by Jason Alters
‘Liz. I really am sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I guess I wasn’t thinking.’
‘Damn right you weren’t thinking.’
‘Do you think you can forgive me?’
‘I’m not planning on being mad at you forever. But don’t think this is a free pass to start chasing these things all over the place.’
‘I won’t. I just needed to stop it. It’s attacked everyone.’
‘Except you, mom and Opal.’
‘Yeah but it was guaranteed to come back. It’s the same one that grabbed you in front of your house.’
‘Or maybe they just all look alike.’
‘No. It’s definitely the same one. I took a long hard look at its face that night and I took another long hard look tonight. It definitely is the same one. Same ripped up shirt. Sam bloody pants. Everything about it is the same. But what’s interesting is that you can tell that this thing was once a person. When I shone the light on its face, it was easy to see the features of someone who wasn’t there anymore. I can’t even begin to imagine what turned them this way.’
‘Well, hopefully someone finds out soon and stops it from happening because what’s happening isn’t a fucking joke. And if someone doesn’t stop it, we’re all dead.’
‘Yeah,’ he replied- a long and lingering ‘yeah’.
I could tell he was waiting for an apology. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, hanging my head.
‘Hey,’ he crept closer to me, ‘don’t worry about it. There’s really nothing to apologize about. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I should have never gone after that thing. It’s just that when I got close enough to see its face, I knew it was the same one that almost took you away from me and I couldn’t help myself.’
‘Well, do you promise you’ll start trying to help yourself?’
‘Seeing you this upset was never my intention, Liz. You must know that I’d never do anything to hurt you- not intentionally anyways.’
‘I know that. It’s just with all the things that could have happened to you out there; all the things I thought had happened to you. And, I wasn’t the only one, you know. Everyone thought you were…’
‘I’m sorry,’ he apologized again, perhaps seeing that I was close to tears. ‘I had no idea of the time. Everything seemed to happen so fast and if you didn’t tell me how long it took, I wouldn’t have known.’
He reached out, took my hand in his and kissed it gently. ‘Forever,’ he whispered as he pulled his lips away from my hand.
‘Forever,’ I whispered, fighting back the new round of tears that were adamant to flow forcefully.
Chapter 12
Morning came quickly with no one being quite ready to hike their way into exhaustion. Even mother hadn’t fully regained her energy. Too much had happened the previous night and the tension in the air was thick. Brandon was covered in scratches and bruises. Anton and I were still in a weird place. And Opal, having lost her husband was dealing with that turmoil, whilst uncertain of what would happen to her once the time came for us to pack up.
‘Liz,’ mother said quietly, squeezing her way into the tent. ‘I know this isn’t something that I should be doing but I can’t help it.’
I looked at her, puzzled as to whether she was talking about the fate of the zombie or the fate of the new member in our group. ‘Do what, mom?’
‘I don’t think we can leave her behind. I really don’t. We’re all she has right now and if we abandon her I doubt she’ll make it. In fact, I’m pretty darn sure she won’t make it.’
There was no saying ‘no’. Mom was right. Leaving Opal to fend for herself in the wild would only lead to her demise. ‘Are you allowed to take her to the bunker?’ I asked.
‘I paid for the space, so they can’t really turn her back. Maybe I’ll have to pay something extra for water and such, but that’s not a big deal.’
‘If you’re thinking that we’re headed toward a zombie apocalypse, then yes, I think they would restrict the numbers that you bring into the camp. Your money will be no good to them and the more people you have on board, the more water you’ll be using up.’
‘Optimism, Liz. I’ve got to be optimistic about this.’
I nodded.
‘Um…’ Anton looked at me and then mom. ‘I know that this isn’t exactly the best of topics to get into and I’m sorry to cut you off, but this thing, do you want to take a look at it?’
‘I want to see it,’ I immediately said.
The look on Mom’s face was enough to show that we didn’t agree on this point. ‘I just think it’s better if we forget about it and just move on. We’ve had enough terror in one night to give us nightmares for years.’
‘But don’t you think it’s worth understanding the way this thing works?’ I asked.
‘Unless we’re going to cut it loose and tempt it to attack us, I’m not sure we’ll be able to figure anything out. We know that it’s ugly. We know that it looks like a zombie and we know that it eats people. There really is nothing more to it.’
‘Well, if you don’t want to see it, then that’s completely up to you. But I’m definitely going to look it in the eyes and let it know that I’m not afraid of it.’
‘Just be careful, Liz. That’s all I’ve got to say.’
I turned to Anton, we seemed sorry for bringing it up. ‘How far away did you tie it up?’
‘Just about two minutes from here. So not far at all.’
Two minutes from our camp? I couldn’t wrap my head around how he thought it was okay to bring this thing so close to us. But then, I remembered that I was the one who told him these things wouldn’t attack us in our own ‘homes’ and I truly believed that.
‘Okay. Then I’d say we pack everything up and take a look. Is that okay with you mom?’
‘Just ten minutes. That’s all you get.’
Mom left our tent and Anton and I hurriedly packed all our belonging back into our back packs. Once that task had been completed, I assisted him in folding up the tent.
‘Ready?’ He took my hand and guided me away from our camp site.
Brandon’s voice sounded from behind us. ‘Hold up, guys. I wanna take a look at it too.’
For the first time since the incident, I’d gotten to take a good look at him. The scratches on his face were deeper than I imagined and when he jogged toward us, there was a limp in his stride that didn’t exist before. ‘Are you okay?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, perfect.’
I pointed to his feet. ‘You’re…’
‘Yeah, I know. I’m limping. Hurt my leg a bit when the zombie dropped me. But I’ll be fine, it doesn’t hurt much.’
‘You’ll be as slow as me when we’re hiking to the bunker,’ I joked.
‘Eh. Not in a million years. I could lose both my legs and still be faster than you,’ he chuckled.
‘Whatever,’ I snickered.
We strode through the woods, the heat from the sun assuring me that it was too hot for a sweater. I removed my backpack, set it down on the ground and freed my arms from my sweater and wrapped it around my waist.
‘Hurry up, Liz,’ Brandon said, turning around in between a limp.
‘Sorry,’ I replied, quickly retrieving my backpack.
‘Just in here.’ Anton led us to the most crowded part of the woods where the trees grew high and only a few centimeters apart.
The first thing I saw was the paracord wrapped around the back side of the tree. I felt chills run up and down my spine as I slowed to a halt, observing the thing that had everyone on edge. Then, I saw its hands equipped with lengthy, wiry fingers. Its nails were long and pointy, dark and dirty. I watched as it curved its hands into a fist and seemed to tense; black veins pulsing as it flexed and released. Anton took a step forward and I latched tightly onto his hand.
‘I think I’m scared,’ I said quietly, feeling the confidence I had earlier vanish bit by bit.
‘You don’t have to look,’ he said.
‘But I wa
nt to. I want to see it. I have to see it.’
‘Liz, if you think you’re not ready then you’re not ready. Don’t do this if you’re going to regret it.’
I pushed my foot forward. ‘I’m looking.’
There was a stillness in the air and a silence that made the sound of my breath seem excruciatingly loud. I closed my eyes, composing myself before taking a look. I was ready. It was time that I saw this thing in broad daylight. Gradually, I relaxed my face, allowing my eyes to open and the horror of the creature before me to chill my bones. I’d seen zombies in movies and on television shows before but this thing, it looked unlike anything I’d ever seen but somewhat the same. With wide pupils blacker than the darkest night, cheeks that were more bone than flesh and remnants of what looked like a nose, it was just as scary as it was interesting. The zombie took a long, deep whistling breath, his head pointed in my direction- he was breathing me in. And then, he hissed, revealing charcoal teeth that were chipped and broken. I stared at it. It glared back at me, dropped its jaw and allowed a gargling sound to roar through the air. I looked closer as it seemed as though there was something other than his pointy tongue, wiggling around in his mouth. His lips parted and his mouth widened even more. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and quickly snapped a few pictures. There was no telling when they would come in handy. Being able to take a better look at this thing without the fear of it breaking free felt necessary. Just a couple more snaps and a shoved my phone back into my pocket and went back to observing the zombie before me. Out came a long brown leg, speckled with the red of blood. I moved closer, trying to get a better look at what was more than likely a spider.
‘Run,’ Anton yelled, grabbing onto my arm and sprinting in the opposite direction. ‘They’re things crawling out of that shit. Run!’
I could hear Brandon’s footsteps as he hurried through the woods only traveling slightly slower than Anton and me. Finally, we were out in the open. Mom’s head spun around as we entered her line of sight.
‘What’s wrong?’ she yelled.
It took a minute for the three of us to catch our breaths.
‘It’s hideous,’ I belted out, fervently brushing off my shoulders as the thought of a spider crawling all over me entered my mind.
‘Well, none of us thought it would be pretty, did we?’ She shook her head.
‘What does it look like?’ Opal stepped forward, her face tight with disgust.
‘It’s not something you’d want to see,’ I said to her. ‘It looks like someone who died a long time ago. Black eyes, decaying skin.’
‘Alright guys,’ mom interjected, not desiring to hear more and not wanting Opal to start whipping up images for her nightmares, ‘we’ve got to get going. If we leave now, we can be at the bunker before night fall.’ She turned on her heel, leading the way in her usual manner.
‘There’s something else, mom.’ I interrupted her mid-turn.
‘I don’t want to hear it, Liz. I really don’t. This thing is scary enough to think about when I don’t have a clear image of it in my mind. There’s no reason why I should have my imagination run wild with new horrors. I didn’t want to see it and I don’t want to hear about it either.’
It didn’t matter how much she thought she did or didn’t need to hear. This was important. There were so many things about these zombies that no one was able to put together but for some reason, I thought I had it.
Chapter 13
‘What is it that you think you know, Liz?’ Opal asked.
Mom might as well had rolled her eyes because she seemed more irritated in my persistence than eager to hear what I had to say.
‘I think I know what’s infecting these people.’ I looked at mom who was trying to seem as disinterested as possible.
‘The spiders?’ Brandon asked confused.
‘Exactly. But they’re not just any spiders. That thing that we saw crawling out of its mouth…’
‘What?’ Mom’s full attention was finally mine.
Everyone gathered closer to me as though I was some kind of prophet; as though I held the cure. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that what I was about to tell them was more troubling than just having zombies roam around.
I continued, ‘When Anton, Brandon and I were looking at the zombie, it opened its mouth and started gargling. I looked closer and out stretched the leg of a spider; a brown recluse.’
‘Okay,’ mom said, ‘but these spiders kill, they don’t turn people into zombies. If that was the case, you know how many people in the United States would be roaming around like the dead. Alabama isn’t the only place where these spiders exist.’
‘Let me finish mom. The one that crawled out of its mouth was bigger than any I’d ever seen before. Usually, they don’t get past the size of a quarter, even when their leg span is at its widest. But this one was much, much bigger.’
‘Then maybe it wasn’t a brown recluse.’ Mom was in denial.
Everyone else listened closely, not saying a word. Anton nodded, showing that he thought there was some validity to what I’d been saying.
‘It was. They’ve got this pattern on their backs that look very similar to a violin. That’s how you can really tell that it’s a brown recluse and this one had it too. I’m sure about this. Five hundred percent sure. I’ve watched tons of documentaries and I’ve seen a few of them in real life. I know what I’m talking about.’
‘Oh Liz, I think you’re just reaching here. And so what if it was a brown recluse. Anton tied the thing up to a tree in the middle of the woods. For all you know, it could have had ten dozen spiders, ants and caterpillars crawl into its mouth overnight.’
‘There was a purple dot on the back of the spider- right in the center of the violin- and I doubt that someone just drew it on. And, if you’ve ever seen a picture of someone who got bit and compared it to what these things look like, then you’d know that I might just be right.’
‘She has a point.’ A light seemed to have turned on in Brandon’s head. ‘She definitely has a point, mom. Remember Tony, the guy who I used to play basketball with after school before his parents moved him outside of Alabama?’
‘Yes,’ mom admitted.
‘Well, do you remember why they moved?’
‘Because he got bit by a spider.’
‘Exactly. He got bit by a brown recluse and almost died so they freaked out and left. I was there when his arm started to get this hole in there and it looked like it was rotting right through to the bone. It’s the grossest thing you’ve ever seen.’
‘These zombies,’ I interjected, ‘look just like that. You can see the bones in the face of the one Anton tied up. And if you saw it, you wouldn’t doubt for a minute that it looks just like a bit from a brown recluse.’
‘So what does this mean?’ Opal said with a pool of concern in her tone.
‘It means that from now on, we’re not only looking out for zombies, we’re looking out for spiders. It’s one thing to get eaten by these things and it’s another thing to become one of them. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want either.’
‘What else is it going to be,’ mom threw her arms in the air as though thinking that all hope was lost.
‘It’s not a big deal mom.’
‘It is a big deal, Liz. You know how slow we’ll have to go now; how panicked everyone will be having to look out for tiny ass spiders each step of the way.’
‘I have an idea. It’s not perfect but it will take away some of the risk and hopefully some of the fear,’ I said, tossing my backpack to the floor and searching through its contents.
I pulled out a roll of duct tape and held it in the air.
‘What are you planning on doing with that?’ Mom said unenthusiastically, ‘You don’t really think you can start taping down spiders?’
‘No,’ I forced a laugh, ‘but I think we can get added protection as to make sure that even if one of these things does land on us, it can’t get to our flesh. Now, I know that it’s hot out
, which is a bummer, but we’re going to have to keep all our body parts covered. That means, sweaters, pants, caps and long socks.’ I pulled out a pair of socks from my backpack, tugged off my shoes and started to demonstrate. ‘You’re going to want to pull your socks over your pants and then use the duct tape to keep it down. That way, when we’re walking through piles of leaves and stuff, there won’t be a chance for these things to crawl into the spaces that would have otherwise been left open.’
Everyone followed my lead, flopping down to the floor and securing their socks to their pants.
‘Now,’ I continued, ‘Put your sweaters on and make a couple holes for your fingers to pass through. If we had got gloves- which unfortunately we don’t- that would have worked too.’ I watched as they followed my instructions. ‘Your shirts will also need to be tucked into your pants. I’ve got another shirt here which I’m gonna cut up,’ I said, running the scissors down the length of the shirt, ‘and we’re going to use these as scarves and duct tape the end.’
‘Fuck. It’s boiling in here, already,’ Brandon blew a hard breath.
‘We’re coming up to a water source pretty soon,’ mom informed us. ‘We need to see how much of our other supplies we’ll be able to ditch from our packs and make enough space for additional water and take away some of this dead weight. With the amount of clothes we’re wearing now, we’ll be sweating like pigs.’
‘Yeah, it is pretty hot but we’ll get used to it and as long as we can stay hydrated we won’t have a problem’ I replied, pulling my cap down over my face and making my way to my feet.
***
We started our journey with everyone walking slower than usual as the fear of stumbling across a spider weighed down on them. For the first time in our entire hike, I was right behind mom, trekking along like a true pro. Though I shared the same fear as the others, I didn’t feel as defeated as they seemed to be feeling. Brandon asked about the water source every five minutes, acting as though he hadn’t drank a sip of water before we left. Dehydration wasn’t really one of our concerns. If there was anything that we planned for, it was to have enough water. Mom had instilled in us the importance of hydration from a very young age. If one were to ask her, she’d say that it was indeed the most important supply, more important than life, because ‘no water also meant no life.’
