“Okay, I’m sorry. You are a grown woman, capable of making your own choices. I’m sorry if I haven’t been accommodating to that.”
His apology softened her. “I know you were just looking out for me.” She wrapped her arms around him and Connor pulled her close. He could smell the sweet aroma of shampoo as he buried his nose in her silky blond hair.
Connor taught Juliet how to hold a gun and how to shoot and aim without actually firing. He was still worried about the zombie stuffed with arrows and reasoned that gunshots could draw whoever shot the zombie to their location. If they knew about the pits, it didn’t necessarily mean they knew about their home, and he wanted to keep it that way.
When practice was over, everyone ate dinner and prepared for bed. Connor went to his room and reached out to Rus and Polly on the walkie-talkie he had let Polly keep when she left.
“Rus, Polly, either of you there?” There was a long delay before Rus responded.
“Rus here. What’s up, Connor?”
“Any chance you want to come over tomorrow morning and help me and Phil look for something? I think we might have an issue.”
“Uh, yeah, sure. Care to elaborate on what’s going on?”
“I’d rather talk about it in person. See you tomorrow. Over and out.” Connor laid down on the bed and pressed his palms against his eyes in an attempt to clear his thoughts.
The next morning, when Juliet went downstairs for breakfast, she found Connor’s mom, Miss Peggy, sitting at the table with Polly. Juliet had seen Polly on the first day she moved in with Connor’s family, but Juliet had been so shaken up that she barely took notice. Now, she was amazed by Polly’s beauty. Her dark hair and skin. Her lips. Her figure was womanly, voluptuous even. Connor had been forthcoming about his crush on Polly, but he had assured her that it was all in the past. Still, there was no denying why Connor had been infatuated with her.
“How do you like my old room?” Polly asked, a kind smile on her face.
“It’s nice. What brings you here?” Juliet tried to be cool, but she sounded cold instead, even to herself. Polly took no notice, to which Juliet was relieved. She had no reason to hate this woman.
“Oh, you know. Rus is out helping the boys so I thought I would stop by and say hello to Miss Peggy and Uncle Allen.” As if on cue, Uncle Allen came around the corner, slowly pushing his walker. Allen was full of life, but his body was beginning to betray him. Juliet’s father, Cedric, walked behind him. The two men had gotten along well since they moved in. Juliet would often find them sitting at the table playing chess or talking about ‘the good old days.’ Her dad once again seemed to have some life about him. His face wasn’t as sallow and he had even put on a little weight. The farm life suited him. If she was lucky, he would be content to stay there forever.
“I thought I heard the voice of an angel,” said Allen, taking a seat at the table. Polly rushed over to give him a kiss on the cheek. He tried to turn at the last minute, hoping for a kiss on the lips, but Polly was on to his games and kissed his forehead instead. His long, gray beard draped down to his chest.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, old man,” she teased.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He let out a loud laugh. Juliet was jealous of how close they were. She had been living with them for months now and wondered if Peggy and Allen would open up to her like that one day.
“Good to see you again, Cedric. How are you liking the place?” asked Polly. Juliet watched the way Polly sipped her coffee, her lips pouting. I bet she can make anything sexy.
“It’s been good to us.” He smiled, taking his seat. “This place has been a godsend. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be here, though. We’ve inconvenienced Peggy and her boys enough, already.”
“Enough of that nonsense,” chided Peggy. “You are welcome to stay as long as you want.”
Juliet joined them at the table. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she sat in silence, listening as they talked about Polly’s new life.
“How do you like living in the mansion?” asked Cedric.
“It’s pretty crazy. I’m just so happy. Rus and I, god, I just feel so lucky to have found him. Or that he found me, I guess.” Polly told Juliet about how they met and the mansion that Rus had been living in since his wife died. He had always dreamed of living there and when the plague hit, he took the opportunity to make it his own.
Polly kept asking Juliet questions, an attempt to include her in the conversation, and she was glad. It gave Juliet an opportunity to open up that she might not normally have. As much as she wanted to, she could never really open up to people. Except with Connor, things seemed so easy when they were together.
Rich and Marie, Allen’s children, were laughing as they came down the stairs for breakfast. They were extremely close and always seemed to be having some private conversation, whether they were speaking or not. Rich and Marie were kind souls, perhaps a little too sheltered, but Juliet liked them well enough. After breakfast, Polly approached Juliet in the hallway.
“Juliet, I was actually planning to go do some exploring today. There is this church I have been meaning to go to for a while now. You can see the steeple poking through the treetops when you stand on the lookout. Any chance you want to tag along?”
Juliet’s heart jumped at the opportunity to explore the world. She knew Connor would disapprove, but Polly was trained as much as anyone. Juliet had heard stories of Polly’s adventures. This would be a good opportunity to show she actually liked Polly and she thought that maybe they could even become friends.
“Sure, that sounds like fun.”
Juliet wrapped her arms around Polly’s midsection as they bolted down the road on her motorcycle. The motorcycle vibrated between her legs and she was intently aware of how strong and tight Polly’s body was as the air whipped around them. She wondered if Connor has ever held Polly so close, then pushed the thought away. Juliet had never been the jealous type and was embarrassed at the thoughts she was having.
The air was refreshing for Juliet. Living in the shadow of the zombie moat meant it was almost impossible to ever truly breathe fresh air. Inside the wall, their stench only faded, never truly going away.
As the motorcycle roared down the highway, she knew this was a feeling she didn’t want to lose. The trees began to blur as they sped faster and faster down the empty highway.
A zombie emerged from the woods as they passed, but Juliet said nothing, content to keep riding. Polly slowed and turned down an old road that led them deeper into the woods. They rode down the back road, the trees closing in on each side and an eerie feeling began to haunt Juliet, erasing the blissful moments she had just experienced. Trash littered the road and woods surrounding them. Old, rusted cars and trucks half-emerged from the woods as if they were peeking out at some great truth. This place had been run-down even before things went bad. It reminded Juliet of the small towns people stopped at in horror movies just before they were brutally murdered. She clung a little tighter to Polly.
“This is creepy,” Juliet said.
“Yeah. Do you want to turn back?” Polly asked.
Juliet didn’t want to be the reason they went back, not after Polly had invited her. Polly had a gun. And they were on a motorcycle, the perfect means of escape if something weird happened. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s keep going.” Famous last words, she thought.
After several loops and turns and a few bad guesses, that led to dead ends, of where the church might be, they found it tucked away in a clearing at the end of a dead end road. The entrance to the old sandy parking lot was barricaded with such a random assortment of objects that Juliet almost laughed; there were lawn chairs, parts of a picket fence, barrels, deteriorated sofas, and a few children’s toys thrown in for good measure. A sign that hung crooked off the barricade reading “KEEP OUT” brought back that same eerie feeling and Juliet’s heart rate quickened. Someone lives here.
>
Polly pulled the bike to a stop outside the gate. The church was bright white, a stark contrast to the barricade and rusty vehicles that littered the area. It was a shining beacon in the darkness.
“Polly, I don’t think we should be here.” Juliet had the urge to run, to hop off the motorcycle and high tail it down the road.
“Let’s just give it a second. If anyone comes out, we’ll leave. This could all be from back when things first went bad.” The motorcycle gently purred while they waited.
“Why did you want to come here?” Juliet asked. This was the last place she wanted to be.
“I can’t really explain it. I’m not a religious person. When I stayed at the farm, I saw that steeple every time I looked out over the wall. It called to me and I just knew that one day I would have to come see it for myself.” Polly took off her helmet and sat it on the handlebars. “It looks empty enough to me. I just want to go look inside. You can wait here if you want.”
Juliet opened her mouth to object, but when the door of the church opened, her words lodged in her throat.
A woman stepped forward, barefoot. A dirty tattered gown hung down to her shins. The gown stretched tightly around her pregnant midsection. She said something that neither Polly nor Juliet could hear. A man appeared from behind her and jumped down the stairs, kicking up dust, shotgun in hand. He was yelling unintelligible words as he approached. Polly drew her pistol in an instant and had it aimed on the man.
He halted when he saw her gun. His hair was balding down the middle. Two short tufts jutted out on each side like ungroomed cats. His top teeth hung over his lips, brown and yellow against his dull, white skin. They dwarfed his tiny chin. His eyes shot off in different directions so that Juliet couldn’t tell who he was actually looking at.
“What d’you want?” It was both a statement and a question. As he spoke, each word seemed to blend into the next. “This s’ours. Now, you can’t take it.” Spittle flew out of his mouth with each word.
“We don’t want it. I’m sorry we bothered you. I was just curious if anyone was here. If you lower your gun, we will be on our way.” Polly was careful not to lower her own weapon.
“I done told yuns. This place s’ours. God left it t’us. He tole me to take back the earth.” As he said this, two young kids stood in the doorway on each side of the woman. Each one looked as odd and misshapen as their father.
“We don’t want to take your place. We’re going to leave now.” Polly kept her voice calm and even. The last thing they needed was to rile the man up any more than he already was.
This man is crazy and he’s going to shoot us, thought Juliet.
“You can’t have it. It s’ours,” he repeated. He stepped forward again and Polly pulled the hammer on her revolver.
Polly whispered to Juliet, “I’m going to hand you the gun, and then you hold on to me tight as you can. If he looks like he is going to shoot us, you blow what little brains he has out of his head.” Juliet didn’t like the prospect of being tossed a loaded gun, but it was hard to object at the moment.
A second later, the gun was in Juliet’s hand and tires were screeching as Polly twisted the throttle hard. A shotgun blast echoed behind them as they flew down the old road. Juliet’s heart threatened to beat out of her chest.
Polly took each turn at a terrifying speed. Juliet held her with all her strength, fearful of tumbling to the pavement.
The fear of dying faded and was replaced by another feeling: exhilaration. Juliet began to laugh at the situation they had just been involved in. Polly joined in and their laughter rang out through the emptiness.
“That was crazy!” Juliet screamed.
“I know, right? Talk about your inbred stereotypes.”
When Connor, Phil, and Rus arrived home later that evening, Polly told them about their adventure. It was the first time Juliet had met Rus. He was a rugged contrast to the cleanly shaved, short hair of Connor. His dark beard and long hair reminded her of a wild animal. Rus seemed amused at Polly’s recounting, a wry smile on his face, but Connor wasn’t happy. His eyes had darkened as he stared her down.
“You shouldn’t have taken her out, Polly. I mean, what were you thinking? You had no idea what could have been out there. She’s not trained for these types of things yet.” He scowled at her, but Polly was not the type to back down.
“You need to watch it, Connor. She is a grown woman, and so am I. If we want to go somewhere, then screw you, we’re going to go.” Polly was fierce. Juliet had a hard time imagining anyone bossing her around.
“Dammit, you don’t know what’s out there!” Connor yelled.
“What are you so afraid of? I can handle my own against a few zombies.”
Connor’s face was red as he threatened to explode.
“Easy, Connor,” said Rus, his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “She doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” asked Polly, some of her steam fading.
“Connor thinks someone is out there waiting for us. He thinks they’ve found the pit where Connor and Phil have been keeping zombies.”
Polly scrunched her face in confusion. Connor had never told her about the pits.
“There’s no proof,” chimed in Phil. “It’s all just speculation at the moment.” He proceeded to tell her about the zombie stuffed with arrows that they found near the pits.
“Well, if I would have known, we wouldn’t have went. For what it’s worth, I don’t think the people we found are your culprits. They weren’t looking to cause trouble. They seemed content just making babies.”
CHAPTER THREE
Uncle Allen had a mischievous grin on his face when Connor entered the living room. Rich was on his knees, looking for something under the couch.
“What’s up with you guys?” asked Connor. Rich looked up from the floor.
“Have you seen the key to the garden?” asked Rich. Connor was baffled at the question.
“Key to the garden?” he questioned. The garden wasn’t fenced, much less locked. Undoubtedly, this was Uncle Allen’s doing.
“Yes, Connor. The garden key.” Uncle Allen’s intonation telling Connor to play along. “I must have misplaced it. Rich is trying to help me find it so I can get a little gardening done later. Do you think you might have seen it lying about anywhere?” Connor hated playing along with Uncle Allen’s pranks. Rich and Marie had dealt with so many of them over the years.
“Um, maybe you should ask Phil. He knows where everything goes around here.” Rich left in a hurry. “How long do you think it will take him to realize what you’re up to?” asked Connor.
Uncle Allen tilted his head back, a boisterous laugh rumbling in his belly. “If I’m lucky, maybe an hour.”
“Honestly, I don’t know how he still falls for it. If you were my dad, I would never trust a word you said.” Connor had been on the receiving end of Uncle Allen’s pranks a few times as a kid. He once handed Connor a bowl of salt and said it was sugar. When Connor bit into his first mouthful of corn flakes, he nearly vomited.
“It’s all in good fun. You gotta pass the time somehow.” Allen stroked his long gray beard that covered his chest.
“I suppose so. Do you ever think that all your pranks might be part of the reason they are both so—” Connor wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence.
“Soft?” added Allen. He wasn’t offended at the word. Uncle Allen had often talked of his children’s shortcomings.
“Yeah.” Connor felt bad talking about them that way, but it was the truth. They shirked away from anything related to leaving the farm. They had never asked to go on a supply run. They seemed content to live inside the wall forever.
Allen was serious when he answered. “I don’t think so. Some kids are born that way. Growing up, neither one of them were the outside type. They stayed inside, playing video games, reading. I had to pretty much force them to go outside. And after Lorraine left me…left us, it got worse. My pranks were a coping mechanism. I tried to bring a little laug
hter into their lives. Maybe at their expense a little too often, but hell, what do you expect me to do? When I was a kid, we threw rocks at each other for fun. We put firecrackers in mailboxes and set bags of burning dog poop on people’s doorstep. I try to bring a little bit of that fun to my kids. Sure, sometimes I piss them off, but every now and then, I might get a real genuine laugh out of them.”
What Uncle Allen said made sense to Connor on a certain level. Allen had been about twenty years older than his wife and had undoubtedly had a hard time raising two young kids by himself. Connor’s mom had always talked about how Allen was told he couldn’t have kids. And when Lorraine got pregnant, it was the end of their happy marriage. She snuck off one night and never came back. Without even saying goodbye to her kids. Connor couldn’t even imagine how that affected Rich and Marie.
“You’re right. It’s not fair to compare them to others.”
“Let me let you in on a little something, Connor. When I was in the war, I was scared shitless. Every night, I prayed it would end so I could come home. When I was on the battlefield, killing people I’m sure thought they were doing the right thing just as much as me, I felt myself die a little inside with every pull of the trigger. I met men who I thought would not last a day and they ended up making it to the very end. And I met men who I thought could tear down the entire jungle with their bare hands that died a week in. If the time ever comes, I believe that Rich and Marie just might surprise you.”
It was interesting for Connor to hear Uncle Allen speak that way about his kids. Perhaps Connor had underestimated them. He hoped he would never have to find out. Allen cocked and eyebrow and Connor knew the moment of seriousness had passed and Uncle Allen was back to his playful self.
“So tell me about this pretty young thing. I know the two of you are starting to get serious. Give an old man some details.” Allen winked at Connor.
The kitchen door opened and the echo of stomping boots announced Rich’s arrival as he burst into the room. He threw something small and shiny across the room. It bounced off Allen’s head, causing him to let out a cry of anguish, and fell into his lap.
Undead Love: Not Alone Page 3
