Dead 09: Spring

by T. W. Brown

  Kevin struck, but he heard the scream of protest from the children in the tree as he did so. Turning, he saw that Bill had caught one of the children and was holding him back. The boy, by appearances, the youngest of the bunch, was struggling and flailing at the big man.

  “Don’t hurt my sister!” he howled through the tears.

  The other two in the tree had not come down yet and were now crying hysterically. Kevin moved away from the now dead body of the girl and tried to approach Bill and the boy. As soon as he took a step, the young man increased his thrashing and began to hurl threats at Kevin.

  “She was dead,” Kevin said, trying to reason with the lad.

  “She ain’t allergic to zombie bites,” the boy shot back. “You killed her and I’m gonna kill you.”

  Kevin glanced at Catie who made a slight twitch with her head indicating that Kevin should withdraw. He looked around and decided that he was doing more harm than good and turned to leave. He heard somebody come up behind and glanced to notice Barney joining him.

  “What the hell do you think was going on?” the man asked as he fell in step with Kevin.

  “No idea.”

  “But that was some kids out by themselves. That just doesn’t seem right.”

  “Not the first time,” Kevin said with a laugh. When he realized that Barney was staring at him with obvious confusion, Kevin gave a brief rundown of how Rose had become a part of the group.

  “Jesus…a whole mob of juvenile delinquents. That must have been a handful.”

  Kevin didn’t bother explaining that he’d had more trouble with the adults of Barney’s prior residence than he’d had with the so-called delinquents.

  Picking up his bike, Kevin started to pedal back to the others. Barney followed and finally Kevin turned to the man. “How come you aren’t back there helping the others with that situation?”

  “I hate kids,” the man said with a shrug.

  As Kevin coasted to a stop where those he’d left behind started to emerge, he noticed a look on Aleah’s face that told him he might be in a bit of trouble. Since this was obviously one of those days, he decided it would be best to just find out what it was now and hopefully be done with it.

  Laying his bicycle down, Kevin went straight to Aleah and took her by the arm, leading her away from the group. He noticed Rose and Heather standing close together whispering. That was never a good sign.

  “So what is wrong?” Kevin decided to get straight to whatever might be the issue.

  “Do you plan on leaving me out of every single run now? Am I supposed to just stay back, tend the fires, watch the camp, that sort of thing?”

  Kevin looked at her with a look of absolute confusion. He had no idea what she was talking about…at first. However, as he stood there staring at her while she glared back with arms clutched tight across her belly…it dawned.

  Crap, he thought.

  “Okay, first off, I wasn’t even thinking about whatever it is you may believe I was doing. Honestly, I was just…” his voice faded as he spoke. Maybe he had not been doing anything on purpose, but perhaps his subconscious was involved.

  “Just because I am not one of the people who are immune, that does not mean I can’t pull my share of the duties.”

  Kevin tried to flash a smile. Aleah’s scowl deepened. “And what do you find so amusing?”

  “You said duties.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Potty humor? Really? Isn’t that a little beneath you?”

  “Look,” Kevin took a deep breath and let it out with a huff, “I wasn’t trying to keep you back or anything. It just worked out that way. But now that you bring up the point, what would it matter? Seriously, is there anything wrong with trying to keep you safe? We are short on supplies when it comes to protection. You don’t have goggles or even a good set of gloves. We know that this stuff can be passed on by ways other than just being bitten. Until you can get some protective gear, would it be so terrible if you stayed back unless absolutely necessary?”

  Aleah dropped her head and Kevin moved close to take her in his arms. She stiffened for an instant, but eventually she let him hold her close.

  As he held her, Kevin was reminded of another way in which he had to protect her. He felt his stomach tighten as the reality that they could no longer be intimate flickered and tried to burn its way through his soul. Kevin shoved it down and refused to let it gain any traction.

  “So are we all good?” Heather’s voice seeped in and helped wash away all of the thoughts that were trying to gain a footing despite Kevin’s desire to keep them at bay.

  Looking down at Aleah with a raised eyebrow, Kevin thought it might be a good idea if she answer that question; mostly due to the fact that he was not really certain if he’d said the right things or not.

  “We’re good,” Aleah said, not making any move to separate from Kevin’s embrace.

  “Great, because the rest of the group is returning, and they don’t look happy,” Rose warned.

  Kevin moved so that his arm was still around Aleah, for some reason, he just wasn’t ready to end their physical contact. He scanned the faces of those returning. They all had grim expressions, but Bill looked just plain pissed and Catie was…smirking?

  “The little bastard bit me!” Bill snarled, bringing his arm up and waving it around as he continued to rant. “I tried to get the little brat to calm down and tell me who he was and where their parents or any adults might be and he bit me…and he knew enough to tug my jacket up so he could get flesh.”

  “More immunes, all of the kids had healed bites,” Catie reported, nudging the much larger man aside. “Best I can tell, they are over in that huge building across the field. But these folks ain’t playing. They have the place rigged. Actually rather impressive from what I saw.”

  “Where are the kids now?” Kevin asked.

  “They bolted for the field. It was just through the trees on the other side. There is a fence, but the other side is where it gets interesting. A few dozen zombies wearing headgear wander that field. Also, the kids were running in a zigging pattern that leads me to believe they were avoiding certain areas which would indicate there are probably an assortment of traps lacing the ground.” Kevin noted the admiration in Catie’s voice as she recounted what she saw. “I didn’t get a really good look, but there are towers built up on top of a massive warehouse building.”

  “That is the Target distribution center,” Selma Maxwell announced. All eyes turned her way. “My husband drove trucks,” she explained after she got over the sudden intense scrutiny that had been directed at her. “Mostly short runs around the state. Sometimes I went along in the summer just to be out of the house. I thought the area looked familiar.”

  “So…” Kevin addressed the group, “do we try to make contact, or do we just go around, give this place a wide berth, and continue on our way?”

  The debate was short and sweet. A unanimous vote to just resume the trip and leave these people came with no dissension. Kevin listened as the folks from the compound he’d recently been a captive of expressed that if these folks were in fact immune, then they might be intentionally isolating themselves from everybody else. Also, the signs were probably their doing, which indicated further that they were not receptive or hospitable to strangers.

  They skirted south and were back on the interstate within a few hours. As the skyline of what signs indicated to be the city of Rochelle, Illinois began to loom on the horizon, Kevin called for them to find a place to camp. They decided to stop for the night atop the overpass of the cloverleaf interchange where Interstates 88 and 39 met just east of town. First thing in the morning, they would venture forth. Kevin wanted to try and find gear for everybody and explained how those not immune needed proper eye protection and such so that everybody could participate in scouting and supply runs.

  Rose and Aleah smiled at each other in satisfaction. Both had been a little chafed the past few days as they had been left out of anything that had to d
o with a job that might bring them in proximity of zombies.

  Camp was made and watch was set as meals were assembled. Kevin noticed an interesting divide in the camp beginning to form. Heather, Aleah, Rose and Jill sat together; Adam and Dr. Reno sat together; Jane sat with Jose and Manuel; Bill sat alone, and everybody else sat in a loose group. He would keep his eyes on things. He did not want fractures in the unity of his new tribe.

  ***

  The next several days went by with a remarkable lack of excitement. They made it a habit to skirt larger towns as they continued the trek west. Twice they had to find a place to hide when herds were spotted. One rivalled the herd from back in Chicago and Kevin estimated its numbers in the hundreds of thousands.

  As they ventured deep into Iowa, Kevin began to think that just maybe they would reach their destination. However, every time his mind went down that path, Kevin stifled it as quickly as he was able. For some reason he was becoming very superstitious and began to worry that the moment he allowed optimism to rear its head, he would invite absolute disaster.

  Nights were spent in everything from barns to a mansion that, according to the items they discovered, belonged to a fairly well known rock star. Kevin had never heard of the man, but Catie seemed to be a bit of a fan and spent that night roaming the house looking at everything which led to her being a tad tired and cranky the next day.

  As they continued to make good time, Kevin noticed that the divisions he observed during meals were now spilling over to when they travelled…with one exception. David Semmet and Heather had started to ride together. Also, Cherish Brandini was following Bill around like a puppy. Bill seemed not to notice.

  They pulled off for the night one rainy afternoon just outside of Altoona, Iowa. Camp was made in some fairly thick woods just off the interstate that clustered around a small stream that wound past lazily. The next day would bring them to Des Moines. Kevin wanted to spend some time with the maps and figure out the best way to skirt the heart of the city as well as some places they might skim for supplies. Des Moines marked the largest population center that they would pass up to this point.

  So far, cities had been few and far between in the heartland of America. The smaller towns had been no problem, but he had not forgotten Chicago. He had no desire to deal with those sorts of issues again.

  He was looking at his atlas by the fire when he heard the sounds of a heated disagreement. Stuffing the weathered travel guide into his pack, Kevin got up and followed his ears to the disturbance. Obviously whoever it was had forgotten the fact that zombies were attracted to sound. Up to this point, they’d only been forced to break camp and make a run for it once when the leading edge of a herd numbering around four or five hundred had stumbled on their location one night. David still liked to remind everybody how he’d been on watch that night and sounded the warning. Personally, Kevin did not see the big deal in being patted on the back for doing your job.

  “…great big fairy!” Cherish shrieked as she burst from a tent that Kevin was pretty sure belonged to Bill.

  Kevin watched the woman storm off into the darkness and then gave the flap to the tent a little shake. “Anybody home?” he called, making sure that his voice was only a little louder than a whisper.

  “Come in,” Bill’s voice rumbled.

  Kevin entered the tent and had to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. Bill’s tent was the farthest from the fire and, just like during the meals, Bill seemed content to set himself apart from the group.

  “So…” Kevin let that word hang in the air in the hopes that the big man might start talking. After a moment of silence, he decided on a more direct approach.

  “You and Cherish have a little problem?”

  The hulking form of the muscular man moved and got close enough to Kevin that he took a step back. He had not experienced any trouble with the man, but he did not want that to suddenly change tonight.

  “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Bill’s voice rumbled.

  Kevin could not think of what to say and continued to remain silent.

  “I tried to be nice, but that woman is a straight up bitch,” Bill finally continued. “It wasn’t anything personal. I even tried to explain that I thought she was plenty pretty…just not…my…type.”

  Kevin was nodding along when a thought crept in. He had not ever considered the possibility. Truthfully, it just was not something that was important enough to even give thought to.

  “You’re gay.”

  Kevin bit his tongue he shut his mouth so quick. But it was too late, the words were out. He closed his eyes and waited for the big man to punch him in the face. What had he been thinking? He’d just called the largest human being he had ever met a homosexual. The beating was sure to be epic.

  “Is that a problem?”

  The question caught Kevin by surprise. He had expected fists…not words. He felt the man shift and was almost certain that he would be picking himself up from the other side of camp.

  Nothing.

  “I can pack my stuff and be gone in the morning,” Bill said with a sigh.

  “Wait!” Kevin blurted. This guy had it all wrong. “Why would you go?”

  “Because I’m not straight.”

  “That’s stupid.” Kevin considered his words and hurried to clarify. “The part about you leaving…not the part about you being gay. I could care less. I hate to break it to you, but there are way bigger problems these days. There is that whole zombie thing…” He took a step towards the behemoth and reached out, hoping to God that he found an arm. “And besides…you got no idea where that gal has been. I doubt her legs even know what it is like to touch at the top.”

  That earned a chuckle. “Although I sure wouldn’t mind if Barney came out of the closet.”

  Kevin joined in on the laugh. “Who still has hair gel? I swear that guy has a secret stash someplace. My hair never looked that good before the apocalypse.”

  The two men shared in the laugh. After a few hours of talking, Kevin had to excuse himself to take his watch. He knew that morning was going to come way too early. Selma relieved him, but not more than twenty minutes later she woke him again.

  “Cherish is gone,” the woman said as Kevin tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

  “Gone where?”

  “Just gone…she took all her stuff as well as one of the packs of food and she hitched her bike to one of the carts with about half the ammo.”

  Kevin shoved his sleeping bag away and got up. Aleah was with him having heard everything. “Rouse the troops,” he growled. “I doubt she could be far.”

  Ten minutes later, he had everybody gathered around and gave them the news. Bill dropped his head and Kevin was about to ask for volunteers to find Cherish. Since she was hauling a cart, it was a logical assumption that she would be easy to overtake if they could find her. He would send the search team out and then pull Bill aside. He did not want the man blaming himself.

  “I have something to say,” Bill’s voice was low but determined. Kevin looked to discover the man’s head had come up and he had a firm set to his face.

  Kevin moved aside and the man took his place in the center of their small group. Bill had told Kevin what obviously had been a secret up to this point…and now he let everybody else know.

  “You poor man,” Dr. Miriam Reno said, stepping forward and taking Bill’s hand. Kevin was about to scold the doctor when she continued speaking. “You must have been one of the most requested sires back at the compound. What was it…fifty…a hundred times you had sex with women trying to get pregnant?” Bill nodded, his face flushing just a bit. “That must have been horrible,” the doctor commiserated.

  “A damn nightmare,” Bill agreed.

  “Wish my nightmares were like that,” David quipped, receiving a sharp elbow from Heather for his trouble.

  A short time later, Adam, David, Shauna, Aleah, and Barney went in search of Cherish Brandini. Kevin made it clear that they were to be back before d
ark the next day. He would endure one more day at this location, but he was more interested in moving on than getting back the stuff that had been taken. Most of it was replaceable; the biggest loss coming from the ammunition stores that Cherish had managed to abscond with.

  He had made a conscious decision to not go, and instead send Aleah. He felt that should show her that he was not trying to shelter her or give preferential treatment; although, to be perfectly honest, he simply did not see the big deal. He planned to relish in the fact that he would be able to just sit around camp. They’d been on the move for several days now and he was prepared to do a whole lot of nothing.

  The first few hours that the search party was gone were okay. Kevin went down by the stream and took a very cold but satisfying bath just after sunrise. After that, he washed his clothes and hung them from branches to dry as the sun began to burn through the last of the lingering clouds. He drifted off for a nap in some tall grass and awoke with a start to the sounds of shouts.

  He arrived to find Bill and Selma in a tangle on a large patch of grass. He was about to rush in and break it up when Dr. Miriam Reno clapped her hands and called, “It is amazing that you can make that look so real without actually hurting her.”

  Bill had been giving a demonstration of some of the easier maneuvers he used in his professional wrestling career. Everybody was apparently enjoying it, but Jose and Manuel were absolutely captivated. They each insisted through Jane that they get their turns.

  “Glad to see you up and about,” the doctor said as she sidled over beside Kevin. “I imagine that is the best way to keep your mind off of that gal while she is out there.”

  “Wait…” Kevin faced the woman who was still watching the demonstration Bill was putting on as he hoisted Jose up onto his shoulders and spun him like he was nothing. “How long have I been asleep?”