Hollowland (9 page)

Blue kept his expression neutral, smiling at the appropriate times, but I couldn’t imagine that this scene sat well with him either. Lazlo’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and his face glistened with nervous sweat. He stayed incredibly close to me, to the point where I bumped into him every time I moved.

“And all the emergency food is in there,” Nevaeh gestured to a closet off the bedroom. “We can just close that door leading upstairs, and this a bomb shelter. We can survive anything.”

 
“This all looks really nice and fairly new,” Blue commented, looking around. “Was this all built after the… infection spread?” He chose his words carefully, afraid that saying the wrong thing would offend them.

“Oh no, this was built several years ago,” Nevaeh smiled. “We all lived here before End Times descended upon us. That’s how we’ve been able to survive it all so well.”

“So you’ve lived here for years?” Lazlo’s voice had a tight shakiness he couldn’t completely hide.
 

“God called upon me to build a safe place, and I did.” Korech gestured widely to the room, and all of the girls looked on him with reverence. “He allowed me to keep all these people safe, and now He is allowing me to help you.”

This was met with the girls saying things like “Amen” and “Praise be to God.”

“We truly appreciate it,” Blue said, and his smile had begun to waver.

“I’m sure you’re all exhausted. The sinful world out there is wearying,” Korech said.

 
I almost pointed out that the sin quite as exhausting as the zombies, but technically I supposed, zombies were sinful.

“Um, well…” I tried to form an excuse to leave, but I couldn’t come up with one.

“I’d like to shower,” Harlow said. Even as strange and somewhat creepy as this was becoming, she was completely unfazed

“Yes, of course,” Korech smiled wider. “You can shower and make yourselves at home in the beds down here. The girls will be happy to help you.” He turned his attention to Blue and Lazlo, and Lazlo moved closer to me, so his arm pressed up against mine. “You two are more than welcome to shower as well. You can use the showers upstairs, and sleep in the boys’ room next to mine.”

“There’s a boys’ room?” Lazlo asked.

“Yes, of course,” Korech laughed. “We like to keep unmarried men and women separate. It’s written in the scripture.”

“Oh, right,” Lazlo smiled, relieved.

 
He probably thought Korech might lead him off to kill him or something, but what Korech said actually made sense. Maybe we were all just overreacting.

Korech
bid us good night, then led Blue and Lazlo up the stairs. Lazlo shot a worried a look back down at me, and I tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“Oh, all our clothes are in the car,” I realized.

“We have things down here.” Nevaeh put a hand on my arm to prevent me from going further up the stairs. “All our clothes are new and untainted. I’m sure they would be more comfortable than the clothes you currently have.”

“Well…” I wanted to go up and get my things so I could get a gun, check on Ripley, and make sure the boys were really going to another room.

“You can get your things in the morning, if you still want them.” Nevaeh moved her hand to the small of my back and ushered me further in the room. “But I’m sure you’ll find our things to be much more comfortable.”

“I would like some new clothes,” Harlow said, and I would’ve glared at her if everyone wasn’t watching us. She had just stolen tons of new clothes from that house, and they looked much better than the silly bag dresses they made here.

“Lia, will you get them some things?” Nevaeh asked a girl with long, red hair.

“Yes, of course.” Lia jumped off her bed and went to the back of the room, where all the matching outfits were kept neatly folded on several shelves.

“I’m going to go upstairs to make sure everything is alright,” Nevaeh said, looking very seriously at both of us. “If you need anything, Lia will get it for you.”
 

“Thank you,” Harlow smiled at her.

“You are a very lovely girl.” Nevaeh touched her cheek gently. “You will fit in perfectly here.”

With that, she smiled and headed up the stairs. I pretended that I didn’t notice how she hadn’t said anything about me fitting in.

Lia brought clothes over to us, smiling like we were fancy new toys. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable showering with Harlow, since I still possessed some modesty, but I preferred it to waiting in the room with the other girls.

They all smiled too widely at us, except for Vega, a girl with black hair in the back. I thought I saw something else in her expression. I actually would’ve liked to talk to her, but she was in the far corner. Besides that, even if she had anything to say, she wouldn’t be able to say it around everyone else.

The water never really got warm and the pressure was almost non-existent, but it had to be the greatest shower I ever had. After spending a few minutes simply relishing the fact that we were getting clean, Harlow prattled on about how amazing this place was.

Electricity, showers, and clean clothes managed to block out the fact that
Korech
and company were obviously a cult, but I couldn’t point it out because the bathroom didn’t have a door. Everyone got to listen and watch us shower.

I left my hair down for the first time in months, the dark waves resting on my back. The nightgowns may have looked like bags, but they were soft cotton and comfortable. As much as this place freaked me out, I felt a little tempted to hang out here for a day or two.

Then I saw Lia smiling at me like one of the kids from
Village of the Damned
, and I thought of my little brother, scared and alone somewhere far away. I knew I could not stay here for long.

Lia had made up two empty beds for us right by hers. She sat on her bed with two other girls, waiting for us while we showered. Shiloh, a girl with freckles, couldn’t be much older than Harlow. The other girl had long, long black hair, a wicked smile, and I think her name was Ruth.

“Are you two sisters?” Lia asked before we even had a chance to sit down.

“No, I was an only child.” Harlow sat on the bed closer to them, which I was grateful for. She ran her fingers threw her hair, untangling it. “Now I’m an orphan.”

“But you’re not alone,” I reminded her and climbed into my bed. It wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed, but it was better than a cot or the ground.

“That’s a really pretty necklace,” Shiloh nodded to the gold cross around Harlow’s neck.

I wondered if that’s why they thought she would fit here. Or if it was just because she looked so eager and hopeful. Or maybe it was because she really was beautiful, and that was all
Korech
was looking for.

“Thanks.” Harlow touched her cross. “My mother gave it to me.”

“Your mother brought you to us,” Ruth said confidently.

I groaned inwardly. If they started convincing her that this was her destiny and what her beloved dead parents wanted, there would be no way I’d convince her to leave.

“You really think so?” Harlow asked.

“We know,” Ruth nodded.

“Korech is a prophet for God, and God has a plan for everybody,” Shiloh agreed solemnly. “Korech is helping lead us back to Him and keeping us safe.”

I must’ve groaned audibly that time because they all looked at me.

“What about you?” Lia asked. “What brought you here?”

“My little brother is missing, and I have to find him,” I said.

Nobody said anything for a minute, probably thinking what I’d be thinking if I were anybody else. There are no “missing” people anymore. Once they’re gone, they’re dead or zombies.

“God will watch out for him,” Vega said from the far corner of the room. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised she spoke.

Nevaeh opened the door to the stairs, informed us all we could talk in the morning, and turned out the lights. She never did come back downstairs, and I assumed that she shared a bed with Korech. I wondered if she was his wife, or if she was just a mistress. Or if they were all mistresses.

Shiloh and Ruth went back to their beds, and I curled up deeper under the sheets. I needed a shower and a good’s night rest. These people had only been kind to me so far, so I decided to just go with it.

In the morning, I would try to talk Harlow into leaving. But then again, if I didn’t, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. I’m not sure what Korech’s deal was yet, but he had managed to keep all these people alive, and that was far more than anyone else. That had to count for something.

 
– 8 –

Harlow was up before I was, but then again, everyone was up before I was. Lia waited in the basement for me, saying that they thought I needed my rest after my travels, while all the other girls had gone upstairs for breakfast.

Lia encouraged me to wear their clothes, but I slipped back into my jeans and t-shirt. It felt safer somehow.

When I went upstairs, I found Harlow in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl. She wore one of their ill-fitting garments, a pale yellow dress, and her hair had been pulled back in an intricate braid, matching several of the other girls’ styles.

Harlow laughed and smiled brightly at me with flour on her nose, and I realized sourly that she thrived in this environment.

Really, I should’ve known. She had done wonderfully in the quarantine. Harlow had been the girl that everyone liked. I kept to myself a lot, and that’s that probably what drew me to Vega. In the kitchen, several girls ran about to cook or do things, but Vega was nowhere in sight.

Nevaeh forced me to eat some kind of weird tasting toast. I was about to ask where the boys were when Lazlo rushed in from the dining room. His skin had gone pale, and his wide smile managed to look relieved and terrified. Like me, he stuck with his street clothes, and he had a hand shoved in his back pocket.

“Did you sleep okay?” Lazlo asked and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes darted around the room, trying to keep sight of all the girls flitting about, and he stepped closer to me.

“Yeah. Slept great,” I gulped down the toast without really chewing. It tasted sour and flat, and I didn’t even want to know how they made it. “How about you?”

“Yeah,” Lazlo said, staring intensely at Nevaeh as she left the room.

Lia had been wiping a counter with a rag, but when Nevaeh left, she moved a bit closer to us. She stopped, twirling the rag in her hands, and smiled sheepishly.

“Did you get enough breakfast?” Lia asked him.

Lazlo was too preoccupied to read how she looked at him, all doe-eyed and dreamy. I don’t think she recognized him, but he was an attractive young guy, and she was a very sheltered young girl. He took her gazing offensively, though, and moved closer to me.

“Yeah.” Lazlo nodded, refusing to even look at her.

“Good morning!” Korech boomed and appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Lia blushed and lowered her eyes. Korech walked over to us, and Lia mumbled an excuse and hurried away.

“Morning,” I said, still trying to swallow the awful toast.

Lazlo moved so he was almost behind me. He bowed his head, looking as if he wanted to disappear into the cupboards.

Korech glanced at him diffidently before settling his gaze on me, and I forced a thin smile at him.

“I trust you slept well,” Korech said, putting a strong hand on my arm.

To onlookers, it probably appeared to be a comforting, warm gesture, but I only felt him trying to show his strength and dominance over me.

“I was just telling Lazlo that I slept fantastic,” I smiled as wide as I could and leaned back against the counter, pulling my arm away from him. He was much stronger and bigger than me, but that didn’t mean I would let him dominate me.

“That’s excellent news.” Korech crossed him arms over his chest. “We’re going to be having our morning worship shortly, and we would love it if you joined us.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I nodded. I wasn’t ready to rock the boat quite yet, not without talking to Harlow, and I didn’t even know where Blue was at. “I should just check on Ripley, the lion, first.”

“I’m sure she’s doing alright. Shiloh fed all the cats this morning when she went hunting,” Korech said. I must’ve looked confused, because he continued, “The women hunt every day, usually killing small game like rabbits or coyotes for us to eat. They also find the occasional zombie or other food not meant for human consumption, and they bring that back to feed the tigers.”

 
Other food
made me swallow hard, because I’m sure that meant bodies of the uninfected human variety.

“I’d still like to check on her,” I insisted with a plastic smile.

“As you wish.” Korech made no attempt to hide the displeasure in his voice.

The kitchen had several girls in it, but as the tension thickened, the room fell silent. Harlow watched me as she helped make more of the sour bread, but I couldn’t read her expression.