by Tim Moon
“Where’s Anuhea?” he asked.
“Watching the road in case anyone or anything followed the car,” she said.
Ben grunted. He hadn’t considered that another vehicle could be coming. Or they could have been leading infected who were attracted to noise and movement.
“Let’s get this finished so we can get the hell out of here,” Ben said. “Suddenly, this place feels exposed and if they come back this way they’ll spot us for sure.”
Anuhea joined them a few minutes later.
“Coast is clear,” she said as she rushed over to help them finish dumping the bodies. “I don’t think they’re coming back.”
“Fingers crossed,” Ben said.
All three of them rushed to shove the rest of the bodies out of the truck. When they had finished, Ben and Charlotte checked the road while Anuhea started the truck.
The drive back to the neighborhood was tense. Ben led them on a long, winding route while the others constantly scanned for pursuers. They were taking no chances.
A collective sigh of relief escaped them when Anuhea pulled up next to the vehicle barrier and stopped.
Home safe, Ben thought. For now.
8
The last of the bodies were stacked in the truck ready to be moved. Ben nodded as they reached a decision. They would find a new location to dump the dead. No point risking a run-in with people they didn’t know.
“That settles it then,” Ben said. “Good thinking, Charlotte.”
“Thanks,” she said, blushing a little.
Anuhea removed her gore-stained gloves and wiped sweat from her face.
“See you soon,” Chadwick said, giving them a wave.
“Yep, stay alert,” Ben said.
Chadwick gave a little salute and turned to limp back home as they pulled away.
Anuhea drove again, while Ben gave directions and kept watch with Charlotte. Before long they were cruising through quiet neighborhoods, past empty houses and abandoned businesses.
“Make a left. This is it,” Ben said after about ten minutes.
Anuhea slowly turned into the parking lot of John V. Romero Elementary School, which was north and slightly west of their neighborhood.
“This is where you want to do it?” Anuhea asked. An arm slid free at the deceleration and bumped against the rear window. It banged again as they went over a speed bump before coming to a halt in the parking lot.
“Yeah but go over there.” Ben motioned for her to drive close to the large dumpsters that were surrounded by chain-link fence and a grassy island, at the edge of the parking lot.
“There’s something wrong about this,” Charlotte said.
“Uh-huh. It’s kind of messed up,” Anuhea added.
“Kids aren’t in school anymore. No one is going to see the bodies. If anyone has survived this long, they’ve seen worse,” Ben said. “Trust me.”
Anuhea sighed and gave him a stern glance.
“I know, I know, dead people and schools aren’t a good mix,” Ben said, holding up his hands. “But we can either dump them and be done with it or we can drive around, increasing our risk, to find a more politically correct place to drop off these zombies. I vote for getting it done and going home.”
“All I said was it felt wrong,” Charlotte said, staring out the window.
“It’s not like I suggested putting them at the front door. I’m not a monster,” Ben said.
Anuhea and Charlotte shot each other a look. Ben ignored it.
After Anuhea backed up next to the dumpsters, they climbed out. Ben stretched to ease some of the tension in his lower back. Anuhea scanned the area and then prepared for their gruesome work. Charlotte went over to a light post and leaned against it as she stood watch.
“Hey, Ben,” she said.
Ben let go of the zombie he was dragging out of the truck and crouched down. “What is it?” he asked in a whisper.
With a frown, Charlotte shook her head. “Nothing like that. I was just thinking that since we’re at a school, we could pick up some books for Oliver.”
Ben stood up with a sheepish look that turned annoyed when Anuhea laughed at him.
“You’re awfully jumpy,” Anuhea said.
“Cautious is the word you’re looking for,” he corrected. Turning his attention to Charlotte, he said, “That’s a great idea.”
Charlotte grinned and turned back towards the street, holding her AR-15.
“Let’s hurry, there are only a few more,” Anuhea said, looking down from where she stood in the truck bed.
Ben made a face at her. She grinned.
He grasped the next body by the wrist and pulled. Anuhea gave it a shove with her foot, which helped build up momentum. A tiny wave of blood and other body fluids raced toward him in the grooves of the bed liner. The vile sludge dripped through the seam of the tailgate and splashed on the ground. He grimaced and pivoted to the side, letting the body fall the short distance to the others piled on the ground.
Ben looked down at the pile they were making and smirked. Whoever found these remains in the future, would have a hell of a time figuring out what had happened to them. All the heads were at the first dump site. Would they find the two sites and piece together the evidence? The thought was strangely amusing. If they didn’t find the heads, how would future archeologists explain this find? Would there even be archeologists in the future? Or a future at all? He hated to think that humanity might die off.
No, he thought with a small shake of his head. There would be someone left to reflect on the devastation caused by the Necrose virus.
If not an archeologist, then a forensic scientist would examine them, right? He sighed and reached for the next body that Anuhea pushed his way. Would anyone even care about more than a dozen bodies piled up in a school parking lot among the millions of dead nationwide? If there ever was a cleanup and rebuilding of human society, would it be worth taking the time to examine the remains? Or would they simply chalk it up to an act of survival and move on? How long would it take humanity to recover?
Ben often found himself going down these mental rabbit holes, especially when thinking about the future. So much was uncertain. It unnerved him.
“Infected,” Charlotte hissed at them as she ran over to duck behind the truck.
Anuhea dropped over the edge and leaned against the rear tire. Ben crouched and then bear-crawled behind the truck. He unslung his rifle and lay down near the edge of the tire, beside Charlotte. He watched a zombie lurch into view.
“We might have another one for the pile,” he whispered.
Charlotte frowned and held a finger to her lips.
Those lips, Ben thought. Despite the stench clinging to him from his gore-stained gloves, he had no problem imagining himself kissing her.
The zombie shuffled down the street, oblivious to their presence. Its head turned in their direction, but it never showed a hint of changing course. Three stragglers followed behind it. One was dragging a useless leg behind it; white bone gleamed against its black shirt and torn jeans.
Taking out the small group of infected would have been easy. It was tempting too, but experience had shown them that even a few zombies could draw the attention of others. Somehow there were always more lurking nearby. So, Ben and the others remained hidden until the last of them wandered out of sight.
“Okay, let’s finish this, check the school and get the hell out of here,” Ben said in a low voice.
To speed things along, Charlotte gave up being a lookout to help move the last few bodies. The truck bed looked gruesome. All manner of bodily fluids glistened against the bed-liner, with various bits of flesh and organs. A few teeth too, he noticed.
Swallowing hard to avoid gagging, Ben carefully lifted the tailgate and pulled the handle up, to close it quietly. Gore dripped down and splattered on the ground again. His nose scrunched even though he barely noticed the stench anymore.
With a little shake to make sure the tailgate was securely closed
, Ben took off his gloves and threw them onto the grass beside the bodies. No amount of washing could save them. He jogged across the parking lot to catch up with his friends. Together they crept towards the building with their rifles up.
Anuhea motioned that she and Charlotte would check the front doors, which consisted of three sets of double doors. Meanwhile, Ben went to the side of the building to peer inside through the windows. A thin layer of grime coated the glass. He wiped it away with his coat sleeve and examined the interior of the school.
The main entrance opened into a large open room, like a massive foyer, with a tall ceiling. Student art work hung on the wall opposite the front desk and administration offices. It reminded Ben of his school. He could imagine hearing children’s voices echoing in the halls.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he examined the window for a way to open it but quickly concluded that it was a solid pane without a latch. Charlotte popped around the corner of the building, startling Ben, who quickly lowered his rifle.
“Stop it,” she snapped. “That’s twice today.”
Ben glared at her. “Don’t jump out at me, that’s how accidents happen.”
“The front doors are locked,” she said with an equally harsh scowl.
“I’ll go around this way and meet you two on the other side.” He adjusted the sling of his rifle. “If you find a way inside, get me before you go in, okay?”
Charlotte nodded and disappeared.
Ben continued along the perimeter, alternating between scanning the parking lot and road for infected and glancing in the occasional window. The classrooms were deceptively neat and tidy with no sign of either living or infected. There was no sign of destruction or death, other than what they’d left in the parking lot. If he didn’t know any better, Ben could almost believe that the students were home for winter vacation.
He came upon a side door, probably a fire exit. It lacked a handle and the door held firm when tried to pry it open. Hopefully, Anuhea and Charlotte would have better luck. He liked the idea of having actual school books for Oliver. Some drawing paper too.
One of Ben’s girlfriends in university had been an art therapy major and talked extensively about how such a simple thing could help kids cope with stress and trauma. Oliver had witnessed more trauma at his young age than anyone should in a lifetime. Ben would do everything he could to make sure Oliver grew up as well-adjusted as he could, given the circumstances.
After glancing at the street and their truck one last time, Ben walked around the corner to the back of the building. Off to his right were large fields and a track for sports. They even had a small set of bleachers behind the baseball field.
Shit, he thought, staring at the empty fields.
Ben was going to have to teach Oliver how to catch and throw a ball. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; Ben just wasn’t sure he was the best person to do it. He didn’t have a football or basketball, much less a baseball glove.
PE class, yes. If we get inside, I’ll go to the gym and see what they have.
A form suddenly bounded around the corner, making his heart race again. He brought up his rifle while stifling a yelp of surprise.
“Fucking shit,” Ben said when he saw it was Charlotte. “Stop doing that.”
“My bad,” she said, beaming at him. “We’ve found an open door.”
“I thought you were one of the runners,” he said.
“Sorry.” She briefly flashed a pouty face at him and then waved him over. “Come on.”
Ben scowled but nodded his acceptance and followed her around the building. They jogged over to where Anuhea was standing, holding a door open with one foot. To the side of the building was a large sand pit, a playground with two slides and almost a dozen swings.
“Nice playground,” Ben said, thinking back. “We never had that many swings.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Charlotte said with a smirk.
“I’ll do my best,” Ben said. “I’m almost surprised schools still have swings. Kids get hurt, parents sue, big lawsuits…”
“Hey, sunshine. Focus,” Anuhea said, holding her rifle at the ready. “Same tactics as clearing the houses, okay?”
Ben nodded and then pointed at Charlotte. “Close the door quietly behind us and then you watch our backs inside. When we go in a room, you stay in the hall. Don’t shoot unless you absolutely need to.”
“I know, I practiced with you guys. Remember?” she asked.
“Yeah. You were great,” Ben said.
Anuhea rolled her eyes. “Okay, no talking until we clear the place.”
“Wait. What exactly are we looking for?” Ben asked.
“School books.” Charlotte gave him a quizzical look.
“Yeah, but how many? What grade? How are we carrying them? What else would they have that could be useful?” he asked quickly, rattling them off. “I mean, other than some of those star stickers, because you two are golden.”
He shot them both a wink, which earned him eye-rolls all around.
“Be a gentleman and get the door, will ya?” Anuhea asked.
“Sure.” Ben opened the door. “After you, my lady.”
He earned another eye-roll as they entered the school. Charlotte eased the door shut behind them.
9
Inside the school, the air was tinged with dust and the lingering odor of cleaning supplies. It had been at least a month since anyone else had walked the hallway. Stillness lay over the place and gave Ben a hollow feeling. Light filtered in through the classrooms and the small windows in the doors, but the hallway was mostly steeped in shadows.
Their footsteps echoed softly as they moved from room to room, checking for infected. Charlotte watched the hallway. It quickly became apparent that the school was abandoned, the same as it had looked from outside. Once the first floor was clear, Ben called a halt to the search.
“What class grade are we looking for?” Ben asked Charlotte.
“Oliver’s what, six, seven years old?” Anuhea asked. “Maybe eight?”
Ben gave her a blank stare before turning to Charlotte, who shrugged.
“That would put him in first or second grade, right?” Charlotte asked.
“That might be kindergarten.” Ben grunted and bit the inside of his cheek. “I taught English to elementary school kids, but I don’t remember how old they were.”
“Didn’t you celebrate birthdays?” Anuhea asked with a hand on her hip.
“Hey, it’s not like you know how old he is.”
“Don’t dodge the question.”
A crease formed between Ben’s eyebrows. “If they told me it was their birthday, I’d give them a treat in class. That’s it.” He looked around at the nearest classrooms. Both were kindergarten, perfect. “Let’s see what they have in here. If it looks too easy, we can go to first grade.”
“Let’s get a book from each class just to be sure,” Charlotte said as she entered the second-grade classroom behind Ben.
“Works for me.” Anuhea followed them inside.
Ben went to the teacher’s desk and sat down to begin searching the drawers. Where are the stickers? Kids love stickers.
“What do you guys think? A pirate or a sports car?” Anuhea asked.
Curious, Ben looked up to see her holding two backpacks.
“Pirate,” he said.
Charlotte shook her head. “Car.”
“Pirates are much cooler.” Ben leaned back in the chair. “He’s got a sword and a parrot. Easy choice.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes at him.
He chuckled before returning to his quest.
“Why doesn’t this teacher have stickers?” he growled.
“You two are hopeless,” Anuhea said with a groan. “Let’s take both backpacks. They’re so small, I’m sure we can fill both.”
“Or you’re just too big,” Ben said, smirking.
She threw the pirate bag at him. He instinctively leaned out of the way and it whizzed by hitting the chalkboard
a good three feet away.
“Nice one,” he said with a smirk.
Anuhea turned away and unzipped the car backpack for Charlotte, who stuffed several books inside.
After a few minutes of searching, he was still without stickers. There were plenty of other odds and ends that could come in handy such as a pair of scissors, a box of ballpoint pens, paperclips, glue. All of which ended up in the backpack.
Three dark chocolate bars hidden in the back of a drawer went into a jacket pocket.
Charlotte might like these, he thought.
As they left the kindergarten classroom for grade one, a small aquarium on a bookshelf caught his eye. The murky water couldn’t hide the dead goldfish floating at the top. He leaned down to peer at the body. Poor thing.
“Rest easy, bud,” he muttered.
Anuhea poked her head back inside the classroom. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Ben hustled out to join them. “How would you rather die? Slowly starving to death or a zombie attack?”
“Starvation,” Anuhea said without hesitation.
“Wow, okay.” Ben looked at Charlotte.
“Zombie might be quicker,” Charlotte said, her brow creasing as she thought. “But it’d be much scarier than starvation.”
“Unless they eat their way through your stomach while you’re alive,” Ben said. “That’s slow, painful and scary.”
Charlotte’s face scrunched up. “You shouldn’t joke about that, it could really happen.”
“Who’s joking?” Ben asked.
“What made you think of that?” Anuhea cocked an eyebrow at him. “Did you have a vision of your death?”
“I saw a dead goldfish.”
Anuhea and Charlotte gave each other strange looks.
They went through all the grades picking up books for Oliver. Textbooks for math, history, science and language arts were all there for the taking. Oliver would be set. If they needed anything else, they could always return. Or raid the library, which would have books they all needed. Especially for gardening and other things that were suddenly a top priority.