Undead Love: Not Alone

by Lee Sutherland

“Juliet…” His voice was calm and even. “I need you to come stand in front of it. When he turns for you, I’ll loop the cable around its neck. Can you do that for me?” His smile was gone and in its place was a cool determination. He nodded toward the approaching zombie, silently guiding her.

  Juliet’s hands shook, but she moved toward the zombie. Sheer willpower forced her body to move. She had asked for this, begged for it. Now was not the time to chicken out. The rotten smell made her want to gag the closer she got. The zombie’s brown teeth were pronounced against its receding gums, black with decay. An open wound on its chest fluttered with each faltering step it took. The clothes it once wore were tattered around its waist.

  Juliet moved even with Connor and the zombie turned, sensing her presence. She backed away, pulse pounding, as it lunged for her. Juliet yelped when she tripped over a root and fell hard against the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. An icy chill ran through her body as fear took a greater hold. She scurried, pushing her body like a sled in a desperate attempt to escape. Connor looped the cable around the zombie’s neck and pulled it back. It jerked against the restraint, ravenous for flesh.

  “Are you okay? I’ve got it. You did great, Juliet.” Juliet heard Connor talking, but he sounded far away. She lay on her back, her own breath dominating the airwaves as she stared skyward to the treetops.

  Two powerful arms lifted her off the ground and then patted her on the back.

  “You okay?” It was Phil, his face was softer than when he left. “I heard screaming and took off running.”

  “I’m fine. Thanks for picking me up.” She pointed to Connor, who was holding the thrashing zombie at bay. “We got one.”

  The zombie struggled against its confines like a rabid dog.

  “The first one’s the hardest,” said Connor. “You have any luck, Phil?” His voice was welcoming with no hint of the aggression he’d shown earlier.

  “I think I saw a few off in the distance, but I came running when I heard this ruckus.”

  “Want to tag team them?” asked Connor, offering the olive branch to his brother.

  Connor released the zombie in the pit. It stumbled face first into the dirt and then stood up, unfazed, to resume its lust for blood. They set off in search of the few zombies Phil had seen. Connor walked between Juliet and Phil. He was grateful for her company and thankful Phil had finally agreed to allow him to bring Juliet along. Their romance, if that’s what it was, was blossoming. Whenever they were apart, he found himself thinking about her, constantly fantasizing about her body on his.

  They came upon three zombies stumbling through the woods. The zombies moved slow, not yet aware of the group’s presence. Connor looked to Juliet. She seemed more relaxed, less timid, than she had before. Leaves were stuck in her hair from falling. She looked liked she belonged in the forest, like some Greek goddess.

  “Ready for round two?” Connor asked.

  Juliet gave him a weak smile. Connor knew it would take time for her to feel comfortable around the zombies.

  “You did great on the last one. All we need you to do is try to get two of their attention at once. Then Phil and I will sneak up behind them and drop the leashes around their necks. Simple as that.” Connor wanted to comfort her, to make her see that she was stronger than she thought, but he felt Phil’s eyes burning into the back of his head. Better to play it cool for now, he thought. After the incident earlier, if Phil was jealous, Connor didn’t want him running off again. He would have to deal with his brother’s issues later.

  Juliet nodded and walked towards the zombies. Phil moved farther to the right and Connor flanked her left. The brothers were far enough away to not distract the zombies from Juliet.

  She approached with caution, one foot slowly stepping in front of the other. Even in this intense situation, Connor couldn’t help watching her as she walked. The way her hips rose and fell, it made his blood rush, breaking his concentration. He had to shake his head to clear her body from his thoughts.

  Catching zombies had become second nature to Connor and Phil, but Connor could still remember the thrill of doing it for the first time. When he didn’t know which end was up and every sense he had told him to run. He had had to fight against it. He and Phil had still been boys when they built the wall with the intention of protecting it by planting zombies in the earth. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

  When Juliet was several yards away, the zombies began to walk in her direction. Their arms grasped for her and teeth clacked as they started to pursue.

  Connor gave Phil the signal and they began to circle around behind the two zombies. The third was a few yards back and had not yet joined the pursuit. Connor noticed something sticking out of its body in several spots. Whatever it was, it was brightly colored and did not belong in a rotting corpse. He made a note to check it out later.

  Juliet retreated briskly as Connor and Phil reconvened in the rear. Connor carefully extended the catch pole until the lasso hovered above the zombie’s head. Two tufts of hair bushed out the side of its rotting head. The body was frail, elderly. Connor knew better than to trust its appearance. Even the weakest looking zombie had the grip of a body builder. He descended the lasso quickly and gave a jerk. The zombie fought against the restraint, but Connor felt he had the power to move it as he pushed or pulled. The zombie was under his control.

  Phil had his zombie contained as well.

  “Good job, guys,” Phil said. He pushed his struggling zombie towards the pit.

  Juliet stood beside Connor, a confident smile on her face.

  “See,” he said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Her green eyes matched the mossy underside of the trees. Sweat beaded down her neck. He wanted to look lower, but Juliet would surely notice. He had every intention of being the gentleman.

  “It’s not so bad when you’re not laying down on your back with nowhere to go.”

  “That was just nerves, you’re a natural.” The zombie continued to struggle against his grip. “Let’s go put this bad boy away.”

  Phil was already waiting at the pit when they arrived.

  “Ya’ll get lost?” he asked. Connor wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

  After a moment, Phil winked, allowing Connor to relax.

  “We need to go back and get the other one. It looked like it had something sticking out of its body.”

  “Really?” asked Phil, “What do you think it was?”

  “Not sure, it was brightly colored. Maybe a ribbon or something. You never know what these things get into.”

  They found the zombie not far from where they left it. Connor approached it with trepidation.

  Thoughts of capturing the zombie vanished when he realized what he was looking at. He pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed the zombie in the head. The body fell to the ground with a soft thud.

  “What the hell?” asked Phil, not understanding.

  “This is bad.” Connor rubbed his fingers over arrows sticking out of the zombie’s body. The brightly colored feather fletchings were soft to the touch. They were new.

  “What do you mean ‘this is bad’?” asked Juliet.

  “We need to get out of here. Someone has been using this zombie for target practice.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The week passed slowly for Juliet. After experiencing what being outside the wall was like, she wanted more. The desire ached inside of her, trying with vigor to claw its way out. Inside the wall was safe, but it was boring. Connor and Phil refused to let Juliet accompany them outside the wall over the next week. They said they wanted to know what they were dealing with, but Juliet couldn’t help but feel like she was being treated like a child.

  She caught up with Connor and Phil as they were leaving one morning. When she asked why they were able to go but not her, Connor took her aside and said, “We aren’t just looking for zombies for the pit. We are searching for people. Someone shot those arrows into that zombie recently. Not a single arrow was anywhere close
to it’s head. They were using it for target practice. There could be a million reasons why they left those arrows there. It could be another group sending a message. We don’t know jack about who did it, what their intentions are, or if they know we are here. But I can’t take any chances. Even if it wasn’t put there as a message, until we prove otherwise, I feel much better with it just being Phil and I. We’ve spent the most time out there, we know how to handle ourselves if trouble comes up.” He was kind in the delivery, but his tone was unwavering. This was the way it would be.

  It was hard for Juliet to argue with his logic. She just wasn’t prepared for life outside the wall. In her time since the plague began, she had been told to stay away from the zombies at all costs. She wasn’t allowed to go on supply runs up north; she had been forced to be a caretaker, to cook food, to clean. Juliet never minded doing her part to help the community. Clarence, their leader up north, had used ‘everyone has a job’ as his mantra to keep people motivated. It had kept things going smooth and most importantly, it had kept those living in Meadow Valley Trailer Park alive. That was before. Things had changed a lot since then.

  “Teach me, then,” she said it with all the boldness she could muster. “Teach me how to defend myself, how to survive on the outside. I want to learn.” Her arms were crossed in defiance of being labeled the weak, pretty girl. It had happened before, but she refused to let it happen again. Juliet had a new start with Connor, and she had a lot more to offer than just washing dishes.

  A smile crept slowly across Connor’s face. “Okay. We’ll come in early tonight and you can have your first lesson. But look, all your lessons will be behind these walls until I say otherwise. That’s the rule or the deal is off.”

  Juliet jumped into his powerful arms and embraced him. Connor hugged her hard, squeezing the breath out of her, and then kissed her tenderly. His soft lips were a stark contrast to the firmness of his body. They had kissed several times since that first time in the woods. Sometimes it was a quick kiss in passing, and other times, they had more time to spare and would lose an hour out behind the shed. Juliet thought of those kisses every night as she drifted off to sleep. The tension was building between them, there was no denying that. With each make-out session, their hands began to explore more and more bodily territory. They both knew that eventually something had to give. If not for the close proximity of those they lived with, she wondered how far things might have gone already.

  Connor pulled off-road into a cove in the woods. It was a hidden spot, barely visible from the road. He and Phil set off on foot, rifles at the ready. Normally, they only carried pistols strapped to their sides. There was no use for guns when wrangling the zombies, but things felt different for Connor recently. He was on edge ever since finding the arrow-riddled zombie. It was proof that others were out there and he was surprised at how little Phil seemed to think of it, considering how smart he was.

  Cool and crisp morning air refreshed them as they walked through the forest. The sun was rising and the world was still peaceful except for the occasional crunch of a branch beneath their boots. Normally, Connor loved the early mornings. In the morning, the days still held endless possibility. He had always been an early riser when working on the farm. During the summers when there was no school, if he got up early enough, he could take a break during the hottest hours and lay beneath the trees by the creek. Now, though, the woods seemed to hold more than possibility. They held secrets. And it had him on edge.

  “So, you’re gonna teach her to shoot?” asked Phil as they walked along. He had kept his cool ever since his meltdown in the woods a week ago, but Connor had come to accept that Juliet had been right. Phil was jealous, not of her but of the time she took away from him. Spending the week together had smoothed things over a great deal.

  “Seems smart, right? With Polly gone, it would be useful to have someone else that can go for supplies when we need them.” Something moved in the distance and Phil pointed his rifle toward it. A small squirrel scurried up a tree and looked down on them. It chattered as they passed, telling them to leave.

  “Yeah, but what about Cedric? You know he doesn’t like the two of you hanging out together. We could always train Rich and Marie,” offered Phil. Connor laughed at the thought. After a moment, Phil joined in. Rich and Marie were their cousins. They were soft and preferred the inside of the wall.

  “Juliet is a grown woman. She asked me to train her, so Cedric will have to deal with it, whether he likes it or not. He acts like things are business as usual. Like he’s just going to pack up and move when the time is right. If he does that, he’s liable to get them both killed. Things have changed. I’m not just some farm kid who’s not good enough for his daughter anymore.”

  The familiar smell of death stopped Connor in his tracks. He knew there was a zombie in the area, but he couldn’t spot it. He listened for movement, but only heard the rustling of leaves overhead. Phil was looking as well, gun raised, searching for the source of the foul smell.

  All senses were on alert as they walked, scanning the forest floor for traces of the zombie. Connor spotted a fallen tree in the distance. The great oak had tumbled over, snapping branches and destroying everything in its wake. Connor could hear leaves rustling on the other side of the tree.

  The zombie was pinned underneath. The tree had fallen on its back, crushing the zombie’s ribs and spine, but it still attempted to crawl away, scratching at the earth, unable to move. It had dug a miniature canal with the repeated efforts to climb out. Its arm stretched towards Phil as he took his knife and stabbed it in the head. Over the past week, they had not taken a single zombie to the pits. That could wait. Connor examined the tree; it had fallen recently. The roots were still alive and pliable, though they had been ripped from the ground.

  “Must have been that storm that rolled in a few days ago,” said Phil. He gave the tree trunk a push with his boot, but it didn’t move.

  “Yeah, better him than us, though.” No living person could survive being pinned under a tree that big.

  “You really think we’re gonna find something out here? I mean, it’s more likely someone was fighting off that zombie, panicked, and shot it in the chest. Then, either they ran away or got eaten.” Phil was being practical. It just didn’t add up. Who tries to take down a zombie with a bow and arrow?

  “I’ve told you, Phil. It’s a gut feeling. I can’t explain it better than that.” That was the difference between Connor and Phil. Phil was pragmatic, using his knowledge of the world and its rules to predict future outcomes. Connor went with his intuition. No matter what the books said, if his gut said the opposite, he went with it.

  “What do you say we ask Rus for help? We could get a lot more ground covered that way.” They had met Rus a couple of months prior. Rus and Connor’s relationship had gotten off to a rough start, since he and Connor had feelings for the same woman. Rus had fallen for Polly, a young Latina woman who had stayed with Connor’s family for a year. Connor had a crush on her, but it never went farther than that. In the end, Rus got the girl and Connor had moved on. Since running off together, Connor hadn’t seen much of either Rus or Polly.

  “We’ll see,” was all Connor replied.

  When they returned home that afternoon, Juliet ran out of the house, evidently excited to begin her training. He was excited to see her as well and his stomach did a little flutter when she kissed him on the cheek. Connor hadn’t had the opportunity to train anyone from the ground up, so he wasn’t sure how to begin. With everyone else, they learned as they went. They would start with hand-to-hand combat. He took a few hunting knives from the garage and met with Juliet away from the house.

  Connor handed Juliet a knife. “There is no one proper way to hold a knife. You want to do what feels good, but you also want to limit the damage you can do to yourself. When you stab something hard, you’re going to feel it all the way up your arm. A zombie skull is still bone, as decayed as it might be. So you have to break through that to
destroy the brain. Destroy the brain and you destroy the zombie. Got it?”

  Juliet played with the knife, trying to find its balance. When she found a grip that worked for her, she made a few stabbing motions. Her moves were elegant, like a deadly dance. Connor felt his pants grow tighter as he watched her. Her body was beautiful the way it moved. Connor had to force himself to pay attention or else risk getting stabbed while being mesmerized by her. With her long legs and skinny frame, Juliet could have been a dancer in another life.

  “Got it,” she said, twirling the knife with pride.

  “You always want to keep their mouth away from you at all cost. There is no point in stabbing them in the face or the chest or anywhere else. It may slow them down, but if your life is on the line, you need to destroy them. And that only happens one way.”

  “By destroying the brain.” She mimicked stabbing a zombie head before her.

  “Right.”

  After training with the knife, they spent half an hour with Connor playing the role of the zombie and Juliet defending herself. They practiced sidesteps, lunges, and using the zombie’s lumbering steps against it, correcting each motion until it flowed.

  “Not a bad start. It’s completely different when you’re out there, though, you know. It’s not comfortable. You may be dealing with a zombie in front of you, but you still have to worry about the one that may be behind you. You have to always, always be on alert.” Connor wondered if he sounded like a drone, always repeating ‘be on alert.’ He would rather bore Juliet than leave her unprepared.

  “I get it, Connor. I do. But I want to be out there. I want to be able to see the world, regardless of what it has become. We weren’t made to be caged away. The past year, you know how many times I stepped out of the compound into the real world?”

  “I—” She cut him off with a fierceness Connor had not yet seen burning in her eyes.

  “Once, and that was on the day you found us hiking up the road after our car broke down.”