by Volante, KT
* * *
The LDs walked around the store in their usual, rambling way. I noticed that once we were out of sight (and out of smell), we were forgotten. Some LDs wandered out of the store, unintentionally, as they followed the path of least resistance. Another important trait to tell Jeff. I walked to the outside window and looked out. LDs were in the back alley, but not nearly as many as on the main street. I turned to Harrison.
“I think we can make it to our van.”
“Through the store?” he asked.
“No, out this window.”
“Fly?” the young guy asked.
I looked at him.
“I’d rather not, but if I can get downstairs and grab a few ropes, we can climb down to the van.”
“Is that all? That’s a lot of ifs and a lot of luck,” he replied.
“I’m sorry about Mother, is it? But we can’t stay here forever. Do you have any other ideas? I’m all ears,” I snapped back.
He shook his head. “Not yet, but right now, we’re okay. No sense panicking and doing something stupid.”
I took a deep breath.
“Harrison, sooner or later the back alley will be full of LDs,” I said.
“I agree with him,” Harrison replied. “Let’s think about another way out. If more LDs do go into the alley, then we go with your plan.”
It seemed like the others disagreed with us and moved to the opposite of the office. Shame, I thought. It would be good if we could help each other.
After an hour that felt like days, Harrison said, “Lacey, I think it’s time we get out of here. The LDs in the store aren’t wandering out anymore, and more are by the ropes. Let’s tell them again we’re leaving.”
I nodded and stepped toward the others.
“Hey,” I announced, “we think it’s time to leave. Oh, by the way, this is Harrison, and I’m Lacey. Anyway, we think it’s time to get out of here. Those things aren’t leaving. We’re going forth with my plan, unless you have another idea. You can join us if you want or stay here.”
“Our car is on the main street so we’re stuck here,” said the woman. “I’m Betty and he’s Luke. We won’t leave Mother until we know her fate.”
Betty looked like she was in her early thirties. Not skinny but not fat. She had dark brown wavy hair and a nice smile. I think it was the smile that made me trust her immediately.
The young man, Luke, could not have been more than twenty. He still had teenage acne.
“Are you guys alone or are you part of a bigger group?” asked Harrison.
“Just us and Mother….” Betty’s voiced trailed off.
“You’re welcome to join us. We have a few more people back home,” I added.
They didn’t answer me.
* * *
Harrison wanted to go downstairs to get the ropes. I fought him on this; not only were the ropes my idea, but I had a smaller chance of being noticed by those things. But in the end, I gave in.
“Since we know they’re attracted to noise,” I said, “I suggest we throw things to the other side of the store; then the LDs should wander that way. Then Harrison would have a better chance of getting the rope.”
Our new acquaintances agreed to help. I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon but didn’t find anything. I didn’t like the idea of Harrison down there without any weapons, but we didn’t have a choice. In such a small area with so many LDs, gunshots would draw more LDs in from the street. We gathered small items like a tape dispenser, staplers, and pencil holders to throw.
Harrison was ready to go. I was ready at the window. The LDs moved toward the noise of the objects I threw. Harrison started down the stairs. He went straight to the ropes, grabbed a few, and started back. My distraction wasn’t enough. LDs had either heard or smelled him and headed his way. He came across a display of dowels. He picked the thickest one. A line of LDs walked up on him. He swung. The crack of the dowel upon an LD’s head sounded like smashed melons. Blood and brains flew over the shelves. Not to waste a move, Harrison swung to the right, then back to the left. He hit one after another. More and more LDs walked toward him. When he realized he was outnumbered, he turned and ran. I wanted to yell to him that more were on the other side of the aisle when an arm came out of a closet and pulled him in.
“What the fuck?” I yelled.
“Mother,” Betty said. “It must be Mother.”
I turned, closed my eyes, and nodded. We waited again, and again, it seemed like hours. I never left the window. Then, finally, I saw them. They poured a liquid behind them as they ran to the stairs. The odor wafted up to me. Ammonia? Like Luke had done, Harrison pulled down displays or anything that would block the aisles. As soon as they entered, Mother was swooped up by her kids. I hugged Harrison.
Mother explained, “I couldn’t follow you up the stairs to the office, so I hid in the closet. Then my foot toppled over a bottle of ammonia. The ammonia smell was so strong I couldn’t breathe so I opened the door. That’s when I noticed the infected didn’t like it either. So I just poured a little more every so often to keep them away. Then I heard all that noise and figured it was a live one out there. I opened the door and pulled that big guy into the closet.” She stopped and smiled at Harrison, then continued. “We stayed in the closet until the smell got to be too much, and here we are!” She smiled.
“And now it’s time for all of us to leave,” I said.
“The front door is open, so they would be on us in no time,” Mother replied. “Besides, the street is full of them; we couldn’t get to our car.”
“Our van is in the back alley; you can come with us,” said Harrison. “I think we can get out the back door. I blocked the end of the aisle. If we throw things again, some of the LDs will go toward the noise. The few that don’t move we’ll have to deal with, as well as the LDs in the alley.”
“Where’s the ammonia?” Betty asked. “We could use that also.”
Mother looked at us. “LDs?”
Harrison chuckled, “Living Dead.”
Mother nodded. I took my first good look at her now. She was a middle-aged, tall, thin woman with beautiful mocha skin. She looked fragile, but she had an aura about her that meant business. I bet few people ever debated with Mother.
Luke and Harrison figured out a plan to get out of the store. We threw more office supplies out the window to distract the LDs again. As the LDs headed in the opposite direction, we ran down the stairs. Harrison led us out quickly and quietly. We finally got out of the store. Once outside, our presence was definitely noted. At least a dozen LDs staggered our way. We didn’t want to use our guns, but we had no choice. When all of us fired, it rained down LD blood and brains. So messy! Note to self: Next supply run, wear a hat! We got into the van just as more LDs got to us. The drive out wasn’t easy; we knocked down or drove over many LDs and trashcans.
“Where are you staying?” I asked our new friends.
“We have a house about thirty minutes from here. We wanted to board up the windows; that’s why we came here. Where do you live?” Mother asked.
“My home is outside of town. There are a few more of us there. Same here; we wanted to board up the windows. You’re welcome to stay with us. The more people, the better, in my opinion.”
“I thought this was a passing disaster, a short passing disaster, but it doesn’t appear that way,” said Luke.
“We will meet your people, but I can’t say if we’ll stay,” Mother replied. “Nothing against you, mind you. It’s just, well, we just met you. I mean, trust isn’t instant, is it?”
I felt the same way, but I feared that without enough people, survival would be harder.
“Come meet the rest of us. We are a bunch of people working together to survive this. After all, we just met today, yet we worked together and got through the hardware store.”
* * *
A while later, Harrison remarked, “We still need supplies—especially now if they stay with us.”
&
nbsp; “There’s no time like the present,” I said, and then I turned to our new friends. “After the hardware store, we were going to search for food. We’d like to do that now. Any problems with that?”
Mother looked at me for a moment, then said, “We’ll go with you. However, if we decide not to stay with you, whatever supplies we get today, we split, 50/50.”
If the tables had been turned, I would have asked the same.
“Agreed.”
* * *
Harrison and I had already planned what grocery store we would go to. It was a small chain store. Larger stores scared me. Now that we had more people to help, we could get in and out of the store much faster. But more people and guns also meant more noise.
Slowly, Harrison drove up to the store. The parking lot had a good number of cars in it. We all got out of the van and reloaded our guns.
“We go in as two groups. Lacey and I will go right, you three to the left. You know quiet is our biggest advantage. Take carts and fill them with as much food as you can. Remember, the electricity has been out for a while, so it’s going to smell horrible.” Then Harrison grinned.
“And if there’s ammonia, get that too,” said Luke. “Let’s get this over with.”
We walked to the front doors. Luke kicked at the door. The men had to pry the doors open, and as soon as they did, the LDs streamed out. We stood in a line. It reminded me of the Western Gunfight at the O. K. Corral. As we fired, it was a repeat from earlier that day—blood and brains rained down on us. When no more LDs came out, we went into the store. We knew there would be more LDs inside.
Quickly, quietly, we moved up and down the aisles. We heard movement all around us, but unless the LDs attacked, we left them alone. With our carts full, Harrison and I headed to the van and loaded the supplies; then we waited for the others. And we waited. Harrison and I eyed each other.
“Give them ten more minutes. Then we go in,” I said.
“This just might be the shortest friendship in history.” He chuckled.
I grinned.
We had just started to walk toward the store when they came out with carts full of supplies.
“We were worried—just about to go in to look for you,” I said.
Mother gave me a broad smile. “We got supplies! And there are still more in there. We should go back.”
“We need the supplies, but I’m not sure we can hold any more in the van,” said Harrison.
Mother nodded to the others to step aside so they could talk in private. I did the same with Harrison.
“Do you think they still want to join us?” Harrison asked.
“With this big a haul of supplies, they don’t need us. They can go their way,” I said sadly.
“Joining us is more than just supplies. It’s safety in numbers for the long haul,” he replied.
“I hope they do stay with us,” I said, “but don’t be surprised if they want to go their own way.”
Luke walked over to us. Betty and Mother watched out for LDs.
“We want to join up with you. There are still supplies here, so we should come back soon before other survivors take them.”
“Agreed. Let’s go home. We can come tomorrow,” I said with a smile.
We piled into the van. It was a tight squeeze. We headed home.
* * *
When we pulled into the driveway, the others came out. Once the introductions were over, I felt the tension leave. Everyone brought supplies into the house.
“Is Mother your real name?” Jeremiah asked.
“You don’t like my name?” replied Mother.
“I like it; just asking,” he said.
His eyes met mine. I smiled at him and gave him an approving nod.
“No, my real name is Sheila; I was given the nickname Mother at my job and it stuck. Now it’s the only name I use.
“Nice house. I see why you wanted to stay here. I’m good in the kitchen. I would be happy to make supper,” Mother said as she looked around.
“Sure,” I said. “We take turns doing the cooking and other chores, but go for it.”
A smile came to her face.
* * *
A few hours later, the aroma of supper permeated the house.
“Supper’s ready; sit down now,” said Mother.
We all gathered around the table and eagerly began to eat.
“It’s amazing, Mother,” I said after a couple of bites. “It’s delicious, and this from our grocery odds and ends! Were you a chef?”
Luke chuckled. “I always said that, but no she isn’t.”
Mother looked at both of us. “If you want, Luke can do all the cooking.”
Somehow, I didn’t think he would be as good a cook as Mother.
* * *
The kids started to prep our home for the night. They closed the windows and drew the shades and drapes. We added another step to our nighttime ritual. Two people would stand guard while another two would pour ammonia around the house. We were careful not to use too much; we had to make it last, and we didn’t want the ammonia smell inside the house.
* * *
We had met by chance, but now we were family. It’s been a few weeks now, and Mother hadn’t officially said they had decided to stay with us, but I thought it was time to ask her. But Mother being Mother, she beat me to it.
“We have supplies at my home; things we can use here. I would like to go bring them here. Would tomorrow be a good time?” Mother asked.
“Okay. Will the van be enough? Or do you want to take the SUV also? Who will be going?” I asked.
“Luke and I will go,” Mother replied. “Betty, you stay here. But we can use another strong body.”
I looked around. “Jeff, you up to this?”
“Sure am,” he said with a grin.
Mother smiled and said, “Settled. We should leave first thing in the morning. I think the van would do; it can hold the big stuff. My car is there, and I’ll bring it back. I guess we’re about an hour away, so it’ll take about three, maybe four, hours to gather everything up and an hour back.”
“Good. You’ll be back before dark. I don’t like anyone out after dark. Betty, Harrison, would you make sure the guns have enough ammo?”
“What should we do?” asked Jeremiah.
The kids realized this new life demanded more of them. Their childhood was gone.
“Kids, tomorrow you get food and water ready for them.”
The kids smiled.
At first light of day, they left.
Chapter Five
Finally, Jeff, Luke, and Mother returned home. They parked the vehicles and got out.
I watched as they got out of the vehicles. I was about to ask what had happened when Luke walked past me and into the house.
I walked to Mother and Jeff.
“I was getting worried; you are way overdue,” I said as I watched Luke go into the house. “What happened? What’s wrong with Luke, and why are you so late?”
When they didn’t answer, I turned and saw they were also watching Luke.
“Jeff? Mother?” I repeated.
“We’re fine,” said Jeff in a tired voice. “We’ll explain everything inside. We haven’t eaten. We need food and water.”
The family walked inside the house. Brittany and the kids made supper.
Once we all sat down to eat, Mother, Jeff, and Luke told everyone what had happened.
“I drove the van since I knew the way. Jeff rode with me and Luke followed us in the car,” Mother explained. “We passed many houses that were ransacked. LDs wandered the streets. I lived in a modest-income neighborhood. Small houses close together with chain-linked fences between them and small front yards. It was a blue-collar community. I grew up there and lived there until meeting you folks. But that isn’t my home anymore; that isn’t my neighborhood; now it’s houses on a street.”
Jeff said, “We pulled into her driveway and got out of a van. Luke parked next to us. The front door was unlocked since
there was no need to lock the house anymore. Once inside, Mother went into the kitchen. Luke and I went upstairs. We gathered clothing, food, and water. Luke suggested we should bring the mattresses here.”
“We had room for them,” Mother added. “We had the car so we put the smaller supplies in the car and the mattresses in the van.”
Jeff continued, “Within a few hours, everything was packed and we started on our way back home.”
“I asked Jeff if he remembered how to get back,” Mother said.
“Yeah, well I thought I did,” Jeff said in his defense.
“So,” Mother continued, “Jeff drove the van because I was a little tired. Luke followed in the car. I fell asleep within blocks. Jeff thought he knew the way back, but when he stopped at an intersection, it didn’t seem familiar and he realized he was lost. He gently nudged me. I looked around. Then I yelled, ‘What the hell! Where are we? I fall asleep for a few minutes and you get us lost! Why didn’t you wake me earlier?’”
Jeff laughed. “Luke was right behind us. Mother got out of the van and slammed the door. She walked over to Luke. He locked the car doors.
“Mother asked, ‘What’s your excuse? You know the area. Where are we?’ I laughed my ass off. I think it pissed off Mother.”
Mother shot him a mean glance.
“I told Mother to calm the hell down,” Jeff continued. “I said we’ll look at the map and get home. But Mother said she knew where we were.”
“‘Let’s get going. I’ll drive,’ I told him,” said Mother. “Hell, if I had let him drive again, we might have ended up in Canada.”
“I asked Luke if I could drive the car,” said Jeff. “I told him he looked like he needed a break. But he said, ‘Nah, I’m fine.’ I think he wanted the car all to himself.”
They grinned at each other. Jeff knew Luke hadn’t wanted to be in the van with Mother either.
“We started off again and a few miles away I saw it,” said Jeff. “After fifteen minutes, we passed a large building with a six-foot brick wall surrounding it. ‘Wow, look at that! Stop! Stop!’ I yelled.”
