by Siara Brandt
He stopped again and his heart started pounding wildly in his chest when he heard a faint growling noise. He spun around just in time to see Helice drop down in the weeds and disappear. He could barely see her wide-open, terrified eyes peering at him over the top of the weeds behind the lenses of her glasses.
A dark form rose up to her right. It had appeared so suddenly that Eymann didn’t know where it had come from. He only knew that he wouldn’t be able to get to Helice in time.
In the meantime, Helice had gotten back to her feet. The undead thing was still coming on, snarling like a vicious, rabid animal and spraying black blood from its open mouth as it closed in on her. Blood stained the tangle of unkempt beard that covered its jaw. Beneath the blackened, crusted wisps of graying whiskers hanging over its upper lip, the mouth was stretched wide in a feral snarl. The pale eyes were fixed murderously on Helice.
Eymann cried out a warning and even though he began to run, he could only watch in helpless horror as Helice backed away. He could see the terror in her eyes. There was no way she was going to be able to outrun it, especially not in the shoes she was wearing.
He was horrified to see Helice disappear from sight one more time. Had she tripped in those ridiculous shoes? She was back up in an instant, however, with a massive fallen branch clutched in both of her hands.
She swung the gnarled branch with all her might. The zombie stumbled back with a clearly- broken, sagging jaw.
Like a batter going for a home run in a tied game in the ninth inning, Helice swung the branch around again. All her fear and fury were behind it. Eymann heard the sickening thunk of wood as it connected with flesh and bone. Something dark flew off, arcing in the air and disappearing in the field beyond the alley. Whether it was part of the undead or it was bark from the branch, it was impossible to tell. But the zombie went down. Helice leaned over and hit him again. And again. And yet again. Till it stopped moving and lay in a half-rotted, bloody mess on the ground before her.
When Eymann reached her, she was still holding tightly to the branch. Neither one of them saw the garage door slowly opening behind them. When they turned finally to see the masked face of the tall figure looming dark in the shadows, Helice raised her makeshift club high over her head.
“No, Helice!” Eymann screamed.
The man jerked the cloth off his face and they had their first clear view of his features.
The branch hesitated in the air for several long moments before Helice slowly lowered it.
“Caleb?” Eymann gasped.
Chapter 9
The old house stood dark and silent before them. The long-abandoned place looked empty, as empty as it had looked for the past fifty or sixty years. Whatever those things were, - The dead people some were calling them. Zombies others called them. - they were everywhere and Lauryn knew that they could very well be hiding somewhere close by or even inside the house. She carefully opened the iron-gate that led to the sidewalk, wincing as it screamed on rusty hinges. The brooding silence that followed was just as unnerving.
They looked in the front windows first to see if there was anyone inside. They saw nothing, but that was still no guarantee that the house was empty. They wouldn’t have chosen this place to hide in at all if they weren’t so desperate. Night was coming on and they needed to find shelter and get out of the open. They were also hungry, thirsty and dead on their feet, although Lauryn winced again after that particular choice of words came randomly to mind.
She turned and looked at the blood-red sky of the dying day. Then for several moments she stared at the closed front door, listening intently for any sounds. They should be back home in their own house by now. She had not expected to find themselves making their way there through miles and miles of woods and open fields, but with the roads blocked by cars and accidents, they’d had no choice but to abandon their vehicle and make their way on foot.
They had no weapons to fight off anything that might come along. So far they had been lucky. They had been able to avoid or outrun anything dangerous. But Lauryn knew that their luck wasn’t going to hold out forever, not with what they were up against. And she wasn’t going to take any chances that weren’t absolutely necessary, not where her daughter was concerned.
She looked at the windows critically. They were still intact. At least the ones in the front. As for the door, she would break it open if she had to. They could barricade it once they got inside. She cast a searching glance over her shoulder as the night wind freshened. Thousands of tiny branches came to life, sighing as a cooler wind passed through them. The wind also brought the heavy scent of rain. Another reason for them to find shelter.
To her surprise, Lauryn found the front door unlocked. She stood on the threshold, tense and alert as she surveyed the dim interior of the house. She checked the downstairs rooms first. Then she turned to Maddy who was right behind her. “You stay here. No matter what happens, or what you might hear. Do you understand? You are to stay right here.”
With a worried look on her face, Maddy asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to check upstairs.”
Maddy grabbed her arm. “Please, Mom, don’t go up there alone.”
“We have to know what’s up there and I need you to- keep a lookout here. There’s probably nothing up there, but I have to make sure. I’ll be back down in a minute or two.”
Maddy’s fingers tightened on her arm. “Let me go with you.”
“No, I want you down here.” And then she added, “If there is something in the house, I will have to move fast. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too.”
Maddy’s hand fell away. She would stay downstairs but she didn’t even try to hide the fear in her eyes.
Lauryn made her way cautiously upstairs, stopping to listen several times before she looked in the first bedroom. She had to push the door open a little wider before she could be sure it was empty. It was. Leaving the door open, she continued on down the hallway to the next room. It was empty as well.
She stopped and tilted her head slightly toward the last bedroom before entering it. Had she heard something, or had it been her imagination? It was hard to say what might be lurking in these old, abandoned houses. Mice. Birds nesting. Even raccoons. At first there was only silence, but then the sound came again. She had definitely heard a faint scratching sound. Panic gripped her chest automatically, but she knew she had to find out what was in that room. Swallowing hard, she moved forward very slowly.
As she got closer to the door, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone breathing in the room. It was a now-familiar sound, the slightly wheezing intake of air followed by the slow release of breath. There was no doubt in her mind what was in there. One of the undead. She had heard them too many times today.
The realization of what she was up against had her stomach clenching in fear. She backed slowly away, keeping her eyes riveted on the partially-open door. Her alarm increased when she heard the slow shuffling of footsteps from inside the room. It was followed by a slight creak, the sound of old floorboards under someone’s weight. The door moved slightly and then suddenly opened wider.
Her worst fears were confirmed as a black shadow fell across the threshold of the doorway, but she still couldn’t see an actual person. And then she could. Or at least what used to be a person.
Lauryn didn’t hesitate, even for a moment. She turned and she ran.
She could hear someone behind her. She could hear the growls now, the snarling. In her blind haste, she tripped and fell down the last few steps. She wasted no time getting quickly back to her feet. She grabbed Maddy’s hand and they both ran. They kept running until they were outside again. She had left the back door wide open. They continued running until they were at the front of the house again. They went back inside and slammed the door shut behind them. Then they ran through the house to the back door and slammed it shut and locked it. Then they peeked carefully through the curtains and saw their pursuer still staggeri
ng around in the back yard.
Maddy was breathing hard. When she was able to find her voice, she asked, “Did you plan that?”
“Only the last part,” Lauryn answered her breathlessly.
“Are there any more up there?” Maddy asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” She looked around. “But I’ll make sure.” And then she added, “It will be dark soon. Let’s find the safest place in the house, barricade it and get some rest. We both need it.”
Hours later, Lauryn was still keeping a vigil by an upstairs window even though the zombie, or whatever it was, was nowhere in sight. It had been gone for some time now. At least she thought it was gone. In the dark, it was hard to tell. It frightened her to think that it might still be out there somewhere, maybe wanting to get back inside, but at least there were several barriers between them now. Would it be able to get inside? She had no way of knowing.
One thing was certain. They were better off inside than outside. The darkness seemed especially terrifying with those things out there. It had just begun to rain a while ago. Lauryn continued to stare out through the streaming window. Before long, the rain began to come down in a hard, torrential downpour. Thunder cracked, rattling the windows of the old house while the two of them shivered together, haunted by the things they had seen that day.
Lauryn gently stroked Maddy’s hair which had come loose from its neat ponytail. She knew her own hair looked just as unkempt. Her feet were aching from hours of walking and she felt dirty. She wanted nothing more than to take off her filthy, blood-stained clothes and soak in a hot, soothing bath tub.
But that wasn’t a priority right now. Staying alive was. And getting home. Tomorrow they would have to find nourishment somewhere and something to drink. As she stared at the lightning flashing beyond the window and listened to the rain on the roof, she found herself wondering how things could have changed so drastically in one day. She had finally achieved what she’d wanted in life, a peaceful, predictable existence with no abusive, cheating husband to deal with. She had everything to look forward to. So did Maddy. But within hours everything had fallen apart. Nothing was peaceful anymore. Nothing was predictable. She didn’t know what was going to happen in the next hour, let alone the next day.
After what she had been through in her earlier years, she finally had her life headed in the right direction. She had decided some time ago that she didn’t want to be in a relationship with a man, that she was better off on her own. But that was before Rafe had come along. Rafe with his calm, self-assured manner and his irresistible smile, and his clear blue eyes, the same eyes she got lost in every time she looked at him.
She closed her own eyes. Where was Rafe right now? Please let him be safe, she prayed. And Liam.
Despite her brother, Eymann’s, opinion, she hadn’t planned on having to start all over in the middle of her life. She had divorced her husband for one reason only, to save herself and her children from the long-term effects of clinging to what had become a toxic, broken relationship. For years she had been alone and they had been good years. She liked her independence. She liked taking care of herself and not having to rely on anyone else. Not having anyone to answer to. For the first time, she was in control of her life. She could come and go as she pleased. And then Rafe had come along and slowly chipped away at her boundaries, the walls she had so carefully built around herself. The strange thing was, it felt right having Rafe in her life. He wanted what she wanted, a loving home with laughter, warmth and security. She didn’t know how it had happened, but one day she had found herself unexpectedly and hopelessly in love. Terribly in love. Maybe foolishly in love. But she had to face the truth that Rafe made her happier than she had ever been.
But now everything had changed and time seemed to have gone backward. For now at least, she was alone again and she knew she had to be strong. She had to concentrate on the present, whatever it might bring. Maddy was counting on her. And Liam would be counting on her, too, when he came.
We’re lucky we’re alive, she told herself. There was that, and she would do her best to keep them that way. But worry over what had happened to Rafe and Liam had her stomach tied up in knots.
“What do think Eymann is thinking about all of this, if the same thing is happening where he lives?” Maddy asked.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I tried to fall asleep, but I can’t stop thinking about everything that has happened. Do you think Eymann is writing a letter right now, blaming somebody for having caused all this?”
Maddy had never called him Uncle Eymann. It was always just Eymann.
Lauryn smiled in spite of herself. “Maybe he is.”
“While Helice is probably blaming him for everything,” Maddy went on.
That scenario wasn’t hard to imagine, either.
“I just want to be home,” Maddy sighed as she snuggled closer.
“So do I.”
“And then what?” Maddy asked. “What do we do when we get there?”
Lauryn knew she had to stay positive for Maddy’s sake. Even if she was scared to death, she wasn’t going to show it.
“Then we’ll make the garden bigger,” she said. “And we’ll be able to draw water from the old well. Rafe always said it would come in handy someday.”
“That’s not what I was talking about,” Maddy said in a very quiet voice. “I’m talking about Liam. He’ll come, won’t he?”
“I- ” Lauryn had to take a moment to swallow down her fear. “I’m sure he will. It will probably take him a while, like it’s taking us, but he’ll come,” she said closing her eyes for a few moments in the dark.
Liam had to come. She wouldn’t think otherwise. She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her son again. She didn’t want to think of him suffering or, worse, never knowing what had happened to him.
“Maybe Rafe is already waiting at home for us.”
Yes, that was possible.
“You know Rafe,” Maddy went on. “He’ll move heaven and earth to get there, and he’ll insist on doing everything he can to keep us both safe, in spite of you telling him you don’t need his help.”
Yes, well, relying on a capable man didn’t sound like such a bad thing right now. In fact, Lauryn would have given anything right then to have Rafe there with them now. He would make her feel safe, a lot safer than she felt right now.
“Rafe will come,” Maddy said as if she didn’t doubt it. “And Liam. They’ll both come home. I know they will.”
Lauryn nodded her head as she tried to make herself believe that, too. But she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She kept her eyes closed, fighting back the tears, because if she began to cry, she felt like she might never be able to stop.
Days later, rain continued to pour down through the ancient, gnarled branches of the neglected trees in the yard. In another abandoned house, a much older one, one not quite so grand, two people had also taken shelter for the night.
Nadia reached out a hand to brush the hair from her son’s forehead. A long ago memory of doing the same when he was much younger brought a sharp pang of recall, one she did not want to give in to. She couldn’t. She paused, swallowing hard as she pushed the sensation down where it was more manageable. Or at least where she could pretend it didn’t exist.
The difficult hours behind them had been like a nightmare and they still had no idea what they were up against. She had one priority and one priority only, and that was keeping her son alive. Something was ravaging his body. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness. Not only that, he was delirious most of the time. What that bite had done to him, she didn’t know, but his hold on life was still there and she would continue to do everything within her power to fan that spark into a flame.
So she sat silently watching him, listening to his wild ravings. He was soaked with perspiration and she could feel the heat radiating from his body. She held a cooling cloth against his forehead. She was exhausted and hungry but she had no inte
ntion of giving up her lonely vigil. She couldn’t stop to eat anyway. There was nothing left to eat. She didn’t like the thought that soon she would be forced to search for nourishment for them both. When Matt woke up, he’d be hungry, but she didn’t want him to be alone.
She had given him all the natural cures she could think of. Maybe it helped because he was still alive. She was relying not only on her vast knowledge of natural and herbal remedies, but on prayer. She hoped it would be enough, but was almost afraid to believe.
“Stay with me,” she whispered, feeling again the tightening in her throat and the sting of tears in her eyes as she tried to hold them back. “Stay with me,” she ground out feelingly as she bowed her head.
She had never felt so alone in her life. Or so frightened. She couldn’t lose Matt. She couldn’t. Her life would cease to have any meaning. He was all she had left.
“Okay.”
When she opened her eyes, blinking back the moisture, she was surprised to see him looking back at her.
“You heard me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“How do you feel?”
How did he feel? His heart was pounding. His breath felt shallow in his lungs. Heat rioted through his veins. He felt like he’d been to hell and back, he thought, and still had one foot back there. But he focused on her face, realizing as he had never realized before how strong she always tried to be for him. He wanted to be strong for her, too.