Zombies 5.1

By Asa Montreaux

At home with Nina, he felt a remarkable safety. It was scary being outside the grounds. He felt alienated from the world he used to know, by just how vicious the zombies seemed. He really didn’t want to be alone with them, and he hated that he had this duty to go and fight them.

When he spent time with her, he felt lonely inside, because he couldn’t share that maybe it was unsafe going out there. He had just to reassure everyone they would all be okay. It made him feel a little more happy that she seemed to believe the zombies would be out of our lives one day.

No one needed to know how unsafe he felt. That the zombies were coming into his nightmares. He hoped he wouldn’t start awake in the night, and then she would know that he was troubled, and that he was scared. He liked for her to feel safe, and if she couldn’t see he was reassured, he knew she would feel scared too.

He talked about what he was experiencing with his fellow soldiers. They said they had similar symptoms, but no one said they were going through what he was feeling. He was nervous. Maybe he should ask for exemption. He wondered if anyone had asked for one before.

I’ve never asked for one. Have you?

No, are you really feeling that bad? You hadn’t really described. I mean you had, but I thought you would be feeling better.

Why are you so hopeful. Aren’t you scared too?

I don’t not want to go out there without you. I was counting on you for moral support. I guess it isn’t necessary though.

No, it shouldn’t be. It’s just we had so few people. I wasn’t anyone that was right for this. I’m out there, and I on’y want to go home, and yet I’m waiting for them to allow me to. It was a whole week.

Well I mean some wars are years. What about those people.

This War is years, and I’m weary because what if it becomes like that? Look at how long we were in Afghansitan.

We didn’t know we were near the end of the world then. We wouldn’t learn anything about the consequences of our actions.

Listen, I just need you to be strong. You don’t need to be so scared. We discussed in the meeting that it is safe. safe as war can be. We need you. Eventually you would be chosen, soon you’ll have your chance to just be civilian. It will be okay.

This isn’t right. We can’t kill all them?

What else are we going to do? There is no cure. And you know the alternative.

I suppose so.

Or they’ll kill us. They’re not our friends.

No, I guess they are not our friends now. They’ve lost there souls.

I think they are all but perished. We have to make there existence easier for them.

Do you think zombies are in pain.

They sure are angry.

That’s what I like about this settlement. We are changed.

Eventually we all have to change. But not before it’s evolution.

We  are a stubborn species, and zombies seem to represent our worst forms.

Don’t we know it. Just make them the thing we need to be angry at. Life is far to short for us to be angry at ourselves.

I suppose.

You’re going to keep being my partner aren’t you.

I don’t really want for you to go out there without me. And besides.

What besides?

You’re a good exterminator.

I’ll kill em all for you.

You’d better. Or who’s here for Nina.

I’ll do my best. For you, for the community.

That’s probably the most altruistic motivation.

We’ll stay alive.

That too, perhaps.

*

The next week, they had to take there second excursion. Are you okay?

I’m okay. We’re leaving this morning.

I didn’t forget you’re leaving this morning. I was thinking about it all night.

Oh I see. Will you miss me while I’m gone?

Always, and I’ll be worried. I’ll pray for you every day.

Thank you. I promise we’ll come home okay, and you don’t have to worry.

They were anxious, listening to the latest statistics about the zombies. There were more of them even now. They were still expanding, though we were still learning effective strategies with the weapons. Soon, though, we’d been in an all out war against this emerging species.

In the strategy meeting, he listened closely, wanting to get it right for the future. He almost was prepared he thought when they shuffled into the truck, and started on there mission. The pack of zombies were just about all approachable now, though they didn’t necessarily have to exterminate each and every zombie in the second week.

Similar to the first excursion, they went a way without seeing any. He remembered when they first constructed the compound, they built it so far away from the packs of zombies they were seeing. You could hear the getting louder, but they seemed to roam in the same areas they used to.

The first pack they saw was the same size as the first excursion. The approached cautiously, and when they were given the orders, the exterminated it. He drove very near them, being careful not to let any of them grab on. They fell to the ground, without life, and they had succeeded in exterminating the pack without injuring themselves. It was thrilling, he thought, in spite of how nerve racking it was.

They continued on in the plains. Things were very desolate, not suggesting anything was alive, even the zombies. When they approached a new pack, he began to feel more intensely why he had been nervous. It was much bigger, and it seemed quite dangerous. But it wasn’t too big as that they were not instructed to approach, and when near, the Zombie pack became furious and lunged at the vehicle. He had to swerve further away, and they continued the attack from a farther distance.

It took a longer amount of there time surrounding the zombies, but eventually they were all killed, and with a sigh of relief they drove further into the empty plains.

That was scary.

It was close. I guess we won’t be able to circle as close.

I don’t think so. They were pretty evil.

Headquarters says maintain a similar perimeter, unless we encounter a much larger pack.

We have to be efficient or there’s a larger margin for error. They might learn a way to climb on with more time.

I’ll work on driving as well as I can. You can’t miss the chemicals.

No, that’s important I’d say. They seem to die more or less instantly. What is this stuff.

I don’t know. We know sort of what it is. We can only use so much of it or it would hurt us as well.

It shouldn’t be going into the atmosphere. If the packs get bigger maybe we should suggest a boundary limit. We shouldn’t be using it so close to the compound.

We’ll see how large the packs are. Here, they aren’t so big yet.

As we venture further and further into unknown territory.

It’s all very hostile now, it’s not the world we knew.

Could the animals have been infected?

They all died. If any are alive, maybe they were infected.

So no pets.

Pets would be inadvisable. It’d be interesting if there was something alive that we haven’t uncovered yet.

Mutant plants?

I guess we’d been interested in a living mammal, or maybe just a reptile. Anything alive would bring hope, I feel.

Pretty gruesome, the zombies destroy everything.

That’s why we have to stop them.

No, every time they’re running at us, I think I can kill them. They have no hearts.

Whatever they are, we never thought we’d kill so many of them.

I know, but they’re so many more.

In terms of percentages, we hardly have killed anything.

Don’t beckon them forth, I still feel a little shaken from the last encounter.

I can’t see anything.

I’ll say when I can see something.

Hopefully not soon.

I don’t see anything yet.

Where are we?

Where only an hour from base camp.

Have we been around the perimeter.

A fair amount. Were not sure how safe it is out there.

I thought we knew it’s very unsafe.

I know. I see something up ahead. It’s a large pack of them.

Oh my. There’s so many.

It’s not really much bigger than the last pack.

They say we’re approaching.

Have the weapon ready.

You’re almost near them.

I’m about to turn.

They’re dropping like last time.

They’re angry. They keep lunging at us.

I’ll have to pull off further. They’re getting so close.

There’s one trying to get on. He’s right outside.

I’m moving away, we’re almost at 90 degrees.

I think we have to abort. We can’t take this whole pack.

Alright. Command, we are aborting approach. One third of Zombie enemy eliminated. Too dangerous to continue attack.