The Wilder Side of Z

by S A Ison

  Chicago didn’t let go of winter until late April but here, it was already spring. He liked the warmth better and it had taken a few years for him to acclimate. The children seemed oblivious to it and he shook his head. He’d talked to Xander the night before. It had taken nearly two years to find a working radio and contact his friend. They met up once a week now for a few minutes to catch up. It was an odd feeling to know his friend was only a six-hour drive away yet he might as well be on the moon. He’d not heard a car engine in years. He stopped a moment to wipe his brow. He was right beside the graves and squatted down to pull up a dandelion. Rose would want that for a salad later.

  “Good morning Reggie, it’s a warm morning already. The boys are with Rose and they talk about you a lot. They miss you. I miss you too, friend. Lauren will be getting married soon. Larry’s son, Jordan, has already gone to Rose for permission. Not sure why he needed her permission, Lauren is twenty-one and a grown woman. I guess we’re falling back to old times. She and Jordan will move into Rachel’s place. It’s nice having Larry and his family on the other side of us, I’m glad you suggested they take the place. I guess it was a good thing they took over that farm because the horses make it so much easier to plow the cornfields. Rufus even goes back there for a visit, though he’s getting a bit old. Mostly he lays on the porch. Well, better get back to work or Rose will have my hide. Tell your family I said hello.” He moved away from the grave.

  Reggie had died almost two years ago. He’d had a stroke when he’d been out clearing the field. The twins had been devastated at the loss of their adopted father. Rachel had committed suicide six months after they found her. Mr. Jenner had found her on a visit. They’d buried her beside her husband, or at least what they thought was her husband. They had kept Rachel’s house in good shape over the years, knowing that one day it would house a family. Now that Lauren was getting married, she and Jordan would move in. It was either that or stay here at the farm or live with Larry and his family. Larry had two other boys and three daughters. He understood why Larry had wanted to move away from his father’s home. Too many Jenners.

  Mike and Luke were a tremendous help. Farming was hard work and it took their strong backs to make it work. He was now feeling his age though the werewolf in him kept him strong. He never got sick and he thought perhaps his aging had slowed down. He smiled softly when he saw Rose with her hands on her hips waiting for him. She was laughing and shaking her head.

  “You take a nap while you were at it?” she called and he grinned. She always gave him a hard time when it came to gardening and farming. He still went on his nightly patrols but it had been nearly three years since any of them had seen a zombie. Xander said it was about the same there. Every now and then one would stagger down the road and he’d pick it off quickly. Ethan thought that in the larger cities there must still be thousands or hundreds of thousands of the creatures. He just didn’t know because of being so far way.

  He’d heard on the radio, others talking. Some complained of infestations while others were like him, claiming not to come into contact with them. He noticed that those who weren’t bothered by zombies never gave their locations, lest they become overrun with people looking for a safe haven. Their resources were limited and carefully watched and used. There was no waste here. He set the handle of the cart down and Caleb walked over with a shovel. He was proud of his seven-year-old son, he was a hard worker with a ready smile. He also had his mother’s gray eyes.

  “Mom said she’s gonna pinch you if you don’t get a move on,” Caleb said in his slow southern drawl.

  “Well maybe I wanted your momma to pinch me,” Ethan grinned.

  “Get a room!” Mike called. Caleb looked over, confusion in his clear gray eyes.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Rose said and laughed.

  “Where’s Regina?” he asked, shoveling out a load where his wife pointed.

  “Lauren has her, I didn’t want to have to bathe her again.” Rose gave him a look. He’d taken their two-year-old daughter to collect eggs earlier that morning and Regina had managed to smear chicken shit all in her hair. Rose was not pleased.

  “At least Lauren is getting a taste before she gets to raise her own brood. Let’s just hope she waits a few years, we’ll need a babysitter for a while longer,” Ethen said and got a clod of dirt thrown at his back and turned around to see Lauren walking with Regina in her arms who was now fighting to get down.

  “Ha, ha, Uncle Ethan. When I have kids, I’m sending them all here to drive you crazy,” Lauren said and winked at Rose.

  “Eeee, mama,” Regina squealed and arched her back, trying to get out of Lauren’s arms. Ethan walked over and took his daughter and snuggled her. She smelled like puppy breath. She would be a werewolf one day as would Caleb. He smiled. When he’d told Rose that their children were werepups she had smiled serenely.

  “They will be the guardians of our families,” she’d said.

  Over the years they’d had very few incidents with outsiders. Between them and the Jenners, the area was relatively safe and trouble free. Every now and then a family or group would pass by on horseback or in a wagon. They would stop to visit and trade and move on. For now, each day was filled with hard work, laughter and joy. Ethan didn’t think he could ask for more. He just wished his friend, Reggie, had lived longer but he would never be forgotten.

  Ž

  Jack growled deeply, he was not happy and Xander could see that the teen was frustrated. He was a late bloomer and was just now coming into his werebear self. Shay sat on the porch and watched, bored. She’d been turning for almost five years now and Jack thought he should have turned two years before.

  “Jack, I don’t know how this works for werebears, I only know werewolves. Be patient son,” Xander said, his voice calm.

  “I know papa, but I feel like I wanna just explode sometimes,” Jack said, his large brown eyes pleading.

  “Now that, I do understand. That’s a normal feeling. Don’t try so hard, relax and let the animal inside come out. He wants to, you just can’t force him.”

  The door opened and Zahara came out, their five-year-old daughter, Neylan, behind her. She had large green eyes and hair that was blonde and brown curls that was wild about her face. Shay had made her a little wolf-girl doll, which Neylan carried everywhere. The seventeen-year-old was reading an old magazine and put it down and opened her arms. Neylan ran to her older sister and launched herself. She was bundled up in a heavy jacket as was her mother. Shay had a heavy cable sweater on with a knitted cap and scarf.

  Xander knew it was only a matter of time before the bear came forth and the more relaxed Jack was the better. Jack was bare-chested with loose sweat pants on, just in case he grew out of his clothing. Jack closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out. Slowly his face began to morph and his shoulders began to broaden. His body began to grow and his joints popped softly. Then his eyes flew open and he shrank back down.

  “I did it papa! I did it!” Jack cried in excitement.

  “Wow, you sure did. Great job, son. Remember, the more relaxed you are, the easier and faster the transformation. Don’t rush it, your bear will come out when he’s ready.”

  “Maybe because it’s still cold, he thinks he’s still in hibernation?” Zahara suggested.

  “That’s true. I do feel a bit sleepy now,” Jack said and yawned, his mouth opening wide enough to see down his throat. He was a tall boy and would eventually be a big man, Xander thought he’d grow well over six feet. Jack was only fourteen and he ate like he had been starved his whole life. Xander didn’t remember if he ever ate that much but he thought perhaps this spring they would plant more vegetables and maybe go on a few more hunts to bring in game. He couldn’t believe that Ethan was getting his garden ready. They still had lots of snow on the ground. He shivered and looked at Zahara. She looked so beautiful, even with her pink nose. He grinned and walked up on the porch and came up behind her and drew her to him.

 
“Wanna go on a date tonight?” he whispered and squeezed her suggestively. She giggled softly.

  “Ewwww,” Shay said and both looked over at her.

  “I can hear!” she said.

  “Me too and I agree, ewwww,” Jack said.

  “What? What’s the matter?” Neylan asked, looking at her parents and then her siblings.

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Shay said and got up and carried Neylan into the house. Jack passed them and leaned over and kissed Zahara on the cheek.

  “I’ll make dinner, mom,” he said and closed the door so Xander and Zahara were alone. It was a rare time to have just the two of them. She turned in his arms and looked up at him and smiled.

  “I was thinking about making a bed out in the trailer. You know, for date night? That way, we don’t have to walk all the way back to the hunter’s cabin. That’s a pain in the ass in the winter,” Zahara said softly. She had to whisper; all the children had excellent hearing. Both were very curious as to how Neylan would grow up. She was full-blooded werewolf. More often than not, only one parent was the wolf. So far, she seemed a normal five-year-old. They could smell the wolf of course, but they wondered when she hit puberty, how she would react and turn.

  “That’s why I love you, you’re always thinking ahead,” Xander said and laughed. Their life was quiet here in the woods. They had met and befriended several of their neighbors. The closest one was over a mile away and the next one was two miles away. Their families had been decimated but they had managed over the last ten years to survive and even thrive. Like themselves, they’d taken in orphans and so there were other children that got together every week or so to socialize. They had noticed that Shay was paying particular attention to one of the Hammerstein’s boys. Jack was starting to notice girls but he was more worried about turning into his bear. Typical self-absorbed teen.

  “I just want a night where I can let the wilder side of me out. I feel so repressed,” Zahara said and laughed.

  “Tell you what, we’ll sneak out tonight while the kids are watching a movie,” Xander suggested.

  “Oh, hell yeah. I’m starting to get cabin fever and I just want out for a while,” she said.

  “We’ll have Shay keep an eye on things and we’ll go out and terrorize the countryside,” he said and squeezed her hard.

  “I think I could live with that.” She pulled him over to the rocking chair and he sat down in it and gathered her into his lap. His arms went around her and he could feel the heat of her and the warmth felt good. He looked forward to warmer weather and less clothing.

  “I heard you talking to Ethan last night. He sounds happy. So does Rose,” Zahara said softly.

  “I think he is. I think he misses Reggie a lot. I know the feeling. Sometimes it’s nice to have another guy around to talk with.”

  “Jack will be that kind of man soon, maybe another year or two and he’ll stop being a child. Shay is almost a woman and it breaks my heart,” Zahara said.

  “Yeah, he’s a good kid. I can’t believe how fast time has passed and how happy I’ve been. It seems the happier I am, the faster the time goes.”

  “I know, pretty soon Neylan will be getting mouthy and cranky. Then she’ll turn. Are we getting old?” she asked, turning in his lap and looked at him. He lifted his hand and smoothed back the dark curls so like his daughter’s.

  “No, we’re getting better and better. I feel stronger today than I did ten years ago. Maybe in another five or ten years we’ll have grandchildren and then, maybe we can feel old,” he said and laughed when she poked him.

  “Don’t even talk about grandkids. Shay’s been giving that boy a look or two. We’d better have a talk with her soon. Maybe you might want to start fixing up that old hunting cabin in the back of the property,” she said.

  “Yeah, I was thinking about that. It’s a good thing I picked up all those supplies back when. I think soon, Jack and I will be building onto that cabin for our daughter’s future family.”

  “That sounds nice, our daughter’s future family. More, little werepuppies,” Zahara said and sighed happily and settled back in his arms.

  “Mom! Jack farted on my head!” Shay screamed at the top of her lungs.

  “Well shit, there went that romantic notion,” Zahara said and got up, pulling Xander with her. She went into the cabin and Xander stopped just outside the door. He looked into the forest that surrounded his cabin. He listened to the birds that were singing softly. Come spring they’d be singing up a storm. Ten years had come and gone, just like that. He was happy and his mate was happy. Their children were growing and healthy and their prospects looked good. They’d found their happiness in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and he could regret none of it.

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