“We have two men bitten.” Dan summarizes for them. He crumples the note in a tight fist. Will it ever end, he asks himself. Heather casts her head down in sadness. Bruce grabs Dan’s arm and pulls him away from his wife for a private conversation.
Heather looks up to see Dan and his uncle, speaking in whispers. Bruce is doing most of the talking while Dan looks at the ground, nodding in understanding. Her husband responds in brief words she can’t quite hear. She knows it is about the people who have been infected.
The covert meeting ends and Dan heads toward the center of town. Heather starts after him, but Bruce catches her arm.
“Hey, Heather.” He says. “I need some help with something.”
Dan walks down the street not looking forward to this at all. Most people would say the worst part of any war is the casualties. Dan knows this war is different; the worst part is the triage.
In a combat situation, a medic has to decide who lives, and who dies. Who is more valuable to the cause and worth saving? Who is too far gone? They don’t have such luxuries. Anyone bitten is going to become the very thing they fight against. Zombies are the perfect foe. For every soldier you lose, they gain one. There is only one option.
Since Dan’s incident at the old farmhouse, when he met nice old Frank, a precedence had been set. Along with being King Bruce’s second in command, Dan now holds the title of New Castle’s executioner. It isn’t something he relishes. It isn’t a promotion for a job well done. It’s a mantle he will bear, however, just so nobody else needs to be burdened with it. How he handles this situation tonight will set the bar for the future.
On the scene two men are seated on the curb outside of the town hall. Carla is standing watch over them with her AK-47. She seems to really like Dan’s gift. Hector is with her. In the kind man’s hands is a pump shotgun with a pistol grip and a collapsible stock. The mood is tense.
“Nice gun, Heck.” Dan tries to lighten the air. “It looks good on you.”
Hector only nods. Dan knows these two are here in case the men run. The guys look up at Dan as if he is the angel of death. Dan hates being looked at that way, but he knows why.
The small town rumor mill has churned Dan’s tale of survival into a farce of epic proportions; his adventures have been misinterpreted and exaggerated. As the yarns progressed Dan became a member of the Special Forces secret zombie squad, dropped into the city as a one man army to quell the plague. They all know what he had done outside of Carla’s place. People respected and feared Dan for all the wrong reasons.
“I hear you two got bit?” Dan speaks to the condemned men he vaguely recognizes. One man nods in affirmation. The other’s eyes get wide, he stands up in defiance.
“He was.” The man denies. “I haven’t.”
“Sit down, sir.” Dan tells the man calmly. Carla raises her semi-automatic rifle in his direction. The man complies. The loyalty impresses Dan. He feels like the Godfather. “Where?”
The man pulls back his sleeve and shows off a circle of ruined flesh the size of a human mouth. Dan looks into his eyes.
“All right!” The infirmed gentleman confesses. “I was bit, but I think I might be immune, like you.”
The rumor mill at work again. People think I am immune? The self-inflicted bite on Dan’s hand must have caused a stir. He can’t believe it, fuck me.
#
“As King I’m going to declare today a national holiday.” Bruce tells Heather as he leads her to the liquor store to acquire libations for the celebration. He gives orders to people that they pass. “We’ll still have all the old ones of course. Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Arbor Day. That reminds me.”
Bruce points to a group of men standing by the large zombie bonfire.
“Guys, I want you to cut down a bunch of trees for the wall we’re going to build.” He tells them and they all nod. “Where was I?”
“Arbor Day.” Heather responds. She walks, but keeps looking back trying to find Dan. She is worried. “Bruce, what the hell is going on?”
The old man stops and runs his hands through his thick gray hair. He was hoping to keep her busy until his nephew had things taken care of.
“Dan said he’s going to have a talk with you about it as soon as he’s done.”
#
“Why the fuck would you bite yourself?” The man asks Dan with disbelief.
“Fuck it.” Dan gives in and lies. “I am immune. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but it’s true. The problem is, as far as I know, I am the only one. There is no test to prove you’re immune except to be bitten, and not turn. So here’s the deal.”
Dan points their attention over to the Sheriff’s station next to the town hall.
“I’m going to have you guys spend the night in a holding cell. If you are still breathing come morning, you are free to leave.” He lets his decision hang in the air for a second. “You know what the alternative is, what do you say?”
They both nod. Hector and Carla get them on their feet and they are escorted to the police station. Dan follows behind them. The survivors of New Castle are starting to celebrate their victory over the dead.
The office reminds Dan of the small town Sheriff’s stations he’s seen on old sitcoms. Desks are surrounded by small dividers to give the illusion of offices. Along the back wall there are three jail cells.
Each man occupies one of the two end cells to keep them apart. Dan has Carla and Hector collect all the firearms from the station to be delivered to the gun shop. He keeps a pair of police issue .38 revolvers, and two bullets.
“After you drop those off,” He tells his deputies. “You two can join the festivities.”
Dan leaves the station after giving each man one of the pistols. Loaded in the chambers is a single shot each, in case they decide they’d rather finish themselves before changing. He grabs a cowboy style police hat off the rack and puts it on as he shuts the door behind him.
#
“I can’t wait until next year.” Bruce brims with excitement. He and Heather carry bottles of booze to the assembled mass of revelers. “I see piñatas in the shape of zombies. The kids can whack at them in effigy. I see snow cones with red syrup. I see… my nephew in a stupid hat.”
“There’s a new Sheriff in town.” Dan says in a deep voice. He is relieved he didn’t have to kill those men, he had come up with a simple way to deal with the condemned by using the misinformation that floats around about him. He kisses his wife and helps her with the load she carries.
“Take that thing off.” Heather laughs at Dan’s headwear.
“Yeah, take that thing off.” Bruce also says, only he isn’t laughing. “You take care of things?”
“I have them locked in holding cells. They had the option, it’s what they decided on.” Dan tells him while removing his hat. It’s over; he now has to tell Heather everything.
“Great.” Bruce takes all the bottles from the woman. “You guys talk. I need to make a proclamation.”
“Your majesty.” Heather and Dan say in unison as they bow and curtsy.
“Smart asses.” The king grumbles as he heads to the party.
The married couple sits upon a curb. Dan tells her everything. He had told her of his time among the dead before, but he had left out some details that plague him.
He tells her about the family of four on West 8th, she already knew about Barbara’s mom and brother. He tells her the truth about the heavy nurse and the premies, which always felt like a suicide pact to him. Dan confesses to leaving Greg behind in the tunnel as a way of buying time. And, he tells her the details of what happened outside of Carla’s. She knew he had saved the girl from the rapists, she didn’t know all of the facts. Heather also learns how her husband truly knows Frank.
Dan looks at his wife who remains silent. She turns over the information in her head as she fidgets with her hands. It’s a lot to take in. They can hear Bruce’s loud voice as he delivers his announcement.
“Attent
ion New Castle! As your King, I am declaring this the… Hey, what’s today’s date?” Nobody has an answer for him. “This… Whatever day it is, National New Castle Day!”
Bruce pops the cork on a bottle of champagne and the crowd cheers. The self-appointed, and uncontested, King of the people receives a round of applause.
#
“We’re missing it.” Carla pouts from behind the counter of the gun store. Hector is handing her the weapons from the police station, he doesn’t respond to her complaint. Sometimes she forgets that he is deaf and has to see her lips to read them. She kisses him quickly on his cheek and receives his full attention. He is shocked and blushes brightly.
“Let’s hurry.” She smiles at his reaction, pointing his attention to the window. They can see Bruce on top of the roof of a car, drinking from a big bottle. People cheer all around him as the zombie bonfire burns in the distance.
A light squeak is barely audible, but enough for Carla to look to its origin.
“Hector, lookout!” She grabs his shoulders and tries to pull him over the counter, she is too late. Hector feels the sting of what feels like hundreds of wasps in rapid succession. He doesn’t hear the gunshots.
Carla has lost her grip of the young man and falls back behind the counter. Hector is on the other side, his body riddled with holes.
The attacker has ceased fire. Carla takes her AK and returns a salvo in his direction. The person had popped up from a secret panel in the floor. The hatch is closed. She doesn’t know if she has gotten the assailant or not, she just stands ready. She keeps the assault rifle aimed at the concealed door, and waits for him to show himself again.
“Hector, are you alright?” Tears choke her words.
#
The celebrating citizens fell silent when the shots rang out into the night sky. Dan and Bruce take off towards the sounds of violence.
“Everyone stay down.” Bruce orders the others over his shoulder.
The window is all over the sidewalk in pieces. They can see Carla using the counter as cover as she aims her rifle at something. Bruce drops below the window while Dan takes position by the door.
“Carla?” Bruce calls in.
“The fucker shot him!” Carla cries in response. Dan peeks in and sees Hector writhing on the floor, his blood spreading outward in a pool. He doesn’t know who the ‘fucker’ is, but it looks like Carla has a bead on him. Dan has to trust her to cover him so he can creep to his friend.
Dan’s meets Hector’s eyes. The young man is scared and in pain. He has already lost a lot of blood, and knows he is dying. Hector extends a finger on one of his hands, bringing it to his forehead. He taps himself between his eyebrows.
“No.” Dan shakes his head.
A squeak, the hatch is opening. A single shot is fired and the trap door slams shut. Dan can hear something thud below the floor.
“Got him.” Carla announces. She jumps over the counter to come to Hector’s side. Though she had just met him, she has a little crush on the deaf man. It isn’t often she gets to spend time with a nice guy. Hector keeps tapping his forehead.
“What does that mean?” She asks the dying man.
“He wants me to… Finish it.” Dan pulls out his pistol. Carla starts to cry as she holds Hector’s hand to her cheek.
“Leave us.” Dan gently tells her.
“No.” She refuses. She keeps his hand to her face.
Hector’s eyes plead with Dan. The soldier puts the weapon to his friend’s head. Carla closes her eyes right before the shot is fired. She lets go of Hector’s limp hand and dashes out of the shop. Tears flow from her eyes as she pushes past Heather and Bruce who stand in the doorway.
Dan looks up and meets his wife’s eyes. He slowly stands and walks to her; afraid she might just turn and run away as if he is a monster. She throws her trembling arms around his neck. He grabs her tightly back, they mourn their friend together.
“Alright everyone, I want you all to head to the ranch if you don’t have a home here in town. Tomorrow, we will be assigning you all homes.” Bruce tells the crowd. In his head he adds ‘thankfully’ to the end of it. He is looking forward to getting all these people out of his house.
Bruce has a few of the people stay back so he can issue a new watch bill. He wants sentries posted at each of the three points of entry into town. He also tells them he wants a vehicle commandeered for a roving watch.
“Just cruise the streets and keep an eye out.” He explains. He knows, until the wall is erected, they will all sleep better at night if there are people on the lookout. He walks back to his family.
“I’m sorry guys. I really liked Hector. He was quiet.” Uncle Bruce says.
“Tell me you didn’t know about that hatch in the floor.” Dan asks with a twinge of anger. He is upset that he and Bruce were the ones who had secured this place, and they had failed.
“No, I didn’t. Some people suspected Crazy Joe was selling illicit wares to out-of-towners. The guy must have thought they were zombies, or looters. He kept well hidden.”
“I don’t want Hector thrown into the fire with the rest.” Dan tells his uncle. “He gets one of his own.”
“And, crazy Joe?” Bruce has to ask.
“Pull his ass out and toss him with the rest.” Dan says.
Dan and Heather head back to the ranch. They collect their boys from the babysitters and go to their room. They don’t speak about what has happened, or what Dan had told his wife. She seems to be mulling the whole thing over. They just quietly hold each other in the dark.
36
Dan rises early in the morning. He tries to be silent when he throws his clothes back on from the previous night. He doesn’t wish to disturb his wife’s sleep as he prepares for his day.
Heather isn’t asleep. She pretends to be as she watches her husband slip out the door after he gives each boy and her pecks on their cheeks. She knows he has to go to the jail and deal with those guys from last night. She can’t believe the man she married has to do such things.
This is the man who writes poetry for me, draws me pictures, and makes my birthday card every year. This is the man who can’t pass a patch of clovers without looking for one with four leaves, and who cries whenever he watches an American Tale. This is the man I saw put a bullet in our friend’s head.
Heather figures she isn’t too different. She shot the child zombies when she thought Dan and Bruce were in danger. This is the world now. If you want to live in a harsh world, you have to become harsh yourself. It’s the price of survival.
#
The morning is surprisingly warm. Dan finds he doesn’t need the jacket he had put on as he left the ranch. He leaves the garment on top of his SUV. There is no fear of thievery in New Castle.
Dan walks into the police station. He doesn’t feel any apprehension. He knows they will be simple zombies, behind bars, and very manageable. If anything it was too easy.
The morning sun shines into the office through the windows. Large squares of golden light are spread across the floor and up the walls. Dan is greeted with moaning.
“Good morning to you too.” Only one of the men stands at the bars. The one who admitted to being bitten had taken his own life. The other must have waited to see if he really was immune, or was just too scared to pull the trigger.
Dan finds this man more familiar now. He would know those vacant eyes anywhere, and the slack emotionless way he reaches for him from the cell. Dan fires a round into the dead man’s head. He hopes this will be the last gunshot heard in this town for a long time. He hopes this is over.
“It’s never going to be over.” He mutters to himself.
“That’s the spirit!” Bruce’s voice responds behind him. Dan was so involved with the first thing on his to do list, he hadn’t noticed his uncle seated behind one of the desks with his feet up.
“What are you doing here?” Dan asks.
“Waiting for you. I knew you had to swing by here. I’ll get someone to tak
e care of this. Let’s take a walk.” Bruce says as the men step out into the day again.
People are gathering the ashes and bones from last night’s bonfire into wheel barrels. Bruce tells Dan they are going to be scattered into the Charles. The river is the town’s lifeblood. The waters had receded into its current incarnation after the dam was put up. What remained was the fertile soil this place was built upon. The river cuts the earth like a snake as it wraps around New Castle.
“That seems like a fitting memorial.” Dan tells him. “How is the wall coming along?" Dan points to the people creating a pile of materials for the project; doors, fences, tables, porches, and pallets. Trees are coming down all across town, after careful selection.
“Slow.” Bruce admits despite the obvious progress. “As it turns out, I was a little over zealous. The ground’s already frozen. We can’t dig deep enough to cement the posts properly. It’ll be up in the spring though.”
“Sounds good. Nothing will be coming our way during winter anyway.”
“That’s what I figured.” The old man hesitates. Dan can tell he is about to say something else, but he is apprehensive. “In the spring… As soon as everything is settled and the wall is up… I’m leaving.”
“What the… Where?” Dan is shocked.
“Vermelho, New Hampshire.” Bruce reports.
“To see my dad?”
“Yeah, I want to bring my little brother here. Don’t you want that?”
“Of course I do. You just can’t go… You’re the king. Our leader.”
“True, but that also means I can do whatever the fuck I want. In my absence you will be King… Temporarily.”
Life Among The Dead Page 39
