Live Another Day by Baileigh Higgins (finding audrey .txt) 📕

and that her future cooperation might count on his words. But what choice did he have?

He'd known what could and likely would happen when he volunteered for this job. It was why he'd offered. Because he knew none of the others back at camp would be able to do it, and the mission would fail. This he could not allow. Ke Tau had to be defeated if Dr. Lange stood any chance at discovering a vaccine to the virus.

He looked the patiently waiting Rebecca in the eyes and said, “I will do it because I must.”

“You are certain? It is a heavy burden to bear. The pain and suffering of another.”

“Rather I carry it than someone else.”

She turned to leave, pausing only to say, “I'll see what I can do.”

Satisfied, Michael turned away and gazed out into the night. Perhaps tomorrow, he'd finally get his chance. A chance to prove himself to Ke Tau, whatever that might entail. The cold knot in his chest grew, and he mumbled what he knew to be true. “It's for the greater good.”

For a second, his mind drifted away as a memory returned to haunt him. The sight of soft brown eyes clouding over in death, full lips gasping a silent plea for mercy as his hands closed over tender skin and squeezed. Why couldn't he stop squeezing?

“I have no choice. It needs to be done.” This time, Michael wasn't sure for what, or who, the words were intended.

Chapter 4 - Max

Max stood with one hand shading his eyes while he studied the bare veldt around them. He saw no signs of life, not a single indication of undead. Yet, he knew they were there. Ever since Ke Tau launched the attack that took Rosa's life, things had not eased for the inhabitants of the camp. In fact, they'd grown worse.

Joseph straightened up from his crouch and dusted his hands on his pants. “It looks good. No sign of wear or sabotage so far.”

Max grunted and ran his eyes along the barbed wire that made up the outer fence. The thick strands looked solid, the wooden posts immovable. Steel pipes reinforced the poles, planted diagonally into the ground. Rolls of razor wire were strung along the bottom, the sharp edges an extra layer of defense besides the moat that surrounded it.

On both sides, the brush was cleared away leaving nowhere to hide and a clear field of fire. Inside the fence stretched a nine-meter wide fireguard. This was born not only out of fear that the dry summer could cause veld fires but also by the possibility of arson.

They continued with their inspection of the fence, testing each section as they went. To Max's right inside the perimeter, the fields lay bare after the late summer harvest. The crops had been sparse due to low rainfall, a worrisome thing to his mind, but Phillip had planted a separate section with winter vegetables and assured Max there would be a sizable bounty later in the year.

At least the goats are doing well, Max thought. The hardy animals had proved a boon over the past weeks, neither falling ill nor needing a lot of care. They fed on the low brush and dry grasses around them, supplemented by kitchen scraps and a trough of water. In return, they produced milk, cheese, and on occasion, meat.

Joseph nudged him on the shoulder. “We should get a few cattle.”

“If we can find any,” Max replied. Though they'd raided all the nearby farms, they'd yet to find any living livestock besides the goats and a few chickens. The fenced in animals had proven easy prey to the voracious appetites of the infected, not to mention those that starved to death when their masters died.

“We should go to the big farms. They cannot all be gone.”

“Maybe, but we've got more important things to do than run after cows at the moment.”

“Agreed, but I have a son now, and healthy boys need meat to grow.” As ever, when Joseph spoke about his son, born not long after Erica's daughter, his eyes glowed, and his face sported a foolish grin.

“Your boy is as healthy as a horse, just like his father. Besides, I'd rather go for a few pigs.” Max's face took on a distant stare. “Eggs and bacon for breakfast. Yum.”

“Pigs are dirty,” Joseph replied. “Just think of the smell. No, cattle are better. A nice, thick, juicy steak.”

Max laughed. “If you say so.”

They continued bickering about food as they walked, a not unusual topic of discussion lately. Everyone had his or her cravings for things they missed from the past. The most common were pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, and beer. Their argument ground to a halt, though, when a familiar sound made itself known.

Max walked closer and leaned over the edge of the moat to gaze at the infected trapped within. It rasped a plaintive moan when it saw him, and its fingers scrabbled at the earthen walls surrounding it. An answering cry went up from further down the deep ditch, and two more figures shambled closer to join the first. The trio reached up with grasping fingers, eager to reach the human flesh that hovered so tantalizingly close.

“There's more of them today,” Max said.

“Everyday, there's more than the last,” Joseph replied. “Yesterday we pulled out eight during the morning shift.“

“Eight?” Max asked.

“Yes,” Joseph replied with a somber nod.

Max sighed and straightened up, thinking it over. Whichever way he looked at it, the news was bad. After the horde had attacked, they'd experienced a brief lull in infected activity, but this was changing with more falling into the moat by the day.

“Well, let's get this over with,” he said as he took up a fighting stance.

Together they leaned over the side to stab the unfortunate zombies to death before hauling the bodies out onto a stretcher, adding to the two already there.

As ever, Max automatically tried to see the human in them. Tried to see who or what they'd