by Volante, KT
“Yeah, we can help!” said Jeremiah.
Lucy pouted. “I can help too.”
Alice nodded in agreement.
“And you are going to help here while they’re helping there. We all have to help, remember.”
They nodded but still felt slighted.
“If we bring mattresses, we may need a few more trips,” Sid said as he eyed me. “We need something to sleep on. Pretty uncomfortable sleeping on the floor.”
“Good idea,” I said. “Let’s bring them on the second run.”
“Jeff, anything new on LD behavior that can help us?” asked Sid.
“Now they’re moving together as a pack. Before, they were individuals just going in the same direction. Now it seems like they’ve joined together to work together. I don’t think they’re consciously doing this—more of basic pack instincts.”
“Scary nonetheless,” added Mother.
“Very scary,” Harrison agreed.
“I think we need to keep watch tonight. If another group of LDs finds us, I don’t want to be unprepared. Harrison, can you make a schedule?” I asked.
“Sure, three-hour shifts?”
“Fine. I’ll take the first watch,” I volunteered.
Mother now got the kids in bed. The rest of the family went to bed soon after.
I peeked through the window. Nothing. I walked outside to the porch. When I took a deep breath, I coughed. The LD stink was still there. I looked around. This was my porch, my front yard, and my house. I felt as if my house had been raped. All its innocence had been stripped away. I looked at the sky. The same sky Ben and I would look at. Growls interrupted my reverie. I walked back into the house. I checked all the windows and doors and brought a dining room chair to the front window.
Moonlight shone on the street. I saw LDs stroll by the house. My three hours were up. I woke up Brittany, who had the next watch. We walked into the hallway where we could talk without waking anyone.
“LDs walked by the house; thankfully, none came into the yard. There’s a chair by the front window. Keep your gun with you and get us if you need anything. Wake up Sid in three hours,” I said with a smile.
I could tell she was nervous. But she only had three hours.
“I think I’ll sleep on the couch,” I said.
Brittany relaxed, knowing I was nearby. I fell asleep quickly.
* * *
When morning sunlight came into the window, I knew it was time to get up. No one was up except Sid, who stood watch. The house was quiet and the morning was beautiful. If I closed my eyes, I could smell the coffee Ben would make for me. One final look—that was all I would give myself. No room for the past in The Flip. I walked outside to the rosebush Ben had planted the weekend after we had moved here. A new home would be good for me. No more rose bushes; pictures of the past that would never return. I was ready to leave.
* * *
I walked back into the house. Everyone was ready for the first trip. They waited for me before they would leave. Why, I don’t know.
“Be safe; we’ll have everything ready for the next trip when you get back,” I told them.
We watched them until they were out of sight.
“I would guess it’ll take two hours for them to get back here,” I said to the rest of the family. “So let’s organize the rest of the supplies in piles for each vehicle.”
Lucy walked up to me and gave me a hug.
“Thank you. What did I do to deserve that?” I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Are you excited about moving?” I asked.
“No. Is it really safe there?” she asked.
I knelt down and looked in her eyes.
“Oh, Lucy, don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you. All the other adults and kids will be living there too. It’s not a home yet; it’s more like a church building, but we’ll make it our home.”
She fell into my arms and started to cry. I held her tightly. No words would make the unknown feel safer. She, like the other kids, had lost so much and been through so many changes, and now another change. These were some strong kids.
* * *
They returned right on time. The vehicles backed into the yard and driveway. We started to load the vehicles.
“Any problems with the LDs? Does anyone need a break?” I asked.
“The groups of LDs are getting bigger. We detoured three times to get back. And everyone should go to the compound,” said Harrison.
“I underestimated the amount of supplies,” I replied. “We’ll need to make another trip, if not two. Everyone will go to our new home this trip and we’ll stay there. Then we’ll make as many more runs as we can.”
I was careful to say our new home and not the compound.
Brittany and I separated out what we needed for now and what we could wait for or do without.
“Ready to go, Lacey?” asked Sid.
“Let’s go then,” I replied.
* * *
The caravan set out to the compound with Harrison in the lead. Sid drove the car that Lucy, Alice, and I were in. We were the last vehicle in the caravan.
“LDs, Sid—a good-sized swarm,” I announced.
“I see them.”
The LDs came after us. The caravan either ran over or hit the LDs. Their bodies flew off the road. I was afraid the bodies would stop the car. The LDs surrounded the SUV in front of us with Jeff and Betty in it. Sid drove the car as close to the SUV as he could. A few times, he bumped the SUV.
“This way the LDs can’t get between Jeff and us,” Sid explained.
But a gap developed between the cars and the LDs surrounded us. We barely moved. Sid made a sharp right turn onto a county road. This got us out of the swarm. A few LDs were still on this road, but we easily avoided them.
“I want to go home,” cried Alice.
“We are sweetie, we are. We will be back with the others soon. No worries,” Sid said.
Finally, we arrived at the compound. Brittany opened the gate. We drove in. Mother came out with a smile.
“Finally, you’re here. We worried you had to turn around.”
“Sid got us here by a different route. Is everyone here?” I asked.
“Yes, safe and sound,” Mother reassured me.
I thought the boys had come out to greet us, but instead, they made a beeline for Alice and Lucy. Off they went to explore.
“Stay on the grounds. No going outside the walls!” I hollered after them.
They nodded as they ran off.
Harrison and Sid walked over to me.
“We’re going back now. This’ll be the last run for today.”
They looked tired.
“Okay. Be careful.”
* * *
This would be a safer home—that brick wall would keep the LDs out. I turned my attention to the main building. It was not a home now, but it would be. Note to self: Let’s start calling it our home.
I walked into the building. Mother was in the kitchen as always. I went upstairs. I wanted to figure out where everyone would sleep and where to store supplies. Upstairs were four large standard classrooms. All of them had desks and chairs, chalkboards, and small closets with school supplies. These would be our bedrooms—shared bedrooms for now. Down the hall was a small room. It was so small it could be a closet. It had a small desk, a chair, and one file cabinet. You could open the window and the door without getting out of your seat. At the end of the hall were men and women’s bathrooms. Without running water, however, their use was limited. Note to self: We need to get the water running again.
I returned downstairs. There were two small offices off the kitchen, most likely used by administration staff. Both had desks and multiple file cabinets. The inner office we would use as an armory. The outer office would hold supplies.
The main room was an activity center. A small stage was at one end. The kitchen was to the left of the stage. Racks of chairs and tables were against the outer wall next to the main door. O
n the distant wall was a large fireplace. For now, Mother would cook there and it would be our source of heat. There was a large hallway on the same wall as the fireplace, with chairs against the wall. This hallway led to a small living room. Off the living room was a doorway to a changing room and showers. Again, with no running water, its use would be limited. This compound had great possibilities.
I called the kids in. They came in anxious to tell me of the wondrous things they had found.
“And it’s so big,” said Alice. “We can play out there.”
“Excellent!” I said with a big smile. “But we need your help in here. Can you help us and then play outside later?”
“I can really use some help in here too,” Mother said.
“Hmm,” I said, holding back a smile. “I can really use their help.”
The kids eyed me, not sure whether they should be excited or scared.
“Okay, but I’ll be starting supper soon and will need them,” said Mother.
“No problem.” I turned to the kids. “Come upstairs with me. We need to take the desks out of the rooms so we can put the mattresses in there.”
“Race ya!” Jeremiah ran up the stairs with the other kids in hot pursuit.
Once we were all upstairs, I said, “We need to pick out our bedrooms—one room for the guys and one for the girls. Which ones should we use?”
The four of them walked into each room. Each room was a mirror image of the other. The kids whispered to each other.
“This one is for the boys and the next one for the girls,” Kevin said.
They chose the two inner rooms.
“Good choice. Let’s keep some of the desks and chairs in each room and move the rest to the spare classrooms.”
The kids rearranged the rooms. I wanted to help, but they told me to sit down. This was their job.
The desks and closets had books and papers in them. These would be good fire-starters. When we were finished, we brought the papers to Mother.
Mother started supper in the fireplace in the main room.
“Our next supply run, we have to find a few barbecue grills,” she said. “It’s too hard cooking like this.”
Kevin and Lucy ran in.
“They’re back! They’re back!”
Everyone but Mother went out to greet Sid and Harrison.
“Any problems?” I asked.
“The usual—nothing major,” Sid answered.
“Let’s get the mattresses upstairs before supper. We can sort out the rest tomorrow,” I replied.
While the men brought the mattresses upstairs, the kids and I set up tables and chairs.
* * *
Soon after, we sat down to our first meal in our new home. I wanted to say a prayer of thanks, but I could not bring myself to do so. I was thankful for our food and the new home and family, but not thankful for how we had become a family or the loss of all our loved ones.
“After supper, we should get our beds set up,” I said as we ate. “There are many file cabinets we can empty. The papers can be used as fire-starters. Then line up the cabinets and the desks to make individual sleeping areas. The file cabinets can hold our clothes.”
“Tomorrow, we should see what’s in the basement. Might be things we can use,” said Sid.
Mother continued, “We have lots to explore in our new home.”
The kids looked happy, except for Lucy, who looked scared.
“Lucy, would you like to sleep next to me?” I asked.
She gave me a small smile and nodded.
* * *
We finished supper and started to clean up. Luke covered the window he had broken with wood. Thin curtains covered all the windows. They would need to be replaced.
Jeff was alone in the main room writing. I walked up to him.
“Anything new about the LDs?”
Jeff grinned. “When people die, their body, the tissue, breaks down, decays. These poor things are not decaying. They smell like decay, but they don’t. They look the same now as they did the first day, and it’s been several months. They’re moving just as slow, smell just as bad, and sadly attack and eat the living just as much. They can’t analyze problems or think critically—like ducking under the garage door. But nothing stays the same. Nothing. So the question is: How are they changing or going to change?”
I thought a moment and said, “They must decay at some rate. And I think they are evolving. The groups we saw coming here acted as one. Not just bodies in the same direction, but together to stop us.”
“How do we know they don’t have a heartbeat?” Jeff added. “How do we know there aren’t thoughts in their heads, besides bite and chew? Like you said, they are starting to act as one.”
“So what do we do? Capture one and study it? No thanks. I’m not interested in studying them, curing them, or killing them. Unless they get in our way or threaten us.”
Jeff just looked at me.
“Jeff, how many people worked at Mt. Helena Hospital? Or just in the emergency department? And how many of us survived? We don’t have the resources to study them, or kill them all. We have limited ammo.”
“Do you think I want to study them like lab rats? Hell, no. I want to study them from a distance. Maybe I can figure out how to keep them away.”
I realized I had assumed what his motives were and been totally wrong.
“Jeff, I’m sorry. I jumped to a conclusion. I’m sorry. I trust you. I really do.”
“Accepted and forgotten,” he said.
“But I—I mean, I thought.”
“Shut up, Lacey; we’re good; don’t worry.”
I hugged him.
* * *
Everyone was walking around, checking out the inside of the building.
“Kids,” I said, “can you show everyone to the bedrooms? Take up what you need for the night. The rest we can sort out tomorrow.”
The kids led the way.
“Pick a spot. Doesn’t matter where. We can move the mattresses if you like. Lucy, do you want to put your mattress next to mine?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Oh, okay. Where do you—”
“I want to sleep with you on your mattress,” she said.
Alice joined in, “And I want to sleep with Brittany.”
Brittany grinned. “Fine with me, girlfriend.”
She held out her hand and Alice took it.
We settled down for our first night in our new home.
Brittany said, “Good night, John-Boy.”
The adults laughed.
Lucy asked, “Who’s John-Boy?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” I answered.
Chapter Seven
The next day, the guys went back to the house. Too many LDs were on the roads so they had to turn around.
“We can try again next week. Maybe the LDs will be gone by then,” said Sid.
“How far away are they from here?” I asked.
“Last one we saw was on Main Street, probably a good few miles away from the turn onto Sudder Avenue,” Harrison reported.
“I think the brick walls will protect us against the LDs. Hey, maybe we could get cameras on the walls. Then we could monitor the streets,” said Sid.
“Good idea, but we don’t have any electricity. We could really use some power. And running water,” Mother said.
Then Sid and I looked at each other with big eyes and said in unison, “Solar power!”
“Yeah, yeah, solar power!” Sid said enthusiastically. “There are lots of those solar power panels on the highway. You know those signs that tell you about road construction or detours. They would be perfect. If we could figure out how to hook them up to the power grid here, we could have running water and lights—one step closer to normal.”
“Calm down, Sid. First we have to find them, and I think we’ll need a lot of them. Then we can figure out how to use them; connect them to here,” I said, smiling.
“It can’t be that hard; it’s not rock
et science,” he replied.
“We can go out with the box truck. That can hold a few of them,” said Harrison.
“I worked for an electrician before The Flip,” Luke joined in. “I can figure out how to use them. The solar panels charge a battery and that battery supplies energy to the signs. So if we change out the sign for…let’s say the water pump, we should have a working water pump.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a plan,” I said.
It was so good to see everyone so excited.
“Okay,” I said, “so how about we send out three people with the box truck. Volunteers?”
Everyone wanted to go. I heard a lot of “It’s my turn to go out,” and “No, you went out last time.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll send out a group every day. Different people each time and to different areas. We’ll also need people to go out on runs for the usual stuff. Those not out on a run will get this place organized. Agreed?”
There were nods and thumbs up all around.
“We need lists of items, besides the usual food and water. Brittany, you’re in charge of that list, and prioritize the items.”
Brittany smiled.
* * *
The next few days we continued to unpack and figure out what we needed. It became our routine to discuss the next day’s activities after supper.
“I would like to make a supply run in a day or two,” I began. “I want to concentrate on things we need for our home besides food. I’d like everyone to give Brittany their wish lists. Luke, Harrison, and Betty, you’re on first solar power panel detail. Luke, you need to give us any special instructions for how to get those signs home. Sid, Jeff, and I will go on a supply.”
Luke smiled and said, “Shouldn’t take more than to roll them in the truck. Some towns are using them to power other things like streetlights; some homes are using them to supplement their power. Just remember where the home solar panels are and we can get them later on.”
“I would rather stay here,” Jeff said. “Too much work to be done here and too many people out. The LDs may not see us, but they can smell us.”
