by Ian Woodhead
The sound of rending metal reached his ears; the other one was trying to break into the building. “I am so fucking dead.” He ran to the door and pulled it open. Ernest had to reach his son before they did. He just couldn’t imagine what they would do if those monsters reached Darren before he did.
Chapter Seven
This boy was so good with her daughter. Aliza was more than a little surprised that Diane seemed so taken with Andy as well. She had never been one to take well to strangers.
Diane needs a father. There was no question about that in Aliza's mind, but she found herself very confused. She didn't know how to process the pangs of jealousy that hit her chest whenever she watched Andy playing with her little girl. Seeing the two sat on the floor playing pat-a-cake, or hearing Diane laugh at Andy when he stuck his tongue out and made silly faces gave her so many mixed feelings.
Andy was besotted with Aliza. This was a fact that could only be missed if she had been blind and deaf. She thought to herself how unfair this whole situation was. Why does everything have to be so fucking complicated? She had asked herself that question so many times, but still came up with fuck all for an answer. Andy turned around and smiled at her and before any consideration, Aliza found herself automatically smiling back at him. He really wasn't that bad looking; she had been out with a lot worse. Then again, it wasn't as if she had all that much of a selection to choose from these days. If there was a toss-up between Andy, a bloke that fancied her and treated her daughter in a sweet and caring way, and Tim, the creepy fucker that looked at her as if she were a chunk of meat to be devoured in some deviant manner and couldn't give a flying fuck about Diane, Andy took the win hands down. Every time that bloke looked at her, or she thought about his grimy meat hooks pawing at her body, she felt as though she needed to vomit and shower.
What worried Aliza was how nice Tim had been to her since the trip underground. Had she played the seduction a bit too thick? Was he simply waiting to use her theft as leverage when the time was right? Was he biding his time? When he felt particularly randy, would he use the threat of tattling as a means to finally get into her knickers? Aliza shuddered at the thought of what it would feel like to take any bit of that fucker inside of her. Her mind played a thousand pornographic scenarios that each made her feel more like retching than the last.
In the disgusting movie that was playing in her mind, one scene struck her straight in the chest and caused the blood to drain from her face. She saw Tim reaching into her top pocket and pulling out the piece of jerky that she had nicked. She realized that she still had it right where Tim had reached in her mind, lecherously rubbing his hands against her breasts. She had forgotten all about it.
"God, what a silly cow," she murmured under her breath, but loud enough for Andy to notice and turn to her.
"Aliza? You look a bit pale, are you okay?" he asked, obviously concerned.
"It's nothing, just something unsavoury that popped into my head." She nodded to let him know all was alright. He obviously wasn't buying what she was selling, since the colour drained from his face as well.
"Something from before you got here?"
She nodded again, unable to elaborate.
"If you want to talk about it, you'll find me to be a good listener, Aliza," Andy said as he picked up the now sleeping baby and carried her to the cot. Aliza could tell that he wanted to say more, so she kept her lips sealed. He continued without looking at her directly.
“I was just a complete wreck when I got here, physically and mentally. Hell, I don’t even remember if I did find my own way here or if the roamers brought me in.”
“Have you not thought of asking them?” she asked him as tenderly as she could manage, not wanting to interrupt, but suddenly needing to know more about Andy.
He shook his head. “There’s only one roamer left now, and you’ve seen that cold look in his eyes. He scares the crap out of me, Aliza.”
She could see that he was in fact scared, but not only because of the roamer and his cold stare. He sighed deeply and continued talking.
Andy sat down on the edge of the bed facing her, fidgeting with his thumbs and obviously trying to work up a stitch of courage.
“I used to talk to Caroline for hours. She was the one who managed to help me sort my head out.” He took one deep shuddering breath and gazed at Aliza. She felt her heart break a little as she saw the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. “I miss her so much,” he said as a single tear trailed down his cheek to his chin and a shallow sob made its way to the surface.
Aliza thought to herself that Andy seemed like a man haunted by demons that only he could see. She was hit with an overwhelming desire to hold him. She decided not to fight it, and she sat next to him placing a comforting arm around his shoulder. He continued talking as if a floodgate in his soul had opened and his feelings were draining out onto the floor.
“I should have done something, Aliza. I should have done anything. I didn’t though, did I? No. I just stood there like a fucking idiot looking down at the ground and I let them take her from me. I kept saying to myself that they were not really going to go through with it. Nobody could be that evil, that fucking heartless.”
“Come on now, Andy. There is nothing you could have done. You can't go blaming yourself like that,” she said as she wiped away his tears.
“Do you know what was going through my mind as they made us watch those things pull that shrieking girl to pieces? What I was thinking while she was screaming for her life? I kept thinking that I’m glad it wasn’t me down there. Oh Jesus, I’m such a gutless wanker,” he said, stiffening up and wiping his own tears away as he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, without much luck.
She closed her eyes, trying to will away the images that Andy had just painted from her brain. She actually longed for the visions of Tim and his sick advances to take over again.
“You did nothing wrong, Andy. Why would you think like that? She took the chance and pinched something from the warehouse, not you.”
He looked at her, fresh tears pouring from his eyes. “We both took stuff, Aliza. Not just her.” He said, sobbing again. “I just didn’t get caught, and I didn't have the guts to step forward and take my punishment.”
She leaned in to him and gave him a single soft kiss on the lips. It seemed like the right thing to do. It felt right. She found herself lingering, not wanting that moment of tenderness to end. Andy groaned against her mouth and raised his hand to her shoulder, ready to fully embrace her. Aliza let herself be touched. Andy's lips were smooth and warm. His simple touch to her shoulder sent a slight shiver through her entire body. She thought to herself that she might be a bit besotted with Andy, as well. The moment came to a quick end as a loud bang reported through the room. Someone had taken to banging on the door. Aliza nearly jumped out of her skin, and they both turned to see if the pounding had awakened Diane.
Without warning, the door was pushed open and Aliza saw Tim standing in the doorway, hands on hips, and a ridiculous smirk spread across his hateful face.
“Well, well. Just what the bloody hell do you two think you’re playing at?”
“Shut that fucking door, with your carcass on the outside,” she shouted back at him, her anger welling, partly because this arse had just busted into her room, and partly because he had interrupted her and Andy's kiss. “Just who the hell do you think you are?”
He took a step past the threshold, looking at her with what Aliza thought was a mix of lust and hatred, before turning his attention to Andy. She was taken aback, but stood her ground, furious that the fucker had just blanked her in her own room.
“I hope you’re not doing what I thought you were,” he said to Andy, taking a stance of power, towering over what he perceived to be the weaker man.
She felt Andy tremble. Good God, he really was scared of this tosser.
“You shouldn’t be handling merchandise that doesn’t belong to you,” Tim said, casting only a sidewa
ys glance at Aliza.
Aliza jumped up off the bed and stood up to the man. Nobody talked to her that way. Nobody.
“I’m not anyone’s fucking merchandise. Now get out of my room before I fucking twat you.”
Tim sighed and fully turned his head to her. He put his forefinger up to his lips and smiled.
“Hush, darling. I am talking here. You will get your turn to put that pretty mouth to use. I promise.”
That was it, the fucker was getting dropped. Aliza took great joy in seeing Tim's arrogance falter as she lunged towards him. In his surprise, he actually took a step back from her. Aliza stopped in her tracks and then took an involuntary step back as the leader of the group appeared next to Tim and placed one of his huge hands on Tim’s shoulder. It pleased her to see his arrogance completely vanish and to see this tosser tremble the way that Andy had.
“Now, Tim. Have we not discussed your apparent disregard for other people’s dignity before? That is no way to speak to a lady,” Oliver said, obviously not caring if he got an answer or not.
Aliza watched the last bits of the man’s cocky attitude slip off his face like melting butter as the group’s leader continued to dress him down like a chastised schoolchild. Oliver then turned and looked at Aliza. He smiled a brilliant smile that could only be called dynamic. His teeth were straight and white, and his eyes lit up as the corners of his mouth spread over his strong cheeks. This was only the second time she had seen the man close up and the first time that he had actually acknowledged her. Definitely the first time that she had ever witnessed that beautiful smile.
“We’ll take this offline, Tim.” He finished his scolding and let the air of authority slip off him as though her were shrugging off a heavy cloak.
The man stepped fully into her apartment and offered out his hand.
“I hope you don’t mind me entering your room. I wish that it could be under more pleasant circumstances." She was amazed that Oliver made this statement without the slightest hint of a lascivious sneer. He was genuinely trying to be pleasant. She placed her hand in his and felt a small gasp trying to escape her throat. Thank God she had the presence of mind to choke it back down. He continued talking.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Aliza. I’m really very sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but as you may know, it’s been complete madness round here for the last few days.”
She gazed up into his intense blue eyes, mesmerized by the fact that they did not have the same look of fear and despair that most folk's eyes held these days. His disarming smile again made her come over a little weird. He was obviously a born leader that just exuded power. Oliver gently shook her hand in both of his. It looked as though a large bear trap had swallowed her hand. She couldn’t get over just how large this man was. Tim, the creepy fucker glaring at her from behind Oliver was a good six-footer but he appeared to be a dwarf next to this man. She momentarily had a vision of curling up into a ball and snuggling herself to his massive chest, fantasizing about how nice it would be to feel his gargantuan arms enveloping her and making her feel safe and protected. Oliver would assure her that everything was going to be just fine.
After shaking off her girlish imaginings, Aliza wondered what his occupation had before the outbreak, in his other life.
At first glance, with his finely toned physique, close cropped salt and pepper coloured hair, along with his rigid, commanding posture, Aliza could only guess that he must have been in the armed forces.
Humanity had all but perished, reanimated corpses shuffled across the landscape hunting down the few remaining survivors, yet the man in front of her still found time every morning to have a shave and groom himself. Quite well, in fact. He appeared to be completely nonplussed by any of the horrors that were currently happening only a short distance away. Oliver was the original keep calm and carry on man.
“We seem to have a bit of a dilemma, Aliza, and I was hoping that you and your young friend may be able to assist us.”
He spoke to her as though he was simply asking her how she took her tea. The even tone of his voice was like a soothing lullaby. She turned around, surprised to see Andy glaring at their new arrival. For the very first time, she began to doubt the validity of the boy’s story. The big, reassuring guy standing behind her would never throw somebody to the corpses just for stealing a chocolate bar. The whole idea was too ridiculous for words.
“How can we help?” she turned back and asked Oliver almost cheerily.
Oliver smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth. Her heart melted. She felt like she had as a girl seeing whichever singer or television actor she had fancied at the time. She choked back an actual giggle.
“One of the older members of our community has somehow managed to get himself lost again,” Oliver said, never losing his smile.
“You mean Derek?” Andy said with a bit of snap to his voice that made Aliza want to turn and give him a look.
Oliver nodded, not acknowledging the lad's disdain.
“Yes, he disappeared yet again.” He turned to Aliza, displaying a bit of sorrow. “He hasn’t coped very well to the current situation, I’m afraid. You see, he lost everything to the hordes of walking dead things. His wife and his kids are sadly, no more. As I said, he hasn’t coped very well. We have teams searching on the other levels but nobody for this one. Would you mind giving us just a few minutes of your time, young lady?”
She nodded her head and followed the two men as they headed for the door.
“Wait on!” Andy said in obvious disbelief. “What about Diane? Should somebody not keep an eye on her, Aliza?”
She got her wits about her, and hurried over to the cot where Diane lay sound asleep. The girl was out for the count and would be for another hour at least before she woke up again. She walked over to where Andy sat on the bed and lifted his hand.
“Don’t worry about her, Andy. She’ll be okay for a few minutes.” She gave him a sweet, and she hoped comforting, smile.
Aliza wasn’t too sure what Andy was trying to prove here, but she just had to help Oliver to find that old man, and she couldn't let this lad stop her.
“Don’t you worry about your beautiful baby, Aliza. I promise that this won’t take long.” That smile, again.
She followed them out and gently shut the door. Andy stayed with her as the other two walked ahead towards the next door.
“I can’t believe that you’re leaving her alone,” he hissed as soon as the others were out of earshot.
“We’ll only be gone for a few minutes.” Aliza was getting a little tetchy with Andy now. What was his problem, anyway?
“Oh, bloody hell, I don’t believe this!" he whispered petulantly. "You’ve gone all girly over Oliver. Great. Just fucking great.”
“I don’t see what business it is of yours,” she snapped back.
“No, you’re right. It isn’t any of my business at all.” He lowered his eyes to try to hide the fresh tears that were trying to sprout. Aliza felt badly for wounding the poor boy, but right at this moment she could not be bothered. She turned around and hurried over to the two other men stood in front of the next door. Aliza smirked when she noticed that Tim had decided to knock this time.
Oliver smiled at her. “I’ll go ask the other occupants on this level.”
As soon as he walked away, the door opened. Aliza looked into the eyes of the stranger who stood leaning against the jamb and shivered; it felt as though he was looking right into her soul. The man leered at her and licked his lips before turning his attention to Tim. She almost collapsed with relief at being unlocked from his frightening gaze.
“One of our people has gone missing and we need your help to find him,” Tim said, obviously unnerved by the stranger.
“Sorry, my friend,” replied the man, smiling. “But that’s just not possible. You see, I rang for a take-out not too long ago and my companion has just gone to fetch it. We’ll be busy all night.” He looked at Aliza again and winked in an exaggerated man
ner that made her feel sick to her stomach.
Aliza looked at Tim and saw that his face had begun to go red. She took a step back, wondering just how this weird stranger might react if Tim decided to try and act tough.
“You’re not even funny. Nobody is allowed out after curfew. We already have one guy missing…”
The stranger suddenly leaned forward, wrapped both his hands around the back of Tim’s neck and kissed him on the lips. Tim did not even have time to react. He stood there, stupefied.
“You are such a funny guy,” stranger said. “I could just eat you.”
He pushed Tim square in the chest sending him flying backwards.
“I like you, Tim, I really do,” he almost sang as he slammed the door shut.
Tim picked himself off the floor, obviously rattled and very embarrassed.
“Don’t just stand there gaping, you fucking useless git. The room behind you is empty, go search it," Tim hissed at Andy, taking his frustration out on the boy.
Andy nodded and passed Aliza. She really wanted to stay for a while longer and watch Tim. It looked as if the bastard was about to burst into tears, and that she would love to see.
Andy grabbed her shoulders and forcibly pulled her away.
“Look at this,” he whispered, pointing to the piles of junk thrown around the inside of the apartment. “These rooms are supposed to be clean, ready for the next occupiers."
Aliza stepped over a large box of books and headed towards the kitchen, wanting to see what the other side of the building looked like. She passed a pile of dirty clothing, then stopped and turned—something about those clothes looked very familiar. She picked up a dark scarf. Both sides of the fabric were covered in a viscous black slime. She did not have to bring it to her nose to tell that it smelled of rotting meat.
“Oh fuck.” She gasped, throwing it back on the pile. She had seen something like this before and she knew that it belonged to a hunter. Aliza remembered just how close she and Diane had been to becoming victims to one of those things a few days before the roamers picked her up. She shuddered as she recalled the piercing green eyes. That was something she would never forget, the rest of the thing's face had been covered with one of those disgusting smelly rags.