The Rotten Series (Book 1): Infection

by Lewis, M. Lauryl

  Ellis remained quiet, and I assumed speech would not come easily to him after being choked.

  “We need to get them out of here,” I said as I stood up.

  Ellis joined me, and we worked together, no discussion needed. We began on the landing, where we each grabbed a leg of the short man and lifted until he fell from the railing down to the ground. It was at least the height of a two-story house, and his body made a loud thud when it hit. The taller man proved heavier and greatly awkward, but with a great deal of hoisting and pushing we managed to send his body rolling down the stairway.

  Upon returning to the interior of the makeshift house, the old woman’s stench of dirt and grime was accompanied by that of feces, blood, and something sweet. It proved nauseating and removing her wretched body from the structure was clearly a priority.

  “Let’s each grab a leg and drag her out,” I suggested.

  Ellis nodded in agreement. As we each took hold of a leg and began to pull, her dress slid up and it was clear that her bowels and bladder had evacuated themselves upon her death. I breathed through my mouth to avoid retching and we dragged her outside to the landing. Like the jawless man, we sent her tumbling down the steps. She landed head-down, feet extended up toward us, a sinister grin plastered on her dead face. She stopped short of the ground as the jawless man lay in her way.

  “Inside,” Ellis managed to choke out. His voice was hoarse.

  We both re-entered the airplane home and I closed and locked the hatch.

  “We have to clean this up,” I said. “God, it stinks.”

  “Yeah,” he whispered.

  For the first time, we looked around the dwelling. Several small porthole windows allowed natural daylight to stream through. The sides of the fuselage had been covered in wood paneling that gave a warm feel, while the floor was painted plywood. It looked like the owner had aimed for fancy and run out of money before completing the project. A small kitchen was situated across from the entry, with a couch and easy chair at a far end of the airline body. Each end of the cylinder had a single doorway, and both were closed.

  “We need to find some towels, see if the water’s working, and mop up this nasty mess. Are you up to it?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  “God, you sound awful. Don’t talk. You wanna check the kitchen and I’ll look in the first door? I figure one must be a bathroom.”

  “Yeah,” was all he said.

  I randomly chose to check the door to the right of the kitchen. As I suspected, it was a bathroom, complete with a toilet, sink, large bathtub, and a shower. Unlike the main room, the bathroom was finished in a wood floor that matched the wood paneled walls. A single small round window was fashioned into the curve of the ceiling. The bathtub was oversized, and the shower and sink were both a matching pounded copper-like material. I first walked to the sink, where I caught my reflection. The right side of my face, and my neck and chest were covered in blood splatter. My hair was matted, and I looked crazed. I quickly looked away and focused on the sink. I turned the faucet on and was relieved to see water flow. Two blue bath towels and a single matching hand towel hung from a bar. I grabbed all three and re-joined Ellis in the kitchen.

  “I found some towels,” I said.

  Ellis held up a pile of towels of his own. I joined him at the sink and we wet them all, wringing them out afterward. I wanted the blood, brains, piss, and crap out of the house – not to make a body fluid soup from overly wet towels.

  We both sat on our shins and tackled the horrific task of wiping up the disgusting mess of bodily fluids and tissue. The best we could do for cleaner was a can of Comet sink cleaner. It had bleach speckles in it, but the chemical smell did little to mask the feces.

  “When we’re done, I’m burning these clothes,” I grumbled. “I have old woman shit on my knees and blood all over my shirt.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he squeaked out. His voice was still recovering from his struggle with the old woman.

  “Where do you think the water comes from? I mean out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “I’d guess either a well or catchment system. We’ll look around later.”

  “What’s a catchment system?”

  “Kind of just like it sounds. A system set up to catch rain water.”

  “Ah. I admit I’ve never heard of it.”

  We continued to mop up the mess. The smell was growing unbearable.

  “I think we should open a window,” said Ellis.

  “Think it’s safe?”

  “Yeah. Well, if we stay quiet and make sure it’s on the other side so no one can reach it. We’re at least thirty feet up.”

  “Okay.”

  He stood up and walked away to find a window to open. I continued to scrub the floor, each swipe ending in the same location, where a mound of muck was piling up. I knew Ellis had opened a window when fresh air rushed in. The cold felt good, and the air was so welcome.

  “Let’s get the pile out of here, then go over it a couple more times. At least there’s no carpet,” he said.

  I could hear the disgust in his voice. He picked up the pile of gross towels, and I looked carefully out the small window in the front door to make sure nothing was lurking. I opened it and Ellis stepped out and tossed the mess over the landing edge. I stood at the opening and breathed deeply. While outside it stunk of death and something sickly sweet, the inside was still far worse.

  Chapter Ten

  We spent hours scrubbing the floors and looking for ways to neutralize the odor. I found incense in the other room, which was a combination bedroom and laundry. The incense was labeled Tiger’s Blood and smelled like burnt flowers. Still, it was far better than the stink left behind by the witch and her gruesome companions. As the day grew tired and the light faded, we left the window open since it was so far up from the ground and double checked the lock on the front door. The bathroom and bedroom, each on opposite ends of the cylindrical home, were both somewhat light tight as their single windows were placed in the ceiling panels; we’d have to worry less about lit candles or flashlights being seen from the outside. A kitchen cabinet had provided us with candles and we still had hand-held flashlights from our bug-out bags. We didn’t find any spare batteries, so decided to use the flashlight as little as possible. We both agreed to not use any lights in the main cabin after dark. As an added level of safety, we took it a step further and agreed to only light the candles in the two end rooms once we were inside and the doors closed behind us.

  I excused myself to the bathroom, where I lit a tealight candle and stripped out of my clothes. The water that flowed from the shower was pleasantly warm, despite there being no electricity. I wondered briefly, through my fatigue, how that worked. Not knowing what exactly the source of the water supply was, or how much there was, I wet my body and turned the faucet off while I used body wash and shampoo. Both were labeled ‘for men’ and smelled masculine. I rinsed off, repeated, and stepped out. A single towel remained after our clean-up, so I dried myself off the best I could and hung it up for Ellis to use after his shower. I blew the candle out, opened the door, and stepped out naked into the darkness of the main room.

  “My turn?” came Ellis’ voice from the dark.

  “Yeah. I left the towel on the bar. I hope it’s not too damp.”

  “Thanks.”

  We made it a point to memorize where most of the trip hazards were before we lost daylight, so I felt my way across the cabin and to the door of the bedroom. Before I opened it, I turned back and spoke into the dark.

  “I’m heading in. I’ll light the candle and look for some clean clothes. I’ll set some out for you and blow out the candle, so you can come in when you’re done. I promise I won’t peek…”

  He chuckled. “That’s the least of my concerns.”

  “See ya later,” I said as I yawned.

  “In a while,” he replied, sounding as sleepy as I felt.

  Still in the dark, I felt for the bedroom doorknob. I gra
tefully stepped inside and closed the door behind me, sealing out much of the lingering stench from the main room. Feeling with my arms outstretched, I found the small side table that I knew was to my left. In short order, I sparked the lighter to life and lit the candle; soon the room was bathed in the soft glow of the flame. The room was cold, so I hurried over to a built-in bank of drawers in search of clothes. The first held an assortment of papers and odds-n-ends. Under one stack of nudie magazines, the telltale outline of the butt of a handgun stuck out. I retrieved it and checked the chamber, making sure there wasn’t a round loaded. Seeing none, I set the weapon on the bed and focused my attention back to the bank of drawers. I quickly sorted through random articles of clothing and pulled out several pieces that looked warm. It was clear that a man lived there by the lack of women’s clothing. I pulled a cream-colored Henley over my head and followed that with a pair of dark blue long johns. Still cold, I also donned a pair of thick white socks.

  I made quick work setting out sweat pants and a t-shirt for Ellis. I placed the handgun back in the drawer with the intention of searching for a clip and ammunition once the sun came up. I walked to the small table, blew the candle out and carefully made my way back to the bed. Climbing onto the bed and slipping under the covers was a welcome change from the insanity of our travels thus far; it felt almost normal. I closed my eyes and curled up under the covers, trying to get warm.

  On the edge of sleep, light tapping on the door brought my eyes wide open.

  “Poppy?” Ellis’ voice was nearly inaudible.

  “Yeah you can come in,” I called back.

  “Thanks,” he whispered.

  “I left some clothes on the bed for you,” I said softly after I heard the door click shut.

  “Good. It’s cold in here.”

  I heard the telltale sound of the lighter sparking as I sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from Ellis. I quickly laid down and covered up, watching the candlelight and shadows from Ellis dressing dance on the far wall.

  “I found a pistol,” I said quietly.

  “Really? Where?”

  “It’s in the top left dresser drawer. I put it back figuring we can look for ammo in the morning. It’s just so dark in here, even with the candle.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, followed by a yawn. “I can sleep in the other room on the couch, listen for anything threatening.”

  “It stinks too bad in there. And it’s too cold to sleep alone.”

  Sharing a bed seemed only logical under the circumstances, and I doubted either of us were interested in anything but surviving. The smell of candle smoke quickly followed the darkening of the room and the bed creaked quietly as he lay down beside me.

  “What should we do next?” I asked.

  “Sleep.”

  I rolled my eyes in the dark. “I mean tomorrow.”

  He chuckled softly. “I know what you meant. I think we should stay here until your ankle’s healed. Just lay low, keep acting like we’re not here if you know what I mean.”

  “What if the owner comes back?”

  “We’ll deal with that if it happens. Whoever it was left it unlocked and left the pistol you said you found, so my guess is they meant to come back but haven’t…” his thought trailed off.

  “Think they’re dead?”

  The sound of his breathing slowed, and I knew he was falling asleep. I rolled over to face him, drew my knees up, and closed my eyes.

  “Sleep tight,” he whispered.

  One of his hands reached out and wrapped around mine. I scooted closer to him and nestled into his warmth.

  “Sweet dreams,” I whispered back.

  His other arm wrapped around me and we fell asleep.

  ***

  Dreams came rapidly, and they quickly turned to nightmares. Blood and brains spilled on the ground, shards of charred bone, faces covered in blood. Horrible, evil things. Screams filtered through scenes of death and mayhem and panic set in when someone began holding me down.

  “Poppy,” a man whispered.

  My eyes opened wide. It was dark, and I could see nothing. I struggled, but only briefly, confused but knowing whoever it was meant no harm.

  “Shh. Poppy, it’s Ellis. You have to be quiet.”

  I drew a few deep breaths, still shaken by the nightmares.

  “Ellis,” I echoed in a whisper.

  “Yeah. It’s just me. You must have been having a bad nightmare.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “It’s not just that. I heard someone outside screaming.”

  A chill ran through my spine when another scream sounded.

  “Joey!” It was a woman’s voice and she was clearly terrified. “Joey, run!”

  “I can’t, Em! I can’t breathe!”

  My stomach dropped. Whoever answered her was just a child.

  Without meaning to, I began hyperventilating.

  “Shhh,” Ellis soothed again.

  “We have to help them.”

  “We can’t go out there. I’m sorry Poppy, but we can’t.”

  “Joey! Joey! Oh God run!” the woman’s voice was desperate and cut short by the ear-piercing sound of someone in great pain. “Get off him!” the woman screamed, her voice both feral and terrified. Her pained shrieks were muted by the intense screaming of the child as he was clearly being attacked. The boy’s screams continued for what felt like an eternity. As the cries of agony finally subsided, the woman’s weeping took its place. I could only assume the child was dead. Her sobbing turned to screams of anger and was answered by feral groaning and the same clicking we’d heard the day before.

  I put my face against Ellis’ chest and let him hold me tight. “There’s nothing we can do,” he whispered near my ear. “I’m so sorry.”

  I nodded against him.

  “There’s a lot of them out there. I can hear them running after her,” he said. “If we go out, we’ll die.”

  I nodded again.

  “Try to sleep.”

  I moved my head back a few inches. “I don’t think I can.”

  “Try.”

  “Do you think this is everywhere?” I asked. “Do you think there’s anywhere safe?”

  “I wish I knew, but we have to hope there is.”

  “Don’t let me die like that,” I begged, panic setting in.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It sounded like they tore that kid apart. Don’t let that happen to me. Please…”

  Unable to hold myself together any longer, I began sobbing against him. My whole body shook uncontrollably.

  “It’s okay,” he soothed.

  “Not, it’s not,” I moaned against his chest.

  “I know, but we have to go on. Try to take some deep breaths; we have to keep quiet.”

  I did as he suggested and drew a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I repeated this until I felt more in control of myself. Time was lost in the darkness of the room. The only sound was our breathing; I continued to shiver until I finally fell into a fitful sleep.

  ***

  When I woke, I was startled to see daylight coming through the open bedroom door. Even more alarming, I was alone in the bed. Not wanting to make noise calling out his name, I threw the covers off and swung my legs off the side of the bed. Slightly dizzy, I sat for a few moments before standing. The room was cold, making me glad I had worn socks to bed. I quietly made my way into the main living space of the unusual home. I sighed in relief when I saw Ellis sitting at the small kitchen table. In front of him, I recognized the pistol from the dresser drawer. He looked up and winked at me. I forced a smile in reply and continued across the room.

  “Mind if I sit down?” I whispered.

  He gestured with one hand to the empty seat. I promptly sat and drew my feet up into the seat with me.

  “How’s it look?” I asked as I glanced down at the gun.

  “Good. I found two clips and a couple boxes of ammo. I think we should keep it on hand while we’re
here and put our others in the bag in case we need to leave in a hurry. Are you hungry?”

  I nodded. He set a full clip on the table beside the gun and stood. I watched as he went to one of the cabinets in the small kitchen and retrieved a can of green beans and a small jar of Ragu. Two bowls and a couple of forks later, he popped the top on the beans, drained the water into the sink, and split them evenly. Next, he poured Ragu on top and brought the bowls to the table.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks. I used to eat it when I was watching carbs,” he said.

  “I’d eat just about anything right now,” I admitted. “Even cold green-bean-spaghetti.”

  I stabbed a few of the sauce covered beans with my fork and gladly ate them.

  “It smells better in here this morning,” I said as I chewed.

  “Yeah the windows being open all night helped.”

  “Thanks for breakfast.” I paused. “And for last night. Sorry I was such a baby, crying like that.”

  “You’re welcome…and don’t sweat it.”

  I continued to eat, wishing the food were at least warm.

  “I think we should spend the day inside, assess what supplies are here, and prepare in case we need to move fast.”

  “Okay.”

  “So, Poppy, tell me about you,” he said.

  I looked up, finished chewing, and swallowed. “What do you want to know?”

  He shrugged. “Anything.”

  I took another bite, chewing while I thought. “When I was sixteen I almost died.”

  “What happened?” he asked, looking surprised by my answer.

  “I fell off a cliff.”

  “Nuh-uh.”

  “Yeah. I was out hiking with my dad. We used to hike for miles and miles, just me and him. We got to a ridge we’d hiked to a hundred times and it started to rain. It was stupid, really. I wasn’t paying attention and the ground just gave out. I fell about thirty feet down a really steep rock face and landed on a ledge.”

  “Did you get hurt?”

  I took another bite before continuing. “I broke my arm and had a pretty bad concussion. They said I was lucky it wasn’t worse.”