4 - Captured

...I peeled the bandit's body off of me. Before me stood a woman holding a bloody axe, posed to strike if I made the wrong move…

I figured she would swing that axe down upon me as well, but another glance into her light brown eyes revealed caution instead of hate. Her light complexion with dark blonde hair that was covered in mud, cuts and scrapes across her skinny form told of many struggles. I would have considered her attractive if it weren't for the blood covered axe. I slowly stood to my feet with my arms extended as if to surrender to let her know that I was a friend. Her face broke out in a painful expression as she limped a step backwards. The circular shape of blood that soaked through her bandaged leg betrayed a gunshot wound. She remained silent and didn't seem interested in beginning a conversation, so I took the lead. Calmly, I relayed my name and my intentions of not wishing to harm her and that I only desired to escape the bandit. Something I said must have convinced her that I posed no threat because she lowered the bloody axe and let out a teary sigh as if she teetered on the edge of a mental breakdown. She began sharing the most interesting story. Her name was Rachel and the bandits were searching relentlessly for her and I had gotten caught in the middle of that search.

Voices outside the rear window interrupted her tale. I counted four of them. They came to investigate the shooting. From their conversation, I deduced that they were looking for the bandit that was laying on the floor dead. He must have been part of their group. I glanced back at Rachel to see a nervous wreck. It was going to be rather difficult to escape this situation on my own. Adding an injured woman to equation wasn't helping. It also didn't help that the city was still darkening under the colorful evening sky. I didn't intend on lingering around to see what would transpire. I sprang into action. I grabbed the backpack and the tactical vest from the dead bandit as well as the gun that slid out of reach during the struggle. I checked the ammunition level in the AK-47. Only a few shots had been fired. At the same time, Rachel gathered a few things of hers as well. I carefully opened the closet door, desperate not to make any noise for the bandits were just outside the school. I had Rachel wrap her arm around my shoulders and use me as a crutch to help her walk, or rather, stumble as quickly as possible. The voices seemed to be originating from the rear of the school building so we headed out the front entrance. We were very exposed in the middle of the street. Rachel spotted an alleyway across the street with greater cover than we currently had. The alley reminded me of those old gangster movies, only more apocalyptic from overgrown weeds and ivy combined with the rancid scent of rotting flesh. She was surprisingly fast for having to limp and requiring my support to walk. We may survive Cherno after all. The ever increasing feeling of urgency burned across my chest as my mind churned out anxiety like a broken firehose. The person who recommended to remain calm during adversity obviously had never been chased by murderous bandits during an infectious epidemic. Down the alley, we rounded the corner to discover our path blocked by several of the infected. I released Rachel’s arm so she could support herself against the building while I laid down my equipment and grabbed the axe. She was in no shape to fight. I advanced around the corner once again to face the infected. It was difficult to determine just how many crowded the alley. I swung that axe with a ferocity I'd never used before; one, two, three, four; I chopped through them like a hot knife through butter. Although, in this case, it was flesh and blood instead of butter. Several infected later, I ended the struggle and I felt quite satisfied with my slaughter. With a smile, I retreated. When I rounded the corner, my retreat was suddenly halted as I stood face to face with a bandit in the very spot where Rachel and our gear once laid. Once again, the barrel of a rifle was shoved in my face, only this time, the bandit’s demeanor was vastly different from my last encounter. The weapon shook under his frightened grip as he silently debated pulling the trigger. I used his hesitation to my advantage. I grabbed the barrel of the rifle and yanked it out of his hands while I simultaneously connected a direct punch to his nose. The hit was more painful to my hand than I had imagined. Before his blood could even drip out, I landed a hard kick to his abdomen. He stumbled backwards into several trash cans. The corner of my eye revealed a second bandit creeping up to my position. I threw myself to the asphalt as automatic weapons fire erupted throughout the alley. The bricks above me exploded into dust and hundreds of small particles as the bullets tore through the walls. I grabbed the rifle I had thrown behind me and returned fire. The weapon shook vigorously as each round exited the barrel with a deafening crack. The random blind fire wasn't aimed well enough to kill my enemy, however, it provided the chance I needed to escape. I jumped to my feet and grabbed my axe while I emptied the remainder of the weapon's magazine before I sped around the corner and down the alley where I had just chopped down the infected. I burst into the open street. A church to my right enticed me to enter with it's unbarred doors. I kicked open the door and ran inside. There wasn't much option for hiding. Next to the door sat a stained glass window adorned with decorative long curtains that reached the floor. I formulated a new plan. I removed the vest from my person and placed it along side the empty rifle as bait to lure my pursuers away from the curtain. Like a child playing hide and seek, I wrapped my body in the velvet curtains and waited.

The bandits didn't keep me waiting for long. The large door cried a lonely creek as it cautiously swung open. Footsteps whispered to my ears that my targets had entered the church and surrounded the abandoned equipment. My breath hastened as I silently slid out from behind the curtains. They were slouched over the equipment. I raised the axe over my head and swung it down with such a force that it became lodged in his body. He slumped to the floor. I placed my foot on his back for leverage as I lurched the axe from his skull. I transitioned to an unstable composer and faced the second bandit. The blood smeared over my face from my earlier slaughter aided my act. His eyes were wide open and his hands shook in terror. His cowardice and fear forced the pistol out of his hands and he stumbled to his knees before me. He placed his hands behind his head and begged for mercy. I gripped the axe in my hands in an intimidating manner as I slowly lowered myself to his kneeled level. I peered directly into his eyes allowing for a dramatic pause to heighten his rampant emotions.
“I need to know exactly what your people did with that woman in the alley. You will tell me what I wish to know one way or another,” I threatened in a slowed deepened voice as I caressed the sharp blade of the axe with my finger. “Now, shall we begin?”

3 - Cherno

…I turned around just in time to see Davis swinging the butt of his M16 at my head. It connected hard with a sickening thud. I could feel my mind losing it’s grip on consciousness. The world then snapped to darkness… 

*It smelled like heaven! A greasy meat lovers pizza laid in that beautiful box with the overhead cabinet light shining down on it as if a heavenly choir was about to sound off around the kitchen. I eagerly placed three slices on my plate with a handful of chips. Suddenly, Abigail burst through the kitchen door that led to the garage. Surprised to see her I asked, "Hey, babe. I thought you were pulling a night shift at the hospital tonight?”
"I am," she responded quickly. "I forgot some paperwork that I needed."
She scampered off to the bedroom to gather her papers. I made my way to the living room couch, longing for that first delicious bite. I switched on the TV to the evening news as Abigail emerged from the bedroom in haste to get back to the hospital. She was always sure to say goodbye with a kiss, as she did this time as well. Before she left, she shouted from the back door, "By the way, my mother is stopping by your garage tomorrow to get her car worked on." She closed the door leaving me behind with that horrid sinking feeling when something bad is about to happen. There are a million things I'd rather do than work on that woman's car. "Is he actually a good mechanic?" I mocked. I'll show her a good mechanic. My mocking was abruptly ended as the commercials finally ended and the main news began. For the past few days, the reporting has been centered around the tourist island of Taviana where a rabies like virus had been infecting dogs. According to the channel host, the virus was spreading rapidly amongst the canine population. The first cases of human infection had been reported, as well, after the dogs began attacking people.*

I regained consciousness to a barn floor filled with dirt and the moans of an infected man just outside the barn.  My heart felt like it was in my head, beating like the kick drum of a rock band. I struggled with standing up. My entire body felt like lead as I tried to summon the strength. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and checked my surroundings. The barn was empty; cleaned out of all it’s positions. For that matter, all my gear was gone as well, except for the clothes on my back. Apparently, Davis had no use for the documents as they still laid across the floor where they had fallen after I was struck down. There was my map on the floor with the words “A Life For A Life” written across the top. That’s a strange way to show gratitude for my saving his life. I shook my head in disgust as I gathered the remaining documents, folded them up, and placed them in my coat pocket. I might as well not leave empty handed from this failed quest. I tried to open the door of the barn but it was jammed shut. Must have been another form of “gratitude” from Davis. The door was so old that it was barely hanging on to it’s frame. A good kick released me of my prison. I must have been unconscious for several hours as several shades of pinks, yellows, and oranges were beginning to paint the sky in a breath taking display as the day gave way to the night. The situation was far from ideal, though. For whatever reason, the infected seemed more active at night. I glanced over the map. All my choices were death but through different means. Either I take to the vast mountains of Chernarus and die of dehydration or I take to the coastal city of Cherno and get ripped apart by the infected. I carefully weighed the options and decided on Cherno. It was less than a mile south east of my current position. Because Cherno is the largest city in the state of Chernarus, I figured there would be a greater chance of finding supplies than in the mountains. It was a gamble either way.

I arrived at the city limit of Cherno. The city was truly a sight to behold. Abandoned and rusting vehicles littered the streets combined with piles of debris from the early stages of the infection when the military tried to eradicate the infected hosts. Glass was strewn about from looters after they ransacked the stores looking for anything that wasn’t bolted down. Weeds were far overgrown as mother nature tried to retake her earth from human occupation. The wind whistled as it blew through the cracks of the buildings, echoing an unsettling feeling of loneliness and desolation. I used a metal pole that I had grabbed off the broken door of the barn to kill any infected that I came across. There wasn’t much time left until the shadows of the night covered the city. I entered a supermarket in hope of some food. The broken glass crunched beneath my feet as I stepped inside. The store was in disarray with many of the shelves overturned. Hope takes on many forms and today it was manifested in the form of an unopened can of green beans. After I managed to open the can by scraping it against the damaged cement floor, I leaned against a shelf and partook of a hearty meal. I remembered seeing scenes like this in those old zombie movies. I had always wanted to see a scene like that in person, although, this isn’t how I wanted to experience it. However, those movies were fiction and far from reality unlike the current situation. The sound of footsteps stole my attention from my feast. I expected another of the infected, but, instead, a person in bandit style clothing aiming an AK-47 straight at me stood outside the store. Fearfully, I took a step backward careful not to avert my eyes from the weapon. I tripped over a fallen shelf and stumbled behind a low rise counter as the sound of machine gun fire rang out through the store. The lead tore through the walls, flinging plaster in every direction. At the edge of panic, I wrenched my sanity back from the grips of fear. Behind the cabinet, I was out of the line of sight but not the line of fire. He shouted something about finding the perp as I pulled myself into the back room through an open door. Another deafening volley of lead hellfire ripped through the thin walls of the store. I hauled myself to my feet and made a break for the rear entrance. I could hear the bandit rushing through the front of the store. I burst through the loading dock doors and jammed both doors shut with a piece of debris. I tried to take a quick breath but the shooter had other ideas. He sprayed a short burst of lead into the door. In a split second, I surveyed my options of escape. The bandit began to bang against the door trying to loosen the debris. I spotted a school building a short distance away. My only option was the school as the area was blocked in every direction. I dashed forward to the school as the bandit finally broke through the barrier. He was quick to discharge a few more bullets from his weapon. One of the bullets grazed my side before I made it to the school. It was an intense pain but I continued on. I arrived at the school and crashed through the doors. I stole a glance behind me just long enough to see the bandit loading a fresh magazine into his weapon. I identified what I thought was the stairwell door. Unfortunately, my Russian is close to non-existent. It was actually a large storage closet filled with metal shelves and document boxes. If this was home in California, I would have had several boxes for my childhood transgressions. The one lonely window in the room was barred from the outside and it was too late to formulate a new plan. I tried to quietly close the door to the storage closet when I heard the bandit set foot into the foyer of the school, but a slight squeak escaped the rusted hinges. The sound of the footsteps indicated that the bandit had altered his course and was slowly approaching the storage closet door. I stood behind the door as silently as possible. I didn’t even breath for fear of him hearing me. The suspense and imminent danger was sheer murder on my adrenal glands. The handle of the door began a slight spin. Fear boiled up from my gut to my chest when I heard a slight click. The latch that held the door shut had released the door to invite my attacker into the room. I wasn’t going to just lay down and die, though. I was going to go out fighting. I saw the barrel of the AK poke around the corner. I summoned every last ounce of my strength and I rammed the door into my assailant then immediately grabbed the barrel of his weapon. I did my best to yank it out of his hands but he reacted too quickly and we both lost grip on the weapon. It hit the floor and slid out of reach. I immediately threw a punch at the bandits face but he was too fast. He ducked the punch and retaliated by grabbing the deep graze wound in my side. In pain, I dropped my guard ever so slightly. He used this to his advantage by lunging at my abdomen. He threw me against the metal shelves, knocking over myself and several of the shelves. In the mess, I noticed an axe had fallen to the ground. I tried to reach it but failed as the bandit climbed on top of me. He reached for my throat and began to squeeze, trying to suffocate me. It was a battle of wills. The few seconds felt like hours. I squirmed as much as I could muster to try and release his strong grip but he was too strong. I could feel myself fading away as he continued his strong hold around my throat. I wanted nothing more than for one last breath. Suddenly, the bandit released his grip. I felt the warmth of his blood drip on my neck just before he completely collapsed. With my airway unrestricted, I gasped for breath and began a series of hard coughs as I peeled the bandit's body off of me. Before me stood a woman holding a bloody axe, posed to strike if I made the wrong move.