by T. W. Brown
“Like Cary always says,” Heather climbed the stairs and stopped at the doorway, “this ain’t the movies.”
“Fine,” Kevin conceded. “But I’m counting to three hundred. That should give you almost five minutes. If you aren’t out by then…I’m coming in after you.”
“Deal,” Heather agreed, and spun on her heel.
She moved slowly through the kitchen, and paused once she reached the archway that would take her to the dining room. Having been in the house before, Heather had a good idea where everything was. Only, now with it so dim, and things overturned and scattered about…it seemed slightly disorienting.
She peered into the dining room and her hand came to her mouth. There was dried blood everywhere. Beside the broken ruins of the ornate dinner table where Heather remembered enjoying a few meals over the years lay what was left of Patty Stanley.
In life, she’d been a short, stout, but happy woman. After surviving a bout with breast cancer, she’d begun a foundation so that the women of the lower income families of Heath could receive annual breast exams. She was never lacking a kind word when you passed her on the street.
The pile of meat and entrails in a heap on the floor was an insult to the woman’s memory. Heather was too disgusted to cry. She stepped wide, moving to the head of the mess. Both legs were gone, one just above the knee, the other seemingly torn from the hip-socket. Likewise, the arms were missing, one lay—mostly eaten down to the bone—a few feet away. The body was a mess.
Heather was pretty certain what the source of the strong smell could be attributed to. A thick swarm of flies buzzed about, angry at this disturbance. Heather couldn’t tear her eyes away from the hollowed out body cavity. She saw movement inside, and it took a moment to realize what she was seeing. Maggots. By the thousands. And not just on the inside, but also infesting the pile of what remained of Patty Stanley’s entrails in a heap beside the helpless body. The worst though was her face. Slack, devoid of that customary happiness, it looked nothing like the woman Heather remembered. The dead eyes stared up at her and the mouth opened and closed, teeth clicking in an unsyncopated rhythm.
With a cry of anger and frustration, Heather brought the sledge down. Again and again she swung until the skull shattered and oozed out the blackened jelly of brain mixed with shards of pulverized bone.
She felt more than heard the presence behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Conrad Stanley, Patty’s husband, stood in the doorway that led to the enormous living room. He seemed mostly uninjured except for the jagged stumps where the index and middle finger of his left hand used to be. Strands of blackened gauze still hung from his wrist, firmly secured by several wraps of tape. However, his face was a horrifying mask of dried viscera that clumped in thick globs in his beard.
His baby-cry moan brought Heather’s mind back to focus. As he reached down for her, she rolled off to the side and came up on one knee. With an arcing swing, she shattered the left knee. The zombie of Conrad Stanley buckled, and collapsed. Rising up, Heather brought the sledge down hard on the crown of Mister Stanley’s head. Two more swings finished the job.
With a sob, she tossed the weapon aside and staggered to the living room. She saw smears of darkness on the walls. Most of the framed pictures had been knocked off or hung askew, but no zombies. She went to the stairs and listened…silence.
It wasn’t a certainty, but Heather felt fairly confident that if there’d been any zombies left in the house, she would’ve heard them. She went back, scooping up her sledge along the way, and emerged into the relative sweetness of the air outside. She stopped for a moment, her gaze drawn to the large black cloud of smoke rising in the distance off to the right and across an expanse of open, mostly flat fields. Heath was burning.
“Kevin?” Heather called. He’d moved under a tree and sat propped against the trunk, pipe-wrench across his lap. A surge of anxiety flooded her when he didn’t respond.
Slowly she crossed the yard to the man who remained motionless and unresponsive. The way his chin was tucked down, she couldn’t really see his face, but he looked ghostly pale in the shade of the big tree. No, she thought, not after everything else today.
“Kevin?” Heather stopped a few feet away and crouched down. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the slight rise and fall of his chest. Moving beside him, she brought his arm up around her shoulders. He stirred, mumbling something again. Taking his pipe-wrench in her free hand, she coaxed him to his feet.
His head swung over to her and his glazed, unfocused eyes scanned her face. “I’m really sorry,” he slurred. His mouth hung open for just a moment, and a puzzled look came over him. Then, his head drooped and he began staggering towards the house.
Heather stayed with him, certain that he would fall over at any moment. Each step seemed more labored than the last. There was a moment when they first stepped inside that he stopped. His face scrunched up in disgust at the terrible smell, but eventually she had him moving again.
They made it past the carnage in the dining room and through the living room. She considered just letting him lie down on one of the dirty sofas, but it was so filthy and the smell…there was no getting used to it.
One at a time, she got Kevin to climb the stairs. It turned out not being as difficult as she’d anticipated. At last, they reached the second floor. To the left, an open door revealed a large linen closet; directly in front of her, a closed door. That would be the grandparents’ bedroom. To the right was a large, open area with windows on two walls, floor-to-ceiling bookcases on the third, and a short hallway that led to another bedroom and an enormous bathroom.
Figuring that the odds were good that the huge grandparents’ room would be empty, Heather brought Kevin to it. Still, no sense being foolish. She leaned him against the wall…slowly letting go and waiting to see that he wouldn’t fall over. He stayed put, and she leaned the heavy pipe-wrench against the wall as well. She preferred the sledge if the need arose.
Opening the door, all she smelled was a mustiness mixed with what she could best describe as old-people smell. The room was clear of any danger, and she got under Kevin’s arm once more.
“Almost there, Kevin,” she said softly.
She got him to the four-poster bed and eased him back. There’d been a standing rule that you slept with your boots on in case the need arose for a hasty departure. Kevin wouldn’t be doing anything hasty for awhile. She unlaced and removed his boots.
“Yuck,” she turned her head. His feet gave the zombies a run for their money in the stinky department. Next she peeled off both socks.
“You’re gonna have to get over this,” she sighed. Kevin was filthy.
Leaving him on top of the thick, goose-down comforter, she went downstairs. In the back yard was a hand-pumped water spigot. Hopefully, it still worked. Stopping in the kitchen, she grabbed a big pan that looked like it could hold a huge Thanksgiving turkey. Jogging outside, keeping an eye out for any signs of movement, she went to the pump. A few minutes later she was back upstairs with a pan of water.
She stripped Kevin, deciding to leave his underpants until the very end. It took over a dozen trips and she used half a bottle of body wash and six wash rags, but finally, Kevin was clean. She had to manhandle him in the end to get him to the floor so she could strip the bed. She’d dug out a pair of Grandpa Stanley’s boxers for him and tucked him in; his head bandaged, his body clean. As an afterthought, she tucked a rolled up blanket under his feet.
Face is red, raise the head. Face is pale, raise the tail. She’d remembered the mantra from her sophomore health class. She wasn’t exactly certain what it was supposed to be good for, but it probably couldn’t hurt.
Next, she tended to herself. Using the bathtub, she washed herself from head to toe. The first few trips to the pump, she’d wrapped a towel around herself. Eventually, she decided it was fairly pointless. Rummaging through the bathroom, she found what had probably been Gretchen’s razor. She changed the blades on each leg, and under each arm
. Afterwards, she went up to the third floor to Gretchen’s room.
Hanging up in the closet was her sweater. Too bad it was so cursed hot. Sifting around, she found a pair of plaid shorts and a white, short-sleeved blouse. Those will do for now, she smiled. In the top drawer of an enormous dresser she procured a bra and clean panties.
Feeling better than she had in awhile, she went to the windows and made a slow circuit. There wasn’t anything moving. The worst of the heat of the summer day made everything ripple. From the top floor, she had a better view of the fire. It was massive. She’d need to keep a watch in case the outpouring of Heath-zombies came their way, but it looked as if they could rest…at least for now.
15
Revelation
“What the fuck!” Lee’s head popped up.
“He was bitten.” I turned, the gun feeling very heavy in my hand.
“But—” Lee’s eyes were wide with…fear?
“There are no buts,” I cut him off. “I’ve watched somebody be allowed to turn before. It almost cost me dearly.” The sounds of that night, Thalia’s screams…Dave’s pleading…all of it echoed in my mind.
“You killed him in cold blood!” Lee’s voice rose in pitch and volume.
“And if you don’t shut up or quiet down,” I brought the gun up level with his chest, “I’ll kill you, too.”
“Steve!” Melissa, Ian, and Billy shouted almost in unison.
“This isn’t a game, people,” I said, not taking my eyes off—or pointing the gun away—from Lee.
“Hey, man,” Ian stepped closer to me, “I hear what you’re sayin’. But this ain’t the way.”
“You’ve missed a few meetings, Ian,” I tried to keep my voice calm. “Serenity is gone…wiped out. And now, besides Thalia, I’ve got Emily Smith to watch over.”
“Wait…who?” Billy scratched his head.
“Randall’s daughter,” I said.
“That government guy?” Ian asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “And I promised to take care of her. And that’s exactly what I intend to do. We’ve picked up a few and lost a few. And some of it because I didn’t act. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“What gives you the right to just execute people?” Lee challenged, only I noticed he did it a lot quieter.
“Survival,” I said flatly. “My right to survive, along with Thalia, Emily, Teresa…and anybody else in my care.” I glanced over at Melissa.
“But you don’t get to just shoot people,” Lee argued.
“Umm…yes…I do. That’s the whole deal. What you aren’t getting is that things aren’t like they were a few months ago. A bite is a death sentence. You get bit…you don’t get to endanger the group. There ain’t any ACLU no more,” I laughed. “No more appeals, no more nothing. So you can leave and start your own group…make your own rules. But if you stay with me and mine, then it’s my way.”
“You’re crazy.” Lee edged towards the door.
“And you ain’t goin’ anywhere right now.” I waved the gun a little for emphasis. “We came for supplies, but you decided to bring the whole zombie population down on us. So, you’ll sit down, shut up, and wait until I have what I’ve come for. Then, I’m heading back to camp. If you come, fine. If not, that’s fine, too. But you’ll not be doing a damn thing unless I say.”
“And if I do?”
“I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
“Y’all just gonna sit back and let this happen?” Lee turned to Ian, Billy, and Melissa.
“Aaron and Jamie with you?” Billy ignored the question, asking me one of his own.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “And Dr. Zahn, Teresa, Barry, and Randi.”
“Plus a couple of folks we picked up along the way,” Melissa added.
“They like him?” Billy hiked a thumb at Lee.
“No.” I shook my head.
“One of ‘em has a crush on Steve,” Melissa chuckled.
“Bigger than the one you have?” Ian joined the conversation.
“You’re all crazy!” Lee shook his head.
“What about Dave?” Ian asked.
That sobered me up quick. I slid my gun into its holster, no longer concerned about Lee. If it came down to it, he wouldn’t make it to the window. “Dave didn’t make it.” I walked over to where Jack’s body lay sprawled in a puddle of blood, half in and half out of the doorway. “Somebody give me a hand here.” I grabbed Jack’s wrists.
Billy and Ian both started forward, but Ian shot the young man a glance and he stopped. Grabbing the feet, Ian and I carried Jack up the dark hallway. We laid him down on the dirty linoleum floor of a tiny bathroom and shut the door.
“So,” I leaned against the door, “what happened to Joseph?”
“He went down under a swarm of those things.” Ian reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small bottle. He unscrewed the cap and the bitter smell of whiskey hit me. He took a big gulp and handed me the bottle before continuing. “Who ever the bastards were that hit us…knew we were coming. My guess is that they’d been watching us for a bit. I’m guessing they herded every zombie they could find into the buildings lining one street and just waited for us to go in. They had trailers of ‘em, too. Backed into the end of the block while we were inside a two-story building. They rigged it with speakers and had somebody calling for help.”
“What the hell did they want?” I asked.
“The weapons?” Ian shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. They fire-bombed every vehicle, so it wasn’t that. Maybe intel. You said Serenity is gone.”
“Yep.”
“Well they did grab somebody, but I didn’t see who. I was up to my ass in hungry zombies. To be honest, I didn’t hook up with Billy until the third day, and I almost killed him. He was crawling along this ditch and I was up in a tree. I had him in my sights when he pops his head up to look around. That’s when I saw his face, or he’d be dead.
“But you saw Joseph go under?”
“Ten feet from me. So…yeah, I saw,” Ian’s voice shook. “He was looking me in the eyes when one of those things was tearing out the side of his throat. I could see his mouth moving, then blood gushing from it when he tried to scream. I wanted to shoot him…put him down…out of his misery. But I couldn’t. I was down to my hand-to-hand weapons. There wasn’t time to re-load.”
“You said they grabbed one of our guys?” I tried to help change the subject.
“Yeah, but I don’t know who,” Ian said with a heavy sigh. I could tell he was still thinking about Joseph. It made me feel like a real first-class prick, putting him through this; not really even letting him enjoy the reunion. “I saw a guy in fatigues shoved through a door to one of the shops on the street.”
“Could it have been Jack Simpson?”
“Steve, I honestly don’t know,” Ian’s voice was straining a bit now.
“Okay,” I nodded. I waited a moment and then told him what we’d found, Simpson cuffed to a vehicle, the single bite.
“Fits with some of the sick shit I’ve seen out here,” Ian’s voice was quiet and I heard the exhaustion.
“Look,” I clasped his shoulder, “I know things are a little different, but I’d like you with us. You and Billy.”
“It wasn’t ever a question,” Ian said with a shrug. “I’m glad somebody is willing to take charge. It wasn’t gonna be me…ain’t my style.”
“So, in a few hours, still well before sunrise, I want to zip through this place. Do a snatch and grab,” I explained. “You up for it?”
“If it means being back with the old gang in a couple days, you bet.” Ian said with a renewed enthusiasm. “And, I gotta admit…I missed hearing your little girl laugh. I was married once, and the thing I looked forward to most was having kids.”
“You were married?”
“Yeah, but it didn’t work out.” I heard something in Ian’s voice that indicated that he was done talking about that subject.
“Let’s get back in with the others,” I s
uggested. “Oh yeah, help me keep an eye on Lee.”
“Not a problem.”
We walked back into the small room. Melissa and Billy were in a corner whispering…and laughing! Of course Lee was sitting against the far wall with a big scowl on his face.
“Welcome back, you two.” Melissa pushed away from the wall and came to wrap her arms around my waist.
“Everybody get some rest,” I announced. “We’re gonna allow for things to settle down. In a few hours we’ll see about doing a run-through of this place. Then, it’s back to camp.”
Within moments everybody downed some water and Ian shared some foil-wrapped power bars. Personally, I don’t know how those fitness-nuts did it. That thing tasted like spoiled chalk. I took watch and slipped back to the room where we’d climbed in through the window.
Staying back in the shadows, I watched them. On a few occasions, I heard one. I wondered if they understood each other. I mean, animals communicate, and those things used to be people. It’s probably just the slight dehydration and hunger talking …and the fatigue.
I don’t know.
After a few hours, I went and woke everybody. I don’t know if anything was said in my absence, but Lee seemed a bit docile. I’m not gonna argue or complain if it lets us get through the rest of this without losing anybody else.
“Melissa is with me, Billy and Ian are with Lee,” I said as I went through my ritual pat-down and weapons check. “Try to grab food with the thought that we have to haul this through the woods all the way back to camp.”