Orpheus

by DeWitt, Dan

  Amal, said, "Do you think there are any others?"

  "Doubt it. We would have heard from them by now. This island ain't that big."

  "We all made it, Trent," Helen countered. "If we could figure out the communications thing I bet we'd find more people just like us."

  "All I'm saying is don't get your hopes up."

  "We have a good thing here. There's reason to believe that others have done the same," Amal said.

  "True. And I bet that others thought they had a good thing, got careless, and poof...gone."

  Helen rolled her eyes. "Thanks for livening up the room, Trent."

  "I'm just saying..." Trent looked at the digital clock resting on the air vent beside them. Their watch was up in a little over an hour. "Is anyone else not tired?"

  "What?"

  "I'm wide awake. Why don't we let..." He pulled the watch schedule out of his breast pocket. "...Ethan's group sleep through this one. That kid's been running himself ragged."

  "Sure. It's only a few more hours. And if we do get tired, we can always switch out then."

  "That's the spirit. Helen?"

  "Yeah, why not? He hasn't looked good the last few days."

  "Okay. I'll go tell him before his alarm goes off and wakes everyone."

  "Hey, you're not supposed to walk around alone."

  "I'll be fine, Mom. Back in a few."

  Trent left the two of them chatting and made his way back to the gym. He felt a twinge in his bowels, and decided that he had time for a quick pit stop. He walked into the men's room and picked the roomier handicapped stall. He set his dynamo-powered flashlight on the handrail and sat down to do his business. It had rained heavily the night before, so the flush buckets had been topped off. He didn't need to be gentle.

  He knew that he wasn't supposed to be here, or anywhere, alone. That was the kid's rule. But this place was sealed like a drum, and that had many advantages.

  He finished, cleaned up, and poured a full bucket's worth of chaser into the bowl. He dipped his hands into another bucket and rinsed his hands. Satisfied, he felt around between the toilet tank and the wall. The package was exactly where he was told it be.

  One quick errand, then back to the roof.

  Chapter 20: Good While It Lasted

  Ethan had always been a deep sleeper, but it turned out that he wasn't able to sleep through repeated punches in the face. The first one rocked him, but he'd been unconscious and never really felt it. It just woke him up.

  The second one hurt.

  On the third one he could feel the diamond engagement ring gouging his cheek. He put his hands up defensively and the screams started to register. The voice was definitely female, but shrill and hysterical. He could pick out random words like bastard and kill you.

  Tonya. It's Tonya.

  He kept his hands high and limited the damage. He was trying to grab her wrists and roll her off of him. He was aware of several flashlights coming to life, and then a few yells, most notably coming from Rachel and Cliff. He finally managed to grab her left arm. That was the one doing the most damage, and her blows with her right became inaccurate and much less effective.

  So she bit him. Her teeth clamped down on his hand and grinded.

  Ethan couldn't help himself. He screamed, "Get off me, you crazy cunt!" All gentility forgotten, he unloaded a fist into her forehead which, even lacking his weight behind it, was sufficient enough to knock her unconscious. Her jaw released and she fell backwards with a thump.

  Ethan sprang to his feet and cradled his hand. He didn't need any light to know that he was bleeding; he could feel the slick fluid beneath his fingers and dripping off of his fingertips. He didn't think he was in any type of danger, though. Tonya hadn't seemed infected in the zombie sense; she was just off her nut. Rachel, after determining he was okay, got a bandage for his hand and a wet one for the fallen woman's forehead. She handed it to Cliff, who placed it on his sister's forehead gently. "What the fuck was that for, Ethan?"

  "You're asking me? I was asleep 'til this psycho jumped me."

  "Watch your mouth, asshole!"

  "Aw, eat me, Cliff. If you want to go just let me know."

  Cliff got to his feet and clenched his fists. "Listen you-"

  "Whoa, who, whoa," Sister Ann said, holding up her hands and stepping in between the two angry men. "No one's going anywhere or doing anything. Let's just calm down."

  "Fuck calm. I really am throwing that bitch into the street this time."

  Cliff threw himself at Ethan. They tangled, each of them landing a glancing blow before they were separated. Ethan calmed down enough to let Sister Ann and Rachel push him backwards several paces. Cliff had less of a choice, as Mickey had him locked in a half-nelson until he agreed to let it go and tend to his sister, who was stirring. He relented, but Ethan had the sense that it wasn't yet over, not that he really wanted it to be.

  He realized that Sister Ann was talking to him. "What?"

  "I said we should take a walk and start our watch a little early."

  "Fine." Ethan said nothing else as he left the gym with enough force to cause the doors to slam against the walls. He clicked the power button on his flashlight but left it in on his hip as he wrapped the cloth tightly around his injured hand, mumbling to himself the whole time. When he was done he made quick, angry steps toward the roof access stairwell. He subconsciously registered two voices behind him. His watchmates stayed a few steps behind him at Rachel's behest; she knew him better than anyone else, and they were letting him blow off steam without interference.

  He normally liked to grab something to eat before his shift, but hadn't tonight for obvious reasons. He reversed direction and walked between his two trailers with a curt, "I want some Cocoa Puffs." In better lighting he would have seen the two women suppressing grins all the way to the kitchen.

  * * *

  Amal was the first to see the three shapes emerging from the tree line. He grabbed Helen's wrist and pulled her into a crouch with him. He pointed where he was looking.

  She saw the shapes, too. "Hey, zombies don't use flashlights, as far as I know," she whispered.

  "They would if the lights were already on when they died."

  "Batteries wouldn't last a month, Amal."

  Amal felt stupid. "Yeah. I was just testing you."

  A voice came from below them. "Hey, who's up there? Let us up, please!"

  The two watchers got to their feet and put their lights on the three men several stories below. "Where'd you come from?"

  "The airfield. We were supposed to hitch a ride to the mainland for a bachelor party before we the pilot tried to eat us. We ran out of supplies and came looking for more. Can you help us?"

  "Maybe," Amal said. He flicked his light at the lump on one of the men's backs. "What's in your packs?"

  "Supplies. Tools. A little food, too. You can have it. Just let us up. Some of those things weren't far behind us."

  Helen lowered her voice. "What do you think?"

  "We can't just turn them away. The longer they stay there the greater the chance they bring zombies to the doorstep."

  "Yup. Yup."

  Amal walked to the edge of the roof and let himself down the ladder to the fire escape. He got to the bottom landing and slid the iron ladder to the ground. Two of the men climbed right up and waited for the third to hand the gear up, one backpack at a time. When the wheelbarrow was empty, he climbed up and met his companions on the roof.

  "Whew. Thanks. I thought we were done for."

  "Our pleasure." Helen made the introductions.

  "Just the two of you up here?"

  "Yes," Amal said. "Our third will be right back."

  The three newcomers slipped off their packs and made themselves comfortable.

  "Mind if we wait with you?"

  * * *

  "Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

  "Hand's fine," Ethan got out in between handfuls of dry cereal.

  "She's not talking about the ha
nd, Ethan."

  Ethan finished chewing and folded his hands on the table. If it hurt him he didn't show it. "Ann, I so don't want to deal with this right now."

  "Well, now's the only time you can. Once you go back in there you need to fix things."

  "Fix what? Some dumb shit can't wrap it around her head that I - we - saved her life on more than one occasion. What am I supposed to do with that? Hit her again?" Ann looked at Rachel, who shifted her body a few inches away from the table. It was subtle, but it showed that she was willing to let the professional take the lead.

  "Is that what's really bothering you, Ethan?"

  "Please don't get all nunshrink on me. Please."

  "That's not an answer."

  "Are you asking me if I'm upset that I hit a chick? It wasn't my proudest moment, but no; I don't see how I had much of a choice. I really think that she wanted to kill me just then."

  "That's good, because you didn't. So what's really bothering you?"

  "Other than the end of my world and the world in general? Not much."

  "Ethan..."

  He switched gears. "You know what my most significant position of responsibility before this was?"

  "I'm afraid I don't."

  "Captain of the varsity basketball team. Wow."

  "How did the team do?"

  He paused and blinked several times. "League title."

  "Yes, I can see how you feel you failed as a leader."

  Rachel laughed and tried to disguise it as a cough.

  "Sarcasm is very unbecoming a woman of your position."

  "Surprisingly, it's a prerequisite for the job." She put her hand on his. "Do you feel that you're overwhelmed with all of these people looking to you?"

  "To put it lightly. Two people are dead because I was out cold."

  "And fifteen made it here alive because they listened to you."

  "And at least one of them wants to cut my throat."

  "But she's alive. And the rest love you, because they're enjoying the comforts of a school that you took back."

  He tilted his head towards his girlfriend. "That was her. Although I like to think that a stunt that stupid was due to my influence."

  "That was both of you. How many people do you think would have reacted quickly enough to keep the zombies contained in the gym in the first place?"

  "Mickey should be running the show. Or you, for that matter. Not me."

  "I already lost one flock. That's enough for me."

  Ethan pulled his hand away. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

  "Not at all. I tried. I failed. You didn't."

  "Haven't, you mean."

  "No, I mean didn't. You've done, and will continue to do, everything you can. The rest is in God's hands. Maybe we live, maybe we die. But you need to understand that the only unforgivable mistake you can make is to give up on yourself, because that pretty girl over there never will, and I've seen enough to become a believer, too."

  He closed up the cereal box and tucked it under his arm. He said, "I'm taking this to the roof," and walked out of the kitchen.

  Rachel and Ann rose from the table. Rachel said, "That's just how he says thanks sometimes."

  * * *

  Trent headed back to his post on the roof, his mission completed. He pushed open the door and hopped down onto the roof with a soft thud. The first thing that caught his attention was that he'd left two but came back to five.

  An excited Amal said, "More survivors!"

  One of the men rose to meet Trent and offered his hand. The two other men remained seated and waved hello. Trent pumped the man's hand once and let go. He eyed them angrily. "Glad you could make it. You hungry?"

  The leader, Dominic, said, "We could eat, thanks."

  "Let's get you fed, then." Trent turned and addressed Helen and Amal. "We'll grab something from the kitchen and come right back."

  "Did you speak to Ethan?" Helen asked.

  "Oh, yeah. He said thanks, he can use the rest. Hey, find out were the interior patrol is; I don't want to freak them out or get shot."

  "Sure." Amal transmitted and asked Harold for his location. "Science rooms."

  "Got it." Trent led the new arrivals to the door. Dominic swung it open and said, "After you."

  Trent stepped through and turned on his flashlight. The other three men followed suit. As they descended the stairs, Dominic pulled a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at Trent's back. "Freeze."

  Trent turned around and crossed his arms in front of his face. "Jesus Christ!"

  The three men burst out laughing, then Dominic flipped the pistol around and handed it over butt-first.

  Trent took it and put it in his own pocket. "Very funny. You jerkoffs are early. You could have blown everything."

  "Yeah, well, the man was getting antsy. He says test and we test."

  "He does realize that the freaks are out of play, right?"

  "He says it doesn't make a difference."

  "Fine by me. When do we go?"

  "It'll take us about ten minutes to get set up, provided there are no delays. There's a truck a few hundred yards in the trees when we're done."

  "All right. I'll go take care of My Two Dads plus one."

  "What?"

  "Never mind. The two on the roof...they're not complete assholes."

  "So?"

  "So make it quick. Make sure they don't see it coming."

  Dominic's hands flew to his heart and he batted his eyelashes. “Oh, you are just so sweet!”

  Trent waved him off. "Fuck yourself. Just let me know when you initiate. I don't want to be anywhere near that gym when that shit starts pumping in."

  They split up. Dominic and his crew headed back up, Trent headed down.

  * * *

  Ethan waited for Amal to end his conversation with Harold. he was curious why Amal had asked for their location, but he figured it was just a normal check. He keyed the radio channel dedicated to the roof. "Roof, this is Ethan."

  "Hey, Ethan," Amal responded. "I figured you'd still be asleep."

  "I should be, but I, uh, couldn't sleep. We're on our way to relieve you."

  "You changed your mind?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Trent said he told you that we were going to take the next shift and let you sleep."

  Ethan was confused. "Amal, I haven't seen Trent since yesterday."

  "Hmmmm. Maybe I misheard him. He just left, but I'll ask when they get back."

  "Don't worry, we'll be there in a few minutes. I'll ask him myself."

  "What was that all about?" Rachel asked.

  "Hell if I know."

  Sister Ann said, "He said 'they'."

  Ethan's confusion turned to concern. "Amal."

  "Go ahead."

  "Who's 'they'?"

  Amal told Ethan about the new arrivals. "I apologize for not telling-"

  "I don't like this. Amal, you and Helen get out of there."

  "I'm sorry?"

  "Get outta there! Now!"

  Ethan heard the signifying click of an impending response, but Amal didn't speak right away. He heard some muffled voices away from the mic.

  "Why isn't he responding?" Rachel asked.

  "Shhh. He's holding the key down. He wants us to hear this."

  There was more muffled conversation before Amal spoke. "I thought you were getting food."

  Ethan heard something away from the mic that sounded like, "Fuck this..."

  Amal got out, "Helen! Run!" before a woman's scream split the silence. It was cut short by a loud report.

  It can't be a gunshot.

  There was a second report, and the transmission ended abruptly.

  The three of them gasped in shock.

  "Dear God..." Ann said. "Dear God..."

  Ethan began to press the button but a little voice in his head said, thebeepthebeepthebeep! He stopped himself just before transmitting, knowing that, by keeping his own key pressed, Amal had prevented whoever it was with h
im from knowing he was talking to anyone.

  "We've got to help them, Ethan."

  The look in his eyes was response enough.

  "They're dead, aren't they?"

  "Yeah."

  "We can't just leave them there..." Ann said.

  "We have other things to worry about right now. We have other people to warn. Trent's around here somewhere, and we have no idea what this is about." Ethan took a shot in the dark and set his radio to scan all channels. "We need Mickey's help. Where did Amal say the patrol is?"

  Rachel answered, "Science rooms. We're close."

  "Ethan...".

  "I know, Ann. I know. I can't radio them. Whatever Trent's got planned, the only advantage we have is surprise. Uh..." Ethan looked around the hallway, straining to come up with a plan. He switched channels on his radio. He said, "Mickey." He got no answer, so he repeated the name, only louder. The third time, he yelled.

  "What the hell, Ethan?"

  "You guys okay?"

  "Why wouldn't we be?"

  Ethan wasted no time explaining. "Haul ass to the science rooms. And bring a gun. The roof one's unavailable."

  The seriousness of the request brought Mickey's military training to the forefront. "Standby one."

  "Copy."

  Ethan dropped the radio to his side. "I'd prefer that you two stay behind and let Mickey and me handle this, but I won't bother asking."

  "Smart move, baby."

  "Kid, I got a problem."

  "Can't get a gun?"

  "Got two. But I can't get out."

  "What?"

  "Door's stuck. The ones to the parking lot and in the locker rooms, too. We're trapped."

  Ethan kicked the nearest locker and left a sizable dent. "Fuck. Rachel, go help Mickey. Ann, you're with me."

  "But..."

  "You're fast, so don't argue. Go. Take my radio."

  "What will you use?"

  "I'll take his."

  "Please be careful."

  Ethan didn't respond; he was too busy pulling a fire extinguisher from the wall.