Whew got this done. This is more dialogue heavy than my other entry. I hope you enjoy. PS this is meant to be a second of three: the Beginning, this is the Middle and then the third one is the End
Word Count: 3,005

“Claire, it’s almost noon. Time to wake up.”
“…snore”
“Claire c’mon honey.” A strong hand gently shakes her shoulder.
The curtains are pulled apart letting in a blinding ray of warmth. The smell of charcoal, grass and pure clean air sneak into the room through the second story window. But it was the barbecue that woke her up.


“It’s so c-cold in here.”
“I can’t believe the freezer can still be so cold after the power has been out for so long.”
“It’s the steel and tile walling, very thick to keep the cold in and everything else out.”
“Once things get cooler, we can light a fire and cook a piece of these racks.”
“Clay, I’m going outside to check for infected.”
The two men, Clay and Ryan, both pull at the steel bar to slide open the door enough for one to leave.
Ryan is a lawyer from higher society in New York who came down here for a vacation and some soul searching. The once Boy Scout knows his manners. Sliding the door behind him is Clay, a bulky and hard veteran; once a famous football player. “I need to look into finding a way to set the temperature.” And he too leaves. Beth holds Claire close to her. The four of them took refuge inside a large and messy supermarket. In the far back, the freezer has been chosen as the safest place owing to the heavy and thick door that seals the meat locker. The power has been out for several days, the automatic systems failing after no maintenance for almost several months.
Beth is a beautiful university senior studying to be a doctor when she managed to hole up in the dormitory during the early panic. Claire, at seventeen, is the youngest in the group when she found Ryan and Beth while wondering through suburbia. These would be their final days.


“Hey babe, good morning.” A kiss on the cheek.
“Morning Dad. How’s the barbecue?”
“HA! You need to go play with your brothers so you can wake up, its twelve forty-two and how is my barbecue EVER bad?”
“Whatever Dad.”
“Go tell those buttheads to keep from the woods; it’s dangerous to go too far into there.”
“Okay and I’m having some friends over later too.”
“Great, more jobless but demanding young adults too feed.”
He flips a few ribs over on the grill, while Mom and Auntie help carry food out to the tables. As Claire nears the boys she calls to them.
“Hey you buttheads, get over here. Jonathan your Mom needs to give you your medicine. What’s THAT!?”


“Claire, you find anything?”
“No, nothing Beth. Place is pretty empty, I guess most of them are farther into the city.”
“Anything here?” Ryan walks up carrying a half full trash bag.
“Claire and I found nothing useful out here.”
“I’m worried, guys. The infected are probably in the city but sooner or later they’ll come out here. I’ve seen them attack wildlife and well…” The two of them look to where Claire was pointing with her stick. Short off half a mile is a section of dense forest. And past it is the city skyline.
“Oy!”
“That was Clay, where is he?”
“Over near the front parking lot.”
Dotting here and there were several abandoned cars, from minivans to convertibles. Clay was checking each one for any supplies, breaking through the windows with a crowbar. Never any keys for the ignition, they are probably on the bodies that owned them. Clay was leaning against an old model of sedan, from the looks of the shape it was worn and obviously passed through several owners.
“Check it out.” He taps the window with the crowbar.
“What is it?” On the inside surface of the window a pair of little hands were pressed against it in mid-downward slide. A little seven, maybe eight, year old boy, or girl, was locked inside the sedan. The window was opened just a slit to let air in.
“Oh Shit.” The face and flesh on the head were peeling from the intense heat. It smelled atrocious and fluids coat and discolor the seats.
“That’s not all.” Clay leans closer to the door and lightly blows into the slit. Immediately the grotesque head lifted and plastered its decayed face against the window, the little hands instantly begin to paw; tissue is starting to smear from the rubbing. It begins to growl and gurgle as it pounds against the door. The glass cracks, each branch stretches and grow with each slam, the door was coming apart.
“C’mon Clay please kill it.”
“Hold on.” The rest stand back while Clay prepares to stab. One last time the skull slams into the glass and Clay impales it through the only other eye. What’s left of the face sags and droops.
Beth couldn’t stomach the scene, and ran back to the market.
Silent, Claire knew that it looked familiar and couldn’t keep the sweat and tears from flowing.
“Next time Clay, just kill it. No need to mess around, alright? C’mon Claire lets go.” Clay could only chuckle as Ryan pulls her away.


“Eww, you lil’freaks. Don’t touch it.”
“What is it?”
“Looks like some dead animal.”
“Claire, it looks like a dog.”
“Shit, that stinks. Go. Go back home and tell Daddy.”
“Oooh, you cussed.”
“GO!” The thing really did look like a dog, but something really was hungry and never got to finish its meal.
“-nd then Claire said ‘Shit’.”
“Claire what is this, the boys are talking about?”
“There’s some carcass in the woods the boys found.” She shivers.
“Okay, show me. Sue! Call animal control! Sis, can you look over the boys?”
“Sure thing, come on boys let’s go inside. Jonathan, have you taken your medicine yet? You look so pale and cold.”
Going back and seeing the corpse again proved that it wasn’t just her imagination. She doesn’t know whether to feel good or bad seeing it still there. Her father covers his mouth and nose and leans in to see.
“Don’t touch it Dad.” He didn’t hear her.
“Oh my god. Claire don’t look, go home and tell Mom to call the police too.
“What? Why?” She leans over her dad’s shoulder.
“Claire! No!” Sticking between the exposed ribs of the dog is the obvious form of a human hand with a few fingers nipped and missing.


“Move!”
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.”
“Ryan hurry up!” The wavering masses of black dark shadows behind Ryan become larger and thicker.
“Clay hold on! He’s still out there.”
“… I’m just prepping the door! We can’t leave it all the way open!”
“Close it, close it, close it!” The heavy door slams shut. Ryan is out of breath from his sprint. The faster ones are already knocking.
“Okay we just have to hold out now. We have all the things we’ll need here.”
“Right.” They were locked in now. Trapped. Until one or the other dies out.


“Hey guys.” She runs over to hug her friends. “Glad you guys can make it.”
“Of course, it’s summer anyways and it’s boring. Hold on I need to help Richard out.”
“Oh my god! Richard what happened to you?” His hand is bandaged up. A part of the gauze is clearly tainted red.
“Don’t worry about him, he’s just doped up.”
“Right… I was walking to Jennifer’s house this morning when a damn dog ran up and bit me. Fucked me up bad before the owner could pull him off. I just came back from the hospital, no rabies or anything.”
“Are you sure you should be moving about then?”
“C’mon Claire, don’t worry about. I feel just fine. I couldn’t miss this party for anything.”
“Alright, let’s go inside. I have something to tell you guys about; we found this thing in the forest…”


“Claire, get down!” Just as they duck and turn a corner a bullet breaks a jar of tomato sauce.
Another bullet fires. Some of the infected are still dotting the landscape and a few are dragging along in the super market. At the end of the aisle, Clay smacks one in the head with a crow bar.
“Come on Claire. Beth you know what happened to Ryan was an accident. Come one. You guys need me.” Beth whispers to Claire “We need to run to the west wing, there are no windows so it’s darker there. Hold on tight and keep low. Okay? Go!”


“Bob, you hear what happened to Dick?”
“Yea, they packed up their things and left on vacation I think.”
“Doesn’t your daughter go to the same college as Samantha?”
“Yea, she said that Samantha is staying at the dorm and her sister, Morgan, is also staying behind. Actually I heard that Morgan recommended that they leave, I think she paid for it too.”
“Ha, I wish my daughter can send me on vacation.” Behind him Claire walks up with a beer in hand.
“Here’s your beer Dad. I wouldn’t want you to leave because I LOVE you SO much.” They both crack a smile.
“Thanks hon.” Claire leaves her father and neighbor’s conversation and heads inside the house. Her friends are in a room to themselves as younger kids continue to splash in the pool.
“Richard. You don’t look alright.”
“I do feel a little bit under the weather, and my hand itches like hell. Anyways it’s probably your neighbor’s food.” Richard bends over away from the group and pretends to throw up.
“Look someone’s leaving.” Outside on the front driveway Claire’s aunt is running across the street to Claire’s house and probably their car. The uncle is not far behind frantically talking into his cellphone. In her Aunt’s arms is the limp body of Jonathan, as pale as death.
Claire then recognizes the unmistakable sound of her father. Yelling.
“What’s going on?” The group hurries downstairs to look.
Outside in the back yard, three men have climbed the fence


“Ssshhh.” Both girls creep in the dark. They can hear gunfire, hopefully Clay won't keep the chase.
“Beth, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. We could wait here until it is safe to go out.” Suddenly something drops to the floor. And silence.
“Bet-“ Beth grips Claire’s mouth with a tight grip. Neither of them dropped anything.
Something with bare feet takes a step. Nothing takes a breath and Beth can feel Claire’s jaw shivering. Another step. The air is getting tight. Claire feels a bead of sweat streaming down her face. In the dark, something takes another step and steps out into view. Just a faint and barely visible profile. The girls stare straight at the figure, and hope it hasn’t seen them. The thing gurgles.
“Claire, get away!” And Beth grabs a hold of the man by the arms. The man leans over Beth with a wide open mouth and shifts all the weight causing them to fall down. She struggles and pushes as hard a she can but the strength is unbelievable. Beth uses her arm to cover her neck and takes a hard bite from the infected man. The pearly eyes seem to glow, with a layer of slime. No irises, but it stares at her without a blink. Even through the burst of her warm blood. The head pulls away, the bite wasn’t clean enough and strands of tissue stretch to a limit.
“Beth!” Claire kicks right into the ear of the bald man and leaves a dent in its head. “No, Claire. Go away!” The eyes fixate on Claire. With her other arm she lets go, and punches the man in the cheek breaking teeth and cutting up her knuckles. The soft sound of beat flesh. She kicks into his gut but the foot sinks into the body, pushing as hard as she can the foot presses and separates the hip from spine with a loud crack. The head bites again, into her wrist, and bones crunch. The pool of blood grows larger as the light dims.
Claire runs away and remembers again.


Her family and friends were being pinned down and jumped. Their bodies and head where beaten soft against the ground. Raving men and women attacking whoever alive and killing them with extreme violence. Relentless. To get away Claire runs out the front door before one of them can catch up. But they’re fast. Outside a small flood of people are running as fast as they can. But others can run faster, and they catch-up, grabbing with an arm a victim’s shoulder and pulling an innocent down to the ground. Grabbing the sides of their heads and ravaging it. Everyone screaming, the noise is mixed with sheer terror and hungry delight. A man with a shotgun panics and shoots at anything before a team of them devours him. Gunfire is sprayed all around. So many are dragging on the ground with their arms, clawing at anything. It is all out chaos. Claire runs across the street through the crowds shoving anyone in her way. One of the infected from the party chases Claire outside and latches onto another woman, his arms wrapped around her neck and head, bending over her gnawing furiously at her scalp. The door is locked and Claire frantically pulls out a key, she can’t stop shaking and then almost snaps the key twisting it to release the bolt. The door slams with full force into a bloodied face. She falls to the ground with tears streaming down her face; inside the screams continue to penetrate the walls. She runs to her room, locks the door, and smothers her ears while clinching shut her eyes, rocking back and forth in the corner. A summer dusk outside the window. The last rays of sunshine squeezed by the night and the warmth recedes into cold.


From her hiding place, Claire hears his footsteps. And the death, from a blow to the head, of another.
Clay shuffles a little bit and clicks the switch on a flashlight. Claire can see the beam shine very near her. He makes all of the noise with his boots. The man cocks his gun and an empty cartridge pings on the floor. Slow and steady the beam moves from left to right and back. He steps farther and stops a few feet from Claire. Clay kicks at a shelf and knock a bunch of kitchen ware to the ground. Death like silence follows.
In the room, must be the employee lounge, there are two doors; one to the market and the other as a back door for trash. On the other side of the room the knob squeaks as it turns and as it turns the light goes out. Sunlight in a golden ray washes into the room and for a second there was nothing but dust swirling in the air and then men. Men in black helmets, masks, elbow pads and with guns in hand, tactical flashlights beaming and laser sights slice the air, burst into the room and fan out. The sudden appearance stuns Clay and he reflexively covers his eyes. “He’s human.” One of the men without a mask on, steps forward. Handsome, his deep green eyes seem to shine, and he looks to be very compassionate by nature, but the blood he has seen and spilled is subtly painted on his face, it looks to pain him.
“Is there anyone else with you? Are you unharmed?”
“No, I’m all alone can you get those lights out of my face?”
“Put your hand down and let me see your eyes. Come you, stop squinting.” Clay does as he is told.
“Alright he’s clean. Ben and Jules look for anything that can help.”
“Wait!” Claire sticks her hands up in the air and slowly comes out.” Almost on instinct Clay pulls the gun on her looking furious. And just as fast, if not faster, the green-eyed soldier pulls his gun on him.
“What’s going on? You told me there was no one else.”
“I don’t know-”
“Don’t listen to him! He killed my friends in our group.”
“She’s a lying bitch.”
“He pushed a guy named Ryan into a group of infected to save himself. He’s a killer!”
“Bitch shut up! She’s lying.”
“It’s a witch!” All the attention turns to Beth when she comes up behind Clay. The soldiers turn off their lights but were too late when Clay could see her face. They quickly switch on the night vision when a sudden flash of light shines from the barrel of Clay’s gun. In the dark Claire hears the pounding of the flesh and quickly after the splash of blood and ripping. A few seconds of several concentrated bursts and the lights come back on. The green-eyed man puts a hand on Claire’s shoulder and pulls her with him towards the door; he blocks her view of the scene with his body as the rest search around. Outside the fresh air helps Claire to breathe easier.


“You know Jacob.”
“Captain Lyon.” Claire smiles.
“…Before she died Beth told me something. She wasn’t actually at the University during the first attacks, she was with her family. She watched as they get murdered and eaten while she ran away. She told me that her name really was Claire. And that she felt guilty for not being with them, for letting them die. And tha-” Her eyes were watering up.
“Claire. What she did was not wrong, there was nothing she could have done, she survived and if she stayed there and helped she wouldn’t have been here to save you. You wouldn’t be alive if she hadn’t done what she did. She did nothing wrong.”
“…”
“Come on, we need to get to work, we have a lot of people to move. Radio reports says that there is a city north of here that has been cleaned out. Everyone is going there. Let’s go” He started the jeep and they drove next to the highway followed by several motor homes, cars, trucks and vans.

I must say that's brilliant.

It held my attention fully and kept me captivated... And its 3AM so that's no small feat.

I definitely enjoy the way you tell the past and the present together, it adds that little something different into the mix and makes it all the more enjoyable to read.

Great work

__________________

Veiled Duality

Thank you thank you thank you