“Damn it, more zombies,” Mateo muttered. He turned to Ehsan and Fatima “Feel free to check out the garden. I’m gonna go see how big this group is.” He walked through the garden in the direction of the clucking and groaning.
Looking around the garden, a sense of joy washed over Ehsan with such force that his stomach began to feel as warm and light as the spring sky. He hadn’t at all considered the possibility it’d look this colorful and lively. Flowers and bushes bearing fruit spilled out from the planters dotting the landscape. The flowers were mostly purple, white, and red in color, though blues and yellows could also be spotted. Hummingbirds, dragonflies, butterflies, and other small animals darted about in a symphony of movement to compliment the mosaic of colors. A few large trees gave shade to most of the area, and in one area in particular the largest tree in the garden covered what looked to be an outdoor area for classes. Red wooden benches and brightly painted tree stumps of various pastel colors stood underneath the tree. A mural of children and animals decorated a piece of plywood propped up against one of the trees near the chicken coop. It was, by far, the most vibrant, living thing Ehsan had seen since the outbreak. Nothing at their Costco came close.
“I didn’t think we’d see a garden like this until after everything settled,” Ehsan remarked, his voice soft and light. The flowers and bushes and trees mesmerized him. He took a moment to walk around and read the small plaques describing everything inside the planters, caressing the occasional flower as he walked by.
“Neither did I,” Fatima agreed, gently touching some of the red and purple flowers in the planter in front her. “This is beautiful. I had no idea anything like this still existed.”
The two of them continued to walk through the garden. Ehsan thought of their mom. She used to keep small flower gardens outside of whatever apartment they lived in at the moment. Ehsan only ever remembered their mom looking peaceful in two types of situations: whenever he or his sister accomplished something, and whenever she tended to her garden. The rest of the time her look was one of tense body language and glazed over eyes that avoided eye contact.
A hummingbird started darting between the flowers, snapping Ehsan out of his thoughts. He realized he hadn’t seen any birds beyond crows and seagulls since the outbreak. He studied the hummingbird for as long as it fluttered next to him. The red, blue, and green of the hummingbird clashed brilliantly with the gorgeous variety of colors in the garden
He knew without a doubt that he and Fatima had made the right choice.
“Sorry I ran off,” Mateo called from across the garden, jarring Ehsan from his thoughts. Mateo ran back to meet Ehsan and Fatima. “It looks like there are only five zombies right now. I’m gonna go take ‘em out real quick. I just gotta grab my fire ax.” He started to run in the direction of the school’s entrance.
“Would you like any help?” Fatima asked.
Mateo stopped and turned back around. “You sure? I know you must be tired.”
“We had good night’s rest, actually,” Ehsan informed him. “We slept in one of the houses a few blocks away. It also had a few cans of food. Honestly, we’re in the best shape we’ve been in since our Costco fell.”
“Well, in that case, I’d love the help. Five zombies isn’t too much, but it never hurts to have someone watching your back, either.”
“You know what? Ehsan and I will clear them, you don’t have to worry,” Fatima offered.
Mateo furrowed his brow. “You sure? I don’t want anyone to accidentally get bit.”
“How about this: you can come over with us, just in case anything happens,” Ehsan suggested.
Mateo nodded. “Okay, that sounds good. I’ll be the distraction while you finish ‘em off.”
The three of them left the garden and walked further toward the back of the school. Only a flimsy wooden fence protected the school there since the outbreak, but it’d been thoroughly barricaded with classroom furniture since. Mateo showed them an area where the barricade had been made easy to climb. They climbed over one at a time, making as little noise as possible upon landing. Afterward they looked over and saw that they hadn’t been spotted by the zombies. They crossed the street before confronting them to make sure the zombies wouldn’t see them in their peripheral sight. Ehsan led the way, his adrenaline causing his hands to sweat, nervous but excited to prove to Mateo that he and Fatima belonged.
Once they arrived behind the zombies they crossed the street without a sound. The clucking from the chicken coop kept the zombies’ attention. When Ehsan stood within range of the closest one he swung his shovel as hard as he could. The shovel’s head sliced into the zombie’s neck. It went down. The others began to turn around. Ehsan had time to strike the neck of another zombie before it could turn completely. This one had a thick neck, however, and the strike didn’t take it out completely. The shovel only made it about a quarter of the way through.
“Shit,” Ehsan muttered. Fatima stepped forward and finished the job, thrusting her knife deep into its neck. Ehsan pulled his shovel out and the two of them took a step back just before the next closest zombie could grab either of them.
Mateo sprang into action. He kicked it square in the chest the way police officers in movies kick down doors for a drug bust. The zombie flew backward into one of the other ones behind it, causing both to tumble to the ground. He walked toward the remaining zombie with his hands outstretched. The zombie had its arms raised as well, ready to grab Mateo. Mateo quickly put his hands on top of the zombie’s wrists and pushed down as he stepped forward. He elbowed it in the temple, pivoting his body weight into the elbow strike to add extra power. The zombie crumpled to the ground and Mateo stomped on its neck.
The two zombies Mateo had kicked earlier regained their senses and crawled slowly toward him. Ehsan walked over with his shovel and struck the neck of the nearest one. Fatima jumped on the back of the other and stuck her knife through the back of its skull.
Ehsan turned to Mateo and saw the zombie whose neck Mateo had stomped no longer move.
Mateo noticed Ehsan looking at him. “Nice work,” Mateo commented as he looked at the fallen zombies in front of Ehsan and Fatima. Ehsan gave a thumbs up.
“You were not kidding about being an MMA fighter,” Fatima remarked.
“Nope.” Mateo grinned. “Though I probably didn’t need to elbow that last one in the face. It’s usually better to keep your distance. I was just trying to look cool.”
“Well, mission accomplished,” Fatima said with a smile.
“Thanks.” Mateo turned slightly red. “You two handled yourselves pretty well, too. Either of you are good enough to work security as far as I’m concerned.”
“I think I would like to work backup security, like Cecilia,” Fatima decided.
“That’d be great,” Mateo replied. “Though we definitely gotta get you a better weapon. You’re good with that knife, but it’s a lot safer to have something with more range. The only person good enough to get that close with those things on the regular is Cecilia.”
“I would like that,” Fatima admitted. “I only started using this knife because it was the most useful thing I could find. I have gotten fairly good with it, but I still hate having to get so close to use it.”
Mateo nodded. “We’ll get you a new weapon soon. Anyway, you two can go back over the fence. I’m going to give ‘em a quick burial.”
“You bury the zombies you kill?” Fatima asked.
“Yep. Mostly ‘cause I don’t want corpses to pile up so close to the garden,” he explained. He looked back at the zombies they had just disposed of. “But, also, I kinda just wanna. They were people once, so I figure they deserve a final resting place, y’know? It’s not like they did anything to deserve this.”
Ehsan nodded. “I’ll help,” he offered.
“I’d like to help as well,” Fatima added. Mateo smiled and nodded.
Mateo dragged the zombie closest to him by the feet across the street to a large dirt patch cov
ered in dead grass. Small stones stuck firmly into the ground around patches of dirt that’d clearly been dug up recently. Ehsan guessed these were the graves of other zombies. He used his shovel to dig small, shallow graves with Mateo while Fatima grabbed stones. When they finished Mateo put the bodies into the graves. Ehsan and Mateo buried them while Fatima stuck the rocks that would act as their tombstones into the earth.
“Rest in peace,” Mateo said serenely after they had finished. The three of them stood silently. Ehsan looked at the graves, lost in his thoughts. He knew it could’ve just as easily been him in one of them. He and Fatima had been in so many close calls, some of which they escaped from using their own wits and abilities, but others which they escaped thanks to nothing but pure, dumb luck. Would he or Fatima ever end up in graves like these?
“So do the kids still play out here?” Ehsan asked Mateo after they climbed back over the fence, trying to distract his mind from thoughts of his own mortality.
“Yep, every once in a while. On the blacktop they’ll play handball, basketball, four square, stuff like that. On the field they play soccer.” He grinned. “And it’s not just the kids, either. A bunch of us play with ‘em, too.”
As they walked across the field, Ehsan noticed an athletic-looking white woman in her late twenties with a pixie haircut emerge from one of the classrooms and turn in their direction. She wore faded jean shorts and a pink and white stripped tank top. Mateo waved and she waved back. She started walking toward them.
“Is that Sarah?” Fatima asked. “She is cute.”
“Yep,” Mateo agreed, blushing slightly. “I’ll introduce you two to her.”
“Hey there!” Sarah said as she came within earshot. “I’m Sarah, it’s nice to meet you,” she added with a confident smile.
“Fatima.”
“And I’m Ehsan.”
“A pleasure.” Sarah shook both of their hands. “You two joining the group?”
Ehsan nodded. “We were thinking the Bahamas might be nice, but they’re just so damn expensive this time of year. This seemed like a good compromise.”
Sarah laughed. “Oh no, it looks like we have another Mateo,” she joked, giving Mateo a playful jab on the shoulder. Mateo laughed, too.
“So what were you up to?” Mateo asked Sarah.
“I was just on my way to the garden,” Sarah answered. “It’s my favorite place to go when I’ve got free time. Have you seen it yet?”
“Yes. It is quite beautiful,” Fatima said, brushing her hair back with her hand. “We just helped Mateo take out some zombies by the chicken coop.”
Sarah laughed. “Already putting them to work, Mateo?”
Mateo rubbed the back of his head. “Well, they offered. And they handled themselves pretty well.”
“I’m just messing with you,” she said as she playfully nudged him. “I’m glad to hear they did okay.”
“So, do you think you want some company in the garden in a little bit?” Mateo asked.
Sarah smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”
“I’ll join you after I show ‘em to their rooms.”
“Cool,” Sarah replied. She turned back to Ehsan and Fatima. “It was nice meeting both of you.”
“Likewise,” Fatima responded. With that, the three of them continued towards the classrooms behind the library while Sarah walked toward the garden.
When Sarah was out of earshot, Ehsan nudged Mateo. “So, how long have you two been dating?” Ehsan asked. Fatima glared at him.
“Oh, we’re not, uhh, dating,” Mateo stammered. “Does it look like we are?”
“Yeah, it definitely does,” Ehsan commented. “I mean-”
Fatima cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she began, clearly trying to change the subject. “That garden was lovely. I cannot remember the last time I saw anything so beautiful.”
“Yep,” Mateo agreed, clearly happy about the subject change. “Deon, Manuel, and I take care of the fruit trees and bushes there, just like we do in the front field. But Deon and Julie take care of the flowers.”
“Just like our mom used to,” Fatima recalled. “Maybe I will ask about helping with that, too.”
They reached the hallway of classrooms, which ended with a heavily barricaded wall flanked by the backyards of houses. The high fence separating the backyards from the school had been lined with barbed wire. They stopped in front of Room 28.
“Well, here’s one room,” Mateo informed them. “Do you two think you’ll wanna share it, or have separate ones?”
Ehsan and Fatima exchanged glances. “I think we should share a room,” Fatima decided. “We have been sleeping in the same room for a long time now for safety reasons. I would like my own room eventually, but I think it might take us a little while.”
“Aw, you want your own room eventually?” Ehsan asked, pretending to be hurt. “Where will you get all your jokes from?”
“Probably someone actually funny, like Mateo,” she shot back. Ehsan pretended to look upset.
Mateo chuckled. “Well, you two are in good company. Everyone here shares a room with at least one other person except for me, Sarah, and Cecilia.”
The three of them walked into the classroom that would act as Ehsan and Fatima’s bedroom. There were only three desks inside: a large teacher’s desk and two small student desks. Other than the lack of desks, the room looked like a normal elementary school room: maps, motivational posters, and artwork covered the walls, and there was a bookshelf with a variety of children’s books. There was also a small gray couch and some bedding, mostly dark blue in color. On the wall opposite the door to the classroom was another door, which Mateo said led to a common area between all the classrooms in that particular building.
“One person can have the couch, and the other person can have the floor,” Mateo suggested. “We have so many blankets, cushions, and pillows that the floor can be made just as comfortable as the couch.”
“I’ll take the floor,” Ehsan offered as he turned to his sister.
“Okay,” she replied. “We can switch off every week or so.”
“Sounds good,” Ehsan agreed. He turned back to Mateo. “So what do you do for fun around here?”
“We have a lot of things, actually. Aside from the sports I mentioned earlier we have cards, board games, writing, art, books…” He grinned. “We’ve also got booze and other fun stuff we’ve found from nearby houses, too, that we bring out for special occasions.”
“Just get me an Xbox or Playstation and we’ve basically got everything we need,” Ehsan remarked.
“We’re still trying to convince Cecilia to allow us to test a child-powered TV,” Mateo joked. Both Ehsan and Fatima laughed. “Anyway, you two probably wanna rest. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable. We’ll probably have lunch in a little while, and you can meet everyone else.”
“Sounds good,” Ehsan replied.
“By the way,” Mateo added, stopping to look at a school calendar on the wall as he approached the door. “Today’s a Monday, if you’re curious. It’s April 3rd.”
Ehsan blinked in surprise. “I had no idea anyone still kept track of what day it is. I mean, I’ve wondered what day it was before, but even our Costco didn’t have anyone who knew.”
“I figured that might be the case for most places,” Mateo replied. “But me, Cecilia, Julie, Manuel, and the kids have been here since day one, so we’ve been able to.”
Fatima turned to Ehsan. “If it is April 3rd, the we just missed Nowruz.”
“Damn, that’s right. Bummer.”
“What’s that?” Mateo asked.
“Persian New Year,” Fatima answered. “We have always celebrated it, even after we started living on our own.”
“I see. It’s too bad you missed it, but maybe we can celebrate it next year.” He turned in the direction of the garden. “Anyway, I’m out. I’ll let you know when it’s lunch.” Mateo left the room. Fatima gingerly lowered herself onto the couch while Ehsan sprawled
on the ground where the blankets were stacked.
“This place is great,” Ehsan declared.
“Agreed.” Fatima assumed her normal thinking pose. “The whole thing is so well organized. And everyone other than that one douchebag Josue seems really nice.”
“Yeah. Hopefully he doesn’t keep saying stuff like that. Though judging by the look on Deon’s face when we mentioned him, he probably will.” Ehsan sighed. “At least everything else is great, though.” He sat up. “I wanna get as good at fighting zombies as Mateo. Did you see the way he knocked them over without any weapons?”
“Yes, it was impressive,” Fatima agreed. “He is also really nice, too. They should have him greeting all the new people who come in.”
Ehsan grinned. “You think he’s cute, don’t you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Ehsan.” She kicked him lightly with her foot.
Ehsan laughed. “I knew it! Don’t worry, though. Your secret is safe with me… for a price.”
Fatima kicked him again, a little harder than the first time. “I swear, I thought the end of the world would have made you grow up at least a little bit.”
“We could be a hundred years old and I’d never stop bugging you,” Ehsan teased. Fatima gave him a playful push. He looked toward the window by the door. “So, what do you think we should do now? We’ve got most of the day ahead of us, and I’m not really tired.”
“Probably see what we can do to help,” Fatima suggested. “We need to keep making a good impression.”
“Not a bad idea. Should we go ask Deon what we can do to help?”
Fatima nodded. They left the room and walked toward the fertile field at the front of the school. Deon and Manuel still worked, quickly but steadily. Even with the language barrier they managed to work together intuitively. Whenever one of them needed the other to move or get something for them, the other picked up on it right away. As Ehsan and Fatima got close, they both looked up. Manuel waved. Ehsan and Fatima returned the gesture.
The Human Spring Page 4