"Just pretend you're doing laundry," Theo said.
"Theo, that doesn't help," Erica reminded him.
"Yes it does, I'm telling you. Just try it."
It took some time and effort, but the three of them managed to roll the dead thing over to the broken bedroom window, lift him up, and unceremoniously drop him out of the window to the side of the house. Silvia and Theo then took the box spring and propped it up against the broken window. It wasn't much, but there wasn't an alternative for the time being.
"Two days into this, a few people from my neighborhood tried to board their house up," Silvia said. "All that hammering and whatnot brought the rotters right to the damn house. The home was overrun in minutes."
Erica sighed, "Damn."
"I think it's best to just try and lay low," Theo said.
The three of them heard Macey begin to stir out in the living room. To their surprise, Macey was sitting upright.
"Hey guys," Macey said. Her voice was low and scratchy.
"Hey kid, how are you feeling?" Erica asked her.
"Weak and a little dizzy."
"Thought we were gonna lose you," Theo told her.
"Who's the new girl?" Macey asked.
"This is our shiny new buddy Silvia. Silvia, this is Macey. Macey, Silvia."
Macey looked at Silvia's short haircut. "I dig the hair. Very cool."
Silvia smiled, "Thanks."
Macey laid her head back down on the pillow and took a deep breath. She looked at the bandage on her arm, "How did this happen?"
"There was a corpse, he almost got you," Erica answered. "Theo saved the day though. He ran out and got you some stitches and the bandages. Silvia and I stitched you up."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah."
"Thank you all, seriously."
"Not a problem, Macey," Theo said. "Do you remember anything? Why you went in that room to begin with?"
"I remember hearing something coming from the bedroom and I peeked out of the window. There was a big mountain of a corpse out there, pounding on the window of my old house. Before I could close the curtain, he turned around and saw me. I'm so sorry guys," Macey began to tear up.
Erica wiped Macey's tears away. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault. You just lay down and relax, get your strength back, okay?"
Macey nodded and drifted back off to sleep. Theo, Silvia, and Erica sat back down at the kitchen table for some dinner. After Silvia finished eating, She was ready for some sleep herself.
"I'd ask to take that mattress in the back bedroom, but it probably stinks of rotter," Silvie joked.
"Uh oh Erica, Silvie gets to make herself a bed out of old t-shirts and sweatpants, she's now one of us," Theo said.
Erica groaned. "Seriously?"
"Hey, I got my sleeping bag," Silvia said. "You guys don't mind if I head downstairs and crash out?"
"Not at all," Erica answered. "Be our guest."
Theo and Erica stayed up well into the night, keeping an eye on Macey. Macey only awoke once and asked for some water. Theo and Erica sat down on the kitchen floor and listened to the crickets chirping away outside. In addition to the groans and snarls of the undead that were in the area. The light from the moon shone into the kitchen providing them with a decent amount of illumination; a dull blue light.
"This may sound kind of odd, but this is actually quite boring," Theo said.
"Sorry, I left my deck of cards back at my place," Erica replied.
"Good. Can't stand poker or any of that."
Erica giggled, "Me too."
"I know what we can do."
"What's that?"
"You know, we can 'repopulate' if you know what I mean," Theo answered, shooting a wink towards Erica.
Erica looked at Theo, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know, rebuild society and all that good stuff. We have to start somewhere."
Erica rested her forehead in the palm of her right hand, realizing what Theo was getting at. She exhaled quietly. "No offense Theo, you're just not my type."
"Oh yeah? If not a hunk like me, then what is your type?"
"Women."
Theo was taken aback. "Really?"
"Yep."
"That is so hot."
Erica tilted her head back, rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Every damn time."
Theo playfully elbowed Erica's arm. "It's okay. I'm used to rejection."
Erica fell asleep sitting on the kitchen floor. Theo went over and laid down on the ground beside the couch, keeping his crowbar nearby just in case.
Chapter 11
Theo awoke to the chatter of Silvia and Erica. The two of them were lounging around in the kitchen. Theo's back was beyond stiff from laying on the living room floor. Theo was glad to see Macey sitting upright on the couch and nibbling on a granola bar.
"Oh good, your color's coming back," Theo said to Macey.
"Yep. Still a little too weak to get up and move around though," Macey replied.
"You'll be off that couch in no time, don't worry," Theo replied. He looked at Erica and Silvie, "So, what's on the menu for breakfast? Bacon? Please let there be bacon."
"I hate you, Theo," Erica replied, her stomach rumbling at the mere mention of bacon.
"How are things outside?"
"Dead."
Theo chuckled, "Hilarious."
"Your awful sense of humor's starting to rub off on me Theo."
Theo opened the wrapper of a candy bar and began to eat. He got up from the table and looked out into the backyard, there were some clouds in the sky, but other than that, it was a bright clear morning.
"Now that there's four of us...." Theo began.
Erica stopped him, "Yeah, we know. We've been discussing everything."
"Have you now?"
"Yeah."
"Like what?"
"About getting more supplies for all of us. As soon as Macey's better, we're going to head out."
"And you were planning on letting me know this when?"
"Right now," Erica snapped back.
Theo looked at Macey who smiled and nodded at Theo. "I want to go out and help," Macey said.
"Okay, but you still need a weapon and you have to be able to handle yourself," Theo replied.
"I know."
"Don't worry, I can show her a few things," Silvie said.
"You do strike me as someone who can get shit done," Theo told Silvia.
"Thanks, Theo."
"Okay, hypothetical here," Theo began. "Macey gets better, and we all head out to go gather supplies. Where are we going to get said supplies? I sure as hell don't want to venture back out to that damn CVS. The place is overrun by the dead things anyway."
"Yeah, where can we go?" Silvia asked.
"You've been out there longer than we have, See any places worth trying?" Erica asked Silvie.
Silvia shook her head. "No, not really. Most of the places my group found were looted. Hell, I saw a group of dummies taking stuff from an electronics store one time."
"Man, we could probably get a nice new TV at bargain bin prices now," Theo joked. No one laughed. "Screw you guys, that was funny."
Erica rolled her eyes. "No it wasn't. Anyways. There's got to be somewhere that we can try and get to that has a decent amount of supplies."
Theo knew of a place. "There is Mel's dollar store. When I was running past, the back door was still locked up. I could probably get in with the crowbar. I'd prefer not to, but I can't see any other alternatives right now."
"Yeah, but what about the front of the place? You wouldn't have happened to get a glimpse of the front of the store have you?" Erica asked.
"No, but it is worth a shot. We don't have to risk running across the avenue or anything like that. And plus, it's close by. We can just run into the alley and go right up to the back of the place."
"I like the sound of that," Silvia said.
"Let's hope there are no rotters in there though."
&nb
sp; "Theo, you can be a real wet blanket sometimes," Erica quipped.
After they finished their breakfast, Erica and Silvie searched high and low for a suitable weapon that Macey could use. Theo went out onto the roof to get a look at the goings on outside. He hadn't been up there in a while and he wanted to get some air and be by himself.
Theo looked in the direction of downtown, at some of the skyscrapers. He began to wonder if there were any survivors that were holed up inside. Theo actually squinted, trying to see if there was anyone standing atop the roof of the Renaissance Center.
"What the hell am I doing?" He wondered to himself.
Theo then looked at the houses on the other side of the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of some more potential survivors, but all of the houses appeared to be empty. The roof was starting to get warmer, so Theo slid back into the house.
Back on the main floor, Silvia and Erica were once more sitting in the kitchen while Macey slept.
"No luck finding any weaponry?" Theo asked the ladies.
"Nothing," Silvia replied.
Theo sat down, his legs were still sore from all the running the previous day. His calves burned every time he walked.
Erica noticed Theo's stubble was growing thicker. "Theo, you're starting to look like a mountain man."
Theo scratched his neck. "I hate this crap. Itches like hell."
"I think you should keep it."
"Why do you care? Not like you're gonna date me anytime soon," Theo said sarcastically.
"Oh shut up."
"What's Theo talking about?" Silvia asked. "Did he try to put the moves on you, Erica?"
Theo laughed, "Moves. Silvie, I have no moves. After two divorces, I'm all 'moved' out."
"Then what did you do? Try to score with Erica?"
"Kinda, but Erica's a lesbian," Theo answered.
"Wow, really?"
Erica nodded. "Yep."
"That is so hot."
"Are you kidding me?!?"
Theo began cracking up. He stopped himself so he didn't wake Macey. Theo was laughing so loudly that he worried it could alert the rotters outside. He got up from the table and wandered off down the hall to the bathroom, hoping to find some type of a razor. It was bad enough all of the black dye was out of his hair, which had grown out and was no longer spiky, but the stubble was the worst, it was driving him crazy.
"That Theo sure is a goof," Silvie said. "How do you put up with him?"
"You know, I've been wondering that myself," Erica replied.
"I heard that," Theo called out from the bathroom.
"So, is it as bad out there as I imagine?" Erica asked Silvie.
"Probably worse than what you think. When was the last time you were out there?" Silvie said.
"Before all of this began actually."
"Whoa, really?"
"Yeah. I mean, Theo and I went into the houses on both sides of us to get supplies and that's how we met Macey, but that's been it. I don't know this area at all. I used to pop in from time to time to visit my friends that lived here, but that was it."
"I haven't been out too far myself. I lived in a neighborhood about a ten-minute drive from here. But it seems like this stuff with the rotters is all over the place."
"Have you heard anything as to what's causing this?" Erica asked. "I caught a small bit on the television before the power went out. But that's been it."
Silvia shrugged. "Just rumor and hearsay really. I take it all with a grain of salt. That asshole Jack said it was some form of bioterrorism."
Erica scoffed, "How the hell would he know?"
"Exactly."
Theo emerged from the bathroom still looking shaggy.
"Couldn't find a razor?" Silvie asked him.
"Nope," Theo said, dejected. "Erica, your guy friend that lived here, what did he look like?"
"Short, Hispanic, with a bushy beard," Erica answered.
"Yep. That explains it. I always figured that the end of the world would suck, but not this bad."
"Well Theo, you were at a CVS, why didn't you get any razors while you were there?" Erica asked with a huge smirk on her face.
"Yeah, exactly," Silvia added.
"I don't like either one of you," Theo fired back.
Macey awoke late that afternoon, just as Theo and the girls were finishing their dinner. "Can someone help me get up?" She asked. "I'm getting sick of this damn couch."
Theo and Erica assisted Macey to her feet and the three of them slowly walked Macey over to the kitchen table and sat her down.
"How are you feeling?" Theo asked her.
"My arm is sore, and I'm a little hungry. But other than that, I'm okay," Macey answered.
"Silvia and I gave you a fresh bandage while you were out," Erica said.
"Thank you. All of you."
Macey slurped on some chicken soup and the group discussed their plans for their trek to the dollar store. Macey was nowhere near ready to go along with them however, she was still too weak.
"We have to do this," Erica said. "Sooner rather than later preferably."
"I guess I can just stay here and lay low in the basement until you three get back," Macey told the group.
"You think that's a good idea?" Theo asked. "What if the rotters get in here while we're gone?"
After thinking it over in her head for a few seconds, Silvia said, "Screw it. You two go ahead. I'll stay behind and watch after Macey," Silvia suggested to Theo and Erica.
"Or we can just wait until Macey heals fully," Theo replied.
"We don't even have a weapon for her," Erica said.
Macey threw her hands up in frustration. "Guys, I'm not a damn child. What the hell? You're talking about me like I'm not even here."
"You're right. Sorry Macey," Theo told her.
"Yeah Macey, sorry. I would rather get this stuff out of the way now so we don't have to worry about it later is all," Erica said.
Theo had an idea. "How about this. Erica and I go to the dollar store. If we can manage to get inside the place, we can see if there are any rotters in there. If it's clear, the four of us can go back at a later time and get the supplies. This can be sort of like a dry run. Just to see if it's doable."
They all considered the plan for a few seconds, then Erica said, "Yeah, sure. Why not? I wanna get out there and see how awful it is. I'm getting tired of sitting around here all the time while Theo gets to have all the fun. I'm getting cabin fever."
Theo chuckled. "Oh yeah, it's been a real hoot out there. Hasn't it, Silvia?"
"Erica, it's spring break, Mardi Gras, and Wrestlemania all rolled into one. You really don't know what you're missing."
Macey laughed. "Thanks, Silvia, you reminded me how much I miss watching wrestling."
"Believe me, I miss it too," Silvia replied.
Macey was able to sleep downstairs in the basement with the rest of them that evening. Her and Silvia went right to sleep while Theo and Erica huddled together in a corner and went over their plan. In the morning, they would be heading out.
Chapter 12
After their breakfast, Theo and Erica left Macey and Silvie in the kitchen.
"Don't wait up," Theo joked.
"Get back to us," Silvia replied. "Preferably in one piece and still among the living too."
"Will do."
"Okay Theo, lead the way," Erica told him.
"We're gonna go through these yards until we reach the last house on the block. Once the coast is clear, we run our asses off into the alleyway across the street. The dollar store is only about a block away."
Erica nodded and the two of them set off, hopping from yard to yard until they reached the last backyard on the block. Theo had his crowbar in his right hand and the duffel bag slung around his back. Erica had her pistol and the butcher knife. She also brought along a few plastic grocery bags. The two of them figured they should try and bring back some supplies if at all possible.
Theo and Erica scurried over towards the f
ront of the house to get a better look at the street. Theo forgot to tell Erica about the undead that was inside the home.
The rotter saw Erica and burst out of the side window, trying to reach for her. Erica lunged forward, landing stomach first on the grass. The right corner of the corpse's mouth had been chewed away. The flesh on her right arm had been eaten from her wrist all the way up to her elbow leaving only the bone. The rotter charged right towards Erica. With an overhead swing, Theo landed a blow with the curved end of the crowbar onto the dead things' forehead, shattering her forehead. The corpse dropped like a stone on the grass.
Theo helped Erica get back to her feet, "Shit, that was close. You okay?"
Erica wiped the front of her pants off, "Yeah."
"That was on me. I forgot to warn you about that damn rotter in there."
"Don't worry about it. Bitch didn't bite me or anything."
Theo walked up to the side of the house and looked over the broken window frame. The stench of death and rotten food smacked him in the face immediately. "I don't think we'll be getting any supplies from this place anytime soon."
"Come on, let's get going before any more of the dead pricks come flying out of there," Erica told Theo.
"Oh man. If these dead pricks start flying, we really are screwed."
"I should have just stayed at home."
Theo and Erica darted across the street and made it into the alleyway without alerting any more nearby dead things.
Erica made Theo stop so she could catch her breath. "Damn, I need to get some exercise."
"Yeah, can't let the undead stop your yoga routine," Theo quipped.
"Theo, please," Erica replied. "We haven't even been out here half an hour and you're already on my last damn nerve." She saw the body of the rotter that Theo dispatched with the heavy stone. "Was this your handiwork?"
"Yeah. The bastard was hiding in that tall grass over there. It slid out and bit right down on my foot."
"It bit you?!" A stunned Erica asked. "But Theo, the bites, you said that-"
"Don't worry Erica, the bite didn't pierce the top of my boot. I'm fine. I haven't turned into one of the rotters or anything like that. It's okay."
"Maybe it's not caused by bites at all then."
"I'm not too sure about that. Anyway, I'll show you my foot if that'll make you feel any better."
Urban Decay Page 10
