by Dziekan, PJ
“Sarah?” Mick’s look brought her back.
“Shit, sorry, this is Annie and Claire. We ran into each other in there.”
“I’m Mick. I’d offer my hand, but…”
“Understood,” Annie said, inclining her head. “You have quite a group here.”
“We do. What about you? Just the two of you?”
“No, there are six of us. The others stayed behind while we scouted for supplies.”
“You have a camp or something?” Sarah asked. She holstered her gun, figuring she could take Annie without it.
Annie looked at her, that bemused smile on her face again. “Something.”
“What’s going on?” Ryan had come up to them, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Ryan, this is Annie and Claire. They were in the store.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ryan put his hand out and Annie took it. She had a firm handshake.
“I was telling Sarah that we haven’t seen any new people in months. Maybe we could share a meal and exchange stories.”
Ryan looked at Sarah, who shrugged. “Are your people close by or are you it?”
While Annie and Ryan talked, Sarah watched over her people. Nearly everyone had stopped working, watching the group at the front of the store. She waved everyone in, figuring that they’d get the introductions over with. She didn’t know if she actually trusted Annie, but she didn’t have to make up her mind right away.
A scream drew her attention. Her head whipped around and she saw Steven on the ground about forty feet away, a skeletonized hand gripping his leg. The zombie pulled itself out from under the car with its other hand, its rotting mouth just six inches from Steven’s foot.
She started running, her hand on her gun. She didn’t want to fire if she didn’t have to. She spotted an SUV, hatch open, something protruding from the back. She smiled without realizing it as she veered towards the vehicle. There were lengths of rebar, varying sizes, next to three blood-spattered bags of concrete. She grabbed a four-foot length, rust staining her hands as she pulled it free and kept running.
Stephen had his hand on the zombie’s chin trying to push it away, but despite its deteriorated body, it was strong in its eagerness to feed. “Close your eyes!” Sarah yelled. Steven shut his eyes, wincing when he felt the shards of bone and wet flecks of matter pepper his face.
Sarah’s golf swing shattered the rotten skull and plowed through the diseased brain. She pushed the body off of Steven with her foot then held out a hand for him.
“Thanks,” he rasped as he used her hand to get to his feet.
Sarah nodded. “Go wipe your face.” She walked back through the parking lot, swinging the gory rebar, Stephen a few feet behind her.
“She moves fast,” Annie said.
Mick nodded. “That she does.”
“Why didn’t she shoot it?” Claire asked. Her voice was a soft southern drawl that seemed out of place.
“Noise,” Mick answered. “Noise brings them in. You haven’t discovered that?”
“We mainly hide from them,” Annie said. “No more fighters in our group.”
“Everyone has to fight,” Ryan said. “We even teach the kids how to fight.”
“Kids?”
Ryan moved aside and pointed to the wooden swing set where the kids frolicked.
“Oh.” Annie smiled at the sight of the kids scampering about the structure. “I haven’t seen a child in so long.”
“You don’t have kids in your group?”
Annie dragged her attention back to Mick. She opened her mouth, closed it then simply said, “No.”
Mick looked quizzically at Annie. “There’s six of you?”
“Yes. Besides Claire and me, there are Ben, Missy, Elaine and Grant.” Annie smiled at Sarah, who had just reached them. “I told Sarah we should sit down for a meal. What do you think?”
Sarah looked at both Ryan and Mick. Mick raised his eyebrows. Ryan frowned. Her eyes found her people, who had joined them at the front of the store. She saw apprehension, fatigue, hope. She turned back to Annie. “Where?”
Annie looked over at Claire. “We have a place not far away. You can follow us there.”
“Can we?” Sarah asked Mick.
He nodded. “Bobby and I put ten gallons in both vehicles. If we have a little more time, we can fill the cans you brought out.”
She turned to Ryan. “Any luck on another vehicle?”
He shook his head. “Not so far. We could look some more.”
“I don’t think that’s an option now,” Mick said, pointing at the parking lot.
Fifteen or twenty zombies were weaving through the cars, more appearing each second. “They must have heard Steven,” Sarah said.
“Sorry.” Steven dropped the rag he used to wipe his face.
Sarah shrugged, her eyes still on the approaching mob. “Get the kids in the cars,” she said. “The rest of you, too.” She turned to Annie and Claire.
Annie was full of tension, her eyes wide and focused on the zombies. Claire was visibly nervous, shifting from foot to foot, slowly inching backwards.
“Maybe this would be a good time to go,” Sarah said to Annie.
Her head whipped around, her eyes barely focusing on Sarah. “Oh. OK.” She didn’t move.
“We need to follow you?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. We’re over this way.” Annie walked along the side of the building to a small door, Sarah followed as Mick and Ryan went to get the vehicles. Two 10 speed bikes, battered baskets in the front and rear, were propped against the wall next to the door.
“You ride bikes?” Sarah asked.
“Fast, quiet and easy to maneuver,” Annie answered, pulling a blue one from the wall and straddling it.
“You’re also very exposed,” Sarah said.
Annie shrugged. “There is no best way to get around. This is our only option right now. We can move quickly on these.”
“We should do that now.” Sarah nodded her head towards the rapidly forming herd of zombies approaching the store.
Annie glanced back. Sarah heard her breathing speed up. “Follow us. It’s not far.”
Mick pulled up and Sarah got into the Jeep. They waited for Annie and Claire to get in front of them. “What do you think?” Mick asked.
Sarah shrugged and simply said, “We’ll see. We got the numbers, anyway.”
“If she’s telling the truth.”
Sarah shrugged again. “If not, she’ll be sorry.” But Sarah felt she was being truthful. At least about the number in her group. There was something else she was holding back.
“Damn, Sarah!” Jack said from the backseat.
“Language,” Elizabeth said, her voice an eerie echo of Becca’s.
The adults laughed at Jack’s hurried apology. Except Sarah. She smiled, grateful that the attention was off of her. She was not kidding. If Annie was leading them into a trap, Sarah would take her out. And all her friends.
After about forty-five minutes of driving, Annie stopped in front of a burned out building and motioned Mick to pull alongside her. He put down his window and Annie leaned it. “I need you to wait here a few minutes.”
“Why?” Sarah demanded.
“We need to create a diversion to draw them away from our place. The cars are too noisy.”
What was she planning? “I’ll come with you.” Sarah unfastened her seat belt.
“No, you stay here. I won’t be but a few minutes.” Annie smiled at Sarah. “We’re not a danger to you.” Sarah was a little unnerved at how Annie seemed to read her mind. She just nodded.
They watched Annie join up with Claire and both of them pedal quickly down the street. “What are they doing?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know.” Sarah leaned forward, watching the women disappear. They were gone from view for about five minutes before Sarah heard something. After checking the area around the car and seeing nothing, she opened her door and stepped one foot on the pavement. In the dista
nce, she heard what sounded like a man talking. It took her a minute to place it as a rap song that was popular right before the shit hit the fan. She was smiling as she got back into the car.
“What?” Mick asked.
“Finally, a reason for rap music.” She turned in her seat to address the group. “They’re using it to draw all the zombies to one spot.”
“Smart,” Dominic said.
They waited in silence until the music stopped. Annie approached a few minutes later, pedaling down the street towards them. “It’s safe now, come on,” she said through the open window. Sarah nodded.
Mick followed Annie for a few blocks, stopping when she did, in front of a three-story apartment building. Claire was waiting, her bike stuck in a rusted rack about half a block away from the building. Annie stashed her bike next to Claire’s and waited, hands folded in front of her, as they exited the vehicles. Sarah held up a finger to Annie as she motioned everyone together with her other hand.
“I want to check this place out before we all go in,” she said quietly. “Mick, Ryan, April, I want you to go with me. The rest of you stay close. Be ready to run if you see us coming fast.”
“Are you expecting trouble?’ Michelle asked.
“No, just prepared.” Sarah glanced over to the sidewalk where Annie and Claire patiently waited. “One of us will come out to get you if it’s OK.”
Michelle nodded. “We’ll stay close.”
Sarah led her small advance party to Annie and Claire. “OK, let’s go,” she said.
“Why isn’t everyone else coming?” Annie asked.
“We’re a big group. We don’t want to overwhelm your people.” Sarah smiled.
Annie shook her head. “I’ve said it before; we’re not a danger to you.” Sarah nodded her head once. She still wasn’t sure.
Claire opened the lobby door. Annie went through first, the rest followed with Sarah bringing up the rear. The only illumination in the lobby was a flashlight that appeared in Annie’s hand. They followed the bouncing beam over mailboxes with their doors pried open, past a dark elevator, to a door marked “Stairwell.” While Annie held the light, Claire opened the door and propped it open with a doorstop. The stairwell was a little less dark than the lobby, with small windows at every landing letting in a sickly light.
“We’re on the third floor,” Annie said, starting up the stairs.
“Is the rest of the building clear?” Mick asked.
“Yes, it’s just us.” Claire’s voice came from the rear of the group, startling Sarah. She had forgotten the girl was behind her. She was not as sharp as she should be.
Sarah recalled the last time she was in a stairwell like this, when she and Ryan were looking for Mick. A creature grabbed her ankle and nearly took her down. The flashlight beam was not enough to permeate the dark near her feet. Her imagination began to race and she felt those clawing hands on her ankle. She began to walk faster, nearly running into Ryan’s back.
Ryan turned his head to look at her. In the dingy light from a small window set in the stairwell, she saw his questioning expression. “Sorry,” she whispered. He nodded and turned back, trudging up the steps.
When they came to the third-floor landing, Claire pushed past everyone and took the light from Annie. The older woman pounded on the door, a complicated sequence of knocks. After a few minutes with no response, she repeated the sequence. This time, there was an answering knock from inside. Annie responded with three quick beats. There was the sound of a lock being turned and the door swung open.
A scrawny teen stood there, maybe Jack’s age, maybe a few years younger. Age was so hard to determine these days. His dark hair was greasy, his eyes squinting. “Annie?”
“Yes, Grant. I’ve brought some visitors.”
“Cool!” The boy turned and walked slowly down the hall. Annie stepped through the door and motioned her guests forward.
Sarah’s nose wrinkled at the scent of unwashed flesh and human waste that permeated the hall. She knew that they didn’t smell the freshest, but she was used to their scent. This was newer, more powerful. When she spotted the bucket of waste in the hall, she almost gagged. She resisted the urge to cover her nose and instead took shallow breaths through her mouth as they walked down the hall.
Annie led them to a door with 3B on the front. “Come on in,” she said with a smile and disappeared inside.
The room was dim, a haze of smoke in the air, the source of which was a low fire on an outdoor fire pit. It was set up on the floor underneath a window, the window slightly ajar to let the smoke out and let the fresh air in. It wasn’t doing a very good job. An old kerosene lantern sitting on an end table gave off a sickly light and added to the smoky haze in the room. In an easy chair, close to the fire, sat a thin woman who looked up when they entered. Sarah saw that she was old, the oldest person she had seen since the whole mess began. “Oh,” she said in a surprisingly strong voice. She put her hands on the arm rests and started to stand.
“No, Elaine, don’t get up.” Annie rushed to the woman’s side.
“But we have visitors.”
“It’s OK, ma’am, you don’t have to get up.” Mick smiled.
“OK.” She leaned back in the chair and looked up expectantly.
“Where are Ben and Missy?” Annie asked as she shrugged out of her coat.
“Missy was resting. Ben went to get her when Grant said you brought company.” She smoothed a hand over her frizzled grey hair. “Are you going to introduce us?”
Annie smiled softly. “Of course, Elaine.”
A door opened at the back of the apartment. Sarah’s hand went to the gun on her hip. She wasn’t aware that she had done it, but Mick noticed. He moved closer to Sarah, nearly pressed against her back.
A big man walked into the living room. He stood at least 6’6” and looked to weigh over 300 pounds. His dark blonde hair was long and stringy, but not as long as his unkempt beard. She was used to seeing beards on guys now since they all wore them except Mick and Jack. But they kept theirs neat and trimmed. This guy resembled a mountain man, with hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a comb in months. He stopped when he saw them, his eyes flicking to Sarah’s hand on her gun before moving back to her face. “Hey,” he said, his voice low and rumbly.
“Hi, Ben. Where is Missy?” Annie asked.
“She’s coming.” His eyes never left Sarah.
“While we’re waiting,” Annie said, looking around the room. “This is Ben. Elaine is in the chair. Grant let us in. We’ve been travelling together since the beginning. We were all at the same grocery store when everything went south.” She looked at Sarah. “I’m sorry, I’m not good with names. I know you’re Sarah, but I can’t remember everyone else.”
The rest of the group introduced themselves, foregoing handshakes. Sarah took in the room, noting the dusty photographs of the people who had lived here before, the dirty discarded clothing of the people who lived here now. We could find a place like this, she thought. Somewhere easy to defend.
“Sorry,” she heard a female voice say. “You know how it is.”
Sarah’s eyes went to the doorway. And widened. She felt a clenching in her gut. Mick’s hand found hers and squeezed.
The girl that stood in the doorway was young, probably no more than 20. Her hair was long and greasy blonde, with nearly two inches of dark roots. She moved slowly into the room and stopped before them; her hands folded over her obviously pregnant belly. “I’m Missy Tyler.”
“Uh – hi, I’m Sarah. Sarah Louis.” She finally managed.
Missy grinned. “Nice to see a different face.” She looked past Sarah to Mick. “And you?”
“Mick. This is April and my brother Ryan.”
“Cool!”
“Now you’ve met us all, you can see we’re harmless,” Annie said. “Why don’t you get the rest of your people and we’ll have a meal? I have a canned ham I’ve been saving.”
“But, Annie, we don’t –” Grant sta
rted, but she cut him off with a hand gesture.
Sarah looked around the room. “There’s not a lot of space in here.”
“We use another apartment for dining and cooking. We’ll all fit there.” Annie nodded her head towards the door. “Come see.”
Sarah turned to her people. “Well?”
“I think it’ll be OK,” Ryan said.
“Are you sure?’ Mick asked, his eyes searching hers.
“I’m good.” She addressed April. “Help Donna go through the food and see what we can contribute to dinner. You guys will probably have to help carry.”
“Grant can go with you and wait with one of your people by the door,” Annie said. “It locks automatically.”
“Mick, can you stay with Grant?”
“Sure, Sarah.”
She watched them go then turned to Annie. “Let’s see your dining area.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Over a meal of canned ham, provided by Annie’s group, and canned chicken and vegetables provided by Sarah’s group, everyone sat in the dining area, getting to know each other. People sat on sofas and chairs, some camped out on the floor. Conversation was stilted at first, the smaller group slightly overwhelmed by the larger. Eventually, with shared stories of survival and the antics of the kids, the groups warmed to each other and the dimly lit room rang with voices.
Sarah sat on the sofa with Annie and Mick. He had barely left her side since they met Missy. He knew she was hurting and he worried. He pushed down the pain he felt at seeing the young girl the way he had hoped to see Sarah, so he could be there when she finally needed him.
Sarah picked at her food, watching over the dinner party. She ate little, interacted even less. She smiled when necessary, answered direct questions, but mostly, she just observed.
“Our groups seem to be getting along,” Annie remarked.
Sarah made a noncommittal sound as she watched Ben and Donna laughing together.
“You can let your guard down, you know.” Annie took a sip of her water. “We’re harmless.”
“Seems that way,” Sarah answered, her voice even.
