by A. Giacomi
“Jesus! You’re Mr. Positivity aren’t you? As if I wasn’t down enough already!” I say dusting off my dirt-covered pants.
Vincent glares at me. “Eve, I’m only trying to help. I’m only here because you need me, or else I would have put a bullet in my own head back at the facility… Now wouldn’t you prefer the truth and be prepared?”
He doesn’t give me time to answer. Instead, he throws me over his shoulder as if I were as light as a spring jacket and continues our journey along the abandoned road. If I hadn’t been so weak, I might have protested, just for the sake of my pride.
***
In and out of consciousness I hear screams. Vincent was up to something, but I was much too weary to care as I find myself laying in the cool dewy grass. He must have put me down at some point to go hunting. The screams continue in the distance and then they stop. My only guess was that he had killed every last one of them, Vincent didn’t have much of a conscience these days. He was much too hungry to afford one of those.
Closing my eyes once more, I allow the ground to absorb my body, allowing myself to imagine it was a bed, but the illusion is quickly disturbed by a loud thud upon the ground in front of me. My eyes jut open to find another pair of eyes staring back, they were fearful, yet curious. I was equally curious, but not for the same reasons.
A voice comes from the sky, “Eat!” it says gruffly.
Vincent towers over me and kicks the gagged victim closer to my face so that our lashes nearly touch. Watching her amber eyes flicker with fear, I couldn’t help but salivate. I knew of course Vincent was right, I had to eat something, yet guilt still fluttered through me.
“You sure you don’t want this one too, eh Vincent?” I say as I try to muster up a smirk.
“No Eve, you need to eat. You need your strength.”
There was an air of sadness in his voice— no pity, that was definitely pity. I didn’t like pity, it was time to woman-up.
I run my fingers through the frightened girl’s hair. It was soft and golden and reminded me of Alex. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to banish the thought of her. It hurt so much I couldn’t bare it.
“Listen,” I say to the girl before me. “I need you to understand something, I don’t want to eat you, I have to. If I don’t get my strength back, countless others are going to suffer. Think of yourself as a sacrifice for the greater good.” Trying to utter an apology after that was downright impossible. Instead, I shut my eyes and dive toward her with all my strength. Feeling my teeth tear into flesh again felt good, I am grateful that Vincent had gagged her, I’m not sure I could have handled the screams that came from her, even the muffled ones were heartbreaking. I force myself to continue eating, beg my mouth to chew and swallow every bite. It tasted so good, but left me wanting to cry from the sheer pleasure I got from her pain.
Being a self-aware zombie sucked hard.
When I’d had my fill, I throw myself onto my back and let my body absorb the fuel. The tears come quickly as I sob into the early morning air. They sky resembled my burning eyes, and this mirror effect only made me feel less hopeful. Something was changing again, I was going away, fading.
Vincent appears above me, resenting his presence I spit out, “Go away!”
“As you wish, Eve, but I think you should know something,” he says sniffing the air, “we’re close.”
CHAPTER THREE
CAM
Planning to escape seemed easy enough. They didn’t have walls or guards or any real sort of plan, it was a wonder that they had stayed alive at all. Jim and James didn’t seem like brilliant leaders or anything, but I suppose no one else was vying for the job and I couldn’t blame them.
My escape wouldn’t happen until much later tonight, after a meal and some more information about the surrounding area. It would be stupid of me to leave before filing up, who knew what I would be eating tomorrow, perhaps some squirrel or leaves if I was lucky enough. For a bunch of idiots, Jim and James sure knew a lot about the zombies and their current migrational trends, I guess they had scouts checking things out from time to time, making sure a horde didn’t make it their way anytime soon.
After a tour of the small town of Fenelon Falls, the twins decide to take me into a slightly trashed bar. The sign looked as though someone had attempted to burn the place down, but you could still faintly read the words “Cow & Sow” above the entrance. Inside were a few tables with chairs. The rest of the bent and trashed tables and chairs had been shoved up against the windows for extra protection I assumed. Jim and James step behind the bar and start pulling bottles off the shelves. I guess it was drinking time. I wasn’t about to protest, if there was ever a time to drink, it was now.
“What happened to this place?” I ask as they continue to prepare some strange boozy concoction.
Jim is the first to answer as James nervously looks away. “Well you see, some town folk didn’t like our methods when we became leaders of this town. Not many, but a few who wanted to take us down, so to speak, decided that a good way to show rebellion was to burn down our favorite bar. That didn’t work out so well because James and I are always prepared. Some of our loyal followers took those assholes down while we took a fire extinguisher to the flames they had started. Luckily the inside wasn’t damaged too bad, but yeah our beloved sign took the brunt of it.
My curiosity gets the best of me and I ask something I probably shouldn’t. “So what did you do to those assholes? If you don’t mind me asking that is,” I say with a grin.
Jim ponders his answer for a moment, and it is very clear that he’s preparing a lie. He eventually comes out with “banishment.”
“Banishment?” I say again in disbelief. “And how did you accomplish that?”
Jim gives a quick chuckle. “Pitchforks and torches, you know that sort of thing, run them out of town like they were some freaks or something.”
Realizing my look of confusion, Jim slaps me on the shoulder and says, “No man, I’m just kidding. We asked them to leave and not come back, and they just did.”
I scratch my head. “How do you know they won’t get some of their own followers and return someday with a vengeance?”
Jim slams a glass atop the wooden bar table. “They won’t, ok!” he says in an irritated tone as James continues to shift his eyes around nervously.
Placing my hands up mockingly, I offer a truce and simply ask what we were drinking. That question seemed to get a better reaction. Jim and James begin to tell me about their secret drink that everyone really seems to like. They ingredients are a secret, but it’s their signature drink simply called “death.” That didn’t sound altogether appealing, but I suppose they would force me to drink it anyhow. This was my initiation of sorts.
James smiles as he slides the glass toward me. He almost seemed giddy about it, which made me uneasy. This wasn’t poison was it? Clearly, all the bottles they used were spirits I recognized. I had been here the whole time and hadn’t seen them slip anything curious into the drink. They each held up their own glass and shouted “cheers” before beginning to chug the entire liquid. I decide to follow their lead, maybe this drink was just what I needed.
When we’re done, we slam the empty glasses on top of the bar.
“Well? What did ya think?” James asks excitedly.
I wince a bit. “It was pretty fucking brutal if I’m being honest, but I’ll have another.”
The men laugh as they begin to create a second round of “death.”
***
Later that night we head back to the house I originally found myself in. A table is set with hot food and I meet Rachel who is introduced to me as their cook and cleaning lady. She seems rather uncomfortable with the whole situation, which leads me to think she didn’t volunteer for this job. Rachel seems about my age and very pretty, the most unnerving thing about her is that she reminds me a little of Eve. I try
and push that thought from my mind, maybe I just want to see that. All I know for sure is a pretty girl around a couple of assholes didn’t seem like a great arrangement.
Taking a seat at the table, I notice how Jim looks at her, it is as if his eyes are feasting upon her. It makes my fists clench and my teeth grind. I had to keep my cool, there is still much I need to know.
“So Jim…how does one go about getting a job around here? Do they volunteer for one or do you assign them one?”
Jim’s eyes leave Rachel’s behind in order to answer my question. “So you want a job already, huh? Well that’s just great, Cam, glad to see your enthusiasm. What sorts of skills do you have?”
“Well I can cook, I can hunt, I’ve killed some zombies, and I can run pretty fast. Does any of that fit a job you need around here?”
James nods excitedly. “I know! How about a farmer?”
Jim nods in approval. “Great idea, James, I think he’d make an excellent farmer, just look at those strong arms. He’ll be able to dig up that dirt all day without breaking a sweat.”
I catch Rachel eyeing my arms, she then bashfully looks away.
“A farmer huh? So where’s the farm around here? I didn’t see one on the tour.”
Jim and James laugh hysterically before James pipes up and explains, “No, no, no, there is no farm…not yet…that’s something we need though. We’ve found some seeds and planted them in little pots, now it’s time to transition them to bigger land. We’ll show you tomorrow.”
Building an entire farm wasn’t exactly something I had experience with, but I nod and smile, it was all for show anyway. In a few hours, I’d be gone.
Dinner goes on for a few hours, we eat some sort of chicken stew with bread, which is the most delicious thing I have eaten in ages, but what had me most intrigued was Jim’s explanation of what was happening in the surrounding areas.
“It seems that zombies don’t tend to head our way much. The towns surrounding us, however, were attacked brutally. No one was left alive to tell about what happened and from a few scouts we’d sent out, it seems the zombies still inhabit the town. We sent a few of our boys to check it out and they reported that the zombies sort of stood still in one spot, they didn’t really move much, sort of looked like they were in a stupor. A few weeks after that, I sent the boys back, but there weren’t any zombies, seemed like they had moved toward the city. Now I’m not sure if they had run out of food or just wandered, but from what the boys told me it almost seems like they were waiting for instructions.”
I chuckle a little. “So you’re saying it’s a conspiracy theory? That our government controls these things?”
Jim scowls at me. “Not saying anything, Cam, just thinking it’s weird how they’d just stand there, they didn’t follow the boys back, they never even came out this way and there is practically a buffet of people waiting for them. Don’t you find that weird?”
“Sure it’s weird, but how do you know they didn’t just start heading toward the city because they smelt more food there?” I ask.
James points to Rachel. “We know because of her. She’s from the city, she told us there’s nothing left there. She practically searched the entire place and never found another soul. She wandered her way out here and we took her in.”
I stare at Rachel curiously, she is hiding something. Jim and James might have been dumb enough to take her at her word, but I knew better.
As Rachel began to clear the dishes, Jim and James tell me they need to run their nightly rounds. The upstairs bedroom would be mine, it was minus a bed, but the carpet was so cozy I didn’t think I’d mind using it again. When they leave, I decide to help Rachel tidy up. She seemed shocked by the gesture.
“I take it the twins don’t help out much?” I say with a grin.
“No, not really. They sort of have a backwards view of the world.” She smiles back.
She had a great smile.
“Did you really come from the city?” I ask curiously.
Her smile fades instantly. “Of course, just like they told you. I was the only survivor. I don’t know why the zombies were heading there. They’d starve.”
“Well zombies aren’t known for their brilliance,” I assure her.
Her smile returns. “I suppose I can ask you the same question, why are you here? Do you really expect me to believe you’re from New York State? You might have them fooled, but clearly you know more than you let on.”
“Hey, hey now!” I say amused, “someone has some bark to their bite. Fine I’m not being completely honest, but neither are you, so I guess we’re both liars for the time being. That is until I figure you out.”
“You won’t,” she teases and continues cleaning.
For some reason I trusted this girl, and perhaps she’d tell me a little more about this town and its twin leaders.
“So what’s the deal with this place? Is it safe? Do you want to be here?”
She bites her lip nervously, not a good sign.
“Look, you’re perfectly safe until you step out of line.”
“And what does that mean?” I ask as I hand her another dish to put away.
When she doesn’t answer, I take a stab at it. “Those men who torched The Cow & Sow, they weren’t banished were they?”
Her long pause says it all.
“Holy shit, so you don’t follow the rules you’re dead? That’s what you’re telling me? That is so beyond fucked up.”
She throws a dish towel at me. “Listen, they’ve been good to me. I don’t step out of line, I get fed, a house to sleep in, and all I have to do is put up with them gawking at me from time to time.”
“Seems like a sweet deal to me,” I say sarcastically.
She doesn’t say anything back, instead, she just looks hurt. With that final glance, she leaves the house. I would have Rachel’s hurt scowl to remember her by, what a parting gift.
I put away the last few dishes and wait as night fully cloaks the house and the surrounding area. I scour the cupboards for food to take along with me; I only find a box of half-finished Frooty Loops. I guess they kept food elsewhere for the most part.
As I pack up all my things and head outside, the night air greets me with an unexpected chill. I fill my lungs with the unusually cool air and then begin sprinting as far away from the house as possible. I had to be quick, I didn’t want to accidently bump into anyone heading toward my house. Jim and James could be by to check on me soon. I stick to hiding behind trees and shrubs wherever I can. The homes I do pass have lit candles in the windows. With all the electricity gone, they had to depend on fire for many things now.
Soon enough I hit road and I’m face to face with a sign that says, “Now Leaving Fenelon Falls, Thanks for Visiting.” I wasn’t so sure I was glad I visited, but I was sure glad to be leaving it behind. My feet take me a few meters past the sign before I hear something in the distance. It was a growling and screeching sound. When I turn around to look, I see two bright spots in the distance.
“Shit!” I say under my breath. It was a truck heading straight for me. Could they have seen me? Or was this a whole other shitty situation I had walked into? Or worse, was it Agent Williams?
As the beams get closer I run off the road into the nearby shrubs. I hear the truck come to a stop right in front of me. I hide in the tall grass and shrubs and listen as doors open and close. Footsteps circle the truck and when the voices come, I shouldn’t be surprised to hear it’s Jim and James.
Jim starts, “Hey Cam! I thought we were friends here. Why are you taking off? Can’t we change your mind? We’d really like you to stay.”
James continues, “Yeah I think it would be in your best interests if you stayed.”
It felt as though James were warning me. Part of him wasn’t as evil as his brother, he was just his patsy.
I would be stupid to rev
eal myself, so I remain quiet and still.
“Fine, suit yourself,” Jim says in an irritated tone. “I know you’re here, and when we find you, you’re not going to like what we do to you.”
With that, both men get back in the truck. What happens next would surprise anyone. The two decide to go off-roading straight toward my hiding place!
I had no choice but to jump up and make a run for it as the tires grind toward me. The truck took every bump and dip like a pro, I only hoped that I could keep up my running pace or I would be under those tires in no time.
I hear laughter as the engine continues to growl behind me. Those assholes were enjoying this. As I struggle to maintain speed, I decide getting back on the pavement might make my strides a bit smoother, so I make a quick right and my feet find the asphalt I so needed to continue my getaway. The truck flies back on the asphalt behind me and after a few skids, continues its pursuit.
Sweat begins to leak into my eyes as I try to fight the urge to give up. I can feel the truck’s heat on my back, even with every swerve I take, the truck follows, it has me and there would be no escaping it. I push myself to full speed, but it’s not nearly good enough. I feel the truck push against me as I’m catapulted into the air. The landing isn’t soft or gentle, but it’s fast. With every tumble I feel a new bruise, and then my head hits something hard and it all goes black.
***
“Hey there buddy!” a cheerful voice shouts as my eyes flutter open.
Glancing quickly around the room, I don’t find a single person I would call my “buddy.” I didn’t know these people. There was a woman standing in the corner of the sunlit room, she was biting her nails anxiously as she watched me scan the room. The other two men in the room were well dressed, but lacked the etiquette to match in their mannerisms. The one behind the man calling me buddy was clearly scratching himself, he wasn’t even trying to be discreet about it, the only place I thought that was acceptable was a baseball game, but clearly I had been mistaken.