Zombie Civilization: Genesis (Zombie Civilization Saga)

by Steven Ehrman

  That seemed to jolt Jude a little.

  “Is Harley missing too?” he asked blankly.

  “What do mean missing too? Who else is missing?”

  “I’ve just come from those people’s house where we left the SUV.”

  “The Jordans,” I said helpfully.

  “Yeah, yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan,” he said robotically. “Their place is just over the next rise.” He stopped speaking and stared at his shoes. It was still sunny, but I felt a cloud pass over and the light dimmed momentarily.

  “I know that,” I said impatiently. “What’s the matter at their farm?”

  “Its just, just, just, so quiet,” Jude stammered. “They’re gone, Billy. They’ve all disappeared.”

  “What do you mean `all disappeared’? So what? The Jordans are out and you are all traumatized. What are you twelve? It’s Sunday, you half wit, they are probably at church, or visiting friends, or eating out, or a hundred other things.”

  “Billy, it’s more than that,” he continued in a soft voice. “All the animals are gone too. All the cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, and cats are gone. The doors to the house are open, but no one came when I called.”

  “Did you look inside the house?” I asked a bit more gently. “Maybe there was an emergency and they left a note or something.”

  Steve laughed an odd loud laugh. I glanced over at him and he seemed embarrassed.

  “I couldn’t bring myself to go in, Billy. It just seemed too quiet… like a graveyard.”

  “Let’s just get the truck and get out of here,” said Steve. He seemed to be on the edge of hysterics.

  I looked at Holland for his response, but he had walked back down the trail a few yards and was craning his neck, obviously looking for Harley.

  It was broad daylight, but I felt the hair on my neck rising and I rebelled against the feeling and shook my head.

  “Are you guys trying to creep me out or something?” I asked glancing around me at our little group. Only Jude met my gaze. “Everyone is acting like we are in the Twilight Zone or something. We had a mishap with a bear, we saw a strange man in the distance, and now, just because the Jordans aren’t waiting by my truck with a cake upon our return, I’m supposed to be worried? No, sir! Nothing is going on other than we have gotten a little tired and are on edge a bit. Now lets just stop this nonsense and get to the SUV. Even if the Jordans aren’t around, we can use our phones to call the authorities and make a report of our little adventure in the woods.”

  Without waiting for agreement, I took off down the trail. After a hundred yards or so I ventured a look over my shoulder. Thankfully everyone, except Harley, was right behind me in single file. Where in the world was Harley?

  Chapter Six

  We quickly came to the top of the last ridge separating us from the farm and, of course, my beloved SUV. After the way in which everyone had been acting, I half expected the truck to be gone and the farmhouse to be on fire, but instead it was a bucolic scene straight from an old painting. The farmhouse was an old style homestead, painted white with wooden shutters and a wrap around porch that stretched from the front door all the way to the back with welcoming decks at each end. There was a red barn across the yard from the house with adjacent coops and pens for the animals, except there were no animals. Jude had been right about that and it did give the farm a kind of ghost town appearance. I expected a tumble weed to roll by, and while that didn’t happen, I noted that the front lawn facing the road needed to be mown. Mr. Jordan had struck me as a fastidious man who was unlikely to let grass grow under his feet either literally or figuratively. It was odd.

  From the top of the ridge I could not see the front door, but the back door was obviously open. I turned and smiled towards the other guys and saw smiles in return. Without another word, we began our last descent and within minutes we had reached the truck. Steve trotted the last fifty yards, no sign of his bum ankle now, and hugged the front fender of the truck. I started to laugh, but heck I was glad to be back in the civilized world myself. I clicked the automatic door opener and the guys began to deposit their gear in the rear of the truck, with some dispatch.

  I noticed that both the Jordan’s pick up truck and sedan were still parked next to the farmhouse, so wherever they went someone came and got them. That could be a medical emergency and perhaps an ambulance.

  Inside the truck, I retrieved my cell phone and turned it on. The other guys were doing the same. As much as we loved the outdoors, we obviously all loved our devices. As my cell cycled through the opening screens, I expected to find that I had hundreds of emails, text messages, and missed calls to wade through. Behind me I heard Steve curse under his breath.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “No service,” he muttered, and flipped his phone shut savagely.

  I checked back with my phone and found the opening screen was on. One quick look showed no service for my phone either. I couldn’t remember if I had cell service when we had parked, but the old man had warned us of course that cell reception was spotty at best.

  “”Guys,” I said to Jude and Holland. “Steve and I are no go with the phones. Check and see if either of you two have any service.”

  Each man fumbled around and quickly retrieved their phones and soon both were shaking their heads.

  “Nothing on my phone, boss,” said Jude.

  Holland just held his arms out and shrugged. Obviously we were still not out of the woods yet as far as the world of technology was concerned. There was really only one course of action left.

  “I’m going to walk up to the house and see if I can use their landline. We need to get on the record about the bear and this business about Harley pointing his gun at one of the natives. You guys stow your gear and be on the look out for Harley. I expect he’ll be dragging in here sooner rather than later.”

  With that, I started towards the house. Without being asked, Jude fell in beside me. I had set my gun down by the truck, but I noticed Jude was still carrying his. I started to tell him to leave it and then changed my mind. I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything. These country folk were certainly used to guns.

  Since the back door was nearest we headed for it. The silence and gloom of the place was a little eerie, but I shrugged it off as my imagination and picked up the pace. As we neared the back door, I noticed that the door wasn’t open. It had been pushed in and almost torn off of it’s hinges.

  “Did you notice this before?” I asked Jude, pointing at the wrecked entry way.

  “No, no, I didn’t. The front door was open and I called out a couple of times and got no answer. I kinda got a little creeped out and that’s when I went back to find you guys.”

  “Well, something has happened here because I know this was not the way the door was when we left.”

  I had not actually entered the home when we had first arrived. Mr. Jordan and I sat on the deck in back negotiating the deal, while Mrs. Jordan served coffee and some sort of homemade cookie. I hadn’t quite heard what she said they were, but I had nodded politely and eaten. Whatever they were, they were good. Mr. Jordan was an old Yankee trader and a hard man at the negotiating table. After a little give and take, we had settled on fifty dollars a week, which seemed pretty stiff to me, but I had not wanted to drive around to his neighbors place and try and find a better deal. We had shaken on it and I had given him one hundred dollars down with the rest due at the end of our trip. We had parted with a handshake and the last picture I had of the couple was them waving goodbye as we tramped into the wilderness.

  The scene in my memory seemed so tranquil and now there was a definite tension in the air. We walked onto the deck and I stood for a moment on the Welcome mat, which oddly did not make me feel welcome. I caught myself subconsciously wiping my boots on the hard bristles of the mat out of habit.

  “Is anyone at home?” I called out. The inside of the house was not as bright as outside, but I could clearly see the kitchen and dining area.

 
“Mr. Jordan? Mrs. Jordan? We’ve come back for my truck and to settle up,” I waited for a reply that common sense told me wasn’t coming, but I hesitated to cross the thresh hold to the house.

  “Well, we have to check inside,” I said. “What if someone is hurt? Do you want that on your conscious?”

  Jude shook his head no, and we entered. The kitchen was painted white with yellow frilly curtains. One wall had a glass cabinet that was filled with animal figurines and another shelf had commemorative plates. There were magnets on the refrigerator holding church news letters and shopping lists, but no homework. I hadn’t figured they had children at home, but I was mildly surprised they did not have anything from grandchildren. Oh well, these days kids all left these hills and headed to the big city for college and then jobs. The Jordans might be all alone for all I knew.

  I shook myself out of my reverie and flipped the light switch by the door. No lights. I walked over to the fridge and opened it. A mixture of rotting food smells assaulted my nasal passages and I slammed the door shut again as my stomach wretched. Food that bad meant power had been out for a while. I turned and saw that Jude was fiddling with a wall mounted telephone. It was an old fashioned rotary phone. It had probably been there since the Eisenhower administration. Jude was dialing and clicking the receiver holder.

  “Phones are out same as the power, buddy,” said Jude, in his normal laconic tone.

  “You can’t tell that,” I said. “When the power goes out phone service does as well.”

  “No, only modern phones do. Old rotary phones like this work even without electricity.” he said firmly. “I had an aunt who kept an old phone around for just that reason. Of course, with the power out who was she supposed to call?”

  Jude laughed like he had told a very funny joke. He kept laughing and I was afraid he was having some kind of hysterical reaction to the day’s events. What in the world had gotten into everyone?

  “Listen, Jude, why don’t you step out and get some air. I’ll check out the rest of the house.”

  “I don’t need any more air than you do, Billy. I’ll stay, but why should we search the house? The Jordans are gone, so let’s just head to town.”

  I thought about it. We had no legal obligation to see if the Jordans were all right, but there was certainly a moral obligation to check. Maybe it was being in the country that was doing it, but I felt a pull to assist my neighbors, even if they were just neighbors with my SUV.

  “I’m checking out the house. You can stay or go, whichever you like.”

  Jude seemed to gather his strength and in a moment he was the steady reliable Jude I had always known.

  “I’m with you, Billy, you know that,” he grinned. “I just had one of those someone walked over my grave moments. Let’s see what’s what around here.”

  With that we passed from the kitchen and dining area into the living room. This room was wood paneled and was considerably darker than the kitchen area. It appeared to have been recently carpeted with a brown loop style carpeting. There was a love seat, sofa, and two reclining chairs, all facing the television. Pictures on the walls were of the Jordans themselves at various stages of their lives along side some artwork that had probably started life in a motel. The front door was open, as Jude had said it was, but it was not damaged, as was the rear door. There was a staircase going to the second floor that went up without a landing and a doorway beneath the staircase that had no door, but instead had a sheet hanging across it held by a curtain rod. I walked over towards the doorway and pulled back the sheet. The sheet was shielding the stairway to the basement. A bare bulb hung from the top of the staircase with a pull chain hanging down. I automatically pulled the chain, but of course the light did not come on.

  I peered down into the gloom, but the bottom of the stairs was encased in darkness.

  “Hello,” I called out somewhat tentatively.

  I heard no reply, but I was certain that I heard a very slight rustling sound. I motioned for Jude to come over and put my index finger to my lips to indicate he should remain silent. I motioned for him to listen and we both stood in silence for a full minute.

  “What are we listening to?” asked Jude finally.

  “Maybe nothing. I just thought I heard something,” I said with a frown. “It sounded like something small moving.”

  “Could be a rat or anything else, I suppose, but I am so over wildlife by now, Billy.”

  I could certainly understand that and I stepped back from the doorway and pulled the sheet back into place.

  “Well, that leaves the upstairs. Shall we?” I asked.

  “Surely,” he replied, as I knew he would. It was an inside joke.

  The staircase was wide enough for us to ascend in double file. About halfway up, we hit a screechy board that screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Jude and I both jumped, grinned at each other, and continued. The second floor landing opened onto a short hallway. To the left was a bedroom that was obviously the master bedroom and to the far right was another smaller bedroom. Directly in front of us, was a small linen closet I guessed and next to that was what was certainly the bathroom. All the doors were shut and I tried to remember how The Lady and the Tiger turned out when I heard Jude’s voice.

  “You go left and I go right, OK, chief?”

  “What?” I said momentarily confused. “Oh, Ok. Right, right, let’s do that.”

  Jude immediately spun on his heels and headed down the hall as if to dispel any hesitation he had had before with decisive action now. I turned to my left and tried the door knob. It was unlocked and I opened it and walked in.

  The room had hard wood floors, as did the hallway, and had what looked like a full size bed with an elaborate headboard. The room had a distinctively feminine feel. The bed spread and window curtains were flowery and frilly. There were two night stands, one on each side of the bed, with balls of yarn in a basket on one and a pile of women’s magazines on the other. Unless I had misjudged Mr. Jordan, this was not a room he spent any time in. I opened both closets and they were both filled with what were obviously Mrs. Jordan’s clothes. I wondered why people drifted apart like these two had, when I suddenly felt more like a peeping Tom than a Good Samaritan and closed the closet doors quickly.

  As I was about to abandon my search I noticed a discoloration in the wood flooring by the foot of the bed. It had a kind of rust color and appeared to have some depth. I pulled the bed spread away from the area and I could see that some liquid had pooled there and was approximately a foot in diameter. I scratched at it with my fingernail and chipped off a small flake. It had no smell and I certainly wasn’t going to taste it. I was wondering how long the stain had been there when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I turned, looked up, and saw Jude with an expectant expression on his face.

  “Well, there’s nothing in the other bedroom coach. The bed has been made and nothing seems out of place. Did you find anything?’

  I stood up and gestured towards the stain.

  “What do you think about that?” I asked

  “It’s a stain,” said Jude.

  “Really? Did anyone ever tell you that you should go into detective work? You’re better than Starsky and Hutch put together. I can see that it’s a stain, but is it a blood stain?”

  “Gee, Billy, you don’t have to jump down my throat. I was just kidding with you, but if you’re serious, no, I don’t think it’s a blood stain, and even if it is it could be months old. There’s no way we can be certain one way or another.”

  I thought about it for a minute. I was playing detective, so naturally I saw everything as a potential clue. You know what they say about how everything looks like a nail to a hammer.

  “You’re right, little buddy. I guess I was reaching a little. Remind me of that the next time I go overboard.”

  “I will, “ said Jude.

  “But only the next time,” I cracked right back. “OK, we got one more room to go. Let’s check out the bathroom.”

>   We left the bedroom and crossed back into the hallway. Jude was in front of me and opened the closet door before I could catch up. He quickly closed it again.

  “Nothing to report there, skipper.”

  “All right then, it’s the bathroom and then out of here,” I said.

  With that I walked up and attempted to turn the handle. It was locked. This was the first locked door we had found since we entered the house. I tried it again and for a moment if felt like the door was unlocked and that someone was holding the door closed. I took a step back and knocked loudly. The knocks echoed of the wood floors and paneled walls.

  “Mr. Jordan? Mrs. Jordan?” I called out loudly. “This is the guy who rented part of your drive way. Can you hear me?"

  There was no reply. I leaned heavily against the door and could not feel it give at all.

  “Jude, this sucker is solid. You know how they used to build houses. I don’t think we can push it in.”

  “We don’t even know if anyone is in there, Billy. I’ve locked myself out of bathrooms on accident.”

  “Me too, but doesn’t it seem like a bit of a coincidence? There is one locked room in the whole house and it is locked on accident. What if one, or both of them, are in there and they are hurt? Do you really want to just leave them?”

  I searched Jude’s face for an answer. Gradually the right thing to do came to him, as I knew it would.

  “You win, Billy,” he said with a sigh. “But if I dislocate my shoulder, you’re gonna hear about it for a good long time.”

  I grinned at him and slapped him on the back.

  “Well, what do you say we do this the old fashioned way? On three, right? One…two…”

  I never counted three. Just as we were both rocking back on our heels to attempt to knock the door down, I heard a long blast on the horn from the truck, followed by a series of short blasts. There was trouble outside.

  “Jude, you’re with me, buddy,” I said, as we both turned towards the stairs. I was coming down two at a time, and Jude was well ahead of me. There was no pause in Jude, but I turned half way down the stairs for one last look at the bathroom door.