Broken Dreams

by Rissa Blakeley

  “We either do this, or we watch her die. It’s the best shot that she has.” Claire was adamant. I decided arguing with her wasn’t going to work. I sat back down on the bed next my mom. Claire and Thomas walked into my room to tell Henry what the plan was. Then I saw them walk by to go to the stairs.

  “Claire!” I yelled. She stopped and looked my way. “Thank you. And you, too, Thomas. Be safe.” They both nodded.

  They ran down the stairs, and I heard them talking to Nick about what the plan was. He wasn’t happy about it, but he wanted Mom saved as much as Claire did. He knew he spent most of his energy trying to get everyone in the house. He was still weak from the bite, and needed more blood. Plus, someone needed to keep an eye on Kellan, and Nick was the only one who could handle the task.

  Chapter 20

  C

  laire and Thomas got into Henry’s truck. “You ready?” Claire asked.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  She handed him Sophie’s gun. “Only shoot if you have to. Remember, we have to conserve.” He nodded. Claire started the truck and they pulled away. “So…tell me about yourself. Are you from around here?”

  “No. I’m from ‘bout seventy miles north.” His voice was subdued.

  “Did you travel alone all that way? On foot?”

  “Yeah, mos’ly. I did hitch a couple rides, though.”

  Claire was curious. Maybe too curious. “Is your family alive?” After she asked, she wondered if she should have.

  Thomas was silent for a moment. “No.” It was like pulling teeth, trying to get information. “I killed ‘em.”

  She gasped. “I’m sorry.”

  “They were undeads, or whatever you call them.” He cleared his throat. “My lil’ sister, too. She was six.”

  Claire teared up. “Oh, Thomas. I’m so sorry.” He nodded. She decided not to probe anymore when she saw him withdraw even more than he already was.

  They made it to Urgent Care without any issues. It was far too quiet for their comfort. “Have you raided here yet?” she asked him.

  “No. I’ve been camped out at the gas station for ‘bout a week.”

  “Hopefully we can find what we need for Maria.”

  “You know what we’re lookin’ for?”

  “Yeah. My father was a doctor. I’m not, but I spent many days with him while he practiced. I wanted to be one for a while, but I changed my mind after…” She couldn’t finish the thought. If she did, she would have had to acknowledge their death, and it wasn’t the time. “Anyway, you ready?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Claire looked behind her and saw a shotgun. She grabbed it, not knowing if it was loaded. They jumped out of the truck and stalked toward the front entrance.

  Thomas stood guard while Claire peered in through the tinted glass and saw nothing but rotting, partially eaten bodies strewn all over and piled up near the entrance. She knew the smell was going to be nothing like she had ever experienced before.

  “Thomas, do you have a strong stomach?” He shrugged. “You might want to find it. The entrance is blocked by bodies. We’re going to have to break in.” They both looked around for a large rock of some sort. Then it dawned on her.

  Claire walked back to the windows and started swinging the shotgun like a baseball bat. It took quite the effort, but she managed to bust through after several blows. Then the smell hit her like a truck.

  The pungent odor attacked her sinuses and overwhelmed her. It was the worst that she had smelled since the whole madness began. She jumped backward and bent over, trying to hold in the contents of her stomach. She failed miserably. Thomas stood next to her, unsure of what to do while she vomited. He kept a careful eye on the situation around them.

  “Umm… Claire?” She held her hand up. “There are a couple tryin’ to get through the broken window.” He said it in such a nonchalant way, zero emotion behind it. “I’m gonna shoot ‘em.”

  Claire stood up and wiped her mouth with her shirt. She needed to recover and get down to business. She saw three trying to get through the broken glass, but they were hindered by the metal rail in front of the windows.

  “Let’s play some baseball, Thomas.” Claire grinned.

  She grabbed the shotgun again, putting it over her right shoulder, and fiercely walked toward the three undeads. She raised the shotgun, holding the muzzle in her hands.

  “Want to see a homerun, motherfucker?” With one quick, vicious swing, Claire took off the heads of two undeads. They were in such a bad state of decay that their heads exploded when she hit them.

  The third wasn’t as close to the window as she needed him to be to swing at him. She never thought all of that softball she played as a kid would pay off. Thomas walked up to the third undead, which was still further inside, and waved at him.

  “Hey, asshole. Let’s do this!” The undead stumbled closer. Thomas dove out of the way and Claire hit the undead and his head exploded like the other two. They both screamed and jumped up and down with excitement. Their adrenaline was rocking through their bodies.

  “Anything that looks useful, grab.”

  “Yup.” She could tell Thomas wasn’t new to looting. They both covered their noses with their shirts and worked their way through the broken glass and rotting corpses.

  In silence, they powered their way through the building, sneaking past some roaming undeads. They found a supply room that was virtually untouched. It was like hitting the lottery.

  There was everything from antibiotics to intravenous supplies, including the fluids that they needed. They grabbed everything they could. Unfortunately, neither one thought to grab a bag or box before they left the house in case they did hit the jackpot. Thomas took off his shirt and tied the neck and sleeves closed.

  “There. Instant bag.” Claire smiled at his intuitiveness. They loaded up his shirt with everything they could.

  “Good thing you were wearing a huge shirt.”

  “Some advantages of losin’ weight and wearin’ too big clothes to begin with, I guess.”

  Just before they walked out of the office, they saw a couple water jugs, full and still sealed. Somehow, Thomas hoisted one on each shoulder, and they took off. They made it back to the truck unscathed. As soon as they both slammed the doors, they yelled, “WOOOO!” Claire fist bumped Thomas. “Now, that was awesome. Not a single bullet spent. Pleasure working with you, Thomas.” He blushed. They drove back to the house. She figured they were gone less than an hour.

  As Claire pulled the truck into the driveway, she saw Nick standing on the porch, smoking.

  “Smoking?” She jumped out of the truck, hoisting the shirt full of supplies over her shoulder. She felt like Santa Claus. “Nick? I didn’t know you smoked. Where did you get those?”

  “I’ve smoked before. Mostly weed, but whatever. Although that does sound good right about now. I found them hidden in the garage. My father was a closet smoker. Mom knew, but never said anything to him about it. I figured, why the fuck not? What does it matter? I’m half-dead now, anyway.” He looked sullen. His eyes were watery, and his cheeks were red.

  “How’s…”

  He held up his hand. He took a long hard drag, and dropped the cigarette on the porch, putting it out with the toe of his boot. He exhaled fully, releasing the toxic chemicals that had filled his lungs. He thought about how ironic it was. He chuckled a little, and then cleared his throat. He looked at Claire. “She’s gone.” The words almost didn’t come out. Claire dropped the shirt, and it opened, spilling the contents when it hit the ground. Thomas scrambled to pick up their treasure.

  “No.” Claire shook all over. “No. No. No!” She ran up the porch steps. Nick tried to grab her before she blew through the front door. He ran in behind her.

  “Claire! Stop!” Yelling for her did nothing. She stormed through the house. Kellan was alone and awake, but still tied up. He moaned something as Claire fled past him to go up the stairs, Nick right behind her.

  ***

  I heard Nic
k yelling, then people running. I didn’t know who it was. It could have been Kellan for all I cared. There was no way I was leaving my mother’s side. I had laid next to her on the bed so I could hold her while she was passing.

  “Elaina, can I come in?” I looked toward the door and saw Claire standing there, Nick behind her. I nodded, granting her the permission that she felt she needed. She walked into the room, trying to stifle her cries, and sat down on the bed beside us. Nick walked in and stood at the foot of the bed.

  “I want him dead,” I growled.

  “Henry wants him alive…for now,” Nick said.

  “Fine. I’ll kill him myself.” I got up from the bed. My face was red, and my eyes were swollen from all the crying. “Give me my gun.” I held out my hand, waiting impatiently for that cold, heavy piece of steel that was going to be my way of avenging my mother’s death.

  Nick thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I don’t have it.”

  “Where is it?” I wasn’t asking; I was demanding.

  “It’s downstairs somewhere.” He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop me.

  I turned for the door, and Henry was standing in my way. I tried to duck around him, and he moved, blocking me again. “Elaina, I won’t allow it.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” I tried to push around him, and he moved in my way. He moaned in pain. I was surprised at his swift movements, considering the injuries he sustained from Kellan. Oh, let’s not forget that he was on the verge of being true dead himself.

  “Please, listen to me. I’m begging you. I need to get as much info from him as possible. Then I’ll let you do what you want to him.” He braced himself in the doorway with one arm, and reached for me with the other. “Come. Let’s go to your room, and we can decide how to bury your mother.” I looked between Henry and my mom.

  “We’ll stay here with Mom. Henry needs to lie back down. Go with him.” I looked over at the bed. Claire was sitting with my mom, fussing with her hair. I was hesitant to leave, but I could see that she was in good hands.

  I reached back to Henry, and he took my hand. I put my arm around his waist, careful not to cause him any more pain, and we walked one careful step at a time back to my room. He groaned with every movement. I finally got him settled onto the bed. Sophie was sitting on the stool at my old vanity. She looked sullen and lost. “You guys have everything covered here. I’m going to go back down and keep an eye on the asshole.” Sophie headed out of my room and went back downstairs.

  The silence between Henry and I was thick and heavy. I was afraid to talk. If I opened my mouth, I knew nothing but sobs would escape. He stroked my hand, while I leaned back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Several minutes went by before he said anything. “Love?” I mumbled an acknowledgment. “How do you want to do this?” I clenched my teeth together, my throat burning with sorrow.

  “I want to stand in front of him and pull the damn trigger. Simple.”

  “I know that. Your mum, love.” He was trying to be tender and gentle with his words. I tried to take a few deep breaths to put out that fire in the back of my throat before I opened my mouth again. I could feel it coming on at a rapid rate, and had to let it go. I covered my face, while still facing the ceiling, and I wept.

  All the anger, all the guilt, all the frustration, and all the sadness had boiled over. I don’t know how much time went by, but the daylight disappeared and the silence of the night moved in. Henry was a soldier by my side, holding me the best that he could in his state.

  After an eternity, I was finally able to speak. “I don’t know what to do, Henry. She wanted to be cremated, but that’s not an option.”

  “Right. Our only option is burial right now.” I agreed. We decided that, at daybreak, we would bury my mother.

  Henry was drifting in and out of sleep when Claire peeked in. “Hey,” she said in her soft, gentle voice.

  “Hey,” I managed.

  “Thomas and I brought back a bunch of supplies from the medical center. We found painkillers and antibiotics. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to get some into Henry.”

  “Yes. Yes, that’s a great idea, Claire.”

  “I’ll be right back.” As she turned for the stairs, I got up and grabbed her. I hugged her tightly, and whispered a thank you into her ear. “I didn’t get back fast enough,” Claire said in a soft voice.

  “It’s not your fault.” She frowned at me and walked away.

  Several minutes later, Claire arrived back in the bedroom with an armful of supplies. She also had water for us to drink and clean up with, and a few little packs of snacks. Henry was sleeping, although it wasn’t peaceful because he was moaning and groaning. I couldn’t imagine what his nightmares must be like. I begged so many times for him to talk to me about them. I just wanted to help him.

  “Since he’s sleeping, let’s take a look at your head.” Claire separated my blood-matted hair. “I’m going to clean it and put a little of this antibiotic cream on it. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” I winced several times, and shuddered when she washed and applied the cool cream on my scalp.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Mentally, emotionally, or physically?”

  “Let’s start with physically.”

  “Like shit, like shit, and like shit.”

  “Excellent.” She handed me a snack pack of Oreo cookies. “Eat these. Oreos make everything better.” She knew these were one of my favorites. “We found them when we were being opportunistic at the medical center.” She smiled at me. I couldn’t help but return it. No matter what happened, I could always count on Claire to bring me back.

  She reached over to Henry and tried to wake him. He mumbled in his sleep. I leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Hey, Henry. Come on. Wake up.” I stroked his messy hair and ran my fingertips over his ear. He opened his eyes as much as he could with all the swelling. The brilliant green still had not returned to the shiny state they were in before. I wondered when he would need more blood.

  “Hey, love.” His voice was scratchy.

  “Claire’s going to look you over and give you some medicine.” He groaned. I wasn’t sure if it was an agreement or not, but Claire went ahead and checked him. She cleaned him up and, before he drifted back to his restless sleep, she asked if he wanted pain killers. He shook his head. Stubborn mule. No wonder we got along so well… occasionally.

  ***

  The next morning, Nick and Thomas dug a shallow grave for my mother, making a cross out of scrap lumber. Sophie and Thomas helped Henry outside so he could say a few words about her. It was very emotional. I cried the entire time during the makeshift funeral, feeling guilty for all the times I was an awful person to her. I felt like a piece of me was buried with her that day.

  Nick managed to get Henry into bed, then came back downstairs. He sat on the couch directly across from Kellan. They were staring each other down. Kellan would say something through the gag that was unintelligible, and Nick would smirk in amusement. It was a battle of wills.

  Chapter 21

  -November 2014-

  S

  everal days had gone by before Henry was able to navigate the stairs by himself. His injuries seemed to be healing. His face was several nice shades of purple, green, and yellow. The swelling had started decreasing around his eyes, but his lip was still cracked open. His ribs were still bad, and I had to tighten up his support bandage several times a day. I wasn’t sure if it was helping him, but he felt it was.

  He made it to the kitchen, and Sophie followed him in. “We need to address our lack of ammo. If we get attacked…”

  Henry held up his hand to stop her. “Right.”

  “I can take a couple of the others,” Sophie said. “We can go back to your place and get the trunks, plus whatever supplies we can carry.”

  Henry stood silent, leaning against the counter. Then he said, “I could go with Claire and Thomas.”

  “No!” Sophie barked. “You are no
t going anywhere. You’re barely standing up, Henry. I won’t allow it.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “You won’t allow it…” He repeated the words, trying to process them.

  “Exactly.” Sophie folded her arms to her chest. “I’ll guarantee that Elaina will not allow it, either.”

  “I don’t recall either one of you being the leader here. Nor I do recall asking permission.” Oh, shit. Bossy Henry was back.

  “Things change when our fearless leader is injured. You know you aren’t in any condition to go back so do not even try it. We have to conserve ammo, and there is no way you will be able to fight.”

  She was right, and he knew it. Defeat was written all over his face. He rubbed his eyes. Sophie stepped into the family room and waved Claire and Thomas in. “We need to go back to Henry’s flat. I would like the two of you to come with me. After hearing about your batting practice at the medical facility, I think both of you are perfect for this job.”

  Claire spoke up. “I don’t know. I was hyped up trying to get what we needed for Mrs. Cooper.” Thomas stood silent, as usual.

  “I understand that, but if we don’t go then we could be in dire straits later.” Claire sighed. She looked at Thomas, and he just stared at the floor.

  “Can I talk to Nick about it?”

  “If you must.”

  ***

  Claire walked out to the main living room, where the staring contest between Kellan and Nick continued. “I need to speak with you.”

  “Alright.” Nick never took his eyes off of Kellan. Claire waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get him to look at her.

  “Can we do this without asshole here listening?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Nick got up and went out to the front porch. Claire followed behind him. He stood where he could watch Kellan from the window.

  Ever since the burial, they had been spending more time alone together. For the most part, they would hang out on the porch together, chatting about anything and everything. They were growing closer day by day.