[Author’s note: If this is your first time reading Oasis, please start with Chapter 1.]
A Burning Discount
The wind whipped against me and the rain beat down.
My hand shook as I fumbled with the key.
The deads continued their march. Every moment closer.
Only fifteen feet away.
The key finally slid in the hole.
I wiggled it side to side.
One of the deads raised an arm.
The lock finally broke free and the key turned.
I pulled open the door, (more…)
[It’s just not right to start reading on chapter 52 of a story. If this is your first time around here, please start with Chapter 1.]
Stormy Weather
Another round of thunder shook the ground. A few raindrops were being whipped around by the wind. The temperature was dropping quickly.
Even the weather was against me.
We passed the post office and slowed down.
Up ahead were several clumps of infected men and women, just standing in the street and waiting.
By the time we reached the fire station, we could finally see some of the crowd that was pressing against the front doors of the hospital.
The sheer number of deads around the hospital was staggering.
Kevin turned to me for a second. “How in the world are we going to (more…)
[New to Oasis? Catch up by starting with Chapter 1. And in other Oasis news, I’ve been working on the cover to the eventual printed book and I’ve started developing a website for Oasis. I’ll need everybody’s help and ideas on that as time goes on. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week’s Oasis chapter.]
No Calm Before The Storm
The door lead into a large supply closet. Tools of every kind, from shovels to power drills cluttered the floor and bench. In the corner there was a greasy old gas powered generator. The whole room reeked of chemicals and exhaust.
Samson closed the door behind him and pointed to the generator. “There it is, our little secret.”
I looked at it closer. “You mean it works?”
“Yes, indeed. This utility closet is underground and encased in cement. Apparently that was enough to (more…)
[Yay! Oasis turns 50 (Chapters) today! You all have made this a lot of fun for me, so thank you. We’re getting closer to the end here, so if you haven’t read Oasis before, please start at the beginning.]
Time To Go
Dale raised a hand. “Sam, aren’t you forgetting something?”
Samson looked back over his shoulder. “What?”
“What are we going to do about the crowd of infected that’s sure to be around the hospital?”
Samson looked and then pointed toward Kevin and me. “Those two are pretty resourceful. They’ll run ahead and figure it out. Now, let’s go.”
My eyes widened.
I’m pretty sure Kevin stopped breathing.
Samson, Dale, and Linda swept out of the room.
Kevin and I looked at each other.
Kevin shook his head. “The hospital is near the middle of the city, near the fountain. Throwing a garbage can will get a couple of them, but if there’s many more… I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more. A whole lot more.”
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll figure it out when we (more…)
[If you have never read Oasis before, you’ll probably be better off starting at the beginning.]
A Tangled Web
“I don’t really know what I can say that will convince you otherwise, but here’s what happened. Last night, Lily came into my room and attempted to seduce me. I got out of there. In the hall, Richard and friends were just coming out of the stairwell. I did try to hurry them along, but it was no use.”
I took a deep breath before continuing. “Lily stole my other shirt, came out into the hall, and put on a show for the lawyer herd. She left and I went back to my room. Those five weasels came in to my room and beat me up. I tried to defend myself, but with one on five in a small room, I suppose the result was inevitable. And there you have it.”
Many in the crowd shook their heads, presumably in disgust.
But what else was there to do? Richard had created a lie and provided evidence.
Richard scowled at me. “Is there nothing else you’d like to tell us? Like maybe the truth?”
I couldn’t (more…)
[Sorry about the extreme lateness. Weekends always get busy around my place. If you’ve never read Oasis before, you should start with chapter one. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back on track for another new chapter this Friday. Thanks for your patience.]
Trial
“Right now?”
“If it were up to them, they’d have already tossed you out.”
“Fine, let me clean up a little.”
“No. Don’t. That’ll make it harder.”
“Harder to what? Get pity?”
“Just trust me. Come on. Let’s go.”
I stood and my legs wobbled under me. My ribs hurt and my arms ached. The left side of my face was throbbing.
I still have to (more…)
[note: If this is your first time reading Oasis, you really should start at the beginning. ]
Judge, Jury, and Executioners
Lily twirled around and strutted down the hall.
I considered my options. I could run, but that’d only make me look more guilty. I could follow her, but that’d look just as bad. If I could make it back to my room before they stopped watching Lily, they might leave me alone. Or at least I’d have a baseball bat and a locked door.
I figured that was my best shot.
Sure enough, they parted and watched Lily’s swaggering backside as she went by them and down the hall.
I made a b-line for my room.
The door was well on its way to slamming closed when it bounced back in.
Richard had gotten his foot in the way just in time.
The door swung wide again.
I was just past its path.
I controlled my breathing and looked at him. “Can I help you?” (more…)
[If you’ve never read Oasis before, you should start at the beginning. I had to run this one by my wife first.]
Temptation
Kevin opened the door and Kim blasted through.
She grabbed Kevin’s hand and kissed him full on the lips.
“Come on, they’re getting dinner ready.”
It probably shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I suppose relationships speed right along under extreme circumstances.
Lily poked her head and flashed a smile. “Hi, Corbin.”
I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes, but if she noticed, she didn’t let it show.
“You want to come up with us?”
I shook my head. “I’d like to (more…)
[note: Oasis started a long, long time ago. If you haven’t read it before, you should start with Chapter 1. In other news, I think it’s time I admit that I won’t be reaching my goal of finishing Oasis before the end of the year. There’s just too much pain left to heap upon poor ‘ol Corbin.]
Return to the Emergency Room
None of us were about to argue with the man, so we rushed past him and squeezed the cot into the stairwell.
He pulled the door shut behind us with a final-sounding clunk.
Dim light filled the stairwell from exterior windows on every other landing but the ground level.
The door to the ground floor was in shadow and barely visible. It had been barricaded with sandbags.
The man looked at me. “You have medical training?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“How is he?”
“I haven’t been able to really look him over yet. I’m not even exactly sure what happened.”
“OK. Let’s (more…)
[note: If you are new to Oasis, you should start with Chapter 1]
Breaking and Entering
Kevin pounded three or four times on the door. “It’s not supposed to be locked.”
The teenage girls gasped.
The middle aged man’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean, locked?”
Kevin continued pounding. “Open up!”
I turned and scanned the area. I didn’t see any deads, but I knew it was just a matter of time.
The woman was shaking. “W-what do we do now?”
The boy shook as well, “What if they come out now?”
The older man barked at the girls to (more…)