Zombie Games (7 page)

“It
was
totally odd. This flu virus must be really getting out of control,” I said.

“Tell me about it. My mother is so sick, I don’t know how she’s going to care for my brother tomorrow,” he muttered.

“I didn’t know you had a brother. How old is he?”

“Bobby? He’s six.”

“Well, my mother runs a daycare. She might be willing to watch him until your mom gets better.”

I could almost see the smile spreading across his face. “Wow, really? I have to work tomorrow, otherwise I’d just stay home with him,” he paused. “I work for a construction company and we have this major deadline coming up. My boss already called me tonight to make sure I was still coming in. Most of the guys on this job are sick and he’s frantic.”

“If you promise to be nice to me, I might ask her to watch him.”

Bryce laughed wickedly. “Really? Well, I can be extremely nice if it gets me what I want.”

I groaned. “You’re such a… man.”

“You didn’t notice before?”

“Believe me…
everyone
notices.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” I blurted. I’m not sure where it came from but I was dying to know.

He paused then said, “No, not at the moment.”

I was glad he couldn’t see my face, because it was burning. I couldn’t believe I’d asked him like that, out of the blue. Like a little school girl.

“You still there?” he asked softly.

I took a deep breath, “Um…yeah. So…you’re brother, does he have any allergies?”

“No… but I suppose I should mention that he has Down Syndrome. He’s a great kid; really friendly and gets along with everyone. But, obviously he needs special attention sometimes.”

“My mom’s great with children. She’ll take really good care of him.”

“Okay, if you could talk to her and let me know. I’d really appreciate it.”

“I’ll call you right back.”

“Thanks Cassie.”

I hung up and talked it over with my mom, leaving out the fact that Bryce was gorgeous and my heart raced every time he came near me. She agreed to talk to him and work out the details. I called him back and told him the good news.

“Thanks, I’m so relieved,” he said. “You’re such a lifesaver! I was going crazy, trying to figure out what to do with my little brother. My mom’s so sick that I’m probably going to have to find time to bring her into the clinic tomorrow as well.”

“Well, maybe she’ll be better by tomorrow and you won’t have to. Listen, my mom’s going to be calling you soon, so I’d better let you go.”

“Okay. Thanks again.”

“Glad I could help.”

It was the first time
ever
that I was happy that my mom was a daycare provider. Now I would definitely get to see Bryce again.

Chapter Eight

I learned that Bryce would be dropping off his brother Bobby around seven o’clock, so I made sure to be up and dressed. I threw on a pair of jeans, a new coral tank top, and some lip gloss.

My mom looked at me curiously when I walked out of my bedroom. “Wow, you’re up early. It’s only seven o’clock, you know,
in the morning
.”

I shrugged. “I know.”

              There was a soft knock on the door and I rushed down the stairs to answer it. Bryce stood outside, holding the hand of a little boy with similar features. Both of them had damp hair, blue jeans, and matching white polo shirts. Bobby was grinning from ear to ear. He held his hand out to me.

“Hi, I’m Bobby!” he said. “I brought my backpack!”

“Hi,” I answered, shaking his hand.

My mom kneeled next to Bobby. ”Hi Bobby! My name is Kris. Are you ready to have a super fun day?”

His eyes sparkled. “Yes. Bryce said I was going to have lots of fun today.”

She smiled warmly. “Well, he was right!”

“Okay Bryce, you can go now,” Bobby waved to his big brother.

Bryce chuckled. “Hold on Buddy. I have to talk to Kris and Cassie here before you kick me out just yet.”

“Okay Bryce,” he answered.

Bryce held out his hand to my mother. “Hi, I’m Bryce.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kris,” she answered, shaking it. “Do you have a few minutes to fill out some paperwork and go over a couple of things before you leave? Cassie can show Bobby around.”

He flashed one of his dimpled smiles and I melted, again. “Certainly.”

I showed Bobby around the house and then spent a few minutes in the toy area with him. He was giddy and jumped from toy to toy.

“Wow, I love your toys!” he announced.

I smiled. “They’re pretty neat aren’t they?”

“Bobby,” my mom said entering the toy area with Bryce. “Your brother has to leave for work now.”

Bobby jumped up from the floor, ran over to his brother, and threw his arms around him. “I love you Bryce.”

Bryce held him tightly. “I love you too big guy. Be a good boy today, okay?”

Bobby stood back and crossed his heart. “Cross my heart,” he said solemnly.

“Thank you again Mrs. Wild,” Bryce said turning to my mother. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem. I’m glad I could help out. It was very nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you as well. Well, I’d better go. You both have my number if you need anything,” he said.

I nodded and told my mom I’d walk Bryce to the door. When we approached the entryway and before I could react, he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. “Thanks Cassie,” he whispered into my ear. The heat of his breath made me tremble all over.

“Um, you’re welcome,” I answered breathlessly. My heart convulsed in my chest as he released me and I longed to feel his arms wrapped around me again.

He cleared his throat. “Wow, I’m sorry…”
              “Why?”

The next thing I knew he turned around and was gone. A trace of his cologne lingered in the air and I closed my eyes, thinking of how exhilarating it had felt to be in his arms.

“Ahem,” my mother said. She stood at the top of the stairs, her hands folded across her chest.

“What?”

She arched an eyebrow. “He’s certainly a very good looking young man.”

I shrugged. “So?”

“He’s a little old for you, so forget about whatever it is you’re daydreaming about.”

I snorted. “Whatever mom…we’re just friends.”

“Okay. I’m just saying…” she said, her eyes searching mine.

I was about to respond when Megan and her mother, Sara, walked through the door. Sara appeared disheveled and upset. My mother noticed it as well and asked me to show Megan our new guest.

Megan took off her shoes, hugged her mother, and then followed me into the toy area. When she saw Bobby she stopped and her eyes opened wide.

“Hi,” Bobby said, grinning broadly at Megan. He was sitting on the ground and playing with Legos.

She was bashful and held firmly onto my leg. “Hi,” she answered softly. I grabbed her hand and sat down on the floor with both of them. Soon they were building something with Legos together and I was able to break free to find out what was going on in the other room.

“You can lie down in the guest room,” my mother was murmuring in the hallway. “You must be exhausted.”

“Yes I am a little, thank you,” she replied, following my mom to our extra bedroom, which was next to mine.

When my mother returned alone, she appeared troubled. “Sara and Megan will be staying with us for a few days,” she said.

“Why?”

Mom sighed. “Her husband is very sick and demanded that she take Megan and stay somewhere else until he gets better. He’s terrified of her getting the flu and having complications with the baby. I guess the last time she was pregnant, with Megan, she ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Anyway, he was so upset about her being at home that she finally agreed to stay at a hotel for a few days. When she told me that, I suggested that she stay here instead.”

“And she agreed?”

“Well, no… not at first. She didn’t want to impose, but I finally talked her into it.”

“Wow. Okay.”

Just then my dad shuffled into the kitchen yawning. He poured himself a large bowl of cereal. “Good morning,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“Okay dad, you really need to quit with the late night video games. You look exhausted.”

He cleared his throat. “I couldn’t sleep last night and the cable wasn’t working. What else is there to do in the middle of the night?”

“Oh I don’t know…read a book? Rub the bunions on mom’s feet?”

Dad grimaced. “I don’t know which sounds scarier,” he answered.

“Ha ha…very funny you guys. My bunions just might be too sore to make dinner tonight,” she said dryly.

My dad laughed and put his arm around her. “Just messing with you honey. You know I’d rub your bunions or warts anytime.”

She elbowed him in the ribs playfully.

“By the way,” said my dad. “I won’t be home until late this evening. I’m working until close and then I’m taking one of the guys out for dinner, after. He’s leaving the dealership and all of my co-workers were going to have a “Going Away Party” for him, but of course everyone’s got the damn flu. So, it’s just us two guys.” He looked at my mom. “Would you want to meet us at the restaurant? Or I can bring you back some wings tonight if you’d like?” My mom craves Buffalo wings almost as much as I do pickles. This time she stunned us both.

She shook her head. “No thanks on both counts. I really should stay home tonight. I’ve got some laundry and cleaning to do. As far as the wings go,” she said touching her stomach. “I’m really trying to be good. I’ve got to start changing my diet; those things are just loaded with cholesterol.”

My dad and I looked at each other. We both knew she’d change her mind before the end of the night. She’d be texting and reminding him to bring them home until he pulled into the driveway.

“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know and I’ll bring you some tonight,” he replied, biting back a smile.

She shrugged and then began telling him about our new house guests. I wasn’t sure how my dad was going to react to that little tidbit of news, so I left them and went to my room, where I collapsed onto my bed. It was still early, and there was no school, so I closed my eyes, counting the minutes until I’d get to see Bryce again. Eventually I fell into a dreamless asleep.

~~~

It was just after ten when I finally crawled back out of bed. I was hungry, so I made a ham and pickle sandwich, turned on the television and found that the cable still wasn’t working. Frustrated and bored, I decided to rearrange my bedroom. After an hour of moving heavy furniture around, I stood back only to realize that everything had worked better in their original positions. Defeated, I gave up and sent a text to Nora, to see how she was doing. Unfortunately, she didn’t respond, so then I sent one to Scott, who didn’t get back to me either. I knew there wasn’t much I could do to help find her father, but then I started wondering if I should just drive to her house and offer a little moral support.

“Cassie,” my mother said interrupting my thoughts. “Bryce called. He’s going to try and bring his mother to the clinic tonight when he finishes work. So, Bobby might be spending the night with us.”

“Oh.” I answered, a little disheartened that I probably wouldn’t be seeing Bryce tonight.

Looking pensive, she strolled over to the bay window in our kitchen and stared out. I knew that something else was bothering her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

She turned around and folded her arms across her chest. “Well, Bryce was kind of concerned when I spoke to him. He claimed that a buddy of his, who’s a radio dispatcher with the Wolf Creek Police Department, gave him some alarming information. I guess there’ve been several reports of violence in town and they’re urging people to stay inside; lock their doors.”

I frowned. “Wow, that’s…scary.”

She sat down by the kitchen counter. “Tell me about it,” she answered, tapping her fingernails against the counter, absently.

My stomach clenched; Allie! I grabbed my cell phone. “Mom, I’m going to call Allie and make sure she’s okay.”

She grew pale. “Oh God, I forgot she wasn’t home! Good thinking, honey. I better call your father too and see if he’s heard anything.”

Allie was oblivious to everything going on in the outside world when I called her.

“We’re swimming and Kristie’s going to make us a pizza later. She said she’ll bring me home sometime tonight.”

I sighed. “Okay. The cable is out here so if you hear something about rioting or violence, let me know right away. Make sure you tell Kristie about it too,” I told her.

“Yeah… well the cable’s not working here either. In fact, the radio stations are down as well. There’s nothing but static.”

“Okay, now that’s really weird.”

“Tell me about it,” Allie replied and then began shrieking with laughter. “Kylie! Oh my God…you are so bumming! She’s going to…Hey Cass, I have to go. Kylie just pushed her mom into the pool!” Click.

Leave it to Allie; nothing outside of her world bothers her.

“Great! I can’t get a hold of your father,” my mom announced shrilly. “I sent him a few texts and even left him a voicemail.”

“Calm down mom! I’m sure he’s with a customer. You’re worrying too much.”

She sat down and rubbed her forehead. “You’re probably right.”

“Did you call the main business line?”

“Oh, I didn’t even think about that!” She picked up her phone again and dialed. I watched her frown and then leave a message.

“Mom, if everyone has the flu, there’s probably nobody available to answer the main lines either.”

She nodded in agreement, but I could tell her mind was still racing. She was one of the most paranoid people I knew.

Just then Sara walked into the kitchen, looking bewildered. “You’re not going to believe this, but something seriously BIG is going on!” she exclaimed, then dramatically lowered her voice, as if somebody was listening in. “A friend of mine from the military just sent me a text. They’re issuing a nationwide emergency warning. He wouldn’t get into details, although I’m betting on some kind of terrorism. Anyway, everyone is supposed to stay indoors. They’re even sending out military forces everywhere to limit travel.”