Chapter 3 :THE FIRST ZOMBIE

Siera did not sleep that night. Sitting in the hotel room, she watched the red and blue signs of the police patrol in the distance till the moment they turned off at 2:00 AM.

The morning news announced a “gas leak accident” that led to an acute hallucination episode. The police had blocked all the downtown streets in an effort to contain the situation. All citizens were called to remain indoors and await further updates.

Siera was not deceived; the abovementioned event was the beginning of the end. She had several days, if not hours, to establish her base. With this goal in mind, Siera grabbed her keys and headed for the nearest store.

An hour away from the city, in the deep bush, there was a survivalist shop owned by a paranoid old man named Frank. The man had invested in a significant amount of gear and equipment for the supposed “long-term stay.” Tragically, the old man died during the first week of the zombie apocalypse in the book. His cabin, however, remained unspoiled and would become the base for the main heroine of the book.

This time Frank was not going to die.

Siera entered the dusty store, and Frank welcomed her with a scowl, “You came awfully far; a girl in the good clothes, and a fancy truck in the parking lot.”

I have no words to describe what kind of long-term stay preparations I made for you, replied Siera, “I would pay thrice as much as you wanted.”

The old man stared long at her unprepared face to realize she was not bullshitting. Frank stood up and led her inside. He took a map and marked a tiny cabin on the slope of the mountain.

“This is what I have prepared for the long-term stay,” Frank said. “I built this shelter myself; there are solar panels and a well on the premises. I can provide you with food, water, and additional supplies for the fortifications.”

“I will buy the house, the gear, and your expertise. Pay triple for that,” said Siera, drawing a black card on the table. “You need to come with me and prepare this base.”

By noon, the truck was fully loaded. Solar panels, motion sensors, barbed wire, advanced water filtering equipment, and the last five hundred pounds of supplies and seeds for growing plants made Siera’s truck bed extremely cluttered.

While the old man shoveled the truck, Siera snuck at the back of the store and stashed several packs of rice, noodles, and seeds for plants.

[Ding! 50 kg of rice stored]

[Ding! 100 pounds of seeds stored]

[Space Expansion level 4, 100 m3, Small Greenhouse (2 m2) unlocked]

[Next reward: Store 10 kg of medical supplies]

The greenhouse will provide plants for her to eat for years.

”Let’s go,” said Siera, fastening her seat belt. “We need to reach the mountains before the roads are blocked.”

The road to the cabin was lengthy; Sira fastened her crossbow when she heard the panic on the radio. She heard people talk of riots and attacks of the undead in the suburbs. As the truck entered the mountain road, Siera breathed a sigh of relief; the forest was dense, and there was not a single zombie in the vicinity.

Frank, however, jammed on the brakes when the truck was about to turn the corner. Behind the cabin, on the porch, Siera saw a familiar face. A trap, Siera thought as she stared at the man. Her eyes narrowed in disgust when she realized who it was, plus, she had five days to find her father.

Marcus; former best friend and current enemy, looked worse than she ever imagined. His designer suit was dirty, his hair was a mess, and he shook like a leaf as he pointed the hunting rifle at Siera. Crying on his knees beside the front door was Sophie, and near her was Victoria, Siera’s stepmother’s ugly face. How did they find this place?

Siera needed to think; she remembered her father Richard Blackwood. He was friends with Frank years ago, and he might have told him about the cabin, said Siera. This revelation hit her hard; she forgot that Richard was Marcus’s mentor.

Siera jumped out of the truck, clutching the handle of crossbow.

“Siera,” Marcus shouted at her, “don’t come any closer; we came first, so this place belongs to us.”

Frank exited the passenger seat with a shotgun, “Put the gun, boy, and behave.”

Siera approached the porch calmly, fearless of the gun in Marcus’s hand. She knew the man was a wimp, and he would not dare shoot real bullets. The man had always hired mercenaries whenever he wanted something badly.

“You look like a mess, Marcus,” said Siera, “Did you have a fight with the vampires?”

Shut up! Why are you here? The city is on fire, said Marcus, pointing his rifle at Siera. We knew your father had this place; if we do not take it, no one will allow us to survive.

“We need to get along with our family,” Victoria wailed as if her heart was bleeding. “You cannot abandon us!”

Siera stopped at about ten feet from the door and looked into Sophie’s tear-streaked face. “You backstabber, you tried to frame me for embezzlement. You tried to steal my inheritance, but now the world is burning, and you want to take my safe house?”

“We are your family,” Victoria howled.

Siera turned to Frank, “Are there any other safe houses or fortified shelters in these mountains?”

The old man spat on the floor, “There is a military bunker twenty miles north of the cabin. It is old, but the concrete walls are still thick enough to survive.

“I see,” replied Siera, turning to Marcus, “You want my cabin? It is yours.

“What?” said Marcus, startled.

“Solar panels are connected to the battery inside,” said Siera, ‘There is a well in the backyard, but the water pump requires manual pumping. Oh, and the perimeter fence is not completed yet.

“Good luck defending the place, the undead creatures come out at night.

Siera turned her back on them, walking towards her truck, “Family” she said, throwing a glance at the trio, “You can have the house, the fence, the well, the solar panels, and the seeds. Enjoy your stay.

Sophie screamed, “You are a monster! We have been your family! Why are you leaving us!”

Siera turned around, grabbed a small cardboard box from the truck bed, and threw it on the ground near the porch.

“That is a present,” said Siera, “Some noodles to eat and keep yourselves busy,”

Sophie opened the cardboard box, and her tear-streaked face turned to horror as she saw inside a bundle of ten packages of instant noodles.

Siera opened her truck door, and Frank jumped in, muttering some words of gratitude.

As they drove away from the porch, Siera looked back and saw how the three “family members” fought over the box of noodles in an epic battle of the century.

[Warning: Major Plot Deviation, Fixer event triggered]

Siera gripped the steering wheel, “Frank, go faster.”

“Why, what happened?”

The system pinged: [Fixer Event: A mutated ‘Alpha’ zombie has been attracted to the sounds of the fight. ETA: 5 minutes]

Siera looked back, the forest was silent; the fight must have been heard ten miles away. She looked back at the road; the trees swayed on the horizon.

“Because they just rang the dinner bell,” said Siera, pressing harder on the gas pedal.

Behind them, they could hear the distant growl of the monster.

Siera took one last look at the road ahead; she had her truck, her noodles, and her life. Marcus and Sophie had their fighting skills and the bag of noodles. It was time to see who would live to see the morning.