Entry #3 Retrieval

Entry #3 Retrieval

I woke up with this taste of iron in my mouth and found out is was from my own blood. I must have been clenching my jaw from the nightmare I was having. It was awful in every sense of the word. My group of friends and I were on our way to go meet up with my mother by following the directions and description she had sent in a text. My sister was driving her car with me in the passenger seat, Ema in her car seat, and Emit and Jess in the back with her. We had to navigate through the maze of vehicles on the highway which was hell but we were making progress. The closer we got to our destination the more we could see of the fort, the one that was suppose to be safe.

It was a blaze, fire licking the sky with the smell if burning flesh drifting in the air. Danielle slowed the car down to a stop and we sat there looking forward at the destruction that lay ahead of us. We looked at each other and came to one of those silent agreements to get out and investigate.

Danielle put Ema in a front carrier and had a shovel in have, a gun would deafen Ema. Emit had his two sawed off shotguns, one in had and the other strapped to his back. Jess, being afraid of miss firing, carried a freshly sharpened machete that gleaned in the sun light. I myself had my two silver revolvers loaded with home made through and through bullets, able to take out four flesh eaters in a row because they always exited.

Slowly we approached the fort or what was left of it, to see if there was anyone wondering outside that we could ask questions. The low moan started in one direction and then it grew and was coming from every direction. We saw the first of the flesh eaters approach us slowly and didn't take much notice to them because they seemed to be slow enough that we could get away if needed, but that's where we where taken by surprise. They were meant as a distraction, the flesh eaters that were behind them took off in a full on run and took us by surprise. We all turned and ran back towards the car but Danielle seemed to have tripped on something that was on the road. She protected Ema with her arms as best she could which resulted and in just a little scrape but at that point a broken neck would seem minor. The flesh eaters kept coming for us running towards the three of us which resulted in Danielle and Ema being trampled over. I heard Ema wail and Danielle cry out in pain as the feet bug into her back.

I turned around as soon as I heard them and was about to run back to try to get them when Emit reached out and pulled me back. With all the noise all he could do was point at the car and started to advance towards the girls, firing his shotgun taking out a decent amount of flesh eaters. Jess followed him swinging her machete taking out the surrounding flesh eaters that Emit missed and the two soon reached Danielle and Ema and helped the framed girls up. The started to come back but did one thing wrong, they forgot to cover their back and were soon jumped on and started having chunks ripped off them and teeth ripping their flesh from their body.

I was at the car at this point when I heard Danielle call out my name. I looked back and had an instant adrenaline rush, consumed with terror and gazed with rage. I jumped I to Danielle's car turning it over and putting it into gear. My foot hit the peddle and the car jumped forward and ran into the flesh eaters that were now more focused on my friends. The impact of the car took out fewer flesh eaters and probably did more damage to my friends. It caught the attention o the flesh eaters though and the started piling onto the car. From what I could see throughout the spaces my family and friends were now just piles of ripped up flesh and bones and I couldn't so anything more to save them. I sat there waiting for them to break through and get me which didn't take long. One broke the windshield and that's when I jolted awake, in a sweat and tears rolling down my face uncontrollably.

"You alright?" Emit questioned looking more worried, almost pail from the scream I let out.

"Bad dream," I replied and just sat there. We didn't move for a while, just standing at each other trying to calm each other down with our stairs. My scream seemed to have woke Ema because I head her crystal coming from her room and a smirk crawled onto my face. More tears steamed down my face as j got up to tend to her. When I opened the door she reached up trying to grab for me and I just cried even more. We embraced each other for a while, me crying and her sniffling and whimpering from waking up to such a loud noise.

When I regained composure I took her tithe kitchen, set out some pots and pan and let her plan with them like the many times before. Surprisingly it was Ema who woke up Jess and not my scream. She came out of my mothers room and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Emit walked over to her and gave her a tight embrace followed by a kiss on the forehead. She returned the kiss but to his lips and they stood there embracing each other, smiles slowly forming.

Emit looked over Jess's head at me and gave me those questioning eyes he always gives. I knew what they meant but didn't want to act on the anytime soon, fearing having to actually tell him my plan. It wasn't the best I came up with, quite possibly the worst one yet. But it was a plan none the least. "If you could excuse us girls Emit and I have to go to the roof to talk."

Jess nodded and smiled at Ema as she looked at me, almost like she understood me. Emit let go of Jess and followed me up to the roof via the attic steps and we walked over to the lawn chairs I had previously brought up. I took out one of the menthol packs of smokes that I looted and lot it forcing us to sit in silence and think. It led to standing at the clouds that passed over head listening to the disturbing silence that surrounded us. Five minutes passed, yes I am a power smoker, and I put the smoke out and made eye contact with Emit.

"So..." I said not knowing what to say or how to start the conversation.

"What's the plan? How are we going to get Danielle?" Emit questioned bluntly.

"Looks like I can't avoid it any longer. What I was thinking is heading over to the hill just over in that field to see how clear the roads actually are and go from there. I was thinking that if it's not to crowded and we can keep an eye out for flesh eaters that we can just follow the road there and get her. Quick and relatively fast."

Emit just stared as I explained the plan. He didn't nod, he didn't say anything, he just sat there staring intently as I spoke. When I finished explaining what I thought we would do he sat up straight and cleared his throat, "What if we get split up?"

I never thought about that, it seemed to be a straight forward plan and not many instances that we would get split up, but what he asked was very valid. "you know those white spray paint cans sitting in the front entrance, we can use those as markers so we know if one made it there before the other. If that happens, heaven forbid, who ever gets there first gets her and drives back here in her car even if that means driving on the grass."

"Sounds like a good enough plan to stick to," he replied with a smile. Suddenly my phone buzzed and I took it out to see the text message. It was Danielle and I was a little disappointed, hoping it was one of my friends who had received a text but no. I read the text and my face instantly turned from calm to alarmed. The text read,

Danielle: Zakk I heard something in the hall. I don't know what it is but it's a thumping and it doesn't sound good.

"We are adding something to the plan. Who ever gets there, if we get separated, says the code word which is my last name," I added sending the same thing to Danielle.

Emit nodded and waited for me to look at him. Finishing up my text, I made eye contact with a stern look. Being friends for so long helped because Emit knew exactly what I wanted to do. We hurried down to where the girls were and I explained everything from the plan to Danielle's situation. Emit gave Jess another hug and kiss and whispered something in her ear, I didn't bother listening more focused on Ema and double checking that what was happening wasn't another dream.*We got our supplies and left the house.

I do want to make a side note that the reason my entries are very detailed and a lot of the conversations are word for word is because that's the way I am. I mentally record everything so that this journal can explain everything. It's in the case of my death and someone finds it or when this all blows over and I can give it to someone who might be able to use the information so survival guilds. Everything I write I feel is relevant and necessary for future survival, so please bare through it for your sake.

Anyways, after we left the house everything became a blur. With all the chemicals rushing through my body and excitement I wouldn't see why that wouldn't happen. I can tell you this though it was one hell if a ride. I do remember making it to the hill and reading my watch at 13:23, which is probably when they took full affect. I came to in a locker of the hockey arena just at the bottom of the hill. I must have been in there a while because my feet were killing me as well as my back. I had enough room to turn my head and see what was causing the pain, a hockey stick and not just any hockey stick but a goalies hockey stick. I couldn't recall the reason why I was in there until I heard the dragging noise. It only sounded like one but I wasn't sure. As quietly as I could I opened the locker and was correct, one was dragging it self on the floor. Looks like I blew off it's legs some how and it was still after me. I slowly crept behind it and took out my gun from the make shift holster and cocked it. The flesh eater turned it's head at the sound of the clicking but that was the last thing it ever did. One bullet through the head and it went limp. With no immediate danger around me I took a look at my watch, 15:30. Two hours that I was in that locker which could very well mean my sister and best friend could be dead. With that thought I took off running, almost into some doors along the way.

Five minute is all it took me to arrive at my sisters apartment building. I examined the outside of the building searching for broken windows and found none. When I got to the front to enter I seen that it was a jaw and instantly took my gun out and got ready. I slowly opened the door, moving what looked like a severed arm that was propping it open, and did a stairwell clear. Nothing. I went up the stairs to the second floor and opened the door leading to the hallway where my sisters apartment was. I saw a mutilated flesh eater, buckshot eaten, and smiled. Good old Emit and his sawed off shotty.

My sisters door was marked and everything they could take taken. I entered the room seeing they left a duffel bag for me to get the rest. After gathering everything else I thought was necessary I proceeded to exit the apartment when I heard a man scream from the floor above.

I dropped the bag and pulled out my gun again and slowly went up the stairs. There was only one door that was open so the only logical thing was to go there. I did as the cops do in movies, stand against the wall and slowly look in to evaluate the situation. It was one flesh water trying to get into this room. It's arms were yanking back and from what I could make out, hands on the other side is what was making it so hard to enter. I came around the corner slowly and aimed my gun at the flesh eater and yelled, "HEY FUCKER!!"

It turned and looked at me, eyes trained on mine and then started making it's way to me. It was slow so I started to walk towards it as well slowly almost building anticipation in my own head. It didn't raise it's arms at me just walked forward like it was studying me. The loom on it's face though looked like it wanted to die, almost like it knew what I was gonna do and then instinct kicked in. It suddenly went vicious and my gun had smoke coming from it. The flesh eater dropped to the ground and a hole could be seen in the wall.

I slowly saw the door open and a mans head poke out, checking if the coast was clear. He saw me with my gun still raised and small faint smile could be seen on his face. He opened the door a little wider and him and his son stepped out. The boy seemed to be only five years old, a cute red head with forest green eyes. They stayed where they were and I stayed where I was.

"Are you here to save us?" the man questioned.

"No I was here for my sister but she got out before I got here," I explained turning around to head down the stairs.

"Wait!" he called out. He almost jumped forward with his eagerness.

"What?" I said back still turned.

"Before you go can I ask you a favor?" He questioned almost pleading.

I turned and looked at him with impatient eyes. He lifted his pant leg up to reveal a scratch mark on his calf. He made it so his son couldn't see and my eyes widened. I put my hand on my gun not knowing how fast people changed and was prepared for anything that was about to happen, well everything except one.

"Could you take him?" he asked placing his hand onto of the boys head.

I was dumb founded. I never thought that would be a question I would get at this point. I was under the impression they both had been hurt. "Umm, uh, ya, sure," I replied.

"One last thing," he said motioning me to follow him to the room. Once out of the hearing range of the boy, he looked at me, "you need to shoot me now. I don't want to turn and become one of those things!"

"But," I said gesturing at the boys direction.

"Open the window and make it sound like you shot one outside. Easy enough."

I was shocked but complied. I opened the window and pointed my gun at him. His head was in my eye site and I could see a gloss forming over. BANG! BANG! Two holes were in the mans head before he fell to the ground.

"Daddy?" I heard the boy call out. I exited the room and pick him up carrying him out of the apartment. He held onto me as I picked up the duffel bag and ran down the stairs.

I looked at him before leaving the building, "What's your name buddy?"

"Jack."

"Ok Jack, I need you to do something very important. I need you to hold onto me as tight as you can and to not open your eyes, can you do that for me?"

"Ya. Where's my dad?"

"He's back in your apartment, he wanted me to take you because of what happened today and didn't know if he could keep you safe for much longer. Are you ok with that?"

"Ya, daddy never was there anyways just mommy but she died. So you and me are friends now."

"That's right Jack, call me Zakk ok?"

"Ok Mr. Zakk."

I held him tight to my chest an I could feel his arms grab me as tight as they could and I took off towards my house. I weaved between cars and kicked doors shut chopping off some heads. I even did a whole "only in the movies" and ran on top of some cars avoiding flesh eaters still gnawing on the bones of past victims. I could see my house and Emit sitting on the roof keeping a look out. I saw him stand up and aim his gun at me but didn't stop running. BANG! A shot sounded and I heard a thud behind me. I never questioned Emits aim or reason for doing something which I thank and think is still the reason we're alive right now.

I got to the door and danged hard yelling out our secret code as Emit shot at flesh eaters coming up behind me. At this point I blacked out. I remember falling through the open door and that's all. I opened my eyes for what seemed to be only minutes later and sat up. I felt my forehead and a giant goose egg had formed and pain surged through my body. I looked around to see where Jack was and if the door had been closed behind me, which it had. Jack and Ema came around the corner playing with each other and Danielle and Jess followed.

"Well good morning dumb ass. Nice to see the road block is getting up," Danielle mocked as I sat up straight.

"Road block?" I questioned not fully understanding.

"The kids where using you as a road block to get away from us," Jess explained in a lot nicer way.

I smiled and got up, patting Jack on the head. I went down stairs and grabbed this journal and here I am. An eventful day it has been. Rescuing Danielle, getting split up, killing a human, adopting Jack, and being used as a road block for a game only the kids understand. The only thing is is that I don't know if I can do it anymore. I don't know if I can handle being the leader in such a pivotal survival time.

Zakk

Zakk (mass text): Anyone out there please respond. I need to know who else is out there so we can meet and survive together... Please... Anyone...
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