Fallen Grace (The Grace Series)

by Lewis, M. Lauryl

  “’Kay.”

  I followed Gus to the interior garage door. We walked into a rec room full of mismatched furniture and a television, with a wood stove in one corner. Curtains had been drawn and limited light filtered in from their edges. An open archway led to a small kitchen. Dishes remained in the sink and had molded over. The smell had thankfully faded over the months and now only lingered in a thin veil. Still sensing no presence of the living dead, I continued and exited the kitchen though an open doorway that led to a small more formal living room. Again, the curtains were drawn. This room was brighter since the window coverings were sheer. There was no television here, just two wingback chairs, a loveseat, and an ornate wood chest beside the front door. To the left was a step up into a small bedroom that held a bed, a bedside table, and two dressers.

  When I felt Gus set a hand on my shoulder, I jumped. I hadn’t heard him walk up behind me and I was already on edge.

  “It’s a small house,” he said. “I just shut the garage and locked it from the inside. I think you need to rest before we move on.”

  “We need to get back to Susan,” I said immediately.

  “She’s in good hands with Nathan.”

  “I’ll be fine, Gus. It’s already feeling better.”

  “I need to sleep, Zoe. I’m worried if we have to fight again I might be useless.”

  I turned to face him. “Ok. But just a few hours?”

  CHAPTER 8

  I tucked Gus into the only bed in the house and kissed him on the cheek as he fell asleep. He looked so tired and defeated. His beard stubble had grown considerably, making him look aged and weary. I left the bedroom, shutting the door behind me, and ventured back to the kitchen in search of anything edible.

  It was a small room. There was no dishwasher, just an old freestanding oven & stove, a refrigerator, and a few cabinets. I began searching the drawers and cupboards, avoiding the refrigerator and freezer. Whoever had lived here seemed to be fond of marshmallows and peanut butter. I found several jars of Skippy crunchy and three sacks of generic brand marshmallows; one mini and two large. In the second drawer I found a box of unopened raisins. I decided to gather what I found onto the small round kitchen table and packed what I could into my backpack. Once Gus rose we’d find a way to pack up the rest. My stomach was growling, so I opened the peanut butter and used two fingers to scoop out a big wad, which I shoved into my mouth. The resulting glue-effect in my mouth was heavenly. I recapped the jar and moved on to the last cabinet. I was delighted to find cans of SPAM. It had never been a favorite of mine, but the protein and fat would be so welcomed by all of us. There were eleven cans in all. Hidden behind them were two large cans of baked beans and a plastic bottle full of white vinegar.

  I studied my huge find sitting out on the table. I was pleased with it overall. It was a lot of useful things that could keep our group going for that much longer. I took one more finger-scoop of peanut butter before heading back to check on Gus. Still not sensing any of the dead near, I walked back into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. Somehow I felt safer with it shut. My side was feeling much better since I had eaten something and I knew I was already healing.

  Gus was snoring softly, so I walked over to the empty side of the bed and sat. I kicked my shoes off and flopped back onto the mattress, settling in alongside Gus. The light of day was fading quickly. I looked at him as he slept. He had changed since we had first met. He looked hardened. I’m sure the same could be said about the rest of us. I inched closer and pulled at the edge of the blanket that covered him until I too was underneath, needing to feel his warmth. I could tell the night was bound to be cold from the drafts already creeping into the tiny house. Gus turned onto his side, facing me as he slept. His breath smelled familiar as I nuzzled against him. I refrained from placing my ear against his chest, knowing the silence would be too painful. Instead I focused on the rhythm of his breathing as I fell asleep.

  ***

  I woke cold. The bed was empty beside me and the room in full dark. I sat up, listening carefully at first with my ears. I was met, at first, with an eerie silence.

  “Gus?” I called out, quietly. I was met with more silence. A faint scratching began against the side of the house, soon followed by the moan of the dead; it was guttural and feral sounding.

  Gus? I reached out with my mind as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and reached down, searching in the dark for my shoes. Gus?

  “I’m here,” he whispered from the doorway. “Keep quiet, ok?”

  “There’s one outside.”

  “I know. It’s been scratching around the perimeter of the house for about half an hour.”

  “I can’t hear it in my mind.”

  “It’s not human.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I caught a glimpse of it through the kitchen window. Looks like it was a dog back in the day. I’m gonna go out and put it down before it attracts anything bigger.”

  “Gus, no. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ll be ok, darlin’. I’m headed to the roof. I’ll kill it from up there.”

  “How?” I asked a bit skeptically.

  He sat beside me on the bed. It was too dark to see more than his basic outline. He placed a hand on my knee. His grip felt tired.

  “I used a knife from the kitchen and some duct tape and made a makeshift spear out of a broom handle.”

  “I don’t like this plan, Gus.”

  The scratching on the exterior wall suddenly stopped. It was quickly replaced with a broken sort of howling. What answered it chilled me to the core.

  “It’s calling to others,” whispered Gus. “There’s not time to argue, darlin’. We need to leave here.”

  I quickly slid my feet into the shoes I had finally found with my hands. I had left them tied and just needed to pull the backs of each out from under my heels.

  “I left some food on the kitchen table,” I whispered.

  “Toss what you can into a pack. Be ready to run,” was all he said. “We leave in thirty seconds. No more.” He sounded on edge.

  I hurried toward the bedroom doorway, stumbling against what I recalled was a dresser. Once I was out of the room, a sliver of moonlight lit my way and I was able to rush to the kitchen. As I did so, I heard Gus open the bedroom window. The sound of growling filled my ears and the stench of death was quickly upon me. As much as instinct told me to turn and go to Gus’ side to help him, I fought the urge and continued to the kitchen table. As I picked up the backpack I had left there, I heard Gus curse and the dog-creature yelp in pain.

  “Son of a bitch!” yelled Gus, already running toward me. “We need to go, now!”

  He grabbed the pack from my hands and then pulled me forward by the elbow.

  “What’s out there, Gus?” I asked as we ran toward the back of the house.

  “Just run,” he snarled at me as he fumbled to open the back door off the kitchen. “Stay with me, and don’t look back!”

  Cold air hit my face as he opened the door inward. The smell of death and ammonia stung my nose. Gus ran through the doorway first, pulling me by the hand. Wind was blowing in gusts and intertwined with groans in the distance.

  “We have to get over that fence,” said Gus, his voice raised in competition with the wind.

  We ran toward a chain link fence. It was taller than I recalled from when I had peeked at the yard early in the evening. As we reached the metal barrier, Gus automatically lifted me up to give me a head start. I clung to the metal and worked to find footholds. It didn’t take long for me to reach the top, and as I tumbled over to the ground on the other side Gus was fast behind me. I rolled to my side to avoid him landing on me. The ground was sloped away from the fence, causing me to fall forward as I tried to stand.

  “We need to get as far as we can,” Gus huffed.

  He helped me stand and we ran. The moonlight faded as we entered an area of trees. My injured side was beginning to throb from the exert
ion.

  “Gus, tell me what’s back there.”

  “More of those bloated fuckers, darlin’. Like the Hunter that ate the dead kids at the motel.”

  With that, I doubled my efforts to run. I wondered where we’d go. The only vehicle we knew of was now well behind us. We only had one backpack, no gun, and only two hatchets. Hearing my thoughts, Gus answered me aloud.

  “Right now it doesn’t matter where we go. We just need to put distance between us and them.”

  In answer, I gripped his hand harder. My shoes began to make sloppy sounds as we reached the edge of a swampy area that reeked of stagnant mud. Gus led me forward, and cold water filled my shoes and quickly reached my shins. A breeze blew from behind, carrying with it the stench of demise.

  My head was spinning with the intrusions from the dead who were pursuing us. The water was suddenly up to my thighs, the sting from the cold causing me to draw in a sharp breath. Gus steadied me and whispered near my ear.

  “We have to cross, darlin’.”

  I nodded in understanding. I held my breath in an attempt to stay quiet as we moved forward. Once I was chest-deep, I finally gasped for breath. The Hunters were near. I could see through their eyes now. Gus was like a glowing red beacon to them, and I a cool blue; only a shade darker than our surroundings. Through their eyes, I could only see Gus and myself where our bodies remained above water.

  I pictured Gus submerging under water in my head. Sensing what I wanted him to do, he didn’t hesitate and sunk silently below the surface. As I followed suit, our glowing images faded from the radar of the dead. I held my breath as long as I could, waiting for the group of bloated corpses to pass us by. I could only hope and pray that they would move on. I was numb to my core from the cold water, barely aware that Gus still held onto my hand. My lungs began screaming for oxygen, so I allowed myself to surface just far enough to breathe. The cool air filled my lungs, soothing the pain. The last of the dead faded from my head, and I tugged at Gus’ hand to signal him to surface. When he didn’t respond, I began to panic.

  Gus, they’re gone. We need to go.

  My thought was met with darkness. His hand went slack in mine.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I hissed as I saw bubbles emerge where he should be.

  I drew in a hasty breath and ducked quickly under the cold water. I reached out with my arms, searching blindly for any sign of the man I loved. In the dark, I had no idea which way I was facing or if I was even near where he might be. I had no idea which way was up or down. When I couldn’t suppress the urge to breathe any longer, I was forced to surface for precious oxygen. The night air hit my face and I coughed on water that I had started to swallow. I gasped to fill my lungs again, and forced myself under water, propelling downward. Feeling blindly with my hands, I frantically searched for him. My left hand brushed against something that felt like cloth. I grasped it in desperation, filling my fist with what I hoped was his shirt. Using the cloth to pull myself forward, I was met with what I knew had to be his body. I pulled as hard as I could, trying to lift him upward toward the surface of the pond. Making no progress, I ignored the instinct of my body to breathe in fresh air and used his body to pull myself toward the murky bottom. I searched with my free hand, finding one of his feet. It felt as if his boot were stuck under a piece of wood or a rock. My fingers were numb, making it difficult to tell. I pulled at his leg, hoping to dislodge it from the death trap. I knew time was running out, if it hadn’t already.

  A fleeting thought entered my head, which I dismissed. If Gus were dead, he’d be waking up soon. If that happened, I’d rather be dead anyway. Even though my eyes were closed, I could see tiny specks of silver behind my eyelids. I had to breathe. I knew I had to let go and make it to the surface. I tried to force my body to stay submerged, but it had other plans. As I began to let go of Gus’ leg, he finally broke loose of the snare. I kept a grip on his shirt and kicked as hard as I could to propel us both upward. As my head broke the surface, I felt his arms encircle me. I was forced under water again, my lungs still begging for a full breath of air. They had been cheated when I was barely able to inhale. I struck out, trying to free myself of whatever Gus had become. Fear was finally hitting me; the reality that death might be facing me like a brick wall.

  CHAPTER 9

  I clawed at Gus as he found my arms and gripped at them, painfully so. I tried to scream and was met with a mouthful of water, causing me to sputter in protest.

  “Zoe,” choked Gus. “Stop fighting me!”

  The sound of his human voice, be it rough from choking on water, startled me.

  “Gus?” I asked with desperation.

  “Ya,” he choked out.

  I let my body go slack, no longer fighting his touch.

  “We need to get out of this water,” he breathed against my face. I could hear his teeth clattering together.

  I hadn’t been aware that he had pulled me to shore until my feet hit the bottom. Soon, we were lying in the muck of the bank catching our breath. He held me to him for warmth.

  “We need to get our wet clothes off and find shelter, darlin’.”

  “’Kay.” It was hard to talk through the cold that had seeped into my bones.

  Gus was already shedding his first layer of clothes. I tried to work mine off, but my numb fingers fumbled, making little progress.

  “C’mon, babe, let me help. We have to get moving and warm up.”

  His hands worked at my clothes feverishly until I was in just a wet bra and panties.

  “Shoes too,” he muttered.

  I managed to kick off my own shoes and he peeled my soaked socks off of my feet. I stripped out of my final layer of clothing, welcoming the feel of the night air. It was cold, but not as frigid as the wet clothes had been. He helped me stand and we began moving away from the pond. The mud squished between my toes, making horrible sounds.

  “Let me know if anymore dead come close, ok?”

  “Sure,” I replied.

  We walked briskly through the remainder of the swamp. My feet were thankfully near-frozen and unaware of who-knows-what that I might be stepping on. Eventually we came to an asphalted road, where our progress was quicker. The moonlight was fading and dawn was upon the horizon.

  “Gus, up there,” I said, growing breathless. “Buildings.”

  “I see them,” he said. “Do they feel clear?”

  “Ya.”

  We picked up our pace despite my side cramping and my leg muscles aching. I couldn’t tell what the structures were just yet, but I knew shelter meant life. I laughed, despite being out of breath.

  “What?” asked Gus.

  “Us,” I huffed. “We’re running down a street naked as jaybirds.”

  “Ayup.”

  “I’m…so…cold.”

  “Hang in there.”

  The first building we reached was a Denny’s. The windows had been shattered and glass still littered the sidewalk and half of the street. We dashed to the other side to avoid cutting out feet.

  “That one there,” said Gus. “A Big 5. Well find clothes and blankets.”

  He grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me around a corner to the small sporting goods store.

  “Not here,” I said in warning. “There’s one inside.”

  The signature of the Roamer inside was faint, and only entered my head once we were right in front of the store.

  “Ok, over there,” he said. “Let’s try that building.”

  “A candle shop?” I asked.

  “Sure. It’s shelter.”

  The building was half a block down and was old, resembling a haunted house from old-time movies. The front boasted stone gargoyles and a short wrought iron fence with sharp points on top of the posts. It had a small yard that was overgrown with leggy weeds. A black cat sat on the steps eating on something. As we advanced up the walkway toward the porch, it became apparent that the cat was one of the dead. The feline was feasting on one of the larvae we had seen back at th
e beach, albeit a much smaller version. The cat had large patches of fur missing, with open wounds covering half of its body. The rotting cat watched us, its eyes unblinking. I wasn’t able to hear it in my mind, which didn’t surprise me. I hadn’t experienced a link to any of the living-dead-animals. An unearthly hiss greeted us as we got closer; the feline crouched down, ready to attack. It reeked of death and decay.

  “Back up, Zoe,” warned Gus.

  I did so, and saw that he had picked up a stick that was lying to the side of the walkway. I stayed back while he approached the hellish animal. It growled at Gus, again crouching. I couldn’t tell if it meant to attack him or was protecting its prize mega-maggot. My question was answered when it leapt at him. He had been prepared, and whacked it hard with the stick he held. The creature was tossed backward into the yard, where it lay unmoving.

  “Is it dead?” I asked in a whisper.

  “Not sure,” he mumbled as he walked to it. He stuck the sharp end of the stick into its head. “It is now.”

  I followed him up the four concrete steps to the porch.

  “It’s clear,” I said. “Unless there’s any animals inside; I can’t hear them.”

  Gus tried the knob on the door.

  “It’s locked.” He paused to think. “Ok. See that window up there?”

  I looked to where he pointed; a window on the second story.

  “Ya. It’s open.”

  “I need to climb up and go in. Do you want to go with or wait here?”

  “Heck no,” I said. “I’m not waiting out here. I’ll go with you.”

  The climb looked like an easy one. There was a concrete ledge around the foundation and an attached flower pot above. From there the window was only a short distance.

  “You can hoist me up and I’ll go in first,” I suggested.

  “Sounds good.”

  We began the climb, me in the lead. Aside from making sure our footing was steady, it wasn’t much of an effort. Soon, I was pushing on the bottom of the window, attempting to slide it upward. It had swollen from time and weather and was difficult to loosen. I could sense Gus’ pleasure at watching my bare butt as I struggled to enter the building.