by Mark Tufo
“Where’s Jumper?” Koala winced.
I hadn’t seen the old dog since the melee started. I didn’t think that was good news; the idea that he could get to safety was not promising. The old dog could still learn new tricks as I was about to find out. Jess shot a few more times into the zombies that were trying to force their way through the back door, the bodies further blocking their path. She had granted us that elusive thing the two-leggers called time.
We went out from the kitchen with me in front and Jess supporting Koala. Mia had gone back to get the old dog and now she and Jumper were pinned against the far wall of the living room. His lips were pulled back in a fierce gesture I would not have thought he was capable of. One or both of them were bleeding from multiple wounds. Mia was putting more bees in her fire stick Jumper had latched onto one of the zombies’ arms trying to pull it downwards. The zombie stumbled and fell at the old dog’s paws. Jumper pulled at the back of its neck, his maw coming away with gristly pieces of the thing.
Jess’ arm that was not supporting Koala was shooting as was the one Koala was not using to hold himself up. More zombies were struggling to get in but for right now, more were dying. A hole had finally broken through.
“Come on!” I barked. Jumper looked up, his eyes angry and tired...oh so tired.
Mia nearly fell over the fallen zombies before she got her legs under her. She and Jumper followed us quickly, as did the zombies. I waited until Jumper got past me and then leaped into the closest zombie. I wrapped my mouth around his knee and crushed the delicate bones. That wouldn’t kill it, but would create a big enough jam up that we’d be able to escape.
“Hurry up!” Koala urged as if I needed the incentive.
He closed the door as soon as I came in. Mia, Jess, Patches and Ben-Ben had moved to the bottom of the stairs. Koala, myself and Jumper were on the top landing. Koala slid down the wall and into a sitting position as he tried to staunch the blood flowing from his leg.
CHAPTER SIX
“I’m in a little bit of trouble,” he told Jumper. The dog had sat next to him licking his hand.
“Riley,” Patches said from the bottom of the stairs.
I turned and barked savagely at her; she backed away as I shouted. “I don’t want to hear about death anymore!” I told her, “Let him show himself instead of hiding in the shadows. What will come for him when I get rid of it?”
“Mia’s been bitten as well,” Patches said when I stopped.
I almost fell over from the shock. As it was, it was difficult getting air into myself. “How bad? Will she live?”
The cat shook her head ‘no’. “And neither will Koala. The bite will make them like the others.”
“I know what it does,” I replied thinking back on Winke. “When will this stop?” I asked, hanging my head low.
I came down the stairs. Jess was crying, tears coming out of her eyes faster than the snake-like water pourer She-Alpha used in the back yard. I loved drinking water from that thing, though I hated when Daniel used to spray me with it. Okay that wasn’t so bad either, he usually only did it when it was hot out and it felt good to get cool under the burning disc. Mia was working on Ben-Ben, putting what looked like an old shirt around his stomach to protect his bite. Jess was rocking back and forth with Zach in her arms.
When Mia was done putting the wound covering on Ben-Ben she got up and walked over to Jess. “Ben-Ben will be fine, a little bald, but the zombie only ate fur as far as I can tell.”
“You alright?” I asked him with concern.
“He...he bit me Riley. It hurt so bad. Am I going to become one of them now?” he asked.
I honestly didn’t know.
“What if I don’t like bacon anymore?” he asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Patches said to me. “You fought bravely,” she told him.
Now I knew he was going to die or the cat would have never said anything nice to him.
My attention was pulled away when I heard Jess speak. “I should be consoling you, not the other way around,” Jess said sadly as Mia put her arm around Jess’ shoulders. “If I hadn’t forced you out of Icely’s house you’d be fine,” she wailed.
“You did not force me out, Jess. I jumped willingly at the chance to escape. I’d rather die here now than have had a long life under Icely’s rule. I was his prisoner and you helped me escape. I will always be thankful for that.” The two women clutched. “I’ll gladly take these few hours of freedom with you over a lifetime of servitude for him.”
“Oh, Mia,” Jess cried again.
“Can I hold Zach?” she asked as they broke away.
Jess held the baby out.
“I’m going to miss your fat little cheeks,” Mia said as she kissed his belly.
“Why?” Zach asked. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Are you talking back to me?” Mia asked with a smile.
“It’s the polite thing to do,” he responded.
“He really likes you.” Jess sobbed.
“What’s not to like?” Zach asked.
“I wish I knew how long I had left...maybe I don’t. You know what you have to do, right?” Mia asked.
“What?” Jess asked, clearly appalled.
“I don’t...I can’t become one of them. Please don’t let me,” Mia begged.
“What...what do you want me to do?” Jess asked. “You can’t be serious, Mia, I can’t do that!”
“You have to and you will, Jess. Who do you think I’m going to go after when I turn?”
“Why are they crying?” Zach asked me.
“Mia’s sick,” I told him, licking his chubby little hand.
“Kiss her forehead Riley, that will make her better. That’s what my mom used to do to me,” he told me.
“I wish it was that simple,” Patches told him.
“Maybe if you gave her some bacon,” Ben-Ben replied. He had gotten up and was standing next to Patches, leaning on her more like it.
“Bacon or kisses aren’t going to fix this,” I snapped. Ben-Ben looked more wounded from that than he did his injury. Zach just started crying.
“I’ve seen rats act more civilized,” Patches said, throwing a little salt on my raw nerves.
I walked away and up the stairs. Koala was petting Jumper’s head. He had tied the belt that held his robe together right below his knee. Blood still spilled, but at a much slower pace.
“I did not think I would see the day when my human passed,” Jumper said, lifting his head when he heard me, his large ears still touching the floor. “I think it is an unnatural thing.”
I was alarmed as I heard the zombies bumping up against the door although neither Jumper nor Koala were disturbed in the least.
“Jess, Mia!” Koala called out weakly.
Jess came to the bottom of the stairs. “Can I get you anything?” Jess asked, she looked and sounded so scared.
“I’m not feeling too well. Between the blood loss and the bite I don’t think I’m too much longer for this world.” As he was saying it, I watched as his hale color left him. Dark purplish black rings orbed his eyes; his lips began to pale and his breathing became labored.
“Please don’t say that.” Jess begged. “You’ll be fine.”
Koala coughed, a spot of blood striking the far wall as he did so, and more was dribbling down his chin. “I’ve asked God for a pass on this one,” he told Jess as he picked up his fire stick.
“What?” Jess asked, her eyes growing large.
“My options were to have you do it or do myself. I didn’t think it was fair to you so I asked the Big Man if just this one time would it be alright.”
“If what would be alright?” she asked, but her actions and her tone let me know that she already knew what he was saying.
“I really just don’t want you to watch. And if you should somehow make it out of here, which I truly hope you do, please take Jumper with you.”
“Anything, Koala, I promise.” Jess was crying.
“That’s all, you might want to walk away now.”
Jess nodded and was out of sight.
“Jumper I could not have asked for a truer friend,” Koala said. He was interrupted by a racking set of coughs, bloody clots of phlegm hitting the far wall with audible plops. Blood was now freely flowing from his mouth. He struggled to get one of his fake feet off; he wiggled his toes a little then braced one end of the fire stick against the wall in front of him. I knew which end the metal bees came out of and he was doing it wrong. I started barking and approaching him to let him know he was making a huge mistake.
“Riley, he knows what he’s doing,” Jumper said calmly.
“Wrong end...wrong end!” I yelled in warning. “You can’t let him, Jumper!”
“Hush, Riley,” Jumper told me. “Let him go in peace.”
I whined as Koala placed his mouth over the end of the stick. He wiggled his toes again and placed them where the two-leggers front paws usually go.
“Wrong end,” I whined softly through my nose.
“Let him do what he needs to do with the firearm,” Patches said from below.
Fire-arm? Was all I got to think before the explosion brushed everything else aside.
Koala’s head blew back, smashing against the wall he was sitting against. The stick clattered to the floor and what was left of his skull fell forward. Pieces of his head were imbedded in the wall behind him. Jagged pieces of red-striped, white bone dotted the wall, brain matter clinging to them as precariously as Jumper clung to life.
“It was the noble thing to do,” Jumper said as he let out a long slow mournful howl.
I saw no nobility in it whatsoever; he had blown his head off with a fire-arm. I padded downstairs, my ears ringing from the explosion.
Jumper’s cries continued for a little longer and then stilled. I figured what it meant; however, it did not make me feel any better about it.
“Is Jumper alright?” Ben-Ben asked from the bottom of the stairs. He had gotten up to look once the old dog had stopped.
“He is now,” Patches told the small dog. “They’re back together again.”
Now that made absolutely no sense and I would have called the cat out on it if Mia didn’t start to cough. Jess and Mia had been almost inseparable since we had come down into the man-cave.
“Koala was a lot braver then me,” Mia said. “I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t, Mia, I just can’t.” Jess’ face was twisted up in torturous agony.
“I’d do it for you.”
“You’re a liar.”
That got Mia laughing. “Caught me there. I can feel it inside of me, Jess, like a predator it’s stalking me…getting ready to pounce. To kill me.” Jess clutched the woman’s hand. “Only it’s no great jungle cat, it’s like...it’s like a little fucking worm, millions, billions of them crawling inside of me getting ready to take over. You can’t let that happen, Jess. I’m begging you.”
I saw something change in Jess, right there and then. She got a set to her jaw. She wasn’t happy in the least about what she had to do, but she’d do it. She got up and hugged Mia fiercely.
“I’ve only known you a couple of days but I just need you to know that I love you,” she told the woman.
“Thank you,” Mia told her as they separated.
Mia was sitting in a chair. Jess had placed Zach next to me off on the side. Jess got behind Mia and placed the end of her fire-arm against the back of Mia’s head. Mia let out a shock of breath.
Her lips were moving and soft words were coming out. Jess picked up on the other woman’s words and they said them together. “...forgive me my sins for what I’m about to do...” Mia fell to the floor at almost the same time the bee casing came to a stop by my paw. Jess and Zach alike were wailing.
“What did she just do!” Zach was screaming.
“What she had to,” Patches told the baby.
Mia had fallen face forward onto the hard ground, her arms out by her side, her legs somewhat tangled in the chair. A growing pool of blood haloed out from her head. My ears were ringing from so much loud noise and my nose was stinging from the smell of smoke from the fire-arms. Jess had pulled her front paws up close to her mouth, one still clutching the bee sender. Tears came from her eyes, sadness washed out from her. I walked over and nuzzled my face to her leg. She didn’t move she was so lost in her grief.
Our pack had been seven-plus-one strong we were now back down to when we had left our home. Animals, two-leggers, and dead ones kept dying all around us. I had hope that we’d survive – but not much anymore. Jess looked inconsolable and Ben-Ben was wounded. That left me, Patches, and Zach to defend the pack. Last time I checked, sharp claws and a dirty fake skin weren’t going to be enough, no matter how smelly it was.
“Do you think Jess will fit through the window?” Patches asked.
“Huh?” I asked. I was having a tough time thinking or more likely understanding. I guess I was somewhat lost in my own grief.
“Do you think she will fit through that window?” Patches asked, looking past my shoulder.
“I’m not sure if I’ll fit,” I told her when I turned to look. It was a small viewer set high up on the wall. It was smaller than the one I had climbed out of with Patches to escape the dog prison.
Ben-Ben looked up when we heard the dead ones walking on the floor above us. “Can’t we stay here?” he asked pathetically.
“No food,” Zach chimed in. His eyes had a faraway glaze to them. He was still looking at Mia’s prone form on the floor.
“And the others said they’d come back,” I added.
“No food,” Ben-Ben said sadly.
I honestly couldn’t blame him for fixating on that one problem; if it helped him forget all the death around us then more power to him. I motioned to Patches, pointing at Zach.
“I am not a babysitter, Riley,” she told me.
“Just get him to look somewhere else. I have to get Jess moving--we can’t stay here,” I told her.
“Baby who should not be talking,” Patches said going up to Zach. He didn’t respond. “Can you not talk now?” she asked. “That would make more sense and make me happier.”
“I don’t feel so good,” Zach told her. “My stomach hurts.”
Nerves and lack of food would do that. I just hoped he wasn’t getting sick as well. I nudged Jess’ leg again but she didn’t move. I barked and she tried to shoo me away. I went over to Mia and as tenderly as I could I grabbed her front paw that was closest to me.
Jess didn’t say anything until I started to pull on Mia’s arm.
“Riley, NO! What are you doing?” She took a step towards me. I growled deeply, the fur on my back was bristled. “Riley?” she asked cocking her head to the side.
I got Mia’s body moving as I pulled her along the length of the cave. The trail of blood could not be helped, but at least the shell of her was out of their sight. I came back when I had pulled her as far away as I could. Jess was looking at the thick swath of life fluid on the ground.
“Smart…for a dog,” Patches said to me. “And you really can look ferocious when you put your mind to it. I mean, you don’t scare me all that much, but the girl was petrified.”
I was saddened I had scared Jess, but she was not giving me many options. It seemed to bring her out of her daze, though. She began to look around. She grabbed the fire-arm Mia had left behind and looked in it. She did not look overly pleased. She took in a deep breath and went to the bottom of the stairs where she let it all out in one great gust.
“Shit,” she muttered before she went up the stairs. She came down a moment later with Koala’s fire arms, her face visibly paler but resolute.
“No going out the basement door,” she said aloud. “And it doesn’t appear that this is a walk-out basement. That leaves two options…we stay or we go out a window.”
Patches had already come to that conclusion. How was she so smart?
“Gonna be a tight fit,” she said a
s she grabbed the chair Mia had sat in and moved it over to right underneath the viewer.
If she heard or saw the blood fall from the chair, she paid it no heed. She stepped onto the chair and rubbed her arm against the viewer; the dingy light that had been coming in brightened.
“Shit,” she said again, “there are zombies out there. Not many, but if I start shooting them, more will come.”
“Patches, if we get out where will we go?” I asked her.
“We need another car, that is for certain. We cannot stay on the ground for very long,” she said.
“Will the zombies follow me if I get out?” I asked.
“They will. Looks like they’ll eat any old thing at this point.” She smirked. “You mean to draw them away?”
“I do.”
“How will you find us again once we get out?” she asked, looking like she actually had some concern. It could potentially be fake, but I didn’t think so.
“I’ll get them far enough away and then I’ll circle around and pick up your trail.”
“Oh, I almost forgot about that obnoxiously large thing you call a nose.”
“Funny, cat. If you get away and get a wheeler and you don’t find me soon enough, just go. You’ll become the pack leader.”
She looked at me but held her tongue. I’m under the impression she figured she was the pack leader the entire time. “You would sacrifice yourself?” she asked. I don’t think she really held an understanding of the concept.
“For the safety of everyone else? Yes I would,” I told her honestly.
“She’s not going to let you out, you know,” she said to me.
I hopped up onto the dead tree structure and placed my paws against the viewer.
“What are you doing, Riley?” Jess asked.