Lake Yixa

by Harper, Cameron

  "Are we finally safe?" Sarah asked, looking at Liam. Liam looked back at her.

  "As long as we are the only things on this boat." Only then did Liam realize they hadn't checked the rest of the boat for zombies. They both looked down the tiny steps into the blackness.

  "There is a flashlight to the right of you," Sarah whispered. Liam turned and found the one she pointed to. He flipped it on. The light fell onto a pair of shoes sitting in the back of the tiny area. He slowly moved the light up from them only to find them empty.

  "Oh, thank God," Sarah let out.

  Liam picked up a rather large wrench. He moved down into the tiny space. It didn't take very long for them to clearly see all the places a zombie could be. They both relaxed a bit for the first time in weeks. He turned and headed back up to the deck.

  The boat rocked beneath Liam as he sat in the captain’s chair. He could hear Sarah moving around below. Every now and then, he could see a glimpse of her going from one end of the cabin to the other. The bang of pots and the smell of something good made Liam's stomach ache. It had been almost a week of dried fruit and trail mix. Whatever Sarah was cooking, he knew it would be good. He thought about the news report about over-processed foods. They had done their best not to eat chips, soda, candy, and just about any other junk food that was lying around. It was very hard, and they had failed to resist a few times. They both agreed if it was canned food, it should most likely be okay. He steered the boat along the coastline toward a cove they would set anchor at for the night. It wasn't too late; they had a bit of sun left in the sky, but in another hour or two, it would be dark.

  "Liam, dinner is done!" Sarah shouted.

  "All right. Be right down," Liam replied and shut the engine off. The boat slowly drifted, but at the slow speed they were traveling, she soon came to a stop.

  Liam grinned at the sight. Eggs, toast, tea, and some jams. He looked at Sarah, who also had a big smile on her face.

  "Powdered eggs. I hope you don't mind," she said, sitting down.

  "No, not at all." Liam took a seat across from her. "I have eaten them before in the war."

  They both began to spoon eggs onto their plates. Liam took a few slices of toast. He looked at each of the jams: apple, blackberry, strawberry, and one called rose petal. They all looked to be homemade. He decided against the rose petal jam and picked blackberry. Sarah, on the other hand, went right for the rose petal. The flavors made Liam smile and forget about everything that was going on outside the tiny cabin they sat in. Sarah looked as if she was feeling the same way as Liam.

  "God, this is good," Sarah said between bites.

  "Yeah," was all that Liam could say. They both sat eating and enjoying the food. Finally, after finishing everything and then making more toast, they just sat there sipping tea and feeling wonderfully full.

  "So, there’s a cove just up the way a bit. We will set anchor for the night. In the morning, we will head along the coast to a broken dock. A trail leads from there right to my house," Liam said. Sarah was playing with a small stuffed elephant. She seemed lost in thought.

  "Sarah, are you okay—" Liam started to ask.

  "Have you ever been married? Have any kids?" Sarah asked, cutting Liam off. The question caught Liam off guard.

  "What?"

  "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked,” Sarah replied quickly.

  "No, it’s okay. Just wasn't ready for that question," Liam said, watching Sarah closely. Her eyes hadn’t left the tiny toy she was holding. "I was married once. We had a child together, a boy."

  "Where are they now?" Sarah asked. Liam didn't care for the subject at all. He hadn't talked to anyone about it in more than ten years. He didn't say anything for a while. Sarah finally looked up at him. They both just stared at each other.

  "My son died when he was only eleven. Wife blamed me," Liam said softly. "She had good reason to blame me. I was drunk when I was supposed to be watching him down by the lake. I was passed out when he slipped and hit his head. He was knocked unconscious and went into the water. A few months later, my wife left me."

  Sarah went back to looking at the stuffed animal. Liam wondered why he so freely told her about his son. The two of them sat there for a while; no one saying anything. Then Sarah stood up and walked over and hugged Liam. He didn't know what to say.

  "Everything happens for a reason." With that, Sarah turned and headed into the small sleeping area.

  Liam watched the tiny door close before returning to the helm. He steered the small boat along the coast and into the cove, thinking about dinner and his openness with Sarah. The sky was a dark purple, and the last little bit of light would be gone in the next fifteen minutes. He shut off the engine, and that was when he heard it. He jumped to his feet and rushed out onto the deck. There, in the fading light, was another boat heading his way. Someone else, he thought. There were others. His mind raced at the thought of being saved. The boat coming toward him was a bit larger in size than their own. Liam recognized it as a police boat. Oh, thank God, he thought.

  He stuck his head inside the cabin. "Sarah!" he shouted and went back to waving at the men he could see on the boat now. The boat came to a stop not far away.

  "Hey!" Liam shouted.

  "Hello, sir," a man said. In the dying light, Liam could see the man. He wasn't wearing police gear, but he was in camo.

  "I'm so glad to see you guys," Liam said, smiling. He could make out at least three people. The light was all but gone now. "My name is Liam. What's yours?"

  "Is there anyone else on board, sir?" the man asked. Liam was about to reply when a flood light was flipped on, and it blinded him. This made Liam uneasy. He held up a hand to shield his eyes.

  "Mind pointing that light somewhere else? Can't see," Liam said.

  "Is there anyone else?" the man asked again. Now Liam knew something was wrong. He saw Sarah start to come up the tiny steps. He tried to gesture with his hand and not give anything away at the same time.

  " it's just me," Liam called back. Sarah stopped and looked at him funny.

  "Good."

  Liam’s chest felt as if it caught fire. The sound of a gunshot going off filled his ears. He stumbled backward and fell to the deck. Liam looked up; the night sky was drowned out by the spotlight. Damn, he thought, wishing he could see it. Sarah’s face appeared above his, her bright blue eyes streaming with tears.

  Liam moved his mouth, but words barely came out.

  "No, no, no," was all Sarah could say. She mouthed the words over and over. His eyes were growing heavy, and the light was fading. Sarah squeezed his hand and vanished from sight.

  "There! Get her!" The voice sounded distant and faint.

  Pop, pop, pop. The sound of gunfire filled the air.

  Sarah

  Sarah broke through the surface of the water, gasping for air. The cold of the lake had all but knocked the wind out of her. She started to swim in the direction she figured shore was. A pain shot up her arm with every stroke. The storm began its roar with rolling thunder. Flashes of lighting lit up the night sky. It seem the gods themselves were angry at the death of Liam. She could hear the men on the boat shouting over the storm.

  The bright spotlight began to scan the rough water as she swam. Why couldn't they just leave? Sarah thought as she continued to shore. A crack of lighting had shown her the shoreline in the distance. It wasn't long before she felt the gravelly lake bed beneath her feet.

  Sarah fell onto all fours when she finally made it out of the water. Tears mixed with rain streamed down her face. She began to cough up water, and then she threw up. Sarah remained there for a while, breathing heavy and coughing every now and then. She undid her belt and looped it around her arm. She didn't know if it would help the bullet wound or not, but she had seen it in enough action movies, so it had to do something.

  The spotlight hit the beach not far from where she was sitting. She got to her feet and started to move as fast as she could along the graveled beach. She didn't really
have any idea where she was going; she wasn't even sure if this was the right cove or not. A flash of lighting revealed a pathway not too far ahead of her. She quickened her pace. The same flash that had helped her also helped the men on the boat. The shouts of the men and the sudden light on her made her sprint.

  Sarah had just started up the hard-packed dirt path when the sound of a gunshot went off. She dove for the ground. A second shot quickly smashed into the small dirt hill in front of her. She scrambled as fast as she could up and over the hill. She got to her feet and ran down the pathway. It wasn't long till she lost it and was just crashing through the forest. Tree branches whipped and tore at her clothes as she ran.

  Sarah didn't know how long she had been running. It seemed like ages to her. The forest was thick and very dark. Trees creaked and groaned in the howling wind. Sarah started to wonder if she was only getting herself even more lost. Moosetan was surrounded on all sides by forest. People did live out in them, but they were few and far between.

  Sarah stumbled onto a cement road. She came to a stop in the middle of it and looked up and down the road, unsure what way to go. She turned to her left and hoped she was heading toward a house.

  Sarah's clothes were soaked at this point. The rain seeming to be an endless downpour. It felt like she wasn't on the road for very long when she saw a mailbox.

  The mailbox read The Keplens with the number 312 under the name. She hoped the Keplens were home and, even more so, not zombies. The driveway was short, and the two-story house stood before her. This was one of the new houses built for one of the rich IT guys that had begun to move into the area. The garage doors were open.

  Sarah was about to call out to see if anyone was home and then thought better of it. As she entered the garage, she could see things scattered about as if someone left in a hurry. She picked her way through the mess to the doorway of the house.

  She looked into the empty darkness inside, only able to make out a small hallway with a washer and a dryer in it. She stood there for a moment, trying to listen for any sounds of people or zombies. She looked around and found a tub of sports equipment—hockey sticks, bats, a few random golf clubs, and what Sarah figured was a lacrosse stick.

  Sarah picked up one of the bats and headed into the dark house, leaving the raging storm behind her. She moved slowly, listening for any sounds other than the storm. She could only hear the soft squelch of her shoes. The hall led to a kitchen. Broken glass snapped and popped under her shoes as she walked.

  Sarah stood in the doorway of the kitchen, trying her best to make out more. She could see cupboards open. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could make out a dishwasher next to the sink. She walked over to it to find it was a dishwasher. She popped it open to find it mostly empty but for a few cups and plates. A small smile crossed her face as she picked up a long kitchen knife.

  This is more than someone leaving in a hurry, she thought as she move from room to room. Each room was just as ransacked as the last. Sarah was sure now that the house had been looted by someone. It didn't make her feel any less worried about finding people or zombies. In fact, she was now worried that the men on the boat had been here and would come looking for her. Sarah found herself in the last room in the house—the master bedroom. She set the bat and the knife on the bed and looked through the clothes thrown around the room. Sarah found a baggy pair of sweats and a hoodie that seemed almost the right size.

  Sarah winced as she removed the belt from around her arm. Sarah pulled off her soaking clothes and did her best to look at the wound, but she couldn't make out anything in the dark. Gritting her teeth, she slowly moved her fingers across the area but didn't feel a hole. That's good, she thought. Maybe it had just grazed her.

  Sarah dressed and then began to gather up the rest of the clothes, throwing them into the walk-in closet. She pulled the remaining clothes hanging in the closet down and threw them onto the pile she had made with the other clothes, leaving her own clothes hanging in the bathroom to dry out. Sarah picked up the bat and the kitchen knife and headed into the closet, pulled the doors behind her closed.

  Sarah climbed under as many layers of clothing as she could without going to the floor. She made sure as much of her was hidden underneath the clothes as possible. With the amount of clothes this couple had, it wasn't that hard to do.

  Sarah had an uneasy night’s sleep, waking at the smallest of sounds. Only just before dawn, after the storm had calmed down, did she find a couple hours of sleep.

  She awoke feeling better than she did last night. The cold chill and the headache both were gone; only a rumble in her stomach bothered her. She climbed out of the bed she had made and slowly pushed the door open a crack. She listened for a long time before finally leaving the small room she felt a little safe in.

  Through the windows, the sun shined brightly. It was a cold day, and she could see her breath in the early morning chill. Sarah headed into the bathroom and pulled off the hoodie. She wiped away the small trickle of blood on her arm. The wound wasn't deep, but if she didn't clean it and wrap it up, it could get worse. Sarah looked around but didn't find much in the way of bandages, so she used a small hand towel and the belt again. Sarah checked her clothes and shoes, but both were still a bit damp, so she decided to put only her shoes on and left the clothes to dry. Sarah wasn't planning on staying, but she wanted to find supplies and maybe a backpack.

  Sarah grabbed her bat and knife from the closet. She wandered around the rooms upstairs, looking for anything useful. She didn't find much of anything; someone had gone over it pretty well. She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to find a raccoon eating from a few of the empty cans. It paused for a moment before taking off down the small hallway toward the garage.

  "Ugh," Sarah said, picking up a can of creamed corn in the corner of the kitchen. Sarah looked at the date—it was still good. Sarah found a pot to put the corn in; she popped the can open with a can opener. "Yuck, this stuff is worse when cold."

  Sarah tried the stove, but nothing happened. She didn't really think it would work, but she had to try. She winced and began to force herself to eat. It didn't take her long to get it all down. When she was finished, she happened to spot a peppermint lying on the counter. She smiled at her luck and popped it into her mouth. The flavor quickly overtook the creamed corn taste. Sarah began to search for useful items. She found a handful of matchboxes, plastic bags, tinfoil, and a single pack of Ritz crackers. She also found another can of creamed corn, which she wasn't happy about, but she was still glad to have some kind of food. She set everything she found on the counter.

  Sarah left the kitchen and looked around the living room. She saw a bookshelf lying on its face. She struggled to turn it over but was unable to. It looked a lot lighter than it actually was, and she finally gave up on it. She didn't think it would be a smart idea to hurt her back or any other part of her body. She grabbed the bat and started to sweep it underneath the bookshelf. Sarah managed to pull out a cook book, kids’ books, a few paperbacks, and a good number of encyclopedia books, but nothing really useful. She picked up three of the paperbacks and set them with her small pile of things. She may read one, but it was more for the paper; it would make starting fires much easier. She found a few plastic shopping bags from the local store and put the stuff she had gathered in them. It will have to do, she thought.

  Sarah stood there, looking at the two full bags, and then headed back upstairs, hoping to find another set of clothes that may fit a bit better, or at least more clothes to take with her.

  "These will work," Sarah said as she threw another two hoodies, a pair of pants, and a couple of belts onto the bed. She then grabbed her own clothes from the bathroom and set them on the bed too. She pulled the dark red sheet off the bed, turning it into a makeshift bag. Sarah piled her own set of clothes and a few other things into it and carried it all downstairs. Sarah filled the remainder of the stuff she had gathered into it.

  "It's not pretty, but it wi
ll do," she said with a small smile, scooping up the makeshift bag and throwing it over her shoulder. Sarah looked around one last time before picking up her bat. She glanced at the large knife on the kitchen counter. After deciding it was best to take it with her, Sarah set down the bag, pulled a belt out from it, and worked on strapping the knife to her leg. Finally, she was ready to go. She grabbed her stuff and headed out.

  As she made it to the end of the drive, Sarah stopped for a moment, looking up and down the road. She finally took a right, hoping she was going toward Liam's house and not to town. The lake should be on my left side, she thought. She did her best to try and picture the map of the area in her head. Liam had pointed at his road. It was one of the rural areas. She let out a sigh and hoped to have a little luck on her side.

  Every now and then, Sarah would have to walk around a fallen tree or telephone pole. She didn't realize how bad the storm was last night. As she walked, she made sure to keep an eye out for anyone or anything. She didn't hear anything but the sounds of birds singing and chirping. It made her feel a bit easier to hear them.

  The sun was high above as she approached a bend in the road. She started to wonder if maybe she was going the wrong way—or not even on the right road at all—when she heard the distant sound of waves slapping against the shore. She turned off the road and headed toward it.

  As she made her way through the forest, she began to see the shoreline. It was a cove with a small, ruined dock that had an old trail leading away from it.