When the Dead

by Michelle Kilmer

  “We aren’t killing anyone. There’s been enough of that,” Rob said.

  “It seems a bit too late to try to create a justice system here. We should have done that when we made the rationing one,” Ben said. “Or when we found out he killed someone.”

  “We can’t let this fall apart. We have to do something,” Isobel said as she looked out the window at another day passing by. “I’m going to talk to Molly.”

  Gossip Mill

  Rob left Ben and Isobel’s after she did. Ben left shortly after and headed upstairs to the Cooper’s apartment to tell Hayden of all that had transpired that day.

  “. . . and then Jeff came in to attack Isobel, thinking she told everyone,” Ben recounted the event to Hayden.

  “Wow. It’s like a soap opera. I knew that Jeff guy was a creep. He always gives me nasty looks.”

  “Why didn’t you say something to me?” Ben asked with concern in his voice.

  “I didn’t want to bother you with it. I just think he doesn’t like teenagers.”

  “Yeah, you’re too loud,” Ben laughed and Hayden hit him playfully.

  “Can we talk about baby names?” Hayden asked with hope in her eyes.

  Ben wasn’t in the mood for baby talk. He wanted to touch Hayden intimately again. He’d tried to tell himself it wasn’t right but her youth and beauty were intoxicating to him.

  “In a second,” he said as he kissed her and lowered her gently onto the bed.

  Hindsight

  Molly didn’t get up to answer the knock at her door, not even when it grew loud and irritated. Only when she knew it wouldn’t stop did she make the decision to see who it was.

  “Look, I know you’re a little pissed off,” Isobel said.

  “A little pissed off?” Molly laughed sarcastically, allowing Isobel into the entry of her apartment but no further.

  “What would you have done?” Isobel queried.

  “First, I would have tried to call the police,” Molly said matter-of-factly.

  “They wouldn’t have come,” Isobel shook her head. “Can I come in?”

  “No. Second, I would have gathered everyone and informed them of his wrongdoing.”

  “We didn’t really know each other yet,” Isobel reasoned.

  “You gathered everyone together anyway. You just forgot to leave out the bit about Jeff being a murderer. You also helped to sell his lie.”

  “We could have handled it differently,” Isobel agreed.

  “Third, I would have kicked him out.”

  “You want us to ask him to leave Willow Brook?” Isobel asked, dumbfounded. “Where would he go?”

  Molly shrugged. “I don’t see another option.” She pushed Isobel out of her apartment and closed the door on her.

  Unlikely Advisor

  Jeff grew sick of his empty apartment and he knew that the others were going to try to appease Molly with some form of punishment for him. He needed someone on his side, someone who would understand his position, someone who seemed to hate women as much as he now did. The hallway of the second floor was quiet but he’d seen Ben through the peephole, walking by, so he waited for a few minutes to be sure that no one saw him go to the third floor.

  He paced back and forth in front of Vaughn’s door a couple of times digging deep within himself to face the monster of a man and ask for help. He was also trying to determine if Hayden was with Vaughn. He didn’t really want to deal with the immature teen. He heard her voice but it was coming from the apartment behind him, the one the Coopers used to live in. He leaned against the cool wood of the door and listened for a moment.

  “Oh, Ben!” Hayden yelled from inside.

  Jeff was shocked and confused. Ben didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d fuck a teen and he was certain that Ben had a thing for Isobel. He stood there a minute longer until he heard Ben’s voice and he knew it to be true.

  “Oh man, this is too good.” Jeff smiled to himself. He’d hold onto this newly found knowledge until it suited him to play the card. Now satisfied that Vaughn was alone he turned back around, reached out and knocked once, firmly, to hide his fear.

  Vaughn opened the door, a bottle of beer in his hand, shirtless and smiling. He must have been feeling good because his smile didn’t disappear when he saw that it was Jeff.

  “What a surprise! How’s the wife? I mean . . . the boyfriend? I mean . . .” Vaughn laughed maniacally. The look of pain on Jeff’s face was priceless. Jeff turned to walk away but Vaughn grabbed his shoulder roughly and pulled him into his apartment before he could even protest.

  “It’s like you have an informant. You know everything that goes on in this place,” Jeff said as he rubbed his shoulder where Vaughn had grabbed him.

  “No one informs me of anything. I’ve seen your wife a few times, outside, thought about taking care of your little problem. Can’t really tell you why I decided not to.”

  You know exactly why you didn’t, Vaughn! His mind yelled but he had to stay calm. Vaughn was the only person who could help him. “How did you know about Markus?”

  “I saw him leave. He looked really sad. That’s not a good look for a man. Hopefully the world out there will toughen his gay ass up a bit.” Vaughn punched Jeff in the shoulder in a manner that was meant to be gentle but it wasn’t. “I’m sure there’s got to be a thing or two that I am not aware of. Like why you’re here.” Vaughn pointed at him and waited for his explanation.

  “I need your help. The group is after me. They want revenge or something. I know they are planning against me. You didn’t get sucked into all their crap so can you just give me some advice?” Jeff pleaded.

  Vaughn thought Jeff sounded a little nuts but he wasn’t scared of him. He knew Jeff wouldn’t try to hurt him since he wasn’t a part of the gang downstairs. “Get a gun and assert yourself. The apartment is yours, right? They can’t take it from you,” he suggested.

  “They have an extra key. They can come in whenever they want. I think they are going to kill me in my sleep.”

  “Get the key then. Simple,” Vaughn said.

  “Can I have one of your guns?”

  Even though Vaughn didn’t think Jeff capable of killing him he didn’t want to risk it. He could take the man in a fist fight but he couldn’t outrun a bullet. “No. You’ll have to take one of theirs by force. It will be a louder statement if you do it that way.”

  “Really? That’s all you’ve got? I thought you were some wise man, sitting up here in the clouds.”

  “Nope, I’m just the angry drunk on the third floor,” Vaughn said, taking a swig from his beer.

  “They’re going to have a meeting, I know it. They love meetings. Maybe I can get a gun then, when they are all busy talking about me.”

  “Whatever you say. The details are yours to figure out. Now, I’ve got some business to attend to if you don’t mind moving along.”

  “Yeah, ok,” Jeff said weakly and left.

  Sleep

  Rob prepared his son for bed. He wasn’t sure what the next day would bring for them. The fissures in the group had grown to be crevasses, too deep and wide to cross or bring together again. It wouldn’t be all that much different from before the plague, when neighbors didn’t talk to one another. Maybe everyone would be alright if they just stayed out of one another’s way.

  Gabe rolled over under his covers as his dad was leaving his bedroom. “Can you stay here until I fall asleep?” he asked in a small voice.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Rob said from the doorway.

  “There’re monsters everywhere,” Gabe whined.

  “The walls will protect us,” Rob said as he made his way back to his child in the darkened room.

  “Can the monsters turn doorknobs?”

  “No. Now try to sleep.” Rob tucked Gabe’s blankets in tighter and lay next to him on the bed, waiting for his breathing to slow and sleep to take him. He felt a small bit of happiness that he might be getting his fragile and sensitive boy back.r />
  Torrential

  The next morning it was pouring down rain. Isobel woke early due to the noise and was never able to fall back to sleep. Ben wasn’t home when she’d been pushed from Molly’s apartment the day before and he still wasn’t back.

  The sheet of water falling on the world outside made her feel more trapped than usual. She took in a deep breath, let it out and got herself ready for what promised to be another long day. She ate breakfast alone; stale crackers with canned tuna fish and a fruit cup.

  She knew Ben was with Hayden again, she just didn’t know where. She wanted to talk to Vaughn as well but thought it best to seek out the secret couple before him. Isobel went to the third floor with the ring of keys in her hand and started opening apartments, only to find them all empty until the Coopers’.

  She turned the key in the doorknob and opened the door. “Ben!” She whispered. “I know you’re here.” She started into the apartment but Ben quickly appeared and disallowed her from further intrusion.

  “Hey, um, I was just checking up on he-” he started but was cut off by Isobel.

  “I know you’re screwing so drop the act, ok?” she said. “We need to gather up everyone and figure out what to do about Jeff. Molly won’t let this go. Get some pants on!”

  Ben and Hayden dressed and went with Isobel to Vaughn’s door. Isobel knocked instead of using the key.

  “I don’t wake up this early,” Vaughn yawned in the entryway, nude. “I may come down in a bit but feel free to start without me.” He closed the door and wondered if Jeff was planning to act on his paranoia during the meeting but was uninterested in showing up to find out.

  Molly, as expected, was much harder to convince to leave her apartment.

  “I don’t really want to be in the same room with him,” she said as Ben, Hayden and Isobel stood in the hallway pleading with her to come out.

  Ben gave up and went to get Rob who was already awake and ready to get it over with.

  “Do you need someone to watch Gabe?” Ben asked.

  “No, he’ll be ok. I gave him a book about Egyptians to look at. Found it when we were cleaning up the Cabels apartment. It’ll keep him occupied.”

  When the men left Rob’s apartment they found the others, including Molly, gathered in the common area. Everyone was silent and most were looking out the windows at the still pouring rain.

  “I’m going to make some tea,” Isobel said to the somber group.

  “I’d like some,” Molly said.

  “Me too,” added Ben.

  Isobel came back ten minutes later with three steaming mugs and they began.

  The Trial of Jeff Brown

  “I’m not interested in hearing apologies from any of you,” Molly started. “I wanted to make that clear. I just want to feel ok at night knowing that we haven’t turned a blind eye to murder.”

  “He killed her in the heat of the moment,” Ben said. “He isn’t a dangerous person to be locked up or let out.”

  “He strangled her to death! Have you even considered how much hatred and evil it takes to commit to that? It isn’t a quick process!” Molly cried out. “Unlike a bullet, you have time to reconsider!”

  “Well, no, I hadn’t thought about the time it took him to do it,” Ben said, slightly more confused about his own position on the event.

  “So, no one has any suggestions? Let me start. I say we kick him out of here,” Molly said.

  “Are you kidding? You’ve seen the guy. He wouldn’t have any chance out there. He’d die!” Rob said, shaking his head in disagreement.

  “Exactly the plan,” Molly said with a smile. “We certainly can’t kill him ourselves but it is what he deserves for taking a life.”

  It was then that Jeff emerged from his apartment. His fists were clenched and the knuckles were scabbed and covered in dried blood. He looked like he might kill again.

  “Hi . . . Jeff. Care to join us?” Isobel asked slowly, carefully.

  “A meeting,” Jeff said brightly, “how nice. I seemed to have misplaced my invitation.”

  “It’s been a rough few days. We just forgot to wake you up,” Ben said with a forced smile.

  “Yeah,” Hayden played along, “sorry about that.”

  “It’s kind of unfair not being invited to my own trial, don’t you think? Kind of unfair not to ask for my suggestions,” Jeff said, still standing at a distance from the group.

  “It isn’t like that, Jeff. We were going to talk to you,” Isobel said.

  “WHEN?!” he roared and Isobel flinched from the shock of it.

  “Finally, some fucking drama!” Vaughn clapped his hands together with excitement as he walked down the stairs into the charged room wearing only dirty jeans.

  The anger this brought up in Isobel temporarily outweighed the fear she felt from Jeff’s anger. “Where were you Vaughn, when we had to slaughter The Cabels in the hallway? Or how about when we risked our lives to bring your felony in from the cold? And where the fuck were you when Ben had to pull his gun on you at dinner two nights ago?” Isobel screamed at him. “I had a door frame save my head from a machete for Christ’s sake!”

  “That dinner thing was just a big misunderstanding,” Vaughn laughed as he walked up to Jeff and threw an arm around him jovially.

  “No Vaughn THAT WAS DRAMA! And the only one who doesn’t understand a thing is you,” Isobel ended her tirade and took a gulp of her tea which had thankfully cooled significantly.

  Jeff pushed Vaughn’s arm off of him and put about three feet between them. “You want to punish me for killing my wife and yet you all stay quiet while Vaughn and Ben fuck Hayden like bunny rabbits? Last time I checked it was illegal to screw a minor.”

  “Whoa there,” Vaughn broke in, “for the record there was never a threesome. I don’t do men.”

  It hurt Hayden a little that Vaughn didn’t care that she and Ben had been together but it felt good to have it out in the open. They wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore.

  Isobel looked at Ben for his reaction to be outed in front of everyone. Ben couldn’t raise his eyes.

  Jeff wasn’t done with the finger pointing and he began again, his eyes growing wilder as he spoke. “Molly and Ben are thieves. They’ve taken other people’s belongings for themselves! There are no rules anymore. I did what I had to do! You can hate me for it but you can’t kick me out!”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong, Jeff,” Isobel pointed out.

  “Whose shoes are those? Huh? And what about the books? I know you didn’t swipe your visa for any of it. You’re a looter, a thief just like Molly and Ben, Vaughn too. You are the worst, Tom,” he said, staring Vaughn down.

  “We are surviving, Jeff,” Isobel explained. “We need shoes, we need books to feel human and we kill to stay human.”

  “I was traumatized by her. I had nothing of myself left. No life or choice to speak of. I killed to stay human too. It was the only thing I had left. How is it that no one sees that?” he cried.

  “Our crimes are smaller than yours and I don’t feel safe with you here, Jeff,” Molly said, ignoring his words.

  “I make you feel unsafe? ME? Do I have to point out that you are sitting next to someone with an alcohol problem, a penchant for hitting women, and a gun collection larger than Sports Authority? How’s that nose of yours?” Jeff asked, waiting to hear what he suspected to be true.

  Molly hung her head. “Broken.”

  “That’s right. Broken! Like our sense of right and wrong. I’m sick of these double standards. I’ll be in my apartment, the one on my rental agreement. I’m not leaving and I’m not eating dinner with you hypocritical fucks anymore!” Jeff yelled and then retreated back to his apartment.

  It was as though everyone had been holding their breath for when he was gone they all exhaled. Ben wiped his sweaty palms on the sides of the chair he sat in. Isobel tried to hug Molly, who was trembling, but she pushed her away and went back to her own place.

  Unfazed by Jeff’s
speech and the overall mood in the room, Vaughn laughed. “Meeting adjourned then!” he said and went back upstairs. In all honesty he was underwhelmed by Jeff’s performance. He hadn’t demanded weapons or keys and his eyes had started to tear up. Maybe he didn’t have it in him. Such a pussy, Vaughn thought, such a pussy.

  On the Outside

  Markus was soaking wet, shivering and second guessing himself. His right hand ached from gripping the baseball bat for hours. He had managed to get as far as the burned out mall, though even that short journey had taken him all night and all of his physical and emotional strength. What was I thinking, leaving that fortress to walk the streets with the dead? He thought as he watched the crowd of corpses gathering in the south parking lot. They not only disgusted him, they truly terrified him.

  His hideout was secure as far as he could tell. He had found a large tunnel running underneath the mall, used by semi-trucks for delivering consumer goods for the shops above. It was closed on either end with seven foot high chain link fences (one of which he’d had to climb over). It wasn’t the best place to stop as it was pitch dark within ten feet of the opening; anything could be hiding in it, but he’d made the quick decision to take shelter there. Markus didn’t plan on staying long and he made a point to stay as near the fence as he dared without tempting the undead on the other side of it.

  He sat on the floor of the tunnel. Runoff from the parking lot had seeped in and wet the ground but it didn’t matter to him; he was already drenched. He pulled the map from his backpack and carefully unfolded it. The map too was wet with rainwater and its paper in danger of tearing. It was not the closest house he was looking for but the easiest to get to from his current location.

  “There’s no way that I’m heading toward Lake City,” he said as he studied the map.

  “Anthony was always a jerk anyway. Or maybe I was the jerk? I can’t recall,” Markus said aloud, his voice echoing into the darkest depths of the tunnel at a much louder volume than he felt he spoke the words. He listened a moment for any response from possible inhabitants but heard nothing but droplets of water breaking on the surface of the puddles surrounding him.