Dead Aware

by Eleanor Merry

  Max went back to the nest, unsure of what he planned to do. Hunching down beside him, Max stared at the man, who still sat almost completely motionless except for the mindless scratching on the ground, which he seemed to favor. Sighing, Max looked at the pathetic soul and knew he couldn’t just leave him.

  Max pulled the man to his feet, getting no resistance as he led him towards the front of the store. First putting two backpacks on himself, he carefully loaded the third onto the infected man’s back as he just stood there. Max started to step out the door, his arm holding onto the infected arm, ready to get them back to Sue’s. He figured he would leave him at the front of Sue’s shop while dropping off the loot and grabbing Jay, thus not exposing Sue and the children to the unpredictable man.

  Before he could get more than a foot out the door, the man ripped his arm from Max’s grasp and practically leapt back into the store.

  Max stared back at him in shock, once again amazed at the speed with which this man moved despite his outwardly zombie-like appearance. He walked back in beside the man, who stood just inside the door.

  “You come with Max. Keep safe. Bring to friends,” Max tried to explain, but the man gave no indication he understood. Deciding to try once more, he gently grabbed the man’s arm, only to have the man pull it from Max’s grasp immediately, this time letting out a small whine.

  Not willing to force the man, Max removed the backpack and watched as he immediately turned towards the back of the store. Max watched his slow progression through the aisles until he went through the swinging doors and into the back room. Not wasting another moment, Max took the third backpack in his hands and walked back out down the road, leaving the infected man to his store and solitude.

  CHAPTER 23

  The next morning, Rachel had done her best to act like everything was normal. She pored over the information in Clara’s file, which wasn’t much, and memorized the address where the woman had been taken. She realized that it was over an hour’s drive from the base, closer to the city, and Rachel wondered what the soldiers had been doing so far off course.

  The longer Rachel stayed at the compound and the more she learned, she felt as though there was something else going on. Many things weren’t adding up, and it was making her uneasy to not know all the parts currently at play here. As a scientist, she put a lot of weight into the facts of any matter. Not having so much of the information available didn’t sit right with her.

  There was Wolfe’s strange reactions towards her experiments, and the hidden knowledge of them having already discovered the smarter version of zombie, plus the strange route Rachel noticed they had captured Clara on, and so many other things. Rachel was getting suspicious, but of what, she didn’t quite know yet.

  “You seem a bit distracted today,” Shannon, one of Rachel's colleagues, commented. Rachel looked down and realized she had been stirring the same cup of instant coffee for several minutes. Her face reddened.

  “Yeah, I guess I’m just not feeling great today.” At her words, Shannon immediately walked over and put her hand to Rachel’s forehead.

  “No fever. You followed protocol for the exams, right? I know we think we’re immune, but you need to be careful. Not enough of us virologists left that we can afford you to be getting sick,” Shannon chastised. Rachel smiled at her friend’s concern.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve been careful. Just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “Actually, do you mind keeping an eye on things here? I think an afternoon off wouldn’t go amiss.”

  Shannon quickly agreed and shooed Rachel from their lab. Free for the remainder of the day, she wandered the facility, something she previously had no reason to do.

  In most areas, there was a guard or two kicking around, with anywhere from two to six in the cage room at any given time. It wasn't until she went to the east wing that she had any troubles.

  Three very alert guards stood outside a set of heavy steel doors similar to those of her lab. Curious, she approached them, assuming a nonchalant attitude.

  Without hesitation, she walked by them as if to enter the doors, and immediately two of the men raised their guns, with the third placing himself directly in front of her, frowning.

  “No civilian access, Miss,” the one in front of her stated.

  Batting her eyes, Rachel held up her badge indicating she was a head researcher.

  “Oh, I understand, but I'm not a civilian. I'm Captain Wolfe’s top researcher.” She followed this with a brilliant toothy smile. Seeing this have no effect, she took a gamble. “The Captain asked me to check in on…the other samples. He said they were here and to get you fine gentlemen to let me in since he doesn’t have time to come down himself.”

  Still frowning, the three men looked at one another for a moment before one of them spoke up. “There's no way she could know what we have in there unless he told her,” idiot guard number three conceded as he stepped aside. The others grumbled their consent, much to Rachel’s astonishment. Trying not to let her surprise show, she thanked them and quickly went through the door before they realized their mistake.

  As soon as she went through, Rachel realized she had entered into a connecting room, sealing off what looked like a laboratory by sheets of plastic and another set of doors. As she stepped forward, several smells assaulted her senses.

  Bleach.

  Disinfectant.

  Blood.

  Decay.

  Taking a breath through her mouth, she pushed through the plastic and the doors and gasped at the sight in front of her.

  Rows of gurneys lined an entire wall, a zombie tied down to each in varying states of decay. Rather than the usual equipment that would adorn the room, such as medical or research tools, she saw what looked more like torture devices.

  Knives, scalpels, and bone saws were things she would expect to see in a room like this. The blowtorch, nails, drill, and other nasty objects strewn around, not so much.

  She slowly made her way down the room, looking over the bodies left to rot. Each one was truly dead, thankfully. Based on the amount of blood that covered the room, she assumed they had been alive before the damage had been done. She shuddered and moved forward.

  A thousand thoughts flew through Rachel’s head as she stood there looking at the utter destruction with horror. They were living people, she thought. Infected, stupid, dangerous…yes. But still human.

  Rachel thought back to her earlier findings and remembered having told Wolfe about how the virus manipulated and dulled pain receptors. It seemed the captain might be testing that theory. She prayed for the sake of those lying dead before her that she had been correct.

  Then she thought of the blonde woman and the baby growing inside her against all odds. What would Wolfe and his men do to them if they found out they had a captive pregnant zombie?

  From another room at the end of the row she heard a loud growl and a banging noise, breaking her from her reverie.

  Rachel quickly turned to leave rather than looking to see what was making the noise. Anything in this area was obviously not something she wanted to see. She rushed past the soldiers on her way out, not even giving them a backwards glance.

  She couldn’t let this happen to the rest of them, especially the woman she had grown an unlikely bond with. One way or another, she would get them out.

  The next morning, Rachel did her best to continue her act of normality. After breakfast—lukewarm oatmeal and a vitamin pill—she made her way back downstairs to the cage.

  “I need to see blonde woman again,” Rachel declared without preamble. “We need to run some more tests.”

  Private Brody, who now wore a bandage over his busted nose, looked Rachel up and down slowly, causing her to blush and the men around him to chuckle. “I don’t know, sweet doctor,” He began patronizingly. “We were told to keep an extra special watch on that one. Maybe you need some, uhh, company.” Open laughter around her as he leane
d in, crowding her space.

  Rachel, albeit beet red, stood her ground to the condescending soldier. “I think I’ll be fine, thanks.” She moved forward out of his reach and stood beside the cage door, arms crossed over her chest. Smirking, he complied, and fifteen minutes later Rachel and Clara were back in her private lab.

  Clara looked around the room, less fearful and more curious this time. She still couldn’t explain why she trusted the doctor, but she did. After a moment, she looked over at Rachel, who was fiddling with her lab coat and seemed to be distracted, staring at a spot on the papers in front of her.

  Clara gently put her hand onto the Rachel’s, causing her to look up into her infected blue eyes.

  “Baby?” Clara inquired first, wondering if it was okay or if the tests had revealed anything. Much to her relief, Rachel instantly shook her head. “No,” she began, “the baby seems to be fine. There isn’t any way to know if it will have the virus, but it shows no signs of distress. I erased all the records of the tests we did, switched them for others so no one would find out.” Rachel stopped, hesitating on her next words.

  Clara waited patiently for the doctor to finish.

  “You are fine now,” Rachel continued, “but I don’t think you will be for long. Whatever you did in front of Wolfe obviously got you noticed. I am sure you can appreciate why that isn’t a good thing.”

  At this, Clara nodded. She expected as much after it happened but didn’t understand why the doctor cared or why she was telling her. She wasn’t going to turn away the help, in any case.

  “What do?” Clara asked simply. Sighing deeply, Rachel looked her in the eye and told her. “I am going to get you out of here and back to Max.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Max spent the next few hours carefully and quietly making his way back to Sue's. Luckily his return journey was mostly uneventful, though he saw a stray dog down one alley and quickly moved on, intent on avoiding further animal altercations.

  Staying at a slower pace, he continued thinking about everything that had happened since leaving the hotel room. So far, other than Sue and the kids, every encounter he had with anyone, or anything, had ended in death. The bloodshed was wearing him down and he desperately hoped they could make it back to Clara without further incidents.

  Before he knew it, Max was back at the store knocking on Sue's door as they had discussed. Max had insisted that they barricade the door from the inside after he left. The family had been lucky once, but Max knew that the next infected to cross their paths likely wouldn't be like him.

  Knock. Knock-knock. Knock.

  A moment later, her heard a small voice call out. “Max, is that you!?” Max smiled at hearing Lucy's sweet voice.

  “Yes, Lucy. Get Sue open door for me?” He heard the quick patter of tiny feet and a few moments later he was back in the familiar apartment.

  As soon as he was in though, Max got to receive his first dose of feminine wrath since his awakening. “What the hell were you thinking staying out all night and making us worry? I was worried sick! You can't do that to people, Max. We had no clue where you..” Sue trailed off as she noticed the growing smile on Max's face.

  “And what the hell are you smiling about? I was beside myself, thinking the worst, and so were the kids and Jay!”

  Max just continued smiling for a moment. Finally, he responded simply: “Sue care about Max.” At this, Sue stopped her rant and smirked at him.

  “Yeah, I care, you big dummy. Now get in here and tell me what happened.”

  Awhile later Max had recounted his story, helped Sue pack away the food, and was now sitting listening to Chip read to Jay and Lucy again. They had all been interested, but not overly surprised regarding his revelations about the varying degrees of humanity in the infected. Jay and Max were already examples of the variety of the infected, and the fact that there were more variations wasn’t shocking. Sue had cackled at the cat food included in the bags, but in hearing Max's explanation of why he picked it agreed it had made sense. She decided not to tell him that cans with cats on them contained food for cats and was not made of cats, like he assumed.

  Lying back in his chair, Max closed his eyes and listened to the small boy’s voice, letting it wash over him. Chip was now recounting how, while Max was gone, he had tried to teach Jay to ride his bike, wanting to help them in their journey after hearing his mother and Max talking about it.

  “It was SO funny, Max! He would just sit there and put his feet on the pedals and just fall to the side. He just wouldn’t pedal at all and just kept falling! And that’s why he has scrapes all over his face.” Chip finished on a laugh. Jay sat beside the boy with a smile on his face and, despite the numerous cuts covering his cheeks, he seemed pleased with himself. Max chuckled at the image of how it had happened and thanked Chip for his efforts.

  Part of him wanted to stay. Sue and the kids really had been like a little family to them. They had taken in two zombies not knowing what would happen, and the care and kindness they had shown gave Max hope for the future and for people like him. He hated that people saw him as a monster, a zombie.

  Nevertheless, he knew that at some point he had promised Clara he would come home to her. While he couldn't remember why or when, he knew that it was a promise he would never break. As much as he adored Sue, Chip, and Lucy, it was time for him and Jay to go.

  The next day, Sue approached Max first thing in the morning and handed him two bags. Without needing to be told, she knew. As much as she hated to see them go, she knew the smiles and light they brought to her and her children would stay with them. They had brought hope and friendship, and Sue would cherish that. She also understood what was driving Max. Hearing his story and the passion with which he spoke about Clara, it made her heart ache for her late husband and she understood that same love drove Max. Until he found Clara, or found out what happened to her, he would never be at peace.

  Both Lucy and Chip cried when they saw Max preparing them to go. Sue hugged them both and thanked them for everything. He could have sworn he saw a tear in Jay's eyes; however, his friend didn't hesitate to follow Max when the time came. As quick as that, they were on their way again, back outside and ready to head towards the train station.

  In their planning, Sue had determined it would take a couple of days walking to get to the train station, where they hoped to catch a ride. Arming Max with a map and compass was the best thing she could have done for them, and he left that morning feeling ready for anything.

  Max hadn't wanted to take any potential weapons from the family, but now that he realized even animals could pose a threat, he decided that would be their first stop. Luckily, the post-viral chaos left a number of readily available options strewn about the streets. In Canada, there were far fewer guns than may have been available had they been a bit further south; however, Max was perfectly happy with the tire iron he found just outside the shop. Its sturdy form yet light weight appealed to him. Besides, he had no idea how to work any kind of firearm and didn’t think now was the time to learn.

  For the first few hours, Jay seemed particularly sullen. Although he hadn’t really spoken since he turned, his body language and face seemed to be more expressive almost daily since his awakening and Max had a pretty good idea of what was bothering him.

  “Jay-man?” Jay turned to Max at hearing his name, but didn't try to say anything, just stared at his mentor. A twang of guilt struck Max.

  “Thank you,” Max continued, “for coming with me.” Even if the teen didn't completely understand, Max truly hoped he knew how grateful he was. Being in the hotel room had taught Max loneliness, and it wasn't a feeling that he wanted to repeat.

  Jay stopped his depressed shamble and looked up at Max, staring right into his eyes.

  “Clara,” he said, before continuing down the road.

  Max stood there stunned for a moment before following after his friend. His shoulders felt lighter knowing that Jay understood and was with him as they continued down th
e abandoned streets of the city.

  Another few hours passed before Max decided that, between their grumbling bellies and the waning light of day, they should find a place to stop soon. They had made good progress, but still had a good two days ahead of them before he expected to see the train.

  Realizing by now that outward appearances meant little when identifying an uninhabited place, Max decided to try a new tactic. He would look for somewhere that wouldn't have been a popular looting spot. He reasoned that food or supplies meant people, and Max still intended to avoid people. Jay gave no further insight after his singular word earlier and plodded along behind Max.

  Finally settling on what used to be a print and copy store that was left unlocked and unlooted, the two made their way to the back room and shared a dinner of cat food before curling up to sleep.

  Max woke with a start and immediately looked beside him to see Jay was not there. Frantically, he searched the store, but couldn’t find the teen anywhere; however, his backpack was still there. Assuming he couldn’t have gone far, Max left their things and rushed outside. He immediately saw Jay standing a few shops down, staring at a bike that was leaning against a post, apparently forgotten in someone’s haste.

  Relieved his friend was okay, Max approached Jay, who still stared at his find.

  “Jay like bike?” Max inquired, smiling a bit. At this Jay turned to Max as though finally realizing he was standing there and pointed at the bicycle with a small inquiring moan. Max considered the distance they still had to go to get to the train and wondered if there might be something to this bike thing. A vague memory of a saying floated through his head about not forgetting how to ride a bike. If they could find one more bike, which shouldn’t be hard, then they could maybe even get to the train station later today. If they could learn how to ride, that is.