The Rotting Flesh Book 1: Escatology
Chapter 6: Praise

There was a lot of chaos people running in and out of spar supermarket the biggest fresh food seller in Cyna. Most of them were just breaking things in an effort to carry more than they can handle. One particular gentleman filled a trolley with food and tried to run out without paying. Praise a security officer stopped him at gun point

“Stop right there what do you think you are doing!!?” she yelled furious and disappointed. With his appearance what he was doing was shameful.

“There is no time lady run now if you want to live” he said

“Are you threatening me” she asked obviously irritated

“Praise” the manager called her name and she looked at him

“Let him go, its okay” he said softly shocking her with his words

“What but sir” she tried to argue but he just nodded his head and she let him pass

He threw car keys to her and she caught them looking very confused

“Take as much food as possible, go home take your daughter and leave Cyna” he said

“Sir whats going on?” she asked very confused. Mr Bajaji was a very respectable man who did not joke around with serious stuff. Praise had been treated like family by him and whatever he said she would obey

He looked at her with so much sadness in his eyes like that of someone who has been told that they are going to die

“There is no time. It was an honour working with you and please to tell Tricia that I love her. I love you Praise go now that's an order” he said causing Praise to experience a lot of mixed emotions. She took a trolley filled it with lesser perishable goods like tinned foods, loaded them in the car and when she was about to leave Mr Bajaji ran to her and gave her a 9MM and bullet box

“You are probably going to need this, now go and be Theresa’s hero like you were mine” he said with one tear going down his right eye

“I love you sir” she said

“No call me dad” he replied

“I love you dad” she said easily. She had always wanted to say that

“Goodbye” he said and she drove off at a very tremendous speed.

On her way home she could see people were running up and down but what they were running from she could not see. As she got closer to her home area she noticed most of it had already been deserted then she turned on the radio to see if she could hear something that might help.

[“All hell has broken loose, the dead walk among us oh my God, run Lysias. This is Esther Chiutsi and goodbye Cyna. Forver”]then the signal was lost

Praise was so confused. Was this some sort of silly joke what was going on. As she took the turn she saw someone fall of the roof then some people dressed in blood soaked clothes turn to the gate and pile up there trying to enter. She parked her car a few meters and she heard someone creaming from inside the yard. She used cars to stay out of sight of these people and finally the gate gave in. She ran and found them pushing at the door of the tool shed at the back yard. She walked in slowly aiming her gun at them

“Hey move away from the shed!” she yelled and one turned to face her. His neck was half open and his right cheek was ripped off exposing his bloody teeth. He let out a groan and started for her. She shot hit twice on the chest but he kept coming. The others left the shade and turned to her. She then shot him in the head and he went down. She did the same for the rest and succeeded.

“Whose there!!” a shaky voice called out from inside the shed

“Are you okay?” she asked from outside

The young man opened the door and there was relief on his face.

“What are these things?” she asked

“I’m as puzzled as you all I know is they are the living dead ahh” he said then moaned a bit looking at his leg

“Your leg, its broken. When did this start” she said

“It would be better if we talked about this somewhere safer don’t you think” he suggested

“Okay come on” she said helping him up and giving him support. She walked with him slowly as they went to her car. She saw two of those things coming at them and gave them clean head shots. They made it to the car and got in.

“Military?” the young man asked

“No security personnel” she replied starting the ignition

“I’m Desmond” he introduced himself

“Praise” she replied and started the car. She drove a few more blocks then finally got to her house “I’ll be back”

She left the car running to her house calling for Theresa only to replace the doors wide open and a hell of a wreckage in there. Seeing this her heart skipped a beat and her mind started contemplating the worst. She pulled her gun out and walked in slowly

“Therry!!” she called out but there was no reply

She went and started searching room by room. As Desmond sat in the car he saw three zombies getting into the house. Oh shit her bullets she doesn’t have enough he thought and painfully shifted to the passenger seat with his leg throbbing with pain. H started the car. Praise heard noise in the living room and when he went to check he saw four of those things waiting for her there. She pulled her trigger but her gun just clicked, it had no bullets. Going out the front was not an option she had to use the back. She evaded them and ran out the back coming out on the other street only to realize more were there coming from every direction, she was trapped. She could not go back or try to evade these ones they were too many so she picked up a metal rod preparing to fight to the death. Just as she thought it was all over her car hit the turn running over the bastards and parking in front of her. Desmond pushed the passenger door open

“Come on don’t be a stranger” he said and she ran into the car. They drove off in the direction of the highway running over the dead that were ahead of them

“Thank you, you saved my life” she said gratefully

“No need for that” he said sincirely

“How did you know?” she asked

“Once you left I recalled the number of bullets you fired at my house and knew you were going to have to run” he said

“Wow, oh my your leg” she said with concern

“I’ll live” he said “Holy shit” he blurted out looking ahead of him

“What” she said then saw what he was referring to. The road was filled with corpses some dead and some walking.

Cars were everywhere some smoking others burning and others crushed into buildings. The bridge out of town that was ahead of them was packed with cars that seemed abandoned. Desmond accelerated trying to turn into the dust road that followed the river bank for miles then reaches a bridge which would get them out of town.

“It rained so that area might be flooded go down highway 66D” she advised

They went back where they came and took the road which passed by Tanya’s ranch.

“All hell has broken loose” Praise said taking in what she had just experienced in the last thirty minutes

“It surely has” replied Desmond