“Where ya off to?” Kristie asked with a smile.
Her rosy cheeks matched her ear muffs. Her brown scarf draped over her white coat. She held Marie on her hip and Callum followed.
“I’m…I’m gonna go find my friends,” he said nervously.
“We were going to go have some chili for lunch,” she stated. “If you and Michael want to join, you’re more than welcome.”
Leo hesitated a moment. He liked hanging out with Kristie but he really wanted to find the guys. Quickly he mulled it over.
“I’m not hungry,” he confessed. “Mikey might be, though.”
“Okay,” replied Kristie.
“Mikey!” he shouted to his brother who was still pouting. “You want to eat with Kristie?”
Mikey looked up. “Yeah!” he squealed as he ran to them. His little legs carried him swiftly to where they stood.
“You be good and listen to her,” Leo warned.
“Duh!” exclaimed Mikey.
“Watch your tone mister!” Their mother’s voice flowed out of Leo’s mouth. “Mom left me in charge.”
“Alright,” interrupted Kristie. “Come on Michael. Let’s go eat.”
Leo watched as she took the kids over to Lauren’s RV. Then he headed off to find his friends. Cameron and Nick were twin brothers. The group most often hung out at their tent. RJ was sure to be there. Once it got cold enough, everyone in tents would move into the armory. He wasn’t sure where the hangout would be when that happened. Leo approached the main building where the co-op offices were. He walked across the truck scale and around the brick structure. A cluster of tents were gathered all along the backside of the building. The older adults called it a Hooverville; Leo didn’t know why. Was it because it sucked to live back here?
The cold wind buffeted his cheeks as he rounded the corner. He pulled up the hood on his coat for protection. The air smelt like dead leaves. Leo hated it. He despised the entire autumn season altogether. He was more of a spring person. Even thought it meant more Z activity, it would always be his favorite. Members of the community stood talking in groups while others appeared busy as they zigzagged in between tents.
“Turtle!” RJ shouted to him.
“Turtle” was his nickname in the group. RJ gave it to him when he met Leo’s little brother, Mikey. He would always ask Leo where Donnie and Raph were. Leo wasn’t fond of this nickname since he was never a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan. He didn’t dare fight it though. These guys were all two years older and being friends with them meant he was cool. It was nice to have friends. Especially now that all of his old ones were Zs.
“Hey,” he replied with a smile.
RJ waved for him to come over.
“Here it comes,” Leo whispered to himself as he joined them.
“Where are the rest of the ninjas?” asked RJ.
“They’re off fighting the Toe,” he tried to play into the joke.
Cameron and Nick who were sitting on the ground burst into laughter.
“The what?” RJ inquired with a sly smile.
He had a crooked incisor that somehow made him look charming.
“Ya know?” said Leo. “The Toe soldiers.”
From the looks on their faces Leo knew he’d just made a mistake. They were laughing at him now.
“Dude,” Nick chuckled. “You mean the Foot?”
Leo felt like an idiot and quickly looked for an excuse to recover.
“Nah, man,” he said awkwardly. “they can only take on the Toe by themselves. They’d need Leo for the whole Foot.” He patted his chest in a gesture of manliness.
The three boys laughed. Leo was relieved that they’d bought it. Once their laughter died down, they went straight to business.
“So your mom is gone, huh?” grinned Nick.
His complexion made his teeth look bright white.
“Sure is,” he said cheerfully.
“Awesome,” RJ stated as he slapped his back.
“So we’re hanging out at your place tonight?” added Cameron.
“Y-yeah,” choked Leo. “My kid brother will be there though.”
“Mikey is cool man,” Nick assured him.
“I like the little guy!” exclaimed Cameron.
Before Leo could ask what they wanted to do tonight someone shouted at them.
“Don’t you four have chores to be doing?”
It was RJ’s dad.
“Yes sir,” RJ replied, submissively.
“Then get to it,” he ordered. “Everyone has their part to do.”
“Yes sir,” Cameron and Nick said in unison as they scrambled to their feet.
The large, burly man turned his attentions to Leo. Small flecks of his breakfast were entangled in his bushy beard. Grey hairs were peppered in, effectively aging him.
“Leonard,” he paused. “I think they’re organizing a trash run,” he said. “If you don’t think you’re mom would mind, you could help with that.”
Leo knew his mom would hate that idea. He wasn’t even allowed near the wall, let alone leave its confines. The idea of seeing what was outside of the gates excited him.
“Sure,” he said excitedly.
“Right over there,” he stated.
His arm was like a gigantic tree branch as he pointed to a group of kids and four adults.
“Okay,” said Leo as he retreated to the group.
The man’s size was truly intimidating. Leo hurried over to the group and tried to listen to the information they put out, but his mind wandered. He was excited about tonight. Had this been before with his group of friends they’d watch movies or played videogames all night. Given that the guys were older, they’d have probably thrown a party with alcohol—which wasn’t possible now—but in Z World who knew?
The group split up and everyone gathered the garbage from all around the village. Leo tagged along with a couple of girls he knew. They were both a couple of years younger than him. He wasn’t sure however if they were sisters or just best friends. The taller girl was Claire and the short one was Natalie.
“Hi,” smiled Natalie.
“Hi,” Leo smiled back.
Claire’s expression didn’t change. “What are you doing?”
“Helping,” he replied.
“You’ve never helped before,” she fired back, snottily.
“Helping now, aren’t I?” retorted Leo.
Claire scoffed and returned back to her task. The three of them walked through the village collecting garbage bags. With bags in each hand they walked over to the adults who had a horse trailer and truck waiting.
“That it?” one of the adults asked another.
“Looks like it,” they replied.
“Alright,” he addressed the kids. “load up!”
The kids climbed onto an old church bus that read Mud Creek Baptist on its side. The white paint was faded and chipped. The adults, armed with mostly melée weapons, got into their vehicles. Only the bus driver had a firearm. The trash pit was on the opposite side of town which was only a half mile away. Leo gazed out his dirty window as the driver told the kids what the plan was.
“When we get out there you guys need to form a line and unload the horse trailer quickly,” he explained. “The adults will stand guard as you work. There aren’t many Zs out there, but lets hurry all the same.”
A few of the kids answered back with nods and “okays,” but Leo had zoned out. The bus began to move as it followed the old green Dodge that pulled the horse trailer. The security team opened the gate to let them out. Slowly they drove through.
“You think we’ll see any?” a kid asked his friend.
“I hope not,” a girl replied.
“They’re everywhere,” stated Claire in an arrogant tone. “Of course we’ll see one, if not many.”
“You don’t know that!” exclaimed Natalie.
“There’s one now,” Claire said pointing out Natalie’s window.
Natalie shrieked as one of them slammed himself int
o the window.
“It’s okay,” said the driver as he slowed down. “They can’t get you in here.”
She covered her eyes as if it would help hide her from his icy stare. As the bus moved on he became silhouetted in Leo’s window. A few inches and a thin layer of glass separated them. He still had wet blood on him. He was fresh. Part of his scalp had been peeled back taking with it his right ear. Other than the blood his clothes looked fairly intact. The majority of his wounds were to his neck and face. What Leo found striking about this image was the man’s eyes. They hadn’t yet faded and lost their color like the other Zs. His eyes were still bright green. Leo could see a deep sadness in them. Or was he imagining it? He looked away from the man with sad eyes.
Behind him the next child to see him yelled in fear. The bus bounced as “sad eyes” was pulled under the rear wheel. Many of the kids were tossed out of their seats and they erupted into laughter. Leo, however, felt bad for him.
“Settle down,” ordered the driver.
The laughs subsided but quiet chatter continued.
“I almost hit the roof,” one of the boys exaggerated.
“I think his head popped off,” someone else said.
Leo attempted to look back at “sad eyes” but couldn’t see past the kids crowded at the back window.
“Sit down!” the driver barked.
Reluctantly the kids obeyed, but Leo still couldn’t see anything. Out his window more of the Zs wandered the yards of the abandoned town. Brick houses with overgrown lawns lined the road. They were almost there.
“Here we are,” said the driver as he slowed the bus to a stop.
The door opened and the kids hurried to the already waiting horse trailer. The adults stood guard as the kids formed a line. The closest Z was still about two hundred yards away. Plenty of time.
Leo attempted to join the line but was diverted.
“You’re Leonard right?” asked the driver.
“Leo,” he replied. “yeah.”
“Alright Leo,” he pat him on the back. “since you’re the oldest I want you next to the pit.”
“Okay,” said Leo.
Leo wondered why they wanted the oldest near the pit but understood why once he’d come to its edge. It was a ten by fifteen foot hole that was about twelve feet deep. It was filled with heaps of trash and debris. Among the garbage were Zs who’d fallen in and were unable to get out. Their moans and growls alerted the other children who looked startled. They looked in Leo’s direction with faces filled with fear.
“Whoa,” whispered Leo.
“Whoa is right,” laughed the driver. “Don’t get too close to the edge.”
“Right,” Leo nodded.
“And keep the younger kids back,” he added.
“I will,” answered Leo.
The doors opened and trash began making its way down the line to Leo. The first couple of bags Leo tossed in. This drew the attention of the mob of Zs that were down there. He thought it would make the task more fun to drop the garbage on them. Carefully, he waited for his first target to get directly below him. As soon the group gathered directly below him and clawed at the dirt futilely. He released the bag. The Z who was unprepared fell over, causing others to trip and fall. Leo laughed. He continued bombarding them until one of the adults took notice of his “game.”
“Hey!” he raised his voice. “Don’t do that!”
Embarrassed Leo hung his head low.
“If you drop it in like that they’ll be able to climb over it and get out,” he explained.
“Sorry,” whispered Leo.
“It’s okay. Just throw the bags out further,” he said in a more pleasant tone.
Leo nodded and threw the next one toward the middle of the pit. Some of the Zs left the group to investigate.
“Now hit them,” the man whispered to him.
Leo smiled. He then launched the next bag as hard as he could. The projectile slammed into one of them and sent him sprawling.
“Nice!” laughed the man.
Leo prepared to throw another. This one was much heavier. With a grunt he lobbed it at the group.
“Strike!” exclaimed the man gleefully as the group all fell over.
“Quit fucking around,” the bus driver demanded.
Like scolded children, both Leo and the man lowered their heads.
“Yes sir,” replied the man.
The fun was over. They went back to their respective tasks. In silence the trailer was quickly unloaded and the kids returned to their seats on the white bus. The driver followed them on and stood up front. Then he began counting them in their seats.
“We’re good,” he called out to the other adults. “Let’s roll!”
Soon the convoy was on its way home. Leo looked at the houses as they passed. The Zs he’d seen before had moved toward the pit. Up ahead, he could see the large grain silos towering over their camp walls. The walls themselves were made of various materials; mostly metal. In some places earth was pushed up to form a natural wall, and in others wood scraps and pallets were stacked up to ten feet high. The large metal gates opened and the bus pulled in. Quickly, the gate was closed behind them and the bus was parked. One by one they filed off of the bus. Leo was the last to dismount.
“Holy fuck!” he heard someone say.
This was followed by gasps and screams. Leo quickly looked to see what the commotion was about.
“You got one.” One of the adults slapped the driver’s back.
“Or half of one,” another person laughed.
Under the bus caught in the back wheel well was half of “sad eyes.” His legs hung loosely from the small compartment. Strips of cloth and flesh still clung to bone.
Natalie was screaming.
“It’s dead,” the driver told them.
She covered her eyes and fell silent.
“Are you sure?” asked Claire.
“Yeah,” the driver replied confidently. “No brain. No Z.”
More people gathered to see what was going on. The adults began clearing the severed appendages from the wheel well. With a leg in each hand the man who’d instructed Leo to throw the bags gave a fierce tug. The flesh shed from the bone and stuck to his bare hands. He dropped the legs and shook his hands aggressively trying to throw the flesh free from his hands. It didn’t help.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” he said.
Everyone cringed as he lost his color and began to gag. Soon he was vomiting uncontrollably.
“Ah, man,” someone said. “Get your shit together. We see this shit every day.”
The man continued to cough and gag. He attempted to wipe his hands off on his pants, but only made it worse as it rolled into multiple sticky chunks.
“Oh God,” he choked, in between gags.
Some members of the group laughed at his misfortune and a better equipped individual stepped in. Armed with gloves and a knife, the woman began to cut the corpse away from the wheel. Seeing that the situation was on its way to being diffused Leo left. He returned to the RV to hide out until the night.
Chapter 8
RECONCILE
RJ sat on the floor, laughing at Nick’s story. He was recounting the time he switched place with his twin brother in school.
“And so,” Nick laughed. “For the test I wrote my own name!”
The boys’ laughter almost shook the walls of the RV.
“No!” exclaimed RJ. “You didn’t.”
“Oh yes he did,” chuckled Cameron. “One week suspension for both of us.”
“Ah crap,” Leo laughed.
Mikey sat up in the driver’s seat and gave a fake laugh. He wasn’t sure why they were laughing. Being expelled from school sounded bad to him.
“How often did you guys switch places?” asked Leo.
“Um,” Cameron said. “We still do.”
“All the time,” confessed Nick.
“So did you guys ever switch places with girls?” questioned RJ.
&nb
sp; Cameron and Nick exchanged a glance.
“You have!” accused Leo.
“Come on,” pushed RJ. “Spill it.”
“Na,” Nick shook his head.
“Maybe another time,” smirked Cameron.
“What?” Leo objected.
“Not the right time,” Nick stated.
Leo didn’t want to accept this answer.
“Mikey, bedtime!” he ordered.
“No!” whined Mikey.”I’m not tired.”
“Not what I asked.” Leo adopted another one of his mother’s classic retorts.
“But I wanna play with you guys,” he fussed.
“We’re not playing,” stated Leo. “We’re talking. Grown up stuff.”
“Nu uh!” yelled Mikey.
“Bed! Now!” he hissed at his little brother.
“They’re my friends too,” mumbled Mikey as he stomped toward the back bedroom.
“It’s alright, little guy,” RJ said sympathetically. “You’re not missing anything.”
“Hmph,” replied Mikey angrily.
“Good night,” Nick said to him.
“Nighty night, bud,” Cameron called to him.
“Shut the door,” ordered Leo as Mikey entered the bedroom.
The door slammed shut.
“Harsh, man,” said RJ.
“Little shit doesn’t listen,” said Leo. trying to sound cool.
“Relax man,” said Nick. “You’re too intense.”
“He’s been whiney since our dad died,” he said coldly.
No one spoke. None of Leo’s three guests knew what to say to that. Sensing the tension in the room, Leo revisited the last subject.
“So you guys switched places with girls,” stated Leo.
“Na,” said Nick. “I don’t feel like telling that story.”
“Oh come on!” objected Leo.
“Moment’s passed,” agreed Cameron.
“Yeah,” RJ stated.
Leo was disappointed.
“Okay,” he sounded annoyed. “What now?”
“It’s getting late,” said RJ. “I should be getting back.”
“I thought you were staying here!” Leo exclaimed.
RJ quickly came up with an excuse. “I’ve got chores tomorrow. I’ll have to get up early anyway.”
“Same here,” said Nick and Cameron in unison.
Z Plan (Book 3): Homecoming Page 8
