After The End (7 page)

The man visibly relaxed.

“My name’s Randolph. This young man is
Michael and this is his little sister Barbara, she prefers to be
called Bobbi. I found them on the road and we’ve been traveling
together. We didn’t mean to scare everyone; we just want somewhere
safe to rest.”

Chase grinned and waved to the kids. Taking
in the scene, I made the call.

“You caught us at an awkward moment; usually,
when we’re going to town, we don’t let anyone in or out of the
fort. We were getting ready when you arrived. We’re not sure how
this is going to pan out but for the time being, we’ve agreed to
let you into our group. Assuming none of you has been infected, of
course.”

The kids came to Randolph’s side, holding his
hands tightly.

“Sounds fair to us. None of us have been
bitten. Should we just follow you three or do you need to signal
someone?”

He bent to retrieve his firearm; Chase
stopped him, shaking his head.

“Sorry, but we have to check for bite marks
first; not that we don’t trust you, but…”

I interjected,

“It’s just that we can’t trust you. We have
others to consider and none of us actually know each other. I’m
sure you’ve got concerns about us, too.”

The outsider nodded his agreement before
Chase started again.

“Also, we don’t use guns. They tend to cause
more trouble than good. I promise, you’ll be brought into the camp
safely, but the gun will be locked away with the others that have
come our way.”

Randolph stiffened for an instant. Michael
and Bobbi took notice and clung to their protector.

“Okay, your place, your rules. We haven’t got
any other options.” Randolph consented, leaving the rifle in the
dirt and slowly pulling off his shirt. “Okay kids, these people are
just going to look to see if you have any boo-boos real quick. They
won’t touch you, they just want to see if you’re sick like at the
doctor.”

Michael followed suit, showing that he hadn’t
been bitten, before helping his little sister. As soon as everyone
had disrobed to their undergarments and turned around, we gestured
for them to get dressed.

This part was awkward but necessary.

“Alright, just follow us exactly so you don’t
fall into the traps.” Sunny proclaimed, turning and striding back.
Bobbi held her brother’s hand and he held onto Randolph’s as they
played follow the leader past the ensnarement.

Chase picked up the gun and whispered to me
as we followed the troupe,

“A signal probably would’ve been a good idea;
we should run that by the others next time.”

“Yeah, but let’s not do it in front of the
new folks, we’d look stupid for not thinking of it sooner.” I
agreed.

“Okay. Sunny may have had a point about our
running out all unprepared. Don’t tell her I said so, she’d never
let me live it down.”

We filed towards the enclosure. I hoped none
of the nervous people inside sneezed while aiming arrows our way.
It would be too humiliating to die by friendly fire after all the
stuff I’d already survived.

Once we got settled in, the gate was locked
tight and preparations finished. I felt bad for the newcomers; they
walked in with weapons aimed at them and were now being more or
less stared at like fish in the aquarium. It had to be a
disconcerting sensation.

The entire camp – minus our two nocturnal
members and the sentries – ate lunch together; the meal became our
unofficial town meeting. While we ate Chase’s special ‘gator
surprise’, we spoke with Randolph and the two kids. It was a
pleasant conversation laced with job interview and a touch of
police interrogation. Ellen seemed thrilled just having other kids
to play with.

By the end of our anxious lunch, I was
confident the trio wasn’t a threat. Setting down my bowl, I decided
we should get down to business and rest up for our trek.

“We all need to catch some Z’s before night
falls, so let’s see where we stand. Who votes we let Randolph,
Michael, and Bobbi join us provisionally?”

I grinned widely at the results. “Unanimous.
Good deal, welcome to our little Nova Nocte. You can set up your
belongings in the cabin to the right, so long as you all agree to
live by the rules we told you about.”

Randolph showed an easy smile.

“That’d be great. I can deal with the
donating thing as long as the three of us are safe. The vampire
thing is pretty out there, but I’ll go with it. It can’t be weirder
than the rest of the stuff I’ve been seeing, I guess.”

I stood to stretch before ending the pow
wow.

“Obviously, you’ll be meeting Cal and Daemon
after sunset, so we haven’t heard their vote yet. But I’m sure
they’ll give you the thumbs-up. It will take time before we can
trust you enough to let you wander unwatched or give you unchecked
access to the weapons.”

Sunny must have seen some discomfort at my
words.

“Trust with our lives is earned, not given by
consensus. Sorry, but it’s something we all go through at first. In
a week or two, we will know you all better and you’ll be part of
the community.”

Several people rose and began cleaning up the
meal or heading towards the cabins. We had more important business
to focus on now.

Sunny and Chase helped our new additions find
a spot to relax. Ellen skipped along with Bobbi, the pair
chattering away happily. Michael blew his shaggy amber hair off his
face as he strolled next to his sister, ever the protective big
brother. It was time for a pre-raid nap.

Five o’clock popped up swiftly. Watch alarms
hummed and buzzed, the cacophony reverberating in the still cabin.
I stretched away my slumber and crawled off my bunk. The other
foragers meandered from the cabin to the fire pit; we were on
schedule.

Our brief dinner was followed by
see-you-laters and the hushed tones usually reserved for
cemeteries. Randolph sat to the side, speaking jokingly with his
charges about the fun they’d have when he got back. Bobbi fretted a
little, her dainty feet becoming pigeon-toed; Michael stood stiff
and tall, as though assuring Randolph that all would be well with
his stance.

It reminded me of seeing a soldier take
command. As difficult as it was to separate the trio at such a
tenuous moment, the children couldn’t go scavenging and we couldn’t
trust a new adult in camp yet.

Fed, packed, and properly sent off, the eight
of us gathered our arms and departed. It was forty-five minutes
until dusk would draw out our ninth pillager.

We marched in quiet, each person alert for
danger, white knuckles clenching sword hilts and ax handles.
Randolph appeared relaxed as he carried a spare machete; the blade
suited him better than the firearm he previously bore. He and Sunny
hacked at the overgrown pathway.

Concern rose in me that the trucks may not
start. Cal regularly came out here to check on our vehicles and run
the engines so they didn’t lock up, but none of us were
mechanics.

The fingernail moon spied on us as we entered
the small clearing where three trucks and a moped sat. The grass
had climbed up to the bottom of the truck doors; the moped was
entirely engulfed in what looked like kudzu vine.

We only used two of the trucks; the Dodge was
only good for storing extra fuel and our portable gas retrieval
kit. The air hung heavy with apprehension as we marched in
quiet.

“Water break?” Sunny asked no one in
particular.

She had already pulled out her canteen and
taken a large swig. Several of us drank deeply after the hike.

Rested, we loaded our gear into the truck
beds and gave our transportation a look over: two low tires, one
headlight was out, bloody smears and scratches marred the paint
from earlier endeavors, and neither tank had much more than a
quarter tank of gas. Dane crawled into the cab of the F-150 and
turned the key; a puff of exhaust and the engine roared to life.
His skull pressed against the ceiling he shut the vehicle off and
slid back out, a look of disgust etched on his face.

“One down, one to go.” I exclaimed, opting to
be captain obvious for a minute. “Who wants to test the
Ranger?”

Sunny climbed into the scraped and gore-laden
pickup.

“Dibs. This one plays CDs.” She beamed as her
ride turned over on the third try. Journey was playing low on the
speaker system. “Needs gas but it can carry a tune.”

I checked my watch.

“Alright, let’s get the tires pumped and
spare gas flowing so we’re ready when Daemon arrives.”

“Too late, Squirrel. But you guys can do the
grease monkey stuff anyway.” The fledgling vampire hovered several
feet over the sedentary Dodge, grinning; he was the Cheshire Cat
reincarnated.

He tumbled (relatively) gently onto the roof
of the cab as the rest of us chuckled. The youth jumped down off
the rusted automobile and offered his hand to the stunned new
guy.

“Hi, I’m Daemon and I will be your
bloodsucking undead ally for the evening.”

Randolph stared at the hand, then the
smirking face, and finally shook the outstretched limb while
muttering - what I think was - a greeting. I watched the pair make
difficult small talk for a few minutes, before settling on sports
as a safe topic to discuss. All the prep work was done by eight and
our road trip was underway. I sat in the bed of the Ranger next to
Daemon. He tells me he knows a joke.

“Eight humans and one vampire drive towards
Walt Disney World for condoms; stop me if you’ve heard this
one...”

We rode our gas guzzling chariots up the
stony road, being jostled and juggled with our baggage. Soon we
came to the paved street and our party tensed at the view. The
asphalt bore patches of grass, immobile vehicles, wild flowers, and
dozens of Dead. The zombie population would only get worse as we
traveled further into the city.

“Let’s get the fuel taken care of before we
attract to many corpses.” Sunny said through the cubby-sized window
as she pulled up between the cars.

“I hate this part.” I exclaimed as we jumped
out of the trucks.

Sunny and the other driver stood watch in
their doors, prepared to start our getaway, their weapons firm in
hand. Daemon flew straight up and circled like a vulture as he
surveyed the area.

Randolph and Dane crawled under the two
nearest autos and cut the fuel lines as everybody took position.
Four others collected the flowing liquid in steel mixing bowls;
they passed them to the last woman and myself. The two of us used
our beer bongs to pour the fumy substance into the gas tanks.

Everyone continuously scanned to check the
distance of the decaying wanderers. As I clicked shut the gas cap,
Daemon swooped down. In a blur of motion the vampire tore off the
head of one Dead, causing a sound of snapped celery before
returning to the sky.

“Ewww.” I heard as he ascended again.

The head lay on the pavement twenty feet from
me; it was still blinking and gurgling as a thick black substance
oozed from its ragged stump. I hadn’t realized it was so near. The
process was repeated on three more cars and several more carcasses.
A couple of fleshies got unnervingly close to our party. Gassing up
left us so exposed; I felt I was on a stage naked in the
spotlight.

Sunny was almost bitten by what had once been
a young girl. The creature dragged its half-missing leg, leaving a
wake of pus, tissue, and stink. It had crawled beneath the truck
and was only discovered when the tiny hand clasped her ankle.

Sunny leapt sideways as the thing pulled
itself out in the open and drew upright. It chomped its mouth open
and closed; crooked baby teeth reflected the scant light. A pink
plastic bracelet and several brightly colored bangles decorated the
discolored child’s remains. Someone’s dried blood coated the
creature, a stark contrast to the glittered fingernails that
reached out for Chase’s wife.

Someone added vomit into the aroma encircling
us when she jabbed her spear through the zombie’s bleached eye.
Immediate peril being neutralized, our group completed the task and
mounted our metal steed to begin our search.

Our drivers pulled into a subdivision; it was
a pastel nightmare with a community pool. There weren’t many
fleshies in view, but sometimes that was worse. I silently prayed
that the Dead hadn’t learned to hide.

We stopped at the first house that was
unmarked from previous ventures. It was bright pink with teal
shutters and the front yard had bone shards strewn about; they
gleamed under our headlights.

Daemon and I took the lead for the sweep of
the house, all but the drivers trailing us closely. I drew my
broadsword as he pulled the door off the hinges and tossed it onto
the misshapen hedges. The azaleas seemed to be thriving.

“You couldn’t try the door knob before going
for the horror movie effect?” I asked.

He shrugged and answered sheepishly,

“Sorry, I’ve been wanting to do that ever
since I got turned.”

With a half-smile, the vampire disappeared
into the suburban deathtrap. I crossed the threshold and checked
the kitchen, pantry, and garage for hungry cadavers. Upon hearing
the all clear, I stepped into the doorway to give a wave to the
drivers. They acknowledged call and guarded the trucks and extra
gas.

“Alright, we all have the list so let’s load
up whatever we can use. We need to move quickly, there are a lot of
items we need and it’s a big neighborhood to search.” I
instructed.

Our team became a tornado, drawing everything
into the center of the room. I carried a green reusable grocery bag
stuffed with Ziploc bags, spices, pots, pans, Ramen noodles, and
some cans of corn out to the trucks. Between the first six houses
the party also found: toiletries, bedding, pillows, a new shovel,
some tools, and a lot of tacky decorations (which we left behind).
So far, every house on the block had been stocked with IKEA
furniture, cheesy knick-knacks, and not much else. Sunny looked
over our haul.