Alpha-4

The static from the radio crackled like a fireplace inside the house of Robert and Norma Salazar. The husband and wife sat next to each other patiently listening for any type of signal from the outside. It had been 2 years in the couple’s twenty-five year marriage since they had heard from anyone but themselves. Each night as a tradition they would sit together in old reclining chairs in front of their windup radio and surf the airways for a sign of life. Without illuminating the house from the inside, the pair would light candles to be sure they wouldn’t become a beacon for the undead to hone in on.

“Do you ever think we are going to pick up a signal?” asked Norma.

“I hope and pray that we do dear, but even if we don’t this routine will help us keep our sanity” assured Robert. The aged gentleman had retired from the Cuyahoga county prison almost 5 years before the Event. He had seen many prisoners succumb to their own minds due to lack of routine. He knew that this was going to be the only way that he and his wife would survive. Robert glanced at his wife from his worn down chair with caring eyes, wishing that he could have given her more in life. He wanted to grow old with her from the day they met. He wanted to provide for her every need, pay every bill and live a long peaceful life with his one true love. Now all he wanted to do was to keep her safe, alive and with him.

The radio crackled as Robert scanned through each channel. He then switched to the AM setting and began to scroll from the beginning of the numbers to the end.

“…if you…this…have safety…west to….beautiful”

Robert’s eyes lit up like a child at his own birthday party. He looked at Norma and she too was silent in shock. “I can’t find the channel” Robert panicked as he turned the dial so fast on the radio that it almost broke off. He picked up the small radio and held it to his ears. “Did you hear what I did?” he asked as if irritated at the thought of going insane. “I did honey, it was a voice. It sounded like an angel”.

The thought of life still existing out there, in all-the void was almost too much to take in. Robert set down his radio and leaned back in his chair cupping his hands together, he did this when he was thinking, Norma enjoyed watching him think. She knew that she would be safe with her husband. Knowing that every decision he made was with her best interest in mind. Norma was a small woman who looked much younger than her 52 years let on. Robert on the other hand was much larger than Norma and engulfed her like a blanket when he wrapped his arms around her. That is when she felt safest.

Robert rose from his chair, paced around the room a few times and knelt down next to his wife. He took her hands into his “if there is someone out there, we will find them. Everything’s going to be ok babe, I promise”. With that he stood up and kissed her forehead. “I’m going to bed, we will try again tomorrow”. Norma lifted herself out of her chair and followed Robert through the living room of their home to the stairway. Just as they began to climb the stairs together Robert stopped dead in his tracks. “Shh” he whispered. Norma looked at Robert puzzled at why he stopped and then she heard the noise too.

It came from outside the house, directly in front of the boarded up bay window in the living room. It sounded like scratching or rustling in the branches planted beneath the window. There hadn’t been any sign of the undead near their home in weeks. Robert had been sure of it as he would stand lookout from the attic window every 2 hours during the daytime. Even with the house completely secured and no indication of life on the inside Robert never trusted the walking dead.

Norma rushed to the living room to blow out the candles they had lit only hours before. She then grabbed a flashlight from the mantle of the fireplace and tossed it to Robert. The lens of the light was covered in red plexi-glass as to limit the amount of light that could be seen from a distance. He quickly caught the flashlight and made for the closet just inside the front door. Grabbing his shotgun next to the umbrellas in the closet he checked it silently for ammunition. He hadn’t had to use the weapon in over a month and couldn’t remember if he had loaded it or not. Robert felt along the inside of the magazine feed and found a round still inside. Slowly and as quietly as possible he made his way to the front door.

Norma approached the door next to her husband and he signaled her to begin unlocking it. She released the chain lock and unbolted the two dead bolts that Robert had installed. Without queue she began to open the front door for Robert to see through the crack between the door and the jamb. He lifted his shotgun and peered through the opening, never moving his eyes from the barrel of his gun. The moonlight was bright enough for him to see outside without any use of his flashlight. He nodded for Norma to open the door wider and he began to creep outside onto the porch. He could hear the sound of breathing towards the end of the wooden rail, it was shallow and muffled. Robert knew the sound was familiar, he had heard it far too many times in the past. Robert inched closer to the end of the wall near where the bay window started, slowly and methodically making his way towards the breathing. With each step the breathing became louder and louder like a trapped animal awaiting the final moments of it’s life on earth. Slowly Robert peaked over the side of the porch railing looking for movement, still hearing the breathing but not seeing anything he flipped the flashlight on and beamed the red light forward. Sweat dripped from Robert’s forehead as he scanned the foliage for signs of unlife. Finger on the trigger, gently squeezing it backwards until…

“Don’t shoot!”

Startled, Robert shot off a round of shotgun shell into the siding of his house, missing the boarded up window by inches. “Who are you?” Robert demanded as he stared at the man crouched in front of him, arms in surrender.
“I’m Andrew. Thanks for missing”.