7 comments/ 20191 views/ 15 favorites The Silent Chronicles: Silent Birth By: yaoi_lover_21 So this is the first mini book in a series I'm calling The Silent Chronicles that follows our main character, whose name you'll find out later, and her quest for survival during a zombie invasion. This first book (chapter) contains no sex so don't expect any. I wanted to build the story first before adding in that bit; maybe Book Two will have it. Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! Enjoy! xxxYL21 The Silent Chronicles Book One Silent Birth Chapter One This was not how I envisioned shopping for baby clothes to turn out. I put the silencer on the 9mm in my hand and pulled back the trigger. I shoved up against the side door of the Babies R Us until there was enough room to squeeze inside; my large pregnant belly nearly trapping me in the door way. I turn on my flashlight and started forward as silently as I could. The goal for this outing was more clothes and a baby monitor. I had already stocked up on formula and diapers. I crept slowly from the back storage room and onto the main sales floor. It was dusk and shadows played along the floor and walls of the store. I walked past cribs and bassinets and knocked over rocking chairs making my way towards the clothes section. As I turned into the aisle I stopped quickly and held my breath. There was a body of an employee laying on the floor its legs hidden under a rack of maternity dresses. The eyes were closed and its mouth was hanging open. Her chest had been ripped out; there was a large puddle of blood surrounding her, a crimson aura. There was dried blood under her nails and she was bare foot. You could tell that she had once been pretty with high cheekbones and pouty lips. Her once blonde and curly was now flat, matted with blood. I waited and stared at her. I couldn't be sure she was truly dead or one of them. I reached into my knee pocket on my cargo pants and pulled out a marble. I kept a handful of them with me at all times. Crouching down I tossed the emerald-green marble and watched it bounce upon the floor and roll straight towards the body and collide with her hand with a soft tap. I stood still, my 9mm held in my hand, aimed straight at her head. First nothing happened and it was quiet so quiet. My nerves were wired and if so much as a feather touched me I would have jumped and screamed like someone was ax murdering me. I stayed focused, ready to shoot. Then it happened...the fingers twitch; first once then again. The eyes shot open and a strangled, gurgling moan escaped the employees blue tinged lips. On twisted, broken legs it pulled itself off the floor, its dead eyes were trained on me. What was left of her guts spilling out slowly and ran down her chest to the floor. It paralyzed me and I could feel the bile filling up my throat. Then she shuffled forward and my mind switched back on. I fired 3 shots aimed at the bitch's head. Two hit her straight in the forehead the other just missing and struck a display of glass bottles causing them to burst and crack open. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, truly dead. I turn my head just in time and promptly spewed up my lunch of a power bar, cookies and sprite all over a pregnant mannequin. I coughed and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. Composing myself I walked up to the body a hand cradling my ever-growing stomach, my other hand holding the gun pointed at the corpse. I approached her slowly and read her name tag. "Sorry Sarah." I moved past the body and headed straight to the infant clothes. Where there was one Lurker there was certainly another and I sure as hell wasn't going to stick around to run into it. I made it to the racks a couple of feet away and pulled of my camouflage pack and started stuffing clothes inside. Every couple of seconds I'd glance back at the body, paranoia haunting me. I walked out of the clothes section and approached the front of the store. The guest service counter was directly in front of my with the cash registered off to my right. There was blood all over the counters and floors. I noticed a few bodies by the entrances to the double, sliding doors but I wasn't worried their spines had been ripped out and one of the guys, maybe Spanish, had his head hanging off. He looked like a Pez dispenser. I shuffled quickly to my left; I could see the baby monitors on the racks. I grabbed one with a video feed and one of the old-fashioned ones. That's when I heard a squeak and then a deep sigh. I spun around, my hands up and out ready to shoot. There was 2 more dead employees in front of me and what looked like a ups delivery man in front of my. The two employees were white, one with dirty blond hair and a tribal neck tattoo just visible above his purple Babies R Us shirt. Wearing the standard khakis and black sneakers you couldn't tell he was even dead except for the fact that his right arm was ripped off and a portion of his fibula was dangling from what was left of his elbow. The bile rushed up into my mouth again and I swallowed it back down, ugh gross. The other employee had half his face shredded so I couldn't really tell what he looked like apart from his bald head and a wedding ring on his hand. Their name tags indicated that the armless one was named John and the other Samuel. The UPS driver wore brown shirt and shorts was an average looking black dude, nothing special. He had a large bite mark on his calf and scratch marks on his legs and arms. I knew I only had 3 more rounds in my 9mm, maybe 4 if I was luckily. I couldn't take these three out. I could take down one maybe two before the 3 one was upon me teeth barred aiming for my jugular. And being nearly 7 months pregnant I knew I couldn't out maneuver them. S o I took a deep breath and fired one shot at the one armless John catching his just above his right. I shifted and fired two shots in quick succession into the chest of Samuel and the ups guy. The bullets whooshed through the air and hit them each in the chest they grunted and stumbled back from the force of the impact. And that's when I ran for it. Holding my belly, I belted to the right and ran straight up the aisle headed for the swinging double doors of the storage are. One the way out I saw a cool looking army green stroller with a car seat in it and quickly grabbed the handle, swung my pack into the car seat and picked up the pace. I could hear the town remaining Lurkers shuffling towards me, speed walking my way. Lurkers couldn't run but they didn't get tired either. They'd follow you for miles before losing interested and my pregnant ass couldn't run for miles. I skidded into the back of the store and came to the door I had squeezed into before and came to a crashing halt "shit!!" I turned from the door and went towards the docking doors used for unloading trucks. Running to the side I hit the button for the lift and watched as the bay door creaked and rose painfully slow. The Lurkers turn the corner and continued shuffling towards me. When the door was high enough for me to duck under I pushed the carriage off the dock my pack and all and sat down on the ground at the edge of the bay. It was some 4 feet high and I couldn't jump it. I scooted to the edge and lowered myself down my back towards the Lurkers. I felt a tug on my hair and I screamed. One of them had my ponytail and came along for the jump down it lost its grip and the ups driver fell forward on its face, hitting the concrete hard breaking its neck. I ran to the carriage and righted it and took off at a jogging pace. Looking over my shoulder I saw the other employee fall over the bay edge, stand up and continue following me. I stopped for a second and looked straight ahead. If I made it across the parking lot and around the corner the Lurker would lose sight and interest. Placing a hand on the top of my belly I took a deep breath and stirred the carriage toward the entrance to the parking lot, littered with cars and dead bodies. "Ok little one let's do this" I reloaded my 9 and picked up the speed. All I had to do was make it across the lot. Fuck. Chapter Two I pulled down the grate to the U-Haul storage unit 54 and locked it from the inside. I stepped down the breaks to the baby carriage and collapsed into the brown recliner I had drug into the storage unit I now called home. I kicked off my sneakers and pulled the latch releasing the foot rest. I sighed and closed my eyes. It had been almost a year since life as we knew it ended. Some weird unknown virus found its way into cases of Poland spring bottled water and killed anyone who drank it within 72 hours. They'd get an upset stomach and start vomiting before suffering from severe dehydration. A fever would set in and eventually they'd have a stroke and die. But the problem was they didn't stay dead. The bodied reanimated, turned into bloodthirsty cannibals; just without a pulse. No one knows what caused it or how the water was contaminated. But the zombie apocalypse came true and nearly everyone died. The army was slow to mobilize and was slaughtered on their bases before they could coordinate any kinds of attack. Hospitals became death traps for anyone dumb enough to enter the ER. The infection spread and everything was over. I was at the super market when the infection hit Boston. I was standing in front of the deli trying to decide on what type of cheese to get when some woman ran in screaming. Everyone's head turned and a swarm of gangly zombies (or lurkers as I call them now) came shuffling in and started tearing people apart. I booked it and hauled ass to the other side of the store and out the other entrance. Outside was chaos with people screaming, some getting mauled, cars crashing into each other. It was madness. I ran towards my car, opened the door and got in. But before I could start it someone pulled my door open and stuck me in the head. My world went black and when I woke up I was in the back seat of my car on some side street in Roxbury with the front end wrapped around a light pole. Sitting up I felt this horrible shooting pain in my lower abdomen and looked down. My jeans were gone and my underwear was around one of my ankles. I felt between my legs and winced. My fingers had blood on them and what looked like semen on them too. Who the hell would rape someone during a zombie takeover? I found my pants thrown on the front seat and gently shimmed into them. As I did tears started falling from my face. Everything that had happened since god knows how many hours earlier was just too much. And now on top of the unbelievable reality of zombies I had also been assaulted. But I didn't have time for tears or pain or guilt. I had to get somewhere safe and fast. The street that I was on was St Paul. I recognized that and knew that it led to Washington Ave. So I got out of the car and started walking, barefoot and in pain. I heard screaming and now and then a car would zoom past but nobody and nothing was on the street. I kept to the side-walk and ducked behind trash bins and cars when I heard anything suspicious. From watching movies I knew that out in the open was not a good place to be. Stepping onto Washington Ave was like walking onto the set of a horror movie. Cars were on fire and people lay dead or dying all around me. I picked up a pipe that was on the ground near me. I saw lurkers shuffling around and groans but everyone was dead. They had made quick work. The shock was too much and I gasped a couple of Lurkers turned towards the direction of the sound and started towards me. Some of them where missing limbs while others were torn open. I screamed and ran up the street. I passed a U-Haul storage rental place and I ran into the office. It was empty. They had to keep the keys to the units somewhere. I found them in a drawer and grabbed the first one. It said 54. I ran out of the office and past the lurkers searching for number 54. Once I found it I stumbled with the lock and dropped the keys a few times but I eventually made it inside and locked it. I fell to the floor and this time I couldn't hold back the tears, the guilt, and the pain. It was 3 months later I realized I was pregnant. I had turned the storage space into my home. I got a pregnancy test from a Walgreens down the street once I started throwing up almost constantly and my period stopped. My routine from then on in was scavenging at night and trying to get things ready for the baby. Having a baby in itself was mind blowing but being pregnant when zombies roamed the streets and constantly fighting for your life was enough to drive you insane. So many times I had broken down and almost committed suicide because it was all too much to take in. But somehow I found the strength to keep going. As the days wore on the time between seeing regular uninfected people grew longer and longer until the city seemed completely deserted. My nerves were shot and the pregnancy only increased my anxiety. I was alone in a big city without any friends or family. How was I supposed to survive and bring this baby into the world? I started searching for pregnancy books and I found a few medical books at a nearby library about home births. I read as much as I could to get prepared since I figured I'd be delivery my baby by myself. I raided stores for formula and diapers, bottles, pacifiers and anything else I thought I would need. This brings me back to the present... I eventually got up from the chair and waddled over to my pack. My ankles were fat and swollen and by back was cramping. The running had taken a toll on me. I pulled out the baby clothes and the monitors and set them on the table near the electric stove and portable dvd/tv player. The storage unit was a decent size. I had enough room for a single bed, 2 tables, a small fridge, my recliner and a crib that was squeezed in the corner at the foot of my mattress. Under the table I had stacked all the things for the baby. I added the clothes to the pile and went to the fridge. I took out a can of tuna, opened it and lay down on the bed to eat it. Leaning up against the wall with my feet out in front of me, sitting sideways on the bed I sat the can on my round bell that I often used as a table top, and dug in. I picked up a can of mountain dew near me and downed its contents. I was looking around the room and running off a checklist in my head of things I still had to get when the baby kicked. The can of tuna rolled off my belly and onto the floor. "Hey what ya doin in there little one huh? I'm trying to eat here." I rubbed my belly and reached for the can. The baby kicked again. I held my belly and pulled up my old navy t-shirt just in time to see a small foot push against my belly. I gasped. The foot was so small and perfect. The baby shifted and this time what looked like a hand was visible. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed. I was like a kid in a candy store; I was so excited. But then my heart sank when I realized there was no one in this world to share this tremendous occasion with. I was completely alone. I crashed back to earth hard and wrapped my army around my swollen belly I laid on the bed and rocked myself to sleep, silent tears cascading down my face. Chapter Three The next night I readied myself for another midnight outing. This time I was headed for a community health center about 2 miles away. I needed some medical supplies for when the baby came. I shoved my swollen feet into my Nikes and strapped on my pack. I picked up my 9 off the table and checked the clip, full. I had found a bunch of guns n bullets in the back of a tricked out Escalade...thank God for drug dealers. I put a spare mag in my pocket and unlocked the grate. I stepped back and got ready to shoot if there were any lurkers out front but there wasn't. I walked up onto the avenue slowly, partially from being alert and partially from my throbbing feet. It was silent as a cemetery as usual. The Lurkers were more active during the day surprisingly; I guess dying and coming back didn't gift them with night vision. I made it to the Health Center pretty easily. I encountered a dozen or so Lurkers but they never saw me and I got around them quickly. Dane Health Center was a fairly new community building made of red brick. It was pretty standard with a roundabout in the front and a small parking lot on in the back off the side street. I decided to enter from the lot instead of marching through the front doors. I found the back entrance and gently pulled open the door and stepping inside. There was a long tunnel that led straight until it abruptly changed course and turned a sharp corner. I couldn't see around it. I walked slowly my pistol raised. I crept down the tunnel military style crossing my legs out in front of me as I walked. I near the corner and turned fast ready to blow a hole in anything that was in front of which turned out to be absolutely nothing. I let out a deep breath and strode on. There was a glass door ahead of me which led into the main part of the building. I walked through and avoiding the elevator I went to the stairway that led to what I assumed was the lobby and the upper floors. I came to the lobby door and looked out the small window. I saw several Lurkers, some staff others just ordinary people. I saw a sign that said OB/GYN and pediatrics with and arrow pointed up. So I went up another flight. I came out in a hall across from a reception desk. A few dead bodies littered the floor but they were long dead and rotting so I knew they were truly dead. I walked down the hall on the left headed for the exam rooms and storage. I reached into my pocket and tossed my marbled down the hallway; the pinging sound reverberating loudly throughout the office. A moan sounded a head of me and a Lurker, the size of a football player turned the corner. Damn he was big. And wearing a janitor's uniform which looked comical on him. He was over 6 feet tall, Spanish, with his hair cropped close to his head. He had a hole ripped in him that allowed you to see right through him to the wall covered in pictures of patient newborns behind him. Nausea slammed into me and I fought back the urge to gag. Being pregnant while coming face to face with the undead was not a walk in the park in the least. I was scared shitless. I never got used to seeing Lurkers up close. All torn to pieces, covered in blood and stinking to high heaven. Panic froze me still as usual and I just stared at the Lurker taking in all the gory detail. He let out a groan and came at me, and pretty fast too. I wasn't prepared for his burst of speed I stumbled back and screamed. I raised my pistol and fired over and over hoping they hit him. He fell to the floor and I stopped screaming. But I stared in horror as he started to get back up. I stepped forward and quickly emptied the rest of my clip into his head then jumped back waiting to see if he rose again. After a couple of minutes I realized he was down for good and reloaded my weapon. I continued on my search and found what I was looking for. I found some towels, pre-natal vitamins, boxes of gloves, a blood pressure cuff, some local anesthetics and some antibiotics. I also found a pair of sutures and medical thread which I also put in my back. After scrounging for whatever I could find I ran into a cracked open vending machine. There were sodas, NutriGrain bars and some Sobe drinks. I grabbed a hospital tote bag and piled what I could carry inside. I damn near took everything...except the water of course I didn't trust it. I turned to go into the pediatric ward and stopped dead in my tracks. I dropped the bag of vending machine spoils on the floor. Before me was the most gruesome and heart numbing thing I had ever witnessed: someone had tried to hide the kids and bar the doors but they'd obviously didn't hold, all around me where corpses of little children. Some looked as young as 2 years old; barely able to walk. I let out a high pitch scream as I staggered to the wall after stepping on the little hand of a child. I clutched at my belly and backed out with one hand over my mouth. I picked up the bag I dropped and ran to the stirs and out the hospital. The Silent Chronicles: Silent Birth I sucked in fresh air as fast as I could. My head was spinning and my stomach was doing flip flops. I dropped to my knees and threw up. Tears, vomit and snot was all over my face. I had never seen such carnage as that before. All those small, innocent kids! What did they do to deserve to be eaten and torn apart? On the way home I caressed my belly while saying a silent prayer all the way to the U-Haul unit. I asked the Universe that my baby be kept safe, while I swore an oath to my unborn child promises to protect him or her. Vowing to never let anything bad happen to them if I had to save them with my own life. Once back at the unit I dumped the contents of my hunt onto the floor and went through it all. I put the sandwiches in the fridge and the medical stuff in a plastic bin by the crib. I got undressed down to my shirt and panties and sat down in the recliner. I reached over to the table by the fridge and pulled a large pink book into my lap. It was one of those baby story books that you wrote in all during the pregnancy. I had gotten it on one of my earlier excursions to the babies R Us a few blocks away. Pulling a pen off the same table I opened the lace covered pink book to the last page I stopped at. The pages were pink just like the cover but I ignored it. You c couldn't be choosy about stuff like that nowadays. The question at the top of the page said "7 month Checklist" it was a list of all the things that should be done by then. I scanned the page checking off anything that was relevant like "stocking up on diapers" and " picking out a crib". I scribbled out ones like "start planning baby shower" and "register for gifts". There would be no baby shower for me. The normal things pregnant women got to do before all this I would never get to experience. I started thinking of the loneliness and the big huge truth that I would be giving birth all alone, with no help or support. I angrily skipped to the next page. It was a short summary of what to expect at 28 weeks. I had already figured out about the increased movement of the baby and how would be gaining more weight now. I'd been a big girl before the baby, around 250 pounds now I figured I was closer to 300 now. Which I knew from the medical books put me at even greater risk to both me and my baby. I was happy that I got that blood pressure cuff so I could monitor it now. I turned the page and rolled my eyes after reading the page headline "Daddy's thoughts at 7 months". "Really?" I said out loud to no one. I scribbled down "Daddy thinks he's a no good rapist." Before letting out a hiss and scratching it out with my pen. I slammed the book shut and tossed it on the table. I was still very angry and messed up over being raped on the day of the zombie invasion. But given my circumstances I tried not to think about it. I mean I couldn't just break down, could I? I was pregnant and surrounded by the undead. I had no time for my own feelings of hurt and violation. I had to think of the young inside me. But every now and then those thoughts would sneak in under the radar and the shock and pain would come over me, but even when I did get down about what had happened to me. Even when I cried or screamed I never once wished I would lose the baby. The baby had nothing to do with it. I had always wanted a child of my own but it never happened and it broke my heart. Granted I didn't see going about it quiet this way but I was happy none the less. I was nearly 34 and my life couldn't have been more insane than now. But I was determined to survive this for my sake and the sake of my unborn child. Chapter Four I've always loved music. Before the invasion I was a dancer. So for my 35th birthday I decided to go out to a club. Now you must be thinking, "There are zombies all around, she's pregnant, and she wants to go clubbing?" Let me explain. There isn't much to do now that civilization had been destroyed. I watch DVDs on a portable player I have in the U-Haul unit and I listen to music very quietly sometimes but other than that there's not much to do. The boredom itself is enough to drive you insane. If it wasn't for my scavenging hunts I'd get cabin fever, But back to my birthday wish. About 3 or so miles down Washington Avenue was an indoor gun range called Hot Shot. It's completely sound proof and was shut down for renovations on the day of the invasion. What better place to bring a boom box and some CDs to play music without any Lurkers hearing you. I was 7 months pregnant and knew this was my last chance at really moving around freely, so I did something risky and went dancing. I wore my cargo pants as usual but on top I wore this pretty yellow taffeta dress with white flowers that I'd snatched from an Ashley Stewart's one night. I'd also found a pair of white low wedge sandals that matched flowers on the dress. I put the cd's in my pack and put the pack on, readied my gun and left. I must have looked crazy. A plus sized black girl wearing tan cargo pants under a yellow, floral dress with white flip boat shoes, a book bag a gun in my. The first stop I had to make was to an Ace hardware that was in a shopping Plaza close by. The Plaza usually had a lot of Lurkers in the parking lot but I knew a way of going two streets over then cutting around back and going through one of the side doors that I kept obscured by a rust sheet of metal and some cardboard. I went inside and got a couple light weight link chains with key locks. Then I slipped back out quietly making sure to cover the exit again as I left. Next I stopped off I stopped at one of those Spanish electronic stores, the ones with the yellow outcropping over the windows and concert posters covering every inch of glass. I opened the door slowly and winced as a bell chimed sounding that a customer had just entered a store. Immediately, two Lurkers came running at me. One was an older woman; her face was a rotten and half eaten mess. She wore a dirty purple tank top and a white skirt. The other Lurker was a teenager, dressed in a Hollister t-shirt and jeans; I guess it was her son. They shrieked as they made their made towards me. I stepped into the store quickly and shut the door behind me without looking; I didn't want the shots to be heard. I fired twice at the mom, dropping her quickly. Then I aimed carefully and fired once at the boy and got him right in the chin. There was a thud like as his momentum made him slam into the wall beside me as he crashed to the floor. I jumped back quickly and rubbed my stomach. I couldn't handle doing this forever. I took a few deep breaths in then went in search of my bounty. I found a small cd player that still worked and I found some bachata CDs lined up behind the register. I put it all in my bag then went to the door, making sure not to look at the corpses. I peeked out to make sure the coast was clear then I made my way to Hot Shot. Chapter Five Hot Shot was a one floor building made of painted over concrete blocks. Years ago they used to offer archer classes for kids in the summer and self-defense classes for women but it had been closed for renovations for almost a year by the time of the zombie invasion. It was shaped like a long rectangle and painted blue with a sign over the black, tinted doors that said Hot Shot Gun Range, Archery and More! It looked pretty cheesy but it was a fun place to be. The windows were boarded up tight and it looked like no one or nothing had gotten in. I made a sweep around the back and found a Lurker by the dumpsters. I picked up a metal bar that was on the ground and snuck up behind it. I swung at its head and it went down. I swung a few more times just to make sure. I looked down at my dress; thankfully there wasn't too much blood on it. I moved on and found a rubbish cargo dumpster. And it just so happened to be pressed up under one of the high boarded up windows. I grabbed a crate and stood on it and gingerly swung my legs up and over and plunged into the rubbish. It was awkward and hard to move especially with my belly but I eventually managed to wade through the trash and position myself under the window. I went into my pack and pulled out one of the locks I'd gotten of the hardware store and used the key to prey the nails loose. The work was tedious and hard but soon enough I could pull the covered off and the window was exposed to me. I wrapped my dress around my fist, turned my head away, and punched the glass as hard as I could. It broke, with little noise and I reached to unlock it. I heaved it open and pulled myself in, somehow managing not to fall. I brought the window covering inside and closed the window again even though it was broken. The nails were still in the board so I used the lock to hammer them back in, this time from the inside. Then I went about using the link chain and wrapping them around the handles of every set of doors I found and securing them with a lock. I didn't come across single Lurkers, thankfully. After securing the building I found one of the rooms they used as a gun range. It had one door and there were booths lined up that were separated by a thin wall and a shelf out in front. And lanes ran down the front for a couple yards. Perfect. I used my last chain to lock the door behind me then I walked around the booths to where the bullets usually would have been whizzing by to strike a paper cut out of a man with a bull's eye on his chest. I took of my pack and set the boom box down. Putting my hands on my lower back I did a few stretches first and did some deep breathing. Just getting there had been an adventure, but now it was time for a little fun. I turned on the CD player and put in one of the CDs by some guy name Prince Royce. And slowly after I pressed play and the music started to come on I started to sway my hips. The beat making my body move of its own accord. I took off my dirty cargo pants and felt the coolness of the night on my legs as I danced to the sexy rhythm of the music. I held my swollen belly as the yellow dressed flowed out around me. "Y ya me contaron, Que te acomplejas de tu imajen. Y mira el espejo ayy que linda eres sin maquillaje..." I shook my hips and mumbled the words I didn't know like it was my favorite song. I spun around laughing as my belly kept going forcing me along. "Y si eres gorda o flaca Todo eso no me importa a mi..." I put one hand on my heart and the other on my stomach and swirled my hips in small circlers and stepped sided to side, letting the music flow through me. "Y yo tampoco soy perfecto Solo se que te quiero asi.." I started to cry as my limited Spanish translated some of the words for me and the beauty of the song came through and I closed my eyes and thought of my situation as the song palyed on. The lyrics of loving someone no matter what they look like; no matter if they were ugly or pretty, fat or skinny. "Y el Corazon no tiene cara. Y te prometo que lo nuestro. Nunci va a terminar..." But for once I didn't have to worry. For this short moment I could dance and be happy and safe. I didn't have to worry about the safety of myself or my baby. I could enjoy this normal, simple thing in this room with the fucked up world held at bay outside. Tears flowed down my face but I was smiling. I could be normal for just an hour or two. Everything was fine right now, in this moment. So I danced and I sung and I laughed and cried and I screamed out "Happy Birthday!" Chapter Six As I went through my 7 month I started getting bigger and bigger. By my 8th month I could barely move. I had to sleep in the brown recliner because I could no longer make it out of the mattress on the floor. I had stopped going out a while ago. I was too big and slow to keep going out. It was too dangerous. My body ached and it seemed that my baby was going to be an acrobat because he or she never stopped fidgeting around in there. I was running low on supplies and knew I wasn't going to make it another month on the food I had left. All I still had was a case of sardines, some cans of hash, a couple cans of tuna and about a dozen more cans of mountain dew. There was always the option of eating the baby food, I had plenty but I didn't want to take from my unborn child's mouth to put into my own. It was a couple days later when I decided to venture out for the last time before I gave birth. My pants barely fit over my hips. I had to cut a line down the front and back of them to get them to go around what used to be my waist. I pulled on a sweater from a pile of clothes on the floor. It was probably around October by now. I slung on my pack, checked my pocket for marbles and made sure my gun was loaded. I unchained the door and stepped out. My legs were already starting to cramp by the time I got down the block. I came into contact with a couple of Lurkers but I put them down easy enough. I just wished I didn't run into anymore. I decided to hit one of the corner stores close to the U-Haul; I didn't want to venture too far from home. I entered through the front, my pistol raised in one hand and the other holding my flashlight. The store was completely trashed. The shelves were empty. I went up and down them looking for anything I could eat. I found some Spam underneath one of the racks and some chips over by the coolers in the back of the store. I put them in my pack and kept searching. Slowly waddling checking every nook and cranny of that store when I saw a 6 pack of Fresca up on a top shelve. It was high up, I couldn't reach it. I put myself flush to the shelves and reached as high as I could. I was straining to grasp the case but I wasn't tall enough. Looking around I saw a small step ladder on the floor. I picked it up and set it under the case of soda. I stepped up, balancing awkwardly holding onto the shelves. My fingers gripped at the case and I slowly pulled it forward towards me. Then the next thing I know I hear a growl and I was falling. I let out a scream and I fell sideways to the floor. I crashed hard knowing my head on the floor, and slamming down onto the debris that littered it. I was stunned for a moment, my head ringing. A shooting pain raced across my abdomen digging itself into my stomach. I moaned and tried to sit up. A Lurker pounced on me. Blood dripping from its mouth, its fingers crushed like they had been slammed in a door. I struggled with it, screaming, trying to wrestle it away from me. Its open mouth kept lunging for me, its fingernails tearing into the soft flesh of my arms. I couldn't die like this, so close to having my baby. I brought my feet up, and wedged them between the Lurker and me. I hollered out and kicked as hard as I could. The Lurker went flying, slamming into the freezer doors behind it and lay still. I found my gun where it had skidded under the shelves and dragged myself up off the floor painfully. Gripping my belly in agony I hobbled over to the Lurker and fired two shots into its head. I collapsed on the floor. The pain was coming in waves, crashing over me. "Oh no little one, not yet, n-n-not yet. Ahhh!" My whole body wracked with agony. I braced myself against the wall and stood up as best I could. Inching towards the door I headed I the direction of the U-Haul facility. I made it a few steps before my water broke. "No, no, no, no...oh my God please no!" Tears started streaming down my face. My eyes scanned the street frantically looking for a safe place to hide in. I let out a piercing scream as another wave of pain gripped me, bringing me to my knees. My screaming and the smell of fresh blood attracted the interest of what had to be a dozen Lurkers. They came from every angle, down every street, some even out of the buildings along them. "Oh Jesus, no" I sobbed and fell against a fence. I had to hide, and fast. I shuffled along the sidewalk holding onto the fence and opened the first gate I came to. It was an old looking brownstone. There was blood smeared on the front doors and what was left of a torso on the steps. My knuckles were white from gripping the 9mm in my left hand. My legs nearly gave out as I climbed the stairs. The labor pains were debilitating. I side stepped the corpse and went to shut and lock the first set of doors just as the first Lurker crashed into it. I ran and locked the second set as fast as I could. There was a walkway that led to an apartment on the first floor and a mahogany staircase that led upstairs. I chose the staircase. When I came to the 2cd floor I opened the first door in front of me. The door opened out into a posh living room, antique looking furniture was thrown around the room. I locked the door behind me and went in search of a safe place to have my baby. As I passed a white couch I snatched a throw off the back of it and once in the kitchen I took some dish towels off of the counter. I headed right. There were 3 bedrooms branching off the hallway. I couldn't hear any Lurkers so they must still be having trouble with the two sets of doors down stairs, but they would break through eventually. I went back to the living room and sat on the couch. The place seemed desert and I just collapsed onto the couch in agonizing pain as the contractions tore through my body. I tried to be as quiet as possible. If the Lurker had broken through downstairs they wouldn't think to come up the staircase for a while unless they heard noise. They'd immediately go to the apartment on the first floor. I felt a burning sensation and my abdomen rippled and I hunched over clutching at my stomach as I fell off the couch to my knees onto the carpet. The contractions slowed a bit every so often but then they would return with more fury and vengeance than before leaving me covered with sweat and shaking from the pain and trying to be quiet. This went on for about an hour or two until I hear feet shuffling up the stairs to the apartment. I heaved back up onto the couch painfully. I was panting and tears were streaming down my face but I remained silent. That is until the worst contraction yet zig zag through my side and deep into my pelvis and I let out a horrible, blood curling scream. The Lurkers outside immediately went into frenzy; banging and kicking at the door. There must have been dozens of them. I twisted my head around looking for a safer place, not so much out in the open. The bathroom was directly in front of me. Crying, I heaved myself up and dragged a kitchen chair behind me. I slammed the bathroom door shut and wedged the chair up under the door knob. I knocked over a towel rack and pushed that up against the door too. I sank to my knees as the labor pains got more intense. I threw the blanket and dish towels on the floor near the toilet. I found alcohol behind the mirror and some gauze. I took it all and lowered myself down onto the cream colored rug. I kicked off my pants and panties. Opening the bottle of alcohol I poured it over my hands and braced my back up against the wall. I spread my legs wide; with one knee against the toilet and the other against the tub. I didn't know how long the front door would hold against the Lurkers but I hoped it would last until I could give birth safely. I doused the blanket it alcohol and placed it between my legs. I took one of the dish towels and rolled it up. I put it between my teeth and bit down. I was sweating and crying. The pain was unbearable and I braced myself for the next contraction. My abdomen rippled and the pain shot to my stomach and deep down into my hips and groin. I bit down hard on the towel and pushed. I did this a number of times. During maybe the sixth try I heard the Lurkers break through the front door. They couldn't see me and the bathroom was dark, lit only by the moon. If I stayed quiet and they couldn't get in they would move on. I was panting and sweat rolled down my face. I saw feet under the door just when another contraction bit into me. I bore down, and screamed silently in my head. The Silent Chronicles: Silent Birth My eyes kept shifting to the door as I pushed as hard as I could. The Lurkers feet were joined by more. They could probably smell the blood now. I tried to keep as quiet as I could. I felt the baby's head tear through. I held back a gasp and shifted forwards some more. I reached between my legs and felt my baby's head. The tears came faster and the next contraction came. Wrapping my hands around my baby's neck and bracing against the wall, I bit down on the towel again and pushed with all the strength I had in me. The urge to scream was overwhelming but I had to stay silent. When I thought I couldn't push any longer my babies' shoulder came out followed by the rest of their body. My mouth fell open and I sat up and reached for my baby. As I brought my baby to my chest I noticed that it was a girl...I also noticed that the cord was wrapped around her neck and she wasn't breathing. Frantically, I pulled the cord from around her small neck. I held her in my arms and shook her trying to jolt her to wake up. But she didn't move. She was slowly loosing color, going from a bright pink to a dull purple. I brought her small face to mine and closed my mouth over her nose and mouth. Taking a deep breath I sucked in through my mouth. I felt mucus spurt into my mouth. I turned my head and spit it out on the floor. I turned back to my baby and breathed a little puff of air into her mouth. I rubbed her chest and waited while still slightly shaking her. I couldn't stop crying. Please, I thought, don't let my baby die. I repeated the process and held her in my arms. That's when I heard the best sound I have ever heard in my life. She cried! She let out a high pitched wail. I hugged her tightly as her arms and legs kicked out, angry at the cold and shock. My happiness was soon replaced by fear as the Lurkers that were outside the bathroom door, heard her and started pounding on the door. Chapter Seven I screamed and wrapped her up in the towel and placed her between my legs. I reached out to my gun that was perched on the edge of the tub and prepared to shoot. The first Lurker busted through the door. I fired 3 times and he went down. Another came through and I fired again. After a 3rd Lurker went down and made a sort of body plug in the hole in the door I tossed a handful of marbles through the whole. What had to be 6 more Lurkers came shuffling around the corner, growling, coming straight at me and my newborn daughter. I didn't have enough bullets left and I knew that, but I wasn't going to just give up. Just before the first one made it to me a huge flash of light enveloped the apartment. It stunned the first Lurker and I shot her down. Figures all in black busted through the windows in the kitchen and living room. The Lurkers were momentarily stunned. I could hear what sounded like a helicopter roaring outside. The black figures advanced and shot down the remaining Lurkers with automatic assault rifles. I screamed and clutched my baby to my chest. One of the figures approached me, an arm out. I held up my gun and aimed. "Wait miss! Miss, we're here to help you!" He held out a hand towards me. My outstretched hand was shaking. "Miss, everything's ok. It's ok." He kept repeating the phrase as he used two hands to cup my own that was holding my gun in a death grip. "It's ok, your safe put it down". Panting and in pain I lowered my arm and let the gun slip into his hands. More camouflaged soldiers helped me up and covered me in a sheet. One of them carried me and my daughter down the stairs and outside. I held my baby close to me. Outside the street was filled with Humvees and tank. A helicopter circled above. More people in tactical gear lined the streets. Some had on the initials of the Boston Police Department; others said FBI and some were in army camouflage. The man who was carrying me placed me gently in the back of one of the Humvees. He was the one who spoke to me before; the one who took the gun from me. "We were in the area when we heard screams. That's when we saw the blood leading to the apartment. Your safe now, we'll protect you." The Soldier said. His voice was deep and reassuring like you could be on fire and if he told you that you would be unharmed you would believe him. "I don't need protecting." He took off his army helmet and placed it on his hip. He was blond with short cropped hair, green eyes and a dimple in his left cheek. The Soldier looked tired like he hadn't slept in awhile and his beard had grown out but it suited him. The handsome man let out a slight laugh then smiled at her. "Yea you're probably right. You've taken care of yourself so far." He noticed my shaking hands. "How about just some medical attention for you and your baby then?" I just stared at him. My whole body was shaking and tremors were rippling through me as my body came down from its Adrenaline rush after such a traumatic experience. I just nodded. "What's your name by the way?" I didn't recognize what he said at first. My name? "Miss?" "A-a-anya. My name is Anya. And this is Rose." "Nice to meet you both. I'm Nikoli." The soldier smiled brightly and ran his thumb down Roses' check while staring at me softly, Rose let out a slight cooing sound. Then Nikoli shut the door and signaled everyone to get ready to move out. I held Rose in my arms and leaned back against the seat. I let out a sigh and looked at my baby. Somehow during the whole dangerous, life threatening ordeal, she was fast asleep, sucking on her fist. "Ok little one, let's do this."