No Place like Home: A Zombie ACRES Story

5:18

Gee still checks her watch often, knowing time has no meaning to them right now.

It doesn't matter if it's five in the morning or five at night -- either way I have to protect us both.

Alice walks into the kitchen, bright and cheery. She puts on a good act, but Gee knows better. The past couple days have been trying on the both of them. They have to be on alert at all times. Sure, Gee boarded the place up pretty well, but nobody is perfect and nothing is secure enough anymore.

"The incident just outside Seattle seems to be just an isolated incident, and we are being told that it is well under control."

"Why do you even watch that crap anymore?! All they broadcast are damn lies anyways."

"Alice, you need to calm down. If the government says it is under control, then they must have some sort of plan in place." Of course, this was a lie; and even though Gee does not expect her sister to believe her, it oddly makes Gee feel just a little better saying it. "And if we are ever going to have a chance to get your arm healed, you need to keep your stress down."

Another lie... This time, Gee hopes Alice believes her.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just so tired all the time, and realizing I'm up at five in the morning makes me even madder."

"Then go back to sleep."

"Back to sleep?! I barely slept as it is. Can you hear those things out there? Moaning all night long? It scares the shit outta me."

Gee did hear those things all night long... those zombies. Alice does not like to say the word and never really has, afraid that believing in them made them real. Gee, being more realistic about what has been happening, has come to grips with what they are dealing with. It's out there. We have zombies.

"Things? They have a name '" ZOMBIES!! They're real and the sooner you grow up and just start saying the word, the better off you'll be!!"

Gee storms out of the kitchen and sits in the living room. She knows she is wrong, and that she will have to apologize to Alice, but right now she just wants to be alone -- to scream... to jump up and down -- but she is strong -- she has to be.

For Alice.

"Roslun Global denies having anything to do with the Seattle outbreak, and the cause is still to be determined."

"'Cause they haven't fixed anything yet!!" Alice throws Gee's glass pipe at the television, breaking the pipe and almost knocking down the tiny, black and white television set from the fridge.

Gee rushes into the kitchen, worrying a zombie has gotten through a window. When she finds Alice sitting on the kitchen floor crying, she knows her little sister is not under attack from the monsters outside, but the ones from within. She walks over to Alice, noticing the pieces of her pipe all over the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Gee. I didn't mean for your pipe to break."

"No worries, lil' sis." Gee sits down next to Alice and puts her arm around her. "It's just a pipe. I think we have just few, slightly larger, problems to worry about right now." They both chuckle at the exaggerated sarcasm in Gee's voice.

It feels good to laugh. It happens far too rare these days.

This outbreak has been on for about a week and it seems to have spread faster than past ones. This fact has not escaped Gee's attention, and troubles her deep down. What if this outbreak is the Big One they keep talking about happening? The Final Outbreak?

I can't think like that. The news said it's isolated, so it must be.

"Why don't we get this mess cleaned up, and then go rummage through the attic some more and see what else we can find." Gee knows this will bring a smile to Alice's face. She loves digging through the former owners' boxes and chests. She calls it their treasure hunt.

After cleaning the glass up off the floor, Alice runs upstairs while Gee checks the doors and windows. With everything securely boarded up downstairs, she feels safe enough to go treasure hunting with Alice.

"Gee! Look what I found."

Gee barely ducks in time to avoid being hit by a copy of The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. "Sweet. Now I have something to read."

After digging around for awhile, Gee notices the sun coming through the windows and looks at her watch. It is pushing six-thirty. Normally she would be getting up and going to work, but not today. Now her routine consists of checking all the windows in the house, looking for any signs of life besides themselves out there.

The neighborhood looks like a ghost town now. During outbreaks, people are told to stay inside until it is over, though you always have those hunters ; but even they were nowhere to be seen. With the length of this outbreak so far, the girls just want to get out of danger and find normality again. That want ended when they realized this outbreak has spread further than just their neighborhood.

So inside they hide - out of view of the undead just on the other side of their walls. Just barely out of reach of the monsters that only want to consume their flesh. This became second nature surprisingly quickly. It had gotten to the point that as long as they kept themselves busy, they could almost forget why they were only using one candle at a time, and never near a window.

Daytime is the only chance Gee gets to check for any signs of rescue outside. The sun has turned her into Pavlov's dog. This is why she automatically walks to the attic window, and starts looking out for anything at all.

Just a couple of those things. We can make it if we run.

"Gee," Alice's voice snaps Gee out of her escape plan. Alice had gotten up and was walking towards her sister, holding something in her hands.

"Take a look at these." Alice sets down the photo albums she had found while Gee was looking for salvation. Gee starts crying instantly. Inside were photos of an elderly couple. They looked happy. Each photo digs a hole deeper into Gee's chest.

"Why are you cryin'?"

"They were happy. Before they ended up downstairs, they were happy."

"But you didn't know them. Why are you cryin'?"

Gee cries even harder at this. The innocence in her little sister's face just tears Gee up. She grabs Alice and hugs her, holding her tight to her chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too, but I can't breathe."

Gee chuckles and releases Alice. "Don't think this lets you off the hook for breaking my pipe, though."

As the day progressed, the sisters kept digging and playing, using any excuse they could to not face the terrible situation they were now in. Gee knows they have to get out of this house, but she is not sure how exactly. She knows her and Alice can make it past those things in the street, but what about the next street, and the street after that?

What about Alice?

With the sun setting, Gee knows their time to escape is running out. She knows the time has come.

"Alice, I need you to go back downstairs and pack up our stuff."

"Are we saved?"

"That's up to us. Now go. Please."

Alice obediently does as she is told. Gee runs out of the attic and into the elderly couple's bedroom tomb, which had been shut up and blocked since the girls' first night in the house. The putrid stench of death assaults Gee's senses, causing her to retch uncontrollably. Once she is able to compose herself, she quickly grabs the shotgun and searches for any ammo.

What gun owner doesn't have boxes of ammo?! One shot. Perfect.

Alice finishes gathering the last of the useful items as Gee walks into the living room, shotgun in hand. "What is that for?" Fear is felt on every word of Alice's question. "I mean... Are we... Will there..."

"Just in case. Are you ready?"

"Yea."

After checking for any zombie activity outside, Gee and Alice start taking the boards off the front door. The tension is thick, and lingering in the air. Both girls can feel it, and neither one likes it. As the last board comes down, they look at each other and steady their nerves as best they can.

"Are you ready?"

Unable to speak, Alice just nods. Gee turns the knob and the bright sunlight blinds them both. Slowly they inch out into the yard, allowing their eyes to adjust. Outside the yard, the girls run past a couple zombies shambling in the street. They run around a street corner and right into a small group of fresh zombies finishing a light meal.

With the zombies distracted for the moment, the girls sneak to the opposite side of the street, making sure to stay behind the eating zombies. Slowly, the girls inch across the street. Gee can feel her heart beating harder inside her chest with every step.

"Fuck!"

Alice falls in the middle road, screaming before she can stop herself. The zombies turn around, snarling at the fresh meals that have just wandered into their feeding area. Gee grabs Alice's arm and tries to pull her to her feet.

"Get up!" Gee grabs Alice under the arms this time, attempting to lift her to her feet. "We have to run!"

The hungry zombies are closing in, moving faster than either girl expected.

"Must have something to do with how soon they die. Let's get outta here."

"I'm trying, but I hurt."

"It's not that bad." Gee glances down at Alice's leg. "Barely even a scratch. Quit being a baby."

"Not my leg... My whole body... It hurts so bad, Gee."

With cold, grey eyes, Georgia Marie looks around. The situation is tight, and she knows this. There is no chance of carrying Alice ahead, past the oncoming zombies. They have no choice but back.

"Argh... Grrr..."

Gee whirls around just in time to see one of the zombies from around the corner walking up behind Alice.

"Alice!!"

Gee raises the shotgun, but not knowing how to shoot, she decides against risking her sister's life. As Gee stands there, too far away to help her sister, she watches the dead man wander up behind Alice. Sniffing the air, he walks right next to her, but his interest seems to wan since he quickly turns back towards Gee.

Confused, but grateful, Gee runs around the zombie. "Get up! You have to run through the pain. We have to get back to the house."

Alice gets up, and runs the best she can. The pain makes running full force hard, but she knows the alternative is a lot more painful. So through the pain she runs, fleeing for her life.

The street in front of the house is clear. The girls get inside and start boarding the door back up, knowing that this is going to be home, for at least a little while longer. Alice collapses on the ground. Her pain is obviously getting to be too much.

Gee kneels down and holds her younger sister. Together they weep, rocking and holding each other.

I can't do it. If it comes to it, I can't do it.

Read the other Zombie A.C.R.E.S. stories at ZombieACRES.com

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