Rise: An Apocalypse Story

chapter two

I sit in a fold-out, blood-stained, metal chair around a small bonfire we set up. I've gotten to know the people here a little. I'm still wary of them, but I think they're decent. The past week has been a blur, but I'm happy for the first time in a long time.

Dwayne, the guy I rode here with, is sitting to my left, eating what's left of his frog leg. To my right is Cade, an eight year boy, who's parents are right beside him, Kathy and George. To their left is Stan, an old trucker, talking about his days in the army. Beside him are Ryan and Derek (Ryan's good friend), who are talking under their breath to each other. They know something. I can tell. And it's not good.

Chance sharpens his knife beside them, his shaggy, overgrown hair blocking his face. Madi and Candice, two college sorority sisters, bicker over boys at their old college. I honestly can't stand them.

Dwayne looks at me with a smile.

"They're gonna notice if you keep looking at them like that," he whispers to me.

"I don't know what your talking about," I reply, looking away from them and at the crackling fire in front of me.

"Look, everybody thinks they're annoying. You just gotta get used to it," he says silently, leaning back against his chair.

"I don't do well with annoying people. I'm sure you've noticed," I tell him.

We both laugh and I throw the bone from my frog leg into the fire in front of me. I'm glad I have someone to hang out with here. We understand each other.

The group talks for awhile about dead friends and fond memories of our families. I don't interject anything. I try to keep my personal life to myself.

A scream echoes through the trailer park. We all jump up and look towards where it came from.

Madi, who had just left to go to bed, had a dead one on top of her, biting into her neck. Behind them was a hoard of the living dead.

Candice screams for her best friend.

"Let's go!" Ryan yells at us, running towards one of the R.V.'s.

Chance grabs Candice, who is frozen in terror and Dwayne and I sprint onto one of the R.V.'s. George and Kathy rush into the van with us, carrying Cade along with him. He's crying in fear and his mother holds him close to her. Stan hops in and slams the door behind him, just in time to slice of the dead one's hand that was trying to enter the van.

Dwayne gives the hand a disgusted look and picks it up quickly, throwing it into the garbage. Stan takes the driver's seat and drives us out of there, running over about twenty of the dead on his way out. Behind us, the dead start to walk into the bonfire. Instead of dying, they just continue walking.

Dead people walking around on fire. That's something I thought I'd never see.