Resurrection of the Fallen (Book 1): Surviving New York (15 page)

The shuffling that was coming through the trees around me sounded like hundreds of zombies coming toward us in the depths of the night. And they were close. They had the advantage here, not us. But it could work to my advantage, too. Just so long as I didn’t get myself caught in the middle of it all. I had high hopes for this plan to work, but I wasn’t going to get cocky. That was the worst thing for me to do.

A hand reached around the trunk and grabbed me by the shoulder in my moment of distraction. Now was my chance! I grabbed his arm and he hissed, “You bitch!” He came around the tree, swinging at me as he did so. Using my arm to block his punch, I kicked him in the nuts and pulled my knife out in one swift and fluid motion. I slashed backhanded across his neck, spilling his blood on me and the ground. He gurgled as he fell down, gasping for air. I bent down and picked up his gun to use for myself. I checked it real quick. Six bullets should be enough.

I could hear the zombies speed up. They had picked up the scent of the blood from the dead man and my still bleeding hand and they were hungry. I made a break for it, heading for the only thing that made sense to me now. The reason why my family had came out this way and ended up the way that it did. There was no point in turning away from the night light now. I pushed myself beyond my breaking point, beyond the screams and aches of my muscles. I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t think. The only thing I knew was that the screaming coming from behind me was my driving force. I didn’t want to end up like the guys back there.

Chapter 22

I
collapsed several times and felt like I would die from muscle exhaustion. That alternative was much more appealing to me than any other. At least then I would die somewhat peacefully. I could be happy with a death like that. Right now I felt like pure shit. A break from all of this would be perfect.

The edge of the woods was a scary sight for me. The light from the sun blinded me momentarily as I stepped out into the clearing. I hadn’t realized in all my running that the sun had come up. The sight I saw once my vision returned to me was completely heartbreaking. There, several miles from me, lay the ruins of an emergency military base. Bodies were on the ground as far as the eye could see. In the middle of it all, shiny in its magnificence, there stood a huge LED light pointing up at the sky. The purple wild-flowers that grew here contradicted the ugly sight that lay before me.

Everywhere around it, wind turbines and solar panels stood stoic amongst the green pastures. It was breathtaking in a beautiful and eerie kind of way. There were tanks and supply trucks parked to one side within the barb wire fence surrounding the machine. Uniforms stood out in a sea of green, signifying those that lost their lives to protect humanity. On the outside of the fence, zombies roamed aimlessly. None of them wore uniforms and must’ve migrated here after whatever killed the soldiers had left. The devastation was Earth-shattering.

It was somewhat clear what had happened. Pits could be clearly seen around the fence and holes in the defenses had been made. The machine, however, had not been damaged in the slightest. Whoever had done it obviously didn’t want it broken. It had provided a safe place for all and must’ve struck a cord with the perpetrators. Some of the grass was scorched as well, leading me to believe that this had been a territorial thing.

Tents lay tattered and limp around the machine and containers had been strewn about. The contents had been taken from their homes, leaving what was left to be destroyed by the elements. I wish I had gotten here sooner. I wish I had been able to convince my dad that we needed to. We could’ve changed what had happened here, but it was all over now… Everything was hopeless. There was no safe place and no reason to keep living any longer.

I fell to my knees and let the depression take over. I cried for everyone I loved that no longer walked this Earth and I cried for all of humanity. We had inadvertently brought utter destruction down on us all. We would not survive this. How could we when we were always fighting and killing each other. I lifted the pistol up to my head and took one last look at the sky. I begged once more for forgiveness of my sins and closed my eyes. I had no hope of joining Samantha in the afterlife, but it was better than here. Suicide wasn’t that rewarding for me to go where she was.

I pulled the trigger and my body crumpled to the ground; a reminder for whoever might come along that the hardest fight is the one within their own heads. Salvation is only on the horizon for those who have the strength to make it that long. One ounce of weakness, one bit of doubt, was enough to end it all just so your body could feed the undead. Whether or not it was worth it was for the individual to decide. Some just aren’t cut out for the long haul…

Keep an eye out for these upcoming releases from this author:

Resurrection of the Fallen trilogy:

Salvation in Galveston

Sacrificing the Wicked

Horror:

Heroes of Horror

Lucifer’s Creation

Re-release:

A Dangerous Life

Did you enjoy reading this book? Let other readers know by leaving a review on Amazon and Good Reads. Share to get the word out.