11
She’s singing. Dan furrows his brow. Why is she singing? He watches his sheriff hum to herself in the office, noticing an extra bounce in her step this morning. She moves swiftly to the coffee pot upon seeing him enter and asks if he’d like a cup. She never does this. Typically, Dan is the one offering to grab her a cup as he pours his own.
“I added some cinnamon to the grounds,” she says with a wide smile.
Dan has to admit it does smell really good, but he must ask, “What’s gotten into you?”
“Oz!” she blurts, unable to contain the news.
The spontaneous confession causes Dan to inhale his coffee and have a coughing fit, but he manages to choke out, “What?”
“Oz got into me!” She beams. “Last night!”
Now wearing his beverage, Dan recovers as Carla goes on about the events of her evening after they left Raleigh. He is thankful that the words are escaping her at such a high rate of speed he can’t fully track the details. Fearing he may actually become privy to things he will never be able to unheard, he has to stop her. “Whoa! Take a break. Why are you telling me all this?”
“I have to tell someone! Becka’s at the radio station and your wife is up the hill. Come on, you’re my platonic, married guy-friend. You’re practically a woman. I need girl talk!”
Dan isn’t entirely sure how to take this. He clears the last of the coffee from his windpipe while waving her away. “Go! Go up the hill and find Heather.”
“Really? I can have the day off?”
“Get the fuck outta here.” Dan dismisses her with a laugh. He does charge her with one task as she rushes out the door. “Check on the Raleigh woman while you’re up there.”
“You’re the best boss ever!” She thanks him from the door, grinning from ear to ear.
In the schoolyard, the children are playing zombie tag with Nerf guns. In the coming weeks, those who have their guardian’s consent will be brought to the range to use real firearms and learn gun safety. The ‘infected’ children hobble after the ‘survivors,’ who run while trying to score a headshot. Some lay on the grass ‘dead’ from wounds sustained by the foam ammunition. In order to keep the game going, the kids laying prone need only to count to fifty in order to cure themselves and rejoin the living. If only it was that easy, Dan thinks as he strolls closer.
Games such as this have replaced freeze tag and stuck in the mud. The cautionary advice ‘don’t talk to strangers’ has been replaced by ‘if they don’t say good day, just run away.’ The townsfolk have gotten into the habit of acknowledging each other while passing on the street, lest they be mistaken for the walking dead. It’s became a common fear after an overzealous sentry gunned down an inebriated man one morning. Since then the consumption of alcohol is only available in moderate quantities.
The second his sheriff had left for the hill, Dan decided to take this walk. He had seen Oz near the playground on his way into the office. The large man is still there on the bench, watching his kids play.
Dan sits next to him. “So, I hear you’ve decided to court my little girl.”
The big man laughs at the over-protective dad act. “She told you?”
“I had to send her away before she gave me too many details. Congrats, I’m happy for you guys.”
“I’m very happy.” Oz smiles. “It’s weird. I’m not used to the feeling. Now I got all these kids and a great girl. I think I like it.”
##
“Oh my god!” Carla hugs Heather who has just shared her own news. “A baby! I’m so excited!”
“We don’t know when yet.” Heather tries to calm her friend. “It’s just talk right now.”
“At least tell me you two are practicing.”
“We don’t need practice, Carla.” Heather chuckles. “And, what about you and Oz?”
“I was a little rusty at first, but after we got…”
“Not that!” Heather swats Carla with a towel she just folded. “I was talking about motherhood. Are you ready to take on twenty-four kids?”
“As long as it’s these kids. They’re full grown, well-mannered, and house broken. Best of all they’re a great bunch and they’re his.”
“Could we be hearing wedding bells?”
“Whoa! Slow the fuck down!” Carla waves her hands to end the topic. “So far we only know that we’re compatible in one area. I’d like to explore that particular area for a while before doing anything drastic, like marrying the guy.”
The ladies talk over coffee. They continue to catch up on each other’s lives, since they haven’t had much time together in the past few weeks. They even delve into the town gossip, anything but what lurks on the floor above. They had checked on the refugees; the women say they are fine and relieved to be free, but they’ve been through a lot, suffered horrors most wouldn’t wish on their worst enemies. The scars of the ordeal show in their eyes, and it is evident in their voices. The memories will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
12
Though they never let it interfere with their work, Oz and Carla’s budding romance becomes the talk of the town, and they have become the IT couple of New Castle.
Not too far away, another love blossoms between Dustin and Eve, albeit one-sided. Nevertheless, yet it pains him to be so close and feel so strongly for someone so radiant that he can never touch, he stays. He takes care of her. Never before has he ever wanted to be burdened by another soul, but now he welcomes it. The urges that torment him to enter her enclosure without the protective wear are fleeting and easily overcome.
Eve has been reading to him from the bible. It puzzles him that coming from anyone else’s lips these scriptures would be nonsense, worthy of snarky comments and furious eye rolling, but with her he is patient. Her recitations actually, sort of, make sense to him and are very beautiful. He has never been a religious person, and often referred to such practices as ‘bullshit.’ He once thought that the vast majority of spiritual people were just following it because they were told to when they were younger, that they don’t truly believe and it’s more of a learned behavior from their parents. He used to call them sheep, but now he’s becoming one of the flock.
Dustin is on the road, on his way back from gathering food for his lady fair. The former man of the house had slaughtered the farm’s livestock already, so Eve has plenty of food still but mentioned wanting something sweet. He didn’t hesitate to hop into his Camaro to fetch her heart’s desire.
Dustin scrolls through his eclectic playlist, but none of it sounds good to him at the moment. The driver disconnects the slim music device from the car’s sound system, allowing it to pick up broadcasts. Past experience should have him hearing static, but instead he hears a pleasant female voice.
“… That was Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train. Coming up is more classic rock, followed swiftly by my daily apology to Mrs. McCleary. Before we get to the music, I have an announcement: New Castle’s first and only band, the Revenants--that means ravenous flesh eaters… don’t feel bad I had to look it up myself… are looking for a guitarist. Those interested should drop by their garage on the farthest side of town to try out.
“In honor of this, here’s a solid block of AC/DC. And for those about to rock, I salute you.”
Dustin floors the accelerator to get home to Eve. Though the band that thunders from his speakers had earned him many speeding tickets in the past, he barely registers them. His mind is set on telling his girl the great news.
The car skids to a stop by the front porch, and he leaves Eve’s candy on the floor, where it had flown during his hasty parking job. He has forgotten the very reason he had gone out. He tells the girl everything he heard on the radio and his plans in one incoherent stream.
Eve is stunned. From the jumble of words she discerns the gist. “You want to leave?”
“Yes!” He paces the dining room, unable to stand still. “But I want you to come too. Then we can have it all. We’ll be together with more people, and I can p
lay music.”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to leave my home.”
“You won’t. Not the part you live in, right?”
“The people who donated my trailer sent my dad to a special school to learn how to drive the big truck. It’s very complicated.”
“I can do it,” he tells her. “I’ll drive slow. According to the map, New Castle is so close.”
Dustin’s eagerness blinds him to the dangers, as well as the girl’s fears. Eve’s voice falters. “I can’t blame you for wanting to go, but I can’t. If you do decide to leave, please promise you’ll visit me. I like taking to you, and without your help I will die.”
The sorrow in her voice anchors him to reality, and he questions leaving. Is it worth it? They aren’t a couple. Neither has said ‘I love you’ to the other. Dustin does feel it in his heart, though he isn’t certain she reciprocates. Lying awake at night he had pondered whether she is even capable. Perhaps she’s too innocent to love another being who isn’t family.
Eve quietly dismisses herself from the oval of glass to gaze out the window that overlooks the grave Dustin had dug for her father, right next to her mom’s. Together they had seen the country, but always came home to roost. Though almost literally a stone’s throw away, New Castle might as well be on the moon. She sees Dustin pass by her field of vision on his way to the truck.
##
How hard can it be? Dustin thinks, struggling to raise his 5’4” body up into the semi’s cab. The man who had once driven his family to the Grand Canyon in this very seat was a much larger man than he is. He finds himself dwarfed by the massive vehicle, like a child in his parents’ car. He can’t reach the pedals when seated against the backrest, so he must scooch forward to the edge just to see over the hood. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, he is certain he can do this. He will drive this rig to New Castle and live the dream.
Behind the trailer that contains his love is a hitch for towing a car. The height of the setup would be too big for the travelers to take to the store or even through a drive-thru. He plans to drag his Camaro like a caboose.
“Dustin,” Eve’s pleading voice emanates from the walkie-talkie. “Please don’t do this.”
“You’re gonna love it there,” he assures her. “If not, we can always come back.”
“All my supplies are here.”
“I can come back for anything you need,” he reasons. “Plus, they may have a doctor. That’d be a good thing, right?”
“Ok” She agrees with trepidation. “But I think you should go there first and get…”
All he heard was ‘ok.’ After that one simple word he was off to get his car to hitch to their ride. His handset is still in the cab. “…someone from there to come and help you, Dustin… Dustin?”
13
“Come in, New Castle.” The radio in Carla’s office relays these words from someone patrolling beyond the walls.
“Go ahead, Pete,” Carla says into the mouthpiece of her headset.
“We have movement,” his voice is a harsh whisper.
“Where’s your location?”
“I’m on the floor… of my car…”
She doesn’t hear the beep that indicates he’s released the ‘talk’ button; the tone effectively saves them from the monotony of saying ‘over’ all the time. Carla becomes as still as possible as she listens to the man’s jagged breathing and blasts of intense wind. Between the breaths, she can hear the dead.
From the choir of mournful moans, she knows the horde is vast. She holds her own breath. All she can do is listen, and wait for him to come back over the line. She assumes the man is keeping the button down to prevent her voice from drawing the zombies upon him. That’s good, Pete… Smart.
“They’ve passed… There’s just too many of them. I tried to lure them away, but they kept turning… They’re coming home.”
14
The two oval windows attach to the home with rubber gaskets and tight clamps; they are a part of the trailer that contains the fragile Eve. The habitat is switched to auxiliary power, so its life support can draw electricity from the truck when it is running, and from a combination of solar panels and generators until an external source can be tapped. The farmhouse is powered by the dam, as is New Castle. Dustin isn’t concerned. No stopping us now.
The grumble of the truck’s engine is a premature triumph, for he struggles to find first gear before he slowly pulls away from the house, like a shuttle detaching from a space station. Dustin has to turn around in the backyard and navigate the bumpy terrain of the property to get to the road.
Eve is caught off guard. She hadn’t expected they’d be departing so soon. She fights the jostling to walk through her traveling home like a person performing the same act during a tremor. Every step she tries to take lands off its mark due to the shaking floor.
She finally makes it to one of the seats she is supposed to strap herself into during travel. She is situated by one of her windows, but is too scared to look out. She cinches her straps as tight as possible and closes her eyes just as tight. She tries to relax and trust the man driving, the man she thinks she may love.
15
“Hey,” Oz pops his head into the sheriff station. “Lunch?”
The troubled look he receives from Carla tells him they won’t be heading to Slim’s. His girlfriend’s eyes are haunted, and they desperately hold back tears. “Patrols are calling in from all over…”
Carla points to a map on the wall. Small pins have been stuck to indicate the reports. He knows immediately what these indicate; the dead are migrating too close for comfort.
“They’re coming our way from every direction. Pete called from the southwest… He just stopped to piss and they got him. He tried to bait them away from home, but they’re just hell bent on coming here. They’re locked in on us. He shot himself.”
“Fuck,” Oz murmurs. “What can I do?”
“I’m pulling back all the cars. I have them coming in by the eastern bridge, since the dead seem to be thinner in numbers there. Becka’s still at the station. Can you get her?”
“Sure thing.” He kisses her cheek. “Relax. We’ll get through this.”
Oz exits alone and is confronted by countless eager faces. “Where’s Carla?”
“She’s busy, kids,” he tells his brood sadly. “Change of plans I’m afraid. I have to go out and get Auntie Becka.”
They ask if they can come, though they know they aren’t allowed outside the walls. Oz simply tells them ‘no’ as he scans the faces of bystanders for one he trusts. “David! I need you to take the kids.”
The man who had reluctantly taken on partial guardianship of the children, volunteered by Oz, gets out of his compact hybrid. “I was actually planning on…”
“This is serious. Please?”
Oz is neither the type of man to say please, nor is he one to shirk his parental responsibilities. David nods in agreement, knowing it must be a matter of life or death.
16
Driving the rig is a lot harder than Dustin anticipated, and his first attempt at shifting resulted in a horrendous grinding sound and a stalling of the engine. He keeps it in first now that the steel snake is winding down the road at a crawl. Dustin glances at his side mirrors in turn to keep an eye at the middle segment, his precious cargo. The Camaro can’t even be seen behind this.
They travel downhill, and Dustin will hang a right at the bottom then get them on the main road. Then he will have to look for signs telling him exactly where New Castle is. Gravity gradually takes control of the throttle, pulling them faster down the hill. Good, Dustin thinks. The sooner we get there the better. He allows them to pick up speed, having grown tired of the much slower pace.
Instead of a smooth application of the brakes before hitting the bottom, Dustin presses the pedal too hard and not soon enough. They aren’t stopping. He tries to turn, but momentum pulls the massive living space he tows out of its hitch and
slams it into the slowing rig. The truck crashes to its side then slides across the road. All he can do is hold on and wait for the thing to stop. Without his seatbelt on, he has been bashed against his door, and now he lays on it.
Sparks of friction light up his ruined rig, and the screeching steel is maddening within the cab. But it all ceases as fast as it had begun.
A battered Dustin climbs up to the passenger side; all he can think about is Eve. The worst of all his physical ailments is his stomach, and he feels sick over letting the girl down. He wanted to be her hero, but now he feels three inches tall.
The scene brings him to tears, the mess he’s made. Eve’s trailer is trapped on an embankment with its front tires hanging in the air. He just stares at the enclosure, as if repeating that he’s sorry will reverse time. With shaky steps, he approaches the train wreck. He trembles more, nearing the box that contains the girl of his dreams. She must be terrified. He has no way to move it now, no way to help; she’s trapped inside by her illness. He wipes his eyes and looks away from the state of the trailer, not wanting to see Eve in the window, not even for one last time.
The purple car is on the road, seemingly unscathed. He slides behind its wheel, and what was a caboose is now a life raft. He turns the key and leaves her behind. Of all the lines he’s crossed in his life, of all the people he’s wronged and turned his back on through all of this, Eve is the one that will haunt him.
Life Among The Dead (Book 2): A Castle Made of Sand Page 21
