Valley of Death & Zombies

by William Bebb

  “I have some pain pills, if you want something.” She said, tenderly holding his hand and looking up at him concerned. The doorbell rang but she didn't move.

  “I'll be fine. You better give out some candy before we start getting tricked.” He held her for a few moments and kissed her lips gently. “I'll be back, after awhile.”

  “Okay. Love you Bo.” She said, carrying the candy bowl toward the front door.

  “Yeah, uh, I love you too.” He mumbled, going through the door into the garage.

  Billy knew his dog would behave himself, but attached the leash to his collar just in case he got spooked by all the kids dressed like monsters. Boris had finished off any evidence of the grilled chicken and seemed happy to be going for a walk. Usually during the week, between school and the time required to master the mystically confusing and ultimately useless skill of algebra among his other homework, he never got to go for a walk.

  “You better behave yourself out there tonight, fuzzy butt. No biting anyone, unless it's the fart knocker Jessie and his fuck head friends. If they show up, feel free to go demon dog on them.” Billy said, as he led Boris through the back gate and latched it shut behind them.

  Together, they ran down the alley, in the direction opposite of where he'd been beaten earlier. Wishing he'd thought to make up some sort of costume for Boris, they ran to the first decorated house and followed kids dressed up for a night of fun. The sun was still above the horizon as he got his first treat of the evening. It wasn't one of those tiny 'fun size' candy bars either. It was full size and he flashed his jacket's goofy lights that spelled out 'Magic Man' for the lady and waved his wand dramatically, producing a bouquet of flowers to show his appreciation.

  She laughed and handed him a second candy bar before waving another group of kids forward.

  Running with Boris, he thought This might be the best Halloween ever, even if I am dressed up like a doofus.

  “Well, that was a complete waste of time. I can't believe I let you talk me into giving up an afternoon of golfing to watch a bunch over hyperactive twits stuff themselves with enough sugary crap to send them all into diabetic comas.” The middle-aged man grumped, as he sped down the driveway.

  “Don't be that way, Lou. It was just a birthday party and Sheila loved it.” His wife said, from the passenger seat of the Mercedes. She turned around and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully in the car seat behind her husband before continuing. “You're just not happy watching kids have a good time eating candy or anything else, because you know sooner or later they'll be sitting in your chair to have their cavities filled.”

  Grunting softly, Dr. Louis Bunn, one of Albuquerque New Mexico's most respected dentists stuck his tongue out at his wife while turning onto the highway that lead back home. At the first sign the birthday party was ending he had offered a quick insincere sounding thanks to the hostess before snatching his five year old daughter up and almost sprinting to the car. His afternoon had been wasted but he planned on making up for it tonight at his country club's Halloween Spooktacular Costume Party. If I can get rid of this damn headache, that is. He thought, passing an old pickup truck puttering along trailing a billowing cloud of blue and white exhaust.

  He blamed the children and the incessant shouting and screeching they made at the party for his throbbing head. Belching, he reached for the antacids in the console. His stomach had felt like something a swirling storm building for the past half hour. Knowing it wasn't anything he ate, because he hadn't partaken of anything except a few glasses of lemonade, he hoped the stomach and headache weren't the onset of some kind of flu bug. Of course with all those damn kids, with their snotty noses and germ coated hands, it was probable one of them gave me something. Luckily, it's Saturday so maybe if I get some rest tomorrow I'll be okay to go to work on Monday.

  His wife turned on the radio and began switching stations, trying to find something to listen to. Not really in the mood for music, he almost said something but decided he'd bitched enough about wasting an entire afternoon and kept quiet. It was a beautiful afternoon and the clouds from earlier had all vanished leaving the sky a flawless blue that normally would make him smile, but not today. With only another ten miles to home, Bobby 'Boris' Pickett's Halloween classic Monster Mash began to play, but by then his headache had grown to monstrous proportions itself. He gritted his teeth as his wife, never accused of being able to carry a tune, sang along smiling and making playful scratches on the shoulder of his jacket.

  Without slowing down, Lou removed his right hand from the steering wheel and punched his wife in the head slamming it against the passenger side window.

  She woke up, with a headache and a bruise on the side of her head, when he got out and slammed his door shut after reaching their house. It had happened so fast, his wife never knew what happened. If it weren't for the swollen spot she would have thought she'd simply fallen asleep. She watched Lou quickly walk up the sidewalk and kick her Siamese cat who was sunning herself on the sidewalk. It flew several feet before landing in the yard and running into some shrubs.

  She gently rubbed the swollen spot on her head and looked back at her still snoozing daughter. Lou wouldn't have hit me. No way. I must have just fallen asleep and whacked my head on the window or something. She thought, getting out of the car and going around to get her daughter out. As she unstrapped the little girl's seat belt, she opened her eyes and growled at her trying to bite her arm. She pulled back and almost screamed before the girl smiled and looked up at her.

  “What's the matter mommy? That's what zombies are supposed to do?”

  Katie finished picking up the last of the trash from the birthday party and carried the nearly full jumbo size plastic bag to the cans beside the stable. Dabney was playing with his favorite new toy. And even nearly a hundred yards away, she could hear him laughing as he made the remote controlled robot roll around on its treads and fire it's laser cannons.

  A horse nickered at her when it leaned out through one of the stable's windows. She quickly put the trash in the can and went to the horse making soft clicking noises with her tongue.

  “Hiya Sparky. How's my big fella? All those kids running around must have been as annoying to you as they were for me.” She took a few sugar cubes out of her leather jacket's pocket and held them up in her open palm. Sparky made them disappear with a flick of his tongue and nuzzled the girl's long hair with his nose. His feet moved nervously as Dabney squealed and continued to play, in the distance. She patted Sparky's neck and murmured promises that everything would be okay, until the horse settled down. The sun was already slowly dipping into the horizon. Had the party ended sooner she could have taken a quick ride, but it would be dark before she'd him saddled. Or would it? She thought, a second before opening the stable door and grabbing her saddle.

  After getting the bridle and bit in place, she was buckling on the saddle when a faint scream came from the direction of the house. Sparky heard it too and the horse reared back snorting nervously. Katie patted him, on his light brown neck, looking at the house. Dabney was looking and pointing at the sliding glass door giggling. She shrugged and lead the horse out of the stable.

  Climbing up in the saddle, she heard an odd noise coming from somewhere near Dabney. Curiosity being one of her greatest traits she clicked her tongue and rode toward her irritating little brother. Dabney smiled at her and babbling excitedly pointed at the sliding glass door.

  “Momma's being scary and funny.” The boy said, giggling.

  Riding closer, Katie saw her mother on the other side of the glass scratching at it. She was naked except for her panties. Her eyes were open wide and the usually white parts were a solid pink almost red color. Seeing Katie and the horse, her mother yelled again and threw herself against the glass.

  “Mom, what are you doing? Are you okay?” Katie asked in confusion, climbing off the horse.

  “Momma's silly.” Dabney astutely observed.

  Halfway across the patio, she stopped w
alking toward the door. Her mother's mouth was foaming and her hands were painted scarlet in blood. It was hard to see past her because no one had turned on the lights inside earlier and the living room was dark. Katie looked quickly around the patio for a phone but then remembered her mom had taken the cordless one inside after the party, and her cell phone was in her room, somewhere. She knew something was wrong, horribly wrong, and wanted to call for an ambulance. There's a phone in the garage! The thought flashed into her mind.

  Her mother had moved away from the bloody sliding glass door and from inside there came the sounds of more yelling. Dabney started walking to the door shouting “Come back, momma!” Katie moved swiftly forward and grabbed his hand only inches from the glass.

  “No Dabney, mom's sick. You come with me, we're gonna call an ambu-” Katie started to say before Ringo Dingo, the magician hired for the party, slammed himself headfirst into the sliding glass door. The glass shattered into an intricate pattern of cracks emanating from the hole Ringo's head was sticking through. Katie screamed and still clutching Dabney's hand, ran back across the patio as Sparky galloped across the backyard.

  Ringo's red rubber nose was still in place but his white face makeup was broken up by small streams of blood pouring down from the ripped open skin of his forehead. The clown screamed at her and began pushing himself through the remains of the sliding glass door.

  Katie picked her up brother and ran toward the garage, while Dabney still clutching his remote control shouted over her shoulder “Come on Ringo!” and laughed like he was the funniest clown he'd ever seen in his short life.

  CHAPTER TWO, Dead moon rising

  Maria was mad. If Josey didn't stop scaring away all the children coming for treats she was going to put a serious crimp in his love life. He'd placed two digital camera on the porch, recording video and prepared a scary scene using their new house's front porch, several bales of hay, a carved pumpkin lit from inside by a strobe light that he could control from his hiding spot, and a sort of lame looking, in her opinion, ghost hanging from the ceiling. There was also another strobe light placed above and behind where the visitors would be standing. Josey was leaning against the house, sitting motionless on a metal bench dressed like a scarecrow, complete with a big straw hat and bits of hay poking out of the bottom of his pants and ends of his long sleeved shirt. The first few early trick or treaters didn't even get their candy, because he'd triggered the fast paced strobe light inside the pumpkin and jumped up before she could even answer the door.

  The first two kids dropped their plastic pumpkins filled with candy and ran off screaming. She'd chased after them in her sexy witches costume, trying to return their stuff, but that only made them run harder.

  Josey had promised not to jump the gun and give her a chance to give out some candy. But both other times they'd had someone come to the door, since then, he couldn't wait to spring his surprise on them. Now, she waited in the hallway, torn between boredom and anger. And just to complicate matters she had to pee. There was a bathroom just down the hall and she decided to make a run for it while there were no trick or treaters outside.

  Josey was feeling good. The hay straw was itchy and it was hard to remain motionless when all he wanted to do was scratch, but for the sake of Halloween he persevered. He wondered if Billy would come by sometime and hoped he would. Then remembering he lived almost three miles away he doubted his young friend would make it all the way over here.

  He considered how funny life was as he patiently waited for his next victims to come by. Last year I was a drainer of septic tanks driving a smelly truck all day long, five days a week, making minimum wage. I didn't have a girlfriend or a decent place to live. Now, thanks to a generous payoff from Beaumont Biochemical Industries and the government just for keeping quiet about what happened last summer everything's changed. I got a girlfriend who loves me, a new house paid off free and clear, and even a pretty good job. And all thanks to, of all things, zombies.

  Four months earlier, Josey, Maria and a handful of others survived an outbreak of a virus that would turn the living into homicidal maniacs. And even if you killed them, the infected people had the unpleasant tendency to come back, sometimes very quickly, as undead zombies.

  A lot of good people died out there in that damnable valley of death but if it hadn't happened I'd still be driving a truck full of shit. Yep, life is funny sometimes. Josey thought, as he heard some kids laughing as they came up the sidewalk.

  In the shower nearly scalding hot water poured down over his head, as Dr. Louis Bunn shuddered under it. Not wanting to get sick, he had taken some antibiotics and pain killers as soon they got home from the birthday party. His headache felt slightly better but he noted the tremors that shook his body with some concern. The shower seemed to help as he tried to remember what had happened earlier. His memories of driving home were muddled and he attributed that to the fierce headache he was suffering.

  As the water turned cooler, he shut off the faucets and climbed out of the shower stall, happy to note the tremors had disappeared. I told her I hate kids birthday parties, with all the screaming, cake, ice cream, goofy games and let's not forget all the brats. So does she let me skip it? No way, not for all the cavity riddled teeth in the southwest. And now, I've caught some stupid cold or flu thing. Well, I don't care if I'm walking death, I'm not missing the party at the country club. Jefferson's going to be there, and who knows, maybe tonight he'll finally ask me to join his practice. He thought, rubbing his naked chubby body dry with a fluffy towel.

  Wiping the condensation off the mirror, he looked at his eyes and opened the medicine cabinet reaching for the eye drops. After applying the recommended dosage his eyes looked less red but were still disturbing looking. The odd thing was they didn't feel strange, they were simply red throughout the white area. While shaving, he chuckled thinking how his eyes color would probably assure him a good shot during the costume contest.

  He pulled the prosthetic teeth, he'd spent a month working on, out of the plastic container he brought from the office and went about preparing the temporary bonding glue he'd made up for the occasion. As he inserted the teeth, his headache started to grow in intensity. Leaning his forehead against the cool mirror helped and a few moments later the pain had subsided enough for him to inspect the reflection of the vampire staring back.

  Grinning, he went to the bedroom and started getting dressed as Count Dracula, albeit a chubby, slightly balding, middle aged version of the infamous blood sucker.

  Downstairs, his wife already dressed in her cheerleader costume, was also looking in a mirror. Gently feeling the swollen bump on the side of her head, she tried again to recall what had happened. She was pretty sure it must have happened on the drive back from the birthday party but a nagging doubt kept whispering at the edges of her thoughts. He did it. Lou must have done it. He's been acting weird all afternoon. Face facts, he must have hit you.

  The doorbell silenced the doubts and she grabbed the candy bowl and went to open the front door.

  “Wow, nice outfit, Carol. What are you supposed to be a cheerleader who got tackled by the football team?” A teenage girl, wearing an outfit that looked extremely R rated to Carol, said laughing.

  “Thanks Janette, I was hoping the bump wasn't that noticeable.” She said, turning to let the babysitter in.

  “Oh, that's not makeup? Wow. I mean, doesn't it hurt or anything?” The girl asked, going over to where Sheila was sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons while chewing absently on her doll. Janette pulled out her cell phone and took the little girl's picture, wearing makeup that made her look like a zombie, as she continued to gnaw on the smiling doll's foot. Gotta remember to upload this to the web. There's nothing cuter than a toddler zombie. She thought, as Mrs. Bunn handed her an extra set of keys to the house.

  “Must have bumped it earlier, somehow. You still going to take Sheila to the church Halloween party?”

  “The politically correct term is Fall F
estival, but yes we'll go hang out and party for awhile. Unless the minister tosses holy water at us because of our costumes. You're pretty cool Mrs. Bunn. Most parents wouldn't let their five year olds dress as zombies.” Janette said, while helping Sheila into her socks and shoes.

  “I got her a kitten costume, but the little monster won't wear it, will you Sheila?

  The little girl turned and scowled at her mom, making clawing gestures with her fingers, grunting. “Must have candy brains.”

  “Good evening. My beautiful creatures of the night.” Louis Bunn said, coming down the stairs swinging the cape over his shoulder.

  He had spent a considerable amount of money having his costume specially designed and tailored over the last couple of months. It wasn't precisely like the outfit used in any of the Dracula movies, partly because of his large stomach that required a more generous use of material but also because he'd insisted on having the white shirt be made out of a glow in the dark material. It was the kind that if you exposed it to bright light for a few minutes it would be luminescent in the dark. He went to the light switch and asked that the TV be turned off. When they were all watching he flipped off the lights.

  There were appreciative oohs and ahs from his audience as he flung back his cape and bared his fangs.

  “Daddy, your teeth look cool.” Sheila said, seeing them glowing even brighter in the darkness than his shirt.

  His wife squealed in mock horror as Janette said “Dr. Bunn, you are a truly terrifying blood sucking monster.” while holding onto Sheila's hand in the darkness. “How did you get your eyes to do that?”