“Nadine?” I called out.
Uneasiness and nervousness warmed my body and activated my bowels. This didn't feel right. Didn't feel like this house should be like it was. Silent, darker than usual, ominous.
“Nadine? You upstairs?” I took a few steps toward the stairs and heard the floor creak above me. In my best Ricky Ricardo voice, I bellowed out, “Naaaadine! I'm home!”
“How sweet,” came a male's voice. “That you can still joke in a world like this.”
The voice was familiar. “Who's there?”
“David, David, David. Did you forget your old friends already?”
“Abe?”
“And Susan,” said Susan from somewhere behind him.
“Come to the bottom of the stairs and see what we have,” Abe said, a chuckle escaping his throat.
I sort of already knew what he had, but I darted to the stairs anyway.
Abe stood on the landing, Nadine clutched before him. His arm wrapped around her neck, but it appeared the hold wasn't applying too much pressure. He had just enough grip to keep her still. Nadine looked down at me, her eyes watering and pleading with me to save her.
“Nadine!” I took two steps when Nadine cried out.
“Stop!” Abe yelled. “Don't come up the stairs. If you do, I will choke her harder.”
“Okay, okay.” I returned to the bottom. “What do you want? You already took all of our food.”
“Food is important, yes. But how you get that food is equally important,” Abe said. Behind him, Susan emerged from the hall and stood next to Abe.
“I don't understand.”
Irritated, Abe said, “You are naive. Susan, didn't I tell you he's naive about the world?”
“Yep. Wouldn't last a full day outside if he had to,” Susan agreed.
“What do you want with her!” I hollered.
“You see, David, while we may not be able to get food directly, Nadine is going to help us get food indirectly. She's going to be my barter material. She's a pretty girl. I'm sure she's a nasty one in the sack. Right, David? Probably can do some really pleasurable things to men.” Abe shrugged. “Or women, if that's who we meet. She'll get us food. And if she doesn't? Well, that's what rope is for, right?” To Nadine, Abe said, “Oh, I bet you like to be tied up, Nadine.”
Nadine shook in Abe's grasp. She tried to slide down, but Abe hitched his body and tightened the hold around her neck. Nadine settled.
“Please let her go,” I said.
“Sorry, Charlie. No can do.” Abe moved to the side. “Susan here is going to come downstairs, and you're going to let her. She's going to escort you outside, and you're going to leave the neighborhood. Hell, you should just leave town. There's nothing left here anyway for anyone. And that's just some friendly advice from me to you.”
Susan started down the stairs, gun directed at me. “Back up,” she said.
“But you're throwing me out there, with all the zombies,” I said.
“Not my problem,” Abe said. “I suggest when you get out there, you start running. Use the same skills you did to get to Benny's.”
I was in the middle of the living room when Susan reached the bottom of the stairs. She waved the gun at the bag in my hand. “What's in the bag?”
I had almost forgotten the bag. “Food,” I said. “Let Nadine and me go and you can have it.”
“Show me.”
I dumped the bag out on the couch. Two sandwiches, a roll, one can of peas, and two bottles of water.
“Where did you get that?” she asked.
“In a house.” I had made the decision not to take the group at the school with me to Rend City, but I didn't want to give up their location. They'd done nothing to me that I needed to give up Russ and his position. Giving me the food “on faith” was gallant, but it hadn't changed my mind. “You can have it.”
“We'll take it, but Nadine is still ours.” She pointed to the door with her gun. “Now outside.”
“Please don't do this,” I said.
“Is he outside yet?” Abe asked.
“Almost!” Susan yelled back. To me: “Hurry up. Outside.”
I slowly backed toward the door, trying to formulate a plan. But I only had seconds to do anything. Having a gun pointed at you really limited the options of escape. I had no weapons, there were no weapons around me, and Susan kept the distance between me and her far enough where I couldn't even attempt to tackle her if I decided to dive for her. My only option was to leave the house.
When my back hit the door, I reached behind me and took the doorknob in my hand. “Why are you doing this? This is not how the world should be. We need to stick together. Listen, help me get Nadine from him and we three can go to Rend City together. We should be human to each other.”
“If I went along with you, what makes you think you'd be able to trust me?” Susan asked. “You'd leave me as soon as you got the chance.”
“No! I promise!”
“Susan,” Abe said, “You making a date with him or what? Get him out of here!”
“Out,” Susan said to me.
I hesitated before twisting the doorknob. It was a short hesitation, apparently longer than Susan wanted. The gun went off, the bullet slamming the wall just to the right of my head. Plaster pieces sprayed my face. The disgusting scent of gun oil rotted the air.
“Right. Now.” Susan aimed the gun at my face. I saw her eyes lining up the sight. “Or the next bullet is for you.”
I opened the door and slipped out. No other gunshot rang out. It was stupid for Susan to fire the gun. Now, the zombies were attracted to this area. It sickened me she didn't realize that that would happen. Was I angrier at that or angrier my chances of rescuing Nadine went dramatically down now I was out here? Among them.
The zombies' eyes zeroed in on me, not the house or the noise. I was their target. Maybe Susan was smarter than I thought. She probably did realize they would come after me.
I had to get out of here, but I couldn't leave Nadine with those monsters. It hadn't occurred to me that I'd be calling people monsters. There was cruelty and disdain out in the world; I was probably naive for thinking that when the world turned to garbage, humanity would step up and take care of each other. And I figured a small amount of people would turn out like Abe and Susan, but those of us who were good would rise up and quash any evil that manifested itself.
Trust. Honesty. Compassion. I had seen it in Ed. Even in the group at the school. As much as Khloe seemed to hate me, I didn't think she'd be capable of hurting me or doing the things I'd seen Abe and Susan do. Or were doing.
Dammit! Nadine was counting on me! I couldn't rush back in there. There would be no surprise. Two against one. Two who had guns and malice and me who had... Had absolutely nothing. No gun or weapon, no element of surprise, no plan. And with some zombies making their way over, I needed to come up with something fast.
Ed had guns. But his house was a block away. By the time I made it there and back, Abe, Susan, and Nadine could be gone. I had to stay close and keep an eye on what Abe and Susan were doing. If they left, I'd have to follow.
The Fredson's. Lucy and her son Ryan. They lived on the other side of the neighboring townhouse. Nadine befriended them against my better judgment when they first moved in. I was afraid Lucy would soon ask us to babysit or hang out. She with a kid, and us without one. When I was back with Nadine, I'd have to apologize for being so angry with her about that. A woman with a kid meant they could be trusted, right? No reason for me to fear them. Besides, I really had no choice at this moment.
I sprinted away from the approaching zombies and passed the nearby townhouse to the Fredson's place. This two-story home of muted colors had wonderful and pretty landscaping. Or what was left of it from all the trampling and lack of care. But I could picture it before the attacks. Vibrant flowers, freshly manicured bushes, hanging potted plants: an outdoor designer's dream.
Lucy. Ryan. I had no idea a single mom lived in this house and m
aintained it as she had. She worked in an office somewhere - insurance agency, I think - and had more work after she got home from work. I trotted up the steps and pounded on the door.
“Come on, come on,” I said impatiently. The day I caught Nadine and Lucy talking, I admittedly overreacted. Words came out of my mouth louder than necessary. Nothing harsh or vulgar, only in a disappointed tone. Only because Nadine went against my wishes.
I didn't know what to do if Lucy would let me in or let me borrow a gun or two if she had one.
I knocked on the door harder.
Behind me, four zombies hit the bottom of the porch stairs, stymied on what to do next. They kept looking at me, reaching for me instead of figuring out how steps worked. That was to my advantage of course, but it would be for naught if Lucy refused to answer the door.
At the adjacent window, I rapped on the glass. The curtains were slightly parted, and inside, I saw Lucy come down a hallway. Thank heaven.
“Lucy!” I called out. She stopped and squinted at the window. “Please! Help me! Nadine's in trouble.”
An apprehensive Lucy moved toward the door, picking up a handgun from a table as she walked past. I zipped to the door.
“Hurry!”
The doorknob jiggled, and Lucy opened the door an inch. For a second, I thought about kicking in the door, but I had just ranted to myself about trust and kicking in the door would not help Lucy trust me.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Can I come in, please? Zombies are all around, and I need some help saving Nadine.”
“What's going on with Nadine?”
I glanced back at the zombies. “Let me in and I'll explain.”
Lucy studied me, and I couldn't blame her for taking a moment to assess the situation. To assess me and my attitude.
“I'm sorry about that time,” I said. Maybe that would help. I knew Lucy knew what time I referred to. “I acted out of line. It's what this world does to you, and I brought it home and irrationally distrusted you.”
“That's right you did,” Lucy said. She stepped back and widened the opening. “Hurry. I don't want them things near me.”
I obeyed and entered Lucy's home. She slammed the door and locked it. I wanted to tell her that locks were almost useless against zombies and people determined to get inside. But try to tell that to someone all safe and cozy behind the walls while someone like me ran around like a maniac seeking shelter and assistance in saving the person I loved. Instead of asking her if she had someplace safe on the second floor, I kept it simple.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
“Is Nadine in trouble?” Lucy asked.
“A couple of people are holding her hostage at my place.”
“A man and a woman, right?”
“Yes. Abe and Susan. They're going to take her with them and make her do terrible things so they can get supplies and stuff. I can't let that happen. Do you have anything that can help me?”
“Like what?”
“You have nothing that could help? Could I borrow one of your guns? Just one of the two?”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Bluff? Show of force? I don't know yet.”
Lucy shook her head. “Nadine said you were sometimes flaky, unable to make a decision to save your life. And here you have to save hers.”
“Nadine said that?”
“She had positive things to say, don't worry.” Lucy said indifferently as she turned down the hall. “Follow me.”
I followed her down the hall. About halfway down, a boy emerged from a room on the left. He looked at me and asked, “You here to yell at us again?”
“No, no,” I said. “I'm sorry you had to hear me act like that.”
“That's Ryan, by the way,” Lucy said. “I tried to introduce him when you first met us, but...well, you know what happened.”
I didn't know how much more I could apologize. I blamed myself for my actions, for being a hypocrite to them, and for treating them like they were zombies instead of human beings. But they'd have to get past that, as I would have to get past my actions at my home when I first saw them talking to Nadine. Priority number one: rescue Nadine from those bastards.
“Look,” I said, “We could debate what I could or should have done or said or how everyone could have handled the situation better, but that's in the past. I want to save Nadine. That's why I'm here. Will you help me?”
“I said 'follow me,' didn't I?” Lucy stopped under an attic access, reached up for the dangling rope, and tugged. The ceiling door dropped, and a wooden ladder slid out, narrowly missing my head. “Up here.”
The ladder bounced and creaked as Lucy went first. I waited until her feet were clear and ascended.
The attic's only light came from a window at the far end, and I could see the attic had been floored with wide planks. Boxes and footlockers were stacked along the angled portions of the attic, marked with what was inside each one. I glanced from one end to the other and couldn't figure out why I had to “follow” Lucy. Nothing in here would help me.
“Can we hurry this up, please?” I asked. “I need to get back quickly in case they make a break for it.”
Lucy sighed. “Patience.” She crawled over to a pile of boxes covering a large portion of the wall. HOLIDAY DÉCOR, EASTER STUFF, SOLAR LIGHTS. “Come help me,” she said.
As soon as she removed one of the top boxes, and I saw what might be behind there, I rushed over and moved boxes away from the wall like Speedy Gonzalez. When we had all the boxes out of the way, I stood in awe of the metal safe before me.
It was as tall as the attic and about six feet wide. A large silver handle sat below a book-sized combination lock with numbers from 0 to 100. The casing was green, and I swore it buzzed and crackled strangely.
“What's that noise?” I asked.
Lucy knelt near the side of the case and pulled a plug from the wall. The buzzing stopped. “It's electrified. Gives you a shock if you touch it.”
“You have electricity? A generator or something?”
“Battery packs. I didn't really turn them on until I saw - you called them Abe and Susan - those guys wandering around. I don't recall them from this neighborhood. So, I prepared.”
“That seems a little excessive. This safe is hidden well.”
“Does it seem excessive?” She had a point. “I know people out there would kill to get this if they knew about it. Probably those two.”
“Sorry. When you see stuff like this, it's easy to forget what's out there. Can I touch it now?”
“You know the combination?” She asked with hands on hips.
I needed to be patient. Just let her to what she had to do to get that thing open. “Go ahead.”
Lucy spun the dial hard. It rotated through a bunch of clicks before stopping. Lucy sneaked a look at me, then stepped in front of the combination mechanism to hide it from my eyes. Click, click, click, click. Silence. Click, click, click, click, click, click. Silence. Click, click, click. KACHUNK. She gripped the handle and twisted it counter-clockwise. Something unlatched inside, and the safe's door angled out on its own from the weight.
Inside this glorious, metal beast were items that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Tears of hope and happiness. Lucy was right when she said, I know people out there would kill to get this if they knew about it. They would take everything and then turn down the house to make sure Lucy and Ryan didn't come after them.
Guns of all types and sizes were neatly arranged in three rows. Shotguns and assault rifles on the bottom, medium-size automatic guns on the middle shelf, and an array of handguns secured to the top shelf. Mounted to the back of the safe were a few antique revolvers. Trays affixed to the inside of the door were filled with boxes of ammunition, each labeled with the name of the gun they belonged to.
“What can you use?” Lucy asked.
“Any of them.”
“No, what do you know how to use.”
I perused the
guns. The larger ones would be nice for appearances but using them was beyond my knowledge. Even the guns on the middle shelf would pose issues without adequate skill to use them. “Just the handguns.”
“Figures,” Lucy said. She reached into the safe and pulled out two 9mm guns. She handed those and two boxes of ammo to me. “That ammunition works in both guns. Do you know how to load it?”
“Yes.” It was partly true. I had fired guns like these years ago. I had reloaded them once. I relied on the fact once I started to reload them, the process would come back to me. Plus, I don't think Lucy had a high opinion of me using these anyway, so why waste more time having her show me how to load them. If they were already loaded, I could make do.
Lucy pulled out an unfamiliar gun from the bottom area of the safe. “Take this too. You won't find a shotgun like it for civilian use.”
“This is a shotgun?” It was about four feet long, all black, and had a round cylinder orbiting the barrel in front of the trigger. “This looks like a gangster's Tommy Gun. What's so special about it?”
“It's an AA-12 automatic shotgun. The cartridge holds 100 rounds and will fire those rounds in less than a minute. The gun's range is about 500 feet.” Lucy popped out the cylinder and clicked it back into place as easy as putting a plate in the sink. “And it's easy to load.” She handed it to me.
Despite the mean appearance of it, the thing was extremely light. “It's light, even with the shells.”
“My dad was friends with the guy who developed that gun. They'd hang out and test the prototypes until the shotgun was safe to use. Then when -” Lucy waved her word away. “You don't need a history lesson.”
I waved my hand at the safe. “So why these guns?”
She nodded and headed back to the attic entrance. “My dad was a Major General in the army. Loved to protect his country and anything in it. He retired three years ago and started amassing guns. He taught me how to use, clean, and store them properly. Never told me why. Always said, 'any child of an Army Major General needs to know how to use all types of guns.'“
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