by Steven Pajak
Dropping the splitting maul, I unsheathed my Junglas. I waited until Blackbeard was about two feet away before I swung my machete backhanded. The blade cut easily through his cold flesh, practically severing the head from his thick neck.
Aware that there was action going on around me, I looked up in time to see Justin removing his Tomahawks from his assailant’s body. Chandra was in the middle of her tripping maneuver while Lara was slugging it out with another infected, the aluminum bat twanging with each blow she struck.
Kat was on the move, grabbing Justin’s elbow and pulling him in my direction. “We have to move!” she shouted. “Now, before they overwhelm us!”
I was about to tell Kat to calm down, that we had things under control, but I saw the source of her anxiousness. All around the clearing, mounds of snow were beginning to form. Dark heads were emerging; arms and hands shot up into the cold air and milky eyes began to turn toward us.
“We’re in the middle of a fucking nest!” Kat said as she brushed past me. “Move it ladies. Move your asses right now!”
With my heart racing, I turned back to my splitting maul and tried to haul it out of the dead thing’s skull. I had to put a foot on the thing’s chin and hold its head from moving before I could free the steel. Lara and Chandra joined us now in our retreat. As I brought up the rear, I risked a glance back and counted eight of the undead moving in our direction.
“Faster,” Kat called over her shoulder as she bounded through the deep snow. She spotted more movement and shouted, “Justin, on the right!”
“Contact left!” Chandra shouted almost simultaneously and lifted her weapon to the ready.
“We’re being surrounded,” Lara said. “This is a goddamn ambush!”
There was no way the undead were capable of planning a calculated ambush, but Lara’s observation seemed to be correct. Although it seemed merely blind luck by all appearances, the crazies were in prime location to cut us off from our escape and surround us. I spun around and saw more of them in front of us. Kat used the Mosin to smash one closest to her, knocking it down to the left. As soon as it hit the ground, the creature attempted to get up. Justin had engaged the immediate threat to our right flank and was now facing another with his Tomahawks. On our left, Chandra had her hands full with two of the enemy. They moved slowly but somehow they had gotten too close. In just moments they’d be upon us in great number and we would be overwhelmed. At a glance, I estimated there were now twenty already on their feet and even more were emerging.
“Everyone use your guns. Open fire!” I yelled. This situation definitely warranted the use of our precious ammunition.
Just seconds later I heard Kat open up with the Mosin. The immense sound of the rifle made me jump and I could see Lara was also surprised by it. I pulled my 1911 from its holster, aimed at the closest threat, and shot it through the head. I shot two more that were on my left and closing in.
I turned and bound through the thick snow, closing the distance between us and our escape. I could see our wall about an eighth of a mile away. Kat had already reached the wall and I could see her trying to unhinge one of the ladders to flip it around for our escape. Justin was covering her with his pistol. He was firing from the hip, engaging targets but none of his shots were kill shots.
“Shoot them in the damn head!” I heard Kat shout at Justin. “You’re wasting ammo!”
Moving backward through the snow was awkward but I was motivated by fear. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I could feel myself beginning to sweat. We are going to make this, I thought, when suddenly a set of arms broke through the snow near my left foot and tripped me up, sending me sprawling onto my backside.
For a moment I panicked. Everything around me seemed to shut down as my heart jumped in my chest. I felt my eyes bulging and my breathing sounded like gusts of wind to my own ears. I kicked frantically, trying to dig my heels in and gain purchase, to create some distance between myself and the creature, but the snow seemed to have hold of me and the thing’s grip on my ankle was strong. The nails on its gnarled hands made a zipper-like sound as they raked across the material of my jeans and leather boots.
I tried to swing the axe at my assailant’s head, but the deep snow stifled my movement and the result was a shallow wound. Before I swung again, I took a second to carefully aim and smash my booted foot into the ugly bastard’s face. Its grip loosened for a moment and I used that time to my advantage and shoved myself backward. I landed about a foot away, hoping the extra distance would allow me time to gain my feet.
Instead, the thing lurched and caught me again, this time both hands taking firm purchase on my boots. My feet were effectively pinned. I’d have to risk a shot, I had no other choice. I could live with a gunshot wound to the foot. At least I’d be alive. I lifted the .45 with my shaking right hand and lined up my front sight. I stopped struggling so that my aim would be steady, but the thing took advantage of my stillness and moved in closer for the kill. My hand was shaking horribly, whether from cold or fear or both. My finger applied pressure to the trigger as I prayed my aim would be true.
Just as I was about to fire, I saw movement from my peripheral. Something quick and silver flew past me and I heard the pong sound of metal against flesh. Incredibly, the infected man’s face exploded into a bloody mess on my shins. I looked stupidly at my pistol for a moment, wondering what the hell had happened. Then Lara was pulling at my shirt, yelling for me to stand up and get my ass moving. I realized she’d just smashed the thing to oblivion with her aluminum bat.
Using my axe as a crutch, I pushed myself up out of the sucking snow and almost lost my balance again, backpedalling to try to keep up with Lara as she dragged me. Finally catching my stride, I turned to face forward. I saw Kat and Justin on the wall firing over us; I didn’t turn around, I could only imagine how many of them were right at our heels.
As we lurched through the deep snow I saw bodies littering the ground on both sides, their blood melting through the cold layers of snow. Some were shot through the head while others suffered wounds from blunt objects or edged weapons, but they were all dead. I spotted only one live one. It moved toward us on limber legs, reaching out toward Lara. Its pale face contrasted against the dark blood that stained its lips. The man was dressed in a blue suit; his tattered tie hung slightly askew, but his clothes were in otherwise good repair. As he drew near, Lara wound up and hit him with a loping shot to the abdomen and as his body bent forward, I used a golf swing to knock his head backward with the blunt edge of the splitting maul. He went down, but I didn’t turn back to see if he was dead.
Kat was waving us forward frantically in between firing thunderous shots from the Mosin. Justin continued to fire sporadic shots over our heads at unseen enemies. The sound of our footfalls and heavy breathing seemed as loud as the gunshots. Carried forward by fear, Lara and I reached the wall in less than a minute. Without pausing, Lara jumped onto the ladder and was up and over within seconds. I followed up quickly at her heels, reaching the top and throwing my leg over, blindly throwing myself down onto the safe side of the wall. I landed just inches from Lara. We both lay back against the cold ground, breathing like we’d just run a marathon. Plumes of steam arose from our lips almost in unison with every exhale. The cold air stung my lungs but tasted sweet.
Lara rolled onto her knees and immediately began to pull at my clothing, examining me. “Did he bite you? Did he break through your clothes?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said. I tried to sit up but Lara pushed me back down, continuing her investigation. I lay back and let her do her thing.
After a frantic thirty seconds of pat-down, Lara put a hand on my shoulder and said, “Let’s not do that again.”
“Not any time soon, anyway.”
We both laughed at that, giddy from the excitement.
“Nice to see you didn’t lose your sense of humor,” Kat said to me, having dismounted from her perch on the wall. “Because that’s twice today you almost lost
your fucking ass and we had to save you.”
Thankfully, before Kat got her panties in a bunch and gave us a more thorough tongue-lashing, Sam appeared in her parka and smothered Kat in a big bear hug. Justin and Chandra jumped into a very animated conversation, emphatically rehashing kills they’d made. I noticed other folks from the community had gathered around, obviously drawn to the quiet side of town by our gunshots. Their voices were excited and they were all anxious to hear about our botched mission. Had one of our group been killed, things would have been completely different.
In all the excitement, Kat either forgot about Lara and me, or she’d already gotten over the scare we just gave her. Either way, she’d moved off to bark orders, probably to get a crew together to finish off the rest of the damn things that were now scratching at the other side of the wall. If we left them alone and the snow continued to fall and accumulate, they might be able to make it over the wall if the drifts were high enough.
Figuring Kat had things covered, I remained with Lara. I reached out for her hand and took it in my own. We both lay quietly looking up at the sky and listening to the buzz around us, relishing the moment. Small flakes lazily drifted down and were dizzying against the crisp blue sky.
Finally I said, “Thank you for not letting me lose my ass.”
“My pleasure,” she said. She turned to me then and with her free hand pulled her scarf away from her face. Her freckles contrasted against her milky white skin. “I think I’d like to show you how to make coffee.”
“I think I’d like that.” I felt a twinge of guilt in my gut, but it lasted only for a moment. I had to move on with my life at some point. My wife and kids would have wanted me to be happy.
Chapter 6
A Hero Returns
After having nearly succumbed to the infected on our botched wood patrol, Lara and I returned to my house. Kat had taken charge of the clean-up operation, as I suspected she would, and I did not feel guilty about leaving the scene. There was no one I could trust more than Kat to make sure the job got done. And for once, I felt I deserved a moment away from the action.
Lara and I both stood in the entryway after closing my front door to the wind and wetness. We both stamped and brushed the light dusting of snow that clung to our clothes and boots. After taking her coat, I hung it over the banister on top of my own. Having stripped out of our coats, almost immediately the cold of the place enveloped us. Goosebumps sprung out on my arms and I tried to rub them away with my hands. In our stockinged feet, we ascended the stairs and moved into the living room where the carpeted floor was not quite as frigid as the tiled floor of the foyer.
While I watched, Lara walked slowly across the living room, her curious eyes taking in the place. I realized that this was Lara’s first time in my home. Before Mad Swine spread and changed the world, Lara and I were strangers to each other. Although we lived in a relatively small community, we had managed to live in obscurity of each other.
Having left the living room for the kitchen, I continued to watch as she walked slowly to the center island and leaned on the counter with her hands on the cold granite. With her back to me she said, “You have a really nice home.”
“Thank you,” I said. My wife would be the first to tell you that I was horrible with small talk. I couldn’t argue with her. Standing in the threshold between the two rooms, I simply stared at Lara’s back wondering what I should say next.
She turned around and her crooked smile barely parted her lips. “So this is where the coffee-making magic happens, huh?”
“You call it magic but I call it trial and error. Mostly error.”
“I’ll have you brewing the best coffee in the community in no time. Point me to your wares and I shall instruct you.”
I actually started to move toward the stove before I realized I’d forgotten my cowboy coffee pot with Ray. “Shoot. We’ll have to postpone the lesson. I just remembered I left my pot with Ray.”
She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
I shrugged. “He’s the only one that likes my coffee.”
“That’s fine. Now we’ll just have more time to talk.”
And with that she was on the move again. In the living room, Lara sat down on the sofa and looked at me with her crisp, bright eyes. My heart started to beat a little faster and I suddenly felt awkward, like I always did on a first date. I’d almost forgotten the feeling; my last first date was with my wife more than fifteen years ago. My hands were suddenly moist and my mouth was dry. I couldn’t believe I was feeling this jittery. As a distraction, I strode briskly to the fireplace and knelt down on one knee. Stacking what remained of my wood into the hearth, I said, “After this fire, I’m probably going to freeze. This is the last of my wood.”
Instead of making a joke about our botched wood patrol as I expected, Lara surprised me when she asked, “Do you think there are others like Mr. Elmore who are burning their last logs and not asking for help to get more?”
I nodded my head. “Unfortunately, yes. And I’ve got to figure out what to do about it. And soon. We lost the sled back there and came back empty-handed.”
Standing up and crossing the living room, I sat down beside Lara. “Anyway, don’t worry about me. I’ll probably crash at the CP tonight to stay warm.”
After a moment, Lara slid closer to me, her thigh and elbows touching my own. “Or you could stay at my place. I still have some wood.”
I looked at her to see if she was teasing and then quickly turned away when I realized she wasn’t. I couldn’t stand how uncomfortable I felt and I hoped desperately that Lara wouldn’t pick up on my insecurities.
Lara continued to watch me for a few long seconds before she finally looked away. She reached out to her left and picked up a photo of my family from the end table. Holding the mirrored frame in her delicate hands she examined the picture. Finally she said, “Your wife was really beautiful. And your kids are so adorable. They look just like you, Matt.”
Reacting without thinking, I plucked the frame from her hands and laid it face down on the coffee table in front of us. I cringed a bit at the harsh sound the frame made against the wood. “I don’t want to talk about them.”
Immediately I could see that I had hurt Lara, but I was hurting myself, too. I was in a place that was unfamiliar and I just didn’t know how to react. I wished I could start over.
“Okay,” Lara said. She looked down at her hands that now rested on her lap.
After an awkward moment of silence, I put my hand over hers and when she looked up, I leaned forward and kissed her. For a moment she was surprised and I thought she might pull away, but then she leaned into me and we kissed deeply.
When we parted Lara said, “I understand if it’s too soon.”
Still I did not know what to say; everything that came to mind was either too painful or too revealing. I wasn’t ready to share my family yet with Lara. Instead of responding with words, I pulled her close and kissed her again, this time more slowly, feeling the softness of her lips and tasting the strawberry flavor of her chap stick.
In the heat of the moment my passion took over and all guilt and awkwardness I may have been feeling only moments ago was swept up and washed away. My hands found Lara’s warm body and rested on the swell of her breasts. Lara responded by burying her face in my neck and kissing along the ridge of my throat. Suddenly I felt warm and beads of sweat broke out on my brow.
My thick fingers fumbled with the small buttons as I started to unbutton Lara’s shirt. In the middle of undoing the third button a loud pounding at the front door scared the crap out of me. Lara and I both jumped, and stared at each other with wide eyes, feeling like high school kids making out and just being caught by their parents. Lara burst out laughing and I could not help but laugh uncomfortably as I jumped up from the sofa. I glanced at Lara on my way to the front door and saw she was straightening up her clothes.
More pounding sounded at the door just as I reached for the knob. I thumbed the bolt and o
pened the door. Samantha stood on the porch with her fist poised, ready to start pounding again. She was wearing her navy blue parka and her face was covered with a black scarf. When she pulled the scarf away from her face plumes of breath exited her mouth and nose with every ragged breath she took. She swallowed hard trying to catch her breath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You have…to come…to the CP,” Sam said between breaths. “You need…to see…for yourself.”
“Come inside and get warm a minute,” I told Sam. “I have to get my gear.”
Sam entered and closed the door behind her. When she looked up she saw Lara at the head of the stairs. The two women looked at each other for a moment and then Sam looked knowingly at me.
“Hey, Samantha. What’s going on?” Lara asked.
Still looking at Sam, I said to Lara, “Get your coat. Something happened. They need us at the CP.”
From the corner of my eye I noticed Lara stood for a moment longer before finally moving away into the living room to get her coat. I turned to head back upstairs to get my gear when Sam reached out and grabbed my arm.
She whispered, “I’m happy for you.” Then she winked at me and turned and ran down the porch and onto the street in the direction of the command post leaving me feeling embarrassed and awkward.
Lara and I slipped into our coats and gathered our gear. I took my splitting maul and together we left my house and headed in the direction of the command post. We walked side-by-side in silence, our steps falling into line at some point. A few blocks before we reached the CP I felt Lara’s gloved hand grab mine. I squeezed her hand reassuringly. I glanced at her and took note of how cute she was without the damn scarf covering her face and her little freckles.
