Alistair spent the next half hour systematically surveying the area from the walls of the compound to the first of the fences. The smell of coffee met his nostrils, and he turned to smile at his wife.
“You’re up early, thanks,” he said while taking the cup from her.
“You’re one to talk. What’s up?” Rebecca asked, taking a seat next to him. She began to check motion sensors, noting one was flashing.
“Not sure,” he said, shrugging, “just a weird feeling.” “Did you see a sensor was tripped?” she asked.
“Yeah, one got in. Can’t seem to figure out how, though.”
“So how’s our new friend liking the accommodations?”
Alistair laughed. “Just wandering around.” He switched a monitor over to the camera that showed the lost zombie as it fell over a log. Alistair sipped his coffee, watching the ghoul struggle to its feet. “Wonder what he did before?” Alistair wondered aloud.
Rebecca poked him in the shoulder and pointed to the monitor that featured the gate to the driveway off the main road. “We might have some trouble.”
“ What do you want?” Alistair asked the car that was sitting very close to the gate. “Damn it,” he grumbled, expecting the car to ram through the wire fence. The gate was held closed with a thick chain and combination lock. He was going for intimidating without being too obvious. He didn’t want nosey people investigating. His fist clenched as he prepared to watch his first line of defense fall.
Instead, the driver ’s-side door opened, and a young woman ran out to the lock. She turned back, running to the passenger window. She poked her head in. She was out a half jump back to the fence and then returned to the window. Alistair squinted at the small black-and-white picture. The zombies were also watching the progress. They were moving toward the car.
“Are they trying to figure out the combination?” Rebecca asked over his shoulder.
“ Looks like they did!” Alistair found himself on his feet. His voice was an octave higher in surprise. Rebecca had a hold of his arm as he stood up straight. He never took his eye off the screen. The girl ran back to the car and pulled through the gate. “What the hell?” Alistair shouted. Stunned, he looked at his wife, who stared back in shock. The intruder had jumped back out of the car, closed the gate, and appeared to relock it.
“Just in time, too,” Rebecca commented as three zombies shuffled up fast to the closed gate. The girl backed away and appeared to…“Did she just give them the finger?” Rebecca laughed.
“Is that one of your family? Your niece?” Alistair asked.
Rebecca studied the monitor as the car sped to the next gate. The girl jumped out again. “No, the hair is too dark. She has the key, though.” The second gate swung open, and the car was through. Again the gate was closed and relocked. “I don’t recognize her. I like her, though. Are you sure that isn’t Tammy?”
“ No, that isn’t her. Too tall. She might be the one telling the driver the combos,” Alistair commented. “It has to be someone who knows about us. Or someone told them about us. Did you check on your sister today?”
“ Yeah, Krissy was running all over, chasing the cat. Oh shit.” Rebecca was looking at another monitor. Alistair threw her a questioning look. “Well, whoever they are, they have a problem. The next gate is another combination lock, and our new friend seems to know they are here.” Rebecca pointed to the zombie that was in the fence line. He had become very attentive and then started to move with purpose toward the driveway and the gate.
“ They better hurry,” Alistair urged as the car skidded to a halt, and the girl was out again. She turned to the car and gestured frantically. She worked the lock and then yelled back to the car. A head leaned out the window, resting on the frame.
“ Shane!” Alistair yelled. “It’s our nephew.” He was jumping up and down. “Come on, girl, hurry!” The lock was off, and she was driving through. “I can’t see Tam.” He tried to look around Shane through the monitor.
“Leave it, just leave it,” Rebecca whispered as the car stopped. Nikki jumped out to close the gate. She could smell the zombie, hear its moan, but couldn’t see it. She got the gate closed.
Just as she was reattaching the lock —“Look out! Look out!” Shane started yelling out the window. He was trying to point. Nikki looked around frantically. She saw it moving up to her quickly. Dropping the chain, Nikki ran to the passenger side of the car. Her feet slipped in the gravel. She caught herself, holding a sprinter’s stance.
“ Get in, get in!” the couple urged the images on the monitor. Nikki just ran to the front of the car. The zombie was confused as to which way to go. She was running past it. It reached out but missed. She was back to the passenger side, waving her arms.
“ She’s baiting it,” Alistair breathed. The zombie moved to the passenger side, and Nikki ran to the driver’s door and jumped in. The zombie clawed at the window as the car sped off. Alistair fell back into his chair, covering his eyes with his arm. Rebecca rubbed his shoulders.
“ Brave girl,” she told her husband. She was watching the dust rise from the speeding vehicle. They were at the last gate before the main gate at the wall. Again they opened and relocked the gate. “Alistair! Go let them in,” his wife reminded him with a smack to the arm.
Standing up with a start, Alistair leaned in and kissed his wife. He bounded down the stairs from the tower to the ledge around the wall. He quickly made his way along the walkway along the top of the wall behind the thick cover to the front gate. He arrived at the same moment the car skidded to a halt.
Nikki stuck her head out of the window and shouted, “Please let us in! I’m with Shane, and he is hurt.” Her face was tense and sweat-soaked.
The excitement left Alistair, immediately replaced by dread. “Was he bitten?” His hand quickly found the handgun he kept at his side. “He can’t—neither of you can come in if you’re bitten.”
“What? No, he was shot! Please let us in,” Nikki called.
Alistair hesitated. His hand hovered over the button. “Open the damn gate!” she yelled. Alistair pushed the button to open the gate. The car was through and the gate began to reclose. Its heavy steel squealed in the track. Rebecca was running from the house to the car as Alistair made his way to a ladder. He watched the driver fly to the passenger door. Finally he was at the bottom, on the ground, across the courtyard. When he reached the car, both women were helping Shane out.
“Hey, Uncle,” Shane weakly greeted him.
Uncomfortable
“ Hey, Dad, do you smell that?” Kyle glanced over at his father. Ray frowned as he noticed Kyle’s hair was still a mess from sleeping. Ray, who had woken early that day, lowered his book and sniffed at the air.
“OK, that isn’t good,” he noted, rising from his chair. Krissy, still in her pajamas, and Jennifer met them in the hall.
“You smell that, right?” Jennifer asked.
“It’s OK. I’m sure it is coming from outside,” Ray assured his family even as he and Kyle were checking the guns and heading to the door.
“I smell barbecue.” Krissy sniffed deeply. “Are we having steaks? For breakfast?”
“Um…no, that would be,um…” Ray faltered.
“I think it might be coming from some other house,” Kyle lied. “People we haven’t met.”
“What people?” she demanded. “People like us? Not dead?”
Kyle glanced at his father, who shrugged back. Neither knew how to explain. Jennifer directed her daughter over to the screen. “Let’s see what Uncle Alistair can see, huh, honey?” Ray nodded his thanks. He headed out the door toward the ladder leading up to the catwalk around the wall. The smell was oppressive out here. Smoke lingered in the courtyard.
“Wherever it is, it’s close,” Kyle surmised as he followed his father up the ladder.
“Not so close as it is widespread,” Ray replied, looking out toward the town. The sky was deep red and orange. Smoke billowed across the horizon. “Looks like dow
ntown is burning.”
Kyle looked around at the other houses close by. “Looks like we should be OK. Lots of distance between places here.”
“God, that smell.” Ray covered his nose and face with his hand. “How many of those things you think are burning up?”
“Daddy, Mommy says she can’t get Uncle Alistair on the phone. What things are burning?” Krissy asked. Ray jumped and stuttered. The arrival of his daughter had gone completely unnoticed.
“Dad was just talking about the buildings downtown,” Kyle attempted to cover.
“ Oh, Daddy meant the zombies were burning. It’s gross, but it doesn’t smell so bad.” Krissy shrugged before climbing back down the ladder and skipping across the courtyard, disappearing through the door. Ray and Kyle could do nothing but stare in stunned silence.
“That was disturbing,” Kyle admitted. His father nodded vigorously.
Bunker
Alistair grabbed Shane ’s shoulders, taking over for an exhausted, struggling Nikki, while Rebecca had his feet. Nikki held onto Shane’s hand as he was rushed through the front door. The lights blinded her, as did the shine on the floor and walls. Glancing back, she was shocked at the trail of muddy footprints and blood. Alistair yelled something at her, kicking at a closed door.
“ I’ll be right back,” she told Shane. He did not respond. Quickly she threw open the door behind Alistair. They were in a bedroom. She flipped on the light. The room was clean and comfortable. Against the wall was a large bed, on which Alistair and Rebecca laid Shane. Rebecca asked her husband for several things that Nikki didn’t really hear. Shane was ghostly pale by now. Alistair pushed past her. She heard his feet thunder down the hall. Seconds later he was back, with a medical bag in hand.
Nikki couldn ’t see what was going on, but it didn’t appear Shane was responding to any questions. “I got you here,” Nikki whispered. Rebecca was using a respirator on him. “I got you here, so you damn well better be OK!” she shouted. She tried to push past the couple to get at Shane. This wasn’t funny. He needed to get up and say something to her.
Rebecca gave Alistair a look. He took a violently protesting Nikki by the shoulders and steered her out of the room. She fought him all the way out; he could barely control her flailing. “Shhhh, shhhh,” he tried to reassure her. “My wife is a trained doctor; we’ll do everything we can for him.”
“ He can’t die. You hear me? He can’t—he’s my only friend. I need him to be OK,” Nikki stormed. “He can’t become one of them.” She threw off his grip but did not attempt to reenter the room. “You will save him if you know what’s good for you,” she threatened, even though Alistair stood a good foot and a half taller and was built like a linebacker. “He will not become one!” she mumbled.
Alistair held her by the shoulders again, this time loosely. He looked her straight in the eye. “No matter what…he won’t.”
Nikki returned the stare. Suddenly she was exhausted. Her legs wobbled and shook. Her eyes rolled as she no longer was able to stand. Alistair quickly grabbed her arms as she began to sink. Holding her upright, he noted the hopelessness in her eyes. Tears streamed down her face.
“Rebecca will take care of him; he’ll be fine. Why don’t you get cleaned up? I’ll bring you some clean clothes, and you can get a shower,” he offered, holding her up. She fought to stand on her own.
Nikki stared at him; how could she possibly get a shower when Shane was lying there so close to death? She tried to push him out of the way but found limp noodles where her arms should have been. She was so tired.
Alistair steered her down the hall to another room. It had a large bed and a bathroom. Alistair helped her to a chair by a desk. She could see into the bathroom. It contained a huge shower in a beautifully tiled room. Looking back at the room, she was reminded of a luxury hotel she had seen an ad for. Alistair stepped out for a moment and then returned with a pile of folded clothes.
“ These should fit. Take your time with the shower,” he said, collecting towels and other toiletries. “I just checked with Rebecca. Shane is going to be OK. Rebecca is quite a good doctor. He will likely be sleeping, but you can visit him when you’re done.” The thought of a visit allowed her to breathe again. Letting out something between a laugh and a sob, she nodded at him. “We’ll get you something to eat, and then you can tell me how you got here.” He closed the door, leaving Nikki in a clean, beautiful room. She stood up; halfway to the door, she looked around again.
It was unreal. For days she had been cold, starving, and hunted. Now she was in a beautiful room inside a fortress. She was safe—she hoped—but couldn’t relax. The only person she knew in the whole world was hurt, and she had no idea if he was actually OK or if this Alistair just said that to calm her down. Doubt crept in; she didn’t know these people. She remembered the crazy man at the cabin, and suddenly the urge to run came over her.
Taking a few calming breaths, she reminded herself aloud, “I trust Shane. These are family members of his. I can trust them.” Her arms encircled herself protectively. She started to sit down on the bed but stopped, looking down at her filthy, torn, bloody clothes. It didn’t seem right to sit on the clean, white bedding. She wandered around the room for a few moments before sinking to the floor. She had so far been able to avoid looking in the mirror, not wanting to see just how horrid she looked.
She sat on the floor, looking at the older sculpted carpet with patterns running through the pile. She didn’t know how long she sat there, studying the patterns in the thick rug, but her legs were cramped and falling asleep. She jumped at the knock on the door. Rebecca looked in. “Shane is doing OK. He lost a lot of blood, and the wound looks infected, but I think we got to it in time. He is resting now.” Nikki had backed to the wall when the door opened. “It is OK; you’re safe here.” Rebecca smiled at Nikki.
Nikki held onto her confusion. Who was this woman? It took a moment to sink in. Shane was going to be OK. She was in some kind of a bunker; she was safe. Shane was going to be OK. Nikki slowly returned the smile. “Thank you,” she croaked, not having spoken for a long time.
“ Get cleaned up, and we’ll get you something to eat,” Rebecca urged. She then left Nikki alone again. The weight began to lift, and Nikki noticed how hungry she was and how truly disgusting she felt. Getting up, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her clothes were a camouflage of mud, stains, and filth. Her hair was matted. It contained twigs, mud, and caked blood. Everywhere she looked she saw blood—Shane’s, hers, other things. Her face was obscured by dirt and even more blood. Tenderly she reached up to touch the puckered wound on her forehead. Her hand flew back as she squeaked. A single tear cleared a path down her cheek. For the first time she noticed the smell coming off her.
Nikki let the water run over her head and down her back. It seemed like years since she had a shower. She watched the dirt and blood swirl and then disappear down the drain. She didn’t want to waste water, but Alistair said there was plenty and to take her time, so she did. The warm water, the sound of normalcy, and the isolation all caused her to never want to leave the large, glass-enclosed shower with its waterfall shower head and body jets. This is better than any hotel we ever stayed in,she thought, closing her eyes. Laying her head on her arm, she leaned against the shower wall. This was something she definitely missed. She washed her hair twice and enjoyed the feel of the soap on her skin. Her hunger was the only thing that forced her to leave the warmth of the water.
Wrapped in a fluffy towel, she returned to the room. On the bed, folded neatly, was a T-shirt and sweat pants. “Oh God, is there anything more wonderful than clean clothes?” she moaned as she pulled on the garments. Clean for the first time in days, she took a moment to lie on the bed. The softness enveloped her. “I never appreciated how awesome a bed is,” she mumbled into the fresh pillow. Her stomach grumbled while memories of outside rushed in. Immediately Nikki was on her feet and at the door.
Her hand rested on the knob, shaking. Her min
d kept telling her it was OK, but then a thought would jump in. She would open this door and be back in the woods. Shane would have died and come back. Slowly she turned the knob. Inhaling deeply, she pushed the door slowly. The damp, musty leaves blew across her bare feet. Gaping-mouthed, Shane lunged at her. Her screams filled the room.
Nikki rolled off the bed, hitting the floor hard. Scrambling under the bed, she waited; nothing could be heard except the rapid in and out of her breathing. She had fallen asleep—how had that happened? Easing back out into the room, she stood up slowly. She was painfully aware that she was unarmed. That had to change. She was back at the door. Steeling herself, she swung the door open.
Stepping into the soft light of the hall, Nikki listened for trouble. Her footfalls echoed as she retraced her steps down the hall to the room where they had taken Shane. Digging deep, she readied for the worst. Her hand held firmly on the knob, yet refused to turn it. The silence was broken like a gunshot in her ears. Nikki flew to the far wall, backing away.
“ How long you gonna stand there? It’s OK, you can go in,” Rebecca said, frowning. “Oh sorry, didn’t mean to spook you.” Rebecca took a step forward but held as Nikki retreated. “Saw some shit out there, did you?” Nikki nodded. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise, you are safe here.”
Nikki let her approach. Rebecca ’s hand was soft on her arm, guiding, not grabbing. She allowed herself to be steered back to the door. Rebecca smiled kindly. Nikki pushed the wet hair out of her face. “Thanks for the clothes, um, Mrs.…?”
“No need for that kind of formality.” Rebecca turned to face Nikki. “Rebecca.” The older woman held out her hand.
“ Um, Nikki,” she said as she took the woman’s hand. Suddenly she was pulled into a hug. Nikki didn’t know who instigated, but she was crying again. “Thank you so much. I…I…then Shane…and I…” she stuttered.
Rebecca rubbed Nikki’s back. “Thank you for getting Shane here,” she whispered. “We are so happy you both are here.”
Nothing is Certain Page 12