by Eric Baker
Doc leaned over, hands on knees, and coughed hard, his breath coming in pained gasps. His eyes teared up, and it took a moment to recover. Still leaning over, the door beside him shook with a violent hit.
Doc jerked back, falling onto his rear, his breath coming out in a whoosh. Recovering, he coughed again. Once more there was a bang on the door. Getting to his feet, he picked up the shotgun and left the kitchen.
Walking into the main room, he surveyed the room. The man that ripped out Frank’s neck was still lying by the kitchen door, right where Daisy left him. The man that fought Frank, and Frank himself, still lay by the front door. Again, where Daisy left them.
Shaking his head, he headed over to check on Maggie. Then he’d work on moving the bodies over near the stairs where the other bodies were laying. Thinking about all he needed to do, Doc let out a snort of exasperation.
“Heart attack it is, then.”
____
Eli and Daisy both jumped at the sound of a hand, or maybe a head, hitting the front door of the clothing store. Eli’s let out his pent-up breath as he realized his pistol was in his hand, pointed toward the door. Daisy looked away from the door to see Eli with the weapon. She raised one eyebrow along with one side of her mouth in a small smile.
Eli holstered his weapon and held his finger to his mouth, motioning Daisy to keep quiet. He stepped over to a window at the front and put one eye in front of the glass. It wasn’t the clearest glass ever made, only intended for some measure of security and sunlight. But he could make out numerous shapes just outside and in the street. He turned and made his way back to Daisy.
Loud footsteps from outside the door and another bang held their attention for a few more moments. Then they made their way to the back, shutting the door to the front room behind them. The room had no windows to let light in or out, and it was almost pitch black. Eli pulled out a match and lit it, cupping the flame in his hand. Spotting a lamp in the corner, he walked over and held the flame to the wick, setting it ablaze. Holding up the lantern, he looked around, spotting the back door. Walking over, he checked the beam of timber that locked the door, making sure it was secure.
Once he set the lamp down, Daisy flung herself into his arms and hugged him tight. Eli allowed himself to relax if only a little. He held Daisy until she stopped shaking, then he released her.
Walking to the door to the front room, he put his ear to the door and listened. There was silence. It seemed the half-dead creatures had moved on. Resolving to find out what had happened to his town, he headed back to Daisy.
Spotting a basket with some fruit and bread on a desk by the door, he grabbed it on the way back to Daisy. Motioning her to the far wall where both doors were in view, they both slumped to the floor in exhaustion. Sharing the food with her, he decided to wait until they both had eaten some before asking questions. But after a bite of food in his stomach, Eli decided that he couldn’t wait any longer. His goal of finding Daisy had been accomplished. Now he needed to know what else had been happening in town.
“Daisy.” His voice came out in a tired whisper, his frustration making it sound strained. “I’m glad to see you’re OK, and at some point, I’ll want to know why you were running across the street - and why you’re dressed all cowboy - but right now… what’s happened to the town? Where is everybody?”
Daisy just shook her head, looking at the ceiling as she gathered her thoughts. She blew out a breath of exasperation.
“Well, Sheriff… Eli… it’s kind of a long story, going back to the body in the street this morning. Right now, though, I’m on my way… Oh, Maggie! I have to get to Doc’s office for medicine!” Daisy jumped to her feet, dislodging the basket which rattled to the floor.
Loud bangs came from the front door and the back door. Eli came to his feet, and they stood side-by-side, waiting. After a minute of silence, they were both breathing easier. Carefully, they both sat back down on the floor and continued their whispered conversation.
“First, we’re not going out there until we can see farther than our noses.” Eli was adamant, even though he was itching to get to the office. “Now, what happened to Maggie?”
“Oh, Eli, she got banged up pretty good. One of those zombies came in the back door of the saloon and bit Frank, and Maggie ran out and broke her arm. Doc said he needed medicine…”
“Hold up a second, what did you say? Zombies? As in people coming back from the dead like in voodoo?” Eli was mulling over the word as he spoke, and it made sense. He had been a voracious reader of pulp novels and magazines since a small boy, and some of his favorites being the scary and macabre tales like “Sleepy Hollow” and “Frankenstein.” All in all, the word ‘zombie’ seemed like a good fit for what he had encountered today.
“Eli, you have no idea what we’ve been through today. People that have been bitten by a zombie - that’s what I’ve been calling them, from stories I’ve read - they’ve been turning into zombies themselves. And poor Maggie! She broke her arm so bad I could see the bone. Doc said he needed medicine to set it and keep it from getting infected. What do I do? I have to get that medicine!”
Daisy’s voice was rising from a whisper to what may have been a shout had she not finished. Eli did his best to keep her calm.
“Daisy, I need you to calm down. You won’t do any good for her or us by making a lot of noise. I’m not sure if those… zombies… can break down a door, and I’m not willing to find out. From what I saw outside earlier, it looks like the town is overrun with these things. We wouldn’t make it five feet in the dark. Did you say Doc was with Maggie in the saloon?”
Daisy nodded her head and tried not to cry. The stress of everything she had seen, and worry over Eli, was crashing down on her. Not to mention she couldn’t help but feel safer with him beside her. She chided herself for the emotions trying to break out. She was a strong, independent woman, for crying out loud! Taking a deep, ragged breath, she let it out in a sigh filled with frustration.
Eli could see the conflict going on with Daisy. He knew she didn’t like losing control. Her strength was a quality that drew him to her. A quality that also made it easy for him to keep her at a distance. He’d always felt she didn’t need a man like him, broken and unable to protect those he loved. Right now, though, he needed her strength if they were to get out of this alive. And he needed information.
“If Doc is watching over Maggie in the saloon, then she’s in the best possible hands she could be in right now. Doc’s smart, Daisy. He’ll come up with something. He won’t let her down, and he’ll know you’re going to be smart, too. Come to think of it, what in the world made him let you go running off with all these things in town?”
For a moment Eli felt the heat of anger rising at Doc. Why would he let her run around town like this? Then he caught the wry smile tugging at Daisy’s lips, and the bashful look she gave him told him the rest of the story.
“Alright, out with it. You took it upon yourself to go, am I right?”
“Why, Sheriff, whatever makes you think a proper lady such as I would ever…” She caught sight of her pants and boots and had to stop her attempt at being coy. A giggle escaped her before she realized it was coming, and she slapped her hand over her mouth, scared she had made too much noise.
Eli could only smile at the laughter. There was the strong woman he knew her to be, laughing in the face of danger. He reached out and took her hand from her mouth and smiled at her.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. I just wish you hadn’t tried it.” Eli let out a sigh and shook his head. He looked down at his boots and noticed how fidgety his feet were. As much as he wanted to get out there and protect his town, he also wanted to spend more time with this woman he knew so little about. At that thought, he looked up at her a little sheepishly.
“You know, it occurs to me that I don’t really know much about you. Since it appears we’re stuck here for the time being, maybe I should get to know a little more about Miss Daisy Flowers. Other than she
’s a singer and a waitress, that is.” Eli looked back toward his boots and had to push down on his knees to keep his legs from fidgeting up and down in his nervousness.
Daisy saw the slight shake up-and-down in Eli’s legs and recognized it for the nervousness he felt. She had picked up on that habit a while back. She hid a little smile but also felt a knot grow in her stomach. How much could she reveal about herself? A failure at music and life, lost in this town while trying to make her way home. She didn’t even have a real reason to be here, other than Eli. And that was something she didn’t plan on revealing. At least, not yet.
“Now, come on, Eli, don’t you know a woman is like a magician? Never give up your secrets? Not to mention, is this an official investigation, or personal interest?” Daisy was watching him close for a reaction. When his eyebrows went up, and his cheeks turned red enough to be seen in the lantern light, she laughed softly. “I’m just playing. So, how much information should I give up? Hmmm… Why don’t we make it a game? I’ll tell you something about me, then you tell me about you.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Eli looked sideways at her. “Where are you from?”
Daisy rolled her eyes. Eli could see it was a sore subject.
“Well, that’s a not so interesting but long story. The short version is that my parents were dreamers. After I was born in Kansas, my father got a plot in the Washington Territory. I grew up there, a farm girl with dreams of her own, in the one place farthest from civilization in our country.”
“What dreams?” Eli was watching her intently, curious to learn more.
“Now that would be another question, and I think it’s my turn.” She smiled at the sudden turn of his head away from her. Trying to hide something? Well. We’d see about that, she thought.
“For my question, I’ll ask the same: where are you from?”
“Well, like you, I don’t have a very interesting growing up story. Born and raised in the Southern Dakotas on a small farm, similar to what you grew up on. But unlike you, I never had a lot of dreams. I figured I’d grow up and die on that farm, or one close by. Never reckoned I’d be in law enforcement.”
Daisy hung on Eli’s every word. She had been longing to know more, and now that she had the chance, she was scared of how far to go with the questions. Everyone in town seemed to know a little about his family being killed a while back, but she never found out how.
“So how did you end up… oops!” Daisy stopped when she saw Eli smile and hold up his finger. She chided herself a little, knowing it was only fair. But she wanted to know more! “OK, your turn.”
“Well, let’s see… I know. Is Daisy your real name?”
Daisy felt her entire body go ice cold. Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened in shock. She forced her face to go blank, her eyes and mouth pinched tight.
“The answer to your question is no. It is not. My turn.”
“But, wait a second…”
“I answered your question. And if you want to continue our game, that’ll be the last question about my name, if you please.”
Eli could tell she wouldn’t budge, but he wouldn’t let this be the end of it. If she knew anything about him at all, she should know that now he wouldn’t let this go. He gave her an impish grin implying that very thing.
Daisy knew what the grin meant. Blowing out a heated breath, she had to resist a groan of frustration and stomping her feet. She caught herself just in time, though, as she remembered the danger outside. Staring at him in anger, after a moment she decided to give in. After all, she wanted to know more about him.
“Fine. No, Daisy is not my real name. I changed it when I decided to try to make it as a singer.” She shook her head, almost changing her mind. But she pushed on. “I didn’t think anyone would want to come hear someone with the name of Myrtle Grace Flowers. So, I changed it.”
Daisy watched Eli’s face for his reaction. At first, he seemed stunned at her sudden admission. Then he clutched his belly and bent over, convulsing on the floor. Daisy pulled back, afraid that he was turning into a zombie. Then he looked up with a smile. He was laughing, but trying to hold in the sound.
“Why, Sheriff Eli Roberts! I ought to…” She lunged at him, swatting with her hand at his face.
He reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. He took her other hand as she swung it. Now face-to-face, he just smiled at her.
“I wasn’t laughing at your name, Myr… um, Daisy.” He smiled again causing her to scowl. “I was laughing at the fact that I was expecting something truly horrendous. Like Ralph.”
Eli laughed again, and Daisy relaxed. Their hands fell, but Eli continued to hold on to her. She looked up into his eyes. Was this the moment?
Eli felt Daisy relax and lean toward him. He was surprised at how calm he felt, at how right it was to hold her. Maybe, just maybe…
From the front of the store, down the street, came a shot. Then another. They heard shouts and more shots.
CHAPTER SIX
The lobby of the hotel was in complete chaos. People were running back and forth, and the manager and bellhop were yelling at each other. In the middle of it all, Jackson Grieger stood and tried to decide on the best course of action.
His first instinct, true to nature, was to leave all the sniveling, frightened people behind and head to his store and the safe room he had built underneath it. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he could get out of the hotel unseen. Not to mention, if he got everyone - or most everyone - out of this mess, he could come out as a hero. That made him straighten up and almost put a smile on his face.
Someone near the front shouted that there were more people in the road, headed their way. Jackson decided it was time to take charge. If some fool let one of those… zombies, as Daisy called them, into the hotel, they might all be done for.
Pushing people out of the way he reached the front door and cautiously looked out. People all around him were looking out the windows on either side of the door, and a frightened silence descended on the hotel. In the deepening gloom of the evening, he could make out a few shadows just beyond the gas porch lights, on the boardwalk in the distance.
Looking back toward the saloon, he was wondering if Daisy was still safe inside when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. Startled, he looked to his left, right into the face of a man without a nose. The man’s mouth opened, and he let out a moan, his fetid breath hitting Jackson in the face, causing him to gag.
Wrenching himself backward, Jackson tried to close the door on the man, but the man’s weight pushed him into the room. Continuing to pull away, Jackson fell to the floor. The combination of the door hitting him and Jackson’s fall caused the man’s grip to give way. Jackson scrambled backward, away from him. The man just stood there in the light of the room, black eyes wide and half-blinded in the light, watching Jackson in front of him on the floor before looking around the room.
There were about twenty people from town gathered in the hotel lobby. Some were by the windows, others spread out around the room. All of them looked in shock at the man in the doorway. The light from the room highlighted him like an actor in a stage show.
From the darkness behind the man, two more men stepped out of the darkness as if they had just materialized by magic. The two new men were in stark contrast to the first man. While he was missing a nose, the two other men looked almost normal. Until you saw their eyes, blackness with just a hint of red in the light. It took a moment for them to adjust to the brightness inside. Jackson wasn't about to give them another second.
“SHOOT!” Jackson’s voice broke the silence and the momentary paralysis from fear that everyone was experiencing.
There was a split second of silence followed by the sound of metal swiping across leather. And then there was the deafening sound of about a dozen pistols being fired almost simultaneously.
The first man in the doorway staggered under the fusillade of shots and fell to the floor. The other two men didn’t fare much better,
lurching forward as their companion fell. But that only put them in the sights of the shooters. All three men were on the ground after only a few seconds. A few men felt inclined to continue shooting at the bodies.
“Stop! Stop shooting! They're down, you blamed idiots!” Jackson was still on the floor, unable to climb to his feet as shots were continuing to fly past him.
When he could regain his footing, Jackson looked around the room at all the terrified faces. Each one of them looked back at him, scared and expecting an answer. Fortunately for them, he had decided on a course of action while the three men were being decimated in the doorway.
“First thing to do is put those guns away. Second, since we’ve probably gotten the attention of every one of these… zombies or whatever they are… in the entire county, it would be prudent of us to board up the windows and doors. Let’s move!”
Scared as they were, the townsfolk were ready to jump into action. Men broke down furniture to board up the windows, to the consternation of the hotel manager. But one look from the Mayor stopped his protests.
Jackson turned and headed for the door. Stopping at the bodies of the three men on the floor, he nudged them to verify their current state of demise. Satisfied, he pulled them away from the door before stepping to the doorway.
This time he was more careful, glancing out to check for anyone waiting. It was clear. Looking out longer this time, he could see that the whole road was clear. Not what he expected.
A noise from down the street caught his attention, and he twisted that way and put his hand down on the butt of his pistol. Light from the saloon door shone briefly, then someone stepped up on the porch into the dusky sunlight. Blond hair gave her away. Daisy.