Keep Going

Keep Going

By; Tory Denboer

“Keep going”

That voice...

I jolt up from the nap I was very much enjoying, grabbing my rifle, ready for a fight. Silence flooding the small cabin we had found the night before. Daylight had just broken through the window. I glance at my watch, 06:45 August 15th, 2024, two years to the day since the world went to shit. I know I should get up, but everything hurts. When will this end? I can’t keep doing this, looking at the gun in my hands it could be over so quick…

“Oh, good you are awake we have to get a move on if we are going to make it to the city by dark, we have to keep going.” Her voice broke the thoughts in my mind her smile taking away from the darkest thoughts that haunt my every being. She was beautiful her bright blue eyes, her raven hair and her beautiful smile that makes everything okay, she looks flawless even though we have been moving across the country trying to get back to where it all began, back home. In the past two years she has not aged a bit.

Taking a big swig of whiskey, I gathered up my bag and got ready to set off for home. We are almost there just on the outskirts of the city where our family home had been. I do not know why we are going home but I must. We must go around the city, not through, that is just asking for a painful death. As much as death seems like the perfect escape I crave, I cannot bring myself to be ripped apart by those things. The barrel of my gun sounds like a much better option.

“Alright let’s keep going” Lily sang outside the cabin. Her voice, again, startling me from these thoughts. Closing the door behind me and taking one more swing from my flask we set out into the forest trying to find the highway. Two years and I still cannot get used to the eerier silence the world now has; no birds, no animals, no people. We have not seen another person in over a year. Why did it have to be like this? The vaccine was supposed to help. Just then my foot hit pavement and my heart sank. The highway was the quickest way to get around the city, but it was also the most dangerous. I need to keep alert and not get carried away with my thoughts.

Walking through the sea of abandoned cars I cannot help but feel the heavy weight of what happened here 2 years ago. Vehicles left behind with all the belongings spewed everywhere, clothes, pictures of a once happy family, bottles, FOOD! A can of baked beans sat right in front of me. My mouth was watering, I practically pounced on it. When was the last time I had anything but whiskey and water? Days? Taking my knife and cutting into the can I dove in, noticing Lily beside me eating a jar of peaches smiling while she ate. She craved peaches while pregnant, she would not let our pantry have less then 5 jars in it. Even our bedside table was covered in jars at one point. Smiling at the memory I finished the can of beans, drank the last bit of whiskey in my flask and moved along the highway finally reaching the turn off that will bring us home. For the first time in along time, I felt relief.

“We are almost home baby” I whisper.

“Keep going” Lily urges from behind me.

BANG

What the fuck was that?

The sound echoed down the road we were supposed to turn off, then silence. Walking a bit further down the road a loud scream pierced the silence. Fear now replacing the relief I had felt moments ago. We get off the road, sneaking along the road not knowing what to expect. The smell hit me before I could see them, nothing could ever prepare you for it; their rotting flesh mixed with the toxic infection, it was the smell of death.

Five infected humans crouched over a now ripped open body, intestines and blood coating the road next to them. Staring at the eyes of the now half eaten corpse they looked peaceful, he was now free from the world we were trapped in. If only I could feel that peace, maybe being ripped apart wouldn’t be that bad.

“We need to keep going” Lily said behind me

I knew we had to move now since they were busy, this was my chance. Slowly creeping trying not to make a sound. We get past them now only hearing the horrific sound they make. The infection targets the lungs and throat so the creatures sounded like they were wheezing and suffocating, sounds that you would only hear in your nightmares. The sound of water soon replaced the muffled creatures’ noises, the river was close to our house but seeing the sky we had to find shelter. We are not going to make it and as much as I am not afraid of the dark I don’t want to be outside when more of those things came out to play. They hunted at night, they lived for the darkness, and it somehow amplified their senses, if you were still alive at this point in the game you knew not to go outside to face the demons past dark.

The gas station was the first building that came into mind it was close enough and hopefully still had a bottle or two of whiskey in it. Jogging up the path I catch a faint smell of infected. Slowing down the smell got worse, but I still cannot hear their sound, we had to be somewhat far away from them.

“We are almost there let’s keep going” Lily laughed and skipped ahead

Even after two years the gas station still looked like the run-down piece of shit I knew and loved. It was my every day stop going home from the city to grab smokes and beer. Pushing on the front door it would not budge and the windows were boarded up. I can’t see anything inside. “Fuck of course this isn’t going to be easy” I say, turning to Lily, “I should have known better then to think old man Jeff would leave his door unlocked even when the world was ending”. Moving to the side of the building I notice Jeff’s old chevy pick up truck with the door open, bones from a long time ago scattered along the cement beside the truck. My heart sinks getting closer, photos of Jeffs family are scattered around the parking lot. Nearing the truck I see the hand of a skeleton still on the steering wheel with a diamond ring, it must be Rosey, Jeffs wife. Dried blood covered the trucks seats. Pictures of Jeff and their family were scattered across the bench seat of the truck, along with the keys to the store. The sun is setting so I quickly grabbed the keys and opened the store carefully, it was locked but you never know what was locked in here. The store still looked perfect everything was still right where I remembered, even the whiskey. Grabbing a bottle, I take a big swig and start filling my bag with canned goods and my favorite bottle of scotch.

“Hey Lil remember coming here after our anniversary dinner and buying Jeff out of that wine you liked?” I say as I take another big swig feeling the alcohol do its magic and warm my belly and take away from the darkness. Wait where is Lily?

“Lil?” I say a little louder. Nothing.

“Lilly!” I yell out and run to the back of the store as I hear rummaging from the back of the counter, the smell hits me like a truck. I had been so focused on finding a drink I didn’t think to check the store for infected. Jeff emerges from behind the counter his body is decomposed, and you can see his bones in parts, his eyes no longer fitting in his face have fallen out and dangling out of the sockets. He lunged at me with a shriek. Grabbing the knife I always have on my side I quickly stab him in the head. As he slumps to the floor I try to catch my breath. I hear from a distance the screeches and calls. “Lily we need to go now!” Yelling, I grab the bag, and run for the house. I knew they would be here in minutes.

“KEEP GOING” she yelled right next to me.

We had a few roads to cross and we will be home. The noise of the creatures is getting louder while we ran. It sounded like thousands of them were right behind us. What the fuck are we going to do?

Home came into view, I push harder and ran as fast as I could going around the side of the house to where we stored our spare key. I open the door and close it quickly barricading it with anything I could get my hands on praying it would hold.

“We made it Lily, we made it home” I whisper looking at the now blocked door.

“Keep going” I hear from upstairs. How did she get up there so quick?

Making my way up the stairs staring at all our old pictures that haunted the walls I felt tears start pouring down my face, as I make it to the top of the stairs taking in how we left the house two years ago. The sounds of the creatures are now right outside the house, please for the love of god don’t find us, not now.

“Keep going” I hear from down the hall

Hearing her voice, it was somehow clearer than it had been for the past few years. Walking down the hall I face the first door on the right where her sweet voice had come from, our nursery.

Her body, her skeleton sat there next to the crib with dried flesh hanging off her bones and clothes draped around her parts. The silver heart shaped locket around her boney neck is what shattered the small bit of reality I had left. I was alone, she was gone, my life was gone, my love was gone.

Crashing, shattering screeching came from the downstairs, they had gotten into the house. Quickly getting up and moving a shelf to barricade the door, they will be here soon, and they wont stop. Grabbing my rifle and running my thumb over the words that are engraved on the stock. "Keep going my love, yours forever -Lil".

Banging, thrashing on the door and the smell, my god that awful smell. Grabbing the locket, I open it looking at the photo of her... her perfect smile, she looked the same as at the cabin, flawless. I put the barrel of the rifle in my mouth.

BANG

Jolting up I can feel the sweat run down my back, why am I in bed? Am I dead? "Good morning my love" her whisper sent goosebumps up my arms. Her heart shaped locket reflected the sunlight breaking through the window. “I just had a terrible dream” I say as I kiss her forehead. I hear her voice say “Keep going” I look at the calendar, 15 August 2022.

The end.