“Then why would they eat other people? And why do they contaminate others?”
Dan shrugs. “The teacher didn’t say anything about that.”
A moment of silence passes by. The boys are both looking out at the zombies.
“So, you think the ritual in the basement …?” Thomas mumbles. “And all that nonsense we found in the book …?”
Dan breathes deeply. “Well, I think the girl died. Perhaps she fell down the stairs or whatever. And then the woman tried to bring her back to life. In a way I guess you could say she succeeded.”
Thomas raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think this was quite what she was hoping for.”
FIFTEEN
The night grows steadily dimmer. The time wears on at a painfully slow rate. Thomas slips in and out of a light doze.
“What do we do if they suddenly give up?”
Thomas opens his eyes and looks at Dan. He’s on his fifth Coke. He already had to pee once, and managed to fill one of the empty cans. It’s now in the trunk.
“What do you mean?”
“If they just decide to walk off? To find someone else to eat?”
Thomas looks out at the zombies. The man and the girl are still right outside, and the old woman is still by the other car. It’s difficult to see clearly, due to the drool and dirt and blood smeared all over the windows, turning the zombies into vague figures in the twilight.
“I don’t think they’ll quit anytime soon. Not as long as we’re here.”
“No, but what if?” Dan persists. “I mean, we don’t know for sure they won’t get tired of trying to get in here. And if they walk away, won’t we have to …?”
Thomas nods. “You’re right, we can’t let them get away. It could mean the end of the world if they—” He grinds his teeth as a sharp pain suddenly jabs the sole of his foot. “Goddamnit!”
“What is it?”
“My foot,” Thomas groans, pulling off his shoe. “I stepped on a shard of glass in the bedroom. It went right through the bottom of my shoe.”
He hasn’t really thought about it, but the puncture wound on his heal has been throbbing for at least the past hour. He pulls up his leg, looks under the foot, and finds a bloody stain on the sock the size of a big coin. He carefully pries off the sock to reveal a tiny, V-shaped wound.
“I think you need to clean it,” Dan remarks.
“There’s a first aid kit in the trunk. Grab it for me, will you?”
Dan climbs to the back of the car—Thomas notices how the zombie girl follows along on the outside of the car—and comes back with the kit. He opens it and goes through the content.
“I can only find these,” he says, handing Thomas a packet of wet wipes. “It says they’re disinfectant.”
Thomas bites open the packet and pulls out the wipe. He carefully pats the wound, grinding his teeth as it starts to burn. “Goddamnit …”
“Does it hurt badly?” Dan asks. “Maybe the piece of glass is still in there?”
Thomas hadn’t considered that possibility. He reaches up and turns on the small light in the ceiling. He gently opens the wound using two fingers, causing it to begin bleeding once more. “I don’t see anything in there. I don’t think there’s any glass.”
“Right. You want a Band-Aid? There’s also gauze.”
“A Band-Aid’s fine.”
Thomas covers the wound with the Band-Aid and puts his sock back on. His heel is throbbing warmly. He tries to ignore it and turns off the light again.
They sit for a little while in silence. Of course, the zombies make sure there isn’t any real silence. Thomas leans back his head and closes his eyes.
“You still want to go get help?” Dan asks quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Sure you can run with that foot?”
“I’ll be all right. It’s not that far.”
“The town is miles away.”
“I only need to get to the nearest neighbor. Or perhaps I’ll meet a late-night car.”
Dan looks out at the zombie girl who’s snarling back at him. “They’ll probably follow you.”
“I’m counting on it. But they don’t move very fast. I just need to keep ahead of them.”
“And what then, when you find someone who can help? What about the zombies?”
Thomas shrugs. “I’ll call the police. They’ll have to deal with them.”
“You think they’ll get what’s going on?”
“I have no idea. That’s a problem I’ll have to deal with if it comes to that.” He runs his palm across his forehead. “Damn, I’m still sweating.”
“That’s weird,” Dan says. “I’m actually freezing.”
Thomas notices he has put on his sweater. “Grab me another Coke, will you?”
Dan has fetched the whole box which is now standing between his feet. He reaches down and grabs a can which he gives to Thomas. Thomas opens it and drinks three big gulps.
Dan looks to the other car. “What did you say happened to the keys for her car?”
Thomas burps. “She said he’s got them.” He nods towards the black guy.
Dan bites his lip. “Maybe we can get it.”
“How would we do that? You feel like reaching out and going through his pockets?” He drinks again and notices Dan staring at him. “What?”
“You’re really sweating. Are you feeling all right?”
“Sure, I’m just a little hot.” A bead of sweat drips from his nose.
Dan reaches over and touches his cheek. “You’re burning up.”
Thomas realizes Dan is right. His skin feels like it’s on fire. His whole body is soaked with sweat. “My system is probably just a little hyped after all the stress I’ve been through,” he mumbles. “I don’t think that’s any wonder.”
Dan doesn’t look convinced. “Thomas?” he asks quietly. “Could it be a fever?”
“Why would I have a fever?”
“You sure you didn’t get a scratch?”
“You checked my back.”
“Yeah, but … we didn’t check you everywhere. Are there any other places on your body that’s hurting?”
Thomas scans his body. “Nope. Just my foot, but that’s from the glass, and that can’t be … that can’t be …”
The words die out as an image appears in his mind.
The floor of the bedroom. Broken glass strewn all over. Glittering in the afternoon sunlight. Red from the blood of the girl, who has been walking around on them for hours.
The blood of the girl … the blood … Oh, no …
The truth finally sinks in.
SIXTEEN
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Thomas screams and bangs his fists onto the steering wheel, harder and harder, more and more uncontrollably, until his hands are starting to hurt.
Finally, he sinks back into the seat, panting. “Why didn’t I … think of it before? Goddamnit …”
“What … what is it?” Dan croaks, staring wide-eyed at Thomas.
“The shards of glass were covered in the blood of the girl. I’ve been infected.”
Several long seconds of silence pass by inside the car. Thomas closes his eyes. His foot is suddenly throbbing a lot worse than a minute ago. The pain is radiating all the way up to his knee. Perhaps it’s only his imagination, but all of a sudden, he can almost feel how the infection is making its way up his bloodstream. Headed for his organs. Headed for his brain.
“Can’t we … can’t we stop it?” Dan asks. “Maybe if we make a really tight bandage?”
Thomas shakes his head. “It’s too late. I can feel it. Even if we cut off my whole damn leg …” He sighs. “Why the fuck couldn’t I just have watched where I was going?”
More silence.
Thomas feels like he’s somehow full of emotions and completely empty at the same time. Random memories seem to pop up. His first bike. His parents’ divorce. The day he met Jennie.
Is this what it feels like when your life passes in
front of you?
He can’t really grasp it. That his life is over. Only yesterday his greatest concern was breaking up with Jennie. Now she’s dead, and soon he’ll be too.
“It’s not fair,” he whispers. “I’m only eighteen, for fuck’s sake.”
He feels something on his arm, looks down and sees Dan’s hand resting there. Dan’s eyes are wet. “I’m really sorry, Thomas.”
Thomas starts to cry himself. The tears just burst out. He sobs over the wheel, letting out a scream now and then, cursing the world, but mostly he simply cries, as the long life he had imagined for himself crumbles and falls away.
As the sobbing subsides, Thomas begins to feel an unexpected calmness. He wipes his eyes and mutters: “Could you please tell my dad I’m sorry for what I said the last time I saw him?”
“I … I will,” Dan whispers. “Anyone else you want me to …?”
Thomas thinks. “My mom lives in Copenhagen. I haven’t talked with her for years. And I don’t really have any close friends.” He glances at Dan. “I guess you’re the closest one.”
Dan tries to muster a smile. Then, his expression turns somber again. “What now?”
Thomas straightens up. “I can’t run for help, that’s for sure. Judging from how fast it went with Jennie, I’m lucky if I have half an hour left. So I guess we got to figure something out quick.”
“Thomas,” Dan says, pointing. “Look …”
Thomas looks out his window. The black guy, who has been patiently standing right outside his door the whole time, is now making his way around the hood of the car with wobbling steps. He unwittingly shoves the girl aside as he joins her in trying to get through Dan’s window.
“Guess that’s our solution,” Thomas says. “They’re no longer interested in me.”
SEVENTEEN
“Hold on,” Dan says. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
Thomas shrugs. “What have I got to lose?” He unlocks his door, opens it and steps out into the cool evening air. “Lock it again,” he says, slamming it shut.
Dan immediately reaches over and locks it.
Thomas just stands there for a moment, looking at the zombies. They, on the other hand, won’t even deign a glance at him. He turns to see the faint figure of the redheaded woman on the backseat of the other car. She has lain down with a jacket pulled over herself.
Thomas takes a step, and a lightning bolt shoots up his leg. He grunts in pain, stumbles and almost falls down. For a moment, he feels lightheaded, as the pain rolls through his leg in slow, intense waves.
Fuck me. Now I get why Jennie complained so much. Need to be careful. If I faint, it’s over.
Out here in the fresh air, he can really feel the fever. His skin is burning and freezing all at once. He’s standing on one leg waiting for the dizziness to subside.
Then, when it finally does, he jumps across the gravel to the woman’s car and knocks on the window.
She jumps up and stares out at him. “What are you doing? Have you lost your freaking mind?”
“They won’t hurt me,” Thomas says. “Listen, if I get you the key, can you drive the car?”
The woman seems too surprised to answer right away. The zombie woman comes staggering around the car. For one terrible second, Thomas is sure she’s coming for him. That he was wrong, that he’s not immune after all. He jumps back a few steps. But the zombie woman only pays attention to the woman inside the car.
The redheaded woman stares from the zombie to Thomas. “Why … why isn’t she attacking you?”
“That doesn’t matter right now. Can you drive the car?”
The woman looks down at his feet. “Why are you standing on one leg? What happened to your foot?”
Thomas sighs. “I’ve been contaminated, all right? That’s why they won’t eat me. I guess they can smell I’m already …” He doesn’t know how to finish the sentence.
The woman’s eyes are even bigger now. “But … but you …”
“I don’t have long, so could you please just answer my question? Do you … know how to … drive the car?”
The woman nods.
“Great. And do you happen to know where your husband keeps the key?”
The woman looks over at her husband. She says something inaudible.
“What’s that?”
“In his pants pocket, I think.”
Thomas turns around and jumps back to his own car. He supports himself on the hood as he jumps around to Dan’s side where the zombies are standing. Both of them are completely absorbed by Dan, who’s staring out with a frightened expression.
Thomas reaches out and nudges the black guy. He sways gently, but doesn’t react. Thomas sticks his hand in the guy’s pocket. Nothing. To reach the other pocket, he has to position himself behind the guy. He grabs the guy’s shirt for support. Still, the zombie doesn’t seem to notice him at all. Thomas plunges his hand into the pocket and feels metal. He draws out a key ring.
“Bingo!” He jumps back to the woman’s car and pushes the button to the central lock; nothing happens. “Why doesn’t it work?”
“I control it from in here,” she says.
“Well, then unlock it.”
The woman peers out at him, worried. “Are you contagious?”
The zombie woman bumps into the side of him in order to get closer to the window where the redhead is sitting. Thomas shoves her back hard with both hands, causing her to topple over in the gravel like an overgrown toddler.
“No,” he says, looking in at the woman. “It only infects via blood.”
The woman doesn’t look particularly appeased. “How do I know I won’t get contaminated if I touch the key? How did you get it?”
Thomas briefly explains about the broken glass in the bedroom. “Now, please open the door. I guarantee you won’t get infected.”
The woman considers for a few more seconds. The zombie woman has climbed back to her feet and approaches once more. Thomas pushes her over once more.
The redhead finally decides to trust him and unlocks the door. She opens it a few inches. Thomas hands her the key. She immediately slams the door again.
“Good,” Thomas says, grinding his teeth as a new avalanche of pain floats through his leg. “Now we just need to get Dan into your car.”
The woman has already climbed to the driver’s seat. She sticks the key in the ignition, turns on the engine and puts in drive.
“Wow, wow!” Thomas bangs hard on the windshield. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The woman glares out at him. “I’m going to get help, of course.”
“No, damnit! If you drive off, we risk the zombies following you. We can’t let them leave this place. Don’t you get it? We put the whole world at risk if they get to leave.”
The redhead looks like she’s churning over an internal conflict. After several seconds of thinking, she finally shuts off the engine. “What do we do then?”
“We need to get Dan …” Thomas sways, as a sudden fog clouds his vision, and he struggles to keep his balance.
“You okay?” The woman’s voice seems far away.
Thomas rubs his temple. “Yeah, I’m all right,” he manages to croak. “But we’d better hurry.” He takes a few deep breaths, forcing his head to clear up. “I’ll get Dan over here. Just be ready to open the door for him, okay?”
“He’s not infected, is he?”
No, he’s not infected, you stupid fucking bitch, Thomas thinks, feeling a raging fury. So don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get out of this with your freckly ass in one piece!
He knows the rage is really because he’s afraid, and he understands the woman’s worries, so he says calmly: “No, he’s not infected.”
“All right,” the redhead nods. “I’ll be ready.”
Thomas skips back to his own car once again, now starting to feel surprisingly weak and tired. He feels like lying down, but he knows he probably won’t get up again if he does.
“Listen, Da
n,” he says through the window. “You need to get into her car. I’ll help you. If you get out over here on my side, I’ll make sure none of them touch you.”
Dan doesn’t look like he approves very much of the plan, but makes no objections.
“You ready?” Thomas asks, spitting into the gravel, his saliva sour from fever.
Dan nods.
“Right, go!”
Dan climbs over the gearshift, hits the button, and the central lock snaps open.
The black guy and the girl have already begun to make their way around the car, as Dan opens the door and steps out onto the gravel. He stands on his good foot, and Thomas grabs him by the arm. Together, they jump awkwardly towards the woman’s car. Behind them, father and daughter lumber after.
The zombie woman apparently senses more accessible meat behind her, because she turns around and comes towards them. Dan instinctively draws back, but Thomas drags him along, reaching out his other arm and pushing the zombie hard backwards, feeling for a brief moment like a quarterback making his way through the defense.
Then, he accidentally puts weight on his wounded foot, and a flood of acid instantly eats its way from his heel all the way to his hip. He falls down with a hoarse cry.
“Thomas!” Dan screams.
“Around the car,” Thomas groans. “Get to the other side!” He’s only partially aware exactly what’s going on around him, as everything takes place behind a red veil of excruciating pain.
Dan skips around the car as fast as he can. The two zombies still on their feet stagger right past Thomas, and Thomas, without time to think, stretches out his leg and kicks the black guy’s ankle hard, causing him to stumble and fall over. But the girl continues, reaching the woman’s car just as Thomas hears the sound of a car door opening and then slamming shut again.
He made it, Thomas thinks, laying back his head, resting it on the cool gravel. Dan made it, and now I faint.
He drifts off to a pleasant darkness.
EIGHTEEN
A voice from very far away calls to him.
Dead Meat (Book 1): Dead Meat [Day 1] Page 6
