Tag for home reading

Great story! I'm really enjoying it, please don't let it die

More please

Oh christ, another dead end. Yay...

I do like the story. I hope this continues.

Is this one dead?

I know that it's been 4 months, but no the story isn't dead yet.  I will try to get more up next week.  Thanks for you patience.


CHAPTER 22

Jake crouched in the snow half way up the hill, his M1 Garand cradled across his chest. His attention fixed on the seven ragged figures floundering in the hip deep snow.  Their movements were erratic and sluggish.   Jake weighed his options. Then decided he could leave the inhuman creatures, they weren’t going to hurt anyone anytime soon. He exhaled slowly as he stood. His breath created a vapor cloud.  Strapping on his skis and slinging his rifle across this back he slid over the surface of the snow, leaving the creatures behind. They looked like walking roadkill, he mused. He felt sorry for who they had once been.  Glancing at the sky, he could tell that it was going to be a real cold night. The roadkill would probably freeze solid.  They were easy to handle when they were frozen solid.  He could just use a cordless drill and bore a hole right through their sculls, and kill them safely without any blood.  They didn’t flop around, and he didn’t have the bad dreams. It was easier this way.  He tried to think about something else. Kerry would be waiting for him. She would have the wood stove in their stone cabin blazing, and she would meet him at the steps with a cup of hot black coffee and a kiss as he stomped the snow from his boots before entering. Jake’s thoughts came back to reality as he took a breather.  The cabin was a mile west on the far side of the ridge.  He dug his ski poles into the snow before unzipping his coat and pulling his last pack of menthols and a zippo out of his pocket.  Kerry disapproved of his smoking.  Her mother had died of lung cancer, and she said it made his lips taste like and ashtray, but he just couldn’t kick the habit, so he only smoked when he was sure she wouldn’t find out.  He opened the pack and looked disgustedly at his last two smokes.  He hesitated as he tried to decide which one he would save for his final smoke.  Then he decided that since they were the last ones he had, he would smoke them both and be done with the whole thing.  Slowly he put the cigarette between his lips and cupped his hands as he lit up and took a long drag.  Jake felt guilty, but it was his right to smoke if wanted to wasn’t it?  The hell with it, you could never be sure of how long you were going to live in this new fucked up world.  He pushed Kerry out of his mind. He would enjoy his last smoke.

As Jake puffed he thought of his older brother Josh.  He was a couple years younger than Josh.  They were inseparable growing up.  Josh was a crack shot, but Jake was an avid fisherman.  Jake fumbled with this lighter as he lit his second cigarette, and smiled as he remembered Josh’s dislike for fish.  He would eat a snake before he would eat fish.  Jake hadn’t seen Josh in over a year.  Just before he deployed to Korea, they had gone camping for a week.  Jake took a last drag on his smoke before flicking it into the snow, and pressing onward.

Once Jake had climbed to the ridge top he was careful not to silhouette himself.  It was covered in pines, sporadic brush and a few twisted cedar trees that swayed with the wind. He took his skis off and began to study his back trail with a small pair of binoculars.  After a while without any indication that he was being trailed, he moved his attention to the cabin. It was nestled in a stand of pines on the crest of a small rise.  A trail of smoke drifted from the chimney.  Jake sniffed the wind and caught the scent of cedar smoke.  It beckoned him home, but Jake didn’t want to lead unwanted visitors home.  He again watched his back trail.  He wasn’t worried about the roadkill, the snow hampered their movement.  He was worried about other people, they became so desperate that they too ceased to be human.  Jake was satisfied that no one was tailing him, so he strapped on his skis and headed toward the cabin in a roundabout manner.

Jake enjoyed the thrill of skiing. The wind ripped at his face as the skis slid over the fresh snow.  He crouched and leaned forward picking up speed. The smell of the cedar smoke fresh in his nostrils seemed to pull him in like a tractor beam.  It wasn’t long before he was sliding up next to the awning built onto the back of the cabin.  He unstrapped the skis and hung them from the rafters.  Unslinging his rifle and holding it in his right hand, he used the other to gather an armful of wood for the fire.  As he started stomping his boots on the porch, he felt something amiss. Kerry was not there to open the door for him.

“Kerry.”  He called.
There was no reply. He tapped the door lightly with the butt of the rifle, and called again.
“Kerry, I’m home. Open the door.”
Still there was no reply.  Jake began to get scared.  He dropped wood, and fished in his pocket for the key.  It wasn’t there, and he remembered leaving it on the key rack.  He reached for the door knob and paused, then he grabbed it, and the door opened. A bit of relief settled over him as Dally their Australian Cattle Dog stood at the door wagging her tail, and talking in an excited voice that sounded like a cross between a howl and a bark. Jake walked inside, closed the door and stepped out of his boots.  He stroked the dogs soft head, before calling for Kerry again.
“I’m in the bed room.”  She replied this time.

Jake set the M1 behind the door, and headed for their bed room, with Dally trotting behind him.

“Are you ok?” He asked.

“I was feeling dizzy again, so I lay down before I blacked out this time.  I’m feeling better now though.”

Jake kissed her, then said “I’ll make you a bowl of soup.”

Kerry was a slim cute girl with blond hair.  She had an extremely high metabolism, which caused her to pass out for some inexplicable reason.  The doctors had never been able to figure out what caused it.  At first they though that she might be having problems regulating her blood glucose levels, but testing revealed that they were normal.  Time and repeated episodes caused Kerry to recognize the signs that she was about to pass out, and allowed her to quickly lay down, and eat to keep to counter act whatever caused them.

Jake went to the kitchen and fixed the bowl of warm soup and a glass of water, and delivered them to Kerry. She sat up thanked him and slowly began to eat. Jake went back to the kitchen and poured himself a large cup of strong black coffee. Then, seated himself at Kerry’s side in a small arm chair.  Dally had jumped on the bed and sat with her ears perked, attentively watch Kerry eat.  This often had and unnerving effect on most people, because Dally had one sky blue eyed and one brown one.

“You crazy dog!” Kerry laughed as she tossed the dog a small chunk of meat. Dally snapped the meat out of mid air.   Kerry laughed again.

“Dog.” Jake commanded firmly, “Get off the bed.”

Dally reluctantly jumped on the floor and lay down resting her muzzle on the ground. Her blue eye switching between watching Jake and the bowl in Kerry’s hands.

“I’m fine with Dally on the bed.”

“If the dog is on the bed she will get half the soup, and you need to eat, not the dog.” Jake replied. He watched her eat quietly.  Jake had met Kerry during his senior year in high school.  They were together for a couple years before getting married.  

When Kerry had finished her food, Jake washed the dishes and stoked the fire before sitting back down to watch her rest. Dally was back on the bed. She was always Kerry’s dog he thought.

“I found a small group of infected this afternoon.”

“Were they close?” Kerry asked in a concerned tone.

“No, they were a couple miles on the far side of the ridge.”  

“Then we won’t have to worry about them.” She sounded relieved.

“We can’t take any chances.” Jake said taking a sip of his coffee. “I will take care of them in the morning when I go the Grossman’s place.”

The couple were silent as Jake took another sip of his coffee.

“I want to come this time.” Kerry said

Jake hesitated before answering.  “Ok.” He said finally.

Kerry leaned on one elbow, stroking Dally’s back.  “Jake what do you think it will be like in the spring?”

“I don’t know, babe.” He replied.

Nice twist. I'm glad i never gave up on you.

I am working on the next chapter, but it is taking longer than I would like.  I will keep up dating as I finish them.  Thanks for the patience.
Liberty or Death

Here is the next chapter.  I got a couple more in the works.  There's a couple more twists in store



CHAPTER 23

Amanda let the lukewarm water spray on her face and run down her back.  It felt so good to wash away a couple weeks worth of grime and sweat. She scrubbed her scalp with coconut scented shampoo.  It was heavenly.

Jeff peeked in.  “Babe, save some water for me.”

She splashed him and laughed. “I’ll give you all you can handle.”

He jerked his head back, his face dripping wet.  Amanda laughed again.

“I’m coming in woman” He swept the shower curtain aside and jumped in.

She screamed and splashed him again.

I sat on a folding chair as Adam, a paramedic, who was now acting as the Doc for Matt Dalton’s group, gave me a medical examination. In another room, I could hear Jeff and Amanda laughing. I had known that it would be a while before the Doc was finished with me, and had made sure that everyone else had been examined before I was taken care of.  Adam began to help me take my shirt off.

“Just lift your right arm, and I will slip the shirt up and off.”

“Roger that Doc.”

He shook his head as he slipped the shirt over my head.

“This duct tape is disgusting,” he said as he clipped it off with a pair of shears.
 
“It was the girls’ idea to keep me from moving my arm,” I replied.

“They were on the right track but this is just plain unsanitary, and it could get infected.” Adam said as he removed the bandages over the wound on my shoulder.  There was an immediate sharp pain that shot through my upper body.  I grimaced and looked at my throbbing shoulder.  The seven small pellet holes were swollen and red.

“What exactly happened?” Adam asked as he began to flush out the small puncture wounds.

“I ended up on the wrong end of a .410.” I replied bluntly.

“No shit Sherlock.”

“I just have a knack for finding trouble.”

Adam adjusted his glasses, and shook his head as examined the wounds.  “If that is the case, you should move on as soon as you can.  We have enough trouble as it is, and we won’t be bailing you out of any extra shit you fall into.”

“I understand.”

Adam adjusted his glasses again and looked me in the eyes. “I hope you do, don’t mistake our kindness for weakness.”

That night Jeff, Amanda, Erica and I all slept in a locked quarantine room, without our weapons. It just went against my grain to be without my weapons, but beggars can’t be choosers.  We slept on sheets of cardboard laid on the floor.  At least we were given warm blankets. We were quarantined for 48 hours, which gave us plenty of time to catch up on sleep.
After being on edge for weeks, it felt good to relax.  I lay awake long after everyone began snoring, the gears in my head grinding away. I was in a pickle. First off I was injured, and second I was in the middle of a damn war.  I would have to stay put until my shoulder healed. Slowly I drifted off to sleep.

I stood at the entrance of a cave. I could faintly hear the echo of someone singing, it pulled me in like a magnetic attraction. The passageway became dark, but after a few minutes, I thought I could see a light up ahead.  Suddenly I turned and was standing at the doorway to a small room chiseled out of the rock. An animal hide covered the doorway, and I pushed it aside as I entered.  A small fire burned in a stone lined fire pit casting odd shadows as the flames flickered.  Two children, a boy and a girl sat on a deer skin spread next to the fire, playing an odd game with small chunks of obsidian and quartz.  They were dirty and clothed in rags.  The far side of the room was obscured by a curtain of hides sewn together.  Suddenly they parted and and a young woman appeared.  It was the girl from my dreams, but she was older now. She had on a rough buckskin shirt and an old pair of blue jeans.  A dish towel was draped over her arm, and a plastic hiking water bottle was in her hand. The children looked up from their game.

“Come get cleaned up.” The woman said softly as she moistened one end of the towel with the water bottle.

The kids left their game and walked to her. They took turns scrubbing their faces and hands with the moist end of the towel.  It got some of the dirt off, and the woman got the rest with a final once over.  I guess play time was over now, because the children picked up their shiny chunks of stone and placed them in small leather bags. Next the woman and the girl began a sewing project. The boy stirred the fire, and added some wood. With the addition of new fuel the flames brightened. The boy got out a large square cookie tin. In it were odd scraps of metal, chunks of obsidian, bits of deer antler, and an assortment of tools.  Some small files, screw drivers, and a couple reciprocating saw blades and drill bits attached to crude handles.  He grabbed one of the chunks of deer antler and began work on what seemed to be a small whistle.

Suddenly the echo of footsteps in the stone passage way outside alerted the trio to someone approaching.

“Someone’s coming!” Whispered the boy.

“Shhhhhhhh.”  Replied the young woman, as she slipped a small automatic under the work on her lap, concealing it. Then the skin over the doorway was pushed aside and a man stepped in. I immediately recognized the faded MARPAT blouse that he wore. The faded name, “Colter” was embroidered over the right chest pocket.  I realized that the man was me.  I looked like I was 50. I was tired, and worn, crows feet stretched from my eyes, there was a large scar on my forehead and I had a silvery beard.

I awoke, and heard low voices.  It was Jeff and Amanda.

“Jeff I have something to tell you.”

“Yes babe”

“We’re going to have a baby, I’m pregnant.”  

I have noticed that most stories die at about 30,000 words, but this isn't one of them.  I am working on the next chapter, between my prior commitments.  I will try to post it sometime this week.

Liberty or Death

I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Here is the next chapter.

CHAPTER 24


“You’re all good.” Adam said as he cleared as uninfected.  “Matt wants to see you.”  He escorted us to a room where Matt and Andy were studying a map that was pinned up on the wall. They turned as we entered.

“Good morning, I see that you are doing better.” Matt said.

“It was nice to get a shower and some rest.” I replied.

Matt nodded his head. “I will cut right to the chase. Since I was the law in town before the shit hit the fan, I try to keep some semblance of order for the people in my group. Andy is my second in command, and Adam is the medical officer. I make the decisions around here, so you follow my rules.  If you have any problems with that, we will give you a day’s head start.”

“What are your rules?” Jeff asked.

Andy answered this question. “We will not tolerate any fighting, stealing or drunkenness. You can keep your personal gear, but everyone has to pull their fair share. You will be required to give us any food that you have, and you will have to perform assigned duties. If you have a dispute with anyone, talk to me and I will make a fair decision.”

“Why do we have to give you our food?” Amanda asked, a question mark crossing her tired face.

“Any food we get is rationed.  Everyone gets the same amount, this way there won’t be fighting because someone has none, and their neighbor has a box full.” Matt replied. “Follow those rules and we will have no problems with you joining us.”

“I’m in.” Erica said.

Jeff looked at Amanda, and she nodded her head, “Sounds fair Matt.”

“And you Josh?” Matt asked.

“Alright, but I’m headed north as soon as the snows clear.”

“Good.” Matt replied, “I need to know any information you have on the outside world, and any skills you have that can benefit us, but we can get to that after you get settled in.”

“Nancy, come here”, called Andy.

A girl with red hair, in her early teens and carrying an M4 entered.

“Yes Sir”, she replied.

“Get Jeff, Amanda and Josh their gear and find them a place to stay.

“Yes Sir”.

“Erica, stay here we need to talk to you”, Matt said.

Nancy addressed us. “Let’s go get your gear, and find you a place to sleep."

Amanda was silent as they fallowed Nancy out of the room and down the hall.  She could tell that the building had once been an elementary school because the walls were covered in drawings and brightly colored silhouettes of Christmas trees, and snowflakes.  She fought to keep tears from welling up in her eyes, but one managed to trickle down her cheek. Will children ever have a child hood now?  Are they destined to grow up facing death constantly and carrying guns all the time.

Nancy stopped next to a large announcement board. She tossed the hair out of her eyes with a shake of her head, and nodded toward the board.  

“All assignments will be posted at 5:00PM each evening.  Every able bodied person will be assigned a 8 hour duty. Rotation will be at 4:00AM, 12:00PM, and 9:00PM. If your name is on the list, be here a half hour early for a briefing before starting your tasks.  People who are late get extra duty.”

Jeff and I examined the board for a second.  There were about thirty names on the rosters.

“How come you don’t have a guard roster?” I asked.

“The civilians are lackadaisical, and complain instead of taking watches and scouting seriously.  Matt decides which soldiers take what watches.”
“Are you a soldier?” I asked.

“One of 13, come on let’s get your stuff.” Nancy replied.

She turned at the next right and let us to a room where all our stuff was stacked.  I located my gear, and holstered my Glock. Then slung my pack over my right shoulder, my left arm being in a sling. With my right hand I picked up my chest rig and M16.

“Where did you get an M16?” Nancy asked.

“I was in the Marines, until our operations base was overrun by the Zs, and wiped everyone out.”

“He’s hell on wheel with that rifle.” Jeff commented. “He took out 4 bandits in about 5 seconds.”

“If he is so good, how did he get shot.”  

“That was just bad luck, it happens sooner or later in combat.” I replied.

“How many people have you killed?” She asked.

“That is a question you never ask anyone.” I replied in a quietly and firmly. “You will understand when you kill someone.”

“What about walkers?” She asked. “They’re different.”

I sighed, “I lost count a long time ago.”

Nancy was silent. She could tell that he was not a man to mess with.  Once the newcomers had gathered their gear, she led them to one of the former classrooms that people lived in.

“You will live in room 3.” Nancy stated pointing to the number on the door.  

We entered quietly and were greeted by a dark, cold room. The windows were boarded up with plywood, and a couple light bulbs powered by a car battery, hung from the ceiling casting feeble rays of light against the walls. Masking tape on the floor boxed individual living spaces into 8X8’ squares with a 6 foot walkway down the center of the room.
“Here you are. It’s not much, but it isn’t windy in here and there aren’t any walkers.  Find an unoccupied square and bed down. Back down the hall on the left just past the announcement board is the cafeteria. Breakfast is at 7:00AM, and dinner is in an hour at 5:00 PM.  We don’t have enough food to have lunch.  The restrooms are around the corner on the right.”  With that, Nancy left.

There were four squares on each side of the room.  6 were taken.  About 10 people including 6 children watched us. Some lay on cots, others had seats from cars or air mattresses, a couple even had large foam pads.  A red tent took up the entire third square on the left.  The very last squares were unoccupied.  

“Take the last one on the left Jeff. It’ll give you a little bit of privacy.  I’ll take the last one on the right.”

“Thanks Josh.”

A middle aged couple were in the square next to me.

“So you’re the new people?” The man asked.

“Yes.” I replied.

“Stay on your side of the line and don’t make a lot of noise, we’re trying to sleep.”

This already?  I thought, shaking my head.

“We’ll try to be quiet.” I said.

At the other end of the room a baby began to cry. A young teenage girl picked up the baby and began to to try to sooth the infant.  

“For the love of Mary shut that baby up.” yelled the man.

The girl began to cry as she cradled the infant against her shoulder and swayed back and forth.  It was too much for Amanda, and she exploded.

“You know what, if you don’t want to listen to the baby. You can just leave, because you obviously won’t get any sleep in here.”

“So the new bitch walks in here and thinks, that she is Queen Bee.”

I got pissed at him. “Shut the the Fuck Up!”

“Don’t you ever talk to my wife like that!” Jeff added.

The man was going to say something else, but shut up when he saw Jeff’s hand on his Glock.

“Come on let get away from these ass holes.” The man said as he dragged his wife from the room, slamming the door.  

Amanda walked up to the girl, and introduced herself.

“I’m Amanda, is there anything I can do to help you.”

The girl bit her lip and nodded. She brushed her ragged hair from her face.  A few tears ran down her face and her voice quivered.

“Thank you, those two hate me and the baby. They never leave us alone.” She began to sob again.  “I think he needs his diaper changed.”

“Here let me change him.” Amanda said, carefully taking the baby from the girl.

The girl put her face in her hands. “I don’t have any diapers for him. Sometimes we get bits of towels that we can use.”  She began to dig through a backpack. “I don’t have any left, he is wearing the last one.” She began to sob again.

“I have some.” Amanda said as she put an arm around the girl. “It will be ok.”

As Amanda changed the baby, he began to wail again. She put the dirty cloth in plastic bag and put on a new “diaper” on the infant. The baby began to quiet down.

“What’s his name?” She asked the girl.

“His mother died giving birth 3 weeks ago.  No one wanted him, so I took him.  I haven’t named him yet.” The girl sighed and whipped her face against her sleeve.

“What’s your name?” Amanda asked as she carefully handed the infant back to the girl.

“Rebecca”

“Rebecca, why don’t you stay close to us.”

“Ok.” The girl replied, as if she had some hope for the first time.

She picked up her backpack, blanket and a terribly thin foam pad and followed Amanda to her corner.  Jeff watched, and couldn’t help but wonder why his wife was inviting someone to share their space. It must have showed on his face, because she shot him a “don’t you dare” look.  He decided this wasn’t the time to argue.  He’d end up losing anyways, and decided to have a look around.

“Come on Josh, let’s find something to do.”

Yes! awesome chapter i though some face breaking was coming for sure

Awesome updates!

Here is your next fix.

CHAPTER 25  Part 1

The winter evening’s wind brought an odd tension that seemed to make the air vibrate. Everyone was on edge. They were hungry and irritable.  Maybe it was because of the last couple months of little food, and constant danger had upset their plush utopian world of on demand movies, internet and fast food. Or it could have been something in the air.  A strange instinctual sixth sense, as if in the darkest part of their beings they felt something was going to happen.

I awoke with a start. My eyes peered into the darkness. I could barely make out the dark forms of people slumbering restlessly. Something was wrong.  I heard faint whispering next to me, but couldn’t make out who it belonged to. The voice went silent at the sound of a faint metallic click.  A long moment of silence, then soft rustling of blankets as someone stood. They crept almost silently out the door. A strange feeling in my gut told me to investigate. I slowly stood, careful to make as little noise as possible, then followed.  I padded down the center of the room in my socks. Feeling for the door I found the knob and eased myself into the hall.  A shadow turning the corner told me which way the person had gone.  With what I wished was the stealth of a cat, I followed then peeked around the corner.  A small shaft of light from a window illuminated the form of a man.  He stopped, and looked both ways then another form appeared.  They greeted each other in agitated whispers. There was what I thought was the momentary jingle of keys, and the pair entered a closed room. The door locked and I was alone in the hall.  Slowly I crept up to the door and put my ear against it, and could only make out bits of a hushed conversation.

“Did you ----- message.”

“I told ------- Erica.”

“What did he say”

“Tonight “

“When”

“---- dynamite --- 1:30AM”

I pushed the button to illuminate the face of my watch, but it wouldn’t light up.

“Don’t ---- Erica --- his.”

“Kill ----- son of a bitch -------- fucking cop.”

“ ---- Queen Bitch ---------.”

I stopped messing with my watch and listened, a sinking feeling spreading through me.

“----- said ---- have ------- both the whores.”

“The young ----- mine.”

“Hang on ------ waist these fuckers!”

Something slammed me face first on the ground.  A loud blast rang my brain, as a sharp agonizing pain shot through my left shoulder and filled my whole body.

Moar

this

I am working on the next part and will try to post it this weekend.

Liberty or Death

Good story and thanks for the updates.

Sorry I didn't get more of the story posted during the weekend.  I will work on it this week.

Liberty or Death  

WTF

Moar!

This is the second time the OP has wandered away from the story. Ban him!

This don't let it die!

I didn't wander off, I got deployed and I will be updating the story soon.

I haven't forgot about the story, Sometimes duty calls, and I cant get online,  here is enough to get you itching for a new fix

80 pounds of dynamite wired to a garage door remote had been placed next to a 1500 gallon tank of propane that was just outside the wall of Matt’s CP.  When it was detonated, there was a deafening explosion and an enormous fireball that burned up all the immediate oxygen. The fiery blast destroyed the outside wall of Matt’s CP, violently throwing both Matt and Andy’s instantly lifeless bodies through the next wall and into the hallway.   The glass and plywood covering the windows on that side of the building were immediately blown inward creating shrapnel that imbedded itself into the walls and tissue of any one near them.  A fiery mushroom cloud climbed several hundred feet into the night.
The blast rocked the soldiers’ quarters where Nancy was sleeping, showering her with broken glass and bits of wood. She instantly sat up.  Her ears were ringing, but she could hear the blood curling screams of people down the hall.  Everyone was yelling franticly and there was the chatter of automatic weapons outside.  The 4 other soldiers began to shout and grab their weapons.  Nancy scrambled to put on her shoes and grab her M4. Suddenly, the steady rhythmic cough of an M2HB drowned all other sounds.  The huge .50 caliber bullets ripped through the building raking it end to end. Two soldiers were hit almost simultaneously. Their lifeless bodies slammed to the ground, blood and gore spraying the room and covering everyone.  Nancy screamed and covered her ears.  The other soldiers ignored her and scrambled into the hall on their hands and knees. Shaking with fear, she grabbed her rifle and began to crawl out of the room.  The hallway was covered in debris and fires we starting to rage.  Two men were kicking at the door of room 3. She shakily stood up, trying to identify the men.  One of them lived in that room.  The hall was smoky and she began to cough, as she stumbled toward them.  One of them tossed a small dark orb toward her. It bounced off the wall next to her head and landed behind her.  A second later there was a bright flash, and she was slammed face first into the debris. She couldn’t see out of her right eye.  Everything was grainy. Her body didn’t want to respond to what here mind told it to do.  She fought to run, to hide, but her limbs just flopped around. Behind her the form of a woman appeared.  The woman calmly pulled a large stainless pistol from her waist band and aimed at the men.

“Hey, shit brains! You looking for me?” She asked.

The men turned, and the leader spoke.

“Erica? You fucking cunt!  I see you got rid of the old man.”

She pulled the trigger, firing a .40 caliber, 180 grain hollow point. The round caught the man in the solar plexus, and he dropped like a rock. The second man caught a round in the chest, but he didn’t go down immediately. Erica shot him two more times, before he crumpled. The last man standing fired a full auto AKM from the hip. The deafening chatter of the powerful automatic inside the confined space seemed to turn everything silent.  Erica kept firing. The world slowed to heartbeats as the opponents closed on each other, their weapons belching fire. A blow like a sledgehammer hit Erica just below her left rib.  She stumbled then went to her knees, the slide on her pistol locking to the rear. The AKM went silent the man strode toward her with his empty rifle.  Erica dropped the magazine from her pistol and loaded a new one, power stroking the slide and firing.  The shitbag caught the first round to his right eye socket, blowing out the back of his head like a watermelon. Even as he fell, she pumped thee more bullets into his lifeless body. Erica began to shake as she grasped her side.  She looked at her hand.  It was covered with dark, almost black blood. She pressed her hand back against her side and struggled to stand, and staggered to where the first man she shot was.  He had the last glimmer of life in his eyes that a man has just before he dies.

“I got rid of the Old Man, and I found you too.” Erica said as she fired a final coup de grace, hitting the man between the eyes.  

Nancy had watched the whole thing in slow motion. Unsteadily she stood and picked up her rifle, and staggered toward Erica.  Erica turned, and looked at Nancy, and handed her the large pistol.  Wide eyed, Nancy took the weapon, and shoved it into her belt.

“Always shoot first, you can talk afterward.”

Erica collapsed onto the mixture of rubble and blood that covered the floor.  Her face was lit by flames licking at the walls, her eyes were glassy and the palms of her hands faced upward. Nancy knelt next to the young woman, and closed the woman's eyelids for the last time.


There were large orange blotches lighting the hall.  Everything was a large spinning blur, I struggled to regain my breath, my head pounding.  I fucking hate, being blown up!  I tried to get up, but my body was racked with pain, and my legs wouldn’t move the way I wanted. So I began to crawl through the rubble.  I could taste blood and small bits of concrete, in my mouth.  A violent blow struck me in the kidney, searing pain shooting through my body. It brought tears to my eyes.  I felt intense heat. My legs were starting to move now and I began to choke on dust and smoke.  The smell of burnt hair and flesh hung in the air. I felt as if I couldn't go any further, and yet I continued on. A strong hand grabbed my arm, and lifted me to my feet, and half dragged me into another room. I was starting to feel extremely dizzy....


Jeff was awakened by a ground shattering explosion.  Shards of glass and chunks of plywood riddled the room, embedding in the sleeping refugees, and walls.  A few people screamed in agony and fear.  Almost deaf, he sat up and flicked on his flash light. There was blood everywhere. A woman writhed on the floor, blood spurting everywhere.  The tent next to him was shredded. The occupants a mess of unrecognizable gore and cloth. A cold chill ran down his neck and he couldn't bring himself to look next to him where Amanda had been sleeping. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

About time. Glad to see it's still hanging on. This is the first story I read when I discovered this section of the site and started lurking. There are many talented writers that kept me here but your story drew me in.

Double post

I'm glad you like my writing style.  I have more on the way.

Liberty or Death

Keep it coming and thank you for your service!

Thanks for  being patient I know I have been MIA for a while, I've been getting brass burns lately trying to stave off the undead. When I get a chance ill will write some more.  I will be tied up for the first few months of next year, so ill try to get a couple chapters up before then.


LIBERTY OR DEATH

Just seeing of the z's got ya! Hope all is well!

Just started this today, need more, good job OP

Hey guys, I know its been a year, but I'm back! I have some more for you soon.




LIBERTY OR DEATH    

Here is your fix.


Jeff was awakened by a ground shattering explosion.  Shards of glass and chunks of plywood riddled the room, embedding in the sleeping refugees, and walls.  A few people screamed in agony and fear.  Almost deaf, he sat up and flicked on his flash light. There was blood everywhere. A woman writhed on the floor, blood spurting everywhere.  The tent next to him was shredded. The occupants a mess of unrecognizable gore and cloth. A cold chill ran down his neck and he couldn't bring himself to look next to him where Amanda had been sleeping. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A hand grabbed Jeff's arm, and he jumped. It was Amanda.

"Are you ok?" He yelled.

She screamed something back, but he couldn't hear what it was. Just then there was another explosion, a pause then the deafening chatter of automatic gunfire in the hall.  Jeff pulled his glock, and pushed Amanda on the floor.  He then realized that they needed to get out fast. He began to yell at his wife to grab their things, but she was already working with Rebecca to get their stuff in packs. He looked at the gory room and realized that Josh was not there. He grabbed the shotgun and peaked out the window.  The schoolyard was lit by flames licking at the walls.

"We need to go right the fuck now." He yelled at Amanda while grabbing her by the arm.

"Wait for Rebecca!" She screamed.

Jeff grabbed her by the waist and lifted her through the window, while she screamed and grabbed for his wrists.  He set her in the snow, and roughly repeated the action with Rebecca, who clutched the infant tightly to her chest. Lastly he threw their gear out the window and grabbed Josh's shit, before jumping out himself. He slipped on Josh's chest rig and pack then slung his duffle bag on his back as both Amanda and Rebecca threw their bags over their shoulders.

"Take the shotgun." He said as he shoved it at Amanda.  She took it and Jeff picked up Josh's M16. The heat from the fires was getting intense and he grabbed both women by the arm and began to half run, half drag them through the snow.  Behind them he could hear the steady rhythmic boom a heavy machine gun.  The 660 grain bullets snapped angrily past.  He didn't stop dragging the women over fences and through yards of abandoned houses for almost a quarter of a mile. Finally they stopped in any alley. Every one of them bent over gasping for breath. Jeff's side burned as if his muscles were on fire.  He looked around, they couldn't keep going like this.  The trio could see the orange glow were the fires from the school lighted up the night.

"What happened, where's Josh?" Amanda asked out of breath.
 
"I don't know, some kind of huge fucking explosion. Josh wasn't with his gear.  He wouldn't leave that shit behind, so he’s probably dead."

Jeff hung his head, he hated to think that Josh was dead. They wouldn't have made it this far if it hadn't been for him.  They were on their own now, and Jeff decided that they would survive.

Still out of breath, Jeff motioned to keep moving. "Come on, we need somewhere to stay."  

The alley they were in cut in between two rows of low income housing, and branched off to the left about 50 yards ahead. Slowly the three crept through the snow. Their feet were numb and they felt exhausted from running through the snow.  Their breath created large clouds of steam in the frigid winter air.  None of the three were dressed for the conditions, but Rebecca was suffering the most.  Her teeth were chattering and she was shivering violently.

The alley ended behind some sort of abandoned gas station. The trio crept down the side of the building to the front door. The windows were boarded up, but the plywood over the front doors had been torn down and there was smeared blood under the frost on the glass doors.  Jeff fumbled with the M16 as he and Amanda readied their weapons. Jeff entered first, shining the beam of the flashlight from the M16 into the darkness. Some snow had blown in the front door leaving a few inches of crisp snow on the floor.  Jeff searched for foot prints, but found none.  The station's shelves were bare, and some were knocked over.  After clearing the main room, Jeff ventured into the darkness of the back room. There was a small office to the left, and a restroom on the right that had employees only signs on them. Beyond those doors was the back storage area. It had some random crushed boxes, and smashed pallets on the floor.  In the corner was a small metal bucket, a mop and a broom. Jeff turned back to clear the other rooms.  The restroom was locked, and it took a couple minutes for Jeff to kick the door down. The sight that greeted him shocked him to the core.  Leaning against the wall was the body of a young man.  His left arm had a tourniquet near the shoulder, and was severed at the elbow.  The mangled forearm lay in a frozen pool of blood, a steak knife was still gripped in the body's right hand. It appeared as if the young man had been bitten, then managed to break in and lock himself in the restroom before trying to amputate his arm.  It seemed that he had been successful until he bled out. Jeff looked at the grisly scene for a long moment.

"Hay is everything ok back there?" Amanda called.

"Uhh, yea." He replied.  

Slowly he walked to the stiff figure pried the knife from its hand and plunged it into the man’s temple to be safe.  Jeff's swing was good, but the flimsy knife wasn't.  The blade snapped off at the handle and clanged against the floor. He was scared, and this didn't make things any better.

"Fuck It."

Jeff lifted the M16 and fumbled with the weapon trying to work the safety before putting the muzzle between the man’s eyes.  They stared back at him, glazed over with pain and suffering.  Jeff pulled the trigger.  The shot left his already ringing ears deaf as the body fell on its side.

Amanda rushed into the back.  "Are you alright?" She screamed. Her heart skipping a beat when she found him staring at a body lying in a pool of frozen blood.

She grabbed his arm, "Oh my God, what happened?"

He stared at her confused, his ears still ringing.  "What?" "I can't hear you."

She pointed to the body then asked the question slower.

“Yea” he replied.

“No, I know you’re alright, what happened.”

“He cut his arm off, I shoot him to make sure he’s dead.”

Everyone was getting tired so they decided to hole up in the back for the remainder of the night.  Amanda held a flashlight for Rebecca so she could change into dry clothes, then Jeff held it while Amanda changed and finally she held it while he changed.  With dry clothes on, they huddled in a corner of the frigid gas station for the rest of the night.  None of them fell asleep though.  Hunger began eating at their stomachs making the situation even more miserable.  A couple hours later thought he heard someone come in.  All was quiet and he listened.  Just when he thought he imagined the whole thing. There was a scuffing sound.

“Did you hear that?” Amanda asked.

Jeff listened and there was the slow scuffing sound again.

“Yea, I hear it.”

“What do you think it is?” Rebecca asked, but she was too loud.

The scuffing stopped for a moment, then headed for their corner.

Jeff clicked on the M16s flashlight. It illuminated the form of a Z.  Its left eye, torn from its socket, hung against a blood encrusted cheekbone. Its lips were torn away, exposing broken and bloody teeth. A wave of fear washed over Rebecca and she cried out.

“No, no, no, no, please God no!”

Jeff fired two quick shots blasting away the creature’s lower jaw, without slowing it.  

“Shit, Fuck, Damn It!” He yelled, as he jumped up and kicked the Z knocking the growling creature to the floor.  It grabbed his foot with the strength of a vice.  Jeff fell on his ass.  He screamed, kicking at the creature’s hand, and firing the M16 at the same time.  The first couple rounds went wild. The Z’s eyeball swung about violently. One of the rounds finally connected blasting off the top the creatures head. The baby was crying loudly.

“Are you ok!” Amanda screamed.

Jeff groaned, “Damn it, I think I bruised my tailbone.  I’ll check for more.”

Rebecca held the infant close, desperately trying to quiet it.




LIBERTY OR DEATH  

Excellent!  Welcome back!

Hey guys here is the next teaser,  I will be trying to post once a week.



I opened my eyes and I was being dragged behind a snowmobile in a small sled. The wind was freezing against my face.  I felt like I had been run over by a semi. Each bump cause terrible pain. After what seemed like an eternity we went through the gate of a chain link fence and stopped next to a roll up door. It was open, and two vaguely familiar people picked me up, one under each arm. I groaned as they carried me inside, and set me on a foam pad.    

The smell of coffee awakened me.  I lay there for a long time looking around trying to identify where the smell was originating from.  There was a little light coming from a small string of Christmas lights strung down the middle of the room.  I sat up slowly and a wave of pain surged through me.  I gritted my teeth and waited for a minute before standing. The room was made of basalite blocks, and wooden staircase ran up one wall, indicating that there was a room above this one. There was a small propane stove heating a pot of coffee on a table against the wall.  I staggered over and took a cup that was sitting nearby and filled it with the black liquid.  I drank a swallow from the cup and it burned my mouth.  I shuffled to a nearby chair and sat, carefully sipping my scalding hot Joe.  I heard a footsteps upstairs, and looked around for a weapon.  I set my coffee down and grabbed a 2x4 in my good hand and waited.  

There was a squelch that voice came over a radio.  

"Hey, its Mark, can you hear me?"

A girl answered, in a worried tone. "Mark are you ok!"

"Yea, have you seen anyone?"

"Where are you? You were supposed to be back last night."

"Have you seen anyone?"

"No."

"I'm coming in, so don't shoot me."

A minute later there was the sound of a door opening and closing. Then a flood of questions as the girl ensured Mark was ok. I put down the 2x4 and sat down to finish my coffee.  As I sipped, the two came down.  Mark was telling the girl, "Hey! Calm down! I'm really tired I'll tell you all about it after I gets some sleep."

I recognized the girl as the "soldier" from Matt’s band of survivors.

"Hey look who finally got up." Mark said.

"Do you know who I am?" The girl asked.

"Uh, you were with Matt."

She cut me off. "You know who I am! I think he finally came out of it."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You have been conscious for a week or so. But every 15 or 20 minutes you were asking us who we were and what we were doing." Mark answered.

"Ok. You’re Mark." I pointed the young man. "And your, uh Rebecca?" I said motioning to the girl.

"No, no!" The Girl exclaimed.  "I'm Nancy" She was disappointed.

"Nancy, Nancy and Mark.  I'll try to remember this time."

"Who is Rebecca?" I asked.

"She's the girl with the baby whose mother died."

"I don't remember that."

"I’m going to bed." Mark announced, taking his boots of.

Shortly after that Mark hit the sack and Nancy began telling me what happened.

“I was sleeping and then there was a really big explosion, like a bomb or something  and I remember being so scared I just sat on the floor covering my ears, while everyone was getting up and then two of the guys got shot. They were just blew apart in chunks, and I started crawling. I made it into the hallway and there were these guys trying to get into a room.  I guess they threw a grenade at me and it blew up and almost knocked me out. Then Erica, one of the girls you came with shot them and they got her.  She gave me this before she died.” Nancy held up the large stainless automatic. “After that Mark came running down the hall and grabbed me.  The whole place was on fire, and the bandits was shooting everyone with the big machinegun that they have.  So we had to crawl through the rubble to get away that was when we found you. You were crawling and all busted up.  So we dragged you outside and got away on one of the snowmobiles.”

As she talked, I began to remember bits and pieces.

I interrupted her. “Jeff, Jeff and Amanda. Did they get out?”

She looked at me blankly “We were the only ones who made it out.”

It was hard to think of losing them, my heart ached, it was amazing how close I had become to them. My lips began to quiver and I covered my face with my hands. It was the first time I started thinking of all the people I lost. I wept silently, remembering Jeff, Amanda, Erica, then members of my squad, and company, we would have charged the gates of hell together.  It felt as if I was being ripped apart. There were so many.  Why did I make it and they didn’t.

Nancy was watching me. “Are you ok?”

I was silent for a moment. “I don’t care anymore” I said at last.  An overwhelming, sick, gnawing feeling enveloped me. I painfully staggered up the stairs found a chair next to a window, and sat down. The shadows were lengthening and it would be dark and cold soon.  I struggled with one question, was there any hope left? I sat there staring at nothing for a long time.  The shrill moan of the wind forcing its way through a window frame finally pulled me to awareness.  The dull grey of a winter morning gave the nearby abandoned buildings a forlorn feel, as if they knew people would never inhabit them again.  I looked at the bottom of my cup and swirled the little coffee left.  I knew what I needed to do.



LIBERTY OR DEATH