10/27/09

Growing Up

The dead woman gnawed at the dog's bloated carcass. Maggots squirmed inside its guts. She chomped those down too. The craving for meat intensified with every chewy bite. She swallowed the last morsel of rotten flesh and walked towards the trailer.


Eddie watched in horror from the window. Sampson, his best friend and pet, died four days ago after being hit by a truck. The driver never stopped. The dog laid in the front yard rotting away ever since. Then today his mother went outside. It was the first time this week she left the bedroom. Eddie thought she was going to burying the dog because he couldn’t bear the idea of doing it himself. Instead, she started to eat Sampson.

Horrified, the kid ran to the front door and twisted the lock. He was only ten, nearly eleven since his birthday lingered in the month ahead, but he knew this situation with his mom was very, very wrong.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The sounds echoed in the trailer as fists pounded against the aluminum door. His mom's voice creaked out, "Eddie. Let me in.” A pause, then continued, “Come on Eddie. I'm soooo hungry. I need to eat."

The child’s young age showed on his frightened face. He curled up on the floor in ball. He felt safe this way, if only for a moment. Tears streamed down his face. All he wanted was his mother back to normal. He had been watching the television and his brain processed all the pieces together. Eddie realized the severity of the situation. Worse, he was now by himself. The feeling of safety disappeared.



News about the virus broke quick. It was first discovered a week ago. For the last two days it was the only item on the television. The government held the media hostage with the real information about the virus’s origin. People speculated. The results ran rapid, from terrorist attacks to infected animals to acts of God.

The US was under a pandemic alert. Quarantine was issued. Rural residents were to stay in their homes and wait for military assistance to bring them to the safe holding spots. For those living in the city, it was much of the same.

The warning didn't stop many people from fighting for survival. Stores were ravaged for supplies. Chaos erupted. People turned on each other. Martial law was now the norm.



Eddie didn't know what was worse - the constant pounding on the door or his mother's shrill voice. He finally had enough of both. The situation was unfair for a kid. It was unfair for anyone. His grieving ceased as the tears wiped away from his red eyes. He screamed at the thing outside the door, "GO AWAY!"

"I cant Eddie. So hungry. You need to feed me."

"JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"But I'm your mother Edward. And you will listen to me. Open the door right now."

The tone sounded just like his mom's. His hand rested on the doorknob as his heart gave in. Images from the television changed his mind. "I love you. But you are not my mother any more. You're dead." He moved back to the window for a better view.

Eddie was all alone. His father left years ago, never to return. None of his grandparents were still alive. His best friend had been eaten. His mother was dead. The time to fight for survival had come.



Janet kept slamming her fists against the door. A few memories of her past remained rattling inside her head. She knew the virus infected her. When death came, she went outside to protect her son. None of these facts mattered any more. The hunger pangs enslaved her and superseded every other thought. Feeding the organism inside her was the top priority. If she denied eating, the body would rot.

The dead thing stopped hitting the door. It sniffed the air for the smell of flesh. It needed a different strategy.



The virus killed. No exceptions. Usually within thirty-six hours.

About one hour after a person's death, the virus incubated. It took over the body causing the corpse to rise again. The only way to kill the incubated viral cells was complete destruction of the body. Fire seemed to be the best option.



Eddie eyes never left his former mother. He watched as it scuffled around to the other side of the trailer. Why, he thought? The backdoor? They always kept it locked. He grabbed the aluminum bat from his room and went to track it down.

As he cautiously walked down the narrow hallway, his heart thumped against his chest. He arrived at the backdoor. It was locked.

In his mother's bedroom, Eddie raised the curtains and peaked out the window. The woods were all he could see. Where did she go? The windows are too high up to get inside the trailer. He doubted if the dead thing gave up trying to capture him. A security check needed to be done.

He intently looked out the window again. All clear. Back down the hallway. All clear. The kitchen/dining room had windows on both sides. Checking the front, he saw the empty stairs leading to the front door and the Grand Am in the drive way. All clear. At the back windows more trees stood. All clear. These rooms opened up in the living room creating one rather large space. He checked the second set on windows in the front. He saw the same items from a different view, along with County Road 44.

The sun's reflected off of something, temporarily blinding him. He couldn’t make it the object. He shifted his body to another spot and located the source. The house keys were swinging from the door.

He glanced over at his bedroom. The door was closed. He had left it opened.

The grip on the bat tightened. Eddie inched closer to the room. He exhaled a deep breath. His hand reached for the handle. Before he could touch it, the door swung open. The boy’s eyes grew large and he froze.

She stared at the meat, salivating. "Hello boy," it said as fear filled the air.

Eddie broke from his paralyzed state. He swung the bat as it lunged towards him.

The dead thing took the impact. The force stopped the thing for an instant, but there wasn't much force behind the swing to do much good. It jumped on the kid.

They rolled around on the floor with his dead mother trying to take a bite from his body. He was already bigger than his petite mother and used every extra bit of weight. He connected with a punch and followed it with several more, enabling him to break free.

Eddie ran to the kitchen. He wanted to find the butcher's knife. He opened the fridge door, then the oven door, and anything else to buy a few extra precious seconds.



Not all humans were affected by the virus. A few showed immunities. Scientists were hard at work trying to pinpoint the reasons behind the immunities. They needed to create an anti-virus, but the disease was spreading too damn fast. Hope seemed futile.



The creature asked, "Why do you want to hurt me, son?" and slammed the fridge door shut. “I am still your mother.” It didn't notice the oven door and tripped. The thing's head smacked against the cold metal.

Eddie wasted no time. He grabbed the heavy oven rack and brought it down with all his might. Again and again. Blood sprayed across his face and poured from the dead thing's head. His mother’s head.

The creature spoke softly. Part of it still resembled his mother. "I'm sorry Eddie. I’m sorry I didn’t….” The voice trailed off to an inaudible level.

His eyes welled with emotion. "Me too Mom. I love you." Eddie came down with the final blow. The body twitched. He scooped it up and crammed it inside the oven. Surprised that entire body fit, he shut the door and locked it. The knob was turned all the way up. Sounds he never wanted to hear rang from inside.

Eddie scrubbed the blood from his face, turning his flesh red. He hoped the virus didn't infect him.

There was nothing for him here any longer. He shoved some clothes inside his backpack along with matches, knives, canned food, and water. He tried not to look at the oven.

With the backpack slung over his shoulder, he walked out the front door. He headed away from town thinking it might be a little safer. Maybe he could find a safety house or a military truck he’d saw on the news. And The Merrick’s lived down the road about a quarter of mile. Maybe he could stop there and check it out.

Eddie’s search for other survivors began.



THE END

 
 
copyright 2009
by Sean Kimmel 



10/14/09

Content


Jaded present moves towards future
Hollow on the inside
Complacency

Frontiers abound pass by unknown
Building layers of protection
Weakness

Experiences shuffled blindly aside
Locked inside your mind
Empty

copyright 2009
by Sean Kimmel