The Family They Thought Was Crazy (A Zombie Novel)

The Towns Gates - Amara

We got the 3 groundskeepers equipped with knives from a local house. No way were they touching my babies. I had to teach them how to properly hold the knives as to not stab themselves to death.

I still had my in a holster on one side, my semi-automatic pistol attached to my other hip, my multiple knives in my boots, but the best weapon I had on me by far was the M-15 I carried in my hands. Dad let me take it since I would be on the outskirts of town trying to protect multiple people.

Me, an old man named Herb, a woman named Lucinda who insisted I called her Lucy, and a middle aged man named Colin. We made an odd, rag-tag team.

We quickly trudged along the path toward the Towns gates, we could see the sun slowly setting on the horizon. Technically the gates were the only viable entry source, unless a person wanted to hike up the steep sides.

When we arrived at the gates, the three swiftly started their task of shutting the old gates. They rushed to untangle the large chains hold the gates back against the iron fence. Once they unwrapped the chains and the gate was free, they pushed the gate shut, Lucy and Herb pushing one side while Colin pushed the other. Right as they were chaining the gates shut with a large lock keeping it closed from the inside, I heard it.

"Hurry up and finish that. I hear something coming. Hide" I hissed at them quietly, as if I could be heard by someone else.

When they finished, they stumbled as fast as they could into one of the few buildings that sat nearby. Right as they swung the door shut behind them, a car topped the hill in front of the town gates.

I squared my shoulders and held my gun with authority as they pulled to a stop.

Two young men got out of the front seats of the car, I saw the backseat open but it was quickly shut my the man on the drivers side as he shook his head no.

That's not suspicious at all.

The two boys warily approaches the gates with their eyes on me. They sized me up as I did the same to them. I could clearly see the outline of a gun on the passenger. It was in the front of his pants so no special training.

Either they weren't trying to look threatening with a gun or they were out of bullets for it, my guess is both.

"State your name and purpose of being here." I said with authority. Both of them looked at each other with amusement in their eyes.

I get that an 18 year old girl is hardly a frightening sight, but come on dudes.

I readjusted my gun and popped the chamber open just to let them know I had a loaded gun unlike them. Their faces went stony.

"I'm Noah and he's Montre." The driver said pointing to the passenger.

"Mhm. What about the person in the car?" I asked. Montre went stiff.

"She's none of your concern." he said stonily.

I let out a hearty laugh.

"I'm the one determining your fate right now so I suggest you be truthful." I told him.

"My little sister." He growled out with narrowed eyes.

I nodded my head, believing him.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked casually.

"We came to get in. We figured this was a safe place considering where it's at, our parents used to have a vacation house here when we were small over by Jefferson's Pond." Noah explained.

"Hmm." I mused while taking in his words.

"Look, you can have our gun, there aren't any bullets in it anyway. You can have my knife. You can handcuff us until you're sure we're safe to be around just please let us in. We've been running almost nonstop for 6 days now." Noah pleaded with large eyes.

I let out a large sigh. "The towns not really open right now, we have to keep outsiders out to ensure the safety of the people that are in." I explained. Noah let out a breath and I saw Montre's eyes get teary as he glanced behind him at the car.

"I wish I could let you in but I'm not supposed to." I further went on.

"We get it. Gotta protect your own." Montre said with a dry chuckle. The boys turned back toward their vehicle and I took a closer look inside of it. I saw a little head peaking in-between the seats.

"Wait!" I yelled to them and they turned around curiously. I let out a breath. I may or may not get in trouble for this.

"You guys can come in-" I was cut off by their cheering. "But you have to follow some rules." I finished. They both nodded profusely.

"First, give me all your weapons." I told them.

"Oh hell no. This sounds like a trap. Like she's trying to take our stuff." Montre said.

"Believe me, I don't need anything you have. Fine keep your knife but the gun most definite has to go. Slide it under the gate." I told him. He rolled his eyes but pulled out a glock 9 from his pants slowly and slid it under the gate toward me.

After that exchange was done I called back out the groundskeepers to open the gates and they did so grudgingly.

"You can pull your car in the gate but we're going back by foot. One of you pull it in and the other stay here." I told them.

Montre opened his mouth to protest but Noah shook his head and mumbled to him "Just carry her."

Montre went to pull the car in while Noah stood with me. When he'd parked the car he went around to the backseat and got out a little girl no older than 6.

The groundskeepers shut the gates once more and we walked back towards the community center. Me behind the new people and the groundskeepers behind me.

When we reached the center, it had cleared out some. My dad, the Mayor, and a few stragglers hung around. My dad narrowed his eyes at the newcomers then they slid to me.

I gave him a sheepish smile as we walked up to him and the Mayor.

"Before you start, I'm sorry but I just couldn't leave them there Dad." I said to him.

He ran a hand down his face. "But you could've." He told me.

"But that's not who I am." I shot back quickly.

"The girl is injured, it could be a bite." He gestured toward one of her legs that was concealed by sweatpants.

"It's not a bite I swear." Montre said while shaking his head profusely.

"I fell. The glass cut me." The little girl said weakly and adjusted in Montre's arms to pull up her pant leg.

I took a sharp intake of breath. She hadn't been bitten. There was a long gash on the side of her leg, but the worst part was that her leg was partially black from infection. She wasn't infected but she had an infection, and by the looks of it the only solution was amputation below the knee before it went too far up.

My dad studied it carefully before turning toward the Mayor. "Is the doctor in? Or any nurses?" He asked seriously.

Mayor Opal shook his head.

"We took the bitten people to the doctor and al his nurses were called in to help deal with them. They all got bit, and they all turned and bit their surviving patients." He explained how the community center became flooded with the double dead.

Imbeciles.

My father turned to me, "You have to do it." He told me.

"Do what?" Montre asked protectively while pulling his sister tightly into his chest.

"Amputate. The leg is dead. If she keeps that limb then she dies, if she gets rid of it then she can live." My dad explained harshly. I glanced at the girl and she looked too out of it the even comprehend what he's saying.

Montre locked his jaw and glanced down at his sister then looked back to my father and nodded his head.