Delusions vs Zombies

John’s eyes widen as he nudges Nick. They are well hidden in a tree stand, watching the zombies shamble below them. Thankfully these zombies are heading away from the camp they recently set up. He points to a giant, muscled zombie where crumbled metal armor and a skinny zombie wearing tattered robes with stars painted on. Nick covers his mouth, forcing back the laugh as they remember the story that Amber told them. 

Amber eyes her two friends, sighing heavily. “I don’t like this. Seriously, we’re not trained fighters. Shouldn’t we just….hole up and wait this out? It’s what the man on TV said to do. We have food here, and we can barricade ourselves inside.” 

The larger of her two friends shakes his head at her. “Mizzrym Faertala! I never took you as a coward. Come my brave ranger! Think it through! This isn’t going to go away quickly! It never does in books or movies or comic books! If we stay here, in the city, we’ll be overrun and die. It’s just a matter of time. Right now, we stand a chance. We need to get out of the city and fast. We can head to the forest and set up a camp there. Mizzrym, you’re a ranger. You can hunt and find edible things. Our friend, Ovius, the Mighty, can ward our camp with his magic. And I, Baylone HellChaser, will defeat any monsters who break through the wards. Look!” He indicates the large bag at his feet, opening it up and pulling out his armor and Ovius’ robes.

Amber stares at the two boys in shock before she bursts out laughing. “We’re teenagers! We’re not going to stand a chance. Hell, we’re not old enough to fucking drive! Your name is Adam, not Baylone!”She turns to the scrawny, short, and acne-riddled boy at Adam’s side. “Really? Do you think this is a good idea? MAGIC ISN’T REAL, TED!” She screams in frustration. 

“Yea,” Ted retorts. “Neither are zombies, so maybe if one is real now, well, it stands to reason that the other is too!” Amber opens her mouth to argue further when a shattering of glass interrupts them. 

Her next-door neighbor groans as he picks himself up, having launched himself through the glass door to get at the flesh within. Baylone pushes the other two behind him, bending down and picking up a fire ax. “Have at thee, foul monster! Stay back! I’ll protect you two!” Adam...Baylone cries out as he swings the ax. The ax lodges in the monster's skull, driving the creature to the ground. Baylone frees the ax and swings it again with a grunt, making sure the monster is dead.

“Mizzrym, my point is proved. Gather your things. We leave at once,” He orders. Amber...Mizzrym swallows hard as she stares at the newly redead corpse but nods. She goes to a closet and pulls out a large backpack, handing it to Ovius. “There’s food in the kitchen. Don’t take anything from the fridge. It will spoil too fast. Take the canned goods and pasta and rice.” She looks at Baylone, who smirks back at her as he quickly dons his metal armor. 

Mizzrym bolts upstairs, grabbing another bag. She pulls on her own leather armor and checks her bow. It’s in good shape, and she was just at the range a few weeks ago. Mizzrym packs her spare bowstrings before raiding the bathroom for first aid supplies. It doesn’t take her long to pack everything and return to her friends. She’s wearing her quiver on her hip and the bag on her back. She looks at Ovius, shaking her head. “You can’t run in those robes, and they provide no protection.” He opens his mouth to argue, but she holds up a hand. “I’m serious. Tie it around your waist so you can run” 

Ovius The Mighty sighs but obeys. Even his magic might not be enough to defeat a horde, and he has nothing prepared! Mizzrym puts on her hiking boots, tying them tight. She looks at Ovius’ sandals, shaking her head at that then at Baylone’s tennis shoes. “At least one of you has sensible shoes,” She grumbles. 

She quickly checks the bag on Baylone’s back, adding a few more food items to it and removing the cheese. “It’s going to go bad before we can eat it. We need food that will keep and that will keep long and is easy to prepare.” She holds up a can of spaghettios. “or can be eaten uncooked.” 

She hesitates, looking out the window. It’s mid-afternoon, and there are hours of sunlight left. They can see the zombies coming and stand a better chance of not being ambushed. But, the zombies can see them easier. Mizzrym sighs and peeks out the front window. “Ok….we move fast but quiet. Baylone, you’ll take up the rear. Ovius, stick to the middle. I’ll scout ahead.”

She opens the front door and darts out, peeking along the street. She doesn’t see any zombies but she has an arrow already notched. She nods as the other two appear at her side. “Baylone, you’ve had driving lessons right?” 

Baylone hesitates but nods. “Ok” Mizzrym continues. “Do you think you could drive my father’s pick up? It’s in the garage. We’d make better time and we can bring more supplies” Baylone bites his lower lip but it’s Ovius who pipes up. “I can do it. I’ve started driving lessons. I can do it”

Mizzrym smiles proudly at him and nods, leading the way into the garage. She closes the door behind them and opens the door to the house. She’s keeping her quiver close but she stores the backpacks in the truck. “Ok. We take anything of value. Baylone, go upstairs and bring down all the first aid stuff and all the sheets. We can use sheets as bandages if we have to. You can find a suitcase in my closet. Grab my blankets and the blankets from the guest bedroom as well. It’ll get cold during the winter. Ovius, I want you to put all the nails and tools without cords into the back of the truck.

She follows Baylone upstairs,pulling down the stairs to the attic. She grabs the sleeping bags and a simple tent, tossing them down stairs to packed on the truck. She raids the closets next, taking socks, underwear and a few changes of clothes for them all. Her father’s pants will be too big for her friends but they are better than nothing. Mizzyrm briefly checks in with Baylone, making sure he’s taking all the medications and disinfectants. 

After that, she helps Ovius pile the bed of the pickup with building supplies and tools. Once Baylone returns with his bags, Mizzyrm nods to the group. “Ok. I know where we should go. My family has a cabin up in the mountains. It’s rural and isolated. Everyone is armed there too, we’ll be able to make a stand more easily if it comes to it there and with the people there. We’ll need more gas though.” She indicates the two cans she’s already put in the back of the truck. “That’s all the extra we have. We’ll get out of the city and then find a gas station and either buy or beg for gas. I found a few hundred dollars so we can use that, I also took mom’s jewelry and left a note saying where we’ll be. There’s not enough details for randos to find us so don’t worry.” 

Mizzrym hands the keys to Ovius and hops in the passenger seat, letting Baylone take the back seat. Ovius is clearly nervous as he gets behind the wheel and starts driving. Mizzrym is encouraging him as she directs him out of the city. Her eyes are wide as she looks at the chaos. “You were right” She tells Baylone, looking at a zombie wearing a swat uniform. “Just a matter of time. And all this only started 3 days ago…” She shudders.

“No!” She shouts at Ovius as he starts to slow, seeing a young woman running towards the truck. “Don’t stop. We can’t risk it! and look, she’s bitten on her shoulder. Keep going. Faster!” The truck picks up speed, leaving the sobbing woman behind. “fuck….” Mizzrym shakes her head. “fuck me...we can’t take the risk. Anyone could be bitten...We can’t take the risk until we have a way to...search them for bites. Every inch of them.” She shakes her head as she goes limp in the seat.

Baylone reaches forward, rubbing her shoulders. “It’s alright. Fear not, my sweet and gentle maiden, I vow to protect you.” Mizzrym gives him a look but doesn’t respond. She knows she’ll be carrying this group. At least Baylone is strong and listens to her. 

“Just keep driving, Ovius, we need to get far away before we stop for gas.”

Mizzrym closes her eyes, taking a brief rest as she tries to control her fear. Fear will only get her and her friends killed. They drive in silence for hours,the windows  down. They finally reach a place that looks untouched by the chaos and, thankfully, has a gas station still open. “Baylone, stay with the truck and yell if you see any monsters. Ovius, come inside with me.”

Mizzrym notches an arrow, moving cautiously as she enters the store. “Whoa there!” A portly man is behind the counter and he holds his hands up. “Now...I don’t want no trouble…” Mizzrym smiles with relief and puts the arrow away. “I’m sorry sir, we just came from the city….It was pretty bad”

The man looks at her, nodding. “I’ve heard stories. I’m heading out soon. Gonna go to my uncle Herbet’s farm. You...and your friends are welcome to come” Mizzrym shakes her head. “We have a place to go, thank you though.”

The man shrugs and hits a few buttons on the cash register. “Wait here” he says as he disappears into the back. He returns with gas cans, sitting them before the teens. “Here. The pumps are unlocked. Help yourself to anything in here. I’m gone” 

Mizzrym and Ovius smile in gratitude as the man leaves the store. “Ovius, help me carry these out to Baylone and then help him fill them. Then I’ll loot the store”

It’s fully dark by the time they are done and they’ve managed to get enough gas to get them to the mountains. Ovius is chugging an energy drink, exhaustion showing on his face. “Mizzrym…” He says as she nods. “I know. You’re tired. We all need sleep.” She sighs. “Just a bit further ok?We’re almost out of this town and then we can stop somewhere” Ovius nods, glancing back at the snoring Baylone. “Wish I wasn’t the only driver.” She shrugs helplessly and nods. “yea, me too”

Mizzrym points to a deserted roadside stand. “Here. We can rest here. It’s out of the way enough that we shouldn’t be attacked and we can just pull back on the road. We need to sleep in the car though. It’s too risky otherwise.” She gets out of the truck and pokes Baylone awake. “You sleep in the back for now. You need good rest. Baylone and I will take a quick look around, to make sure it’s safe.”

Ovius nods and kicks off his shoes, crawling into the back seat and quickly falling asleep. Baylone slings his arm over Mizzrym’s shoulder, smiling at her. “Ah, my fair maiden didn’t want to be alone?” He leans forward, cupping her face with his hand. “Just a quick kiss, my lady, for courage and luck….”

Mizzrym gasps and jumps back, shaking her head. “Baylone!” He frowns at her, then sighs. “Come now, it’s just us. No need to be shy. I’ve loved you for years in silence but now….oh, my sweet, we might not have years.”

Mizzrym shakes her head again. “no. I’m….I’m going to look around. Stay here and stand watch.” She hurries off, wishing she had a flashlight  as she clutches an arrow in her fist. It’s risky doing this, far riskier than she’d like but she doesn’t want to be around Baylone right now. Not after that…. She’s known he’s had a crush on her for years but she never thought he’d actually ever try.

She snorts and shakes her head with a wry smile. Maybe she should tell him that she doesn’t like any boy like that. Mizzrym makes her way back to the truck, having found no dangers. She smiles at Baylone who nods and jerks his head towards the truck. “Get some sleep. There’s a blanket on the passenger seat. I’ll stay up. I can sleep during the drive” She nods gratefully and slides into the truck, curling up and swiftly falling asleep.

She wakes in the morning to Baylone moving around, gathering fruits from the roadside stand. She yawns and stretches, folding the blanket before waking Ovius. The pair approach Baylone, thanking him as he hands them fruit. It doesn’t take long for them to have several large baskets of fresh fruit in the backseat and for the drive to continue.

Ovius and her chat softly about nothing, making tentative plans for the future and Baylone naps in the backseat. Mizzrym is trying to explain to Ovius about the cabin and the steps necessary to secure it. He just isn’t getting it!

“Mizzrym. I know you don’t trust magic but I promise you...I swear by the great goddess Aradia , my wards will protect us.” He smiles confidently at his companion. Mizzrym sighs helplessly at that and falls silent. It’s useless, they are both suffering from….something because of the stress. PTSD? They both think that they are actually their Live Action Role Play characters. It’s not too bad with Baylone, he’s just a fighter but Ovius? Ovius the wizard…?

“Ovius, have you used any of your spells?” He shakes his head. “I don’t want to waste the spell slots. Don’t worry, I have plenty of good spells ready!”

Mizzrym nods and looks out the window, directing Ovius up the mountain. It’s all back roads now, curving and deserted. They haven’t seen anyone in a long while and that’s making Mizzrym nervous. They could go through the town but Mizzrym decides against it. It’s small and if there are zombies there...They’d lead them right to the cabin. It’d be better to go by herself on foot in a few days. She rolls down her window, throwing the peach pit  away as she licks her fingers.

“It’s right up there” She points down a narrow dirt road. It’s overgrown, but that’s not a bad thing. Ovius and her roll up the windows as the branches scrape the car, watching Baylone up with a start. “It’s ok” Mizzrym reassures him “Just branches.We’re almost there.” He nods, stroking the shaft of his axe.

Ovius pulls up in front of the cabin, looking at it. “Yea. It’ll do” Mizzrym laughs at that. “There’s solar panels hooked up to a generator and there’s a well. We’ll have power, we’ll have to conserve a bit but we will have power and fresh water. We’ll be safe here. I’ll head into town tomorrow and get seeds. There’s already a small greenhouse. We can grow some stuff there during the winter.”

Ovius sighs. “We could really use a druid, someone with plant growth” Mizzrym opens her mouth to say something but thinks better and closes it with a grunt. She shrugs helplessly as the party starts to unload things into the cabin. “There is a chance there’s mice so put all the food in the cabinets, they are airtight. I’m going outside and I’m going to make like….a screen or something to hide the driveway better”

 She leaves the boys to their work as she sits outside on the porch, bending and twisting branches to form a rectangle that she can put at the front of the driveway. Once the cabin is hidden, Mizzrym goes back inside and smiles at the boys. Ovius is starting dinner, while Baylone is looking over the books on the shelf. “Your parents have interesting taste.” He jerks his head towards the line of self help books. Mizzrym laughs at that as she sets  the table. “Come on, let’s get a hot meal and then go to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow”

The boys shrug and join her at the table, greedily eating the pasta and sauce. The night passes without issue, though they all sleep restlessly. Mizzrym wakes first and rouses the boys and they gather in the living room. She leaves the cabin after the meeting, trusting they will be safe as they prep the garden for planting. 

Mizzrym makes her way into the town, wincing as she sees it from a distance. It’s ransacked. There were zombies there and likely still are. She grunts as she checks her bow a final time before edging closer. She didn’t have seeds and they need to grow food. They can’t rely on canned things. They need a source of fresh food. She’s planning on clearing out the barn tomorrow so they can have chickens. That will give her feathers for her arrows, meat and eggs. Hopefully the boys will get some work on it done while she’s gone. She won’t be back until late, likely after dark. 

Mizzrym moves slowly, keeping a careful eye out as she gathers seeds. It’s late afternoon by the time she starts back, oddly having seen not a single zombie. It was clear they were there, she can see the damage to buildings and the bloodstains. It’s making her very nervous. There could be a horde of them gathered...somewhere.

She shudders as she hurries back to the cabin. At least, that area is secure. She saw fresh dung and the wild animals wouldn’t be that close if there were zombies.

Mizzrym frowns when she sees Baylone waiting for her outside with Ovius nowhere in sight. “Hey, where’s….?” Baylone takes her hand and pulls her towards the barn. “We have a problem, a big one. He’s in the barn”

“Why is he…?” Mizzrym falls silent as she sees him crouched over and growling, his robe torn and bloodied by a bite. “w….what the FUCK happened?!” She spins to Baylone, her eyes wide. “It’s ok…he must have failed his concentration check. He tried to cast lightning but...failed” Baylone moves to stand between her bow and the now zombie Ovius. “He’s secured. I chained him to a post. He can’t hurt us and we can feed him animals until a cure is found.”

Mizzrym just stares at him, trying to formulate a response. Zombie Ovius is growling and straining against the rope binding him, desperate to reach his former friends. With a sudden snap, the rope breaks and Ovius lunges towards Baylone. Mizzrym shrieks and stumbles back back as Ovius tears at Baylone, ripping him to shreds and feasting on his innards.

She jumps, screaming as hand lands on her shoulder. She turns and looks towards a large man carrying a small sledgehammer. “These are your friends. You shouldn’t have to watch this.” She wants to disagree, to help her friends...to save them but she doesn’t. She just lets him push her behind him and closes her eyes.

She hears a sickening squelch as the sledge annihilates the head of her friends. She shudders and runs to the forest, vomiting as she sobs. The man keeps his distance, looking around the area. “Miss, I’m sorry that happened and I’m sorry to scare you. There’s a group of us nearby. You’re welcome to join us. Though...You have a nicer area. We’re just in tents” He laughs and extends his hand. “My name is Brian.”

Mizzrym numbly takes his hand, nodding. “Mizz….uh Amber. My name is Amber. Yea….more people here would be good.” She swallows hard, shuddering as the stranger gently touches her shoulder. “It’s late. Come on, Amber, we can bring people here in the morning. You’ll be safe in our camp and we’ll….take care of the bodies tomorrow. We’ll bury them”

Nick and John watch the two zombies shambling away. They have a warm cabin now and enough food. The area is secure and kept secure by the patrols they do. It’s a good location and it’s already grown. They’ve had to modify the barn to sleep more people and built a new pen for the animals. It’s a good place and they are grateful to Amber for her allowing them to stay. It’s become a home, a safe haven in this crazy world.