by David Lovato
“Then I’ll show them the door,” Frank said. He slipped into the darkness.
****
Layne and the others shared a room with four bunk beds. The group sat around on them, talking, trying to keep the mood light. It was the first rest they’d gotten since before the flight, and Layne could tell they all needed it.
Garrett had joined them. Layne hadn’t met Gina or Ralph yet; they preferred to keep their decision to leave a secret so they wouldn’t be singled out while they stayed. It was unsettling, but if Garrett trusted them, so would Layne.
“So what did you mean Mother May was indebted to you?” Dex asked Garrett.
“It was my idea to come here. I brought us here, got us weapons, helped barricade the place. Long story short, of course.”
“And imagine, you’re the one leaving it behind,” Layne said.
“That, my friend, is called irony.”
“We just did irony in my English class a few weeks ago,” Lacie said. “Like when you like someone and find out they’re gay.” A few of the others laughed. Layne looked at Katie.
“Or when you like someone and find out they’re straight,” Katie said. Everyone laughed harder; Garrett roared.
“I find it ironic that we’re still headed for Washington,” Kyle said. The others looked at him. “I mean, what for? What is anyone here even still going for?”
“I don’t know about you,” Dex said, “but I have everything I need right here in this room.” He looked at his friends, and he put his arm around Lacie, who leaned against him.
“As much as I wish we could find a place to stay, it’s probably best that we keep moving, for now,” Layne said. “We were headed for Seattle before, so we might as well keep going.”
“Besides, I’m sure some of us still have things we need to get there for,” Katie said. She stared at the ground. Layne knew she was thinking of someone.
“I find that things don’t always turn out the way we want,” Garrett said. “But that isn’t always bad.” Layne found a calmness in Garrett’s voice; he thought the guy could talk the Devil into buying a furnace.
“There’s no time anymore,” Warren said.
“Hey man, things are bad, but there’s always time,” Kyle said.
“That’s not what I meant. Life gets so strange, you know. Things are just different. I’m not sad. There’s no time to be sad. I’m not really even sad that my Rebecca is gone. Things are different, and there’s no use in wishing they were like they used to be, no time to waste on that.”
“That’s a pretty positive outlook,” Garrett said.
“You young folks make me feel more alive. Rebecca made me feel closer to death. God rest her beautiful soul, I loved that woman. But she made me feel every breath. And that was okay. I felt ready to die by her side. But now… now I feel ready for just a little more life. I just wish Rebecca could feel it, too.”
“Maybe somewhere, someone has made some place safe,” Dex said. “I don’t mean covered-up windows, either. No offense, Garrett.”
“None taken.”
“But like, a big place. Maybe a town. And it’s safe, and we’ll all gather there, and we’ll make life normal again. Think that’s too much to wish for?”
“I don’t want to think that’s too much to wish for,” Layne said. “For now, let’s just focus on getting to Washington in one piece.”
They talked into the night. One by one, they turned in. The last ones awake lowered their voices until there were only whispers in a dark room. The responses eventually ceased, and everyone was asleep.
****
Morning came too soon. Layne woke up to Garrett standing beside his bed.
“I went out and got us some transportation,” he said. Layne sat up.
“For everyone?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than I’d like, but it’ll have to do. There are ten of us now. We’ll take the jeep you brought in yesterday, and a minivan I found this morning.”
“Do you sleep?” Layne said. He got up, yawned, and stretched. “Okay. I’ll drive one, you’ll drive the other?”
“Yeah. I got us some walkie-talkies, but they don’t seem to work. We’ll just have to make sure to stick together. We’ll work out who sits where when we go.”
“When do we go?”
“It’s about seven now. I figure we should probably leave before too many people wake up, just to avoid any… complications.”
“Yeah,” Layne said. “Okay, start getting people up.” He headed for the door, then turned back to Garrett. “Where’s the John?”
“Downstairs. Go straight from the bottom, you can’t miss it.”
“Thanks, you’re a life saver.”
Layne left the room and headed down the hall. It was dark, only a few candles burned to light the way. He passed Frank on the stairs. Frank reeked of something Layne couldn’t put his finger on.
“You all right?” Layne asked.
“Fine,” Frank said. “Rough night.”
“Need any help?”
Frank stopped, then turned. “Not from you, I don’t. I have all I need here.” Then he left.
Layne shrugged it off and headed for the bathroom.
He did his business, then splashed his face with water. He heard footsteps, and doors opening and closing. Layne saw a crumpled towel near the sink, and when he picked it up to wipe his face, an empty bottle of peroxide rolled from the counter and onto the floor. Layne put the towel to his face, but quickly threw it down when he got a whiff of it. It smelled like Frank had.
Layne sighed and left the bathroom. He saw a lot of the church folks gathering at the one uncovered window near the top of the stairs, where Garrett had first ushered Layne and his friends to safety. Layne went up and approached the closest person.
“Something going on out there?” he asked. The person seemed shocked that Layne was talking to him. He looked around, hoping Layne had been speaking to someone else, then sighed.
“No. We’re just here to see you folk off.”
“Oh. Well, thank you. Thank you all, for your hospitality.” The person shied away into the crowd, even though Layne had no intention of talking to him further.
Layne went back to his room. His friends were all awake. Jessi was trying to keep a very tired Kara from crying. There was a woman and a young man Layne didn’t recognize, and he figured they must be Gina and Ralph.
“Hi, everyone,” Layne said.
“Hi, Layne,” Gina said. She walked up to Layne and hugged him. Layne was puzzled, but returned the favor. “Brother Garrett has told us all about you. We thank you for your kindness.”
Layne looked to Garrett.
“These two were members of the church, and one-time followers of Mother May.”
“Yes, we were,” Gina said. Her voice sounded sweet, but fake. Not insincere, but not authentic, either. “But Mother May has… She has gone astray. She has forgotten the good ways, and I fear she is lost, and leading others down the wrong path.”
“I don’t want to go down the wrong path,” Ralph said.
“Well, then I hope you two find your right path with us,” Layne said.
“Okay,” Garrett said, “I’m taking some of the weapons I brought here. These people can easily get more. But we need some loaded into both cars. Can you go do that, Gina?”
“Don’t worry,” Gina said. “The patrons are all watching, so I’m sure I’ll be safe outside.”
“Does someone want to go with her?” Layne asked.
“I’ll do it,” Warren said. “It’s about time I made myself useful.”
The two headed off. Garrett stepped into the hall.
“What does she mean, everyone’s watching?” he said. Layne followed him to where the group had assembled.
“They’re here to see us off.”
Garrett studied them, then shrugged. “Whatever they want, I suppose.” The two went back into the bedroom.
“Does everyone have everything they need?” Lay
ne said.
“Well, I had hoped for a warm shower, but I guess that’s too much to ask for,” Lacie said. She was joking, but Layne detected a sense of seriousness in it.
“Don’t worry,” Dex said. “You only smell as bad as the rest of us.”
“You’re so romantic,” Lacie said.
Everyone went about gathering what little they had.
“Okay,” Layne said. “Well, those two are probably about done with the weapons by now, so we should get going.” He led the group into the hall. “Does anyone know where Mother May is?”
“No,” someone said. “But one of the demons attacked your friends. The old guy fended it off, though, and I think they’re okay.”
Layne looked out the window. The cars were in the lot in front of the church, and Gina was piling weapons into the trunk of the jeep while Warren swatted at a zombie with a stick. The zombie moved backward, trying hard to get away from Warren’s persistent blows. Warren was old, but the zombie was stupid, and Warren had the upper hand. He and Gina seemed to have it under control. Layne turned back to the crowd.
“Well, if anyone sees Mother May, tell her we thank her for her hospitality.”
“She had a message,” someone said. “She says the doors will be locked behind you. Once you go out, you aren’t allowed back in.”
“Thanks,” Layne said. He didn’t take it personally; he hadn’t planned on coming back anyway.
They headed down the stairs and out through the back of the church. They rounded to the front, where Gina was putting the last of the weapons into the back of the jeep. Dex passed Layne to try to catch up with Lacie, but stopped.
“Something wrong, Dex?” Layne said.
“You smell,” Dex said.
“You established that back in the room—”
“No. Something familiar. If you don’t mind…” Dex smelled the air around Layne, then he got closer. After a moment, he was smelling Layne’s face.
“Can I help you?” Layne said.
“It smells like something I used to make with my friends, for pranks. Where were you?”
“I went to the bathroom, that’s it. I washed my face, even. Then I used a rag someone left there.” Layne thought of Frank passing him on the stairs earlier. A horrible thought occurred to him. “What kind of pranks?”
“We used to blow up people’s mailboxes,” Dex said. “I was a little shit in high school. Sue me.”
Layne, who had stopped listening at “blow up”, turned to their friends, who were headed for the cars.
“Stop! Stop, get away from the cars!” The group turned to look.
The sound was like thunder, and followed by another. The jeep exploded first, then the minivan. Layne was knocked to the ground, and it hurt.
And he was the farthest away.
He sat up as soon as he was capable. There were flaming chunks of things everywhere. What were once the cars were now two flaming heaps of metal. Layne saw Dex beside him, getting to his feet. Garrett was getting to his own up ahead.
Layne looked up at the people in the window. They were cheering.
“Son of a bitch, mother fuck,” Kyle was saying. He looked up at the churchgoers. “The joke’s on you, you motherfuckers! Your fucking church is on fire!”
The cars had been closer to the church than to most of Layne’s friends. Some flaming scraps had landed near the wood used to barricade the door, and it was going up in flames. The cheers turned to screams. By the time Layne was able to locate most of his friends, people were running from the building, one man was knocked down by the crowd.
“You fool!” Layne heard. He turned to see May and Frank rounding from the back of the church. May was inspecting the barricade, checking to see if the fire could be put out before the whole church went up. She turned to Frank again. “You damned fool! You should’ve moved the cars farther away!”
Layne walked toward them.
“Forgive me,” Frank said. “They weren’t even supposed to go off yet. I didn’t mean—”
Layne was already upon him. He punched Frank in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Mother May glared at him.
“You dare strike those more righteous than—”
“Righteous? Don’t you dare speak to me about righteousness, you stupid bitch!” Mother May fell silent. “You just tried to kill us!”
“My intent was never to kill, though if God planned—”
Layne slapped her across the face. He would’ve punched her if he thought he could do it without killing her. Mother May recoiled, then fell to the ground, near where Frank was still lying, holding his face.
“You could lock us out here and leave us to die, or shoot us all in the head,” Layne said. “It ends the same either way, and the blood is still on your hands.”
He rushed back to his friends, leaving Mother May on the ground, silent. “Is everyone okay?”
Dex was helping Lacie up. Jessi and Kara had been clear of the blast. Warren had returned from the zombie he fended off, also unaffected by the explosions. Layne saw Ralph off to the side; Garrett was helping him up.
What was left of Gina was hanging from the back of the jeep, burning up with their weapons. The top half of her was almost completely gone, a splatter spread in a fifteen-foot radius from the charred remains of the vehicle.
“That son of a bitch,” Kyle said.
“We have another problem,” Garrett said.
Zombies were approaching from all sides. They weren’t running, and they couldn’t keep perfectly straight, but they were much quicker than before. A few had already found some of the church-goers, and were ripping them apart as they tried to escape.
“We need to get out of here.”
“How?” Layne said. Zombies poured in from every opening.
“I guess this is the end, then,” Kyle said.
The zombies rushed upon them. And then right past them.
They headed for the church, which was now one large, raging bonfire. Some of the zombies ran directly into the flames. Within a few moments, they were clear of Layne and his group, leaving them unharmed.
“What in God’s name just happened?” Warren said.
“I think we ought to take this opportunity to get out,” Layne said. “On foot, if we have to.”
“I think that’s a damn good idea,” Garrett said. He found a gun on the ground near him and picked it up. “If any of you see a useable gun or ammo, grab it, and let’s go.”
Layne had only taken one step when he heard a click.
“Apologize,” Frank said.
Layne turned. Frank was pointing a gun at his head. Everyone froze.
“This is hardly the time, Frank,” Ralph said.
“Shut the fuck up,” Frank replied. He turned to Layne. “Apologize for what you did to Mother May!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Fucking mean it!”
Mother May was near the back of the church, being surrounded by zombies.
“Maybe you should go help her,” Kyle said. Frank turned to see what was about to happen to her. Kyle knelt down and then stood back up as Frank turned back.
“This is your fault!” he said. “You’re going to stay right here and die with us. I’ll keep you here until they kill every last one of us. You don’t deserve to get away!”
“You’re crazy,” Katie said.
“Frank, put the gun down,” Layne said. “Come with us.”
“Shut your fucking mouth! You aren’t saved! I’m saved! I’m forgiven! You’re damned, damn—”
His head shot backward, the back of it blew off, splattering the ground behind him. Frank fell to the ground. Layne turned, and Kyle lowered his gun.
“I can’t believe you just—”
“Spare me, Layne. Fucking spare me. He was going to get us all killed. I needed to do it, and you know it.”
“Kyle…”
“This is the world now, Layne! I know you hate it. But those who don’t accept it, they leave it.”
&nb
sp; Layne could hear Mother May screaming in the distance. Overhead, clouds were rolling in, threatening to ruin the sunny day. “One way or another,” Kyle said. He tucked the gun into his pants. “Let’s get out of here.”
The group did a swift search for weapons and ammo and then walked away, mostly unnoticed by the zombies, who were attracted to the large fire. The ones who did notice them were put down easily and quickly.
As they left the parking lot, Layne didn’t even look back.
Torrential Downpour
Norman expected to be dead by now. He had been unlucky. Someone had started a fire, and the sprinkler system kicked in. With no one around to shut it off, he now had plenty of water. Instead of dying of thirst in a matter of days, he would starve to death over the course of a few weeks. And after only a few days, the screams had faded. Now he was left with only the moans of the surviving prisoners as they starved.
The drains in the floors kept the water level from rising more than a few inches at first, but as the water kept pouring, the drains couldn’t keep up. The walkways outside were made of bars sticking out of cement that rose a foot off of the ground, and the water reached above the cement and then poured down toward the lower levels. The water could not rise any higher than that.
He decided he could spend a while watching the waterfalls, and perhaps find some peace in them.
Besides, if he listened hard enough, the rushing water sounded like screams.
Part Four
Counter-Clockwise
33
Living in the Ferrington
Things were growing very uncomfortable for the six survivors at the Ferrington grocery. Everyone was doing what they could to keep themselves clean. There was no suitable way to shower in the store, so everyone took turns using the sinks in the restroom. They used soap they nabbed from the health and beauty aisles, and spray deodorants to cover for the lack of clean clothes. It was better than nothing.
John grew angrier with every item the others used and didn’t pay for. His name was clean though, which he was proud to be able to say.