Sundown Series (Book 1): Prepared

by Courtney Konstantin

  That thought shocked her out of her desperation. No, she couldn’t give up. There was now no one else in Las Vegas that could take care of Billie and Henry. Thanks to Mitch, she was uniquely qualified for the task of keeping her children safe. Alex rubbed hard at her eyes and stood up to put distance between herself and her husband’s body. He was gone.

  Chapter 5

  Their kitchen looked relatively normal, but Alex knew as soon as she turned the corner into the living room, the real horror showed. She set forth with the plan she had to rid the house of the nightmare that showed up. Thinking only of her children, Alex drug Lucy’s dead body back to the living room area rug. Most of her blood was already on the rug, so Alex pushed the furniture out of the way and rolled the body up in it.

  The children were content to stay in her room with their blu ray player running. The situation made Alex wonder how long until the power completely failed. It didn’t take long for the communication network to crash. After the phones went down Alex saw one more news story, but after that it was nothing but static. She assumed the infected had reached the hubs for cable and telephone. Power would be next, Alex knew.

  With that in mind, she took the children their late lunch, avoiding looking at the snarling Blake in the stairwell. She knew she had to take his body down, and she needed to handle the situation. But right now Alex was content in ignoring the task. Her heart couldn’t handle the implication of putting a knife through her husband’s brain. In her room, Billie and Henry had built a fort of blankets and pillows on her bed. Billie kept the scissors within reach, but she believed the immediate danger had passed.

  “Mommy, where are the police?” Henry asked Alex. Alex looked at the kids, and tried to wrap her mind around what she needed to tell them. She decided something closest to the truth would be the only way to go.

  “The police aren’t coming baby. There is an illness going around, and they are very busy dealing with that,” Alex said. This made Billie take notice of the conversation.

  “Like people getting sick?” Billie asked.

  “Yes. People getting sick. And I need you two to listen to me right now. If anything happens, you see a sick person, and I’m not there, you run away as fast as you can. Do you understand? These sick people, they cannot be helped. There is nothing you can do. They will try to hurt you. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Alex said. As she spoke, she took each of their hands and squeezed them. She couldn’t imagine how scary this was for them, but she needed them to have some concept of how bad things were going to get. She would protect them from the horror, but it would only be a short time until they saw an infected themselves.

  The children looked at each other. Henry seemed to be waiting to take his sister’s queue, and Billie seemed to look at Henry as if she didn’t believe what Alex was saying. Together they looked back at Alex, and just nodded their heads. Alex nodded back, reaching out to them and pulling them in for a tight group hug. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat, she couldn’t allow them to see her cry.

  Kissing both of the kids, Alex told them to eat their lunch, but stay in her room still, until she told them they could come out. They agreed and went back to watching their blu ray. As Alex softly closed the door, she took a deep breath and steadied herself to handle Blake, and his body. Her bowie knife was strapped to her thigh, where she put it right after she had to dispatch Lucy. She would not be unarmed for a second during this emergency.

  The stairs seemed so much further than before, and her feet drug as she walked near. Alex pulled out her motorcycle gloves that she had grabbed from her room. Gloves that Blake had given to her as a gift, to keep her hands warm as they rode his Harley together. The memories made Alex want to sit and weep. But she couldn’t stop, not until the sight of Blake was gone from the stairs. Later, much later, she would tell the children that their father was gone. This was not the way they needed to find out.

  She took the stairs slowly, trying to see Blake as he had been before. Flushed with life, smiling at her, the way his blue eyes used to sparkle. She tried to not see the monster that laid in the middle of her stairs. Alex found herself wishing she had answers to some questions, like where was he bit? If it was before he got to Las Vegas, why wouldn’t he have mentioned it to her. He did answer a few questions though, it didn’t take even 24 hours for the infection to kill a living person. Lucy answered another, as she came back less than 30 minutes after Blake had killed her.

  Alex found herself listing the facts she knew in her head, while she stood above Blake’s body. His growling had stopped, maybe his vocal cords couldn’t keep up the constant noise, but the movement of his mouth did not stop. She bent closer to him, and noticed the smell. It reminded her of roadkill that had been left in the sun for a few days, rotten flesh. Another fact to throw on her list.

  “Blake. Are you in there at all?” Alex whispered. As before, there was not one flicker of recognition or understanding. Taking a chance, Alex took off one of her gloves. She needed the answer to one burning question, before finishing the task. With the gloved hand, she pushed Blake’s head to one side, gagging when she heard the broken bones grind. Once his teeth were well away, she held two bare fingers to his throat and waited. Nothing, no warmth, no pulse, nothing but the muscles moving his jaw.

  Taking her bare hand away, she slid her glove back on quickly. Without the control of his broken neck, Blake’s head couldn’t turn back to her, which was a blessing for Alex. She couldn’t look into his face as she did what she needed to do. She didn’t know how to even pull the knife. Even knowing Blake was gone, she didn’t know how to kill him for good.

  “I wish you could hear me. Maybe you can, but from somewhere else. You used to believe that,” she whispered to the infected body.

  “How could the world be so cruel, that I have to be the one to do this? If the children weren’t here, I would leave you like this, just to know it wasn’t my knife going into your brain,” she continued. Finally, tears began to flow down her cheeks. The tears that she had been holding in all morning came out in silent choking sobs.

  Ten years she and Blake had been together. It was not a lifetime, but it was the end of his life. Now there would be no more quirky jokes or horrible puns that no one understood but him. There would be no more hugs, kisses and late nights of talking about their dreams. There would be no more fights, and no more rounds of wonderful making up.

  “I don’t know if I can do this without you babe. I mean I know I have to, for our babies, but I feel like I’m dying right along with you,” Alex whispered. She held onto the best memories she had of them together. Meeting in college. Their first date that was a complete disaster. The first time they made love. The day she walked down the aisle to marry him. The births of their babies, Blake standing right next to her, holding her leg and kissing her head and she pushed and cursed him out.

  As she recounted all the memories she could, she slipped her bowie knife free. Taking the handle tightly in her gloved hand, she steeled herself for the sickening feeling of the blade piercing skin and hitting bone. She poised the blade over Blake’s temple, closing her eyes before plunging the blade down. Twisting the blade and then pulling it back, Alex sat still for a long time.

  “I will love you for the rest of my life. I will protect Billie and Henry, as only I know how. Be at peace my love,” Alex whispered. She sheathed the bowie back at her thigh, and stood. She realized she had been in that position for quite a while, as her legs were stiff. She needed to get to work. Forcing her tears to dry, and to get a grip on her emotions once again, she pulled Blake’s corpse by his arm and took him to the rolled up rug in the living room.

  Until the emergency services were back working, if they ever got back to working, Alex figured the best place for the bodies was her backyard. Granted her neighbors would be able to see, but if they didn’t know what was going on yet, they might as well find out now. She pulled Blake to the backdoor. Standing at the door, she looked o
ut first, making sure nothing had made its way over their fence. Seeing nothing amiss, she unlocked the door, and quickly pulled Blake’s body outside. She positioned him to the side of the house, in case the kids happen to look out the door or windows, they wouldn’t accidently see their father’s dead body.

  Next was Lucy and the rug. Getting a good hold on the large oriental, she yanked to the back door, and stepped through just as she heard gunshots not far away. She froze for a moment, thinking she needed to get her 9 mm back on her as well. Listening, she heard a yell and crashing, then silence. Moving faster, Alex got Lucy and the rug positioned over Blake’s body, effectively covering both bodies from view, which was the best option. Alex stood for a moment, saying one last goodbye to her friend, and her husband. With no tears left, she turned and went back to the door, just as she heard more shots.

  Locking up the door, Alex went to each window and made sure it was locked and the blinds were pulled. She wasn’t sure what caused the infected to notice the living. With Blake it was sound. With Lucy, she couldn’t be sure since she ran directly into her. So Alex felt safe assuming sight, sound and smell. Right at that moment she wanted to keep them protected in their home until she was able to make a move.

  Sundown, the code her father had created for them, was a plan that involved movement, until they reached the compound in Montana. Since her father’s death, Rafe had strangely lived there and continued to keep the place in working order. When Alex called Max and used the code word that was a signal that they needed to do whatever necessary to get themselves and their families to the compound. At which time the plan was to bunker down until the worst of the threat passed. Alex knew staying in her home was not going to last long, but until they were out, it needed to be secure.

  Entering the garage, Alex walked to the outside garage door, and locked the mechanism that allowed the door to be slid upward. And in case any humans thought they were smarter than a lock, she shoved the handle of a shovel through the track, so there was no way the door was raising easily. Going back to what Blake had deemed her survival wall, Alex started opening cabinets. Finding the three solar powered battery packs she had, she hauled them out. She also rolled out the solar powered generator she had.

  Looking at the generator, she felt an ironic smile on her face. Blake had not understood her need to be prepared. He had very little contact with Mitch, so it was hard for Alex to make him understand how she was raised, and the fears she always had in the back of her mind. The events that had been put into motion, was proving her need to prep, most likely the thing that saved their lives.

  A year before, Alex had splurged and spent $2,000 on the generator. They lived in constant sunshine, and she knew if the power infrastructure went, they would still need power. She was thinking of cooking, and maintenance on vehicles, not to mention keeping their young children occupied during a crisis. Alex hadn’t called Blake to ask if she could buy it, she knew he would say no, so she decided it was better to ask forgiveness later.

  Forgiveness was something Blake easily gave, after he had his chance to run hot and be very angry. And he had been, when Alex had rolled the generator into the garage. His blue eyes went round and he turned on Alex, demanding how much of their money she had wasted on the stupid piece of garbage. Alex took his anger in stride, and told him all the reasons she knew it would be necessary in a crisis. A crisis that she didn’t know when, but knew would happen eventually.

  Blake had stormed into the house, slamming the door on his way. Alex cringed, knowing it would be a fight for some time, but she knew in the end he would move beyond it. She had stored the generator and followed Blake, finding him in their room pacing, as he tried to get his anger under control. Alex had come in and closed the door, to keep their argument private. With the kids home, they always argued in whispers.

  “How much was it Alex?” Blake had asked.

  “Well it was on sale. I got it 20% off,” Alex said. Blake stopped pacing and looked at her, glaring at her evasive reply.

  “Ok, after discount it was $2,000,” Alex said. She quickly wrapped her arms around Blake to stop his pacing and hugged him tight.

  “Look babe, you already know I’ve got crazy in my blood. Some things I just have to do. And being prepared is one of those things. You love me anyway,” Alex said. For a few long moments Blake didn’t say anything. His arms hung at his sides and stood still.

  “Crazy is only one word for the nutty town you got going on in your head Alex,” Blake said.

  “Yup. You already knew that,” Alex replied.

  Eventually Blake’s arms went around her and he hugged her close. They resolved their disagreement with some kisses, laughter and later that night lovemaking. Just how they always made sure to reconnect after they felt far apart. Blake didn’t particularly care for her spending on the prepping, but he allowed her that exception in their marriage, and for the most part didn’t question her on much.

  Giving herself a moment to mourn, Alex already missed Blake so much. She wished she knew how he would react, knowing she was right all along. Alex would have made him grovel, asking her forgiveness for making it hard on her to prepare as she felt was necessary. Then she would have made him her sex slave for a day to two to repay her. She could imagine insisting he play all their favorite games in the bedroom before forgiving his transgressions.

  For now, she needed to put aside her broken heart, and get ready to initiate Sundown. That would involve getting everything loaded into a vehicle, and scavenging for fuel and any other supplies she didn’t already have on hand. She pulled the generator into the house and plugged it into a downstairs outlet. Hoping for about 16 more hours of power to get the generator fully charged, she let it sit. She took the solar powered battery packs upstairs to Henry’s room, the room that got the most sun. While staying out of eyeshot of anyone looking around, she set up the solar panels to absorb the rest of the sun in the day.

  She checked on the kids once again, making sure they were all right. She left the bedroom door open this time, letting them know they could wander the house again. But she expressed they stay away from all doors and windows, no matter what. As she started to walk away, she had another thought and turned back to the kids, asking them to do everything they could to play as quietly as possible. They both agreed solemnly. Alex hadn’t given them the big picture yet, but they could tell she was very serious about what was happening.

  Alex went back out to the garage and set up the ladder right by her garage. She wanted to see more of the street, but wasn’t ready to get out there and defend herself against her neighbors yet. She climbed the ladder and peered carefully through the window. At first she didn’t see much, though she noticed her neighbor across the road, the blood she noticed earlier was still smeared across the front window. The front door stood wide open, but the shadows of the house hid any evidence of what had happened.

  Stepping back down, Alex went about the task of getting things prepared to leave the next day hopefully. She got each of their bug out bags, including Blake’s, and put them in the living room, near the front door. She would need everything in one area so she could load quickly. As she was moving cases of water from the office to the living room, Henry stopped her.

  “Mommy, I’m hungry,” he whispered. Alex smiled at him and nodded. She decided she needed to cook whatever could be cooked and taken tomorrow. She did not want to leave much behind. She decided a huge heap of eggs was a good start for dinner, and she found some sausage and started frying that up.

  As the food was cooking, she started pulling all the dried and cans goods they had in the kitchen. She grabbed all of the kids’ snacks, packing box after box of useful items. As she set the third box in the living room, she heard knocking. Alex froze in the living room, listening intently to figure out where the noise was coming from. Billie and Henry both popped out of the office and looked at their mother, as they heard the knocking as well. It was metallic, leading Alex to the door that lead to the
garage, her ear pressed against the wood.

  Alex quickly turned to her children and told Billie to take Henry back to her room again. And she would come get them when the coast was clear. Thankfully Billie listened and obeyed without question. Quietly Alex crept back out into the garage, and moved the ladder back to the garage door. She slowly climbed the steps and peered through the glass. She couldn’t see anything at first. However, the banging continued below her. Alex stepped up another step and looked directly down.

  Standing at the garage door, running into it repeatedly, was her neighbor Gary. His robe was hanging off his arms, and Alex could see where he was stained in blood. She could clearly see the black bite on his shoulder and she wondered how much of the blood on Gary was from someone he killed. She felt sad for old Gary, who she really did not know, besides seeing him daily watering his grass in his robe. Alex started to move away from the door, but her balance was thrown for a moment, and the ladder hit the garage door with a loud clang. Alex winced, and looked back out the window. Gary’s soulless black eyes were staring back up at her.

  Chapter 6

  Another human life, Alex tried to wrap her mind around seeing a third person she knew as an infected. Gary’s eyes didn’t leave the window where Alex had peered through, and she ducked back into the shadows hoping to hide. Then started the moaning and growling. Alex cringed behind the door, perched on the top of the ladder. The banging on the door became more urgent, as Gary’s dead body realized a meal was behind the metal.

  The noise vibrated through Alex’s body as she tried to think and make a plan. She was not one to act without a previously made out plan. Her normal habit of being steps ahead in every situation wasn’t going to work during this plague, and she was going to have to figure out how to adapt. Alex knew she would have to get rid of Gary, the noise he was making would attract too much attention, the dead kind of attention.