Decay (Book 1): Civilization (7 page)

“I came to this amazing country with dreams of making my family proud. I wanted to go into business, be a big shot in a corner office. Making enough money to move my parents to this great country. Instead my office is in the corner of a two car garage,” Guillermo said with a laugh.

“You seem to be doing well though. Not many people have their own business, and you’ve been in business for quite a few years if I’m not mistaken. That makes you pretty successful.”

“After arriving here I got my GED. Then I spent the next 5 years in college to earn a bachelor’s degree in both horticulture and landscaping, with a few business classes thrown in. I’ve worked hard for my business.” Guillermo was obviously very proud, and rightfully so. He turned as he made it through the window on the other side of the alley and motioned for Bradley to follow.

As Bradley slid to the end of the board, he pulled himself through the window in the second building. Guillermo pulled the plank through the window behind them and placed it along the wall on the floor under the window. “Welcome,” his arms outstretched, “to mi casa.”

Bradley was stunned as he looked around. Guillermo was living in the apartments above a furniture store, and he was living comfortably. He had turned the top two floors into one large apartment. “This is incredible,” was all he could manage to say, taking a wet towel from Guillermo.

“The gunshot came from the south east. I was lucky enough, I suppose, to have actually seen the flash. On top of a roof, just over there. Maybe two, three-hundred yards away. I used to care for a couple lawns in that area. Most houses are surrounded by five and even six-foot walls, but I guess they won’t cause much of a problem.” Guillermo nodded in the direction of the shot. “I was on the roof. That is where most of my plants are growing. Whoever it was shot a trash can on the street corner just below us.”

“So they were aiming at something?” Bradley was finally able to take a good look at the man who saved his life.

Guillermo was shorter than Bradley, standing just over five and a half feet tall. He was much more muscular then Bradley had first thought also. His nose was flat and wide, and the white around his dark brown eyes had a tint of yellow.

His clothes, with the exception of the recent addition of blood and flesh, were clean. He wore light brown Wolverine work boots, relaxed fit blue jeans, and a maroon button up shirt with the American Eagle logo on the pocket.

“Suppose so. Can’t imagine what though. It was one hell of a gunshot, so I assume they may have been protecting themselves from someone.”

“A tank judging by the sound of the shot,” a hint of sarcasm was found in Bradley’s voice. “Do you know exactly what house this shot came from? How long will it take to make it there?”

“Like I said, I estimate it between three and four hundred yards. Our only real obstacles are going to be the devils trying to rip us apart. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I need to make my way back to Emalynn and Roger soon. Can I bring them here?”

“Absolutely. I can go with you and cover your back. I have guns you can use if you’d like. I prefer to cut personally. My arsenal of gardening tools hasn’t let me down yet. There are several pistols and a shotgun I salvaged from some folks who wouldn’t be needing them anymore in that shelf over there.” Guillermo pointed to the corner of the room.

“Thank you Guillermo.” Bradley walked over to the shelf. Not knowing much about guns, he picked a nice looking handgun. “I feel like I should tell you something. The ‘well trained man’ back at the news building, well he is just a lazy big shot in a corner office. He only survived because of the sacrifice of others. I’m glad you’re not that.”

Emalynn sat against the wall looking out the window, her head resting on crossed arm. The gentle breeze swept across the green grass. The birds chirped as they swooped from tree to tree, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The sun shone bright, as it almost always did.

The black Subaru pulled into the driveway. Every time she saw it the commercials popped into her head. It was a nice car, but she wasn’t too fond of the idea of her parents giving it to her. The parents on the commercials always say they are leaving the Subaru to the child.

Luckily for her, that didn’t happen. On her sixteenth birthday, her parents bought her blue Jeep Wrangler. It was a few years older, but she loved it. Her parents aren’t loaded, after all, and it was more then she expected. 

She never put the top on it. Every weekend she would pick up Khloe and Amber, her two best friends, and head for the beach. The boys would always stop her and flirt, but she felt she had too much living to do. Boys would only bring drama.

Jared Austin climbed out of the driver’s seat of the Subaru. His black suit made him look official. He was tall, with short brown hair, blue eyes, a lean body, and a very handsome face. Although he wasn’t a big player at the station, he presented himself with the pride of a man who works hard for his family.

At sixteen, Emalynn was still always excited when her daddy comes home. Emalynn and her mother, Grace, had prepared Jared’s second favorite meal for supper. Tomorrow was his birthday, and they would make his favorite then. For tomorrow, Emalynn has a surprise visit to the office planned so she can bring him lunch.

She stood up and stepped back from the window. Racing through the living room to the French style doors she almost knocked over a lamp. Her hands wrapped around the cool brass door knob. She opened both doors wide. The bright world came bursting in to greet her.

As her eyes adjusted, she found that she was still sitting against the wall of the news building, staring out into the town. Her wet cheeks were a sign that she had been crying. She dozed off shortly after watching Bradley enter the bait shop across the street, and this is the last she would see him until he came back through.

Her love for him rocked all of her senses. Even though he had told her that it wouldn’t work between them she still felt that he was the one for her. She did wonder from time to time if maybe he was right, and that her love for him was just teenage hormones or a survival instinct. In her heart, however, she knew their lives were meant to be shared.

Until the day he realized that, she was perfectly content resting in his protective arms. With him watching over her she knew she would be safe and well taken care of. After all he had kept her alive this long. She couldn’t wait for him to make it back so she could wrap herself in his warmth.

Occasionally a fiend would shamble past the building. Emalynn found it confusing that she felt awful for them. They are monsters now, but before all of this happened they were people who loved and cared. They had families and friends. She lost herself in thoughts of her own family and friends.

“Bradley’s out?” Roger’s voice startled her as it broke the quiet of the building. His voice wasn’t necessarily deep or powerful. It was soft with a strange gruffness that sounded as if his throat was dry, which it might have been.

“Y- Yes,” she replied as she moved to her feet.

Roger had lost about half of his weight over the last year. Weighing around 170 pounds now, his faded blue button up shirt hung off of him like a blanket, and he had to add notches to his belt to hold up his now baggy pants. The waist of his tan khakis was bunched up under the belt. Bradley offered on several occasions to bring back fresh clothes for him, but Roger only grumbled, “Just bring food and water.”

“Whatever,” Bradley would say, and with that he would pass by the men’s clothes unless he needed something himself.

He stared down at Emalynn with almost lifeless eyes. He started to lose touch with reality early on, and he always made Emalynn feel uncomfortable. Recently, however, he has become far more reclusive. When he did come out it was only briefly. His mouth hung slightly open and he looked like he had not slept in days.

Although he lost the weight well, there was still extra skin that hung loosely from the bottom of his face. He probably stunk a little, but Emalynn and Bradley were acclimated to it if he did. Roger was much dirtier than the other two. Caring much less how he looked, he sure as hell wasn’t wasting water, or even time, to clean himself up.

“I thought I heard you crying. Is everything alright?” No concern showed on his face.

Emalynn slowly started to slide her way along the wall and out of the corner. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you. Bradley should be back any minute,” she lied. She could hear it in her own voice and hoped that Roger didn’t catch it. “He was only going a couple blocks to look for food for the next couple of days.” Roger wasn’t much taller than she was, and even though he didn’t weigh what he used to he could certainly overpower her quickly.

Roger nodded while continuing to stare at her. If there was any thought process happening at all he didn’t show it in his cold, emotionless face. “How long can we keep assuming he will come back? One of these trips out will be his last. He is going to have to go further to find food, and that is when they will get him,” Roger spoke softly, running his hands along the makeshift ladder that hung from the window by a four-by-four Bradley had found on the roof. “Bradley’s been going further and further each time, only to find less and less.”

Chills ran down Emalynn’s body as he talked. The voice coming out of the man standing just a few feet in front of her seemed to come from a source far in the distance. Like every word he spoke was just a memory. Noticing the tremor that crept through her he stepped forward and placed both dirty, sweaty hands on her shoulders. This close, Emalynn inhaled the smell drifting off of him, and it caused her to gag. She could taste it on her tongue.

“I can keep you safe too, you know?” The expression on his face never changed. “I just want us to be friends.”

“We are friends, Roger,” Emalynn replied forcing a smile, yet the terror in her voice couldn’t be hidden. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She thought of kicking the man hard in the balls and running for the window. Taking her chances with the fiends out there seemed like it would be better than dealing with the fiend in here.

Before she could act Roger stepped backed. He looked at her once more with that blank face, than turned and walked away. Emalynn slid to the floor and buried her face in her knees. She couldn’t hold back any longer. The flood gates lifted and she allowed her sobs to pour out.

The exchange only lasted a few minutes, yet Emalynn felt like it went on for hours. Although she was very nervous around him, she never wanted to think she would need to fear that man. He used to be a nice man that greeted her pleasantly when she stopped by to see her father. Resting her head back on the windowsill she continued to watch for Bradley through teary eyes.

Before closing the door to his office, Roger stopped to listen to the young woman cry. He had no plan. Although she was beautiful, he didn’t desire her sexually. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he left his office, but for the first time in weeks a thought worked its way into his head. The empty expression on his face never changed.

Bradley stood watch at the bottom of the ladder as Guillermo made his way down from the garage. The darkness was disheartening. Even though the moon was shining bright, without street lights, neither one could see past the building next to them. The only advantage they have is the fiends do not care about staying quiet.

“I should have asked earlier, but how many of these devils, fiends I should say, have you dealt with?” Guillermo asked in a whisper as they moved slowly between two buildings.

“Only a few, counting the one in the park. You?”

“Enough. The most I know is that they go down with a chop to the head,” Guillermo whispered confidently while making a karate chop motion to his own forehead.

“I’m glad to have found you. It will be great to add another capable pair of hands to the group.” Not only did Bradley think he could be more than useful, but he also enjoyed the thought of having a friend. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Emalynn was a friend. Bradley just really liked the idea of having a guy friend again. Someone he could talk to about football while drinking a couple of beers.

“I think it was I who found you, but that’s beside the point.” A cocky smile crept across Guillermo’s kind face as he said this.

“And I’ll never be able to thank you enough. Through here.” Bradley led the way back into the clothing store through the front door. “We are coming back into the boundaries I’ve been gathering from. Over the past couple of months I’ve had to reach further, but not by much yet.”

The clattering sound of an empty clothing rack landing on the hardwood floor of the store made both men instinctually crouch down and freeze in place. The metal clothes hangers scattered about. Guillermo dropped down onto his stomach and glanced across the floor. The small bare feet were lightly covered in dirt and dry blood. A faded pink dress fluttered just inches above the dingy ankles.

Guillermo made the sign of the cross and kissed a silver crucifix that hung at his chest as his heart sunk deep into his stomach. “It’s a little girl,” he whispered.

Both men had seen children of all ages roaming the streets through the past year, and the sight never seemed to become easier. Bradley had always tried to avoid any interaction with the children. He always waited them out as they passed by him. It may have just been in his head, but Bradley could swear the hint of terror and agony still lingered on the children’s faces more than any others.