To Hell in a Handbasket

Edguardo looked down at the open heart-shaped locket covered in dirt, blood, and grime in his hand. There was a picture of his beautiful smiling wife’s face on one side, and his daughter and newborn son on the other. It had been six months and three days since he had last seen them. That day the world went to hell-in-a-handbasket, people went crazy. Throughout the streets people were running around attacking each other. They were not necessarily fighting, more of running around biting each other. Edguardo was looking down from the 30th floor of a high-rise window cleaning platform where he had been cleaning windows. He was watching as the world turned to chaos. His first thought was how do I to my family.

The city of Tampa was in chaos, Edguardo watched and waited for things to calm down. It appears the fighting slowed as the sun set, so he slowly lowered the platform hoist lower, and lower. He watched the ground below, seeing a few people stumbling about slowly, covered in blood. He was almost to the ground when he started to hear the low grunts and guttural growls the people below were making, as if they were animals. It slowly dawned on him that none of the ten or so people that he could see from his vantage point were raising their heads toward him. He finally reached the ground, slowly and deliberately unhooking his harness. As he unhooked the last part of the harness it fell and hit the ground with a loud metallic sound. Suddenly, by the light of the surrounding streetlamps, he saw the ghastly faces slowly turn toward him in the alley. There was a moment of utter silence, then ten ghastly figures started to sprint towards him. Now that he was on the ground, he could see them closer. He noticed that they had bite marks and at least two of them were missing major body parts. Edguardo froze…one second, two seconds, three seconds, he dashed down the alley and through another, coming out to a street near the Selman Expressway. He saw cars littered on the streets in all directions, some even through storefronts. All he could hope is that his family had survived and were safe.

His home was 30 minutes outside Tampa, in the outskirts of Lakeland, and without a car it could take him days to get there. As he stepped further into the street, he passed by one of the hobbling ghastly figures without realizing it, until he was about a yard away. He came to a stop, twisted, and inhaled deeply, holding it, not daring to breathe. After a few moments of stillness, and by the little light the waning moon provided he could see the eyes of this creature, as it was clearly no longer a person. Edguardo saw that the eyes were white, much like that of a blind man, there were bite marks all over its exposed flesh. Edguardo slowly inched past careful not to make a sound. He scaled the expressway ramp in an attempt to use the highway systems to speed up his journey. That was all just over six months ago.

The journey was long, and it was tough, but if he were going to get to his family, he could and would endure anything that came his way. He hoped to find some help but, thus far he did not. What he did find was invaluable. He had to get to his beautiful wife, his daughter, and his new son. Edguardo had nothing to help him on the journey or, when or if he made it back home. However, during the journey he was able to locate several items he could use. Of these items, he realized three would become essential to his survival. A battery-powered CB radio, found at a truck stop, that he could use to locate survivors of this plague that had taken over most of humanity. After accidentally setting off a car alarm, he got stuck in a camper, hiding for two days. Something good came out of it, an AM/FM radio found in the camper. Last was the trusty blade. He was lucky enough to run across a medieval festival at the fairgrounds in Plant City. Other than being chased by a kilt clad plague infected thing, he was able to loot a halberd which is the main reason he had been able to stay alive.

He finally made it to the hills of Lakeland, less that three miles from his home. Thinking of his family, he took the locket out, but just as quickly tucked it back close to his heart. In the preceding dawn darkness, he made his way through desolate neighborhoods that looked almost haunted. One more day, jut one more day and he would be home. He needed to find a clue as to the whereabouts of his family. Even though it was his routine to only travel at night when the infected had poor vision. He saw the outline of a tree fort in one of the backyards as he passed. Anything off the ground was always his first options he approached; he saw one of the infected who looked to be a 15-year-old kid. He made sure there were no other infected around and made a short, sharp whistle, just enough to draw its attention. The shambling infected kid turned to face him and started to limp towards him, getting faster and faster as the light of dawn was illuminating Edguardo’s silhouette. As soon as the infected was within the six-foot range of the halberd, he jabbed straight at the head, since the head was the easiest and quickest way to stop them before they screamed. Once one infected screamed, it attracted more. He was not in a good place to deal with hundreds of infected. Alone, they were not much of a challenge, but as a group you could be overwhelmed in no time at all. He watched someone early on in Tampa accidentally bring about a horde of infected and it was a matter minutes before the car he was inside was crushed just from the weight of them swarming it. When they go into a frenzy like that their eyes would almost light up and they would stay like that for two days ravaging and consuming anything that came near. You could kill them, if you struck them at the base of the brain, where the spinal cord is attached. Well, most of the time they were killed, but just to make sure, Edguardo would always decapitate the head fully from the body. This was the only safe way to make sure they were truly dead. He walked over to the tree fort and climbed the rope ladder, tying it up as he entered. It was too small to bring his weapon inside. So, he tied it to the edge of the door, making sure to cover the metal. This would ensure the glinting off the metal in daylight would not attract the infected. He then took the Norse shield off his back, placing it near his sleeping area and using his bag as a pillow. He curled up and quickly faded off to sleep. He awoke to the sound of an explosion; this was not uncommon occurrence. Unkempt Meth houses tended to make good bombs and sometimes the infected just walked into places like electric substations. He glanced at his Casio watch and saw it was only six in the evening. With that explosion, it would surely draw the attention of the infected and allow for easier travels. He packed up, scarfing down a pack of pop-tarts and a granola bar. He looked out the door making sure the coast was clear and descended the rope ladder. He kept repeating in his head, just three more miles.

Edguardo said to himself “I made it.” As he slowly walked up to the dream home, he and his wife worked so hard to build, with an acre of land they were going to fill it with the pitter patter of little feet. Now, nothing was like it had been, many of the windows were broken and it was in disarray. As he got closer, he saw the front door wide open with a blood smeared handprint being pulled inward. As he slowly walked in, the smell of rotting flesh overcame him. He glanced around the first floor, where there had clearly been a struggle, he wandered into the kitchen unaware the creaking sound his feet were making on the floorboards. Until he heard a growl coming from the pantry. He pushed open the swinging door and was confronted with the deformed rotting body of his wife. She had become one of them!! She was stuck in place by what appeared to be a pipe that she fell on, clearly a spinal injury, because her feet were not moving. Devastated, he looked around and saw his wife’s handwriting on the wall. She had clearly left a message for him in her own blood. My love, I am sorry it looks as though we will not see each other again. Shurri and Aiden upstairs in closet, told them to stay until no more sounds. I love you my dear, goodbye.” The last word trailed off. His wife’s body still laying there, still snarling at his legs, he lifted his halberd and put her out of her misery. She did not deserve this kind of death.

He left the kitchen and slowly walked towards the stairs, heading to his bedroom closet. At the top of the stairs, he peeked into his daughter’s room and was taken aback. In the middle of the floor was bits and pieces of a small body, not even enough to identify, except for the flash of a onesie he remembered a friend at work giving him. It was ripped and tattered with flesh and entrails intertwined. With tears streaming down his face, he heard a noise in the hall, and turned. He saw crawling across the floor the small shape of his 4-year-old daughter, with one large exception… the lower part of her torso was gone. She was pulling herself along with her arms toward him making gurgling and guttural sounds as though trying to scream but choking on the blood in her lungs. He walked over, stabbed his halberd in the solid oak floor. As she clawed and bit at him, he picked up what was left of her small bloody body and carried it downstairs to the kitchen. Edguardo gathered all the lighter fluid he could find and emptied it all over the kitchen. He looked down at what remained of his daughter and said “My dear, daddy is so sorry I could not protect you. But know you, your mother, baby brother, and I will see each other again in heaven. Fearing she might feel pain with what he knew he had to do, he snapped her tiny neck.

With tears streaming down his face, he took out the locket of his beautiful smiling wife, his daughter, and newborn son one last time. Edguardo fought so hard to get to his family and save them. The world as he knew it was gone. He then turned on the gas from the stove and struck the match on the side of the matchbox. Time seemed to slow as the match burst to life. Edguardo slowly let the match fall from his fingers. Hitting the ground, it lit the lighter fluid and a stream of flames to the gas stove. As his once happy family home exploded, Edguardo took his last breath and died.