Chapter 07: A different perspective
A lot had happened till now, I still remember every thing like it had happened just now. From me waking up in the middle of the night with my mother waking me, screaming at me to get up while, a whole earthquake rocked our home.
Then after that how ms.Tania from next door eat my dad's ear off literally. My father yelling at me to get my mother and sister out of here but where? he never told me that. I had to figure out that myself for hours I took my family and ran to and from road to road, trying to use buildings as cover.
But eventually I across a middle aged man who told me come to his camp. Telling me that they had food and proper shelter. I was already worried about where to get food my family and I was afraid to step foot outside of my house.
So, hearing that offer I took him up on it and brought my family too. The camp had loads of people likely people in a similar situation to me. The camp did have food and shelter by barricading the roads with various vehicles and having people stand guard with firearms.
The camp was mainly located at a fairly large compound with metal fences, the compound was for a hardware shop or something. Most of the people were inside with some outside the compound with their own tents or a place to say. They were still certainly safe because John's people had cleared out a large area around the compound with the barricades I mentioned being at each end or close to the end of each street.
The compound was on the side of a fairly large street, there were a couple of building all around the compound. All in all it was a nice place but nothing comes for free in this world so I had to work to either to patrol, to find more resources,etc. There weren't many jobs for those who weren't talented or skilled enough just like in the old world.
But there was enough work to fill the belly. So, here I was trying to search for resources paranoid by the fact that there could be a zombie just itching to eat my guts. As each day passes these monsters were becoming better and better, from walking weirdly to moving like a predator.
They had become smart enough to ambush us too! I saw it with my own eyes. I had found a man in the house I was looting , I planned on taking him back to the camp before I saw him get snatched from behind and had his throat eaten out like a burger.
It was ..horrifying, I was barely holding on after seeing my father getting eaten but now I wasn't crying? why was it so? I had expected all the time that I was gonna piss my pants as soon as one zombie caught me but I only felt deep hatred for them.
While the zombie was distracted I had hit it on the head as hard as I could with my modified spiked baseball bat. splat
It lay there motionless on top of the other man's body. After seeing it not move did my anger lessen. I had looted what I could from the house and went back to the camp.
My experiences till now had definitely made my heart turn colder. My own family was getting scared from my attitude and were getting concerned for me. Seeing their fear, I knew I was doing something wrong but no matter how they view me. I had to become more colder, to protect them. I couldn't go back to being like before or else ..I would lose my part or worse all of my family.
But I didn't want them to be concerned or fearful of me, so I had to try and smile for them, my mother and sister. Here, I am now looting building with another man named Mike that had just come recently into the camp and was on the same duty as me.
He was a burly man, a big man carrying a sludge hammer. Unlike others he had a smile most of the time, I thought that he might've view the apocalypse as a second chance to start a new life. My opinion is still waiting to be corrected, seeing how happy is looting,running and fighting zombies. Well, it should be fine as long as he uses his enthusiasm for good.
Despite my thoughts, he is a joy to be around. Even if I can't show my feeling most of the time.
"Look Jake! I found another hammer! we can get another dude to join us!",yelling from across the street.
Although, he's bit of a muscle head.
"Shhhh! Do you want us to die!""Relax, We've already killed like fifteen zombies"<gesturing towards the carcasses that laid around us.< p>
"Yeah,BARELY.", we had spent hours on end running around like rabbits just because a certain someone couldn't sneak around quietly. Even though our-HIS actions had nearly cost us our lives, we had managed to gather a lot of resources.
"Anyway, Lets go back now. We've got enough stuff to make the people happy""You sure! we've got enough room for more!"
"YES! I'm sure besides I'm starving, aren't you?""On the matter of food, how could I decline!"
We spent going the time going back chatting well, mostly him but we definitely could afford to walk more carefree due to our people massacring the zombies around us. I didn't, but I could.
Anyway we passed by the guards at the barricade and the purple haired prick.
"I forgot about this punk", said Mike.
And I for one, didn't reject his opinion. I planned on quickly passing by-"I'm surprised you didn't die".
I stopped and planned on doing something that I may or may not regret but thankfully,"how about you mind your business",said Mike.
"I'm sorry, did I talk to you?""Well he certainly, didn't. You purple haired freak"
"WHO DO YOU YOUR THINK YOUR TALKING TO?!", yelled as he tried to approach Mike.
But before anything could happen, the other guard stepped in.
"ENOUGH! both of you!, Mike just go inside!", Mike grunted in response.
After passing, Mike and the pretty punk exchanged hostile glances. Getting a bit further,"YO! Alex, how about you put that purple b*tch on a tighter leash!""You wanna go!-""Enough!Just go already!".
Mike me a victorious glance to which I returned a happy nod. As we for closer to the compound-"JAKE! Your back!""Yes, I'm back". Hugging her tightly, I love my head to Mike to say "I'll meet you at dinner""sure",replies Mike with a upward nod
"Did you get something cool!""mhm I got a power bank""Oh my GOD! Can I keep it!?""sure"
"THANK YOU A BILLION!""haha your welcome, where's mom?"
"Cooking the food with the Aunt Teena and Marie, I'm gonna go now, okay see ya""wai-""I can't I gotta charge my phone", all I could do was smile as she left. My sister and my mother are the reason I'm still trying to survive.
And they are the reason I can't stop fighting zombies. Walking into the compound, I went and unloaded my haul over to Aisha,"JAKE! Glad to see you alive""hmm",with a nod.
"Got anything for me"" Here you go",I then proceeded to unload my bag of both scraps and rations but I kept some items for myself."that'll be all from me""Great! I'll update your credit score".
Credit. Its the lifeline here in the Camp, if you want food or other stuff. You'll need credit, it's kinda scary how quickly we've ditched money but I'm sad to know that even this credit system will get corrupted if long around enough but I don't have to worry about that now.
I went and set my bag down at me and my family's quarters, as I mentioned before the compound isn't the only habitable place the buildings were made secure too and are being used. I came back down from the building to the "cafeteria" and stood in line to get my food. Today they had potato soup .. a unique dish. It isn't fancy but when coming home after killing zombies all day, anything would taste heavenly.
I got some buns and bread along with my soup and went to sit on the stairs of the building right in front of the compound. The food was free technically but you still had to work, even in the camp either renovating,labour, cooking,etc.
"JAKE! there you are!", Mike said as he sat right beside me."oh yeah, John's calling for you me, Ashley told me"
"why?""I don't know", this was gonna be interesting. John is well a charismatic individual, I'm not ungrateful to the fact that he brought me here but that's pretty much it for my feelings for him. I quickly finished my food and waited for Mike to finish his.
Looking up at the sky the sun was setting down ,I took a deep breathe and exhaled. Its crazy how life changes so quick, one minute it's peaceful and the other its not.
We both left to go to meet John in the appliance store shop beside the compound.
"Ah Aiden, Mike, I hope your all right""you too, John",I only nodded in response.
"Take a seat on the couches. I called both of you to discuss what our plans should be going forward. We've thus far cleared out a pretty large area and secured it. We have about near a sixty people in the camp also with enough rations to last us about a week due to our frequent looting's. Putting aside the matter of our depleting resources we need to worry about the zombies".
My face stiffened up at the last hear," I see you realize it, too. As far as I know is that the zombie are getting better day by day, be it the fact that they know how to move properly and the fact that they've been spotted moving in groups. I'm certain both of ya'll know the danger our camp will face if one such group decides to come our way".
We both Grunted and nodded."I propose we come up with drills on how to act if such an event actually happens."
"you mean someone to lead the group away from the camp""So basically a sacrifice", Mike bluntly said.
" Well ..that's one way to see it but for the sake of our loved ones we have to be prepared to sacrifice ourselves but not all is last, there won't be a need to sacrifice ourselves if we prepare for the worst. So, I say it's best if we start practicing and secondly the more people that know how to fight the better then We also need to take start training others."
"And who would do the training?""Well, you all of course""Of course we do"
"Then if not you both then who?I'm certain you don't want Micheal to train them""HELL NO!",Mike yelled.
"Besides you all will be compensated firstly, by respect, secondly, by credits and much more!", I felt a headache coming already.
"Well Then it would be best If you warn the recruits of the dangers""So you doing it?",questioned Mike.
"I guess, are you not up for it?""Well ..it couldn't hurt, I guess",We both started to head on out.
"Excellent people! then I'll arrange the recruits. You two both have a good night now", opening the door for us.
"Good night!""Good night", I hope they don't die too quick. I seriously do.