Come Morning Light

Panic kicked Renee’s body into overdrive, all of her survival instincts becoming heightened and fully aware. With one knife and about…eight…no…twelve hungry mouths, her odds didn’t seem too good—especially given that Renee had no experience what so ever with killing. This new world would have to make a killer out of her yet, if she had any hope of survival. Renee felt her fingers curl around the handle of the blade; it felt heavy in her palm. She’d used it so many times slicing meat or cutting tags off of new clothes when her scissors had been misplaced; and yet, it felt so foreign. Could it be effective against all of them? Then again…did she really have a choice? With no way to make a run for it and the screen bulging inwards, there was only one thing to do.

Drawing a deep breath into her lungs, she held the knife firmly in her hand and lunged towards the screen, slicing through and directly into the top part of a skull. It was wedged pretty deep into the corpse and as the face fell quiet Renee gritted her teeth and tugged it out. The knife was dripping with a black stench so powerful it took everything she had not to gag from the smell. The lifeless body plopped to the ground instantly but more were there to replace it. Where she had cut through the screen, corpses were shoving their hands and faces through, trying desperately to reach her. Renee heard the awful sound of a tear and looked up to notice the rip growing larger with the heavy force. She came at them again and again, slamming the blade down with all her might into another head, and then another.

Suddenly the hole ripped completely down and they all began flooding in, nostrils flaring and mouths hanging open in anticipation. Renee backed up immediately, though not daring to turn her back for an instant. She clutched the knife even tighter in her hand and swung her arm out to stab one through the left eye. Foul smelling ooze dripped out over her fingers and hands, a small river running down her arm in a cold wet trail. Her shoulder was beginning to ache from the constant stabbing, but the throb didn’t mean more than her life. Exhausted from the panic and the sheer physical exertion, she killed again until she was down to her last one. This one had wandered in last and was now upon her, long gray arms outreached and gnashing teeth chomping towards her. She felt its hands on her body for a brief moment and as she went to back up, she tripped and landed sideways in a rocking chair.

Loud groans of what almost sounded like ecstasy emitted from the creature’s throat as it leaned down with an open mouth. Renee let out a blood curdling scream of fear and kicked it hard in the chest causing it to falter back for only a moment. It was upon her again before she could even bring her legs back down. Gripping her ankles tight again, it yanked vigorously so that she fell down out of the rocking chair and hit her head hard on the floor beneath her. The knife had fallen out of her hand but not far out of reach. As she thrashed around on the ground, its teeth came in contact with the toe of her shoe, too stupid to know the difference. While the corpse was preoccupied with the sole of her dirty black and white Converse, Renee gripped the handle of the blade and pushed herself up with all the upper body strength she could muster and brought the knife crashing through the middle of its head. The eyes seemed to fade out and the groaning stopped. Her body was released as it fell in a crumbled heap next to her.

Harsh panting breaths escaped her mouth as she struggled to catch her breath. Her chest heaved rapidly and blinking in the sunlight, Renee fought to keep consciousness.
Not knowing how many more were waiting on the outskirts of the property, she forced herself up. Taking a moment, her eyes—a deep copper color—scanned the scenery before her. Where the screen had ripped it was now flowing gently in the breeze, corpses were strewn across the porch and yard. She looked at her hands, her fingers stained black and somewhat crusted around her nail beds. Behind her, the rollaway suitcase remained half propped against the side of the house. Renee drew in another breath, letting it fill her lungs with air to maximum capacity before exhaling completely. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she walked casually to the suitcase and picked it upright on its wheels. Once it was in the car, Renee cast one last look at the house behind her, no longer seeming undisturbed by the chaos that had swallowed the world whole, and got in her car. The underside of her dark hair was damp with sweat and sticking to her neck uncomfortably. She took a moment to find a hair tie in the console of the car and sweep her long locks up into a messy bun. Then with no more looks in the rear view mirror, she started the engine and drove away towards Atlanta.

As the city approached, an eerie feeling began to sink through Renee’s skin. On one side of the median heading into the city, the road was empty and the little Mazda sped with ease on the pavement. The other side, however, was the complete opposite. Cars were packed bumper to bumper, all facing the way Renee had come, all trying desperately to leave the city.
An unnatural silence breezed through the maze of concrete and steel, chilling Renee to her core. She’d half expected a wall to be built around the perimeter, guarding against the undead and sheltering refugees inside, possibly signs directing those out on the road to shelter, or at the very least the city burnt to the ground reduced to mere ashes in feeble attempts to control this madness. And yet none of that was what she found in Atlanta, the city was like a shell, hollow and empty. The stench of death invaded the ventilation of the car she drove through the deserted city streets. Renee nearly choked at the overwhelming smell and quickly pulled her shirt over her nose in an attempt to block some of it out.

Suddenly an unexpected sound tickled Renee’s ears, causing her to slam on her breaks in interest. She rolled the window down just enough to break some of the sound barriers and narrowed her brow in concentration. It sounded like screaming, but not the gurgled growl of the corpses that shuffled in front of her now, but it was undoubtedly human. Renee strained more to try to understand words amongst the jumbled sounds of despair but could not decipher them; however, she was sure there was only one voice, and it was male.

One human trapped in an abandoned city weighed on her conscience. Her eyes scanned the random groups of bodies walking lazily through the streets, not yet noticing her or the rumble of the engine just yet. Time was slipping away to make a decision faster than it was given to her. This one person could have information on what happened here and where she could possibly search next. Also, could she really leave a human being to rot in this desolate city? On the other hand, was one human worth the risk of her own life?

The cries became louder, piercing through her so she could feel the man’s desperation as her own. Renee knew she had to stay and help, if there was even the smallest chance of finding Daniel or the rest of her family, no stone could be left unturned. Sighing, she steered her car in the direction of the sound and prayed that it would be worth it.

A few corpses turned in what could only be described as curiosity as Renee sped through the intricate streets pressing firmly on the gas in a growing sense of urgency. Suddenly a gated ally caught her attention, causing her to slam on the breaks. The gate seemed just wide enough for her to fit through, and fortunately it had been left open. Without hesitation, Renee turned the wheel and pressed her foot on the gas, jerking her body forward as a herd of corpses turned their attention to the little maroon Mazda. She passed them with ease but her heart was throbbing in anticipation as she neared the open gate. The tight squeeze made her stomach drop and as her front tires carried her over the threshold her car protested for half a second and the horrifying sound of breaking metal shocked her senses as the gate ripped her right side mirror off and scraped the entire side of the car. Throwing the gear into park, Renee jumped out of the car and raced to the gate, pulling it closed behind her just as the herd of corpses turned the corner, now catching a whiff of her human scent. A chain and padlock swung loosely within her grasp. Knowing that locking herself in would prove somewhat difficult later, Renee also understood that at the same time locking the corpses out would buy her some time. The lock clicked shut just as the herd reached the gate. A mass of mangled arms tried to reach through the metal, their fingers coming just close enough that one got tangled in a knot in her long dark tresses that had found its way out of her messy bun.

Renee gasped in shock and backed up into her car, her hands holding her upright for a moment as she caught her breath. A loud gurgling cry emitted from the top of the building to her right. This was unlike all the others, where as the other screams had been in distress, this was the sound of pure pain. Renee frantically searched for a way inside; there was a fire escape that went halfway up the building and a side door that may or may not be locked. Reaching in the car, she grabbed her knife and turned the engine off, taking the car key off the key chain to avoid the rattling sound that could draw attention. If the side door was locked, she’d have to try her luck with the fire escape. Renee grasped the metal handle firmly and gave it a good yank; it creaked slightly but would not budge. Feeling a strong force in her shoulder Renee gave up and cast a weary glance towards the fire escape. The man on the roof could be dying at that very moment, from corpses or some other unknown cause for all she knew and, for a moment, Renee wondered how fast she could move up a rickety ladder. The snarls from the herd pushing themselves against the metal fence broke her train of thought and spurred her back into action. Grabbing the metal railing of the rusted ladder, Renee hoisted herself up and began climbing. Her body shook from the adrenaline and she struggled to keep her balance and not slip all the while moving as quickly as possible. The screams seemed to stop all at once and an odd silence began to settle around the building. Renee could feel the pulse of her heart thumping against her skull as she fought to keep going no matter what was waiting for her at the top of that building. When at last she reached as far as the fire escape would bring her, Renee tried to lift one of the windows but it would not budge. Shifting her gaze upwards, she shielded her eyes from the hot Georgia sun, and evaluated how much farther she’d have to go once inside. From what she could see, another two flights of stairs should bring her to the roof. Either way, she needed in. Thinking fast, Renee reached the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head so she could wrap her fist in the wadded up fabric. Though she wasn’t strong, her punch was effective and she smiled a little to herself as glass shards fell around her feet and onto the floor inside. Careful not to cut herself, Renee wiped away some of the shards along the window sill and pulled herself in with as much strength as she could muster. Knife still in hand, Renee brushed herself off and shook out her t-shirt, carefully observant of anything lurking around the corner and in the shadows. Shrugging her shirt back on, Renee kept going, holding the knife steady in her hand. She was nearly to the top, her legs carrying her as fast as possible and the closer she came, the harder she pushed until she reached the top of the stairs. An emergency exit was just in front of her and gathering all her courage, she shoved the door open and blinked into the sunlight. Her eyes scanned the roof, clear except for the huddled figure on the ground beside a pipe.

“Oh my god.”

The words fell of her lips in a gasp. Blood was in spurts by her feet, her knee resting in a puddle as she crouched down beside the man she had heard crying out for help. He was sweating profusely, reeking of open flesh and poor hygiene. It took her a moment to fully understand what she was seeing and piece together where the source of the blood was coming from. She put her hand on his shoulder, damp through his open black shirt and looked into his eyes. They were steel blue and the light was fading from them, he seemed exhausted and somewhat delirious—muttering things that made no sense to Renee. With his left hand he was clutching his right arm with a belt tied tightly around it and blood trickling out of where his hand should have been. A surge of vomit found its way up into Renee’s throat but stopped about half way and went back down. The man’s eyes were fluttering shut and his body swayed so it leaned against hers. Renee held him upright and noticed the bloody saw beside him, a pair of handcuffs attached to the pipe, and the dismembered hand laying in a pool of blood. Renee put the pieces together the best she could and shifted her focus to the dying man beside her.

Grabbing his face in her hands she forced him to open his eyes.

“Hey, I’m gonna get you out of here ok?” The man nodded, his eyes opening even wider. “I need your help though, can you stand?’

Once again he nodded and put his arm around Renee in an attempt to stand on his own two feet. Just as she got him upright, Renee noticed for the first time, the banging of a door. She could see faces, arms, and legs of hungry corpses all trying to break their way in but to no avail. Adjusting his arm around her shoulders the man leaned most of his weight on her small frame though he was a good foot taller than her, and the two walked as quickly as possible across the roof back to the emergency exit.