After Life

by Jaron Lee Knuth

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,” Brenda said, looking embarrassed. “I was just… I have a sweet tooth and Rhonda rations out the chocolate like a socialist, and I found some candy bars and hid them up here. Which I guess I have to move now that you know.”

  “It’s okay,” Nathan stopped her.

  “What did you mean?” Alex asked. “You said ‘time.'”

  “Well, I mean, just look at them out there,” Brenda said, walking toward Nathan and Alex. “The early summer and humid days aren’t doing them any favors. A corpse left out to the elements, it can be almost completely decayed in a little over a month.”

  “But those things, they aren’t regular corpses,” Nathan said, his voice a paranoid whisper.

  “Oh sure they are,” Brenda nearly laughed. “Don’t tell me you believe this annoying hybrid of Christianity and Voodoo that the media was preaching? I mean, listen, I went to church every Sunday. The difference is I believe God uses science to perform his miracles.”

  “So you believe this is a virus?” Alex asked.

  “A virus? That’s the most likely.” Brenda talked with her hands, obviously used to illustrating her points to groups of people. “Or at least that’s what I figure. But I'm just a high school teacher. What do I know?”

  “If it's a virus... how did it infect so many people? Do you think we're all infected?”

  She shrugged her shoulders, as if her theory was nothing more than a fleeting thought.

  “What if this was a new strain of the pox virus? What if the second phase of the virus didn’t show up till now?”

  “The second phase?”

  “Well, most people get chicken pox when they’re kids, right? In a few people, the virus reactivates years later. That’s what causes shingles.”

  “So wait,” Nathan tried to clarify. “You’re saying we got sick... normal sick, and whatever we had stayed in our bodies and just now decided to start waking us up when we die?”

  “Well...” Brenda chuckled. “I wouldn’t put it quite like that. I mean, I would never claim to understand what’s happening, but…”

  “If you had to guess,” Alex said, trying to urge her on.

  “If I had to guess? I suppose it’s possible that the virus laid dormant in our nervous system and recently reactivated. When it senses death it moves to the brain and stimulates minor functions. Hunger, aggression… nothing more than slightly advanced convulsing.” Brenda scratched her head. “It makes sense, but this is all just a guess.”

  “They’re just bodies.” Alex smiled, comforted by the thought.

  “Of course,” Brenda laughed, “What did you think… they were zombies?”

  Day 42

  12:10 am

  When Alex pulled aside the green tarp from the makeshift bathroom fence, the beam from his flashlight shot out in a thick line. He and Morgan peered through the chain link into the parking lot.

  They spoke in whispers.

  “Did she seem positive?”

  “No. Not completely, but it makes sense. First they started slowing down. Then they started decaying. Now look at them.”

  “I’m not saying I don’t believe her.”

  Alex reached out and placed his hand on Morgan’s shoulder as he said, “We could leave. Tomorrow. These things wouldn’t even pose much of a threat. We’d just have to keep our eyes out for fresh ones.”

  “Fresh ones,” Morgan said with a shiver.

  “As long as we had a car, I don’t think we’d be in much danger,” Alex said, trying to assure her. “We’ll just have to find gas as we go.”

  Morgan kept staring out the fence, saying, “Are you sure we should leave this place? I mean, we’re safe and…”

  “Yes. I’m sure,” Alex said bluntly. “This place is like one big fake life. Everyone is just hanging on to what they used to be. The sooner we leave, the better. I don’t want to still be here when the batteries and the food run out and these people are forced to realize what the world has become.”

  Morgan nodded, walking away from the fence. Alex peeked out one last time, watching a corpse trip and fall over, then struggle to stand back up. He jogged away from the fence and caught up with Morgan.

  “I need you to be sure you want to do this,” Alex said, his voice almost sounding whiny.

  “Alex. If we do this, you need to know something.”

  Alex looked at Morgan in the darkness, her face barely lit by the flashlight pointed at the ground. She looked blank and her ghost-like personality scared him. Her lips parted and the words curled from them like smoke. They escaped into the air and were tossed by a breeze.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Alex stopped. Morgan took a few more steps before turning and reluctantly looked into his flashlight. His mouth kept opening, like he was about to speak, but he never made a noise.

  “I just found out. I mean I think I kind of knew for a while, but I finally took a pregnancy test.”

  Alex continued to try to speak, but did little more than grunt before sucking in his breath and then trying to say something else.

  “I’m going to keep it, if that’s what you’re wondering. It's... it's...”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Morgan smiled a bit when she saw the innocent look on Alex’s face. “Do you still think we should leave?”

  “What? Of course! More so!”

  “I was afraid you’d think it was too dangerous.”

  Alex smiled. “What isn’t dangerous now days. Besides, we need to. I mean maybe we can find a doctor… or something.”

  “Even without one, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Morgan nodded a single time to solidify how she felt. “People have been having babies for a long time. Long before there were hospitals, and drugs, and whatever else.”

  Alex stepped forward and hugged her, saying, “Congratulations.”

  They stood there, in the middle of Wal-Mart, holding each other. Alex squeezed harder, letting her know he was there. She let her chin fall against his shoulder.

  “I’ll take care of you both,” Alex said.

  “And we’ll both take care of you,” she mumbled, her lips pressing into his shirt.

  Day 42

  8:49 am

  Morgan woke up in Alex’s room, curled up in a sheet on his bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, finding Alex lying in a fetal position on the floor. She remembered talking with him, late into the night. An honest talk. A vulnerable talk. Whispers that were more intimate than kisses.

  Morgan nudged Alex gently, leaning down close to him so that the first thing he would see was her smiling face. His eyes fluttered open, a confused look crushing his eyebrows together. As his vision cleared and her smile came into view, his face relaxed.

  “Is it morning already?”

  “It is,” Morgan said. “I just want to get this over.”

  He sat upright, sucking in a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay. You’re right. The sooner we get going, the more daylight we’ll have.”

  Morgan and Alex straightened themselves out and left the bedroom, walking toward the sounds of breakfast.

  “Okay. So, we’ll tell them, then collect supplies, and whatever they can spare for food.”

  “Are we going to see if anyone wants to come with?” Morgan asked.

  “I’m still not sure. I mean, Nathan seems like a good person, and I feel responsible for Emma for some reason.”

  “Herman seems okay, too. Probably Ashley.”

  “See, I just don’t know how we would only offer the opportunity to some of the survivors and not all of them.”

  Morgan shrugged. “I doubt Owen would want to come with. He’s pretty damn happy here.”

  The topic trailed off as they neared the electronics department, an air of secrecy following them. When they stepped between the shelves bordering the department the entire group that sat at the table hushed themselves and turned to look at Morgan and Alex.

  “Alex! Morgan! Good morning!” Owen called out, his
thin smile breaking open as he stood from the table.

  Alex watched Nathan stand up after Owen, flashing a strange look in Alex’s direction before walking to the outskirts of the department.

  “I’ve been eager to talk to the both of you,” Owen said as he was suddenly at their side, gripping onto Alex’s arm and leading them to the table.

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “We wanted to talk to you, too.”

  “Oh good, oh good. Why don’t we all have a seat at the table and talk then.” Owen held out his hand, presenting an open seat in front of him.

  Alex was disturbed by the looks on everyone’s faces, but mindlessly sat down, noticing only once he was seated, that Nathan had made his way behind him. The large man stood in the background with his arms crossed.

  “What’s going on?” Morgan directed the question at Owen, but looked around the table, hoping for anyone to offer an answer.

  “We’ve been talking, all of us, about the Army base. Fort Ripley. We decided, as a group, that it’s a good idea.”

  “Um, okay.” Alex was frightened. He had no idea what was happening. He noticed that Emma and Ashley were gone. Mr. Peterson looked quieter than usual. He almost looked defeated. “Did you talk about-”

  “We discussed it at length,” Owen assured him. He placed his hand on Morgan’s shoulder and Alex could hear Nathan behind him moving closer to them. “In fact, we talked about it a long time ago”

  Alex was even more confused.

  “We tried to talk you into it. We wanted you to go along with us willingly.”

  Alex looked up at Nathan who stared him down with a look like cold stone.

  He turned his gaze back to Owen before saying, “Owen! Wait. I don’t know what is going on, but it doesn’t matter what I think. Do whatever you want. Morgan and I are leaving.”

  “You’re half right,” Owen said and then nodded at Nathan.

  The large, dark-skinned man with the massive tattoo covered arms leapt forward, his hands clasping down on Alex’s shoulders, his weight pinning Alex’s shocked body to the chair. Alex screamed out as Owen helped Harold get a good grip on Morgan with his chubby fingers.

  Alex’s survival instinct kicked in. His body convulsed in the chair, doing anything he could to break free from Nathans giant grip.

  “What are you doing?” Alex growled at Nathan, shocked at the man’s complete change in demeanor.

  “Now just settle down,” Owen said more to Alex, but he held out his hand to the cringing members of the group. It wasn’t until then that Alex realized the children were gone. Brenda was gone too. Rhonda was almost grinning behind Owen.

  They had planned this.

  “Let’s just talk this out, okay?” Owen offered, clasping his hand together in front of him.

  “Let her go Owen,” Alex growled again. “Let her go or I won't hesitate to kill you.”

  Owen let out a dramatic sigh. “I told you folks. I told you he would act like this. Fine. We gave it a shot. Gary? Hand me the rope.”

  Day 43

  1:08 am

  The break-room had no light in it, causing the darkness to surround Alex. He struggled against the coarse rope wrapped around his wrists, his arms bloody from the friction. Both his arms and ankles were tied to a metal table that was heavy enough to make it impossible for him to move. His arms hadn’t stopped flexing since they tied him down, and the rope had dug deep into his skin. A pool of blood formed on the floor below him, but his teeth ground the pain away as he focused his attention on the door across the room, summoning every ounce of his strength to break free from his bonds.

  He screamed with anger when he pictured the men tying up Morgan. He had jumped across the table at them, unafraid at that moment of any consequence, but was struck down by Nathan’s massive fist slamming him between the eyes. He could feel the lump that had swelled across the bridge of his nose.

  He woke up here, feeling the ropes binding him as he regained consciousness, his body still fueled with adrenalin. He could hear Owen talking once and awhile outside the door, but it was never close enough to hear. It was a murmur in the darkness. Other than that one noise, it was just him, staring at a point in the black.

  He screamed out again, ready to explode with anger.

  No one would hurt her. He promised her she would survive. She carried a child. She was his purpose in life. She was his everything.

  Everything.

  As hours of struggling stretched on, the adrenalin in his body wore off and he felt weak, folding in on himself while cold sweat ran down his back. He slumped to one side, the ropes on his wrists the only thing holding his body upright. His blood and sweat pooled together below him. His body told him to cry, but he turned his sadness into anger, forming a straight line to Owen in his mind.

  He was startled back into consciousness, having no way of knowing how much time had passed in the pitch black. What woke him was the door to the break-room slamming open. Owen walked in with Harold right behind him, carrying a large flashlight. Owen had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hair looked messy. Even though the old man had no smile on his face and looked quite serious, Alex could tell he was happy.

  Owen walked straight at Alex and punched him in the face. Alex was shocked and unready for the hit. His eyes swelled up in pain. His nose felt crooked.

  “I figured we might as well get that out of the way,” Owen said. “And besides, I’ve been looking forward to it.”

  Alex spit on the floor and tasted the iron flavor of blood.

  “Now, I want to offer you the deal one more time before we do anything,” Owen said, rubbing the hand that he used to punch Alex. “I hope you take this. I really do. Everything will go so much more simply.”

  Owen grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Alex, only feet away from him. Alex strained against the ropes, praying he could burst free and strangle the man in front of him.

  “We want you to go to Fort Ripley,” Owen said. “With Mr. Peterson. Just go there and see what you can see. If someone is there, you just tell them where we are. If no one is there, you grab what you can and bring it back. No one gets hurt.”

  “Where’s Morgan?” Alex spit the words through blood that was dripping from his nose. “Just let me leave with her. You’ll never see us again.”

  Owen punched him again, this time his fist landed squarely on Alex’s left eye. His head rocked back and then rolled forward. He was shocked at the power in the old man’s fist.

  “Now Alex, you aren’t listening.” Owen sounded like he was feigning annoyance. “Let me try to explain this.”

  Owen cleared his throat. He lashed out with his other hand, catching Alex across the jaw, before saying, “We knew about the army before you got here. For a while before they set off those bombs, we heard them on the radio.”

  Owen leaned back and looked at Harold who stood perfectly still next to the door, holding the flashlight. The old man said to Harold as much as to Alex, “We all sort of agreed that we had to go there and let them know about us, but none of wanted to risk our own lives.”

  “You piece of shit.” Alex moaned in pain. “What makes you think I would risk my life for you?”

  “Well honestly, for awhile I was afraid nothing would convince you. I was fairly certain Mr. Peterson would take the trip for Emma. Even a hard ass like him doesn’t want to see his own daughter die.” Owen’s eyebrows rose high above his eyes. “But then Nathan got you to open up about Morgan.”

  “You bastard. You were going to hold Morgan and Emma for ransom?” Alex’s words fumbled from swollen lips. “No. No, I’ll kill you! I’m telling you, I will kill you if you touch her.”

  Owen shook his head, before punching Alex again and saying, “I don’t even think you know what you’re fighting against anymore. You were happy when you got here. I fed you and put clean clothes on you, and all I’m asking you to do is to prove to me that you deserve a share of our food. Of our electricity.”

  “You’re insane, Owen.�
��

  Owen lashed out with his fist again, but Alex’s face tingled with numbness.

  Owen hooked his fist around again and brought it smashing into Alex’s cheek, screaming, “You little punk. How dare you judge me. How dare you! You have no clue what I’m doing. You have no idea what kind of madness is in this world.”

  “I do now, Owen,” Alex said before spitting more blood on the floor, his eyes swelling so much he could barely see.

  Owen hit him again. And again.

  “You have no idea what you’re throwing away.” Owen started to walk around behind Alex as he said, “Humans cannot handle this much loss and not be affected by it. We have enough supplies to maintain at least a fragment of what we used to be. I was trying to give you something that at least resembled what you knew. I want to make the transition as easy as possible. I don’t want to forget who we were while it happens.”

  “The transition? To what? The end of the world? That is happening right now! That happened a month and a half ago! You can’t just ignore it until you’re ready to deal with it! Do you really think that’s what people need now? Do you really think getting our cable TV back is the most important thing?”

  “I don’t need to argue with you,” Owen said as he circled back around Alex, stopping in front of him. “If you refuse to do this, then I’ll let Harold here kill you.”

  “You can’t even do it yourself. You’re pathetic.”

  “No,” Owen said calmly. “I’m not going to be killing anyone. No one will trust me with blood on my hands, and if I’m going to lead this group, I need them to trust me. But I can’t let you live. I’ll never be able to trust you. After you see what I'm going to do to Morgan, you'd never let it go…”

  “I'll kill you!” Alex screamed wildly, “I'll kill you!”

  Owen nodded at Harold and then walked out the door. He called out from the hallway, “When you’re done, make sure to destroy the brain.”