by DeLeon, Jon
Kurt laughed jovially.
Tyler leaned away from the noise. “Dude, do you have to laugh so loud?”
“Sorry.”
“Some Advil didn’t happen to float to the top, did it?”
“Sorry, bro.”
“This world sucks.”
“Yep.”
“Is anyone else up?”
“Nope, you’re the first.”
“Why does my finger hurt?”
“Huh?” Kurt turned and looked. Tyler’s finger was bruised and covered in mud. Kurt looked to where Tyler’s hand had been. Kurt’s boot print outlined exactly his handprint. Oops.
“Must have done something last night.”
“Damn.”
“Tyler, we’re stuck here, man.
“What do you mean?
“I mean there is no more firewood and no way off this rock.”
“Are the zombies still out there?” Tyler leaned to look at the far bank.
“I don’t know. The fog is too thick.”
“Just give it time. It’ll burn off. It always does.”
“I hope so.
“Well I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up if something happens.”
“Will do.”
Tyler lay back down to sleep off the hangover.
“Kurt, quit it, man.”
“Quit what?” Kurt asked.
“Quit pounding your feet.”
“I’m not.”
“Dude, it’s not funny. I feel terrible.
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Look, I’m hungover, and I can feel those vibrations. You’re going to make me sick.”
“Vibrations?” Kurt lay down. He could feel them too. He stood up. “No way.”
A scream cut through the air.
A face of torn and putrefying flesh was rising from the center of the fire pit. Its face caught fire and melted as the zombie continued to rise. Soon its arms breached the surface. Its whole body was in flames. Out of the fire pit poured the undead horde. It looked like an angry ant mound. They were climbing over each other and pushing through. Kurt’s instincts took over. He slung his pack over his shoulder and grabbed Tyler, pulling and half-dragging him to a standing position. Tyler was half asleep until Kurt threw him in the water. The icy cold sobered him up in an instant. He flailed and gagged. Only then did recognition dawn on him. He looked up at Kurt still standing on the shore.
“Kurt, come on!”
Kurt stared at the other survivors being swarmed. They didn’t stand a chance. Even the few who had woken up at the sound of the scream couldn’t run. They stumbled around, still drunk from last night’s revelry. They were all too drunk or sick to stand a decent chance.
“Kurt, come on!”
The zombies had spotted Kurt. He took a step toward them, grabbing his backpack, and jumped into the water next to Tyler. Together they started swimming, not knowing what they would find on the opposite shore.
Key West Harbor: Outbreak Day +68
Joe squinted against the bright light shining in his eyes. The sun was pouring through the porthole skylight. It burned his retinas. He wouldn’t be able to lie like this for much longer. It was torture, but he was too scared to move. Any slight disturbance could wake the sleeping beauty lying next to him.
Kira’s arm was draped across his chest. Her hair rested across the pillow. Joe looked at her face. It was complete peace. Kira’s eyelids flinched slightly as she dreamt. Joe looked at the curve of her nose and the softness of her lips. He desperately wanted to kiss her. The feel of their lips connecting had been almost unbelievable. When their lips touched, he felt his legs go weak and a tingle run through his spine. It had been lightning in his soul. He felt temptation to kiss her now, just to taste that feeling again.
What was he thinking? She had just kissed him because she had been caught up in the emotions of what happened the night before. Joe had been caught up himself.
After saving her life, he couldn’t bear the thought of living without her. He hadn’t pulled away from her kiss. He had allowed his heart to open for the first time since he had been in combat action.
Fighting overseas had made it much harder to allow others to get close. He had lost many good friends in the sands of the desert. One in particular had taken its effect. It was his first tour. He had become very close to a young private who reminded him of Kurt. This man was optimistic and so happy. It was like looking at his younger brother on Christmas morning every day. Until one day, when Joe had to watch as the man’s Humvee was hit with a massive IED. Some coward had planted the bomb in the middle of Main Street. For the next few hours, Joe had to pick up body parts with his men. One second this great light was in the world; the next it wasn’t. The only thing to remember him by was bloody pieces. It was too much. Joe had decided to go cold from that day.
But here and now, something was different. Kira was someone he felt responsible for. She was his to protect. He had almost failed. It had been pure good fortune that he had arrived home when he did. Joe remembered the mess upstairs. He carefully slid Kira’s arm off him and slid out of bed. They had both slept in their clothes. Last night, after sharing their kiss, he and Kira had collapsed into the bed out of pure exhaustion. Joe still hungered for what that kiss promised. It would have to wait.
He went upstairs and began mopping up the blood. As he finished, Joe went outside to dump out the water. He looked around. Eyes stared at him through blinds and tinted windows, the effect lessened in the sun. He looked good and long at each of them. Joe never broke his stare. Boat by boat, he won staring contests. He didn’t care if the other boats looked at him like a murderer. As far as he was concerned, they were all responsible for what had happened. Kira’s scream had reached Joe’s ears when he was still down the dock. He had sprinted down the boat decks to reach her. What had they done? Nothing.
When Joe had last left, this had been a safe area, where everyone was out on their decks talking and playing with each other. What had happened? This place was now a marina of judging and detesting glances. It felt like an evil place. Joe tossed the last bit of bloody, soapy water into the ocean and went back inside. As he did, he heard small voices and steps climbing up the stairs.
Jack’s hair was sticking straight up on one side. His face was full of innocent joy. His eyes shined brightness and joy. “Mister Joe!” He ran to Joe.
Joe got down on a knee and gave the young boy a hug. “Hey, Jack. How are you?”
“Good. I’m glad you’re home. I have to show you the playroom I made!
“You made a playroom? All by yourself?”
“Well Chrissy, Lizzie and Kira helped, but it was my idea.
“Was not!” Christine had come upstairs too. She was wearing a nightshirt and had her arms crossed in a full-body pout.
“Uh-huh!” Jack spat back at her.
Joe intervened. “Now I’m sure you both had a big part in making it.
Christine stuck her nose up with a loud, “Humph.” She was satisfied that she had won the argument.
Joe held Jack’s hand in his left and held his right out to Christine. “Do you guys want to show it to me?”
Christine grabbed his hand, a big smile on her face. “Come on!”
She led Joe and Jack down to the guest room. The third of the yacht’s three bedrooms was now filled with colorful drawings, books, dolls and Legos. Jack and Christine took turns showing their favorite toys, sometimes forgetting to breathe.
Jack then asked the question he and Christine had been skirting around. “Will you play with us, Mister Joe?”
Joe answered, “Of course! I would love to play! But first, where’s Elizabeth? Where’s your sister?”
Christine answered, “She’s scared.”
“Why is she scared?” Joe felt his heart stop. Had the children seen what happened upstairs yesterday?
Christine continued. “She thinks you won’t remember her.”
A weight fell from Joe’s heart. “Well th
at’s crazy. Where is she?”
“She’s with Miss Kira.”
“Okay, guys, why don’t you both pick something you want to play. I’m going to talk to Elizabeth, and when I get back, we are going to have some fun. Sound good?”
The children answered in unison. “Okay!”
Joe walked to the main cabin and opened the door slowly. Inside, Kira sat with Elizabeth in her lap. Joe entered the room. “Hello.”
Elizabeth buried her face into Kira’s stomach.
Kira started to talk. “Elizabe—” Joe stopped her.
“It’s okay.” Joe sat on the bed next to the two of them. “Hey, Elizabeth. I heard you were afraid that I might not remember you. I just wanted to let you know that was the farthest thing from being true.” Elizabeth still didn’t move. “Elizabeth, if you were away from your brother or sister for a while, you wouldn’t forget them, would you?”
Elizabeth shook her head still buried in Kira’s stomach.
“Well that’s how I feel about you guys. When I was out there fighting, I thought about you a lot. I wanted to get back to see you. I missed you.”
Elizabeth responded by releasing Kira and crawling over and hugging Joe. Joe hugged the little girl back. He looked up and made eye contact with Kira. Her eyes were wet with happy tears. Their little zombie-apocalypse-made family was back together.
The rest of the day was spent playing games and laughing. Joe and the three kids had tea parties, played hide-and-seek and even “taught” Kira how to play Go Fish. Christine insisted on teaching everyone.
That night, after putting the kids to bed, Kira and Joe sat out on the upper deck and shared a bottle of wine. She cuddled up to him as he put his arm around her.
“Kira.”
“Yeah?”
“What happened around here? This place was nice.”
“I don’t know. I think people just got jealous. I mean, I have been fishing well and saving up money. Some people are barely getting by. I think they resent that fact.”
“Are they having trouble with their fishing?”
“They aren’t fishing.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Then what are they doing all day?”
“They aren’t doing anything.”
“Well no wonder they are struggling to get by.”
“Well I think that most of these people had jobs doing stuff, and when the zombie thing happened, well those jobs just disappeared. They don’t know what to do.”
“They have to reinvent themselves. They can’t just roll over and blame fate.”
“It’s not that easy, Joe.”
“I know it’s not easy, but it is possible. Look at you. You were a secretary at a yacht dealership. Now you’re a fisherwoman who takes care of three kids, and you’re strong.” Kira smiled. Joe continued his adoration. “You are amazing. I can say that those kids and I are lucky to have met you.”
Kira broke down. Tears poured down her cheeks. For a moment, Joe subconsciously patted himself on the back. He had made her so happy she was crying. The moment passed as Kira let out a soft wail and put her head in her hands, sobbing.
Joe pulled her in closer. “Kira, what’s wrong?”
“He should have killed me,” she choked out from a tear-filled throat.
“I’m here. I got here in time, and he won’t hurt you again.”
“No.” Kira pushed out with a hint of despair in her voice. “He should have killed me. I deserved it.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t let any of these people make you feel guilty because you are working.”
“No. You don’t understand.”
“Kira.”
“Joe, I killed a man.”
Joe was slightly taken aback. “What?”
“I killed a man. I stabbed him and pushed him off the side of the boat.”
“Another man came after you on the boat?”
“No.” Kira’s tears had slowed. Getting this off her chest was helping quell her emotions. “It’s how I got the fishing boat.”
“What?” Joe asked, completely confused.
“Well the second day we were here, I went out fishing, on that little boat.” Kira looked over the railing at the boat. She kept staring at it as she told her story. “He, the man I went out there with, well he tried to rape me. And, well, I stabbed him and pushed him overboard. I watched as his body floated away and the blood pool spread. Then I . . . I just left him there. I came home and just lived on, like nothing happened. I never felt bad about doing any of it. I just accepted it and kept living, but this latest attack made me think. Is this karma? Am I just a bad person who deserves what’s was coming to me? I mean, I literally took the murdered man’s boat and notebook of fishing spots and have used it to profit, without ever feeling that bad about it. I only felt bad for basically that day, I guess. But after a shower, I was just okay. What kind of person does that make me?”
“It makes you a survivor,” Joe said.
Kira still didn’t look away from that boat. “I have blood on my hands. I killed him and stole the notebook, and here comes someone else who tries to do the same thing to me.”
Joe turned Kira so that she was looking directly into his eyes. “Listen to me. You did nothing wrong. A man tried to rape you, and you fought back. That’s all. You were able to provide for the kids downstairs. You’ve worked hard and done an amazing job. As far as karma or blood on your hands, no. Two men attacked you, and they got justice. In this world, this zombie-fucked-up place, not everyone is paying for their sins. Those men, they paid. One for his lust and the other for his greed, and envy. They got what they deserved. That’s it.”
“Thanks, I know you’re right, but it doesn’t feel that way,” Kira said.
“I know, the first life you take always hits hard. But you’ve got to remember, it’s true. It’s rare for justice to happen these days. I,” Joe paused for a second, “I’m the one who shouldn’t be alive.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.” Tears came to Joe’s eyes. “I killed my whole team.”
“Joe,” Kira said sympathetically.
“I let my arrogance get in the way. I should have called the mission off. I was too full of myself, and we were slaughtered. We fell into a zombie trap. One that anyone would have seen a mile away. I didn’t. I underestimated them on a morning that I was emotionally compromised from finding out my parents were gone. I made the mistake, and everyone else paid the price.”
“Your parents?” Kira put her hands over her mouth.
“Yeah.” Joe nodded his head. “I learned about it before the mission, and that clouded my judgment. I should have seen the mission parameters were wrong. I will carry that guilt for the rest of my life, and I don’t know why, but God or destiny chose me to survive. Even in the hospital, a man, a brother of one of the soldiers I lost, came to kill me. He nearly succeeded, yet fate intervened again. I should be dead, but for some reason, I’m alive. The only thing that kept me here was pure luck, and a dream I had.”
“A dream?”
“This might sound strange,” Joe answered, “but you and Kurt saved me.”
“What?”
“I saw you first in a dream I had after the man attacked me in the hospital. You made me promise to come home again. Then Kurt appeared. He said he needed me to save him. I saw the way he looked at me. I knew he needed me. He needs us.”
Joe grabbed Kira’s other hand. “Kira, I need to talk to you about something.”
Kira could sense the fear in Joe’s voice. He was afraid to say the next words, though she didn’t know why.
“I received something. A gift,” Joe said.
Kira sat silently.
“I was given great hope.”
“Hope?”
“Yes. When I finally shook the effects of the painkiller the man tried using to overdose me, I had a voicemail on my phone.”
“Kurt called you?” Kira asked, full of excitement.
“Yeah, he had called me and left a message. I don’t know where he is or what’s going on with him. There was a lot of static on the message, but I heard him clearly enough.”
“What did he say?”
“Here. Listen.” Joe pulled the phone out of his pocket, hit a few buttons and handed it to Kira. She put it to her ear and heard a faded voice say, “Three, one, four.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t understand,” Kira said, handing the phone back to Joe.
“Well when I was in Afghanistan, it was hard to communicate, so Kurt and I used a code from our childhood, 314, to let each other know we were okay. Sometimes I could only get online once every few weeks, so I would just send him a Facebook message with that, just to let him know I was okay.”
“So that voicemail means Kurt’s alive and safe?”
“As of a day ago, yeah.” Joe was smiling from cheek to cheek.
“Wow,” Kira said in a happy state of awe.
“Yeah, Kira, you remember what you said when we first got here, about what you’d do if your sister was still alive?
“Yeah.”
“I have to go find my brother. A few days ago, when I was in the hospital, I heard this ringing. Now I was pretty drugged up at that point, so I thought it was my imagination. It wasn’t. My satellite phone had been ringing. Kurt was calling me. He’s still alive. I don’t know how we are going to get there, but we can find a way. I’m sure some island nations are still alive out there. I have to go find him, Kira, but I can’t go without you and the kids.”
“Okay,” Kira said, almost laughing with glee.
“Okay?” Joe asked, confused by how easy that sale was.
“Yeah, let’s go find your brother,” she said, smiling contently.
“Okay. Okay! We’ll have to figure out how to get extra fuel and passage across the Atlantic.”
“I might be able to help with that.” Kira was having fun at this moment.
“How?” Joe asked, confused.
“Well over the past couple of months, I’ve been preparing for this.” Kira laughed and smiled even wider. “I knew that I was doing it for a purpose, and just today I decided that going and finding Kurt was it. Of course, he called you a few days ago. Ha ha.”