Adam came across his first semblance of order after crossing the Milwaukee border.Jeremy had narrowly missed being bitten by a persistent zombie who hung on to the car door.Jeremy had thought it was a good idea to get down to help Adam when he got mobbed by zombies while he was trying to fill the storehouse with dry fruits from the fruit market.The zombies thought otherwise.Adam had to rescue the boy from getting killed.Then the fat zombie clung to the car door.Adam couldn’t stop the car as he told Jeremy to shake off the zombie.“He wouldn’t let go!” Jeremy shouted in fear as the zombie snarled at him through the glass.The half-opened window was the only thing separating the zombie from Jeremy.It clung hard to the car, even as Jeremy tried over and over to pin the car door firmly against its hand so it would let go.The zombie’s veined, gray eyes bulged as the car picked up speed, and its legs dragged after the car.Still, it did not let go.Hand pinned against the door.Bloo
“Criminal”“How can he do something like that?”“Do you see the bloodstains on his clothes? He must have been doing this for so long.”Adam hardly took note of the whispers of the people in the cars as he wondered what had happened to Jeremy.“Jere…” His attempt to take a step towards the boy was hindered by another fist strike to his face.“Stay away from him, murderer!” the officer who had accused him shouted as he went over to where Jeremy was lying on the hard, dirt-packed ground.He used the nose of his hard boot to nudge Jeremy.“Hey, boy! Get up!”“He has fainted, you bastard!” Adam shouted in frustration.As he saw the boy lying there, unmoving, all he could remember was Old Larry’s dying face and the promise he had made.“He needs to get to the hospital! Help him!” Adam shouted agitatedly as he tried to remove his hands from the handcuff.“And who said you could raise your voice at us, criminal?” Another officer said, with a sneer.The officer raised his hand to hit Adam aga
“I will get us killed for sure.” Jeremy muttered for the umpteenth time as he concentrated hard on the road. He bit down on his lips as he turned the steering wheel the way Adam had shown him. “Better you do it than for the zombies to get us,” Adam said in a muffled tone as he scooped out a handful of raisins from its bag and tossed them in his mouth. He munched it fast and turned to see Jeremy give him a sceptical look. Jeremy turned his head away fast when he saw that Adam was looking at him. “What?” Adam asked impatiently. “You wouldn’t tell me how you brought out so much food? I saw that you did not bring it out from the backpack," Jeremy said hesitantly. He kept his eyes on the road as he turned the steering wheel again. He turned his body in the direction he was turning the steering wheel, as if that would help him steer better. “You are not dead, are you?” Adam said shortly before he leaned over and used one hand to help Jeremy guide the car back onto the road. The ca
Adam felt like a newborn. As Jeremy stared at him with shock, Adam stepped out of the car. The iconic Cobb gate seemed to stare right back at him with interest as Adam took in the beautiful intricacies of the ivy draped elegantly over the gate structure like a lover embracing his beloved. Adam was surprised by how many details he could pick out. He could see the soldier ant weaving its way among the teeth of one of the gargoyles at the entrance. The soldier ant went on unbothered, as if daring the gargoyle to snap its opened mouth shut. Sounds from afar resounded in Adam’s ears, like he was standing right in the middle of those making the sounds. He could hear Jeremy’s heartbeat, though the boy was still in the car. That was how Adam knew that even though the university seemed deserted, there were people inside. The building smelled of life. “Smelled of life?” Adam was shocked by the weird feeling. He wondered how he had known what he knew. How does a building smell like li
“I think there is a misunderstanding here.” Adam ventured to say, minutes after the men kept marching them through halls without stopping. The men did not answer. The one that had the gun to Jeremy’s head simply corked the gun and sent Adam a meaningful look. Adam got the message, and he quickly shut his mouth as he sent Jeremy a reassured look. The boy looks terrified. Adam couldn’t blame him. He also couldn’t believe what was going on. What on earth were gunmen doing on a campus ranked as one of the safest in the world? Adam could remember the first time he had been in the school. It was when Nina and Lisa won the merit scholarship that the school offered. Adam’s family was still a bit well off back then, but even they couldn’t afford the rates of a school like UChicago. The twins had been on top of the world when they got selected for a full scholarship at the school. The whole family had come to see them off on their first day of school. Adam could remember the happi
Adam followed Carson down the hallway. He did not bother to look back since he would only be prodded by the butt of the gun anyway. Yet, all around him, he could see people dressed like Carson working on one thing or another. He saw a man pouring a green liquid into a vial while three others monitored its properties from a machine that was attached to the bottom of the vial. Adam would give anything to have an answer at that moment, and he knew that Carson could give him answers. All he needed to do was get to talk to the man alone at a place where the gunmen couldn’t threaten the old man. The question was where. Adam was jolted out of his thoughts when Jeremy gasped beside him and suddenly stopped moving. “Wha…” Adam didn’t need to complete his question as he looked to the side where Jeremy’s gaze was focused. The unmistakable snarls and growls reached his ears, even as he saw the nightmare that awaited them. In a big room with an embossed plaque atop it that reads “PPE ST
Adam was so dazed by what he saw that he didn’t protest when one of the men hit him with the butt of the gun when he was hesitating too long.As if it were by design, he fell right on top of the extended lever.Jeremy was ordered to lie right on top of him.By the time Adam understood what they meant, the jittery Jeremy was lying on top of him.His back was to Adam’s front.The switch was pressed again and the lever rose swiftly up the cubicle. Then it got sucked into the cubicle as suddenly as it had come out initially.As if they knew the routine already, the people in the cubicle moved away from the middle of the room.Adam and Jeremy got unceremoniously dumped into the middle of the room. The men who led them in left the room without a backward glance. Anger stirred in Adam at the brutal treatment. Jeremy shivered as he quickly stood up from where he landed. He held his bruised elbow as he looked straight at the agitated zombies despite Adam’s warning. The young lady in the
Adam was anticipating it. He was expecting the men to press the button that would make the lever materialise again. Instead, the one in the lead only gave him a deathly stare. Then he told the bleeding man to stop his noise. After which, he turned away and left. Followed by the two others.Adam could see the surprise on the faces of everyone there. Even the lady with the faraway look on her face turned her head to look at him again. The wonder they felt showed on their faces. Adam doubted that was the last he would hear of what he had done though. He could see that Jeremy was calming down as he ate the banana. Adam threw caution to the wind and he brought out two bags of raisin and roasted peanuts. “Have some” he said to the boy. Then he sat beside Jeremy and calmly ate the raisin as if he couldn’t see the look of surprise on the faces of those around. After a few seconds of silence, the lady who was facing the wall earlier turned to Adam and asked, “Can I have some?" A