{"id":1081,"date":"2017-11-28T15:12:35","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T15:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2019-03-28T14:41:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T14:41:15","slug":"hatchet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/hatchet\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatchet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 1<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cWhere do you want this box to go?\u201d
\nColby Callahan barely heard her brother\u2019s question. She was lost in her own thoughts, staring at the childhood home that she swore she would never go back to.
\n\u201cHey,\u201d Greg repeated, \u201cAre you there? Where do you want this box?\u201d
\n\u201cMy bedroom I guess\u201d said Colby, snapping back into reality.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sure there will be plenty of space for it,\u201d Greg smirked, \u201cMom and Dad never changed your room into a home gym like they wanted to. They knew you\u2019d be moving back in soon.\u201d
\nColby gave her brother a nasty look. \u201cShut up\u201d she told him.
\nShe knew he was right, though. They kept her room exactly as it was two years ago when she went to college because they never believed she would finish. And they were right, she didn\u2019t. Colby hated giving her parents the gratification of being right about her, but it wasn\u2019t the first time.
\nHer whole life, Colby handed her parents one disappointment after another. She got kicked out of her private elementary school when she punched a boy on the kickball field for calling her \u201cugly\u201d. She spent most of her formative years rebelling against her parents, her school, and basically any other force that was trying to make her \u201cbehave\u201d like a well-brought up young lady. Then, at 22 years old, after waiting tables for 4 years and living with her parents, she decided to do something with her life. Colby applied to the University of Miami to pursue an engineering degree. To her and everyone else\u2019s surprise, she was accepted.
\nBut now, two short years later, she sits staring at her parent\u2019s home back in Clearwater. How could this happen again? Why couldn\u2019t she just pull herself together and make something of her life? Where does she go from here? These questions assaulted Colby\u2019s thoughts the entire time we was carrying boxes filled with her mediocre possessions back into the home that she was so sure was not hers anymore.
\n\u201cYou should see if Texas Roadhouse will hire you back\u201d, Colby\u2019s mom, Ruth, said in a disappointed tone. \u201cYou are going to have to find some way to pay us rent.\u201d
\nRuth was always hyper-critical of Colby. A traditional woman, Ruth values normalcy; a nice house with a white picket fence and matching shutters, a husband who works full time as a kitchen appliance salesman, and two smart, well behaved children. She always resented the fact that she only got one of the two.
\n\u201cGive her some time to settle in, Ruth\u201d Benjamin, Colby\u2019s father, chimed in, \u201cWe haven\u2019t even gotten all the boxes inside yet and you\u2019re rushing her off to her first shift.\u201d
\n\u201cThe girl needs a kick in the ass, Ben. I won\u2019t have her living in my house rent-free again. She is expected to contribute.\u201d Ruth was never shy about saying hurtful things in front of her daughter.
\nColby wanted to give a snarky reply, but what\u2019s the use. Those kinds of remarks won\u2019t stop, especially now that she has another failed venture under her belt.
\nBenjamin Callahan was a gentle man. He had a soft spot for his only daughter; unlike his wife, he didn\u2019t take satisfaction in being right about her failure. He desperately wanted her to succeed, but when she didn\u2019t, he wasn\u2019t too surprised. Still, Ben feels the need to protect his daughter, even if it\u2019s from the words of his own wife.
\n\u201cShe will do just fine,\u201d Benjamin retorted, \u201cshe knows what is expected.\u201d
\n\u201cShe knew what was expected of her in college too but she still couldn\u2019t manage to pass\u201d Greg said as he lifted another box to bring inside.
\nGreg was the antithesis of Colby. He was intelligent; not that Colby wasn\u2019t, but he knew how to use his intelligence to survive in the real world, a skill Colby had not yet mastered. Greg graduated at the top of his class in high school, without incident. He achieved a law degree from Columbia Law last spring and was now in the process of buying a home down the street from his parents. To Ruth and Benjamin, Greg was their golden child. He was the standard to which Colby had been judged all her life \u2013 and he knew it.
\nWhat neither Greg nor Ruth and Benjamin knew was that Colby did not fail out of college. She was a straight A student on her way to a 4.0 GPA. Leaving college was never about the grades for her, that was only a story that she told her family. She knew they would never forgive her for dropping out of college because engineering didn\u2019t make her happy. It didn\u2019t leave her feeling fulfilled or enthusiastic about her future, so she left. It was better that her parents think she just couldn\u2019t make the cut, rather than that she could, and she chose not to.
\n\u201cI\u2019m right here, guys\u201d Colby muttered in a quiet, somber voice as she picked up another box.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>In the coming weeks, Colby managed to stay relatively under her parent\u2019s radar. As advised by her mother, she was able to get her serving job back, and it was almost like the last two years hadn\u2019t even happened. The dust had settled, and everything was business as usual in the Callahan household.
\nArriving at her shift on Tuesday night, Colby immediately noticed a strange vibe in the restaurant. The place was completely dead, which wasn\u2019t unusual for a Tuesday, but her coworkers would normally be hard at work preparing the restaurant for the dinner rush <\/span>\u2013 not tonight. Everyone had a strange, glazed look in their eyes, as if a spirit had walked into the door and asked for a table for three.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Colby asked her coworker, Christy. \u201cWhat\u2019s up with the energy in here right now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Christy was hesitant to answer. It was almost as if the words to describe what she saw were escaping her. \u201cIt\u2019s Adam. He\u2019s in the hospital.\u201d
\n\u201cAdam? Oh god, what did he do to himself now?\u201d Colby knew that Adam, another server, was famous for being clumsy and visiting the ER every so often after an accident on the job, but it was never as serious as this seemed to be.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cNo, Colby, you don\u2019t understand,\u201d She shuttered, \u201csomething happened. Adam was\u2026 attacked.\u201d
\nColby was taken back by how Christy seemed to choke out that word \u2013 attacked. <\/i>She waited for Christy to continue.
\nAfter a pause, Christy started. \u201cIt was during the lunch shift. Adam noticed a man just kind of wandering aimlessly around the parking lot. He was chasing birds and squirrels and stuff\u2026 so weird. There were no managers in yet so Adam decided to go out and ask this guy what his deal was, if he needed help, whatever, you know?\u201d
\nChristy\u2019s voice got high. It was obvious she was on the verge of tears again, but she collected herself and continued.
\n\u201cThe guy bit him, Colby. I don\u2019t know why, he just\u2026 he bit him. Took a huge chunk out of his arm, and he wouldn\u2019t stop. Adam ran towards us, screaming like crazy\u2026 he came back into the restaurant, and we locked the doors. The guy was chasing after him! He didn\u2019t stop banging at the door until we all went into the back room where he couldn\u2019t see us. We called 911 and they took Adam in an ambulance.\u201d
\nColby couldn\u2019t gather her thoughts quick enough to reply. Adam got bit? <\/i>What? Apparently her face said it all, because Christy just shook her head as if to say she understood what Colby was feeling, before she burst into tears again and came in for a hug.
\nFinally, Colby found her voice again. \u201cDid someone call the police? Did they find the guy?\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d Christy replied, \u201cthe police said they would look for the guy, but they were so vague and weird about it\u2026 like they were hiding something that they knew and we didn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cThat can\u2019t be,\u201d Colby uttered, \u201cI\u2019m sure they were just shocked by the whole thing. We all are.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah\u2026 probably. Well, Angela called corporate and asked if we could close the restaurant for the night after all this, give people a chance to calm down. They said no. Can you believe that?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah,\u201d Colby laughed, \u201cI can.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The two shared a chuckle, and went on with the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, wake up.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cWake up! We\u2019re going outside.\u201d
\nColby opened her eyes to see Greg sitting at the foot of her bed.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s my day off,\u201d she told him, \u201cgo away.\u201d
\n\u201cCome on, I want to talk to you. Let\u2019s go.\u201d
\nColby begrudgingly got out of her bed and got dressed to go for a walk. It was a cool autumn day, and she would be lying if she said she wasn\u2019t glad to finally get to see the orange foliage in the daytime, thanks to all the night shifts she had been working \u2013 even if she was forced to see it at eight in the morning.
\nGreg wasted no time getting to the point \u2013 he never did. \u201cI wanted to talk to you about your future.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat future\u201d Colby said flatly.
\n\u201cCome on, don\u2019t be like that. We both know you can\u2019t live with mom and dad for the rest of your life. You need a plan. One that you can actually succeed at.\u201d
\nColby ignored the dig, looking at her feet and kicking acorns along the way. She was silent.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s an opening at my firm for a secretary. I know it\u2019s not ideal, and you will be forced to wear work-appropriate clothing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Another dig.
\n\u201c\u2026but I think it would be good for you.\u201d
\nColby didn\u2019t hesitate with her reply. \u201cYou know me, Greg. I screw everything up. The whole place will burn down if you allow me to file documents for you.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re not even willing to-\u201c
\nGreg cut himself off and stopped walking. It took Colby a moment to realize he had stopped. She looked up from her feet to see what had stopped him short.
\nA man was on his knees, in front of what looked to be the body of a neighborhood dog. Both were covered in blood.
\nGreg leaned in and whispered to Colby, \u201cWhat is he doing? Do you think he\u2019s okay?\u201d
\nColby said nothing. She stood, watching the man tear the dog apart. He was eating it. Instantly, she remembered what happened to Adam.
\n\u201cWe need to go home, now\u201d She warned.
\n\u201cWhat? No! I think he needs our help. It looks like his dog was hit by a car. Sir! Are you okay? Should I call someone? Sir!\u201d
\n\u201cGreg, shut up. We have to go, now.\u201d
\nColby didn\u2019t know what instinct she was feeling, but she knew that they have to escape this situation \u2013 and fast.
\nGreg ignored her. He jogged toward the man. \u201cSir, did your dog get hit? Is he alive?\u201d
\nThe man slowly turned his head toward Greg. His eyes were milky and white, absent of color. His skin was pale, almost rotted. He was missing an ear.
\nBefore Greg could react, the man was on his feet. He lunged at Greg. Wide-eyed, greg backpedaled out of the man\u2019s reach. He pleaded with the man to stop.
\nSuddenly a rush came over Colby. Her heart began to beat and her mind raced, giving her directions to save her brother. She bursted into a sprint toward the man, grabbing a rake from the yard the man had slain the dog on. Colby ran up to the man from behind and hit the man as hard as she could in the head with the rake, while simultaneously screaming to Greg to run home. The spears of the rake went through the man\u2019s skull \u2013 she didn\u2019t mean to puncture him in such a way, but it felt as though his skull was soft and easy to pierce, as if he had been dead for some time before the blow. She let go of the rake, as both he and it fell to the ground. Greg took her advise and sped off, and she followed after him. <\/span><\/p>\n

The two got back to the Callahan residence and slammed the door.
\nBefore they could speak about what happened, Benjamin hurriedly approached them.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you two okay? Has anyone bitten you?\u201d
\nGreg was confused by the question, but Colby knew what he was asking.
\n\u201cBitten? What are you talking about? Colby just killed a guy!\u201d
\nColby and Ben then shared a look, conveying that they both understood what Colby just did \u2013 and why.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t kill him, son. He was already dead.\u201d
\nAt that moment Greg noticed his mother, crying in front of the television in the living room. He could hear the reporter detailing other instances similar to what they just saw. He pushed by his father to wrap his mother up in a hug and watch the news coverage. Together they listened to the newscaster struggle to explain what was happening.
\nIt would seem as though the dead have risen up to eat the living. There are countless reports coming in of folks checking on their neighbors, only to be attacked by a corpse attempting to eat their flesh. The military has deployed almost all of the troops from all branches stationed in the continental United States to cities and towns all over the country in an attempt to contain this epidemic. Please, do not leave your homes. Do not let anyone inside your house. Stay calm. The military will be coming to save you shortly.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 4<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>They never came. <\/span><\/p>\n

Three months came and went without any sign of military intervention. Colby knew better than to believe that her family would be saved, anyway. They were on their own from the beginning. The Callahan\u2019s had survived by rationing what food they had left in their house, and scavenging around the area. Colby did all of the scavenging<\/span> \u2013 no one else was capable of doing it without incident. Ironically, it seemed as though the natural progression of the situation had put Colby in a leadership position. She had an undeniably instinct about how to keep herself and her family alive, and her parents had grown to look to her for guidance.
\nGreg, however, was a different story. Jealousy had overcome him; the leadership role had been his since he reached adulthood. In an attempt to usurp power from his sister, Greg had been constantly undermining her decisions for the past three months \u2013 on some occasions, at incredible risk to the group.
\n\u201cOkay,\u201d Colby addressed her family, \u201cwe\u2019re running low on water. As soon as the sun comes up we need to go down to the quarry. Greg, come with me. It\u2019s a long walk, no one should be walking that far alone.\u201d
\n\u201cMom and dad should come too. The more people we have to carry water back the better. We won\u2019t have to make the trip as often.\u201d Colby shot Greg a look for his suggestion \u2013 he knew their parents would not do well with such a long, tiring trip.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s best that you and I go alone. We\u2019re faster.\u201d Colby replied definitively. Her tone indicated that this would be the end of the discussion. Greg said nothing.
\nAt 6:05 in the morning, the sun rose, and with it, Colby. She had gotten in the habit of getting up early since the world had ended. These days it seemed as though the days were shorter than ever before, now that survival was at stake. She grabbed her pack full of survival gear, put her dagger in her holster, and headed outside to wait for Greg. To her surprise, her parents stood and Greg stood waiting for her instead.
\n\u201cGreg, we agreed-\u201c
\n\u201cThey\u2019re coming\u201d he interrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d
\nGreg turned around and motioned for his parents to walk with him, ignoring his sister\u2019s command. Colby was toward the end of her rope with his behavior. She begrudgingly made her way to the front of the group, enraged at Greg once again.
\nThe majority of the seven mile trip spent in silence. By early afternoon, they reached the quarry. Having already developed an effective system to extract water from the quarry with little risk, Colby explained to her parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to avoid getting in the water at all costs, we don\u2019t know what is in there and we don\u2019t want to find out. Taking turns dipping the jugs into the water off of that narrow ledge is the safest way to do this. We will carry the water home and boil it to get rid of any bacteria that may be in it.\u201d
\n\u201cNot fast enough.\u201d
\nColby was surprised at how easily three words had lit a fire inside her stomach. Furious, she wiped around to Greg.
\n\u201cSafety is the number one priority, Greg. Or do you want this family to die?\u201d
\n\u201cThe more time we spend getting the water the earlier we will get back. I won\u2019t have you getting us all killed in the dark when we don\u2019t get back in time. It\u2019s time someone put you in your place.\u201d Greg\u2019s eyes did not leave Colby\u2019s the entire time he spoke.
\n\u201cMy place,\u201d she said, rage enveloping her voice, \u201cis as the leader of this group. You have no idea what the hell you\u2019re doing. I won\u2019t let you make any more stupid decisions, that\u2019s all over.\u201d
\nSilence. Greg\u2019s eyes narrowed on her. Neither of them moved or blinked for several moments. Suddenly, he grabbed his mother\u2019s arm so hard she instinctively shrieked. He dragged her into the shallow water with him.
\n\u201cCome on. We\u2019re getting water \u2013 the right way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Greg, stop, you\u2019re hurting-\u201c Ruth was interrupted by her own stumble and she tripped and fell into the water. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before Colby had the chance to physically take over the situation, she was drowned out by the screams of her mother. A sight that she had been fighting against for months was suddenly happening right in front of her \u2013 a corpse was buried in the silt, and when Ruth landed on it, it latched onto her arm. Colby watched as a living dead monster consumed her mother\u2019s bicep.
\nAgain, her instincts took over. Colby jumped into the water, drove her dagger through the corpse\u2019s skull, and dragged her mother out of the quarry. By now Ruth had passed out from the shock of what had happened to her.
\n\u201cDad!\u201d She screamed. \u201cHatchet \u2013 NOW!\u201d
\nBenjamin stumbled through his pack to find the hatchet and give it to Colby. There was only one way to stop the infection; she had to cut off her mother\u2019s arm. Colby raised the hatchet, pausing only for a moment to grasp the severity of what she was about to do, and finally brought it down as hard as she could just below Ruth\u2019s shoulder.
\n\u201cWe have to get her indoors, somewhere with clean sheets\u2026 We\u2026 We need to keep the wound covered\u2026\u201d It was hard to stay strong after having done what she just did.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere with you,\u201d an all too familiar voice echoed, \u201cyou just disfigured our mother, you\u2019re a psychopath!\u201d
\nOut of patience, and out of time, Colby wiped the tears from her face, incidentally covering her face in blood. She rose to her feet and faced her brother. They shared a fiery gaze. Greg snapped. He came at Colby, tackling her to the ground. He began punching her over and over again. Colby held her own, and began choking her brother. She had no intention of killing him, but she couldn\u2019t stop herself \u2013 this was a long time coming. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Greg grasp his knife from its holster on his hip. He took it out and swung it at her, aiming for her head, but slicing the back of her shoulder instead.
\nColby now had no choice. Her own brother had gotten his mother bitten, and was now actively trying to kill her. She reached for her dagger. With Greg pinned to the ground, she put her hand on his forehead, shoved the back of his head into the dirt, and drove her dagger through his temple. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he realized what had happened. As quickly as it began, it was over. Greg was dead. Colby had murdered her own brother.
\nBenjamin watched the entire situation unravel in front of his eyes, helpless to stop neither his wife, nor his children, defend themselves against the attacks that had transpired. He didn\u2019t know whether to continue tending to his wife\u2019s wound, or go to his son who lay dead on the ground only a few feet away. He stayed in place, silently sobbing, thanking God that his wife hadn\u2019t seen what just happened.
\nColby stared blankly at her brother\u2019s lifeless body. For a moment, it felt as though she was in a dream. It would be a lie to say she hadn\u2019t considered taking out the largest threat to the group, her own brother \u2013 but she doubted it would get to that point. Until now.
\nCovered in blood and dirt, Colby stood up. She choked, \u201cwe have to dress her wound. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wordless, Benjamin nodded his head, still in tears. He and Colby lifted Ruth up, and silently headed toward the nearest town. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cShe didn\u2019t kill him, son. He was already dead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[12],"class_list":{"0":"post-1081","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-stories","8":"tag-story","10":"aesop-entry-content"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1120,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jolineblais.net\/tributaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}