His dad had been a shithead. Pure and simple. Jason hadn't realized that for years. His Mom had told him horror stories of her marriage to his Dad, but he hadn't believed her. Even when numerous family members told him that the reason his Mom had custody of him was because his Dad had sent her to the hospital too many times for the Judge to ignore, he hadn't believed it. When his Dad had come for his supervised visits, he was always charming and kind and brought Jason the coolest new things for a kid his age. There was no way his Dad was an abuser.
It wasn't until his Mother died that he had finally been able to meet his half-brothers, Benji and Mikey. For a long time he had refused to meet them or his stepmother out of loyalty to his Mom. He was all his Mom had after all. But when she had died, he had been packed up and shipped off to his Dad's house a state away. Jenni had sent him a very sweet email asking him about his likes and dislikes and he had hated her for it. When he arrived at the house, he had been shocked to see how much Jenni looked like his Mom. More shocked when he had been shown his new bedroom and everything he had told Jenni (some of it bullshit) was in the room. She had decorated it in his favorite colors with his favorite band posters on the walls. He had hated her more for that. He had gone down to dinner to find his favorite dish on the table. He had fiercely hated her then.
And then that fateful day came. His perfect father had suddenly become irate at something Jason had done and his face had contorted with a rage that terrified Jason. He had lifted his hand to strike Jason, but Jenni had thrown herself in front of him and had taken the blow. Jason had watched in horror as his Dad beat her without mercy for interrupting his "discipline of my son.”
Mikey, who everyone said was growing up to be a football player, had launched himself across the room and onto his father. And then all hell had broken loose upon their household.
When Jenni had come into his room several hours later to put a glass of water on his bed stand, her lips puffy and cracked, her one eye swollen shut, limping slightly, Jason had flung his arms around her bruised body and wept uncontrollably. It was then that he had realized that all those years his Mother had been telling the truth. And he had wept tears of guilt over his doubt.
After that, he didn't hate Jenni at all. He, in fact, loved her very much. And he had loved his siblings. In some weird way, he had loved his dad still. But their home had been violent. He and Jenni had worn bruises. Sometimes, even Mikey. There were times all of them, even Benji, were in the brawl. That their home had ended in violence was not surprising. In fact, Jason was sure Mikey had turned back to launch himself at their zombified Dad screaming, "Don't touch my mom!"
He winced at the thought and walked into city hall. Several people, older people, were carefully cataloging all the food that had been moved into one room for storage. Taking inventory had been something Travis had told them to do during one of the long conversations with him over the CB.
Up the stairs, down a hall, he moved toward the dining room. Tobias stood near the windows overlooking the street. Curtains covered the windows to keep the zombies from seeing the humans. But they still knew that living flesh was just out of their reach.
"He looks up at me and I know he knows who I am," Tobias said softly.
"What?" Jason stopped.
"My son." Tobias drew back the curtain and pointed.
It was hard for Jason to determine the zombie he was pointing to. The hot Texas sun was slow cooking the zombies and their skin was crisped to a dark color and splitting. It was hard to tell the race of anyone.
"He looks up at me and I know, I know, he wants me to help him and the children," Tobias said softly. His voice was very unreal, disconnected.
"Look, dude, I think maybe we should go find your wife."
"I don't want to speak to her. She's given up on them. But I won't. I can't." Tobias looked at Jason. "How can I?"
Jack whined a little and Jason moved to close the window. "You shouldn't let them see us."
"How can I give up?" Tobias persisted.
"You can because they're dead," Jason answered. As he closed the curtain, he said, "My brothers, my dad, my friends, are all dead. They're just like that. Undead. And you have to let them go or else they will kill you and make you what they are."
"But this isn't reality. This isn't how the world works. They have to be sick. In need of medical care, but we slaughter them." Tears slipped from Tobias’ eyes.
Jason shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Look, dude, I think we should find someone to talk to you."
Tobias shook his head. "There is no talking. They need us and we deny them. We need to go out there and tend their wounds. I don't believe these lies about those poor people eating people. It's a lie."
Jason shook his head. "No, I swear, it is not."
Tobias just stared at him, turned and started down the hall.
Jack whined after him, then looked up at Jason. Jason took a breath, ran a hand over his hair before following after Tobias. There were construction workers coming into the building to get something to drink and maybe a snack. Jason had to push through a bit of a crowd to get down the stairs and out of the building.
When he got outside, he looked around for the older man. The site was a bit of mess considering all the work they were doing and he wandered around. Threading his way past living areas set up under tarps and past large piles of equipment, he finally saw Tobias standing on the platform that Juan had told everyone to stay off of. The plan was to put up a screen to shield the sentries from the zombie's view. Tobias stood on the platform waving at the crowd beyond the truck perimeter.
"Hey, dude, get down from there!" Jason started to jog toward the older man.
Tobias hesitated at the sound of his voice then began to push one of the longer ladders from the platform, over the wall, over the fence and toward the top of the trucks. The wall and fence held up its weight and it's length barely reached the trucks. The older man didn't even test its sturdiness, but began to crawl over it.
Jason reached the platform and fell to his knees to grip the end of the ladder to hold it in place. The crowd of zombies began to go nuts. Though he was far away from the zombies, the sight made Jason feel sick.
"Come back, dude! Come back!"
When the ladder see-sawed,Tobias stopped for a moment, and then continued on.
"Mom!" Jason shouted. "Mom!"
Jenni looked up from her far corner, saw him holding the ladder, and came running.
Tobias reached the fence and began to crawl over the spikes.
Nearby, a woman gave out a cry and Jason was sure it was Tobias' wife.
Jenni reached the steps just as Juan did. They jostled each other as the moved up the stairs and reached the platform at the same time. Jason noticed Jenni's gun was already in her hand.
"What the hell is he doing?" Juan took off his cowboy hat and ran a hand over his hair.
"He was talking about his family. About how they needed help. He said he didn't believe the stories about them eating people."
Jack started barking crazily at the zombies and Jenni gave him a stern look and ordered him back down the stairs. Jack gave her a plaintive look, but obeyed.
Tobias reached the top of the trucks and started to walk over them, maneuvering over the dirt trucks, the cargo trucks, the heavy sandbags, his arms held out to keep his balance.
"Tobias, come back!" A woman had joined them and her expression was desperate.
Tobias hesitated and looked back at them. "I will not abandon our family. I will not give in to superstition." He walked on until he reached the edge of the truck perimeter. Kneeling, he held out his hand toward the throng below. He started calling out names and Jason could see the crowd getting more and more riled.
"Come back," the woman kept screaming.
Jenni looked at Juan and showed him the gun. Juan nodded and Jason looked back toward Tobias sadly.
The older man had now slid down onto his stomach and reached down over the crowd to one particular z
ombie most likely, but it was too hard to tell. And then it happened. One of the taller zombies managed to snag his arm and began to pull him down into the crowd. Since his back was to them, Jason did not know if Tobias had finally realized the error of his ways or not. But there was no more time to Tobias to consider if his idea to go to his family was faulty. Jenni's gun let out a sharp bark and Tobias head split open. Limp, he was dragged down into the crowd.
Jenni turned away and looked at Jason. He couldn't help but watch as gouts of blood exploded over the heads of the zombies and a battle for flesh began among them.
"Don't look," she said softly.
"You killed him."
"I saved him," Jenni said firmly.
Jason looked at her finally, horrified at what she had done. "But you killed him." She was so sweet, so kind, so nice, he couldn't fathom it.
"I saved him. He won't have to know what it feels like to be torn apart. He won't have to know what it is to be living dead. I saved him."
Jason looked down the stairs toward Jack who was waiting for him. Pressing his lips together, he nodded. "I get it. But, Jenni, you're a Mom. You're sweet. You shouldn't kill."
Jenni put her arm around him and they descended the stairs, Juan at their backs, guiding Tobias’ sobbing widow.
"In this world, Jason, we all have to kill."
He sighed softly and put an arm around her.
They reached the bottom and Jenni turned to the widow. "I'm sorry."
"No, no, thank you," the woman said softly. "You did the right thing. He just couldn't accept what is happening."
Peggy came and led the widow away.
Jason looked at Jenni for a long moment, studying her, then said, "I'm glad you're my Mom."
She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. She then made a face and stuck out her tongue. "Ewwww...go take a shower!"
Jason gave her his best sullen look. "Fine. You're so bossy." He trudged away, glancing back at her a few times. She stared down at the gun, running her other hand over it gently, her expression distant.
"This is one fucked up world," Jason told Jack.
The dog woofed in agreement and they walked on.
Chapter 13
1. A Taste of Hell
Katie sat at the kitchen table taking a long sip of her very hot, slightly bitter coffee. It almost scalded her tongue, but it felt deliciously good going down. Nearby, Nerit was finishing up the breakfast dishes. Katie had offered to help her, but Nerit had gently rebuffed her. The last few days, it was fairly obvious that Nerit had enjoyed nursing Katie back to health, fussing and fretting after her, and making sure she rested.
Despite her abrupt return to the realm of consciousness, she had still remained weakened. Dizziness, nausea and the occasional fever had haunted her up to thirty-six hours ago. Now, at last, she felt stronger and the sickness was finally behind her.
The old hunting dog strolled in, slow and steady on his stiff legs, and up to his water bowl to get a drink. Katie let her fingers brush over his back as he passed her by and wondered how Jack was doing. She had been able to talk to Jenni for twenty minutes the night before and she couldn't remember if Jenni had mentioned the dog. Jenni had mostly talked about how they had corralled the zombies and how someone had been stupid enough to try to "save" his family from the mass of zombies. That, of course, had not ended well. Jenni also talked of how they had fixed up the fort, roping off areas as "living" areas, while others were strictly security or construction related.
Katie had seen Travis making all sorts of drawings and writing down odd equations. She knew that he and Juan spoke a lot late at night. Though he hadn't said as much, she had a feeling Travis had plans to make their new home even more secure.
Standing up, holding her cup tightly in her slim fingers, she strolled over to the counter and leaned her hip against it.
"Nerit?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Why won't you and Ralph come to the fort?"
Nerit hesitated in drying a plate and looked up at Katie. "This is our home."
"But once we leave, you'll be here alone."
Nerit nodded and put the plate up. Picking up a glass, she began to dry it. "Katie, Ralph has three sons. I have two sons. We have grandchildren. We do not know where they are. If they are safe, alive, on the run, or...They will come here if they can. At least Ralph's sons will. Mine are in Israel. I have very little hope of hearing from them."
Katie looked down and her vision blurred just a bit from the tears she felt starting to brim. "I see."
"This is all we have left now. If we leave, we leave behind all of it. We are very old and all we have is this shop. This little town. The hope that our children may still be alive with their children somewhere out there."
Katie pressed her lips together, then nodded. She couldn't blame Nerit. If she could have holed up somewhere with Lydia, safe and secure, and ride this out, she would have. "I understand."
Travis leaned in the doorway. "Katie, how are you feeling?"
"Good. Good."
"I could use your help," he said. "If Nerit doesn't mind you abandoning her."
Nerit laughed and shooed them away. "Go, go, do what you need."
Katie walked out into the hall and looked at Travis. He looked surprisingly sheepish.
"Okay, Ralph and I have packed up all the guns, ammo, and clothes from the shop that we think the Fort needs. We're heading over to the grocery store for anything else we may need." Travis blushed even more now. "Uh, there are…um…things." He was now looking everywhere but at her face. "Uh...women things."
Katie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, my God, Travis. Didn't you ever buy tampons for a girlfriend."
Travis winced. "I try to block that memory."
Katie brushed past him laughing and headed down the stairs. Bill and Ralph were in the store, both dressed up in hunting outfits, rifles slung over their arms casually. Katie looked out the window to see the old white truck was in a new position and Travis had evidently constructed a sturdy pallet on the truck bed to carry the haul back to the fort.
"I hear we're going shopping?"
"Yep, next door. Put on a jacket and grab a gun," Ralph said with a grin at her.
"I thought you cleared out the town?"
"Can't take a chance," Ralph answered.
"There are probably more out there wandering around," Bill added. He pulled a baseball cap on. "There are lots of farms and trailer parks out in those hills. We can't let down our guard."
"Makes sense," Katie sighed.
Travis handed her a hunting jacket and she shrugged it on. Picking up a gun, she looked over her shoulder at the men.
"So, basically, I'm risking my life because you pansies don't want to pick up the tampons," she said with a grin.
All three nodded.
"Yep."
"Pretty much."
"Uh huh."
Katie shook her head and looked out the front door at the grocery store across the way. It was very small, old fashioned. The road was clear except for the truck. She had heard, through her fever, that Ralph and Bill and dragged the bodies onto the back of a truck and drove a ways out of town, before dumping them into a ditch. This was not a time for proper burial.
Ralph and Bill were the first ones out the door, followed by Katie, then Travis. Travis walked stiffly, the gun in his hands obviously making him uncomfortable, but it was equally obvious that Ralph had been working with him.
Ralph swept his gaze over the few buildings that made up his town and motioned it was clear. One by one, they passed into the small grocery store through the rotating door. Inside, it was in shambles. Dark brown blood smears were everywhere. Bits of flesh were rotting on the floor.
Katie coughed and covered her mouth with her hand. Travis pulled a bandanna from a stand near a sunglass rack and tied it around her head, making sure it covered her mouth and nose loosely. He then did the same for himself. Bill and Ralph just seemed to deal with it. Katie could still smell the
stench, but not as strongly. Mostly she smelled the fresh, starchy smell of brand new cloth.
Grabbing a cart, she started to walk down one of the four narrow aisles. There were lots of cans and boxes on the floor, but there was still a lot of stuff crammed on the shelves. She looked for the medicinal/hygiene area and began to load up. All sorts of vitamins, cold and flu remedies, allergy medicine, and cough medicine all went into her cart. The men busied themselves sorting through the food items.
It was still cold in the store, the air conditioner whirring away. How long the power grid would stay up was anyone's guess. They were all surprised it had lasted this long. She started shoving shampoos, deodorant and all sorts of hygiene items into the cart. It filled up pretty quickly. She returned to the front of the door, trying not to look at a small gray hand tucked under the edge of the front counter, and took another cart.
It was about ten minutes later she heard a noise coming from the back office. She motioned to Travis and he crept up beside her. She motioned to the door and took a stance that showed she was ready to shoot. Ralph had said the store was clear, but they couldn't take a chance.
Travis leaned forward, turned the knob, and shoved the door open. It was the manager's office and two little black and white TV sets were on. The office looked empty. They both looked at each other and shrugged.
Then they head the whispering. "Not fast…enough…not fast…enough…not fast…enough..."
Both of them slid into the office, nearly filling the narrow space with their presence. Drawing close to the desk, Katie and Travis both looked over. They saw the tip of a woman's pink shoe.
"Hello?" Katie's voice cracked slightly.
"Not fast...enough...not fast…enough..."
A woman's pale face drew out of the shadow's long enough to gaze up at them then she retreated back under the desk.
"Not fast…enough…not fast…enough..."
Katie moved slightly to peer further under the desk and she could see the woman's eyes glinting with the light from the twin TVs. She looked over and saw that the security videotape was on. It showed what had happened on that horrible first day. It would play a scene, then rewind. Katie saw the little red light of the remote control glowing under the desk. The woman had it clutched in her hand.
As The World Dies: The First Days-A Zombie Trilogy Page 18