by Brown, TW
Nods came from around the table. The die had been cast. Now we just had to hope that I had one more plan up my sleeve that would go off without a hitch. My luck surplus had to be just about empty by now.
“Everybody go about your normal routine,” Dr. Zahn announced. “Those of you with work details today, attend to them and do nothing to draw attention to yourself.”
The room emptied and Dr. Zahn had Thalia, Rabia, and Levent pulled aside. She crouched down in front of them and looked them all in the eye.
“You all understand what a secret is, correct?” she asked. Three heads bobbed furiously in unison. “It is very important that you go to school today and behave like normal. You can’t say a word to anybody about us leaving. Not even to another kid, even if that boy or girl is your best friend.”
“Can we hug them goodbye at the end of school?” Rabia asked.
“Do you normally hug your friends goodbye when school lets out?” the doc said in a voice that was much more grandmother and almost nothing of Dr. Zahn.
Little Rabia seemed to give the question serious consideration before finally shaking her head and dropping chin to chest with a sigh. I felt sorry for her, but now I was feeling a bit of concern. We were asking a lot from these children. Life had already dealt them a crappy hand with the zombie apocalypse stealing any chance of a normal childhood from them. And now they were faced with having to learn what seemed like standard adult procedure: the art of deception.
“Then, as much as I know it might not seem fair, I need you to act like nothing is happening.” Dr. Zahn stood and patted the child gently on the head. “Now you three go get ready for school.”
As soon as they were gone, Dr. Zahn headed for the living room where Melissa was feeding the baby. She stopped before the woman and in a whisper that I barely caught, she said, “Keep an eye on Rabia today if you can.” The woman nodded and then Dr. Zahn motioned me to follow her outside.
I hurried to catch up, and we went out back to the patio table and sat down. She folded her hands in front of her and gave me her steely stare for a few seconds.
“So…you say that you have some information I might be interested in?”
I nodded and wasted no time telling her the things that I had witnessed from the child zombies. When I revealed the information about Emily, I saw her face crack just a bit. I didn’t know if that reaction was for Steve, Emily, or just her version of shock. When it was all out, I sat silently and waited.
“I think this is as close to a confirmation as I will ever get on my theory that the child zombie operates differently due to the fact that the mind of a child is still in such a highly developmental state. Honestly, I doubt we could gather such poignant information in a lab.” Dr. Zahn leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, sitting back up, she fixed her gaze on me. “You are to never say anything about Emily to anybody. Do you understand?”
Honestly, I didn’t, but I nodded my head in the affirmative. Whatever the reasons, Dr. Zahn had hers, and I respected her brain a lot more than I did my own.
“Now,” the doc stood with an evil glint in her eye, “I am supposed to attend some sort of meeting about what my role will be on this town council. I guess it won’t hurt to get an inside look at these people and their idea of a governing body. Never know what might fall out of their mouths. Plus, I want to see if there is any knowledge about the group that departed early this morning.”
With that, the doctor turned and headed up the stairs, leaving me alone in the living room. I wondered where Katrina had disappeared to and after everybody else had gone on their way, leaving me to a relatively empty house, I went upstairs to see if I could find her.
It was like a scene from a cheesy horror movie. There I am creeping down the hallway, made darker because all of the doors were shut and so there was next to no sunlight. I called out Katrina’s name a few times, but there was no response.
Finally, I arrived at the door to where we slept. I couldn’t really call it “our” room since we shared it with at least a half dozen other people. Turning the knob, I wondered if maybe she had gone back to sleep. I’d been a little surprised when she hadn’t stuck around after my little announcement. That was when the thought hit me; maybe she didn’t want to leave this place.
I peeked into the room and saw a body-sized lump in our bed. Since I knew that the place was pretty much empty with the exception of the two of us, it had to be her. I padded over and reached down to touch her shoulder gently to see if she was asleep.
“BOO!” she shouted as she flipped over suddenly, sending me falling backwards on my butt with a heavy thud. I might have screamed, and it may or may not have been in a girlish register.
The sounds of laughter came from the covers that were now shaking rather violently. Regaining myself as much as I could, I stood up and stomped over to the bed, yanking the covers back to reveal her very naked body.
“You can be the big tough leader all you want, Billy Haynes,” Katrina purred as she reached out her arms to me, “but I will always have this moment.”
I didn’t really care. I was already peeling out of my clothes. She could have this moment and all of the rest. I was sort of hoping that the next few minutes would make her at least forget my rather girlish scream for a little while.
“I think you have something that belongs to me,” Katrina whispered in my ear as she nibbled gently on the lobe before starting down the tender part of the side of my neck.
“Everything I am belongs to you,” I replied through a shudder that made my stomach tingle and my toes curl just a little.
With a sudden move, she had flipped me onto my back and was now on top, staring down into my eyes with that smile that I knew I would do anything for.
Her hands moved to my shoulders and I felt something tickle the skin on my chest. With a smile, she held up the little heart necklace that she’d given me before I’d left on that mission. I brought my hands up and motioned for her to give it to me. She did, and I put it back around her neck and fastened the clasp.
“I think that almost counts as foreplay,” she giggled.
In a sudden move, I flipped her back down onto the bed so that I was now looking down on her. I was once again struck by how beautiful she was to me. Her eyes sparkled, and when she smiled like she was at this very moment, there was this little crinkle on the bridge of her nose and a curve to her lips that was perhaps the sexiest thing in the world.
I started kissing my way down her body and paused long enough to murmur against her belly, “If you thought that was foreplay, then you are gonna love this.”
***
The two of us lay curled into each other. My body still felt like every single nerve ending was exposed and just the feeling of her hand tracing lazy circles on my chest was giving me shivers. I’d actually found the magic cure for a rib injury. For the past however long we’d been engaged in each other’s body, I’d forgotten all about the ribs. Unfortunately, now that all of the fun stuff was over, the ache was coming back and seemed to be a bit worse from all the activity.
My mind went back to Jamie and Teresa as I tried to push the pain aside. I remembered seeing them together and wondering what the hell they could be thinking. A zombie apocalypse was no place for a love story. Yet, here I was. I knew my feelings for Katrina. I knew her feelings for me.
“Something really bad happened on that mission, didn’t it?” Katrina whispered. It was like a sudden splash of ice water being tossed in my face. “You don’t have to talk about it, but I just wanted you to know that I could tell something was bothering you really bad when you came home. And since you didn’t know anything about Jake’s journal or the stuff that Paul told you, I knew it had to do with whatever happened out there.”
I didn’t say a word. I was afraid that just trying to open my mouth would turn me into a blubbering ball of mush. I could not say how I saw the faces of those children every time I closed my eyes. I could not express what I felt h
aving taken the lives of so many men and women for no other reason than I’d been told to do so.
What did that make me? I wondered.
“We all sat here in the house waiting for something, and when we started hearing explosions come one after the other to the point where it felt like it might never stop…and then it did and that was even worse,” she said, her mouth so close to my skin that I felt the warmth of her breath pulse with each word.
Katrina propped herself up on one elbow and turned my head so that I was facing her. “I don’t ever want you to go out like that again unless I am with you. I had no idea what was happening and that was the worst feeling in the world.”
I did not want to argue with her, but in my head, a voice was saying that she had no idea what the worst feeling in the world felt like. If she knew what I knew…saw what I’d seen…
“I don’t plan on ever going out like that again,” I whispered, and pulled her close to me.
We lay there like that for a good, long while. Eventually, we got up, dressed, and made our way downstairs.
“Nice of you two to finally come down.” Dr. Zahn’s voice made us both jump, and I was reaching for a weapon I wasn’t carrying out of habit.
“Seriously, Doc,” I snapped as I stomped down the stairs and into the living room where the doc was sitting. My mouth shut the moment that I realized she was not alone.
“Good afternoon, Billy,” Carol Wills said as she sipped from the cup in her hands.
I glanced at Dr. Zahn who kept her face as emotionless as ever. I had no idea how she did it, but I was going to seriously have to ask her for lessons someday.
“Hi, Carol,” I finally answered in greeting, hoping that I was able to keep the emotion out of my voice. In my head, I was trying to figure out any reason that the woman might be here that did not have to do with our decision to leave tonight. I was coming up empty. “Can I help you?”
“Yes,” the woman sat her cup down on the table and leaned forward with her face as stone-cold and serious as I’d ever seen it, “you can take me and my daughter with you when you leave.”
“Your daugh—” My teeth clicked shut. If this was a trick or a test, I’d already failed. The first thing out of my mouth should have been a denial that I had plans of leaving.
A woman stepped in from the archway that led to the dining room. Her name did not jump immediately to mind, but those exotic eyes were something that I could never forget.
“Y-y-you,” I stammered, my gaze going from Carol to the woman standing with her arms folded across her chest and a hint of a smile curving her lips.
“Laura Wills,” the woman said as she stepped forward and extended a hand. I shook it as I recalled that first time we’d met when I woke in the makeshift cell in the basement of a house here in La Grande. “I said it would be nice if we met again under better circumstances.”
The sounds of somebody clearing their throat behind me made me flush and stumble backwards. I reached out and grabbed Katrina by the hand, tugging her forward like a shield or buffer between me and the hypnotically pretty Laura Wills.
“We want to come with you,” Carol repeated, and I spun to face her.
“How do you know that we are leaving?” I asked defensively. I seriously doubted that we had been bugged. Didn’t you need electricity for that? So how, unless somebody told her, did Carol know with such certainty that we were leaving?
“I invited her,” Dr. Zahn said, not waiting for the other woman to speak…or tattle.
I think I sprained my neck and my jaw at the same time. Oh…and my eyes, because it felt like they almost popped right out of my head.
“There was a bit of an argument at that silly little meeting,” Dr. Zahn said. “Apparently the news of Darla and the others’ departure has reached the all-hearing ears of Graham. He wanted to send out a team to track them down and either bring them back or kill them.”
“Tish left an hour ago with a dozen heavily armed individuals,” Carol picked up the narration. “I spoke out against it, asking when this had become our policy. Graham said that we were in a tenuous situation and could not risk anybody leaving at this time who might tell others about us or relay our weaknesses. He said that the fact that most of those who had left with Darla were friends or family of those who died in the raid, that they would have a possible idea of seeking revenge. Personally, I think he likes the idea of flexing what he perceives as his power and authority.”
“After the meeting,” now it was Dr. Zahn picking up the narrative, “several of the people on that committee sort of met informally. It sounds to me like there is going to be a freaking civil war in this place. I don’t know how fast it will come, or if it was all talk and bluster, but I think it is best that we not delay our departure.
“As I was heading home, Carol and her daughter caught up with me and asked if I might consider getting the hell out of here. I actually let them make the proposal to me. Once I was convinced that they were serious about what they were saying and that this was not some fishing expedition, I asked them to accompany me home.” Dr. Zahn arched an eyebrow that seemed to almost dare me to question her decision.
“I do believe that Graham might be a bit power hungry, and it has only been made worse ever since he made Tish his personal security officer,” Carol snarked.
“See,” I touched one finger to my nose and pointed the other at Carol like she’d just guessed the correct answer, “that is a huge part of the problem. If the person you have leading you has the need, or even thinks he or she has the need for personal security…then you got the wrong person leading.”
“So can we join you or not?” Laura Wills asked.
“I don’t have any reason to say no,” I said with a shrug. “But you are gonna have to be okay with leaving your stuff behind.” Carol nodded, but Laura looked like she was about to voice a protest. I raised a hand to cut her off as I explained. “If you go home and pack, then come trudging all the way back here with your prize possessions, you will raise every flag possible. This trip will be over before it starts.”
“He’s right,” Carol agreed, placing a comforting hand on her daughter’s arm.
“But my pictures…my…” her voice trailed off to sobs.
“I guess we have been part of the fortunate few,” Carol apologized as her daughter folded into her arms and wept. “This is home, and while we lost friends and loved ones, we have been in our own house throughout the entire ordeal.”
I gave a nod. I wondered what my house might look like now? Had it been looted, burned to the ground, used as a hideout for survivors on the run? Another thought popped in…had it been flattened by a massive herd of zombies like the one I’d seen the other day?
The day almost seemed to come to a complete halt as we waited for others in our group to return from whatever job or activity they were responsible for. I was surprised that all of Grady’s people had already been roped into one task or the other. I guess the days of letting a person get settled were not applicable any more. That made me wonder how we could so easily ditch some of the old ways, yet hold on to others with such fierce determination.
The big moment came when Melissa and the children returned from school. I can only speak for myself, but I felt very strongly that if we were going to be exposed, that would be our most likely chance.
“She was a little bit mopey,” Melissa reported, “but she kept her mouth shut.”
Once she and the kids went upstairs to pack what they would be carrying, I sat down to pour over a map. It was pretty worn out, but it was better than nothing. I had one stop to make on the way, and it was already gnawing at my gut.
“Is there a problem, William?” Dr. Zahn took a seat across from me.
“When we went out and rescued Gable’s mom, the camp had a hefty amount of supplies. I left Andy and Jerome there to keep it under guard. But they each had a person from here with them,” I explained. “I want the stuff from that camp…or at least as much as we can move
. But when we show up to take it, we will most likely have to do something about those two other men.” I slumped back in my chair and squeezed my eyes shut. At least the headache that was starting to build would take my mind off my ribs.
“Let’s deal with things as they come,” Dr. Zahn said with a softness that made my eyes open in surprise. “You have a lot of baggage you seem to think you need to carry all by yourself. Perhaps you should let a few of us shoulder one or two of these things.”
I smiled. It felt weak and forced, but it was actually very honest and sincere. In a strange way, it made me even more certain that I was doing the right thing. We didn’t belong here. Maybe La Grande would become a beacon city that helped reshape a new world…or maybe it would be overwhelmed by the cancer already growing within the false security of a few tall fences.
“Thanks, Doc,” I said.
***
“It’s time,” I said with a loud whisper.
I noticed a few people start at the sudden sound. We’d been gathered in the living room for the last hour or so, and everybody was getting antsy. I was actually quite proud of Thalia, Rabia, and Levent. Through it all, they had been like church mice. As for the baby, Melissa had taken care of that in a way that would have gotten her thrown in jail back in the old days.
We had a fairly decent stock of medical and first aid supplies. Some of the stuff I would have never thought of, but you never left behind any sort of medication, be it cream, liquid, or pill. Somewhere along the way, we’d come up with a few bottles of liquid Children’s Tylenol. A dropper of that for the baby had knocked the kid out cold.
I stepped out onto the porch and pulled up the zipper on my hoody. There was a decent chill to the air. The sky was once again crystal clear, but a sliver of moon was out to cast a pale glow. Not enough to be a worry, and just enough to have at least some visibility to lessen the chance of stumbling. Of course that was all gone as soon as we reached the woods. That was another thing that a person had to get used to. If you travelled at night, the open spaces were okay if you had a moonlit sky; but as soon as you were under the canopy of a forest, it was a whole different story. And since we had only minimal light sources in the form of a few dozen homemade glow-sticks, we would stick to the open areas as much as possible.