The Great Essential

When the world ended, there was no big bang.  Just a virus, a vaccine, and one scream at a time. 

My name is Daphne Green.  Six months ago I was a nurse at an assisted living facility. My life's work was taking care of those in need and now I was one of those. When a deadly virus began to claim lives, people reacted in mass hysteria.  Hoarding items they deemed preventives.  Lysol, hand sanitizer, facial coverings, even toilet paper. I wasn't sure why the latter was involved, but what did I know?  

I didn't have time to panic.

When the businesses shut their doors to discourage social interaction, I went to work.  Businessmen and school teachers began to work from home, introducing zoom meetings and distance learning.  Suddenly everything went online.  Most people never left their homes again, aside from people like me. 

People whose roles deemed an absolute necessity.  Essential was the term used for those who couldn't bring their work home.  I couldn't imagine bringing thirty-seven elderly residents to my one bedroom apartment.

Though then again if I had done that, maybe I wouldn't be here now, living a life of solitude, fighting to survive. 

It all happened so fast.  One moment we were living in fear and the next we were rejoicing.  A vaccine to end the pandemic had been created, prompting hoards of people to stand inline for it.    While I believed in the reality of the virus, I was skeptical of the simple solution. 

The state mandated that all residents in living facilities be given the vaccine as the elderly were more susceptible.  It wasn't a requirement for the staff but it was highly encouraged.  I was one of the few who opted out.  

It started with bruising around the injection site, followed by a fever that sent most of the staff home to prevent exposure. The residents began to complain of joint pain and some were experiencing slight signs of dementia which really wasn't all that unusual in elderly patients. 

The pain suddenly took over, locking up their limbs prompting loss of control of their gag reflex, leading to severe vomiting.  It wasn't symptoms of the virus, it was something else entirely.  We were put on immediate lock down, help was on the way.

Eight hours after the vaccine, the injection sight became numb, the fever increased and muscle coordination was far gone. The tenth hour brought complete paralysis to all residents and their heart rate slowed, then out of nowhere they all went comatose.  

It was just me and two other severely frightened nurses walking the halls, checking vitals every few minutes.  Amanda, Sarah and I had no idea what had happened.

Hour eleven brought on the most deafening sound I had ever heard.  Every EKG machine in the building went off in unison.  The dreadful sound of a flatline echoed through the halls as thirty seven hearts stopped.  Though we tried, there was no revival.  We sunk down in the hallway, heart broken and lost.

Hour twelve came quickly, silence between us, trying to process what had happened.  Then suddenly the silence was replaced by a low drone.  Thirty seven EKG machines suddenly came to life beeping slowly.  It wasn't the sound of a healthy human heart beat but it was something.  As if a switch was flipped, each of the residents slowly came to life, sitting up in their beds, several calling out for snacks as if nothing ever happened.  

It reminded me of a horror movie, a corpse suddenly came to be reanimated, which is exactly how they appeared.  Their cheeks were hollow, eyes dark and seemingly sunk into their faces.  Their skin was loose, sagging on their bones as it had been before but now the skin seemed to be slowly rolling away.  It was hard to grasp what I was seeing, even more so was what happened next.

Amanda brought snacks as requested.  She looked as uneasy as I was but bringing snacks was a daily routine and it felt normal. Eighty-eight year old Mildred, the sweetest lady on the planet, asked for a bag of cheese puffs and Amanda handed them over with a smile.  She gasped as Mildred grabbed ahold of her forearm with more force than an elderly lady should have.  Mildred gave a slight grin before ripping Amanda's arm off and ravenously devouring it.  Amanda's scream of pain echoed Sarah's scream of horror.  I couldn't even begin to utter a sound.

Down the hallway, Ernie stood from his wheelchair, something he shouldn't have been able to do.  Others came from their rooms, walking sluggishly.  Several of them had been deemed never to walk again.  

Evelyn began to stand from her chair and Sarah out of pure instinct reached out for her. The lady had a history of trying to get out of her chair, she'd fallen before and hurt herself bad.  As Sarah's arm went around Evelyn's waist the woman turned on her, sinking what teeth she had into Sarah's forehead.  A blood curdling scream followed.  Maybe Sarah.  Maybe Amanda who was now being viciously attacked by both Mildred and Ernie.

Maybe it was me as I could not even fathom what I was seeing.  I stood there for what seemed like hours trying to process what was happening.  Within minutes my two colleagues were torn from limb to limb, devoured by my elderly residents. 

Blood was everywhere.  In the floor, splashed across the faces of my sweet babies, now eyes wide and wild.  It took me seconds to realize that I would be next and I ran for the exit.  Frantically I typed in the code that would open the door, failing twice before finally getting it to open and coming face to face with three men.  

Help had finally arrived!

Or so I thought until two of the men jumped right in to feast with the residents and the other turned his dead eyes on me.  I took off running and never looked back. 

That was ten days ago. 

Upon escaping the facility, I came upon utter devastation. It wasn't just the residents that had gone feral, it was everyone. The windows of the closed businesses were smashed in. Vehicles were damaged, broken into, some even had alarms blaring, but there was no one around to hear it.  No one but me and them. Those who changed, those who were injected, those who were now out for blood.  

I was chased by a wild looking little kid for blocks until I darted into the taxidermist office.  He didn't follow nor did any of the others step foot inside while I hid, unmoving for three days.  Ofcourse I soon became hungry and there was nothing in the office, save for dead animals.  Some were stuffed, some lay rotting on the counter tops as Mr. Tillman, certified Taxidermist didn't survive long enough to finish his work.  Or he was one of The Others.

I had to leave safety for food and other provisions a time or two and they always found me.  I was able to outrun them, as they were more deadly than they were fast.  I learned by accident that they didn't like fire.  I'd come across a pack of camels and a zippo lighter while scouring the remains of my city.  It made me smile as I could hear Ernie's voice, his laughter at the clever joke he loved to tell.  What's the difference between a hippo and a zippo?  

One was heavy and the other was a little lighter.  

I flicked the zippo then and lit up a cigarette, something I'd never had the desire to try, but seemed I didn't have much time left anyway, so why not?  

A woman was suddenly upon me, the memory of Ernie had greatly distracted me, though when she saw the lit zippo I held, she hissed and ran.  

From there I acquired everything I needed to keep that zippo working.  Fluid, extra wicks and every pack of flints the nearby Little General had in stock.  The zippo was engraved with the name Frank, obviously it's former owner, but I called it Essential as it was.

It got me out of several situations with The Others, allowed me to pilfer canned goods, as much as I could carry to my refuge of death.  I began to think that maybe The Others didn't come inside because of the stench of rotting flesh.  Seemed logical since it was fresh meat they were after.  

I spent most of my time on the roof, as the stench inside was often too much to bare.  The rooftop had it's advantages. I could see what awaited me outside.  Below me The Others roamed, scavenging for the tiniest morsel of human flesh. They were aware of my presence but the smell of death around me camouflaged my still beating heart.  Unless they ever got close enough.  The biggest advantage of the rooftop was that The Others hadn't learned how to climb yet.  

I stood there watching the sun rise, snacking on crackers dipped in potted meat.  Potted meat was something I always thought was disgusting and would never in a million years try it. I was wrong and it really wasn't that bad.  

Across the street was a lawyers office.  Reeser and Reeser was painted on the door.  I noticed it immediately as The Others often seemed to circle around it.  I had assumed it was their home base or something, but it was today that I realized why they seemed so interested in the place.  The building stood alittle lower than my own, so the rooftop was clearly visible. I'd never seen any activity on it, but now, written in large white letters the words, Help Me was painted across the top.  Someone was in there, someone else was alive!

I debated it for a while, feeling as though it was hard enough to keep myself alive, crashing into the building next door trying to play hero could get me killed.  Eventually my conscience outweighed the need for survival.  The only issue I was facing is The Others between me and the building.  I would have to cross through them and my essential flame was merely a brief distraction.  

I got the idea as I passed by the counter top littered with rotting flesh.  The stench kept The Others from sensing I was alive while I was inside, maybe if the stench followed me, it would work the same.  It was all I had, trust me the last thing I wanted to do was to rub animal guts on myself, clothes, hair and all.  I had to hold my breath to keep from throwing up and when I looked at my reflection in the glass door, I was startled.  I looked like a bloody mess, hair wild, eyes sunk in from lack of sleep.  I looked just like one of them and I bet I now smelled like them too.  

I stepped onto the sidewalk and looked around.  The Others noticed me but not one of them approached.  I slouched my shoulders, keeping my arms down at my sides and took an erratic step, lumbering forward.  I'd watched The Others often, their steps were uneven, there was no coordination in their movements, and there was never a straight path to their destination.  That's how I walked, just like them.

Once I got to the door that I assumed would be locked, I found there was no door knob, just a hole where one once had been, now covered on the inside by something metal.  Seemed someone had barricaded the door.   The windows had been smashed so there was a way in, which had me wondering if there was a human inside, what was keeping The Others out?

Cautiously I stepped through the broken window, crunching glass under my feet. I was shocked to see a poster on the wall of two doors barred with chains, between them grotesque monsters that looked much like The Others were trying to break through. It wasn't a portrait I'd have expected in a lawyer's office nor did the man that appeared in the doorway look much like a lawyer. He was in a wheelchair, a pink handkerchief was tied, covering his nose and mouth.  A shotgun cocked in his hands and aimed at me.

"I'm not infected!"  I threw my hands up immediately.

"You look infected."  The man said, his mask tightening across his nose as it scrunched. "Smell it too."

"I saw your message.  I'm here to help. I have a pulse, see check."  I held my arm out to him.  Without lowering his gun, he reached out and held my wrist briefly.  "You didn't even check.."

"You're warm which means you're alive." He uncocked his gun and placed it across his lap, wheeling himself towards a back room.  

"Where are you going? I thought you needed help?" I followed after him wondering if this was a mistake.  

"I do need help." He gestured to a large ax on the counter top of what looked like used to be a kitchen. "Get the ax."

"For what?" I wasn't sure. 

"Decapitation." The man said packing boxes of shotgun shells into a bag. 

"Of what?"

"Zombies." He said the word as if it were normal.

"Zombies...." It took me a moment and it really shouldn't have. "That's what they are..."  

"Walking dead, what else would they be?"

"I call them The Others." I immediately regretted admitting that as he looked at me.  While I couldn't see his expression, his eyes told me he disapproved.  "So what's with the face covering? I would think the dead walking would take precedence over the virus."

"The mask isn't for the virus." He said slinging his bag onto the back of his chair. "It's to prevent ingestion of the vaccine.  You know the one that turned everyone into Zombies or have you not figured that out?"

"I got that."  I nodded. "But how would you be able to ingest it?"

"It's in their blood and when you take their head off, there's a lot of that."

"Makes sense." I nodded and he handed me a bandana.  

"Cover your nose and mouth."

"Yes sir...." I did as told and looked at him. "I'm Daphne Green by the way."

"Frank Reeser." He held out his hand and I shook it. His blue eyes twinkled slightly and I wondered if he was smiling.  

"One of the Reeser's on the door." I gestured to it.  

"The other was my father. He went out for help, didn't come back."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I nodded, then had to ask. "Do you own a Zippo engraved with your name?"  With just his eyes on me, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence.  I offered him the zippo immediately and he took it, tracing his name with his fingers.  "I found it in the alley. Real helpful. Did you know they don't like fire?"

"Why do you think I had my father take it with him?" Frank tucked the lighter into his shirt pocket. 

"Right so..." I followed him as he rolled into the front room and he looked at me, his nose scrunching once more. "I covered myself in rotting animal flesh so they think I'm dead too."

"Clever."  

"What about the poster there?" I really wanted to know it's reasoning.  

"Zombies are stupid." Frank told me. "They don't realize it's an image, they think I've got their friends locked up, so they stay out of here."

"Clever." I nodded and followed him to the door.  

"I'm assuming you have a safe place?"

"Taxidermist across the street, smells like death."

"Clever." His eyes twinkled again and it made me smile.  "Hold up the ax, if anyone gets in the way swing it as hard as you can. But remember, anything less than hundred percent decapitation is just going to make them angry."

"Yeah I'm not really good with axes, why don't you take that job?" I was certain I would get us both killed.

"In this chair I am not at the right level to swing for the head." Frank said which brought to mind another question. 

"How did you get on the roof in that chair?"

"I didn't." Frank looked at me. "I pulled myself up the stairs, it was painful but I figured being torn limb from limb would be worse." I merely nodded as there really wasn't much to say to that.  

With my help, Frank moved the filing cabinet that blocked the front door out of the way so he could wheel himself outside. We made it almost to my refuge before several Zombies appeared before us. 

Seemed I was wrong about the death smell being a repellant. Either that or Frank was wrong about Zombie stupidity. Regardless we were about to literally be eaten alive.  One of them lunged for me and Frank blasted it with his shotgun startling it.  

"Ax." Frank said just the one word and I swung the ax up.  The startled one flew at me and I swung completely missing my mark and tagging it in the shoulder.  Frank was right about one thing, being hit only made it angry and it charged me.  Frank blasted it again and the other one came at him, tripping over it's own feet, somehow knocking the gun from Frank's hands. "Son of a-"

Before he even finished his sentence I swung the ax and took the bastards head clean off then spun around and did the same to the other.  

"A regular ole' Lizzie Borden." Frank's eyes were twinkling again which meant he was smiling and it made me smile.  I wasn't alone anymore. 

It was through Frank that I learned what was truly essential in life.  It wasn't a job or a title.  It wasn't a flame or a safe haven.  Life's greatest essential was having someone to share it with.