and a few snacks strewn about.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t last long using it as their bunker, but for now, until the flames died down and the remaining zombies with them, it would have to suffice.<\/p>\n

He and Gretchen hunkered down in the pair of chairs to wait it out.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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PART IV: \u00a0THE GATHERING Chapter 41 Those first few days after, I saw them every time I closed my eyes.\u00a0 I dreamed of them every time I fell asleep.\u00a0 I woke up screaming every time I dreamed. In some ways, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":41,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/218"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":378,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/218\/revisions\/378"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}