Chapter 9
Here we go. Damon heaved one hell of a groan when his mahogany eyes met his brother’s, and if he didn’t know any better he would say that his brother wasn’t really happy. He wiped his thick hands over his face and then rubbed his stiff neck. He looked over at Harper who was about to get out of the Jeep. He put a hand on the big marine’s forearm. “Better let me talk to him first.”
Harper shrugged his wide shoulders and shut the Jeep door. “Hurry up though. I need a shower.” Damon, Riley and Chloe jumped out of the Jeep. Chloe looked over her shoulder at the big marine and smiled. She snapped her head back when Keith started talking. “So, I see you brought back another body instead of supplies.”
Riley slammed his thin eyebrows together when his face contorted with rage. “He’s not just a body! That’s a fellow marine, and my friend. A friend that I thought was dead!” Damon put his heavy hand on the man’s shoulder, but Riley shook it off. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve lost people we love to this...this outbreak! And if we have a chance to save some of them we shouldn’t hesitate.” The lanky marine stepped around Keith and stormed into the cabin not caring that the door slammed shut behind him cracking at the hinges.
Keith’s forehead could have fried eggs it was so hot. Chloe swallowed a laugh. “I’ll just…help with the supplies.” She bounced on her feet over to the Jeep where Harper was still waiting. Damon overheard her say something about his brother blowing his top.
Damon looked back at his brother and put his hands up as if surrendering. “Alright. Alright. I know what this looks like, but it’s really no big deal. We got A LOT of supplies. I mean that Jeep is full. About Harper…” Keith rubbed his sweaty face with his shirt and gazed hard at his brother. Damon knew he was about to say something, so he continued. “He saved mine and Chloe’s life. I couldn’t leave him, and I wouldn’t leave anyone behind.”
“Damon he can’t stay here. I can’t allow you to keep bringing more and more people in here. I’m still alive because of the secluded life I lived. Hell you wouldn’t be here if I didn’t live like this. I’m sorry, but I don’t really know what else to say.” He rumbled deeply.
“I’ll figure something out. I promise. He won’t stay forever. Just--” Damon didn’t like to beg, but he wasn’t going to send Harper out there again. What would he say? Just kidding about you being saved. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. “Please, Keith. We’ll make a place safe for him in the city or something. I don’t know just give me time to figure it out. Plus, we have a shit load of supplies. Now do we have a deal?”
Keith heaved his barrel chest. “Oh...O…K.” He pointed a fat finger at Damon. “But only until you get another place for him. Now let’s see what you brought.”
The two made their way across the unkempt lawn. Damon gave the big marine a quick nod, which turned Chloe into a hopping bunny. Harper was out of the Jeep in a flash and joined the teenager in the long task of unpacking. He nodded to Keith as they passed. “Thanks for letting me stay.”
Keith grumbled a forced your welcome and then followed up with, “Don’t make me regret it…and you’re not staying forever.” He sized up the marine then heaved again. “Hopefully, you brought back plenty of food. This one looks like he can eat.”
“No worries.” Harper filled his huge arms with as much stuff as he could carry. He looked over at Damon while performing a balancing act with canned goods and boxed dinners. “It would have been nice if you bagged most of it.” Then he glanced back at the pop-belly. “And yes, I can.” He waited for Chloe to lead the way with her arms filled with junk food.
Chapter 10
Everybody pitched in with the chore of unpacking the Jeep and putting away the groceries. Damon regaled the story of how they found Harper and how it was on the other side of the fence. The others stayed quiet for the most part except for Riley’s smart-ass comments and sound effects. Chloe showed Harper where the shower was, and then the teenager was off to try out her new iPod and try on her new clothes. It was well after dark when Damon put the last can of green beans on the pantry shelf. He was exhausted. His brain was streaming with images of the day. He left out the part of the story about the little zombie girl. It would have upset Juleen to know that they killed it. He couldn’t get the little face out of his head. He found Riley out on the porch. The tall marine was slumped in an old rocking chair. It reminded Damon of Granny in the Beverly Hillbillies. It creaked as the marine pumped his left foot. He had a glass with dark liquid swirling around cubes of ice in his hand. The bottle of Jack was at his feet next to Boomer who was sprawled out to the marine’s right.
Damon threw himself into the canvas chair next to him. Without moving his head he flicked his piercing eyes at the mechanic. Reading his mind, he bent over and grabbed the bottle of Jack and handed it to him. “It helps…”
“Read my mind.” He accepted the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a long pull he let the burning liquid run down his throat. He coughed a little, and then wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist. “Aah...that’s more like it.” He leaned his head back and stretched out his aching legs. “Today was a crazy fucking day.”
“Heard that.” The marine lifted his glass. “It’s awesome about Harper.”
“Crazy he survived.”
“Shit. I expected a rotten freak to jump out at us when we opened that freezer.”
“Me too, but I did have a rotten freak jump on my back…Let’s not forget.” The marine threw his head back and laughed. “You shrieked like a little girl.” He thought about Chloe. “Wait, a little girl on helium.” He laughed again.
“Cram it Marine!” He would have tackled Riley out of the rocking chair, but his back was still screaming. He took another pull off the bottle. He let the fuzzy effects of alcohol run through his head.
Riley calmed himself down and finished the rest of his drink. He whistled through his teeth. “So what happened to you out there?”
“Nothing.” He lied.
“Bull shit. You couldn’t kill that zombie girl.” Damon groaned. “It’s just I have to wonder if we could have found her sooner. Before she was bitten.” He rubbed his temples. Wow, his head hurt. “Riley, I wanted to save her.”
The marine softened. “Damon, how could you?” “I don’t know. I just wish things were different. It would be great if we could know how long we have left before we can go back to the way things were.” Damon bowed his increasingly heavy head. Thoughts of his wife and son floated passed his blurring eyes. Amy faced him with her golden curls bouncing over her pale cheeks, and she blew him a kiss with her naturally full pink lips. Damon caught the invisible kiss automatically with his thick hand and pressed it to his mouth with his palm. He cleared his throat when he saw the marine studying him like he was an experiment. “At least go back to the days before people starting eating each other.”
The marine was quiet for another moment. He didn’t bother asking his friend what he had been thinking about. Like Chloe, he had snooped though the photo album that Damon had brought from Arkansas. The marine liked to call it gathering intel more than snooping through his new friend’s personal property. When he looked at the pictures from their wedding day, he wished that he had been able to have what Damon had. Even if that meant he had to lose them in the end. Riley had no idea what it was like to actually be in love with someone. Back in high school he was the goofy, geeky kid that no girl ever wanted to call her boyfriend. He was forever shunned into the friend zone. That was one of the reasons why he joined the Marines. He assumed it would make him more appealing to the opposite sex, but yet Riley remained woman-less. The Marine Core was full of guys like Harper. Marine duds, or not, the women didn’t want him. Now they were likely dead. At least Riley had something on them. He shook his head. “Things will never be like they were.” Like I really want them to go back anyway. “I know what you mean though, I really do. I would love to know how long it will be before I can get out from be
hind these bars again. I feel like a goddamned prisoner here.”
“Well then you are going to love my idea…” From under a cocked eyebrow, “oh yeah? Shoot.” “I think we should build something like a safe zone. You know? Big fences, supplies and…survivors. The whole bit.” He waited for the marine to shoot him down like a mallard during hunting season. “It’s nuts, I know--”
“That’s a pretty fucking good idea!” The marine jumped out of his chair, swaying a little once on two feet. “Hell yeah, it’s crazy, but whatever man…it would be sweet to be able to walk around more than just a yard for a change. Without the chance of getting munched, of course.” Riley was pacing now. Uncaring that it was nearly one o’clock in the morning, the marine continued. “So, when do we start? Where?” The more he talked the faster the words came out.
Damon watched the marine make a dirt track in front of the porch. He wasn’t the only one watching; Boomer had been awakened when Riley abruptly changed his position. “Honestly dude, I thought you were going to tell me I was crazy.” He was happy the marine was on his side, even if it wasn’t for the same reason. It also probably had a little to do with the man’s alcohol consumption. Damon wanted to save people. It would be like he was making up for those he couldn’t save…Amy…Michael…the little girl…Hell, even the Sarge. “We definitely need a plan. We will have to decide on a perimeter--”
“And security.” Riley interjected.
“Uh huh. And we need to deal with the zombies. They are going to be a problem during construction.” The marine stopped digging his rut and grabbed his stomach. In the low light Damon could see that he had a face of a sea sick land lover and was ready to explode. He looked up at Damon with glazed eyes. “I think I’m gonna be--” Riley was interrupted by the volcano that erupted in his esophagus. Damon snapped his head to something less disgusting. He was never any good with vomit…or poop for that matter. He found himself looking up at the sparkling stars that twinkled over the cabin. Much better than watching a marine throw up a lung. “That’s better.” He heard the marine mutter and looked back. The marine wiped his lower lip with the back of his hand; his tall frame slumped against the thick post of the porch. “Jack’sss…fighting me tonight…” His words were slurred.
Damon hoisted himself out of his chair, wobbling a little on his own unsteady feet. He moved over to where Riley was standing. “I think it’s time to get you inside. We’ll talk about the safe zone thing tomorrow. Then we can include Harper and Keith.” The marine looked down at Damon after hanging his arm around his shoulder and then cocked his eyebrow. Damon took the hint. “And Chloe…” Damon was able to awkwardly maneuver Riley inside, even though they nearly tore the screen door off. Keith and Juleen had already gone to bed. Chloe was on the couch next to Harper. She was passed out with her head tilted back resting on the back of the couch. Soft snores escaped her lips. Her legs were bent with her feet pushed up against the big marine.
When the two, so loudly, entered the room Harper turned his head and gave them the shush signal with his finger to his lips. “She is out.” He whispered as low as he could, which was more like some Joe Blow, talking normally. Luckily, the teenager didn’t wake up. Damon knew firsthand what it was like to wake up a slumbering teenager. It was pretty much the same scenario as waking a bear during hibernation. His gray eyes passed over the tall marine slouching over Damon. “What the hell happened to him?”
“Too much Jack.” He started to move again, but knocked into a table that Juleen had placed near the door for what the boys thought were useless items. Harper eased his way off the couch without waking the sleeping beast next to him. “Yeah, probably a good idea if you help. I don’t think I can do this quietly by myself.”
The big marine put his thick arm around Riley and slid his shoulder under the man’s armpit. “I’m use to this shit…ten years in the Core. I’ve carried my share of drunks home.”
There was one problem. They were standing in Riley’s bedroom, and Chloe was sleeping on his bed. Damon wasn’t going to put a possibly-puking-at-anytime marine in her bed for the night; he would never hear the end of it. “Hold him for a minute. I gotta get Chloe in her room.” The mechanic let Harper take the weight of Riley, and he wormed his way from under his shoulder. He walked around the sofa and slid his arms under Chloe’s knees and behind her neck. She was a wet noodle in his arms as he closed the short distance between the living room and her bedroom.
When Damon got back from putting the teenager to bed, he saw Riley sleeping on the couch, his legs hanging off the end and his mouth catching flies. Harper was standing in the open door way that led to the porch. His massive body barely fit. He was staring out in to the night. Damon’s foot creaked on the old wood planks, and the big marine’s head snapped around. “I never thought I would see this again.” He nodded to the yard. “I don’t know if I thanked you guys, but…” Cough. “Thanks.”
“We’re happy that we found you, even if you did try to kill us.” Damon cracked a smile, and then he let out a yawn. He was running on empty for the last few hours.
Harper laughed. “Sorry ‘bout that.”
Damon waved a hand at him. “No harm, no foul. You’re back. That’s all that matters. Anyway I’m freaking tired. Let me show your where you’re gonna sleep.”
“Sleep sounds good.”
“Too bad you have to sleep on the floor.” Harper followed Damon to his room. “Need I remind you I was sleeping in a nasty freezer with zombies on the other side? This will be like staying at the Ritz.” Damon dug out another pillow and blanket for the big marine. He found a place in the corner of the room threw the pillow down and looked at Damon. “Don’t try anything.”
“Fuck you.” Damon took his shirt off and got under his blankets. “Plus you’re not my type.” Harper laughed and lowered his massive form to the floor. Within a couple of minutes the big marine was snoring. Even though Damon was tired out of his mind his body would not let him fall to sleep. The marine’s snores only got louder. Damon turned from his back, to his side, to his other side, and then back to his back. He groaned while Harper’ snores echoed in the small room. Damon jammed both ends of his pillow in his ears. Nope. Damn. Damon finally gave up. He took the pillow out from under his head and hurled it at the big marine.
Damon heard the big marine snort. “What…the…fuck..?” He asked sleepily.
“You’re snoring so loud you are going to wake the dead.”
Cough.
“Like the dead dead ones.” Harper cursed and then repositioned himself on his right side facing the wall. His breathing evened out, and Damon knew the big marine was sleeping again. He sighed with relief as the snores were much more tolerable. Seconds later Damon gave in to the dark oblivion of sleep.
Damon felt asphalt shingles under his hands. He opened his eyes and saw the town of Vail. He figured he was sitting on a roof of a building. There was something different about it. The bodies were gone; the streets were clean…they were filled with…Damon squinted. Zombies? No people. Actual living people. Damon’s heart leapt in his throat. There had to be at least two hundred of them, and they were all looking at him. Damon couldn’t describe the emotion that he felt in his chest. He looked up from the mass of people, and that was when he noticed someone sitting beside him. Chloe? No. It was definitely a woman. Her short hair was the color of the night sky, and she was looking at him. Damon looked into her face, but it was blurred. She had her slender hand on his thigh. Damon felt something for this woman. But who is she? At that moment everything started to go blurry. He was blacking out. He didn’t want to go. He had to know her. He was slipping. Going…going…gone.
The next morning Damon woke up with the bright sun shining in his eyes. He rolled onto his side expecting more of the bed to be underneath him. It wasn’t. Damon hit the floor with a thud. He groaned.
“I’m up. I’m up.” Harper muttered in his pillow. Damon pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at the big marine with blurr
y eyes. The woman in his dream still haunted his mind. He shook his head, then immediately stopped after shooting pain radiated up his neck into his temple. He grabbed his head. All he could do was groan.
The big marine stood up slowly making sure his feet were steady. Satisfied he put his shirt and pants on, and then stretched. His bones cracked under the pressure. “I think I liked the freezer floor better.” He cracked…like his spine had.
“I’m never drinking again. I wonder how Riley is fairing.” As if they summoned him, Riley burst into the bedroom. The heavy wooden door banged against the wall. Oww! He was much too chipper as far as Damon was concerned. Damon rubbed his temples. “Easy.” He nearly hissed.
“What’s that matter with you? I drank more than you did last night.” He stood tall and motioned to his frame as if showing off fancy clothes, “and look at me.”
“You’re so tall nobody can miss you.” Harper joked from the corner. Riley ignored him. Harper was so massive that the world couldn’t miss him, and he was a smart-ass. “Hurry up. Breakfast’s done, and I want to hear more about your plan.”
“Plan?” Harper turned from the window frame to Damon who was still sitting on the floor with his back against the metal bedframe.
Zombie Revolution Page 13