Life In Death (Book 1): Surviving Death (The Struggle)

by Holmes, Ethan

  “This is Tonya. Tonya, this is Steve.” he wiggled her hand. “It’s ok. All of these people are friends.”

  Anna knelt down next to her. “Would you like to go inside and sleep?”

  Tonya shook her head. “I’m afraid to go to sleep.”

  Anna took her other hand. “I will stay with you while you sleep. Ok? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She nodded. “Ok.”

  The two of them went inside.

  When they were inside the house, Steve looked at Frank.

  “What has she been through,” Steve asked.

  Frank explained what they witnessed.

  “Jesus,” Sam said. Sam knew a bit of what she was going through.

  “God… This is horrible. I’m glad you were able to save her,” Natalie said.

  “Yeah. Everyone, give her some space over the next few days. She’s going to need some time,” Frank said.

  They all nodded. Frank went upstairs. Anna was sitting on the side of the bed, stroking the girl’s hair. Frank walked into the room. Anna heard him coming and motioned with her finger to be quiet. He crept up to them. Tonya had her eyes closed. He knew she was exhausted. Frank stroked the back of Anna’s head to comfort her as well. Anna looked up at him, she was still crying. He knelt down to her.

  “She’s only fifteen, Frank,” she said.

  “I know,” he said softly.

  “How is she supposed to live with this,” she said through sobs.

  “We will be there for her, whenever she needs us,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, we will. I just hope it’s enough to get her through this,” she said.

  Tonya rolled over and opened her eyes.

  “I think I’m done crying. Thank you for saving me,” she said.

  They both smiled at her.

  “Anytime, sweetheart,” Anna said.

  “Think you’ll be able to go to sleep,” Frank said.

  “I think so. I’m hungry though,” Tonya said.

  “Ok. Why don’t we go downstairs and get something to eat,” Frank offered.

  “Ok.” She lifted herself off the bed.

  They went down stairs to see Steve, Kim, and Natalie at the table. Frank pulled out a seat for her. Tonya sat down and Frank pushed the chair in. Anna sat next to her.

  “What’s up,” Steve asked.

  “Tonya is hungry. I was going to fix her up something,” Frank said.

  “Let me help,” Natalie said. She turned to Tonya. “I’m Natalie. What would you like? I have canned spaghetti, soups, and all kinds of other stuff.”

  “Can I have some soup,” she asked.

  “You sure can. Give me just a second,” Natalie said. She went into the pantry with Frank.

  “She is so cute,” Natalie whispered.

  Frank smiled. Natalie pointed to a can of soup on the top shelf. Frank retrieved it and handed it to her.

  “Do you like chicken noodle,” Natalie asked.

  Tonya nodded. “It’s my favorite.”

  “Mine too. I will heat it up for you. Want some crackers with it?”

  “Yes, please. Thank you,” Tonya answered.

  “No problem, honey,” Natalie said.

  Frank looked at Steve. “Jim and Jesse still working on the deer?”

  “Yeah. That thing was massive so it will take a while,” Steve said.

  “Fair enough. I’ll go out and help in a minute. Anyone want some coffee,” Frank asked.

  “I’ll take some,” Steve said.

  “Me too,” Anna said.

  Frank put the kettle on the stove next to the bowl of soup Natalie was stirring. He went over to the corner and grabbed a water bottle. He took it to Tonya and sat it in front of her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You are very welcome,” Frank said.

  Natalie sat the bowl of soup and crackers in front of Tonya. Tonya ate a few bites, mostly toying with her food. Frank could tell that she was thinking about what happened. He went over to her.

  “Do you need salt or pepper for that,” he asked.

  “Huh,” Tonya said. She wasn’t paying attention.

  Frank knelt down to her and put his hand on hers. “It’s ok. I know it hurts.”

  Her eyes teared up again. “I miss them.”

  “I know you do. You may feel like you’re alone but we are all here for you.”

  She looked around at everyone. Everyone was smiling and nodding. She looked back at Frank and hugged him. When she released him he looked at her.

  “If you need to talk about anything, I’m always around. So is everyone else,” Frank said.

  She wiped her face. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m going to go and help them outside. You going to be ok here with Anna?”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Ok. Eat up and get some rest,” Frank said.

  “Yes, sir,” Tonya said.

  “You can just call me Frank, sweetie,” Frank said, smiling.

  “Ok, Frank. Thank you,” Tonya said.

  Frank smiled. He stood up and walked outside.

  “He’s a nice man,” Tonya said.

  “Yes, he is. That’s why I love him,” Anna said.

  Frank went to the back yard and found Tommy, Jim, and Jesse were still working on the massive deer.

  “You guys need a hand,” Frank asked.

  They all looked at him.

  “If you’re offering, sure,” Tommy said.

  “How is Tonya,” Jesse asked.

  “Better than expected. Nice kid, though,” Frank said.

  “Yeah. I hope she’ll be ok,” Jim said.

  Frank took one of the blades from the cleaning kit.

  “You and me both. For now, let’s get Agatha’s dad cut up.”

  Tommy laughed. “I can’t believe you remember that joke.”

  “How could I not? Instant classic.”

  They laughed.

  “You know what I want? A nice, juicy cheeseburger. That was my go-to comfort food. Hell, I would even share it with Tonya,” Jim said.

  “Hell, I would kill for a nice cigar,” Frank said.

  “Wait, Jim. You? Share your cheeseburger? You wouldn’t even share one with me, ever,” Jesse said.

  Jim laughed. “You can go get your own. She seems like a nice kid.”

  “You guys are so sweet,” Anna said.

  The four of them turned around and saw Anna and Tonya standing behind them.

  “Hey! What’s up,” Frank asked.

  “Tonya wanted to look around so I’m Tour Guide Anna right now.”

  “All you need is the cute outfit.”

  Anna smiled. “I could rock it.”

  He looked at Tonya.

  “Did you get enough to eat,” Frank asked.

  “Yeah. I just wanted to look around. I kind of don’t want to go to sleep yet.”

  “Have at it sweetheart.” He reached out with his arm as if presenting a prize. “The yard is your oyster.”

  “Shakespeare. Awesome play on words,” Tonya said with a slight smile.

  Frank looked bewildered. “You like reading Shakespeare?”

  “I like reading in general. Other kids want toys, I want books.”

  Frank walked up to her and knelt down.

  “Hmm, you’re a good kid, Tonya. I will remember that on our next trip to town. Any genre in particular?”

  “Not really. If it has words, I’ll read it. I even read cook books.” Her head sunk slightly. “My mom used to use me as an index. I have a photographic memory. I can recite any book I’ve ever read, which worked when I helped her cook. I also speak a few languages.”

  Frank was surprised by her intellect. “Smart girl. I’ll grab you some material the next time were in town. Which I believe is tomorrow, if I’m not mistaken. In the meantime, I’m sure Gloria has some books that you can read. She was a school teacher so she’s bound to have something for you. For now, Natalie is our resident chef. I’m sure she
would love for you to help her cook.”

  She smiled and hugged him, again. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Go take your look around. You two don’t wander off.”

  “Will do,” Anna said.

  Toby and Tim came running out of the house playing one of their little games. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks next to Frank when they saw Tonya.

  “Who is that,” Tim asked.

  Frank knelt down to them. Both of them were only about four and half feet tall.

  “That’s Tonya. She’s had it rough lately so don’t bother her too much, ok?”

  “Wow, she’s pretty. She’s as pretty as Anna,” Toby said.

  “Yes. They are very pretty. Want to go say hello,” Frank asked.

  “Yeah,” Toby said.

  “Let’s go,” Tim said.

  Frank scooped them up in his arms and walked over to Anna and Tonya.

  “Tonya? You probably haven’t met these two rug rats yet. This is Toby and Tim,” Frank said.

  She smiled at them. “Nice to meet you, boys.”

  “You’re pretty, Tonya,” Toby blurted.

  “Yeah! Really pretty,” Tim repeated for affirmation. The two seemed to be star struck.

  Tonya blushed. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah. They said that you were as pretty as Anna,” Frank said.

  Now Anna was blushing. “You boys are too sweet. That being said,” she wrapped her arm around Tonya, “they do have an eye for beauty.”

  Tonya was still blushing. “Yeah, they do.”

  Frank put the boys down. “Alright, you two, go back inside and play.”

  “Ok, Frank! Let’s go, Tim,” Toby said.

  The two ran back into the house.

  “God, I’d give anything to have that much energy,” Frank said as he shook his head.

  Tonya and Anna started walking away. “I think your heart would explode, Frank.”

  Frank laughed. “Yeah, probably would.”

  Frank walked back over to the carcass.

  “Never saw Anna blush so much,” Tommy said.

  “Yeah. Kind of weird to see her turn so red,” Jim said.

  Frank chuckled. “Yeah. She expects to hear me call her pretty. She doesn’t expect anyone else to say it.”

  Craig came out of the house with a small box.

  “Fellas. Want one,” Craig asked.

  He opened the box and revealed that it was full of fine cigars.

  “I overheard you talking about wanting a cigar, so thought I could help with that. Sorry, Jim. No cheeseburgers on the menu.”

  “Whoa, Craig! You sure? These are expensive,” Frank said.

  “Yeah sure. Don’t really have to buy them anymore.”

  “I guess that’s true. Thank you.”

  He took one and the pack of matches from Craig.

  They each took one, including Craig. Frank lit the cigar and took a long drag. A lot of his stress melted away.

  “Thanks, Craig. That hit the spot.” He stuck the cigar in his teeth and held it there. “Ok, back to the deer. I’ll do the back straps.”

  Thirty minutes later, they had the deer finished and were running the smoker to cook the meat to preserve it, except for a small portion which Natalie would be cooking for dinner. They waited for the meat to cook so they could put more in. They sat on the porch, Frank still enjoying what was left of his cigar. The cigar had long since gone out, but he tended to leave it in his mouth for the flavor and chew on the end. Anna and Tonya came back around the side of the house, nearly finished with their tour. Anna pointed at Tonya.

  “She speaks Hebrew,” Anna said.

  “Really,” Frank asked, surprised.

  “Ken,” Tonya replied in Hebrew.

  “I’m going to assume that was yes.”

  “Yes. ‘Ken’ is yes in Hebrew,” Anna said, giggling.

  “Awesome. Learn something new every day.” A thought occurred to him. “Oh Anna! This means you can’t curse all you want in Hebrew anymore. What are you going to do now?”

  Anna slapped him on his arm. “Oh, you shut up.” She turn to Tonya, who was smiling. “I don’t do that.”

  “No. I’m just playing. Anna’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet,” Frank said.

  Tonya chuckled.

  The next day, Frank was holding a meeting with the senior members before going into town.

  “Ok, guys. I wanted to go over a bit of an idea before we left. What do you guys think about doing town trips for recreational items,” Frank asked.

  “What do you mean recreational items,” Steve asked.

  “Well, we all have things that help relieve stress, whether it’s hobbies or reading. As long as it’s not drugs and alcohol, I’m willing to go to town to get these for the group.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Where did this come from,” Steve asked.

  “Tonya. She got me thinking. We really don’t have anything to do around here but work. We need a way to wind down at the end of the day. Her thing is reading, but Gloria doesn’t have any books. She said she went digital a while ago but her reader is dead. Jesse has his carpentry, but he doesn’t have the materials to do anything. Tonya’s is easy. I’m just going to raid the bookshelf at the grocery store. Stuff like Jesse’s will be a bit more difficult.”

  “That doesn’t sound too hard. Are you thinking of making this a separate trip,” Steve asked.

  “I’m not sure. Would be nice to just do it all at once.”

  “I don’t see why we couldn’t. We could postpone the trip today for an hour or so and get a list together. It’ll be nice. I love shopping,” Anna said.

  Frank’s head sunk, sarcastically. “Well, I can see Anna’s on board.”

  “Me too. I like the sound of this. I could use another media player since we firebombed mine,” Jim said.

  “Everyone else on board,” Steve asked.

  Everyone nodded.

  “Ok. Why don’t we call a meeting and get that list,” Steve asked.

  Ten minutes later, Frank had everyone on the front porch.

  “Alright, guys. We have a proposal for all of you,” Frank explained the idea. “So what we need is a list of things you want us to get. The only thing I ask is that we try to not overload the team with too much.”

  “Don’t you think that it’s a bit dangerous to go out and get stuff to relax,” Sam asked.

  “If we are already out, why not? Even with the days off that we will be doing every month, everyone is still running ragged. If we could swing doing the days off more often, I will if the opportunity comes but there is not always the chance to do so. At least this way, we can try to relax in between our days off.”

  “If you think that’s best, I can add something to the list,” Sam said.

  “Good. I only have one rule for this; no alcohol, no drugs. I don’t think we have problems with those but it has to be said,” Frank said.

  “But, Frank! What am I going to do without cocaine,” Tommy yelled, jokingly.

  “Guess you’ll have to snort some pixie sticks.”

  The group laughed.

  “Alright, let’s get the list together and we’ll go. Day light is burning so let’s make it quick.”

  After a list was compiled, the senior members went over it to see what locations they could get the items from.

  “Do you want to split these up,” Tommy asked.

  “No. We will need to go to the hardware depot and the department store. Those places are too big for one team. We will hit them all together.”

  “Ok. Sounds good.”

  Later that day, they were finishing up at their last location, the hardware depot. Jesse and Frank were carrying out some lumber to put into the trailer. Tommy, Craig, Kim, and Jim were still in the store.

  “This should be the last one, Frank,” Jesse said.

  “So what are you making?”

  “I’m going to make proper crosses for Nick and Kurt. Got some projects
for the house as well. Thinking about doing some shelves to give us a bit more storage capacity. The hope is if we can store more then it will be less trips we have to make to town.”

  Frank gave a light slap on his back. “You’re a good man, Jesse.”

  “I try,”

  “Base to Alpha,” Steve screamed over the radio.

  Frank took out his radio. “Alpha here. What’s wrong?”

  “We have a horde here! They know we’re here! They’re trying to get in.”

  Frank’s heart nearly stopped. He could hear gunfire in the background. All he could think of was Anna and Isabelle.

  “We’re on our way! Get all non-shooters into the basement and barricade the door! You hold until we get there,” Frank put away his radio.

  “Frank…” Jesse said.

  “Run in and get everyone out here,” Frank ordered.

  Jesse ran back into the store, screaming for everyone to get outside. Everyone ran back outside.

  “The house has a horde trying to get in! Load up,” Frank yelled.

  Fifteen minutes of terrifying driving later, Frank slammed on his brakes, sliding through the yard. The entire house was surrounded by at least one hundred Biters. Frank noticed they had gotten through a window. He could hear gunfire in the house. Frank took out his radio.

  “Base! If you can hear me, I’ll be going through the living room window in one minute.”

  No response.

  ‘I’ll have to risk it,’ he thought.

  “Weapons free! Let’s get in there,” Frank ordered. He got out of the van and ran to where the Biters were pouring into the window. He began shooting Biter after Biter as fast as he could pull the trigger, desperate to get into the house. Finally he cleared out enough to get into the window safely. He looked back at Tommy.

  “I’m going in! Concentrate fire here! Keep them off my back!”

  “Go! Hurry,” Tommy hollered.

  Frank sprinted toward the window then leaped up as high as he could into the tall window, barely getting a foot on the base. He hopped down and immediately started firing on targets in the living room. The room was full of targets to choose from all heading toward the basement door. As he started to clear the room he could see Anna and Steve kneeling by the basement door, firing on Biters in the kitchen.

  ‘Smart move,’ Frank thought. He could fire in their direction and not worry about hitting them.

  Frank saw a Biter coming from his left. He flipped his rifle sideways and rammed the butt stock in the Biter’s head. The Biter fell backward. Frank followed up by shooting the Biter in the head.