Twisted Retribution

Chapter 1

“Oh, Eddy. Where are you?” Amanda breathed, as she stared out of the kitchen window. Surprisingly, there was no sign of any form of a living soul down their street. 

It had been two weeks since Eddy left and Amanda feared that her worst fear had come true. Yes, she loved him dearly, but he was not one to think before he acted. She knew that it wasn’t going to be long before she would go out and look for him. Heavily, she sighed as she thought about how much she wished he would have just waited.  

Noticeably, the city was starting to get more and more overrun by mutants and Amanda knew she didn’t have much longer before she would have to leave. Her safety and survival depended on her leaving her home behind, but she didn’t have to like it. The creatures were beginning to frenzy more frantically and they had started to attack houses.Evidently, Amanda packed up what essentials and supplies she had left in her apartment and she decided to make the trip out to her boyfriend’s parents’ house. 

Amanda stood about five feet, four inches tall and she had long red curly hair which she had dyed pink, purple and black. She had on her camouflage cargo pants with a black tank top on, and her boots were laced. She pulled her long colored hair into a messy bun at the top of her head and she stood in the mirror as she stared at her bright blue eyes. 

“You can do this!” she told herself, and then she backed away from the mirror. She gave her home one last look around and she heavily sighed. 

Evidently, Amanda did venture out of her apartment a few times, and that was the first time she had encountered a mutant. She went to the few stores around her neighborhood, and the mutants would hide in the dark corners away from the sunlight. One of the disgusting, rotting mutated humans came at her and immediately, she pulled her knife and stabbed the creature in the head. After that, the other two came out at her and she did the same thing to them. The whole situation was scary and weird to her. 

Heavily, Amanda sighed as she grabbed her two large duffle bags, and she headed out of the front door. Knowingly, Amanda knew to travel during the daylight because, for the whole time the apocalypse was going on, the mutants weren’t able to come out into the light. So, the creatures only came out at night.  

Once, when she was looking out her kitchen window, she had seen one of the grotesque decaying humans, and surprisingly, the creature still had many of its human features, but this one had bones sticking out of its rotting flesh. Seemingly, all of the mutants were disgusting, decaying bags of bones and the smell they gave off was so rancid like old and new blood, and rotting carcasses. 

Surprisingly, when she saw the mutant come out from the shadows, the creature made an ear-piercing screeching sound that made Amanda cover her ears. Suddenly, the screeching stopped and the mutant seized up and fell to the ground dead. 

As a chill went up Amanda’s spine, she shivered at the thought as she threw her duffle bags in the backseat of the truck and then got in. She pulled out of her driveway one last time and left her home in the rear-view mirror. 

*****************

About an hour later, she pulled into the u-shaped driveway that belonged to Eddy’s parents and looked at the little blue house with a white wrap-around porch. Noticeably, the air felt eerie and quiet and suddenly, Amanda felt like something bad had happened there. 

At that moment, the front door swung open, and to her horror, her boyfriend Eddy staggered out. Nervously, Amanda swallowed hard as she looked him over. He didn’t look like the Eddy she knew. His brown hair was gone and his skin was a yellowish green color. Half of his face was missing and she could see the bones of his skull as it dripped with coagulated thick blood. 

For a moment, Eddy looked at her with a sad look in his glossy-looking eyes, and then he suddenly opened his mouth wide and let out an ear-piercing screech. Immediately, Amanda covered her eyes as her breath became shaky. Horrified, she stared as Eddy staggered out into the sunlight and toward her truck.

“No!” she screamed, and then she looked at him oddly. 

Why wasn’t the sun affecting him like it did the other mutants? She wondered, as he staggered closer. 

At that moment, the corpse-looking body lunged at the plow of her truck and she screamed as the blade of the plow sliced through half of his body. 

“No!” she cried again, expecting him to fall over dead, but Eddy continued to shuffle toward her as blood dripped from his fresh wound. 

Seemingly, she noticed that his foot was twisted, but he still walked on it. At that moment, she knew that he was gone. The infection got to him and his parents. The dead man made it to the side of her truck and to the driver’s side window and he looked at her as he pawed at the glass. 

“Eddy, no!” Amanda cried, as she leaned her head against the window and put her palm against it. 

Suddenly, Eddy slammed his half-decayed head against the window and Amanda cried out in horror as she pulled her head back. Without a second thought, she slammed her truck in reverse and backed down the driveway. She swung out onto the street and grabbed her shotgun that was behind the passenger seat. With a heavy heart she looked at her dead boyfriend through the passenger side window and then she shook her head as she knew what she had to do. 

Quickly, Amanda hit the button for the window to go down and then she aimed her shotgun at Eddy’s head. Angrily, he screeched at her and he began running at her truck. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, as she looked through the sight, aimed and then pulled the trigger as she squeezed her eyes shut. 

Evidently, the butt of the g*n jolted into her shoulder and the bang of the g*n going off made her ears ring, but she was so used to firing a g*n, it was like second nature to her. The screeching came to a stop and Amanda opened her eyes. Sadly, Eddy laid face down on the front lawn, unmoving. She let her tears fall as she screamed. 

At that moment, two more screeches came from the house, and Amanda hit the gas and sped away from the house. She turned onto the highway as she sobbed and decided to go see if Megan was still alive. 

*******************

Noticeably, the world had become very strange and very empty. Seemingly, Amanda was the only living soul driving down the empty highway, and there wasn’t a person in sight unless they were a dead carcass on the side of the road. The world she once knew no longer existed. 

As Amanda turned down Megan’s street, she grabbed her two-way radio from her center console and she clicked the mic button three times. Before the internet and cell towers went down, she and Megan would use old military tactics to signal each other when Amanda got close to Megan's. Evidently, it was planned that her, Eddy, and his parents would all come together, but now, because of the unfortunate circumstances, Amanda was on her own. The three clicks were to signal that she was close and coming to her.

Slowly, Amanda pulled her truck into the driveway of the small white house with cream-colored shutters and put her truck in park close to the front door. Cautiously, she looked around as she clicked the radio again. After a few moments, there was still no reply and Amanda leaned her head against the steering wheel and she let out a frustrated cry. At that moment, Amanda began to sob. 

“Come on, Megan. Not you too,” she sniffled, and then suddenly, she heard the radio make a clicking sound. Immediately, she stopped crying and she looked at the little blue radio. 

“Amanda? Are you there?” 

Megan’s voice was like music to her ears. Happily and relieved, Amanda grabbed the radio and pressed the side button.

“Yes! Oh, I am so glad to hear your voice,” she cried, happily, as she sighed a sigh of relief. 

“How close are you? I am pretty much mutant free over here,” said Megan, and the sound of that was like heaven. 

Seemingly, Megan lived in a couple of towns over from the city where Amanda lived. It seemed like the more people that lived in an area, the more mutations were created. 

“I am actually in front of your house, and I am going to come in now,” Amanda stated, and then she put the radio back in her console. 

Then she grabbed her backpack and shotgun and got out of the truck. Megan was standing on her front porch waiting for her with a grin on her face. Seemingly, Megan was two inches taller than Amanda with beautiful hazel eyes. She was of medium muscular build like Amanda and she was very wise. Megan had her long brown hair back in a ponytail and she also had her uniform on, but she had on a gray tank top. Happily, Megan threw her arms around her friend and she hugged her tight. 

“Thank god, you are okay,” she exclaimed, and then she pulled back and looked at Amanda with worry in her eyes. 

“Where is Eddy, and his parents?” 

Sadly, Amanda looked at her with tears in her eyes and then she looked away. 

“He left a couple of weeks ago to get his parents and he never came back, and then I...I…” 

Amanda trailed off as she began to sob as she slid to the floor. Without hesitation, Megan slid to the floor with her and held onto her. 

“I had to shoot him!” Amanda whispered and then she sobbed hysterically. 

Megan felt her heart break as she held her friend tight and Amanda let it all out. 

******************

After a while, Megan let go of Amanda and then she got to her feet.

“I think I may have something that will turn that frown upside down,” she said, as she smiled down at Amanda and held out her hands. 

“Yeah?” she sniffed, as she took Megan’s hands, and Megan pulled her to her feet. 

“Yes, come with me,” she said, as she pulled Amanda into the kitchen. 

Amazingly, Megan had a communications area set up on her counter. 

“Wow!” said Amanda, as Megan grinned and then she pushed the talk button on a silver microphone. 

“Delta 1. This is Delta A, do you copy? Over,” she asked, and then she let go of the button. Amanda looked at her oddly. 

Delta 1 was their squadron back at the military base. 

Did that mean that the base survived? She wondered, as a crackling sound came over the radio and she couldn’t believe her ears. 

“Delta A, this is Delta 1. Over.” 

That voice sounded familiar to Amanda, but she couldn’t tell who it was. Megan pressed the button again as she smiled at Amanda’s shocked expression. 

“Delta A, we will be in route at oh seven hundred hours. The package has arrived, safely.” 

All of a sudden, a very familiar voice came over the radio, and Amanda stared, as tears rolled down her cheeks.