Max was already down in the kitchen when I finished up. He was almost unrecognizable. “Miss Claire gave me a haircut. She said no respectable boy could walk around looking like a scrub-bum.” He said, running his fingers through his now significantly shorter locks.
“Now he can see what’s going on without his hair getting in the way. I think you look very handsome, Max. I used to be a hairdresser in my previous life. I make sure everyone around here looks presentable. That and I work the breakfast shift. I’m just glad they let me stay here,” she said as she piled up a plate of warm food for me. “I should give you a quick cut, too. If you think the shower made you feel like a human again, wait until you get a trim.”
“Thank you, ma’am. That would be wonderful. Can I eat while you cut? I am starving and I don’t want them to have to wait for me.”
“Sure thing, sweetie.” She looked ecstatic as she pulled her shears out and headed in my direction.
I tried to savor each bite but my stomach was having none of it. In the end, all I did was pick at it. Max, on the other hand, shoveled the food into his mouth at lightning speed. He was eager to start his day as a member of this new group. I knew then that I had lost the two best traveling buddies I had been blessed enough to find on this crazy journey.
Papa was waiting at the bottom of the porch steps as we left the farmhouse. It was a surreal feeling, walking out into the real world again. The farmhouse was a bubble in time, a place that held our lost civilization in a secret world of hot showers and warm food.
“I see Nancy gave you both a good haircut. Good, good. Well, boys, you passed the test last night. Anyone who can spend a night in the locked cell and not cause any trouble gets the offer to be one of us. You can stay, but know, you’ll have to pull your weight around here. Max, you’ll be just fine, a good farm boy like you,” he said as he watched Max’s eyes grow wide in surprise. “Yeah, I got you pegged. You’re too comfortable around here to be anything else. Jeremy, you have some work to do, but we can make it work as long as you’re willing to do what we ask.”
“I need to talk to Max, sir,” I said as I turned to Max.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, turning to walk away. “Real shame you don’t think you can make it work, but I understand. You can stock up on some supplies before you go. We have more than enough.” He stopped and turned his head back to look at me. “I hope you find whatever it is that you’re looking for out there.”
“Thank you. By the way, you never told me your name.”
“Mr. Thompson, but everyone calls me Papa. Goodbye, son.”
Max looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “You’re leaving? Why? Can’t you just hang around for a little while? Maybe it won’t be too bad. Look,” he said as he pointed at his dog, “even Rocky is happy!”
Rocky chased a stick far out into a field. A bunch of kids had taken a shine to him. There would never be a shortage of belly rubs or neck scratches. It was easy to see the appeal for the two of them.
“I need to go now, kid, or I never will.”
“So what? Then you stay. Is that such a problem?” He argued.
“Don’t make this harder. I’m going to miss you and the pup. You guys are the best people I’ve met so far, maybe ever. This just isn’t my kind of place, but it is perfect for you and Rocky. Now I get to say I did something good in this crap world. I helped a kid find his real home.”
“That’s cheesy, and you’re being stupid.” He turned away from me.
“Probably, but that would be no different than before the zombies came. Look at me, Max. I want to say good bye for real. I am going to head to that Batsto place. If they really are the good guys, I will tell them you’re all here. They might be able to find a way to send you word or something.” It felt ridiculous as it left my mouth, but I needed to believe I could communicate after I left.
“Yeah, maybe,” he whispered.
I whistled for Rocky and he came running over. With one last roll in the grass, I was able to say good bye. I brushed the dirt off as I stood up and then pulled Max into a hug.
“Stay cool, kid.”
“You, too,” he said, squeezing me as hard as his little body would allow. “If you change your mind, you can always come back.”
I rustled his freshly cut hair and walked away. He didn’t need to see the tear or two that fell from my face. With each step, I questioned my decision, but in the end I knew it was the right thing to do. The place from the flyer would torture my curious nature for the rest of my life if I didn’t head there to see what it was. And who needed that kind of crazy hanging over their head for eternity?
About the Authors
Father of eight from the South Jersey Shore, Kris has always had a love for writing, horror and zombie fiction, and absurd, inappropriate humor. He co-wrote his first full-length novel, Aftershock, and now Breakdown with his wife Valerie. The two now live in the Pine Barrens with their pile of children and enough stockpiled Nerf weapons to take down an army of the undead.
While she mostly focuses on Horror, Valerie Lioudis is a multi-genre author who has been known to dabble in post apocalyptic, science fiction, and even metaphysical stories. The common thread with Valerie’s work is her constant sarcasm, and love for bringing the unexpected to her readers. She loves the art of writing a short story, and has merged that with giving back to those in need. Many of the anthologies she is involved with donate their proceeds to groups near and dear to her. Two of the causes she is proud to say she has helped raise money for through writing are Veterans and Breast Cancer charities. She is an active member of the Reanimated Writers Facebook group, and can found there to answer any questions you may have about any of her work. Come join the horde, we would love to have you.
Follow Valerie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
For more stories in the Aftershock Zombie world, pick up a copy of Undead Worlds, or Undead Worlds 2 (release date October 16th, 2018) today and meet the character Avery.
Other Works
Zombies:
Aftershock (Book 1 in the Aftershock Zombie Series)
Undead Worlds
Undead Worlds 2 (Coming Soon)
Tales From the Zombie Road: The Long Haul Anthology
The Reanimated Rumble
Treasured Chests
Novels and Short Story Collections:
The Many Afterlives of John Robert Thompson
From the Deep Dark
Non-Zombie Anthologies Featuring a Lioudis Story:
Night Mares
100 Word Drabbles
Terrors Unimagined: An Anthology of the Supernatural and Horrific
High Tech/Low Life: An Easytown Anthology
Mad Like Me
The End
Thank You
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Aftershock Zombie Series (Book 2): Breakdown (A Collection of Survivors Tales) Page 15