by C. M. Wright
While Will and the boys go over to the Hummer, I go back to our van and start unloading everything, careful not to wake the baby. Absorbed in unloading the van, I don't notice the figure standing behind me until I back into them. Yeah. Scared the shit out of me, too.
I scream and Peg backs up with her arms out and her hands up.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She yells back at me.
I really want to beat the bloody hell out of her. She's such an idiot! But I force myself to calm down and breathe. Suddenly we are surrounded by people. Jake with his rifle pointed at Peg's head. Oh, how I wish I could tell him she's one of the undead! Now, wait. Before you go getting all self-righteous on me, spend some time with her. You'll be feeling the same way I do. Bet me.
Peg stares down the barrel of Jake's gun and I think she's about to pass out from fear. I tell Jake it's ok, that she had just scared me. He slowly lowers the gun and, shaking his head in disgust at Peg, turns and walks away. All but Kim goes back to what they were doing. Kim looks at me, questioning me with her eyes. I smile and tell her it's ok. She glares once more at Peg, then turns and goes to my parents van, climbs to the top, and sits next to her son.
I look back at Peg. "Did you need something?" I ask her, my voice filled with irritation.
She looks away then looks back at me. Slowly, she opens her mouth but it still takes a few seconds for the words to come out.
"I was just wondering if, um, well, if I could ride with you guys?" She asks so quietly, I'm seriously hoping that I hadn’t heard her right. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Can I ride with you guys?" She repeats a little louder. Damn it! I heard her right.
I'm desperately trying to come up with a good solid reason why she absolutely could NOT ride with us.
"Don't you think you should ride with Kim and your kids?" I ask her and hope for once she's smart enough to choose her kids over herself. Because if she rides with me, I may just kill her, if Will doesn’t get to her first.
"I think Kim's mad at me." Wow. No shit? "And I'd rather not be around those stupid kids right now. They're giving me a headache."
Alright, look. I can't stand her, you knew that. And she has done so much to make me feel that way. But this, this is just too much. Those little kids watched their dad, HER fiance, get attacked by a zombie just a few hours ago. Long hours ago, but still, just a few hours ago. Their dad, HER fiance, has been strapped on top my parents van almost since it happened. But she's worried about HER headache? Un-freakin-believable!
I can't speak, I'm so damn angry! So I growl at her as my hands reach for her throat. She gives a squeak, turns, and runs off. Stupid little bitch!
I pace about a half-dozen times until Will shows up and asks me what she wanted. I tell him and he turns beet-red, his body tightening in anger. I grab his arm and tell him to let it go. She isn't worth it. And he does his own pacing to calm down.
I go back to unloading the van and eventually Will comes over to help. Jake appears from around the back of the van and leans against the side, crossing his arms against his chest.
"Who the hell is that crazy chick?" He asks us.
Will explains it to him. Jake shakes his head.
"She just asked if I'd let her ride with me. Got on her knees and begged, even. Said everyone wants to hurt her. Why didn't you let me shoot her?" He asks me.
"My mistake. Thought she was a human being. Won't happen again. Promise." I tell him with anger dripping from every word. He raises an eyebrow at me in question. But first, I ask him what he said to her.
"I told that crazy bitch, hell no! She told me she would "pay" me, if you know what I mean." Unfortunately, we do. Typical Peg. "So now she's out offering God only knows what to all the others."
I then tell him what she had said to me and I see anger transform his own face.
"Shit." He leans against the Hummer, crosses his arms, and looks at the floor. After a few moments, he lifts his head but he keeps his eyes on the wall behind me.
"I think it would be best if everyone bedded down here for the night. It's safe enough. There's an upstairs with several offices that everyone can sleep in and not be easily attacked should they somehow get in. I don't think they can climb. I'm almost positive of that. So go ahead and load up the Hummer with your stuff and then head up and get some rest. I'll let the others know." Jake heads off to do just that. I watch him go, my head cocked to the side, wondering at his reaction to what Peg had said. I mean, sure, it was an awful thing to say but his reaction was more than just disgust. It went deeper than that. I am determined to find out. (Oh, right. Like you're not curious, too!) I watch him until Will calls out, asking if I'm going to help him or not. I walk over to where Will's standing and get to work.
Will and I set blankets, pillows, and a change of clothes for each of us aside and then we load our stuff into the truck. It's even roomier inside than I thought it was. Lots of gadgets, just like Jake had said. Mom and Dad come over and help us finish up once they had theirs done. Finally, everything is loaded and we holler at the boys to come help carry stuff upstairs. They are with a couple of kids around their ages, two boys and a girl. One boy and the girl are probably Bo's age and the other boy is near Ash's age. Our boys come running over to us and we load their arms and send them upstairs.
I lift the carrier holding the baby, swing the diaper bag over my shoulder, and start up the stairs. Will goes ahead of me carrying Kaleb. Suddenly, the weight of the carrier is considerably lighter. I just dropped the baby out! Swinging my head around, and down, in terror, I see Jake with his hands on the bottom of the carrier. He grins at me and even though I want to kick him in the head, and I can now that I'm on some steps, I can't help but grin back.
"You scared the hell out of me!" I tell him. He gently tugs the carriers handle from me and pulls it to him.
"I know." He simply says and brushes past me, leaving me behind. That's it? Just, 'I know'? No, I'm sorry? No, I didn't mean to? Nothin'? I shake my head and follow him up the stairs.
The top level has at least ten offices, some larger than others but all of them pretty good-sized. The hallways are in a U shape and have half walls on the outside, overlooking the downstairs area. We find the one our kids picked and are relieved to see it's one of the larger rooms. Setting the carrier down against one wall, Jake salutes me and walks out with a grin. Damn the man! I roll my eyes then help the boys spread the blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags out. Will tells me he's going to go get his sister and help her with Wes.
I tuck the boys in and check on the baby. I walk over to the office door and look out. Will and Kim are on each side of Wes helping him up the steps, then leads him to the room that is directly in front of the stairs. I rush down to the main floor and run over to our Hummer. Pulling out the bag of medical supplies Will had taken from the school, I rush back up. Inside Wes's room, I am surprised to see what appears to be a break room for the employees. I see a first-aid label on one of the cabinets and walk over to it. There’s a lock on the door but why let that stop me? I run to our van, grab a tire iron, and run back to the room. Sticking the iron into the crack of the door, I push the iron back until the door gives a good loud crack. Hmm, I bet Jake would have had the key. All well! This was fun! Opening the cabinet door, I'm excited to see so many useful items.
Grabbing one of the bottles lined up on a shelf, I read the label. Shocked, I see it says Tylenol w/ Codeine. Another read Penicillin. Really? Hell yeah! My excitement grows bigger and bigger with each label I read. Grabbing some of the antibiotic and pain relievers, I crouch next to Wes, whose arm is being cleaned and bandaged by Will. I hand the correct dose to Wes (a chart inside the cabinet told me what the correct dosage is. I'm no doctor!) and a bottle of water I found on the counter. He gulps them down with a swig of the water then finishes the bottle. He tells me thank you and I ask him how he feels.
"Well, I feel like shit and hurt like hell but that's good. Means I'm still alive." His words come out slowly and you can hear the pain in
each syllable. I feel horrible for him.
Peg and the kids come in and none say a word. The kids look like they are in trouble and Peg looks pissed, so they probably are. I wonder what the kids have done now? Did they laugh? Did they talk? Did they BREATHE?
Still crouching next to Wes, I hold my arms out to them and they start toward me. My heart breaks as I take in the expressions on their little faces, so scared at seeing the condition their dad is in, and their fear of their own mother. Peg flings her arm out stopping the kids, and snaps at me that they are in trouble and I don't need to be babying them. I stand and march right up to her, ready to rip her damn face off. She doesn't need to wait for a zombie to do it! She quickly backs away, falls on her ass, and flings her arms up over her head. I take two of the kids by the hand and the oldest girl grabs the younger girl's hand. Gently, I lead them to their daddy, who they haven’t even seen since shortly after the attack. They sit beside him and the youngest little girl pulls his head down onto her lap. Looking down at her daddy, she softly pats his face and says, "Daddy be ok. Unkie Will fix Daddy." Wes smiles up at his daughter and tells her he loves her. Turning his head, he repeats his love to the other two. Tears fill my eyes and I notice Will brushing an arm across his own.
Wes looks over at Peg, who has backed up to the wall on the other side of the room, and who is now glaring pure hatred at us all. She says nothing. She looks away when she notices Will's looking at her. He sighs and then relaxes his head back onto his daughter's lap.
Will finishes and we leave them to rest. Going back to our own room, we are relieved to see the boys and the baby fast asleep. Exhausted, we collapse on the floor, holding each other close.
Chapter 5
Crying. Lots of loud crying. Damn it!
"Boys! Turn that damn TV down!" I yell.
"Honey. Honey, wake up." Will says and lightly shakes me.
"Noooo. I'm tired. Just tell them to be quiet and go back to sleep." I mumble as I'm covering my head with my pillow. Damn, we need a new bed. Might as well be sleeping on the floor..........OH SHIT!
I sit straight up and almost whack Will in the nose with my head. I look around and it's just as I feared. It was all real. The boys are wide awake, and look as if they have been for some time. They have their backs against the far wall and are playing their Gameboys.
I look over at the carrier rocking back and forth as the baby lets us know how pissed she is. I pull the carrier and the diaper bag toward me, then unstrap Grace and place her on our makeshift bed. I change the baby then make her a fresh bottle from the can of ready to use formula. I feed and burp her and she's fast asleep again. I leave her on our "bed" and walk over to where the boys, and now Will, are sitting.
Will and I have them put their games down so we can talk to them without everyone else around while we have the time. We talk about what's happened and they seem to be dealing with it as best as they can. We then talk about lighter subjects. Such as, seeing their aunts and uncles, whom they adore, when we get to Missouri. Too soon, Will tells them we need to get our stuff loaded back up. He agrees to let the baby sleep on our bedding until she wakes or we leave. As Will and the boys take an armload of stuff downstairs, I leave our room to walk around and stretch a little. I make a few laps down each of the two walkways that overlook the downstairs.
Needing to use the restroom, I walk toward the break room where Wes and his family spent the night. I really hope they are awake because I've got to go! Opening the door slowly and quietly, in case they are still asleep, I stop in horror. I scream and slam the door shut. Will yells out my name and starts running up the stairs. Office doors open on both sides. Heads pop out in curiosity, but no one leaves their room. The door behind me bangs and rattles. Growling. Fingernails ripping into the wood. Voices get closer, louder. All of this I barely hear from all the blood rushing through my head. Everything is spinning. Things are going black. I'm falling........
Chapter 6
"Canada. Canada, wake up. Honey, wake up!" I feel a light tap on my cheek. I force my eyes open and slam them shut when the light hits. I moan and grab my head.
"It's ok. You bumped it when you fell." Bumped it my ass! Feels a hell of a lot worse than a 'bump'!
I'm confused. Why did I fall? Suddenly, the scenes of horror flash across my mind, and the screams burst out of my mouth. I can't stop it. I want to, but I can't! Will lightly smacks my cheek again and again. Begging me to stop, that he can't stand hitting me but I have to stop. My mom runs in and falls to her knees beside me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking the hell out of me.
"Canada, you stop this right now. You're scaring your kids and husband to death. Now, stop!" I finally see my boys standing against the wall of the office we are in. They look terrified. I look at my husband and he is wearing the same expression on his own face. I lie back, breathing hard but no longer screaming. Tears are pouring from my eyes and I can't stop the sobs from escaping. My boys run over and wrap me in a hug. My husband wraps his arms around all of us.
Finally, the sobs ease and my breathing is getting closer to normal. I tell them I'm ok now, and after more hugs and kisses, the boys leave the room with their grandmother. I sit up and look at Will.
He looks back at me and he knows what I want to ask him. "We took care of it. Tell me what happened to you. Maybe it will help if you talk about it."
I tell him about having to go to the restroom and opening the door. "As I’m opening the door, I start seeing red splashed on the walls, the floors, the counters, everything! Then I see a little girl's leg with her little pink stockings still on but it wasn't attached to her body, hair with no head, and then an arm. I see Kim's body bitten and torn. The little kids! Oh my God, Will! Those babies!" I start sobbing again. Will grabs me and pulls me to him. Holding me tight, he says I don't have to talk anymore about it. But I do need to! I do!
"Then I see Peg. How, Will? How did this happen? She was bent over eating Wes! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" I cry out.
Holding me tighter, Will says, "I don't know. But Wes couldn't have been the one to turn her. She wouldn’t have been eating him if he were already one of them. I don't understand either, Honey."
I look up into Will's eyes and see tears falling. Ashamed of myself for not thinking of his pain first, I throw my arms around him and do my best to comfort him. He just lost his sister, nephew, and great-nephew and -nieces. I tell Will how much I love him and how sorry I am. He holds me close and I give him the time he needs.
Eventually, Will pulls back from me and looks down into my face. He kisses me slow and deep then rests his forehead against mine. We close our eyes and just sit there like that....until the next scream makes us both scramble to our feet and run out the door.
Chapter 7
That scream belonged to my mother! I stumble twice trying to get out of the room. Will races ahead of me. He runs down the stairs and I follow, my head swinging in every direction trying to find my mom. Following Will and the sounds of fighting, I whip around one of the vans and see my mom putting some unofficial karate moves on a zombie's ass. Fists punching. Legs kicking. Hell! She was even making the sound effects. HIYA! Go Mom!
I stand with my mouth hanging open, eyes bulging. Damn! Never knew my mom had it in her. Before Will can get close enough to help her, she has that nasty thing down and dead. Will just stands there staring at the zombie, then Mom, then back to the zombie. His mouth is dropped just like mine. Eyes bulging just like mine.
I move closer to Will and, wrapping my arm around his, we both stare straight at Mom. Saying nothing. Hell, we can't say anything. Mom just looks back at us. Then, as if it was no big deal, says, "Ok, kids, let's get loaded up."
She walks away, our heads turning to follow her. Then we look at each other with a 'what the hell' look. I shrug. Will shrugs. We follow her after Will tosses the zombie's body inside our old van.
Dad is coming down the stairs and from the slow and casual way he's moving, I know he has no clue what his wife had just done
. Mom comes out of nowhere and steps in front of us. We jerk back. In a quiet voice, she asks us to not tell Dad what happened. I look at Dad, then back at Mom, and nod. No way in hell am I going to piss her off now!
(I guess I should formally introduce you to Mom and Dad. Mom's name is Marie. She's fifty-five years old, a nurse, mother of five kids, and a grandmother of, uh, a bunch of kids. Her and Dad have been married twenty-five years and this is her second marriage. Her first marriage was to my other dad. I'll stop there.
My dad , the one Mom's married to, is a truck driver. His name is Ben. And he's in his early to mid 60's. I never can remember what age exactly, because he doesn’t act or look his age. And yes, that probably makes me a horrible daughter, but I could do worse! )
Ok. Back to the here and now......
Up on the second floor, office doors start opening and their occupants file out, arms loaded with their belongings. Will and I wait for a break in the procession of people and then head off to get our own items. We find the boys in the room we slept in all night. Ash asleep and Bo playing with the baby. The same baby I had totally forgotten about! Hey! It's been years since I had one of my own.
We send the boys down with our stuff, then Will and I sit on the floor next to the baby.
"Will, was that zombie Mom beat to death one of the new people that came with us?" I ask him
"I think so. I never got his name. I actually don't know any of their names. He must have been bit before he hooked up with us." He answers.
"Will? Do you remember last night when Peg was trying to beg a ride?" His eyes widen.
Will says, "She must have gone down early this morning, or hell, even spent the night with him for all I know, gotten bit and went and hid with her own family, putting them in danger, knowing what was going to happen to her. How could any mother be like her? Not care about your own kids? Hell, how could any parent for that matter!"
I hold him, feeling his body shake with anger. After awhile, the shaking slows and he raises his head. Pulling away from me, he says we need to go. He picks up the baby carrier and I swing the diaper bag onto my shoulder and follow him out of the room.