by Mariah Lynde
Once inside, I looked down, spying the groceries I’d liberated with a little grin. I’ll be honest, I’d had a serious 'what the hell' moment in the store. I figured if the zombie apocalypse began, I could at least indulge in certain comforts that would be lost to me: cold milk, ice cream, and a few odds and ends that would likely be going the way of the dodo bird if all hell broke loose.
I dropped my keys on the table just inside the hallway before moving to bolt and chain lock my apartment door. Right about then, everything about today crashed into me and I stumbled as my knees went weak. My groceries fell to the floor even as I dropped myself. Thankfully, nothing busted open, but I knew that had been just plain dumb luck. Maybe the last of my little streak of it.
My shoulders shook as I leaned forward, closing my eyes to try and find some semblance of peace that wouldn’t come. The minute I tried to tune out the world around me, my mind had me confronting the memory of the woman that had been in the lobby earlier. I could see every excruciating detail from the moment she arrived bleeding, to that split second where the weight of the fire extinguisher I’d been holding crashed into her jaw.
Suddenly, I felt like ice. My body shaken by a series of chills that seemed to pull me apart from the inside out. I thought I had long passed the time to worry about such a reaction. Sadly, I learned otherwise. Stumbling up, I forgot about getting to the computer and contacting Robbie as I made my way into the bedroom, walking across the carpet to head straight towards the shower in the bathroom.
In a matter of seconds I stripped off my khakis and shirt only to fumble with the clasp of my bra. Vaguely, I registered some strange low, keening cry and realized that it was me. My fingers shook as I clumsily tried to free myself from the evil contraption that remained fastened around my torso. After about a minute or so, I finally gave up all sense of conservation and ripped at the lace to pull it off my body. Only when I had succeeded in stripping myself completely bare did I step into the shower and turn on the water.
At first I shivered. The cold water kicked in first and cascaded down my body, causing my skin to tingle as pinpricks of pain began to dance through each and every nerve. Strangely, even that harsh, icy deluge of moisture seemed warmer than the very core of my being. Today, I had stepped forward and taken lethal action. While I knew doing so had likely saved myself and several others, the implication that this would become my life was very unsettling.
No one wants to consider that they would have to become a monster to survive. Yet, if you end up in a world filled with them, what choice did you have? While I knew I would eventually have to rationalize the facts that those I would be attacking would be dead, it still didn’t make the picture presented any easier to choke down. Zombie or not, these creatures had faces…they had names. I’m sure that most people don’t consider the fact that these are things that can and will haunt you in the end. Here I was, the night before the levee breaks, and I already had the first face I would be haunted by for years to come.
I shivered again, and this time it had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. I can’t tell you how long I stood there, letting the water soothe away what it could. What I can tell you is I stayed there long enough that by the time I finished, the hot water had become non-existent.
Pushing away the thoughts that had plagued me in the shower, I dressed in a pair of Black Knight sleep pants and a tank top emblazoned with the words “Frak You”. At this point, I think I might have preferred a Cylon invasion to what seemed to be coming. Stopping in the hallway, I picked up the groceries that had scattered on the floor, frowning a little when I saw that the box of Pudding Pops had become damp. I would have to mourn them after I disposed of their mangled remnants. Who knows? I might have gotten lucky and the other stuff kept them decidedly chilled. Considering my stomach had decided to fold in on itself, I would have to find out later. If I ate anything right now, it would likely come right back up.
As soon as everything had been put away in the fridge, I made my way to the utility closet just off the kitchen. Checking the back door to the apartment to be sure it was bolted and locked, I dropped the blinds and shuddered at the idea of someone watching me through the back window. I had chosen the duplex because it had the feel of a small house instead of a boxed-in apartment, but tonight it lacked that homey feeling I had been going for. Instead, it became something out of the worst horror movie I could imagine.
Turning back towards the utility closet, I leaned down and pushed on the wood panel flooring with a little bounce. My shoulders relaxed as I heard the soft ‘click’ that indicated the magnetic lock has disengaged as I lifted the paneling.
From the day I moved in, I suppose part of me had sought out something I could consider safe and comforting. So, I had made slight improvements (with the landlord’s permission) to create a false floor over the entrance to the storm shelter/basement storage that had been part of the package deal. Trust me, I hadn’t done it for any survival purpose, but instead to create my own nirvana if you will. Robbie had nicknamed this little place ‘The Nerdcave’ because I had converted my makeshift shelter into a gamer chick’s dream.
My computer along with the modem for my internet lit up the far side of the room. My desk had been one of the few splurges I allowed myself. God help me if the day came I had to leave it behind, I would cry. My computer set up was a culmination of years spent taking flack by normal people and working a job I couldn’t stand. Being so far from home I had found comfort in building up a computer station that made me feel right at home. It had all been a small reward for myself in continuing on the difficult path before me.
The computer itself was a common desktop, of course. Robbie had helped me make a few modifications, but nothing that could not eventually be replaced. The true gem, the piece-de-resistance of my collection, was actually what that computer sat on.
My desk was a glass encased replica of Han Solo in carbonite. The chair? Well, that was nothing other than a replica of the chair from Darth Vader’s meditation chamber. (I told you. Be jealous! )
Still, there were other things in the room that stood as a testament to my nerd-dom. Wall scrolls hung in every available space depicting different anime that I enjoyed. Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, Naruto, and Kenshin were the prevalent ones, but they were enough to declare me a dyed-in-the-wool geek. Off to the side were the limited print editions of the initial Spiderman movie poster release. Those were honestly worth the most money because they’d been the FIRST posters to be sent to theaters and had the Twin Towers reflected in Spiderman’s eyes. They’d been recalled for obvious reasons, but a few people had the wherewithal to sneak them out. I’d been lucky enough to get one as a gift.
There were small odds and ends bandied about on display: the framed picture of the opening scene of Episode IV signed by David Prowse, the miniature replica of the ship from Firefly (complete with an action figure of Wash as far from any of the Reapers as I could keep him). The small shelf which held my Stephen King collection was adorned by the bookends shaped like the kings statues from Lord of the Rings while the Minas Tirith jewelry box that held my Leia slave bracelets inside sat just off to the side. Of course, just to the left of the desk, while it may not have been Star Wars related, hung my nerd girl crush in the form of the Tenth Doctor. Giving a dreamy sigh, I shook my head and continued my trip down memory lane.
As if those scrolls weren’t enough, the metal shelves that had been built in to the room had their own unique displays. The one on my left, happened to be something that most action fans would envy. A replica of the Hanzo sword used by ‘The Bride’ in the Kill Bill movies sat on prominent display on the top shelf. Beneath that, the ivory dragon carved handle of a katana that anyone familiar with the Highlander TV Series would have recognized. Smiling to myself as I let my fingers run over the handle, I could only sigh at the fact that the replicas were cheap blades that wouldn’t be worth a damn when push came to shove in an apocalypse.
Dropping my hand, I
looked towards the next shelf where the figurines of pewter depicting different characters from Star Wars stood. The three interlocking piggy banks which fought out most of the Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon Jinn duel sat silently, waiting to be activated. Small T.I.E. fighters were strung along in a trail behind the replica of the Millennium Falcon. And of course… Luke stood with Yoda on his back, creating the picture of hardship and frustration that I understood so well. Behind the pewter were my mint condition, never-been-opened Series One action figures from the release of Episode One. Not that they were worth as much as any of the toys released with the original trilogy, but they would be…one day. Moving away from the action figures, I nodded to the twenty four inch Darth Vader posable that stood watch over the entirety of the Nerd Cave. Offering him a slight nod I made my way farther into the room as I let my eyes peer at the lower shelves to be sure my stock of gamer fuel remained intact.
I had been known to spend whole weekends down here playing online with my bestie. It stood to reason I would be stocked up for just such an event. Also, it gave me an excuse to go shop at Sam’s Club and buy things in bulk. Something I suppose I could thank my lucky stars for now. Considering I’d only ventured to that particular store every four months, I had a pretty decent stash worked up.
Palettes of Dr. Pepper lined the bottom shelves, while the ones just above held cases of junk food that sat relatively untouched. While I could have likely survived on what was in here for two to three weeks, there is no way in hell I wanted to only eat sugary and salty snacks for the entirety of that time. It wasn’t healthy, and God knows I would need all the advantages I could muster. My hand lifted to grab the handle on the inside of the trap door and pull it down to shut behind me as I descended into my personal nerd-vana.
I flicked a switch at the bottom of the stairs, which turned on a small, muted yellow lamp to shine into the room as I moved to the computer. Flopping down in my chair, for a moment I forgot about my day and imagined how easy this whole thing would be if I were Darth Vader. Oh, there’s zombies? No problem. Lightsaber. Oh, some douchebag is harassing you for braining a chick gone human hunter? No problem. Force choke. Life is so much easier in movies or books, and at the moment, I truly wished lightsabers were real.
Opening my eyes, I shook my head and leaned up to push the mouse across the pad. Almost immediately my screen blacked out, the computer making a pathetic whirring sound as it tried to catch up. I’d been meaning to replace the CPU for a couple of months, but had never gotten around to it. Not like it would matter much now.
Grimacing a little, I considered kicking the protesting box, but found myself suddenly blinded by the bright display as it finally cut on. Blinking once to clear the water from my eyes that had come as a result of burning retinas, I coughed a little as I saw my Skype display. Forty-six messages…I had only had three this morning when I left. I groaned a little as I clicked on the taskbar to bring up the program and see what I had missed.
Oh, shit.
Robbie had been trying to get ahold of me for close to three hours, and he was not happy. Without even bothering to read the line of messages that were scrolling down my screen, I reached over to turn on my speakers even as I clicked on the small phone icon to call him.
The minute that Robbie picked up on the other end, I felt a small pang of guilt.
“Oh my God! Sweetie! Are you okay?” I have heard my best friend worried. I have heard him angry, sad, mournful, defeated, depressed, and anxious. This put all of those to shame.
“I’m fine. Just…there were problems at work, and−”
“Wait! Wait, wait, wait. We’re all in another call, you’re gonna wanna hear all this.” Without warning, he ended the call and I found myself staring blankly at the screen. Who the hell would he be discussing a serious situation with other than me?
That answer came about twenty seconds later as I picked up a group call and stared at my screen in shock. Each and every person in our little gaming community seemed to be present. Even those that only popped up from time to time for small, random games seemed to be here. Before you roll your eyes, understand we were picky in our groupings. While we might not have liked all of them, they had something to offer towards our objectives and…they were all over the age of eighteen. Laugh now, but up until this point we thought it was a damn Greek tragedy when we were all playing a game and couldn’t say what we wanted because someone underage had joined the group.
Seeing the list of people I could only blink, trying to absorb what seemed to be going on, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t think.
“Uh…Hi.” Hearing the squeak of my voice, I wanted to slap my own forehead at how lame that sounded. It definitely did not have that Bruce Willis flare that you heard in The Fifth Element.
“Hey, Angel. What’s up?” This came from one of our buddies that I had nicknamed, ‘Canadian Dave’. The longest standing member of our group outside of Robbie and I, Dave got priority over most everyone else we chose to play with. More than that, the entertainment value of having him around could not be measured. Much like us, Canadian Dave could claim his place among the elite of the nerds. A little older than Robbie and I, he always had a sarcastic quip or a small joke to lighten the mood when things got serious. That said, when we got some bonehead that just couldn’t listen and kept getting us in snags, he went from ‘Canadian Dave’ to ‘American Dave’ quick, fast, and in a hurry. Normally, when those moments came, Robbie and I were sitting there with popcorn.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out, Dave. How about you?” Honestly, I wasn’t sure what all these guys knew, but I damn sure intended to find out.
“I’m cool, just preparing myself to become the ultimate in zombie extermination protocol.” That gave me pause. One thing that could be said for the possibility of losing technological communication, I would no longer make faces at the computer screen or phone like the people on the other side could actually see me.
“Do what, now?” Oh, I knew what he had said made sense, but hearing it out loud was still a shock.
“Dave swears he saw a couple of deadites up his way, today.” This came from Brandon, the youngest of our group. Barely over the age of twenty-one, admittedly he came to the group through me. No one could deny his prowess at gaming, but like most people I tend to find myself comfortable with, he had a tendency to say exactly what he thought at any given time. While you might think that’s a good thing, believe me when I say there are plenty of people who don’t. Tonight, I was more than happy to have him here. When he was around people had a tendency to get to their point rather quickly. They might get annoyed, but it damn sure meant we wouldn’t be beating around the bush and wasting time.
“I see.”
“Swear nothing, I know what I saw.” Dave snapped back. While he may have been the oldest in our group, he had no patience for anyone trying to be snarky, joke or not.
“Okay, okay. Just hold on,” Robbie interjected. “Angel, what problem did you have at work? Are you okay? You…um…You weren’t attacked or anything, right?”
Hearing the tremulous waiver in Robbie’s voice had me tearing up again.
Damn.
Today had rapidly become one of those where I was trying to compete with Niagara Falls, and it was pissing me off. Muting my mic, I sniffled and wiped away the errant tears on my cheeks before I squared my shoulders. Turning the mic back on, I exhaled on a rough push of air and winced as my speakers exploded with sound.
“Damn it…”
“What the hell was that?”
“Jesus, are you outside?”
“Turn the mic down.”
“Oi!”
Each voice on the other end of the call rang out at once, and I couldn’t help but chuckle a little before I spoke.
“Sorry, my bad.” Moving to adjust the mic settings, I had a smirk on my face. We were facing a possible emergency situation and yet, a simple blast of air through the desktop microphone had people whining. For a second,
I thought about turning on a voice changer and going all Red Queen on everyone by saying ‘You’re all going to die down here’, but I thought better of it. Shaking my head, I leaned back in my chair before speaking again, “Better?”
“Yeah, better,” Robbie answered, and I could tell he was itching to hear what I had to say. More than anything else, I hoped that between the two of us we could find a way to survive this mess. While I’m not the cuddliest of females, losing him would be like losing one of my limbs. I’d never function or be useful again. That sudden thought had me frozen in fear as I stared at the screen. Joking about an apocalypse is one thing, but when having to consider the reality of one and the possible costs…it’s enough to drive you mad. As I began the spiral to insanity, it was Robbie’s voice that pulled me back. “So what happened, sweetie?”
“Hold on, you’re the one who called a DEFCON 5 situation and apparently started this meeting of the minds. How about you tell me first?” Much as I loved Robbie, I didn’t think I wanted to relive the events of the past few hours so soon. While I knew I would have to at some point, I wanted a half hour of letting other people’s woes occupy my mind.
“Pfft. You are the one who didn’t show up on time. We need to hear why. Please.” This time I could hear it. Worried as he might be, Robbie was trying to gauge whether or not I had already been exposed to something. Chances were, these guys had been at this for hours, so if they thought I had been infected, they’d cut me out of the loop.
“Fine.” I huffed softly and leaned back in the chair. Lifting my hands to scrub at my face, I laid my head back against the headrest and started talking. “I’m late because I had a run in with a crazed lunatic after she was attacked in the parking lot across from the McGinley Building.”