September Quote

"I fear the man of a single book." -Thomas Aquinas

She Shot Me!

“Wait here,” Daniel said, jumping out of their 4x4.  Drew watched his brother stalk up to the camp.  Daniel’s hand moved to the knife at his belt, a kind of nervous gesture Drew had seen since they’d moved to the camp permanently thanks to the zombies in town.

Somehow Daniel had known before almost everyone else had that zombies were appearing in Thunder Bay.  Daniel had picked Drew up from school that day, their truck loaded with gear and supplies.  He’d already alerted their friends about what was happening; if he hadn’t, most of them wouldn’t have made it out of the city alive.

It was his forethought that brought them out to this camp further down the road.  A girl Drew knew from school named Amber had had the same idea, making it out to her uncle’s camp when the zombies had appeared; her uncle had already been out here.  Drew wasn’t sure what had happened to the rest of her family, but he was guessing they hadn’t made it.  That’s why Daniel brought them here today: he wanted to ask the pair of them to move to their camp instead.  Everyone would be a lot safer in a group.  Plus then they could pool their resources together, giving everyone a better shot at survival.

Drew knew he was incredibly lucky to have his older brother looking out for him and the rest of their group.  Daniel had always been that ‘take charge’ sort of person, even before their parents had died.  If anyone would see them through a zombie apocalypse alive, it was definitely him.

Drew’s thoughts were interrupted by a gun shot.  He looked at the camp and saw his older brother staggering towards the truck, his knee a bloody ruin.  Drew jumped out of the truck and ran to help him.

“That bitch shot me!”

Daniel’s words made Drew pause.  He didn’t know Amber all that well.  But she’d struck him as an art nerd, always having her camera in hand.  Sure, the whole zombie thing had made everyone a bit crazy.  But he couldn’t believe she would shoot someone.  Especially someone who had come with an offer of help.

Before he knew it, he was heading towards the camp.

“Do you want to get yourself killed?” Daniel’s voice was a hiss.  “We can come back and get her once we take care of my knee!”

“Just a second,” Drew said.  He was at the door to the camp now.  He took a deep breath, then called out “I’m coming in, don’t shoot!”

He poked his head around the corner, expecting to see a gun levelled at his face.  Instead he saw Amber.  Tears streamed down her face.  She was sitting in a pool of blood.  Her uncle was down on the floor.  He had a knife protruding from his chest.  Daniel’s knife.  The shotgun was seemingly forgotten beside them.

“Don’t make her shoot you, too, son.”

Drew crouched beside the dying man.  “What happened?”

It was Amber who answered him.  “Your brother said we were coming with him.  Uncle declined.”

Her uncle gave a laugh which came out as more of a wheeze.  “He was going to take Amber anyway.”

Drew rocked back on his heels.  “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” 

*

A little while later, Drew made his way back to the truck.  He tossed his brother’s knife lightly onto the dashboard.  “Here’s your knife back.”

“Did you get her?”

“What do you think?”

Drew backed the truck out of the camp’s driveway, knowing nothing would ever be the same.