The Silent Chronicles: Silent Escape

Re-edited. This story still doesn't have any sex scenes in it just yet, but I'm getting there lol. It's hard to imagine a time during a zombie apocalypse where you'd become horny all of sudden. I'm working on the storyline and setting up the right moment. This chapter deals more with Anya's and Nikoli's growing attraction to each other and how Anya is learning to depend on someone other than herself. It's not as long as Book One, but it sets up the rest of the series. As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed!

Enjoy!

xxxYaoiLover21xxx

The Silent Chronicles: Book Two

A Silent Escape

I tried to move as quickly and silently through the sparse woods as I could. I looked down at Rose, asleep on my chest with her chubby arms around my neck. I placed one arm under her bum to hold her up and the other arm I had by my side in case I needed to draw my weapon if a Lurker came into sight.

I was making straight for the freeway. I knew I93 was a couple miles away from the safe zone which was on the outskirts of Braintree and I wanted to put as much distance between us and the compound as possible. I was hoping that one of the smaller towns south of Boston, maybe Attleboro or Taunton, would be safe enough for me and Rose. From experience, I knew that small and self-sufficient places were the best places to hold up in like churches, restaurants and gas stations.

I had decided to leave at dawn when the Lurkers would be less active and the guards were changing shifts. I slipped through one of the small chain link doors that faced the wooded area, using the security key that I had stolen from Nikoli while he was asleep. I hope he wouldn't be too mad when he woke up and found it missing. I knew that if I had tried to get clearance to leave the compound from the higher ups that I would be denied and I did NOT want my daughter trapped in that place.

Ever since I had been rescued by Nikoli and the mismatched rescue squad, what had seemed like a blessing had turned into a curse. Rose and I were taking to a Safe Zone outside of Boston. At first it was fine. We had fresh water, hot food and even a sense of security. But eventually it started to feel like the fences weren't just meant to keep the Lurkers out...but to keep us in. The higher ups constantly reminded us of how we owed a debt to them for saving us. That we were forbidden from leaving for our protection and that we should work hard to contribute.

Rumors started to spread about some officers using the women for sexual favors. Drugs being used by the sentries to keep them awake at night and all other kinds of horrible shit. And I for one wasn't going to stick around to see what was true and what wasn't.

The only one I trusted was Agent Nikoli, and I secretly hoped that he would come with me when I got the hell out of dodge. It had been just over 2 years since he had saved me from a horde of rotting and ravenous Lurkers just after giving birth to my daughter. Nikoli had stayed close to me and grew really attached to Rose while we sought refuge in the safe zone. But the safe zone wasn't so safe after all. Lurkers found blind spots and weak points in the compound's defenses and slipped into the camp. Usually no one was injured, but recently two people had become infected and killed five people before being taken down.

I knew it was time for me and my daughter to get out of there. During my whole pregnancy I had survived alone in the Boston city. I knew how to take care of myself and would protect my daughter with my dying breath.

Suddenly, a snapping noise caused me to turn around quickly. I pulled my .38 out of its holster at my hip and raised my weapon. I held Rose closer to me and peered into the sparse light of dawn and into the woods ready for whatever came into view.

Time seemed to pass by so slowly, I barely breathed and hoped that Rose stayed asleep and quiet. A tall figure came into sight, dressed in dark clothes. It was a person, but I wasn't sure if they were alive or undead. As the figure came closer I gripped my weapon tighter, ready to fire, and called out "Who is it!?"

I was ready to fire at the first sound of a groan or a hiss.

But a familiar voice reached me instead. "Anya, don't shoot! It's me, Nikoli"

Agent Nikoli came closer and into full view. He had on black BPD SWAT tactical suit and a 15-22 Smith and Wesson assault rifle slung across his chest with his left hand slightly resting on the trigger. A .40 caliber handgun was holstered on his thigh. There was also a small pack on his back. He walked up to Rose and I.

"You stole my pass key." Was the first thing he said.

"Really! I almost shot you! And you're worried about a key?" I whispered harshly then rolled my eyes. I holstered my weapon and turned away from him back towards the highway.

"What are you doing coming after us anyways? I'm not turning back so don't even ask." I marched forward, cradling my small toddler entwined around me; Nikoli kept pace.

"Just so you know, A, I knew you would take the key... so I pretended to be asleep. I saw you take it and gave you a 20 minute head start. B, I didn't follow you to bring you back. I think you are beyond all reason anyways." Nikoli grabbed my shoulder forcing me to stop walking and look at him. He spoke slowly and looked into my eyes, "And C, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you and Rose."

I looked down at the top of my daughter's head, saw the little curls there and her small, round head resting against my flack vest, then I looked back up at Nikoli. His handsome face was serious and his dark blue eyes were trying to convey the feelings that he had for me and my daughter without saying it out loud. I understood and just nodded. Nikoli let me go and we set off together.

I made a weird noise in my throat then spoke. "I planned on following the highway towards Taunton. I figured that there would be less Lurkers and if I we were lucky we could find a car that works and try and find a good place to hold up in." I informed Nikoli.

"Sounds like a plan. Lurkers usually wander off into the woods and cities so we should be okay for the most part but we should keep an eye out just in case. You never know if we might run into a crowd of 'em coming up from Providence." Nikoli adjusted his weapon and focused his eyes ahead.

I silently blessed the heavens for Nikoli turning up. I didn't doubt my ability to keep Rose safe, but it was nice to have someone who cared about her and I. I had been alone since the outbreak, pregnant and scared. And even though I did have feelings for Agent Nikoli, they were still confusing and I was just happy he was by my side...mine and Rose's.

I held Rose close and smiled down at her. "Ok little one, let's do this." Rose giggled in response.

Sometime Later

Me, Nikoli and Little Rose were up against a wall trying to be as silent as possible. Well me and Nikoli were, Rose couldn't have cared less, she was a toddler afterall.

"How many?" I asked Nikoli who held his rifle up and peered through the scope around the corner into the parking lot of a Burger King.

"I count 13, maybe a couple more. I see some shadows inside but I can't make 'em out." Nikoli turned to me and looked at Rose. She was in my arms playing with a lock of my hair, occasionally putting it in her mouth and giggling lightly. I shh'd her and bounced her a bit in my arms. I had my .38 out and was thinking hard. We needed a place for the night, and some food wouldn't be bad either.

"Do you think we can make it?

"I don't know. Once one sees us, they all will and we'll have to fight them off. The sound of the shots might attract any more that are close enough to hear."

"Shit!"

I took a deep breath.

"Here." I handed Rose over to Nikoli. He let go of his rifle, which hung limp by a strap on his chest and held out his arms for the chubby toddler.

"Come here Rosie-Posie." Nikoli cooed to her. Rose happily returned Nikoli's smile and grabbed his face. Nikoli smiled and rocked her back and forth.

I switched places with Nikoli and peaked around the corner. Nikoli was right. There was a dozen or so Lurkers shuffling around the parking lot. I scanned the lot looking for any way to make it to the Burger King. I ran scenarios in my head while Nikoli handled Little Rose.

"We can't make it." I said defeated and turned back to Nikoli who was busy playing peek-a-boo with my daughter. "We're gonna have to find someplace else."

I took Rose from Nikoli, which caused her to frown as she left the embrace of her large playmate. Nikoli readjusted his 15-22 and straightened up.

"The rest stop sign said there was a Hess station somewhere around here. Or maybe we could just find a safe enough looking house for the night. The light is fading. It's your call."

I holstered my weapon and tied the make shift baby carrier tighter around me and Rose. "Rose is going to start getting cranky and she's going to need a nap. Let's find a house and hold up." Nikoli nodded.

We walked along the main road, occasionally ducking behind cars or cutting through the backyards of some of the houses. There were a few Lurkers along the way, but we either avoided them or Nikoli took them out with his KA-BAR. We eventually came across what used to be a home daycare center. Me and Nikoli communicated silently and agreed that it would be a pretty good place to stay. Rose was fidgety and kept trying to remove herself from my grasp and get down to walk on her own.

Nikoli raised his rifle and went around the back; I followed. Nikoli crouched slightly and walked slowly into the backyard which was set up like a small playground. The second Rose saw the brightly colored Fisher Price jungle gym she started furiously pushing away from me and started to whine. I held her tighter.

"Rose! Rose be still!" I whispered sternly.

Nikoli never took his eyes off the back door of the daycare with its slightly rusted screen door and broken, spider-webbed glass. The yellow house was small, but had a lot of windows which indicated a lot of rooms that would need to be cleared.

I reached into one of the pockets on my cargo pants and pulled out Rose's stuffed duck. Rose snatched it from my hands and went silent, at least for the moment. I rolled my eyes and nodded towards Nikoli telling him to go ahead. Nikoli pulled open the screen door and slowly turned the handle and pushed it open.

I held my breath and squeezed Rose so tightly the toddler let out a slight cry. I had my .38 pointed straight ahead as I followed Nikoli into the house. We entered through the kitchen and then came to a living room and a hallway to the right. There were toys strewn all around the floors and some of the furniture was knocked over. Kiddie chairs and tables still had little bowls and Sippy cups on them. The food and drink had long since spoiled.

Nikoli mentioned for me to take the living room and dining area while he investigated the hallway and the couple of rooms that seemed to branch off of it. I walked further into the room while Nikoli went off to the right. The living room was empty so I crossed infront of the front door to get to the other sitting room. The front door was slightly open. I closed it then locked the door. I continued to the other sitting area and gasped. I turned quickly sideways so Rose didn't get a glimpse of what was in front of us.

It was a woman in jeans and a t-shirt. She was splayed out on the floor, her insides ripped out and splattered all around the room. Her face was shrunken in and gray. An outline of puss and decomposition surrounded her. There were bite marks all over her face and skull where a Lurker must have tried to get to her brain. Her lips had been ripped off and her throat was clawed open, revealing her trachea.

I swallowed down the bile that rose from my stomach and just leaned my head against Rose. The toddler looked at me then realizing that something interesting must be behind me, she tried to climb up my chest to get a better view.

"Rose. Rose! No!" I said in such a tone that made the toddler immediately stop moving and went back to investigating her stuffed duck.

I reached into another pocket of my pants and pulled out a handful of marbles. I tossed them over my shoulder towards the body and then bee lined past the front door and around the staircase that separated the two rooms. I turned back around and positioned myself so only I could see the dead woman on the floor; Rose's view was obstructed by the stairs.

I counted to ten slowly. Usually touching a body if it wasn't really dead would cause it to revive. 10 seconds was all it took.

I counted out load, "One...two...three...four...five...six...seven." The head twitched to the side, subtly, but you noticed if you were looking. Then the body quaked and whoever that woman once was, started to heave herself up off the floor. The body jerked. Blood and gore spilled out of her wounds. Her head was tilted to the side, a slight squeaking noise escaping from her torn open neck.

I took a deep breath and covered Rose's ears with my free hand. Then I whistled.

Immediately, the woman's milky white eyes trained on the source of the sound and flew open wide. She pivoted forward and started to shuffle towards me and my baby, her only arm outstretched with nails shorn like claws leading the way. I fired twice, hitting the woman in her chest cavity and then I aimed higher and got her right in the left cheek. The Lurker fell with a thud.

Little Rose was crying so I held her close and whispered calming words to her. Nikoli came bounding around the corner from the hallway with his rifle up.

"One Lurker, that's all. It's dead." I reassured Nikoli who had a slight furrow in his brow. He walked up to me and Rose. He kissed Rose on the cheek and just touched my arm and let out a sigh of relief.

All of a sudden we heard a loud thundering noise followed by shuffling steps then something came tumbling down the stairs. Me and Nikoli jumped back in shock. More things came hurdling down the stairs until a heap of clothing was resting against the door. Lurkers!

They all crawled to a standing position and turned on us. A male let out a growl then they all charged at Nikoli, Rose and I.

"RUN!" Nikoli yelled out then started firing shots. More Lurkers came tumbling down the stairs and started to advance on us. I ran towards the kitchen and out the back door. The shots from Nikoli's rifle echoed loudly behind me. I saw a small minivan with its side door swung open and I went towards it.

The Dodge Caravan still had the keys in the ignition, although a severed hand was still attached to them. I pulled the rotting appendage off the keys and started the van. I ran from the driver's side to the open side doors on the passenger side and hastily pulled the straps loose on the baby carrier that was holding Rose to me and pulled the toddler loose.

Rose was screaming and fought me as I put her into one of the booster seats set up in the van. I heard the clicking noise of the belt and then I swung the door shut, silencing Rose's cries from me. I ran back to the driver's side, stood outside with one leg in and honked the horn several times.

Nikoli came running out of the house with a dozen Lurkers close on his heels.

I put my arms on the roof of the mini-van and started to fire at the Lurkers closest to Nikoli, dropping as many as I could. Nikoli reached the van and we both ducked into the Dodge and shut the doors. I mashed my finger down on the button for the automatic locks just as the horde or flesh eating undead slammed into the side of the van.

Rose let out a piercing scream and Nikoli jumped into the back with her. I shifted the van into drive and slammed on the gas. The Dodge Caravan busted through the wooden fence that was in front of the driveway and skidded onto the street. I made a hard left turn and pushed the pedal to the floor. The Lurkers were still coming after us. The van rocked violently as I steered it through the congested streets and away from the daycare.

"Is she ok?" I asked trying to look over my shoulder at my daughter. I sped onto the ramp that led to I93.

"She's fine, just shook up." Nikoli responded. He was rubbing Rose's cheek and had a protective arm on the front of the booster seat.

"What the hell was that back there?"

"I don't know. I guess all those Lurkers were parents or something. Who the hell knows." Nikoli let out an exacerbated huff.

"We were lucky." I said quietly. I looked in the rear view mirror at Little Rose who was slowly drifting off to sleep after crying so much. Nikoli looked at me and again I saw the love there, but this time I also saw fear. The same fear that was reflected in my own eyes.

"We need to be mov-"A groan cut Nikoli off and then a rotten and disfigured face of a Lurker rose up from the back of the van behind him.

"Nikoli!"

Nikoli threw himself to the floor and turned as the dead human attempted to crawl over the second row back seat of the van. Nikoli aimed at the creature but missed his first shot. I had taken my eyes off the road and side swiped the guard railing.

Rose woke up and starting crying hysterically and tried to get out of the booster. I could see her in the rearview mirror. She was reaching out to me. I screamed at Nikoli to do something! I pushed down hard on the brakes. Nikoli was thrown back hitting his head on the back of the passenger seat. The Lurker flipped over the second row of seats and landed in a heap on the floor.

Then the Lurker noticed the plump child a little bit away and dug its nails into the seats trying to rise and crawl towards the strapped in toddler. I put the car in park, dropped my seat backwards trying to trap the Lurker underneath me while I tried desperately to unlock the straps on the booster to release my child. I just kept screaming at Nikoli to kill it. Nikoli tried to grab the Lurker by its shirt and bring it back over the second row away from Rose and I, but it's shirt tore away from its rotten body. It lunged at Rose and I screamed.

"NOOOO!!"