Ashley backed up. “What was that?”
He turned toward them holding a pitcher of tea. “What?” he asked.
He opened the freezer to take out an ice tray and the light went on again.
“That!” Ashley cried in girlish excitement that should have been reserved for learner’s permits and proms, but had now moved to more mundane things.
“The light,” Meghan whispered. “I think she means the light. How is there a light? How is there ice?”
“Oh.” He shrugged as he poured three glasses of iced tea. “Solar generator. I built right when this all started. I don’t overuse it, but it’s enough to run the fridge and heat the water for a shower a few times a week.”
“Showers!” This time it was Meghan who couldn’t resist the girlish squeal.
“You’re free to use them, but first let’s talk.” He sat down at the kitchen island and motioned to the bar stools across from his.
Meghan sat down, still stunned by the concept of showers. Ashley grabbed her glass with both hands and ohhed and ahhed over the slippery cold of it before she guzzled the drink in a few long sips.
“What are your names?” he asked with a little smile.
“Meghan and this is Ashley.”
Ashley was digging for the ice in the bottom of her glass with her tongue and only managed a grunt.
“And how old are you?” he asked.
“Eighteen and fifteen,” Meghan admitted. “But we don’t trade for, um, favors, so if that’s what you want, forget it.”
His face twisted in disgust. “You two are younger than my kids were before-” He stopped with a frown. “Well, let’s just say I’m not interested in that, okay? But I’m worried that you’re on your own. Where are you heading to exactly?”
Ashley looked at him. To Meghan’s surprise her younger sister, who had been shy of strangers since “the incident” in California, was actually smiling at this man.
“Our parents had a cabin about sixty miles past the border into Colorado,” she said. “We thought they might have run there after the outbreak. If not, we want to stay there until spring and then we might try the house over in Fort Collins.”
He frowned. “That’s a long way to go for such young women. Especially now.”
Meghan rested her elbows on the countertop and met his eyes evenly. “Mister, we came from California all alone. We can make it a few hundred miles more. We just need a little help.”
She pulled the list they’d made in the camp the day before from her pocket and set it face down on the counter. “This is what we need. I’ve put stars next to the things we can find on our own or already have. We’re hoping you can help us with the rest for a reasonable price.”
He didn’t take the note, but just held her gaze. “Why don’t you two try out those showers,” he said. “And there are some clothes in the drawers and closet in the second bedroom to the left that might fit you. I’ll look at your list and let you know what I can do for you when you come down.”
Meghan and Ashley exchanged a glance and her sister shrugged. “We could take turns watching for the other.”
He smiled. “That sounds like a plan, though I promise not to set a toe upstairs. I’ll just be down here.”
Meghan looked at him. She had learned to read people better since the “incident” in California. And with this man, she felt something she hadn’t for months.
Trust.
“Okay. We’ll hurry.”
The girls got up and moved toward the back staircase that led into the kitchen. But at the bottom of the stairs, Ashley turned to look at him.
“So if your name isn’t MacGyver, what is it?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter anymore. They call me Mac when they come see me, so I guess you can go with that, too.”
Ashley bit her lip and seemed troubled, but then she nodded. “Okay. Thanks Mac.”
#
“Why won’t he tell us his real name?” Ashley asked as she pulled a Skye High School t-shirt over her head and then shook some of the water from her long blonde hair. The shirt was too big and Meghan almost smiled. Her sister looked fifteen right now.
It was so unfair that she couldn’t act like it.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged as she combed through her own damp locks and then pulled them back using a clip she’d found in the bathroom. “He lost his family to the Outbreak and God knows what else. Sometimes people want a fresh start. And a new name is a definitely that.”
“Yeah, but we all got a reset button pushed on us in August,” her sister insisted. The jeans she was wearing were too big, too, so she rolled them up around her ankles. “And I still use my name. Don’t you worry he’s a serial killer or something?”
Meghan pondered the idea. “I guess he could be. But he didn’t come up here while we were getting ready. We aren’t locked in. We still have our guns. And he doesn’t look at us like we’re… um… fresh meat. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll keep an eye on him. But for now, I think we just have to take it at face value that he’s just a guy that can get things done for people. And that’s how he survives out here.”
Ashley sighed. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”
“Either way, let’s go downstairs and see what happens next.”
Ashley followed her out. At the top of the stairs, Meghan checked for the gun in her waistband and the knife attached to her thigh by a stretchy piece of lycra she’d fashioned at least a month ago. When she was satisfied she was still armed well enough to handle any kind of attack, she started down the stairs.
Mac was still at the kitchen island. He had their list spread out over the counter and was leaning over it, his brow wrinkled. When Meghan entered the room, he looked up and smiled.
“Better?” he asked.
Both girls nodded. “Are you sure taking the clothes is okay?” Meghan asked. If they were his daughter’s, she didn’t want to walk out with them without verifying.
He shrugged. “Sure. Might as well use them.”
Ashley stepped forward. “Look, I appreciate the use of the shower and the iced tea. But we need to know, can you help us? Because if you can’t, we have to get on the road before we run out of light.”
His eyebrows both lifted and then he smiled. “Well, you are direct aren’t you?”
“You kind of have to be nowadays,” Meghan said with a quick glance at her sister. “So can you help us?”
He held up the list. “You want a modified vehicle.”
Meghan nodded. “Yeah.”
“You realize that motorcycle isn’t going to cut it. I can’t do anything useful with it.”
Ashley shrugged. “We’ll go get a car. We saw one on the way in.”
“Stripped it a few weeks ago.”
Meghan stared at him. “How do you know?”
“Is it the red car on the exit ramp about twenty miles back?”
Ashley pursed her lips. “Yeah.”
“Stripped. Trust me, I have a lot of people coming here to get my help. Somebody stripped it. But, I do have something you might be able to use. If you do something for me.”
At that, Ashley’s gun was out of her holster and she pointed it across the counter in Mac’s face. “Seriously?”
He leaned back. “Not that, little girl. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Then what?” Meghan asked. She hadn’t reached for her gun like her trigger-happy baby sister, but she was ready to do it if she felt like the situation got messed up.
“I need you to get something for me. Something from my house.”
Ashley lowered her gun and shot Meghan a questioning look. “Your house? Isn’t this your house?”
He barked out a laugh. “This? No way. I was here doing some work when the Outbreak happened. The guy who owned this place was killed and I locked myself in. I haven’t left since.”
Meghan blinked. “But-then how do you know that your family is dead?”
He shrugged, but his face was no
w a mask of blank, emotionless control. “My wife managed to make it over here on the second day. She was bitten, but before I had to… take care of it, she told me the girls were dead.”
Meghan swallowed. She hadn’t had to kill anyone she knew. She could hardly imagine having to make that kind of decision about her parents. Or worse…
She looked at Ashley and found that her sister was staring at her. They were thinking the same thing. They never talked about it. But it was clear that would change as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry,” Ashley whispered as she looked away from Meghan. “I’m so sorry.”
“I want a picture,” he said without acknowledging Ashley’s attempt at comfort. “From my house.”
Meghan wrinkled her brow. “But you’ve had people coming to you for weeks and weeks. Why didn’t you ask one of them for it?”
He shifted. “You girls are almost the same age my girls were. Just a few years younger. And seeing you reminds me… Look I just want the picture. If you get it for me I’ll help you.”
“How far is your place?” Meghan asked.
He shook his head. “Not far. Ten miles Northwest.”
“Why don’t you get it?” Ashley asked.
He bit his lip. “I don’t leave.”
Meghan wrinkled her forehead. “You don’t leave? What do you mean?”
“I don’t leave,” he said, this time through clenched teeth. “I’m safe here. I don’t leave.”
Ashley tilted her head. “But you’re… you’re a grown-up.”
Meghan sighed. “Doesn’t mean he can’t be scared.”
He frowned but didn’t debate that. “So is it a deal? You get the picture, I’ll get you the car.”
“And a solar generator like yours,” Ashley said.
Meghan turned toward her. “Ashley!”
“We need it. The cabin will be cold and dark. It would be good to have limited access to electric for certain things.” Ashley held out a hand. “Is it a deal?”
Mac laughed. “You’re a natural negotiator, my dear. It’s a deal.”
Meghan sighed. “Well, I guess we better start out. The sooner we go, the sooner it will be over and we’ll be back.”
Ashley nodded. “Get the car ready. We have a picture to find.”
#
“The GPS says to turn right on the next street,” Ashley said over Meghan’s shoulder and Meghan steered the motorcycle the way her sister said. “It should be on the right… 1910, 1912, there it is… 1914.”
Meghan cut the engine and pulled the revolver from her waistband. “Stay sharp. These are exactly the conditions where we’re going to find zombie pods.”
Ashley nodded as both of them climbed off the bike. Ashley dug the key from her jeans pocket.
“Where did you get that?” Meghan asked.
Ashley shrugged. “Mac gave it to me while you were getting your boots on and he was setting the GPS. He wasn’t sure if his wife locked the door behind her.”
Meghan squeezed her eyes shut. “When she was getting attacked by zombies, you mean?”
Ashley shivered as they approached the front door. “Yeah. There’s that. Cover me?”
Meghan nodded and readied her gun as Ashley turned the knob. It opened without the key, so her sister tossed it over her shoulder. It clinked against the sidewalk and into a flower bed. When Meghan glared, Ashley shrugged.
“What? It’s not like anyone needs it anymore.”
“Good point, now pay attention. Reno. Think Reno.”
Ashley straightened up and the barrel of her gun was suddenly very straight. “Go,” she whispered.
Meghan kicked the door in and flattened against the wall on the other side like she’d seen done in a million cop movies over the years. Her sister did the same on the other side and closed the door. Meghan reached around to lock it and took a deep breath. The house was dark because the shades were drawn and it smelled faintly of death and decay.
Not a good sign.
“Curtains,” Meghan whispered and grabbed the cord to lift the shade closest to her. Light flooded the room and she flinched at the brightness and looked around. Dust covered every surface of the furniture, but otherwise there would have been no way to guess that the people here were gone. Everything was in its place. Everything was still ready for the family to return.
It was kind of creepy. Like they’d somehow stumbled into a life-sized doll house.
“Looks like a living room to the right,” Ashley said, ever focused on the business at hand. Meghan smiled. Her sister was younger, but sometimes wiser. Though she wasn’t about to admit that out loud. Ever.
“And a kitchen to the left,” Meghan said. “Let’s clear the living room first.”
With a nod, Ashley followed her into the living room. The house was small, so the room was a little cramped and the furniture was well-worn. It was also empty except for the emaciated corpse of what had apparently been a dog.
“That explains the smell,” Meghan sighed. In some way, she was relieved by the discovery. If the rot was from a dead animal, that might mean they’d escape without encountering zombies.
“Kitchen?” Ashley asked, her face pale and drawn. She’d always been sucker for animals.
“Sure, lead the way,” Meghan motioned her toward the entryway. “Carefully!”
Ashley shot her a look but she did slow her creeping as they passed through the main hall and into the cramped, out-dated kitchen on the other side of the house. It, too, was empty.
Meghan set her gun down on the dirty counter. “Check the cabinets for non-perishables.”
Ashley nodded and took one set while Meghan took the other. They loaded up their backpacks with stale bags of chips, a cheapo bag of chocolate chip cookies and a few cans of beans and store-brand soup.
“Fridge?” Ashley asked.
Meghan shook her head. “No way. Everything in there has got to be rotted. I don’t want to unleash the smell, I’ll have it in my nose for hours.”
“But there could also be stuff in there like medicine or something,” her sister reasoned.
Meghan folded her arms. “Still not worth the-”
She didn’t get to finish the word “smell”. Before she could there was a sound behind them. Meghan pivoted to see a zombie standing in the kitchen entryway. She was a girl with what was left of a ponytail, though much of her dark hair had fallen out as her flesh rotted. She was wearing what was left of a t-shirt that seemed to have once said something about cheerleading.
And even though her face was gray and damaged, Meghan could see she was the spitting image of her Dad.
Mac.
“Oh shit,” Ashley muttered as the girl lunged for Meghan.
Meghan scrambled for her gun, but before she could get there Ashley fired. The zombie stiffened as the bullet pierced her forehead and splattered the rotting remains of her brains on the wall behind her. Then she toppled backward and lay still.
“Didn’t he say he had two daughters?” Meghan asked as she grabbed for the gun she had stupidly set aside.
Ashley nodded and her hand was shaking while she reloaded the chamber so that it was full. “He did.”
“Ok, then let’s clear the rest of the house, then we’ll find this stupid picture and get out of here before it gets to be dark.” Meghan smiled, but it was just a mask. It was always just a mask.
They moved toward the back of the house in the narrow hallway. Meghan could hear a faint, muffled thumping from the very back room and she swallowed hard. The other sister.
“Is that her?” Ashley asked.
Meghan nodded. There was a door at the end of the hallway that had been blocked by big boards nailed to the walls around the door. They were streaked with blood and Meghan shook her head. “Looks like she’s in that back bedroom.”
“I think they blocked her in there too late,” Ashley whispered. “Since both of them went zombie anyway.”
The zombie on the other side of the door was banging against
it. The boards shivered and Meghan could see where she had already nearly clawed through the door itself. There were thin spots that were almost transparent, she could see movement through them, but not the zombie girl behind it.
“I’ve been thinking about the story Mac told us. About having to kill his wife after she made it to the farm.” Meghan looked at Ashley.
Ashley bit her lip. “Me too. We’ve never talked about… it. You know, what would happen if one of us… if we…”
Meghan nodded to interrupt her. “You don’t have to say it. Don’t say it. But what he did was right. If anything ever happened to me, you have to shoot me, okay. Don’t go doing what Mac’s wife did and lock me up somewhere. Obviously that didn’t work for them.”
They both looked at the door and Ashley shivered. “She’s been in there for two months, Meghan. Trapped in that room, roaming around in zombie rage and hunger. All alone. She would have been better off dead.”
“Exactly.” Meghan grabbed for her sister’s hand. “So let’s just promise it right now: Love before mercy, right?”
“It’s pretty messed up that love is now putting a bullet through your sister’s skull,” Ashley said with a shiver. “But you’re right. Love before mercy.”
“Okay, so let’s put this poor girl out of her misery because this is the stupid room that Mac’s picture is in.” Meghan sighed. “And then let’s get out of here.”
“Steel toed boot to the thin part of the door,” Ashley said as she peered at the barrier in front of them. “When she pokes her head out, shoot her.”
“Sounds like a plan, General Ashley,” Meghan laughed.
Her sister stepped back and took a deep breath. “Here’s hoping my foot doesn’t get caught.”
With that comforting statement, she kicked the door. The damaged wood splintered and as Ashley backed away, the zombie trapped in the room stuck her head of the hole that had been created. She growled and spit sludge at the girls while she struggled to get an arm past her head and out of the tiny hole.
“Sorry,” Meghan said and then pulled the trigger.
In the Dead: Volume 1 Page 11