Marionette Zombie Series | Book 13 | What Remains

by Poe, S. B.

  “What?” He asked. “What happened?” He pulled his hand back. It was wet with blood. “Oh my god, what happened to you?”

  “He bit me. The kid bit me.” She turned back towards the thing in the road. “Like what we saw on the television.”

  “You don’t think that…” Joel started.

  “I don’t know what to think but he bit me.”

  Joel trained the beam of the flashlight on the child. Its eyes reflected in the light. Pale. They could see the gash along the side of its head. Blood covered its whole right shoulder and part of the collarbone stuck straight up. It moved its arm and the collarbone moved with it. It braced its hand on the ground and pushed itself up. The bones stuck further out.

  “Oh, my god.” Theresa said. She backed away, pulling Joel with her. “Something’s bad wrong Joel. We need to get inside.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” They turned and started back across the yard. Joel looked back as they got to the door. The child was still trying to sit up. He closed the door behind them and locked it. He dialed 911 again. The line never connected.

  Joel walked out of the kitchen carrying three battery-powered lanterns he had dug out the boxes still stacked in the spare bedroom. He had a bottle of coke and box of crackers under his arm. Abby was sitting on the floor in her room, turning the crank on the emergency radio, trying to find some music. He wasn’t sure the thing still worked. It had been stuffed in the box of camping gear with all the other things he hadn’t unpacked yet. The small flashlight on the top of it had power though, so maybe there was hope.

  He sat the lanterns down on the nightstand. Theresa was sitting up in the bed.

  “How you feeling?” He asked.

  “It’s sore. It feels like it’s swelling.” She said.

  He reached over and wrapped his hand around her forearm. The bite was just above her elbow on the back of her arm. He gently rotated her arm a little. She winced.

  “Sorry.” He said.

  It didn’t feel warm. It felt cold. He held the lantern up. He could see darker blue veins in the light. Maybe it was the LED bulb. He touched her skin. His hand against her skin made it look even worse. His skin was pink, hers was pale around the bandage he had put over it after they washed the wound with peroxide. And his skin didn’t have little blue veins.

  “It seems okay.” He lied. “Here.” He handed her the bottle of coke and reached into his shirt pocket to withdraw the two pills she sent him after. She swallowed them down.

  “That was from the trip to the dentist when you had that abscess, right?” She asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Good.” She took a cracker and slowly chewed. She wasn’t sure if her stomach was upset from the bite or from what she had seen, but she hoped a coke and a cracker would cure either. She glanced towards the hallway.

  “Have you looked outside?” She whispered to Joel.

  “It’s still in the road.”

  “God Joel, what is happening?” She asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  ‘This is an announcement from the emergency broadcast system. Please stay tuned to this station for the latest FEMA Emergency report. This is an announcement from the emergency broadcast system. Please stay tuned to this station…’

  “Dad?” Abby came into their room carrying the radio.

  “Good job.” He said.

  She dropped onto the edge of the bed. She sat the radio down between them.

  ‘Due to an unexpected and ongoing outbreak of the Marionette virus, local authorities in the city of Atlanta and the surrounding counties have declared an imminent threat emergency. All interstate travel through Atlanta is now closed. A shelter in place order is in effect. A curfew is in effect until further notice. Do not leave your homes unless absolutely necessary to save life and limb. Should evacuations become necessary, there will be further instructions on this channel. Make preparations now in the event conditions warrant evacuations. Gather at least two days’ food and water for each person in the household if possible. We will provide further information on the Marionette virus as it becomes available. To repeat, due to an unexpected and ongoing outbreak of the Marionette virus local…’

  “Curfew? Shelter in place?” Abby asked. “What does that mean?”

  “It means we stay right here until it’s safe.” Theresa said.

  “Safe from what?” She asked.

  “Whatever’s going on.” Theresa said.

  “How are we supposed to gather food and water if we can’t leave our house? These people make no sense.” Abby said flippantly.

  Joel glanced at his wife.

  “They’re doing the best they can honey.” Theresa said. She looked at Joel. They both turned.

  Joel could see lights through the bedroom window. He stood and walked down the hallway. A car had pulled up to the wreckage in the road. The lights shone across the road and towards his house and he could see the silhouette of the body on the ground. The car backed up and turned around. He heard the chirp of tires as it rapidly retreated. The world outside went dark again. He walked back to the bedroom.

  “Everything okay?” Theresa asked.

  “Yeah, someone was trying to get somewhere. They turned around.” He said.

  “Can I use the bathroom?” Abby asked.

  “Can you?” Joel smirked.

  “I mean with the power out and all.” She stood.

  “Yes, honey, ignore him, he’s a dork. Here.” She handed her the lantern by the bed. Joel grabbed the other one and turned it on. “Keep it with you.”

  She walked down the hallway and into the bathroom. The hall went dark again as she closed the door. Joel grabbed the radio and hit scan. It landed at another station.

  ‘And you saw this?’ A reporter’s voice came through the speaker. ‘Yeah, it was right down the street. They were eating her.’ Joel hit scan again. ‘The National Institute of Health spokesman was rather vague just now but to recap that extraordinary press conference is our own medical expert Dr. Chase Herzog. Doctor?’ ‘It is obvious to me that the NIH doesn’t know what it is dealing with. And in their defense I don’t think any of us do. A few things are becoming more apparent though.’ ‘What is that, Doctor?’ ‘One is that this is most likely a virus that is spread by direct contact, scratches, bites, etc. and two that we have no treatment. I would add the most concerning aspect in the limited information we have is that it appears to be astronomically lethal.’ ‘What should we do, doctor?’ ‘Honestly? Pray.’ ‘Pray? Shouldn’t we do a little more than that?’ ‘There is nothing we can do. There is nothing else to do.’ ‘So you think the NIH is hiding the worst….’ ‘What the hell does it matter what they are doing? Don’t you understand? Can’t you see outside your own fucking window…..’ The radio went silent briefly. ‘We apologize to the listening audience for that unintended outburst.’ A song from 1984 began playing.

  Joel hit scan again and it landed on the repeating emergency broadcast, chiding listeners to forever stay tuned. He turned the volume down and looked into her eyes. They were wet with tears.

  “It’s going to be okay.” He said.

  “No, it’s not.” She wiped her eyes. “It’s not. I can feel whatever it is inside me now. My shoulder is completely numb. I can’t feel it at all.”

  “What do you want me to do?” He looked at his phone. The cellular icon was gone. It was now an expensive brick. “I’m going to take you to a hospital.” He stood. She grabbed his hand.

  “No. You are not going to take me anywhere.” She said. “It’s too dangerous out there. You heard the radio. The roads are closed.”

  “It’s not too dangerous. You’re hurt. We can make it.”

  “I’m hurt. But she isn’t.” Theresa nodded towards the hall. “We don’t know what’s going to happen to me but it’s going to happen. There’s nothing we can do to stop it. It’s already happening. I screwed up and I’m going to pay for that. But you can’t make her pay for it too. You can’t pay for it eit
her. And she’s going to need you. You’re going to need her.”

  “I’m not going to just do nothing.” Joel said.

  “Wait until morning.” She said.

  “It is morning.”

  “Wait until the sun is up. Just a few hours. I’ll be fine.”

  “And if you get worse?”

  “Wait. Please.”

  “Why? Why are you doing this?” Joel asked. He sat down beside her.

  “I’m scared.” She said.

  “Me too.”

  “I’m scared for you.”

  “For me?”

  “You heard the doctor on the radio. Astronomically lethal. That’s what he said.” She said. “And no treatment. So I can’t be scared for me anymore. There’s no point. There’s nothing they can do. Maybe I’ll be lucky, but maybe not. But you, I am scared for you. If it happens, if I… you’re going to have to pull her through this all by yourself. I don’t know if I could do that if it were you lying here.”

  “It should be me lying there.” Joel said. “Please let me take you…”

  “No. In the morning.”

  “Why?”

  “It has to be safer for her now. You can’t take chances. Not unless you have to. We can wait until the sun is up. It will be safer. Maybe not much, but still safer than going out in the dark. And that’s what you have to do now. Make it safer for her. Promise me you won’t put her in danger. Promise me you’ll keep her safe.” She said.

  “I’m focusing on you now. We have to…” Joel started.

  “Shut up. Just shut up and listen to me. Really listen to me. Don’t try to do the right thing. Don’t do what you think you should do. I’m going to tell you what you have to do. And you have to do everything you can to do it. You have to keep her safe. There is nothing else now. No matter what happens to me. No matter what happens to anyone else. You have to keep her safe. We worked so hard to get her here. You have to do it. She can’t do it herself. She thinks she can. She thinks she’s grown but she’s not. Hell, I don’t think I was until right now. But now I know, I know all that matters, all that ever really mattered, was her. It doesn’t matter if it’s today or tomorrow or twenty years from now, when I’m gone, when you‘re gone, she’s all that will be left of us. She’s the best thing we’ve ever done and she has to keep going. You have to make sure of it. Even if you have to let me go. You have to promise me.”

  He looked at her. The lantern cast a dull white light around the room. Her skin was ashen. Gray. Her eyes were sunken. He could see the faint traces of the blue veins creeping further down her arm as he held her hand in his. Her palm felt cold. The realization slowly crept over him. His mind began to slow down. Anger at his powerlessness began to build in his stomach. Black pitch wanted to burst forth from his veins to rage against how truly helpless he was and how inadequately he protected her. But her words came through. Abby. Everything he had failed at tonight, he could make right. He began to feel some resolve. But the moment of courage he felt faltered when he looked into her eyes again.

  “I don’t know how. Not without you.” He said.

  “Yes, you do. You have to. And I need to know you will. Promise me.” Theresa said.

  “I promise I will do everything I can to keep her safe.” Joel said. “But I failed so bad already, I couldn’t keep you safe.”

  “You didn’t fail. You won’t fail. Things just happened. This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. We didn’t know. That’s not failing. That’s just life.” She said.

  He sat holding her hand as she slipped off to sleep. He met Abby in the hallway and they both went to the living room to wait for the sun to rise.

  Daybreak

  He leaned against the doorframe. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could see Theresa struggling to raise her hand to brush Abby’s hair out of her eyes. The tears slowly slid down his face. He turned away as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. As he walked down the hallway, he glanced at the window in the living room. He sat down on the couch and could see the light rising in the eastern sky. He wanted them to have these few minutes alone.

  Abby reached up and took her mother’s hand as she stroked her hair.

  “You know how proud I am of you, right? You are exactly what I always dreamed about.” She smiled through the tears in her eyes.

  “Mom, I don’t understand. Why won’t you let us take you to the doctor? Please?” Abby pleaded.

  “Not yet. Wait just a little while. Just sit here with me right now. When we go to the hospital, this might be the last chance I get to be like this with you.” She said.

  “Stop saying that. Why are you saying that?” Abby asked.

  “I want you to be strong. I can’t pretend…I can’t…” She coughed. Her eyes widened. She coughed again. “I love…” She coughed one more time.

  Joel heard her coughing and ran back down the hallway. He paused at the door.

  “Mom? Mom? Mom, can you hear me? MOM?” Abby leaned forward.

  “Abby?” Joel said.

  Abby turned and faced him. Her face was streaked with tears.

  “She’s not breathing.”

  “Honey?” He came around the bed. “Theresa?” He moved faster. “HONEY CAN YOU HEAR ME?” He turned to Abby. “Move.” She stood. He threw the blanket back and scooped Theresa up in his arms. She was almost too light.

  He brought her to the end of the bed and laid her down on the floor. His mind flashed to a beautiful summer day. He wasn’t sure why he was there, scouts? summer camp?, he didn’t know. But he remembered the lesson. CPR. He looked down at his wife. She looked gone. He found the spot on her chest and pressed. The lesson came to his mind. One, two, three,… all the way to twenty. He tilted her head back and breathed two breaths into her mouth. He started counting again.

  “Please Theresa, please. Not now. Not now.” He pressed to thirty and gave her two breaths. He paused and listened. She didn’t move. He started again.

  “Please God, please.” He could hear Abby crying in the corner. He blocked it out. He pressed harder. He felt the rib crack under his hand. He paused and looked at her. She didn’t move. He gave her two breaths and started pushing again.

  “PLEASE HELP ME. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!” He screamed at the sky.

  The sweat ran down his face. He looked at her again. He gave her one more breath. She didn’t move. He touched his lips to her, praying she would kiss him back. The cold of her lips finally made the tears in his eyes fall. He pressed his lips a little harder and then pulled back. He turned towards Abby. Her image was broken into a thousand pieces by the water in his eyes. Her sobs sounded broken even more.

  “I’m sorry.” He said. “She’s gone.”

  She slid beside and past him as she leaned down to her mother’s lifeless face. She brushed the hair out of her mother’s eyes and kissed her cheek.

  “Mom? Don’t be gone. You can’t be gone. Please don’t be gone.” She whispered.

  “I’m sorry, Abby.” He put his hand on her back.

  She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her shudder as she sobbed into his shoulder. He looked past her at Theresa, and his eyes filled with tears. He closed them and hugged Abby as tight as he could.

  He felt Abby shove into him and knock him off balance. Abby’s scream added to the sudden confusion. His eyes shot open as she pulled her arms from around his neck. She lurched forward as she awkwardly tried to reach her arms behind herself. She twisted away. He caught a flash of Theresa behind her. She was sitting up. Abby jumped up, still trying to reach her back. She spun again. He could see the hole in her t-shirt and bloom of blood growing around it. He looked back at Theresa. She growled. Their eyes met and his wife lunged towards him. He threw his hands up.

  “Theresa? THERESA!!” He blocked her with his forearm. Her eyes were pale shells and the gray skin of her face was streaked with tiny blue veins as she snapped her teeth at him.

  “GO, RUN!!!” He yelled at Abb
y.

  Abby’s eyes were wide and confused as she stepped past him and ran down the hall. He heard her bedroom door slam shut as the pain erupted in his hand. He jerked his head back and watched his wife’s teeth clamp down around his fingers. The blood spurted from her lips and he felt a bone in his little finger snap. He shoved her in the throat with his other hand, her mouth relaxed. He jerked his hand free. The back of his hand felt like it was on fire.