Wake the Dead (7 page)

His heart sank however as he heard the familiar moan of what could only be one of the living dead.

It barreled down on him, rushing toward him crazily with arms outstretched.

Alex calmed himself and quickly removed the shotgun from his back with one hand, pushing himself to his feet with the other, pumped a round into the chamber and blew its head clean off  just as it got to within an arm’s reach.

Its body fell away and he closed his eyes, awaiting the impact. Instead he heard the thud of the body as it slumped to the earth before him.

When he opened his eyes again, its twitching hand was less than an inch from his right foot.

“Fuck me…”

***

Over the next few hours, Alex had managed to properly inspect the wound on Shadow’s right flank and recognized that it was not life threatening. It would undoubtedly heal on its own. It was what appeared to be a bite wound, but it must not have been very deep. Alex was also relieved that the wolf did not appear to be diseased or present with any hostility, he reflected thankfully. As he methodically began to hollow out a rather large pit in the ground some fifty paces west of the cabin, he considered the situation as he had come to know it.

He figured at this point that he was immune to the source of zombie plague, but anyone he had seen who had died, immune or not, had returned to a life after death—and not the good kind. As far as he could tell so far, the disease had not affected animals either. However, he had no idea if the folks who were resistant, along with all of the animals, were carriers of the virus.

“So I guess we’re
both
immune, eh, Shadow?” he said absently to the wolf.

Further thoughts led him to believe that they had the virus inside them, but for some reason, after the initial wave that killed almost everyone in the world, a small percentage of the population was unaffected.

Lucky
? Alex considered.
It is something to debate for sure.

He did a quick inventory on the damage inside the cabin from the few undead that had gotten inside. They had broken windows, unhinged his door, and generally made a mess of things inside.

It would take him days to clean it up and make repairs to whatever he could.

He boarded up the broken windows, two of four, as best he could with some wood paneling scraps he found in the bedroom closet, along with the hammer and nails he’d brought along from home.

He also located the crawl space in the attic and the ladder leading up to it, tucked right along the seams of the wooden panels on the ceiling, no chain hanging and nothing to indicate it was even there. It was camouflaged well and Alex wondered if it was designed that way on purpose.

If so, this person had thought of everything
.

Once he figured out a way to get a grip on it, using the other ladder to get a closer look, he pulled down and then climbed up the attic ladder. He immediately identified some useful items among the objects stored there. He saw fishing gear that included a tackle box and a pair of fishing rods, and a folded map, presumably of the surrounding area. He opened a cardboard box with tablecloths and plastic drop cloths neatly folded into squares, a lunch-sized cooler, a toolbox with basic tools, and an off-road bike that was currently in pieces. There was also an empty duffle bag and another backpack up there, both empty.

Most notably, in the corner of the attic, was a handful of old fashioned and probably illegal foot snares. Some looked to be archaic bear traps from decades ago. That sparked his imagination and he began visualizing how he might go about setting traps around the cabin in the very near future so that he would never be taken by surprise again—by the living dead or otherwise. He also realized with some clarity that he could not let that happen again if he wanted to survive.

Alex dragged the tools and the bear traps down and left the rest up there for a later date.

He spent the whole day continuing to dig a huge pit, meaning to toss the zombie bodies inside, one by one. It was an exhausting endeavor over the next few hours as he began. His back was suddenly very sore as darkness began to fall. Shadow even helped him by trying to dig a hole beside his, which made him burst out openly in laughter.

However, a short while later, Shadow was found tearing at zombie body parts and gnawing on them, dragging them away from the pit.

“That tasty to you?” Alex asked skeptically with another genuine laugh.

“It must be,” called a voice from behind him, stealing his mirth just as quickly, as the source of the feminine voice registered in his mind.

 “Liv?” he asked, unable to turn around to face her directly. He ran the gamut of emotions in that moment and remained still. Perhaps the exhaustion of the day’s work finally caught up to him.   

After a long moment, he spun around and sure enough, it was her. She appeared to be unharmed. Shadow growled, but Alex smacked him absently on the snout and the wolf lay down behind him.

“What happened to you?”

He looked more closely at her and saw that she had a tear in her eye. Alex was exhausted, covered in dirt and gore from his encounter with the zombies, and from digging the pit. But it all went out of his head when he heard her voice.

“I thought you were gone forever.”

“I was checking—I felt like I owed my sister that much.” She began sobbing uncontrollably as she fell to her knees. He ran to her and offered her comfort, embracing her and allowing her to continue sobbing until she stopped of her own accord.

“So you went after your sister?” Alex asked her, holding her at arm’s length.

“I went to the rendezvous point, waited there and even spent the night. It’s a few hours northwest of here.”

“Didn’t run into anything…or anyone?”

“No sign,” she admitted, looking him in the eyes and regaining her footing. “They never showed, but I did manage to kill one of the zombies who happened into the area. Shot him right in the fucking head,” she said angrily, reenacting the scene for him. “Oh, and this thing really has some kick!”

She stared at him blankly as Alex continued held her gaze in silence. She finally strode over to stand before him, and held the gun handle out for him to take from her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to steal your gun.”

“Well, I understand why you did…now. You know, you could’ve just—“

“I know. I could have told you. But, I didn’t want my problems to become your problems,” she stated bluntly. “While I do like hanging out here with you, this is your place, not mine.”

“I’m not going to argue with you about that, so, fair enough,” he said, looking around at the overall mess of the area. “Well, if you feel like you need to earn your keep, I’d be happy for you to help me out. There’s plenty of shit to do around here,” he said with a chuckle, gesturing to the remnants of bodies strewn about haphazardly, and then pointed to the pit. “Just take a look around.”

“What the hell happened here while I was gone!?,” she asked, as if she had just realized the condition of the cabin area and the bodies. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. They aren’t, though.”

“The place looks like shit,” she said with a grin, but he did not return it this time, recalling the anguish of the past few hours.

“We were attacked here by a mob of them. They came in and devoured a deer carcass I had lazily left over the fire last night. I didn’t even consider that it would attract zombies. They fed on the deer and then they came after me and Shadow.”

“Damn. Maybe they happened upon you by chance?” she suggested. Alex scratched his head and shrugged.

“I suppose that is possible. Either that or they have a thing for deer meat.”

“And…how the hell did you survive?!”

“Wasn’t easy. Took ‘em down mostly with the bow, methodically, one by one. Climbed up on the roof and picked ‘em off,” he said scratching at his beard. “Now I’m digging a pit to bury ‘em. I’d kill for a hot shower after this.”

“Just tell me what you want me to do, Alex. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help.” Alex said nothing in response, more than a bit annoyed that she had left him alone to face the attack without her. But, he was quick to stifle that ire and sighed, handing her a second shovel. The pair proceeded to hollow out more of the earth in relative silence.

They made their way into the cabin as darkness stole the light completely and fell asleep quite easily under the collective strain of their physical and emotional exhaustion.

The next day was fashioned with more of the same activity, the two of them working in conjunction to dig the first half of the day. Once Alex was satisfied with that, Olivia made her way inside to attempt to straighten up the cabin and clean the stains left by the undead invaders.

They hardly spoke again that day and Olivia did not leave to look for her sister, which left Alex feeling very guilty.

Alex punished himself, working harder as he dragged bodies, one by one, over to the pit, and tossing them in.

That took the rest of his day and his back ached from the strain of it all.

They took one break from it to share a meal—a huge plate of spaghetti with no sauce—barely speaking at all, Olivia apologizing to Alex repeatedly and him stating it was not necessary.

Olivia even came out and helped him finish the task even after nightfall consumed their daylight.

Once they were finished, the pair succumbed to absolute exhaustion. They fell asleep quickly, her on the sofa and him on the floor, while Shadow remained outside, lying in front of the door.

No words were spoken.

The next morning saw Alex up and going through a stretching routine, trying to get life back in his aching limbs.

Memories of Sara, and what could have been, permeated his thoughts along with passing fancies of his unborn child. That angst, as well as the frustration of the past day’s events combined to motivate his workout session this morning. His heart raced and the intensity of the workout followed suit, as anger and frustration mounted.

It wasn’t long after he finished that he found himself drenched in sweat. He grabbed a clean pair of pants and a shirt from the dresser he had brought into the living area many months ago, and stared at Olivia who was still sleeping on the sofa. He allowed her the luxury of that comfortable spot while he slept on a heap of towels and blankets piled up on the floor. The makeshift bed was comfortable enough, he decided, though his low back was stiff these last few days due to a combination of the sleeping area and the work he’d done these past few days.

Olivia did offer it back to him last evening, but she looked so tired that he could not take it from her. He stared at her sleeping and again, Sara’s face replaced hers in his mind’s eye. At first it was the face he had come to know and love those many years ago, before quickly shifting into the ghastly zombie he had put down in an unsettling fashion. He flinched, shaking his head in an attempt to free the hints of demons past plaguing his mind.

He opened the door, strode over to the hand pump and began filling two buckets. He washed his workout clothes, stripped down to his bare skin, and with the second, washed himself with a towel that he cleaned and kept out here, hanging over the water pump handle for the most part.

“I like what I see there,” called the voice of Olivia from behind him. Alex reflexively covered himself with the towel as she held her stare.

“Do you mind?” Alex asked.

“I don’t mind in the slightest, Al,” she said, smiling and making him feel even more awkward. She walked right over to him and pumped the handle, filling a pitcher with water, holding his gaze.

“It’s Alex,” he finally spoke. “Or Alexander. My dad was Al.”

She lingered for a moment longer, her eyes remaining on him until she finally walked away and into the cabin. Shadow trotted over to him and lay down near him in the shade. “I should have let you chase her off in the first place, eh, boy?”

When Alex finally had himself cleaned, toweled off and dressed, he entered the cabin to the aroma of caffeine, which overwhelmed him delightfully.

“What is that?!” he asked eagerly.

“I had some coffee packs with me, so I used the stove to boil some water.”

“Wow. That smells amazing,’” he said, salivating at the smell of something that reminded him of days gone by. She handed him a mug and they sat down at the table, sipping coffee from mugs.

“It’s not fresh ground beans, but it’ll have to do,” she finally said after a long bout of silence.

“No, this is great, really,” Alex responded, smiling and toasting his mug toward her. “And look, I’m sorry for the way I treated you yesterday. I understand that it’s not your fault that you want to go look for your sister. I get it, I just wish you would have said something is all.” Olivia nodded, sipping her coffee quietly in contemplation, looking up at Alex. Finally, she broke the silence.

“I had a daughter, you know,” Olivia said, “In the old world.”

“How old was she?

“Only three. I remember spending time with her after her father left.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet that was great,” Alex said, thinking of what his life might have been like with a son or daughter with which to share it. “What was her name?”

“Heather. And It was great. I spent every afternoon with her, watching her take her first steps and say her first words,” she said, tearing up as she suddenly and obviously became overwhelmed by her daughter’s absence.

“Hey, I'm sorry. I’ve lost loved ones, too. I know what it’s like.”

“Your wife, I know,” Olivia said, frowning and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

“Well, I didn’t tell you this, but my wife was pregnant.” Olivia stared up at him and nodded, crying some more.

“That really sucks,” Olivia said, looking up at him sympathetically. “I don’t even want to tell you how I lost my daughter.”

“No, I can’t imagine. Only thing you can do is hold onto the good memories and hope that gets you through.”

“Not much of those to go on,” Olivia added gloomily, sipping her coffee.

“No?” Alex said, hearing the sound of Shadow scratching at the door. He stood, listening as she continued and opened a can of tuna for him, dumping it into a bowl. “What did you do? I mean in the real world?”

“You’re gonna laugh,” she said, looking up at him. “No judging.”

“Fine. No judging.”

“I was a stripper.” Alex stared at her and shrugged. “But I was going to go to nursing school. I was just saving up money for tuition.”

“And then what happened?” Alex said, opening the door and dropping the bowl for shadow.

“Then I met John, my husband. He came into the club every night to watch me dance and….”

“Oh, so he took you away from all that, eh? A real Prince Charming?”

“At first, yeah. But then, he got involved with the club, tended bar there, watched me dance every night, and eventually got us into more trouble,” Olivia said, shaking her head, taking a deep breath and sipping her coffee some more.

“Mom watched my baby, and eventually, John got tired of me, mom and Heather, and started not coming home, you know. The whole thing.”

“Yeah, tell me more. Where did you grow up?” Alex asked.

He listened as she told him her life story, taking up the whole rest of that morning and afternoon. She left on her daily mission to meet her sister, Alex offering to go again and her turning him down.

So, in her absence, he tended the cucumber patch and tried to figure out the electrical problems with regards to the solar panels, but again that met with failure.

 Olivia crested the hill that evening as the sun faded, and admitted to Alex that the whole thing was frustrating and that she intended to continue doing it every day if she could. They shared a meal together and she gave him some insight into her past but hesitated when talking about her childhood. Alex did not push the issue with her.

As Alex lay there, trying to fall asleep that night, Olivia spoke once more, breaking the silence.

“Tell you about my parents tomorrow,” she said, staring at him. He smiled back at her and rolled over before she added, “maybe.”

“G’nite, Liv.”

***

The next few days were much of the same, Alex trying to open up to her and she doing the same. Alex tried to give her the space she needed when discussing her past, and he would often fall asleep with images of Olivia invading his thoughts in a very similar way as Sara once had.

The following day, Alex awoke first and did a much lighter workout. He joined Olivia for breakfast this morning and again she explained a bit more of her past to him.

“My father was not the nicest man,” she began that morning, sipping her coffee while Shadow lay comfortably by her side of the table. Alex looked up from his coffee and beheld a palpable sorrow within her blue eyes. He could tell that this was a sensitive subject for her, and did not want to force the issue.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tackle it,” Alex said with a quick grin. “We’ve got plenty of time to chat about these things, so if this is something you don’t want to discuss….”

She looked up at him and nodded, seemingly understanding his meaning there. “Thanks, Alex, but I have nothing to do
but
reflect on bad decisions I’ve made and try to understand my mistakes. You know, try to deal with them and move on.”

“’I’ll even wave my fee,” he replied, looking from her to the wolf and back to her again.  She was stoic in her expression, however, clearly not believing it to be humorous at all. “Tough cabin.”

“Maybe it’s better if I don’t—“

“It’s okay. I was kidding,” Alex disputed, admitting his regret at infusing levity into a serious conversation. “I say inappropriate things sometimes, I guess. But in all seriousness, If you want to tell me something, please do. I’m here for you. The better I get to know you, the more likely we will remain friends and build trust.”

“I agree,” she admitted, obviously relieved, as was Alex in that he had righted the emotional ship, so to speak. “When I was a young girl, I have distinct memories of my father hitting my mother. And not only hitting
her
, but all of us: my brother, my sister, me, but especially my mom.”

Alex simply shook his head, trying to wrap his head around what kind of an upbringing that must have been like. He maintained eye contact with her, remaining silent, and allowing her to approach the subject at her own pace.

“Mom always took the brunt of his anger. She was trying to protect us, she always said. But when my brother David was older, he confronted my dad when he hit her, trying to stick up for her and he put Dave in the hospital,” Olivia continued, staring at her coffee and stirring it absently with a spoon.

“Wouldn’t the cops get involved at that point?” Alex heard himself asking, not meaning to interject, but he did anyway.

“They would have, but my mother begged David not to press charges, thinking that dad would take it out on one of us.”

“Alcohol?” Alex guessed, drawing a blank stare from her. “Your dad, I mean. Was he an alcoholic?”

“No, not an alcoholic. More like a workaholic. We had nice things growing up, but he still beat my mom.” She paused, crying openly now and Alex watched her as she tried to get herself under control. “After that, things went to hell for my family. I started dancing, doing drugs at the local club. Looking back on it,  I just wanted to do anything to get away from it and make the pain go away,” Olivia stood and started pacing the room just then, twirling her hair and tugging at it absently. It looked painful to Alex, but again, he remained silent, listening.

“Two years later, after a failed marriage, and I was pregnant with Heather at the time, I remember Jill coming to me and telling me that dad died. They said he slipped and fell when heading down to the basement, breaking his neck on the way down, but I knew better. My mother was actually devastated.”

“I can’t imagine,” Alex said, listening intently to her as she sat down and he stood, shaking his head and trying to understand the family dynamic within which she was raised. Alex had a slightly dysfunctional family, though he supposed everyone did to some extent. Despite that, his parents loved and supported him a hundred percent, as Alex was an only child, and probably spoiled compared to most kids he knew growing up. Olivia continued her story, drawing him from his brief reverie.

“A few years later, Jill was the caretaker for my mother who came down with a terminal illness, and I found Terry, my current husband, and who I thought was a good guy. He ended up being very much like my father in ways…,” she added cryptically. Another story for another time he supposed, as she did not further explain. “Mom died, only this past November, actually, ironically right before the zombie plague.”

“Better for her she didn’t have to face this, eh?” Alex asked. Olivia nodded and remained silent a moment.

“Jill told me not that long ago, that she was the one who pushed my father down the stairs. She said she found out dad was having an affair with someone in his office, was still beating mom too, and she couldn’t take it,” she explained, tears slowly running down her cheeks.

“No, I suppose she couldn’t,” Alex said sympathetically.

“Jill was always the tough one.”

“Well, you’re still here, Liv. I’d say you’re tougher than you think,” he added with a short-lived smile. She forced a grin through her tears and Alex was relieved to see it. She stood and surprisingly came over to him and sat in his lap, hugging him. He hugged her back and smiled again, believing this to be a good enough start to develop a rapport with her. They were interrupted by scratching at the door, Shadow standing there, wanting to go outside.

Olivia stood, allowing him to get up and he let Shadow outside, closing the door behind the wolf. She wiped the tears from her eyes and retrieved the pistol from the table.

“I'm going to the meeting place,” she stated boldly. She stood up and gathered her pack, which she always took with her, and stood at the door, looking back over her shoulder at him.