"Do you have a car?" Catherine asked.
Sue was pulled back into the real world by that question, she cleared the rest of the tears from her face as she shook her head once again. "It ran out of gas about two or three mile down the road," Sue said, causing Catharine to roll her eyes and drop back into her seat, knocking over the glass on the end table.
"Shit! Can I not get a fucking break! Jesus!" Catherine said
A weak laugh filled the empty room and then it grew, Catherine's eyes went towards Sue. The young girl put her hand up and fought to stop laughing.
"That's what I said word for word when it stopped moving," Sue said.
Catherine shook her head but before she knew it she was laughing along. It was odd, neither of them really knew what they were laughing about. The fact that they were fighting their way through a world of zombies on foot really wasn’t a laughing matter, but there they were laughing. Until Sue started crying once again.
Catherine grabbed the second empty glass and filled it up with the whiskey. She quickly got to her feet and through the haze that her tears created in her eyes, Sue could see the brown waves of the glass coming closer. She stared at it and then said, “I told you I don’t drink,”
Catherine nodded and grabbed Sue’s hand, placing the glass in it. “You do now. All that crying is gonna get you killed or get you to kill yourself.” Catherine turned back around and started walking towards the staircase. She leaned over before her foot hit the bottom step and picked up the shotgun. “Drink up, you’ll sleep better,” Catherine said as she started to walk up the steps.
"Wait!" Sue called out into the darkness, Catharine turned around to see the young woman standing in the doorway. “When did your world go to hell?”
Catherine looked at the outline of Sue in the doorway and sighed as she rested her shot gun over her shoulder. “You’re really not gonna let it go, huh? What does it matter?" Catherine said.
Sue groaned at the question and Catherine could see her shadowy figure storming back into the moonlight of the living room. "Whatever," Sue said as she turned her back on the subject. Sue only got two steps before she heard Catherine’s words fill up the dimly lit room.
"I didn't make it home for dinner."
Sue's head turned back towards the staircase, she slowly started walking towards Catherine’s voice. Catherine stood at the top of the staircase; her eyes were fixed on Sue, but her mind was fading back into that fateful day as the words left her lips.
"All that craziness was going on, and I told them I'd be home. I told them just lock up, because mommy was coming home for dinner." Catherine’s body slowly started to crumble down onto the staircase, she sat there with the shotgun resting on her lap. Catherine’s eyes went up from the black barrel and towards Sue who was standing at the bottom of the steps staring at her.
"The highway was packed as shit. There were fires, overturned cars, and those freaks running about everywhere. There were tons of them, just making their way down the highway as if they owned the city. I did my best to drive through them, to just keep pushing home but they started to pile on the car." Catherine added.
Sue leaned on the railing and shook her head as she said, "I would have been scared out my mind."
Catherine looked down at her and softly said, "I still am. Someone told me they smell fear, that's how they know where you are.” Catherine smiled for a moment as her fingers ran along the metal barrel of the shotgun, “I guess they'll always know where I am.” Catherine stopped for a moment, she just stared down at the black, cool metal of the shotgun, trying to fight back the tears. Sue understood that feeling too well, she went to move closer, in some sad attempt to comfort her. Yet, when her foot hit the step, Catherine’s head shot up to stare at her. The two women locked eyes for what felt like forever, both of them hiding rivers of tears behind their gaze. Catherine slowly moved the shotgun from off her lap and stood it up on the buttstock.
She held onto the barrel and rested her head on it slightly as she softly said, “I called my husband, I told him I loved him, that I would always love him and to kiss Jordan for me. I couldn't go forward so I backed the car up as far as I could."
The tone in Catherine’s voice caused Sue to slowly start to sit down at the bottom step, she rested her back on the railing and stared up at Catherine, lost in the words she was hearing, lost in the emotion of it all. Catherine sighed for a moment as Sue softly asked, “What did you do?”
"I slammed on the gas, racing the car and those dead fucking hitchhikers right off into the river."
Catherine barked a laugh.
Sue smiled and said, "Bullshit!"
Catherine shook her head. "It was the only thing I could think of," she said.
Sue's eyes went wide. "Well damn! I could have thought of a million other things," Sue said with a smile and then turned her head to the side looking back into the moonlight of the living room before adding, “But then again, most of those things would have gotten me killed.” Sue smiled.
Catherine chimed in, “Or send you running through the woods in the middle of the night.”
Sue laughed and nodded. “Very true, so then what happened?” she asked.
"They can't swim all that well. I found that out, so I waited until a couple of them followed me in and I took off towards land. I started my way on foot to the house, I had to lose the heels because it was a few miles down the way. I’m still broken up about that," she said with a small smile. She shook her head as she started to get back to her feet saying, "Anyway, mommy was late for dinner. I got there and the door was open. The lights was on, but no one was home." Catherine started back up the stairs as Sue asked into the darkness, "Are they..."
Catherine turned around and shook her head ."No, my boys are too smart to end up on some zombie’s menu. They’re somewhere, I just need to find them. I helped myself to a car and headed south towards Savannah. My mother-in-law lives there, I'm guessing that's where they’re at."
Sue nodded at Catherine’s words and looked back down at the floor and asked quietly, “Savannah?”
Catherine nodded and said, "Yeah, I ran into some people at a Walmart, loaded up with some things. Nothing too crazy, water, guns, knives, a shit load of tuna.” Catherine laughed and shook her head. “Jordan hates tuna.”
Sue nodded at her words not turning to face the woman as she continued once again.
“They said they would help me get to Savannah, but when I woke up they were gone, took my car and my supplies. They left me there to die. I took what I could carry on my back and hoped I'd run into another car. Never did, I saw a few drive past but they didn't stop. I can't say I blame them."
Sue's head finally turned towards Catherine. Her eyes were filling up with tears, and she was rushing to clear them away. She didn’t want to have to explain them, she just hoped that the darkness of the room hid them from Catherine’s view. Sue stood up on the bottom step and pushed to put on a smile and hoped her voice didn’t give away the pain and confusion she held inside. "Well, we can use my car, it’s only a few miles down the road."
Catherine put the shotgun on her shoulder as she added, “And out of gas.”
Sue closed her eyes and sighed as she remembered the large fact that caused her to run through the woods in the first place. “Right,” She stared down at the ground for a moment then looked back up with a small smile once again. “There was a sign down the road for a gas station. We can go there. Get some gas and then hit the road.”
Staring down into the darkness Catherine rolled her eyes and started walking down towards Sue. She said " I passed that place and there are tons of those zombies running around, besides I'm going to Savannah, alone."
Sue nodded trying to keep up her weak smile as she stepped up to meet Catherine, the two women were just two steps away from each other now.
"Yeah, I know, but we’re safer together. You don’t know what Savannah’s like right now. You might need help. I can go with you and..." Sue jumped a litt
le as her words were cut off by Catherine’s laughter coming from the darkness.
Catherine took another step down and leaned forward looking Sue into her light blue eyes as she said, "I've heard this before. I walked for days before I found this place because someone wanted to help.” She stood there staring at Sue with the shotgun held tightly in her right hand, she put it up between the two of them for a moment before letting the fore-end of the shotgun fall into her left hand. “Story time's over"
Catherine turned back around and started back up the steps, she was half way up when she noticed Sue’s footsteps following her, she spun around and said,
“You got the memory of a fucking goldfish or something? You didn't hear me the first time? You stay down here!"
Catherine stood there staring at Sue, she was waiting for the girl to back her way down the steps, but instead she stood there with her arms over her chest.
"So what’s your plan? To just sit here, get drunk and crawl your way to Savannah?" Sue asked as she ran her fingers through her blonde hair. "Like it or not, I can help you and you can help me. We need each other."
Catherine pulled back the fore-end of the shotgun and the loud metallic sound of a round being loaded filled the house. Sue was sweating, not from the Georgia summer night, but from the force her heart was pounding into her chest. She put her hands up and started slowly walking back down the steps. With a smile Catherine said, "If you hear a moan, just scream,"
Sue stood there at the bottom of the steps watching as Catherine walked up the steps and finally out of her view. Sue heard a door slam and she dropped her arms.
"What a bitch, no wonder no one’s looking for you," she said softly into the darkness.
Sue started back over towards the fireplace, she sat down in the dusty old chair and glanced over at the whiskey bottle and the glass she had left on the table. She didn’t want to tell or hear any more stories about dead people, all she wanted to do was stay alive, and the crazy woman upstairs was her best bet at that. Sue pulled her legs into the seat and grabbed the glass of whiskey. She stared at it for a moment and then downed it like a shot. She shook her head and stuck out her tongue before she finally rested her head on the arm of the chair and closed her eyes.
She couldn't stop herself from thinking about the woman’s story, and how she was so strong, brave, and dead inside. She treated kindness as if it was a weakness. Sue tossed and turned as she thought about the woman's husband, as she thought about Jordan, and Savannah. They were the little bit of hope that woman was holding onto, it didn’t seem fair to take that away from her, it didn’t seem right to tell her Savannah was lost. That was the part of the story conveniently left out. She needed the woman strong, not broken and hopeless.
Before Sue knew it, she was fast asleep. She was dreaming of better days, partying with her friends, drinking and having fun like any other college student. Then the lights went out and the dream turned dark. She was running from another one of those Zombies. She could smell him right behind her as she raced through the woods, just like before. But this time there was no house, no crazy woman to save her. This time Sue fell.
When she rolled over she felt the zombie grab her by her arms. He shook her back and forth. She felt him tearing into her skin. Then as he leaned in, with his bloody jagged teeth aimed for her neck, Sue’s eyes shot open and she started screaming, it was daytime and Catherine was standing over her.
"Wake the hell up!” Catherine shouted into Sue’s face.
CHAPTER 2
Sue sat there, her shirt full of sweat, and her skin pale white. Catherine rolled her eyes and took her hands off of Sue’s shoulders. She had been shaking the girl awake for some time now, in hopes of stopping her screaming.
“You were talking in your sleep the whole damn night," Catherine said.
Sue's heart was racing, the sweat just rushed down her neck as she looked around the room.
"I thought.." Sue softly said, not sure where to go with the statement.
Catherine nodded, "I know what you thought, but it was just a nightmare."
Sue got up slowly and started following Catherine, who had taken off towards the kitchen. She watched as Catherine started to pull out some bottled waters and pop-tarts from a black bag on the kitchen table. With the sun breaking its way through the cracks of the boarded up windows, it was easier for Sue to see how far gone the house was. She had thought at first that the boards was placed there to keep the zombies out, but after looking at the rusted sink and the broken cabinet doors, she knew the house had been long forgotten before the zombies arrived.
"The breakfast of champions, you want some?" Catherine asked and Sue shook her head.
Catherine sighed and said,"You've got to eat something or you won't make it out there."
She tossed the box of tarts at Sue and placed two water bottles in the middle of the table.
Sue held the tarts in her hands, staring at them before softly letting out, "So you’re not coming then?"
Catherine pulled up a seat and took a bite of her frosted treat, then closed her eyes, trying to avoid Sue’s gaze.
Sue nodded. "I see. I didn't want to say anything last night, but there is nothing left in Savannah. Nothing alive anyways."
The words came out cold and Sue wished they didn’t. She wished she didn’t say anything at all. But the thought of her going back into that world alone, angered her. If Sue was truly honest, it scared her. Catherine looked over at Sue, her eyes were locked on the young girl.
"That’s where I went to school, that's where I just came from. I know.."
Catherine slowly started to get to her feet and said, "You woke up in the middle of the night to an attack. How do you know if there is anything left? You woke up and you ran." Catherine walked over to Sue and smiled. "You was wrong Sue, running seems like the only thing you know how to do. So why don't you just keep doing it and get the hell out of here."
Sue looked down as Catherine walked past her.
"Stupid!" Sue said she slapped her hand into her forehead and sighed. She knew that reaction was going to come, but she let her emotions win. Savannah was lost, but that wasn’t a conversation that they needed to have, not if they were gonna stay together, which was all Sue wanted at the moment.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make it out there alone. I don't have a gun, I don't have-"
Sue was cut off quickly as Catherine turned around with a laugh. "I don't give a damn."
Sue screamed back, "Fuck you! You think you can just give me some water and a box of old pop-tarts and say have a nice day!"
Catherine nodded and started to move forward as she pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Sue. Sue just stood there looking down the barrel of the gun, she didn’t start crying, she didn’t put her hands up or try to avoid the shot, she just stood there staring. Looking past the barrel into the Catherine’s eyes, Sue said, "This is getting old."
Catherine pulled back the hammer and Sue dropped the box of pop-tarts. With a smile, Catherine released the hammer and turned the gun around, handle first towards Sue.
"You got six bullets in there. Rule number one is always save one for yourself."
Sue looked at the gun and then quickly took it as she nodded and said, "Thanks."
Sue got down and picked up the box and then grabbed a water bottle off the table, she placed them in a small shopping bag then started towards the front door. She pushed the gun into the back of her pants, and slowly wrapped her fingers around the door knob.
"I'm sorry,” Sue said and paused for a moment to look into Catherine's eyes. Sue saw all the pain that Catherine was trying to hide behind her light brown eyes and Sue just softly continued with, “I do hope you find your family."
Catherine nodded as she said, "I hope you live."
Sue pulled open the door, the bright light took over her view and her hand shot up to block it, her surroundings looked nothing like it did the night before. The dead bodies were still lying a few feet away f
rom the front door.
Sue turned around and looked at the Catherine as she asked, "What’s your name anyway?"
Catherine smiled and walked towards Sue as she said, "What does it matter?"
Sue shook her head and started walking down the front steps .
"You're crazy you know that?" Sue replied as Catherine watched her walk off into the tall grass and the woods from which she came.
Sue kept her head forward and fought not to look back. She had so much fear building up inside of her, but she knew she had to overcome it because she was on her own now. She wasn't sure what to do, she could head down the road a little more and get some gas then double back to the car, but she had an odd feeling she wouldn’t make it back from that trip. She kept walking through the shade of the woods until she just dropped her bag and ran her fingers through her hair.
She was fought back tears and she softly said, "What the hell am I doing?"
The question was a loaded one, she didn’t have a plan. There was no step two in her formula of survival and even if there were, she ran through the woods in the middle of the night, she didn’t know what path would take her back to the road. She heard small footsteps coming up behind her, which caused Sue to smile.
"I knew you weren't as mean as you were letting on." Sue turned around slowly and laughed. "Thank you, because I'm-"
Her words stopped as her eyes rested on who was behind her. Sue was face to face with a large bloody bald man. Bloody white jaw bone was showing through a hole in his cheek. A bloody bit of flesh was hanging from the hole.
She could see the man’s blood red set of teeth.
Sue screamed as her hand raced towards her back for the gun. Yet, the man’s arms were faster. He grabbed hold of Sue.
The gun fell to the ground.
Sue was pushing and punching, her skin was turning red from the blood and the force of which her body was fighting to get off the ground.
Planet Dead (Book 1): Bloodthirsty Page 3