Plague of the Dead (Book 2): Plague of the Desert

by Rayfield, Alli

  I would take my leftover food with us on our runs. Ian gave me his leftover food to hide as well since he was still subject to the random checks.

  Though I had a feeling Aaron was catching on that something was up. It could’ve been in my head but he just seemed a lot nosier and interested it what the two of us were up too. It unnerved me. Ian said it was time we picked a day to leave and just not go back. They would all just assume we died on a run. It almost happened, it would be believable. They would also never waste the man power or fuel to try and find us since we never told them where we were going.

  Emma didn’t like that I didn’t tell her but I told her, that’s not how runs work. Plans fell apart. You had to go where there were no zombies, that didn’t look torn apart by other people. Which were things that were very hard to find. You couldn’t predict or plan it.

  I hadn’t agreed to this plan of Ian’s because I couldn’t leave Emma. Though Ian was my friend, Emma was my constant link to the world before the dead walked it. I had to give up on her to survive but it seemed heartless and cruel. I wasn’t ready to cut that tie but if I waited too long, it would be too late.

  As Ian drove down the road, dodging the abandoned cars, it began to rain. Not just rain but pour. It was as if the sky had burst open.

  Ian started the windshield wipers, they barley worked. They were so cracked and dry. They were making it worse almost. The one thing I never thought of when I picked up random auto parts at stores or off other vehicles were the windshield wipers. It was the same before this all happened, at least in Arizona. It rained so little that one was not aware the windshield wipers were a problem until needed.

  Ian was driving slowly. I didn’t know how he could see anything, I know I couldn’t. There wasn’t really a worry of running into any other vehicles driving on the road but the ones that had been abandoned. Though we had driven down that road so many times, maybe Ian had the vehicles locations memorized.

  Ian turned left into a neighborhood and pulled into the first driveway.

  “Wait here,” he told me.

  He shut off the engine and got out of the car and into the loud, pounding rain. I could barely make him out in the heavy rain. I could vaguely see him trying to unlock the garage.

  From the left side of the house, I saw movement. It looked like a person walking towards Ian. A person walking slowly with some kind of limp or something. I knew it was a zombie. Usually the rain would act as somewhat of a deterrent but not this time.

  Ian didn’t seem to notice the zombie coming towards him; he was so busy with the garage door.

  I got out of the Mustang. I was instantly soaked to the bone as soon as I stood up out of the car.

  “Cate, what are…” Ian began but stopped as he heard the zombie’s growl behind him.

  He turned as the zombie approached. I went forward with my knife out in case he needed help but Ian put a knife through the zombie’s skull.

  I made my way to the garage to try and get it open as he finished up with the undead. I managed to get it unlocked as Ian made his way over. He helped me lift the garage up.

  I went in to what should have been a nice dry space but I saw the water coming in from under the door that led to the side yard. I couldn’t believe how heavy the rain had gotten so fast that there was flooding. That never happened. Not in Arizona, at least that I’d ever heard of.

  Ian shut the garage door. There was a small window in the side of the garage that let in a little light. Though with the weather, it was very dark in the garage. Ian turned on a lantern that was on the work station that we used at night.

  “This is insane,” he said.

  I nodded. “Indeed it is.”

  “We can stay here for the night, sleep in the van.”

  I nodded. “Hopefully it’ll be over by morning.”

  “Should be. I just hope the car hasn’t floated away.” He said. He was joking but looking back at the water seeping in under the door; I felt it could be possible.

  “You want to change first?” He asked.

  I nodded. We both had extra clothes that we kept in the van so we would never need to pack to leave the safe haven.

  I got in the van and shut the door. There were curtains in the van since it was made for being able to sleep in as the backseat folded out into a bed. The curtains were already pulled shut. It was very dark in the van but I was able to make out enough to get to my bag and get my clothes out.

  Even though I was soaked to the bone and freezing the rain felt nice. Refreshing and cleansing. Bathing was hard to come by, which was awful in every way imaginable. To get a little bit of the dirt, grime, and sweat rinsed of my body was so pleasant.

  I changed into a dry shirt and lounge pants. I got out of the van with my wet clothes in hand to hang over the work station to dry.

  “We should change back into our clothes before heading back,” I said.

  “It would be believable that we found someplace to pick up extra clothes,” Ian said.

  I looked back at him without saying a word.

  He laughed, “You’re right, Aaron wouldn’t think so.”

  “No, he would somehow find it suspicious.”

  “This is what happens when someone becomes consumed with power. Things that make sense, no longer make sense.”

  “Well, Ian let’s be honest. He has good reason to be suspicious,” I pointed out.

  Ian laughed, “Yeah, he does.”

  With that, he got in the van to change.

  I stood by the door listening to the rain outside. It hadn’t let up at all. It was still coming down hard. It was nice to listen too but it brought on so many different types of dangers. Or at least multiplied the ones that already existed.

  Ian came out of the van. He put his wet clothes next to mine so they could also dry.

  “I’m going to go in the van and get some rest,” I said.

  Ian nodded. “Okay.”

  I got back into the van. I laid down on the bed in the back, grabbing a blanket and wrapping myself in it.

  I was so tired, I felt it in bones. Complete exhaustion ran through my veins. The exhaustion was a constant these days. When I would lie down to go to sleep every night, it felt like I had spent the whole day doing hard labor. As if I’d been moving heavy furniture or working construction all day. There were days that I had spent pushing myself to the max physically, that was true but it wasn’t every day. The exhaustion was from the constant stress of life. The everyday just trying to survive took its toll.

  I laid my head down and was instantly asleep. I had weird dreams that involved the zombies and being executed at what looked like a stake.

  I woke up after what felt like only fifteen minutes. I knew instantly it had been much longer. It was very dark in the van. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  I heard Ian snoring next to me on the other side of the bed.

  I listened but didn’t hear the rain. It must’ve stopped.

  I closed my eyes and was back asleep in no time. When I woke up again, it was morning and very bright. Light was shining in from the small window so strongly it was cutting through the curtains and brightened up the van.

  Ian was still asleep. I got up and quietly went out the van door. I changed into the clothes I had on the day before. They were still a little damp but mostly dry.

  I grabbed my knife off the work station and went out the side door into the yard. I shut the door behind me. The yard was a mess with small puddles and patches of mud. I slowly walked through the side yard to the back. The pool that was there was green and gross and had about six more inches of water than it should normally have.

  I didn’t come into the back yard often and Ian and I had only ever done one walk through of the house to make sure it was clear. Once was all I could take. A family of four had lived in this house. A couple with their two young girls. The photos were heartbreaking enough. Seeing them happy and alive. We knew they didn’t make it, since when we
did the sweep through the little girls almost attacked us. Their eyes lifeless, their skin grey and decaying. The mother was also turned. We didn’t see the dad but based on the blood in the bathroom, it wasn’t hard to figure out what happened. It must be such a strange thing to turn into one of those undead things. To become so consumed by hunger for flesh and lose who you once were that you make a meal out of your family.

  The last conversation I had with my sister Shelly, I knew that is exactly what happened with my niece Jackie. Shelly didn’t say it in so many words but she didn’t need too. I knew that Jackie turned and devoured my brother-in-law Adam. It was such a strange thing to imagine. I couldn’t think how it must’ve felt for Shelly to see her daughter that way. To see her husband in pieces.

  I know things were bad between Adam and Shelly at the end and how Adam had treated Shelly made me quite happy he met a terrible and violent end. Even still, that was the man Shelly loved. Love doesn’t die easily, no matter what people like to fool themselves into thinking. It must’ve been so hard for her.

  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Shelly. It’s the worst thing in the world not being able to reach the ones you love, to know what became of what is left of your family. The zombies, the killing, the surviving is cake in comparison to that.

  Chapter 2

  I heard footsteps behind me. I reached for my knife as I turned to look. It was only Ian. I took my hand off the knife and turned back to the pool.

  “You okay?” he asked as he approached.

  I nodded, “Yeah, I’m okay. I was just thinking.”

  “About Shelly?” He asked.

  I turned back and smiled at him, “Am I that predictable?”

  He came over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

  “You’re not predictable. I just know you worry about her a lot.”

  I put my head on his shoulder, “I do. There’s no real reason to worry. Not anything I can ever do.”

  “You don’t know that. Who knows? Maybe the cure is right around the corner.”

  I took my head off his shoulder and moved away from him. I gave him a weak smile.

  “Maybe. Highly unlikely, but maybe.”

  He nodded, “Well, we should…”

  “Yes, we should get going.”

  He and I headed back into the garage. I locked up the side door as Ian opened the garage. The streets were still wet and there was flooding in a couple of the neighboring yards. It wasn’t too bad though.

  I got a couple of cans of chili out of the Mustang and put them in the van. Ian then closed and locked up the garage.

  It was a little flooded in spots as we drove but it didn’t take us long to get to the safe haven.

  Jerry, the guy who worked the front gate in the morning, looked surprised to see the blue Mustang pull up.

  He called out to the others working the gate and it was then pushed open by two young men.

  Ian pulled through the gate slowly and stopped. It was protocol so they could make sure that everyone was fine and not turned or ill looking.

  We both stepped out of the car. Jerry approached us putting his shot gun, behind his back.

  “I thought you two were goners with the way it was coming down yesterday,” He said.

  “No, we got lucky. Found a safe place to stay for the night,” Ian answered.

  “Find anything good?” Jerry asked.

  “Found a box of cans of chili. Not the best haul, but pretty good,” I answered.

  Jerry nodded and smiled, “That is nice. I’m amazed you could find anything out there after all this time.”

  “They were back in a storage room in a grocery store. And we ran into quite a few zombies,” I said.

  Jerry nodded, “No bites?”

  “No, we’re good Jerry,” Ian said.

  “Besides, you know if he got bit, I would’ve put a bullet in his head.”

  Ian made a face at me and Jerry laughed.

  “You wouldn’t even hesitate would you?”

  I shook my head, “Nope, give me a reason.”

  Ian gave me the finger and I laughed.

  “Glad you two are back,” Jerry said and began to head back to the gate. “Oh,” he said and stopped. He turned back towards us, “Cate, Milo is at my place with Maria.”

  He was talking about my German Shepard. I took him with us on runs sometimes but with so many near misses of him almost getting attacked by the undead, I didn’t take him often anymore. I trusted Emma to watch him.

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  “Emma said she couldn’t watch him. She said she had a lot to take care of,” He said. “We don’t mind. He’s a great dog; the kids loved having him around.”

  “Thank you, Jerry,” I said. “I’ll find a way to pay you back sometime.”

  “Well, Maria and I haven’t had a night alone without the kids in a while,” He began and trailed off.

  I nodded, “I think we can work something out.”

  Ian and I got in the Mustang to go around to the back of the complex. He began to drive away from the gate.

  “Say it,” he stated.

  “Say what?”

  “Whatever it is your thinking,” He said.

  “If she doesn’t want to take care of the dog she could just tell me instead of pawning him off on the Martinez’s. And I know she only pawned him off so she can go do the nasty with that jackass Aaron. It’s extremely infuriating,” I vented.

  Ian patted my thigh, “I’m sorry. She should tell you.”

  I shook my head, “Apparently the end of the world makes a person a bad friend.”

  “Was she ever really a good friend?” Ian asked.

  I was about to tell him off but then stopped myself as I thought about it. “No,” I finally answered after a few minutes. “Not really a great friend.”

  Ian nodded, “So the end of the world makes you see people’s true colors that maybe you were too busy or distracted to notice.”

  “So, why am I trying to get her to leave with us?”

  “Because you’re still a good friend,” he answered pulling into one of the vacant spots near our apartments.

  I got out of the car. Ian grabbed the box of chili out of the backseat.

  “I’ll take this to the office to Aaron and Laura,” He said.

  “I’m sure they want me there with you,” I replied.

  “I know they do but that’s stupid. You go home, get Milo.”

  I smiled, “Thanks Ian.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Ian headed to the main office as I took the stairs to my second floor apartment.

  I unlocked the door and went inside. I heard some rustling around.

  Emma came out of the hallway and her eyes got really big when she saw me.

  “Cate!” She exclaimed and ran to give me a hug, “I thought you were dead.”

  “No,” I said pulling out of her embrace. “We’re alright. Just got stuck because of the rain. But I heard that my dog is with the Martinez’s.”

  “Oh,” she sighed and giggled. “I’m sorry, it’s just Aaron had this really romantic dinner planned and I didn’t want to cut the evening short by saying ‘I got to go check on Cate’s dog.”

  “No, no, no, wouldn’t want to ever do that,” I replied thinly disguising my anger.

  “Cate, don’t be mad. I just wanted to have a good time,” she said.

  “Emma, you’re always having a good time. You’re never in this apartment because of it.”

  She rolled her eyes, “Don’t try to make me feel bad because I’m getting laid and you’re not. I mean you could totally have Ian if you wanted him so don’t take the moral high ground because you’re jealous.”

  “Jealous?” I asked and started laughing. “Oh, yeah. I’m so jealous of that.”

  “Well, yeah. You obviously are.”

  I began to laugh even harder at how absurd what she was saying actually was. It took me a minute to get myself together. />
  “No, Emma, I’m not jealous. I’m tired,” I said.

  She looked confused, “You’re tired?”

  “Yes, I am very tired of the fact you seem to have no grasp on what the hell is going on out there. People are dying and coming back to life and then trying to turn other people into either food or into a zombie.”

  Her face turned red as she was getting angry. “I know what’s going on out there Cate. Just because I don’t play hero and go out in it every week, doesn’t mean I don’t know.”

  “Really? Because if you had even the tiniest grasp of the situation, it seems that you would be acting more responsible instead of like a kid that’s just off to college and away from Mommy and Daddy for the first time,” I stated.

  She looked at me and I could see she was contemplating hitting me but knew that would not end well for her. I’m not the toughest creature in the world but I could easily wipe the floor with Emma if it came to blows.

  “Whatever, Cate. You just think you’re so much better than everyone.”

  “So, first I was jealous and now I think I’m better than everyone else. Which is it Emma?”

  She let out an irritated sigh, “I’ll watch your stupid dog from now on.”

  “Don’t bother. I will take him on all my runs from now on. I’d hate to interrupt your important activities. Just know that if one of the dead things gets a hold of Milo and he doesn’t make it back, I will beat the living snot out of you. I may just do it so that maybe you could get some damn sense knocked into you.”

  She didn’t say anything else to me. She then walked away and went into her room, slamming the door behind her.

  I was fuming and wanted to go in that room and hit her in the face. Before I could act on impulse, there was a knock at the door.

  I took a deep breath and went to open the door. Ian stood there looking upset.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He motioned for me to join him outside. I did and shut the door behind me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He sighed, “Aaron wants us to do another run today.”

  “What?” I asked. “We just got back.”

  “We didn’t get enough supplies to justify how long we were gone.”