Z-Risen (Book 3): Poisoned Earth (10 page)

16:45 hours approximate

Location: Just outside of Oceanside

I slid out the Springfield XDM and waited. The gun felt good in my hand, but it wasn’t my only weapon. I didn’t go anywhere without my trusty eight-pound wrench, so it was hanging uncomfortably under my arm.

I half expected Joel’s rifle to start barking out 5.56 rounds, but he reached the back door, unbolted it, and swung it open.

“Let’s do a full sweep. I checked the bedroom I entered but the rest are waiting. The stairs and the entry to the kitchen are clear. I didn’t go through all the closets yet. Stay frosty,” he said.

Frosty lifted her head at the sound of her name.

“Get 'em, girl,” I said and let her go.

Frosty dashed
into the house and ran toward a back room.

I trailed behind Joel and followed his lead. One of the worst things about entering a new house is looking in all the rooms and doorways. We’d learned early on that folks couldn’t kill a loved one. They preferred to lock them in a little space, presumably to wait for a cure or just so they didn’t have to put up with the moans and biting.

Joel moved through the house, checking and clearing each area. When we entered rooms I kept my eyes on the corners and his back. The thing
about the dead is: they might be hanging around, staring at a wall, and you wouldn’t even know it until they were on you.

The floors weren’t finished, but the concrete had a layer of padding. Carpet lay in huge rolls in the dining room and wood strips were stacked up in another corner. Fading sunlight lit the room from an abundance of windows, creating a space that was easy to inspect.

We hit every closet and room, looked in half-finished bathrooms and in cabinets and pantries. I expected the upstairs to have a few Zs, but the rooms were also clear and as bare as the downstairs.

We found some supplies and a surprise in a closet: paint, paint thinner, masking tape, a couple of rulers, some power tools, and other small contractor items. A toolbox revealed hand tools and a few boxes of screws, bolts, and nuts.

One of the tools--a cordless drill--was stuck in a man’s head. His body was decayed and partially mummified. It was hard to tell if someone had killed him or if he’d done it himself. I considered what I’d do if I was bitten and all I had was a fucking power drill. Would I have the nerve to drive it into my own head?

Frosty growled at the body. I rubbed her head and got a lick for my efforts.

“Damn, that dude reeks,” Joel said.

“Let’s get the stuff we can use, and then leave him to his tomb. He’s not going to bother us,” I said.

“We’re at that point, huh? Fucking corpse in the house and we’re just gonna leave it?” Joel said.

“What else should we do, drag him outside and do a burial? Nah, man, I’ve seen enough corpses and body parts to last me three lifetimes.”

“Let’s not tell the ladies, eh?” Joel said.

“Sexist asshole,” I laughed. “None of them is squeamish.”

“I was thinking of Christy. Girl’s seen enough bodies, rot, and Zs to last three lifetimes. No sense her worrying about a body in the house.”

“Yeah, man. I get it. Well, looks like we got a home for a night,” I said. “What do you think a place like this costs?”

“Before the Zs? Probably more money than you and I make in a few years. After the apocalypse? Shit’s free.”

We took out anything that might be useful and moved it into the kitchen.

One thing was for damn sure: I was looking forward to stretching out.

###

17:30 hours approximate

Location: Just outside of Oceanside

I brought Frosty along when I moved the truck behind the house. She investigated the unfinished yard for a few minutes before finding the perfect place to take a dump. Christy stayed close to the dog, and praised her when she didn’t run off. Frosty was loyal to us first, and teasing/chasing Zs second. Still, she paused a few times to sniff the air, and looked in the direction of the woods once or twice.

Joel and Roz moved food, the burner, and other gear inside the house. Anna picked up her bag and a couple of cans of food. I joined her and offered my arm, but she shook me off. She looked a bit dazed, but I suspected it was the drugs. Her short hair was frazzled and she looked like she needed a week off in a tropical vacation getaway. Her body language was tense--that was the best word for it. She ran her hands over the stock of the handgun at her side more than once.

“She spooked?” Anna nodded toward Frosty.

“Not sure. Maybe there’s a maimed Z back in the woods somewhere.”

Anna walked to the corner of the yard. She petted Frosty and waited, head moving back and forth as she scanned the copses.

The dog must have gotten bored, because she sat down and scratched her neck for a few seconds, and then galloped back to me. I rubbed her head and assured her she was a dyed in the wool killer.

We moved gear into the house, just enough for the night, and set up camp in the middle of the kitchen. The entryway was open, but there was only one window. Joel and I cut off a big chunk of carpet and wedged it over the portal. No sense in advertising that we had taken up occupancy.

I checked the faucet over the sink, but no water came out. I found the valves and twisted the cold lever all the way to the right. To my surprise, water gurgled up the tubes. It came out in a trickle, but Christy was quick and got a bucket under the stream until it ran out. We got about two gallons. I tasted it and found it stale, but grabbed a mug from our belongings and gulped it down.

“Don’t want to clean it first?” Roz asked.

“It just tastes like pipes. Water’s been sitting there but it’s clean,” I said.

Christy didn’t look convinced, and told us she’d take it out to the camper and run it through our filtering system.

“Take Frosty,” I said. She nodded and ducked out of the house.

“It’s good to stretch out,” Joel said.

“Yeah. Good to get some life back in our legs,” Roz nodded.

Joel caught her looking at him and gave a small nod. He rose and together they went to “investigate” the house.

Anna pulled a sleeping bag out of her pack and rolled it out flat. She crawled inside and zipped it up.

“Room for me in there?” I winked.

“Sorry. I’m running a fever and everything makes my skin crawl right now. Nothing personal, Creed,” she said.

I nodded and took out the burner and a couple of cans of stew. Might as well eat our precious supplies while we had the opportunity. Tomorrow we’d arrive at the Marine base, if we weren’t ambushed by shufflers, devoured by fucking zombies, or killed by marauders--or if we didn't succumb to some stupid disease that was out to do us in. That’s what our lives had come to: running from all of the things that wanted to do us harm.

“I’m going to see if there’s enough water for a good flush in the bathroom,” I said.

“Great, Creed. If not, nail the door shut when you’re done,” Anna said.

###

20:40 hours approximate

Location: Just outside of Oceanside

We gathered in the tiny room and made a decent dinner: stew, canned beans, a can of creamed corn, and a few crackers. Anna said she was feeling better, so I sat next to her and tried to cheer her up with dumb stories of being young and overseas. I got the occasional half-smile out of her, but she wasn’t really paying attention to me.

Roz and Joel rolled out sleeping mats and piled on a few blankets. Christy wrote in a journal--something she’d seen me do every day, and something I’d encouraged.

Frosty rolled on her back and growled. Her tail swished back and forth while her tongue lolled out. She wanted to play, and nipped at my hand a few times while I rubbed her chest.

“Anyone want to play spades?” I asked.

Christy shook her head and went back to writing. Joel and Roz looked at each other, then shook their heads as well.

“Can’t play with just two people,” I said to myself.

“Play with yourself,” Anna suggested.

I cracked a smile.

Christy and I played a few hands of high stakes five-card poker and I ended up owing her six million dollars. Just my luck. Last week she'd owed me fifteen million, give or take.

I know a lot of people probably love the quiet. I don’t. I was used to the noise of the engine room, the hum of the pipes, steam, and the exhaust fans that blew air around the ship. I slept like a goddamn baby when I was out at sea. When I stayed in town I needed a fan cranked up to high just to doze off.

Out in Z land, I was lucky if I got more than four consecutive hours' worth of sleep. I was always on guard, and the quiet didn’t help. Every time someone moved or sniffed or snored or burped or farted, it was like a bell rung next to my head. Exhaustion usually knocked me out, but today I was still on edge.

I tried relaxing and thinking of better times: times that involved beer and hookers in some overseas port. I thought of the night Anna and I had spent a few weeks ago. We’d taken an ice-cold shower together, and I for one had felt clean for the first time in ages.

Although she didn’t want to share our sleeping bags, I’d laid mine out next to her.

I rolled over and looked at her. She looked peaceful for a change.

“What?” she whispered, opening one eye.

“Nothing. Just looking at you,” I whispered back.

“Go to sleep, Creed. I’m beat,” she said, and rolled over.

“Are you mad at me for something?”

“No, Jackson, I’m not mad at you. I just don’t need a boyfriend right now and that’s all there is to it. Now get some sleep.”

I blew out a breath and rolled onto my back. The view of the ceiling didn’t help. It was white, unfinished, and boring.

An hour later I still tossed and turned. Joel snored, and Roz snored quietly next to him. The pair had curled into each other and looked rather goddamn cozy.

Christy had dragged her sleeping pad across the floor and was facing the door. Earlier we’d drawn cards to see who would take first watch. Even though we tried to coddle Christy when we could, she insisted on being treated like an adult. She wanted to take watch every night, and she was good. Christy never dozed off and she rarely ever bugged us, unless she sensed a genuine threat.

I’d had increasingly bad insomnia as the weeks fled past, and tonight looked like it would be no different. I rose as silently as I could and lifted my backpack. I moved across the room and leaned over to whisper to Christy.

“Get some rest. I can’t sleep, so I’ll keep watch for the next few hours and then I’ll wake Roz.”

Christy nodded and wiped at her eyes. I suspected she’d been crying, but she hit me with a hard look that would have made Anna proud.

“Okay. Thanks,” she said and rolled over.

I took my pack into the living room and sat with my back to a wall. Then I took out my journal and wrote for an hour.

###

12:30 hours approximate

Location: Just outside of Oceanside

My eyes were heavy and the thought of sleep was getting more and more attractive. I’d spent the last few hours alternating between writing and staring outside.

A couple of creepers had wandered past the house and then into the woods. I let them be. The pair found something on the ground--the carcass of a small animal--and they fought over it. Not much of a battle, because one of the Zs was missing most of an arm.

I wondered, not for the first time, what their story had been. Had they been married, had kids, were they working-class, were they nice to their families? So many people gone now, and what was the world going to be like in a year? Would we all be mindless, wandering ghouls?

I closed my eyes a couple of times to let them rest, because they burned. I yawned and decided I could probably sleep.

Roz rose grumpy and took her place on watch. I curled up next to Anna as close as I could get without touching her sleeping bag, and closed my eyes. Within moments I drifted off.

###

#26 - In the Crosshairs

08:35 hours Approximate

Location: Just outside of Oceanside

I woke to the sound of laughter.

Christy was playing in the living room with Frosty. I rubbed grit out of my eyes and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. I was the only one in the kitchen. The amount of sun streaming in through the window told me I’d done something I hadn’t done in a long time: I’d slept in.

I peeked around the space that divided the two rooms and saw the source of Christy’s laughter. She had the dog lying on the floor and was trying to teach her how to roll over. Frosty didn’t seem to think too much of the game. She lay with her legs splayed in the air, her tail wagging across the floor while her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth.

The room had unfinished walls and a lack of carpeting. The floor was concrete, but Christy had broken into some of the padding and rolled
it out for Frosty to sleep on.

I jumped when someone tapped at the front door, in a pattern consisting of three quick knocks and then two knocks spaced farther apart. Christy hopped up. Frosty scrambled to her side and got to her feet, her demeanor changed instantly from playful pup to “I’m going to rip someone a new one”.

Christy peeked out the bay windows, then smiled and nodded. The door opened, and in strolled Joel Kelly and Roz. They carried a number of tools, some lumber, and a bag of screws or nails.

“Morning, sunshine,” Roz said.

I nodded. Christy turned and shot me a smile, so I smiled back. Not hard to do when faced with her sunny disposition. We were safe for a while, and it had rubbed off on her.

Joel and Roz quietly placed their newly-acquired items around the living room. Roz removed a piece of paper from her pocket, and she and Joel studied the sheet.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We’re going to fortify this place and try to rest up for a few days. Tired of being on the run, bro,” Joel said.

“What about Pendleton?”

“It’ll still be there. Or maybe it’s already gone. Rushing down there now while we’re exhausted, Anna’s hurt, and you’re needing ten hours of sleep means that we are not an effective fighting unit,” Joel said.

“So what, we’re going to board up the windows and call this Fortress Mark III?”

“Something like that. This subdivision is half-finished, so a lot of families hadn’t moved in yet. North of here a few homes that look occupied. We didn’t bother investigating.”

“So we’re not getting a welcome to the neighborhood basket?” I deadpanned.

Roz chuckled.

“I’d love some cupcakes,” Joel sighed.

“Don’t talk about cupcakes. I haven’t had fresh-baked
anything
in months, so you’re making me drool,” Christy said.

“Something bothers me about this place,” I said.

“What, no store set up for bartering yet?” Joel said.

“It’s the lack of people. This place isn’t finished yet, sure, not a lot of families would be moved in, but why didn’t other survivors take over and fortify? The place backs up to a small hill, the houses are close together, it seems like the perfect opportunity to build a community and keep it guarded.”

“Thinking like a warrior, huh? I’ll be honest, I had the same thought. What’s missing is any kind of lawns. The backyards are barely in and who knows if anything can grow in that soil. If we stayed we’d need a garden at the very least. Grow potatoes and carrots. But California’s been in a hell of a drought, so getting water in would be a bitch.” Joel removed his ball cap and scratched his head.

“Maybe it’s just been overlooked. Think about how many people the virus has taken. Think about how many are dead or roaming the streets. If only a percentage of the population is still alive, they have a lot of places to hide,” Anna chimed in.

“Personally, if I wanted to become a warlord and rule a little kingdom I’d take over a fucking Costco. Big-ass brick building, lots of food, just need a few guys to keep it safe and sound,” Joel said.

“And a bunch of scantily-clad women to call your harem?” Roz asked.

“If I’m a warlord of Costco, you bet your ass,” Joel said.

Roz, characteristically, smacked his arm. “You keep thinking like that and I’ll punch you into tomorrow, Joel Kelly.”

I stifled a laugh.

“What, you asked,” Joel said. “Peace, baby. I’m just playing.”

Roz crossed her arms over her chest.

“Damn, Joel. That’s like some stupid shit
I’d
say,” I chuckled.

“Joel, Warlord of Costco. Has a certain ring,” he said.

Frosty wandered to the back of the house and scratched at the door.

“Gotta take a dump?” I asked her.

Christy rolled her eyes and took Frosty into the backyard.

“Keep her quiet,” I said.

“I don’t think there are any zombies back there,” Christy said as she stood in the doorway.

“How do you know?”

“Because they would have come if they heard your snoring,” Christy said, and then closed the door as she stepped onto the back porch.

Anna strolled down the stairs. She wore camouflage pants and a t-shirt she’d picked out of one of our various bags. The shirt bore a grinning cat on a cartoon background.

She had a smile on her face.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” I said to Anna.

Christy chased Frosty into the yard.

“Don’t say a word,” Anna said.

“But that shirt and that smile. Are you happy to see me?”

Anna sat next to me. She inspected a couple of scratches on my face and arms while I admired her sunny disposition. She’d either cleaned up in our small supply of water or she’d found some baby wipes along the way. She held her wounded arm next to her body, and when I reached out to inspect the injury she pulled away with an “I’m fine, Creed.”

“So what’s the plan for fortifying this place? Board up the doors?” I asked.

“If we board up everything, then someone may wonder what we’re hoarding in here. We’ll reinforce the door, but we need to keep the lights to a minimum. Avoid the windows if you can help it.”

“What if no one bothers us?” I asked.

“What if monkeys fly out of my butt?” Roz said.

Joel snorted.

“The likelihood that we’re going to be safe here for a few days is decent. The fact that Zs will find us is undeniable. Don’t get too comfortable, folks,” Joel said, looking between the members of our group.

“Is the truck prepped in case we need to make a quick getaway?”

“Yeah. Roz and I found a tarp to cover the truck, but if anyone gets too damn curious, they’ll find the vehicle,” Joel said.

“Good enough for Government work, I guess,” I said.

Roz and Joel left on another scouting run. Anna stayed by my side but didn’t say anything, so I leaned against the wall and enjoyed the companionable silence.

“I can’t stay with you guys,” she said, breaking the silence a few minutes later.

“What do you mean?”

“As soon as we find Bright Star I’m going to have to leave. I have responsibilities.”

“To what? The world’s gone now. Nothing but the dead and a few survivors scrounging for food. When it’s all gone what are people going to do? Bright Star and the notion of any kind of functioning Government went out the window weeks ago.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Creed. There were contingency plans, and I believe we have a functioning Government, but they have been reduced. It’s a matter of reestablishing bases and carving out our place in this new world. That’s why they need me.”

“Is this a paying job, this whole rebuilding-the-world thing?” I asked.

“I guess we’re all owed some back pay. What are you going to do with a few months’ worth of salary?” she asked.

“You’re changing the subject.”

“I’m turning it to something fun. You’re so goddamn morose sometimes, Creed. You have this way of being a smartass and making everyone laugh, but half the time you’re so depressed I wonder if you’re going to slit your wrists,” Anna said.

“Name one thing that doesn’t suck now,” I challenged her.

“Friends.”

That got a half-smirk.

“The fact that you owe me seventeen million dollars from our last round of poker,” she said.

“Any chance I can work that off another way?”

“We’ll talk later tonight, Creed. I may have something you can do for me,” she said, and hit me with a smile.

My day was starting to look better.

###