Restless

Moving Dayz

Charlie had set up his plan to escape. It was time to make some noise. He had set a line of fire crackers near the woods behind the house. It had a long line which he had just lit.

He also had a remote controlled car that he drove on the road. Charlie taped down the forward toggle and turned on the lights and sirens of the little car. It was small, but it was loud and flashy.

It would work as a nice diversion. As soon as the fire crackers started popping and the little car started moving, Charlie grabbed the rifle and motioned for Lydia to follow him.

Charlie grinned as he saw the dead ones chasing the little car down the street. It was going in the opposite direction that they would take. Charlie checked to see if there were any stragglers.

Seems like everyone was at their little party. All the dead ones in the area were bewildered by either the fire crackers, or the toy car. Charlie and Lydia left the house quietly and tried to keep hidden behind the bushes. The car was parked outside in the driveway. It was only a short distance from the door and Charlie was glad for that.

They rushed the last bit of distance to the car. Charlie never locked the car, which usually he would get reprimanded for, now was a blessing. Before Lydia could get in the passenger seat, a dead one shot out of the bushes towards her.

Charlie readied his gun and shot the dead one through the head. Lydia fell back from the sound and landed hard. The sound turned heads of the dead ones. They had to move fast. The dead ones abandoned the distractions and rushed towards them. There feet smacked the ground as they ran. The ones running in the lawns tore up flower beds and destroyed years of yard work. Charlie disengaged his thoughts from the dead ones, and focused on surviving. He slammed the door closed and jammed his key in the ignition.

He twisted it hard, and his heart fell when he heard it stall. It was an older car, a gift from his parents. Charlie was crestfallen, this may be the way he died.

"Come on!" shouted Lydia, "Do it again!" Charlie was shocked back from his inaction. How could he freeze up during the intensity of the escape? This was his plan and he wouldn't let it fail him. There was still enough time to escape the grips of death. Again he twisted the ignition.

With some whining, the car started.

Charlie grinned, but quickly lost face, when the first dead one careened into the car. It hit the vehicle with a loud thud and rocked the inhabitants. Charlie wrenched the stick shift into reverse and slammed the pedal down. The car shot backward into the road. Only then did Charlie notice that the window had been cracked.

Those things have an unearthly strength. It seemed that the virus that had infected them gave them supernatural strength in exchange for their fragile bodies. The dead one that had smashed itself into the car, now had a new broken jaw and arm to add to its repertoire of medical nuances.

Not to mention he was dead.

The dead one was only dazed for a moment and was quickly accompanied by his fellow dead ones.

They ran toward the car, but were not fast enough to catch it. Charlie had already changed the stick shift and began to drive away. The dead ones began to give chase, but were quickly out of sight. Charlie drove fast and only relaxed slightly when the last dead one was out of sight.

They can eat my dust, Charlie thought grimly. The road did not wind, it was narrow and cut straight across the landscape for a long way. This was bland, although it allowed for time to process what had happened.

There was silence in the car for about a mile. There was the occasional dead one walking, but they were either too far away, or too slow to run after them.

Charlie had to keep moving, but now that he realized his plan had worked, he had nowhere to go. He never planned farther than escaping the house. Where would they be safe?

Or at least, safer. Charlie decides that while supplies and weapons are were the people are, that would also be where the dead ones would be concentrated.

There were pros and cons of the urban and rural areas. The safety of the plains had food and supplies along the long run. If they could find a place, the land may be able to provide for them.

In the cities, everything came packaged for a quick grab, but the amount of dead ones could be enormous. Charlie did not know how long it would take to hit the major cities. If he made it before the virus hit hard then maybe they could resupply and double back to the countryside.

His thought were interrupted when Lydia spoke up. "Where do you plan on going? What could be safe?" Lydia asked worriedly.

"I was thinking about going to the city. We could resupply and get back to the countryside before the virus hits in full," Charlie said with an unwavering calm.

Lydia mulled this over for a moment. Her brow furrowed, deep in thought. She turned away for a moment. Charlie kept on driving. Charlie broke the silence once more saying, "I think the water has been contaminated. Remember the reservoir? I think the truck spilled something into it when it had crashed. We have a well so we weren't contaminated like others near us."

Lydia looked back at him and said, "I think you're right. I hope the city will be safe." Lydia was tired from a sleepless night.

The turn of events has taken its toll on her. She began to drift off to sleep, resting her head on the side door. Charlie noticed this out of the corner of his eye. He would keep her safe. No dead one was going to touch her.

"Over my dead body," he muttered under his breath. Lydia had already fallen asleep and shifted in her sleep. Charlie watched the road closely. The day wore on as Charlie drove off towards the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~