Deadlands/Issue 3

This is chapter 3 of the story Deadlands

Plot
Previous chapter

Bullshit, the first thing I thought after I finished reading the announcement. The government doesn't know shit about what's going on. On another page, people thought of all kinds of cnspirancy theories. One thing I was certain about. If the government didn't know who was behind this, and they certainly didn't seem to know, none did.



The afternoon passed quickly. All those movies. All those fiction. It's coming true. Dead people walk the earth, eating flesh and turning the living into them. I remembered an article I read in a blog, it had a conspirancy theory that all the zombie fiction was to prepare us for this apocalypse. Could it be true? Maybe, Maybe not. But if zombies can walk the earth, everything is possible.



The afternoon passed quickly. Without noticing, I found myself enjoying the daily noises from otside. Horns, yelling, people chattering, things that once haunted me now seemed pleasant. It felt as if I would lose those sounds soon. I couldn't be more right.



At about nine oclock the phone rang. I was surprised since the signal was lost for the most part of the day, and I saw it was Dorian.

"Hey", I said when I picked up.

"Thank god I found you man", Dorian said in panic. "Something has happened in the store. I'm on my way there". Noise could be heard from the other side of the phone. He must have been on his motorcycle.

"I 'll see you there", I said and hung up. The pizzeria was only a few blocks away from my house. When i reached it Dorian was taking off his helmet. I stopped quickly in front of him and he waited until I took off my helmet as well. Then we proceeded to the pizzeria. The front window was broken and the door slightly open. I counted to three with my fingers and nodded to Dorian. Then we charged in in order to ambush any potential thieves. When we entered we faced something we didn't expect. There was blood all over te ground. One stain of blood showed clearly that someone tried to crawl in the back. I followed the trail when I noticed a man laying behind some boxes on the far left of the shop. I immediatelly ran and flipped him over. It was Ricardo.He was white like a sheet and didn't seem to breathe. I checked his pulse only to ensure he was dead.Dorian was right behind me and seemed shocked. I closed his mouth and nodded him to be quiet.

"I 'm gonna check the back", I said, trying to hide how shocked I was myself. Dorian nodded and sat by Ricardo's corpse.



Dorian's point of view

I was shocked. Ricardo was dead. Laying in front of me. Until now this was just a story, like the Walking Dead or something. All we saw was images on the internet. But now it was different. It was in front of us. It was real for the first time. Panic leads people to do horrible things. Ricardo died. Hopeless people killed him. He was just a boy. A boy 17 years old. A boy that worked to support his family. I even knew his mother. What am I going to tell her? I was shaking. I couldn't help it. Unlike Jay. He is too calm. Sometimes I wonder what he is hiding. Everyone should be shocked at the sight of a seventeen year old boy dead. But not Jay. I sat there and kept Ricardo's lifeless body in my arms. Tears fell down my chin and on Ricardo's face. I couldn't help it.



<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Jay's point of view

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">As I entered the kitchen, I saw a dead man laying facedown. It must have been the thief, I ahd never seen him in my life. Then I heard a voice. "Jay, Dorian". It took me a while to figure out who it was. It was Mr Alberto, sitting on the floor with his back touching the wall. "He started shooting immediatelly", he added in a faint voice. "Ricardo", he added and burst in tears. There was clearly a fight. Mr Alberto still kept his gunshot in his arms. "Let's take you to the hospital", I said, trying to not menton Ricardo. "I 'm dead already", Mr Alberto discouraged me. "Let me die,and don't let me trn into one of those... things", he added. "Shut up", I interrupted. "I 'm taking you to the hospital". Then a scream came from outside. "Wait here", I said and ran out only to see Dorian desperately trying to fend off a growling Ricardo.

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<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Dorian's Point of view

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">I was sitting there helpless and shocked. Ricardo was shot in the stomach and lay dead when we found him. His head rested on my legs while I grasped his hands and wouldn't let go. It didn't even cross my mind. Not that he would turn. Not that he would become one of them. Suddenly I felt his hand squeezing mine. At first I thought I imagined it. "Ric?", I asked in a trembling low voice. Ricardo started moving his head and hands. Istinctively I tightened my grip around him to immobilize him. "You are going to be ok. Just don't move", I told him. "We are going to take you to the hospital and...". Then I froze. Ricardo fought to be set free. It was then I realized. Ricardo was going for my arm. His jaws were chewing, hoping to get some flesh. I immediatelly stood up and threw him away. Unwillingly I let out a scream. Ricardo came at me. I searched for something to defend myself but to no avail. Thankfully two hands grabbed Ricardo from behind and tossed him backwards. Then Jay took a big knife and moved towards Ricardo. "Stop", I said and grabbed his arms as he lifted the knife. Ricardo then moved against Jay who was surprised by me stopping him.

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<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Jay's point off view

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">The scream came from Dorian. Ricardo had come back as one of them. I had never seen anything like that before. I never thought I would. When i reached them, Dorian was in the corner with his back on the wall, terrified. I immediatelly grabbed Ricardo's zombie by his back and threw him the other way. It didn't seem to ffeel any pain. Hell, that thing walked with an open wound in its stomach. One thing was sure. That thing had nothing to do with Ricardo. Ricardo was dead. I checked his pulse myself. This thing was a disgrace towards the boy I knew. It had to be put down. Without even thinking, I picked up a knife to attack it. Then I was surprised by Dorian coming behind me and grabbing my hands. The zombie was close too, but luckily I managed to repel it with my feet. Dorian let me go then. "What the hell are you doing?", asked angrily. "It could have bitten me". "It's Ricardo. Don't hurt him", he said. The zombie quickly stood up and made its move. I couldn't argue with Dorian anymore, so I picked up a chair and hit the zombie with it. Ricardo was skilly and not that strong and the same applied to his zombie too. It easily fell down and then I trapped it under the chair. I sat on it and stepped on its arms which came out of the two sides of the chair. Its head was below me and even trapped as it was, it struggled to bite me. "This isn't Ricardo", I said calmly. "Ricardo is dead". "How can you be so calm?", Dorian snapped. "How do you know he is dead?" Maybe they will find a cure or something". "He is dead", I shouted. "He was dead before he turned. You saw that too. There is no cure. This isn't some sort of disease. It's the dead coming back to life. It is a disgrace to what Ricardo once was".

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<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Dorian's point of view

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">"It is a disgrace to what Ricardo once was", he said, seemingly angry. I was scared the shit out of me. I couldn't believe that Ricardo, who walked, glowled and attackd us was dead. "He has no pulse, not even now", Jay said and in a moment, he picked up the knife he had before and shoved it into Ricardo's eye. My eyes goggled from the shock and I tried to let out something, but nothing came out of my mouth. Jay killed Ricardo. "You are sick", I whispered. "You put a knife through his eye just like that?", I finally found the strength to shout. Ricardo lay silent once more on the floor. This time for good. I took a quick look at his face. The knife was still in his eye and blood and a white liquid, probably from his eye or brain was slowly forming a circle on the floor around him. Then i couldn't hold it any longer. I turned to the side and threw up.

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<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Jay's point of view

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Dorian wasn't well. He was clearly in shock and couldn't think well. How could he not? Even i was shocked, givven the things I have seen in my life. How could he not be? I went above him and touched him on his back, trying to make him feel more comfortable as he threw up. "Are you ok?", I asked, but was surprised by his answer. That is, because he turned around fast and punched me.

<p lang="zxx" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Next chapter

Credits
Jay Hendrix

Dorian Monroe

Alberto Nigro

Deaths
Ricardo