Walking With The Dead (Book 2): Home with the Dead

by Dziekan, PJ

  “If she’s tough, then she can learn to fight.” Sarah brushed wisps of hair from her face. It needed to be washed, too. When was the last time she had a real bath? Maybe later. She shook her head. “Second thing, we’re going to try and clear out all the zombies. If we can’t, we’ll build bridges between the buildings. I want to set up barricades in town to keep any new ones out, maybe sensors like we had in our old place.”

  “That’s not a problem.”

  “Last, you guys need to clean up. It smells terrible in there.”

  “Sarah!” April exclaimed.

  Annie shook her head and held up her hand. “She’s right. We’ve let everything go.” She sighed heavily. “I’ve been so worried about getting enough to eat that I haven’t cared about anything else.”

  “We’ll help you,” April said, touching Annie’s arm. “We’re in this together now.”

  “Thanks.” Annie smiled. She turned to Sarah. “Thank you. I know this is going to be difficult, taking us on.”

  “As long as you do your share, we won’t have any problems.” Sarah put her hands in her pants pockets. “We’re going to find a couple places to stay. Do you have any preference where we go?”

  “No, wherever you’re comfortable. We cleaned out all of the apartments when we got here,” Annie said. “You should probably stay away from 2B. There’s a lot of blood in there.”

  “Thanks.” Sarah nodded. “Do you have enough food for today?”

  “I think so.”

  “Let one of us know if you don’t.” Sarah turned to go then stopped. She took a deep breath and faced Annie again. “Michelle is an OB/GYN nurse and April is a paramedic. Missy will be OK.”

  Annie was visibly relieved. “Oh, thank you. I was so worried.”

  “Don’t be,” Sarah said abruptly. “She’ll be fine.” She turned again, this time not stopping as she walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “There was only one other good apartment on this floor, so we’re moving down to two,” Michelle told Sarah as she met up with her. They were moving some supplies out of 3A.

  “OK. What about the stairway door?”

  “It’s fine. They rigged some self-locking thing on the door to three. We can do that, too, if you think we need it.”

  “We’ll see.” Sarah grabbed a box of canned goods. “What apartments?”

  “We have 2A and 2C. It looked like a massacre happened in 2B.” Michelle was breathing a little heavy from hauling goods up and down the steps.

  They made it through the dim stairwell up to the second floor. Apartment 2A was just outside the door. Sarah and Michelle carried their boxes into the apartment. “Just set those on the floor there.” Donna pointed to where a few other boxes waited. She had taken over the cleaning of the apartments, coordinating supplies, clearing out unneeded and useless items with help from the guys. “How much more is left?” She asked.

  Sarah turned to Michelle. With a grimace, Michelle said, “I think the apartment’s empty, so whatever’s left in the Jeeps.” She put her hands in the small of her back and stretched. “I’ll get another load.”

  “No, you won’t,” Sarah said. “Go up and take a look at Missy. I told Annie you could help.”

  “I need to help move the rest of our stuff.”

  “You’ve done enough, Michelle.” Sarah pushed a box with her foot. “Go help her like you helped me.”

  “OK, Sarah. Walk up with me?”

  “Sure. I’ll check for anything we may have left behind in the apartment.” She looked at Donna. “Do you need more help?”

  “No, I got enough. Bobby is helping me here and Dominic is working in the other apartment. With everyone else hauling stuff up, I think we’ll be fine.”

  “OK, see you in a few with another load.” Sarah and Michelle headed out of the apartment and up the steps. They passed Steven along the way, carrying two totes full of supplies. He grunted a greeting as he moved past them.

  “Are you going on another supply run soon?’ Michelle asked.

  “Soon as we finish unloading,” Sarah answered.

  “Can you look for vitamins? Preferably pre-natal, but any good multi-vitamin will work.”

  Sarah nodded. “There may be some vitamins in one of the totes, but I’ll look for more.” She opened the door to the third floor. “Anything else?” She motioned for Michelle to go through.

  “Medical supplies. I can give you a list, but really, anything would be useful. We don’t have much at all.”

  “OK.”

  They walked to Annie’s apartment and Sarah knocked. Annie opened almost immediately. “Hi, Sarah. And Michelle.”

  “Michelle will take a look at Missy. Once we finish unloading, we’re going on a supply run. I’d like Ben to come with us.”

  “I’ll ask him.”

  “Encourage him,” Sarah said. “We’ll be getting supplies for you, too, so someone in your group needs to come. I think Ben would be an asset.”

  Annie nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

  “Then I’ll see you as soon as we’re done.” She turned and walked to the stairwell, leaving Michelle with Annie.

  “She’s intense, isn’t she?” Annie asked.

  “I’ve only known her a few weeks, but she is something. She’s kept the group together.” Michelle smiled. “Despite her – despite a lot of things. So yeah, a little intense. But she’s really a good person.”

  “I hope so.” Annie sighed. “I’m putting a lot of trust in her.”

  ♦

  Many trips up and down the stairs later, all of their supplies were in the second-floor apartments. Sarah collapsed onto a chair, breathing heavy. “So, Ryan, get that elevator working?” She panted.

  Ryan laughed. “I’m not a miracle worker, Sarah.” He handed her a bottle of water. “But I was thinking about a pulley system on the roof. It’ll be easier carrying shit down than up.”

  Sarah downed a third of the water before she responded. “That would be great. What do we need to do that? Make a list, we’re heading out.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah.” She took another drink of water. “They need food and we could use some.”

  “You’re exhausted. Let them go out. Didn’t you say we weren’t going to carry them?”

  “We’re not. Ben’s coming out with us. I’m going to show each of them how it’s done, so they can do their own scavenging.” Sarah stood up and stretched.

  Ryan sighed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it. “Who are you taking?” He asked, his voice resigned.

  “April, because Michelle wants medical stuff. And you, if you want to go.”

  “Sure, but why not Mick?”

  Sarah grinned. “Because I don’t want to hear him bitching at me. You wisely shut up.”

  “Smart ass.”

  “Better than a dumb ass. Can you find me a nice weapon? Left my pipe at the damn Home Depot.”

  “Sure.”

  She headed to the door. “Grab April and meet me downstairs in five.”

  ♦

  Sarah knocked on the apartment door. Annie opened almost immediately, as if she was waiting. “Hi, Sarah.” She stepped aside for Sarah to enter, but Sarah stayed put.

  “Is Ben ready?”

  “Maybe I should go. He’s never really gone out on supply runs.”

  Sarah shook her head. “He has to learn, Annie. He’s a big guy; he should be out there before you.”

  “Then why are you always going out?” Annie smiled slyly. “Your people tell me that you’re always out on the runs.”

  “That’s my business.” Sarah’s voice was hard. “If you want us to help you, you have to want to be helped. If you don’t, then we’re done.”

  Annie sighed. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We want your help. We all have to learn, don’t we?”

  “If you want to survive, yes.”

  “I’ll get him.”

  Sarah leaned against the wall and put her head back. She c
losed her eyes and sighed. Maybe this was a dumb idea. Taking a newbie out there? She could get him killed. She could get them all killed. She blew out another breath. No. They had to do this. She had to teach these people how to survive. She couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t. And she damn sure wasn’t going to carry them.

  Ben walked out, Annie just behind him. Sarah pushed off the wall and turned to them with a smile. “Ready to go?”

  The smile faded when she looked up at Ben. His face was resigned, but there was something behind his eyes. She couldn’t quite read him. “Let’s go,” she said. “We’ll get you a weapon downstairs.”

  With a heavy sigh, he followed her down the stairwell to street level. Sarah held up a hand to stop him as they neared the outer door. “Always make sure there’s nothing on the other side of a closed door.” She peered out the side windows, listening for any sounds then slowly opened the heavy door. She saw nothing but Ryan and April at the blue Jeep. The hatch was open and they stood waiting.

  “Pick your poison,” Ryan said.

  Sarah saw blunt instruments arrayed on the carpet. Her eyes skittered over the tire irons. She couldn’t use those again. She settled on a heavy pry bar, with a slight curve at one end. She took it in her hand and stepped a few paces back. Swinging her arm, she got a feel for the weapon. “This’ll do,” she said. “But I miss my pipe.”

  “We’ll go get it later,” Ryan said.

  She shook her head. “Other things are more important now.” She moved back up to the back of the Jeep. “Ben, pick a weapon.”

  He looked over the implements then said, “What about a gun?”

  Sarah shook her head. “No guns.” His eyes went to the gun on her hip then back to her face. “That’s for emergencies only. Guns make too much noise. Pick one of those.”

  Seemingly without paying attention, he grabbed a tire iron. “This.”

  She nodded. “OK, let’s get going, then.” Ryan closed the hatch. “Have you guys cleared out this area?” She asked Ben.

  “I don’t know.”

  Sarah sighed. “Annie didn’t tell you where they searched?”

  “No.”

  Sarah looked at Ryan, who shrugged. “OK, let’s hit a few spots here, see if there’s anything available.” She scanned the street, seeing another nearly identical apartment building across the street and about three blocks down. “May as well start there,” she pointed.

  “It’s probably been cleaned out,” Ryan said.

  “Worth a shot if we can save gas.” Sarah turned to Ben. “All you need to do is hit them in the head. A good blow and they’ll drop. You’re a big guy, you shouldn’t have any problems. Keep quiet and don’t make any unnecessary noise.”

  Ben nodded. She noticed his knuckles, white around the tire iron. “Relax,” she said softly. “One on one, they’re easy to handle.”

  He swallowed. “OK.” She saw a trace of fear in his eyes. She smiled encouragingly before trotting across the street. Ryan followed.

  Ben looked at April. “Go ahead, I got your back.” She hefted her nail studded bat. With heavy feet, he followed Ryan, April right behind him.

  Sarah had her flashlight in hand, pry bar in the other. She shone the beam through the dirty glass door, the light barely penetrating the gloom inside. There was no movement. She looked back at her crew. “We’re looking for the usual. Food, water, medical supplies and eyeglasses.”

  “Why glasses?” Ryan asked.

  “Grant. We probably won’t find his exact prescription, but maybe we can combine two pairs.”

  Ryan and April nodded. Ben stared open-mouthed at her. “We never thought of that,” he said.

  Sarah shrugged. “Sometimes, you just need a fresh perspective.”

  She opened the lobby door and stepped inside. Her light flashed past the mailboxes, the overturned chair in the corner. The beam stopped on a door marked with the number one. “Let’s go,” she whispered.

  She moved up to the door and put her ear against it. Tapping lightly on the wood, she listened for a response. Nothing. Her hand turned the knob. It was locked. She turned to Ryan. “Cover me.” At his nod, she stuck the pry bar into the door jamb near the lock and put all her weight on the bar. With a crack of wood, the door popped open, a foul odor wafting out. Stepping back, Sarah pushed the door wide with the tip of the bar.

  Her hand over her nose, she shone the flashlight into the dark room. She could make out the vague outlines of furniture, but nothing else. She stepped further in, taking shallow breaths, moving the light from side to side. Another light joined hers. She glanced over her shoulder to see Ryan moving forward. “Ben, April, check the bathroom and bedrooms,” she whispered. “Ryan and I will take these rooms and the kitchen.”

  She watched as April crossed the beam of her light, leading Ben to the bedrooms. Sarah moved to the kitchen, where the foul odor was much stronger. She avoided the refrigerator, concentrating on the cabinets. The first one held mismatched dishes. Leaving the door open, she moved to the next. More dishes, bowls, plates, etc. Hoping this wouldn’t be a bust, she opened the third. Boxes of crackers, flour and sugar. She shoved the boxes in her bag then grabbed the sugar and flour. The sugar was a solid mass, but she dumped it in her bag, anyway. She glanced in the flour bag for critters. She saw none, so it, too, went into the bag.

  “Got some canned goods,” Ryan said. Sarah turned at his voice, squatting down to his level.

  The cans were in the lower cupboard. He pulled them out and Sarah began putting them into her backpack. “Must’ve liked tuna,” she remarked.

  “It was probably for the cat.” Ryan held a can of cat food up to her light.

  “Shit.” Sarah hated when they found pets. Most animals never had a chance. Either they were easy kills for the zombies or they starved to death when their owners never returned. “Leave it,” she said. “We won’t get that hungry.”

  Ryan put the can back onto the stack of cat food still in the cupboard and pushed them aside. Reaching further in, he came up with more cans, mostly vegetables. He smiled when he saw the last can. “Hide this one,” he said.

  Sarah’s light illuminated the yellow rings on the front of the can. “God, pineapple.” She tucked the can in the front of her pack. “I’ll share it with you.”

  “Nah, you keep it.” Ryan stood, the cupboard empty except for the cat food. He moved his light around, stopping at a narrow door slightly ajar at the far end of the kitchen.

  Sarah finished loading her bag and walked through the kitchen. Wielding her light, she stepped into the tiny room, shining her light around the shelves lining the walls. More canned goods, a few cases of water. While the room wasn’t full, there more than they could carry themselves.

  “Get April and Ben,” she said, moving the light down. “Goddamn it!” She exclaimed.

  “What is it?” Ryan rushed to her side, his gaze immediately going to the beam from her flashlight.

  The mostly skeletal remains of a cat lay on the floor, its head inches away from two empty bowls. “Poor thing,” Ryan murmured.

  “Yeah.” There was a catch in her voice. Dead humans barely bothered her anymore. Dead animals still tugged at her heartstrings. She went back into the kitchen and took the dish towel from where it hung on a hook. She went back into the small pantry and covered the cat, pushing the corpse under a shelf. “Let’s clear this room and get out of here.”

  With the help of cloth shopping bags stored on a shelf, they moved all of the food and water out of the apartment and out to the street. “April, why don’t you get someone to haul this back to the apartments? Make sure Annie gets some of this.” Sarah gestured to the piles of food on the sidewalk.

  “OK.” April trotted across the street.

  “We’ll be on the second floor. Meet us back there.” April sketched a wave as she headed into their building.

  “Let’s hit the second floor, see if we get lucky again.”

  They moved slowly up the stairwell, Sarah in
the lead, Ben behind her with Ryan bringing up the rear. They saved their flashlights, climbing by the weak light coming down from a skylight in the stairwell roof. Sarah stopped at the entrance to the second floor. She tapped with her pry bar and waited. No sounds came through, so she slowly opened the door.

  Motes danced in the dim light let in by the dirty windows at each end of the corridor. A layer of dust coated the floor, undisturbed by prints. Confident the corridor was clear, Sarah moved through the door to the closest apartment, #3. As before, she tapped on the door and waited. She thought she heard a faint sound. She tapped again. She still wasn’t sure.

  She turned to Ryan and Ben. “I think there’s one in there, but it sounds like it’s trapped. What do you think?”

  “Let’s do it,” Ryan said. “Might be something good.”

  “But you said there’s one in there!” Ben exclaimed.

  “Then we deal with it.” Sarah put her hand on the knob then turned to Ryan. “Pry it or kick it?”

  “I’ll kick it, it’s quicker.” Sarah moved back and Ryan slammed his foot at the door, right above the lock. The door bounced open and Sarah stood waiting, a tight grip on her pry bar.

  The odor of decay hit them and they all took a step back. Sarah swallowed and clicked on her light. Lamps were shattered on the floor, broken photo frames and knickknacks crunched underfoot. Her beam found dark spots on the walls and doors, looking disturbingly like handprints. “Be careful,” she whispered.

  Her beam bouncing from side to side and up and down, she moved through the living room, Ben and Ryan right behind her. Her foot caught on something and she moved her light down. A skeletal zombie lay on the floor, its fingers feebly grasping her boot, its mouth working. She yanked her foot back then slammed it down on its head. Black ooze spattered the floor and the hand went still.

  “You good?” Ryan asked.

  “Yeah.” She scraped her boot on the carpet. “You two check the bedrooms. I’ll head to the kitchen.”

  Ryan nodded. Ben moved past Ryan towards the bedroom door. “Wait!” Sarah and Ryan both called but it was too late. He swung the door open and three zombies came stumbling out. They didn’t see Ben, focused instead on the fresh meat in front of them. Despite their emaciated state, the scent of food invigorated them and they went in a straight line to Ryan and Sarah.