by Jason Deyo
Lauren sat back. “Well I’m originally from Delta, Pennsylvania.”
Kim interrupted, “I couldn’t quite place your accent, but I knew it wasn’t from around here.” She smiled.
Lauren smiled back. “I spent most of my life up there, but my parents moved down here, not long ago actually.” She thought for a moment. “Probably a year, year and a half ago tops.”
Lauren continued, “My husband, Matthew, is in the Navy and we moved to Jacksonville, Florida. He’s stationed on a carrier group down there in Mayport. Since he was going to be gone for a couple months, I decided I was going to move in with my folks until he gets back.”
“You are way too young to be tied down. At twenty one? Babies getting married.” She sighed. “Sorry, please continue.”
She giggled. “Yeah, I met him at Myrtle Beach during spring break and we started spending a lot of time together. He was a good guy. He would either drive to PA on the weekend when he didn’t have duty, or we would meet half way somewhere. We had a lot of fun and then he got deployed. He was away for six months, but he would email me all the time, we would Skype if we had a good connection and he would call me sometimes, but only for a couple seconds because international calls can get expensive.” She raised her shoulders as if she had silently chuckled. “He even wrote me letters. As soon as he got back to the states, he proposed.” She halfheartedly smiled.
Kim noticed the half smile and the “was a good guy” comment and grimaced in response. Lauren immediately knew what the grimace was about.
Lauren continued. “The proposal wasn’t all that great. We were at dinner and he pulled out this ring and did it right there in front of everyone.”
“What’s so bad about that? At least he proposed. Was it a good restaurant at least?”
She shrugged. “It was the best one we could afford at the time. He’s an E-4, so he doesn’t make that much.”
“But he took you to a restaurant and proposed. In front of a bunch of strangers. There’s something to that.”
Lauren sat for a few seconds and then shrugged. “Maybe.” She sat for a few seconds more. “Truth is we had a great time at first, but over time and as we got more comfortable with each other, things started to change.” She shrugged again. “He started to play games on the computer and started liking these Cosplay Facebook pages and I felt like I wasn’t the focus of his attention.”
“Cosplay?” Kim asked.
Lauren shook her head in annoyance. “It’s this thing where woman in provocative clothing dress up like comic book characters. Apparently it’s very popular. Their chests are practically hanging out. Turns out Matt was really into it.”
“Sorry, never heard of it. I always thought that was what Halloween was for.” She smiled.
“This is like Halloween every day.” She took pleasure in knowing her new friend didn’t approve of it either. “We would start to fight about it and whenever it started to get real uncomfortable, he would get deployed. That whole absence makes the heart grow fonder thing is kind of true in some aspects because after he was gone for a few months everything we fought about was forgotten.”
“You know I read one time that there are a bunch of military families who spend their entire military career happy as can be, but once the military member retires and spends some time at home, the family falls apart. I think that is just so sad,” Kim said.
“That’s how it was with us. We couldn’t wait to see each other. Like I said we would write and call.” Lauren rolled her eyes. Kim thought this quirk must be habitual because she did it often without knowing. “We would stay on the phone for hours. I know the other guys on the boat would make fun of him, but he didn’t care. I couldn’t wait to see him and it was great for the first month or so, but then we would argue. Sometimes it was real bad.”
Lauren subconsciously rubbed the back of her hand against her face. Kim was quick to pick up on the physical abuse. “Real bad?”
She pulled her hand away from her cheek and threw it into her lap with a jump. “Matt hit me this last time. Right before he left. I had already made up my mind to leave though. Way before he did it.”
“Why’s that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, not wanting to continue.
“I have all the time in the world,” Kim smiled. “It’s not like anyone’s expecting me.”
Lauren laughed uncomfortably with a shudder of her shoulders. “So tell me about you. What’s your story.”
Mrs. Kim remained still for a minute. “My family never came home.” She said it quickly and forcefully. “My husband—the cheating bastard—never made it home. Nor did my son.”
“I am truly sorry to hear that.”
“So I stay here.” She looked at the plates. “I wait, hoping my son will come home. It’s strange sleeping by yourself after you’ve been with someone for so long. I mean sleeping in a house all alone.” Kim shook her head as if trying to shake off an old memory. “You go on. You said you had already made up your mind to leave.”
“He wanted to have a child. I did too, but not while he was in the service. I didn’t want to drag a child around, moving every few years. He wanted to get out, so he did and started looking for jobs, but nothing was available at the time. No one was hiring. My family accepted us into their house. They said we could live there for as long as we wanted.”
“That could be tough.” Kim said.
“And my father did a short enlistment in the Marines, so you know he’s always ragging him about being in the Navy. If you know anything about military rivalries, it simply would not work out. He found a job installing cable TV, but it paid less than what he was making, so he turned it down. The entire time he was looking we were trying to get pregnant. He reenlisted for another four years. That basically put him at fifty percent of his career. It would be stupid to get out halfway to your retirement.” She sat up perkily as if the entire conversation wasn’t so gloomy. “So, did you catch your husband cheating?”
Mrs. Kim jumped from the sudden burst of energy. She was beginning to learn this young woman was very quirky and could change directions in a split second. “Kind of.” She laughed. “I walked in on him and a coworker holding hands in a diner.”
“Just holding hands?”
“Yeah, they were holding hands.” Kim realized she didn’t have to tell this girl anything. Whatever she told her wouldn’t matter as long as it got her to stay the night. “I caught him once before.” Kim began to become very serious. “I confronted him about it and he hit me.” She rubbed her stomach. “I had just found out I was pregnant.”
Lauren covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my god, are you serious? You’re right…That bastard.”
“I guess he had made his decision and wanted to be with the other woman. It got real hard for me the next few months.” Mrs. Kim eyes brimmed with tears. “I was getting ready to leave him when he came back. I would ask what happened with his mistress and he would always tell me, he broke up with her, but I know that was bullshit. Time went on and he started being distant again. And physical with me, but not the way it was. I told myself it was okay, but it wasn’t. Finally, I decided I was going to surprise him at work and bring him a warm lunch. When I got to the quarry, his supervisor told me he went to the Key Lock diner with some coworkers. As soon as I walked in, I recognized his hat. I walked right up on both of them and…” Kim trailed off. “Well, I was packing up my stuff to leave when he came home.” She lifted up her shirt exposing her bruised ribs she received from falling into the doorframe when Keith pushed her.
“Matt never hurt me that bad,” she said, trying to cheer her up, but at the same time realizing she may not have taken the statement the way she meant it. “You are definitely a lot tougher than I am. He didn’t hit me that hard. You know if it wasn’t for your son…”
“Jimmy,” she interjected.
“If it wasn’t for Jimmy, this could actually be a blessing.”
Mrs. Kim eyed her cautiously.
“Think about it. The sinking of the titanic was a tragedy, but a miracle to the lobster that was going to be dinner that night. We needed to get away from our husbands and this is what happened. I am very sorry about Jimmy. No mother should lose their child.”
She began to cry. “I miss my boy. I love him so much.” She openly embraced Lauren as she came in with a hug. “I’ve cried for so many hours. I feel like I have nothing left.”
“I know. I’m here with you now. I’ve cried too.”
Kim laughed and snorted as she wiped her nose. “You know he ate cold canned ravioli. What kid eats cold ravioli?” She laughed again.
“I bet he was a special kid. He was very lucky to have a good mom like you to take care of him.”
Mrs. Kim smiled at the remark, still hugging her. Resting her chin on her shoulder she said, “I don’t want to stay here by my self tonight. Would you stay with me?”
Lauren pretended she had to think about it and check her schedule. “Well, I don’t know. I do have that hair appointment at noon tomorrow.” Both of them laughed. “Of course I will.”
*****
Lauren knelt on the brown suede loveseat, separating two of the curtains in order to peek through them. She was shocked how few undead walked Mrs. Kim’s streets. “My block is a lot busier. By a lot. I must have drawn them all away.” She laughed.
The only noise that could be heard from inside the house was the sound of the Woodwick candle burning in the center of the table. A variety of scented candles rested in a round serving tray creating a sweet, overly pine-scented aroma. The sun had set minutes ago and the only light in the house was the small radius of light the candles created.
“Well, the woods are right behind the house. They’re pretty deep too. Keith used to do all his hunting back there.”
“Really!” Lauren got excited. “That’s all Matt would talk about. He loved hunting. So much I think he might have lied to me a few times, saying he had to go finish something on the ship, so he could go hunting with his buddies.”
“Well at least he would tell you something. Keith would just pack up our son and go.” She clapped her hands together, sending one sliding off. “I would wake up and all the downstairs lights would be on and the truck would be gone.
“Well, at least he took your son,” she said in a playful tone. “So he was a good father?” she asked, examining the streets.
“He was. I mean, I guess he was. He never let Jimmy see him hit me. He would never argue in front of him. He would always save that until after he went to bed.”
“Did you ever think about trying to find them?” She closed the curtains and faced her.
“I did.” She paused visibly upset. “I wasn’t scared of what’s out there. I didn’t go looking because I was scared I might miss them. I didn’t want to leave because I knew they would come back here.” She was crying again. “If I went out and got attacked, I might have missed the opportunity to see them again.”
Lauren leaned in close on the loveseat. “If you tell me where they were or might have been seen last, I could always keep an eye out for them.” She smiled. “I’m going to be out there anyway, I could always search for supplies in the area they were last.”
Kim, sitting on the matching brown suede couch, leaned over and put her hand on Lauren’s cheek. “You are such a sweetheart. It’s too far away. You would have to travel by car to get there.”
“Honestly, it’s not a big deal. I spend most days walking anyway.”
Kim dismissed the idea. “Switch seats with me. If you don’t mind, I would like to put out most of these candles and open up the window. I love letting the cool breeze blow through this window at night.”
Under each candle was a small piece of aluminum foil for dousing the flame. As Mrs. Kim got up to switch seats she placed the foil over all of the candles except for the larger Woodwick candle.
Kim cracked the window. “Do you snore?”
Lauren laughed. “No. Well, at least I don’t think I do.”
“I don’t want you calling them in, speaking their language while we sleep.” She giggled.
“I think we should be all right.”
Mrs. Kim lay on the loveseat and Lauren lay on the couch. Their heads faced the same direction so they could talk quietly before they fell asleep.
“So, your husband is on the ship right now?” Kim asked.
“As far as I know, but…” She trailed off and didn’t continue.
“But…”
Lauren sighed. “He explained almost the same situation on the ship as is here in the states. I talked to him on Skype. He didn’t look good. Even though I knew he wouldn’t be honest with me, I asked him how he was doing. He said he was fine, but he sure didn’t look it. He was very hot and his answers were very short. I don’t think he was supposed to tell me, but he said the whole group was turning around and coming back home.”
“So he may be here in the states?”
“I don’t think so. He was probably on the other side of the world when we talked. I looked at his Facebook page and it was full of women carrying huge mugs of beer, dressed in big puffy green dresses with suspenders. Somewhere in Europe; Germany maybe. Either way, I was just going to leave. I really don’t want anything to do with him anymore.”
“Then maybe it’s for the best that he isn’t here.”
Lauren looked up at the ceiling and didn’t respond. She adjusted her shirt from clinging to the suede. “Maybe we should be quiet now since the window’s open.”
“Goodnight,” Kim said, and closed her eyes.
*****
A cool breeze touched Mrs. Kim’s cheek as she opened her eyes. The candle had almost extinguished itself, drowning in a pool of its melted wax. The light breeze made the glow of the flickering flames dance on Lauren’s back. Her face was nestled comfortably against the back of the couch.
Mrs. Kim moved slowly and quietly to the dining room. Amelia had placed Keith’s hunting knife in his bug out bag on the dining room table. Lifting the flap and loosening the tassels, his Ka-Bar was right where she had left it.
The knife was comfortable in Kim’s hand. The cherry red handle seemed to mold to her grip. The eight-inch black blade would easily do what needed to be done.
“I’m really hungry,” the little boy said, sitting on the loveseat under the window where Kim had rested moments before.
“Don’t worry. I’m gonna give you what you need. I’ll make everything all right.”
The little boy with blue pajamas smiled. “I know you will.”
Kim moved to the sleeping woman and the little boy spoke again. “How are you going to do it?”
“Well, I’m gonna take this knife and I’m gonna to stab her through the back. That should kill her and then your Mommy and me are gonna drag her upstairs where we will leave her for you,” she smiled and spoke in her most innocent and child-like voice.
Jimmy was so excited he could barely contain himself. “Can I watch? I really want to watch.”
Kim thought about it for a while and thought about what Amelia would say. “I don’t think it’s…you probably shouldn’t be here when I do it.” Jimmy sat still in disappointment. “Why don’t you go back upstairs and wait. I promise it won’t be long now.”
She waited for him to walk up the stairs and then moved closer to the sleeping woman. As she gently sat down behind her, Lauren groaned and looked up at her. She had a confused look on her face, but showed no fear. “Is something wrong?” She tried to turn her body to face her, but Kim had given her little room to move.
“Nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect.” Mrs. Kim grinned and Lauren immediately knew something wasn’t right and tried to force her off the couch.
Kim pressed down on her mouth and pushed the Ka-Bar through her back. Lauren let out a brief muffled scream that stopped once the knife went in as far as the hilt would allow. Kim pulled it out and thrust it back in again. She yelped as all eight inches of the knife plunged into her. The blade
went completely through her body. Kim did it again and the knife hit resistance this time, but the heavy blade penetrated the bone. Lauren did not make a sound.
Kim removed her hand from her mouth and slid from the couch and sat on the coffee table. She watched Lauren as she rolled onto her back. The candlelight flickered in the turbulent air, reflecting off the tears rolling down her face. “Lauren, you are a good friend,” Kim said. “I just want you to know that.”
Lauren didn’t answer, but looked toward Kim. She couldn’t breathe.
“What you allowed me to do tonight will greatly improve the health of Amelia’s son Jimmy. He’s upstairs waiting for you. I enjoyed our talks and if I ever run into your husband I will let him know that it is over between you two. I will do that for you.” Kim smiled.
Chapter 8
Finders Keepers
Kim held the lantern over her as she cracked Jimmy’s door open. The putrid stench of rotting flesh assaulted her nose and made her dry heave. Keith’s half-eaten corpse was still lying in the middle of the room. Jimmy was sitting on his bed exactly where Amelia had left him. The Star Wars pillowcase covering his head moved as he turned toward the noise. He let out a low groan in response.
“Yeah honey. I have her. Just hold on for one second and I’ll bring her to you.” She opened his door and set the lantern on his dresser directly in front of him.
She was sweating profusely from dragging Lauren’s body up the stairs. Now that Kim was almost finished, she got a second wind. Dragging her in by her feet, she dropped her directly in front of Jimmy and next to Keith. He continued to groan.
Kim stood across from Jimmy with Lauren’s dead body lying between them. She reached over her and grabbed the top of the pillowcase, pulling it from his head. Flies flew from out from under it in a huge black cloud. She jumped back with surprise and was entirely unprepared when Jimmy immediately attacked her.
He reached out and grabbed her blue T-shirt as she swatted at the flies, and he fell over the body on the floor. She pushed against him, but he was very strong. “She’s here for you, Jimmy. I told you I was bringing her up here for you.” Kim pushed against him again and stepped away from the dresser, giving her room to move. Jimmy, still clinging to her shirt, began to rip it.
