

All Dead Here

## By

## Stephen P. Smith

This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2015 by Stephen P. Smith

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any other form.

Contact:

stephenpsmithwriter@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/spswriter

Cover Artwork by Manu Londono Diaz. www.manucomics.com

"So fall forward into me and let it all poor out.

You owe this to yourself, and there's only one way out."

~Darkest Hour

" _A Paradox With Flies_ "

Content:

In The Wake of Ruin

Beneath The Aging Sun

The Closing Hour

Days Gone Bye

All Roads Lead to Her

Bastards of Eden

Daniel's Promise

Paradigm Shift

On The Road to Nowhere

In The Wake of Ruin

Underneath a pale gray sky, where the sun never shows and the world has become a perpetual state of winter, I languish. My memories are all I have for company. All the happy moments and achievements I once experienced are nothing more than echoes of a past that no longer have any meaning. I have become a husk of the man I use to be. Sometimes, when I catch glimpses of myself in reflections, I can't help but wonder why I was left behind? Why would God abandon me here but take everyone else. If the end of the world was nothing more than to test our strength in humanity, then we have surely failed.

We had no warning that it was all about to end, but when it happened it happened fast. In one bright flash, millions upon millions of lives were extinguished. I can only assume that those who did not die in the great flash perished soon after, but I have no way of knowing this for sure. What I am sure of is that all my friends and loved ones are gone, but yet I still remain.

I miss them. I miss talking to them and laughing with them. I miss the feel of the warm sun on my face and the smell of freshly cut grass on a spring day. I miss my old life and everything that encompassed it, but the thing I miss most of all, is her.

#

Life before the great flash was quite normal for me. I grew up in a middle class family in the heart of the Midwest. I did all the typical things that kids did growing up. I road my bike until the wheels were about to fall off, met up with other kids to play whatever sport was in season, and in high school, snuck out of the house to party with friends. It wasn't until college that I would meet a guy that would end up becoming the closest friend I've ever had, and his name was Mitch Hayes.

We met second semester of freshman year at a party and were introduced by a mutual friend who was throwing the party. I arrived late that night and almost everyone in the place was already shit faced. I made my way to the kitchen to find the host drunkenly talking to the only other sober person in the place, and that person happened to be Mitch.

Mitch just stood there and let the host ramble on about God knows what. Even at first appearance Mitch looked like an alright guy. He was clean cut, his dark hair wasn't long and messy like most of the freshman's, which I'm sure stemmed from being on their own for the first time in life. He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, and drinking a beer. I walked over to a cooler that was overflowing with beer to grab one, when the host caught sight of me and introduced the two of us. We hit it off pretty quickly. Come to find out, we were both majoring in the same field and had a lot of the same interest, not just school but other things as well. By the end of freshman year we were hanging out all the time.

At the start of our sophomore year Mitch starting dating a beautiful girl named Jodi Fischer. She was tall and had the blackest hair I'd ever seen on anyone. The two of them met in a class the three of us were all in together. Of course I felt threatened by her at first. What guy doesn't feel that way when a woman starts to come between him and his friend? The threat didn't last long though, because the next thing I knew, the three of us were inseparable. We studied together, ate together, partied together, we even spent summer breaks together. It was always just the three of us, unless I was dating someone, but when I did it never seemed to last very long.

After college the three of us started our careers with internships at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There were five openings if I remember correctly, and only two of the openings were in the same city on the west coast. Mitch and Jodi were lucky enough to snatch up those two spots, which only made sense because they were married by that point. So I went east. I didn't want to leave my two friends but sometimes that's just life.

We kept in close contact throughout the years and saw each other as much as we could. Which as luck would have it was quite often. No matter how busy our lives were we always made time to see each other. Then out of nowhere, I met the future Mrs. Kurt Thompson.

Her name was Lizzy Baker and she was absolutely beautiful. She had long dark hair and legs that wouldn't quit. We met through a real estate agency. I was looking to make the move from an apartment to a house and she was the agent assigned to help me do just that. It took some time, but after meeting her at a couple of potential houses, I finally worked up the courage and asked her out for a drink. She accepted of course and it was smooth sailing from there. I remember the first time Lizzy met Mitch and Jodi; we had rented a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for a week in the fall for the four of us. Mitch's kept saying that Jodi and Lizzy looked so much alike that they could be sisters. Good times.

We dated for a few years and then decided to get married. I called Mitch and Jodi the night I asked her and told them the good news. They were just as happy as I was. When the time came to ask Mitch to be my best man he gladly accepted, until I gave him the wedding date. He said that the NOAA was shipping him out into the Pacific on assignment and there was no way he could get out of it. Of course the whole thing was a sham, something that Mitch and Lizzy cooked up; now we couldn't change the wedding date. I was devastated.

I mean shit, Mitch was going to be the best man, what the hell was I supposed to do? He assured me that Jodi would be there and as soon as he got back he would come and see me.

Even though it was meant to be a happy day, my wedding; I couldn't help feeling lost without Mitch being there. So, when I walked into the chapel to find him standing there, I was ecstatic.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be here, Kurt?" Mitch asked as we embraced.

"Mitch, you son of a bitch!" I said.

"Hey now, watch the language. You're in the house of God." He replied sarcastically.

After that, life went on. Our jobs took hold of us and we began to see less and less of each other. We kept in touch through the latest and greatest social media sites so we could "like" or comment on photos of our everyday lives, but that was it. My marriage began to unravel as the years went on, which was not surprising, since my relationships never seemed to work out. As the months went on, I began to miss my friends more and more, but fate intervened and an opportunity arose that got the three of us together again.

About a month before the great flash I was asked to helm the atmospheric measurement site of Chesapeake Light for a six week stay. The Chesapeake Light was an old lighthouse that stands thirteen miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. It was the last of six Frying Pan Towers that is still operational.

This particular Frying Pan Tower was constructed in 1965 to replace the lightship stationed off the coast to warn other ships of shallow waters. The structure of the tower was a modified off shore oil drilling platform that stands a hundred and twenty feet tall and was designed to house a small crew to run the lighthouse. Even though the Chesapeake Light is no longer used as a lighthouse, the light beacon is still fully functional.

Since Lizzy and I were on the verge of separation due to nonstop fighting. I gladly took the assignment, thinking a six week get away would be perfect. I was told to hand pick three other people for the assignment, and since the only way to and from the tower was by helicopter or boat, to make sure the three people I chose wouldn't drive me crazy. So, I contacted Mitch and Jodi and offered them the first two spots, which they accepted right away. The third spot went to a young intern named Scott Wagner.

Scott and I worked at the same branch together. He had only been with NOAA for a few months, but he was a hard worker and was eager to learn. There was something about him that reminded me of myself when I was that age, so I decided to take him under my wing and take him with us. The bosses bulked at the idea at first, telling me there was more qualified people with years of experience to choose from. They finally came around after I fought tooth and nail, convincing them that the best training this kid could get would be real hands on training. Something I wish someone would have done for me.

Scott and I arrived at Chesapeake Light a day before Mitch and Jodi to make sure everything was up and running. The tower seemed to be in great shape and even though we were only scheduled to stay for six weeks, we found the place had been stocked with enough food for double that.

On the afternoon Mitch and Jodi were due to arrive, Scott sat out on the helipad soaking up some sun while waiting for them. He had planted himself in a lawn chair with a giant pair of binoculars pressed against his face watching the coast line. I was down below in the living quarters making sure there room was ready when the two way radio clipped to my belt went off.

"I think I see'em." Scott called through.

"On my way up." I replied.

By the time I made it to the helipad there was no need for binoculars, the helicopter was only a mile or so out. Scott had stood up by this point and moved the chair off the pad, securing it just inside the door. The two of us watched as the helicopter made its approach and landed.

Mitch and Jodi climbed out of the helicopter, grabbed their bags from the side compartments and then Mitch waved signaling to the pilot that they were good. The pilot gave them a thumbs up and then lifted off the helipad and headed back toward the coastline. Once the helicopter was up and away, Scott and I went out to meet Mitch and Jodi.

"Mr. Thompson, how the hell are you?" Mitch said to me as we embraced.

"It's good to see you, Mitch." I answered and then turned my attention to Jodi, "The both of you!"

"It's good to see you to, Kurt." She said and hugged me as well, "How are you?"

"I can't complain." I said and added, "This is Scott Wagner, he's the intern I told you about."

Scott reached out to shake Mitch and Jodi's hands, "It's nice to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes."

"So, this is your first time in the field?" Mitch asked.

"Yes sir. Mr. Thompson fought pretty hard to get me assigned out here, so I won't let you down." Scott answered.

"First off, enough with the Mr. and Mrs. shit. It's Mitch and Jodi. And second, if Kurt handpicked you than I'm sure you'll do just fine." Mitch said.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." I said and led the group off the helipad.

The day before the great flash the four of us decided to take the afternoon off. We had been working hard and got to a point where we could afford spend the rest of the day doing whatever we wanted. I had decided to grab a fishing pole and head down to the lower decks for some fishing. I needed to check on the life boat tied up down there anyways to make sure the knots were still tight, so why not do some fishing while I was down there.

The sky was clear that day, not a cloud in sight. There were about a dozen boats anchored out around the tower. The sight had become an attraction for divers since it was relatively shallow waters, and it being such a nice day they were out in full.

I sat down on the lower deck all that afternoon with a fishing line in the water, watching the divers come and go. Nothing was biting, but that was okay, it was still nice just to sit back and relax. About an hour before sunset I began to pack it up when a smaller boat with a man and a teenaged boy appeared along side of me

"Hey, how are ya?" The man asked.

"Doing good. How about you?" I replied.

"Good, good. We won't be in the way if we do some diving around the tower will we?"

"Not at all, but the sun's gonna be down in about an hour so be careful."

"Yeah, got off work early and decided to bring the kid out. I kinda figured we wouldn't have much time, but a little time is better than no time." The man said with a big smile on his face.

"I agree. I'll let you get to it then." I said and gave them a wave as I headed back up to the main deck.

That night the four ate dinner together and drank a few glasses of wine. It was a nice way to end the day, laughing and drinking with friends. It was the last time the four of us had anything to laugh about, everything unraveled pretty quickly after that night. Like I said before, when it happened it happened fast.

Before I went to bed that night I walked out on to the helipad, like I did most nights, to look out at the coast line. The city lights gave off a soft glow in the night and it was such an amazing sight; as far as the eye could see in either direction that soft glow illuminated the darkness stretching ever onward. Usually I'm all alone on the helipad, but not that night. I found Jodi out there smoking as I came out the door.

"Hey Jodi." I said as I walked up to her and stood by her side.

"Hi Kurt, what are you sneaking around out here for?" Jodi asked with a smile on her face.

I smiled back and said, "Actually, I come out here on most nights to kinda clear my head before bed."

"Well, I can see why. It's beautiful out here." She said.

"Yep, it sure is."

"Look Kurt, since we're alone I just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about you and Lizzy."

"Don't worry about. It will either work itself out or it won't. Either way I'll be fine."

"I know." She said as she squatted down putting out her cigarette on the ground. As she stood back up she still holding on to the cigarette butt, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and said again, "I know."

Jodi then turned and headed back inside leaving me alone to clear my head. As I slowly walked the perimeter of the helipad I noticed the small boat from earlier still hanging around the tower. They had anchored out about a hundred yards or so and I could see the father and son hanging out on the deck of their boat watching the coast line as well. It was a hypnotizing sight after all.

I had only been asleep for an hour when I was awakened by the tower violently shaking. I sat up in bed and then was blinded by the brightest white light I had ever seen. The flash last only a few seconds and then it and the shaking were gone. I quickly threw on some clothes and bolted from my room. Mitch did the same.

"What the hell was that?" I asked quit franticly.

"The fuck if I know." Mitch snapped and added, "Better get to the radio and call it in."

I caught a glimpse of Jodi coming out of their room as Mitch and I took off down the hallway. We were almost through the door into the radio room when she yelled, "MITCH!"

We both stopped and turned toward her. She was standing staring out the window in disbelief.

"What, god damn it? What is it?" Mitch asked.

She didn't reply right away. It took a few seconds to register the question, but finally she said, "It's burning, all of it."

Mitch raced down to her side and peered out the window and said, "Holy Shit!"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Get to the helipad, now!" Mitch said.

I did what he said and even though I was closest to the door I was not the first one on to the pad. As I ran through the door I found Scott standing on the edge of the pad looking out toward the coast. The scene I witnessed stopped me dead in my tracks.

To my horror I saw Scott's silhouette standing against a coastline that was completely engulfed in flames. The once beautiful view that had attracted me out on to the pad was now gone. The soft white glow of the city lights had been replaced with the raging inferno of orange and red. Every square inch of land in sight was covered in flames.

Scott turned slowly toward us and asked in a shaky voice, "What happened?"

"I don't know." I said as calmly as I could.

I looked back at Mitch and Jodi and a look of terror had washed over their faces as well.

"How could anyone survive a blaze like that?" Jodi asked.

I watched as Mitch took hold of her and told her everything was going to be alright. She didn't acknowledge anything Mitch said to her. Jodi just kept staring at the burning coast line. The other thing I noticed was that when Mitch grasped her hand, she did not grasp his hand back. It was as if she had become indifferent toward him.

As we watched the rest of the coast burn I caught glimpse of the small boat from earlier still anchored out in the water. The father was standing behind his son with his hands on his shoulders and appeared to be comforting the young man. Feeling it may not be too safe for them in the water, I decide to head down to them and try to get them aboard the Chesapeake Light.

"I'm going to get those two on the boat." I said to anyone that was listening. No one paid any attention to me. They just kept watching the world burn.

On my way down to the lower level I grabbed a flare hoping it would get his attention. As I approached the side of the deck he was anchored on I lit the flare and started waving it in the air calling out to them. It took a few yells, but I got their attention and waved them over.

The father quickly pulled the anchor up and drove to boat over to me. When he was close enough the kid tossed me a rope and I tied them to the deck. The dad shut the engine off and he and his son climbed up on to the walkway.

"Thank you so much. We didn't know what we were gonna do." The man said.

"It's okay. Did you see what happened?" I asked.

"No. All we saw was a bright flash and that was it." He answered.

"Come on, its best we get up to the main level. By the way, I'm Kurt." I said.

"My name is Terry and this is my son Greg." The father said.

"Nice to meet the both of you, come on up."

I brought Terry and Greg up and introduced them everyone and somehow managed to relocate everybody to the dining room. After we got everyone settled in Mitch and I went to the radio room and tried call in to the coast since no one's cells were getting any signal. All we got was static. By the time we gave up on the radio, the others had migrated to the rec-room and tried the television, nothing but dead air came through.

By the time the sun came up Jodi, Scott, and Greg were asleep on the couches, so Mitch, Terry, and I headed out to the helipad to take a look again. Most of the fire had been extinguished; we could still see a few burning here and there. The smoke rose from the smoldering land turning the sky grey.

"Do you think it was a nuke or something?" Terry asked.

"No, I don't think so. There was no bang or mushroom cloud." Mitch said.

"Yeah, the E.M.P. the blast puts out would have fried everything here and we still have power." I added.

"Well, what about survivors? Do you think there are any?" Terry asked.

"Gotta be, but who knows how far inland got scorched." Answered Mitch.

"What about the light beacon? Does it still work?" Terry asked.

"It should, why?" I replied.

"It could serve as a distress call. If there are rescue crews at work, maybe when they see the beacon come on they'll send help." Terry said.

"That's a good idea." Mitch said and looked at me.

"Alright, let give it a try." I said.

We left the platform and headed for the control room. The control room was the tallest point of the Frying Pan Tower and looked very similar to an air traffic control tower. Though everything was dusty, it all looked to be in working order. After a few switches had been turned the light house was restored to its former glory and the light beacon that was mounted to the top of the control room shinned once again. Now we just had to wait for help, but it never came.

For the next week we did what we could by trying the radio and cell phones as much as possible to no avail. The television in the rec-room was kept on at all times just in case the damn thing picked something up. We took shifts out on the helipad watching for any signs of life from the main land. Nights were the worst. Without the city lights or any moon or stars, the coast line just disappeared into the black of night.

Everyone seemed to be breaking down little by little as the days went on. Mitch, Terry, and I still had our heads on straight, but the others seemed to be taking it a lot harder. Scott and Greg kept silent not really talking to anyone, while Jodi wasn't quite as bad. I would still find her staring off into space trying to keep whatever demons she had at bay.

Sensing her distress absolutely tore me apart. I hated seeing her in such turmoil, and Mitch not helping her cope just made it worse. Would this have been Lizzy and I if the roles were reversed? I'd like to think not, but who knows.

After the first week came and gone, and it was clear that no one was coming to save us, Terry approached Mitch and I about leaving Chesapeake Light. He had said he had to know what happed out there and he wouldn't find any answers here. I expressed my feelings on the matter, telling him it was a bad idea. That he should stay here where it's safe. He wouldn't have it, he was leaving whether we liked it or not.

"What about Greg?" I asked

"He's coming with me. His choice. Not mine." He said.

"Please, just think it through." I told him.

"I have, Kurt. Besides, we can't stay here forever. Eventually we're gonna run out of food." Terry said.

"Yes, that's true but that's months away." I said lying a little. The fact was the rations were beginning to stretch thin.

"Anything could happen between now and then. Plus, what's if it was a nuke? The mainland would be covered in radiation." I pleaded.

"It's a risk we're willing to take. I'm sorry, but we're leaving first thing in the morning." Terry said as he turned and left.

Jodi was the only one not present the morning Terry and Greg left. She had been spending a lot of time at the top of the tower in the light beacon control room. There was a small walk way that surrounded the control room that she would go out on and just stare at the coast line. Mitch said she was fine, but I could tell he was lying.

When we met Terry and Greg down on the lower level they had just finished up loading their gear into the boat. Mitch had brought the two way radios with him and handed one to Terry.

"I retro fitted the radios with some spare parts I found lying around to hopefully boost the signal. If we're lucky, we'll still be able to pick you up when you reach land, but probably not much further than that." Mitch said.

Terry took one and said, "Thank you. I'll keep you guys up to date as long as I can. I've got something for you guys as well."

He leaned over for a second, reaching into one of the cabinets in his boat and then produced a pistol and a box of ammunition.

"Here, take this." Terry said.

No one reached for the gun.

"Come on and take it." He said again.

I slowly reached out and took the gun and ammo from him.

"What do we need this for?" I asked

"You guys are good people and I'd hate for something to happen to you." He said and added, "If for any reason something happens to us and some crazy bastards come back here with our boat, I want you all to be able to protect yourselves."

"Alright, thank you." I said, not really seeing the point.

"Have you ever shot a gun before, Kurt?" Terry asked.

"It's been awhile, but yes."

"Good. That's a 1911, our country won two world wars with that gun, so it's pretty reliable."

"What about you, Terry."

"Ha, don't worry about me. I've got more where that came from." He said as he pulled out a .357 magnum.

"Good luck guys." I said.

"And don't forget to call us on the walkies!" Mitch said waving the radio in the air.

"Will do." Terry said and pushed off from the deck.

The three of us watched as the boat turned and headed for the coast.

"What do you think they'll find when they hit land?" Scott asked.

Without taking my eyes off the boat I answered, "Death."

"Come on, let's get above so the radios have a clear connection." Mitch said and up we went.

Once again we found ourselves out on the helipad; Scott had the binoculars out trying to find the boat. Mitch turned on the two way radio and tried it out.

"Come in Terry, you there? Over." Mitch said.

It took a moment but Terry responded, "Read you loud and clear, buddy. Over"

They didn't talk much over the radio, because they didn't want to drain the batteries, but as soon as they reached land they called in.

"We made it, are you there? Over." Terry said through a static radio.

"We're here, Terry. Over." Mitch said

"Don't see anyone. We're gonna head inland. Over." Terry said his voice cutting in and out.

"Copy that, Terry. You two be careful. Over."

"Having a hard time hearing you. Gonna shut off the radio to save the battery. I'll call if I find something. Over and out." He said and the radio went quiet.

"Now what?" Scott asked.

"Now we wait." I said, and wait we did.

Since we were able to plug our two way radio into an outlet to keep it from dying, we left it on day and night. Two days past with no contact from either Terry or Greg. On the third, the four of us were sitting in the rec-room to keep warm. The temperature had been dropping steadily since the sky had gone grey. We were sitting in silence and had been for quite some time when Jodi spoke up.

"Why do you think this happened?" She asked aloud.

"What do you mean?" Mitch responded

"I mean, do you think we're being punished by God?" Jodi asked

"Why would we be getting punished from God? I don't know why we would be getting singled out." I said.

"No, I mean us as in the human race. Maybe all of our sins are catching up with us." Jodie said.

"Yeah, maybe he felt like enough was enough and decided to use fire this time to burn us out, instead of another flood." Scott said.

"Or maybe we're already dead." Mitch said eerily and added, "This could just be some sort of limbo."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Nobody seemed to have any more to offer on the subject of God or limbo. Jodi had begun to get up and leave the room, I assume she was going to find her was up to the control tower, when a voice came over the radio.

"Come in! Anybody read me?" Greg called through the radio.

The sudden sound of his voice startled us and it took a second for Mitch to grab it up and answer him.

"I read ya, loud and clear!" Mitch said.

"Need help. Not doing too good. We're both sick but my dad's doing real badly." Greg replied.

Mitch looked up at me not sure on how to answer him. I reached over and took the radio from him and said, "Sorry kid, you can't bring him here. You could infect all of us."

"But you have to help! I don't know what to do." Greg pleaded.

"We got to help'em." Scott said.

"God knows what they have. Do you really want to take that chance?" I said looking at everyone. The turned down gazes was answer enough.

"Greg, how far out are you?" I asked through the two way radio.

"About two minutes out."

"Listen up son, you both knew the risk of going out there now you're gonna have to turn that boat around and head back. We can't help you. You're on your own now."

"No chance!" Greg yelled and shut the radio off.

"Shit!" I yelled and threw the radio to the ground.

In that moment I knew the only option I had was to stop them from getting aboard the compound and infecting us. So, I grabbed the 1911 and head down to the lower deck and everyone else followed.

By the time I reached deck, Greg had already pulled the boat up. Greg was standing at the side of the boat trying to tie it to the deck and his father was doubled over on the floor of the boat. They both looked terrible. I made the rest of the group stay back just in case.

"Stop Greg! Don't get out of that boat." I said holding the pistol down at my side.

"Or what, you'll shoot me?" He cried.

"You've got to go, Greg." I said

"Fuck you! My dad's sick and needs help." Greg yelled and started to get out of the boat. That's when I raised the gun.

"Please don't, Greg. I don't want to shoot you, but I will if means keeping us safe." I said.

Greg dropped back into the boat, reached down by his dad and stood back up pointing the .357 at me.

"And you don't think I'll shoot you?" Greg yelled.

Scott stepped up behind me and calmly said, "Come on guys. No one has to shoot anyone. Let's just put the guns down."

"No. They're leaving." I said sternly, pulling the hammer back on the pistol to let him know I wasn't bluffing.

Tears streamed down Greg's face and snot ran from his nose as he shakily pointed the gun at me.

"Go to Hell!" Greg yelled and fired off one round.

Even though the report from the .357 was damn near deafening, I still heard the bullet wiz by my right ear. I quickly fired back. I squeezed the trigger three times as fast as I could and all three bullets struck Greg in the chest, dropping him. When the ringing in my ears subsided I could hear Jodi screaming.

I spun around to find Scott lying on the deck holding his throat. The bullet that was intended for me ended up hitting Scott instead. Blood poured out between his fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding. Mitch dropped to his knees to help Scott.

In my rage I walked over to the boat with the pistol out in front of me to find Greg lying on the floor dead. Terry had crawled over to him and was holding him, rocking back and forth.

"You killed my son." He sobbed.

Without hesitating I fired two shots into Terry killing him as well. I turned to go back and help Scott, but it was too late. He was already dead.

I covered Scott's body with a tarp that was kept in the life boat and told Mitch to get Jodi back upstairs. She had been sobbing uncontrollably.

"What about Scott?" Mitch asked.

"We'll figure it out later; just get her away from all of this." I answered.

In the meantime, I still needed to dispose of Terry and Greg's bodies. There were respirators in the emergency supply room, in case a fire broke to help with the smoke inhalation. I figured it couldn't hurt; their bodies may have been still contagious.

I went down to their boat and brought a gas can with me. I decided to burn them to help contain whatever diseases they were carrying. I began to rummage through what little items they had hoping to find some of the rations they spoke of. The only food I found was a few old cans of vegetables. The cans were covered in rust and probably not safe to eat.

Holding one of the rusty cans, I slowly turned my attention back to the deceased father and son. Could it have been food poisoning from these rusty canned goods? I thought to myself, know damn well it was.

"Doesn't matter, now. What's done is done." I whispered to myself adding, "I told you not to fucking go!"

I dropped the can onto the floor of the boat and picked up the gas can.

After I dowsed them and the rest of the inside of the boat in gas, I lit it aflame. I pushed the boat away from the Chesapeake Light with a long pole and stood to watch as the burning boat drifted away.

In that moment as I watched the boat burn underneath the endless grey sky, my mortality became evermore real. The realization that we were going to die out here was becoming more and more clear. What started out as six had been drastically reduced by half in the blink of an eye, and the blood was on my hands, literally and metaphorically? Even if I neutralized the threat of disease by burning their bodies, starvation has now become the top contender for our demise. Looking back at Scott's lifeless body, I had an idea creep into my head.

I left the lower deck to check on Mitch and Jodi. They were in their room and Mitch was comforting her the best that he could. I slipped by unnoticed and headed for the kitchen. I grabbed the sharpest knife we had, some freezer paper, duct tape, and a black trash bag before heading back down to the lower level.

Arriving back down on to the lower deck, I set all the supplies next to Scott's body. I lifted the tarp off of his legs and set it aside. I undid his pants and pulled them down. It was not easy, but I knew whatever I salvaged could potentially keep us alive a little longer. So, I began to harvest whatever meat I could from off of his legs. When I was finished I wrapped the meat in the freezer paper and put it inside the black thrash bag. I recovered Scott's corpse with the tarp and used the duct tape to be sure it would fall off of him when Mitch and I got rid of his body. I didn't want him to see what I had done. I was better for them not to know. I cleaned the deck off the best I could and returned to the kitchen and placed the bag of meat in the back of the freezer.

Mitch and I decided to give Scott a burial at sea. We loaded him into the life boat with some rope and the anchor from Terry's boat, and set of for deeper waters. Jodi of course stayed behind.

We stopped about two miles out from the Chesapeake Light. The tower lingered in the distance, but the coast line was gone from sight being out this far. I tied the anchor around his feet being sure that tarp wouldn't come off when we dropped him in the water. We said a makeshift prayer and then carefully slid him into the ocean and watched as the anchor pulled him down.

"He deserved better than this." I said.

"I know." Mitch said and turned away.

As we were turning around to head back, Mitch spotted something further out. He grabbed the binoculars to see that the blob in the distance he was seeing was a cargo ship.

"Come on, let's check it out." He said and turned the boat in that direction.

The cargo ship looked to be in bad shape and had run aground on a coral reef. The hull must have been damaged when in it hit, because the stern was sagging and sinking into the ocean making the bow almost point upward. After we made a few passes and saw no sign of life we headed back to the tower.

A few weeks passed by and our rations had begun to get low. Mitch and Jodi had no idea, but I had started cutting what beef we had left, half and half with the meat I took off of Scotts legs. It was hard for me to eat at first, but I could let on to what I have done. So, I just choked it down. Sitting there with them watching them eat reminded me that ignorance was bliss and how I envied them.

In the coming days Mitch had become obsessed with the cargo ship. He did everything he could to convince me that we need to explore it.

"I think that ship may be our best bet in finding more supplies. I've done a count of the food and we only have enough to ration for two maybe three weeks." Mitch said.

"Do you realize how dangerous it could be to board that ship? It's sinking for Christ's sake." I said.

"Even if we only find a weeks' worth of food, it would be worth the risk. It's a week longer from starving." Mitch said

"That's if we even find anything at all." I replied.

Mitch wouldn't let it go and fearing he would just go by himself, I finally agreed. The next morning we told Jodi the plan and she was indifferent to it. She was becoming more and more disconnected every day. When Mitch told her we'd be back and that he loved her, she did not respond.

We arrived at the ship around noon and were very careful when boarding it. The main deck was void of anything living or dead. As we walked around searching for supplies, you could hear the ships structure groan as it was trying to be pulled back into the deep. A couple of times the ship shifted violently and we'd have to grab on to something to keep from falling. After finding nothing up on the deck we decide to venture below.

We had to pass through the cargo hold in order to reach the mess hall and living quarters. When we entered the cargo hold we found what was left of the crew. They were dead of course; all hanging from the rafters from various make shift nooses. Some used extension cords, others bed sheets, and at least two people used good old fashioned rope. There were thirteen in all.

After we navigated through the cargo hold turned gallows, we found the mess hall. To our amazement we found more food than we could carry.

"I told you!" Mitch yelled and gave me a high five.

"Good call, buddy. Let's start loading up." I said.

We made several trips back and forth from the mess hall to the life boat loading it up with food. After we cleaned out the mess hall, we got greedy and decide to check out the living quarters only to find nothing. On the way back to the life boat, the ship finally gave up the ghost and began to tear in half.

"Oh shit!" Mitch yelled as we scrambled to make it to the deck. As we passed through the cargo hold, the bodies of the dead sailors swung back and forth hitting us and making it hard to pass. Some of the nooses even broke loose and we were hit with bodies.

We were almost to the deck when a chunk of the rafters collapsed and came down on Mitch pinning him to the ground. I ran back to him and tried to lift the steel rafter off of his back, but it was too heavy, he was trapped.

"Get out of here, Kurt!" Mitch said as he gasped for air underneath the heavy steel beam.

"No, I won't leave you!" I yelled.

"Kurt, I'm done. I think my back's broken."

"NO!" I yelled and tried to lift the beam again to no avail.

"We've got to think about Jodi. Someone needs to watch over her. Please, save yourself." Mitch said and stuck out his hand.

Tears were running down my face as I took his hand in mine and said, "I love you, Mitch."

"I love you to, brother. Now get the hell out of here."

I did the hardest thing I have ever done that day. I turned and left my best friend to die.

I made it to the life boat and pulled away from the ship wreck in time to watch it sink into the ocean. I'm not too sure how long I just sat there and cried, but it must have been quite some time because it was starting to get dark, so I headed back.

As I pulled up to Chesapeake Light I could see Jodi standing out on the deck of the control tower. I knew she could see it was only me in the life boat and I could feel her sadness crushing me like a weight.

I pulled the boat into its spot and tied it up. I didn't bother with any of the food we found, I just left it in the boat for the time being. I rushed up to the control room to tell her what happened and to beg her forgiveness for not being able to save Mitch.

As I came up the stairs in the room I could see Jodie's back as she faced out to sea. It was getting dark and the only light illuminating the place was the swirling light beacon above the control room. I slowly walked over to the glass door that led out on to the deck and reached for the handle. It did not turn, it was locked.

Jodi turned and the sound of me trying to open the door, he face covered in tears.

"Was his death painful?" Jodi asked.

"No, it happened quickly, Jodi. He didn't suffer." I said lying to her. Knowing damn well having your back crushed and then drowning was not a quick and painless death.

"I'm sorry, Jodi. I did everything I could to save him. Please forgive me." I said through the glass.

"None of this is your fault, Kurt. But I've had enough." She said and stepped up onto the rails of the deck.

"Jodi, stop! What are you doing?" I yelled as I franticly tried to break the door open, but the door and glass were built to withstand hurricanes, which made it unbreakable to me.

"I think I'm going to join them." She said.

"Please stop! Don't do this. We found so much more food. We could live for months. Please." I pleaded

"Live?" She asked and then said, "No, this isn't living."

Seeing her up on that rail, I realized something I never wanted to admit. Jodi was the reason none of my relationships had worked in the past. It was her I loved all along. I tried to turn the women I was with into her, which only ended badly. Now, the woman I've secretly loved for all these years was about to take her own life, and what was I to do? I had the chance to confess my love to her as she stood on that rail, so that's what I did.

"Jodi please, I love you. I always have." I whimpered as I dropped to my knees.

Jodie turned and looked at me.

"I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. Please don't leave me here alone. I've already lost everyone else. Not you too." I said.

She climbed down off the rail and stepped over to the glass door. Getting to her knees she put pressed one hand flat against the glass door. I slid my hand up the glass as if to grab her and hold it.

"I've known that for a long time, Kurt. I could read it in your eyes." She said with a slight smile and then added, "But I'm sorry, everyone I love is dead. There is nothing left for me here."

She stood back up and turned and went back to the guardrail.

I began to pound on the glass with my fist trying everything I could do to break it yelling, "Stop!"

Jodi stepped back up onto the rail, turned to look at me and said, "Goodbye Kurt." Then she let herself fall from the rail.

"NOOOO!" I screamed as I watch her plummet face first down into the abyss. I'm not sure if she died on impact or was knocked unconscious and drowned, but either way when she hit the water, she landed face down and didn't move.

I lay on the floor of the control room the rest of that night crying, not knowing what to do. When the dull gray light finally broke in the morning, I got up and looked down through the glass for Jodi's body. I didn't see it, so I went down to the lower deck to see if maybe she drifted underneath the tower, but she hadn't. She was gone, carried off by the tide to God knows where.

I spent the rest of that day unloading the supplies Mitch and I found, taking several trips up and down the tower before finishing the task. When I was done, I found my way back to the rec-room and sat down on one of the couches. The crushing weight of being alone began to sink in. I did not cry though, the crying was done. I just sat and stared at the adjacent wall.

As time went on, I realized there was nothing left for me here. My rations were beginning to run low and I knew if I didn't do something I would starve to death out here. So, I decided if I was going to die, I was going to do it on the mainland. This place has haunted me for long enough.

I've packed the life boat up with everything that I can carry. I'm going to see how far inland I can make it and hopefully find some kind of answers out there before I perish. I've lost everything and everyone. I've done unspeakable things and hope to find redemption somewhere out amongst the ruins. God, forgive me for my transgressions.

Beneath The Aging Sun

Beneath the aging sun

Existence spirals downward

Numb are we to this

Even though our hearts tell us so

Against every belief we fathom

The end has begun to swallow us

Heed my warning

Tomorrow may never come

Has this possibility ever crossed your mind

Everything dies........Everything

Amongst these stars we are nothing but dust

Ghost of a dying cosmos

Ignorant of our true creation

Nameless faces that are scattered about

Godless beings that only pretend to believe

Submerse yourself in this realism

Utilize what time you have left

No one can save you but yourself

The Closing Hour

Using her right hand, Jasmine gently grabbed Shane by the back of the neck and guided his lips down to hers. As they began to kiss, Shane slid his hands around the small of her back and pulled her in as close as he could; pressing her body to his. His lips left her mouth and worked their way down to her neck, finding the sweet spot that made Jasmine's knees begin to buckle. Feeling her drop down slightly, Shane lowered his hands from her back down to her hips and lifted her into the air. Jasmine wrapped her legs around his waist as he spun her around and laid her down on the couch that was behind him.

"Are you sure about this?" Shane asked as he held himself over top of her.

Jasmine, who was fumbling at Shane's belt to get his pants off, replied, "Absolutely!"

After getting Shane's pants down, Jasmine slipped out of hers and tossed them onto the floor. Grabbing Shane, she carefully slid him into her, letting out a slight moan as he entered her.

The two of them both knew this was wrong, but that night they threw morality to the wind. The two of them had known each other since they were children. Their parents were friends and they grew up down the street from one another. Shane and Jasmine even went to school together and shared the same friends. Though they kissed once in grade school, the two never dated or acted like they wanted to throughout the years; even though it was always in the back of their minds. Now, decades later, the years of sexual tension finally hit its boiling point and spilled over.

The world around them seemed to freeze and not exist as they tangled themselves around each other. Not even the thought of their spouses could break the trance they were in. Lust is a powerful and dangerous drug. Like any other drug it doesn't take much to become addicted, the two of them knew this and risked it all.

When they were finished and redressing Jasmine looked up at Shane, who was standing in the middle of the room buttoning his shirt, and said, "You know we can never do this again."

"I know." He said giving her a little smile and then asked, "Do you think it's going to be weird between us now?"

Jasmine thought about the question for a moment and then answered, "No, I think we'll be okay."

"Do you regret it?" Shane asked

"No." Jasmine said with no hesitation and added, "All those years growing up together, why didn't you ever ask me out?"

Shane looked away for a moment not wanting to say the truth but figured why lie now.

"Because your beauty always intimated me, which made me scared." He answered.

"Scared I'd say no?"

"Yes."

"Well, I know this does us no good now, but I wouldn't have said no."

Shane gave her a small smile and said, "No, but it's still good to know."

When the two were dressed and it was time to go their separate ways, Shane looked at Jasmine and asked, "Can I kiss you one more time before I go?"

Jasmine stepped close to him and said, "Yes."

As Shane leaned down to kiss her, Jasmine put her hand on his chest to feel his heart beat as they kissed. The kiss was long and she could feel his heart beat quicken ever so slightly.

#

Shane awoke from the dream and wasn't quite sure of where he was. He could hear the beeps and hums of machinery around him, but everything in the room seemed to be out of focus and distant.

"Dad, you okay?" Samantha asked.

Hearing her voice cleared his head and brought him back to the hospital room he was in. His daughter Samantha and her husband Kevin sat in the two chairs at the foot of the bed. She was leaning forward in her chair about to jump up and call for a nurse if need be.

"I'm fine. I was dreaming...." He said trailing off.

Samantha relaxed a bit and sat back in her chair.

"Was it a bad dream?" She asked.

Shane thought for a second before answering, "No, not at all. It was just something that happened a long time ago."

"Do you need anything, dad? Are you comfortable?" She asked.

Shane didn't like being here, tied to machines and having everyone worried about him, but he was an old man with a bad heart; so guessed he was just going to have to deal with it.

"I'm good honey, really. Why don't you and Kevin go get some dinner or something? It'll give me some time to rest." Shane said.

Samantha nodded and said, "Okay, we'll go grab a quick bite to eat at the cafeteria and be back."

"No, get out of here for a while. Kevin, take her somewhere that actually has good food." Shane demanded

Kevin looked at Samantha, "You heard the man, we need to let him rest."

Samantha agreed and the two them stood up to leave.

"We'll be back. We won't be long." Samantha said.

Shane's eyes shifted to Kevin, "Take your time."

Kevin nodded at Shane and took Samantha by the hand.

"See you soon. I love you dad." Samantha said.

"I love you too." Shane replied.

After the two of them left Shane had some time to reflect on his past life. What else was there to do when you're stuck in a hospital bed? He had thought about turning the television on, but decided against it. After eighty six years on this Earth, he knew damn well there wasn't shit on T.V. this time of day. So, he sat in silence and dredged up old memories of friends long gone. Shane was on the verge of falling asleep again when voice came from the door way.

"Well, you look like shit." A women's voice said.

Shane turned his head to see a woman around his age standing in the doorway. He recognized her immediately.

"Jasmine!" Shane almost yelled.

"Yes, it's me. I know it's been awhile." She said running her left hand through hair that was once the burning color of auburn, but now mostly white.

"I never thought I would see you again." Shane said.

Jasmine stepped into the room and stood by Shane's bed.

"I know, but I'm here now." She said sliding her hand on to his.

A knock came at the door and a young blonde nurse entered the room.

"Sorry Mr. Peterson, I just need to check your vitals." The nurse said.

"No problem, Lucy. I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine." Shane said raising his hand toward Jasmine.

Jasmine reached out and shook the nurse's hand.

"My name's Jasmine. Nice to meet you, Lucy. I can see you've been taking good care of this old bag of bones." She said.

"Yes ma'am." Lucy said with a smile.

It only took Lucy a few minutes and she was gone, leaving the two of them alone. They talked about the good old days and the bad ones quite enjoying one another's company.

"You know, that night we spent together all those years ago was the only time I strayed from my husband." Jasmine said.

"I know. Did you ever regret it?" Shane asked.

"No."

"Me either. Does that make us bad people?"

"Maybe, but at this point, I don't think there are too many people left around to give a shit."

Shane laughed and the two sat quietly for a short time just holding each other's hands.

"It's good to see you again Jasmine, I've missed you." Shane said.

"I know, that's why I've come to break you out of here and take you with me." Jasmine said.

"Break me out of here? I can't leave." Shane said laughing.

"Sure you can. What's stopping you?"

"Well..." He said thinking about it, "My daughter for one thing. She'd be devastated if I just up and left."

Jasmine gave him a soft smile and said, "She'll get over it. You know she will."

Shane began to nod in expectance and said, "Okay, I'll go with you, but before we go you've gotta do something for me."

"What's that?" She asked.

"Kiss me one last time before we go." Shane said.

Jasmine smiled and this time it was her that leaned down to him. Their lips met and Jasmine rested her hand on Shane's chest just in time to feel his heart stop.

Samantha and Kevin arrived back to the hospital as quickly as they could when they go the call. Samantha was in tears and felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for leaving her father's side to go eat. When they reached the wing where Shane was staying they were met by Nurse Lucy.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Lucy said to Samantha.

"What happened? Was it his heart?" Samantha asked.

"Yes. We tried to revive him, but it was too late. I assure you it was quick and he did not suffer." Lucy said trying to comfort her.

Samantha sobbed, "I just wish I could have been here so he didn't have to die alone."

Lucy put her hand on Samantha's shoulder and said, "He wasn't alone. He had a visitor in there with him when it happened."

"Visitor? Did they say who they were?" Samantha asked calming down a bit.

"Yes, she said her name was Jasmine and your father was very happy to see her." Lucy answered.

A cold chill shot through Samantha's body when the nurse said Jasmine's name. As calmly as she could she asked, "Did you say Jasmine?"

"Yes, I believe that's what she said her name was." Lucy answered.

"What did she look like?" Samantha asked.

"Um, a shorter woman around your dad's age, might have reddish color hair when she was younger. That's all I remember, sorry." Lucy recalled.

Samantha turned and looked up and down the corridor as if trying to find someone and asked, "Is she still here?"

"I'm not sure. She stepped out of the room during all the commotion and I haven't seen her since." Lucy replied.

Samantha nodded and thanked the nurse for everything. On the ride home Kevin put his hand on Samantha's leg and said, "I didn't want to say anything in there, but you looked shaken when the nurse said that woman's name. Is everything okay?"

Samantha took Kevin's hand and said, "Jasmine was an old friend of my fathers. They grew up together."

"Oh, I guess she's kind of like an aunt to you then?" Kevin asked.

"More than that." Samantha started, "When my mother left, Jasmine was always there for us. Even though my dad had girlfriends from time to time, most of the time I didn't get along with them, so when it came to girl things I always went to Jasmine for help. I thought of her as a stepmom in a weird sort of way."

"Well, then I'm glad it was an old friend that was with him when he passed." Kevin said and added, "But, why have I never met her?"

Samantha did not turn toward Kevin. She just stared out the passenger window when answering, "Because, she died a few years before I met you."

Days Gone Bye

We have lost our moral compass

Life it's self is in drift

Gone are the days of selflessness

Gone are the days of absolution

The fear of God no longer exist

Retributions go unpaid

Look how far we have fallen

We will never return from exile

We have been poisoned by greed

It has consumed every part of us

Profit seeking has become religion

And the almighty dollar our God

What is left for us to hold on to

Nothing seems to matter

The decay has begun to seep in

How much longer before the collapse

All Roads Lead to Her

Kenneth sat holding his wife Rebecca in his arms. The large oak tree they leaned against towered over them, reaching high into the sky. It was the only tree that stood on top of the cliff that the couple occupied; and even though they were so high up, they could still here the sounds of the waves breaking on the rocks below. There was a gentle breeze that carried the aroma of sea salt up to them as they watched as the sun made it's decent. The giant orange ball burned in the horizon and seemed to be suspended over the ocean.

"Not much longer now." Rebecca said looking up at Kenneth.

Smiling back at her, Kenneth ran his right hand through her long black hair and said, "No, not long at all."

"I miss her so much Ken. I can't wait to see her again!" She said.

"I know babe. In a few minutes the three of us will be together again, like we were never separated." Kenneth promised her.

"Do you think she'll recognize us?" Asked Rebecca.

"Of course she will, we are her parents." He answered chuckling.

"Well, I don't know, it's just been so long since we've seen her." She said.

"Don't worry, Emma will remember us." He assured her.

Rebecca smiled and began to gaze into his eyes. Astonished she saw something there she had not seen in a long time, a gleam. The first time she had noticed that gleam was the evening Emma was conceived.

It was under the same oak tree they sat beneath now. Naked and glistening with sweat, Kenneth rocked back and forth on top of her. Both of them moaning in ecstasy as the pressure of orgasm started to build. Rebecca's hands slid down to his waist and he felt her grip start to tighten. In that moment the pressure became too much to bear and simultaneously they both began to climax. Kenneth thrust himself as deep as he could while he released inside of her. Rebecca, jaw slacked, and eyes rolled into the back of her head, used Kenneth's wait as leverage to pump upward with her hips over and over again, intensifying both their orgasms.

When they finished he lay against Rebecca and began kissing her softly. It was in that moment she saw a gleaming in his eyes. Smiling at him she asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"How much I love you and couldn't be happier." Kenneth answered.

"I know, I can see it in your eyes." Rebecca said.

She remembered seeing the gleam in his eyes the day Emma was born and many other times over the course of the next seven years. The last time she remembers seeing it was only hours before Emma was taken from them. The three of them had their picture taken on the dock next to a sail boat they were about to go out on. It was a perfect summer day that had gone horribly wrong. A storm blew in from nowhere and the swells it was creating were too big for the small sail boat to handle. The boat capsized throwing the three of them into the water. Emma had slipped out of her life jacket and the sea swallowed her greedily. Her body was never found and Kenneth and Rebecca had to bury any empty coffin.

It had been two long and grueling years had since Emma had been taken from them. No matter what path they tried to take to bring sanity back into their lives, it just lead back to the same miserable place, a life without Emma. But now they found a new path. A road to Emma, and that brought the gleam back into Kenneth's eyes and he was happy again.

"It's time." He said to Rebecca.

She drew her gaze toward the ocean to see the sun disappear beneath the horizon. They stood up together and walked to the edge of the cliff. Rebecca looked up at Kenneth and asked one last question, "Do you think anyone will ever find us?"

"No. We'll be lost with the tide." He answered.

She took comfort in knowing that two more empty coffins would eventually be buried next to Emma's. Kenneth pulled Rebecca in close and kissed her hard. She smiled, took his hand and together they stepped off the drop. Emma's smiling face was the only thing on both their minds as the rocks below rushed up to meet them.

Bastards of Eden

Conceived and then abandoned

We are the lost and damned

Granted the gift of life

To spend it slowly dying

Everything that we've gained

Will be taken from us in the end

Stripped of all our knowledge

Then cast into the void

Killing equals power

In the eyes of God

Our hearts are on and the same

Were we not created in his image

Created to destroy

We are the bastard children of Eden

Daniel's Promise

It was three days after Daniel's funeral when Abby found the manila envelope with her name written on it. It had been tucked away in one of his desk drawers hidden underneath mounds of paperwork. Not thinking much of it, she set the envelope down on top of the desk and continued putting the rest of the papers into boxes. When she was finished with the task, she sat back in Daniel's chair to fight back the tears.

Daniel's death had been an unexpected nightmare. He had left work at his normal time and made his way to the subway. Daniel marched down the sidewalk in a parade of other businessmen on their way home for the day. He was only two blocks away from the subway when tragedy struck.

Daniel stood at the intersection and waited for the crosswalk light to signal him on. When the green light that read 'WALK' glowed, he stepped into the street and began to cross. Daniel never saw the delivery truck that hit him. The truck knocked the life out of him almost instantly, dragging him underneath into the middle of the intersection.

Now Abby was alone, the love of her life gone forever. It was hard to think that she would never see him again; it was like not being able to wake from a bad dream. On the verge of tears her eyes set on the manila envelope with her name on it.

She picked up the large envelope and began to open it. She was sure it would be some old tax forms or something of that nature. Reaching inside, Abby pulled out two things: a letter folded in half and a white sealed envelope with the words 'no peeking' written on it. Confused, Abby put down the sealed envelope and looked at the folded letter in her hand. Almost too scared to read the letter she began to unfold it and read:

Dear Abby,

If you are reading this letter then it means that either I have died or you're snooping through my things. I hope for my sake it's the latter. But if not, and I am gone, I just wanted to tell you how much I loved you. You were the love of my life and always will be. I made a promise to you the weekend I took you meet my parents for the first time, and I intend on keeping that promise. If you remember the promise I made to you then you'll know what to do with the sealed envelope. I love you with all of my heart.

Love Daniel.

Abby set the letter down on the desk and picked up the white envelope. Tears trickled down her face as she lightly pressed the envelope against her chest, caressing it. She did remember the promise even though she thought it to be frivolous at the time.

#

Daniel and Abby sat beneath a large umbrella watching the waves wash ashore. There was a gentle breeze blowing in from the sea bringing with it the fresh smell of salt. The private beach they lounged on belonged to Daniels parents, which the two were visiting.

"I don't want this weekend to end." Abby said, staring out at the sea.

"Well, we could quit our jobs and move in here with my parents. I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Daniel replied.

Abby laughed and said, "Don't tempt me."

"Then I guess we'll have to work our asses off so we can retire in a place like this." Daniel said and the added, "If we live that long, that is."

Abby slapped his arm and said, "Don't talk like that."

"Hey, I'm just saying you never know." Daniel said.

"I hate to even think about it. I don't know what I'd do if you were gone from my life forever."

"What about the afterlife?" He said smiling.

"And if there is no afterlife, babe?" Abby asked with a defying look in her eyes.

Daniel knew that Abby didn't come from a religious family, but was not sure what she truly believed in. They had only brief conversations about the matter and she always seemed uninterested in the subject.

"Come on, you do believe in some form of an afterlife don't you?" Daniel asked.

"No not really. I think when you die that's it." She answered.

Daniel leaned back in his chair and said, "No, there's got to be something after all this."

"Until there's proof, I'm saying there's nothing after." Abby proclaimed.

"Fine then, I guess I'll just have to prove it to you."

"How?"

Daniel paused for a second to think and then said, "How about your dreams?"

"My dreams?" She asked and laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Yes. If I die before you I will try to contact you in your dreams." Daniel said with a big smile on his face.

Abby shook her head and said, "How will I know it's not just a normal dream?"

Daniel thought for a moment and answered, "I don't know. How about a code word?"

"A code word?" Abby laughed.

"Um, Yes." He said a bit unsure but continued, "And I'll only speak the code word in the dream. I won't say anything else." He said smiling and added, "And I'll only speak the code word three times."

Abby began to laugh out loud now. "Why three times?" She asked.

"Because, three is a number of power." Daniel answered.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, I think I read that somewhere." Daniel said laughing.

"Okay then mister, what's the code word?" asked Abby.

"Well, I can't tell you. If you know it you might not believe that I actually contacted you." said Daniel.

"You're not making any sense." Abby said as she turned back toward the sea. She was becoming bored with the conversation.

"It's simple. I'm going to write down two words and seal them in an envelope. If I die before you, I'll try to come to you in your dreams and speak these two words three times. If you have a dream like that, open the envelope and see if the words I spoke in the dream are written on that paper. If they are, then there's your proof. If not, then you can believe what you want to believe." Daniel said.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Abby said.

"Maybe, but you love me." Daniel answered.

#

The memory of that that day on the beach brought more tears to Abby's eyes. She thought the conversation was a joke, but now it looked like he was being serious.

Stupid man, she thought with a grin on her face. Abby thought that the joke was going to be on him, because she felt like she would not be able to sleep ever again. Sleep did come though, and when it did, it brought with it terrible dreams.

#

Abby sat on the couch in her living room. She was wearing an old tattered sundress that was gray and looked on the verge of turning to dust. Her feet were bare and rested not on carpet but grass. The floor of her living room had transformed into a beautiful garden of flowers. Abby sat and watch as bees and other insects flew from flower to flower snatching up all the pollen.

A strange feeling had come to her that it was time to head to the bedroom. She stood and made her way down a hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. The walls of the hallway were lined with ice and the floor covered in wet dead leaves. When she reached the door at the end of the hallway she wasted no time in opening it, but when she did the bedroom was not on the other side.

Abby found herself staring out at a large ruined city. Cracked desert hardpan surround the old cluster of buildings, and stretch out as far as the eye could see on either side of it. Just outside of the door there was an old rusty sign with an arrow that pointed at the city like an accusing finger. The sign read, 'Desolation'. Confused, Abby stepped through the door way and onto the hardpan.

She made her way to the city and begun to explore its empty streets. At first glance the streets seemed to be covered in a light snow, but it was not cold on her bare feet. She bent down to feel it and quickly realized it was ash, not snow. Letting the ash fall from her hand she tilted her head up to the sky.

The sky was black with clouds and they seemed to violently crash into each other like waves in a hurricane. It had almost looked like the black sky was boiling, but it was not hot or windy. The stale air was quite calm.

The buildings in front of her stood crookedly in their places, like jagged teeth. Most, if not all the windows had been smashed out. Fearing this place she turned to leave but the door was gone. Nothing but a wasteland lay beyond where the door had been. A handful of stunted petrified trees could be seen scattered across the hardpan. Abby turned back toward the city and noticed a pool of blood that she didn't see before.

She examined the pool of crimson blood and noticed that there was a trail that left the pool. Not really wanting to find what was making it, she began to follow the bloody path. The trail led her down the vacant city street, but even though the street seemed empty she knew the buildings were not.

Abby had seen things in the shadows watching her. She caught a glimpse of one of those dark entities standing in an open window. It showed itself only for a second before it slid back into the shadows. From what Abby had seen, the creature in the window was not human, even though it stood upright like a man. Terrified, she quickened her pace and followed the blood trail that made a left onto another street.

As Abby made the turn, she found the thing that was making the trail. It was thirty yards ahead of her and was crawling, dragging its legs behind it. She started to approach it and slowly realized that it was a badly injured man that was crawling. Abby quickly moved toward the man and got along his side and bent down.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" She asked

The man stopped crawling and turned up his head to look at her. Abby stepped back in horror when she realized who it was crawling through the street and cried out his name, "Daniel!"

He starred up at Abby with a disfigured face. This is what he must have looked like after the truck ran him down, she thought to herself and shuddered.

"Oh God Daniel, let me help you." She cried.

Daniel put up a mangled hand that was missing two fingers to stop her. He looked deep into her eyes and croaked out two words, "Have.....Faith."

After he spoke, the sound of a great horn began to bellow deep within the city. Terror gripped Abby as she started to scream.

#

Abby awoke in terror and was trembling all over with a cold sweat. She rushed into the bathroom and began to vomit. When she was done, Abby sat on the end of her bed with the unopened envelope in her hand. She turned it around over and over again wanting to open it. He did say two words, but not three times, she thought to herself. She believed the nightmare was brought on because of the envelope. Abby thought if she had not found it to begin with she probably wouldn't have had that dream. The damned envelope had been on her mind when she fell asleep.

Abby decided not to open the envelope but wrote the two words Daniel had said in the dream on the outside of it. She then hid the envelope away inside of an old book of hers and tried to go back to sleep. The next couple of days didn't bring much sleep. Thoughts of the dream and how real it felt never left her mind. Did Daniel come to her or was it all just in her head, only time would tell she guessed. It was three months of dreamless nights before she returned to Desolation for the second time.

#

The dream picked up where it had left off. Abby, still dressed in the tattered sun dress, stood where she had found Daniel but now he was gone. The blood trail had stopped and a new trail had begun.

The new trail looked as if maybe Daniel had gotten to his feet and begun to walk. Well, not quite walk, but limp. The tracks through the ash looked as though he may be dragging his right foot. If he's up on his feet, he must being getting better, she thought and hurried to find him.

She followed the tracks for what felt like hours through the barren city. A couple of times she heard sounds coming from the ruined buildings; the sounds of things writhing in the dark. The wretched sounds followed her throughout her journey and she dared not look into the shadows, because it wasn't just the creatures in the darkness that wanted her. It was the darkness itself that wanted to swallow her as well, and she knew this.

It felt like eons had passed before she found Daniel. As she approached him she could tell that he was still beaten up pretty badly but looked a lot better. Abby threw herself on him and covered him with kisses. Daniel stopped but did not return her kisses. He stood staring straight ahead and waited for her to finish.

"Daniel, I've missed you." Abby said.

Daniel did not answer. Abby seeing that he wasn't responding to her, she stepped back. Daniel turned his head, made eye contact with her.

"Have faith." He said.

The great horn bellowed again, but this time it was much louder. The percussion of the horn sent Abby to her knees. Covering her ears she started to scream, but her cries went unheard. The sounds of her screams were lost inside the defining bellow of the horn.

#

Abby awoke in a cold sweat. Tears began to fill her eyes as she thought of Daniel and the words he spoke in the dream. Quickly, Abby removed herself from her bed and found the book with the unopened envelope inside. The two words she wrote on the outside of the envelope were the same two words Daniel spoke in the new dream.

"That's twice now." She spoke aloud. Wanting to tear open the envelope and read the words inside, she forced herself not to. It took everything she had not to open it. Instead, Abby wrote the number two next to the two words she had written on the envelope and slid it back into the book.

#

Five years passed without another dream. In that time Desolation slipped from Abby's mind, as did the envelope. Daniel on the other hand remained. She also fell in love with a man named James.

He was a good man and treated Abby great. She was happy again, although Daniel never fully left her mind. They married after being together for a couple of years and were now expecting their first child, a girl.

Not having a name picked out and only two months away from the baby being born, they spent most of their free time coming up with names. None stuck and James would joke by saying, "Well, we can always let her name herself."

"Oh, Stop it." Abby would say slapping his arm. It was good to be happy again.

#

Abby slid carefully into bed trying not wake James. He had become a light sleeper in the past few weeks, mainly because of how close the baby was due to arrive. As she lay there the unopened envelope Daniel had left her suddenly came into her mind.

Being years since Abby had thought about it, she wondered if it was still in the old book she used to keep it in. Maybe I'll try to find that old book when I get up tomorrow, Abby thought as she fell asleep.

#

Abby was back in Desolation. The sky above was still covered with colliding black clouds and ash still littered the empty streets. She wore the same old gray sundress as before and her feet were still bare. Abby's hands quickly went to her stomach to see if she was pregnant, she was.

How am I going to explain this, she thought?

There was a new trail cut through the ash. The footprints left behind by Daniel showed he was walking normal now. Abby followed as quickly as she could. There was something different in Desolation this time.

There was a blackness that seemed to follow her. It was a swirling vortex made of smoke and reached almost as high as the buildings. The blackness was several blocks behind her and every so often the defining horn she had heard before would bellow from it.

When Abby would turn to see the blackness, she could see it moving closer toward her, gaining on her with alarming speed.

After several twist and turns the trail led into an open part of the city. In the opening there was a chapel with a roof the shape of a dome that stood all alone.

The chapel seemed to be the only structure that was not in ruin. Its bright white walls gleamed and gold light poured out of the stain glass windows. It stood in the opening defying the ruination that surrounded it. The strange chapel was only fifty yards from her and she could see Daniel standing in the doorway.

Daniel stood facing her and seemed whole again, from what she could tell. Standing at the edge of the opening Abby called out to him, "Daniel!"

As her voice called to him the horn sounded again and her words went unheard, lost in the bellow of the horrid sound of the horn. Abby covered her ears and dropped to her knees. As the horn began to subside she watched Daniel step into the chapel.

I've got to get inside their, she thought. Abby got to her feet and began to run as fast as she could. Halfway there, the ground began to shake so violently it knocked her down. While down she rolled to her side and saw the most horrific thing of her life.

The blackness had almost reached the edge of the clearing. From out of the dark, four large tentacles reached out in search of something to grasp onto. They wrapped their way through the broken windows of the nearby buildings to gain leverage. Once the tentacles finished entangling themselves they started to pull.

A great monstrosity emerged from the black vortex and stood fifty or more feet high. The monolith's head was taken up mostly by one great eye that stared down at Abby with vicious content. Its mouth, surrounded by smaller tentacles, showed a circle of jagged sharp teeth.

Abby screamed as she got to her feet and made a dash for the open door. Two of the giant tentacles slammed down on each side her almost smashing her. The ground shook with so much force it knocked Abby to the ground. Rolling on to her back and holding her pregnant belly, she stared up at the beast.

The towering monstrosity looked hungry, and she knew it meant to eat her. She stumbled to her feet, praying to God to keep her unborn child safe as she made her way to the front door of the chapel. As she did this, the two giant tentacles began to dig deep into the ground preparing the monstrosity to slingshot itself on top of her. The great beast lunged for her but it was too late. Abby had made it inside the chapel.

She slammed the door closed and stood with her back against it holding her belly. Her eyes were shut tight waiting for the monstrosity to smash the door to pieces and devour her. The beast never came. She slowly opened her eyes to see another doorway about ten yards in front of her with a brilliant gold light shining through it. Abby went for the opening not wasting any time and stepped through.

The room opened into a great hall surrounded with marble pillars which radiated light. In the center of the great hall was an emerald green pool of water that was spiraling round and around. At the side of that pool stood Daniel.

Abby made her way down to him and put her hands on his face. He was smiling. Daniel was in fact whole again, not a mark on him.

"Daniel, oh God, I don't know what to say." Abby said as she looked down at her belly.

Daniel put a finger to her lips shushing her and then put both hands on her belly.

"Have faith." Daniel said for the third time and then kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you." Abby said.

Daniel, still smiling, took his hands off of her belly and turned away. He stepped into the swirling green pool and blew her a kiss as he faded away. Abby cried out for him, but it was too late, Daniel was gone.

#

Abby awoke and sat up. She looked to her left to see James lying on his side still sleeping. She got out of bed, put her robe on and headed down stairs.

The fire was still burning brightly and she used the light from the flames to find the old book with the unopened envelope inside. When she found the book she pulled the envelope out and stood staring at it, afraid to open it.

It was the third time she had dreamed of him and it was the third time he had only spoken the words 'have faith'. Abby opened the envelope slowly with shaky hands almost too afraid to do so. She started to pull the paper out to read the words when a voice came from behind her.

"Is everything okay honey?" James asked from the stairs. Abby dropped the paper back into the envelope and turned to him.

"Yes, James. I couldn't sleep so I came down here." She answered.

"Do you want company?"

"No, you go back to bed I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay. Hey Abby?" He asked before heading up the stairs.

"What?"

"I love you." James said

"I love you too, James." She smiled at him as he turned and went back up stairs.

She stood alone with the envelope in her hand ready to read what it says. Abby stared at it for just another minute, hands trembling. She began to pull the paper back out of the envelope to read but stopped again. Without knowing she was going to do it, she threw the envelope into the fire and watched it burn.

Abby loved Daniel, but she had a new life now and a child on the way. It was time to finally leave the old life behind and move on. It was time to have closure.

"Good bye Daniel. I love you." She said before heading up stairs to James.

Abby climbed into bed and James put his arm around her. Abby turned her head and said, "I think I know what to name our daughter."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" James asked.

"Faith."

James pondered the name for a moment and the said, "That's beautiful."

She leaned over and kissed James on the cheek and went to sleep.

Paradigm Shift

Do not fear the change

As it takes a hold of you

This is not the end

It's the birth of something new

Feel the metamorphosis

As it begins to take shape

Becoming unadulterated

With every breath you take

The engineers of life's design

Have recoded the circuitry

A systematic flushing

Of all the impurities

We will no longer be

Just ghost in the machines

Our true potential realized

As evolution becomes complete

A new human experience will

Be obtained during the purge

It will be through this process

That our strengths will converge

The change is upon us

A new world on the rise

The next stage of humanity

Is unfolding before your eyes

On The Road to Nowhere

Shepard walked down the center of the old two lane road heading nowhere. It was hot and the sun seemed fixed behind him. The cumulus clouds that littered the sky did provide shade from time to time, but it was short lived. There was a slight breeze that blew in from the northwest, so he was thankful for that. Flat farmland surrounded Shepard on all sides. The fields had been abandoned long ago. A few corn stalks scattered about serve as an eerie reminder of how things used to be.

Alone, Shepard traveled with no destination in mind. The hiking backpack he wore carried supplies; mostly canned food, bottled water, and some helpful tools that he's found along the way. There was a pry bar attached to the side of it, which came in handy in more ways than one.

The weight of the backpack he wore was beginning to take its toll. Soon Shepard knew he would have to give his shoulders a rest and take a break, but it wouldn't be for long. His watch read 5:13pm and that meant it was time to start looking for shelter soon. It was not safe to be out at night. Most nights he would find an abandon house to hold up in, but he's walked most the day not really seeing any. His only lead was a thin stream of smoke rising into the air about two or three miles out.

The smoke was coming from a small grove of trees to Shepard's left. He had be watching it for some time and wondered about its origins. It did not look like there was something burning out of control from what he could tell, and that made him all the more curious.

About an hour later Shepard arrived at a rock road that broke off to the left and entered the small grove. The smoke was still rising from the center of the cluster of trees that sat about a hundred and fifty yards back. Shepard unslung his backpack and set it on the ground. He opened the bag and began to rummage though it until he found his binoculars.

Pulling them from the bag he stood up and began to scope out the area. It was hard to see through the dense trees, but he thought he could see the outlines of a house in there. Lowering the binoculars he stood contemplating his next move. If the smoke he sees is coming from a house then that could mean that it's occupied by actual people, which could be dangerous.

Shepard put his hand on the .38 revolver he had tucked in his waist band and pulled it out. There was no reason to check and see if it was loaded. He knew it was. The real question was how much ammo did he have? A quick search through the backpack revealed that he had plenty. Dropping the binoculars back into the bag he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulders. Shepard looked up at the sky for a second trying to find a reason not to check out the grove, but couldn't find any. With the .38 in hand he set off down the rock road.

As Shepard entered the tree line he was able to see the house more clearly. It was an old two story farm house, but looked pretty well maintained. The house was white with a brick red chimney running up the right side; the thin smoke he had spotted from the road was ascending from that. There was a matching one car garage that sat off to the left of the house; the door was close so Shepard could not see into it. The closer he got to the house he could hear a banging noise coming from the backside; cautiously he began to head toward the noise.

Shepard rounded the corner of the house slowly with his pistol out in front of him. About twenty yards away from him stood an old man with white hair chopping wood. The man didn't see Shepard standing there because his back was to him. Shepard marked the SKS assault rifle that was propped up against the wood pile about four steps away from the old man. Lowering his pistol he called out to the old man, "Hello".

The old man whirled on his heels dropping the axe in the process. The look of terror showed in the man's face as he started to take a couple clumsy steps toward the SKS. Shepard raised the pistol, not really pointing at the old man, but enough to get his attion.

"Don't do that!" Shepard called out and added, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The old man stopped and looked at Shepard not trusting him. Shepard held out his left hand showing it was empty and slowly began to put the pistol away. He wasn't worried about the old man going for the SKS. Shepard was confident that he could draw and gun the old man down if he went for it.

"I don't want any trouble. I just saw the smoke from the road and came to check it out." Shepard said.

When the gun was away the old man relaxed a little and asked, "Are you alone?"

"Yes." Shepard answered.

Hearing this made the old man's state of fear do a one eighty. All his fears seemed to disappear in an instant. The old man began to smile and stepped away from the SKS.

"No harm no foul, you startled me is all." The old man said.

"Sorry, that wasn't my intentions." Shepard replied.

The old man stuck out his hand and said, "My names Tom, and you can't be too careful these days, no sir."

Shepard shook Toms hand and said, "Mines John Shepard, but I just go by Shepard."

"Nice to meet ya." Tom said.

"What about you, are you alone here?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, just me." Tom answered quickly then added, "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone."

"Same here." Shepard said.

"Well, I don't have much, but if you'd like to come in I could make us some dinner. I wouldn't mind having a conversation with someone, to be honest with ya." Tom Said.

Shepard started to shake his head and said, "No, I don't want to put you out."

"Nonsense, you won't be putting me out at all." Tom replied.

Shepard thought it over. He wasn't sure if he should trust the old man, but he seemed nice enough. The only thing that made Shepard keep second guessing himself was the man's eyes. There was something wild about them, be he shrugged it off thinking it's probably because the old man's been alone for so long. The old man probably sees the same damn thing in my eyes, Shepard thought.

"I guess I could eat." Shepard said.

"Good, good. Come on in." Tom said as he turned and picked up the SKS by the barrel. Shepard's hand dropped to the butt of his pistol, but he did not draw. Tom hadn't noticed that the move he just made almost got him shot. He just turned and started walking toward the house. Shepard relaxed a little and began to follow him.

As the two approached the house, Shepard noticed something peculiar about the cellar doors. It was chained closed from the outside. Shepard found this to be strange. He understood chaining the doors closed to keep those things out, but why not chain it from the inside? _He probably has it double chained, inside and out_ ; he thought and followed Tom into the house.

The door they entered through lead them into the kitchen. It was dark inside the house. There wasn't much light coming through the window thanks to the trees outside. Shepard expected it to be a mess inside, but it wasn't. Sure, things were dusty but other than that, the place looked okay. After a few twist and turns, Tom led Shepard into the living room.

"Make yourself at home, I'll start dinner." Tom said as he leaned the SKS against the wall and turned back toward the kitchen.

Shepard stood for a moment and peered around the room. It had all the usual thing a living room might have; a couch, end tables, a recliner, and a fireplace and mantel. The fireplace was roaring with flames, but the glass doors were shut trapping most of the heat inside of it. Shepard wondered why the old man kept a fire going with it being so hot outside, but as the thought was going through his mind something on the mantel caught his eye as he set his back pack on the floor.

The mantel was covered with little nic nacs, but there was what looked like a picture frame lying flat in the center. Shepard stepped over to the mantel and lifted the picture frame. The picture was of Tom and what seemed to be his family. Tom and his wife stood side by side smiling and a younger woman with two young children, both boys, sat in front of them smiling. The boys looked to be only seven or eight. _Must be his daughter and grand kids_ , he thought. Shepard laid the picture back down and went to sit on the couch.

Sitting on the couch Shepard could hear Tom in the kitchen banging around on pots and pans. He also noticed through the window the sun was beginning to set. Another hour and it would be down and a half hour after that, total darkness would set in. The thought of night worried Shepard. If Tom doesn't let him stay for the night, things could get very bad for him. A few minutes later, as if Tom could read Shepard's thoughts, Tom came into the living room.

"You gonna be okay to staying here tonight?" Tom asked.

"Sure, as long as it won't be any trouble?" Shepard asked.

"No trouble at all. You don't have a bigger group out there waiting for you to come back do you?" Tom asked.

"No, like I said, it just me." Shepard answered.

Tom nodded his head and said, "Okay then. I'm gonna go outside and fire the generator up so I can start cooking. I'll be closing the shutters on the windows while I'm out there too. I've got to barricade ourselves in for the night. The generators noisy, it'll attract them throughout the night."

"How bad does it get out here?"

"Not too bad, usually. Might have five or six to take care of in the morning." Tom said as he grabbed his SKS and headed outside.

#

The sky was completely black by the time dinner was on the table. The two men ate what little food Tom made and made small talk. When they were finished eating Tom took the dishes from the table and returned with two glasses of wine. He set one of these in front of Shepard and kept the other for himself.

"It's been a long time since I've had a drink." Shepard said.

"It aint the best stuff, but we'll make do." Tom replied.

Shepard nodded and raised the glass toward Tom and took a sip. The wine was bitter, and Shepard wondered if this was homemade.

"So, how long have you lived here?" Shepard asked.

"Oh, about thirty five years or so. Just me and the wife. Well, until she passed a few years back." Tom answered.

"Any kids?"

"No. Just me and her." Tom's eyes shifted downward as he answered.

_He's lying_ , Shepard thought _, but why_? The family picture on the mantel came to mind as he studied Tom.

Tom quickly changed the subject by asking, "How long have you been on the road?" Tom asked.

"Damn near since the start of it all." Shepard answered.

"That's a long time. How in the hell have you survived that long? It's fucking dangerous out there!"

"Well, the U.S. government spent a lot of money on teaching me how not to stay alive."

Tom's eyes widen at this remark and he asks, "Are you military?"

"Once upon a time." Shepard answered as he sipped his wine.

"Before this....This epidemic or after, when the government was recruiting everyone?" Tom asked almost greedily.

"Before, long before." Shepard answered thinking about how Tom used the word epidemic.

"So, you don't know if they've come up with a cure yet?" Tom asked.

Shepard gave Tom a concerned look and asked, "A cure for what?"

"This...This...This sickness that's infected everyone."

Shepard thought for a second on how to respond to this. The man was obviously in some sort of denial about what was happening. He could see in the old man's face that he was at war with himself. Not wanting to believe what was going on when it first started was understandable, but it's been a better part of a year now.

Shepard felt that there was no other way but to come out with it and said, "There is no sickness. These people are dead, and the last time I checked there's no cure for death."

"Don't be a fool! The dead don't get up and try to fucking kill people. This is some kind of virus that's making everyone crazy." Tom said.

"Look I've...." Shepard started to say but quit. Something wasn't right, he felt different. The room began to spin out of control and before Shepard had time to react he passed out.

#

Slowly coming back to consciousness, Shepard realized he could not move his arms or legs. He felt like he still sitting, but at the same time he felt like he was moving. He also noticed that he was having trouble breathing out of his mouth. Moving his tongue around Shepard discovered the reason for this. There was what felt like a dish rag stuffed into his mouth. He tried to spit it out unsuccessfully. Slowly opening his eyes, the horror began to set in.

Shepard was tied down by rope, around his wrist and ankles, to the chair he was sitting in. There was indeed a dish rag stuffed into his mouth and there was duct tape wrapped around his head holding it in place. He was also being drug backward, to god knows where, and figured the movement is what woke him up.

The chair stopped outside a closed door just off of the kitchen. The door was locked by a deadbolt and Tom proceeded to unlock it. The lock made a clicking noise and then the door swung inward. Shepard turned his head and looked through the doorway.

There was a set of stairs leading into a basement, except only the top three steps remained. The rest of them were missing. There was a faint glow coming deep from within the basement and from what Shepard could see what looked like human bones scattered about. Tom spun Shepard around and looked him in the eyes.

"Sorry about this Mr. Shepard, but my daughter and grandkids are sick and need to eat. Since they won't eat nothing but flesh now, that's what I'm gonna give'em." Tom said and then added, "Until they come up with a cure at least."

It was in that moment Shepard realized the horrors of his mistakes. The smoke he'd seen from the road wasn't by accident, it was a lure. The old man has been drawing people in and feeding them to his daughter and grandkids. That's why the old man kept asking him if he was alone. He didn't want a bigger group to coming to look for him later, and let's not forget about the cellar doors. The chains were on the outside to keep people in, not out.

Shepard tried to beg the old man to stop, but nothing would come out thanks to the rag stuffed into his mouth. Tom grabbed Shepard by his shirt and pushed him backwards. It took about two seconds for Shepard to hit the basement floor. The chair broke into pieces on impact and there was a loud thud that Tom took for Shepard's head bouncing off the concrete floor. Tom stood and starred down at Shepard for a moment to see if he would try and get up. He didn't, Shepard lay motionless on the floor. Tom stepped down on to the stairs and began clapping loudly and whistling.

"Come on! Time to eat!" He yelled and then slammed the door and locked it.

Shepard's eyes snapped open when he heard the deadbolt lock. He quickly looked around in a panic to see where the undead were. He saw nothing but junk scattered about.

There was only a single light bulb hanging in the middle of the basement and it made it hard for Shepard to see anything past it. He quickly started to free his hands from the ropes, when that task was done he tore the duct tape off and pulled the rag out of is mouth. As he started to untie his legs something moved from the back of the room. Shepard froze and fixed his eyes on the dark object moving in his direction. Stepping into the light from the back of the basement was Tom's daughter.

She was in the middle stages of decomposition. Her once blonde hair was now dark and matted down with dried blood, her skin was a pale grey, and her eyes were white filled sacs of pus. The sun dress she wore was torn down the center and her left breast, which looked to be mostly eaten away by insects, was exposed. Behind her the two boys, now a few years older than in the picture, followed. They too looked to be in the middle stages of decomposition.

Shepard franticly tried to untie his legs as the dead woman closed in on him. It felt like the knots got tighter with every step she took toward him. His heart was beating so hard he thought it was going to burst. Was this how he was going to die, eaten alive in this crazy assholes basement? No, Shepard decides and tore away the last of the ropes.

The dead woman tried to fall on top of Shepard but he rolled to his right avoiding any contact with her. Shepard quickly sprang to his feet and kicked the woman in the chest sending her sprawling across the floor. He quickly turned his attention to the two boys and did the same to them.

The woman and the boys hissed like vipers and tried to regain their footing. Meanwhile Shepard moved to the other side of the basement looking for something to use as a weapon. He knew the only way to really kill them was to destroy the brain. Anything else just doesn't work. As he turned to check on the dead woman and children Shepard's foot kicked something. Shepard bent down and picked up something that looked like a long bone.

It was a human femur. _Well bub, this is as good as you're gonna get. You'd better make it count_ , he thought. Shepard laid the femur on the ground and then put his foot on the top part of the bone. He lifted as hard as he could which caused the top part of the femur to snap off making it sharp and pointy.

When Shepard stood back up the dead woman was on him. He grabbed what was left of her dress and shoved her backwards. The dead woman stumbled three steps back, gained her footing, started back at Shepard, but it was too late for her. Shepard lunged forward and rammed the pointy end of the femur into one of her eye sockets, killing her for good.

Shepard then pulled the bone out of her skull and turned to the children when an idea came to him. Instead of killing the boys, he darted around them and headed for the stairs. Luckily the boys were slow and this bought Shepard some time.

He began rummaging through the junk piled up by wear the stairs used to be. There were all sorts of junk, anything from old records to magazines and paperwork. Sifting through the paperwork Shepard found a paper clip holding a stack of papers together. This'll work; he thought and grabbed the paper clip.

Sticking the paper clip into his mouth Shepard backed up, ran at the wall, kicked off of it propelling himself upward, and grabbed the stairs with his right hand. Still holding on to the femur with his left hand, he set it up on the stair quietly and then pulled himself up. _It's a good thing that ol'bastard didn't take out all the stairs, otherwise I'd be fucked_ , Shepard thought.

Shepard sat catching his breath as he looked down at the two boys. They both stood underneath of him arms raised, moaning and hissing at him.

"Easy boys, suppers on its way." Shepard said and then pulled the paper clip from his mouth.

It didn't take long for Shepard to pick the lock. Quietly he stepped back onto the main floor and shut the door. He turned the femur over, holding the rounded blunt end upward like a club. As Shepard neared the living room he could hear loud music playing. _He must not like to hear his victims scream while they're being eaten alive_ , Shepard thought. This was good. It would cover up any noise he might make.

Stepping into the living room he saw Tom sitting in his recliner with his back to him. Shepard clammily walked over to Tom and stepped out in front of him. Tom's eyes were closed and he was humming to the music.

"Wakey wakey." Shepard said.

Tom's eyes snapped open in terror as he saw Shepard standing there. Shepard swung the femur as hard as he could hitting Tom on the left side of his jaw. The blow sent teeth flying out of Tom's mouth and knocked him to the floor. Shepard went to hit him again but stopped when he noticed m was unconscious.

#

As Tom came to, he quickly realized it he who was strapped to a chair now. He sat facing the open door to the basement where his two grandkids stood reaching up for him. He began to cough on the blood pouring from his swollen mouth.

Shepard knelt down beside him and said, "Make your peace with God old man. This is the end for you."

He stood back up and stepped behind Tom. Tom tried to speak but nothing but mush would come out. With one swift kick to his back, Tom fell face first into the basement.

As soon as he hit the ground the two boys were on him, biting and tearing at his flesh. One of the boys bit into Tom's cheek and pealed it off like pulling the skin off a piece of fried chicken. Tom Screamed in agonizing pain. When Shepard had seen enough, he closed the door and locked it.

#

An hour or so passed by when Shepard went back to the basement door. This time he had the SKS in his hands, as well as his .38 back in his waist band. _No way am I sleeping here with those things alive in the house_ , he thought. Unlocking the door Shepard swung the door open slowly.

The two boys still sat eating parts their grandfather that they had torn off. Tom himself had turned into one of the undead. His head turned back and forth looking around as if he had lost something. Shepard raised the SKS and fired three shots into the heads of the undead creatures. He then fired two more into Toms head just out of spite. Shutting the door behind him Shepard went back into the living room and laid down on the couch. It wasn't long before sleep over took him.

#

The next morning Shepard raided the kitchen for any food or water. There wasn't much to find, but a couple cans of vegetables and four bottles of water. Shepard packed the item into his back pack and headed for the front door.

As he stepped over the thresh hold Shepard noticed that Tom was right about the noise from the generator. There were six of the zombies wondering around the yard. Shepard dispatched these creatures easily. He stood for a moment and looked around making sure there were no more. When enough time had passed and Shepard felt it was safe, he headed for the garage.

Opening the side door to the garage Shepard began to grin. Inside sat an older Ford pickup truck. He stepped around to the driver's door and seen the keys hanging from the ignition. _Wow, I hope this fucking thing starts_ , he thought.

Shepard threw his bag in the bed of the pickup and slid into the driver's seat. Turning the key the truck rumbled to life.

"Hell yes!" Shepard yelled.

He quickly jumped out and stepped around to the front of the truck to open the overhead door. As he lifted the door up quickly, not expecting the door to be as lite as it was, one of the undead he hadn't seen grabbed him knocking him to the ground.

The corpse, now lying on top of Shepard, tried it's best to bit him. Its teeth were chomping so hard, it's surprising they didn't just shatter in its mouth. He quickly grabbed the zombie by the throat with his left hand and fumbled for his pistol with his right. There was a split second where Shepard didn't thing he would be able to get to his gun, but then it was in his hand. Drawing the pistol out, he shoved the gun into the dead man's mouth.

"EAT THIS!" He shouted and squeezed the trigger.

The back of the corpses head exploded and its body went limp. Shepard rolled the now twice dead man off of him and got to his feet. He quickly got back into the truck to get the hell of this place. There have been enough close calls for him.

Shepard put the truck in gear and drove down the long driveway back to the main road. When he reached it he stopped for a second and looked at the gas gage. The needle was close to the empty mark, not surprising to Shepard. Making a left out of the driveway, he continued on his way to nowhere.

He made it about four hours away before the truck ran out of gas. It actually gave up the ghost as he sat just outside of an abandon road block deciding what to do. There was no warning, the truck just shut down, leaving only the lights lit up on the counsel.

Shepard just sat staring out of the windshield at the abandoned road block and the town just beyond. He didn't like towns, too dangerous. If they weren't full of zombies, then they were most likely protected by groups of survivors, which was even more dangerous. He reached over to the passenger seat grabbing his binoculars to get a better look at the town head.

There were no other barricades he could see beyond the road block. The small town looked to be just as abandoned as well. Slowly scanning the area from inside the truck he came across the old ragged highway sign with the town's name and population on it. The sign read South Salem, Population: 847, except the numbers 847 had been crossed out and the number zero was written in either red paint or blood. Shepard figured the latter. Just underneath the highway sign there was another sign posted that read ALL DEAD HERE, written in the same red lettering.

Shepard lowered the binoculars and tossed them back on the seat next to him. As he sat deciding what to do next, he noticed that the old trucks radio had a cassette tape deck with a tape hanging out of it. He smirked a little at this thing about how much of an old country bumpkin Tom must have been in his old life. In a world of Mp3's and IPhones, Tom was old school through and through. Shepard pushed the tape into the tape deck, curious to see what was on it.

As the music filled the cab of the truck he began to laugh. Shepard was sure on what he expected to hear, but certainly not this. The irony alone is what had Shepard laughing, it was just to god damn funny that it had to be this song, right here right now. Shepard just sat back and let Louis Armstrong finish singing his song What a Wonderful World.
