“Immune
9-Humanity of the Dead-“
I had been trying to track the girls
for two days now. I left the group on the highway and set out to correct my
mistake. If anything happens to Sophia and Lizzy, I don’t think I can forgive
myself. There was a point where I thought I was getting close but the trail
went cold alongside a road. The girls must have been picked up by someone in a
car, which means they could be anywhere by now. I’ll stay out a few more days,
but I will have to get back to the group and tell them…tell Carol. No, perhaps
I can stay longer.
A male voice in the trees stopped my
musings. I immediately crouched in the woods. There were two males talking, I
couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. I caught words like “camp” and
“survivors” but the rest was garbled. I had to get closer, these men could have
very well came across the girls. Inching past the bush I ran across a clearing
to be closer to the road. The men never saw me and now I can clearly hear what
they were saying while they stood, guns unexpectedly at their sides.
“How much longer to we have to
patrol out here? I haven’t seen a single infected, I want to bash some heads
in.” The younger of the two spoke with zeal.
“Calm down, you know our orders. We
need to round up as many survivors as we can find. She might be one of them.”
The other with his belly starting to hang over his belt responded. She? Who was
she? I thought.
“I know we’re suppose to round them
up, but can we play with them too.?” The older one said with a leer on his
face. I already don’t like this guy.
“Sick man, sick. They look about 12
years old, really dude?” The younger man spoke again with more of a disgusted
look on his face.
“Why not? The human race has to go
on, that’s probably what they’re going to be used for anyway. I wouldn’t mind a
taste.” My hand on the hilt of my sword gripped tighter in anger. I wanted to
ripped this man’s head off. He’s talking about raping little girls for
procreation, I wanted to vomit. A truck pulled up just at that moment, it
stopped directly in front of the conversing men.
“We found another one. Take her
inside while we go back, I thought I saw another one in the woods but it looked
like the infected, I want to make sure.” A man inside the truck spoke. I looked
beyond them up the hill following the dirt road and could barely see and left
side of an encampment. Two little feet stepping down out of the truck grabbed
my attention. I looked up to see Lizzy staring wide eyed into space. Her clothes were ripped and dirty and mud
covered her face. Her eyes were deep inside, she didn’t look around with
childlike curiosity like she use to and a bloody handprint embellished the
front of her shirt. My heart hurt to see that look on her face.
In the time I was watching her, the
truck drove back down the dirt road and the two resumed talking until the older
man began talking to Lizzy which drew the most of my attention.
“Hi sweetie. What’s your name? You
want to come with me. Come one, we’ll play a game.” He said in a singsong voice
that sicken me. However, they were not heading up the hill towards their camp,
but instead further into the woods.
“Hey, where…we gotta take her in,
man.” The younger man spoke. “We will, in about an hour.” The older man smiled
and the younger man reluctantly followed. Heat rose up my face and I felt as if
my lungs wouldn’t work properly. I moved to follow, unseen by the men or Lizzy.
Once we were far enough from the road, I made a direct move towards them. The
older man caught sight of just as I swung my blade towards his head and cleaved
it in two. I kicked out to the right where the younger man was swinging his gun
up to me and knocked him against a tree. I quickly spun on my heel and sent his
head flying while his body slide to the ground. Lizzy didn’t make a move but
stood there staring at nothing.
“Lizzy? Lizzy, it’s Vanessa, honey
can you hear me?” Vacant eyes continued to stare back at me. “Lizzy, where’s
Sophia? Do you know where she went, was she with you?” Nothing. “Lizzy, please,
talk to me.” I gripped her shoulders and wanted to shake her, pinch her,
anything to get her to make a sound. The hand print of blood on her shirt was
small enough to be Sophia’s, I feared the child dead and Lizzy being witness to
it. I gathered her in my arms and hugged her, not getting the warm embrace
back. She felt small, cold, and lost in my arms.
It took a few days to make it back
to the highway. The camper was gone as well as the working trucks. On a car was
a few bottles of water and some supplies with letters scrawled on the
windshield in white. ‘Sophia, Lizzy stay here, we will come every day’ The
group must have left and still had hope in finding Sophia. I didn’t want to be
the one to tell them different. They couldn’t have gone far, not with the
camper engine and gas. The group has to be taking shelter someone close,
especially if they plan on returning to the car every day to look for Sophia and
Lizzy.
After a day of searching, I found a
farm in an open field. I spotted the camper parked near a tree instantly and
simply stood there in the shade not sure if I should go. I had Lizzy at least,
but to tell Carol that I think her daughter is dead? I’m not sure I’m up to
that. The walk to the home seemed like the longest in my life. Every step I
took echoed in my ears.
“Vanessa!” Glen yelled and I winced
when he did. The group began to converge on us. Lizzy stayed close behind me.
“You found them. She found them!”
“No Glen, I didn’t.” I spoke as
Carol forced her way to the front. There were a couple of new faces in the
group and I didn’t see Carl. “Carol…I’m sorry but….I didn’t….didn’t find
Sophia.”
“But Lizzy is here, you must have
found Sophia too.”
“They weren’t together. I found
Lizzy alone.” I had made a decision not to tell them of the men and the camp.
No need to worry them before I was able to find out about them for sure.
Besides, the idea that Sophia could be there with those monsters would be too
much for Carol. “Lizzy has been like this for days. She hasn’t said a single
word and…on her shirt….it could have been from Sophia.”
Rick brought Lizzy around me for a
closer look. She stared at him but made no move to resist. The dried blood of the
hand print still showed. “It’s small, the print.”
“No. No, if you didn’t find her she
could still be alive somewhere. She may be hurt. You sure you didn’t leave her?
You didn’t leave her…” Carol began to cry.
“No, I didn’t leave her. I searched
the surrounding woods for her and found nothing.”
“Of course, you have Lizzy, why
would you search hard enough for Sophia?” Carol said between sobs. I knew she was speaking out of frustration and
pain, but it still hurt to hear that.
“Carol…I tried…and…I’m sorry.” It was
all I managed to get out. Within an
hour, I managed to find out that Carl had been shot and was recovering in the
farm house that was owned by Hershel and his two daughters Beth and Maggie. A
sadden Patricia told me about recent losing her husband Otis in an attempt to
find medical supplies for Carl’s surgery. Also there was a young boy, Jimmy,
who seemed sweet on Beth. They had been virtually isolated on the farm and
haven’t had the misfortune of facing a horde of attacking zombies. I’m not quite
sure if that will prove to be an advantage or a hindrance.
“How is she?” Lori asked as I walked
outside to the group’s camp.
“She’s sleeping. She still hasn’t
said a word. She must have seen something…terrible.” I sat down on a stump
beside the campfire.
“Carol is a mess. She’s convinced
Sophia is still alive out there, but with Lizzy and that blood…I’m not so sure
anymore. I’m trying to keep my hopes up but with Carl…” Lori’s voice cracked.
“I’m trying to be strong but I just feel like….like I can’t hold on. But I need
to be strong, for Carl but I’m…”
“Only human.” I finished for her.
Lori seemed close to breaking. “I think Carl will make it. He’s from strong
stock.” I told her with a slight smile.
“Thank you, Vanessa. It just seems
like all of our humanity is being tested. As Carl fights for life, I wonder
what kind of life will he really have, you know. Is it better for him to die
peacefully in his sleep rather than live like….like this?” Lori motioned to the
surrounding camp. I knew where she was going with this line of thought. The
world is drastically different from the one we left. Children won’t have the
innocent upbringing they once did. Is it cruel to allow them to live this life
that could only end in a short brutal way? I thought of Sophia. Most likely she
was dead and Lizzy saw it. She must have suffered at the end. Should I end it
for Lizzy too, and Carl?
“No.” I said aloud and Lori looked
at me with tears in her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking and the answer is
no. The world has changed but we haven’t. Life means even more now than ever
before. Every life we bring into the world, raise up, and save is precious.”
Lori may or may not have believed me, but I did.
To be
continued…….
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