The Dead Days Journal: Volume 1

by Sandra R. Campbell

  Before my father had followed the others out, he’d made his point very clear. Regardless of the outcome tonight, I was no longer welcome. My father would keep his family safely locked away for the duration of the night while I was to handle the mess out here, or I could leave the bunker for good. He’d also insisted that Duncan stay to keep an eye on us. I was not sure if Duncan was to serve as a babysitter or an enforcer, but at this point, what did it matter?

  “I can’t make you leave, but you are not safe here. Where and how you meet your end matters little to me. As far as I am concerned, you’re dead.” Those were my father’s last words. I’d never seen that kind of darkness in someone’s eyes—not a speck of humanity—and I certainly never thought I’d see that sort of evil in my father.

  “Come on, dear. Let’s go sit down and start figuring out how we’re going to save our butts.” Tilly rubbed her hands vigorously up and down my arms, but her touch couldn’t chase the cold away.

  I directed Tilly to a wooden table nestled in the far corner of the mess hall. Since there was no resistance on the rope around my waist, I knew Halloween followed along. Ben took a seat directly across from me, and Duncan stood behind him, his eyes locked on a point above my head. That’s when I realized Halloween was standing behind my chair. They kept a sharp eye on each other.

  “What’s the situation with these things, Orrin?” Tilly, who’d been so meek after she lost most of her sight, seemed to be the one taking control. “Are they coming back? What can we do to stop them?”

  Tilly placed her hand firmly over mine. When I looked up from the table, she had a brave smile in place. The sudden urge to puke hit me hard because, when Tilly lost her sight, she had also lost her nerve.

  How can she help? She can’t fight. If anything, she’s going to hinder Halloween’s efforts—whatever those efforts may be. She needed to be safe inside the panic room with the rest of my family. I appreciated her stepping forward, and for a brief second I saw her as the strong, bold running coach who'd taught me how to stand my ground. But now I was the one responsible for whatever happened to her.

  I’m responsible for everyone and everything that happens from here on out.

  “Since the horde no longer has the element of surprise, they’ll be more cautious. The blood they took can sustain them for a few days. It’s possible that they’ll wait a day or more to attack. However, one of them could already be among you.” Halloween’s answer pulled me out of my thoughts.

  “What!?” Tilly screeched.

  “Leo, do you remember the red bottle in the woods?” Halloween’s grisly voice had softened.

  I closed my eyes and nodded.

  “Our kind cannot die. The body can be destroyed, but the spirit will live on. We have the ability to turn a human body against itself and basically change a mortal into something like me. The process takes time, but if two died tonight, then the seeds have already been planted.”

  Oh, but of course the bottle had meant something. A burial at sea, he’d said. Halloween had secured the vampire’s soul, trapped it so it couldn’t take hold of the living, which at the time would have been Ben, Jack, or myself. The odds were that someone locked inside the panic room was growing fangs and preparing to feast.

  Duncan grabbed the chair next to Ben, flipped it around backward, and then lowered himself into the seat. “So, what are you saying, that we can be possessed by dead vampires?”

  “Yes, that’s basically what I’m saying. If the spirit isn’t contained, it will search for the closest living host.”

  I glanced between Duncan and Tilly. Either one of them could become a vampire.

  Duncan processed the thought, shuddered, and pressed on. “How connected are you to them? Can you infiltrate their group and figure out their plan of attack?”

  I already knew Halloween stood behind me, but now I felt him, the coolness of his body pressing ever closer. Goosebumps ran wild across my neck, around my shoulders, and down the length of my arms. In an attempt to escape the feeling, I placed my elbows on the table and slid forward.

  Halloween closed the gap. His shadow hands dropped on the table, anchored on either side of my elbows, crowding me. “I can and I will. But before I go, we have to seal the bunker, make it impenetrable.”

  A grim smile formed on Ben’s lips. “How do we do that?”

  “With your dead.”

  Stringing up the mutilated bodies of my dead family was no easy task on so many horrible levels. But we did it. Since Harris’s body was in the cave and the nearest to an entry point, we started with him.

  Following Halloween’s detailed instructions, we blocked out who Harris was and what he meant to us and busied ourselves with the chore of disassembling his mangled body. With the use of an axe and a hatchet, we removed the head, hands, and feet; and then we hung the body parts so it looked as if the doorway had sprouted grisly appendages. When we finished—I should say when Halloween was satisfied with the placement of the body parts—he took whatever internal fluids the vampires hadn’t devoured and sketched an odd assortment of symbols on the steel door. I recognized the middle symbol from a silver ring my father once gave me, a trinity knot, a Celtic symbol that often represents natural forces: earth, air, and water. But the rest of the figures were merely odd hieroglyphics.

  I tried to picture Halloween as an artist painting, but it was impossible with the stench and the off-color juices that stained the door. Using the rocky cave wall, I removed as much of the filth covering my hands as I could. “What does it mean?”

  Halloween squeezed the end of the small intestine. Barely a drop oozed out, but it was enough to finish the mark on the door. “It means the door is barred. The others can enter only when the last piece of flesh falls from the surrounding bones.”

  Tilly coughed and spit from the cave opening, her stomach obviously still unable to handle the stink. “So, it’s not the smell that keeps them away?”

  “Not entirely. Most of the horde consists of the demonic and possessed.” Halloween glanced at me, raised a knowing brow, and then turned away quickly. One subtle look told me everything. The extreme tactics he took were useless against any possessed human already inside. I’d tried really hard not to think about that, since my family was sealed shut in a thirty by thirty room. If one of them was possessed, they had a smorgasbord awaiting them when they turned.

  No one else seemed to be worried. I think everyone in the cave wanted to forget every word Halloween had just spoken.

  “What about you?” Ben grunted. No doubt he wished to be rid of all the vampires.

  “I will come and go as I please,” Halloween quipped with a hint of a smile.

  Slinging the slop from his hands, Ben approached the door. “Of course you will. Why does this work on them and not you?”

  Halloween spun around to meet Ben. “Superstition and the old ways are for the unevolved and feebleminded. I’ve also never possessed a human body. The more a ‘vampire’ swaps and changes, the more lustful and uncontrollable it will become.”

  “Uh, it’s almost dark. We only have one body left outside and two more entryways,” Duncan quickly pointed out before Ben and Halloween could debate the subject any further.

  My mother.

  Halloween met Duncan as he too approached the door. Leaning close to Halloween’s ear, Duncan spoke in faint whispers.

  I’ve never known Duncan to be secretive, but he had been with my father and was being secretive now with Halloween. What I do know is that secrets get people killed!

  “Can’t share with the rest of us?”

  Duncan’s eyes darted my way, but his murmurings to Halloween never stilled. A flash of anger burned my face. I stomped the three steps it took to reach them and shouted, “Duncan!”

  That shut him up.

  Stepping back, Duncan watched me like a second head had emerged from my shoulder. Halloween’s smile stretched wide, pointy ear to pointy ear. “Leo, there are no secrets, just a delicate matter that Duncan
and I will see to.”

  “Delicate matter, my ass! There is nothing delicate about the Dead Days.” Immediately I cursed myself for using my father’s term for the end of the world. I turned on my heels, leaving them to the matter that they thought to be delicate. I needed a cold dip in the river and a bar of soap to wash away the muck my father had left behind. But I didn’t get far.

  Goddamn rope.

  Literally at the end of my rope, I had nowhere to go, no escape. I stood with my back to them, arms crossed, in hopes of holding myself together, but my eyes were swimming with tears that I couldn’t hold back for much longer. Apparently sensing more than seeing my state of being, Tilly moved from the cave entrance to console me. The tension on the rope fell away. Not bothering to stick around to see if the rope had been cut or untied, I bolted for the river.

  Ben yelled my name, but his voice only made me run faster.

  I reached the water’s edge and paused. I was standing in the exact spot where I'd helped Harris clean up after the attack on Margaret. I remembered searching his skin for bites from vampires that I didn’t believe existed. Less than ten feet from me were the bushes where I'd buried the tampon that led one, if not all, of those vampires to our doorstep. And just a few days ago, I had run into the same murky river wearing my mother’s most cherished garment, her engagement dress. I’d ruined her dress without any thought for her or her feelings. And then I told Lincoln his nightmares weren’t real.

  I screamed until I exhausted the air in my lungs, and then plunged into the water. The river was an escape for all the stupid mistakes I’d made. It was also my punishment. Submerged in the icy water, my skin burned, my insides shook, and my lungs convulsed with the demand for oxygen. Pushing down deeper into the water, I struggled and fought against a current that continually tried to force me up.

  But I couldn’t do it, not this way.

  I can save my family. I can make amends to my father and get Lincoln to forgive me. Only then can I say good-bye.

  Kicking to the surface, I relieved the ache in my chest with heaving gulps of air. And then I made my way back to the rocky shore.

  The sky was darkening, and I was all alone outside. Or at least I thought I was. As soon as I stepped out of the water, Halloween slunk out from behind a thick oak tree.

  “Feel better?”

  The implication that Halloween had even an ounce of concern for what I going through really pissed me off. I strolled past him without a word.

  “It’s not safe for you to be outside alone, especially at nightfall.”

  I wanted to strike him in the worst way. He was so powerful, undefeatable, and oh-so-smug. “You’re here.”

  Then Halloween popped up right in front of me. The shock of his sudden appearance caused me to stumble. Catching my forearm, he helped me to regain my footing. “But you didn’t know I was here.”

  A clap of thunder rumbled overhead. Halloween looked up into the night sky. My eyes followed his, and together we watched as black clouds converged on the rising moon. “I’ll never be rid of you, will I?”

  “No.”

  Halloween followed me back to the bunker, but instead of raiding the storage room, I went up to my alcove to get my clothes from my footlocker. He’d have no say in what I wore this time. I needed jeans, leather, and ass-kicking boots. He watched in silence as I collected my stuff into a pile in the middle of my cot.

  When I reached for the hem of the wet sweater, I caught a glimpse of him staring, and I paused. I wanted to scream, to force him out. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, something… But I didn’t. “Can I have some privacy?”

  “No reason to be shy. I’ve seen your body before.”

  Take a deep breath.

  “I need a little space. Please.”

  Halloween eyed my clenched fists that I held at my sides and walked away. I waited until I saw him disappear around the curve of the tunnel, and only then did I change my clothes.

  I was sitting on my cot tying my boot laces when Halloween reappeared with what seemed to be a good old fashioned peace offering. I downed the tasteless MRE and the bottle of water he gave me and felt almost human again.

  “Thank you,” I said softly while attempting to brush my wet hair into a ponytail.

  Halloween extended all ten claws and ran them through his long, silky black strands. The action reminded me a lot of Jack. “You’re welcome.”

  Those two kindly spoken words—or maybe it was something else—hit me like a splash of cold water in the face. I wasn’t angry anymore.

  After securing my hair, I offered him a rubber band, which he took with a silent nod and proceeded to pull his hair back neatly.

  I was about to apologize for my earlier behavior when a loud clamoring and then heavy, fast-paced footsteps echoed through the tunnel. I jumped to my feet just as Ben and Duncan came skidding around the corner.

  “We’ve got movement outside. They’re here.”

  Halloween slapped a hand on each of their shoulders. “Do not let Leo out of your sight, and if her father emerges from the panic room before I return, shoot him.”

  Duncan’s jaw dropped. “Shoot Vincent? Are you insane?”

  “He threatened Leo.”

  “Yeah, but he didn’t mean it. The man’s been through a lot. He’ll come around.” Duncan couldn’t see how far my father had fallen, and Halloween knew it.

  Side-stepping Duncan, Halloween placed both hands on Ben’s strong shoulders. “My demon blood allows me insight into the past and the future… Believe me when I say that Vincent wants his daughter dead. He has every intention of killing anyone who stands in the way. Not to mention, one of them is likely to be infected. It will take several days to know who, but…you killed Jack without hesitation, even before you knew what he’d done. I’ll need you to do that again.”

  Ben gave him a curt nod. “No problem.”

  The five of us were standing next to my alcove when Halloween simply vanished from the tunnel.

  Duncan stumbled back, flopped down on my cot, and blew out a long breath. “What do you suppose he meant by demon blood?”

  Dead Day # 1,452

  My daughter brings a monster into our home who claims he will protect us from a murdering horde of vampires—his own kind. She asks us to trust in her, in him, and then has nothing to back it up, no plan, no provisions, just her word that he can and will save us all. She has even agreed to give that thing her blood and has the nerve to suggest that we offer the rest of them our vein. She is a stupid, stupid girl. I can’t have her as my daughter, not anymore.

  That bitch is responsible for my wife’s death—her own mother—and for breaking Lincoln’s fragile young heart. There is nothing left to love or admire in her. I will sleep well today knowing that, if I don’t kill her, the vampires will.

  Before darkness fell I took those clever enough to stand by me back to the panic room. We have stocked the shelves with enough supplies to last us three days. We can rest and relax throughout the night without fear. I left Duncan outside to keep watch. He will make sure they don’t sabotage the bunker or steal any of our rations or weapons. Anyone who chooses to help Leo and this Halloween will find no sanctuary. We will never shelter them in here.

  My shrinking family can adapt to this new way of life. It’s not so different from the way we lived before. In the day, we can still tend to our crops. We only need to disappear before the moon rises. It will be a little more hectic and time will always have to be in the forefront of our minds. Everyone is scared, grieving, and praying that no one else gets hurt.

  Now more than ever I need to educate Lincoln and Zoe. The next generation needs to be born. When I put the kids to bed tonight, I made sure they shared a sleeping bag. They need to get used to touching and being close to one another. Tomorrow I will take them aside for their first lesson.

  My only prayer tonight is that everyone outside this room dies a slow, excruciating death! To hell with the traitors. May the devil rise up and swallo
w them whole.

  Burn, Leo! You need to be punished. I want you to feel my wrath and have you burn for your failures. burn forever in Hell, you treacherous whore!

  Population: 18

  Rations: 167 Days

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Tilly and I were in the pantry, stockpiling several survival packs in case we needed to make a hasty exit, while Duncan and Ben guarded the doorway. There was no telling what my father would do when he realized we’d dipped into the rations—which were as much ours as they were his—or when he saw the doors outside the bunker. Halloween and Duncan made sure I hadn’t witnessed any part of their “delicate” mission, but I knew. My mother’s body was posted over the top of the courtyard entrance. As morbid and grotesque as it may sound, I knew my mother would approve. She’d like knowing that, even in death, she could protect her family.

  “How are you holding up, dear?” Tilly spoke softly, a decibel above a whisper. “Ben and I wanted to follow you when you ran off, but Halloween made us stay put.”

  Nothing else would fit in my pack. I zipped it shut and watched Tilly as she fiddled with the side pocket on her pack, trying her best to jam one more MRE inside.

  “I needed to run. And I’m glad Halloween kept you away—the end result wasn’t very pretty.”

  “You keep jumping in that damn river you’re going to catch pneumonia.” Tilly’s head lifted with a smile, but then a frown promptly dropped the corners of her mouth.

  She left the MRE on the counter and wrapped me in her warm arms. “I don’t need to see to know that you are the only pretty thing left in this ugly world, and don’t you dare forget that. You’re a good girl, Leo. You’ve always done the right thing, and I suspect you always will. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise, you hear me?”

  “I hear you.” I hugged her back as tight as I could. Having Tilly with me was the next best thing to having my mother. I wasn’t about to let her down.