by Zuko, Joseph
Tina kissed him back and she whispered in his ear, “I love you baby.”
Rich laced his fingers behind his head as he fought to catch his breath, “Fuck me! What the shit?! That was intense. Is it always like that out there?” Rich puffed out a lungful of air.
“Yep,” Sara answered as she picked her shotgun up off the floor.
“I think I’m having a heart attack,” Rich pressed his fingertips against his chest.
“How do we mount the gates to the windshields?” Jim asked as he headed over to a wash sink in the corner of the shop. Jim fired up the faucet and rinsed off the black gore that coated the barrel of his gun.
Rich caught his breath and picked up the blowtorch, “We gotta cut out the fence from the frame. Then we can lay it over the glass and bolt it down.” He handed the blowtorch over to Sara. “Here Red, cut them out. I gotta add a little something to the cow catchers before we go.”
Sara fired up the blowtorch and started in on the gates to clear the cyclone fence. Rich looked over what they had left from the metal racks that they used to fortify the windows. He found two lengths of steel that would work for his modification. He set one of the lengths of metal across the top of the cow catcher. It became a five inch lip that ran across the entire top of the old bathroom door. He welded and bolted it down until it was solid and looked like a short brim of a cycler’s cap.
By the time he had the lip mounted firmly to his liking Sara had gotten the first of the fences out of the frame and the crew was draping it over the windshield of the van. Rich grabbed an air powered grinder and worked the hand held tool over the edge of the metal lip. He grinded at the length of metal, back and forth until it formed a sharp edge. It was not a razor blade, but at thirty miles an hour it would take a short persons head clean off. Rich repeated the process on the PT Cruiser.
The team had the second fence cut out and bolted down just as Rich was finishing the horizontal guillotine on the front of Jim’s ride. Both cars looked like wasteland works of art.
“We were at the end of our lease on that van too,” Tina said as she rubbed her tired sore hands together.
“Yeah, baby I think we just bought this bad boy. No dealer is taking that van back.” Cliff put his arm around Tina’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze.
Rich circled the vehicles once more and checked everyone’s work. “Ladies and gentlemen they look good. I mean they look like shit, but I think they will work.” A loud bang at the metal bay door grabbed Rich’s attention.
“Everyone ready to roll?” Jim asked as he picked up his spear and loaded it into his car.
“Hold on, hotshot. We have a problem here.” Rich folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against his work bench.
“What?” Jim snapped. He was tired of all the delays. He wanted so badly to get home to his family.
“The bay doors.” Rich snapped back.
Cliff’s head dropped, he already knew what Rich was going to say.
“What’s the problem with the doors?” Tina ran her hands through her thick black hair and pulled it back into a ponytail.
Rich pushed himself off the workbench and walked over to the controls to the bay doors, “You gotta press and hold the son of a bitchin’ buttons to open the damn doors.”
“As soon as we open the doors the infected are going to storm the place!” Sara rubbed her temples.
“There has to be something we can do?” Cliff took a step closer to the controls and looked them over.
Jim could feel Sara and Frank’s gaze upon him. They were turning once again to the idea man. Jim closed his eyes and concentrated. Someone had to hold the buttons to open the doors and let the two rides out, but that meant they would have to sacrifice themselves to the growing horde outside.
Goddamn it! Nothing is ever easy! Jim thought as he gritted his teeth and forced the tired old gears to turn out another idea that would keep everyone safe and get them out of the garage in one piece.
Chapter 19
Karen woke to the smell of brewed coffee. Her body ached all over. Every muscle begged for mercy as she rolled over in bed. Yesterday was the most physical activity she had experienced in her life. She reached out like she did every morning for the last five years and checked for both girls immediately. They were gone.
She snapped out of bed. Sore muscles be damned.
Where were the girls? How did I not notice they were missing? Her mind scrambled as she fought to get out from under the sheets. The digital clock on the nightstand said it was eight seventeen in the morning. She had gotten less than three hours of sleep. It would have to do.
Karen navigated her sleepy body out the bedroom door and down the hall. Something in the air smelled sweet. On top of coffee there was another odor she could not identify.
She called with a rough morning voice, “Girls!”
Karen entered the kitchen to find both little ladies and Troy sitting on barstools at the kitchen counter. Steaming plates heaped with flapjacks covered in maple syrup sat in front of each of them.
“Mama!” both girls announced Karen’s presence.
“You’re awake?” Valerie asked the obvious question.
Leon stood at the range, spatula in hand, with Penny’s favorite apron wrapped around his thin hips and a classic Leon smile stretched across his face, “Good morning sunshine. Breakfast? Coffee? Both?”
Karen was not a morning person. Never had been. Never would be. The deep lines on her face and the dark circles under her eyes spoke for her.
Leon noticed and turned down his good morning smile, “Coffee?” he asked quietly as he reached for a cup and the full pot.
“Black.” the frog in Karen’s throat croaked.
Leon poured her a cup and handed it to her, “I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping so soundly. I heard the girls get up half an hour ago and they claimed to be starving.”
“Thank you,” Karen cupped her hands around the mug and brought the lip of the cup to her mouth. She blew on the hot black liquid, tested it and when it was the correct temperature, guzzled down the coffee.
Troy swallowed his mouthful of pancake, “Leon and I discussed your plan to search the area for people and supplies. You need more rest, so the two of us will head out after breakfast. You stay here with the girls.”
Karen carried her coffee around to the extra stool at the kitchen counter and took a seat next to Robin. She finished off the coffee and sat her empty mug down on the counter. Leon slid a plateful of flapjacks in front of Karen and picked up her empty mug. The brown, butter soaked, circles in front of her were perfectly shaped and colored. They were full on restaurant quality.
“Don’t tell me you were a short order cook too?” Karen’s voice had cleared up a little.
Leon spun around as he poured her a new cup of coffee, “Three years as the head chef at Johnny’s Original Pancake House just outside of Bend.”
“They are delicious, Mama,” Valerie shoved a fork full into her hungry mouth.
Karen used the edge of her fork to carve out a square of her first victim and lifted the buttery, syrupy, chunk of heaven to her starving face. The flavor was everything the wonderful smell promised it would be.
Leon’s right eyebrow hovered high on his forehead as he waited for confirmation that it was delicious.
“Mmm.” Karen moaned.
His eyebrow relaxed into its natural position, “Thank you,” Leon said as he placed her fresh coffee next to her plate.
“Where do you plan to search?” Karen took a sip of her drink.
“We’ll take the Subaru and hit the neighborhood. We’ll be gone for an hour, tops.” Troy answered.
“Have you looked outside? Is it still clear out there?” Karen questioned.
“I saw a few earlier, but nothing us two manly men can’t handle.” Leon showed off his powerful bicep as he curled the spatula like a heavyweight.
“Are you feeling okay?” Karen asked her brother. She knew it was a loaded
question, but she needed to know that Troy was solid before she let him step outside.
Troy straightened his back, readjusted his baseball cap to cover the cut on his forehead and wiped the syrup from the corners of his mouth. “It’d be good for me to stay busy.” His answer sounded a little rehearsed.
Karen devoured her pile of cakes and sipped her coffee. She considered telling them just to stay here and wait it out, but they were grown men capable of making their own decisions. Maybe it would be better to scout out the area now instead of waiting
What if it gets worse out there in a week? We will need more supplies.
Karen’s thoughts were conflicted and there was absolutely no correct choice to pick from. Starve to death in a month or step outside and possibly become an appetizer for an angry horde of the undead.
“Don’t be gone for too long.”
“Just an hour.” Troy reassured her.
“We’ll run a good old fashioned snatch and grab job.” Leon cleaned up the kitchen counter and loaded all the dirty dishes into the sink.
Karen continued to eat her breakfast and drink her coffee in silence. Her mind was a whirlwind of doubt, fear and sorrow.
Jim still was not here. Every hour that ticked by darkened the grief cloud looming over her head.
He should be here by now. Walking from his store in Portland to Mama’s shouldn’t take this long.
Either he is stuck somewhere or…
Or what? Karen’s mind argued against itself. She had to change the subject or the tears would start to trickle.
The girls! That would get her mind off the negative thoughts. She needed to spend quality time with the girls. Karen planned to play with them as much as she could today. Whatever the girls wanted to do, dolls, wrestling, coloring or snuggling. Karen needed the girls to feel safe and she needed the distraction.
Troy geared up with his bandoliers full of shells for his trusty old shotgun. Both of the men covered their shins and forearms with sewing magazines and duct tape they found in Penny’s sewing room. Leon tucked the revolver they found last night at the neighbor’s house into his jacket pocket along with the extra box of ammo. He picked up the fire axe that he got from the police station.
“Here. Something to load the supplies into,” Troy said as he tossed six canvas shopping bags into the backseat of the Subaru.
Leon took his position behind the wheel and Troy hopped into the passenger’s side. Karen waited for Leon to start the car before she opened the garage for them. She rested her hand on the Ruger strapped to her hip. She was ready to blast down any infected that stepped into the garage. The Subaru’s engine turned and Leon revved the gas a few times, then he nodded at her to open the door. Karen pressed the open button that hung on the wall and the garage door shuddered as the motor pulled it up.
The street was clear. Leon punched the gas and the tires barked as he backed the Subaru out of the garage and out into the street. Karen closed the garage door and entered the house.
Karen needed a fresh set of clothing for the day. She remembered the backpack full of Lizzie’s clothes. She carried the pack into the bedroom and laid the dead woman’s clothing out across the bed. She had to psych herself up before she could slide her legs into the jeans she had looted. Karen was minutes away from putting stolen clothes on that belonged to a woman she and Leon accidently killed. The more she thought about being clothed by the belongings of a dead person the creepier it felt.
I can’t run around in my underwear all day. Suck it up and just get it over with! Karen pumped herself up to get the deed over with.
“Come on, quit being a pussy,” Karen grabbed the jeans and pulled them up her long legs. She hoped wearing them would not be bad karma. As she finished dressing, the soft and expensive fabrics felt amazing on her skin. Karen stepped into the bathroom and looked at herself in the full length mirror. She did a three sixty in front of her reflection.
“Oh my god! My ass looks amazing.” Karen prayed that this was a good omen.
Why would the Universe give me the opportunity to wear jeans that make my butt look this incredible if it was a curse? Karen’s logic seemed sound and she hoped Jim would get to see her in them.
Karen could hear her girls playing out in the living room as she walked down the hall, “What should we do today?” Karen asked as she rounded the corner.
A heavy knock at the front door stopped Karen in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Who is it Mama? Is it Daddy?” Valerie asked as she continued to play.
Karen wished and prayed that the next sound she heard was that of her beloved husband.
“Ma’am! I need you to open the door!” The man’s voice was deep and he spoke with authority, but it was not Jim.
Karen quietly stepped to the door as she pulled her gun from its holster. She gently pressed her face to the peephole. A clean-shaven man dressed in all black stood on the other side of the door. His recently cut hair was combed to perfection and black sunglasses covered his eyes. Karen could see beyond him. Out in the driveway was a new pickup truck with five armed men sitting on the edge of the truck’s bed. They watched over the neighborhood with shotguns and assault rifles pulled tight to their shoulders. The hood and front grill of the pickup was coated in the blood of the infected. It was clear that they had been out killing all morning.
“Open the door and let just me in or the six of us will force our way in. Believe me…you don’t want us to do that.” The man in black raised his chin and turned his head. It looked like he was trying to hear any movement inside. “I know you’re alone. We watched the two men leave. I know it’s just you and your girls.” The cadence of his voice was off. He sounded like a door to door salesmen who was pitching doom as his product.
Karen finally found her voice, “I have a gun!” Her words trembled.
“So do we.” His calm demeanor was unnerving.
“Go away!” Karen pleaded.
“If you let me in right now, I promise no harm will come to the children. If I have to wait another minute. Well…I promise you will regret it.”
Karen panicked. Her mind raced. The man in black’s demand seemed unholy.
What does he want?!
There was no time to ponder it or come up with a plan. The only two choices as Karen saw it were, open the door and most likely get murdered or don’t open the door and definitely get murdered.
FUCK!
Karen unlocked and opened the front door. She aimed her pistol through the screen door. The man in black pulled off his sunglasses and hung them from the collar of his shirt. His eyes were cobalt blue.
“Put that down. It wouldn’t do you any good.” He reached for the lever on the screen door and popped it open. Karen kept the gun on him as he stepped into the house. She backed away from him and blocked the entry into the living room. She was absolutely going to drop this asshole if he made the slightest move for the girls. “I said you can put that down.” The man in black pushed the front door wide open and made sure the screen was unlocked. “Let us leave this open, okay?” He sniffed the air and before Karen could answer he asked. “Do I smell coffee?” The man in black stepped past Karen and entered the kitchen. “May I have a cup?” he asked as he pointed at the coffee pot.
The girls charged in from the living room. The stranger’s voice was too much for them not to investigate.
“Mama, who is it?” Valerie asked as she ran into the back of Karen.
Karen blocked them from getting by her, “Stay in the living room!” she shrieked at them.
“My name is Eric and I’d listen to your mother if I were you little girl.” Eric reached for a mug and poured himself a cup.
“Don’t talk to my girls!” Mama bear was ready to kill someone. “Valerie take Robin back into the living room right now!” Valerie jumped from fright at how her Mama was talking to her. She took her sister by the hand and led her out of the foyer and back to the living room to hide.
“Valerie and R
obin. Those are very pretty names.” Eric sipped at the coffee. “Do you have any sugar or cream?” He pointed at the refrigerator.
“What do you want?”
“Sugar and cream,” he said with a smile as he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.
Karen was sick of his game, “What are you doing here?”
Eric poured a little milk into the coffee and then placed the carton back in the fridge, “Sugar in the cupboard?” He stepped back across the kitchen and opened a few cupboards before he found what he was looking for. He served himself two scoops of sugar before putting it back. Eric found a spoon in the drawer next to the sink and stirred the contents of the mug.
“What do you want?”
“It’s not polite to aim a gun at your guest.” Eric took a drink as he leaned back against the counter. “I’ll tell you why I am here as soon as you put the gun on the counter.”
Karen did not know what to do. She was no killer and she was sure that if she pulled Eric’s plug the five guys out in the truck would storm the house. Then she and the girls would be gunned down or worse.
She chose to hear him out. Karen wanted him to leave as quickly as possible.
Maybe he just wants to rob us? Karen thought. And then they would be on their way.
If Troy and Leon come back before these assholes leave, they might get shot to hell before they even know what happened.
Karen dropped the gun to her side and paused for a moment before putting it on the counter. Eric calmly sipped at his coffee like he was just visiting an old friend.
Karen’s last thought before she let go of the gun was, This is stupid. I should shoot him and try to make a run for it. She knew she wouldn’t make it twenty steps out the door with both girls. This was the only move she had.
“What do you want?” Her patience was wearing thin.
“Can I say just how happy I am that you are so beautiful? I was watching you from across the street and I hoped you would look this good in person, but I was not sure. You do not disappoint I tell you.” Eric held a smug smile. Karen’s confused face was apparently not the answer he was looking for. “It’s customary for someone to say thank you when they are complimented. I am going to let that one slide and get down to brass tacks. I see you are wearing a wedding ring. Maybe one of those men that left is your husband. I don’t know. The reason I’m here is because I’m really into married women.” Eric took a sip from his coffee and let his words sink into Karen’s mind.