Something For Halloween: "Days"

Day...

1
I'm on the rooftop today. It's too damn hot, and being inside is like being in a goddamn pressure cooker. Not that it's any better outside, I just like the view. It's clean today and the crows have picked most of the street clean.

"Brought you a beer," Speaks a voice behind me, instantly I recognise it. It is the voice of an old, black man. Of course it's Rick, he's the only one who sounded like that. Weather beaten you might say.
"Thanks, man." I reply, taking a can out of his pretty large hand. The can is freezing to the touch, perhaps it's temperature feels amplified with all this heat around me. It's was still wet from the ice it was kept in. The can is a little dented, but fine to drink from. You get used to things being like that now; Rusted, broken, dented, or dead. You just sort of learn to cope.

As Rick takes the other green beach chair, the sun bounces off of his bald head and he sighes happily. "Y'know, the world's gone to shit. Everything's fucked up. But still... I can't say that it isn't beautiful today."
He didn't say much, that man, but when he did he mused truths greater than you could fathom into words yourself. He was a soccer coach before the shit hit the fan, asshole should've been a writer. He always knew exactly what words to tell you, and exactly when to tell you them. A strange gift for a man whose the strong, silent type to hold. Of course, I can't help agree with him. It is beautiful. A strange kind of pretty that you can't tell if it's really pretty, or just nice in comparison to every other day. The sun is already setting, and darkening the sky. A bad sign, beautiful, but deadly. Like a poison rose. Or the kiss of a succubi.

I take my rifle, and with it my eye off of the horizon, and decide to head back inside before the screaming started. It always starts at night. By now I wasn't even going to bother asking Rick to come with me, he never really socialises with me and the others at night. No, he spent the night alone and at peace with himself. I always imagined that he talked to himself or shouted abuse at the howlers below, calling them 'dumb fucks' or 'walkin' ads for ten shades of shit'. He always had a way with words. Comical, and touching. A strange man, that man, Rick. Glad I met him. Wish I'd met him before all of this.

2

It's the morning, and I'm back on the roof. It's about 6 a.m, and I gotta keep watch on Katie and Jenny. They're the fastest of us, and always do the rounds. Today they're hitting that small store off the corner of Pecker St. I doubt there'll be much there that isn't spoiled or already looted. I don't like it today. The golden sky doesn't feel right, it feels like a menace painted it to hide things in shadows rather than to slowly reveal the hills in the distance with a graceful lifting of the sun. The streets are quiet, as they always are at this time, but it doesn't feel safe. Just gotta keep my cross hair on Jenny and Katie, keep them safe with my watchful eye. It's times like these that I wish I was blind, so I wouldn't be picked to use my eyesight and steady hand to keep others safe - to have them rely on me. I told them it was a stupid idea to go out so far, but of course they wouldn't listen - They never do - and if they die, it'll be my fault. For not firing quickly enough, or for not concentrating.

Looks like they're in the store now, not much I can do but wait. Hope they don't make noise and wake somethin' up. I haven't had my coffee or my bacon'n'eggs today. Rick gets to sleep because he's "old and needs his rest", while Gary makes the breakfast. God, that guys not good for anything but making breakfast. Breakfast Gary. The world goes to hell, and everyone learns what they should've done with their lives. Perfect.

The door swings open, too fast for my liking. Already I know somethin's up. A blond woman in a blue shirt and denim jeans is rushing out of the store with a couple of boxes and bags in her arms. Must have be a good day. But where's Katie? Jenny's saying something, but I can't hear. She looks worried. I straighten myself up, and cock my rifle. I knew this was bad. I keep my sight bouncing from the door to Jenny's face, door to Jenny, door to Jenny. Still no -- There's Katie. A small, white tank's in her hand. Gas? Really? She found gas?! Now this was getting as good as it was bad. Why were they running? And shouting to each other with panicked faces? Those dumb bitches better not have woke somethin' up. It'll be okay... Just keep my sight on the -- what the fuck was what!? Somethin' large, possibly a dog, just jumped onto Katie and fuckin' floored her. She's putting up a struggle.
"goddamit!" I shout as I fire three rounds into the things back. I look to Jenny, She's okay -- Shit, Jenny, Never look back! I told you! Bitch never listens. She's nearly here, nearly. Shit, another thing's pounced on her too. Without hesitating I fire a couple of rounds, and now I gotta reload. I move quickly, grabbing the box of golden rounds and stuffing them into the rifle, pull back - cocked. Ready. Aim. Looks like Jenny's inside, those things are dead. No sign of any more. Katie's just managed to limp a meter two, but she won't make it on foot. I can hear Jenny shouting from all the way down there, those vent ducts do wonders. I already know what's comin'. If she get's Rick killed, I'm gonna be pissed off.

3

Things been real quiet here, now. Katie's been lying on a bed in the floor below. We already know she won't last much longer in her condition. We bandaged her up as much as we could, but whatever got her, got her good. It's weird, the cuts are so deep. But they don't look like any real force went into them. The really crazy thing is, all of the cuts are almost on her arteries. As if it knew where to strike. Looks like those things are getting stronger, or smarter. Or both.

Luckily, though, Rick's okay. He managed to get Katie back here within a few seconds. Man can run like he's a machine. He damn near collapsed when he got back here, though. He wasn't lying when he said he had bad lungs. Real bad. He coughs like a smoker. Chokes like a man whose dying. But he ain't. Not for now anyway. Katie's the one we're worried about for now. Everyone's pretty shook up about the whole thing. It's like the attack just bled what little happiness there was in our group.

Few hours maybe.

If not less.

4

We lost Katie in the night. Her wounds just started bleeding like crazy. We knew we couldn't keep the body around, so we did the only thing we could do at that time and dropped her into the night. Into that pit of howlers. Hopefully if they were hungry enough they would just eat her rather than let her turn.

We lost Jenny just a few minutes ago... She went nuts. It was like she couldn't live without her sister. Jumped right out of a window into the howlers screaming 'Katie'. So now it's just Me, Rick, and Gary. Damn. I was hopin' Gary would've gone. Katie or Jenny over him. They made you feel like this shit wasn't happening. That in a while it'd all be okay. Gary just complains and cries all day. Rick doesn't know if he's gonna last much longer either.

5

It's 5.30am. No chances. We drew straws, so now me and Rick sit on the roof, and watch Gary run to the nearest store to get anything he can. Man, the skies look weird today, too. I can't move. My hands are as steady as wood, and I'm guessin' Rick's about the same.

Out Gary comes running. He's stopped in the middle of the road, though.
"Hell's he doin'?" Rick asks me, but I can't even answer him. I can see a pistol in his hand, and I can already tell he intends to use it. He's crying, and talking to himself, or to something we can't see inside that store. A man comes out of the store wearing torn clothes, and torn, Grey skin. I know he's not really a man any more. He's a thing. An it. Unthinking. Unfeeling. Unflinching. It.
I know Gary can out run one of them, all they can do is walk thanks to Rigor Mortis, but Gary isn't moving. He's lifted the gun towards the thing that's lurching towards him and he turns it on himself.
"Shit." Rick and I spit in harmony as Gary fires a single round into his head. I know he's dead. He fell to the floor instantly. The thing that stands there isn't anymore alive than Gary is now. It's turning it's Grey head in our direction, It's head fits into the sight on my scope, and I swear it's looking right at me. Right at me with those dead eyes. I can't even describe the fear. It's like it's saying 'Come on! Come get me!', and before I can even react, Rick's blown it's forehead out. One round. Right in the middle.
"Good shot."

[6
It's night. Can't even tell what time it is anymore, all the clocks are broke. I knew this night would come. I just knew it. I'm on the roof, and the howlers, are running en masse into the building. Just a matter of time. They might've gotten Rick by now. No time to check. If Rick is dead, what do I do? Find a way off the roof? Hell no. There's only one thing I can do.

I load my rifle.

I open a beer.

I sit back, with the barrel pointed at the door. And I muse my final words:

"Come get me. Come get me you sons of bitches. Come. Get. Me."

Just gonna type this as I go. We’ll see if it makes sense at the end. ^^

Okay, first I would recommend using a different word in the third paragraph, when you’re describing Rick’s hand. I think it’s supposed to read as a fairly large hand, but the way I read it first suggested that his hand was both pretty, and large. XD

I think the word ‘succubi’ is plural. So it should either be the kiss of succubi, or the kiss of a succubus. :3

In the third section, second paragraph, perhaps consider rephrasing one line.
“all of the cuts are almost on her arteries.” This suggests to me that almost all of the cuts were near misses - that didn’t quite hit her arteries. If this is not what you meant, perhaps change it to “the cuts were almost all on her arteries” or something.

Fifth part, second paragraph. I think you meant ‘any more alive than Gary is now’ rather than ‘anymore’.

Great story. Really gripping through the whole thing. You’ve got a great style that made it very easy to picture the scenes you were painting. Good job. ^^

haha thanks for the feedback!

Always great when people point out the stuff I buggered up over [No, really, that's not sarcasm. I need people to point that stuff out, how else would I grow as a writer? ]

Also, can I just let you know it was 4.a.m when I started typing this... and about 6 when I finished! XD