1

– FADE AWAY

BY COLE KORDUS

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“IT’S A GODDAMN GAS MASK.” Eric said, gesturing to the drab green pack on Colton’s hip. “And in case it has escaped your notice, I don’t see any mushroom clouds or evil smoke coming our way. So why the hell you still carrying it around?” Colton stopped walking and turned to face his friend, arms crossed. “Look. It’s not that I think I am going to need it right now, it’s that I think it could be useful in the future.” He turned back around, holding up a finger victoriously. “But also! When do you think we are going to find another functional gas mask?” “We probably won’t,” Eric conceded. “But that’s pointless ‘cause we’re never going to need a functional gas mask. Seriously! Come up with one example of us needing that gas mask.” Colton paused for a moment, adjusting the straps on his backpack. “Hm. Alright! Alright, say we come across some assholes who raided a military camp and they pop some teargas on us. I bet you’ll be real sorry you don’t have a gas mask then, Eric.” He shot Eric a smug look. “If we come across people who have raided a military camp, we are dead anyway.” Eric sighed and looked down into the valley. “Probably right,” Colton muttered. “In which case; the gas mask is a pride thing. Let’s leave it at that.” They both stared out across the lush landscape for a few minutes, wind cooling their hot bodies. It was the heat of summer in Appalachia and they had spent the day hiking up to the peak of a mountain- its name forgotten- and were feeling the heat acutely. Far off in the distance, a plume of thick black smoke could be seen. Eric nudged Colton with an elbow and pointed to it. “What’cha think that is?” Colton narrowed his eyes and held up a hand. “Probably a burning building. Plastic and stuff makes thick smoke, right?” “I think I remember reading that somewhere.” Eric nodded. “Well… now that we’re up here I don’t see much of anything.” “Yeah…” Colton kicked a patch of grass. “Overlook Trail my ass. There’s nothing here to look over.” Eric sighed and rubbed the side of his face. “Yeah.” “Well. Let’s follow this trail.” Colton hiked up his pack, machete dangling at his side. The two friends had known each other since middle school, something that was very normal when growing up in rural Appalachia. The two had experienced falling-outs and the differed greatly on a few subjects, but they always kept on being best friends. This was helped by a healthy disdain of their fellow classmates. But halfway through their senior year, the asteroid Manes had struck, and everything had changed. Eric and Colton went from being best friends, to being the best survivors. And after months of milling about in their hometown, they had finally set out to search for… something.

3

They hiked for the rest of the day, steadily slowing as the sun sank lower into the horizon and their stomachs began to shrink. They made camp in a small grove near a creek in a small valley. The fire was small, the food was cold, and they were both tired from the long day of hiking. Embers flickered up into the sky, and deep shadows fell in deep around the two men. “I miss my music.” Colton said, breaking the silence. “Me too.” Eric sighed. “I’m still carrying around my phone. Maybe somewhere…” “You’ll find a way to charge it?” Colton laughed. “Sorry man, but I think from here on out it’s all banjo music.” “Damn.” Eric snorted. “You know what else sucks?” “No more videogames.” Colton shook his head. “No more Halo.” “To hell with Halo, no more Fallout.” They gave each other a tired smile. This was not the first time the conversation had been had. But this was all they could talk about. Their families were dead, most of their friends were dead, and they had no more words for them. No more feelings. Colton sighed and leaned against a stump, looking up at the bright night sky through the leaves. Eric stoked the fire, knowing where this was going. “Eric, why did it have to happen to us?” “What do you mean?” Eric asked this with the tone of someone knowing exactly what the other person meant. “Like, of all the times in history a mega-evil asteroid has to hit earth, it hits it while we are here and while we haven’t even gotten to explore.” Colton looked at Eric, hands spread. “I mean, I’m never gonna get to go out west now.” “Well, technically that’s not true.” Eric waved a smoldering twig at him. “You could go there, it would just take a long, long time.” “And what’s the odds I’ll live long enough to see a long, long time?” Colton said this with a smile, but they both knew it was a serious question. “’Cause we’re survivors.” Eric stood up, gesturing vaguely back the way they came. “Everyone else is either dead or going to die soon, back there. But here we are, making our way north-ish, doing something with our lives.” This was a pep rally for the both of them. “We’re gonna make it, ‘cause we have what it takes.” Colton nodded and stood. This was another familiar conversation- but a necessary one. “You’re right! We survived the fire, we survived that shooting, and we avoided the meth-heads.” He grinned and tapped his chest. “We look damn great for the apocalypse, and we both have the weapons and skill to use them.” “Damn straight!” A good mood came over them. “Tomorrow, let’s head to a Ranger’s Station. We can figure out where we’re going from there.” “Agreed.” Eric stared at the fire for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’m gonna save my food for the morning.” “Probably smart.” Colton rubbed his eyes. “Think we need watch out?” Eric considered this for a moment before shaking his head slowly. “Nah. They don’t come this far up.” “Right!” Colton pulled out his sleeping bag and stripped down before crawling inside. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “’Night.”

4

COLTON WOKE UP BEFORE ERIC, and crawled out of his bag quietly. He made his way to the small creek, and submerged himself as best he could. He shivered in the ice cold water and washed himself with his hands. It felt good to remove several day’s worth of travel, even if he couldn’t fully wash himself. He came out of the water with a sigh, droplets sprinkling down from his poorly-cut hair. Colton was about to grab a shirt to dry himself off with when he noticed the imprint in the mud near the creek. He crouched down and looked at it with wide eyes. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a bird. “Shit.” He jogged over to Eric, grabbing his machete along the way. “Eric! We gotta move man.” “Wha-?” Eric scrubbed at his eyes, looking around blearily. “Aw, c’mon Colt. Put something on.” “Yes, yes, sure. Eric, I saw a print.” Eric slid out of his bag, pants still on. “A print?” Realization dawned on him. “Aw hell. Was it fresh?” “I dunno, I’m not a tracker, now am I?” Eric nodded, pulling on a sports tank top. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here though.” “Which, is what I said.” Colton finished zipping up his fly and looked over at Eric. “Guess you won’t get to dunk in the creek.” “Lucky bastard,” Eric muttered, shoving everything he had unpacked the previous night into his hiking pack. He held up an energy bar, offering it to Colton. “Want some?” “Half of that for half of this apple?” “Sure.” “Do it on the move.” The two set out, packs resting squarely on their shoulders, hands hovering near their machetes. They had both heard many times that teenagers thought that they were invincible. But the recent apocalypse had proven to them both that they were entirely ‘vincible’, as Colton put it. They had no intention of being caught unawares by a freak. While they would never admit it to themselves or each other, they knew a run-in with a freak would probably kill them. Unless they had guns. Which, they did not. After a while of walking and tense listening, the two seventeen year olds began to relax and divvied up their pitiful breakfast. They said little on the long trek, but this was fine. The gentle rolling mountains around them gave everything a slightly more comforting feel, as if the world was shielding them from the harsh reality. Lush trees and vegetation surrounded the trail almost constantly. There were numerous portions of the hike that required them to climb across boulders or waterfalls. But despite sometimes difficult terrain, they eventually found themselves standing on a gravel road with a squat, brown building staring at them. Colton licked his lips and drew his machete, a solid work of glinting steel and black finish. He glanced over his shoulder at Eric, who had also drawn his weapon. They slowly advanced towards the ranger’s station, keeping a leery eye out for trouble. As they neared, they split up, heading to either side of the building.

5

Colton noticed the shattered beer bottle near the concrete sidewalk that was choked with grass. He narrowed his eyes. There was no way the beer was a new addition to the abandoned station. He moved past it and came around the corner at almost the same time as Eric. They gave each other a nod and relaxed slightly. Colton moved for the door and tried to move it. It opened a crack, but abruptly stopped, as if something was stopping it. He abruptly withdrew with a groan. “Oh man! That reeks!” Eric leaned towards the door and grimaced. “Oh yeah it does… you go in first.” “What?” Colton crossed his arms. “Why?” “I breached last time!” Eric gave Colton a nasty smile. “Besides, you have that gas mask.” “Ha-ha.” Colton moved back to the door. “Doesn’t filter out smells, dumbass.” “Oh, I know.” Colton kicked the door with a boot once, twice, three times. On the third, the door abruptly swung open with a snapping noise. Colton sucked in a deep breath of cold air and disappeared inside the ranger’s station. He looked around the dark, smelly interior and found the source of the stench. A corpse was crumpled in a heap, the back of its head spread out on the wall. Maggots squirmed and rotten flesh seemed to radiate noxious fumes. Colton noticed the revolver almost immediately. He knelt down and used his machete to prize the corpse’s hand away from the gun. He remembered the first time they had come across a corpse. Neither of them had looted it, the thought of taking the things off of a dead man was sickening. They hadn’t looted the second corpse either. But the third time, they were starving and the man had a backpack full of food. That decision had been an easy one. Colton stood, mustering up some saliva before spitting on the gun. He scrubbed it furiously, getting rid of the dried blood. When it was relatively clean, he popped the chamber to the revolver and checked the ammo count. Three cylinder revolver, two shots left. He slid out a bullet and gave a low whistle. The bullet was massive. He slid it back into place before snapping it shut and doing an expert search of the station. He found some MRE’s, an almost dead flashlight, a dead walkie-talkie, some medical equipment, and last, a map. Colton exited the station and let out a sigh of relief as fresh air flooded into him. “Good haul!” Eric remarked, seeing him. “I know.” Colton held up the revolver. “Check this!” “Shit!” Eric extended his hand. Colton handed over the revolver without question. He knew Eric had more experience with firearms. “Mm. This looks like it’s a 50-cal bullet.” “In a revolver?” Colton raised his eyebrows. “No wonder that dude barely had a head.” “Oh yeah.” Eric aimed the pistol and adjusted the sights. “Mind if I hold onto this?” “That’s why I got it,” Colton shot Eric a finger gun before crouching down and stuffing the goods into his backpack. “Oh, and I picked up a map.” “Really?” Colton stood and shook it open. “Yeah and it- holy shit dude! This map was distributed after impact!” “What? How do you know?” Eric glanced at Colton. “Why would a normal map have FEMA locations?” Colton shook his head. “Come on dumbass, this is the apocalypse, start thinking.”

6

“Hey, I have the gun.” “Point taken.” “So…” Colton looked up from the map. “It looks like there’s a FEMA center past Murphy.” “Murphy’s not too far from here,” Eric said. “Yes it is.” Colton looked at him. “No it’s not.” “Yes, it is. Look, that bar says it’s almost three hundred kilometers away.” Colton jabbed at the map. “Yeah, but that’s like, what, five miles?” Eric crossed his arms. “Uh, no.” “Alright, alright, more like ten.” “Still wrong.” “Whatever! It can’t be more than-” They both froze, hair standing up on their necks. Something abruptly seemed off. They immediately dropped everything they had, save their weapons. Colton slowly stepped away from the building, machete in on hand, and a knife in the other. Eric had both hands wrapped around the new pistol, and was gripping it tightly. Birds were quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the gentle rustling of the leaves. And then a snap. They both whirled to the left, eyes fixed on the trees. “Got a shot?” “Two bullets man. Wait.” Colton licked his lips, waiting. “Watch him.” He turned around and saw the form of a mutie, peering out from the woods on the other side of the road. “Another one on my side!” “Back up, back up!” They both retreated towards the building. The two mutants burst out of the woods, sprinting across the gap silently, deadly saliva dripping from teeth. Colton readied his rock and threw it as hard as he could. The rock hit the pavement right before the mutant, causing it to skitter to one side. There was a tremendous bang as the pistol went off. A loud ringing filled Colton’s ears, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the mutant that was staring him down. It took a step forward, claws extended. Colton roared something as loud as he could- not that he could hear- and brandished his machete. The beast abruptly stopped moving and looked hesitant, multiple jaws agape. There was another bang and the ground in front of the beast exploded. It jumped back, and started to turn. Colton closed the gap and swung his machete down. It slid into the creature’s back and it spasmed, turning its ugly head to look at the teenager. Colton yanked out his machete and kicked the thing with his boot as hard as he could. It stumbled to one side, blood pouring from the wound Colton had given it. It began limping hurriedly away from him, wounded noises starting to overpower the ringing. Colton growled and hacked at it until it stopped moving. He slowly lowered his machete, breathing hard. The creature was still alive, gurgling on its own blood. “ERIC!” He shouted. “YOU ALRIGHT?” “YEAH, I’M FINE!” Eric hollered back. “YOU DIDN’T GET BIT?” “NO!” Colton tured around.

7

The barrel of the revolver was smoking and Eric was trembling, wide-eyed and white faced. Colton looked around and saw the second mutie, laying no more than six feet from Eric, its chest busted open as if someone had slammed a sledgehammer though it. He looked away from the chunks of gore and bone, and pointed to their packs. “WE NEED TO GET OUTTA HERE!” “YEAH!” They grabbed their stuff and hastily beat it, running down the road towards the distant FEMA camp. They didn’t stop running until Colton abruptly grabbed Eric, stopping them both. He pointed at a parked jeep and snapped his fingers a couple times. Eric nodded and they ran over to the vehicle. They clambered into the back and looked around the woods, wild-eyed and breathing hard. “God,” Eric said, still loud, but no longer shouting to hear himself. “That was terrible!” “Great job!” Colton grasped his shoulder. “We would have been dead if it weren’t for your shooting.” “Thanks!” Eric grimaced and flexed his wrist. “Christ that thing had kick… I hope I didn’t break anything.” “That would suck ass.” Colton let out a shaky laugh. “Just imagine; you survive two mutants, only to die of like, a broken bone infection.” Eric glared at Colton. “Not funny Colt, not funny.” “Sorry,” Colton let out a long breath. “Got the jitters.” “Yeah.” They sat in silence for a moment, calming down. “Right,” Colton stood up in the back of the jeep. “This thing is really close to the road. If we push it over there, we can ride down the mountain.” “Know how to do that?” “Uh.” Colton rubbed the back of his neck. “Throw it in neutral and push?” He shook his head. “No way we can get this thing running. But at least we can ride it for a while.” “Seems legit.” Eric looked around. “Think there are any more?” “I hope not.” Colton flashed an edgy grin. “But we’ll kill ‘em if they are here.” “Right,” Eric said, drawing from his friend’s bravado. “Right!” He stood. “We keep the pistol, by the way. In case we find ammo.” “Or, ah,” Colton paused for a moment. “We can pull an I’m Alive if we’re threatened.” Eric nodded. They had both played the videogame, so he knew what Colton was talking about. They dropped their gear in the jeep and got out. Colton picked up a rock and smashed it through the window. He took off his shirt and wrapped it around his forearm, clearing the remaining glass. He forced the door open and swept away the glass that was on the seat inside. “Oh good, it’s stick.” “That matter?” “No, but it’s what mom preferred.” Colton stopped for a moment before shaking his head. “Sorry.” He changed to neutral and disengaged the emergency brake. “Alright, push time.” They got in front of the jeep and began pushing. It was incredibly strenuous, and their muscles were stretched taught under their skin, but very slowly, the jeep began to move

8

backwards. Grunting, they pushed the jeep out into the middle of the road. Colton and Eric stared at the vehicle, panting. Eventually, they straightened and turned to face each other with a tired look. “Alright. Who gets to steer?” “Me.” Eric looked at Colton. “You’re wearing shorts.” “S0?” “I am disgusting,” Eric said, smacking his dark jeans. “I’m sweating so much man.” “Yeah and whose fault is that?” Colton jabbed a finger. “It’s yours, that’s the answer.” “Fine, make me play my trump card.” Eric pointed towards the ranger station. “Who shot the muties?” Colton threw up his hands and moved to the back of the jeep. “You just had to bring that up. Also! For the record you only shot one.” “Whatever. You wouldn’t have gotten the other one without me.” Eric hopped in the driver’s seat and twisted the wheel to one side. The tires turned and Colton began pushing against the jeep. It nudged forward but then stopped moving. With a sigh, Eric got out and began pushing the frame right next to the door. The jeep began moving forward, turning towards the downward slope of the mountain. “Whoo!” Eric shouted, as the jeep began to move on its own. “… Shit!” He shouted, realizing no one was in it. He ran forward and caught onto the car frame, hauling himself inside. Eric hit the brakes gently and Colton hopped in the back. Eric eased off the break and the jeep began to roll forwards. He looked over his shoulder and saw Colton give him a thumbs-up and a grin. Eric flashed a smile back, then turned his attention to the road. THE TWO FRIENDS HAD SPENT TWO DAYS TRAVELLING. This time could have been cut much shorter, but several bridges had either collapsed or been blocked off. There had been several times when they had to slow their progress for fear of mutant attacks. But the MRE’s they had taken had fueled them and there had been plenty of creeks nearby to drink from. And so it was that Colton and Eric found themselves walking into the small town of Murphy, hijacked jeep left far behind them at the base of a mountain several mountains back. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and they were beginning to feel the weight of their backpacks. The lush greenery that they had been travelling through was beginning to thin out, replaced by weeds growing through cracked asphalt and low bushes creeping onto the roads. The air was hot and humid and gnats buzzed constantly. The clear blue sky above was scudded with white clouds, the occasional hawk or vulture casting a shadow above. Abandoned cars could be seen frequently along the side of the road. Although, abandoned might not have been the best term. The ripe corpses inside could be seen- and smelled- very clearly. “I’m telling you man,” Colton said, stepping over a scrap of plastic. “Shorts are the way to go.” “Yeah sure, but they aren’t combat effective.” “As opposed to what, your jeans?”

9

“Yeah.” Eric tapped a pant leg with his machete. “This is will definitely save me at some point. You can’t bite through jeans, muties probably won’t be able to scratch me as easily either.” “True, but you said it the other day: you sweat like a pig in those.” Colton did a sort of skip. “I feel cool and refreshed!” “You won’t be gloating whenever you get your leg cut open on some barbed wire.” “Yeah, right.” Colton rolled his eyes. “When will I be hopping a fence?” “You never know, man.” They stopped at an intersection, which was mostly empty, save for a massive car pileup blocking one road, and a large sign propped up. It was made from wood and several car doors, with thick white letters sloppily painted on. It read: Survivors ahead. Welcome to Murphy. The two friends looked at each other. “Well?” Eric scratched at his not-quite-adult facial hair. “Sign looks old.” “Yes it does.” “Survivors aren’t necessarily good.” Eric cocked his head. “Remind me again why we’re heading to the FEMA camp.” “Chances are that there will be some good supplies there.” Colton paused. “And there might be directions to more camps, or a city that’s still working or something.” “Valid. So we still go to FEMA.” “But… we don’t go through Murphy.” “Correct.” Eric rubbed the back of his neck. “It’ll be safer that way. And if we don’t turn up anything at the FEMA camp, we can always head back, right?” “Yeah.” Colton nodded. They turned away from the road the sign was pointing to and clambered across the massive car pile-up, begin careful not to slip. Rust and cuts did not mix well. They walked down a gentle sloping road, heading towards another intersection that was surrounded by several decrepit fast-food restaurants and gas stations. Colton and Eric stopped in front of a faded gas station, looking inside the mostly intact shop. “Scavenge?” “Yup.” Eric glanced around. “I got it this time.” “Cool.” Colton tossed him the flashlight they had looted. “In case there’s a back room or something.” “Thanks.” Colton gestured towards a set of cars. “I’m gonna check these out.” “Watch your six.” Eric said, before disappearing into the store. Almost all the inventor had been cleared out, but he managed to loot the occasional strip of jerky or candybar. In the apocalypse, you take what you can get. Eric stopped in front of a door marked: Employees Only. He cracked his neck, backed up, then kicked the door as hard as he could. It gave off a cracking noise, but held. He readied himself for another kick, but the door was suddenly thrown open. Eric stumbled backwards, finding himself face to face with two bearded men, one with a hatchet, the other with a revolver pointed straight at his face. Eric raised his hands, wide-eyed. Hatchet glanced around before jerking his head at Revolver. “Right!” Revolver said, emphasizing his words with jabs of his pistol. “Who’re you?”

10

“A survivor just like you,” Eric said, trying to calm them down. “Just looking for supplies.” He backed up slowly. “Let’s all calm down.” “Naw,” Revolver spat onto the floor, eyes shifting around rapidly. “I’ll st-stay how I like. Gimme your stuff!” “Ye!” Hatchet bobbed his head, bloodshot eyes skittering. “Frow your stuff ova dere!” Eric very slowly took off his pack and set it on the ground. He noticed Colton sneaking forward in the reflection of a cooler. Eric forced himself to look at the two men before him, who were obviously tweaking. He groaned mentally. It always seemed like the scum were the people who made it. “Ya stuff, now!” Eric nodded, studying the pistol intently. His eyes widened. “It’s not loaded!” He shouted. Before anyone could do anything, Colton leapt out of hiding and slashed his machete down. It lodged into Hatchet’s neck and shoulder with a sick thunk, sending a spray of blood into Colton’s face. Hatchet howled and shoved Colton into a shelf, which collapsed. Eric slapped the pistol to one side and drew his machete. Revolver growled and grabbed Eric by his wrist and throat, shoving him up against the wall. Eric tried to force the blade towards Revolver, but the bigger adult slammed his knee into Eric’s balls. He coughed and jerked, trying to break fee. Revolver abruptly shrieked and spun to one side, clutching the side of his head, which had turned to a red mess. Colton swung the hatchet at the drugged-out man, catching him in the temple with the back end of the hatchet. The man slammed into a shelf, making a series of pitiful and enraged noises. With a scream, Colton slammed the hatched into the back of Revolver head, viciously putting an end to his life. Breathing heavily, Colton turned to look at Eric, blood spattered against his face. “You… alright?” “Yeah…” Eric wheezed, doubled over. “Jesus,” he moaned. Colton nodded, then groaned as a gurgling noise could be heard not far off. He pushed himself off a wall and limped over to where Hatchet had dragged himself. Colton stopped to pick up his bloody machete, which the man had yanked out. Blood poured and spurted from the wound, and Hatchet was gurgling and crying. Colton heaved, then slashed the man’s throat, finishing the job. He turned away from the man and vomited- or he would have, if he had food in his stomach. Eric made his way over to Colton, wincing at the sight of the dead body. Eric was about to speak when he zeroed in on the nasty gouge in Colton’s leg. The wound was deep, and it already looked dirty. “Christ! Colton!” He pointed. “Yeah, yeah!” Colton sat down heavily on the floor, white-faced. “I know!” Eric tried to ignore the pain in his groin and hobbled to his pack, yanking out his spare shirt. He fumbled with his pocket knife before finally snapping it open and cutting up the shirt. He hurried over to Colton, tripping over one of the puddles of blood that had spread from the corpses. “How’d it happen?” He asked, dabbing at the wound. “Whenever that asshole shoved me into the metal shelf.” Colton sucked in a pained breath. “Dunno what did it- ah!” “Sorry!” Eric paused. “Shit! Where’s some water?”

11

“Dude we don’t have any!” “Shit, shit, shit!” Eric looked at Colton’s cut. “Dude, this thing is dirty.” “It’s either seal me up, or bleed.” Colton grimaced. “We can clean it later, come on!” “Right, right!” Eric tied the shirt around Colton’s wound as tightly as he could, then used up the rest of the shirt as well. Colton gasped whenever Eric finished tightening the knots on the make-shift bandage. When he was finished, he leaned back, chewing on his thumb nervously. He shook his head and stood up, cursing foully. “Colt, we gotta go.” “I know,” he managed. “I figure… we head up the road a ways…” “A good idea.” Eric ran back to his pack and shrugged it on, pausing to yank the hatchet out of the dead corpse. He had to swallow to prevent himself from being sick, then made his way back to Colton. “Let’s… Let’s hope those Murphy people don’t care about these guys.” Colton gripped Eric’s free hand and hauled himself upright, yelping with pain. “Ow, ow! And… ah, yeah, these guys are druggies for sure… but they might be with the surivors over there. Either way… we should head…” “Right.” Eric looked at him worriedly. “I’ll get your pack.” Colton nodded, limping forward. “Yeah, thanks.” The two survivors set out, casting furtive looks over their shoulders as they got further and further away from Murphy. COLTON HAD BEEN FINE THE FIRST DAY. They had cleaned his wound as best they could and had forged ahead, heading towards the FEMA center. Progress had been slower than usual, but he had managed to carry his own pack and hold of conversation. On the second day, he had worsened drastically, shivering during the head of the day and sweating excessively. Eric had forced them to stop and set up shop in a small house at the edge of the main road. He had set up Colton on a bed and had spent the rest of the day raiding other houses in the neighborhood for supplies. He had found a lot of water, some foods, but no medical supplies that he could use. And he knew he couldn’t run into town for fear that whatever survivors were there might kill him. But this day was the third day since Colton had gotten his leg injured and he seemed like he was only getting worse. Occasionally his body would seize up and he would cry out in pain. Other times, his head would loll about, staring listlessly at the walls of the dusty home. Eric stood in the doorway of the master bedroom, chewing on his thumb nervously. Colton was fairly calm at the moment, but was breathing shallow and quick. “To hell with it,” Eric snatched up the hatchet and the empty revolver. “Colt, I’m heading into town, there’s gotta be a pharmacy or something there. I’ll get you some antibiotics.” “Don’t…” Colton raised his head weakly. “It’sssdangerous.” “I’ll be careful.” Eric blinked rapidly. “J-just…” his voice broke. “Stay here. And don’t you dare think of leaving while I’m gone!” “You… gotit…” Colton mumbled, weakly raising a hand.

12

Eric nodded to himself several times, then turned sharply and ran out of the house. He had found some sports gear, and was using that. Light sneakers, a tank top, and running shorts. He needed to be fast and he needed to get back as quickly as possible. He jogged down the back-streets, avoiding the main road. He stopped behind an abandoned shop, wiping sweat from his brow. The sky was cloudy today, and although it was cooler, it was also a lot more humid. Cicadas chirped loudly around him, and wind blew through the vacant down. Eric crept forward and peered out from around the corner of the building. He didn’t see anyone. He advanced, darting across the street and hiding behind a dumpster. He spotted a pharmacy across the street and forced himself to stay calm. He made his way around back, behind a row of shops, and stopped at the edge. Once again, the coast was clear. Gripping his hatchet tightly, he ducked down low and ran across the open road, disappearing into the pharmacy as quickly as he could. He slid down behind a window on the inside, breathing heavily and listening for signs of pursuit. “Calm down… calm… down.” He took in a deep breath, then stood and slowly began to search the shop. Almost everything had been swept clean. There were the occasional cases of iron supplements or vitamins, left, but nothing else. Cursing, he shoved the vitamins into his sports bag. If nothing else, he could bring this back. He looked around and spotted a back door he had not seen before. It was locked. Eric was about to start attacking the door when he heard voices. Wide-eyed, he crawled away, hiding behind a shelf. He forced himself to calm down, until he was breathing almost silently. The two voices grew louder and he realized that they were coming into the pharmacy. He slowly slid backwards to the opposite end of the pharmacy, away from the doors. The main entrance to the pharmacy opened with a creak. “Just sayin’, I think it was a good idea hidin’ the supplies in here.” “Right,” the voice was deep. “Can’t have freaks like Ronnie and Devin stealin’ this stuff from the main camp.” “Yeah.” The two men paused and there was the jingle of keys. “Goddamn unbelievable that they were straight up murdered like that.” Eric almost let out a loud gasp at that, but he clapped a hand over his mouth. “That was messed up shit man. You see his head?” “Split open like a melon.” The higher voice sounded disgusted. “Whoever did that is a friggin’ monster.” There was the rattle of supplies in the storeroom and the conversation was muffled. Eric very slowly slid himself up into a sitting position. Very slowly and quietly, he took out the revolver and a jar of vitamins. As quietly as he could, he popped open the chamber and stuffed the vitamins in one end. He licked his lips and snapped the chamber back into place, peering at it critically. It looked like there was definitely something in there.

He muttered a quick plea to someone or something, then slowly stood up. The two men had their backs to him. One was white, one was black. They didn’t seem armed, but Eric spotted a baseball bat propped up against the counter of the pharmacy. Very, very quietly, he inched forward, keeping the gun levelled at the two men. Eric very reached down and moved the baseball bat away from the counter. It slipped and hit the ground with a clatter. The two men whirled around and stared at Eric.

13

“Ah!” He cocked the revolver. “Stay there.” He was glad his voice didn’t shake. “Hey, take it easy man.” The black man raised his hands non-threateningly and took a small step forward. “Point that thing somewhere else.” “No.” Eric blinked trying to contain his surging adrenaline. “Look, I’m reasonable, all I need is some medicine. Give me that and I swear I won’t hurt you.” The two men glanced at each other.

“How old are you?” The white guy asked. “None of your damn business!” Eric gestured with the gun. “Give me what I want, or

eat a bullet.” “Alright, alright.” The black man turned around and reached down. Eric watched him, tense. “Slowly!” He ordered. The man slowly straightened and turned around. He was holding a cardboard box. “This is where we have all our stuff.” “Put it on the counter.” The man slowly set down the box and took a step back. “You have what you want. Take it and go.” “Ah, ah!” Eric blinked rapidly. “Both of you, inside the closet. And set the keys down with the box!” “Are you kidding m-” The white man began. “Just do it, just do it.” The black man set the keys down and pulled them both back into the closet. “You want us to shut the door too?” “Please.” Eric grimaced. “Sorry about this, but I can’t afford to trust you.” “I understand.” The man pulled the door towards him. “But if I ever see you again, you’re dead.” “I understand.” Eric muttered. The two men closed the door and it locked into place. Eric breathed out a sigh of relief end lowered the heavy revolver, hand shaking. He set the pistol down on the table and picked up the box. He paused for a moment looking at the keys, then sighed. He shoved the box of medicine into his pack and left the revolver. He didn’t want to carry it anymore. Eric put the keys next to the revolver. “I’m leaving the keys here!” He said loudly. “So when someone comes to find you, you’ll be able to get out!” He ducked out of the pharmacy as quickly as he could, heart pounded. Eric ran straight into the woods, not caring about thorns or mutants. He stopped running and stood stock still, listening for signs of pursuit. There was silence. Then, a distant roaring noise. Eric tensed, ready to bold when- Droplets of rain began to fall down on him and soon the entire woods were echoing with the rustling of leaves as the roan poured down. Eric’s shoulders sagged and he slowly trudged forwards through the woods. He didn’t know how long it took him, but he eventually arrived on the other side, uninjured apart from some thorn bushes. He looked around, catching his bearings. He recognized one house- he had seen it yesterday while scavenging for supplies. Eric began to run towards where Colton was, long hair slicked down against his face. He cursed as he ran, realizing he had also left the hatchet back in the pharmacy. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. They had to hole up for the night, then move on tomorrow. If the survivors hadn’t been looking for them before, they sure as hell were now.

14

Eric arrived at the house utterly soaked, but still alive. He opened the door and shut it behind him, shoving a wardrobe into place, blocking them in. He withdrew the sopping cardboard box, hoping dreading what he might see when he entered the bedroom. Eric took a deep breath, then came into the room. Colton looked very still and white. A sob clutched at Eric’s throat. Colton twitched and rasied his head. “Oh… you’reback…” He mumbled. Eric let out a strained laugh. “Yeah! I am…” He set down the box on a table and took out the weak flashlight. “H-how are you?” “Just… great.” Colton waved a hand weakly. “Nev-verbeenbetta.” Eric forced another laugh. “Great to hear that!” He examined the labels on all of the plastic containers until he found one that read: Antibiotic. “Yes! Yes!” He ran over to Colton and tapped four of them out, dropping one on the floor and handing three to his friend. “Take these, quick.” “Water?” Eric reached down and picked up a jug he had filled. “It’s from a pond. But it was pretty clear.” “Ahrihgt.” Colton slurred, popping the pills in his mouth. Eric helped him swallow them, staring intently at his friend’s pale face. “Do… do you want something to eat?” “Nah,” Colton mumbled. “Nothungry…” Eric nodded several times, chewing on his thumb. “Right. Right.” He spent a small amount of time barricading them in the room, then settled down in a corner, eating all of the beef jerky and candybars they had looted from the gas station. He was suddenly incredibly tired. He moved over to the side of the bed, where Colton was. Colton was breathing peacefully. Eric let out a sigh of relief and crawled onto the bed, laying down next to him. Colton stirred and looked over at him. “What’s up?” “Nothing…” Eric smiled. “Just tired.” “Cool.” Colton shifted to one side. “There. More room.” “Thanks.” Eric paused. “Feeling better?” “Oh yeah… loads.” Colton said nothing for a long time. “Hey. Remember… back when we were on swim team?” Eric smiled. “Yeah. Why?” “I just…” Colton sniffed. “Been thinking about it.” He chuckled quietly. “R-Remember how we ah, took that shower together?” “Oh God,” Eric laughed. “Why would you bring that up?” Colton laughed, which turned into a wheeze. “It was… it was funny… All the guys…” “They thought we were gay or something.” Eric shook his head. “A good conversation we had in that shower, but I thought we agreed that showertalk stays in the shower.” “Well… the sky is showering right now…” “Colton you know it doesn’t work like that.” “Who’s… to say it works at all?” Eric shook his head with a smile. “You’re not making sense, man.” “Whatever.” Colton let out a long breath. “You’ve… you been a good friend, Eric… an- an I love you for that…” He paused. “Not… to be weird.”

15

Eric laughed. “I understand.” He was quiet for a long moment. “And for what it’s worth, I love you too, man.” Silence. “Colton?” Eric looked over at his sleeping friend and nodded. He settled down on his side of the bed and sighed, closing his eyes. Everything would turn out for the best. Everything would be fine. ERIC WOKE UP IN THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT. He sat up slowly and looked over at Colton, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He stared at the form for what felt like several minutes. Eric couldn’t tell if Colton was breathing or not. He leaned over and stared at his friend’s face. Colton’s eyes stared at the wall blankly, face white, and veins black. His mouth was parted slightly. Something hot spilled over Eric’s face. He sucked in a deep shaking breath and looked away. A sob escaped his throat and he drew his knees up to his chest, burring his head in-between his arms. He rocked back and forth slowly, as the dawn’s light slowly illuminated the corpse next to him. THE GAS MASK BUMPED AGAINST ERIC’S HIP, but he didn’t care very much. The thing was very light. He paused, halfway up the steep hill and looked back at the house where Col- where… where… Eric looked away and stared at the asphalt in front of him, feeling his chest seize up. The world seemed to spin around him for a moment before slowly coming back to normal. He sucked in a deep breath of air and continued hiking up the steep hill. He slowly passed a collapsed barn fenced in by faded white pickets and almost tripped over a scrap of metal in the road. His breathing was labored, but only part of it was due to the hill. His pack thumped against his back and the wet trees around him glistened in the light of the rising sun. Eric looked up and saw the top of the hill was close. He gritted his teeth and sped up, climbing to the top of it as quickly as he could. He reached the peak of the hill and stopped, staring up at the clear sky overhead. Insects were beginning to buzz and birds had started to sing and fly. It was going to be another hot, hot day. He squared his shoulders and looked ahead. The machete in his hand clattered to the ground. “Bastard.” He said flatly. Eric stood there for several more moments, then bent down and picked his machete back up. He shouldered his pack, then set off down the hill, heading towards the FEMA camp nestled in a large open field just off the road.