Day One (Book 2): Choices

  DAY

  ONE

  CHOICES

  BOOK 2

  A novel

  By

  Michael McDonald

  http://www.facebook.com/fromdarknessroams

  This cannot be real…

  Someone once told me that the greatest mystery we will ever face is the mystery within. I never really gave that comment too much thought, after all, it was just a comment. Words can be powerful tools – easily used to hurt or grant mercy, although we mainly focus on the hurt part when we talk. All of that has changed now, as there’s no going back to who we once were. We made sure and certain of that. We are not perfect and unfortunately it is in our nature to destroy ourselves… that comment I have thought about daily. I have the time to think now… more than enough time to ponder those things I didn’t before.

  I keep thinking that this isn’t real. That it’s some lucid dream I am stuck within, unable to find my way out of or even wake from. Impossible or not, I am smart enough to know it is not a dream… this is our life now

  This is who we’ve become – who we were all along.

  And we watch it burn with expressionless faces.

  Chapter One.

  Lightning danced across the intrepid sky. The smell of rain flavored the blowing wind as it swept across a narrow window. A small figure rose in bed, terrified of the tempest outside. She wanted to go to her mother’s room and curl up next to her, but her head was on fire and she felt her stomach churning as if she would throw up at any moment. She tried several times to move only to find pain in her joints.

  The darkness encircled her, lit only by the powerful lights flickering above. She could feel the gut wrenching pain increase in her head and the tears began to fall. She was only five years old, not an older person that had experience with headaches of such magnitude. Just moving made the pain expand from intense to agonizing, and even though she tried to move anyway, she found herself sliding off the bed onto the carpeted floor. To her, in her current state, it might as well have been concrete and four stories up.

  She tried to move, but couldn’t.

  She tried to cry out, but her throat was dry and no sound escaped.

  She lay there on the floor, her breathing coming more rapid than normal. She had to work to get air into her lungs and that frightened her even more. Her little heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Her skin was hot and sweaty to the touch. The seconds passed by like hours. The pain was relentless. She shivered and convulsed, screaming silently as her mouth would let nothing escape. Her attempts at crawling to the door got her nowhere, as she was unable to move more than three feet before that pain was too great to handle. She gasped for breath and after only two minutes, the little girl of only five, drew her last breath.

  For forty some odd minutes, the storm grew closer and more savage until it was right over the house. Brighter lightning lit the interior of the house and the little girl’s body. Two narrow streams of blood exited her nostrils. Scurried down her cheeks and dropped to the carpet.

  The wind knocked a limb from the safety of a tree and it fell hitting the roof with great force. Thunder rumbled and shook the ground, as if it were expending its grief of the little girl’s death in one massive blow of emotion.

  From the darkness roamed a mother, woken by the storm. She looked at the amber glow of the alarm clock next to her side of the bed to see it was nearing midnight. Wiping the crusted sleep from the corner of her eyes, she slowly got out of bed and made her way through the darkness toward the bathroom.

  More lightning leapt across the sky. The thunder that followed was deafening.

  The young mother made her way through the darkness, once again, but this time she entered the kitchen and stopped at the refrigerator. She opened the door, although the bulb was broken, so no light jumped out to meet her. She opened the freezer door, which the light within worked and cast a dim gaze into the main fridge. She grabbed an open soda and began to chug on it, stopping once to catch her breath before finishing the can.

  Something creaked somewhere in the house and she stopped to spot its origin, however, the noise didn’t come again to which she moved to the trash can and deposited the can before returning to the fridge, the light from the freezer blocked the darkness around her, so she was unable to see the shadowed figure advancing upon her. The young mother shut both doors when she spotted something off to her left in the darkness. She turned in its direction and it attacked her.

  I raised my head from sleep suddenly to find I was far from that place. Far from that town and the events that had led me to where I was now. My mind had envisioned the thoughts in my dreams, persuading them to match what I had thought took place. There was no way to know the truth, I was certain of that, but it would take an entire lifetime to forget such things. This I knew.

  Johnny and Kember were both still asleep. The sun cast through the small window between our beds and I stretched a few times as I sat on the edge looking out at the soldiers who were going about their daily lives. They acted as if this were simply an exercise of some type, unbothered that the world just outside of those gates had fallen apart and there were things that would kill you for no reason, other than the fact that you were alive and they weren’t. How ironic is that?

  I wished it had been just a military exercise and nothing more. Even better, I wished that it was nothing more than a nightmare to which I would soon wake and find my wife safely beside me in bed, my step-daughter alive and well… and everyone else that had expired since all of this began. The reality of it was this: it wasn’t a dream of any sort, nor was it an exercise of any kind.

  It was real… all of it. The end of the world was here.

  In the hallway I moved into the latrine to find two immaculate sinks, two toilets separated by a matching divider behind tow flimsy stall doors, and two showers. This place was not somewhere I wanted to stay for an elongated amount of time, however, it did beat the SUV hands down, and with the showers alone I think I could find a way to assimilate myself just nicely.

  It took me seconds to undress and quickly step under the spray of the hot water. I was at a loss for words at this point in describing how good it felt to feel the weeks’ worth of grime slide off of my body and gather in the low tub at my feet. I wanted to just sit and allow the hot water to continue over me until I had had more than enough, although I didn’t. There was still much to do. I washed my body from head to toe, rinsed and got out.

  The thought of putting the same clothes back on over a clean body wasn’t my choice, but I had no change of clothes. All of my clothes, Kember’s clothes and countless guns and ammunition were still in the back of the SUV in the small town. Given the scope of the world at that time, I was a millionaire with what I had. Now I was nothing once again. I hated that feeling more than I hated the world falling apart.

  In the mess hall, I made sure no one was around and chased a painkiller with a small glass of orange juice before sitting at the small table with a plate of eggs, bacon, a few pieces of toast, and a cup of hot coffee. I took my time eating, trying to enjoy each bite of something other than cold junk food. I didn’t have to worry about saving some for Kember, as there was plenty for all of us, although I wasn’t actually sure who this was supposed to feed, I did set aside a few bites on my plate just in case.

  Ten minutes later, Johnny shuffled into the mess hall, looking like one of the dead with a towel wrapped around his waist and wet hair. He poured a cup of coffee and sat across from me.

  “I see you got a nice hot shower as well,” I said and then shoved a fork full of eggs into my mouth.

  “Hell yeah, I did,” he stated and took a sip of his coffee. A soothing expression poured ac
ross his face. “But I just couldn’t bring myself to put those nasty clothes back on.”

  “I don’t have any extras, so I really didn’t have a choice,” I replied.

  He got up and piled a few things onto a paper plate. “Maybe they’ll give us some clean ones, or at least wash the ones we have.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. For the moment all I cared about was the hot meal in front of me, the hot shower I had just taken, and the safety that watched over us the previous night. I watched him sit and begin eating without so much as saying another word. Apparently I wasn’t the only one that was hungry and enjoyed the few comforts we had at our disposal. My thoughts turned to our conversation the night before and our great plan to leave as quickly as we could. At that moment in time, still fresh with what had just happened I was sure it was the best choice of action for all of us, yet now as I sat here enjoying my meal I began to wonder if leaving was really such a good idea after all.

  I mean the comforts we had weren’t what I had at my house, but then again, those were comforts that were taken for granted before all of this happened. And those comforts really could not compare to the safety we now had. There were at least a hundred soldiers, if not more, not to mention the fact that they were all armed with assault rifles, machineguns, and countless other machines of death at their fingertips.

  I figured as long as we played ball with Andrews and stayed out of the way, we would be accepted into the fold without any problems. I had saved his life and that’s why we were even here to begin with… that and my house was swiftly being overrun with the undead.

  I turned to Johnny. “We’ve got a lot of good things going for us in this place.” I downed the rest of my orange juice and wiped my mouth with a paper towel. “Warm beds, hot showers, safety, and hot meals, just to mention a few.”

  Johnny halted the fork of eggs inches from his mouth and looked hard at me. “I bet Lloyd, Ashley, and let’s not forget about Devin, might disagree with you about that.”

  “You heard them tell her to stop multiple times, just like I did. These guys saw someone running at them and would not listen to their commands. What were they supposed to do?”

  He put the fork down. “Were you at the window with me?” He asked.

  I shook my head.

  “Did you see what they did to her even after they had figured out she wasn’t one of those things?” He didn’t give me the time to answer. “They executed her! They didn’t try to save her, they didn’t act the least bit concerned for her. They pointed their weapons at her and simply shot her down like it was nothing!” The anger was coming to the surface and he pushed the plate away. “The people outside, right now, are the ones that did that. Have you heard any of them say anything about Devin, because I sure haven’t? I also know for a fact that if you are detained for something, they have to let you go after a few hours if they have no evidence to charge you with anything. That’s basic rights we all have as U.S. citizens,” he stated with overwhelming passion.

  “I was simply making a comment based upon what…” Johnny cut me off.

  “No, you were assuming that. Assuming makes an ass out of you and me, which I won’t let happen. Assuming gets you killed, whereas, knowing keeps you alive. See the difference?” He asked and went back to eating.

  I shook my head again, angry that he had treated me like some stupid child. “It was merely an observation,” I said.

  “Well keep that stupid shit to yourself from now on,” he replied harshly.

  I stood and grabbed a few bananas, a drink box of juice and left.

  In the hallway I ran into Captain Andrews who asked how we had slept. I didn’t want to offend his hospitality in anyway and tell him that the bed was too small for Kember and I, as he didn’t have to give us anything to begin with. It was simply the generous person within him that had allowed us the comforts of home so far – comforts that could be taken away at any time – In the time it took me to open my mouth and begin to reply, he changed the course of the conversation and spoke before I could.

  “I never really got a chance to thank you for last night,” he stated.

  “You don’t have to, it was nothing.”

  “On the contrary, it was something. You don’t run into very many people that will put themselves in harm’s way to save a complete stranger, especially when that stranger wasn’t very friendly moments before.”

  I held out a hand to him and cleared my throat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was only thinking of my daughter. You were justifiable collateral damage from that.”

  He leaned against the wall and crossed both arms. “And you should have. She should be your first and only priority from now on.”

  “Trust me, she is,” I said in return and watched the smile form upon the man’s face.

  “How would a larger room, one with a bed big enough for you and your daughter, sound?” He asked me unexpectedly. “It’s the least I can do for what you did for me.”

  Amenities, like the ones he was now offering me, never came out of the goodness of ones heart for free. There was always the fine print or a price.

  “What’s the catch?” I asked hesitantly.

  “You can fight, when you have too. Not many people can keep a clear head when the bullets start flying, when all hell is breaking loose and be able to function… but you can,” he said.

  I knew it. There’s always a catch somewhere in the fine print. “Those things out there, whatever the hell they are, scare the ever-loving-shit out of me.”

  “But when push comes to shove, and your daughter’s life is at risk, they don’t seem to bother you much,” he added. “And this place is far from being secure, so if a dozen or so of those things found a way in here… well, I don’t have to spell it out for you, now do I?”

  And here I was thinking that the old world was screwed up, when in fact the new one made the latter look like a damn picnic. “So, what you’re basically saying is that as long as I fight for you, if they ever get in here, then I’ll have a place to lay my daughter’s head at night, food to eat and so on, right?”

  He nodded. “That’s one way to look at it.”

  “No. It’s the only way to look at it, or I’m stuck in that small room or until you decide to send us packing,” I stated. “Because if we cannot contribute in anyway or bring something to the table, then what good are we? Am I right so far?”

  He smiled as he patted me on the shoulder. “I knew you were a smart guy the moment I first saw you. When you’re ready, have one of the guards out front take you over to the supply department. They’ll get you set up with everything you’ll need and I’ll go see about getting you that room I promised.” He turned and walked away before I could do anything. I was simply speechless as to what I had just gotten myself into.

  I didn’t remember signing any paperwork to join the military in our haste to leave my overrun house; however, ten years ago the thought had crossed my mind. That was then… this is now.

  In our small room, Kember drank the juice box and chowed down on her bananas in bed. I watched her from the head of the bed, smiling as she made faces at me from time to time. I loved her beyond words and would do anything to keep her safe. Andrews may not have been right in a lot of the things he had said to me, but there was one thing he had been spot on about, and that was the remark he made about her being my only priority. That she was.

  Johnny came into the room, stopping at the door to look at me, asking silently if he was interrupting anything. I shook my head as I got off the bed and looked out the window at the soldiers. I was still angry with him for the way he had talked to me, as I was just trying to help. I wasn’t the leader of this little pack, I was far from it. Had never asked to be the man in charge, he could have that title for all I cared. All I was concerned with was ensuring my daughter’s safety.

  As I watched the soldier’s outside I pondered telling him what Andrews had offered me, yet his name had never come up in the conversation, which meant
that the deal wasn’t for him, but only Kember and I or he would speak to him alone about it later as he had done with me. Either way, if it was to be then it would happen, and given the anger that was still exposed from the mess hall, I contemplated the outcome of taking Andrews up on his offer no matter the outcome.

  I wasn’t part of his original group, I barely knew this guy. Knew nothing about what he did before the world fell apart and that wasn’t good. He could have been a criminal for all I knew, or a law abiding citizen. There was no way to know with absolute certainty, so I pushed it from my mind. My choices were made based upon her safety, not my own, and no one would make them for me.

  No matter how hard I tried though, even with the doubt of not knowing anything about him. He had put his life in danger to save my daughter, which bought a sense of loyalty, at least for a short amount of time. Diving deeper into thought, my eyes crossed something that made my blood boil.

  “Watch her,” I said, grabbing the SBR from under the bed and left.

  Johnny watched the door shut and looked at Kember who was looking at him. “And where is he off too, I wonder?”

  “Daddy,” Kember said holding a smashed banana end in her hand.

  Thirty seconds later, Johnny saw from the window as I passed through a small gate and passed several soldiers without a single one of them looking up or even noticing me. He thrust his eyes further ahead and saw a Huey helicopter sitting off by itself with three soldiers around it, laughing.

  From a small command tent, much closer to the helicopter, Andrews stepped out into the sunshine and saw me fast approaching. My body language spoke volume to him. The way I carried my weapon told him that something was about to happen, but he wasn’t sure if he’d like the outcome of it. “Now what is he up too?”

  I moved up to the chopper with the SBR in both hands and took a few good moments to stare at the rear of the aircraft. My mind was recalling the images of that day on the interstate and comparing them to what now sat before me. I was a perfect match.