“This is alright,” he said, surprised. She smiled and held the bag out toward him. He took a handful. “I’m eager to get going, but if you don’t mind, I’d love to take a quick shower before we go.”
“That’s a great idea. But you need to be careful. Use my hair cover. It’s above the shower head.”
After Trey showered, he found that Monica had hung some clothes for him on the doorknob. He got dressed and thought maybe he’d be able to go to the market further down the mountain for a razor and a comb sometime soon. After he came out wearing Thomas’s clean clothes, Monica went in and showered.
With both of them looking like clean and well-dressed violent crime victims, they went outside and climbed into the RV and headed south.
***
Tori found the turn-off for the Ice Bunny Lodge and couldn’t wait to get there, hoping to find people. When she reached the parking lot, she was excited to see two cars parked there, but then she saw the boarded up windows and frowned. This didn’t look good. At least not as far as hopes for finding people went. It looked like the lodge had gone out of business.
“Are people here, Mommy?”
“I don’t know yet, honey. We’ll find out in a minute.” She went around the car and released Liz from her car seat and lifted her out. “Hold my hand, baby.”
Liz took her mother’s hand and they walked to the front door. Liz tried to skip but her mother wouldn’t match her pace by skipping along with her. Tori thought about how Liz knew nothing of what had happened. She hoped that if they did find people that they wouldn’t traumatize her with morbid talk of mass death.
She stopped when she reached the door and just stared at it for a few seconds.
“Come on, Mommy. Why aren’t you knocking?”
Tori took a deep breath, let it out and knocked on the door, unconsciously squeezing Liz’s hand a little harder.
“Mr. Stepp, I think someone’s at your door,” Bo called out toward the kitchen where Terry had gone to see what he could come up with for breakfast for five.
Terry came out wearing a cook’s apron. “What’s that?” he asked.
“Someone at your door.”
Bo and Geraldine had slept on the floor close to the fire. They had hoped their clothes would dry as they slept, but they hadn’t.
“I’ll be right back,” Terry said. “Don’t open it,” he instructed before heading down the hall and knocking on Jim’s door. “Jim, we got company.”
Jim was half-asleep when Terry knocked. He quickly got up and yawned. He grabbed the .45 from the top of a file cabinet and opened his door. “Company?” he asked.
“Yeah. Bo said someone was knocking on the door.”
“Shit,” Jim said and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Well, let’s go. There’s nothing like a good shoot-out to wake you up in the morning.”
They walked back to the main room and took up the same positions as the night before when the mother and son had arrived.
“Who’s there?” Terry called out.
Tori looked at Liz and smiled. “Me and my little girl.”
Terry looked at Jim and Jim nodded. Terry held his gun behind his back. If it was just a woman and her child, he didn’t want to frighten the child. He looked at Jim and gestured for him to do the same. Jim put his gun behind his back and blinked sleep out of his eyes.
“We need a guard shack at the highway turn off,” he grumbled as Terry pulled the door open.
“Hello,” Terry said when he saw Tori. He quickly glanced to the right and saw that they were alone and that there was a new car in the parking lot. He looked down at Liz, smiling. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Wizzabiff,” she replied.
Terry laughed and said, “Come inside, Wizzabiff.”
Liz glared at him.
“It’s Elizabeth,” Tori clarified.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. Won’t you come in? I was just about to make breakfast. Are you hungry?” Liz didn’t respond.
“Thank you so much, Mister…”
“My name is Terry. Terry Stepp. And this is my friend, Jim.” He realized that he didn’t know Jim or Angela’s last names. “What’s your last name, Jim?”
Jim looked at Terry and said, “Ecklund.” Both of them tucked their guns into their waistbands and covered them with their shirts as Tori and Liz came inside.
Terry shut the door and bolted it. “You can have a seat at the table. I’ll have some food out in just a minute. That’s Bo and Geraldine over there.” They were sitting up now and working out kinks after sleeping on the wood floor.
Tori said, “Hello” and Liz just glanced at them and stepped closer to her mother.
“Hello, child,” Geraldine said and patted her hair with her hands, finding that the cloth napkin she had used as a scarf had fallen back. She untied it, then replaced it on her head and tied it again. “Where is your father?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
Tori looked at the woman without speaking. She didn’t like the look on the woman’s face and she didn’t think her question was appropriate to be asking a little girl – especially one she didn’t know.
“That’s really none of your business,” Jim said on her behalf. Tori turned to Jim with gratitude in her eyes. She walked over to him with Liz trailing close behind.
“Hi, Jim. My name is Tori. And this is Liz.” Jim shook Tori’s hand and then reached down to shake Elizabeth’s hand, but she wrapped her arms around Tori’s leg.
“It’s nice to meet you, Tori and Liz. Don’t worry about them. They’re leaving after breakfast.” Jim glanced at Geraldine briefly.
Geraldine and Bo had moved to sit on the hearth where they had sat the night before until Terry had brought them blankets and pillows from one of the lodge cabins.
“How long have you worked here, Mr. Ecklund?” Geraldine asked Jim.
“Why do you ask?” he responded, matching her permanent scowl with one of his own.
“How about Mr. Stepp? He said this is his place. I was just wondering if he had any proof of that, like some identification. Because if not, then I don’t see why my son and I should have to leave at all.”
“I think you should leave right now,” Jim said.
“I think we should have a talk with Mr. Stepp,” Geraldine replied.
Jim and Geraldine glared at each other. Bo looked back and forth from his mother to Jim. Angela came walking into the room and didn’t like the look on Jim’s face. She saw him glaring at Geraldine and wondered what had happened now. Then she saw Tori and Liz and she stopped.
“New people,” she said. Liz smiled at Angela.
“Hi there, cutie. What’s your name?” Angela walked to within a few feet of Liz and dropped to her knees.
“Wizzabiff.”
“Well hello, Elizabeth. I’m so happy to meet you. When did you get here?”
Liz looked up at her mother.
“Hi. I’m Tori – Liz’s mother. It’s nice to meet you. But it looks like we came at a bad time.” She shifted her eyes toward the hearth without moving her head. Angela nodded lightly.
“Why don’t you guys have a seat and I’ll find us something to eat.” She looked at Liz. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
Liz nodded solemnly.
“Terry’s getting something,” Jim said.
Angela walked over to Jim and embraced him, whispering, “What’s going on?”
Jim whispered back, “They need to leave before I lose it. I can’t take another minute of that hag.”
“Let’s see if Terry needs some help bringing stuff out,” Angela said, pulling Jim with her to the kitchen. “We’ll be right back,” she said, smiling at Tori and Liz.
Tori pulled two chairs out from the table. She picked Liz up and deposited her in one of the chairs and scooted it close to the table, then sat next to her. Their backs were to the hearth and Tori felt like she was being rude, but she also felt that the woman had started it.
Jim and Angela entered the k
itchen where Terry was trying to fit two boxes of cereal, six bowls, and a gallon of milk on one serving tray.
“I totally forgot we had milk!” Angela said.
“It was frozen, but it thawed out while it rained. You guys left all of the new people out there alone?”
“I woke up from Jim raising his voice to Geraldine, so I brought him back here to calm him down.”
“Don’t worry. I’m eating in the kitchen. Terry, will you please take them away after they eat?” Jim glared at the kitchen door as if he could see through it to where Geraldine was sitting. “She wants proof that you own the resort. She thinks she’s staying. Said we don’t have the right to make her leave.”
“Well, we don’t, technically speaking, other than squatter’s rights. We were here first. Let me get this out there and we’ll figure out how to get them to leave gracefully. Angela, could you bring the milk?” He picked up the tray and headed toward the door. Angela followed him out.
“They took my bowl,” Jim said to himself. He waited and when the door to the kitchen opened, Angela came through carrying two bowls and two spoons. He smiled at her and went to the pantry to get another box of cereal. They sat down at a small table against a wall where Terry’s radio played static noise at low volume.
Jim ate silently, still brooding over Geraldine and the nerve of the woman. Why would she even want to stay in a place where she wasn’t welcome, he wondered.
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of you and Geraldine working things out and starting over?”
Jim looked up at her with his head over his bowl, spooning cereal into his mouth.
“I didn’t think so. We never really considered this possibility – letting people in and then deciding they don’t fit in with us very well.” Jim looked at her again. “Or not at all,” she finished.
“That woman is a glaring example of the worst that religion has to offer,” Jim finally said. “She buried her head as far as she could into the bible, but she made sure not to let it get anywhere near her heart.”
Twenty-eight
It was the mattress in the window that got Carl’s attention. He knew he was close, but none of the cabins looked familiar. He and Trey had only been here once, and Trey found that his key no longer worked. His father changed the locks as he had threatened to do to keep Trey out.
When Carl saw the mattress in the broken window, he slowed down and thought he recognized the place. He pulled into the driveway, checked the blood on the diaper and was pleased to see that the bleeding was still minor. He got out and walked up to the door. This was definitely the place. He remembered the stupid little plaque attached to the wall above the mailbox that said, “Thank you, Mr. Postman.”
He tried the door and found it locked. He stepped over to the window and pushed the mattress. The top half folded inward, but the bottom resisted and stayed in place. He put the bottom of his boot low on the mattress and pushed forward. Now it moved. He kept pushing at it until he created a gap big enough to fit through.
He climbed in the window and sidestepped to the left until he was past the mattress and saw that a couch was holding the mattress in place. Someone must’ve broken in and gotten creative to keep the cold air out. The inside of the cabin was warm and there was a fire burning.
He was suddenly alert realizing that Trey could be here even though there wasn’t a car in the driveway. He pulled the .22 from his pocket and looked around, listening for any signs of occupancy. He could see the dining room to his left, so he stepped carefully forward toward a doorway that would be the likely place for Trey to be sleeping.
He crept up on the room and looked inside. It was empty. This was where the mattress had come from. There was another door adjacent to the front door. He walked slowly and quietly over to that door and carefully turned the knob without making a sound. He raised his gun, ready to fire and pushed the door open quickly.
Another empty room. He thought this one was probably a garage that got converted. It looked like a taxidermy studio with stuffed real animals on display and a workbench with a bunch of tools and supplies neatly lined up on it. Carl went to the kitchen and confirmed that it was empty too.
A grocery sack on the table caught his eye. He moved the sugar bowl off of it and read the writing.
Mom, Dad or Trey,
Liz and I were here. Sorry about the window. We’re going to check out the Bunny Lodge for people and/or supplies. Running out of food here.
We hope you’re all okay and we’ll see you soon!
Tori
Carl smiled an evil grin. He hadn’t found Trey yet, but now he knew where to find his sister. That was even better. Revenge was definitely going to be sweet now. He didn’t know her but he’d seen her once as Trey argued with her outside of her work.
As he recalled, she was a hot little number, and he thought she might be a nurse too. That would be perfect. Carl started laughing, imagining how things could turn out. He’d get Tori to take care of him, and then he’d take care of her.
“Oh boy. You never should’ve fucked with me, Trey. Your sister is gonna pay for your sins, you dumb bastard.” Carl laughed again, loving the way life surprised him sometimes. He dropped the bag and went to the front door; unlocking it and leaving it open as he walked out.
Damn. It was snowing again. Well, at least he had a car with a roof now. And windshield wipers. He got in the car being careful with his shoulder and headed down the road back to the highway.
Just when Carl started to doubt if he actually knew where the Bunny Lodge was, he saw the sign for the resort with an arrow pointing to the right. He took the turn a little too fast and the car slid. He told himself to slow down. He was nearly there. He didn’t need to go crashing the damn car now when he was so close to getting some payback.
The road was on an incline and he lost traction occasionally but he regained it by letting up on the gas. Fucking snow. This resort would be a good place to wait out the winter. Much better than the abandoned resort he usually crashed in when he was on the mountain and had nowhere to go. Maybe he’d let Tori stay alive until spring. She’d make a good bed warmer. Carl was smiling as he crested the hill and made the turn into the parking lot. His smile disappeared when he saw two cars and a truck already there.
He hadn’t thought about the possibility of other people being at the lodge. That really fucked up his plans, at least for the time being. He’d have to find out what the situation was before he could plan his revenge and his fun. Maybe he’d be real lucky and the place would be filled with women. He could have a harem for the winter.
He parked next to a faggot yuppie car which made his station wagon look like the piece of shit that it was. He told himself that it was possible that a rich bitch was driving the BMW. But if it belonged to a man, it probably wasn’t one he needed to be too worried about. He thought for a minute, preparing himself mentally for how he would approach Tori and whoever was inside with her.
He tried to imagine himself feeling sad and needing help; just a harmless guy who was wounded and scared and didn’t have anywhere to turn; glad to have found people after what he’d been through. Carl ran the scenario and the character through his mind for a moment longer, then got out of the car and put the .22 in his right front pants pocket.
He walked slowly to the door, trying to look wounded and weak in case anyone was watching him. He held his left arm with his right hand and grimaced as if he was in pain. He actually was in pain, but he focused on it and imagined that it was much worse than it was. He knocked on the door without using much force.
“Is anybody there? I need help!” he cried out in a voice higher pitched than normal.
Terry scooted his chair back and rushed to the kitchen.
“We’ve got more company. Come on,” Terry said poking his head into the kitchen, then he let go of the kitchen door and went back into the main room. Jim got up and went through the door after him.
“What do you mean? More?”
; “Someone’s at the door.”
“Jesus Christ!”
Geraldine hissed as he walked past her. “How dare you take His name in--?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Jim growled.
Terry and Jim got into what had become their standard positions at the door. They pulled their guns out and Jim nodded at Terry, signaling that he was ready.
***
Trey slowed to a crawl as he carefully turned the big RV into the driveway at his parent’s cabin. It was much too long and it stuck out into the street, but he figured there wouldn’t be any traffic anyway, so he didn’t worry about it. Besides, the fact that the driveway was empty almost guaranteed that Tori wasn’t here, so they wouldn’t be staying long anyway.
Everything here looked wrong to him. The front door was standing open and he could see snow covering the first few feet of the floor inside the doorway. Plus someone had broken the big front window. Was that a mattress? Trey didn’t like this. It was bad enough that someone had broken in, but what had they done while they were in there? He and Monica picked up their handguns from the center console and opened their doors. Trey waited for Monica to come around to his side.
“I don’t like this. Stay behind me, just in case.”
She raised her gun. “I’m armed too. Don’t worry about me.”
Trey approached the doorway cautiously. He leaned in and looked around. Straight across from him he could see the foot of the king size bed’s box spring. He went forward to look in that room first. No one was in there. The blankets had been removed along with the mattress.
He checked his dad’s work room. It was empty and looked undisturbed. Who’d want to steal taxidermy stuff anyway, he thought. There were embers burning in the fireplace. Someone was definitely here not too long ago.
He went forward, turned right and saw couch cushions on the dining room floor along with the blankets from the bedroom. There was also an empty grocery sack on the floor. He went in a little further and saw that the kitchen was empty.
In The End: a pre-apocalypse novel Page 14
