And Hell Followed: A Horror Novel

by Tatiana Xavi

  Smiling, I rested my hand on his chest. “I feel optimistic lately.”

  “Me too,” Leo said without selling the lie well.

  “Do you still think this is a dream?”

  “No, but I’m afraid to accept you’ve come back. Like as soon as I decide you’re here for sure, I think I’ll wake up. I know it’s crazy, but I convinced myself the first night that as long as I was prepared for the dream to end that you would stay with me. I can’t shake that feeling.”

  “If you need to hold onto that idea to make it through the day, you hold onto it. I hold onto dreams I should have let go of years ago. Yet I feel like if I give up those dreams, God will decide I don’t care enough, so I don’t deserve to live. You and I both have our crazy things, but I’m not letting go of mine, and you don’t have to let go of yours either.”

  Leo grinned. “Look at how we’ve both gone nuts.”

  Laughing, I tugged him outside where everyone was joking around and playing sports. With Bellamy around, the survivors began thinking long term. The women in the group didn’t view Morgan’s baby as a death sentence. They excitedly talked about gender and names even though Bellamy kept telling anyone who would listen how the baby was a boy named Titan. No one did listen though because she talked a lot and made little sense.

  Only I listened. While we ate dinner next to the fire outside, I listened to her talk about bees rising to sting the world. Everyone nodded like they used to do when Grandma Audrey talked about ghosts and bad juju. While I wanted to ask Bellamy why the bees wanted to sting the world, I didn’t find much time to spend with her. The one time I spoke to Bellamy, I told her how I dreamt about her a lot. She just smiled and patted me on the head.

  “So what? I dream of you too. Dreams are fun like carnivals and bubble machines.”

  Then Bellamy walked away and played baseball. I figured I would press the subject again later because those dreams left me feeling dirty. Snake Eyes was creepy, and I wanted to know who he was and why he was always hanging around the little girls. The word creepy didn’t really do him justice.

  On the fourth day, the group made the decision to return to the townhomes. The few holdovers were impressed when Bellamy made thirty nearby zombies line dance.

  Daddy also painted them such a fine picture of the townhomes. Told the women about the clothing and beauty stores. Sold Molly on the community garden. Had the men visualize the gun shop where Daddy hid an arsenal big enough to supply our group five times over.

  Mostly, Daddy helped them imagine a life where whispering wasn’t a constant and hot water was a daily occurrence. They could watch TV and sleep in warm houses. We could stop running, waiting for people to be picked off, and our numbers to dwindle. No one wanted to be the last one standing, facing an ugly world alone.

  Daddy made the group dream until the dream was so tangible no one wanted to give it up. We were sitting outside under the stars when everything changed for them. I felt the moment the group reached for the dream and how nothing else would do.

  Once they embraced the dream, they couldn’t wait for it a minute longer. Daddy smiled at me when plans were quickly devised for us to leave the next day. Returning his smile, I knew we were going home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The group had packed up anything worth taking and jammed it into a dozen cars. We had gone into town to find more working vehicles, and they were now overflowing with things we didn’t need.

  Having decided to keep half of the military vehicles so her zombies could stretch out, Bellamy then offered to allow a select group of us to ride in her cars. No one took her up on it, though I wished I could have. Bellamy even sweetened the deal for Ryan and Morgan by saying they could actually drive. Ryan wasn’t biting and instead joined Abner, Noel, and Morgan in a car.

  Walking toward the car, I noticed Daddy and Leo talking away from the others. I had wondered where Leo was because it was rare for him to leave my side for longer than it took to use the bathroom. One day I might get sick of his constant presence, but I hadn’t hit this point yet.

  Leo made me feel like the Samantha from before the plague. Safe and pretty. If I had to deal with Leo attached to me every moment, I couldn’t think of a better happy ending to the last month.

  Once Daddy finished talking, Leo nodded and joined me. Daddy walked over to Paul to do a final checklist.

  “What did he say?”

  Leo glanced at Daddy then twisted his lips in thought. “He just wanted me to know he’d asked everyone on the planet and they all agreed you were mine. He figured since this was an established fact that I could go ahead and ease up on all the hickeys.”

  Laughing loudly, I looked at Daddy who winked at me. Leo shook his head and grinned.

  “He also suggested if easing up proved too difficult that I should knit you a scarf.”

  Hugging Leo, I couldn’t imagine how he felt when Daddy told him those things. While I knew by Leo’s expression he remained serious and respectful, I would have turned beat red and giggled a lot. I suspected this was why Daddy didn’t tell me.

  The group finally said goodbye to site four and headed south. Bellamy led the convoy which irritated the adults. They wouldn’t complain though when she had zombies waving at us everywhere we went.

  Always feeling a little tired, I slept most of the day. The more tired I got, the fuzzier I felt. The fuzzy feeling forced me to think of those men and the dark room. I’d rather dream about Snake Eyes and his never-ending supply of candy than remember the day in Overton.

  Stopping for lunch at a park, everyone sat awkwardly at the picnic tables while a hundred zombies watched us. Most of them were interested in Bellamy who showed no interest in them. Yet right before we left, she did run past the front line of zombies and give them high fives.

  A few zombies didn’t watch Bellamy, though. They growled and pushed forward, fighting against the invisible barrier Bellamy created. The smarter zombies followed the convoy for as long as they could with the hopes of retrieving the food just out of reach.

  Back on the road, Daddy and Zippy talked endlessly about finding animals like chickens and goats. Daddy figured with the right animals that we would have access to eggs and milk which would be helpful once the canned food supplies dwindled. The capitalist hippy commune even had a mini farm for raising the animals. Daddy suggested the group should raid the government’s territory in Texas. I fell asleep to the sounds of Zippy laughing at his strategy to steal animals.

  I dreamt of Snake Eyes and the longest string of licorice in creation. Leo was in the dream with me, and he was feeling me up. Not wanting him to feel my breasts, I pushed his hands away. When he leaned down to kiss my neck, he bit me instead, and I woke up.

  At first, I thought Leo really was feeling me up, but he was only squirming around next to me. He finally yanked off his shoes and stopped fidgeting. Smiling casually, he finally accepted I wasn’t going anywhere.

  A day of driving left everyone a little cranky. Once out of her Humvee, Bellamy did jumping jacks then ran off toward the woods and disappeared. Her zombies also looked restless. Whether they were imitating her or edgy from the long drive, I couldn’t tell. Remembering how zombies always moved and shuffled, I suspected the mustached zombies didn’t like being cooped up in the cars.

  Leaving the cars on the road, Ryan and Abner helped Morgan into the house Bellamy had blessed as “the one.” Leg cramps were apparently common for pregnant women, and this fact sent Sherry and Tess into hyperdrive with advice. Leo smiled at his mother’s enthusiasm as he followed me into the house where Bellamy was now running up and down the stairs.

  “It’s going well,” she said as she reached the bottom step. “The operation is a success so far.”

  Watching her run back up the stairs, I nodded. “The drive’s been smooth.”

  Bellamy hit the bottom step again and frowned. “Oh, yeah, that’s good too.” When she smiled, I was once again struck by how beautiful Bellamy was without the clown make
up. Her green eyes were positively glowing as she patted my shoulder. “Are you happy for me, Sub Sami? Are you thrilled at my good fortune and amazing social skills?”

  “Yes, totally.”

  Leo smiled faintly, but he didn’t know what she was talking about either. Taking my hand, he pulled me into another room, claiming he needed to talk. When I started to ask if everything was okay, he kissed me, and I understood the dire need for privacy.

  “Am I due for another hickey?” I asked him when his lips left mine.

  Leo smiled. “Your dad’s right. I should lay off with that, and I totally plan to,” he said then kissed me softly. “As soon as we get to the townhomes.”

  Laughing until his lips were on my throat, I quickly leaned into his arms. I’d guess he gave me four new hickeys before we were interrupted by Ryan and Haley.

  “Leo, Ava’s looking for you,” Haley whispered.

  “To avoid more discourse, you should wait here,” Leo told me.

  Nodding, I remained in the house. To my surprise, Haley followed Leo out, leaving me with Ryan who sighed.

  “He should just get it over with and pee on you.”

  “I prefer hickeys. How could I not enjoy having my throat sucked on rather than a dude peeing on me?”

  Squinting angrily at me, Ryan then rolled his eyes. “He’s an idiot, and you should dump him. He’s seriously the most annoying man I’ve ever met.”

  “You’ve barely spoken to him, and I’d bet you’d like him.”

  “Which is why I haven’t spoken to him. I’m not looking to be buddies with the guy standing in my way.”

  “Haley’s hotter than me.”

  Ryan squinted again. “Yeah, she’s super. Thanks for shoving me in her direction.”

  “You should say it again, but without the sarcasm.”

  “Samantha, you are too good for the douche.”

  “He’s not a douche. You’ve already admitted you’d like Leo if you talked to him.”

  Ryan grinned. “I’ll tell you what. Once we get to the townhomes and everyone gets settled in, I’ll have all the younger guys get together and play cards or something. Get to know your Romeo.”

  “Really?” I asked, thinking he might be messing with me.

  “Sure. Look, I don’t like you’re with him, but I’m not blind. You two are glued to each other, and I’m too lazy to break you up. You want him. Fine. Awesome. I’m going to throw a fit about it for another day or two then I’ll forget about the night at the camp. We’ll be buddies, you, me, and Hickey Boy.”

  “Ooh, I like the nickname,” Leo said, returning with Haley. “Sami can be Hickey Girl. We’ll be superheroes who do nothing besides make out all day.”

  Walking to the door and glancing back, Ryan mouthed, “He sucks,” before disappearing outside. Haley stood awkwardly, unsure if she was supposed to follow Ryan or not.

  “Your dad was looking for you,” Leo said, giving Haley the out she needed.

  Watching her go, I frowned at Leo. “Is Ryan the reason you keep giving me hickeys?”

  “No, Braden is.”

  “Huh?”

  “He was the guy you made out with at a party. I saw you the next day and you were covered in hickeys, and I got jealous.”

  “Of Braden?”

  “Hey, I might have wanted you to date and get more experience before you, and I got together, but it doesn’t mean I was thrilled to have other guys sucking on you.”

  “You were hoping I would hook up with other guys?” I asked, frowning.

  “Not necessarily hook up but date. I wanted you to have more experience with dating, but I hoped to be your first and only.”

  “It’s not like I’d be your first. Would I even be in the top ten?”

  Leo frowned darkly. “Top ten? Is that what you think of me?”

  “No,” I said, suddenly upset over those pretty girls Leo had enjoyed before me, “but now I’m jealous of your past girlfriends who are all probably dead. Even if they weren’t, I wouldn’t blame them for jumping you. So, yeah, I’m jealous, so there.”

  Rolling his eyes, Leo took my hand. “Being with someone else and thinking about you is nasty. Do I seem like a nasty guy?”

  “No, but you were in college,” I said, considering what he was saying. “No way.”

  “Yes, Sami.”

  “How?”

  Leo laughed. “What do you mean how? I just didn’t do it.”

  “And you were in a pool a lot, so all the cold water probably helped with your self-control.”

  Laughing again, Leo tugged me outside where everyone was gathering to start a fire and eat. Daddy seemed nervous about the bald dogs showing up, and his anxiety rubbed off on the others. Bellamy though sat next to Ryan and Morgan and announced how she preferred her dogs with hair so we shouldn’t have a problem.

  Nick didn’t trust Bellamy. I overheard him telling Daddy how Bellamy was probably evil and might be leading us to the slaughter. While Daddy stuck up for Bellamy, it did little good. Some of the people in the group couldn’t warm up to Bellamy, no matter her amazing social skills.

  As the sun lowered in the sky and Ryan grew edgy, Bellamy proved her point about the dogs. Something prowled near the woods lining the house causing Daddy and the others to pull out their weapons.

  “Papa Evan doesn’t like being eaten,” Bellamy told Ryan. “I bet those puppies won’t like being eaten either.”

  As the mustached zombies walked toward the woods, the dogs began whining and rolling around in the dirt. Soon the zombies ate what Bellamy collected for them. The sounds of the slaughter caused most of the group to move indoors. Daddy and Zippy hung around for a while but eventually joined the other grownups. Yet Bellamy, Ryan, Leo, and I remained outside. Haley eventually returned with Noel in tow.

  “Death isn’t pretty,” Noel said as the zombies shuffled out, bloody and smiling.

  Bellamy stopped cooking her stale marshmallow and frowned. “Hey, I am too.”

  Noel smiled awkwardly, and Haley laughed. Bellamy waved at her zombies who moved out to the road to act as guards overnight.

  We stayed outside, thinking about monsters fighting each other. At least this was what I was thinking. If the monsters fought on a large enough scale, would they kill each other off? If so, humans and the kinda humans like me could rebuild our world.

  Once the chilly night drove everyone inside, I found Daddy and Zippy cuddled asleep under a blanket. Next to their bed in the small room was an inflatable bed waiting for Leo and me. Even before looking at Leo, I knew he wanted to cuddle too. His need for affection was solely for the purpose of being close and not to prevent himself from sleeping. Somewhere along the day, I’d officially become real to him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, the group was up early, eating and preparing to get on the road. Before starting for the cars, we stripped the house of any useful supplies and shoved them into the stuffed cars.

  Walking up the embankment to the road where the convoy waited, Haley lost her balance and Ryan reached out to help steady her. Once he took her hand, he held it the rest of the way up. Glancing back at me, he seemed to be saying with his eyes, “See? I’m trying, but I still want your boyfriend out of the picture.”

  I still smiled because he was making an effort, and Haley was beautiful and sweet. She’d never had a boyfriend before the plague and Ryan would be a hell of a good first one. I couldn’t imagine a downside to them hooking up.

  Glancing to my right, I saw Bellamy watching Ryan walk with Haley. She paused halfway up the embankment and her gaze locked onto the couple’s linked hands.

  Bellamy deflated before my eyes.

  Even once she was walking again, she never stopped watching Ryan and Haley. My mind suddenly flashed back to the last week. Every time Bellamy and Ryan were in the same room. Every time Bellamy ran her fingers along his ponytail or teased him. She always stood close to him, wanting his attention. The successful operation, her amazing social s
kills, her lack of clown makeup, and the way she pinned him during the games. I hadn’t noticed how different she was with him because it was Bellamy and she was impossible to read. Yet I could read her right then as she stood on the road, surrounded by her zombies.

  Squeezing Leo’s hand, I feared Bellamy might use the zombies to get rid of her competition. Instead, Bellamy looked at Ryan and started crying. Letting go of Leo, I moved closer to Bellamy who didn’t sob but whimpered like a hurt child.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I told her, but she just stared at the ground and cried quietly.

  “What’s happening?” Daddy angrily asked, even though he wasn’t sure who needed punishing.

  Bellamy looked at me, her eyes full of tears. “It’s lonely being Death.” Wiping her eyes, she looked so young and lost. “Not even God wants to hang out with me, and I saw Him hanging with some weird dude under a bridge the other day.”

  Seeing her so vulnerable, I felt guilty for never considering her for Ryan. Bellamy didn’t seem human or interested in things like dating. She was Death after all.

  Looking at Ryan, I saw his hand was still in Haley’s. Though he wasn’t holding her hand as much as letting her hold his. Despite his lack of interest in Haley, I knew Ryan didn’t view Bellamy as a girl. Even washed clean of the clown makeup and with the flirting Bellamy attempted, she was inhuman to him. Much like she was to the rest of us.

  “Are you all right?” Daddy asked her softly.

  Nodding, Bellamy wiped her eyes. “The world weeps in my wake. I guess that and my boys will have to be enough.”

  Her young heart broken by Ryan’s disinterest, Bellamy stood with such a sad expression on her face. She still had the expression when the bullet tore through her chest, throwing her backward onto the ground.

  Everyone froze, unsure where the shot originated. We hadn’t even heard it before the bullet ripped through Bellamy. Daddy squatted down, checking Bellamy who stared at the sky with lifeless eyes.