We Are Still Here

by Jimmy Bird

  Makalyn got in front of me while I got in the rear. Without speaking, we began rowing towards the farthest shoreline. It took longer then expected, but we made it.

  The closer we got to the cabins, the lower our expectations for finding food became. The closest cabins were almost burnt to the ground, very similar to what we saw at the Marina.

  When we reached the shore, we carefully got out of the rowboat. The stench of mold and death covered the area. We needed to get away from the area and began walking towards the untouched cabins.

  I noticed that inside the chard cabin remains, were bundles of bodies. To make matters worse, a few of the burnt body parts were still moving. The only thing that I could think of was that maybe someone had trapped a few zombies inside and tried to burn them.

  The further away from the water we got, the better the cabins looked. The wooden facade and wrap around porches made them look like authentic old-style wooden cabins. We got about a half mile from the shoreline and found that a few of the cabins even looked untouched.

  I looked over at the girls and pointed towards the closes cabin, “This cabin looks as good as any to search. What do you think?”

  Makalyn looked down at her stomach, “Sounds good. I’m so hungry, I could eat a stray dog.”

  JoJo looked at her, “That’s gross!”

  Makalyn responded, “What? It’s an expression.”

  “Not from where I’m from.”

  I intervened, “Enough, you two. Look, we’re all hungry and cranky. Let’s just get inside and look. Hopefully, we’ll find something to eat inside.”

  We walked up to the front. I motioned with my right hand to freeze.

  Makalyn asked, “What? Is there a zombie inside?”

  I half turned my head to look at her and whispered, “Go to the right and look through the windows to see if you can see anything. JoJo, you go left. I’ll knock on the door and try to get anything that might be in there’s attention.”

  I waited until they were out of sight and began knocking. Nothing. No noise. No talking. No nothing. Could our luck have finally changed?

  I reached out to the door handle and turned. It was locked. That was a good sign. Before I did anything, I waited until JoJo and Makalyn returned.

  JoJo came around the corner, I asked her “Well? Did you see anything?”

  She shook her head, “No.”

  Makalyn walked up behind us, I turned around and asked, “What about you? Did you see anything?”

  She also shook her head, “No.”

  Absentmindedly, I nodded, “I guess that’s a good sign. How did the inside look?”

  In unison, they replied, “It looked okay. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  I turned back towards the door, “Well, I guess that there’s only one way to find out what’s inside.”

  I got into a kicking stance. I had my left foot in front, ready to pivot as I lifted my right leg. I pushed hard with my right foot and made contact. The door did not budge. In fact, I felt a stinging in my knee area just as my foot contacted the door.

  I wheezed from the sudden pain, “Damn, that hurt!”

  “Dad, you okay?”

  I reached down and massaged my knee, “I think so. The door didn’t budge like I had hoped it would. Why don’t you two try and kick it in?”

  They each took a turn kicking it. Nothing.

  Without thinking about it, I started talking, “Looks like the doors solid. Maybe, it was a way for the owner to deter robbers or something. Let’s try the back door.”

  I limped towards the back of the cabin. Makalyn and JoJo were in tow. I noticed a dog door and smiled.

  Makalyn asked, “Now what?”

  I pointed towards the dog door, “That’s our way in.”

  “A dog door?”

  “Yeah. JoJo’s small enough to squeeze through and let us us.”

  “Dad, it’s got a cover on the door.”

  I smiled, “I know. We can break it.”

  I kicked the plastic cover. It shattered into multiple pieces. She got down and examined the little door.

  “JoJo be careful not to cut yourself on the plastic.”

  She seemed annoyed, “Okay dad.”

  She carefully worked her upper body through the door. So far so good.

  Curious about what was on the other side of the door, I asked, “JoJo, what do you see?”

  JoJo responded, “Nothing really. It kind of stinks in here though. Sort of like death but a bit mustier.”

  I hoped nothing dead was inside, “Do you think it’s worth going in then?”

  “Yeah, it looks relatively untouched.”

  A sense of relief was over me, “Okay. Finish crawling in and unlock the door.”

  JoJo crawled through and stopped, “Oh, God!”

  Fear rushed through me, “JoJo! What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine. Just startled. I think there is a dead dog in here. At least, I think it’s a dog.”

  She unlocked the door and pulled it open for us, “Welcome. Please do come in but wipe your feet first.”

  I frowned at her but didn’t say anything.

  She responded, “I’m just playing dad. You know, trying to lighten the mood.”

  I didn’t reply to her as I looked at the pile of dog hair lying in the corner, “I guess it’s owner abandoned him when the dead came back to life. Damn, starvation is a horrible way to die.”

  I turned around and told the girls, “Look in the cabinets and see what you can find.”

  Makalyn didn’t waste any time, “Jackpot!”

  Excited, I asked, “What? What’d you find?”

  “Cans of beans, corn, vegetables, soup. You name it.”

  Overwhelmed with excitement, I looked at my daughter, “JoJo, see if you can find a can opener.”

  “A can opener?”

  I nodded, “Yes, a can opener. It’s the easiest way to open the cans.”

  We began going through cabinets and found all kinds of things, including an old-style hand turn can opener, silverware, and car keys.

  I looked over at them, “Okay. Each of you pick out a can to eat.”

  Makalyn asked, “Just one can?”

  I looked at her, “Yes. We don’t know how long of a trip we got and how long we’ll need to make this food last.”

  JoJo reached for a can, “I’ll take a corn.”

  Makalyn held up a can, “I guess I’ll take these mixed vegetables.”

  I held up a can, “I’ll take this barbecue baked beans.”

  JoJo wrinkled her nose, “Oh God. Dad’s going to be gassy later.”

  We all laughed. It felt good to laugh.

  The good feeling vanished when JoJo said, “I wish Seth was here.”

  I looked into her sad, blue eyes, “I know sweetie, but he did what he thought was best for him. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  She looked over at the dog, “Dad, he abandoned us like the dog was abandoned by its family. He left us to die!”

  How could I respond to that? How could anyone respond to that? She was correct. Seth had abandoned us, but he did it for a good reason. He wanted to find his dad and the rest of his family. I couldn’t blame him for what he did, even though his choice didn’t make it any easier for the rest of us when he took off with all our supplies and gear.

  I changed the subject, “After we’re done eating, we need to look for backpacks or bags to carry the food in. We should also look for any other supplies that can be useful.”

  I used the can opener to open my can of beans. The aroma from the beans made my stomach hurt even more. I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I pulled back the top and grabbed a spoon. I lowered it to the can and stopped.

  Something in the back of my mind shouted, ‘What if it’s a trap? What if it’s poisoned? Just look at the dog. If the food was safe to eat, it wouldn’t have died.’

  I shook my head to clear it. What was wrong with me? Was I getting that paranoi
d?

  JoJo must have noticed, “Dad? Is something wrong?”

  I looked at her, “No. Nothings wrong. For some reason I had a strange feeling that the food in the pantry was poisoned.”

  They both stopped eating and looked at me. The expressions on their faces said it all.

  I quickly added, “Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s poisoned. I think that I’m so hungry that my mind’s playing tricks on me.”

  I pushed my fear aside and lifted a spoonful of beans to my mouth. The smell was overwhelming. I prayed that I was wrong and opened my mouth. I placed the beans into my mouth and pulled the spoon out. Oh my God, it tasted good. As a matter of fact, it was the best thing I had tasted in days. I just chewed and savored the flavor. Amazingly, my paranoia quickly disappeared.

  I looked at the girls, “The food seems okay. I think that us being out here on the road has made me a little paranoid.”

  “It’s okay. It’s better to be safe then sorry.”

  Makalyn motioned with her arms, “Yeah, I think the only people we can trust now is right HERE.”

  JoJo looked at her, “You meant to add Seth to that statement, right?”

  Makalyn look back at JoJo, “No, I didn’t!”

  Confused, JoJo asked, “Weren’t you the one who wanted to go after him?”

  “Yep, and I still want to, but I don’t think that I’ll be able to trust him again. If he abandoned us once, he’d do it again.”

  JoJo reluctantly admitted, “I guess that makes sense.”

  I just sat there, eating and watching them interact. There was nothing I could say that would make a difference. They were both right.

  We finished eating and JoJo said, “Dad. I’m still hungry.”

  “I know sweetheart. Me too. But we need to ration these food supplies. Until we find more food, we’re kind of limited. Think about it, if we each eat three cans a day, that’s nine cans. With what we have, we’ll run out in a week or so. Hey, why don’t y’all continue searching the cabin for supplies while I take a peek around outside. Maybe, I’ll get lucky and find a running car.”

  I went to the kitchen door and was about to grab the handle when I noticed movement around the window to my immediate left. I froze in place. Was it a zombie, a scavenger, or the owner of the cabin? I didn’t know.

  I could hear JoJo and Makalyn talking in the living room area. I needed them to be quiet, so I turned around and tiptoes through the kitchen to the living room. Whenever I snapped my fingers to get their attention, they knew something was wrong and froze in place as they glanced in my direction. I put my index finger up to my lips to mimic the ‘shh’ sound. I motioned for them to get low as I turned around and quietly walked back to the door. I pulled my knife out, ready to attack whatever came through the door.

  While waiting, I leaned my head to the door, listening for any sound that might give whoever was outside away. Nothing. I turned towards the window and saw a shadow move again. I carefully edged myself along the wall, towards the window. I tried to get as flat as I could.

  I stopped moving when my right wrist touched the lower part of the windowsill. I tried to become invisible as I turned my head to try to see who was out there. At the same time, the shadow moved again. I gripped the knife handle tightly with my right hand

  I saw more shadow movement out the corner of my eyes. Oh, God. Was there more then one of them out there? My heart began to pump. You would have figured that I would have been used to this type of situation by now.

  I took a deep breath and turned to face the window. To my relief, it was just shadows dancing around. Man, they were really moving around. Without realizing it, the sky had become a yellowish color. That wasn’t a good sign, a bad storm must be coming in.

  While standing there looking out the window, I noticed small objects start flying past the window. Before long, I noticed an old rubber 55-gallon trash can go rolling by. You could hear a whoosh sound from outside. The wind must really be picking up.

  An object, I think it was an old rustic looking food can, hit the window and cracked it. It scared me, causing me to jump backwards. Damn, that was close.

  Fearing the worse, I turned to the girls, “Go look in the bedrooms and get some old mattresses. Pull them to the center of the cabin. I think a tornado might be coming!”

  Wide-eyed, Makalyn looked at me, “Are you serious?”

  “Yes! Now, hurry!”

  I turned and ran after them. A rumbling sound came from outside. Oh man, that wasn’t a good sign at all!

  Without caution, we began opening doors. The room I opened was clean, except for the layer of dust on everything. In the corner of the room was a pillow top type of bed. I rushed forward and grabbed the mattress.

  I tried pulling it towards me. Either, it was stuck or extremely heavy because I was struggling to move it. After sliding it a few inches, I realized that it was a lot heavier than I thought it should be.

  Once the mattress was off the box spring, I noticed a small duffel bag. Curiosity got the better of me. I let go of the mattress and began to make my way around it when something heavy hit the south wall of the cabin. It made a loud glass shattering noise, causing the girls to scream.

  Forgetting about the bag, I turned and rushed out of the room. I ran down the small hall and turned to the right. I immediately stopped in my tracks. A zombie’s head was sticking through the window.

  His face was cut up from the glass. The skin on his left cheek had peeled back enough to see his bloody cheek bone. It looked like the zombie was trying to himself free, but all he managed to do was pull part of the skin away from his face. Blood seeped down onto the windowsill and the wall.

  Without warning, it began to rain hard. So hard that it made a banging sound every time it hit the window, or was it hail. It didn’t matter, we needed to hurry. I turned and rushed towards the room I had just been in.

  I pointed to the room, “Girls! Help me with this mattress!”

  They ran down the hall to help. The sound of more glass shattering came from all around us.

  I motioned to them, “Hurry!”

  I rushed inside the room, “Grab the end of the mattress. We’re going to turn it sideways. When I say pull, you pull. Okay. Pull!”

  With help, we easily moved the mattress to the hallway. I motioned then to sit down while I turned it. I sat down between them and lowered the mattress over us.

  Things kept banging into the walls causing the girls to scream. I tried to calm them down, but it was hard. The noise from outside became louder. JoJo began to hyperventilate.

  I had to scream, “JoJo, put your shirt over your mouth and breath slowly. You need to calm down.”

  It was hard for her to calm down. The roaring from outside kept getting louder. It sounded like a freight train was rushing next to us. The atmospheric pressure must have changed because my ears began popping.

  I put my arms around both girls and screamed, “Hold tight!”

  Things continued to bang into the walls and before you know it, a huge gust of air rushed past us. Crap, that wasn’t a good sign! A door must have blown open or something!

  To make matters worse, it sounded like the roof was beginning to peel off. The boards above us made creaking sounds. The kind that nails make when being pulled out wood. Fear gripped me, causing me to hold onto the girls even tighter.

  Without warning, the wind died down and the noise outside slowly went away. There was still banging, but it was more distant. The rain even stopped. I pushed the mattress off us.

  I turned to my daughter, “JoJo, are you alright?”

  JoJo inhaled deeply “Yes. Is it over?

  “I think so.”

  I turned to Makalyn, “Are you alright?”

  She looked around, “I.....I think so.”

  I motioned for them to move, “Good. Let’s get up and search for supplies and get the ‘Hell’ out of here!”

  I got up and walked around the corner. To my surprise, the zombie that
had been stuck in the window was gone, but his head, however, was lying in the corner of the room. Something powerful must have ripped his body away.

  I turned to my right. The ground was covered in water and the kitchen wall was missing. The whole wall was gone! I had only seen pictures of things like that happening during a tornado, I just had never witnessed it myself. Even the fence and the cabin behind us were destroyed. God, we were lucky!

  JoJo walked up behind me, “Where’s the wall?”

  I looked at her, “I’m not sure.”

  Makalyn walked up, “Guess we got lucky then?”

  “Yeah. I agree. Somebody was watching over us.”

  I turned around and pointed, “Look, our food’s still here.”

  I walked over to the cans spread out all over the floor, “Go see if you can find a backpack or something to carry these into.”

  JoJo spoke up, “Will a wagon work?”

  Surprised, I asked, “Yeah. Did you find one?”

  “Yeah, in a kid’s room.”

  I hoped our luck would continue, “What about a bag?”

  Bag? That’s right. I found a duffel bag in the bedroom with the mattress. Without waiting for a reply, I turned and walked to the bedroom where I had grabbed the mattress from.

  I stopped in front of the door; the bag was still on the box spring. Well, it was heavy enough that the wind didn’t pick it up. My focus was on the bag as I slowly made my way inside the room.

  I stopped when I got to the bed. My curiosity was beginning to get the better of me. What was so special about the bag? Just think, someone took the time to hide it under the mattress. What’s in it? Could it be money? Weapons? Drugs?

  I reached toward the bag when Makalyn spoke, “What’s with the bag?”

  I turned my head towards her, “I’m not sure. I found it under the mattress that we hid under.”

  “What’s in it?”

  I shrugged, “Don’t know. I was just fixing to look.”

  I smiled at her, “Before I check, what do you thinks in it? I think that it’s weapons.”

  “I think it’s money.”

  JoJo came around the corner, “What’s going on?”

  “Your dad found a bag and we’re tryin to guess what’s inside before he opens it. Care to guess? Your dad thinks its weapons. I say money. What do you think?”