“Mama!” Liv felt Elli’s finger press lightly on her eye. Cautiously, Liv opened one eye. Elli hovered mere inches above her face.
“What are you doing?” The child’s face lit up. Liv could hear sounds from the kitchen, and a cursory glance revealed that Corey and Jen were already awake, despite having stayed up late.
“Good morning,” Jen said in her singsong manner. “The power went out sometime last night, so breakfast is going to have to be cold.”
Liv groaned. She had expected this to happen at some point. It wasn’t so much the cold breakfast that she was disappointed about but the lack of coffee. This was also expected. However, the thought of facing the world without coffee was more than a little bit depressing.
Elli chose a banana for breakfast while Liv poured herself a bowl of cereal. Jen munched on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and Corey was shoveling his way through a mixing bowl of cereal.
“So where are you guys headed to?” Liv asked as she sat down.
Corey and Jen exchanged a quick glance. “Well,” Jen said slowly, “we were going to try to get to Corey’s sister’s house in Winfield. After some discussion, we decided that if it’s alright with you, we’d like to help you get somewhere safe.”
Liv looked at her cereal and gently nudged it around with her spoon. A lump formed in her throat, making it difficult to swallow. She had suspected that this was the topic of their argument last night.
At this moment, what she desired most in the world was to be around others. More than anything, she just wanted to start weeping with joy. Despite her feelings, though, they had others who needed them.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” She forced the words out, still unable to look up from her cereal.
“You didn’t.” Liv’s head snapped up at Corey’s firm but kind comment. His steady gaze met hers, and for a moment they locked eyes. “Jen and I can run around out there. Take more risks. You can’t do that. You’re going to need help getting around.”
Liv struggled to find the right words. Nothing she could say would be good enough. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you guys…We already owe you our lives.”
“We’re happy to do it,” Jen said cheerily. “Besides, it’ll be nice to have this little ray of sunshine to brighten our days.” She bent down and lightly jabbed at Elli as the child sprinted by on her second lap through the kitchen.
“I…” Liv struggled to form a coherent sentence. After a few moments, the words returned. “I would love to travel with you guys.” She looked down at her lap. “I really wasn’t looking forward to heading out on my own again.” Her fingers twisted together as she struggled to hold her composure. She hated crying in front of others, especially strangers. “I don’t know what we’ll find at the farm. Hopefully, it will be a safe place for all of us.” Jen stepped to Liv’s side and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Admittedly,” Corey said through a mouthful of cereal, seemingly oblivious to her struggle, “I didn’t want to stay.”
“Corey!” Jen’s cheek flushed a deep red.
“Hold on a minute.” He held his hand up as he continued to chew. “Jen made a good point, though. A lot of people have died. A lot of people are going to die. Those of us that are left have to stick together. Otherwise, we’re going to end up dead like everyone else.” He focused in on his meal as he spoke. “We have to hold onto those that are here.”
The golf course was quiet as they strolled across the lush green grass. It wasn’t a calm quiet, though. It was unsettling. Liv hadn’t realized how noisy the world had been until most of the noises had ceased. It was almost as if without the constant hum of cars, the constant chatter, and ever-present phone notifications, the world itself held its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
After breakfast, Liv had shown Jen and Corey how she had layered her armor. The new house had not had nearly as many magazines as the previous one, but they had found an abundance of old newspapers in the garage. With some extra duct tape, they seemed to do the trick.
“I guess zombies don’t like golf,” Corey observed, breaking the silence. He had taken the lead a few feet ahead of Liv and Jen. They had only been walking for a few minutes, but it was true they hadn’t seen any of the infected.
It was nice. It almost felt normal.
Almost.
Despite the serenity, the signs that things weren’t normal were everywhere. Their attire wasn’t normal. The fact that they carried makeshift weapons and supplies across the green wasn’t normal. Gray blobs dotted the skyline all around them. Big plumes of smoke from fires that burned around the city burned. The air tasted acrid and stung as it entered Liv’s lungs.
“Maybe we could just stay here.” Corey continued when no one responded. “It’s perfect. The zombies can’t get in without a membership. We’d be set!”
Jen rolled her eyes in an exaggerated gestured as she glanced at Liv. “We got in without memberships.”
“Yeah, but they aren’t that smart.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t love you for your brains,” Jen teased. “Keep walking, Einstein.” She gave him a soft shove.
“So.” She turned back to Liv. “Where is this farm?”
“Slag Stead. It’s East of Troy between Hawk Point and Truxton.”
“Who do you know out there?”
“No one, really.” Corey stumbled with the admonition. “The farm is owned by my sister’s friend’s mother. My sister Jorden and I used to go on long drives. One night we drove out that way and she told me about it. The family owns about eighty acres, mostly covered with trees, but they have a barn and some animals and grow a fair amount of crops. On our way back, we developed this contingency plan that if anything catastrophic were to ever happen, we would meet there.” A silence fell as Liv wondered what they would find once they reached Slag Stead. “Colin should be there. So should my sister.”
One question about the plan still gnawed at her. She had wanted to ask it all morning. After hearing what Jen and Corey were giving up to come with her, she was afraid to ask.
“Our route there should take us right by my house,” she started slowly. “We could stay there before heading out to Troy and get some good rest. After we leave my house, it’s mostly open land. We shouldn’t have too much trouble from there until we reach Troy.” She twisted the mallet in her hands nervously as Jen and Corey waited for her to continue. “My parents live in the same subdivision. Could we stop and check on them?” The words, along with all her anxiety, suddenly came pouring out. “I know I shouldn’t ask any more of you guys, but they’re older. They’re still really active. But I don’t know if they know about the farm and I don’t know if they could make the journey on their own. Maybe we could use their car from there…”
Jen looped her arm through Liv’s. Liv grasped tightly to Jen as she confronted one of the thoughts she had been pushing away. It was true, her parents were in their late sixties. However, they were still very capable of caring for themselves. They watched Elli most weekends while Liv and Colin worked. Day to day they were fine, and thoughts of a nursing home were years, if not decades, away. Fighting off the infected, however, was another story.
“We’ll swing by and pick them up,” Jen said quietly.
Liv just nodded. “I know you guys probably have family who needs you too.”
Jen sighed. “They’re across the river.” She was speaking of the Missouri River. The very same river that Liv had crossed shortly before her first encounter with the infected. “We were heading for the Boone Bridge when we came across you. I don’t know if we would have made it, though. With all the cars clogging the roads, the bridge is probably a mess.”
“Colin is on the other side of the river too. When Elli and I first saw the infected, we had just crossed the Boone Bridge.” The echoing screams jolted through her mind and the snarled cars and running bodies clouded her vision. “I thought about trying to go back to him, but…” Jen nodded as her
words trailed off.
The conversation died off as they each became lost in their own thoughts. Liv looked around, distracting herself by taking in each leaf and blade of grass.
A bush ahead rustled. It almost seemed as though the leaves had been blown by a slight breeze. Except, nothing else around it had moved. For a moment, Liv thought it might have been a trick her mind had played on her.
As Corey’s leg brushed against the outermost leaves of the bush, a pale arm with dark-red stained fingers reach out and grabbed a chunk of earth.
“Corey!” Liv’s shout was drowned out by a feral scream.
She shook herself free of Jen’s grip and dashed forward. As she closed the few yards between them, Liv pulled the heavy, metal head of the mallet back and brought it down again. The force of the blow put the creature on the ground.
Without hesitation, Liv swung the hammer and brought it down on the creature’s head.
Liv’s heart thundered through her ears, barely allowing her to hear Elli’s whimpers.
“Where the hell did he come from?” Corey held his ax as if he still expected the monster to jump up at any minute.
Not too far in the distance, more of the deep guttural cries answered. The three of them exchanged nervous glances as Elli began to stir.
“I don’t think we should stay out in the open much longer.” Liv’s words were all they needed to get moving.
The three took off at a jog, automatically falling into a line, with Corey in the lead and Jen bringing up the rear. It wasn’t long before they had crossed the small golf course. The backs of more houses rose up at the end of the green.
Among the houses, a few of the infected drifted aimlessly.
Every muscle in Liv’s body was tense. She fully expected to be spotted at any second. As they moved between the houses, Corey widened his lead. A number of times, Corey would suddenly leap forward around a corner, only to return a few seconds later with a little more blood on his hands. They would then pass the fallen infected, left where they had dropped.
They were close to Highway K now. Like Highway 94, it wasn’t an actual highway but a large roadway, one of the bigger ones that ran through O’Fallon. Liv had no doubt it would be swamped with cars.
The thought of crossing another crowded roadway filled her with dread. The last crossing had almost killed them. This time, though, Corey and Jen were with them. While the thought comforted her, it didn’t mean things would go smoothly. What if Elli cried out again?
They crept slowly through the neighborhood, using bushes, houses, and cars as cover. The infected were thicker in this quiet little neighborhood than in others Liv had seen. Given its proximity to the large road, this wasn’t surprising.
Liv pulled up short, almost running into Corey as he stopped. “So how do we want to do this, guys?”
“What do you mean?” Liv whispered.
“I think we should scout the best place to cross K. You know, the place with the fewest cars and hopefully the fewest infected. I think that’s our best bet for getting across without attracting any attention. I can take a look. See what things look like. You guys can wait here.”
Jen shifted nervously as Corey proposed his idea. “I don’t like the idea of splitting up.” Liv voiced the concern she could read on Jen’s face. “But I don’t think we have a choice.”
After a moment, Jen nodded. Corey gently kissed her forehead. “Be safe,” she whispered, catching his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.
“I will.” He adjusted his grip on the screwdriver in his hand and then ran off between the houses.
They moved to a nearby porch and Jen flopped into one of the chairs. Liv perched on the steps leading down from the back door, unable to sit in a chair because of the sled. She pulled a baggy of cheerios from the satchel at her hip and began to feed them to Elli a few at a time over her shoulder.
Her muscles ached. They had only been moving for a short time, but she was already tired. She wanted to remove her burden—the bag, the sled, and Elli—but decided against it while they were out in the open.
“So how did you and Corey meet?” Liv’s voice was barely above a whisper. She didn’t want to attract any of the monsters to them, but the silence was unnerving.
“We met through a friend of a friend at a house-warming party.” Jen paused, smiling at the memory. “He was being an idiot. I’m sure you find that hard to believe.” She rolled her eyes in Liv’s direction. “You know how boys are.”
“Especially at parties.” Liv gave Jen a sympathetic sideways smile. Before they had started dating, Liv had watched Colin try to crush a beer can on his forehead only to fail miserably and hilariously.
“We talked a little bit, but I had work in the morning and left pretty early. Apparently, he talked my friend into giving him my phone number later that night. He texted me a couple days later.” Another small smile crossed her lips. “I didn’t really think anything of it. He was just some guy from some party. But the big oaf eventually won me over.” She looked over at Liv. “I know he seems a little”—she searched for the right word—“abrasive and standoffish, but he is really sweet once you get to know him.”
Liv smiled. “These are weird times—”
“To put it lightly.” Jen smirked.
“Everyone is a little out of their element, but he and Elli seem to get along.” The thought of Elli and Corey warmed her. “And you both stopped to help a complete stranger.” Liv shrugged. “He can’t be too bad.”
“You said you had a husband?” Jen inquired slowly. Liv nodded. “What’s he like? How did you guys meet?”
“Colin and I met working at a video game store while I was in school. He’s a joker and just easygoing.” Liv could feel the void open up inside of her. “He was…” Liv stopped midsentence. Was? How could she say that? “He is…I just…I don’t know what to do without him.” The confession finally made its way forward. “He has always been great with Elli. He is the only reason I was able to continue school after Elli was born. He just always knows how to brighten my day.”
“He’s supposed to be headed to the farm, right?” Liv just nodded. “Well, if he’s half the person you are, I’m sure he’ll be fine. You’re doing all the hard work with Elli. His trip should be easier. Not easy, but he’ll only have to worry about himself.” Colin would have a long hard journey trying to get to Slag Stead from across the river, but Jen had a good point.
The conversation settled into an uncomfortable silence as Liv’s thoughts swirled around where Colin was and what he might be going through. Was he alone? Scared? Surrounded by the infected? Maybe he wasn’t even alive anymore.
No. He was still alive.
“Shit!” The one quick word sent Liv’s heart racing as she leapt to her feet. Jen hefted her bat as one of the infected fell in towards her, red-tinged ropes of drool dribbling from its open mouth.
But she couldn’t get the weapon up in time. Instead, she planted it in the center of the man’s chest and used it to prevent him from getting any closer.
His arms reached out for her, as he didn’t even seem to notice the slight barrier. He threw all of his weight towards her as he tried to close the last few feet. He wasn’t a large man, but Jen struggled to keep him away under the pressure.
After a split second of shock, Liv snatched up the mallet from where it rested against the steps of the stairs. As she rushed forward, she pulled the mallet back in one swift motion and brought it crashing down on the infected man’s head.
Like a marionette whose strings had been cut, the man suddenly went limp and fell to the ground.
For a moment, Liv and Jen just stared at each other, their breath coming in deep ragged gasps. Elli let out a whimper but calmed down when Liv reached back and took hold of her small hand.
“Uh.” Jen looked around nervously as she snapped out of the mind-numbing fear that had gripped her. “We should probably move but…but we can’t.”
Liv nodded. “We could leave a note,
telling Corey where we went.”
“Where should we go?”
“Wait.” Liv’s mind was finally coming alive again. “It didn’t moan or scream. We didn’t scream. If it was the only one back here, we might be alright.”
Liv’s eyes cast about for…something, anything. Instead, her gaze fell to the man that lay in a crumpled heap at their feet. There was something wrong with the way he looked. Everything was wrong with the way he looked, but something nagged at her and she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Maybe we should try to get in the house,” Jen suggested. “We could watch for Corey from the windows and we wouldn’t be out in the open.”
Finally, it hit her.
“They’re not zombies,” she murmured.
“What?” Jen looked at her as if Liv had suddenly started speaking Portuguese.
“Whatever is wrong with these people”—Liv motioned to the man on the ground—“they aren’t zombies.”
“What makes you think that? Because they sure as hell act like them.”
Liv shook her head. “They might be sick, but they aren’t dead like zombies.” She knelt down and motioned to the large gash in the man’s head she had created. Beneath it was a slowly spreading pool of blood. “The dead don’t bleed. They might be sick but they aren’t actual zombies.”
“So we’re killing people?” Jen’s voice was a ragged whisper. Her shoulders sagged and she sank back into the plastic porch chair. Liv just nodded in response.
They were killing people.
“What happened? Are you guys alright?” Corey arrived a few minutes later and immediately tensed as he laid eyes on the corpse.
“We’re fine.” Jen nodded and took a deep breath. “Is K clear?”
“For the most part. I’m no sheepdog and those things are a lot more stupid than sheep.” He ran his hands through his hair. “If we run into trouble, I can try to lead them away, but I think it should be just like crossing the street. If the street were a sea of cars swimming with monsters. You know, no big deal.”
Devour: Death & Decay Book 1 Page 12
