Derek walked down and handed John the M-16.
“Come on dude,” Derek said to Jimmy handing him a glove, “let’s play ball.”
They began playing catch. John joined Amy and sat down.
“You’re good with him John.”
“Thanks.”
“I mean it, you would make a great father. He looks up to you.”
John looked away and lowered his head.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“The dream, or nightmare, I had last night. It was about Susan. And….” he trailed off and started to choke up.
“What happened John?” she said moving even closer to him and putting her hand on his leg.
“I haven’t told you this yet,” he said gathering his thoughts, “but at the house Saturday, after you went outside, after I… sent her on her way, I went upstairs to the bathroom and….”
Amy took his hands in hers but didn’t speak. Letting him continue.
“There were two pregnancy tests on the counter. They were both positive.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I don’t know. I’ve felt numb to it up until the dream. It’s like it wasn’t real.”
“What happened in the dream?”
“Well, I fell asleep, then, I was standing outside the house. It was on fire.” A tear ran down his cheek. Amy gently wiped it away with her finger. “There was a little girl. My little girl… in the window screaming. Screaming Daddy help me. But…. I couldn’t move. I tried,” John looked up at Amy. A look of pain and anguish on his face. “I tried… the flames were getting higher and higher. Then, then I saw Susan step up behind her. She smiled and waved. Then the little girl stopped screaming and turned to Susan and took her hand. They turned back to me, smiled and waved again then disappeared into the flames. Then you woke me up.”
“Oh John, I’m sorry,” she said putting her arm around his shoulder.
“It all makes sense now,” he said.
“What does?”
“The night before all this started I was in my hotel room. Susan called me around nine like she always did when I was out of town, but, then, she called back. At eleven. She never did that. She said she missed me and that she was lonely. She said she wished I wasn’t out of town this week. Looking back now, I know she wanted to tell me over the phone but decided to wait until I got back. I think she took the test some time between the two phone calls. The next morning when I talked to her after everything started happening, she said, this can’t be happening. Not now. I know why she put it that way now. But she still didn’t tell me,” John buried his face in his hands and rubbed, “oh God, I should have been there. I should have been there…”
“John it’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself,” she said leaning into him.
“I know.”
They sat for another twenty minutes watching Jimmy and Derek play ball, John realizing how lucky he was to have Amy with him now. He felt emotionally safe with her, regardless of the circumstances. He didn’t understand how he could feel two distinctly different emotions at the same time. His extreme sadness and feeling of loss and the growing affection for Amy.
“I need to move around some,” John said finally getting up, “I’m going to go play ball for a while.”
John walked over to Derek. “I’ll relieve you now,” he said handing him the rifle.
“Thanks,” Derek said, “that kid’s got way too much energy.”
John took the glove and starting throwing the ball. It felt good. He hadn’t played ball in several years. He had forgotten how much fun it was. He felt alive again. The broad smile on Jimmy’s face and to hear his laughter made him push everything else out of his mind. It felt good to have something to focus on besides his conflicting emotions.
Derek sat down beside Amy. “Is he ok?” he asked.
“Yeah I think so. He just lost his wife you know. And, he just told me she was pregnant.”
“Oh no, that’s awful.”
“He didn’t know until he found a pregnancy test at the house Saturday. After she was dead.”
“Should I say something to him?”
“I wouldn’t. He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”
“He’ll be ok,” Derek said patting Amy on the knee, “he’s a strong guy. And he sure does think a lot of you. I know that. I see the way he looks at you.”
“I think a lot of him too. I hope he knows that.”
“He does. I mean, he’s just very… confused right now. He lost his wife and found you, all at the same time. He has to feel like he’s being ripped apart and put back together all at the same time. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”
“We’ve got a busy day tomorrow. We better enjoy this while we can,” Derek said.
“I know. It’s hard to believe this could all be over soon you know.”
“Could?” Derek said raising an eyebrow. “It will be over soon. I don’t know what the plan is after we get to the ship, but I do know once we get there we’ll be safe. Those things can’t swim.”
They laughed. Amy leaned back on her elbows letting the full sun hit her face and sighed. The stress of not even knowing if there was a possibility of rescue was taking its toll. Now, they knew they at least had a very good chance of getting out of there alive. The past week seemed like a year she thought. A very long year.
John and Jimmy soon grew tired of throwing the ball and joined them on the sand.
“Derek and I were just discussing how we needed to spend the day tomorrow gathering wood for the fire and getting ready to leave.”
“Right. I was thinking about that too. We should get everything ready to go. Even if we don’t think we’ll be taking it. You never know, the guys from the ship may tell us to bring everything,” John said. “They may need all the supplies they can get. We’ll take the MRE’s at the very least.”
“Can I shoot the gun again?” Jimmy asked.
John looked at Amy who shrugged then nodded yes.
“Sure,” John said pulling the pistol out and carefully handing it to Jimmy, “remember what I told you. Always point it down range. Never point the barrel in anyone’s direction.”
“Ok, I remember,” he said taking the gun and walking down near the target.
He took careful aim and fired, striking the board on the right edge.
“Squeeze the trigger Jimmy. Don’t jerk it,” John said.
Jimmy looked back at him then turned to the target again and pulled the trigger. This time what was left of the top of the board flew apart in a shower of splinters.
“Good job,” Derek said as they all clapped.
Jimmy, all smiles, turned to walk back to them being very careful to point the gun straight down at the ground. John, Amy and Derek were all lounging in the sand when Jimmy stopped suddenly and started to raise the weapon.
“Jimmy, down range. What did I tell you?” John said pointing down the beach. Suzie sniffed at the air and began to bark.
Jimmy, looking dazed, ignored him and raised the gun and fired. Everyone ducked then turned around in time to see the demon falling to the ground behind them.
“He was about to jump,” Jimmy said. His voice shaky, “so I killed it.”
Derek jumped to his feet, spun around checked for more of the zombies but saw none.
“We let our guard down,” he said shaking his head. “So much for our nice peaceful day at the beach.”
John took the shotgun from Amy and walked over to where the zombie lay. Lowering the end of the barrel to just above the demon’s temple, he poked at it.
“It’s dead,” he said, “I think we should probably move this party inside.”
Derek stood watch while the others filed past and back to the lighthouse. Once everyone was inside he secured the door and joined them at the top.
“Another close call,” he said as he lowered the trap door, “too close.”
“We can’t let that
happen again,” Amy said.
“It seemed, so, normal down there,” John said, “like any day at the beach. I think we all got caught up in the moment.”
Amy walked over to Jimmy and put her arm around his shoulders. “My little hero,” she said grinning.
“That was pretty cool,” Derek said.
“It was awesome,” John added. “Jimmy you saved our lives. It would have killed one of us for sure.”
“Really?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah, really,” Amy said.
The rest of the day was spent readying their belongings and supplies for the rescue on Thursday, talking about life before and playing cards. John set up a watch system where someone would be alert and on the lookout at all times. Jimmy would be allowed to help during the day but not at night. John was too worried about him falling to sleep.
At 3:40 p.m. Derek went down to start the generator and take Suzie to relieve herself. The radio broadcast from the ship would begin soon. They had tried to get the two way radio going but it wasn’t working.
Promptly at 4:00 p.m. the same basic message was repeated again except for the fact that the number of survivors rescued had grown by four. A pitifully small number John thought.
After the transmission the generator was turned off and the doors secured again. Then everyone became quiet and laid back to rest and wait for the time to signal the Rector. Not much conversation took place. Everyone lost in their own thoughts. Jimmy had been strangely quiet since the incident on the beach. John figured it was just the shock of it and he hoped he would be ok in the morning.
John would take the first watch although the others wanted to be watching when it was time for the signal.
It was completely dark at 7:15 p.m. and Jimmy lay down to go to sleep. Amy lit two candles for light.
“How about a warm beer while we wait?” Derek said.
John and Amy enthusiastically agreed. Derek went down to get some of the beer when he heard something at the door. He pressed his ear to the cool metal and listened. He thought he heard footsteps but couldn’t be sure. He listened for another minute then decided he must not have heard anything after-all.
Returning to the top he sat down and handed John and Amy two beers each. They opened them and drank greedily. Even warm John thought this was the best beer he had ever had.
“You know,” Amy said playing with the tab on her can, “I think we’re going to make it.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet don’t jinx us,” John said, “you saw what happened on the beach. We still have to go out there and set up for the fire. I think from now on when we have work to do outside one of us needs to stay here and stand watch. I don’t think Jimmy should go outside again at all.”
“He’s really going to like that,” Amy said.
“It’s just for a couple more days.”
“Hey,” Derek said, “he should be happy now… he got to shoot a zombie today.”
Everyone laughed. Including Jimmy who they could here giggling under his covers.
“You’re supposed to be asleep young man,” Amy said.
“I know, I heard you talking and woke up,” he said, “I don’t really want to go back outside anyway. I’m not scared or anything though.”
John, Amy and Derek looked at each other knowingly. The event on the beach obviously shook him up more than they realized. For Jimmy to not want to go back outside was a major change.
“We know buddy,” John said, “it’s probably best if you stay inside.”
“Ok,” Jimmy said yawning.
He turned over and was asleep again within minutes. Everyone else sat in silence and drained their beers quietly. Each contemplating the next few days.
Derek took the dog down one more time and hoped she would be good for the night.
At 8:55 p.m. John rose and grabbed the flashlight. Derek and Amy stood beside him at the window. After a couple of more minutes they signaled then waited for a full minute but got no reply then signaled again. This time the response came quickly. Relieved they sat back down. Derek headed to his spot.
“Be gentle when you wake me up,” he told John, “and I’ll see you at zero three hundred sharp,” he said to Amy.
“Yeah and at six I’m going back to sleep,” she said.
Amy leaned over and kissed John on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“Good night,” he said as she crawled to her blanket and lay down.
John moved to a stool facing the city and sat down. He leaned back and tried to imagine how it looked when the power was still on. Now, the city was black. He could just make out silhouettes of the buildings. The Yorktown was barley visible.
His watch passed uneventfully. At midnight he gently shook Derek to wake him.
“No way,” Derek said, “I just laid down.”
“Afraid so my friend,” John said, “I just lit some more candles.”
“Ok, thanks. Get some sleep.”
Derek took up John’s former position at the stool while John lay down near Amy, being careful not to wake her. He was asleep after only a few minutes.
Two hours later John woke up and opened his eyes. He looked at his watch. It was 02:00 A.M. The light from the candles danced off the ceiling and bounced around the room. It seemed a lot brighter than it was earlier. He looked back at Derek who was slumped over the back of the stool asleep. He shook the grogginess from his head and sat up. Something wasn’t right. Then he realized what it was. The orange light dancing around the room wasn’t coming from the candles. It was coming from outside. He got up and shook Derek awake.
Then, looking out the window he saw where the flames were coming from. St. Phillips was blazing and lighting up the night sky. The flames, leaping high into the air, reflected off the water magnifying the effect and lighting the harbor in an eerie glow.
“John, what is it?” came Amy’s voice from the floor.
“The church. It’s on fire.”
“The Rector…” Derek said letting the words hang in the air.
Amy joined them at the window as they stood there. Too dazed by what was happening to speak. They watched the fire for ten minutes before anyone spoke again.
“You guys go to sleep. There’s nothing we can do,” Amy said. “I’ll go ahead and start my watch.”
“No,” Derek said, “it’s still my turn. Besides I fell asleep. I’ll wake you at four.”
Derek didn’t wake Amy until 6:00 a.m. then laid down himself to try and get at least another hour of sleep. The church, although not as ferociously, still burned. Miraculously the tower was still standing. Just as it had after the fires in 1861 and the earth quake of 1886. Amy sat and watched the flames. Paying little attention to anything else.
TEN - DAY EIGHT: FLIGHT
At 7:00 a.m. John woke. He sat up and looked toward the East. The sun would be up soon. The dawn was just beginning to show over the horizon. The church was still burning but the flames had mostly died down. Amy sat at the window watching.
She heard John stirring and turned to him. “I hope he’s alright,” she said.
“Me too,” John said getting to his feet.
There was a chill in the air as the temperature inside the lighthouse had dropped into the low fifties overnight. John pulled a chair up beside Amy and put his blanket around the both of them. They sat and watched the sky grow lighter until the sun peaked over the horizon.
When the light from the sun came through the window Jimmy opened his eyes. “Good morning,” he said.
“Morning buddy,” John answered, “sleep good?”
“Yep,” he said slowly standing up.
He walked over to the window on the North side of the lighthouse and opened it. Then, leaning out he looked down.
“Oh fuck,” Jimmy said then immediately covered his mouth with both hands,
“What did you say?” Amy said looking at him with a stern look on her face. “Jimmy don’t ignore me young man.”
Jimmy just pointed d
own at the ground below. Amy got up and stuck her head through the window and looked down.
“Oh, my, God,” She said, “John, you better take a look at this. Derek, wake up.”
“I’m awake,” he said getting to his feet.
Amy moved from the window to give them a clear view.
John looked down. “Shit!” was all he could say.
“They’re here,” Derek said taking a look himself.
“Jimmy…” Amy said pointing her finger at him, “don’t let that happen again. Understand?”
Jimmy knew exactly what she was referring to and stared at his feet, afraid to look up.
“I won’t…I Promise,” he said sheepishly.
“Better not.”
“But John said it too.”
“When?”
“On the boat.”
“Sorry,” John said, “it slipped.”
“Well don’t let it slip again,” she said, “either one of you.”
Derek, amused, could only laugh.
“Derek it’s not funny,” she scolded him.
Derek raised his arms as if to surrender.
John looked back down to try and decide what to do. There were six bodies stacked near the door. No-one noticed as Suzie quietly relieved herself in the corner.
“You guys stay here,” John told Amy, “Derek and I will clear the door and take care of the bodies.”
John handed Amy the hunting rifle. “Keep an eye out. They’re around somewhere.”
John and Derek went down to the door. It took both of them to push one side of it open. The corpses slid out of the way.
“Oh geez, they stink,” Derek said looking down at the pile of flesh, “and they’ve all had their heads smashed in.”
“Strange,” John said, “you’d think this would be killing a potential host. Doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“Smells like they urinated on them. Nasty smell that zombie piss,” Derek said. “Why are they doing this? Has to be some reason.”
“Right, but what?”
“Don’t ask me, I didn’t take the zombie psychology course this semester. I was saving that for next year.”
John laughed at first then the smile faded from his face. “It’s pretty clear now,” he said.
The Demon Dead Page 26