Alone (9 page)

Chapter 10

Tony was up early and decided to go outside and walk in the grass. He slung the bow over his shoulder along with about twenty arrows, slipped the walkie-talkie in his pocket and went to the small back door in the warehouse.

He was about to open the door, but spotted the iron bar on the floor back at the bottom of the metal ladder.

He walked over and picked up the iron bar then went back to the door.

He put his ear to the door and listened.

He was pretty sure there were no more of the dead around the warehouse now. The only sound he had heard all night was the low groaning sound coming from Farmer George, lying in front of the warehouse.

He slowly opened the door and looked outside.

The door opened into the small parking lot out behind the warehouse. Tony assumed this was where the employees had parked their cars when they came to work.

The front area was for customers and for loading and unloading trucks.

He made sure the door was no longer locked before silently closing it. He had wanted to get out of the warehouse, but he didn’t want to find out that he had locked himself out.

Tony stood and breathed a deep breath of fresh air. The stench of the dead still filled the air, but at least out back it wasn’t as overpowering as it had become at his window in the front.

He took a few seconds to enjoy the view. It wasn’t much. A small parking lot, fifty feet of grass, then the woods line. It was still a lot better view than he had had the last month from inside the large building.

He then went back into alert mode as he started to walk around the outside of the warehouse.

The high alert mode he had been in continuously for most of the last year. Even after having relaxed in the safety of the warehouse for a month, his mind automatically went back to survivor mode with little effort.

He felt good knowing his time living in luxury hadn’t made him forget how to survive on the outside.

He guessed after living day by day for so long, it had been ingrained in him. Otherwise he would have died long ago.

Before making his first trip outside to check out the area next to the warehouse, he had one bit of unfinished business. Farmer George had to be completely neutralized. If not, he might still be able to call out and attract more of the dead.

Tony thought of it as putting George out of his misery. He didn’t know what if anything went through the minds of the dead. George might welcome the final end. Maybe he would be doing George a favor, he didn’t know. But he needed to make sure George would not be a threat anymore. Even if the threat was only calling out and attracting more of the dead to the warehouse. Tony liked to think he was doing George a favor by putting him out of his misery. In a way, Tony had formed an attachment to George. He was the only familiar face that Tony had seen every day for the last month. It was the one constant in his daily life. Even if he was one of the dead. He was like a friend. It would make Tony feel better to set him free.

He knew he would not have felt this way if George had found a way into the warehouse.

“No, not a friendship, a kind of respect.” Tony thought. “I can respect what he was or maybe had been without actually liking the guy.”

Tony smiled. “Snap out of it. This kind of sentiment can get me killed.”

He guessed his desire to be with someone had transferred to George.

Tony crept to the corner and looked around out front.

The flies buzzed everywhere over the dead bodies. There were so many flies the buzzing sound they made almost drowned out George’s groaning.

George’s face was looking away from Tony.

Tony started to quietly move towards George. He was careful not to tramp on any of the dead that were scattered out over the parking lot. He didn’t want to get that crap on his shoes. He would probably throw the shoes he was wearing out into the parking lot when he was done anyhow. He had so many pairs inside he could wear and he didn’t want to take the chance of tracking anything back inside that could make him sick.

He walked carefully to make sure the dead were really dead. That was how one of his friends had met his end. A zombie could look dead, but if you got your foot too close to one that still had a functioning head, it could turn and bite into to your foot. The end would not be far behind and it would not be pretty or painless.

Tony had been careful to make all head shots to be sure they were finally dead for good. The pellet gun, other than a shot to the head, would do little damage to a zombie. Tony was pretty sure the downed zombies were all down for good.

But he knew better than to assume anything.

Tony was now standing behind George. He raised the bar high over his head. He knew George had a very hard head. He only wanted to do this one time.

He swung with all his might.

A loud thud was followed by a black goo splashing all over the front of Tony’s clothes.

“Shit!” Tony said as his eyes darted back between his clothes and George’s now unmoving silent body.

“A pain in the ass until the very end.” Tony smiled.

Tony stood and looked around. Nothing else moved. Except for the birds chirping happily from the trees, not another sound.

Tony went back inside, leaving his clothes on the ground outside the door. He went to his water buckets and scooped out another small bucket full of water and scrubbed himself clean.

He went back to the sporting goods shelves and picked out a forest green shirt and pair of jogging pants.

He had begun to like jogging pants. They were so comfortable. He had never worn them before he came here.

He always had thought guys that ran around in jogging pants were disgusting or indecent. But now he understood. They were really comfortable. He still thought they were inappropriate to wear them around in front of other people, but he didn’t have to worry about that.

Tony went back outside and made two trips around the clearing.

He checked out the area where Trish had come out into the clearing. He spotted where she had covered the radio with branches. He saw where the high grass had been trampled down where she had been lying in the grass. It must have been where she watched the warehouse.

He was careful not to leave any evidence that he had found her spot. She was afraid and he didn’t want to scare her away. He felt with some time, he could convince her that he wasn’t a threat.

He also made a mental note of two other spots around the warehouse that would make a good place where someone could hide without being seen.

These places could come in handy or could be a serious problem if someone were to hide there and jump him when he came outside.

Tony had enjoyed being outside, but he decided he needed to go back inside before Trish came back and spotted him outside.

If the past few days were any indication, he could expect to see Trish again soon.

Tony went inside and heated a pan of Spaghetti-O’s.

He then went back to the window to wait.

He sat at the window with the radio on the floor beside his chair as he ate.

He scanned the tree line with the binoculars, hoping to see Trish as she walked through the trees.

Chapter 11

Trish laid on the floor sleeping lightly. She was lying curled up in a ball, covered with a small blanket that barely covered her. Her head rested on the hard wooden floor. If it had been winter or even a chilly fall night, she would have been cold.

She had seen the comfortable beds with the fluffy pillows and thick quilts the others had. She hoped she could have something that nice when the weather got cold again.

Tom had laughed and offered to share his soft bed with her, but she would rather sleep on the hard floor than be in the same bed with him.

One night she had crept up to see if she could sleep with her sister, but that didn’t end well. Her sister didn’t sleep alone.

Trish had been awake since the light started to come in through the windows. She kept her eyes closed and tried to rest as long as she could. She listened as she laid there, listening to hear if anyone else was awake and moving around. If she didn’t listen, someone would sneak up on her.

Who knew what they would pull on her. She was still mad at her sister for taking her pants in front of everyone.

Just because her sister liked to run around like that in front of everyone, her sister knew Trish didn’t like to do that.

Trish was lying under her blanket fuming about what her sister had done to her. She had let her guard down. The next thing she knew her covers were yanked off of her.

She rolled on her back and looked up to see Roy and her sister staring down at her.

Roy laughed. “The little bitch found some clothes.”

Trish sat up with her back against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. “These are my old clothes. They’re mine!”

“Sis what time did you come in last night? We didn’t hear you come in.” Debbie grinned.

“It was dark and I heard weird noises out in the field, so I came in.” Trish answered nervously.

“Don’t you think you should be out finding us some more treats?” Roy asked as he gave her a nasty grin.

Trish got up slowly and started for the door, careful to stay at least an arm’s length away from Roy. Now that they were all up, she was more than willing to get out of the house before they thought of something else to do to her.

It was still chilly outside as she stepped off the porch and started towards the field. She wanted to get out of there before they decided not to let her keep her old clothes.

She wondered what they had done with her new clothes. If she knew maybe she could sneak them out of the house and wear them at least while she was out during the day.

But the thought of what they might do to her, made her give up any idea of trying something like that.

Her dirty old clothes were better than none at all.

Roy watched as Trish walked out across the road and into the field. “Tom, why don’t you follow that little bitch today and see where she has been going.”

“Do you think little sis is up to something?” Debbie asked.

“I think she has found something out there and is keeping it to herself.” Roy replied. “Those granola bars and beef jerky sticks she has brought back the last couple of days are not something I think she would find out there. The wrappers weren’t dirty or wrinkled. They looked like she had just taken them out of the box.”

“Did you notice those clothes she came back wearing yesterday? They looked like they had just been unwrapped.” Debbie added. “The pants still had a crease down the front.”

“Yea, I think she found something out there that she’s not telling us about.” Tom said.

“We only have enough food left for a few more days.” Roy said. “It would be nice if we had some supplies to take with us when we go back on the road.”

“Oh Roy.” Debbie said sweetly. “Do we have to leave so soon? I like it here. Can’t you tell how much I like it here?” She smiled.

“If we can find out what the little bitch has been up to, maybe we can stay around for a little longer.” Roy smiled.

Debbie smiled. “Tom you go follow her. If that doesn’t work, maybe we can find a way to make her talk tonight.”

She looked at Roy and smiled. “I know you can make her talk. You always make me talk!”

Roy laughed. “Tom, go follow her.”

Tom smiled. “OK, but if this doesn’t work, I think we should at least flip to see who makes her talk.”

Debbie laughed as Tom slipped out the door and ran into the field.

Trish ran to the other side of the field and took a quick look back to be sure asshole wasn’t trying to follow her. She only took a fast look before turning back and continued to walk. He was a clumsy jerk. He would have never been able to tail someone. He was too obvious.

He was too stupid.

Trish walked. “God I wish I didn’t have to go back there.”

She walked on. “If I had somewhere else to go I would never go back. I almost wish I were dead.”

Trish quickly looked around and listened carefully. She looked up in the sky. “I didn’t mean that. Honest.”

Trish had seen many people die back in Dunbar. The way people had died was horrible. Then after they died, they didn’t stay dead. She didn’t know what they became, but it was not something she wanted to become.

“Shit!” She said. Even dying she couldn’t escape. She had options, but none of them were good.

She walked on. The warehouse was just beyond the trees. If nothing else, even if she didn’t trust the guy that was inside, he did talk nice to her. He didn’t threaten her like Roy and Tom. So far he hadn’t tried to chase her like asshole. She didn’t know what he had in mind for her, but at least he had been the only person that had talked nice to her.

Trish worked her way through the trees and came to the spot where she had hidden to watch the warehouse.

She nervously looked down at the warehouse. The fact that all was quiet made her nervous. It had never been quiet at the warehouse. Something was always making noise.

All the dead were quiet today.

There was nothing to keep that guy inside. He could come running out after her now without having to worry about the dead getting him.

Even that big old zombie that had laid there moaning yesterday was quiet. Had that guy come outside? Where was he now? Trish was nervous and afraid.

She looked around the area where she had hidden. There were tracks. The grass had been tramped down. It was light, but she could tell. She had become good at tracking things and she recognized that someone had been here. She was about ready to run when she heard a sound coming from the warehouse. She looked out at the warehouse and saw movement at the window. She watched and saw that guy walk by the window, then sit down on something in front of the window.

That made her relax slightly. “He was still inside.”

She looked at the brush she had placed over the radio. It was still as she had left it.

She moved the brush and picked up the radio and stared at the window. She looked around nervously, trying to decide what to do.

She pressed the button. “Where are you?”

She saw the guy stand up at the window.

“I’m at the window.” Tony replied.

“Where you out here snooping around?” Trish demanded.

Tony was shocked. “How did she know? She was good.”

He knew he had been caught. He also knew she was afraid of him. If he lied to her and she knew he was lying, she would never trust him. He decided to be honest and tell her the truth.

“Yes I was out there this morning.” Tony replied as he stood at the window so she could see him.

“Why?” she demanded.

“I had to go out and finish off the big zombie. I haven’t been out of the warehouse for a month, so I decided to walk around and look the area over. Besides I was curious.” Tony answered.

“Curious about what?” Trish asked.

“About you.” Tony replied.

“Why are you curious about me?” Trish asked.

“Because I haven’t had anyone to talk to in a long time and you seem very nice.” Tony answered.

“What do you mean by nice?” Trish asked. Her sister said Roy was nice, but he didn’t act nice, especially to Trish.

“You seem like a nice person.” Tony said.

“How would you know what kind of person I am?” Trish asked.

“I’ve always been good at judging what a person is like by talking to them. I think you are a nice person.” Tony replied.

Trish wanted to believe him, because she thought she was a nice person, but she didn’t believe there were any nice people left. He was trying to trick her somehow.

When it was quiet for a few minutes, Tony pushed the button and spoke again. “Would you like some more granola bars or beef jerky. Or how would you like a can of Spaghetti-O’s?”

Trish stopped dead in her tracks. Spaghetti-O’s? He had Spaghetti-O’s. She hadn’t had those for years.

It was silent. Tony pressed the button on the radio. “I take it by your silence you must be thinking about the Spaghetti-O’s. I’ll send you some out. If you want, I’ll still send you the other things too. OK?”

“OK.” Trish said softly.

Tony ran down into the warehouse and grabbed two cans of Spaghetti-O’s, a can opener and a spoon. He took them up to the room and taped them to another coat hanger.

He made a mental note to go out later and gather up the coat hangers. There were only two hangers left.

He leaned out the window and set the hanger on the line and let it go. The heavy cans pulled the hanger quickly down the line and onto the grass.

Tony picked up the radio. “I sent you down two cans, a spoon and a can opener. You can get them whenever you want. I’ll stand at the window so you can see I’m not going to try and shoot you.” Tony laughed.

Trish watched as Tony stood at the window and placed both of his hands on the window seal.

She looked around and then made a dash out of the cover of the high grass and ran towards the cans.

“Oh Shit!” Trish said to herself as she saw him move his hands when she was halfway down to the cans.

She expected to see him aim a gun at her, but instead, he waved.

Trish hadn’t realized she had stopped in the middle of the field. She was fully exposed.

He stood at the window and continued to wave.

Trish looked at him. Without thinking, she raised her hand and waved back.

She pulled her hand down and walked over and picked up the hanger with the cans attached.

She looked up at the window and saw him raise his other hand. He had something in his hand.

“Here it comes. He has me now.” Trish swore at herself for being so gullible.

Instead of the sound of a shot, she heard the radio in her pocket. “Where are your new clothes?”

She figured she might as well answer him. If he was going to shoot her, he had just had two opportunities to do it. She reached in her pocket and pulled out the radio. “I left them someplace safe.” She lied.

“I’ll send you down some more. That way you can have a safe set of clothes and a set to go out hunting.” Tony said.

Trish was overwhelmed. She couldn’t believe he was going to give her more clothes. She took the cans and started to walk back to the high grass.

“Trish, would you do me a favor?” Tony asked.

“No!” Trish quickly replied into the radio. Roy and Tom were always asking her to do them a favor, then they would laugh at her.

“But you don’t even know what I was going to ask.” Tony laughed.

“Anytime someone wants a favor, I know it is going to be something disgusting.” She replied.

“May I ask you first, then if you think it’s disgusting you can say no or leave if you want.” Tony asked again.

“You can ask, but the answer is still no.” Trish replied.

“Would you sit where I can see you while we talk?” Tony asked.

“Why do you want to watch me? Are you some kind of pervert?” Trish said.

Tony pushed the button, but he had to laugh before he started to talk. “Trish, as long as I have been locked up in here, I’m sorry to say the answer is probably yes. But really, I would just like to see who I am talking to.” Tony replied.

“I don’t know?” Trish answered, but it really didn’t sound too disgusting.

“Why don’t you think about it while I go get you some more clothes and food. When I send them down, you can give me your answer. If you don’t feel comfortable, it’s OK.” Tony said, then disappeared from the window.

Trish opened the can of Spaghetti-O’s. It had been ages since she had used a can opener. This was neat. She sat back inside the high grass and watched the warehouse as she pushed spoonful after spoonful of the tomato sauce and pasta in her mouth.

“This stuff is even better than the beef jerky and granola bars.” Trish thought.