The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 (35 page)

The older man, Gavin, stood in front of the stove as he shook a skillet with still sizzling bacon. My stomach ached as my mouth watered. My saliva tasted like dirt. I could taste the bacon in the air. Gavin glanced over his shoulder as we entered.

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the table. It fit six people and had white chairs around it. There were napkins laid out and silverware on top of placemats that all matched and looked fairly clean. I felt like I was at a bed and breakfast being served.
 

“Where’d you get the food?” I asked as I sat next to Jim. Jim’s plate was already full, half eaten bacon on the edge.
 

“Stock piled it from the houses around here,” Gavin said.
 

“Is this your home?” I asked as he walked over to me. He slid some bacon off the pan and right onto the plate in front of me. He shook his head as he turned and walked back towards the stove.
 

“Not mine. I lived two doors down but my house was overrun early on. Came to stay with my neighbor MaryAnne, but she didn’t make it long. It’s just me.”

“How are you surviving alone?” I bit the inside of my cheek. That was kind of rude of me to ask but fair. I truly wanted to know how he’d been able to do it. He should’ve been proud.

“Dumb luck?” He chuckled as he stabbed another slice. “Truthfully, don’t know. I have a knife to kill if I have to. But I spend most of my time in the basement reading. Not many people want to kill me, I guess.”

“Trust me, people would kill for this place,” Jim said under his breath.
 

“I guess you guys could stay here, if you want. You’d probably only help me. After last night, I realize how much it takes to fight some of the monsters. You saved my life, Jim.” The two men stared at each other in silent agreement.

“Won’t be necessary,” Scarlet said as she waltzed into the room. I frowned while biting a piece of bacon. Salt flooded my senses, and I leaned back in the chair, savoring the flavor. Her mood had done a one-eighty from when I found her hunched over in the bathroom. She was perky, her steps bouncy. It looked like she had brushed her hair, too.
 

“Got plans?” Gavin asked as he gave her some food.

“My sister lives near Long Island Sound. We’re going to get her.” She bit the bacon and smiled across the table at me. I placed my hand on Jim’s knee under the table, squeezing it to get his attention.
 

He looked over at me and frowned. I widened my eyes so he’d get the message, but he just went back to eating, shoving bacon and eggs into his mouth. Something was off with her. I didn’t understand it, but I’d make sure to talk to her later.

“So, you guys dealt with the eaters last night?” I asked as I leaned back in the chair.

“Sure did,” Gavin said. “Your leader here helped me take care of a whole herd of ‘em. How many would you say showed up at the back door?”

“Probably about ten in all,” Jim mumbled.

“Ten at once?” I questioned. They said the place was safe, but I seriously doubted that now. How did they get so close? The house had a fence near the road that provided at least some security.

“I know you all are leaving, but would you mind helping me before you go? I have to get some more supplies and the more hands, the better chance I have of surviving. I don’t expect much, just some food.” Gavin turned off the propane stove and sat down beside Scarlet. His wrinkled forehead rose as he smiled at her—I could tell it was genuine.
 

“I’m sure the guys could go with you for a few hours. We’ll get out of here around noon then walk, and get to your sisters by tomorrow. Any objections?” Jim looked pointedly at Scarlet. She shook her head no.
 

“Great. I’ll owe you big time.”
 

“No need. You let us stay here the night, so we’ll call it even.” Jim stood and shook Gavin’s hand. Jim placed his empty plate in the sink. He came over, kissed my cheek, and then left the room, mostly likely to get the other guys.
 

“Well, that’s new.” Scarlet glared at me, watching the display of affection. She finished off her bacon, hopped up from the table, and trotted down the hallway.
 

I finished eating as Gavin told me about his wife. She died years ago from uterine cancer, but it was fast. He’d lived alone, his three grandchildren only visiting once or twice during a good year.
 

“It’s a good life. I’m healthy, alive, surviving. I can’t complain, honestly,” Gavin said as we cleaned the kitchen.
 

“You know, you should come with us.” I put the rest of the plates in the sink, no way to wash them. I opened the refrigerator, and an awful smell of rotten eggs and spoiled milk slapped me across the face.
 

“Old habits, die hard, huh?” Gavin chuckled as I slammed the door shut.

“You can say that. I tried to wash my hands earlier, too.”
 

“I think I’d rather stay around here. I know it’s safe. Maybe one of the kids will try to come find me. I just don’t want to drag you all down.”

“You wouldn’t drag us down. We have kids with us. Trust me, you’d be more than welcome to come along for the ride.” I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded.

“We’re all set,” Jim said as he leaned in the doorway. He almost filled it with his broad shoulders and wide frame. I stared at his long hair, waves dipping below his bushy eyebrows. He hardly resembled the man I first met. “Mike and Gabe were already outside killing strays.”

“Let me just grab my knife from downstairs,” Gavin said as he walked past me. “I’ll be right back.” He ducked under Jim’s arm, his steps retreating down the hallway.

“What was that about?” Jim asked as he walked towards me.

“I invited him to come along with us. He seems so lonely.” I shrugged. “Guess I felt bad.”
 

Jim stopped in front of me and leaned against the counter. “You’re too nice, Lana.”

“I know.”

“We’ll be back in a few hours. Hold down the fort?” he asked as he ran his hand down the side of my face. My entire body shivered. I nodded, a sense of pride running through me.
 

I muttered a quick ‘hey’ to Mike and Gabe as they came in the front door. I jogged up the stairs on my way back to my bedroom. I figured I might as well pack up our things so I was ready to go before they came back.
 

As I carried the backpack down the stairs, Marcus and Maggie ran up. Maggie twisted right by me, but Marcus tripped. I grabbed onto the side railing as Marcus nailed me right in the gut with a flailing elbow.

“Oh man!” he yelled when he stopped. His jaw widened making a silly face with an oval mouth. “I’m sorry, Miss Lana. I didn’t mean to hit you.” He covered his mouth with his little hand.
 

“It’s okay, buddy. Just watch where you’re going.” I smiled so he knew I wasn’t upset as I continued down the stairs. I heard his quiet steps following me down.
 

“Where are ya going?” he asked from behind me.
 

“I’m just getting the place ready so we can leave when your dad gets back.” I placed the bag near the front door and peeked out the window beside it.
 

“How long are we going to have to walk this time?” He pushed beside me, peeking his head out, too. The street looked vacant, sunny yet a bit windy today. All of the trees branches swayed, leaves steadily falling down and covering the pavement.
 

“We’re only walking two more days.” I wasn’t sure how true that was. Worst case, the house would be overrun, and we’d have to find somewhere else to go. I didn’t know how long that would take.
 

“I still wanna know how to use a knife.” He leaned back as I did, his bright eyes pleading. I raised my eyebrows.
 

“I can’t do that unless your mom tells me it’s okay. I got in big trouble, remember?”
 

“Do you wanna just hang out then? My sister is really boring. All she ever wants to do is play house. I wanna play zombies and kill people.” He jumped onto the bottom stair and leaped over the banister with his hands pressed together like a gun. I laughed as he ran in the foyer acting like a spy.
 

“Let’s play James Bond.” Zombies just hit too close to home. I put my hood over my head, shielding my eyes, and ran into the kitchen. I lifted my fingers like a gun—despite the fact that I had a real gun in my back pocket—and peeked out from behind the wall down the hallway.
 

“What do we do?” Marcus asked as he ran towards me and assumed the same position, hiding behind the wall, with a paranoid yet calm demeanor. I widened my eyes and crouched beside him so we were on the same level.
 

“Who’s the bad guy? We have to decide that first,” I told him.
 

“Maggie, definitely.” He nodded, all very serious-like.

“We need to fake assassinate her without her ever finding out that we were there. Where is the target now?” I leaned into the hallway to check that the coast was clear, acting my part.
 

“Bedroom. Upstairs.”
 

“We must be quiet and attack fast. You understand?” I raised my brows in question. He bit his lower lip.

“Got it.” He nodded, and I raised my hand to high-five him. He smiled, laughed a little to himself, and then fell back into his role.

“You lead the way.” I waved my hand out so he could get in front of me. He crouched, tiptoeing through the hallway and up the stairs. I followed him and matched his movements, completely engrossed in the game. It was nice to have a break from the norm.

We found Maggie in her bedroom, playing with a blonde doll she must have found around the house. Marcus lay down in the hallway, his belly completely flat against it. He crawled to the edge of the door and stared at Maggie through the crack, planning his attack.
 

I retreated into my bedroom, dragging Marcus along with me as we came up with a plan. I didn’t want him to blow our cover. The game needed to go on longer to distract us both.

“I’ll distract her,” I told him. “You’ll have to come from behind and kill her. Fake kill, of course.”

“Okay. I’ll count to fifty and then go in the room.” I put my hand in between us, and he placed his on top. I counted to three, and then he whispered, “Secret Spies!”
 

I walked down the short distance to the bedroom that the Peterson’s all slept in. Unfortunately Margaret was lying in their bed. I didn’t want to talk to her, but I didn’t want to ruin the game either. She read what looked like a trashy romance novel.
 

“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” I tried to look casual even though I wanted to laugh at how insane this stupid game was. I guessed anything was good if it kept the kid busy.

“Are we leaving?” Margaret sneered without tearing her eyes away from her book. Maggie sat on the ground with the doll, brushing the fake blonde hair. Maggie looked up and waved.
 

“No. The guys are all gone, though. I thought I’d just come and see what you all were up to.”
 

“We’re busy,” Margaret said, brushing me off. I frowned from my spot in the doorway. The way she refused to make eye contact with me or even acknowledge my presence with a ‘hey’ made me feel inferior.
 

All of a sudden, Marcus ran in from behind me. I had forgotten for a moment that we were playing a game. He shot his gun right at Maggie’s head from the doorway and then grabbed my hand. He pulled me out of the room and down the hall where we both collapsed in a fit of laughter.
 

“Target killed. Mission accomplished.” I slapped his hand in a high-five, and we went back downstairs to plan for the next mission. I didn’t want his mother to be the target, so we decided to wait until the men came and have a traveling mission.

I remembered that I found those game books upstairs so I sent Marcus up to bring them downstairs. I was teaching Marcus Sudoku at the kitchen table when something banged from the rear of the house. I smiled because I thought the guys were back.
 

“Get ready for the mission,” I told Marcus as I hopped up from the table. “Bring this just in case we get bored. I’ll show you all the tricks.” I handed him the book.
 

I walked into the hallway, turned towards the backdoor, and saw the wood completely smashed in. The door had been torn from the hinges and laid in two pieces on the floor. An eater stomped through the now-open entryway.
 

I jerked backwards and grabbed Marcus, shoving him backwards as I reached for my knife. My heart began pumping hard as my fingers trembled. The eater’s arms were out in front of him as he reached for me. His hands shook beneath red mittens.
 

“Stay right there,” I told Marcus as I stepped towards the eater. The eater wore a heavy winter jacket, a hat with furry edges, and mittens. He walked slow enough that within two steps, I stood in front of him. I grabbed the back of his head and jammed my knife into his ear. With a final groan, the eater fell to the ground in a heap of decaying skin.
 

“Where’d he come from?” Marcus asked from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that he was okay. That couldn’t have been the only eater. One monster wasn’t strong enough to break a door, especially not in half. I stepped over the eater’s body and leaned out the back door. I gasped and immediately backed up.
 

I tripped over the eater’s body and fell right onto his head. His entire skull caved in, brain matter spilling onto the floor. I screamed and jumped up, running to Marcus and grabbing his hand. He stared at the body on the ground with wide eyes. I turned his head away.
 

“We need to go. Now. Call up to your mother.”
 

I pulled him towards the front door with me as I threw my backpack over my back. I clipped it over my chest for extra support. Dozens of eaters meandered in the back yard. We wouldn’t be here when they came inside.

“Mommy!” Marcus yelled, his voice full of fear. It trembled. His hand clammed up, and I squeezed it, hoping to reassure him that we were safe. “Mommy!” he yelled again.