Existing Dead

by Lyle Perez-Tinics

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, just a bit tired. Let’s go load that stuff before it gets dark.”

  They walked back to the supply room and continued closing boxes. Kyle began taking them to the top of the stairs and stacked them into piles.

  “Is there going to be enough room?” Victor asked.

  “Not for everything. We’ll just take what we can and leave the rest. Make sure you take some of those first-aid kits. We need to fix up your face.”

  “It doesn’t really hurt anymore.”

  “That may be true, but we’re still going to have to treat it. Don’t need your face getting infected or something.”

  “Do you hear that?” Victor said as Kyle stood perfectly still.

  “No.”

  “Shhh. Listen.”

  They did.

  “It sounds like wheels turning. Like a shopping cart,” Victor said.

  Victor rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs, taking two at a time. He pressed himself up against the wall next to the window and slowly peered outside. Kyle hurried down the stairs to join him.

  “What’s out there?” he asked after he finally heard the noise.

  “Oh my god,” Victor said turning to face Kyle, his face smiling from ear to ear. “It’s my mom.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Mom!” Victor yelled, standing in front of the window and waving his hands like a crazed kid trying to stop the ice-cream truck.

  “Stay quiet,” Kyle said, poking his head around the window to get a better view of what Victor was seeing. “Holy hell.”

  A tall woman in her mid-forties with short dark hair walked on the open road toward Kyle’s truck pushing a shopping cart. The wheels squeaked loudly, but it didn’t look like the woman cared. It was as if she wasn’t afraid the noise could draw attention from the Existing Dead. There were boxes in the cart, the same kind as in the storage room. She paused and stared at the truck, dumbfounded by its presence there.

  Victor yelled again, this time loudly enough for the woman to hear.

  Kyle carefully watched her to make sure her movements weren’t like those of the dead. Neither of them saw the woman’s face, but it didn’t matter. Victor knew instinctively that she was his mother.

  The woman slowly turned toward her house. To Kyle’s disappointment and Victor’s delight, Morgan was alive. Her dark eyes squinted for a moment until she finally realized what she was seeing through the window. Her expression quickly went from confusion to joy and excitement. She began to run toward the house with her arms outstretched.

  Victor quickly ran passed Kyle and bolted for the door.

  Kyle tried swiping for him. “Wait!” But his arms met nothing but air. The boy flung the door open with excitement, which caused the doorknob to slam and punch a small indent on the back wall. The already-present dent indicated that this had not been the first time the doorknob had slammed into the wall.

  Running up the driveway was Morgan, Victor’s mother. Her arms outstretched ready to give her boy, her lost boy, a much-anticipated hug. Tears of sorrow and joy fell from her face like raindrops falling from leaves. Her face was rosy red and her clothes looked clean and fresh. Her hair was perfectly brushed and it looked as though she had on a little bit of make-up. From afar, Morgan looked like a mess, but up close, she looked fine.

  Victor ran toward her. They met halfway and like the most heartfelt scene from a movie, they wrapped their arms around each other and cried.

  “Mom, I missed you so much,” Victor said, still having his arms, which were wrapped tightly around his mother. The smell coming from him was nauseating, but she didn’t care as she dug her face into his shoulder. Morgan was a tall woman, but Victor was considerably shorter than she was. He hadn’t yet reached that growth spurt.

  “I missed you too, Victory,” she said through tears.

  “Why didn’t you come for me?”

  “I tried,” she said with a look of concern. “I really did.”

  “It’s okay,” Victor said with a smile. “I don’t think you would have survived the journey.”

  She laughed and then continued crying.

  Kyle stood at the doorway watching the reunion. He didn’t know what to think. Should he be happy that Victor had found his mother? Should he be angry? Should he see this as hope that one day very soon he will find Jasmine, and they would share a moment like this? He walked toward the newly reunited mother and son.

  Morgan glanced up at him for a moment and let go of Victor. She wiped away the tears on her cheek and motioned toward Kyle. “Who’s this?” she said in a soft voice.

  Victor released his grip and said, “This is my friend, Kyle. I met him at the gas station. He brought me here.”

  Kyle just stared at them, not saying a word. Only just a few minutes ago, Victor had been his, only his. He had been the only guardian to the kid, but now it looked as though that was no longer going to be the case. The thought of raising his pistol and shooting Morgan through the head crossed his mind. He wanted to do it; he had the gun in his hand. He’d be able to calm Victor down again. That wouldn’t be a problem, at least he hoped it wouldn’t. They’d be able to leave and head for California, head for Jasmine where they’d be able to live happily as father, mother and son.

  Kyle cringed at the thoughts in his mind. He was no monster. How could he think about doing something so heinous? He was angry at himself for even considering doing something so maniacal, so cold and heartless. Especially to someone he had grown to love.

  “Hi,” he said after shaking the thoughts from his head. “I’m Kyle.” He waved with a half-forced smile.

  “Thank you for bringing him home. I don’t know what I can do to repay you.”

  You can go away, he thought, that’s how you can pay me back. Just go away. “No problem, it was on my way,” he said with a full smile. “Is it safe for us to be out here?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine right now. Most of the Existing Dead don’t come around in the daytime. The ones that do are taken care of by The Embassy.” She began to rub Victor’s back with that touch only mothers know.

  “Existing Dead?” Kyle asked. This was the first time Kyle had come across someone else who used the same term.

  “Yeah, the creatures, monsters, zombies … whatever you want to use. Existing Dead is a term coined by The Embassy leader.”

  “Doctor Greenly,” Kyle replied, not asking a question, but stating fact.

  “Yeah, that’s him. How’d you know?”

  “I’ve been hearing his radio broadcasts. I learned a lot from him, but what’s ‘The Embassy’?”

  She stopped rubbing Victor’s back and gently pushed him back a step so she could take a better look at her son. “What happened to your face?”

  Victor’s gaze met his mother’s and without even thinking twice about it, he said, “I ran into a few kids who beat me up. Kyle saw it and ran to help me. That’s how we became friends.”

  “Oh … we need to go inside and get you cleaned up. I don’t see anything major, just some swelling around the cheekbones and a few cuts and bruises. I have supplies inside the house. Come on.” She began walking toward the house, pushing the shopping cart in front of her.

  Victor shot Kyle a glance and shook his head as if saying do not to mention what really happened. Kyle understood without a word being said. He wouldn’t want his mother knowing either if he was in this situation.

  “Thanks for stepping in,” Morgan said, as she reached the front door.

  “Yeah, don’t mention it.” He looked at Victor.

  “Can you two strong men help me take these boxes inside?”

  They both nodded.

  “It might not be my place to ask, but what is all this stuff for? What are you doing pushing a shopping cart around?” Kyle asked as he holstered the Glock on his belt and reached into the cart to hand Victor one of the boxes. He reached in again and took the bigger box. “Whoa, this one’s heavy.”


  Morgan walked through the door as she began to speak. “The Embassy has a lot of supplies for its residents. When there’s a scouting team out in the city, they may not be able to make it back before nightfall. I offered my house as a safe haven for the scouting team. They give me supplies and I store them here for anyone from The Embassy.”

  “So, The Embassy is like a military safe zone?”

  “Not quite. There are some military people there, but it’s mostly survivors looking for refuge. Looking for a way out, as Doctor Greenly likes to put it.”

  “We tried listening to his last radio broadcast, but it just kept repeating.”

  Morgan nodded. “Yeah, it’s been looping for about a week now. That was an old recording. He found The Embassy shortly after that was released, and since he was the leading researcher on the Existing Dead, it was only fitting for him to take leadership responsibilities. It was just a big mess back then, but everything seems to be calming down, and The Embassy is safe.” Morgan closed the door after Kyle walked in. “Take those to the top of the stairs and into the first door to your left.”

  Kyle walked up the stairs first and took the new boxes into the room. Everything about this place was starting to make sense. At first, everything had seemed weird. Why had Morgan been outside pushing a shopping cart without worrying about the dead? He still didn’t understand why the Existing Dead only came out at night around here. Back home, they would be everywhere at any time of day. Could their evolution have something to do with them staying out of the sunlight? Kyle needed to plan a trip to The Embassy to ask Doctor Greenly some questions.

  They walked back downstairs and headed for the kitchen. Morgan sat by the kitchen table with a white box in front of her. She removed alcohol swabs from their packages and placed them on the table. Motioning for Victor to take the seat next to her, she began to rub it over the closing wounds. “Did they hit you on the jaw? How do your teeth feel?”

  Victor grinded his teeth and used his tongue to feel around his mouth. “They seem fine. I don’t feel any pain there. Kyle gave me some pills to help take the pain away.”

  “What did you give him?”

  “Honestly,” Kyle said, checking his pockets for the bottle of pills but unable to find them, “I don’t remember. It was something for pain.”

  “You gave him a pill and you didn’t know what it was?” Morgan snapped back.

  “Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m no fucking doctor. I gave him whatever I could to take away the pain,” Kyle said, letting out a bit of frustration.

  Morgan sighed. “Since we don’t know what you gave him, I can’t give him anything for at least twenty-four hours.” Morgan took a cold compress from the first-aid kit and snapped it to start the cooling action. She placed it on the most swollen side of Victor’s face. “Hold it here for a few minutes, then move it to another place that hurts.”

  Victor nodded then stood from the chair. He walked passed Kyle and headed for the living room, where he lay on the couch.

  “Are you hurt?” Morgan asked.

  Kyle shook his head. “No. I’m fine.”

  “What about that gash on your bicep? How did that happen?”

  “What gash?” Kyle answered as he raised his arm and peered over his shoulder.

  A large cut that spanned from his bicep to his forearm poked out of his shirt. Panic began to ensue as he thought about his run-ins with the Existing Dead. He thought maybe it was possible that one of them had scratched him as he’d wrestled with Chet. He didn’t remember. There was something strange about the entire situation. He had not felt it, and had been unaware it was even there.

  He examined the wound again, then glanced at Morgan. “I think I might be infected.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The room felt a few degrees cooler. Kyle knew that being infected meant that he was going to die and come back as a bigger monster than what he already was.

  “Don’t be so dramatic. I can see it in your face,” Morgan said. “If you were infected you would’ve already turned. Sit down and I’ll take a look at it.”

  He sighed with relief when she said that. After all, she did know more about the Existing Dead then he did. If she said that he would have turned by now if he was infected, then that was gospel.

  “How long does it usually take for someone to turn?” Kyle asked, taking a seat. He lifted his shirt to better expose the wound.

  “We’ve seen people turn in a matter of minutes.” Morgan began to rub the wound with an alcohol wipe. Kyle flinched the second he felt the sting of the alcohol. “Jumpy?”

  “Would it make me seem less of a hero if I said yes?”

  “No, it’ll just make you seem more human. You kind of seem distant, like something is bothering you.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve just had a rough week.”

  “We’ve all had a rough week. Most of us have been dealing with this for a lot longer.”

  “Yeah, I kinda missed out on all of that. For the first week or two I was trapped in a basement with my wife … ex-wife and my son Eddie. Both of them are gone now.”

  “Sorry,” Morgan said as she put a bandage on his cut. “I lost my sister earlier today. I feel your pain.”

  “You’re not grieving?”

  “It’s kind of hard to grieve in times like this. Did you grieve for your son?”

  “Not really. Eddie has helped me get through it. I probably wouldn’t have made it this far without him by my side. That little guy means a lot to me.”

  Morgan stared at him for a moment. She tilted her head like a confused dog.

  “I mean Victor, sorry.” Kyle quickly corrected himself.

  Morgan continued to look at him questioningly. She’s seen this type of behavior before. Being in the medical profession, she had dealt with many patients with mental instability.

  “I’m glad Victory was able to provide you with some company. But now that he’s home I guess it’s time for you to continue on your way. Where were you headed?”

  Kyle stood from the chair, his body towering over Morgan. “I’m on my way to California. There’s a very special lady there. I need to make sure she’s all right.”

  “She must be very special for you to travel to one of the most infested states.”

  “She is. I kinda would like to take Victor along with me. Y’know, for support.”

  Morgan half nervously smiled as she stood. The woman was tall, but Kyle still had a few inches of height on her. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Victor needs to stay here with me.”

  Kyle was instantly filled with rage. Something incomprehensible inside him snapped, and the only impulse in his body was to grab Morgan. He had to make her see that he needed Victor by his side. He was the one who had taken care of him when she had abandoned him at a gas station. Victor was his. But just as quickly as the rage and malevolence came, it went away. He relaxed. “I’m … I’m sorry.”

  “I know what you’re going through, Kyle. I know that you see Victor as your son.”

  Even though Kyle believed in his heart that Victor was his son, hearing the words finally made him realize how crazy that sounded. The bond with the boy and him was strong, but he would never be able to replace Eddie. And Jasmine would never be able to replace Mary.

  “I think it’s best for all of us if you just leave. Continue on your journey. I’ll give you enough supplies to make it to California,” Morgan said.

  Kyle nodded. His lip quivered a little as he realized his goodbye was drawing near.

  Static began to erupt from somewhere in the kitchen.

  “Dammit,” Morgan said as she ran to the counter near the sink. There was a small CB Radio there that Kyle never noticed before.

  “Morgan?” A man with a thick Hispanic accent spoke from the radio.

  She grabbed the hand held microphone and said, “Ignacio, I’m home and safe.”

  “Bery good, is der anyting to report?”

  “Yes! I found my son.”

  “Ah,
muy bien, Morgan.”

  “A man named Kyle brought him home.”

  “Two new survibors. Want to bing dem to Embassy?”

  Morgan took one quick glance to Kyle. “No, I don’t think that’s—”

  Before Morgan could finish Kyle interrupted. “Yes, I’d like to ask Greenly questions before I go to California. He might be able to give me information that would keep me alive.” He spoke loudly enough for Ignacio to hear on the other side of the radio.

  “Is dat him?”

  Morgan exhaled noisily and said, “Yes.”

  “Bien, tomorrow morning I bring Ricardo and Virginia. We escort you three to Embassy. Is goin’ to be dark soon. Lock doors and estay inside.”

  “Yes, Ignacio, I’ve been doing this for weeks now. I know the drill.”

  “Bien, okay we see you tomorrow. Adios.”

  Morgan placed the handheld on the counter. “It looks like you’re going to be staying the night with us. I’ll start dinner. Can you make sure all the doors are locked?”

  “Yeah,” Kyle said. He walked to the living room where Victor lay on the couch. The boy wasn’t asleep. He wasn’t moving, either. “Hey, your mom asked us to go make sure the doors are locked.”

  Victor smiled. “She asked you, not us.”

  Kyle laughed. “Get up, you little shit. This is your house. I don’t know where all the doors are.”

  “Fine,” Victor said as he stood. They walked to the front door and made sure the deadbolt was in place. “Done,” Victor said as he twisted the lock closed.

  “Is that the only door? Your mom said doors. Plural, meaning more than one.”

  “Hey mom,” Victor shouted. “By doors did you mean the garage doors too?”

  “Yes,” came Morgan’s reply.

  “Okay,” Victor said under his breath. He moved the ice pack to a different spot on his face. “This thing is cold. My face feels numb.”

  Kyle stood in place for a second as the sound of pots banging from the kitchen gave him the sense of déjà vu. This scene was all too familiar. “Does this remind you of Susie?” he asked Victor.