Day 38

I spend much of the day looking through the local buildings that are near the testing facility we were in. It is a long process. I go into each building and check each floor. One at a time. Calling out to them. Opening countless doors. But there is no sign of them. There are several buildings still in use. Corporations still working on different projects or other companies doing things that I assume are meant to get them ahead during a zombie take over. It makes little sense to me, but then again, business always has. Other buildings are in use by charity organizations, rebels and rioters, or protesting headquarters. I ask questions about what's happened in the country, and ask about my wife, but they seem to be less informed than I am in the state of things, and have not seen two women and a baby.

I decide to go back and spend the last hour of daylight with Connor. I've checked the buildings with no sign of them and feel that I need to say goodbye to him, just in case. I bring a dinner that I stole. It's nothing like a chicken, but I am able to smuggle dry Ramen noodles and some juice. Connor's face lights up to the purple drink and asks if he can pour it. For a moment I feel like I am back at home, fighting him to let me pour the very full bottle of juice. I let him pour this one into the plastic cups we find in the building. I give him a hug before I go, and tell Josh not to try to find me if I don't come back and to take care of Connor. He wheezes an acknowledgement and I leave, saying goodbye one more time. Telling him I love him.

* * *

No one leaves. I don't know what I expected, car's leaving filled with people going home, the staff decreasing. But in a city like this, normal behavior is far from what it was less than two months ago. As I walk closer to the building, out of an alley way a man appears with a knife. I raise my rifle at him and just stare.

"It's cool, Man." He says, raising his hands. I notice he doesn't drop the knife.

"Leave it." I motion the rifle to his hand, pointing to the knife. He drops it and walks away. I grab the knife and throw it in a drain, lining the curb. There is a fence with barbed wire around it and a single whole of fallen down chain link where we had driven the hummer through. It has not been fixed. I walk across it, the rifle in front of me. It is dark and I am unable to see movement as I walk up to the building. There is a guard building and I look in it as I walk by it from a distance. No one is in it.

I run up and get to the entrance, or exit, that we had taken to get to the Hummer. There are lights on, some flickering, that light up the hallway with white neutrality. I do not hear any movement, however, I am still a ways away from where we were held. The rifle is in front of me as I walk and I sight down in. But still I see no one.

The halls that we were held in are now void of Chad's body, which I am grateful for, however there is still a large blood stain on the floor where he fell and a streak of blood for some feet, showing the direction he was dragged. I feel like throwing up. Not from the gore, but from the fact that what I am seeing was from Chad. A light flickers and I jump, turning towards the light. I remember then smashing the vile of blood on Doctor Grants skin. And I realize he could be in here.

One thing I've realized over these events are that the zombies are most deadly when alone. They are quiet and patient, it seems. They attack using surprise. It is when they are in a group that they become predictable and loud. I walk slowly, tuning around the hall, checking each and every door for any signs of them. On the second hall, the same Connor was on, there is a room that looks used. It is the first, other than those I, Connor, Josh and Chad were in, that has any indication of someone being in it. There is one other. Empty as well. With there being two, it gives me hope that Seeley had been in the same room as Dawn. My room's door is empty and Doctor Grant is not in it. Anxiously, I look around.

There is a second story to the building that I had noticed from the outside. I go into the stairwell and the lights are off. I do not have a light and so try locking the door open. It gives a little light, but not much by the time I am up on the second level.

This level is dark. Not like the stairwell, there are some windows, but they are few. Most of the light filters through windows on some of the doors. I creep along as quietly as possible. My nerves are getting the better of me and I jerk around at random times, feeling as though someone or something is behind me, following me. I can feel the eyes, but each time I turn there is nothing, (from what I can see), there.

I can see where the hall turns to the right and there is a flickering light coming from that hallway. It only comes on for several seconds, blinking as it does so, not allowing a steady stream of light. As I near the hall I notice papers littering the floor, documents typed out as well as many hand written. There is a knocked over tray with food, crackers and some meat with juice lying on the floor. I check each room, but do not see them, or any signs of them.

I round the corner slowly, looking down the length of the hall. It is dark, the flickering light has stopped. There is less light coming through the rooms and I try opening my eyes more to allow more light in. It doesn't help. My rifle is in front of me, ready to fire, but I have lowered it slightly to have a better view. I look in the first doors window, but there is only a small room--office looking.

I turn back and look down the hall. The light flickers again and in the brief light I see the silhouette of a man some distance down the hall. The light goes out again and I let out a quick scream, realizing what I just saw. I hear rustling and can see the light on the left hand side of the hall blink out and come back as something blocks the light from hitting the wall briefly. I stumble backwards, trying to get my rifle up and fire. The rounds are loud and echo through the hall. Each of which lights the hallway for a second. I can see the figure running towards me and I try to aim in the dark. I hear it scream, but whether it is from me hitting it I cannot tell.. I fire several times more and hear it stumble and land hard on the ground. I walk towards it, and see it as the light flickers again. It is starting to get up. It is in a guards uniform, but most definitely a zombie I quickly aim, and in the dark fire at where I think its head should be.

I hear it drop from its arms and slump over, dead.

Instantly, I know why the guard is a zombie, and I know there are more in the building. And, I know that they heard the shots.

There is banging coming from somewhere down the hall. It is faint, but I can hear it. I move closer, not sure of the source and as I do I hear a faint voice, almost a whisper. "Help." There is another voice and I know it instantly, it is Dawn.

I hurry down the hall, still attempting to be cautious. I can hear them louder now and I start checking each of the rooms. I find the one the banging is coming from and look in the window. Dawn, Charlotte and Seeley are there. They see me and start to cry. Seeley is in Dawns arms and looks dead. Panicking, I check the door. It is obviously locked, and after getting them to go up against the wall I fire a round at the lock. The door swings open.

No one gets up as I rush in. I give Dawn a hug and inquire about Seeley. He is alive, but only just barely. They've had some water but no food in almost three days, they tell me. Each is week. I have a water bottle in my bag and I get it out, allowing each of them to drink. Seeley wakes briefly and drinks. He starts to cry.

"Shit," Charlotte swears, "they'll hear the crying."

"They've already heard my gun. Can you guys walk?"

Dawn nods but doesn't speak. They look frail, as though there is almost nothing left of them.

"OK," I hand Charlotte a pistol from my bag, Dawn carries Seeley in both arms and we leave, going slow. I am alert and move from the front to the back regularly. I hear no movement other than ours and assume that anything on this floor has filtered down to the first. However, as I am thinking this I hear rustling behind us and I turn to see something running directly towards us.

"Keep going," I say as I wheel around them and soon start firing. We are near the stairwell and the light in the hall is better. I kill the thing as another comes around the corner. This one stumbles several times before getting back up. I fire several bullets and drop it when it is only a few yards away.

There are shots in the stairwell. I run towards them and by the time I get down the stairs they are out and walking as fast as they can down the hall. At the bottom of the stairwell is a zombie, head blown in. I chase after them, and lead them out of the building. It is dark outside, the only light coming from bright lamps around the building.

Charlotte passes out as we go down towards the fence and I pick her up, cradling her as I walk along side Dawn.

"Are you OK? You gonna make it?"

She is panting, and even in the sparse light I can see that she is very pale. "Yeah, I think I'll be OK as long as it is close."

"It is." I stop as I hear screams coming from the building. It is that same scream that I've heard so often. That which comes from the zombies. We need to run, but can't. I throw Charlotte over my shoulder and raise my weapon up, firing several times, hoping Josh will see and help us.

I see headlights in front of us. We are running and I can tell Dawn has little energy left. They pull out of the alley our Hummer was in and move towards us. It is Josh. Dawn collapses but turns her body, holding onto Seeley as she does. I stop, put Charlotte down near her and check her. She's breathing and so is Seeley. Charlotte as well looks in a bad state, but is breathing. I hear the scream mixed with the accelerating engine. I see several zombies running towards us as fast as they can. I start to fire at them as Josh pulls up. Connor is in the passenger seat, buckled in awkwardly.

"Grab them," I yell as I fire once more. Josh gets out and grabs Charlotte, the closest to him, first, placing her in a seat. He then picks up Seeley and lays him on the back seat. Dawn is next and as Josh and I get in zombies are on us, just as we close the door. I buckle everyone in and hold Seeley as Josh turns the car around and heads away from the building and away from where we had stayed for nights, before.