Lake Yixa

by Harper, Cameron

  "That has to be it," she said as she picked up her pace. She looked out at the lake. Its calm water sparkled in the sun. She was thankful to not see any sign of a boat or anyone else.

  Sarah moved back off the shoreline into the shade of a tree just out of sight of the water. She didn't know if anyone would come along, but she didn't want them seeing her before she saw them. She pulled out the Ritz crackers and began to eat them. They were a bit old, but she was happy to have them. She was dreading having more cold creamed corn. The soft breaking of the shoreline, the singing of birds, and the warm weather made it almost seem like everything was okay. She finished off the crackers, stood up, and headed down the trail away from the lake.

  Sarah followed the winding trail this way and that. It seemed like it went on for ages. The sun hung low in the sky when she finally saw the small cabin Liam called home. She was happy to see it with the door still closed. She hoped it meant no one had looted it.

  She reached out and turned the door knob. Locked.

  "Shit."

  She looked around for a hide-a-key but saw nothing. She tried above the door but still didn't find a key, so she set down her bag and began to work her way around to each window. Not one of them was open or unlocked.

  "Damn it, Liam. Why is your place locked up so tight?" She let out a sigh. Maybe there’s something in the shed I can pry open the window with, she thought.

  The shed was more than just a shed. It had a small workbench and a peg board full of tools Sarah had never seen before. Each spot had a small handwritten name under them. From the looks of the workbench and the area around it, Liam carved knife handles and toys. She smiled. He never said anything about it, she thought to herself. She suddenly realized she would never see him again. She frowned and did her best not to think about it.

  Sarah picked up an axe sitting in the corner. As she headed out the door, she saw a small silver key sticking out above the door jam.

  "Oh, please be the key for the door," she said loudly as she held it in her palm. She returned to the door. The key slid in with ease, and with a turn, the door popped open.

  "Yes!" she said a bit louder than she wanted to. She didn't really think anyone was around, but she wanted to do her best to stay unnoticed. She headed back to the front door to try the key. A blue tarp sitting off to one side of the driveway caught her eye. Liam had told her about the bear attack. That must be it, Sarah thought to herself as she turned back toward the door.

  A musty smell came from the house. If that was the only real smell, she was okay with it. She moved aside the curtains, letting in the evening light. She had maybe an hour of good light left. She looked around for a few minutes for Tux, Liam's black-and-white cat. Not finding him, she hoped he was hiding somewhere and not dead. Sarah cleaned out the litter box, which was long overdue, and refilled his food bowl. She tried the water but no luck. Sarah remembered seeing a large rain barrel behind the cabin. She found a big bowl sitting in the drying rack next to the sink. Sarah grabbed the bowl and her canteen, and went out back, filling both of them up.

  Sarah filled up the small bowl for Tux and set the rest on the counter. She went back out and grabbed a few logs. Sarah wasn't sure she wanted a fire, but she wanted to make sure she had plenty of wood if she did. There was no way she would head outside after dark.

  As she opened cabinets, she found that Liam stocked his house pretty well. She hoped most of it was good, but she decided to check it tomorrow. She pulled a can of chili beans out and looked at the date.

  "Damn, no good," she said as she put it on the floor by the trash. She pulled another can from the cabinet, checked the date and set it by the trash too. The third can was good. She smiled at the idea of not having to eat creamed corn. Once was enough for her. She found a box of candles and set them out.

  Sarah went back outside and started to close the storm shutters. She was glad she didn't have to board the place up. As she moved from window to window, closing the wooden shutters, she had a sudden feeling of unease. She stopped by the second to last window and looked around. A heavy wind blew, making the trees sway and the leaves rustle. She hurried and closed the last two windows before retreating back into the house.

  The sound of the door locking made Sarah feel a little safer. Even though there were two locks, Sarah still put a chair in front of the door to add to it. She lit a few of the candles, and then she closed the curtains and added a blanket over each window, making sure to do her best to block out any light that could seep out from inside. Afterward, she sat in Liam's chair. She was tired but wasn't really ready to go to sleep. Even though she felt safe, Sarah was still on edge.

  Meow.

  "Tux?" she said, looking around for him. He sat on the far side of the couch. "You don't know me, but my name is Sarah." Tux just sat there looking at her, his eyes flashing in the candlelight.

  "I'm friends with Liam," she said before pausing for a moment. "I'm sorry, but Liam was killed. He won't be coming home." A moment later, Tux jumped off the couch and headed toward the bedroom, vanishing into the darkness.

  Sarah sat there, not really thinking of much. A sadness had washed over her when she talked about Liam never coming home again. Even though they had only known each other a week, she felt as though she had seen him before and knew everything about him.

  Sarah lay down on the couch, not wanting to sleep in Liam's bed. He would have insisted on her taking it, she was sure, but she would feel better if she slept on the couch.

  Sarah drifted into sleep and began to be plagued by nightmares. She tossed and turned for several hours before waking up. She found Tux sitting on the coffee table, staring at her.

  "It's cold," she said as she watched her breath in the single candle she left lit. "Want under?" She lifted up the blanket, and Tux jumped over the couch and curled up next to her. She fell into a deep sleep soon afterward.

  Sarah wasn't sure of the time when she finally woke up. Tux was gone, and the candle had burned itself out. She lay there for a while, wondering if it was even daytime. I blocked the windows rather well, she thought. She stood up, went over to one of them, pulled the blanket aside, and moved the curtain. The bright beams of sunlight shined through the cracks in the storm windows. She went about uncovering the windows to let in some light. It was still dark, but she could see what she was doing just fine. She opened up a box of crackers she had found the night before.

  It didn't take long for her to eat the small amount of crackers she let herself have for breakfast. Sarah spent the rest of the morning looking through a closet next to Liam's bedroom. She felt weird about it but knew she had to find supplies. Sarah discovered a camping backpack and a bedroll. Setting the stuff on the table in the kitchen, Sarah packed a bit of food and a single change of clothes, along with candles, matches, and the books she had taken from the other house. Sarah looked through Liam's pots and pans, found the two lightest and smallest ones she could, and put them into the pack. It wasn't very full, but if she had to leave really fast, she at least had some things to take.

  Sarah went outside into the afternoon sun. It was much colder than she thought it would be, but the warmth on her face from the sun felt good. She went back to the shed and found a beautifully carved pocket knife. It had a tribal look to it—a long flowing feather on one side and a river on the other. She put the pocket knife into her pocket and picked up a toolbox.

  Sarah opened the toolbox, pulling out a hammer and a box of nails. She went back to the house and started to nail the storm shutters shut. After a while, she went inside to get a drink of water. As she sat at the kitchen table, Sarah scanned the room. A rifle sitting above the doorway caught her eye. She jumped up and retrieved the rifle. She had never used a gun before and wasn't too fond of them, but with all that had happened, she figured she better have one. She hoped she would never have to use it. Looking around for some ammo, she ended up finding two boxes in Liam's bedroom. Both boxes were pretty low on ammo, and she wasn't sure what ammo was fo
r the gun. The size of the bullets in one box made her think they were for a handgun, and Liam did have a handgun when he first got to town. One box read 308 win. The other read .45. She figured the longer of the two must have been for the rifle.

  She started to turn and head out of the room when a photo on the mirror caught her eye. Sarah pulled it off the mirror. It showed a young Liam standing with a woman and a young boy. The face of the woman looked familiar. Sarah wondered if she still lived around town. She put the photo back and went out and put the ammo into her bag.

  Sarah wasn't ready to try and load the rifle. She hoped that Liam had the manual for it somewhere but really didn't think he did. She didn't really know what else to do; she didn't want to go back outside. It was cold, and she felt much safer inside. She could look through more of Liam's things, but that felt weird, and she figured she could do that later. The house was cold, so Sarah made up her mind to make a small fire.

  She set about making the fire, hoping not to make tons of smoke. She used a bit of newspaper she found sitting by Liam's chair and one of the logs she brought in last night. Before she started it, she did her best to create a rig to place a pan on. The fire burned rather large at first, and she hoped it would die down quickly—she didn't want the smoke to be seen or smelled by any bandits. This feels nice, she thought as she sat in front of it. It had been a while since she had felt a fire.

  She got a heavy cast iron pan from the kitchen and set it carefully on the rig she had made to hold it. She put the baked beans she had found the night before into the pan and let them warm over the fire.

  "Oh, God, this tastes good," she said aloud as she took a bite.

  Sarah got up and rummaged through her backpack. She found the three paperback books she had stashed.

  "The Arch Angels, Burning Blood, and The Dancer," Sarah read aloud. "Which one should we read, Tux?" She dropped The Dancer and Burning Blood and returned to the fireplace with The Arch Angels. Tux sat down next to her. She spent the rest of the evening reading by the fire.

  Sarah woke up early in the afternoon. She had had another terrible night’s sleep, haunted by bad dreams of friends and loved ones being ripped apart by zombies and Liam's death replaying over and over. Sarah sat there, zoned out while eating her crackers, when she heard the front doorknob rattle. Sarah stopped mid-bite and turned slowly toward the door. She watched as the knob rattled again. Sarah got up slowly and move toward the rifle she had left by the couch. Sarah listened as the person went to the window closest to the door. The storm shutters giggled as they tried to open them. Sarah let out a small sigh of relief as the nails held. They moved on to the next one. Sarah didn't want to just hide in here till they break in.

  Sarah moved as quietly as she could toward the front door. She knew they had to be making their way toward Liam's bedroom window. She had a few seconds to open the door, go right, and turn around the corner. Sarah wasn't ready to point a gun at anyone, but if she didn't, she could be killed. She kind of hoped it would just scare them and they would run off. She prayed it wasn't the men from the boats.

  She clicked the lock, swung the door open, and ran out. As she rounded the corner, she saw a man standing by the house who looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties. He had short, messy black hair and a face full of stubble. He stood frozen in place, eyes fixated on the rifle Sarah had aimed at him.

  "What do you want? Get out of here!" she shouted.

  The man said nothing; he just stared at her, his face filled with fear.

  "I mean it. If you don't get out of here, I will shoot you dead," she shouted, hoping he wouldn't call her bluff. Just then, the sound of two kids screaming and shouting came from the woods behind her. She sidestepped away from them as they ran by.

  "Daddy, Daddy! Don't hurt him!" they said together. She stood still, stunned. She didn't know what to say or do. Everyone just stood looking at one another. The kids held their father around his leg and waist, crying.

  "Please let us go. We won't come around here," the man finally said. His voice is deep and could be intimidating if he was mad, she thought. "I promise. They were just hungry, and I was hoping to steal some things. I didn't know anyone was here. I thought it had been locked up for the winter—" the man continued until Sarah cut him off.

  "Stop! Just stop talking," she said. She wanted them to go away, but she couldn't just send the kids away hungry. She didn't have a lot, but she still needed to help them out.

  "We—" he started to say.

  "I said stop," she interrupted. "What's your name?" she asked finally.

  "Jeremy Baker," he said.

  "What about the kids?"

  "Matt and Zoe."

  Sarah looked at them for a while. They all were covered in dirt and didn't look too well off.

  "I'm Sarah. Let's go inside and get you guys a little bit of food."

  "Are you sure? We don't want to put you out."

  "It’s fine. Let's just get inside. Never know what's around." She lowered the rifle and went back around toward the front door. She heard him whisper to the kids, "It will be okay. She seems like a nice lady." She wasn't sure how he could say that, for she did just hold a rifle on him, but he was just trying to reassure the kids. The Baker family soon followed her into the house.

  "Over there," Sarah said, pointing at the table in the kitchen. She then got out a can of creamed corn. I will be helpful, but they have to eat the bad stuff, she thought as she opened it.

  "Sorry, it’s creamed corn." She poured the can into a small pot.

  "No, it’s fine," Jeremy said, looking at it in the pot. She could see the hunger in his eyes.

  "Going to heat it up a bit, if that's ok," she said, moving to the fireplace. The embers still burned softly, and she set the pot right on top of them. As Sarah sat there crouched, waiting for the corn to heat up, she studied the family. The kids had the same hunger in their eyes as their father. Their faces were streaked with dirt, and their clothes were tattered and ripped. Zoe held on to a ragged Anna doll. Matt had a GI Joe of some kind in his hand.

  "I'm sorry I pointed a rifle at you."

  "It's okay. I was trying to break in after all," Jeremy said with a half-smile. Sarah turned, grabbed the pot, and returned to the kitchen.

  "Mind getting a few bowls out of the cupboard right there? Spoons are in that drawer over there." She pointed with the pot in hand. Jeremy got up and got four bowls.

  "None for me, thanks. I have eaten."

  He put a bowl back and set the other three out on the table. She scooped out a bit of corn into each bowl. She barely had time to move the wooden spoon out of the way before the kids started to wolf it down. Jeremy was a bit more polite about it but, nonetheless, ate quickly.

  "Help yourself to the rest whenever you want it," she said as she set the pot on the stove.

  "Thank you so much," Jeremy said.

  "Where are you guys from?" Sarah asked as she took a seat in Liam's chair. It had a view of the kitchen. She placed the rifle next to her, still within reach.

  "We are from Seattle, but we moved to Moosetan just before winter. We live just outside of town in a lake house," Jeremy said as he got up to get more for each of them.

  "Where have you guys been staying since it all happened?"

  "First two days, we stayed home and made sure everything was locked up," he said, sitting down. "We didn't have a lot of food, but it would work for a while. But then some guys came to the house. I hadn't seen them before. They waved a gun around and shouted a lot."

  "Looters," Sarah said softly.

  "I had the kids hide out back, and I ended up getting tied up." Jeremy finished his second helping. "Mind if I sit over there?” he said, pointing to the fire.

  "Go for it."

  Jeremy checked on the kids and then moved over to sit down by the fire. Even though it was only a few embers at this point, it was still putting off a nice amount of heat.

  "I didn't want to say this too loud," Jeremy said softly, "but the
men argued about whether or not to kill me."

  "How did they get there?" Sarah asked.

  "By boat. We have a dock, and they pulled right up."

  "I see," was all Sarah could say; her jaw clenched tight.

  Jeremy looked at Sarah for a moment. He could clearly see she wasn't happy. "You okay?"

  "I'm fine," Sarah said. "Where are you guys staying at for the night?"

  "We have been staying in other peoples’ houses after we made sure they didn't have any zombies in them. As we moved east, there seemed to be less and less houses. Stayed outdoors the last two nights," Jeremy replied as Zoe sat down next to him and rested her head on his side. Matt moved next to Zoe and played with his GI Joe.

  "You guys can stay here for the night."

  "Oh no, we have put you out enough already."

  "I won't send two kids to stay in the woods," Sarah said, getting up and taking the rifle with her. She moved over to the sink and washed out the three bowls and the pot. She turned to look at Jeremy and saw Tux standing by the bedroom door.

  "Any one of you allergic to cats?"

  "No."

  Sarah slung the rifle over her back, and then she walked over and picked up Tux. She headed over to the kids and squatted down in front of them.

  "This is Tux. He can be a bit shy at times, but I think he will let you pet him," Sarah said. She held Tux, and the two kids had grins on their faces. Zoe’s smile must have been ear to ear. Tux let the two pet him before he decided he had had enough. He forced his way out of Sarah’s grasp and sprinted toward the bedroom.

  "Don't worry; he is shy at first," Sarah said, smiling at the two kids. "There is a rain barrel out back, Jeremy. Fill up one of the big bowls over there, and you guys can wash up."

  "Thanks," Jeremy said as he got to his feet. The kids stayed by the fireplace. Sarah watched as Jeremy went out the front door, and she then went into Liam's bedroom to the closet where she had seen a few towels.

  When she returned to the living room with a handful, Jeremy had already started to wash Matt and Zoe's faces.