by S. B. Poe
“Why not?” He asked.
“Cause I’m old and been thinking about it. Death that is. Maybe for me being dead ain’t so bad, at least I won’t have to worry about dying any more.” She smiled but Charlie could barely see her. The candle on the table cast a low light as it struggled to not douse itself out. He didn’t see the tears on her cheek.
“I’ll stay with you.” He said.
“Then you’re a fool. Get up there with your daughter. You may be immune from a bite but not from a hundred bites because you might be immune from one bite but that’ll be small consolation when they rip you to shreds.” She said.
“I’ll wait a little longer. I’m not real good with heights. Never have been. Maybe they won’t even come this way.” He said.
“Suit yourself. Wish we still had some whiskey left. A drink would be good right now.” Dottie said.
“Yeah, it would.” He sat down beside her at the bar and waited.
5
In the light of day
Cody leaned against the desk, his hand stroked chin as he looked around. Bridger stood with his back to the big window, half seated on the sill. Jahda and Devin sat on the couch next to him and Jahda was trying to dab at the blood coming from Devin’s lip.
“Stop, it’s fine.” He said.
“Tell me again, why the hell did you beat the shit out him?” Jahda said as she turned her eyes towards Violet.
Violet shrank a little under her glare and briefly glanced sideways at Cody for help.
“Leave em alone Jahda. It’s all good now.” Devin said. He took the rag from Jahda and touched it to his lip once before tossing it into the corner.
Emma Grace came through the door with a tray in her hand with several large glasses.
“Here, it’s lemonade. Sorry it’s not cold. But it’s sweet.” She said.
“Sweet?” Bridger asked.
“Honey.” She said. “The sugar ran out but Mr. Graham kept hives. I took his class for 4H and daddy let me build a hive box.”
“Weren’t you afraid of getting stung?” Devin smiled.
“I did. Lots.” She said. “In the beginning. Daddy almost made me stop after I got stung nine times in one day, but I kept going.”
“She’s always been hard headed.” Cody added.
“Well, thank you for the lemonade.” Bridger said as he downed the glass.
“So, you’re like Charlie, huh?” Jahda said.
“Well, yeah. I guess.” she said.
“Crazy.”
The first ten minutes after they all came into the house Devin told the others a condensed version of the previous few hours. He brought them up to speed on the little misunderstanding between him and the remaining citizens of Collier. Jahda thought Devin was being fairly generous to these folks. She hadn’t masked that feeling very well. Bridger stood detached, listening. He could understand the suspicion. He felt it towards these folks now. But he trusted Devin’s judgment so he just listened.
“But I don’t know if Charlie is like her. I mean he hasn’t gone out and played with the stringers. At least I don’t think he has.” Devin said.
Devin glanced towards Emma Grace. She gave him an uncomfortable smile before disappearing back into the kitchen.
“Better watch what you say.” Jahda leaned next to him and whispered. “She might bring one in to play with you.”
He grimaced at her.
“It’s a joke.” She said, pulling her head away slightly and smiling.
“I know. But she doesn’t. I think she feels pretty bad about what happened.”
“She should.” Violet said under her breath.
“Violet?” Cody turned to her.
She looked up at Cody. She didn’t say a word as she stood and walked out of the room.
Cody walked around the desk and sat down in the big chair. Bridger walked over from the window and leaned against the desk.
“So you’re in charge here now?” Bridger asked.
“I guess.” Cody said. “Not much to be in charge of though.”
“Well you have good barriers against the deaduns and the place seems fairly well provisioned. Is it? Well provisioned?” Bridger asked.
“Well enough. At least for the last few months.”
“What about next few?”
“I guess but hell at this rate, does it really matter?” Cody turned his eyes towards him.
“So ready to give up then?” Bridger said as he stood.
“Look around man. This town had a couple thousand folks in it six months ago. Five months ago a couple hundred. Five weeks ago seventy five or so. Five days ago a couple dozen. And now? Six. We are being ground down to nothing and no matter how well provisioned we are, it doesn’t matter.”
“Well, you may be in charge, but your leadership style doesn’t exactly instill confidence.” Bridger said as he slung the rifle over his shoulder and headed towards the door.
Jahda and Devin stood and followed him out, leaving Cody and Vernon still sitting. Vernon looked at him and raised his eyebrows.
“Fuck them.” Cody said.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.” Vernon said as he stood and followed the others out the door. He heard Cody’s glass of lemonade crash against the wall as he walked out the front door.
Bridger walked over to the SUV and opened the rear door. He set the rifle down and took a minute to reload the empty magazine in his pocket. As he sat there depositing the cartridges into the slot he felt a little more relaxed. The suddenness of last night and the tension of the day had been wearing on him and he felt tired. He put the loaded magazine in his pocket and felt the pistol magazine he had taken from Cody still in there. He pulled it out and tossed it into the seat.
“You think that boy in there is going to be ok?” He turned to Vernon.
“I think losing ya daddy and finding out your sister is some kind of zombie whisperer is a helluva a thing to take in all at once.” Vernon said.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Bridger said.
“But he’ll get through it. He ain’t a quitter. He’s just a little broke right now.”
“Let’s do one more sweep. Make sure things are secure.” Bridger said. “Vernon, you and Jahda with me. Josh, take Ed, Lori and Devin. Make Ed show you the way to the church. We left a bunch of deaduns over there. Make sure there aren’t any more. We’ll meet you at the tractor.”
“Where are we going?” Vernon asked.
“You said the bridge was secure. I’d like to see for myself.”
“Why?” Jahda asked.
“Well, it’s going to get dark in a half hour and we still need to get the stuff we found out on the road.” Bridger nodded at her. She remembered the seed truck. “I would rather do that with the sun up. So I think we stay here tonight and start back first thing in the morning.”
“We’ve been gone two days now. We need to get back.” Jahda said.
“We do. But I think they’ll be fine without us for one more night.” Bridger smiled at her.
Violet sat on the couch looking out the window over her shoulder. Vernon walked away with some of the new people and she heard a door somewhere in the house swing shut. Emma Grace came racing around the side of the house. Violet watched as she ran up and fell in beside the blonde boy and the others going in the other direction. She watched until they were out of sight and then turned. She nudged Pete a little farther down the couch and stretched one leg across the other. She could hear the squeaking from the other room as Cody rocked back and forth in the chair. The rhythmic squawk became hypnotic and she was so tired. She felt her eyes begin to close.
Bernice Hardy stood at the waters edge. The cool breeze blew across her face and she turned. Off to her left she could see a young man. He was slowly walking towards her but she couldn’t see his face. The tilt of his head and the gait of his stride all seemed so familiar. She felt herself turning to face the familiar stranger but she couldn’t remember moving her feet. She wanted to look down bu
t she was afraid if she did the stranger would disappear. She glanced down quickly. As she snapped her eyes back the face was right in front of her. It was Bennie. He smiled at her and she smiled at him.
“I’ve been looking for you momma.”
“I’m right here, Bennie.”
“Where have you been?” Bennie asked.
“At home.”
“Where have I been?” He asked.
“You died Bennie. A long time ago. But it’s ok. I’m here now.” Bernice said.
The clot that had cut off most of the oxygen to her brain over the last few hours slipped. A rush of pressure filled the tiny vessel and it ruptured, spilling blood into the voids between the gray matter. The end came quickly. One of her eyes opened and shut. The other moved back and forth behind the eyelid, tracing the last image of Bennie in her minds eye. Then everything went black. Bernice took Bennie’s hand and started walking down the beach. The husk she left behind began to twitch.
6
The Sound of Darkness
Cameron turned off the muddy trail when he reached the end of the cut timber and steered the horse through the trees towards the road. He rode to within sound of the horde. When the sound grew loud he dismounted. He knew he was getting close. He had encountered other large groups of the dead. They had been noisy but nothing like this. This was different. The cries coming from the horde sounded full of pain and rage.
He paused next to a large oak. He could hear it more clearly now. A mixture of random screams and unending growls filled the dark air. As the moon dipped in and out of the clouds he knelt down beside the tree. The little knob he stood on swept down towards the road and he could see the black ribbon of asphalt just a few yards below him. Shapes passed through his limited view and he could see parts of the moving mass of dead. It was still more or less following the road.
He stood and led Cheval down the little slope. As they got to the bottom he turned to climb in the saddle. The growl came from his left. He turned as his foot came to rest in the stirrup. The moonlight over his shoulder was blocked as the shadow moved towards him. He tried to pull his foot loose as the dark shape appeared out the blackness. He ducked as the thing grabbed for him. The bony grip pinched into the horseflesh over Cameron’s shoulder. Cheval reared and he felt the reins slide out of his hand. The horse bolted and he felt the pain as his ankle twisted in the stirrup. Suddenly his world was bouncing. He tried to think but it was too violent and too fast. He could hear the hooves pounding the ground next to him as she drug him hanging from the saddle. Finally his foot jerked and twisted. He felt himself bounce on the ground as the sound of the hooves faded. He hit something hard and came to a stop. He tried to roll over but everything hurt. He sat up. His ankle was still wrapped in the stirrup but it had torn loose of the saddle. The modification he made to hold the halberd had broken and he could see it lying a few feet away, shimmering in the moonlight. He stood and felt the pain in his ankle again. It was bad but not unbearable. He walked over and grabbed the shaft of the halberd. The sound of the hooves was gone. He stumbled forward a few yards. From the woods to his left came to sound of the dead. He turned right and hobbled away as fast as he could.
Tilly stood and walked to the edge of the little platform, scanning the trees with her binoculars. They had three pair of them, Evelyn had one, Tilly had one and Bridger had taken the last pair with him. She moved to the other side of the platform on top of the saloon. The space was big enough for two to move about comfortably but now there were four of them up there.
“Come up.” Jennifer said from atop the Alamo.
Charlie walked from under the eave of the saloon.
“I’m fine. I’m just gonna sit with Dottie for a bit.” Charlie said.
“Then I am coming down.”
“No. Stay there. Just stay.” He said.
She looked down at him again and then turned to Evelyn.
“Make him come up here.”
“How?” She said.
“I don’t know. Just, make him.” Jennifer said.
Tilly started to say something about the noise they were making. A different noise came from the darkness. They all turned their heads at the same time. Growls and screams began to echo through the trees. They all stood, even Dottie and Charlie down below.
“They’re getting closer.” Raj said.
“Yeah” Tilly said.
“We can’t see anything. What do we do?” Scott asked.
“We wait. Even if they are close, close isn’t the same as here.” Kate said.
The moon passed from behind the clouds and the ground was briefly illuminated. In the farthest reaches of the mishmash of trees and limbs scattered around the compound, up against the timber that still stood, they could see shapes writhing on the ground matching up with the screams of pain and rage filtering through the darkness. The clouds moved back to shadow the reflected light.
“Never mind. I don’t think I want to see.” Scott said.
Evelyn stood on the top of the Alamo. They weren’t as elevated as the others on the saloon so she didn’t see the mass of squirming dead at the edge of the cleared trees. But she wasn’t looking that way. She was watching the fence. Scanning left and right, trying to see if something was approaching their last line of defense. She didn’t see anything. Yet.
“That sound is scary.” Ham said. “And sad.”
“Sad?” Martin asked.
“They didn’t ask to be this way.” Ham said.
“No, they didn’t. But they are.” Evelyn said.
“That’s why it’s sad.” Ham said. She sat crossed legged on the roof with her hands stretch out behind her propping herself up.
“I guess so.” Evelyn said. She sat down next to her.
They sat together in the darkness, listening. They could hear the muffled sound of screams and growls in the distance. The low rumble of the crowd stayed just inside earshot but it moved slowly from their right to their left across the horizon. Evelyn kept scanning the fence but so far she hadn’t seen anything approaching it. Her view of the gate was obscured but she knew the others on top of the saloon could clearly see it. She would look at the fence then turn her head slightly upwards to catch a glimpse of Tilly. She knew if they were at the gate, Tilly would be the first to see them.
“So far so good.” Martin said as he paced slowly along the roof. He glanced at the sky and waited for the moon to emerge from behind a cloud. As it did he turned and looked across the open space. The light revealed that more of the dead were becoming trapped in the tangle of branches they had created.
“It’s working.” He said.
“What?” Ham asked.
“Cutting the trees down.”
Ham and Evelyn stood to see. Ham jumped up and down trying to see farther.
“Not too long ago, I would have put you up on my shoulders but I think you’re a little too big and I’m a little too old.” Martin said with a smile.
“It’s ok. I don’t think I really want to see it anyway.” Ham said.
Evelyn strained to see in the darkness. The clouds had briefly passed back in front of the moon but a few sharp beams pierced the darkness like spotlights. She raised the binoculars to her eyes. She found a slice of light through the darkness and focused on where it hit the ground. She could see one of the dead bent over trying to pull itself forward. She could also see the large broken branch sticking through its abdomen. She brought the binoculars down.
“I wonder where Cameron is?” Martin asked aloud.
“If he’s smart, he just kept going.” Evelyn said.
“You think he’s leading them?” Ham asked.
“Well he said he was going to make a lot of noise. If he is leading them, it’s been a silent march so far.” Evelyn said as she raised the binoculars back to her eyes.
Cameron ran headlong through the woods, not knowing if he was going the right way or not. As he pushed through another small stand of bushes he stumbled into the creek. He hit the water
hard and lost his grip on his only weapon. It was only a foot or so deep but the cold water soaked through his clothes. He propped himself up and frantically felt the soft bottom trying to find the halberd. He touched the hard metal and snatched it from the water. He spun around and tried to get his bearings. He willed himself to keep going but his chest felt like it was going to explode. The mud sucked at his boots threatening to leave him barefoot. He pulled himself onto the opposite bank wet and exhausted, his ankle throbbing. He turned and looked back to the other side and saw some of the dead trying to get through the creek in pursuit but they were becoming mired in the muck.
He sat there for another few minutes as the dead struggled to free themselves. He turned and crawled up a little higher on the bank. He found a large tree and nestled himself up against it. He leaned around the tree to make sure that he was alone. The moon emerged from behind a cloud and he could see through the woods behind him. He didn’t see any of the dead. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes listening to the sound of the struggling dead in the creek and the horde as it moved away. As the moon played hide and seek from the earth, he realized most of the dead had moved on. The only ones left near him were the two stuck in the creek. He knew he was near the road and he knew where the creek crossed under it but he didn’t have the energy left to try.
“Just a few minutes. That’s all I need. Just a few.” He said to himself as he drew in deep breaths.
Tilly sat with her back to the others. She was as far out on the ledge of the platform as she could get and her eyes had been fixed on one spot for almost fifteen minutes. The moon shone brightly on the wet road leading away from the fence. She had seen a few deaduns stumble down the muddy track but none had made it to the fence yet. Until now. She sat watching the one deadun against the gate. It was on all fours and pushing against the chain link. Twice she had started to climb down and deal with it and twice she had stopped herself. When the second one walked into the fence she stood again.