by W. A Castle
I felt uneasy. The air was stale and stilled. Like when you go on a long trip and leave your house locked up tight and when you come back, everything feels stagnant.
Vince did a quick sweep of the house and came back with an all clear.
We raided the kitchen first. I ate a Go-Gurt as I put nonperishables into one of the duffle bags and perishables in another. It struck me as odd that the electricity was still running, but then again I knew nothing of how the grids got powered,
Maybe we should stay in a small town such as this and settle down for however long we can… Jax. I remembered why we couldn’t stay. Oh god, oh god, oh god, what was he going to do when he finds out I was bit and didn’t turn?
I threw the trash in the garbage can after we were able to find some flashlights and extra batteries and we were ready to get out of there. We did the same for the next four houses and even managed to find a gun and some extra bullets.
“How do you feel?” Vince asked me as we made our way to the next block. I sighed and shook my head, “I feel fine. I wish everyone would stop asking me that. I’m not suddenly going to turn… at least I don’t think so.” I muttered that last part to myself.
“You were bitten, and you didn’t turn. That just doesn’t happen. Cut us some slack.” He shrugged and smiled at me.
“Fine, fine. I feel, I don’t know. Like… a new version of me. Maddie 2.0.”
“How so?” Vince frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“For example, being out here in the open, that’s new for me.” At his quizzical look I explained, “I’m an agoraphobic. I haven’t really left my house in ten years.”
Vince opened his mouth and shut it a few times before giving up on thinking of something to say. Time to change the subject.
“So, you’re a doctor.” I pause to figure out how to approach the subject subtlety.
“Yep.” Vince breathes out as he peers inside our next house.
“Did you see this before? Before the world went crazy, did you see people get sick like this before?” I whispered Vince stayed quiet for a long time that I thought he was going to ignore me.
“No. Yes. I heard rumors but I never saw it with my own eyes until that 4th of July night.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose and wiped the sweat from his eyes. It was hot as Satan’s balls out here in the desert.
“My brother works… or worked… at the CDC. He didn’t tell me anything that was going on but days before he’d called me after not speaking to each other for nearly a decade to warn me to be careful.”
“So, the CDC knew about this?” I gasped. Why hadn’t they warned the public if they had known about this virus or whatever it was days before all hell broke loose?
“I don’t know for sure. I certainly didn’t know shit until the first patient came into in my clinic and imagine me when the she came back to life and started to attack the other patients.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. I could see in his eyes that some horrendous shit had gone down, fuck, horrendous shit had gone down everywhere that night.
“I’m sorry about your brother.” I whispered.
“I don’t know what happened to him. He could be dead, he could be bunkered down. Fuck, I don’t know.”
He was still talking when we broke into the house. It was one of the bigger houses in the block and there were children’s toys scattered everywhere around the house.
My stomach churned as I walked around the living room and saw pictures of four little boys all different ages smiling and laughing at the camera.
I quickly opened and searched inside the drawers for anything useful, I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.
“I’ll go check upstairs.” Vince called out from the stairs in the hall.
“Yep!” I called back.
I was in the study trying to fruitlessly pry open the safe I had found behind a painting when a yell broke through the house, followed by expletive words. I dropped the crowbar in my hands and ran up the stairs calling out for Vince. All I could hear were his grunts and growling.
Shit, shit, shit! My hand whipped to the back of my jeans and I protruded the gun. My hands shook as I pulled the safety off.
“Vince!”
“Over here!” Vince’s voice sounded strangled.
I ran to the back of the second floor and I skid to a stop and flew back against the wall. Vince was in the doorway trying to hold off three bite-sized flesh eaters.
A dry sob escaped me and I lost feeling of my hands. The gun dropped to the floor with a loud thud.
“Get back Madison! Arghh!” Vince let out a growl when one of the little boys sunk his teeth into his forearm. Vince’s voice had sounded strangled because of the tears streaming down his face.
I reached down and picked up the gun again. I ran to Vince’s side and raised my hand level to the little flesh eater’s head and pulled the trigger. The other two successively followed. It was so fast that Vince stumbled back when the weight pushing against him disappeared. Instinctively I walked around the now, dead, boys, (I cast my eyes away from them) and walked further into the room. There had been four boys in the living room picture. Plus two parents.
When I got to the middle of the room, I dropped to the floor harshly and my stomach contents came up. I dove to the side and upheaved. I grunted as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and I pressed my free fist against my chest to ease the pain in my heart.
In the smallest of the beds in the room laid the picked apart pieces of the smallest of the boys, right beside the bed, on the floor, laid a half-eaten man. The father of the boys, although he no longer had a face, I just knew. I got up and looked around the room looking for the mom. I opened the closets but nothing.
I wish you got away, I said to her in my head. My eyebrows raised and my eyes bulged from their eye sockets. The dad was not only missing his face, half his skull was gone and so was his brain…
I backed away quickly, tripping over the bodies of the small boys. I fell back, taking Vince down with me hard. I scrambled to my feet and ran down the stars.
“Fucking shit!” I heard Vince scream from upstairs. His steps thundered as he ran down the steps.
“Fuck, Maddie. That was…”
“I know.” I whispered. I wrapped my arms around me. I didn’t want to keep searching the houses anymore. I felt like I could be sick any second now.
Vince placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, “I’m sorry you had to-”
“You were bitten!” I screamed as I grabbed onto his arm. The image of the little flesh eater biting into him flashed in my mind. He pulled his arm away from me. I stared at him wide eyed.
“Oh my god, Vince, I’m so sorry.” Tears threatened to spill from my eyes at this point. I kept thinking about Adrie. Was Vince’s fate going to be like Adrie’s or like mine?
“Don’t tell anyone Maddie.” He pulled his sleeve down and fished one of the sweaters he had taken from the first house we searched.
“What? What do you mean?” I wiped away the slobber from my chin and dried my eyes.
“I don’t think I’m going to turn. No use in worrying the others.” He hitched his glasses up his nose and looked at me over his glasses.
“What the hell are you…?” I shut my mouth when he pulled up the sweatshirt and his shirt underneath up all the way until it was under his chin.
My nostrils flared and my hand reached out to Vince’s abdomen and then to his chest. Healed bite marks. What. The. Fuck.
“You were… bit, when?” My eyes flew to his. I was breathing fast and my hands had gone numb again.
Vince sighed and pulled his clothes down, “It happened that first night. When things got out of control and we were overrun by those things. The ones you call flesh eaters. I’d seen the transition happen in others and I was so sure I was going to die. But I didn’t. When I woke up the wounds had healed. I tried to get out of where I was holed up a few days later and I got attacked half way out the ambulance bay. I was
pinned and,” He placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to his back, “I was swarmed and the fuckers almost ate me alive.”
I bit my tongue and pushed away the need to ask him to show me those wounds. I was beyond myself. Vince had been bitten and he hadn’t turned. Just like me!
“You… you didn’t turn.” I looked up at him with a smile wanting to break out through my face. Maybe the sickness didn’t turn everyone. Maybe, like with every other illness, there must be those that were immune.
“I didn’t know what to think this morning when they told me you had been bitten and you woke up just like I had. I don’t know what it means, but I’m fucking glad I ran into you.” He looked down and away from me, “Let me go get my gear and then we can get the fuck out of here.” He warily headed back up the stairs to what awaited him up there.
Vince and I decided to keep what had happened between us. But I would keep a close eye on him to make sure what he said was true and he didn’t turn. I believed him, but you never know.
“What did you guys find?” Pattie ran up to where we were dumping our finds and were sorting through them.
“I found a new doll for you, pumpkin.” Aaron kneeled in front of his daughter and held out a porcelain doll to her. I widened my eyes and inwardly cringed. Porcelain dolls were too creepy, still, I couldn’t help smile but at Pattie’s squeal of laughter at her new possession.
I felt a presence behind me and turned around to see momma approaching me. She smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “I’m glad you’re back, kiddo.”
I just smiled at her and looked around for Trevor. “Have you seen Trevor or Eli?” After we had come in Trevor and Eli disappeared and I hadn’t seen them since.
“No. Sorry sweetheart.”
“Where’s Diego?” I had found him a few baby clothes at one of the houses, I hoped they fit him, if not, he could either grow into them or I would just leave them behind.
“In the lounge area upstairs, I think Clara is feeding him and reading him a book.”
Before momma had finished talking I was already heading up the stairs. As I approached the kid’s section I could hear voices talking, and at the mention of my name I quietly walked closer to eavesdrop on what they were saying.
“Be that as it may be, I don’t feel comfortable around that girl. And I don’t think it’s safe for Diego to be around her.”
“Oh shut up Val, Maddie’s his mother for fucksake.” An annoyed Clara huffed, “if you really don’t feel comfortable here, you could just leave, you know.”
Val scoffed, “She’s the one that should leave. She’s a freak. I know you can see it too, something’s off about that girl.”
My eyes prickled, I had a thick skin but hearing that the fact I hadn’t died upset someone, it rattled me. I didn’t even know Val and I couldn’t believe how much she despised me.
“I like her, anyone who came back from the dead would be changed, no doubt. You’re just being a bitch Val.”
“Hey guys.” I cleared my throat and walked out from behind the bookcase. I smiled big and pretended I hadn’t been listening to their conversation. Val instantly sat up on her chair and shot me an awkward glance.
“I, uh, will go see what the others are up to.” She got to her feet and practically ran down the stairs.
“That woman’s got issues.” Clara laughed. I let out an airy laugh and shook my head.
“How’s he doing?” I kneeled in front of her and ran a finger across Diego’s cheek; his little hand came up and grabbed my finger with his whole hand.
“He’s a champ. I’ve never met a quieter, less fussy baby. And believe me, I have baby-sited all of my cousins babies.” Clara’s eyes started to glimmer as she reminisced.
“Do you know if your family is okay?” I whispered to her.
Clara sniffled loudly and shook her head, “We tried calling them every day, but they never picked up. Eventually we accepted that they were gone.”
I nodded and placed my hand on top of hers briefly.
“Thank you for looking after Diego. I feel like while I’m falling apart you’ve been here looking after him when I can’t.” And thank you for not looking at me like I’m a freak. I swallow those last few words.
Clara gives a watery laugh, “You’re not falling apart, girl. You’re going through some shit. I don’t mind looking after this handsome boy.” Clara sits Diego up and bounces him on her lap, he smiles wide and peals in laughter.
“We’re all going through some shit.” I laugh.
“You were bit. I don’t think anyone can say that and still be alive.”
My mind flew to Vince. He could.
I cleared my throat and reached for Diego, “I found some clothes for him and I want to see if they fit.”
“Sure.” Clara handed me Diego and stood to leave, “I’ll leave you two alone.” She smiled warmly at me before leaving.
I sighed happily and sat on the floor, I lifted Diego up to my face to give him a kiss and let him rest his head on the crook on my neck and shoulder as I took everything out from my bag. I’d filled my own duffel bag with everything I thought he would need for now.
I couldn’t have been trying on clothes on him for more than half an hour when a crash came from downstairs followed by a shriek and then more screaming.
I rushed to my feet when I heard gunshots. I tucked Diego in my arms and ran to the railing expecting to see flesh eaters downstairs. But what I saw was more terrifying than any flesh eater could have been.
Whooping came from downstairs and more crashing glass cut through the quiet of the library.
I ran away from the railing and threw all of Diego’s clothes back into the bag. I reached behind me and pulled the gun from my waistband.
Looters.
“I know you’re up there bitch! We saw y’all when y’all came in!” A man’s voice yelled from downstairs.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!
“Come down now or we will go up there and kill you and your brat!”
I stumbled a few steps back. I frantically ran around the second floor looking for an emergency exit.
I stopped abruptly. Had I really considered escaping and leaving my people behind? I looked down at Diego who was whimpering in my arms. I placed a chaste kiss on his forehead and rocked him. My brain took over and played through each scenario. Self-perseverance wanted me to move towards the emergency exit in the back of the room and escape. I could put enough distance between Diego, and the looters. They wouldn’t follow us. I knew that. But I had people that mattered to me here, momma, Trevor, Eli and even Clara.
My heart beat thrummed heavily in my chest as I heard footsteps running up the stairs. Whoever was coming up excluded a deep scent of adrenaline. At the moment I couldn’t dwell on how the fuck I knew what adrenaline fucking smelled like, I just knew. The steps were heavy and determined. Diego reached a tiny hand to my chin and slapped against my chin twice.
I secured him between some cubicles in the corner and placed my duffel bag in front of him to obscure him. I turned to the coming footsteps. A young woman in a dirty grey hoodie sneered at me. My eyes went to the knife in her hand, she had it poised ready to attack. The bags under her amber eyes were deep and she had new and faded bruises on her face and neck.
“Go away.” I snarled. The girl’s sneer widened to a grimace, “Get down there with the rest, bitch.” She waved the knife around for emphasis, “Where’s the baby?”
I raised an eyebrow at her in an unspoken question: How do you know about the baby.
“We’ve been watching you guys since you ran into the hordes of those dead things.”
“The flesh eaters? They aren’t dead, girl.” I said quietly. The young girls eyes widened and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a booming voice from downstairs, “What’s taking so fucking long, Lace?”
“Get your ass downstairs bitch.” The young girl snarled.
“Not gonna happen. Get your friends and leave.
The town is virtually untouched, you can loot the stores. You don’t need to mess with us.” I could feel an unfamiliar heat taking over my body. It made my blood boil… literally. I was ready to tear the girl in front of me to pieces. Before the young girl was able to take two steps towards me I charged at her and pushed her over the railing. I followed her until I crashed into the railing and watched her body land with a loud thud and a crack as her head split open on the linoleum floor on the first floor.
As the girls hair became soaked and a halo of her red blood started to surround her head, curses came from somewhere outside of my line of vision and soon two teenagers in hoodies came to see the young girl’s broken body. One, then the other, looked up and saw me leaning over the railing. I looked at them wide eyed. I had… I had killed someone. An uninfected… Oh god, oh god, oh god.
I gasped when one of them raised his gun and shot in my direction. I yelped and ducked. My fingers closed around my own gun. I looked at it unsure what to do with it. It was one thing to use to kill flesh eaters, another completely different to use it against an uninfected.
“You killed her! I’m going to gut you, you cunt!” One of the teenaged boys yelled up at me.
I stood up and pointed my gun at him. The first shot missed him by two feet but the next two got him right on the chest. I was seeing red. It wasn’t enough that our lives hung on the balance every day under the threat of being torn apart and eaten alive by the infected, now we had to fear the healthy? This town was virtually untouched when we raided the houses, these people didn’t have to burst into the library and try to rob us blind. I was taken aback by my bloodthirst but they had threatened Diego and the people I cared about. That wasn’t going to end well… for them.
I ran down the stairs, taking them two at the time. When I made it downstairs I saw that the group was being held back by three pimple faced teenagers with guns. One of the guns was pointed right at momma. My blood ran hotter.
“I will give you a chance,” I gritted out, my head lowered and my eyes glaring with the deadly threat, “Leave now, or you will die.”