by Powell, Lora
The main street was basically rows of closely spaced homes on either side of the road. No one stood out from the others, the houses stretching out ahead of us before ending abruptly. The trees on the other end of the town looked just as formidable as the ones that we had left behind us. I kept looking for any sort of store, even a small gas station, but there didn’t seem to be anything like that here. Just the houses. It was really bizarre to someone who had grown up surrounded by city concrete, townhouses, and carefully planned suburbs.
I almost bumped into Bill’s back when he came to a sudden stop just in front of me. “Well, does anyone have a preference for which one we try?” He gestured around himself.
We all looked around, but the houses seemed identical that it made them all practically indistinguishable from my view. Blank stares and shrugged shoulders seemed to indicate that everyone else felt the same way.
“Alright.” Critically eyeing the two nearest homes, Bill settled on the one on our left, and we moved up the short driveway together.
Keeping her voice low, Maya gave a quick explanation of the routine that they had adopted when breaking into a new place to me, Shawn, and Fallon. “We need to try to see if there are any zombies inside. If there are, we’ll move on to another house. It’s not worth the risk of letting them out with us. If it seems clear, we’ll go in and search the entire house. Just to be sure. If it’s clear, we can set up camp and look for any supplies that might be useful.”
I nodded absentmindedly while listening. Her words all made sense. At that point, Bill was standing at the front door of the house, and Carrie had gone to one of the windows. When Bill knocked lightly on the door, she peered inside. After several seconds, Bill knocked again.
“It looks empty.” Carrie looked back toward the rest of us.
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Guys, this place gives me the creeps. Let’s get inside and off the street.” Maya had been facing away from the house, watching our backs. She glanced over her shoulder to us to punctuate her words. When she turned back around, I saw her gaze go to the pile of zombies that was still visible back the way we had come.
People were nothing if not predictable, and a quick search near the front door revealed a key that had been hidden under a flower pot on the steps. Shawn handed the key up to Bill, and he used it to unlock the front door. He pushed the door open and stood at the threshold for a second. The inside of the home was deathly silent. My eagerness to finally get out of the rain warred with the fear of the unknown as we crept inside.
The people who had lived in this house had obviously taken great pride in it. We fanned out, splitting into smaller groups as we searched for any danger. Shawn and I worked our way through the small living room together, and I couldn’t help but notice that everything had been left neat and very clean. Other than a faint unpleasant odor that I couldn’t place, you would never know that the world had gone to hell outside if the only thing you had to go by was this living room.
I could hear the others as they worked their way around the house. No sounds of alarm or struggle could be heard, increasing my confidence that the house had indeed been empty. I was sure that, if a zombie were lurking around inside, we would have found it before now. At the other end of the room from me, Shawn peered behind the couch. His actions might have seemed silly, but it was better to be safe than sorry, even if there was not much chance that a zombie was lurking back there. A short, dark hallway led off of the back corner of the living room, and I walked towards it with more confidence. The lighting was low, but there was enough for me to see that a washer and dryer stood against the wall along the hall. A closed door at the far end was the only other way into the space.
Shifting my knife into my other hand, I tiptoed down the narrow space past the appliances and reached for the doorknob. It was likely just a closet, but every corner needed to be checked, and I wasn’t going to be the one who got lazy and failed to open every door.
Turning the knob, I pushed the door open.
A low growl sounded from the pitch black space beyond.
THIRTY-TWO
DAY 17
A horrible smell came from the darkness in front of me as I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust my eyes enough to see what was coming.
Backpedaling, I banged into the side of the washer, sending a metallic bang echoing down the hall. The growling continued, but the expected attack never came.
“Bri!” Hands yanking me further backward, I found myself shoved behind Shawn as he waited for the zombie to emerge from the room with the bat raised. The others began rushing into the living room, drawn by the commotion. I peered around Shawn’s shoulder, not wanting to take my eye from the dark doorway.
Something about the sound of the growl was nagging at the corners of my mind, but the rush of fear wasn’t letting me think clearly. When the low sound cut off, I was still trying to figure out just why the growls bothered me.
“What the…” the bat lowered a fraction as we caught sight of the shadowy form that was slinking into the hall.
“It’s a dog.”
The dog came into the hallway with cautious steps, head low as he eyed us with wary curiosity. His ears and legs seemed too big for his body, making him look almost comical. I realized why that was a second later. The dog was very thin.
His ribs and hip bones jutted out against the black and tan coat. The limited light glinted off of a chain collar that hung loosely around his shrunken neck. Sympathy swelled inside me for the creature that had been apparently left shut in the dark room for weeks. I had been trying not to think about the fate of so many animals that had been left with no one to care for them. The thought of their suffering made me want to cry every time, but standing in front of me now was the cruel reality of the situation. The most helpless of those around us were suffering horribly.
“Bri.”
I ignored the warning tone in his voice as I ducked around Shawn and crouched down. Keeping my posture loose, I held a hand out and froze, offering to let the dog come to me at his own pace.
“Hi, boy. It’s ok. You can come out now.” I kept my voice even as I coaxed the dog to me. He cocked his head slightly to the side at my voice, but remained where he had stopped. After a few seconds, I looked back to the group that was hovering just behind me. “It’s ok. You guys can finish checking the house. I’m going to make friends with the dog.”
“Are you sure?” Maya sounded skeptical.
“Yes. This many people all staring at him will just make it worse.”
“Alright.” They didn’t look all that sure that they should be leaving, but the group slowly started to disappear from my view.
All except for Shawn. “I’m not leaving you alone with that dog. What if it decides to attack you?”
“He’s not going to attack me.” I was confident in my words. I had grown up with dogs, volunteered at a vet clinic as a teen. The only reason I hadn’t owned a dog when all of this started was because we weren’t allowed pets in the rental. This dog was scared and weak, and he was defensive. But he gave no indication that he was going to get aggressive. He just needed time to adjust to having strangers in his house.
“Well, I’m still not leaving.”
“That’s ok. But you need to stop being so tense.”
He laughed shortly. “How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“Sit down. Lean back against the wall and try to relax. And stop staring at him. It’s best if you don’t look at him at all for now. This might take a while.”
Looking skeptical, Shawn followed my instructions and slid down the wall a few feet away from where I crouched. Satisfied, I turned my attention back to the dog.
I talked softly to the dog; not much of it really made a lot of sense, but the content wasn’t what really mattered anyway. Before long, the dog had taken the few steps needed to be able to stretch out his neck and sniff my offered hand. His tail banged against the dryer weakly a few times before he moved closer
and sank down into an exhausted heap next to me. We stayed like that for a while, me rambling on to the dog before he finally relaxed and let his head rest on my knee.
“Good boy,” I crooned to the dog as I let my fingers lightly stroke the fur just behind one ear. “That’s a good boy.”
“Ok, he’s ok now. Just don’t make any sudden moves.” Clambering to my feet, I waited for the dog to get up too, and started back toward the dark doorway.
“What are you doing?” Shawn cautiously got up from the floor too.
“I still need to check inside there.” There was basically no chance that a zombie was lurking in the darkness, but I was still going to check.
The dog followed behind me as I went back to the doorway. This time, my eyes were fully adjusted to the lack of light, and I could see inside.
It was a bathroom. A sink was to the left and a tub to the right. I wrinkled my nose as I stepped inside. The dog had been doing his business in the tub; that accounted for the smell. I noticed that the toilet past the sink was bone dry. That little bit of water had obviously been the dog’s saving grace. Without it, he would have never survived so long shut in this room. A rumpled bath mat and a stuffed monkey dog toy were on the floor by the tub. A large metal bowl was overturned in one corner. The air inside was horrible and my eyes were already burning. Picking up the bowl, I left the bathroom.
“Let’s get you something to drink.”
We didn’t have much water left, but I was hoping that the others would have found something to remedy that situation by now. With the dog sticking close to my side and Shawn following behind, I went back through the living room and turned in the direction that I guessed would lead me to the kitchen.
The sound of low voices let me know that I was on the right track. Everyone else was probably in the kitchen searching for something to eat.
The conversation died out as I walked into the room with the dog at my heels. “Ignore him, everyone. Act like he isn’t here at all.”
As wary as the dog was, it would be best if everyone left him alone for a while.
They started talking again, and I listened as I looked around the room for something to take care of the dog with. One cabinet door that was hanging open had rows of canned dog food lined up inside, and I pulled one can out and set it on the counter. What he needed most, at this point, was water. After I sorted out the water situation, I’d look for a can opener.
I didn’t find what I was looking for in the kitchen, but a glance out the backdoor solved my problem. I could see another dog bowl overflowing with rainwater. Nothing seemed to be moving in the tiny backyard, so I opened the door. Shooting outside, the dog greedily lapped at the bowl until it was more than half empty. With a final slurp, he raised his head and looked around himself. For a second, I was afraid that he would take off, but he sniffed the air once before turning around and coming back to where I had been waiting in the doorway.
“Good boy.” I patted his head and reached for the tags that dangled from his chain. “Rex. Good boy, Rex.” His tail wagged when he heard his name and he looked up at me with a bit of life returning to his eyes. “Let’s go find a can opener.”
* * *
Running my fingers through his hair, I snuggled closer to Rex and tried to turn my mind off.
When night time came, we had decided to stay in the house. I was currently tucked under the covers in one of the bedrooms when the dog happily curled up by my side.
Another day came that had passed more pleasantly than was usual in our new reality. We had eaten until we were all stuffed and pilfered clothes from the closets to replace our own filthy ones, except for Bill. There hadn’t been anything in any of the closets that even came close to fitting his frame. We also entertained ourselves with books that we found around the house.
Rex’s behavior had also improved quickly. Whenever he was done with his can of food, he would take a long nap and wake up ready to be the life of the party. He had warmed up to the entire group quickly, and them to him. Everyone had been more than happy to comply with his pestering attempts to get them to pet him.
That night, it was my turn to get a full night of sleep. I was more than tired, but I still couldn’t seem to relax enough to fall asleep. Too many questions were racing around in my brain. Who had killed all of the zombies outside? And where were they now? We had made sure to keep someone on watch all day but had yet to see a single live zombie here. What had happened to Rex’s owners? I couldn’t help but think about them. We were eating their food, wearing their clothes, and sleeping in their beds. I wondered if they were out there, somewhere, trying to get back to their home. And I wondered what was going to happen to us.
The last couple of days had been harsh. A day inside, with dry clothes and plenty to eat, had done a lot to revive everyone. But we all knew that it was only temporary. Eventually, we would be forced to move on. It was a harsh lesson that we were learning the hard way.
THIRTY-THREE
DAY 18
“You should probably stay off of this leg for another day.” I gave Devon’s leg a serious look. “It hasn’t healed at all from the first time I saw it. If you aren’t careful, it’s going to get infected.”
“Ok. Thanks, Bri.” He pulled the leg of his jeans back down but to my satisfaction, didn’t move to get off of the couch.
When Fallon had finished taping the clean piece of gauze over the wound on Devon’s leg, she dropped onto the other end of the couch to keep him company. Tossing the rest of our makeshift first aid kit back into Maya’s bag, I stood up to return it to the spot by the front door where we had piled all of the things we would want to take with us if we needed to make a run for it again.
Days spent wading through the damp and filth in the woods hadn’t been good for the teen’s leg. I hadn’t been completely honest when I told him that his leg wasn’t healing. It was worse than that. The skin around the wound had taken on a slightly puffy, red color. I was more than a little worried.
“His leg is worse.” I dropped into a kitchen chair between Shawn and Carrie.
“I was afraid of that.” Carrie looked through the doorway with concern. “Poor kid’s really starting to limp.”
“What can we do for him?” Shawn turned to me. I don’t know how, but I had somehow become the group’s unofficial doctor. They all seemed to rely on my advice way more than I was comfortable with.
I sighed. “He needs to rest. If we can keep the wound clean, maybe his body will fight off the infection. Some antibiotics wouldn’t hurt.”
“I didn’t see anything like that when I was raiding the nurse’s closet back at the camp.” Maya walked into the room and joined our quiet conversation.
“There wasn’t any. I doubt a summer camp nurse would have been allowed to give anything stronger than Aspirin and Tums.” I hesitated. “There has to be something we could use in some of these houses.” I turned toward Carrie. As far as I knew, she was the one who had searched the upstairs bathroom.
She shook her head. “Nothing like that here. Just Band-Aids and Neosporin.”
“Should we try another house?”
I looked back to Shawn. “Maybe.”
“I don’t know. There’s something about this place that makes me uneasy.” Maya glanced over to where we could see Bill watching out a window. “I’d really rather just get out of here. There’s a car in the garage that we could all fit in. I say we take it and go.”
“We need to stay. Devon needs the rest.” I looked around. “We all do.”
Even in clean clothes, our group looked like we weren’t doing so well. Everyone was losing weight at an alarming rate; cheeks were beginning to sink into an unhealthy degree. None of us had bathed or combed our hair. Dark circles had taken up permanent residence under all of our eyes. What we really needed was to stay, eat as much as we could, and sleep a lot. Maybe then we would start to look human again.
“I’ll go look for some meds for him.”
Somehow, it
didn’t surprise me at all that Shawn was the one to offer help. He was good like that. “I’m going with you.” I wouldn’t let him out there alone.
“I’ll come too.”
I glanced over at Carrie with surprise. She looked back at me with some expression that was hard to decipher in her eyes.
“I’m not going to just sit back and let the kid suffer if there’s something that I could do.” She pushed her chair back from the table and left the room.
An uneasy silence fell over the table as everyone looked at each other. It seemed like Maya had something that she wanted to say. When I focused on her, she sighed. “Carrie’s grandson was about the same age as Devon. They lived in New York City. She lost contact with them at the beginning, but the last thing she heard was they were taking her grandson to the ER with a high fever.” She looked over to her husband again. “I’ll go tell Bill what’s going on. We’ll stay here and keep an eye on Devon and Fallon.”
A few minutes later, Shawn, Carrie, and I shut the back door behind us with a quiet click. Rex jumped up and pressed his nose to the glass on the other side of the door, watching us leave. I had no idea what we were going to run into out here, so I thought it was safer to leave the dog behind.
The rain had finally stopped, and a pretty blue sky stretched out overhead. As the sun shined once again, the humidity was already climbing, and the smell from the decaying zombies that were scattered around the small town hung heavy in the stagnant air.
Our game plan was simple. We would start searching houses and hopefully find what we were looking for without running into too much trouble. There just had to be someone who had lived in this place who had a bottle of antibiotics stashed in their home.
The yard between our hideaway and the next house over had already started to grow out of control. The tall grass was still wet, and my sneakers and lower pants legs were soaked again by the time we crossed the short distance. In either direction, the street was silent and empty.