by Greene, Dane
The first chore is lighting the fire for breakfast and coffee. I get to work gathering wood and starting the fire on our makeshift woodstove. It’s a shame that the food we’ll be eating wasn’t earned. My parents’ refusal to go outside has prevented us from helping our community recover. Every day, the moral burden of being a societal leach grows heavier.
We’re lucky to be in a community that’s willing to help all its members. It would have been better for me and my family to have been thrown out of the town. If we were, my parents would face reality—or at least I hope they would.
When the fire is almost ready, I hear someone walking through the house. Looking toward the origin of the noise, I see that my sister, Alexis, has woken up.
“Morning. Are Mom and Dad up yet?” she asks.
Having not seen either of my parents, I shake my head. “Not yet.”
My sister nods, and I know she isn’t surprised. Alexis comes closer to the fire and grabs a cup of still-cold instant coffee.
“I wish Mom and Dad would finally figure out that we aren’t getting power back,” she says. “We need to move on and do something useful. Being confined to this house is driving me crazy. It’s pointless to cower in the house and wait for things to get back to normal. Power is gone, and it isn’t coming back. I don’t know how much longer I can take care of Mom and Dad.”
As my sister rants at me, I watch her. I know she isn’t looking for input; she never does, or at least she doesn’t expect it from me. It isn’t that I don’t agree with her—I do. Short of abandoning my parents, I don’t see anything else we can do. Alexis and I could manage on our own, but I can’t leave my parents the way they are. Without us, their lives would fall apart, leaving them to fall even deeper into their depression.
Alexis’s string of complaints comes to a halt when someone opens the basement door. My parents live downstairs, so I figure it’s them getting up. When I turn to look, I see my mother. She enters the kitchen with her head down. She looks like a defeated dog, sad and hopeless. Anger flares in me for a second before I remind myself that she isn’t acting like this to hurt me. My mother is defeated. She may never find the courage to admit that to herself, but I wish she would. If she did, we could all move on with our lives.
I can feel Alexis’s anger from across the room, and it’s directed toward my mother. Unlike me, Alexis tends to wear her emotions on her sleeve. I’m not the same, since I figure all emotions do is get in the way of things—something I believed even before the world went to shit.
My mother starts cooking silently, and Alexis leaves the kitchen in a huff. She moves into the living room, and I follow her. Staying in the same room as my silent mother is too uncomfortable. As I walk into the living room, I see Alexis reading, and I decide that reading sounds nice. Choosing one of my favorite fiction books, I find myself lost in its pages. My immersion is shattered when my mom calls us to breakfast.
As I set the book down, my escape from reality broken, a pang of regret goes through me. My sister and I make our way to the kitchen. When I enter, I see the table set up and my father sitting at the head. Alexis and I sit down, and my mother joins us a second later. Throughout the meal, no one speaks.
After everyone finishes breakfast, my mother finally breaks the silence.
“Your father and I are going to be doing some renovating in the basement. Could you and Alexis please organize and document our food and supplies?”
Hearing Alexis sigh, I cut her off before she can complain. “Yes, we will get to it after dishes.” My sister shoots me a poisonous stare as she stands up and walks out the door. Alexis and I have been doing dishes outside lately. We told our parents it was less messy to do it by the outside faucet. The truth is, we were desperate for fresh air and some small sliver of freedom.
My mom has asked us to organize the food and supplies three separate times this week, so I understand my sister’s frustration with the pointless task. It’s nice to have something to do, but doing the same thing almost every day is absurd.
My parents stare at me as I gather dishes, and I’m glad when I finally walk outside and away from their gazes. Once outside, I find Alexis with dish water ready to go. We clean the dishes, and she vents her frustration and anger to me. Normally, I don’t mind her venting; I understand her need to express her frustration. Today, though, I wish she would be quiet so I could enjoy the sun and air.
After we finish cleaning all the dishes, we go inside to start organizing our supplies. Neither of us are in the mood to work fast, so we finish our job very slowly.
The first few times we organized supplies, it took us an hour. We’ve done it so often now, though, that we get distracted. That’s why I’m not all that surprised when I check a sundial and find that it’s around 7:00 p.m. Wanting to finish for the day, I complete the rest of our list. After I do, Alexis suggests we go to my room and play a game. Part of me wants to continue reading the book from earlier, but I figure I should spend time with Alexis. We both walk to my room, and I pull out a card game. We manage to set it up but stop playing when we hear a loud slam.
“What was that!?” Alexis hisses with a frenzied voice. Signaling her to be quiet, I motion that I’m going to check it out. During his last visit, Aaron told me about some house raids that happened not too long ago. Since my house is in the middle of town, I never thought it would be a target. Making my way to the front door, I prepare myself for the worst.
When I reach the door, I freeze at the horrific sight of what’s in front of me. The front door of my home lies broken, smashed inward and resting only on the bottom hinge. In the doorway are several people with pale skin and blood-red eyes. Most of the creatures are bleeding from tears or gashes on their arms, necks, and faces. Instincts kick in, and I run back to my room and slam the door shut.
“Alexis, help me block the door!” Alexis looks at me, and I can tell she’s both confused and scared. Dragging my desk toward the door, I’m joined by Alexis. As we slide the desk in place, something starts slamming against the door. I’m pretty sure the door will hold for a little while, and I think we’re safe until I hear the shattering of glass behind me.
How could I not think of the window? My head turns toward the noise as I ask myself this. When I’ve turned around, I see a horrific figure trying to climb through the window. His hands rest on shards of glass, and as he tries to pull himself through, his skin ruptures. Blood trickles from his hands and onto my floor. He doesn’t even take notice.
Everything slows down as I realize that these things aren’t human anymore. Doubt fills my mind, but something in my gut tells me I’m right. Whatever these things are, their only goal seems to be attacking us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a wooden chair. Having no better weapon and not wanting to be a victim, I grab the chair. I run forward and swing it at the pale creature coming through my window. The chair slams into the man, and the recoil from the impact splinters the chair apart. Still needing a weapon, I grab one of the pieces and try using it to attack the man.
My fear of hurting another living being vanishes. An instinct to protect myself and my sister overtakes it. Over and over I hit the man until he lies still in a bruised, bleeding, and broken mess.
Closing my eyes, I prepare myself to fight the men outside my room. As I turn around, I hear the door open. Stunned, I ask myself if Alexis has somehow found the gun hidden in my drawer and is planning to fight. Then I realize my own stupidity.
Why was I ready to fight these things with a chair leg when I had a gun in my drawer the whole time? No time to get it now. I have to face whatever’s coming into my room.
When I look through the door, instead of seeing a pale horror, I see Aaron. He’s standing in the doorway, holding a hatchet in one hand and a combat knife in the other. At his feet are three dead creatures. His clothes and face are covered in blood. A reassuring sight at this moment.
As I’m looking at Aaron, my sister runs over and hugs him. Taken aback, I rem
ain frozen, confused about what’s going on. Surrounded by the three dead creatures, my sister and Aaron stand in the doorway. How can they stand there like nothing happened?
This man is strong, and I need to be like him. No more hiding, no more pretending. If the world changes, the only way to survive is to change with it.
“Hey, Aaron. Thanks,” I manage to mutter.
Whatever is going on, Aaron wouldn’t be here without a plan. Before I can process much more, I remember that my parents are downstairs.
“Let’s go get my parents. They’re downstairs.”
Aaron looks at me and replies, “Alright. After we get them, I know of somewhere safe we can go. Also, stay quiet. The Palemen react to sound.”
Aaron’s description of the creatures as “Palemen” tells me that these things are everywhere. It also tells me that he doesn’t see them as human. A weight I didn’t realize I was carrying falls off my shoulders. I’m not a murderer; the thing I bludgeoned to death wasn’t a human. True, I suspected that it wasn’t human, but having someone reassure me makes me feel better.
A sigh escapes me, and I grab my gun before following Aaron and my sister. We walk through the house in a line, Aaron leading and me guarding the back. Just when I was starting to hope that all the Palemen left, we make it to the basement stairs, and my hopes are dashed.
The stairwell to the basement is full of the Palemen. Their bodies wriggle against each other as they try to break through my parents’ door. There’s no counting the number in the wriggling mass. Even by my best estimates, I would have to say there are twenty or more.
The sight of the squirming pale bodies mesmerizes me and fills me with dread. The bodies move in an almost symbiotic fashion, like they’re communicating with each other. They’ve joined as a single working organism, one helping the other. As I watch, I try to understand them. I don’t come out of the trance until I feel a tap on my shoulder.
When I turn, I see Aaron and my sister signaling for me to come outside. Naturally, I follow them. Once we’re outside and out of earshot of the Palemen horde, Aaron says, “You two get on the roof. And stay silent. I’m going to create a diversion to lead the Palemen away. The Palemen aren’t agile, so I can lose them if I run.”
Aaron’s plan is solid. I nod and grab Alexis’s hand and walk to the nearby air-conditioner. As I help Alexis get to the roof, Aaron goes back inside. Once Alexis is up, I pull my gun out and speak to her. “Watch Aaron. From up there, you should be able to see his path. I’m going to stay down here and take care of any Palemen that stay behind after his diversion.”
Alexis looks like she’s about to argue, but before she can, several loud cracks of gunfire silence her. My gaze moves to the front door, and I see Aaron running, followed by a horde of Palemen.
Not wanting to attract attention, I remain still and silent until the Palemen and Aaron are out of sight. Once I’m sure it’s safe to move, I make my way into my house, ready for the worst. Luckily, Aaron’s diversion worked well. Three Palemen are all that remain on the basement stairs.
From my vantage point, it’s easy to see that all three sustained wounds from Aaron’s attack. The cold steel of the pistol in my hands is comforting, even though I know I can’t use it, if what Aaron said about the Palemen’s reactions to sound is true. Shooting these three would only draw in more. If I’m going to kill them, it will have to be silent.
As I start to plan, I look at my three adversaries. Two of the three Palemen are on the ground. They lie at the bottom of the stairs, one with a leg wound and the other with a stomach wound. The one with the stomach wound lies on top of the one with the leg wound.
The third Paleman stands facing the basement door. He’s a few steps up, but when I watch him, I see that his right side is limp and unresponsive. Trying my hardest to be quiet, I sneak toward the standing Paleman. Fortunately, he’s several feet away from the other two. Once I’m behind him, I swing the butt of my pistol into his temple as hard as I can. The impact of the blow shakes my arm, and the Paleman falls to the floor. Not wanting to risk a surprise attack, I examine the now unconscious Paleman.
As I do, I hear moans from the other two. When I look at them, though, I see that they’re unable to move toward me, so I choose to ignore them for now.
Moving my hand over the unconscious Paleman’s mouth, I find it breathing. Whatever happened to make these things the way they are, they’re still alive. When I check for a pulse, I find one. So I sit down next to the creature and think for a minute. Strangulation would be the easiest way to terminate these creatures without making noise. Since I’ve never strangled anyone before, it takes me a little while to find the unconscious creature’s windpipe.
The act of strangling something should affect me, but it doesn’t. I feel nothing as the creature struggles and stops moving. I check the creature’s pulse to make sure it’s dead. After confirming it is, I move on to the other two and dispatch them in the same manner. A sense of calm envelopes me now that I know these creatures are mortal.
With the creatures dead, my focus shifts to my parents. I go to open their door and I find it unlocked. The fact that the Palemen couldn’t think to turn a doorknob tells me they’ve lost their problem-solving abilities. It also tells me my parents are idiots. Who wouldn’t lock a door when there’s a home invasion?
When the door swings open, the first thing I see is my parents cowering in the corner, waiting for their deaths. Any respect I had left for them vanishes. Fear I can understand, but cowardice to this extent is pathetic. Finally, I understand that they’ve given up. They gave up shortly after the power went out. Ever since then, they’ve waited for someone to save them or for death. There’s no way I can respect someone who’s cowered for that long.
Even though I still love my parents, I now know that I don’t want to be trapped under their fear anymore. If they’ll go, I’ll take them to safety, but that will be the end of my responsibility to them. Never again will I stay still and rely on others to help. I’ll leave this house tonight, with or without my parents.
“You’re safe. It’s time to get up and get out of here.” As I’m saying this, my parents look up at me, standing. Without waiting, I turn around and start walking up the stairs, avoiding the bodies of the dead creatures. Before I reach the top, someone puts a hand on my back.
“Brian, why do you have a gun? Give the gun to your father. Brian, did you kill these people?”
My mother’s questions shock me. Do they not see these creatures for what they are? My anger and disappointment in them silence me. My parents should be comforting me right now, not the other way around. My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a cough. I move my body and throw my arm and head toward the source of the noise. I ready my trigger finger but stop myself when I see the noise is Aaron, not a Paleman.
“Are we a bit trigger-happy there?” Aaron asks as I attempt to calm down and catch my breath. I lower the gun and close my eyes for a second, reminding myself that everyone’s safe and that this could’ve gone much worse. Aaron’s plan worked well, and we need to leave before something can go wrong.
Only now do I realize how I can convince my parents to leave the house. They see Aaron as an authority figure, and there’s a good chance that they’ll listen to him if he tells them to leave.
“Hey, Aaron, what’s going on?”
“Well, something horrible has happened and I was in the neighborhood, so I wanted to make sure you guys were okay. Now that I know you’re safe, I can head back home. My family and a few others set up a secure place. You guys should come with me. It’s much safer there. I’ll go tell Alexis that it’s okay to come inside. Your family can make a decision after she gets here. Keep in mind that the noise will lead more here, so one way or the other, you need to hurry.”
“Thank you, Aaron.”
Aaron turns around and walks out the door. Once I lose sight of him, I turn around and walk to the downstairs couch. I sit down, but my parents remain standing. A tense
silence fills the room until Alexis joins us. She doesn’t even make it to the couch before my mother starts.
“I don’t care what Aaron said. We’re going to stay here. It would be foolish to go out into a riot.”
All I can do is stare at my mother in shock. She looks angry, like she’s made up her mind. Behind my mom, my father nods, agreeing with her. I’m done with both of you, I want to say. Looking at Alexis, I know she feels the same. Before I can tell them my thoughts, though, my mom continues.
“Brian, I want you to give the gun to your father. He’ll get rid of it, and we’ll wait for the authorities to help us.”
There’s no question in my mind anymore: I’m leaving, and if they follow, so be it.
“Mom, the gun is mine, and I’m leaving. If you want to come with Alexis and me, you can.”
My mother’s face changes from one of anger to one of betrayal. But I don’t feel sad; her decision no longer has any bearing on me. If I don’t leave now, I know I’ll die. Deep down, it hurts me that my mother feels betrayed, but I know what I have to do. I just hope that my readiness to leave convinces Mom to come along.
Without another word, I stand and start walking to the stairs. Alexis looks at me in disbelief. Usually, she’s the one to face my parents, so I understand her shock. She snaps out of it, though. Alexis quickly turns around, walks up the stairs, and goes out the door. Following behind her, I leave the basement and my broken parents. Once out my front door, I see Aaron smiling at me. I’m about to speak when I hear some voices behind me.
“How do we know that we’ll be safe?”
The voice makes me turn around, and when I do, I see my mother. Their decision to come shocks me, but as I lock eyes with her, I can see that she’s angry. Not wanting to fight with her, I turn around.
“Sorry, but I can’t promise you safety,” Aaron says. “What’s going on right now is very dangerous. You have a chance of getting hurt or dying if you come with me. If you stay here, though, I promise that you’ll die. Where we’re going is large enough for several families. Once it’s secured, it’ll be the safest place in town. We don’t have time for this, though; we need to get there soon. Grab any supplies you can carry and come with me.”