Life After Death

by Jeffrey Reames

  I have Rosie go outside the fort door and knock for the only house to trick or treat at. I open the door, only to hear...

  "Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat!"

  She giggles and smiles really big. I bust out laughing and ask her where she heard that. She says the television.

  I hold up her Baggie of M&M's. Her face lights up. "Where did you find them?"

  "I had them kept away for a rainy day, little princess!"

  She laughs again and hugs me. "Thank you, Davina Bug."

  I almost forgot I was wearing my costume. I smile at her and hug her back. "Thank you, Rosie."

  "What I do?"

  "Helped make this day, perfect. Now let's go inside and watch a movie and eat our treats!"

  "Yeah!!!!"

  She side-steps me, plucking the bag from my hand as she runs inside. That's when I hear the gravel crunching along the long driveway. I can see a car kicking up dust as it makes its way to the house and garage.

  I automatically think it is my dad, but thank God I am still cautious. I ran inside and grabbed a rifle and a glock and crouch against the garage castle wall. The car stopped right in front of the door to the house. I had dragged the greaser and weeble wobble around the back of the house.

  The car, a silver Kia sportage, idled by the door. It had Tennessee tags. Two teen females got out on either side, at the same time. I barely heard the one say to the other, "do you see anything?"

  I assumed zombies, but then I recognized them from my high school! They were seniors. I think one was named Lacey and the other was always with the goths. I think her name was Debi. She didn't look goth anymore. Both looked disheveled. Lacey wore a baseball cap, with her long dark hair through the gap in the back. She had on a dirty hoodie and ripped jeans. Debi was taller with black jeans and a black jacket. I guess you couldn't take the goth completely out of her. Debi's wavy blonde hair stuck out from a cap too.

  "Let's go in and check. That girl back in school said Davina's dad was crazy. I'm sure we will find some supplies here. He was one of those preppers."

  They went inside. I didn't hear much, except for a crash. I ducked down to not be seen out of any upper windows. I had Rosie go back in the fort and close the door.

  Lacey and Debi came out with an old box of Ritz bits that must have maybe been in the night table of my dad's room. He always ate them.

  "There has to be more somewhere! They were preppers."

  "I don't know. I never talked to her much. They could have a cabin somewhere. Davina isn't here."

  "Yeah, we have no idea. Let's check the garage and get going before it gets dark. We don't want to attract those things."

  I hunkered down and crouch scrambled to the fort. I whispered for Rosie to be quiet and stay here. I ran back outside and headed for the wall above the garage door.

  They were already there. I could hear them trying to lift the door, but without electricity the thing was like lifting 400 pounds. My dad picked that one for this reason.

  There were no windows on the big double door. There were three small foot wide by about eight inch windows about six feet up on the two sides. High enough to let some light in, but not enough space to get in to the garage.

  I followed them on the roof as they walked around.

  "Here, hold me up." Lacey said to Debi.

  Debi held out her cupped hands and Lacey stepped up to the window. She looked around.

  "I see a truck and a four wheeler. Some tools. No food. Nothing."

  "Dang it!"

  "It was worth a try. They must be somewhere else." Lacey said, as she jumped down.

  "Could be anywhere."

  "Yeah, let's get back."

  "I'm hungry."

  "We will search more houses. There's food out there. We feast on some ritz crackers tonight."

  "Okay. I just don't want to go to those camps."

  "Me neither. We will be okay."

  What camps? I wanted to jump up and say, "Hey, I'm up here!" But, I knew better. I can't let my heart control me right now. We have a lot of food, but add more mouths to feed, and with dad coming home, I will not jeopardize myself or Rosie. Yeah, I know I did it for Rosie, but she wouldn't have anyone to take care of her. These guys were at least older and could try and fend for themselves. He said there was food out there.

  They walked back to their Kia and drove away. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I have to figure that more people may come and might not leave as easy or may see me from the house. I went inside to Rosie who had eaten her baggie of candy. I gave her mine and started a movie for us. I only paused it twice to inspect around the yard. Rosie almost made it through the entire movie. I covered her up. I was glad that her little cold was gone. Soon, I would have to see about heating up the small fort. Luckily there wasn't much space and some good insulation, it shouldn't be too hard. I'll look at the heater tomorrow and just wait for my dad.

  November 1st

  Another rainy and foggy morning. No sightings... Alive or dead. No dad. Sigh. I think even Rosie is bored. So, I tell her about going to Disney World. I was a little older than she is now. So, I remember some stuff. I remember seeing Mickey Mouse.

  "He was so tall. Twice as big as I was. I was a little taller than you, Rosie."

  "Did he say anything to you?" She asked with big open eyes.

  "No, he waved. He gave good hugs. Everyone hugged him."

  "I'd hug him super tight!"

  I laughed. "I saw Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast.' I saw Cinderella near her castle!"

  She jumped on our bed. "Really?"

  "Yep, she had a big dress on and gave hugs too. I remember that."

  "Wow! Any people from 'Frozen?'"

  "No, the movie wasn't out yet."

  "Awwwwww."

  "I rode the rides. The teacups spun you around. The Dumbo ride you went up and down and flew like Dumbo. I liked the "It's a Small World" ride. You ride in a boat and watch little people or elves sing the song throughout the world. Even in different languages, too."

  "Wow! I hope we can go one day," she smiled and hugged me.

  And just like that, I was brought back to reality. I doubt there's a magic kingdom any more. Mickey is probably a zombie now.

  Time to walk the fort perimeter and have some soup.

  November 3rd

  I see zombies! Yaaaaar! I apologize. Rosie and I were playing pirates.

  I know, you might be saying how can I joke about the world going to crap. What else can I do? Scream at the top of my lungs. What will that accomplish? Besides giving me a sore throat and attracting those things.

  Honestly, I've made it a game. Some stay to the field/yard. Some get a little closer, like between the house and the garage. It is like we are the earth and they are asteroids. Will they hit us?

  I try to figure out how they died. Some are easy, like the female in a mostly intact black leather minidress. She has two big knives sticking out of her chest. Her fishnet stockings are ripped and torn. She has lost the heels I'm sure that would go with such a look. I wonder if she kicked them off when she was stabbed or maybe she fell in them, when she was dead, and they fell off. Her face looks like it scraped up against something pretty good.

  There was the guy in the business suit, who looked pretty fresh, like not dead for long, that still held on to a briefcase. His face was completely obliterated. Maybe he tried to kill himself and shot too far forward and just took off his face. Maybe he went face first in to something. The jagged skull that I see is shiny. The rest is a jagged mess of shredded black, grey, and blue-ish skin.

  The ones I still can't look at are the kids. No one is immune or safe. I've seen a bunch of kids. I just don't like to write about them. Most look like they were bitten and changed. There was a little girl in half a yellow dress. The other half was a dried up dark bloody mess. She was missing most of her arm.r />
  I see lots of bones poking out of all the zombies. I'm sure there is a point when the body will decay enough not to move any longer. I just hope it is soon.

  I know winter is coming fast. Maybe with the freezing weather that they will freeze too and not be able to move? It makes sense right? You hear about people freezing to death. Wouldn't the zombies freeze? Would they come back in the spring and move again? I'm getting way ahead of myself.

  Oh, that reminds me. The kerosine heaters should work fine. I'll avoid any fire when I can. They may smell a bit, but we will need something pretty soon to keep us freezing too!

  November 7th

  I've been showing Rosie how to hold, clean, and use a gun. All you anti-gun people, if there are any left... You didn't have a gun to protect yourselves. Sorry, that was rude. We all have our own beliefs. They way the world is now... It is better to train her right, like my dad taught me. Sadly, she may have to protect us from zombies, bad people, or for hunting game to eat.

  I've heard shots. Usually it's maybe two at the most a day. Sometimes I don't hear any. We were out on the roof. I had just shown her how to release an ammo clip, reinsert, and load a bullet in the chamber. It was a little hard for pulling the arm back. I may switch her to a small .38 six shooter, but we have time to learn about more guns.

  But, we heard automatic gunfire. It was somewhat close. I ducked down. It sounded like a gun battle between sides. Or maybe just one group shooting zombies. It went on at intervals for a little less than a minute. I couldn't hear any screams or anything. I looked around the perimeter. I didn't see anyone. I didn't see any smoke either.

  It was one of those things I prayed that I'd never find out what happened. I for sure prayed whomever fired all the shots, would never come upon us.

  I saw Rosie with a little shake of her body and eyes following me, as I walked around. She let out a little sigh, as I came back to her and sat down. I had her try again and again with the gun. We never said a word about what happened.

  November 10th (I think)

  It was late. I was almost asleep and I thought I heard a throaty groan. I quietly got up from the bed. I shook Rosie and gave her the "shhh" finger to my mouth. I whispered for her to stay put. I slipped on my shoes and was out the door of the fort in my pajamas pants and sweatshirt.

  I heard the throaty noise again. I thought maybe it was an animal, but I knew better. It was a zombie. I searched the yard and found it near the house front door. I looked through my night vision and saw it was a man. Dirty jeans, long nasty blonde hair that was all over the place. Some was stuck to its eye and across his mouth. One eye was gone. He missed a chunk of his upper leg. That must have been the death blow for him.

  I watched him hit the small stairs to the house and fall. It took him two minutes but he managed to crawl up the steps. He kept doing a throaty moan and groan. Two different sounds... Always the same, back and forth, like breathing and exhaling. It was unnerving.

  He stood up near the front door and never deterred his gaze inside the house. Then, the zombie man, what was left of him, walked in to my house. I heard a crash of a table and then no more sounds. What? Did he cop a squat on the couch? What does a dead guy do? Check out the fridge? He sure doesn't have to take a nap on my bed.

  I thought about going down and taking care of him, but I stopped myself. One, I take a chance on getting injured or killed. Who would watch Rosie? Second, having a zombie in the house may be good to deter live humans from going in the house or staying or more importantly, not think about exploring too closely because a zombie is here.

  So, I didn't worry about him. I did a quick check of the area and went back inside the fort to make Rosie and I some powdered eggs and pancakes. We played a match game... Twice actually. Then, I took Rosie out to show her a little more about the handgun and shot another clip. No movement on our zombie guest. No Dad. Such is life in Ooltewah, Tennessee.

  November 14th

  It was late (again!!!) A car door, actually three car doors slamming woke me up. Whether it was one car or three I had no idea. I reached for my glock and the two clips on the table with it. I had a nice silencer on it and a laser site. Rosie and I practiced with one clip of ammo for the last two days. She's improving. She might not kill someone, but she'd at least hit them for the most part.

  I told Rosie to stay inside and stay quiet. I am sooooo glad I didn't go running out, yelling for dad. In my sleepy state, I'm surprised I didn't.

  It wasn't my dad, but four people. Two guys and a girl. They were hoot and hollering. Maybe they were drunk. Maybe they were high.

  "A nice big house for us to ride this out in! I told ya, Jimmy."

  I didn't recognize their voices. I couldn't really tell in the moonlight either, who was in my driveway. They didn't look from my high school. They looked more college age.

  The girl is maybe all of five feet tall. She has a short haircut, with longer bangs. I'm not sure what color hair... All I see are shades of green and bright eyes. She looks around... Maybe for zombies... Maybe for humans.

  Jimmy was slim and athletic with a short buzz cut. He was the tallest of the guys. He wore a camo jacket, jeans and some dirty sneakers. He eyed the house, "you may be right, Perry."

  Perry was a little shorter than Jimmy. He wore a simple metal pair of glasses. He looked as if he had a bit of a belly, but the university of Tennessee hoodie he wore did not look tight on him.

  I watched as Perry patted Jimmy on the back, as they went to the open doorway. Jimmy pulled out a small flashlight and a knife. "Amanda, stay here and we will make sure the house is clean."

  "Trust me, I'm not moving."

  I didn't warn them. I didn't say a word about the zombie inside the house. I couldn't warn them.

  Jimmy led the way inside. Perry was a few steps behind him with his own flashlight and what looked like a steak knife. Good luck with that tiny knife, I thought.

  It wasn't long before I heard a crash and screams...

  Both Amanda on the front porch and me up on the fort jumped.

  "Zombie! Zombie!"

  "Move out of the way! Get out of the way!"

  "Shit!"

  "Fuck, my knife broke. Help. Help. HELP!"

  I thought it was Perry yelling. He had a little steak knife for heaven's sake. Bless his heart. I was wrong. He came running out and barreled in to Amanda. They tumbled down the steps.

  I heard a scream from inside the house. It wasn't a happy scream. It was a, I just got bit scream. There was another scream that went low to high. Perry and Amanda backed up to the car.

  The scream oddly became louder then quiet with the pitch going crazy. Then, the house was silent.

  A second later. I thought I heard a cough. Perry kept Amanda behind him and inched a foot towards the door.

  Jimmy appeared in the door frame. He braced himself on the frame with his hand, blood ran down the board. His eyes bulged. He slipped as he took a step. He put a hand out on the porch. Jimmy pointed to his throat, but only a gasp of air and a little whistle of air are the only sounds he made. Blood gushed from the tear across his throat and another on his left cheek.

  He reached out for his friends. Amanda screamed. Perry pushed her to the car. She opened the door and crawled in over the driver seat to the passenger seat.

  Perry shoved her butt as he tried to get in the car. Her face pressed against the window, as Perry turned the keys. The engine revved loud and peeled out, shooting some gravel as they left.

  Jimmy watched them go, before trying to support himself on his hands and knees. His arms shook and fought him. They gave out and he crashed face first to the porch. He tried to lift himself up, but his strength and life flowed out of him. His face slid across the bloodied porch, as the final breath left him. His legs slid out and back as he came to rest. Dead.

  I never saw the zombie that made my old house home.
>
  I watched as Jimmy did get up, with much difficulty in the slippery blood. He walked back in the house. Now, there were two zombies in the house.

  Zombie party in my house! Great. Bring all your zombie friends.

  I went back inside and put the gun on the nightstand. Rosie looked at me. We didn't say a word. I hugged her and we fell back asleep in a few minutes. I'll worry about the zombies tomorrow.

  November 15th

  Well, there's not much commotion from zombie Jimmy and the other guy. I heard one tiny crash all morning. I'm betting it was the glass coffee table in the living room. It was definitely something with glass. It is hard to miss that sound. I wonder for a second if the sound will attract any zombies, but really, I don't think the sound could travel that far.

  I'm contemplating disobeying my dad. I want to take the truck for a drive and see what is going on at least a little in town. I need to know more of what is going on. The risk may be great, but I have to learn some news of the virus and how the police or government are dealing with it. The people I have seen so far seem to be pretty desperate: looking for food and a good shelter or a truck. I have no idea where my dad still is, or if anything else has happened to him since the last broken phone call.