by T. W. Brown
He had stumbled into camp near frozen and sporting a raging fever that was sure to be the cause of his demise. That group turned out to be Grady and his companions; the last survivors of Serenity Base besides the group led by Steve.
***
“You sure that you don’t want to come in?” I asked as we hunched down beside a burned out husk of a building. As soon as I took one more step, the folks up in the lookout tower would see me.
“I’m sure,” Big Paisano sighed.
I could tell that he was anything but sure. He was looking at this outpost on the edge of La Grande like a man dying of thirst might look at a glass of water. Still, I did not feel right in trying to force him to do something that he was not ready for; not that I could force the man to do anything he did not want to do.
“But you will stay here while I try to get a meeting set up with you and Dr. Zahn,” I confirmed. BP nodded in the affirmative.
I shook the man’s hand and stepped out into the open. Sure enough, I had not managed to take two steps before the call came for me to halt. I identified myself and heard a bit of a fuss begin. Obviously the news of my demise had been reported.
I was told to approach the nearest entry chute. I did so and made sure to take off all of my protective head gear. If any of my people were in the area, I wanted them to make a quick positive identification.
The gate to the chute opened and I stepped inside.
“Mister William Haynes,” a familiar voice called down.
“Surprised to see me?” I asked, looking up at Graham’s stern face.
“Not the word that I would choose,” the man huffed as he lowered himself down into the chute with me. “I imagine there is one hell of a story about to be told, and something tells me that I may not like it.”
“Probably not,” I agreed.
“Well, let’s get you checked out and certified clean. While that is being done, I will send somebody to your people. They are gonna want to know that the initial reports were wrong.”
I followed Graham to the checkpoint where I was stripped and inspected for any signs that I might have been bitten. Other than the ugly knot on the back of my head, I checked out fine.
“Who took care of your injury?” the female medic, or whatever she was, asked after she was done.
“He won’t be answering any questions,” a voice said with that air of authority that I knew so well, announcing the arrival of Dr. Zahn.
“Excuse me,” the lady who had been checking me out said with a tinge of anger in her voice, “but you are not authorized to be—”
“Run along, little girl,” the doc made a shooing gesture with her hands as she pushed past the woman who was now red-faced with anger.
“I’ll do no such thing.”
Dr. Zahn spun on the woman and pulled a knife from someplace. I honestly do not know who was more surprised; me or the medic. Darla entered the room like nothing in the world was happening and moved past the scene that still had me stunned.
“We are taking you home,” Darla said after she had thrown her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. “There is somebody waiting to see you, and I suggest we not keep her waiting a moment longer.”
“Katrina—” I began, but Dr. Zahn spoke and cut me off.
“Has been a wreck since the news came that you had been killed. We had to sedate her. Thankfully, news to the contrary arrived just as she was waking.”
Wow, I don’t think I’d ever had somebody get so worked up about me before. If it was anything like how Melissa had been after Steve died, I was actually a bit embarrassed.
I dressed and followed Dr. Zahn out of the examination room. I spotted the medic who had been checking me. She was standing over in a corner talking to Graham. He was doing his best to calm her down, but she wasn’t really having anything to do with his attempts to placate.
“…pulled a knife on me, Graham!”
“We will talk about it later,” I heard him say, but I saw the dirty look he gave Dr. Zahn. Personally, I don’t think that Dr. Zahn cared. She sure didn’t show any indication of it as we exited the long building and headed down the road.
As the streets began to look familiar and I eventually spotted the house I recognized as the one my whole group had been put in upon our arrival, I felt a weird flutter in my stomach. I suddenly remembered that I did not like being the center of attention. The front door flew open and a little girl burst out and jumped down the stairs.
“Billy!” Thalia squealed as she came for me at an all-out sprint.
I stopped and waited. Good thing, because as soon as she decided that she was close enough, the little Hispanic girl launched herself at me. I caught her and felt one of the fiercest hugs that I had ever experienced in my life. At last, she pulled back and looked me in the eyes.
“Those stupid people came and told us that you were died!”
“Never believe it if you don’t see it with your own two eyes,” I whispered in her ear as I hugged her back and shifted her over to my left hip as I resumed my walk towards the house.
When the door opened next, I saw Katrina’s familiar figure. She stepped out onto the porch and stood stock still with her fists clenched at her sides.
“You better put me down,” Thalia whispered.
I did just as Katrina burst into tears and came at me with her arms out. I was ready to catch her. I should have known better.
“William Haynes!” she cried as she punched me in the face. It was just a glancing blow, but it had me backing up and throwing my arms between us for protection as she continued to rant and rave about how stupid and careless I was while trying to pound my chest into oblivion.
At some point, I dropped my hands and pulled her to me. She struggled for just a moment before settling in to me and sobbing like I was actually dead and not standing right here in front of her. I looked around, but nobody was offering me any sort of help.
Finally, she pushed away and looked up at me with red-rimmed and puffy eyes. “They said that you went down under a pack of zombies while trying to lead them away from the group.”
Well, at least they were telling part of the truth. “They were wrong.” I bet Jamie would have had something a lot smarter to say in the moment. That thought made me miss my best friend and feel a bit more sympathy for what my people had all just gone through.
“That isn’t all they said,” Dr. Zahn added.
And here we go, I thought.
“They said that you endangered the entire mission and got several of the team killed.” Looking around, I saw all of my fellow remaining survivors gathered and leaning forward as if I had something interesting to share.
“Let’s take this inside,” I said, throwing one arm around Katrina and looking down to see Thalia clutching my other hand.
Once we were inside and everybody had taken a seat, I told them everything that had happened. Nobody interrupted, but I could see a variety of expressions crossing people’s faces as I described the child zombie ambush and all of the insanity that followed. I decided on the fly that Grady and his people needed to be included in my story. Dr. Zahn’s expression told me that she did not necessarily agree, but I was getting tired of secrets.
“And you say this Big Paisano person is camped outside the compound and wants to speak with me?” Dr. Zahn asked when I had finished my account.
“Yeah, like I said, I guess the guy was a local from here, but he isn’t ready to come back in and see people.”
“That seems a bit odd,” Darla muttered. “I mean, if I was this close to home and held on to any hope that some of my friends or family might still be alive, I would not hesitate.”
“He is carrying a lot of baggage,” I said with a shrug.
“Who isn’t?” Darla shot back. “All of us have done things we are probably ashamed of. That is part of survival now.”
I could see her point, but I was also not going to be the person who told BP that he had to do anything. If he wanted to meet Dr. Zahn
outside, that was his business. Our only problem would be in getting her out.
“I have tower duty tonight!” Sunshine said. “Dr. Zahn could slip out using my tower.”
“You have duty alone?” I asked.
“Night watches are usually pretty dull according to the orientation. Besides, there is a roving patrol that comes by about every ten minutes, so it’s not like they are really leaving me to my own devices. It should be no problem.”
“I was a little surprised by how quickly they integrated us to their community,” Melissa said from where she sat feeding the baby. “I already have a job at the day care center.”
There was a knock at the door and everybody went silent like we’d just been caught doing something naughty. Since I was closest, I went to see who it was.
“Billy, glad you’re still up,” Graham said. He was not alone; there was a five person team standing a few feet back. They were holding rifles and trying to look uninterested.
“Is there a problem?” I purposely looked past Graham and scanned his armed escort.
“We just need to ask you a few questions about what happened on that run. There were some reports, and I would like to hear your side of things.”
“Mister Haynes will not be answering any questions today. If you want to speak with him, you—” Dr. Zahn looked out at the goon squad and then returned her gaze to Graham, she sighed and I saw her expression falter for just a split second. “You are welcome to come in and speak with him. I will be present and this is not a negotiation.”
Graham shifted from foot to foot. I could tell that he was not used to being spoken to in this manner. If he thought this was bad, he would really hate it if he ticked the doc off. She was probably the scariest person I’d ever known.
After a very brief stare down, Graham glanced over his shoulder and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. The group seemed confused and looked at each other for a few seconds, but eventually they left…sort of. I saw them enter a house about a block away and across the street.
I stepped back and ushered the man in. I was just about to shut the door when a voice that sounded a little out of breath called out. “Wait for me!”
Carol Wills came scurrying up the path that led to our front porch. She was not alone. I could not remember the name, but the person she had in tow had been on that run with me. I was pretty sure he was one of the scientists.
I stepped back and allowed Carol and her tagalong to come in before shutting the door. This had all the makings of a very interesting afternoon.
3
Vignettes XLIX
The zombie turned its head one way and then the next. Letting loose with a low moan, it took a few slow and tentative steps. Only a short time ago, the creature had been encased in a snow bank. The morning sun had opened a fracture and almost like a broken mold, a huge chunk fell away to reveal the zombie. Others had been freed in similar fashion over the past several days as spring began to slowly reclaim the world from a harsh winter.
Home. Daddy…Steve?
The zombie cocked its head one way and then the other. The briefest flashes of what could almost be considered thought came and went just as quickly. They were not so much thoughts as images.
Emily-zombie turned one way and then another. Something pulled her towards the direction of the giant light in the sky that was about to slip behind a distant hill. Somewhere along the course of the winter, the snow pack that had encased Emily-zombie had moved down the side of the hill and deposited her just within the trees.
Moving through them, sometimes her once perfectly straight black hair would catch in a low branch and tear away in a clump. Emily-zombie never noticed. She did not notice when her left foot sunk in some mud and came away without the shoe.
Emily-zombie stopped when darkness came. There was a sense that bloomed in a dark and jelly-like portion of her mind that pulsed a feeling that Emily-zombie did not understand. She had no true concept of fear or danger, so those feelings did not register for her as they would for a living child, but they were enough to cause her to cease moving.
Standing stock still, her head would twitch from time to time as a sound would come from one of the many animals that were beginning to assert their ancient roles in the forest. A wolf stopped less than ten feet from Emily-zombie. She could see its warmth coming off in waves. That reminded her of the deep and unpleasant coldness that gnawed at her insides. She wanted that warmth, but that tiny pulse in her that sent images that kept her still was a warning that she would heed.
Eventually, the large animal made a low sound in its throat and then slunk away. The wolf knew the smell of death. It would seek food elsewhere.
As morning came, Emily-zombie resumed her trek through the woods. Once, she paused when her eyes locked on a heat source in some brush. She approached with caution when one of those sources raced away. However, it left behind several smaller ones that remained still as she moved in and plucked them up one at a time. On the second or third one, she paused, her mind briefly registering that what she held was soft, warm, and furry.
Bunny.
An image flashed and was gone so fast that it might never have happened. When there were no more, Emily zombie resumed her walking through the forest.
Days came and went. Sometimes she would change direction, but just as quickly forget why. At some point, that tiny piece of her mind that refused to succumb would fire off a reminder that she was seeking something.
Home.
Again, that word and image held no real meaning, yet it was enough to urge her to continue to move. One night, as Emily-zombie stopped in the shade of some tall pines, a noise caused her to turn. It was another. This one was smaller and also had once been a little girl.
Thalia.
Another image flashed and vanished, but it was enough to cause the Emily-zombie to mewl softly. Her sound was eventually answered. The tiny figure limped to where Emily-zombie stood. This little girl still had one filthy pigtail jutting almost mockingly from her head. It was practically all that remained of her fine, wispy blond hair.
The next day, the two ventured forth. A sound caused them to pause. Both had the same pulse that would be like fear had they been living. It did not trigger a flight response, simply a message to halt.
Eventually, a heat source appeared. It was big, it was noisy, but it was alone. Emily-zombie and her companion remained still. Eventually, the noisy heat vanished into a building. That had been enough to cause the two to stumble forth. They were almost at the broken door where the heat source had vanished when it suddenly reappeared.
“Oh crap!” the man gasped as he fumbled for the knife at his side. He yanked it free just as the smaller of the two little zombies latched on to his arm.
The man screamed in pain. He had been careless. He had ducked into this lone service station in the hopes that he might find a scrap of anything. It had been a few days since he’d eaten. That had been the day that the other five people he’d made it through the winter with had decided to leave him behind.
In hindsight, he had probably deserved it; all his life he’d been a bit of a bully. So maybe he’d taken more than his share of food and done less than his share of the work. And when he’d set down his pack to wander into the bushes and take a leak, his secret stash had apparently been found.
They hadn’t said a word, and he actually thought it had either been missed or they had chosen to ignore those two cans of soup that had rolled out and onto the ground. Yet, he’d awoken in the morning feeling unusually cold. His anger that they had been careless and let the fire die down had turned to confusion when he realized that he was alone. His fellow travelers knew full well that such things would usually result in one or all of his travelling companions being cuffed upside their heads,.
The fire was long dead and his pack with those two cans of soup, along with everything else, was gone with the five people he’d been travelling with.
He’d yelled, threatened, and swore. Event
ually those rants turned to pleas and apologies. It was all in vain. He had been abandoned.
The next few days had been terrible. He had fallen down an embankment and twisted his ankle. He also discovered that all of the equipment that he’d made the others carry included the fire starting kit were sorely missed.
Surviving on the water from the plentiful streams had helped with his thirst, but it had done nothing for his hunger. Then he’d spied that ramshackle gas station. It gleamed like an oasis in the middle of a dune sea. He staggered inside and felt his spirit crumble when he realized that it had been long since emptied of anything useful.
Stepping back out into the bright, early morning sunlight, he’d been initially blinded. That is why he did not see the two tiny zombie girls until they were upon him.
“Oh crap!” had been all he had time to say as he fumbled for his knife. He seemed to recall that his former travel companions had always made sure that somebody remained outside to keep a lookout whenever they had ventured into a building.
Teeth bit into his arm and tore away a strip of flesh. He knew immediately that he was a dead man. A voice in his head screamed for him to kill himself and end the pain and suffering; but, most of all, it was telling him that he did not want to come back as one of them.
Another bite caused him to scream and flail his arm, but he was weak from lack of food and his ankle was throbbing. He fell to the ground and felt teeth at his neck. There was pain…
Emily-zombie tore and felt a surge of heat spray into her mouth. She and the other ripped and tore until the heat vanished. Then, they rose and staggered off. Neither saw nor paid attention as the lump on the ground began to stir.
By the time darkness fell, another had joined them; this one a little boy. He had been celebrating his sixth birthday when a man staggered into the park during a game of hide-and-go-seek. He still wore the tattered remains of a blue shirt with a little yellow character sporting one single goggled eye. The pill-shaped character was smiling big and holding a banana.
