by L. J. Cuff
Chapter Three
Dennis stood next to Mike in front of a cave. Dennis raised his eyebrow and looked at Mike. “Are you serious?” He asked, gauging Mike’s reaction. Mike was holding a pair of flashlights in front of him, offering one to Dennis.
Mike nodded emphatically. “I know this seems like a creepy, unsafe place but it really is hidden and we disposed of all the infected in the area so there really is nothing to be afraid of.” He stated confidently.
Dennis looked at the cave then back at Mike. “Ok, then lead the way.” He motioned for Mike to go first.
“Not a problem,” Mike declared, his enthusiasm was unrivaled.
Dennis watched him carefully from behind.
“You know… You never explained to me about that incident in the tree or with Ryan,” Dennis began. He stopped the moment he heard his echo in the cave.
“Yeah, you have to watch what you say in here, it really echoes well, doesn’t it?” Mike responded quietly.
Echoes? What is he walking me into? Dennis thought, keeping a close watch on everything around him.
Suddenly, he felt a small pinch against him ankle. He looked down and noticed a small wire running close to the ground. He quickly bent over to avoid the trap but instead found himself hanging upside down.
“What the fuck?” Dennis shouted.
Mike shrugged. “You see, I kind of liked you and was willing to give you a deal, especially since you took out one of our main competitors but… Well… The others are less willing… They view you as another mouth to feed, and since you didn’t take Ryan’s offer then…” Mike said.
“That offer was a question from a madman,” Dennis retorted.
“Asking you to join him as his second in command was a valid offer.” Mike responded.
Dennis shook his head. “You’ve lost it.” He looked around to watch Mike but Mike was against the wall, cast in the shadows. “Besides, you killed Ryan so what does it matter?”
Mike sighed audibly. “Ryan was only in charge for less than a day when he had his infected army attack us… Our guys were already on their way to help when we were overrun the second time…” He shrugged as he stepped out into the light cast from Dennis’ flashlight. Mike turned to the left and held up his hand to his ear. “Well, I guess I won’t be around to watch this, my friends are on their way.” He said as he walked out of sight.
“You fucking asshole!” Dennis shouted. He stilled himself to listen for Mike’s footsteps. After a few moments, he pulled his arms up to his feet while adjusting the flashlight between his thighs. He took his knife out of his boot and began cutting the rope. Limping footsteps echoed through the area. Dennis immediately stopped what he was doing and glanced around. Seeing no movement, he went back to freeing his legs.
Low, audible grunts grew in strength around the room. Dennis knew he wasn’t alone but he couldn’t defend himself upside down. He quickly removed the rope from his feet and held onto the rope with his hands. He let his feet swing underneath himself and dropped down to the cave floor then picked up the flashlight.
Although Dennis knew there was danger, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the colors that shined through each time he flashed light across the walls. He looked down at the ground and began following Mike’s tracks to what, he hoped, was the way out. Each step he took, he heard a footstep from behind but every time he spun around, there was nothing visible. He paused briefly, taking in a deep breath. He could smell the salt from the cave and a hint of rotting flesh. He picked up the pace, swiftly making for the exit as the footsteps from behind began to echo more loudly.
Suddenly, he turned around, stretching his arm outward while holding his knife. He hit the infected in the chest. It struggled against him as he pushed it into the wall. Another infected rushed from the side, throwing Dennis to the ground. His flashlight rolled a few feet away. Dennis felt his consciousness slipping away. The infected hit him in the head with a rock while the other one clawed at his jeans, pulling them down.
A gun cocked directly next to Dennis with a torch held in front of it. The two infected snarled at the person. One limped to the right while the other went left. Two shots fired and the infected fell in a heap.
“Dennis? Please, speak to me,” Mary cried, rushing to Dennis’ side.
Dennis lifted his arm to show he was alive but was unable to move anything else.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Claire stated, stepping over to the flashlight. She cautiously walked back to Dennis and slung his left arm over her shoulders while Mary did the same with his right.
After thirty minutes, they were back outside. Dennis took in a deep breath of the fresh air then dropped to his knees. Claire and Mary took a small breather, each leaning against a tree.
“Sun is setting,” Mary said pointing at the sky.
Claire slowly nodded, looking around them to see what shelter was around.
“Leave me. At least then you have a chance against that asshole,” Dennis whispered to Mary.
Mary glanced over his shoulder with a sly smile and shook her head. “That’s not happening but you’re welcome to try again.” She said.
Claire held up her hand. She crouched down and motioned for Mary to do the same. Dennis opened his mouth to speak again but Mary placed her hand over his lips. She was listening to the same thing as Claire. They both looked at one another and nodded. Mary leaned in to Dennis and whispered, “Hide this and call out for help.” She offered him the gun.
Dennis looked up at Mary with a puzzled expression. She gave him a smile and touched his shoulder. Claire and Mary both climbed nearby trees to watch.
“Hello? Is anybody there? I need help!” Dennis called out with the most pathetic cry he could muster.
Mary rolled her eyes and shook her head. Really? That’s really what he’s doing? She thought as she heard him.
“Please… Help me…” Dennis called out. The footsteps approached closer.
“Pl-,” Dennis began before he saw who it was.
“Now how did you get out of there?” Mike asked, lifting his rifle to his shoulder.
“Now, now, let’s see what he says first,” The woman beside him stated lowering Mike’s rifle.
“I… I… I climbed out…” Dennis said nervously.
“You’re full of shit!” Mike retorted, fighting against the woman to raise his gun.
“Yes I am,” Dennis responded, lifting his gun and shooting Mike in the stomach.
Mike fell backwards holding his wound. The woman took the gun from Dennis and aimed it at him. “Any last words?” She asked, steadying herself. Mike lay on the ground next to her whimpering.
Dennis said nothing. She cocked the gun, put her finger on the trigger. A single shot resonated through the area. The woman’s expression changed from focus to dumb-founded. She fell to the ground sideways, revealing the wound in her head.
Mary and Claire jumped out of their respective trees and picked up Dennis’ arms.
“Take me with you, please,” Mike pleaded.
Mary and Claire looked at one another then back at Mike. They continued walking with Dennis, passing Mike.
“Please, you can’t drive away without me, I have the keys,” Mike begged, holding out his hand.
Mary and Claire placed Dennis on the ground.
“Thank you, thank you,” Mike said gratefully, putting his hand behind his back.
Claire stepped over to Mike, lifted the butt of her gun and hit him in the head knocking him unconscious. She turned to Mary and nodded. The two of them proceeded to lift Dennis and carry him over to the car left behind by Mike and the woman.
* * *
“How’s he doing?” Mary asked, watching Claire returning from Dennis’ makeshift tent.
Claire slowly shook her head in response. “We need to get him some serious help. He took injuries that I can’t handle.”
Mary took in a deep breath and looked out on the road. “So what do you think are the chances of runnin
g into those guys again?” She asked.
Claire shrugged. “It would take a particularly different type of person to want to follow us for the four hours we drove last night and wait out the other three we’ve spent here.” She responded.
Mary slowly nodded. She looked over at the car that was covered in branches.
“I guess it’s time to go then. I saw a small town down the street. I’m sure there’s a pharmacy there,” she commented, pointing down the gravel road. Claire walked back to the small shelter and packed up the kit they had found in the car.
Mary joined her in the shelter and helped her lift Dennis over to the car. Mary got into the driver’s seat while Claire stayed in the back to monitor Dennis’ condition. She put the car in gear and drove to the town.
The trip lasted only twenty minutes but the entire time, Mary’s mind wandered back to the man from the pit. How did he know about Abby? Mary thought, stepping on the gas.
The car was speeding up so quickly that the town that was once well over ten miles away was now less than five feet.
“Whoa!!” Claire shouted.
Mary looked in her rear view mirror then forward. She realized what she was doing and quickly stomped on the brakes. The car came to a screeching halt, leaving behind a line of burn marks. Mary looked left then right. “Well… I guess I might’ve overshot it…” She said with a small, nervous laugh.
Claire patted her on the shoulder and flashed her a reassuring smile. Claire got out of the car and directed Mary to a spot out of sight of the road. Mary got out and they covered the car with branches. They left Dennis inside, but gave him a gun.
Mary and Claire walked along the road, passing the first house on their left. Mary watched it closely as they passed. She momentarily paused when she thought she saw movement. Claire continued on. Mary kept watching the house but saw nothing in the windows. She looked ahead and noticed Claire was already passing the second house. She ran to catch up with her.
“Do you feel like we’re being watched?” Mary whispered to Claire.
Claire stopped and turned to Mary. She looked her straight in the eyes then continued walking.
Mary raised her eyebrow and momentarily stood alone. She watched Claire walk down the middle of the road with her gun by her side. She noticed movement in one of the second house’ windows and quickly turned to jog up to Claire.
“So we’re just going to let them come to us?” Mary whispered as she looked around to watch the windows.
“I don’t think they want to,” Claire said as they entered the downtown.
There were a few ransacked stores laid out all facing the main street. Their windows were shattered and the signs covered in dark, red coloring. Claire and Mary walked towards them.
“Think there’s anything here for us?” Mary asked, trying not to look too closely at the windows.
Claire shrugged. “We have to try,” She responded. “Let’s try over there,” She said, pointing at a store with a faded pharmacy sign half hanging off in front.
“That’s a very sad looking thing,” Mary commented, looking over the store.
As they approached, they saw all of the aisles that were once nicely arranged were now strewed around the front, blocking the entrance. The same red color adorned the windowsill and splotches of it were on the walls.
“Someone has put a lot of effort into this…” Mary whispered to Claire.
Claire slowly nodded. “Be on the lookout but try not to make it look obvious. We’re not looking for trouble.” Claire responded, climbing through the front. She pushed one of the aisles out of the way.
The two of them stood just inside the store, looking over the aisles. They passed each other a glance then went opposite directions. Mary veered right while Claire went left.
Mary walked in between the aisles and noticed the same red color on some of the shelves. She reached out and touched it. It had a rough texture and caused a raised surface. Good to know it’s paint, she thought stepping towards the back door. She heard a low grunting sound coming from a door in the back, getting louder the closer she came.
Soon, she was standing just outside the door. She reached down, pulled out her trusty knife, and reached for the doorknob. She held her knife in front of her and swung the door open.
“What the fuck?” Mary asked, staring at the empty room. She heard the same grunting sound coming from behind her. Spinning around, again there was nothing there. She followed the sound, allowing the door to close.
Within moments, the grunting sound was coming from the closed door again. She walked up to it and knocked on it but got no response. Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder.
Mary spun around, swinging her knife in front of her. Claire successfully dodged it and threw Mary off balance.
“Get a grip,” Claire stated before offering her hand.
Mary stood up and pointed over to the door. “They’ve got it rigged to sound like there’s an infected in there,” She said, her voice infuriated.
Claire placed her hand on Mary’s shoulder. “I know… They have a few traps and tricks around here… Let’s get going and see if maybe one of them will help us,” She pointed to the exit.
Within minutes, they both returned to the front of the store. They stepped onto the road and walked down to the first few houses.
“So… What are we doing now?” Mary asked, watching Claire place her gun on the floor and raise her hands in the air.
“We show them that we won’t hurt them and hope they will give us some supplies,” Claire responded, motioning for Mary to raise her hands.
They slowly walked to the first house, the one furthest from their car. Claire knocked on the door and stepped back, still holding her hands up. Mary leaned in close and whispered, “Do you really think this’ll work?”
Claire shrugged and responded, “What other choice is there?”
After a few minutes, Claire nodded and turned around with Mary in tow.
“I guess we go back to the car?” Mary asked, pointing down the road.
Claire glanced over her shoulder at the house, just in time to see a hand closing the curtains. She looked sadly at Mary and nodded. They silently walked down the road.
As they approached the car, they saw someone standing by a tree holding a rifle. The man waved at them to come with him. They followed him behind the row of houses from the main road. The moment they reached a dirt road, the man motioned for them to walk ahead of him as he took leaves and covered the area with them.
“What’s he doing?” Mary whispered to Claire.
“Hiding our footprints and smell,” Claire responded as the man sprayed a liquid all over the area.
He stepped towards them, offering Claire to hold the spray bottle and Mary to take the box of leaves. They both smiled and nodded as the man resumed his place in front of them. He brought them to what appeared to be an abandoned house. Its windows were broken and boarded up. The siding which was once a light blue now had large swaths of red.
He motioned for them to follow him around the side of the house to the back where Mary and Claire saw a woman holding open the door. The man and the woman greeted each other and stepped to the side so Mary and Claire could enter.
“Sorry for all the silence out there but that’s one of the many rules here that keep us safe,” The man stated, putting his rifle down and pulling his shoes off. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” He motioned for Mary and Claire to follow him into the other room.
Mary shrugged and pulled off her shoes then walked into the other room. She saw Dennis lying on the couch with a woman sitting in front of him touching his stomach.
“Hello?” Mary asked, shakily.
The woman looked up at Mary then over at the man.
“Come, let’s let the doctor do her work. Are you hungry?” The man asked, pointing to the kitchen. “What’s your name? I’m Ben and the beautiful woman near the door is my wife Kelly.”
“I’m Mary, the man on your couch
is Dennis, and the other woman is Claire.” Mary responded.
“Pleased to meet you.” Ben said, holding out his hand.
Claire entered the room. She opened her mouth to state something but then stopped when she saw Dennis lying on the couch. She raised her eyebrow as she watched the doctor treating his wounds. She looked over to Ben and asked, “How did he get here?”
“I brought him over…” Ben brought his arm up in front of Claire. “Let’s go to the kitchen, I can explain everything over there, ok?” He said stepping to the side so his eyes would be directly in front of Claire’s.
Claire slowly nodded and walked out of the room. Kelly walked over to the doctor’s side and offered her assistance.
Mary and Claire sat down at the small kitchen table. Ben opened the pantries which contained many glass jars with preserves inside. He held up one in particular that contained apricots and peaches.
“This is one of my favorites.” He said, placing it on the table. He pulled out a pair of plates and spoons and offered them over to Mary and Claire. “Here, eat up.”
“So…” Claire began, lifting the spoon. “How did Dennis get here?”
“We take turns around here investigating anyone that happens to come to our town.” Ben began, “Generally, we don’t make ourselves known to the outsiders especially if we feel they’re just passing through or if they might want to make trouble.” Ben pointed out the window. “That’s why the first houses you guys passed actually don’t have anyone inside.”
Mary furrowed her brow. She lifted her index finger while she swallowed a mouthful of apricot.
“But I saw curtains move in one of those houses,” She said.
“Yeah… About that… That wasn’t a person causing that… We… Well… We have remote controlled cars that the people on watch use to make things move… That is if they’re being lazy or silly… Some prefer to do it themselves…” He shrugged and gave a slight chuckle. “It’s a great distraction, isn’t it?” He smiled broadly.
