by Brett, Cal
Robbie found Kelly curled up in the middle of the king size bed in the master bedroom. Her eyes were red from tears.
“You ok, Kel?” He asked quietly as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yes,” she sniffed. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired and feeling overwhelmed. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
“I understand,” Robbie said softly. “It’s been a tough few weeks…years.”
She smiled, “I really think this is a good place. That we can make it here. I want you to want to stay. I don’t want you to leave me. I couldn’t take it.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Robbie said reassuringly. “Where would I go?”
“Just don’t, ok?” Kelly asked.
“Don’t worry.” Robbie patted her knee. “You’re stuck with me.”
She smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
“Hey,” Robbie said. “Why don’t you relax? I’ll go get some dinner started and we can have a nice quiet evening looking out at the stars. How does that sound?”
“Sounds lovely,” she sniffled and took hold of his hand.
They sat there quietly for a few moments without saying anything.
“Ok,” Robbie finally said pulling away and standing up. “Those MRE’s aren’t going to heat themselves up. Do you want the spaghetti or the chicken and rice?”
Kelly thought for a moment about the boxed military rations they had found in the back of a National Guard truck a few months prior. While each MRE offered a different entrée they were all fairly bland in flavor. “Surprise me,” she finally said.
“You got it,” Robbie called back as he walked down the hall towards the kitchen. He felt better knowing that Kelly was no longer angry with him. The meals only required a little water poured into a self-heating pouch. After he got them going, he propped the entrees up against some large decorative candles. He then made two place settings, and even laid out the little forks, knives and napkins for two. Then he opened a package of powdered drink mix and, using the fancy glass from the pantry, made two drinks. The bright green mixture didn’t look anything like wine but he figured that would be ok.
A few minutes later Kelly walked out. “Well this is nice,” she complimented him.
“Thanks,” Robbie stuttered as she walked towards him.
Kelly had shed her gear and changed into a long black t shirt with the name of an old metal band on the front and a pair of cotton shorts. “Nice,” she said, admiring his place settings and the steaming food.
“…Are you feeling better?” he finally asked.
“Yes,” she said sitting next to him, bringing her feet and knees up onto the couch. After a moment looked over and locked eyes with him. “I’ve been thinking, and I’ve come to some hard realizations.”
“You have?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied seriously. “We’ve been running around with our lives on hold for the last few years.”
“Well the undead walking the streets will do that,” Robbie smirked trying to lighten her mood.
“The undead are just an obstacle,” she replied. “We have learned how to deal with them and now they are only a problem if we do something stupid.”
“Or twist an ankle while scavenging,” Robbie interjected.
Kelly smiled but raised an eyebrow. “You’re missing the point. What I’ve realized, and come to accept, is that it’s just us now. We’re alone. Nobody is coming to rescue us.”
“You’re just realizing that now?” Robbie asked as he pulled at a sealed packet of crackers.
“What I mean, dummy, is that…look…” She paused, “Roy isn’t coming back.”
Robbie stopped and stared at her. While he didn’t worry about Roy as often as he used to it was always in the back of his head that he would come back one day. He couldn’t imagine Roy as dead, or becoming one of those things, so he had a kind of fantasy that his older brother had gotten injured or hit in the head and then gotten lost. Robbie and Kelly had moved around a lot since Roy went missing, so he imagined him out there wandering the streets looking for them.
Robbie had never thought of it logically, but subconsciously, he half expected to come around a corner one day and bump into Roy coming the other way. His brother was resilient like that. Always the smart one, the tough one, the captain of the soccer team. He couldn’t imagine Roy dead, or worse, just running away.
“I mean it, Robbie,” she said as she put her hand on his knee, “I’m sorry. Nobody hates the idea more than I do…did. But, it’s reality. He isn’t coming back. And…I think I’ve finally come to terms with it. It’s hard to say but I’m finally over him. I mean, I’ll always love him, but he’s gone and I’ve got to, we… have got to, move on.”
“What do you mean?” Robbie asked more seriously.
“I mean,” she whispered and moved closed to him, “it’s just you and me now. I’ve been waiting for a dead man and I have a very alive man right next to me.”
She leaned in and wrapped him in a hug. He hugged her back, not wanting to misinterpret her intentions, but feeling her warm body against his started something in his libido. His could hear blood starting to speed up, pumping faster through his heart and other places. It was so loud in his ears he wondered if Kelly could hear it too. He felt as if he had a jet engine revving up inside his body and he wasn’t sure he would be able to slow it down. It made him nervous and confused as he sat there fighting to stay still and just hold her.
He thought the engine might shake him apart from the inside as she curled herself further into his embrace. Unable to resist further, he almost instinctively leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. To his surprise and elation, she pressed her lips back against his and they fell into a long deep kiss. He pulled her as close as he could, feeling as if he never wanted the moment to end. They ground their bodies’ tightly together breathing heavily with excitement.
When Kelly suddenly pulled back and looked into his eyes, Robbie thought he saw doubt on her face and he immediately felt like he may have got it wrong. Taken her beyond where she wanted to go.
“I’m sorry” he stuttered apologetically, knowing she could likely feel his heartbeat quicken between them “I got carried away...”
“It’s ok,” she whispered, staying close and cuddled up against him.
“Um.” he gasped. “What are we doing?”
“This,” she said with mischievous grin as she kissed him again.
“Oh?” Robbie groaned.
“You like that?” Kelly asked.
“Oh yea,” Robbie said, not caring at the moment who it was seducing him.
They made love on the big couch. Living in fear and surviving in the moment had repressed any thoughts of physical attraction these last few years. But now it exploded between them and their pent-up desires made up for their inexperience and lack of practice. It was desperate and fast.
Afterward Kelly lay on top of him, looking into his eyes and seeing his total exhilaration mixed with unease.
“Sorry,” he panted. “I didn’t mean to…”
She stopped him with a kiss. “It’s ok,” she said. “I liked it.”
“Really?” He gasped.
“Yes,” and she kissed him again. She kept her body pressed to his. Knowing it was likely the first time for him being with a woman. She wanted, needed, it to be good for him so she encouraged him as he caressed her. This was not the lusty ‘can’t keep us apart’ sex she and Roy had shared but she found herself enjoying being touched and desired after so long. In a few minutes Robbie was ready to go again, and they made love eagerly amongst the soft cushions.
Afterward, Kelly lay enveloped in Robbie’s arms with her head resting on his chest listening to his breathing become rhythmic as he fell into sleep. She had not climaxed but that wasn’t important to her. He had, several times, and that is what she needed. To ensure that he would stay with her in spite of what was already growing inside her. There was no reason for him to know it wasn’t his. She needed him to stay t
o help her get through the pregnancy and then to keep them all alive afterward. She didn’t think he would leave them but she couldn’t take that chance. Not now.
They spent much of the next day in each other’s arms. It was as if he wanted to make up for all the times they had spent living with each other but off limits when it came to intimacy. Kelly relaxed and let herself enjoy the attention.
As the sun rose on the second day, Robbie woke to find her in the kitchen wearing one of the fancy white terrycloth robes from their closet. The robes were embroidered with the burgundy logo of the Riverside Condominiums. She stood boiling water over a can of Sterno.
“Good morning sunshine,” Kelly said with a smile.
“Good morning to you,” he replied.
“Coffee or tea?” she indicated he had his choice.
“Coffee please,” he replied.
“I’m not that good with coffee,” Kelly warned him as she prepared the cup, “but I found a French Press in the cabinet. Maybe you can figure out how to use it.” She slid him the steaming liquid as he sat down at the granite counter across from her.
“We need to get out and do some scavenging today,” she said pointing her cup out the window to the city beyond.
Robbie pouted, sticking out his lower lip. “Darn I was hoping we could do the same as yesterday.”
Kelly raised an eyebrow. “I’m all worn out from yesterday thank you very much. I need some rest and we are running low on some things, so I need you to put on your man boots and go get them.”
Robbie smiled. “Yes dear. What do we need?”
Kelly pulled out a list of items she had made of things she felt like they needed for their new home. Robbie looked it over.
“You want me to get all this stuff by myself?” Robbie asked. “Sure you don’t want to come with?”
“I think you can manage.” Kelly retorted with a smile, “besides, you don’t need any distractions out there.”
“How about some distractions up here,” Robbie leered at her playfully.
“Not until you get back, you naughty boy,” she said pulling her robe tightly closed. “No treats until you get your chores done!”
Chapter 17
The next few days Robbie spent accumulating supplies and making sure all the building’s exterior doors were closed and locked. He did much of it alone, but it didn’t bother him as long as Kelly was waiting for him at the end of the day. She often met him in the doorway wearing just the robe.
Robbie eventually found his way down into the building’s underground parking levels and checked that the vehicle entrances were secure. Using a large police style mag light with rechargeable batteries, he had found in a back office, he worked his way around the garage. He found the metal security gates were down and the doors to the street were closed and locked. That was good in his mind as he figured it meant nothing had come in after the outbreak. It didn’t mean nothing was down there, just that if there were any zombies inside it meant they had been there a long time.
Exploring the top level of the garage, he found a black BMW and a silver Range Rover parked near each other near the elevators. Several layers of dust covered the two expensive cars but he could still see the glow of fresh paint under the blankets of grey particles. He tried the handles and found both cars were locked. No lights flashed and no chirping sounds came when he pulled at the levers so he presumed the batteries to be long dead. The Rover was for sure a city car, purchased for name and flash rather than its off road abilities. He could tell, in spite of its reputation and heritage, this Rover had never spent any time on any dirt roads.
Walking around admiring the luxury SUV he considered whether it might be worth trying to charge up the battery. If they could get it started, he thought it might make a good escape car if they ever needed to quickly get out of the city. While it looked like it was all for show, the Rover was decked out with all the latest outdoor accessories including a winch, fog lights as well as roof and bike racks.
After inspecting the cars, Robbie found the electrical lines entering along the far wall and was pretty sure these were the same ones running from the solar panels on the roof. The lines went through the floor and down to the next deck. Robbie shined his light down the ramp to the next level. Nothing emerged or growled at the intrusion into the darkness so he began to slowly descend. He checked each level as he went down, to verify that he was alone, but found nothing but dust and empty parking spaces.
It grew darker and colder as he went down. His light beam seemed to narrow the further he went, as if the lower levels had a thicker darkness than those above. The crunch of his footsteps on the pale concrete sounded loud in his ears and frustrated him as he tried to listen for other sounds. Each of his steps echoed off the cold walls and bounced around the cave like structure. He jerked his head back with nearly every step to ensure nothing was creeping up behind him. As he went deeper, every pop, click and drip of the building vibrated around him and added to his jumpiness.
He started to turn back several times. Told himself he should come back with Kelly to watch his back, but he dismissed the notion. If there were any mobile zombies in the car park, they would have emerged already. There was the possibility that some non-ambulatory flesh eaters were in the area but he would see them well before they could get to him. And given that there was nothing on the floors above, he doubted there would be any below. Still, he remained jumpy and alert as he emerged onto the bottom level.
Shining his light around, he could see that the parking area on this floor was half the size of those above. A wall had been built through the middle of the lot, with two large steel doors at one side. The doors were surrounded by ‘no parking’ and ‘safety’ signs. He took the “Danger – High Voltage” sign as an indication that he had found the electrical panel room and sighed with relief that his journey into the dank old cave had not been in vain.
Several spaces from the front of the doors, a white Ford Ranger pickup truck was parked. Even from a distance, he could see that it had been well used during its lifetime. It had the scratched and dented look of a utility or construction vehicle. A ladder hung over the back gate and a steel tool box was attached in the bed near the cab. The windows of the truck were dark and dusty so that he couldn’t make out anything inside the truck’s cab, not from a distance anyway.
Noting the trucks doors were closed and nothing inside had reacted to his light, he decided it was probably safe. He knew better than to focus on something before clearing around it though, so he went about making sure the open area of the level was clear. Walking to each corner, he found only stacks of construction supplies and debris piled about. This area wasn’t as neatly maintained as the areas upstairs where customers might wander. Fast food wrappers and cups sat wherever they had been left by the construction workers.
Robbie checked under the truck before making his way closer along the passenger side. Through the back window the light beam revealed a silhouette in the driver’s seat slumped against the window. Robbie paused and tried to make it out, but the dust and grime had fogged up the window too badly. He slowly eased around, stepping closer to the passenger window to shine his light in. He readied his hatchet even though he knew, if it was a zombie, it probably couldn’t get out of the truck.
The figure didn’t move so he stepped up to the window and tapped the glass with the light. Some zombies went into a sort of hibernation if they were trapped and nothing was around to attract their attention. They would just sit there until something came along to wake them up. This was always a danger when walking around old cars as many were still strapped into their seat belts. If the window was down, they could suddenly activate like an animatronic monster in a haunted house and start grabbing. Felicia went that way, he remembered the curly haired woman who had been with them for a short time. While hiding behind a car, its inhabitants suddenly bolted to life and dragged her in. The memory of it made him shiver.
Robbie tried to make out more detail, but t
hrough the thick layer of dirt that coated the passenger window, he could only tell it was a human figure slumped behind the wheel. Keeping his flashlight aimed at the cab, he moved around the truck until he stood a few paces from the driver’s door. The shadow inside remained motionless, and from his new position, it appeared that the person’s face was pressed against the glass of the driver’s window. Robbie stepped up, tapped on the glass and quickly jumped back. The figure remained still.
Robbie had never seen one of the things play dead, or remain still, for so long. Especially in the presence of motion, noise and a nearby snack, so he became more confident that whoever it was, they were dead – fully dead. He decided to leave it be and continue on his original mission to check out the electrical room. If it did wake up and start moving, he figured he would hear it banging around in the cab long before it could get out and be a threat to him. He still didn’t like the idea of taking his light off it, so slowly backed away towards the steel double doors.
He was disappointed to find that the big doors to the utility room were locked. After making a few cursory pulls and turns on the levers, he began to think about how to get in. Unfortunately, he noted, unlike the rest of the building that was all keyed with digital locks, which disconnected when the power went off, this was a regular old Schlage bolt style that required a key. He tried to remember if he had seen any keys in the security office but didn’t recall any. Still, he reasoned, that was the most logical place to keep them and he fretted that he would need to go all the way back up to check it out.
As he turned, his light ran over the truck and thoughts started assembling in his head. ‘Whoever was in the truck was probably a Riverside Condo employee. Being down in the basement, parked just a few feet from the doors, means they probably had access to the utility areas. They likely even had the keys on them. Otherwise, why drive all the way down? All I have to do was open the truck and get the key ring. Heck, it was probably in the ignition. Right? That’s logical.’