by Nord, K. C.
It's hard to believe that it's only been a few years since I was so young and carefree. I know that I'm only seventeen, but sometimes it feels like the last year has been ten instead of one. I yawned and leaned back on the bench. It's so peaceful and relaxing sitting here in the sunshine that I could almost go to sleep.
I have to laugh when a couple of cute little girls on the swingset, who couldn't be older than eight or nine, get into an argument over which one of them is going to marry a boy named Tommy. It gets even funnier when Tommy, who is playing on the slide, hears the girls and becomes very offended before he informs them that "girls are stupid and he's never going to get married."
As more children arrive at the park, I watch absent-mindedly as they begin playing hide-and-seek. A few of them run in the maze that's in the middle of the park. I'm not paying all that much attention when the man in front of the hotel. I figured that he's a parent, started walking down to the park. Instead, I'm watching a young couple argue in front of the bar and grill. It seems that the wife is mad because her husband or boyfriend drank too much and flirted with the waitress. That will be Tommy in a few years, I think, with a grin as they drive away with her in the driver's seat of the truck.
A few minutes later, some of the kids run screaming out of the maze. At first, I didn't think too much of it. Kids are always yelling and screaming. But when I saw the terrified looks on their faces, I knew that it was bad.
"There's a zombie inside the maze," one of the little girls said, crying so hard that I could hardly understand her.
"Go get the Sheriff," I yelled to them as I ran without hesitation towards the park. Two of the kids were still inside the maze with a zombie, and I couldn't wait for backup. Besides, I'd handled plenty of zombies in the last year and didn't see where one lone z would even be all that much trouble.
Once inside the maze, I stopped and listened intently, but everything was eerily quiet. Even a couple of cardinals that were sitting nearby in the hedge were completely silent and unmoving. It always gave me the creeps the way that animals behaved in the presence of a zombie. On some level, they knew that the zombie was unnatural, and their survival instincts told them to keep quiet. Humans don't always seem to have those survival instincts; we are too civilized, I guess. But I hope that the kids in the maze do have some of those instincts and manage to stay quiet. I thought as I approached the first turn in the maze.
Now I had to make the choice of either a right or a left turn, and operating on instinct, I choose the right. Most people, if they have a choice, will always take a right over a left. As I moved deeper into the maze, I became more worried. I was not too fond of the closed-off claustrophobic feeling that being inside the maze gave me. And I couldn't imagine the terror that those poor kids were going through. Actually, I did have a pretty good idea of what they might be going through, considering how my first encounter with a zombie had gone.
The maze center was a large open area complete with a cute little two-story playhouse and a teeter-totter in the yard. At first glance, everything looked abandoned, but the front door was open, which made me a little suspicious. I approached the door and looked inside. There was a bench against one wall and a small table and chairs in the corner, but otherwise, it seemed to be empty. I quietly stepped inside to get a better look when someone (Tommy) yelled from where he was hiding upstairs.
"Look out! He's behind the door."
I whirled around just as the door slammed shut behind me and my eyes widened in disbelief. Most zombies couldn't even figure out how to use a door, let alone have enough sense to try and trap someone inside. This one looked as if he was trapped somewhere between being a human and a zombie. He had the typical vacant expression, and his skin had the same dead pallor as a zombie. But his eyes,which hadn't taken on the characteristic milky-colored oxygen-starved appearance of a zombie's eyes, still seemed to hold some intelligence.
"That is strange," I whispered and took a step back when his eyes snapped to my face.
I raised my gun, intent on getting off a quick headshot, when I noticed the little girl on the floor behind him. She was huddled against the wall but looked to be otherwise unharmed. I hated to think what kind of damage it might do for her to see me blow him away right in front of her, but my options at this point were extremely limited, and I couldn't risk any of our lives.
"Tommy, I want you to climb out the window and find some help," I quietly ordered the boy who was starting to move around in the upstairs of the playhouse and agitate the zombie whose attention was now on him.
"Ok," he called and noisily pushed his way through the small upstairs window before dropping with a thud to the ground and racing away.
"Oh hell," I whispered when Tommy ran right by the larger downstairs window triggering the zombie's predatory instinct. It launched itself with an inhuman shriek at the window knocking me out of the way. My finger tightened on the trigger, harmlessly releasing a bullet into the ceiling as I stumbled back and fell against the wall.
"Just stay here, and you'll be ok," I looked up and reassured the little dark-haired dark-eyed girl who was staring at me wide-eyed from her spot against the wall.
I jumped to my feet and ran out the door seconds behind the zombie. Being small and fast, Tommy had the advantage, which he soon proved as he dashed through the maze. And just when I thought that the zombie might catch him, he slipped safely through a small hole in the hedge.
Following behind him, the zombie, now crazed by its lust for human flesh and obviously having no concepts of its own limits, became trapped with its body caught halfway through the hedge. It jerked and growled madly with its arms and legs flailing wildly.
This struck me so funny that I laughed so hard I almost cried as I went around to the other side of the hedge to finish him off. Finding humor in such a grim way might seem strange to some, but I believe that it's a coping mechanism that we all have, and in my opinion, it's better to laugh than to cry. Although, at this point, I was probably doing a little of both.
Nick arrived with the Sheriff right about the same time as me and stared at me strangely as I wiped my eyes and tried to compose myself. Of course, with Nick being Nick, it didn't take long for him to piss me off.
"Are you hysterical?" Nick asked with a frown.
"It's called laughter, Nick; you should try it once in a while," I snapped and noticed Sheriff Johnson trying unsuccessfully to control a smile.
"That looks like Jerry Jones," the Sheriff said, staring with a frown at the zombie. That was now snapping his teeth at him and waving its arms as it tried to grab anyone that was within reach.
"Who's Jerry Jones?" Nick asked.
"He was one of my deputies who disappeared last month. We searched all over for him, but there were no clues as to what might have happened to him."
"That's odd," I remarked. "But you can tell that he's newly turned."
"It makes you wonder where he's been for the last month."
"Maybe he just deserted his job?" Nick suggested.
"No, Jerry wasn't the hardest working fellow and liked nothing more than to sneak away for an afternoon nap. But he wasn't just the type to walk away from the job. We may never know what happened to him. But I guess that I should probably put the old guy out of his misery," the Sheriff remarked wearily.
Strangely enough, upon hearing his name, the zombie stopped struggling and snapping at us.
"Well, would you look at that," Sheriff Johnson whispered. " I almost think that he might be able to understand what we're saying."
I stepped a little closer, "Jerry, what happened to you?"
He opened his mouth and tried to speak a couple of times, but nothing would come out of his mouth. Showing some frustration, he shook his head and tried again when a weak raspy sounding voice emerged, "it was th-"
"Look out," Nick shouted.
I turned at the sound of a gunshot and glimpsed a lone gunman dodge behind the General Store. Jerry's body jerked, and his head exploded in
a spray of blood and gore. I stumbled back, and Nick pushed me down behind the hedge as the Sheriff hit the ground beside us.
Moving quickly, we crossed the road with Nick and me going around the right side of the store as the Sheriff came around the left. By the time we reached the back of the store, the gunman was long gone with only a couple of shell casings on the ground to show that he'd ever been there.
"What the hell was all that about?" the Sheriff questioned.
"It looks to me like someone didn't want to take a chance on him talking to us," Nick replied.
Sheriff Johnson frowned, "I don't know what the two of you have gotten yourselves mixed up in, but it's obviously something big."
Nick nodded his head, "the sooner we get back to New Orleans, the better."
Looking miserably at the ground, I didn't say anything; it just didn't seem right to leave when we had already come so far. We were so close to finding Lucas I just knew it, and the thought of us going back to Louisiana without him was just killing me!
"Hey," Nick said and put his arm around me. " I promise you, we're going to find your brother, but right now, this is bigger than the two of us."
I took a deep breath, "you're probably right, but it's so hard to leave when we're so close to finding him."
"If there's anything at all that I can do to help, just say the word, and my boys and I will be at your disposal," the Sheriff offered.
"Thanks for the offer; we appreciate it," Nick said and offered him a handshake.
Catching some movement out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Tommy and the little girl who had been hiding in the playhouse ran down the street together.
"Kids are a lot more resilient than most adults give them credit for, but I didn't imagine that they would ever want to play in that maze again," I remarked.
"No, I don't think that they would," the Sheriff replied. " Which is why we are going to remove it as soon as possible."
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I shivered slightly in the cool evening air as I leaned over the porch railing and stared off in the distance. The sun was starting to drop in the sky, and the temperature was dropping quickly. Moose sniffed and snorted a few feet away as he frantically started digging a hole out by the withered old oak tree in the front yard. He looked up and noticed me watching him before giving an excited little yip as he continued digging. Moose could always find something to keep himself entertained; I thought with a smile as his silly antics momentarily distracted me from my thoughts.
We would be leaving for Celeste's house back in New Orleans tomorrow, and I wasn't sure what I thought about it. Going home for reinforcements made the most sense, but I was still torn at the thought of leaving. Shivering again in the cold night air, I turned to call Moose inside when I caught a flash of movement from the corner of my eye.
I turned to look, squinting a little in the dim light. It looked as if someone was standing out by the barn. I walked to the end of the porch for a better look, it was a little hard to tell at this distance, but from his posture, I would almost swear that it was Lucas!
"Lucas," I whispered and ran across the yard, only stopping when I was a few feet away from him. I couldn't believe the changes in him; the last time that I'd seen him, he was still a boy. But now, he almost seemed like a grown man, a stranger; he'd grown so tall and strong in our months apart. Lucas had been the same height as me the last time that I'd seen him; now, he was several inches taller and broader as his lanky body had filled out. Whereas I, except for maybe losing a couple of pounds, had pretty much stayed the same.
He brushed back a lock of dark hair and mischievously grinned at me, and all of my thoughts of him being a stranger vanished.
"Lucas, I can't believe that you're back!" I exclaimed with joy and threw my arms around him, "I've been looking for you for so long." I stepped back with a frown, "where have you been all this time?"
" I'm not sure," he admitted. " I was pretty much out of my head for a long time after I was bitten. And except for bits and pieces here and there, I don't remember all that much ."
"I'm just glad to have you back with us," I said and grabbed his hand, still talking as I started walking towards the house. "Let's go tell Norah that you're back," I paused for a second, struck by a thought. "Do you even remember Norah?"
"I can't say that I do," He replied.
"That's ok, she's my best friend, and I know that you're going to like her just as much as I do."
He looked at me for a moment before adding with another grin, "I can't believe that you're so short."
"I'm not short; you've just grown," I said with a huff.
"Wait," Lucas said, resisting my pull. "There's someone that I want you to meet."
"Hey, Kaley."
I froze for a second when I heard Ethan's voice as he walked out from behind the barn, looking none the worse for wear after our run-in with Mabel.
"Ethan?" I questioned with a frown. "I thought that you were dead."
" I would have been if that crazy old woman and her boyfriend had gotten their way. As it was, I barely managed to get away from them," he said.
I frowned, something about this wasn't adding up, and I was starting to get a bad feeling, "How did you find Lucas?"
Ethan smiled, "I've known where he was all along."
Instantly I jerked my hand away from Lucas and stepped away from him as I drew my handgun with one smooth move.
"Start walking," I snapped, keeping my gun on Ethan.
"Oh, Kaley, For such a smart girl, did you really think that it would be so easy?" Ethan replied and raised his hands in mock surrender when I raised the gun to point at his forehead.
"Kaley, you're taking this all wrong; Ethan is just trying to help," Lucas said.
"Someone like Ethan doesn't just help people out of the goodness of their hearts," I gritted.
"Kaley, I can't believe that you think so little of me!" Ethan exclaimed mockingly.
"Can't you see that he's just using you?" I asked with a quick glance at Lucas, who was now staring dubiously at Ethan.
"Ok, fine," Ethan said and stopped in his tracks. "I'll tell you what's going on."
"Stop stalling and keep walking," I snapped impatiently.
"Too late," he replied, looking past me with a wink.
I stiffened when I felt the cold steel of a gun touch the middle of my back, and a hand reached around me to remove my weapon from my hand. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw a group of five heavily armed men spread out across the farm.
"Oh, Kaley, don't feel bad," Ethan mocked. "It's not like you even had a chance."
My eyes widened in anger, "You son-of-a-bitch!" I snapped and lunged for him. I was able to get in a couple of good punches before a couple of the soldiers pulled me off of him. I got away from them momentarily, causing Ethan to quickly scramble to his feet before they managed with a bit of difficulty to subdue me.
"Calm down, Kaley; they don't mean us any harm," Lucas said from behind me.
"Then why are they armed and trying to kidnap me?" I snapped.
"That's right, Kayle, calm down and listen to your brother," Ethan said with an annoying smile.
"Let me go, you traitor, and I'll show you just how well I listen," I snarled, feeling no small sense of satisfaction as I saw that Ethan's right eye was starting to swell and change color from my last punch.
He glared at me for a minute before his usual mocking look slid back over his features, "you might try and control the temper a little, Kaley. I guess it's true what they say about redheads."
Ethan hastily took a step back out of my reach when I suddenly lunged for him, almost breaking free from the soldier holding my wrists behind my back. Seconds later, I felt a sharp prick on the back of my neck; as everything started to fade away, the last thing that I heard was the sound of Moose barking in the distance.
AWARENESS CAME BACK slowly as the anesthesia started to wear off. I was lying on a comfortable bed and was aware that people we
re in the room around me, but I couldn't open my eyes, speak or move. I felt slightly nauseous, and the only part of my body that seemed to be in working order was my hearing.
"Shouldn't she be waking up by now?" I heard Ethan's voice ask from behind the head of my bed.
"Not necessarily; the dosage that she received was meant for a much larger person. She probably only weighs around 110 pounds, so I would imagine that she'll be out for a while longer."
"Damn," he swore loudly. The old man's going to be pissed that they messed up like that. Which, of course, means that it's all going to come back on me since I was the one in charge of this operation."
"I can give her something to help speed the process up some, but she's still going to be out for a while longer," the other man offered.
"Do what you can."
The men moved away, and I drifted back to sleep for a while longer when I became aware that I was no longer alone. I opened my eyes to see Bella sitting in a chair beside my bed. Remembering my last encounter with her, I quickly sat up and scooted back against the headboard.
"They changed my meds," she said with a tinkling laugh. "So you don't have to worry about me tearing your face off."
Disorientated and a little off-balance, I glanced uneasily around the room, "What is going on? And why am I here?"
Bella cocked her head sideways, "oh come on, Kaley, I thought that you were smarter than that. You have to at least guessed that we're family."
"Yeah, the coincidence was a little too large to overlook. So why the big cover up?"
"You would probably have to ask your parents about that; all that I can say for sure is that your dad (Jason) had some kind of a falling out with my dad."
"So you're my aunt?" I questioned with a frown. "But you still look so young?"
Startled, I jumped a little because I hadn't heard anyone else enter the room when a voice answered us from over by the door.
"I can probably answer all of your questions."
"Who are you, and what do you want with Lucas and me?" I asked the older dark-haired man.