Chapter 4: Hope in Humanity

It's been two years since it all happened, a year from when we met those men.Well,as far as I remember,two summers passed,I think,but then again it's only summer and rainy seasons here,and here I am,living in an abandoned house in the mountains,just above the mountain road,and with me,are my nephew and niece.Michael,he's 17,if you look at him at first,you'd see a thin teenager,but his height is a little bit above average,and you'd think he'd be dead at the beginning,but somehow,he managed to make rational decisions at critical moments,but he can't depend on me forever.No,they both can't depend on me forever.Callie,just turned 9 a month and a half ago,well she's just a kid with a small,round face.She looks up at Michael because of the way he treats her,which is good,I think.We found the house while we were on the run from those people.The concrete walls were painted sky blue on the outside,and dark blue for the interior.It had no garage,just a mountain bike was outside the door.At first, we saw pictures of a family hanging on the walls,and it looks like couple raised three good soldiers,but I can't seem to find any more photo of them when they were on duty,We found the master's bedroom and found in the cabinet near the bed a letter and a photo of the three brothers,and put it in my pocket.Then we decided to not use the master's bedroom when we saw the picture of an elderly couple,as a sign of respect,they must have been the owners of the house.

It's already night,and the moon is shining bright on the river nearby,with its reflection shining with it,and I can see it all through the window,it was warm,so we decided to keep it open.

I then decided to get some fresh air and left the house.There wouldn't be any infected climbing up the mountains right?I got out and closed the door and followed the river,it led me to a waterfall,the water falls to meet the rocks below,and I could see the road,it made a u shaped curve just infront of the waterfall.The moon shines like silver tonight,I could clearly see the path by the edge of the river.The moonlight made the water crystal clear,pebbles and dirt calmly sits on the river floor,well it was only at my waist's height.I then took out the letter,and as it turns out,the three soldiers died in action in just a single day,and were awarded medals to honour them,and I'm guessing they were devastated,I mean come on,if I had three sons and they all died in a single damn day,then I'd wreck the whole house.

Huh,why does it sound familiar?

The warm breeze swept across and through me,my hair waved with it,and I remembered my wife.She was an angel,and Angel was her name as well.She was as kind as she was short,five foot flat,man,she'd pout when I tease her.

Why?Why would you end her like that?

I could feel myself,the anger in me,towards the heavens.Angel was a follower of Christ,she'd never miss a Sunday mass,and helping others any way she could.

Why?Why do you let the good ones suffer and let those who deserve to die,just keep on living?

Then I opened my eyes and felt the tears coming out.For five goddamn years have I not been this emotional.I wiped off my tears and went back to the house,and slept on the living room floor.

It was morning,when I woke up with a blanket on,I saw that it was the blue thin blanket I put on Callie last night.I found her asleep beside Michael.

They look so peaceful.

The lamp was still smoking,the house didn't have any electricity,the whole region maybe,I didn't see a spark of light from the two cities we've been.I looked for something to cook in the kitchen and found a bunch of canned goods.

What is it with old people and cans?

Tomatoes,beans,and other stuff.They were all different,but they were all in cans.We had no electricity,but there was a pile of firewood at the back.It was a beautiful flower garden,arranged according to their heights.I don't know any of them,except for the roses and marigold,and the sunflowers at the back.Marigold were Angel's favorites,I still remember her singing to them as she waters them.

Michael and Calie woke up and came downstairs at the same time,and I let them eat their breakfast.Maybe we can stay here for a while after all,we could see the city we were from the last time from up here,and also the mountain road we were before arriving at that city.

"Early morning,I think I heard cars going down the mountain,"Michael said to me.

I was probably sleeping at that time.

"You sure?"I asked.

"Well,the wind couldn't have possibly made those noises.Why don't I go take a look down to see if there are tire tracks?"

Hmmm,okay,but be careful.

He went after he ate,and I gave the girl a bath in the river after she ate her breakfast.

"Why do you look sad uncle Fiehl?" she asked me as we were going back to the house.

"I'm not sad,"I simple replied.

I think she was about to ask another question when Michael arrived.

"I think we have a problem,"he told me.

All three of us got down the stairs beside the small waterfall,it was hard to see them from afar because the rock stair blended with the background.I looked at the tire tracks and the road on our left,with my back facing the waterfall.The road infront of the waterfall was as flat as a chopping board,but on the right,the road was going up,the left was the exact opposite.The cars were going down the road, but where were they headed?

We were still infront of the waterfall when a white van was coming up from the left.It stopped and parked vertically,then the driver got out from his seat and walked towards us,an m-16 in his right hand,and a walkie talkie on his left.

"They killed him okay?!Don't tell the boss what happened until I get there.Wait,I got a situation here,"he said as he put the walkie talkie in his pocket,then aimed the gun with both hands.

Killed him?Hmmm,maybe if we could find whoever killed his friend,we could team up against these guys.

He was clearly an amateur,he maybe holding a gun,but he was walking towards us,there's two of us and only one of him,he had a gun but he didn't keep his distance.He aimed the gun at my head,and I pushed it up with my left hand and held it up,then quickly punched him on his nose with my right,then punched his stomach,right below the middle of his ribs,and pulled the gun away from his grip.Michael then went behind him and kicked him to the ground,then Michael put his knee on the guy's back,and twisted his arm.

Whoa.

"Where the hell did you learn that?"I asked him.

"Uh,movies?"he replied.

The guy was lying on his stomach,with a bleeding nose and a broken arm.

I shouldn't have left the pistol in the house.

As I was thinking about the gun,the guy was laughing,like a man who is about to die but willing.

"Hahaha,so it's you guys who killed the boss's brother.You are so dead,haha!"he exclaimed.

I could hear the walkie talkie on his pockets when I told Michael to take his bag back in the house,and grab the pistol with some food and water.

I thought on looking for those who killed his friend,and hoped that maybe they could help us.I saw the guy slowly reaching for his pockets,so I shot him.I looked behind me to see Callie,clearly terrified.

Should I talk to her?Or should we just wait for Micheal?I'm not good with children,she might even cry.

I was about to talk to her when Michael came speeding down the stairs.I casually threw the gun at the passenger's seat and sat behind the wheel.Michael helped Callie find her seat behind me and got in himself.The van slid down the road easily but when we got to the foot of the mountain,a bunch of infected were walking to and fro down there,like caged animals.

"Hold on!"I yelled,as the van went through and ran over a few of them.I looked at the side mirror and saw two of them that grabbed on the side of the van,luckily they couldn't get through the glass,but the van

"Get them off!"I ordered Michael.

"How!?"he screamed while holding Callie with his left hand,cowering behind him.

"Anyway you can!"I responded as we drove through a horde.

I managed to shake one of them off but the other one got its head and left arm in,trying to grab on them.Fortunately,Michael kicked its face as I reared to a left.I looked back to see Michael's foot outside the window,the infected wanted a piece of him badly that it wouldn't let go of his foot.I turned the wheel to the right,then a quick left,and it hit a tree.Michael pulled his leg back in,an arm still holding it,he threw it out the broken window in a panic.

I looked behind me and looked at Callie,I don't know why but she looked like she was enjoying herself.Michael smiled at her and she laughed,I could feel a smile forming in my face.We drove for hours until we found a wooden cottage like house, it looked like the sky blue paint was new,it looked somehow familiar from that house on the mountain,only this one had wooden fenced at the back.The house had a curved roof,under it was a window for the second floor,and another at the top of the frontdoor,and it had gravel for a walkway.We checked if there were any infected behind us,then knocked on the door.An old man wearing an old pair of jeans and polo shirt,with a hunting rifle in his hands showed up.We aimed our guns at each other.

"Whoa there young man,"he said as we slowly put down our weapons,he smiled at us.

"Who's this little cutie?"he asked when he saw Callie,who was hiding behind us.

"What am I doing come on in,"he told us.

We slowly walked in to see a corridor right after we entered,the left part was stairs going up.The living room had a small table and sofa,with a tv infront of them.He told us to go to the kitchen since he just finished roasting meat outside,in the backyard.

"I'll help you,"I told him.

"Oh don't worry about it,just take your seats and I'll just bring it in after I cut it,"he refusingly said.

He came in after a few minutes,a plate with neatly cut pieces of meat.

"Hope you like wild chicken,we have no rice I'm afraid,"he said,then chuckled.

He prepared some plates and pairs of forks and knives,then pressed on a button on the wall,lightbulbs flickered,then came to life.

"We have solar panels on the roof,"he said.

"We?"I asked.

"Oh,you see,my wife is resting upstairs,she is bedridden for a few months now,"he replied.

I felt a little sympathy when we heard a creak from upstairs.

"Oh she might be awake now,I should go and give her her pills,do please eat,I'll join you shortly,"he said with a sigh.

Moments passed and we agreed to wait for him before we eat,Michael was staring at the meat suspiciously.

"This kinda doesn't look like chicken meat,"he said,as he dug his fork in the meat.

He was going to take a bite when a drop of water fell on his head.He put down the fork and placed his hand on his forehead,that was not a drop of water,it was clearly blood.

I told them to wait for me at the table and to not touch their food.I slowly crept upstairs and found three doors,only one in the center was opened a little,it had wide space for a vase in each side.I was about to reach for the handle when it opened.Luckily,I raced for the corner.The old man closed the door behind him,without looking back then sighed,he couldn't see me right behind him.Then he went downstairs.

"Where'd your father go?"he asked them.

"Oh,he went back to the van to get something,but he didn't take a flashlight with him,I think I'll go and---"Michael replied.

"I'll go light the way for him,"he didn't let him finish his sentence,and I think he got a flashlight as he went out.I heard the door open and close below me.I opened the door,and slowly crept in.I walked near the bed and I could see a figure under the sheets ,I noticed that there was no movement on her chest,and I thought she was suffocating,I pulled the sheets to see a skeleton under the sheets..I quickly drew back in shock,but when I looked at the bedside table,I was even more shocked.There was a picture frame on it,with a pair of familiar faces,only this time,the old couple were with their three sons with a military truck behind them.

"That was the last time we saw them,"I heard a voice behind me.

I looked back and his fist met my face,and I fell to the ground.

"Didn't your parents tell you not to go in someone else's room?"he asked me,as we wrestled on the floor.

He was stronger than he looked.

"I was a wrestler in my youth,"he told me as he punched me on my liver,I felt an excruciating pain.

Shit!He went went for a liver punch.

He took some rope out of the cabinet,and stood infront of me.He kneeled down,intending to tie me up,when he heard something go through him.Behind him was Michael,a knife in both hands,it went through his back,but the old man punched him.He grabbed the knife and stood,I kicked his knee and he kneeled down.I quickly stood up and pulled the knife from his hands,then I pushed him onto the bed.He sat there,leaning on the bed.Michael walked and stood beside me.

"That was no chicken meat old man,"he said.

"What is it?"I asked.

"I went out the kitchen door and saw a corpse, a steel rod went in from the mouth to his feet.It was losing a leg,"he explained.

Thankfully,we didn't eat.

Then I turned to look at the old man,he stood up and sat on the bed,and caressed the skull of his beloved.I felt the chill go up my spine,how terrifying love can be.It started to drizzle,as drops of rain fell on the window outside.

"What now?"Michael asked me,Callie showed up with a pistol in her hands,and gave it to him.

Suddenly,the old man looked at us,he gave us a spine chilling stare,like from a corpse,his liveliness was gone in an instant,then turned to look at the skeleton.

"She and I were married for sixty years,I was a wrestler,she was a businesswoman,and we had three sons.All became soldiers,they looked up at their grandfather,and not long after they took on a mission,two soldiers came knocking on our door,and they told us they were killed in an explosion,that was the worst day of my life."he said calmly.

"They died as soldiers,fighting for our country then,"I told him.

Tears began to slowly form on his eyes,then flowed on his wrinkled face.

"A month after that,something was on the news,it said that we needed to evacuate to the city,which we did.I don't know what happened but when we got there,it was chaotic,it was a about a virus or something like that.We got out quick and ended up here.We tried planting but the soil wasn't good enough,and I'm too old to hunt.Then,a young couple and came in the house,the man had a pistol,and was aiming at my wife,I took out my rifle and shot him and his wife,I can't describe what happened next,"he told us.

I realized what happened next.

"You ate them,correct?"I asked.

He never spoke,and I was astonished at that.

"We would invite lost people here,then yes,I would cook them like pigs,"he finally spoke.

"About your wife,you do know she's dead right?"I asked.

He then suddenly charged at me,and strangled me.

"She's not!I'm telling you she's just sick!Why would everyone who see her tell me that she's dead!?"he exclaimed as he took the knife from my hand.

He raised his hand when I heard a gunshot,Michael shot him at his heart,and fell to the floor,as it continued to drizzle.All of a sudden,I noticed pair of headlights from the window.

"Wait a minute,that's the truck!"I heard a man's voice.

"Go in now,make sure you don't kill them!"I heard another exclaim.

I took the pistol from Michael and shot five rounds at them,they shot back.I took them downstairs and quickly locked the doors and windows.They bashed through the door,Michael and I then opened fire,taking down four of them.The other two was hiding outside.

"We see the house!"I heard from a walkie talkie,it was only a matter if time before they get here.

"Michael,take Callie and get out of here.Go throught the backdoor and go over the hills,"I ordered him.

"But,what about you?"

"I'll be fine,I'll just hold them off and find a way to get out from here later."

"Michael!"I yelled at a hesitant Michael,as the two of them tried shooting us,intending to hold us here,until their back up arrives.

I shot back two rounds as I went behind the stairs.Michael grabbed Callie,and looked at me before they got out the door,I simply nodded.In the kitchen,I saw gas cans behind an open cabinet,under the sink.I ran to the kitchen.When I got there,I heard footsteps getting close to me.I aimed my gun and shot at one of them before he did,the other one punched me,I punched back.I tried to aim my gun at him but he held my hand,he did the same with his hand but I grabbed it as well.I then saw two cars pull up beside the truck,men got out,guns drawn.I pushed him as they shoot,I used him as a meat shield.I shot back at them and they took cover,and rushed to grab a few gasoline cans,I threw one at the sofa and left one in the kitchen.I reloaded my pistol and shot again at them as I reached for the stairs and went up.I threw one behind the top of the stairs.I looked on the window but they tried shooting me,I ducked as broken glass fell on me.I stood up and quickly shot two of them.

"Shit!Go get him now!"I heard one of them yell.

I saw atleast six of them get in the house through the front door,and a few at the back.I then decided to end it there,if I can.So I peeked at downstairs and shot the gas can,and the bullet went through the sofa,it exploded and not long after,an explosion came from the kitchen,and a few came flying,they were caught on fire.I then heard footsteps from behind me,I quickly drew my gun but the man kicked it from my hand.I punched his balls and I saw a friend of his behind him.He started shooting so I held his friend in front of me.Smoke began to go up from downstairs,I threw his friend at him and grabbed the pistol,I shot three rounds until I run out of ammo,I killed the other one and threw the pistol at him,and tackled him.I punched his face a few times but he punched me back,he got a knife from the side of his pant and stabbed at my right lung.I held his arm but he tackled me and got on top of me. He was pushing the knife to my neck when he looked infront of us to see the flames on the walls.I took the opportunity and pushed the knife to his chest,right at his heart.I was about to jump from the window when bullets nearly got me,some were still down there waiting for me to get down.

Shit.How many of there are there!?

"Spread the fire!"I heard one of them yell.

Sure enough as I was about to get out through the backdoor,the fire was too strong,and they're waiting for me outside.Then I felt the pain in my chest,the blood must have gone to my lungs.I knelt down,and I could feel the smile on my face.

This is it huh?How ironic,to die the way she died,I guess this is what they call fate.

As the flames continued to spread all around me,I saw Angel,and I cried.

Finally,I can see you again.

I looked at the window,and saw two figures on the hills.

"Michael,Callie,"I muttered as the wooden planks fell on me,but I wasn't scared,I welcomed it,I welcomed death.

Hours passed as the rain slowly dissipated,and a portion of the sun could be seen above the mountains.Michael and Callie was on the other side,they spotted the cars leave the scene in a hurry.Michael ran to the house,even the stairs were devoured by the fire,the roof fell down in pieces.

The sun was completely rose above the mountains.Michael and Callie was climbing up the hill,a grave with a wooden under a tree behind them.Infront of them,was a path.Michael looked up at the sun and knew that the path infront of them was a difficult one,but he had to stay strong for Callie.Not only are they against the forces of nature,they were also against other people.He held her hand and they got down the hill.

Miles on the other side,Valentin and his men were preparing,guns and magazines around them.

"Remeber boys,this is war,take what you can,and give nothing back!"he said to them.

They rallied behind him as they got in their cars, and they headed to a city,a bridge was connecting it to the other side,a wide river ran underneath it.The bridge was filled with people,on the left side,were civilians,and on the other was a barricade of mixed soldiers and cops.

Valentin and his men got there and he stepped out of his car.

"To those who want to survive,follow us!Let them trap themselves in the city,and die!",he exclaimed.

From a ten story building,a man in a worn out suit was watching with his telescope,another man came running up the stairs.

"It's Valentin,and he persuaded them to follow him!"the panting man said.

The man simply looked on,Valentin were already on their way back to their base,with atleast fifty other survivors following him.

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