Dead Aware

by Eleanor Merry

  Shaking her head, she took a step back.

  “I’ve always liked an audience.” She gestured to the cage before lifting her shirt over her head, leaving her only in a bra. Johnson’s grin kicked up another notch. He put his gun down and made to go over to her before she held her hand up.

  “Nuh uh, baby…turn around for a sec. I have a surprise for you.”

  Liking where this was going, he turned around. Rachel chuckled softly.

  “You know, baby, you could have told me sooner,” he began before hearing an ominous click. Before he could turn around, the cage was open, and its occupants spilled out into the room.

  “What the fuck!” he yelled as he rushed to grab his weapon. Three of the infected were on top of him before he could raise it. He felt teeth bite into his throat and warmth cover him. He didn’t get to say another word before everything went black.

  When Clara watched Rachel enter the room, she immediately rallied her friends together and whispered for them to stay close. She didn’t know what was about to happen but assumed this was the moment she was waiting for. As soon as the soldier had his back turned, Rachel had rushed over to the cage with the keys stolen from his belt and opened it. The less intelligent occupants immediately ran out and attacked the man who had acted as their captor.

  Clara watched one of them rip out his throat and felt no remorse. She remembered his part in taking her, and in killing that other helpless female.

  While Clara was not a monster, she also had a healthy sense of vengeance. As the last to come out of the cage, she, Three, and Seventeen approached Rachel, who was putting her shirt back on.

  “Disgusting pig,” Rachel spat in the now dead soldier’s direction.

  “Good act,” Clara replied smartly, receiving a small smirk from Rachel in return. “Now what?”

  CHAPTER 28

  By the next day, Max was getting impatient and debating the wisdom of how long they should be waiting. He wanted to get on the road to see Clara, and every day spent waiting at the station was another day wasted.

  A few infected had been seen wandering around outside, but other than that, it was completely quiet. Jay was content with all the ‘food’ to eat, though Max still hadn’t partaken and had instead stuck to the cat food. While he still felt the logic of not feeling guilt for eating the dead, he wanted to be different than the rest. In a world where the infected were considered ferocious zombies, he wanted to prove it was possible for them to live peacefully alongside the uninfected. Even if he was only proving it to himself.

  Max paced the platform, watching for signs of an incoming train. He had already chosen a spot where he and Jay would be able to hide and hopefully get on without being noticed. Their bags were tucked away for a quick escape, and now all they could do was wait.

  Around noon on the second day, he was rewarded with a far off rumbling. Excited, he ran inside to find Jay, who quickly abandoned his latest meal and followed Max outside.

  They took up their hiding spot and waited. A few minutes later they were rewarded with a loud whistle and bell indicating that the train was now approaching. Keeping their heads down, Max peered over the top of the boxes they crouched behind and watched the long train pull up to the station and slow. Before it had stopped completely, several men jumped off onto the platform and ran inside with guns raised.

  Max didn’t know it, but a group of immunes had taken control of the rail early on and had been using the ‘keep on the move’ concept to avoid the infected. At each scheduled stop they would slow enough to check for movement. If it looked clear, they would stop and a few would disembark, searching the area for supplies before moving on. Staying on the move was a method of survival, and an effective one at that.

  Not wanting to get onto any of the first rail cars where he had seen people jump off, he signaled Jay to follow him and crawled in the other direction until they reached the end of the platform. Staying low, they moved down the tracks and looked for an easy entry point.

  The men inside the station quickly realized what had happened and spent little time inside. Only a few moments after the train had stopped, the men were ready to board and get moving again. Anywhere with this much blood and destruction wasn’t worth trying to raid.

  A loud whistle and the rumble of the engines told Max he had run out of time to look for a suitable car. As the train started to slowly roll forward he saw a car a few down from where they were that had an opening and appeared to be a cargo section. Not hesitating, he grabbed Jay’s hand and ran towards the entrance, pushing the boy forward, before pulling himself onboard just as the train started to pick up speed.

  While they didn’t yet know where they were going exactly, Max was thrilled to have successfully boarded the train. Before his excitement could build too much, his blood ran cold as he heard a voice address him.

  “Who are you and what are you doing on our train?”

  Jay turned towards the voice with interest, but not aggression. Max turned towards the dark end of the cabin and saw over a dozen infected men and women staring back at him. Shock paralyzed Max as he stared dumbly at the group in front of him. The man asked again, “Who are you? Are you one of slow ones? Can you speak?”

  Max cleared his throat and finally got his wits about him to respond. “Yes. I am Max. This Jay. He not speak, understand bit though.” The man nodded at this.

  “Don’t know real name, but you call me Guy.”

  Max greeted Guy and looked questioningly at the rest of the group around him, who all seemed to be eyeing them back with a touch of unease. Max assumed they had experienced similar ups and downs with their own kind and felt understanding of them not immediately accepting their presence.

  Hoping to put their minds at ease, Max decided to introduce themselves further.

  “We take train, go to Vancouver. Other side of country.” Max pulled out the photo of him and Clara and passed it to Guy. “We go find Clara. Meet friend in city. She say take train.”

  Guy nodded and handed the photo back.

  “Never meet others like me before who talk. All like Jay, or worse.” The infected around him nodded in understanding. Guy, who was obviously the leader of this little group, clarified further. “Not as many like us, but some.”

  Max nodded in understanding, but before he could ask any questions, he watched as one of the infected in the group, a young girl probably in her early teens, approached Jay. They all watched with interest, including Jay, who stood unmoving as he watched her approach.

  Standing only a foot away, she stared at Jay and reached a hand forward. Jay pulled back slightly at first and then waited to see what she would do. Smiling, she put a hand on his chest and cooed at him before reaching out her other hand and putting his in it. Jay smiled uneasily and looked at Max for what to do. He smiled and nodded, which encouraged Jay to let out a little whoop and squeeze the girl’s hand. She immediately grinned and put her head on his shoulder.

  “This Cassie. She found us after she bit. Doesn’t speak either but understands and follows. Think she likes your friend.” Guy chuckled a bit at his own understatement as the two infected teens continued to coo and paw at each other, effectively breaking the tension in the cab.

  Guy turned to Max and gestured to a place to sit across from him. “So, you say friend tell you about train?”

  Max smiled and settled in to tell his story.

  Max and Guy ended up talking long into the evening, comparing notes and survival tips. Jay and his new admirer were cuddled up asleep, along with most of the others. Another woman among the infected, Sam, had done an excellent job of getting the ragged group to cooperate and managed to organize everyone with an efficiency that impressed Max. After Max had shared some of his cat food and showed the others how easy the little tabs were, things got considerably more friendly.

  “So what else protein?” Guy asked, wanting to know more about safer food sources for his people.

  “Animal,” Max replied, thinking back to
what Sue had said. “Little fish, tofu….”

  “What Tofu?”

  “Don’t know,” Max replied, “but has protein.”

  Guy frowned. “Think we stick to animal and cans. Tofu not sound like food.”

  “Can made with cat on them good,” Max informed him. “Easy carry and open.”

  Pleased with the new information Max had brought, Guy decided to impart some of his own knowledge. “What hurt for them, not hurt for us,” he told Max. “We not feel like before. Must also be careful of cold. We not feel it as much as Them.”

  Max looked at Guy curiously. He had guessed as much, and only had one question: “If they are Them, what are we?”

  Guy looked back at Max sadly and shrugged. “We zombies.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Most of the infected, having no comprehension of the idea of escape, immediately rushed the compound once the solitary soldier was gone. A few had stayed behind to eat, but most continued on in search of revenge and the ever-persistent smell of living humans that permeated the compound. One had approach Rachel briefly, but on receiving growls from both Clara and Three they backed off and went in search of easier prey. Nine sniffed at her a few times but followed the lead of his companions. And then they were five.

  Rachel warned them all to be quiet before leading them through the heavy doors when a single gunshot rang out from somewhere ahead. The others had found at least one soldier, apparently. They rushed onwards, knowing the sound would attract others.

  Before Rachel had come downstairs, she took a moment to close a few doors on her way, hoping that this would automatically divert most of the infected in the direction of the ongoing meeting and, therefore, the majority of the compound’s soldiers. Pleased that it seemed to have worked, Rachel led their small party through one of the closed doors and towards their freedom.

  Every so often she would stop and listen to far off echoes and was amazed at their luck. It wasn’t until Rachel thought this that she turned a corner and bumped right into one of the few female soldiers in the compound, Private Morgan.

  “What the fu…” Morgan started to shout as she unleashed a stray shot, startled by the group of zombies she was suddenly confronted with.

  Clara growled as she recognized the soldier. Instinct took over, much as it had the first time Clara saw her, and she dove onto the woman, heedless of the weapon in her hand.

  Morgan shrieked as Clara flattened her, flailing and scratching with all her might. Just as Clara was about to lean in to bite her neck, one more shot rang out and blood splattered onto her face.

  Clara looked up in shock to see Three now holding Rachel’s gun, pointing it down at Morgan’s head. Blood and bits of skull ran down Clara’s face and into her open mouth.

  “Why!” Clara exclaimed, more annoyed than anything at Three’s interruption. Three looked down at her and held out his hand to pull her up.

  “No time. We go.”

  Rachel stood there looking down on Morgan’s body, dumbstruck at what had just happened. She had no love for the cruel woman, but seeing death close up was something she didn’t think she would ever become familiar with. It was because of her that a non-infected had died. She remembered the rest of her team were still in the compound, hopefully holed up in the locked laboratory, and right then vowed to come back for them, if she could. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, and without another backwards glance, they raced down the hallway.

  Luckily, they managed to make it to the garage without further incident, and the four infected passengers put their trust in Rachel to take them away from their captors. With no easy way to get into the garage ahead of time, Rachel had trusted the car keys would be near the vehicles and had made sure to keep a city map in the bag she brought. Other than that, the rest was left to fate.

  They drove out into the early afternoon sun, intending to get as much distance between them and the base as possible. Rachel knew generally which direction Clara’s house was but wanted to take a somewhat less direct route to get there, just to stay clear of the major streets. If anyone survived the attack within the base, which there was a very real chance they would follow when they realized it was her that unleashed them. Rachel wanted to ensure that if anyone came after them they wouldn’t have an easy time determining where they were going.

  “Everyone okay?” Rachel finally asked about ten minutes later, once her heart had slowed down slightly.

  “Okay,” Clara responded for all. Three stared out the window with disinterest and contempt, Seventeen with curiosity, and Nine was busy staring at his feet with fascination.

  Satisfied with this, Rachel pressed on.

  CHAPTER 30

  The next few days went by relatively quickly and were among the most peaceful in Max’s infected life. He had determined that they were in fact going to Vancouver, an incredibly fortunate turn of events for him. He felt as though his luck was changing and was feeling optimistic and happy for the first time in his new life. Soon, he would find Clara again. After that he wasn’t sure, but knew Guy had plans in which they could potentially join.

  “North from Vancouver,” Guy told him, “lots of trees. Forest. Now we know we eat animals, we go north, away from Them.”

  It was a solid plan as far as Max could tell. His meetings with the uninfected had been both fortuitous as well as incredibly dangerous, but never uneventful. Max’s priority was going to be to keep Clara safe and happy, but mostly safe. He wasn’t prepared to let her out of his sight ever again. Sam, being the one who had suggested the trip out of Ontario, pored over maps with Max and showed him where they hoped to go. He wouldn’t be going with them when they got off the train, but he told her if he was able he would come find them once he found Clara.

  The weather stayed pleasant most of the trip and Max found himself spending hours with his legs hanging out the open cabin door, watching the beautiful country roll by him, often with the picture of him and Clara held tightly in his hand. He was amazed by the varying landscapes passing him by, and while he was glad that they had been able to use the train to move more quickly, a small part of him wished he had been able to cross this great country at a more leisurely pace. Maybe one day, he thought to himself, smiling.

  A few moments later, Jay came to sit beside him, having finally untangled himself from Cassie, who was still making cutesy eyes at him from across the train car.

  “How you, Jay?” Max asked.

  Jay grunted in response and looked over at Cassie then back at Max, a bit of a helpless look on his face. He laughed. “Yes, she quite taken with you.” Again, a grunt in response.

  Max looked over the boy who had been his companion since the hotel. Even though Jay hadn’t regained his ability to truly speak, he had become a real friend to Max.

  “Thank you, Jay.” Jay stared back, waiting for him to finish. “I say it before but can’t say enough. You not have to come with me, but you did. Help me go find Clara. Thank you, for all.” Jay grinned back at Max, obviously pleased with the thanks and the sentiment.

  The two sat there for the rest of the afternoon, watching the country pass them by.

  “When stops, will be hard to get off. They run train. Will kill if see you,” Guy explained to him. “Whistle means soon, means jump. We all jump.”

  Max gulped as he watched the scenery rush past them. Observing the train from afar, it hadn’t looked that fast, but the thought of jumping off it was daunting. He trusted Guy though. Even though they had only met a short time ago, he felt they were alike in many ways.

  “When?” Max asked, wanting to ensure he and Jay were both ready.

  “Today,” Guy told him. “Don’t know when, but today.”

  A few hours later, everyone was ready to go. Sam kept everyone busy and made sure they were all prepared, their belongings all piled up next to the door. There was an uneasy sort of silence aboard. Even Cassie had quieted down and stopped harassing Jay so much, though she still made a point to sit beside the boy. Jay see
med to not mind so much at this point and Max wondered how much he really knew about what was going on. As much as he had tried to explain it to him, he had no idea what was going to happen when the time came.

  After a while, the tension seemed to wear off as the hours ticked by and a sort of complacent lull fell upon them. Small groups were chatting, eating some of Max’s gifts of cat food, and generally acting normal again. Except for Max, who grew more and more uneasy the closer they got. This was it, he thought as he looked at the approaching horizon. Somewhere out there is Clara. It was just as he had this thought that a loud whistle sounded overhead.

  Immediately everyone jumped to action with varying levels of quickness. Max and Guy stuck their heads out the door and looked down the line to see the station approaching, just a spot still in the distance but coming closer with every passing second. Without needing to say anything the two men pushed the heavy doors open the rest of the way on both sides.

  “This is it!” Guy yelled over the loud wind. Everyone prepared themselves along the sides.

  “Hold heads!” Max shouted.

  One second passed. Two…

  “GO!”

  Anyone watching would have laughed at the comical sight. Zombies flailing and throwing themselves off of a moving train. In ones and twos, they all hurled themselves off the train. One managed to remain upright, running down the slight slope, but then quickly face planted from the momentum.

  Several did in fact hold their heads with Sam leading the way, trying more of the tuck and roll technique. A small pile of bodies tangled together in their landing. A few had basically just tossed themselves, ending up sprawled on the ground.

  Max was getting ready to jump when he noticed Jay’s hesitation. Cassie had already jumped, being one of the ones who had sprawled, but Jay still seemed uneasy.

  “Come Jay!” Max shouted, worried about the impending train station that was growing ever closer. Jay hesitated another moment before putting his trust in the man who had cared for him so far. Together they leapt from the car, Max doing a successful roll while Jay splatted down onto the ground, landing on his face.