by Brown, TW
Simon raised his hand for the group to halt. Whatever the pair were conversing about, it was intense enough so that they did not seem to realize that they had gained an audience. The two supposed sentries continued on for several seconds until at last Nelson cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner which caused the two men (as it was revealed when they both jump and spun to face the intruders) to start and begin fumbling for their weapons. One of them had what looked like a rather unwieldy axe; while it certainly looked impressive at first glance, Simon guessed that it would be effective for one swing at best. The other had a more conventional weapon in the form of a simple field machete.
“What’s the meaning of sneaking up on people like that?” the man with the axe bellowed.
This individual was rotund and looked as if he might be more comfortable behind a bank teller’s window than out in the open with layers of heavy clothing that made him sweat in great rivulets that ran down his plump face. His dark, beady eyes were wide, but Simon knew the difference between fear and ferocity; and this person, while trying to sound belligerent, was obviously more afraid than anything else.
The second man had a much cooler demeanor and was giving every member of Simon’s group a good look as if he might be trying to determine who would be the biggest threat when things got ugly. He was rather plain looking in most regards, except for his hair being dyed a dazzling shade of cerulean blue.
“My name is Simon Wood. I have come to talk to your people on behalf of the other citizens of Micklefield.” Simon wanted to set the tone by refusing to acknowledge the New Micklefield/Old Micklefield division.
“You that bloke who let our Charlie go free?” the blue-haired man spoke up, putting his weapon in a leather sheath that he wore on a studded harness that looked like it had been stolen from some bondage fanatic’s bedroom.
“If Charlie is the man caught trying to steal from the food stores at the school, then yes, I am the one who let him go free.”
The man with blue hair smiled big, displaying an almost comically bad set of teeth. “Charlie is my brother. My name is Linus Goodkind.”
“Charlie and Linus?” Nelson muttered under his breath. “Do they have sisters named Lucy or Sally…or perhaps a beagle named Snoopy?”
Simon ignored the remark and started to close the distance and meet the now exuberant Linus Goodkind halfway. The man was perhaps in his early twenties, and his face still showed a losing battle with acne. He had blue eyes and fair skin that hinted at Danish blood. In addition, he was a bit broader in the shoulders now that Simon saw the man close up.
“Thank you so much for not letting those Old Mick buggers kill my Charlie. He was just trying to take care of his family.” Linus ignored his companion who was clearly not happy about this exchange taking place.
“Yes, well that is fine, but I am here on very urgent business,” Simon said, having to work to free his hand from the pumping it was still suffering at the hands of the exuberant Linus.
“If it is business on behalf of those Old Micks, you can forget it,” the rotund man huffed as he waddled up to be a part of the conversation. “We won’t be having any dealings with them after what has been done.”
“Really?” Simon turned his attention to the man and gave him his coldest glare. “So you are all prepared and ready for this zombie apocalypse then? No need to band together with your fellow man and all that. So I take it you are not only fully prepared to deal with the zombies, but also to take on the rogue army unit that is prowling these parts.”
“See, Rawlings, I keep tellin’ ya that thems is zombies, but you lot keep insisting they have some sort of Egyptian Flu,” Linus exclaimed, pointing at the round man who was now turning a bit pink in the face.
“You heathens can spout on about this being some fantastic bit of fiction—” Rawlings bellowed, but Simon cut him off.
“Stop being such idiots. You can’t deny what has been seen not only most likely by your own eyes, but also shown on the BBC and all over the bloody internet before it crashed and burned or overloaded, or whatever it is that internets do when several billion people all try to use it at once.” He put his hands up to keep Nelson from advancing on the man and then continued. “Saying something is not so does not negate the situation.”
“And by that logic, speaking it does not simply will it into existence,” Rawlings retorted. “Now, you have our thanks for sending poor Charlie home, but that is where our gratitude and hospitality end, I’m afraid.”
With that, the man spun on his heel and began to stomp away. Linus seemed confused and uncertain, looking first at the back of his companion who was making haste obviously to alert the rest of the residents, and then back at Simon and the others. He switched from one foot to the other and it became apparent to Simon that perhaps the man was a bit dim. Still, he had to do what he could.
“Listen, Linus,” Simon whispered, taking the man by the wrist to gain his full attention. “I want you to go back with your friend.”
“Rawlings ain’t my friend. Until all this sickness, he weren’t nobody’s friend. People used to ignore him more than they did an Old Mick. Begging the ladies’ pardon.” He knuckled his forehead and bowed quick to Dawn and Melena who smiled and nodded in return.
“Can you do me a favor, Linus?” Simon asked. He decided that little chance was better than none. When the man nodded rapidly, he continued. “You tell anybody who will listen that they can come up the road and join us. We are doing everything we can to build defenses against the zombies and any who are willing to help will be welcomed with no problems.”
“Even me and Charlie?” Linus asked, ignoring the bellowing summons that Rawlings was issuing over his shoulder as he disappeared over the small rise and bend in the road.
“Even you and Charlie,” Simon nodded.
“What about Charlie’s wife and little girl?”
“Them too.”
That seemed to satisfy the man and he gave everybody a nod and a furious handshake before turning around and running after the cantankerous Rawlings. Simon turned back to the others and saw curious expressions regarding him.
“So that’s it?” Melena asked skeptically.
“Would you have us march into town and announce it as an edict or perhaps nail it to a post?” Simon said with a shrug.
They were just turning to head back home when a group of twenty or so zombies emerged from the trees and brush that lined the road. The undead were in the perfect location to keep them from simply being able to run away, leaving Simon and his people no choice other than to take them down in order to pass and return home. The sounds of weapons being drawn came in a rush and Simon chose his target as he approached with his mace at the ready.
Just as he swung, he heard a voice holler, “Don’t you dare kill all those people!”
***
The horse reared up at the sudden sound and the figure on its back went flying. Shadiyah watched the person land flat on their back as the large bay stallion galloped away. She quickly let the curtains drop and rushed through the house to the back door and out to a large rock deck. A huge pool was off to the left and a massive brick wall sat just across the deck with a huge built in barbecue grilling station.
She had no time to admire all the luxuries though as she ran for the fence, scaled it, and leapt into the open field where the horse had finally stopped running and was now apparently content to stand in the shade offered in the far northwestern corner. The person that had been flung from its back was lying motionless exactly where Shadiyah had seen the individual fall. She approached with caution, and was actually relieved to hear the person moaning as she drew nearer.
She was still several steps away, but already she was relaxing since she could tell by the form of the body that this individual was a female—the tight fitting riding apparel showed a proper abundance of curves. Her riding hat had come off and lay a few feet away allowing Shadiyah to see the long, dark hair that fanned out around the woman’s head.
Reaching the white, split-rail fence, Shadiyah climbed up on top and then took one more look around. She saw nothing to cause her any concerns; the horse was staying put; it looked like a normal horse, and showed no signs of being a zombie. Still keeping one eye on the horse since it was a bit too far away to actually get a clear look at its eyes, Shadiyah tentatively made her way to the ground.
As she approached to within just a few feet, a soft moan from the figure on the ground made Shadiyah freeze. She had been so concerned about the horse being a possible zombie that it had never occurred to her that the rider might be one. Drawing her scimitar, she took another step, paused…and then took one more. Leaning forward just enough to allow her to reach over and poke the woman who was currently lying face down on the ground.
“Ouch!” a muffled voice complained.
Shadiyah stepped back, startled at first, but then quickly sheathing her weapon and moving to help. After all, she thought, zombies don’t say “ouch!”
“Are you okay?” Shadiyah whispered as she helped ease the stranger over and onto her back.
“Other than being thrown off the horse?” the woman managed, her voice tight from the pain. “I’m just great. Was that you who screamed?”
“Sorry about that. I just got so excited, I don’t think I knew how to react. That scream surprised me just as much as it did you,” Shadiyah admitted with a blush tingeing her cheeks and making her ears feel just a bit warm.
“Yeah? Well I am pretty sure only one of us fell off a horse,” the woman groaned as she sat up. “And what were you doing in the house?” Now the woman eyed her with suspicion and just a bit of apprehension.
“Searching for water, food, that sort of thing,” Shadiyah admitted.
“Then you are either very brave…or very stupid.”
“Why is that?”
“For one, that creepy boy is in there. For another, I heard the screams finally stop which means his stupid big sister finally joined him in becoming one of those beasts.”
Shadiyah considered things for a moment before responding. “You didn’t live here either, did you?”
“No, I worked across the street at the Peddipaws Pet Hotel,” the woman said as she began to pat herself down and check for injuries. “My name is Caron Hirst by the way. Yours?”
“Shadiyah Kasim.”
“Well, I would say I am pleased to meet you, but I am still deciding if I will hold a grudge for you getting me thrown off of Buttercup.”
“You seem to know a great deal about things around here,” Shadiyah observed as the woman stood up.
Caron Hirst was surprisingly tall and slender for being so voluptuous. Her long hair was a lovely brunette color that almost looked black in the sun with just enough curl to make it wavy. Her brown eyes were the color of dark chocolate and squinted so that it crinkled her slightly upturned nose in such a way that she looked to be considering some sort of private joke.
“Like I said, I worked across the street. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the horses that the Bitt family owned for the past few years. Unfortunately, that meant having to deal with the Bitt brats as we called them.” Caron turned and spotted the horse still standing in the shade in the corner of the large field. “Hey, girl, did that scare you?”
The woman started across the field. Shadiyah followed a few steps behind, her eyes still scanning everywhere at once as if she expected zombies to appear any moment.
“So, can I ask why you were riding the horse?” Shadiyah spoke up as they neared the big, beautiful creature.
“Actually, I was going to free her and the others, but I just always loved Buttercup so much and couldn’t resist.” The woman turned to face Shadiyah with a sheepish look on her face. “A bit daft, isn’t it? I mean, here we are…end of the world and all that going on, and I go horseback riding.”
“Does seem like an odd time,” Shadiyah agreed.
“Yeah, well…” the woman reached up and patted the big bay on the neck and sighed, “not much left to do with the time I have remaining.”
“What?”
Caron turned and knelt, giving her pants leg a tug. She revealed a bandage on her calf that was showing just a hint of blood starting to leak through.
“The boy? He got me when I was inside checking to see if any of the Bitts were still alive.” A tear leaked from the corner of Caron’s eye and trickled down her left cheek, hanging at her jawline for a second before giving over to gravity and falling to the dusty ground with a silent plop, leaving a small, dark stain to mark its presence. “I came when I heard a scream. I guess little Gerald had his sister Nancy trapped in the bathroom. I came in through the back door and followed the screams. When I reached the hall, I could see the little boy standing outside the bathroom door, clawing and scratching at it. I yelled at Gerald, but it was so strange…he looked at me, but he went right back to scratching at the bathroom door. I yelled for Nancy to try and push past him but she just kept carrying on.
“I finally started down the hall. That boy did not seem to care or even notice. I guess I can only blame myself. When I reached the door, I gave the little bugger a shove and grabbed the door knob to open it.” Caron paused and looked at Shadiyah with a curious expression for a few moments before her shoulders slumped and she continued. “That girl came barging out and collided with me. We both went to the floor and that is when the boy turned into just another zombie. It actually made me wonder if I’d just been imagining that he was different up to that point.”
Shadiyah only interrupted her long enough to tell her that she’d seen odd behavior from the child versions as well. Caron nodded, but it did not seem to ease her mind any.
“I got untangled from Nancy just as Gerald fell on us. He grabbed my leg and latched on, but I kicked him away. Not soon enough, right? The next thing I know, he was on top of his sister. He had her hand in his mouth and just chomped off one of her fingers like it was nobody’s business. I had gotten to my feet by then and reached for her, but she kept ignoring me…trying to talk to that horrid little creature like it was still her brother.”
There was a long silence. Shadiyah began to think the woman was done with her story.
“Then I ran,” Caron whispered. “I turned around and took off through the house. Somehow, I found myself out in the stables. I climbed up into the loft and that is where I fell asleep. I woke up to the sounds of the horses and climbed down. The poor things were so hungry. I have no idea when they were last fed or even given fresh water, but I’d been hired in the past when the family went on holiday, so I knew where everything was and took care of them. I’d all but forgotten about that little nip on my leg until it began to burn.”
“Pardon if I say, but I don’t see anything in your eyes yet. All the reports say that is one of the first signs of infection,” Shadiyah offered, trying to sound hopeful.
“I heard something about how it can take up to seventy-two hours,” Caron said with a shrug.
“So what made you decide to ride one of the horses?”
“Buttercup has always been my favorite. Any time that the Bitts hired out to have their horses watched, they always made sure to specify that none of them were to be ridden under any circumstances. Nancy rode in competition and I guess they were afraid that nobody but that stupid girl knew how to ride. Since Mr. Bitts is out front in his shiny car and unlikely to ever escape it, and now that both the Bitt brats are no longer around, I did not think that it would hurt.”
“That was probably a good bet until you fell off,” Shadiyah snickered.
Caron looked at her for a moment, and then she joined in. The two women turned their attention to the large horse that seemed more than happy to accept all the praise and strokes of its long neck. For several minutes, the two stood in the shade with the animal and gave it the kindness it had been craving after being locked away in its stable for so long.
At last, Caron turned to Shadiyah and asked, “Do you know how to ride?”
“I’ve never been on a horse.”
“Then let my last actions on this earth be teaching you the wonders and joys of riding.”
***
Simon spun to face the owner of the voice and had to recover fast and swat away the undead hands that tried to grip him. Standing in a small opening between some trees was a tall woman. She was wreathed in shadows, and that made it impossible for him to see any sort of details.
Once again, the zombie he’d been about to destroy reached out and grabbed for him. Its cold, dead fingers slid across his cheek and that was enough to snap him back to the situation at hand. He lashed out, the mace slamming into the skull of the zombie and caving in the side of the face of a man who might have been in his late fifties or early sixties. A spray of black blood and even a few teeth went flying and the body fell with a lifeless ‘thwap’ as it hit the asphalt.
“STOP!” the woman implored.
Melena stepped in beside Simon and drove the blade of her knife into the side of the head of another zombie that was moving in behind the distracted Simon.
“Kill now, deal with that later,” Nelson huffed as he brought around a sturdy pole with a spike at either end up and under the chin of a zombified woman that had a nasty rip on her face and an arm that had been broken at some point and appeared to have a second joint a few inches below the elbow.
A shriek caused Simon’s head to turn sharply. He spun just in time to see Dawn fall backwards with a zombie on top of her. She had tripped over a severed arm; by the looks of it, the arm belonged to a zombie that Kas was fending off. It was massive, dressed in biker’s leathers and, unfortunately for Kas, wearing a helmet. Kas was in no position to help as he was busy at the moment trying to free his own blade from where it had gotten buried in the neck of the biker zombie and apparently hung up on bone or something.
Leaping over the body of the corpse he had just dispatched, Simon arrived just as Dawn thrust her small blade up and through the eye socket of her attacker. He had just enough time to grab the body by the shoulder and yank it off the downed woman when the next zombie was on him.
