by Tim Moon
There is a dairy farm on the east side of town, Ben thought. If any cows survived, they could try tending them. Butchering such a large animal if they couldn’t milk it would still present a problem. No easy options.
According to their plan, they were going to raid the pantries of every house on the block now that they had been cleared of infected. That supply would help them survive the winter. Even if it meant eating only canned and packaged food, at least they would live. Any shortfall would be made up for in raids, which they would have to do no matter what.
Ben pushed aside the concerns and focused on how thankful he was that his new family had cooked such a delicious looking meal. After all the work they had done that day, he was ravenous.
“Thank you for your hard work,” Ben said glancing at his mom and friends. “If meal prep was left up to me we’d all be eating chips and dry cereal.”
“That’s still better than those MREs,” Charlotte said, reaching for a dinner roll.
“Can’t say I’d ever volunteer to eat one of those again,” Chadwick said with a wide grin.
Oliver made a face that accurately described everybody’s feeling on the subject, much to the amusement of the group.
“The real hero is your mom.” Chadwick leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “With her expert directions and a reminder not to leave the food on the barbecue, we have not just an edible meal, but a real feast.”
Ben chuckled.
“It’s nice to have people over,” Nancy said as she scooped potatoes onto her plate. “This place was so empty before.”
Ben reached over and patted her arm. Her eyes twinkled in the dim light. She’d expressed that sentiment a few times already. He was so grateful to all his friends, near and far, that had helped him get home.
“Real quick,” Ben said, raising his hand for attention. “We’re close enough to Thanksgiving, and I just want to say that I’m thankful for each of you. I wouldn’t be here without each of you.” His head bowed a little. “And I’d also like to acknowledge those we’ve parted ways with or lost. They all helped us be here tonight.”
“Here, here,” Anuhea said.
“Cheers, mate,” Chadwick said, raising his glass.
Glasses clinked all around with warm smiles. Even Oliver raised his cup of juice.
Then they dug in.
The beef and vegetable stew had a thick, savory broth with large pieces of potato and carrots. Ben loved every bite. He dipped a dinner roll in the stew and chewed it with a satisfied grin.
Oliver struggled to scoop more mashed potatoes onto his plate, so Ben took the spoon and made a small mountain for him. Before he handed it back, Ben pretended he was about to take a bite. The boy sputtered when Ben slowly raised a spoonful of potatoes to his open mouth.
“Hey, that’s mine,” Oliver finally said, scowling at Ben. “Eat your own.”
“You mean I can’t have some after I just did all that work for you?” Ben asked.
Oliver shook his head.
The faint sound of screeching tires followed by a loud crash interrupted their meal. Ben almost dropped the plate. Everyone flinched at the unexpected noise. Another sharp reminder that these days, shit could hit the fan at any moment.
4
Ben heaved a sigh at the delicious food that would grow cold while they investigated the incident outside.
“Grab your guns; let’s go have a look,” he said, pushing away from the table to stand up.
“Don’t go outside,” Oliver said, pouting. “You can have a bite of my potatoes.”
“Thanks, buddy.” Ben ruffled Oliver’s hair. “We’ll be okay.”
“Oliver, honey, will you stay here and keep me safe?” Nancy said.
Ben remembered questions like that when he was younger. They were his mom’s way of making a command sound reasonable. Oliver huffed and stabbed at his food. He hesitated for a second before nodding.
Nancy gave Ben a concerned look.
“We’ll be okay,” he repeated. “You two stay here.”
Charlotte and Chadwick were already in the front room. Anuhea stood by the door, ready to go. She handed Ben his rifle.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Are we really going out there?” Chadwick asked. His face showing a healthy dose of skepticism.
Charlotte nodded in agreement. “It’s like when people run upstairs in a scary movie.”
Ben frowned at the comparison as he went to the window.
“Dim the lights,” he said, cautious of letting light escape.
Heavy blankets hung over the curtains, partly to help hold in what little heat they had, but also to block the light from inside the house giving away their location to the infected or survivors. A little trick they learned at the hotel back in Kona.
Chadwick blew out a lantern and waved a hand in the air to clear a wisp of smoke that escaped. Charlotte clicked off her flashlight. Anuhea waited by the door, looking out of the peep hole.
Easing back the edge of the blanket and curtain underneath, Ben peered outside. The neighborhood was dark, but his eyes were still adjusting. Everything in front of the house looked the same as it had when they finished setting up the vehicle barriers. When he glanced to the left, he saw a dull glow, but couldn’t make out what the source was. His view was blocked by the angle and the neighbor’s bushes.
If it was a car wreck, then the barrier had already proved itself useful, which made the corners of his mouth turn up for an instant. Until a rock formed in his stomach. They really would have to go outside if they wanted to figure out what the threat was. The barrier would keep out individual zombies, or small groups, but the biggest herds could press against them. Worst of all, it did nothing to stop the living.
“I can’t see anything from here. Just a glow… Possibly headlights,” Ben said softly. He closed the curtain and turned to his friends. “I’ll go out and look.”
“Not by yourself,” Anuhea said, already unlocking the door. “I’m coming with you.”
“Shall we have a look from upstairs first?” Chadwick asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Ben tilted his head in silent approval. “Fine. To the lookout.”
Anuhea was the first one up the stairs.
“I’ll stay here. I won’t see anything that you three can’t figure out,” Chadwick said. Stairs were the bane of his injury. He had proved to be resilient and determined to contribute wherever he could add value, but had no problem stepping back when others were better suited to a given task. Ben appreciated that about him.
Giving Chadwick a nod, Ben followed the others upstairs for a view from their designated lookout. He liked to think of it as a sniper’s nest. The second-floor foyer was an open area that had originally had a small couch, a table, and a small bookshelf. Ben had often studied there back in high school. The key feature was the arched window that looked out over the neighborhood. The view was expansive. A blanket was nailed to the wall above the window, just like all the windows in the house. Except this one was long enough that whoever was on guard duty could lift the blanket up and drape it over them.
Since returning home, Ben had filled and stacked improvised sandbags up to the window sill. They each took turns surveying the area from the comfort of a padded chair. A small card table with sandbags was an improvised tripod, armed with a .30-06 hunting rifle with a scope, which Charlotte had found under a bed in the house they had cleared for Oliver.
It was dark upstairs. They hadn’t brought a flashlight or anything. Anuhea lifted the blanket for them and the three of them huddled around the window, straining to catch a glimpse of whatever had interrupted dinner.
“Anything?” Charlotte whispered.
“Idiot’s left the lights on,” Anuhea grumbled.
“Do you see anybody?” Ben asked.
Charlotte shook her head.
“It’s too dark to see from here.” Anuhea glanced at him. “We have to go out there. There might be survivors.”
&nb
sp; Ben pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to bring a stranger into their home, and he also didn’t want a stranger wandering the neighborhood. The threat was too real.
On the other hand, he couldn’t just let a survivor die if they were able to help them, without too much risk. Damn, he hated being the one to make these calls. Why did they look to him?
“I don’t see any zombies. You?” he finally asked.
Anuhea shook her head. Charlotte agreed.
“Let’s go have a look then,” Ben said with a sigh. The peace and comfort of their family dinner was already broken, may as well get back to business.
They went downstairs to the living room and prepared.
“Chadwick, you’re on guard duty here,” Ben said. “Charlotte, can you cover us from upstairs?”
“I can fight too, you know?” she said.
Ben let out a mental groan. He didn’t want to argue.
“I know you can,” he said with a nod. “But we need someone to cover us.”
“Anuhea’s the best shot,” Charlotte countered loudly.
“She’s also the best fighter,” he shot back.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “Fine, but next time I’m going with you.”
Ben frowned at her outburst. It wasn’t like her. She had never shown much interest in fighting the infected. It had always seemed like a necessary evil.
“Fine,” he said, turning and motioning for the back door. “Let’s go.”
“Be safe, honey,” his mom called from the dining room when they walked past.
“Always,” Ben said. He looked at Charlotte and Chadwick. “Watch for the infected, but also keep an eye out for anyone moving around the neighborhood. We don’t know what’s going on so let’s not make assumptions. Don’t shoot unless you have to.”
Anuhea and Ben exited the rear of the house to cut through a few backyards and stay hidden. On the far side of a neighbor’s house, they crept down the driveway and ducked behind a thick row of hedges. They watched and listened for a few long seconds.
Cold air blew through Ben’s hair, making his ears tingle and sending a chill down his spine. Their breath made clouds as they surveyed the scene. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t see much.
“Is it crazy that I want to get closer, so we can see what’s happening?” Ben asked.
Anuhea made a snorting sound that basically told him yes, but her expression said she was curious too.
A roar split the silence, startling them. It was a cross between a scream and a growl, and like nothing they had heard before. The primal sound made the hair rise on Ben’s neck and sent shivers racing down his arms. Whatever it was, it was close. Maybe two blocks away at most.
They glanced into each other’s wide-eyes, dread apparent on their faces.
“I take that back. I don’t want to get closer,” he joked nervously.
“I’ve got your back,” Anuhea said, nudging him forward.
Ben took a deep breath and began moving towards the car barrier, which was still a couple hundred feet away. They had to turn off the headlights and check for any survivors before whatever hellish monster they heard closed in. Ben slipped on the wet grass as he cut across the front yard. He landed with a grunt and sucked in a breath when his knee hit the ground. A jolt of pain shot through his knee cap, but he managed to scramble to his feet and keep moving. His pant leg had quickly soaked up water when it hit the ground, making it stick to his skin like an icy leech. He held his rifle at the ready and rushed forward to keep pace with Anuhea.
Halfway between the house and the barrier, a car door creaked open. The headlights cast odd shadows. One unidentifiable shadow moved away from the car, then back towards it. Ben instinctively stopped and crouched down. The knee he hit on the ground ached, and his heart raced as he gulped air.
Another sound reached them. Dozens of shuffling feet and soft groans. Infected.
Ben cursed under his breath as he scanned the area. Darkness cloaked their position. They could avoid the encounter. Or they could help. He glanced at Anuhea, who seemed to read his expression. She nodded and motioned forward. They had to reach the survivor before the zombies did.
Squishy sounds from their shoes on the damp pavement marked a steady beat as they raced ahead. Ben felt the familiar sensations of thrill and dread that accompanied a pending battle.
They reached the barrier and crouched behind a car to catch their breath. The trunk of the car was open and the shadow they had seen was rummaging within. Ben spotted two people still seated inside the vehicle. He ducked back down.
“Two inside the car, one is digging in the trunk,” Ben whispered to Anuhea. “But the infected are close.”
The trunk slammed shut. Zombie groans rang out in an exalted chorus at the presence of fresh meat. The familiar clack of a pump-action shotgun being cocked came just before an ear-splitting boom.
“Hurry, go now,” a woman’s voice shouted.
Then there was another blast from the shotgun. Ben peered over the car and saw the woman walking kitty-corner away from them, luring the horde of zombies away from the car.
Anuhea looked over the car with their rifles raised.
“Don’t shoot,” Ben hissed at Anuhea. “Let her lead them away.”
Another shotgun blast flashed in the darkness, revealing the crowd of infected that was surprisingly close. The blast dropped two bodies, but many more took their place. Infected lurched in her direction, the whole crowd seemed to move as one.
The people in the car began to climb out. Both were young, not even teenagers yet. A boy climbed out from the back seat, looked in the woman’s direction and then back into the car. His eyes widened, and his breath came in short, quick gasps. The infected shuffled past the car and his patience for the girl in the front passenger seat evaporated.
“Mommy!” he yelled. His hands flew to his mouth a moment later as he realized his mistake.
“Hey, over here,” Ben said, waving at the kids. “Climb over.”
The boy saw Ben and Anuhea, screamed and dove back into the car with his sister who had climbed into the back seat. He slammed the door behind him.
“Shit,” Ben muttered.
Several piercing screeches filled the air. Ben ducked down on instinct.
“What the hell was that?” Anuhea asked.
Ben shrugged.
Another shotgun blast went off, but some of the infected had already peeled off and were lurching back towards the car.
“I’ll hold off the infected,” she said. “You get the kids.”
Ben nodded and climbed onto the hood of the car in front of him.
“Let’s go, kids,” he said. They stared at him through the windows like he was an alien. “Come on.”
Their gaze snapped to Anuhea when she stood up and began shooting at the zombies approaching the car. Ben dropped down beside the wrecked car. The headlights were still on; the brightness destroyed his night vision.
“We have to go. It’s not safe here,” Ben said. Frustration seeped into his tone. “Your mom wanted you two to run. Come with us. We have a safe place.”
The fear in the children’s faces was unwavering. Ben took a deep breath to calm down. He tried to smile so he would look non-threatening. As he stepped forward and reached down to open the door, he heard a click. When he pulled on the handle, it was locked. His mouth dropped open and he threw his hands out as if to say, “What the fuck?”
A series of howling screeches punctuated the mounting stress of trying to get the kids to comply. He heard pounding footsteps and heavy breathing. Anuhea began shooting rapidly, the steady rhythm nearly matching his heart rate.
Another screech nearby made Ben look up. Three forms sprinted toward the car.
More survivors?
When the lead runner was just ten feet away it leaped into the air. Its mouth gaped, lips curled back in a snarl, its eyes dark and soulless.
“What the-” Ben started to say before three quick s
hots slammed into the zombie. Its momentum carried it forward until it hit the rear passenger door on the opposite side of Ben and slid to the ground.
Ben banged a fist against the window, urging the kids to move. “Get out now. Let’s go!”
The boy and girl screamed and stared at the blood and gore-streaked window, frozen in fear.
Ben raised his AR-15 to shoot down a zombie trying to flank him and then smashed the window open with the buttstock. The glass burst and fell in a sparkling cascade that clinked on the ground. He reached inside to unlock the door and free them, but the girl flailed wildly, scratching at him. He struggled to find the damned lock. The girl rolled to the side and began kicking at his arm. He jerked back, but her foot smashed into his hand. A burst of pain shot up his arm. Ben’s grunt was drowned out by the screaming children.
Infected were closing in.
“Get out of the car, you’re not safe here,” he said through gritted teeth. It was useless. The kids were too scared and wouldn’t respond to a stranger.
The girl screamed wildly. Zombies converged on the car even as another shotgun blast went off in the distance. Their mother’s sacrifice wasn’t going to pay off unless the kids moved.
“Ben,” Anuhea shouted. Quick shots snapped off behind him and he spun to see what she needed.
A dark form jumped onto the car barrier and started towards her. Cursing, Ben tried to get a bead on the zombie. It lunged forward. Anuhea blocked it with her rifle and batted aside an arm that shot out towards her face. Both moved too quickly, too close, locked in a struggle that made it impossible for him to take a shot safely. Ben couldn’t believe how fast it was.
He glanced back at the kids, but they were doomed. His gut clenched at the sight of them fighting off zombies who had smashed in from the other side of the car. More were shuffling in his direction.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he repeated as he weighed the terrible options that confronted him. Deep down he knew there was only one real choice though. “Fuck!”