Eric turned away to walk back to the wood closet. He felt his cheeks blush, like he had been caught gawking at a pretty girl. “Maybe I’ll have to stop by the retirement home next time I’m out.”
“That’s what I always used to say before things went to shit.” Sasha’s voice was riddled with guilt. She leaned her head way back and stared at the ceiling.
“Hey, we all have done things we regret. No sense beating ourselves up about it.” Hank immediately did his best to keep Sasha from falling down that rabbit hole. “Isn’t that right Eric?”
Eric spun his head around and shot Hank a menacing glare. He wasn’t sure if that was an intentional jab or just a poorly phrased question. Eric couldn’t determine Hank’s intentions, but he decided the best thing to do right now was to ignore it and quickly change the subject. Now wasn’t the time to fight amongst each other. There was work that needed to be done. “I’m going to boil some water for a wash. Do you want to go first Sasha? Dana is already getting cleaned up in the upstairs bathroom.”
Sasha had a look of bewilderedness in her eyes, and she stood up eagerly. “I can’t remember the last time I washed myself with soap and water. Please tell me there is soap.” Sasha clasped her hands together in front of her chest like a beggar looking for change.
“You will even find that the shampoo and conditioner are in separate bottles here.” Eric grabbed a pot off the counter and walked past Hank and Sasha to open the door. He stuffed the pot full with snow using his bare hands. Looking up at the cloud-filled sky made Eric dread the coming months. It was hard enough trying to survive against those dead freaks without having to contend with the elements. Snowflakes drifted lazily through the sky, dancing on the breeze as they fell to the ground. The snow hadn’t started to accumulate yet, but Eric didn’t like the look of those clouds and expected the snow to fall much heavier before the day was over. Once the pot was full and his fingers couldn’t take it no more, he headed back into the cabin and walked over to the fireplace and hung the kettle over the flames.
Sasha had made her way over to the cupboards and was searching through the various canned foods. “I can’t believe they left all of this food here. There’s spaghetti, lasagna, chicken noodle soup, meatballs and gravy, Irish stew, and oh my good god.” Sasha snatched a can off the shelf and hugged it. “Beans and wieners.” Sasha started pulled the drawers open looking for the can opener. She was making a racket rummaging through the utensils.
Hank walked over and stood besides Eric, holding his hands out to feel the warmth without saying a word. Eric felt an uneasy tension. He looked over at Hank and tried to gauge his attitude. “Everything okay, Hank?”
“Have you noticed how much food and supplies were left behind? How clean everything in this cabin is?” Hank spoke in a hush tone, the rattling of forks and spoons almost drowning him out.
“We did catch them off guard.” Eric tried to sound confident, but he knew exactly where Hank was heading with his observation.
“How much time do you think we have before they come back?” Hank asked.
The thought had never crossed Eric’s mind. He falsely believed they could stay here for as long as they wanted. He knew that they would have to head out and search for supplies, but he never thought he’d have to fight to stay in this compound. “I really don’t know. We can’t leave right now.” Eric didn’t want to put Dana at risk by making her travel in the blustery winter weather that was coming.
“We should scout out a safe location. I have a great idea where we can look.” Hank looked back over his shoulder at Sasha to make sure she was still occupying herself. “If you’re up to it.”
“Sure, but we just need to make one stop before head out.” Eric knew that this would be a great opportunity to grab some supplies for Dana and the baby.
“All right that’s fine with me. I just need some time to rest before we go.” Hank headed towards the stairs so he could find an empty bedroom.
“I’ll be in after I’m finished washing up.” Sasha called out to Hank, the sauce for the beans smeared over her lips.
Eric slipped into the bedroom, trying not to make a sound. He didn’t want to wake Dana. She had fallen asleep after washing up and changing her bandage. Her head sank deep into the feather down pillow, her red hair fanned out around her. She had the comforter pulled up to her chin. The checkered pattern of green and red reminded Eric of Christmas time. He pictured Dana and the baby sitting underneath a decorated tree, a few wrapped presents under the tree. Eric dreaded the thought of leaving this cabin, but Hank was probably right; the Pelley’s would be back and with reinforcements this time.
Eric looked around the room at the expensive furniture. The headboard was made from red oak boards that took up half of the back wall. The dressers and night stands were part of a set made from the same material but coated in varnish to make it shine. One of the pill bottles that Hank brought back rested on top of the nightstand along with a half full glass of water. The dresser sat just to the left of the bed beside a giant window that overlooked the entire compound. Eric could see all of the other cabins from this room. He could also see over the wall. He noticed that all the zombies that had gathered outside of the gate had left. The snow had started to cover the fallen corpses. Frozen body parts poked out from underneath the freshly fallen powder.
Eric sat on a bench at the foot of the bed to get undressed. He knew he would have trouble sleeping but until Hank was ready they wouldn’t be going anywhere. Once Eric was undressed he walked over to the empty side of the bed and pulled the covers back. A blue bed sheet made from exceptionally soft cotton lined the bed and a matching sheet rested on top. He got underneath the sheets and couldn’t help pulling the covers up to his chin, wrapping himself in the luxurious cotton. The pillow formed perfectly to his head. Soft goose feathers allowed the pillow to stay cool and offered the perfect support no matter which he turned his head.
Eric tried to formulate a plan that would allow them to remain here on the compound. He knew they couldn’t defend this place on their own, but they wouldn’t need much help with the walls surrounding the whole place. Eric figured if he could persuade the remaining vikings to come here, and once Jason and Nick got back they wouldn’t need many more people. Eric also had to figure out a way to rescue his parents, but securing this place was his top priority right now. After only a few restless moments of his mind racing with possibilities, Eric finally drifted off to sleep, much sooner than he expected.
Dana opened the bottom tray of the stove and pulled out a cast iron frying pan and emptied the contents of a can of lasagna into the pan. She could feel her stomach twisting in knots. She didn’t know if they were hunger pains or from the wound, but she couldn’t remember the last time she ate a hot meal. She opened a pack of crackers and took a bite of the stale food. “They must have been there for ages.” She closed the box back up and offered it to Sasha.
“I’m not that desperate, not now anyway.” Sasha was wrapped up in a fur blanket and leaning towards the fireplace. “I ate way too much.”
It was nice having company, even if Dana found Sasha to be a little flaky. Her blonde hair and perfect complexion made her look like a high school cheerleader. Dana put on a pair of worn oven mitts that had been hanging from a hook near the fireplace and placed the pan on a log in the fire. After a few seconds she could hear the sizzle of the sauce as it heated up. “Yeah, it will be nice to get some solid food in my belly.” Dana rubbed her belly, the old pink sweater she had put on was well worn but extremely comfortable. It hung loosely from her body and the hood kept her neck warm. Her blue sweatpants didn’t match the rest of her attire, but it was the only pair of comfortable pants she could find.
Sasha tossed the blanket aside and sprang to her feet. “Here, let me take care of that for you.” Sasha held out her hand, but Dana hesitated. “You were just shot. You need to rest.”
Dana couldn’t argue that she needed rest and she reluctantly handed Sasha the oven mit
ts. “Thanks,” Dana said, as she made her way to the couch. She didn’t see any other blankets, just the one that Sasha had threw on the floor. Not wanting to take the only one, Dana eased in the corner of the couch, nestling her back into the armrest and putting her feet up to get comfortable. Sasha didn’t hesitate to pick up the blanket and she carefully laid it over Dana. “Thanks, but you can have it.” Dana offered it back to Sasha.
“Don’t be silly. I’ll just grab another one. There’s a closet full of them in the bedroom.” Sasha was jovial and Dana was beginning to warm up to the young girl. Sasha went into the kitchen and took down a bowl from the cupboard. She picked up the frying pan from the fire and poured the lasagna into the bowl and placed a spoon into the sauce. “Here you go.” Sasha handed the bowl over to Dana and headed up the stairs, the boards creaking once she reached the top. Dana hugged the bowl into her chest and let the warmth from the meal radiate through her body. The pattern on bowl depicted a young girl and a bunny playing in a field in blue ink on a white background. The image was similar to the ones that Eric’s parents kept at their old cabin, reminding her of the last time she had eaten a warm meal.
Dana dug the spoon into the noodles and scooped up a large piece smothered in sauce. She let the lasagna sit on her tongue, savouring the flavours of the red paste before swallowing her food. Having something warm in her belly made her feel much better and she even forgot about the pain, even if it was only for a brief moment. The boards upstairs creaked just above Dana’s head. She looked up expecting to see them buckling, but she all she saw was the intricate woodworking of the ceiling. The boards overhead were placed in an almost mesmerizing octagonal pattern. Dana took another bite of her dinner, letting the flavours dance on her taste buds before swallowing each spoonful. Even though she had been taking her time with each bite, Dana soon found herself scrapping the bottom of the bowl.
Sasha appeared at the top of the stairs with two pillows tucked under her arm and a fuzzy blue blanket hanging out of her hand. “I think I’m going to like it here.” Sasha had changed her jeans and was wearing a red pair of pyjama bottoms, a large fuzzy bow had been tied around the waist. “This is better than what I owned before everything turned to shit.” Sasha sounded like she was trying to make a joke, but the look on her face betrayed her attempt at humour.
Dana looked around at the expensive decor and the extravagant furniture and agreed with Sasha. “Yeah, I could get used to this.” Dana leaned back against the armrest and stretched her hands above her head. Sasha handed Dana a pillow and took her bowl from her and placed on the coffee table. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Sasha said, kindly.
“They have been gone a long time.” Dana wanted to start a conversation but didn’t know where else to begin.
“It has been a very long time, the day is half over by the looks of the sun.” Sasha sat in a recliner that was nestled next to the window, she pulled the curtain back and revealed the dark sky above. “It’s going to get nasty outside.”
Dana didn’t like the thought of Eric getting caught out in the approaching storm, he had been through so much lately she wasn’t sure how much energy he had left in his tank. “I hope they are back soon.”
“I wouldn’t wait up for them. If they aren’t back soon Hank won’t travel through the night. It’s too risky getting lost and frostbite.” Sasha let the curtain go and it drifted back into place, shutting out the world. “Hank thinks that the zombies will eventually freeze in place once the weather gets really cold, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Dana wasn’t worried about the walking dead creatures. Eric had been able to handle those since the beginning. It was the monsters this world had churned out that worried her the most. “So what is Hank’s plan?”
“Oh he keeps those plans to himself. I think he likes to appear mysterious.” Sasha laughed. “Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t have a plan, but I think he is always methodically plotting his next move.” Sasha threw the blanket over the back of the recliner and stood back up. She walked over to the wood closet and starting grabbing the small hunks of wood. She balanced them on her forearm and against her stomach, stacking the wood up all the way to her neck. She placed her chin on the top log for balance and walked towards the fireplace, dropping the wood to the floor at the side of the hearth. “This should be enough to keep us going until dark.” Sasha tossed three logs onto the fire and headed back to the recliner.
“How much wood is left in that closet?” Dana was worried they were being wasteful. She had stretched every supply they had managed to gather as far as it could go since the outbreak.
“It’s almost half empty, but Hank found a shed in between the cabins full of firewood. We should be fine until the guys get back, don’t worry.” Sasha didn’t seem bothered at all, but Dana couldn’t help but wonder what would happen once the cupboards were bare. She had shared tins of food with Eric and his parents before to make them last. Now she felt guilty for eating the whole can herself. She could hear Eric’s voice telling her to eat more. Before he left with Hank he told her she was eating for two now and that she couldn’t stress out about rationing the food. They would figure it out and everything was going to be fine. She also knew Eric was riding that horse right now, worried sick about making sure she would have everything she needed to stay healthy and safe. “Is something bothering you?” Sasha interrupted Dana’s wandering thoughts.
“I guess I’m just worried about them.” Dana wasn’t ready to tell anyone else that she was pregnant. She was worried about how they would respond to the news. Everyone else may not be as happy about the miracle as Eric had been.
“Hank and Eric can handle themselves just fine. The only thing for us to do now is keep this fire going and our bellies full.” Sasha pulled the blanket over her legs and reached down to the handle and popped open the leg rest. It sprang open with a lot of force, catching Sasha by surprise. Sasha looked over at Dana with a huge smile on her face and started to laugh. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Dana laughed with her and they both made themselves comfortable. “I guess we should take turns keeping an eye on the fire.” Dana suggested.
“You can sleep first if you want.” Sasha offered.
“I’m not tired just yet, I’ve done nothing but sleep the last few days.” Dana had barely been awake since she had gotten shot and she was enjoying watching the flames dance in the fireplace.
“I’m not tired yet either.” Sasha pushed back in the chair. It was almost horizontal to the floor now. “So, what do you want to talk about.”
The snow had finally began to fall like Eric had predicted. Luckily the wind was almost non-existent. It fell in tiny flakes almost straight down from the sky, accumulating on the ground very fast. “How much further?” Eric asked Hank as he bounced gently in his saddle.
“It won’t be much longer.” Hank looked like an old Russian man on top of that horse. The clothes he took from the retirement home were not flattering, but they did look warm. Eric was cold and wet. He felt miserable. His coat barely kept him warm and his body heat melted the snow that fell down the collar of his jacket. At least his work boots were built to withstand this kind of weather. Having dry socks was the only thing keeping Eric from catching the flu.
“You are sure they will be here?” Eric asked.
Hank shook his head. “You sound like a kid in the back seat of his parents car on a long trip.”
Eric laughed. “Are we there yet?”
“Almost,” Hank said, sarcastically.
Eric looked down at Hank’s horse as its hooves plodded through the snow, kicking up large white bursts with each step. Looking back over his shoulder Eric could hardly see the hoof prints on the hill they had just come down. He was starting to worry they were going to get caught in a blizzard and stuck out here on their own. “Seriously, what makes you sure they will be here?”
“They will be here, trust me.” Hank was bringing them to the o
ld rangers station just outside of Springdale to meet up with the vikings.
Eric didn’t see any signs of them heading down this road, but the snow had buried the most obvious clues. “Why would we want to go there? I mean its right on the highway and the Pelley’s will drive by here if they do decide to come back.”
“I don’t plan on staying here, I’m just keeping my word to them. I told them I would meet them here.” Hank swayed back and forth atop his horse like a cowboy in an old western movie. He was much more comfortable riding than Eric.
Eric’s hips and thigh muscles were getting sore from the long ride. “So we came all this way in the middle of a blizzard so you could keep your word.” Eric was getting agitated.
“I came all this way because we need their help. We are going back to Corner Brook.” Hank had been keeping his plan a secret from Eric and it was beginning to wear down his last nerves.
“Corner Brook is a wasteland. There are too many of those dead freaks roaming through the city.” Eric didn’t agree with Hanks plan and he certainly wasn’t going to bring Dana back there.
“It may be filled with those filthy rotting corpses, but at least there wouldn’t be anyone looking to take what we have from us there,” Hank said.
“Hank MacDonald the movie star and man with the plan,” Eric said enthusiastically. Eric hadn’t started losing his loved ones until they tangled with other people. He had always managed to keep everyone safe when he only had to deal with the dead.
The snow made it difficult to see very far in the distance, but the faint glow of a fire could be seen on the horizon. Hank pointed his hand towards it and gathered the reins of his horse, sending the beast into a gallop. He yelled out to Eric, but a gust of wind drowned out the sound of his voice. Eric felt uneasy atop of the saddle and couldn’t bring himself to keep up with the more seasoned rider. He continued down the snow covered highway at a slow trot. Hank rushed towards the flickering flames and the falling snow quickly hid him from view, disappearing behind a flurry of heavy snowflakes. Eric looked down at the hoof prints as the wind and falling snow filled the imprints almost as quickly as they had appeared. The roads were quickly starting to blend in with the rest of the terrain, almost indistinguishable from the ditches. The only thing keeping Eric on path was the giant tree’s on either side of him and the burning beacon ahead.
Zombies On The Rock (Book 3): The Republic of Newfoundland Page 10