My Zombie Shelter (open to everyone)

[prettyserpentine]

"Pandora!" I shouted at her. "Stay awake!"

I gasped, my eyes snapping open in fright. I hadn't heard Mike shout before and it made me start. I tried to say I was awake, but I just sounded like I was sighing incoherently. I tried to clear my throat, coughing lightly and wincing.

"You will do what I tell you to do," I stated to her in my best command voice. "Failure is not an option. You will not quit. Do you understand me? You never, ever quit."

I smiled, taking a breath. "Failure is not an option, huh? Did they teach you that in the army?" I focused on the pain, every breath or move caused it and I knew it would keep me awake too. "You sound... like a drill instructor... Just ... please don't call me names." I looked up at him, my eyes heavy but I seemed to be winning the struggle to focus.

 

[AmenRa]

I had gotten Pan's attention again, and that was good.

I smiled, taking a breath. "Failure is not an option, huh? Did they teach you that in the army?" I focused on the pain, every breath or move caused it and I knew it would keep me awake too. "You sound... like a drill instructor... Just ... please don't call me names." I looked up at him, my eyes heavy but I seemed to be winning the struggle to focus.


"No, they didn't teach me that in the army. I was in the navy," I explained to her. "In a former life, long time ago, I was a SEAL. And we learned real quick that if you wanted to make it through the training you had to adopt a 'never quit' attitude.

"See, that kind of attitude translate to the real world, and especially to combat, where the most important thing is the mission. And, if you haven't figured it the fuck out, yet, this is combat. And your mission, our mission, is to survive.

"Never quit."

I look around towards the doorway, where Max was still sitting and staring outside, waiting on Randy's return. I turned back to Pan.

"In training to become a SEAL we had to undergo some of the most brutal physical exercise you can imagine. And, it was all designed to push a person to their limit and then past. It was also designed to weed out those who couldn't get that far. At any time during the PT, all you had to do was get up and go ring a little bell on a stand three times, and you were done. It was that easy. No questions asked, no shame, just ring out and go home.

"You know what happens if you ring out here? There's no going home."

 

[prettyserpentine]

I didn't want to ring a bell. I didn't want to let him down. He had risked a lot back those few days ago to bring people into the compound, and here he was again, risking himself and Max again, on my account. I suddenly felt guilty, very guilty, and I think it was evident in the way I looked at him.

I took a deep breath and the pain seared again. Fuck.

"It hurts. And I am so tired, Mike." I looked up at him again, hazily blurred in my field of vision but at least there was only one of him now. "I don't want to ring out. I know I'm not a SEAL, or handy with a rifle like Randy, I'm just a teacher." I sighed out, relaxing, the pain ebbing away and my eyes feeling heavy. One, two, three, four... I blinked again, my head aching, my eyes sore and tired. "But I don't want to ring out." I cringed a little, rubbing my eyes with my good hand. "I don't want to let anybody down. You're risking everything."

I turned my head and groaned, the pain shooting across my shoulder, my chest. "It's just a little hole, right? It hurts... so much. Everywhere. Like I've been ... hit by a bus." I sighed out again, and sucked in a breath. It was taking a lot of effort, and I was worried.

 

[AmenRa]

I turned my head and groaned, the pain shooting across my shoulder, my chest. "It's just a little hole, right? It hurts... so much. Everywhere. Like I've been ... hit by a bus." I sighed out again, and sucked in a breath. It was taking a lot of effort, and I was worried.

I shook my head. "See, that's the problem, you're not listening to me at all. I've told you to concentrate on your breathing and to focus. Not the first time did I tell you to have a conversation with me."

I leaned closer.

"Stop talking," I said to her. "I mean it. Not another word. Just listen."

I picked her head up off the table and put a folded seat cover beneath.

"That tiny hole hurts so much because of something called shock trauma," I explained. "See, when a bullet pierces through flesh it imparts it energy to the surrounding tissue. Think of throwing a stone into a pond. It makes ripples, right? Well, that's very similar to what happens when you get shot. Only here the ripples are actually energy being transferred from the bullet to your muscle and flesh.

"In your case, there's a lot of nerve clusters in your shoulder area connected to your muscles and bones there. There's a lot of stuff in that area because of the muscles required to work the arm, neck, and shoulder. Some of those nerves have been severed by the bullet, the others are damaged by the trauma."

I reached under her and felt her backside bandage. It appeared to be like the front one: wet, but not soaking. That meant the bleeding had slowed, probably because of her tactical breathing. That was a good thing since it meant there would possibly be less to repair than I had initially thought.

"Sure, you've lost some blood," I continued, "but you've still got plenty left. A body can lose almost half of its blood before it quits. You've got a long, long way to go in that case. The sleepiness you're feeling is your body reacting to the pain. Your body wants to go to sleep so it can shut some systems down and concentrate on healing. But, we can't let it do that until I get in there and repair a few things, see what we need to sew back together to help jumpstart your healing.

"And that, my dear Pandora, is why you absolutely must fight through the pain, the sleepiness, and the feeling of wanting to give up. Yeah, you're just a teacher. So was Indiana Jones, and look what he could do, right?"

"Besides, you've learned by now to listen to what I tell you, right? So shut the fuck up and do what I say. Keep your eyes open, concentrate on your breathing until Randy gets back with the med supplies and we'll get to work."

I took her hand to let her know I was there, wasn't going anywhere, but more than anything for her to understand she could trust me. I told Randy I would take care of her, and I don't break promises.

"Ready for another story?"

 

[prettyserpentine]

I did. I wanted another story. I squeezed his hand and nodded, doing as he said and counting to four as I breathed in, then breathing out. It hurt, but I knew it was just a little hole, and if I did as he said and concentrated, then I would be alright.

I wanted Randy to hurry up and come back. I wanted to find somewhere to sleep when this was over, somewhere that was warm, maybe that little hotel. Maybe we could light a fire and find some food, and I could lie there and listen to Mike and Randy tell stories and cuddle Max.

I was feeling a little better, Mike explaining about the physics of bullet wounds made me understand a little more. I'd never liked guns, I'd hated hunting when I was younger. But he knew what he was talking about, and I was reassured. I kept my mouth shut, and counted some.

As I lay there, my eyes wandering with tiredness, in and out of focus, I was glad I wasn't alone. Sure, I missed Randy and I knew I'd give him shit for taking so long. But in our budding whatever-ship, I had neglected making an effort to get to know Mike. It was selfish of me, and I felt bad about it. I tried my best to convey that to him, I knew he wasn't a mind reader, but I squeezed his hand as best I could and felt like I was going to cry again. I blinked a few times and really tried hard to control my breathing that was becoming a little quick with emotion. My lip was shaking, and I could feel my brow creasing.

I licked my lips, and broke his rule. "Tell me about the Navy?" I whispered as quietly as I could, and held onto his hand tight, trying to make myself breathe better, using him and the pain as an anchor.

 

[AmenRa]

I licked my lips, and broke his rule. "Tell me about the Navy?" I whispered as quietly as I could, and held onto his hand tight, trying to make myself breathe better, using him and the pain as an anchor.


I felt her squeeze my hand, and I squeezed back just a bit.

Then, I sighed. The navy. I had spent a long time putting most of that behind me. I had seen things in the Middle East on deployment that I really wish I hadn't seen. Sure, I had seen things as bad or worse since while I was cop. But, things that I had caused, or been a part of...well, that was different.

The training, though, was pretty unique, and for the most part was probably the reason I was still here today.

"Most sailors," I began, "are stationed aboard a vessel, a ship or sub. SEALs are different, though. We are divided into different teams and placed on the East or West Coast. I was assigned to Naval Special Warfare Team Two at Little Creek, Virginia. Its not far, and actually often considered to be a part of, the base at Norfolk.

"Before that, though, I had to go through BUD/S. I told you and Randy a little about it that day at the stable. BUD/S is Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. It's what makes, or breaks, a man to be a SEAL. It's the hardest training I've ever done. There's a part of it that's called Hell Week. It starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. Thing is, though, you don't know what day it is by Tuesday. You're so tired, your body hurts so bad, you haven't slept in days. I think we only got maybe 5 hours total sleep the whole week.

"I remember one part, I don't know what day it was, but I know it was night time. We were doing pushups in the surf at the beach. That's what they do to you, make you get in water that's 60 degrees and roll around in the sand to get 'wet and sandy'. They want you to be miserable because if you can train through it then you can fight through it.

"Anyway, we had just finished an evolution of pushups and the corpsmen, those are navy medics, came to check on us. They do that every so often to make sure no one is beyond continuing to train. Anyway, I was standing there with my teeth chattering because I was so cold and the corpsman was looking into my eyes with a penlight and he asked me my name. And, for the life of me, I could not remember my fucking name. They pulled me from training and made me drink some fluids and warm up. Once I was back to being me, I went right back to it."

I shook my head. "We lost more than half of our class during Hell Week. Some quit, some had to quit. We started with almost 160 men and graduated 19. Hell Week took most of them.

"On the last day, although we didn't know it was the last day, hell we didn't know what day it was, they pulled us in the mid-afternoon to the training deck. That's just a large gravel area where one of the ring-out bells is. It's the main forming area for PT and stuff. They called us to attention, and hell some of us couldn't even stand up. I think I was actually sleeping standing up. I know for a fact several times I was asleep while I was marching and on runs. Anyway, they called us to attention and the commanding officer came out and yelled, "BUD/S One Six Eight, secure from training!". And we all just stood there looking at each other as if we were trying to figure out what he just said. Then it dawned on some of us that we had just been cleared, we had made it, we had survived Hell Week and were on our way to becoming SEALs."

I started laughing. "I actually broke down and started crying. Several others did, too. We were all sweaty, wet, tired, smelly, and we started hugging each other and saying 'hoo-yah'! and all sorts of shit."

I gave her a wink. "As a matter of fact, we all pretty much looked like you do right now."

 

[prettyserpentine]

I smiled broadly and giggled, immediately regretting it as the pain ricocheted through my body. I moved my head against the cushion he had put there, or whatever it was. It didn't smell too great, but I'm sure I didn't either, lying here covered in blood, walker spit and god knows what else. I squirmed a little, tired and restless and feeling a bit sick. I blinked slowly, weakly. I was still shivering, my train of thought was becoming erratic and I was thirsty. My mouth felt so dry.

Looking at Mike tiredly, I noticed I was counting quicker, sucking in deep breaths. I really didn't feel good. I looked up at him, my eyes a little dull, and I whispered. "I don't feel well. I feel like I need to be sick." I could barely control the shivering, and I felt the need to shift, squirm, I just felt unlike myself. And cold.

I closed my eyes and concentrated hard, my brow furrowing, as I breathed. One...two...three...four. "Where the fuck is he..."

One...two...three...four... I coughed a couple of times and felt saliva in my mouth, and my stomach felt funny. My hand was clammy and cold and I squeezed Mike's as hard as I could, groaning.

One...two...three...four... Goddammit. I thought about the SEAL training he told me about, how it was a thousand times worse than this bullshit and I could do this. Sure there were girl SEALs, right? I could do this, just needed to focus...just needed to open my eyes...

One, two, three, four... There, about a centimetre open, that's still open, it's better than nothing, and Mike is still there, at least I thought it was Mike. Jesus, it was getting really cold in here, my teeth were chattering.

Onetwothreefour.

 

[gearhead73]

All i could see was the rubber grip and a bit of the chrome shaft, but I was pretty sure that there was a golf club lying there, propped up against the curb. It's funny how, at even a time like this, you wonder how something like that ended up here. What unrelated chain of events could have conspired together, so that a golf club, if that's what it was, would ened up here, without a golf course or anything golf related in sight? I shokk my head to regain focus on my objective. I didn't want to waste tme, and even though I could probably move quitly from here without alerting them to my presence, they were right in the path I would need to take on my way back. It would be a lot easier to eliminate them now, then when carrying a bag full of supplies we would need to help Pan.

I leaned my rifle against the bakery window and slid my pack off my shoulders. The way the walkers were positioned didn't leave a lot of room for error, but if I stayed relatively calm and worked in a logical order, I should be able to dispatch them relatively easy...right. I thought back to the days when I shot a lot of pool. If you thought about your next few shots, you could divine an order that would set you up for a run on the table. Of course, a lot of billiards comes down to knowing where the cue ball is going to land. Walkers didn't move fast, but still they were in constant motion. I wouldn't be planning on striking them where they were, but more where I thought they were going to be. The small one was the closest, and the remaining four adults were ahead of it about ten yards. I figured, hit the small one first, then the middle two adults. I swing as hard as I can, and aim for the head. Hopefully, by the time they turn and start toward me, I would be able to put enough distance between me and them to get ready for the next attack. I take a few deep breaths, take one last look at the targets, and decide, it's go time.

I spring forward into a dead sprint, closing the distance between me and my weapon in seconds. It was an iron, which was good, but I didn't have time to take notice of the size. I snatched it up and continued onto my prey hurdling a few stray boxes that were laying in the street. The small went down easy with a baseball style swing to the head. I plunged the end of the iron into the base of it's skull with a sickening crunch that sent black goo spraying. The others stopped and started to turn and I pulled the club free and came down on the female adult that was in the center with an axe swing. Scratch two. Three to go and they are closing on me, I jumped and kicked the postman sending him to the ground, and used my forward momentum to step up on his chest and recoil my arms to swing at the third in my killing order. I caught him in the temple as I landed on the other side of the postman, leaving him and another male to go. i figured the postman's hat would protect his head, so I had to take it to the face of him. Four down, and the biggest one left to go. I hadn't wanted him to be last, but he was the furthest away and would give me the most time to prepare. We had about ten feet between us and he was moving steadily towards me. I got into a stance and was about to end this round when my boot slipped from the goo on it's sole and I fel to the ground. I lay on my back and watch as what used to be a tree of a man lumber right for me. Out of instinct, I remembered that old saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." and when he was closed enough I kicked at his knee cap, thankful to hear his leg snap. He started to fall, and I rolled to my left, and made it to my knees just as he hit the ground with a thud. I struggled to my feet and was lifting the club to strike as the big undead man rolled over trying to make his way toward me. I swung downward with everything I had left and planted the face of what I later realized was a pitching wedge into his forehead.

The adrenaline was coursing through me, and I was sucking in as much air as possible as I stood there, observing my handiwork. It was then, that I saw that the big guy, lying there with black ooze running out of the hole in his face, was wearing a shirt with a patch on the right breast, with the letters S e t h embroidered on it. I looked down at the shirt I was wearing, and a chill ran up my spine.

I dropped the club, and ran back to the bakery, I grabbed my gun and pack, and continued on. The whole time, even during the squimish with the walkers, only one thought kept going through my head, 'Don't you fucking die on me Pan, I'll be right back.'

 

[chopp8799]

SAW Shoots 7.62 nato

i finished mowing down the walkers ans heard a guy shout something so i left a note saying " i have supplies and ammo willing to share meet me at gas station bring your friends with you if u have any i will be in the big tan army truck waiting tell your friends dont shoot " so i put the not in her hans and said give him this and i went back to my truck ans drove to the gas station and parked and waited on thw the camo mesh ans grabbed my silenced m14 sniper and my m249 SAW and some ammo and kept lookout and up ahead i saw a guy surrounded by walkers so i started sniping and took out the 3 closest to him with headshots and got two others in their necks with the next shot i left 2 for the guy to kill and decided to stop shooting as it might reveal my position

 

[prettyserpentine]

It had been quiet, for such a long time. I couldn't feel the pain so much anymore, but then again I couldn't really move my arms, or my legs, or make much of a sound either. I opened my eyes, halfway was about as far as I could manage.

I felt oddly relaxed. But I couldn't feel my feet anymore, and my hands were numb. And my tiredness was making every breath a chore. I looked up at the ceiling and I felt cold.

Really cold. It was creeping over me, settling on my chest, creeping up my neck. I didn't even have the energy to shiver.

I had forgotten the counting exercise, and now just counted to four for every breath.

One. Breathe. Two. Breathe. Three. Breathe. Four. Breathe.

At least I had calmed down, I thought. I thought about Randy. I hoped he was okay, and that he was going to be okay. Mike would make sure of it.

Mike? I tried to look around. Mike? My lips barely moved.

I breathed again, it was catching a little in my throat.

I was so tired. As my eyes drifted closed again I remembered the strangest thing. Making that weird stir fry for Mike and Randy. A half smile curled across my lips, and froze there.

 

[gearhead73]

I sprinted down the sidewalk simultaneously looking for more walkers, or assholes with machine guns and poor reading comprehension, and trying to remember where it was I saw the sign for the animal hospital. I turned the corner at Sudz Lounge about halfway down Main Street and started up Elm Road when the sign I remembered seeing came into view.

Paws Of Life Animal Care Center it read. It was a plain sign with the picture of a puppy and kitten playing together in the center. Ivanna Humpalot, DVM was in smaller letters at the bottom of the rectangular sign. The building was a single story, but was fairly large. I guessed that in a rural community such at this, there were quite a few farms around, and that would necessitate a building where livestock could be kept while they healed. As I got closer, the building looked that it had been relatively untouched. The door was still closed and none of the windows appeared to be broken. I guessed that maybe raiders hadn't been through here yet, or if they had they hadn't been very thorough. I supposed that if some crazy dick with a machine gun was running around, they he might have chased them away before they found this place. That was good for me, and I figured that if I ever met said asshole, I would kill him quickly, as opposed to making him suffer for shooting Pan.

I built up as much speed and steam as I could, dipped my shoulder a bit, and slammed through the front door, sending it flying off of its hinges and onto the reception desk. It was dark and dusty, but other than the mess I just made, it looked like time had just stopped; like everyone went home at the end of their work day and never came back. I grabbed my mini flashlight off of my belt and switched it on scanning the room for a doorway to the back. i had just made enough fucking noise to draw every walker in five blocks, but time being of the essence, I had abandoned being subtle.

I headed into the back and started rifling through the cabinets looking for the shit Mike had told me to get. Saline, gauze, bandages, syringes, anything and everything, just grabbing handfuls at a time and tossing them into my pack. The medicine cabinet had a lock on it, so I drew the Kimber and spent a round to gain access. I couldn't remember all of the names of the shit he wanted so I just took it all. I figured that if we didn't use it, we could trade it to others for things we could use. When I had all of the supplies, I grabbed two sets of sheets and linens, along with a box of gloves. A quick search around to see if there was anything else that I thought we would need, and it was time to head back.

I ran back out the door holding the Kimber in front me like a homing beacon. I had been gone a while and I didn't want to take any chances. I had three rounds left and a determination to save Pan pushing me on, and I wasn't about to let anything or anyone, especially douchebags that don't follow the story, get in my way.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

........

 

[guyloveshotstories]

I heard the shot and jolted awake, blood coarsing as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. Where was everyone? Going out to the living room with rifle in hand I called out but there was no response but I know I heard the shot which meant someone was here or close by. Quickly changing clothes and putting on my ruck I stepped outside my safehouse, closed the gate and locked it then scanned my surroundings before drawing a deep breath and clenching my rifle tightly and muttering a quick prayer before heading down the road. I wad going to find them. Inside my mind I calculated that if I had not found anyone in three days then I would turn back but it was a long ways to town so I better start hoofing it.

I had been on my home for so long that the road looked strange to me, as did the rest of the surroundings. "What happened?" thinking to myself. I don't remember how or why I was out for so long but I kept the safety of my rifle on and kept saying to myself, "I must find the others. Three days. Three days."

 

[chopp8799]

sorry guys and girls just got reassigned so won't be onmuCh

 

[AmenRa]

And with that, Pandora was out like a light.

I peeled open an eyelid. Her pupil constricted in reaction to the dim light coming in the windows of the gas station. I then took her hand and pressed the tips of her fingernails with mine. I watched as they turned white, and then turned pink again. Pupils were equal and reactive and she had good capillary refill in her extremities. Those were good signs. I took a quick pulse at her carotid. It was slow and steady and matched her deep and regular breathing; the sign of a deep sleep.

Well, no sense in waking her out of it. With her vital signs showing relative stability, sleep would do her good. One thing was for sure, she small bleeds she had in her wound would slow even more due to the decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. Randy's quick action with the Quick Clot sure as hell made it better. I knew that stuff was a lifesaver, but it was also a motherfucker to clean out of a wound. I hoped he would be bringing back plenty of sterile water.

I looked on Max, who was laying at the door, ears up and staring off into the street. He was alert, but not tense, which made me feel better knowing there weren't any of those damned monsters around.

I found an old seat cushion laying on a shelf. It looked like a boat seat cushion. I put it beneath Pan's feet, and then I removed and re-rolled the blanket under her head.

Come on, Randy. The sooner you get back, the sooner we can patch her up, and get to a secure location. I figure we'd need at least three days for Pan to get back to full combat capability. We were going to need a location with defensive capabilities until then.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Staying off the trail after leaving my home I kept heading south, using my compass to shoot an asmith and going a hundred meters and doing it again. I wanted to keep my course straight but also take it slow so I could understand and feel my environment. This place has changed. The trees were taller but I kept going, toe to feel with my rifle tightly in hand. My ears were picking up a light ring because it was so quiet but I could sense that someone or something was close. Having lived on my own for so long I developed this sense then I came upon a road and a couple of old buildings and looked around for a couple of minutes to gauge their condition and quickly darted across the road to get inside.

'Where is everyone?' I wondered. Kicking myself for not being awake when the shit hit the fan. I should have been more about the people I was with. Continuing on I could hear the faintest of voices. There had to be someone alive and I began picking my way towards it and the voice became louder. It had to be a human because it was talking and not a zombie because zombies can't talk except with moans, but it sounded serious and I didn't know who it could be so I kept up my rifle and turned off the safety. This was going to be it. Scenarios ran through my mind about what to do according to who it was and I prayed that the person was friendly.

 

[gearhead73]

As soon as I crossed the threshold of the the doorway I broke into a dead run. I only had about 300 yards to go, but it might as well have been a mile with the forty pounds of shit I had loaded into my pack. I hated running. I hated everything about it. I used to test drive the vehicles I repaired near a park and would always gawk at the people I would see jogging around the walking trail. I could never figure out why they would choose to punish themselves by running around, going nowhere, on the hottest days of the year. I had liked the view from time to time though. Soccer moms trying to regain their girlish figure and succeeding, would bounce and jiggle in the most delightful ways as they bounded around the track in their skin tight yoga pants...yummy.

This was different. I was running for all I was worth, to save Pan. The thought of her not making it because of my distaste for excercise spurred me on and I picked up the pace to my limit. I was breathing hard, trying to suck in as much air as possible as I jumped over the bodies of the walkers I had slain less than an hour before. I dodged and weaved, moving like a wildman just in case the Kevlar Kid was still around hoping to add another hit to his resumee. I hoped that I was in time. I really hadn't been gone that long, but then again without treatment, seconds might as well be a lifetime for Pandora.

I tried not to think about her lying there, waiting, hoping that I would be back soon. I pushed the images of the blood pouring from her wound far back into the recesses of my head and just focused on getting back to her side. I didn't want her to die, but if we couldn't save her I wanted to be by her side when she passed. I wanted to say goodbye. I had never gotten the chance to say all of the things that I needed to and wanted to when my wife and son were taken from me, and I didn't want the same thing to happen with Pan. I wanted to tell her how important she was to me. I wanted to tell her how much I wanted her with me, and that although I knew she didn't love me, that I thought that we had a chance to build something...special. If nothing else I wanted to thank her. When I had arrived at the compound I was lost, presumably forever. The man that I had been, working on cars, starting a family was gone. He had succumed to anger, and misery, destined to spend the rest of his days just survivng, not living. For all of the shit we had put each other through, the fighting, the arguing, the fucking, then fighting some more; she had brought me back and made me feel something again. For that, I would be eternally grateful.

I had made it about 200 yards and was getting beyond winded. I was tired, and sweating, and I even started wondering if my heart was going to explode before I got there. I jammed the Kimber back into my holster so my arm could swing more freely as I ran and dug deep. It had stopped raining and the clouds were breaking up, and faint rays of sunshine dotted the street under my feet.

"Max! Mike! It's me, tell him not to fucking eat me!" I screamed when I was about 40 yards out. I was just entering the lot of the filling station and wanted them to have plenty of notice that I was back.

I yanked open the door and saw Max there and since I wasn't on the ground with his jaws collapsing my throat, I figured that they had heard me.

"I got the shit! How is she?" I shouted as I leapt toward the counter where Pan was laying.

 

[AmenRa]

"Max! Mike! It's me, tell him not to fucking eat me!" I screamed when I was about 40 yards out. I was just entering the lot of the filling station and wanted them to have plenty of notice that I was back.

I yanked open the door and saw Max there and since I wasn't on the ground with his jaws collapsing my throat, I figured that they had heard me.

I saw Max, standing there in the doorway, wagging his tail. He nipped at Randy as he moved past, then pretty much gave him a head butt in his side. This was Max's way of saying, "hey, motherfucker, you're supposed to pet me when you come in." Max didn't understand things were a bit hurried right now. I told Max to go back to his down position and chill out a minute.

"I got the shit! How is she?" I shouted as I leapt toward the counter where Pan was laying.

"Shhh," I said as I put my finger to my lips, "she's sound asleep. I'd like to keep her this way while we prep, so let's be easy."

I grabbed him by the shoulder for a second. "I'm glad you made it back," I told him. "Now, let's see what you found us."

I wondered if he got any tranquilizers. Vets used morphine, but they also used something much more powerful called ketamine. I really didn't relish the thought of doing open surgery on Pandora without some type of anesthesia. Especially when I got in there and started sewing up muscle tissue and nerve fibers. That shit was going to hurt like a somebitch.

 

[chopp8799]

preparing to camp out

i packed my gear back in the truck and put mh m249 saw on the seat next to me and grabbed my m4 carbinewith extended mag grenade launcher and acog scope and flashlight and i grabbed 5 extra mags and 3 grenades just in case i found hostile people but i wish i wasnt so lonely i miss my buddies and my girlfriend megan i wish i was there to save her since i wasnt i made a vow to help people whenever i can no matter what happens

 

[Wolfias]

.....

 

[gearhead73]

I stood there watching Mike work, torn between wanting to help and knowing to stay out of his way. He had said she was sleeping, but as I looked at her delicate features, I could see that the color had drained from her cheeks. Her breathing seemed steady, but shallow and I didn't detect the rapid movement of hers eyes that usually accompanied sleep.
I suppose it was in his best interest to tell me that things were going to be fine even if they weren't. Every second that he would have to spend to keep me calm, was time that he could be using to save her life.
I stood silent, watching him work and fighting back tears that were forming behind my eyes. I had cried more in the last week that we had been together than I had probably in my entire adult life. I couldn't stand the thought of losing her. After all, what were the odds that a man like me would be able to find two women that could see past the bullshit and sarcasm, to the man in me that wanted to shine, but was afraid to show himself.
I turned and walked out the entrance of the station, giving Max a small rub behind the ears as I went. For the first time in a long time I felt helpless, and I hated it. I made it to the gas pumps and leaned against one for support as the tears I had been fighting to hold back fell. For a moment I was back in the guard tower, rifle under my chin, just wanting the pain to go away so I could find peace again, and be with the ones that I loved. As suddenly as they started they began to subside as the rest of that day came flooding back. I remembered Pandora laying her head next to mine, putting herself between me and everlasting solace, saying that she wanted and needed me.
'She needed me' I thought, just like she had needed her husband to stay and fight for her. She needed to find forgiveness for what she needed to do to protect herself from what was once her little girl. She needed me to be strong, and do everything that I could to keep her alive, and safe with me. She needed me to for the first time in a long time, be part of something larger than myself and the pain of my memories. She needed her new family of me, Mike, and Max, to be there holding her hand and telling her that she will be ok.
I wiped my face and took a deep breath. I took a long look around, making sure that at least for the time being we were secure and headed back inside.
"What can I do to help?"

 

[guyloveshotstories]

I could hear shouts of voices coming from people and I started to home in it checking my weapon and moving in hunched forward and scanning carefully. This area was unfamiliar to me so I kept moving with a toe to heel in crossing a street and caught a glimpse of a shambling corpse walking away from me then another further down the path. The voices were coming from that direction and the zombies were homing in on it. As the shouts continued I saw more zombies appearing out of the wood work, one was dragging itself along by its hands after its legs were blown off and were mere stumps. The zombies were coming for these people and I thought that it was wise to start to draw them away and give these people a chance. Taking the weapon off safety and looking down the sights I aimed for the back of the head of one walker at only 75 feet and squeezed the trigger. The weapon pushed into my shoulder with a sharp crack and the bullet sliced through the back of its decayed skull and exploded with the walker collasping into the road. Heads turned about and roared at me.

"Well, shit" I smirked looking at them aiming at another walker and fired another shot that caught it right in the forehead. That made two. "Come at me, you freaks!" I shouted.

 

[gearhead73]

Mike never had a the chance to answer before we both heard the familiar report of gun fire. I turned and grabbed my rifle off the counter and headed for the door.

"Keep working on her Mike, I got this." I turned and said before opening the door slowly.

I took a step outside before moving the charging handle back to make sure I was weapon hot. I hadn't been able to determine where the first shot came from, but the second one was definitely to the south and close. I made my way around the building the same way I had trying to catch up to Pan before she got shot. There was a ladder leaning against the build and I climbed it so I get on the roof. As soon as I crested the top, I lay down and crawled commando style to the south side of the building. I put the legs of my bipod down and started scanning the area when I heard a man yell, "Come at me, you freaks!"

He was about fifty yards away, and there were about six walkers between us, with more coming I am sure. If he was trying to attract them, he was doing a fucking good job of it. The one closest my overwatch position turned to him and after a quick flick of the safety and a gentle squeeze of the trigger fell to his knees, then landed neck first after the rest of his head dissipated into a black mist. We had them caught in a decent crossfire, so as long as we didn't start shooting at each other, we would both come out alive. I lined up the crosshairs once more, and smiled a bit as the head separated from the hamburger that used to be its neck. This was the most fun I had had in a while and it was a pleasant distraction form the scene that was surely unfolding in the building below me.

 

[prettyserpentine]

"I got this."

Then gunfire.

Pandora's eyes opened for a split second and she saw Randy leave the store, Mike and Max guarding. Her shoulder ached, and she silently slipped off the counter, sneaking out the back door to go to the toilet. Her bladder was bursting, and she relieved herself out back, pulling up her jeans and not noticing the walker behind her. She didn't feel the bite, her arm was numb from the gunshot. But she felt the headache coming, and the pressure pulling on her arm. As if in slow motion, she pulled out her knife and stuck it through the cranium. Coldness spread through her body, and she knew what was coming.

They would have to kill her.

Pandora was in shock. Walking slowly around the side of the building, people were shooting from the rooftops. Zombies were falling left, right and centre. She walked, shivering, out onto the street, kneeling to pick up a handgun discarded on the ground. Her arm hung limp, the blood and black ooze seeping from the bite mark.

She walked out into the middle of the street and noticed one, crawling towards her. She shot it once, in the head. A breeze swept through, stirring her hair as she looked around the rooftops. She wondered where Randy had gone. Did he have his crosshairs on her? The street was silent, and she thought she could hear someone whispering her name. There was a little pink stroller on the sidewalk and she felt a pang of regret.

Her breath was coming in a growl now, her lungs failing. She grew pale as she sat down on a bench on the street. She could hear a trigger action, someone loading a rifle. She smiled, closed her eyes, and waited for the last sound she would ever hear.

 

[gearhead73]

We were clearing the walkers one by one. The number had swollen from six to over fifteen in just the last few minutes as the noise we were making drew them to us. I took my time, setting each shot perfectly, exhaling deeply as I gave the trigger a firm but smooth squeeze. With each gentle push of recoil and loud report I was feeling more and more confident that things were going to be ok. I spotted my next target, a silver haored business man that had a prominent chin like Jay Leno. I had always hated that fucker so watching the black mist and spray as the top half of his head disintegrated gave me and unexplected jolt of happiness.

Out of the corner of my eye I see an familiar flash of color. I swing my scope around to see Pandora, shuffling slowly and barely staying on her feet walking to the center of the street. I moved my trigger finger to the side of the receiver and flipped the saftey as I looked at her. I was so happy that I wanted to jump off of the rooftop and run to her. I wanted to take her in my arms and cover her face with kisses and tell her how glad I was that she was ok. I had expected to see Mike right behind her, but figured that he was taking up a postion opposite me and my unknown ally to help eliminate the walkers now swarming around us.

"Pandora!...Pan, what are you doing!" I shouted in confusion as I watched her walk toward the ever increasing numbers of the undead. She bent unsteadily and picked up a pistol that was laying on the street and fired a single shot to the head of a walker that was crawling to her.

I couldn't figure out what she was doing there and the walkers were coming closer and closer. She took a seat on a bench and for the first time I noticed the new wound and black trail of blood running down her arm. I increased the maginification on my scope to get a better look and discovered the truth that filled me with anger and sadness...she had been bitten.

How could this be? How could we go through all of the shit we had been through and it end like this. I had done everything I could think of to try and save her only to have her die from a fucking bite! How had she been bitten? Were the walkers in the garage below? What happened to Mike and Max? Why hadn't they fought back? My mind was reeling from all of the questions that were unanswered.

I closed my eyes for a moment and reopened them as the stark realization that history was repeating itself. Once again, I was going to lose someone that I valued more than anything at the hands of someone, or something else. I felt the tears start rolling down my cheeks as I moved my finger back to the trigger. I knew what I had to do and as much as it was tearing me apart to even think it, I knew it was right. She had the right to go out as Pandora, not some lifeless, souless shell that shuffled around scavenging for those that still had lives to live. I wiped my eyes clear, and once again took a deep breath. I set the crosshairs just below her left ear and set in for the most important shot of my life.

"I love you." I whispered as I exhaled deeply and pulled the trigger.