SurvivorZ: Grave Harbor

1

JANUARY – DAY 80

THE ONGOING NIGHTMARE

"When the shadows fall

Your back's against the wall

You must rise above it all

Escape from the night

See the burning skies

Feel the power inside

Only the strong will survive"

- Jack Starr's Burning Starr, Escape From The Night

CHARLIE

Charlie Lemann dreamt the world was ending.

He was thirteen again, standing on the pitcher's mound at the New Hampshire Minor League finals, with the game-winning ball in his glove. He knew it had to be a dream because his usual position on the team was shortstop. His best friend, Dave Redmond, always pitched.

Except that wasn't true anymore. Dave was already dead.

Charlie's reminder of this fact came casually, absent the shock and grief that used to accompany it. The memory of his childhood friend's excruciating demise from an infected zombie bite, months ago, now felt as though it had happened in another life; one far removed from sunlit outfields and crowds cheering from the stands. Since then, Charlie had stepped up to the mound to take his place, both in his dreams as well as in reality.

Charlie shook off the first two signals from the catcher. He wanted to wrap up the season with his best pitch, a wicked change-up that he could drop on a dime to the bottom of the strike zone. Since it took down most every batter who went up against it this season, it seemed fitting that it was the one to carry them through to the end. Finally, the catcher gave in and sent him the call he wanted.

He bounced back on his heels, assuming his pre-pitch stance. His fingertips slid over the ball, finding their proper grip behind the web of his glove. He studied the batter's anxious face through narrowed eyes.

A thick bead of nervous sweat poured down the boy's face. It was the top of the ninth. For the opposing team, everything was riding on this hit.

A breathless hush fell over the crowd. Everyone was waiting for the world to turn.

Unfortunately, it moved before he could.

He was about to start his wind up when the dirt under his sneakers began to shake. He planted his feet and glanced at his teammates. The first and third basemen were also gazing around with puzzled expressions. The catcher and umpire joined the batter in Confusionville. Everyone had forgotten their places in the game since the earth started trembling.

The rumbling intensified, joining the growing chorus of wailing car alarms from the parking lot. A few of the adults screamed and scrambled off the bleachers. If that wasn't enough to incite panic in the others, seeing one of the stadium lights come crashing down on left field in a blaze of electric fireworks finally did the trick.

Everywhere around him, people started running for their lives. Parents scooped up their families and raced for their cars, resulting in more than a few scraped doors and dented fenders. Horns honked. Tires squealed. The cacophony of utter chaos threatened to drown out the reverberations from the depths below.

Charlie watched his teammates flee. In seconds, he had the whole field to himself. The deserted bleachers jumped several inches off the ground and fell over backwards. Compared to that, his dusty vantage on the pitcher's mound seemed relatively serene.