Stay Dead 2: The Dead and The Dying

by Steve Wands

  Marco Island was full of great times just a few months ago. He fell in lust with a freckle-faced woman name Maggie. She had an old lady’s name, but a college girl’s face and a tennis player’s body. Her hair was auburn and seemed to radiate in the sun. They spent a lot of time together and ended it amicably, though Chuck would often think of her. He wondered why they quit each other so quick and tried not to think of it. It was fun while it lasted, and he hoped she was safe. He thought of being there now, sitting outside on her deck looking out on the water. He could taste the fresh Cubano sandwiches she loved to make and the Mango Mamma wine they loved to wash it down with.

  Luckily for Chuck, before the thoughts had time to depress him, Joseph hollered from behind him, “We there yet?”

  “It’s getting really fucking old, man.”

  There were a few chuckles, and then the sounds of introspection.

  12 IMPULSES

  (back to top)

  Jim had packed the few belongings he cared about enough to lug around and the clothes he knew he’d get the most wear out of as well as all of his socks and underwear. He wished he was going on vacation, but knew that it would be anything but. Regardless he needed to get the hell out of his home. He was developing a nasty case of cabin fever and if he didn’t take this chance to get out now he knew he would end up running out of the house screaming nonsense in the buff. He might drive himself insane enough to run into the loving embrace of one of the dead.

  He crept over to Sarah after putting his bags next to the door downstairs. She looked so peaceful. The little bit of sleep she was getting had already managed to soften the hard lines that only moments ago were etched into her face. She was attractive, and the longer he looked at her sleeping form, the more he realized this. He lingered, and his mind ran through some deviant ideas. His heart raced. She moaned in her sleep, and shifted. Jim decided to turn away and walk out as briskly as he could. He returned to his room and stared out the window.

  Sarah continued sleeping, and Jim knew he should’ve woken her but the little nasty fantasies brewing in his mind had the very good possibility of becoming reality.

  He looked out the window and the few dead things that roamed seemingly aimlessly about the streets soon staggered out of view, and for a moment things looked normal, but then a staggering ghoul moved into view once again.

  He stretched out across the bed, eyeing the doorway, picturing Sarah walking in and taking her clothes off. Straddling him. His hand found its way down his pants and he urgently wanted to run into the other room and show her what it found.

  ***

  Laura fell asleep in his lap in the rocking chair, and despite his body’s every ache and his mind’s general good sense to not further hurt himself Walter carried her to the bed and tucked her in. He filled another few fingers of brandy and left the love of his life to sleep soundly. He gently closed the door and joined his children downstairs.

  “What’s the occasion, dad?”

  “Can’t an old man have a drink without everyone raising an eyebrow?”

  “If you can’t have a drink now, then when can you?”

  “Exactly. Now, what have I missed?”

  “Well, we were thinking maybe it was time to start searching through our neighbors homes for supplies.”

  “Nonsense. We have plenty here.”

  “Actually, Walter, we don’t. Considering how many of us there are we’ll go through supplies much quicker than we thought.”

  “When are you going to call me dad? When I’m dead?”

  “Sorry, dad.”

  “Did you count everything up?”

  “The tally is right here,” she handed him the notebook.

  “I trust ya.”

  “We might as well do it now before we get surrounded by these things. The longer we wait the worse we’re going to make it on ourselves and let’s face it, no one is coming back to there homes any time soon…if ever…”

  “Fine, you kids are old enough to make up your own minds. What can I do?”

  “I don’t know, I figured me and Barb could go into the homes. You’re more than welcome to join us. Maria is going to stay here. Honestly, we really haven’t thought it out much.”

  “We just know we should do it, and there’s no sense in waiting.”

  “Who knows what could happen in the next few days, right now they are spread out far enough that we can maneuver through them, take care of the close ones, get what we can and get back home.”

  “All right. Can we at least wait till daybreak before we do this?”

  “Of course. We weren’t just going to go and do it now.”

  “Well how am I supposed to know? You all look ready to go.”

  “Just trying to be ready, dad. You don’t want us sitting around in our pajamas do you?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Why don’t you go sit down and enjoy your brandy?”

  “Only if one of you will join me.”

  “I’ll go get a bottle of wine,” Maria said, smiling.

  “Two glasses…please?” Barb said, holding out two fingers like a peace sign.

  Maria went into the kitchen, fetching a bottle of Pinot Noir from the wine rack her father-in-law built. There were several bottles left—not nearly enough—and mostly just bottles of Pinot Noir. In the cupboard next to the rack were the wine glasses and Maria almost dropped one while she reached on tiptoes to get them.

  She returned to the living room, uncorked the bottle of wine and poured herself and Barbara a full glass each of the deep red fluid.

  They sat down on the couch with Jeff. Walter sat in his chair. The room was quiet and dark.

  “So, what shall we drink to?” Walter asked.

  “Being alive.”

  “A better tomorrow.”

  “How about world peace?”

  “The ladies got it right. Maybe you should be taking some notes. Here’s to being alive and for a better tomorrow.” Walter raised his drink. Maria and Barbara did the same; Jeff reached for the bottle of wine. Then they all took a swig of their fluids and began to talk about looting their neighbors homes for supplies.

  ***

  Carrie was just one of the most unlikeable people on earth, and must have been before the world went to hell. It was in her body language and in her expressions, probably more so than in her words, but it oozed from her. Alexis was certain that was the main reason she was still alive—that and even the deaders probably didn’t want her as one of their own. She probably would taste sour to them.

  Alexis wanted to pull her hair out. The kids were growing restless and bored. Chris, the youngest, in particular was having a hard time sitting still. He was climbing and squirming over the others, which in turn bothered them and made them squirm.

  It had gotten to the point where they were starting to hit each other. Alexis was quite simply out of her area of expertise. She was growing short with them, losing her patience, and she could tell Carrie was ready to snap. If that happened Alexis was ready to go off on her but she really didn’t want to. She knew it was just the mounting frustration.

  Gerty would’ve known how to handle them. Alexis was barely out of her teens, just having turned twenty in the spring, and she had no siblings.

  Yussef played with Nick, passing Hot Wheels back and forth and riding them along the seats and headrests.

  Then Chris started crying for chocolate milk.

  Abdul-Ba’ith had to have felt the tension building in the car, and was probably feeling the stress as well because he finally spoke after at least an hour of silence. The only reason he spoke before was because Alexis was trying to make conversation. “I’m going to signal to the others that we need to pull over.”

  “Why what’s wrong?” Carrie looked nervously about the vehicle.

  “We need a break. The kids need to get some air. We all need to get some air. And we should stretch—my leg is cramping.”

  “We should dump these kids out and keep going,” she
said coldly.

  Abdul-Ba’ith pushed down on the horn and put his hazards on. Once he saw the break lights in front of him he began to pull over to the side of the road.

  Scott jumped out of the car and jogged over to Abdul-Ba’ith as he stepped out of the truck. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. We just needed to take a break…the kids are growing restless.”

  “Fine with me. I gotta take a leak anyway. I’ll go tell the others.”

  “Thank you.”

  Carrie stepped out and began stretching. Alexis ushered the kids over to the side of the road and had them stretch as well. Most of them decided to horse around, but at least they were moving around and getting out some of that energy.

  “Does anybody have to go to the bathroom?”

  They all did.

  “Oh, okay…”

  Leela cupped her hands over her crotch and began to jump up and down, “I gotta go!”

  “Okay, Leela. Girls! Come on, follow me over this way and we’ll go.”

  Leela followed urgently. Stacey slowly moved in pursuit, clutching a filthy lion Beanie Baby named Roar, which her father brought home for her one day after work.

  “Abdul, can you have the boys go?”

  He looked at her, his rigid eyebrows curling up and his eyes widening in uncertainty.

  “But I…I, oh man, okay.”

  Abdul never had any children of his own and in his family many of the men were very hands off with their children. He looked at the boys. To him they looked old enough to know what to do and hoped he was right. He looked to Carrie for support but she just looked at him and said, “Not me, I hate kids.”

  He shrugged his shoulders, “Boys. You have to urinate?”

  Yussef turned to him and nodded, Chris did too. Nick looked at the ground away from everyone.

  “Well, then spread out and go. You know how to go right? You’re big boys now, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Good, go.” Abdul-Ba’ith breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed that Nick had not moved from his spot. Maybe he was bashful, he figured.

  He moved over to him, kneeling down and putting his hand to his shoulder. “You’re Nick, right?”

  The boy nodded.

  “How old are you Nick?”

  “Five.”

  “Then you don’t need help, right? You can go like the other boys. Just walk over there and do it in the grass. No one will look.”

  “I…I…”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “No…”

  “It’s okay if you are. I know it’s scary now.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what?”

  “I already went.” Nick said, as he pointed to his wet pants.

  “Oh. Well, uh… I don’t know what to tell you. Do you have any more in there?”

  Nick nodded.

  “Then get the rest out and I will tell Alexis. I’m sure we can find you something to wear. Next time, just tell me you have to go, and I will stop the truck, okay?”

  Nick nodded again and then ran off to finish the job.

  Abdul-Ba’ith rubbed his temples. Dealing with the living dead was easy—kids were the real challenge.

  13 LEFT BEHIND

  (back to top)

  Hours had passed before Sarah had woken up. She felt groggy and disoriented. She had to look about the room before she remembered where she was. Her eyes found the clock and after realizing how much time had passed she grew both agitated with Jim and thankful because she was able to rest. The extra sleep made her feel a million times more human.

  She got up and walked out of the room almost stumbling into Jim, “Oh, hey. Thanks for letting me sleep, but I guess we should get going, huh?”

  “Yeah, I’m all packed and ready to go. I heard you stirring so I figured I’d come and see if you’re ready.”

  “Good to go.”

  “I’m really nervous. I haven’t had to deal with them much close up.”

  “You’ll be fine. Just move quickly and don’t let them grab you.”

  “Grab?”

  “They won’t let go and once they get a hand on you, their teeth will be next.”

  “Now I’m not nervous at all,” he paused, thinking about pushing her into the room and closing the door. “I uh…my car is packed up. I didn’t have much water, but I just about filled the trunk with all the food and drinks I do have. Suitcase and backpack in the back seat.”

  “Do you have any weapons?”

  “Not really. I have a shovel and an old baseball bat that I had to use a few times.”

  “That’ll do. Are they inside?”

  “Yup. In the garage.”

  “Perfect,” she said, heading for the stairs, “let’s go.”

  He followed, picturing himself grabbing her by the neck and pulling her back.

  The garage was dark but enough light came from underneath the bottom of the garage door to highlight most of the objects in the small space. She moved swiftly to the passenger’s side as Jim grabbed the shovel and bat from near the door. After shoving them in the backseat he hopped behind the wheel.

  “Ready?” He asked, nervousness pouring from his voice and evident in his shaking hands and sweaty forehead.

  “I am, are you?”

  “No. But let’s do it, right?”

  “Right.”

  Jim pushed the open button on the garage door remote and watched intently as light flooded the room.

  “Fuck, I’m scared.”

  “Me too.”

  The garage door seemed to open so slowly. They could see a pair of legs staggering forward—a simple silhouette against the pale yellow daylight. By the time the door opened the dead thing stumbled inside. Jim drove forward, knocking the dead thing back. The thump of its dead body on the car startled Jim terribly.

  “Go!”

  Jim gassed the car and hit the close button on the remote, dropping it afterwards.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, which way?”

  “You said you knew where you were going!”

  “I do, I’m sorry, just…fuck!” Jim was almost hyperventilating.

  “Just drive. Breath. And drive. Just start moving away… now.”

  “Okay, okay,” Jim said as he pulled out of the driveway and into the road.

  The garage door closed and the dead thing got to its feet, staggering after them.

  Jim drove through town toward the school. He was trying to keep his breathing under control but so far hadn’t been successful. Sarah just sat back and kept her eyes on their surroundings. She took note of how run down everything looked now that no one was taking care of their lawn or sweeping the streets. Lawns were being overrun by weeds and once proud landscapes were now nothing more than tall grasses and specimen plants aching for pruning and shearing. Sarah realized how quickly everything falls apart when no one is tending to it.

  Jim swerved nearly hitting a deader that was stumbling down the road. He wanted to yell at the thing. To tell it to get the hell out of the road, but it would’ve been useless.

  A few more deaders were in the distance—nothing more than shadows wearing shredded clothes and dragging swollen feet along the warming asphalt. The sun glistening behind the dead things—a big warm ball of hope that made everything seem normal with its presence. But this was anything but. This was certainly something new under the sun.

  They rounded the corner and Sarah could see the school in the distance. The sun glinting off the flagpole, and the aluminum flashing around the edge of the roof. But where was the sun glinting off the cars and trucks that formed the convoy? There was only one truck left—a simple box truck. Where were the others? Sarah’s mind reeled and her stomach felt sick.

  They left.

  They left her.

  “No…”

  “What? This is the school you meant, right?”

  “Yeah, this is the school, but they left. They fucking left me!”

  Ji
m didn’t know what to say. He continued to drive.

  “They left me for dead.”

  “Maybe they thought you were dead.”

  As they came upon the school she could see she was wrong. There was another car that had been blocked by the truck. They pulled over to it.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Oh, God…oh, my god.” Sarah cried.

  Inside the car was a dead little girl reaching her hands through the driver’s side window in a futile attempt to get out. She was pale, but aside from her complexion, the bullet in her throat and the dried blood that covered her body she looked alive. Sarah recognized her. She couldn’t remember the kid’s name, but she knew her face. She stared into the kid’s eyes and cried.

  “Go.”

  “Go where?”

  “Just go back to your place.”

  “What about her?”

  “Do you want to go put her out of her misery?”

  “I…no, no I don’t want to do that.”

  “Then just go, if we had a gun I would put her down, but I don’t. So just go already, okay?”

  With that, he drove away.

  Sarah didn’t have to turn around to see the lifeless little girl staring through the grimy glass.

  “Do you want to try and catch up with your group?”

  “We’d just get lost. We’ll never find them. They could be hours away by now. We’re better off just laying low at your place till we can think of something better.”

  “Okay, yeah, sure.”

  “Are you okay with that?”

  “Yeah, it’s been working out just fine for me. I was just excited to hook up and get the hell out of here you know?”

  “I can imagine. I’d probably’ve lost my mind had I been stuck at home alone through all this.”

  Jim remained silent as the bad thoughts invaded his mind again. He’d never acted on any of his darker impulses before, but the reasons not too seemed nonexistent at the moment.

  They arrived back at Jim’s house without incident and managed to get inside without drawing too much attention. The street was empty of deaders and the last few they drove past were too far away to follow them with any sort of precision, though they had no problem figuring out where people were. Sarah would say they were drawn to people—some sort of instinct.