After The End (28 page)

Nothing.

“Does anyone have an opinion at least about
this attempt to keep the group alive? Or a reason to agree or
dissent? Anything to say, really?” He stared each person down, eyes
beginning to shine with his fervor.

“Yes, I do.” Sunny piped up as she climbed
out of the truck and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m agreeing to
go, because I don’t see another option that’s worth a damn. Chase
and I are responsible for our own well-being but we aren’t dumb
enough to think a group effort wouldn’t be simpler.

If anyone wants to split up or try to go back
and rebuild, I’ll go along if it’s a better choice. But I’m not
going to run around the state forever hoping to find a perfect
place; we have to make one. I’d prefer to just trust Squirrel and
you to guide us.”

It seemed like thunder rolling as a dozen
people spoke simultaneously.

“We can’t go back, the place was burnt
down.”

“I want to just keep moving until we find a
better plan.”

“Did Cal just call us dumbfucks?”

“What about those gunmen; there could be
more. Why shouldn’t we keep running?”

“I thought we were going to the base for the
winter and rebuild the old place in spring?”

“Anyone seen my revolver, I could’ve sworn I
had it in my pocket a minute ago.”

I held my hands up in a plea for quiet.

“Guys, c’mon we can sort this out fast, but
not if everyone’s talking at the same time.”

Troy let out a loud whistle.

“Shut up. Let’s work and talk. We’ve made too
much noise to stay tonight either way, so shut up.”

“Thanks, Troy.” The herd watched me intently
now. “We’re going to the base because it is one of the only things
I could come up with. There may be items we desperately need to
make it through the winter. I don’t think there are any others from
that pack of marauders, but who knows for sure.”

I shouldered my faded green duffel before
checking my rifle was loaded and had the safety on. Closing the
gate of the Chevy, I set my bow and quiver in the back since it
wouldn’t fit.

“I haven’t even considered if this base would
be permanent or if we’d become the Bedouins of the Southeast or if
we’d return to our old camp and rebuild. Those are all things we
need to think about and decide as a whole. Think about that and
we’ll hold a proper council after we’ve settled in at the
base.”

With a hand signal, we began to take our
places in the low speed procession. The hours were passed in
discussion of our future. Each hour we stopped to switch walkers
and riders while the vamps checked in. Sunny took a turn walking
beside her hubby — with her weapons and canteen only — after the
Nurse admitted it wouldn’t cause her baby any harm.

By 4AM it was time to find a new hideout for
the day. I made a mental note that Cal hadn’t needed a donor since
the battle and Daemon had needed only a little tonight. It had been
more than a little awkward being his donor when twelve hours prior
I’d been kissing Troy. Before the sun had set, I’d managed to clean
up with a tin of water and some baby wipes; I didn’t want Troy’s
scent on me in case Daemon could smell it.

As we began our search of the first building
we came upon, it was deemed unlivable. Apparently, someone had gone
out with a blast; the decayed remains of at least forty people were
strewn about the living room in various states of undress. A table
laden with empty liquor bottles, drugs, and poisons sat in the
center of the room. It was an altar to their final spree of
excess.

The front door was shut as abruptly as the
stench reached our noses. Our lead group skipped the next two
houses in case of contamination or infestation from the earlier
scene. The fourth place was a nice town home with a large garage
and screened pool. Finding the place cleared out and mostly raided
of supplies; we set up camp for the day. Taking turns bathing in
the pool lifted everyone’s spirits. Thankfully no one had taken the
pool cleaning equipment.

With an hour left until dawn, I met with
several others to raid the neighboring house for any usable goods
or vehicles. As soon as Seth got the door open, I could see the
place was trashed.

“Doesn’t look promising.” I commented.

A scraping sound came from the rear of the
building, drawing my sword out of its scabbard with a metallic
ring. Cautiously, we moved towards the noise in the obscured rooms.
Each room was clear until the kitchen. Up against the open fridge
was the long dead body of a woman. She had gaping holes where bites
had been taken and her tattered dress clung to the exposed ribs.
Her neck and cheeks bore scratch marks and the small indents from
children’s teeth.

Nearing the putrid corpse, the head tilted
towards my footsteps and the withered eyes fixated on me.

I know that
stare.

I gasped as I remembered Lonnie and Amber’s
mother and father leading them away from camp on Daemon’s first
night.

“I’m so sorry.”

I closed my eyes as my blade cut through the
side of her skull. I opened them as I jiggled the wedged sword out
of the wound, shaking off the bits of cranium and hair onto the
linoleum. The cadaver slumped sideways to the floor, finally
deceased. I heard Chase whispering a farewell to our former ally
and a prayer for her family. His words halted as the scraping
continued to our right.

Please don’t be them.
Please whatever God or Goddess or higher power or spirits can hear
me, just please don’t let it be them.

I prayed to myself with each step. Turning
the knob on the back bedroom, I eased the door open. With each inch
the room’s contents were revealed: a stained sock monkey, some
clothes, used bandages, a katana, empty food cans, and a child’s
Sponge Bob backpack. Across the room Lonnie and Amber were
scratching the metal closet door.

Dried streaks of tar-like blood embedded with
skin and fingernails coated the door - signs of the extended
attempts. At the sound of the door creaking wide, they both turned.
Lifeless eyes stared at me from cherub faces. Tripping over her
broken leg, Amber lunged for us, making that guttural moan that
echoes in my nightmares. Lonnie followed with disjointed steps, his
only arm reaching with bone-tipped fingers.

From the closet I began to hear sobbing as
our party backed up to fight. Amber drew close to me, her open
mouth missing half her teeth; I fought the rising bile in my throat
and thrust my broadsword at her.

No Tooth Fairy for you,
Sweet-pea.

“
Dammit.”

Missing her head, I’d clipped her neck and
let her get too close. I took a large step back and put my hips
into a diagonal swing. The sensation of steel driving through bone
and flesh ricocheted up my arm as the little zombie was split from
her ear through her chin; the blade continued the arc taking a
chunk off Amber’s left shoulder and rebounding off the door
frame.

Lonnie was right behind his sister grasping
for flesh. An upward slash tore through his torso releasing fetid
organs and splitting the jaw. It wasn’t high enough, and the Dead
boy stumbled nearer, the once vital pieces all swaying and hanging
as gravity called the organs to the ground.

Backing into the kitchen, I was able to move
to the side. Lonnie paused and groaned as he was confronted with
multiple people to eat. Chase lifted his axe and stepped towards
the fleshie. Lonnie immediately charged him and slipped in the pool
of infected blood. Chase’s swing missed the falling zombie and put
a large crack in the checkered linoleum instead.

“Ugghh.” He exclaimed as he tried to pry the
weapon out of the floor.

Lonnie started to crawl towards him and Seth
pulled Chase back from the axe.

“Watch out, I got it.”

Seth’s spear point erupted from the back of
the boy’s head, spraying the wall with gray matter.

I helped Chase retrieve his weapon from the
pulverized floor, trying to think of something to say.

“So Chase, I’m afraid you almost lost the
duel of the one-handed. We may have to reconsider the axe as your
primary arsenal in the future.” I joked to keep from vomiting at
the ordeal.

He grinned, but it was clear it was forced.
Hefting the axe onto his shoulder, he tilted his head towards the
bedroom.

“Should we go check that out or get
reinforcements? Someone’s in there, but we don’t know with
what.”

I took a deep breath.

“I’ll go in first, Seth stay to my right and
Chase move to my left. I’ll pull the closet door and we’ll wing it
from there. Okay?”

My partners nodded and we got in place.

I tugged at the door. It wouldn’t budge. The
crying had stopped and now a whisper escaped.

“H-hello?”

“Look, we took out the three zombies; open
the door and come out slowly. We don’t want to hurt you.”

“Squirrel? Is that you?”

It’s him.

“Yeah, Paul, it’ me. I’ve got Chase and
another guy named Seth here, too. It’s safe.”

I put away my sword and took a step back. The
door came loose and revealed the same mild man I used to know. Paul
was now gray-haired, twenty pounds lighter, and a wreck of his
former self. He was sitting in a mess of his own filth and empty
boxes of supplies surrounded him.

He must’ve been in here for
weeks.

My composure wavered and I propelled my
rational mind to take control of my body. The acid from my stomach
subsided and my pulse leveled out. I took a moment to focus on
keeping my voice calm and even and my words simple.

“Seth, please go get us some help. Chase and
I are going to talk to Paul for a minute.”

The spearman departed without a response and
I knelt down to look the traumatized man in the eyes.

“Paul, I’m sorry about your family. I know
that you must have been in this closet for a long time and that
this has been very difficult for you. We’re here to help. Do you
think you can stand up?”

Paul just looked through me and wept.

“Everything was fine; for a long time it was
fine. We raided and trapped and kept moving and the four of us were
fine.”

“I know, Paul. You did a good job. I know you
loved them and you did your best; life is just really tough right
now. We’ll give them a proper goodbye later, but right now I need
you to look at me. Do you think you can stand up?”

Chase squirmed uncomfortably for a moment
before leaving the room. I heard him retching into the sink.

“The winter was really hard but we did okay.
Lonnie got really good at setting traps for meat and Amber helped
Pamela with the gardening and gathering. She used to sing songs for
us. ‘Tweet tweet little birdie hopping on the car, tweet tweet
little birdie flying far’”

The puking stopped and Chase returned.
Together we listened to the broken man sing the little song.

“I covered the bodies with some curtains. Can
he walk or should we pick him up?”

“Chase, I don’t think he can get his mind
around what’s happened. Let’s wait for backup and go from there.
Just talk to him for now.”

“Hey Paul. How long have you been here?”

I elbowed Chase and shook my head.

Too serious a question for
him right now.

He seemed to catch my hint; The broken man
just kept singing his daughter’s tunes as though he hadn’t heard
the question.

“Here little raindrops, make my veggies grow.
Careful little raindrops, no storms though.”

Hearing footsteps, we turned to find Seth
returned with Daemon, Sunny, the Nurse, and Sindbad.

“I got some help. How is he?”

I pointed out the door to the other room.

“Paul, we’re going to leave you in here for a
second, but I’ll be right back. We’re going to help you out of
there and get you cleaned up.”

“Big dog plays with little pup, all dogs are
winners. Nice dog helps us all, mean dogs for dinner. Play little
pup pup, roll in the grass…”

I met with the others in the kitchen.

“Guys, he’s had it bad. Paul’s really screwed
up right now, I think we should just try to keep him mellow, get
him next door, clean him up, and have a simple funeral for his
family. That’s all I’ve got, so I defer to the medic among us.”

“I think this man is in shock. Sindbad didn’t
signal infected, but he’s probably malnourished, a bit delusional,
and possibly injured. I agree with your plan, but we should keep
him away from weapons and the kids for now.”

“Agreed. Here Seth.” I handed him my arms.
“Chase, he knows you, can you help me with Paul?”

Both of us disarmed, we slowly walked into
the room and knelt at the closet.

“Paul, I’m going to come in and get you to
your feet. If you can, please stand up when I lift; if not, Chase
will come in and help okay?”

I waited for any sign of acceptance or
resistance before moving. I rose and took a step into the narrow
room, pushing debris out of my path with each step.

“Can you kill me now?”

I stopped.

“No, Paul. We’re not here to hurt you. I just
want to get you cleaned up and somewhere safe. I promise, we’ll
have a service later today for Pam and the kids. I’m sorry Paul,
but we’re here to help.”

“No.” His eyes became focused as laser beams.
“Kill me. I can’t do it myself.”

I forced the memories away as he pleaded
through tears.

“Please, end it.”

“No, Paul, don’t ask me that. Please.”

I found myself shaking and crying as I
retreated little by little out of the shrinking room.

“Please Squirrel. I want to be with them. If
I do it, I can’t be with them in Heaven. Please kill me.”

I felt a hand softly pulling me back from the
closet.

“Squirrel, I’ll help. You go back to check
the others.” Daemon rubbed my shoulder as he spoke.