The woman just nodded as she leaned over with her shotgun to pick up the box of ammo. She started to reload the weapon slowly as she said, "Yeah well that's just as bad in my book." She held the weapon in one hand and with one sharp quick motion she pulled back the forend and reloaded the weapon with one hand. She turned around and once again started back up the steps.
The young girl just shook her head and watched as the woman made her way up the stairs. When she turned the corner of the staircase and her last step was out of view, the girl’s hands flew to her face trying to push her tears back into her eyes. She bit down on her lip and she put her hand over her chest, trying to keep it at ease. The whole house was dark, she could hardly see in front of her, the light of the moon came through the cracks and spaces of the boarded up windows. The girl moved forward towards the staircase and peeked her head as far as she could without putting her foot on the steps.
When she thought she was in the clear, she took a step back and looked around her new surroundings. She started towards one of the gaps between the boards that was letting in a peaceful bright glow of moonlight and placed her eye against it. She could feel the cool air from the outside run along her cheek. She could see the dark path that she ran from the woods towards the house, her legs were still burning from the deadly foot race. The young girl turned away from the window, she wanted to leave the outside where it was, even if it was just for the night. She strolled around the living room, her hand lightly ran along the fireplace and she pulled it back. Her fingers were covered in dust and a long spider's web had wrapped itself around her hand, she started shaking her hand frantically.
The girl let out a childlike whine and ran her hand up and down on her short blue jeans. Spiders, shotguns, and zombies made their way to the top five list of things she hated, right next to her ex-boyfriend and Circus Clowns. She softly sighed as she looked down at the fireplace, she got down to her knees on the dusty floor and started to move the logs about, causing black soot to kick up into the air. She waved her hand back and forth and started coughing. "Someone needs some cleaning lessons." She softly sung.
Pulling out a lighter from her front pocket, she held it towards the dark wood and some balled up paper that had been sitting there forever, most likely left by another poor soul who just wanted to see through the darkness of the world. Odds were that soul got shot for walking up the stairs. The thought of that soul losing their life like that was heartbreaking, but oddly funny to the girl, who let out a small laugh. Soon a small fire started that slowly lite up the room. She sat there looking at it, letting the flames fill up her eyes. She was safe now, safe as she could ever be in this new world.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The voice came from behind the girl, causing her to shoot up, banging her head into the dusty fireplace mantle.
The girl’s hand went over the top of her head and shouted, “Damn it!” The girl stood up, rubbing her head as she turned fully around to face the crazy woman. "I was just..." The girl's hand fell to her side. She looked around and said softly, "There are no lights in this place, I can’t see a thing."
Catherine had a towel around her neck and a new black tight sleeveless shirt on, well worn and with some rips, but far newer than the balled up, mess up blood she once had. She started towards the fireplace. Her hair was wet and sticking to the back of her neck. “That’s the point,” Catherine said the words softly and slowly as if she were speaking to a child.
The girl's hand went to her head once again and slowly came down; there wasn’t any blood just a lump and a sore spot. She folded her arms and with a roll of her eyes she let out, “Being blind is the point?”
Walking past her towards the fire, Catherine's eyes watched as the flames popped and danced along the wood. "No, it’s dark because they come running when they see the light. It's like a bug zapper to them, and I don't have enough bullets to be zapping," she said.
The girl never thought about that, she never thought about a lot of things. All she focused on for the past few days was running. She didn’t put much time into wondering what was chasing her, why they were chasing her, or even how to make them stop. The only thought in her mind was ‘keep running’. Long gone was the times when she could sit and plot out her next move, or decide how to deal with the monsters next door or down the street. She knew as she stood there in the glow of the fireplace, that all that was left was running and surviving.
The young girl nodded as Catherine started to stomp the fire out with her black boots. Turning around slowly, Catherine gave the girl a good once over; she was blonde and thin, her hair hung down her slender back and somewhat rested on the bright red cheeks of her face. She wasn't too tall, from what Catherine could see, they were the same height. She had shorts that were cut too low, and a tight white tee shirt. The sight caused a smile to grow on Catherine's face and that grew into a small laugh.
"You're just a happy meal on the run aren't you?" Catherine said.
The girl leaned back on the fireplace with her arms crossed, turning her head quickly towards Catherine. The girl could make out her smile through the smoke and the moonlight mixture in the room. She put her hands on her hips and said, "What does that mean?"
The caramel-skinned, shotgun wielder dropped back in one of the dusty seats with a smile on her face and said, "You’re showing a lot of skin, given that you're running from things that love to eat people."
The girl looked down at herself then back over at Catherine. With a roll of her eyes and her best attempt at mocking Catherine she said, "Forgive me for not covering up mom! I didn't have much time. Just like you didn't have enough time to clean up for your guest!"
Looking around, Catherine closed her eyes for a moment, partly because she was tired and partly to hide the fact that she was rolling them as well. Dumb statements were her kryptonite, both in the old world and this new hell they called life. As she let the statement slowly fade from her thoughts, she smiled and said, "This isn't my house, I found it a few days ago, just like you did."
The girl looked around and softly asked, "You got chased here too?"
Catherine sighed and slowly opened up her eyes, "No, I'm looking for someone, two someones really. I’m just holding up here until I get a better idea of what to do, I guess."
The girl nodded as her eyes slowly moved towards the shotgun that was just leaning by the staircase. She had one small thought that was growing in her head, getting that shotgun in her hands. She could have darted for the weapon and made a power play for the house, but that thought was shot dead by a picture of Catherine beating what was left of the young girl’s life out of her. She stood there staring at the weapon before Catherine’s head slowly turned towards the weapon as well.
Catherine smiled and looked back at the girl, “Don’t get any ideas,” she said.
The girl’s head turned towards Catherine and she did her best to put on a smile, "I don't think there are any good ideas left. It comes down to run or fight from what I see." The young girl said.
Catherine leaned forward letting her fingers dance along her boot laces, as if she was tying her shoes. She wasn’t worried about taking the girl on in a fair fight, but if she got to that shotgun, fair would go out the window. Catherine didn’t want to gamble her life on who was faster, she told herself in that moment, if the girl moved forward she would stab, no questions asked. Catherine’s heart started to beat a little faster as her fingers slowly pulled up her pants leg.
The young girl looked down at the floor and softly continued, "I'm too weak to fight, and too slow to run."
Catherine laughed dropping back in her seat relieved.
The young girl looked over at Catherine and softly said,
“Something funny?”
"I’m sorry, I thought you were making a joke," Catherine said.
The young woman shook her head at the statement. Her whole tone changed as she grimly said, "There’s nothing funny about what’s going on. There’s nothing funny about people dying." She slowl
y started to take a seat on the floor near the wall, she pulled her knees to her chest, until they were pressed against her.
"There damn sure isn't anything funny about them coming back," she added.
Her blue eyes gazed down at her dirty white shoes, she rubbed one toe over the other trying to dust it off, but the dirt remained. She was trying to avoid continuing with their conversation, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to open up pandora’s box with the question that was dancing along the tip of her tongue. There wasn’t gonna be a happy story, no one had those anymore. Everyone has lost or is looking for someone, but nobody ever finds anyone. That’s what the girl was slowly learning these days; that this new world was full of loss and no one was coming to terms with that truth. The era of small talk was dead now, everyone was right to the point these days.
The young woman let the words fall from her lips ever so carefully as she asked, "So, umm. Who are you looking for?"
Catherine leaned forward in her seat staring at the young woman, the bright glow of the moon had made its way through the cracks and gaps in the boarded up windows. She could make out the outline of the young woman’s thin body and even the light yellow color of her hair. She didn’t know the girl and didn’t plan on getting to know her. She was a passer by, someone to beat the night with, but not to count on, no one to trust. That’s what Catherine kept playing in her head, it was her against the world, no one could be trusted, not anymore, not after last time. Catherine smiled and asked, "What does it matter?"
With a raised eyebrow the young woman crossed her arms over her chest and softly said, “You’re fucking rude, you know that?”
Catherine laughed and gave the young woman a small nod before leaning back in her seat and continuing.
"What I mean is, you're leaving in the morning and I might not even be alive next week. I just don’t see the point of the conversation." Catherine rested her head back on the dusty fabric of the chair and stared at the broken ceiling fan that was hovering over them. It was a hopeless thing, that seemed to be hanging on by some old rusty nail. She sighed as her eyes came down from the nails to meet the young girl’s blue eyes, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.” Catherine said.
The girl nodded and slowly uncrossed her arms as she jammed her thumbs back into her small hip pockets. "You don't talk to many people do you?" the woman asked Catherine.
Catherine laughed. "Not any that were alive, not lately anyways," she said.
The girl closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face. She kept them there for a moment and let out a loud sigh into her palms, before slapping her hands down onto her thighs and softly saying, "I'm just trying to stay alive, I don't really have a plan or anything." The girl stopped for a moment to look down at the blood and dirt that had stained her white sneakers. She put her thumb down and tried to rub it off as hard as she could, but it wasn’t something that could wash away, just like the monsters outside, all the blood, and all the bodies was here to stay. She looked up from her shoes and continued. "I had to leave, there was nothing back there for me. I woke up in the middle of the night and….."
Catherine shot up out of her seat and started walking into the darkness of the hallway where the shotgun sat. The girl stopped and her eyes followed Catherine, watching each footstep move as if it was in slow motion. She was sure this was it, that the shotgun was coming out for the final time, but then Catherine walked passed the rifle and the young woman sat there staring at it.
When Catherine stepped fully into the darkness, the young woman started to get to her feet. Her heart was beating faster now, she looked around the room, searching for something, anything she could use. Then her eyes found a fire poker resting by the fireplace. Before she knew it, she was standing by the fireplace, her hand was going out towards the poker.
She called out "Where are you going?"
There was no answer only the sound of cabinets opening and closing. The young woman’s heartbeat picked up a faster pace as the thought of the shotgun shells raced through her mind. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the poker and she was about to pick it up when she heard Catherine shouted back. "You sounded like you're gonna break into a some sob story and I need a drink or two, so I can at least pretend that I care."
The young woman's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe the words that came from the darkness. "I guess all the good people got eaten!" she shouted.
Catherine laughed as she shouted back, "Well you’re still here so what does that say about you?"
The girl’s eyes looked down at her fingers that were tightly wrapped around the fire poker, she didn’t break her stare until she heard Catherine’s footsteps once again. She dropped the poker back into its rack and waited for Catherine, who returned with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Catherine dropped back into her seat, sending dust flying into the air. She placed the glasses on the end table next to the chair and started pouring the brown liquid into the clear glasses.
The young woman’s eyes was fixed on the liquid as it slowly danced along the clear glass building up a small wave of freedom in the small glass. As much as she wanted to be released from the hell she was living for just a moment, she could only find herself wishing it was water filling up that glass and not alcohol. Catherine leaned forward to hand the young woman the glass, she just stared at Catherine’s hand then shook her head. Leaning on the fireplace the young girl said, "I don't drink."
With a raised eyebrow Catherine laughed and asked the girl, "You're kidding me right? You know the world ended? Now’s the best time to become a drinker."
The girl shook her head and Catherine leaned back saying, "More for me. So just when did your world end?"
The girl looked away and a small smile crawled its way to her lips as she softly said,
"Why does it matter?"
Her head turned back towards Catherine, who took a sip of the whiskey and laughed. “Funny,” she said before leaning forward resting her arms on her knees and cupping the glass in both her hands. “When?” Catherine asked once again without looking up from the still brown water that set fire to her empty stomach.
The young girl ran her chipped pink fingernails through her hair before faintly saying, "I guess the same time as everyone else. I heard about it on the news, but for a while, I just thought it was something happening somewhere else, like with the war. It’s sad and all, but it’s not on your doorstep.”
Catherine smiled at the girl’s words as she started pulling something from under her tank top. When the sliver chain dropped free of her fingers the young woman could see two metal tags shining in the moonlight
“My doorstep is a lot closer than yours sweetheart,” Catherine said.
The woman’s face turned pink for a short moment before it went full red, she placed her hands over her face and shook her head before dropping them and continuing.
“I didn’t mean..”
“What I was trying to say was-” the girl said.
Catherine laughed and leaned back in her seat once again saying, “Keep the story going Happy Meal.”
The young girl’s eyebrow went up then a smile slowly grew on her face, it was a feeling she hadn’t felt for a while. Not since she left the complex, not since she left them. She smiled looking down at the floor and then softly said,
“My name’s Sue.”
Catherine took a sip of her drink and then smiled, “Keep the story going, Sue.”
Sue nodded and ran her fingers through her hair before starting once again, “I remember thinking, that it would never happen in America, like we could stop it somehow. But we didn’t know what it was.” Sue paused for a moment as she looked up from her dirty white shoes and at Catherine who was leaning back in the seat, just twirling her drink around in her glass.
Sue wasn’t sure if she was putting on an act, pretending to be jaded by the past. It was something people in this new world liked to do, act as if yesterday was so long ago, as if today was all that matter, as if today was all tha
t was. Sue wasn’t sure if she was putting on an act like the rest or if she just wasn’t paying attention, but as she stared at her, Sue could see she was miles away in her mind.
Sue leaned on the boarded up window as she continued, “Then they were in D.C, then in Atlanta, then before I knew it they were down the street.”
Catherine nodded as she stared at the brown waves in her glass. “Down the street, up the block, next door...” Catherine downed her glass and placed it on the end table. “And in your house,” she added.
Sue nodded, she folded her arms over her chest looking at Catherine and said, “I woke up to some loud banging in the middle of the night. I remember looking outside my window, I could see them pushing their way into the house. There was moaning. No words, just moaning. I remember hearing my friends shouting. I remember seeing their blood.” A small tear pushed its way out of Sue’s left eye, her hand went up to meet it, but before she could whip it away, it was accompanied by a stream of new tears. “Oh God," she softly said.
Catherine wanted to tell her it was okay, she wanted to say that everything was going to be fine. But she knew that was a lie. She knew whatever horror story Sue was replaying in her head would be stuck on replay for the rest of her life. It wouldn’t fade away, it was just going to get longer and more bloody as time went by.
"They broke through the front door, there must have been 20 of them. Just knocking over things, moaning, and smelling like, like," Sue closed her eyes hoping to lock the word away and never be forced to say it, ever.
Catherine knew the smell all too well, she leaned forward and softly spoke, as if to whisper to herself,
"Death."
Sue started clearing her tears away once again as she nodded and continued.
"Yeah, my friends Samantha and Dean, they,” Sue paused once again as her eyes dropped down to the floor.
Catherine shook her head and stood up, “I’m sorry about that. You got any family?”
Sue shook her head at the question, she had a mother in Alabama, but it wasn’t a relationship worth crossing a Zombie covered state for. She just assumed her mother was eaten by the zombies or died years ago from alcohol poisoning.
Planet Dead (Book 1): Bloodthirsty Page 2
