by Damon Novak
“Thank you, Cole. I didn’t get the chance to know Tanner, but Clay was a good man. I sensed that about both of you right away.”
“Clay was the best of us,” I said. “Except maybe for Lilly. With any luck, you’ll be meetin’ her soon. God, let us have luck.”
I got to my feet and waved my hand toward the long guns and handguns I’d put beside the safe. “I picked out these, if it’s all right.”
“You can take the whole thing if you want. Have you thought of a way for us to get to your car?”
The things had followed me to the house when I ran back inside, but I didn’t know if they’d stayed there. “Did you check the front?”
She shook her head. “Not since that first slam into the front door. I’m afraid of moving the blinds.”
“It’s dark now,” I said. “We’ll cut the lights and ease ‘em open. Might just be a matter of time before they wander off, if we’re quiet.”
I looked down at Dr. Georgina Lake, and held my arms open. She stepped into them and I gave her a quick hug. I didn’t know if she needed it, but I sure did.
Her head came up to just under my chin, and while her hair was still up, she’d managed to put some kinda French braids in it or somethin’. I pulled away again and she let go.
“Well, I don’t hear the door bustin’ in, so let’s go see what the situation is.”
Ω
When I reached the living room, Georgina moved over to the light switches and swiped ‘em all down. The streetlights backlit what was happenin’ outside the window.
You couldn’t see any shapes, but the shadows slid along the slight gaps in the wood blinds, and it was pretty clear they were gathered in force.
“You smell that?” I whispered.
“I haven’t smelled anything but that black stuff since I opened the door for you the first time.”
“It’s rotten. Worse than that sludge. Anyway, is there an easy way up onto the roof?”
“Why do you want to go up there?”
“I’d rather look down at ‘em from higher up. To be honest, I’m afraid of movin’ the blinds, what with the streetlights shinin’ on ‘em. Those things ain’t weak, and if they focus on the windows, we could get in trouble fast.”
“You’ve got a cool head for what’s going on,” she said.
“Cool, desperate, whatever. We need to get outta here ASAP and get to my sister. I hate to even tell her what went on here. She’s gonna need a month or two to get over Clay and Tanner, not to mention my Pa. And while I don’t wanna add me to that list, I don’t wanna add Lilly, either. This shit’s wiped my family down to just two in a single day.”
“Follow me. You can probably climb onto the roof from inside the pool cage.”
I followed her, and she peered out the rear sliding glass door before opening it. Stepping outside, I didn’t see any of the crazies millin’ around the exterior of the big, screened cage that enclosed the pool and lanai area. I turned and looked where the cage connected to the house.
“Yeah,” I said, pointing. “I’ll use a kitchen knife to cut that screen right there and crawl onto the roof. Glad it’s shingle instead of tile.” I looked around the patio and saw nothing for me to climb on to get up high enough. “You got a ladder? In the garage?”
“It’s an eight-footer, but you’re tall enough it should be plenty,” said Georgina.
“Let’s get back inside until I’m ready to do this. Don’t wanna draw ‘em back here.”
She agreed, and we went back in, sliding the door closed behind us. Two minutes later, I went back outside, ladder in my hands. I set it up as quietly as I could, knife clenched in my teeth as I climbed. When I got to the top, I poked the blade through the screening and slid it along the aluminum tube, slicing it for about four feet. Then I cut back away from the house about two feet on both sides.
“That’s good,” Georgina said. “Take this. Just in case you get into trouble.” She held up a rifle. “It’s loaded. You have seven rounds.”
I couldn’t see what kind it was, but with the rifle, along with the .45 in the pocket of the robe, I was good for a few kills if needed. I wasn’t goin’ up to take on the neighborhood; I was just lookin’ for a path out. “Thanks,” I said, takin’ the gun.
Reachin’ the second-to-the-last rung, I leaned forward and rested the rifle on the sloped roof, steppin’ up. My boots crunched a bit on the shingles, but I was relatively quiet as I made my way up to the peak.
I didn’t cross it right away. From the highest point of the roof, I could look up and down the street, even though I couldn’t see down to where my Rover was parked.
The people wanderin’ the street made me think of a street fair, only there weren’t any vendors. I heard some gunshots now and then, and only the odd vehicle engine rumbling in the far distance.
I smelled something else, on top of the black shit and the vomit, and turned to look behind me. Several fires burned. They appeared to be residential houses, but I couldn’t tell much from that distance. Some fires were larger than others, but they may have begun spreading to adjacent homes.
And no sirens. All these fires – nobody comin’ to help.
There came the chillywivvers again, zippin’ all over my arms and legs. I worked my way to the south slope over the garage and began to crawl down on my belly.
Making sure I was behind the south peak of the garage roof, I raised my head to look. Since the garage jutted out several feet beyond the living room wall, I could see the rear end of my Rover clearly.
None of the changed people were tryin’ to get in the car. About seven of them were clustered around the front door. No idea how they knew anyone was inside, but their focus was on the structure itself. I got an idea then.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I said a silent prayer of thanks that I didn’t have the ringer turned on. Lying on my back, I reached into the robe I was wearing and pulled it out.
WHERE ARE YOU?
ON A ROOF
WHY?
TRYING TO GET OUT OF HERE
HURRY!
WHY? ARE YOU SAFE? Even I managed to use question marks. I didn’t want my question misinterpreted in any way.
YES. JUST NEED YOU HERE.
ONCE WE ARE CLEAR IT WILL BE TWENTY MINUTES
OKAY. BE CAREFUL!
I noticed Tanner’s phone was down to 24%. Just like mine, once it got below half, the batteries drained like a goddamned bathtub.
I carefully climbed back down, handing the rifle down first. Georgina took it. “What’d you see?”
“A way in, I think,” I said. “A little risky, but if we’re quiet as hell, it could work.”
We went in and I told her about it. She said, “Is it unlocked?”
“Yeah. It’s a one-trip proposition. We’ll split the stuff up so we can both carry what we can, and we’ll just slip between the houses on the south side. All of ‘em I saw are at the front door, but there are a bunch scattered in the street, too.”
“They don’t look very fast,” she said. “Think we can we get to your car before they can get us?”
“If we don’t hesitate, I think so. Just gotta haul ass once we round the corner of the garage and get in sight of the street. Especially once we’re exposed to the ones at the front of your house. They’re way closer.”
“We’ll have the truck between them and us then, though,” she said. “Hold on. I have an idea.”
She went to an end table and picked up a pointed wooden box of some kind. She unlatched a small brass hook at the top and removed a front plate.
It was a metronome. “I’ll put this by the door. The ticking will be loud enough for them to hear, but not enough to draw more from the street. Maybe it will keep their attention on this door.” She wound it up and placed it on the floor right in front of the door. Then she pulled the pivoting wand out of its slot and set it into motion. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Perfect rhythm.
I was impressed with her ability to analyze the situation and i
mprovise. “That’s a real good idea, doc.”
I decided right then I’d do whatever I could to locate her daughter. If she’d gotten any of her mother’s genes, she’d be a benefit to have around.
“Okay, Georgie. Let’s go.” We collected our gear and headed out the rear sliding glass doors to the lanai. I pushed open the screen door leading from the cage into the back yard, holding it open for her to pass through. I had a load over my shoulder and the rifle she’d given me earlier in my hand, but she was as burdened as me. When we were both through, I eased it closed behind us so it didn’t slam.
“You lead, if you don’t mind. There’s a gate, but it’s not locked,” said Georgina.
“Okay,” I said, moving out.
I reached the fence and held up my hand. “Listen,” I whispered so quietly, I didn’t know if she’d heard. “Hear that?”
There was a growling sound, and it seemed to be inches from where we stood.
“There,” she whispered, practically into my ear. “See through the crack?”
I watched for a second, and the streetlights were momentarily blocked by something passing by the gap between the gate and the fixed section of fence.
“Move away from that gap. I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t ask questions. I gave her another silent credit. Running once I got far enough from the fence, I went back through the cage into the kitchen. I spotted what I came in for right away.
The knife block on the counter. I went to it and pulled out knife after knife until I pulled the right one. It was about a 10-inch chef’s knife. Sharp and heavy, with a good, solid handle and a thick blade.
I turned to run outside, and stopped.
My two brothers’ bodies were in here. How would I justify leavin’ ‘em here to Lilly?
Without any clear memory of walkin’ there, I found myself in the hallway, starin’ at Tanner’s body on the floor. I knew I had to get back outside, but I couldn’t help it.
I dropped my stuff and bent down, slidin’ my arms underneath Tan’s body. With a heavy grunt, I lifted him and carried him back to the bed, where I lay him on his back, his head on a pillow.
“I love ya, Tan,” I said. “Thanks for bein’ a good brother.”
Grabbin’ my stuff from the floor, I went to where Clay was, crumpled on the floor outside Georgina’s bathroom. He was heavy as hell, but I managed to get him halfway to the couch before I heard, “You want some help?”
I turned to see Georgina, putting her things down and coming over to where I struggled with Clay’s shoulders. She lifted beneath his legs and together, we got him back on the couch.
I looked up at her. “Thanks, Georgie. Give me a second?”
“Yeah,” she said. “There are two of them at the fence now. Just thought I’d let you know.”
I nodded. “We’ll handle ‘em,” I said. She left, stepping back through the rear slidin’ glass door.
I sat on the sofa beside my oldest brother and my eyes went to the bullet holes I’d put in his head. “Bet you never saw this shit comin’,” I said. “Thanks for takin’ the time to teach me how to shoot when we were kids, Clay. You made me love it. And hate it a little, ‘cause you were so much better than me.”
I stared at him for another second, balled my fist and punched him in the shoulder, and stood. “Rest in peace, brother.”
I had to be done, I knew. I had to fill my head with the task at hand and forget I’d lost both my brothers. At least until I got back home.
I turned and ran back outside, again being careful not to make any noise, once out of the confines of the house. When I reached Georgina, she said, “There’s still just two of them.”
I was glad there weren’t any more than before, but I didn’t need this shit, not right then. I only needed to get to my goddamned sister, but I could tell nothin’ was workin’ in my favor. I hoped my time in the sun would come, but for now, I decided I had to treat these fuckers just like gators.
Go at ‘em full bore and surprise the shit out of ‘em.
“Stand back, Georgie,” I said.
“What?”
“Just stay clear. I’m openin’ the gate. Looks like just those first two there for now.”
“I agree. And that’s the third time you called me Georgie.”
“I shorten shit,” I said. “You ready?” I asked, staring at her.
“Oh,” she said, understanding. She stepped back so she’d be shielded by the gate when it opened. I pressed down on the latch and pulled the gate open, staying behind it, too.
I raised the knife as the first one came in. I waited until it was far enough past the gate that it wouldn’t see me. Without a moment of hesitation, I threw my arm around its body and pulled its back to my chest.
Holdin’ that knife like a goddamned javelin, I slapped the palm of my hand against its forehead, pinnin’ the back of the thing’s head to my left shoulder.
In that split-second before I killed it, the first thought I had was odd; the words ‘room temperature’ came to mind.
The thing’s cracked skin was cooler than my hand, for sure, but it didn’t feel like the warmth that was there came from within. It just didn’t feel alive.
I guess when you’re faced with impossible situations, your mind naturally finds ways to explain everything, even if you’re not smart enough to figure it out.
But I was in self-preservation mode, so before it could shriek or scream, or whatever it might do, I jammed that knife deep into its ear canal. The sound made me wanna heave again. It wasn’t so much that I’d never cut into flesh before – animal flesh, anyway – it was the knowledge that I was using a blade on a human being.
The legs folded beneath it, lickety-split. When it collapsed, I let it.
There was one more comin’ through the gate, and to my utter surprise, Georgie stuck out her leg and tripped her.
Down she went, without even a stagger.
Not Georgie – the thing.
Anyway, I dropped down on it fast, pressin’ the side of its face into the grass and plungin’ that knife in all the way to the hilt.
She fell still. I looked up and saw the good doctor was eyeing the open gate to make sure we didn’t have any more company, but I’d been very quiet during those two takedowns. I stared down at the woman’s body, lying face down.
Georgie dropped to her knee. “Roll her over, please.”
“Why?” I whispered.
“Please?”
I did. Her body was oddly stiff.
“That’s Donna Riley,” she said. “Practically the only neighbor I know. If I had a dayshift and got home in the early evenings, Donna would see my car drive down the street and bring two full glasses of wine over.”
“Standin’ appointment?” I asked, allowin’ her the time for a moment’s reflection.
“Not really. Not always, but it was nice. We’d sit in the backyard underneath my gazebo and chat. When the wine was gone, she’d take the glasses, wish me a good night’s sleep, and go. She knew I’d just worked a full shift at the hospital.”
“Sounds like a perfect neighbor. Close that gate a bit, would you?” I asked.
She looked at me, her face a bit puzzled. “We’re going, right?”
“In a sec,” I said. “Do it.”
She did, and I leaned down and scooped up her neighbor’s body. Without sayin’ a word, I carried her along the side yard to the gazebo. It was about 12-foot in diameter, with ivy plants growin’ along the sides. I could make it out pretty well with the solar lights on the ground, and I rested her friend in one of the chairs.
When I raised my head, I saw Georgie, starin’ at me. It was a bit far, but I thought I saw a slight smile on her face.
When I got back to the gate, she said, “Funny. You put her in the same chair she always sat in.”
“That’s called fate. The rest of this shit, I have no idea what to call. You ready to give this a shot?”
She nodded. “My daddy used to call me
Georgie. Best man I’ve ever known.”
“Well, I hope I don’t disappoint you,” I said.
I opened the gate, glanced out in all directions, and saw nothing but the right bumper and taillight of the Rover. “C’mon!” I whispered.
As I ran, I remembered I was still wearin’ that terrycloth robe. I felt warm air on my frank ‘n beans, and realized it had come wide open.
No time to worry about it, but the way it was flappin’, I was pretty sure that behind me, Georgie was gettin’ an eyeful of my butt cheeks. Maybe the goddamned zombies distracted her.
Speakin’ of them, there had to have been fifteen of ‘em clustered at the front of the house. I reached the passenger side door of the Rover and pulled it open.
That was when I remembered how bad those hinges squeaked.
It was apparently louder than a goddamned metronome. By a longshot.
“C’mon!” I yelled, seein’ about six of ‘em turn toward the Land Rover. I scrambled in, heaved the heavy bag full of guns and ammo in the back seat, and tried to feed my legs down into the driver’s side floorboard. The minute my ass hit vinyl, I turned the key and that old, reliable engine fired.
Georgie was right behind me, tossing her bag on the floorboard at her feet as she slammed the door, breathing hard. I was sure her heart was pumpin’ as fast as mine.
I dropped the tranny into first, let out that clutch and threw two lines of grass and mud at the side of her garage as the Rover lurched forward.
One of the dead things managed to hook its fingers around the top of the hood where the windshield wipers stick out, and it had a good grip on the Rover. Even when I spun that steerin’ wheel back and forth, tearin’ long S patterns in Doctor Lake’s front yard, he clung to it, swingin’ back and forth, his floppin’ feet kickin’ my door and the left fender as he reached full extension.
Until … I turned it hard right and jumped off the curb. I purposely gave it more gas before slammin’ on the brake as the front tires came down in the street. The clinger flew forward, landed on his side, and rolled about fifteen feet. I speed-shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear, turned my wheel accordingly, and drove right over the nasty bastard.