Z Plan (Book 3): Homecoming

by Lerma, Mikhail

“Why?” inquired Lauren.

  “Stacy didn’t think you should be left alone,” he said anxiously. “Just given everything that just happened.”

  Lauren was a little annoyed.

  “I’ll be fine,” she objected.

  “She’s just worried,” he explained.

  “She doesn’t need to be,” Lauren snapped coldly.

  Outside they could hear the van start and quickly drive away.

  “It’s too late now,” he stated.

  An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Simon was uneasy due to his shy nature. Lauren was anxious because the last time she was in this building alone with a man, he tried to rape her. She tightly gripped the handle of her gun tucked into the back of her pants.

  “I’ll be in my tent,” she said rudely.

  “Okay,” said Simon.

  * * *

  Lauren hurried into her tent and cautiously eyed him as she zipped her door shut. Simon avoided looking at her. He wasn’t sure why she was so offended but he didn’t want to give her any more reason to be. Lauren sat and stared at the flap. She was shaking. She couldn’t help but remember the way, Ben looked in front of the fire. The way he grabbed her arm, his face contorting in anger. How he pulled her pants down. Lauren began to sweat profusely. She couldn’t breathe. Simon shuffled around in the room. She imagined him waiting outside of her tent. He wore the same look Ben did. Lauren pulled out her gun and pointed it at the tent flap. She was wheezing loudly.

  * * *

  Simon was getting things ready for tonight’s dinner. Something broke the beam of light that crept through a small crack in the barricade. The creature moaned.

  “That didn’t take long,” he said to himself.

  He walked over to the wall to see if he could count how many were out there. As he did he could hear Lauren rustling in her tent. He was about to dismiss it but then he could hear her wheezing.

  “Lauren?” he whispered.

  “Stay the fuck away!” she screamed.

  “Shh,” he tried to hush her.

  “Stay away from me!” she shouted.

  She’d drawn the attentions of the dead outside. They began their assault of the post office.

  “Lauren!” he hissed as quietly as he could.

  She fired two rounds in the direction of Simon’s voice that tore through her tent.

  Chapter 10

  GREATER DANGERS

  “Shit!” Simon exclaimed as the bullets whizzed by him.

  Lauren burst from her tent looking wild. Both hands were wrapped around the gun as she trembled. Simon raised his hands up to show he wasn’t armed.

  “Lauren please,” he choked.

  “Stay back!” yelled Lauren.

  “Wha-what are you doing?” stammered Simon.

  He could see she was terrified. The undead battle cry sounded outside their walls. Frantically she turned and shot at the barricade. She screamed as she emptied the clip. The gun clicked over and over as she continued to pull the trigger.

  “Lauren!” yelled Simon.

  She turned her wild-eyed gaze back to him. Lauren could see now that he was just as scared as her. He’d had a pale complexion before, but now even more so.

  “Lauren,” he said calmly.

  She pointed the gun at him knowing that it was empty. He backed away from her in an effort to giver her room to calm down. Simon began to breathe deeply. Lauren, without noticing, mimicked him. After a standoff that seemed like hours she finally lowered her firearm. Simon kept his hands raised. He was scared to even speak.

  Lauren took in her surroundings. The dead pounded away at the barricade futilely. Everything was the same as that night, except him. Simon wasn’t Ben. He didn’t have the same evil look on his face. Fear occupied his expression. Suddenly their situation flooded in on her. What was she doing? Lauren lowered her weapon. Poor Simon still stood there with his hands up.

  “Simon…” she began. “I-I’m sorry.”

  He remained silent.

  “Put your hands down,” she whispered.

  Simon did as he was told and dropped his hands to his sides. Still he was motionless and quiet.

  “Say something,” ordered Lauren. “Are you hurt?”

  He stared at her blankly.

  “Simon!” she exclaimed.

  “What the hell Lauren?” he finally spoke.

  Quickly she came up with the answer.

  “I didn’t remember where I was,” she confessed.

  “No shit,” he scoffed.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “You shot at me!” he exclaimed.

  “I’m sorry,” she replied sincerely.

  Simon looked at her in disbelief. Shouts of hungry infected carried through the wall. She had no choice but to tell him the truth now.

  “What I’m about to say cannot leave us,” she said gravely.

  “Simon,” she probed.

  He nodded.

  “I killed Ben,” she blurted.

  Simon looked nervous.

  “He—” she looked at the ceiling and wiped her eyes. “He tried to rape me, Simon. He confessed to killing so many people. He was going to kill me.”

  “We fought. I managed to get my gun and I shot him,” she informed him.

  “I didn’t see any gunshot wounds,” he interrupted.

  “I tore down the boards and let them come in. He was still alive, Simon,” explained Lauren.

  He thought about what she’d said.

  “Why did you lie, though?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” she stated. “I didn’t think anyone would believe me. He was liked by everyone.”

  “He was a fucking dick.” Simon just threw it out there. “A lot of people pretended to like him.”

  “What?”

  “I never liked that prick,” he confessed. “He was a bossy know-it-all. Like his shit didn’t stink.”

  Lauren was still apprehensive about this revelation. It was possible Simon was only saying it to put her at ease. But he appeared genuine in his dislike of Ben.

  “The only reason you liked him was because he was pleasant to you, and the only reason he was pleasant, was because you are a woman,” he added. “He wasn’t nice to other men.”

  “What does that matter?” Lauren demanded.

  She was offended.

  “Think about it,” said Simon. “He was always pleasant to women and rude to men.”

  “I still don’t see your point,” she stated.

  “He wanted to fuck you,” he said sharply. “And the rest of us were just competition. How is that not obvious?”

  Lauren supposed the logic was sound. But no one, not even Ben, would have been that transparent. She thought about it for a moment. Or would he?

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” confessed Simon.

  “I’m fine,” she replied.

  The two of them let out a sigh. Hungry growls called out to them.

  “I should probably take care of them before the others get back,” Simon gestured to the barricades.

  Slivers of light shone through, occasionally being broken by the undead outside. Lauren nodded her agreement to Simon’s suggestion.

  “I’ll go up top and pick them off,” he explained. “You just stay by the radio in case they call.”

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  She could see the uneasiness he had about her possibly having another gun. What was that? Now that she was calm, the whole ordeal looked like a blur. Still, she had her reservations about being left alone with a man.

  Simon climbed up through the skylight. After a moment or so he began to fire rounds into the group. Each shot caused Lauren to imagine Ben crumpling to the floor. What was wrong with her? She started putting dinner together to occupy herself. She’d gotten out the plastic plates they’d brought. Lauren wasn’t sure where they’d been acquired, but it was obvious the previous owners got their money’s worth. Orange grease stains were embedded into the green plastic.
<
br />   “Spaghetti night,” she speculated.

  She recalled her favorite restaurant’s secret sauce, Emilio’s. The sauce was homemade. They sold jars of it right out of the restaurant. She had no idea how to replicate the recipe. Lauren was going to miss that sauce.

  Alec’s voice emitted over the walkie-talkie. “We’re here. Julio and Stacy just got out of the car to talk to the men at the gate. They’re armed.”

  “Just be careful,” warned Lauren.

  “They look friendly,” added Alec. “I’ll call back if there’s trouble.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Lauren sat on the floor and waited by the radio silently. One minute. Five. Ten. Simon’s legs came into view from the skylight as they searched for the top of the ladder. He found his footing and lowered himself in.

  “Done,” he said as he climbed down.

  “Shh,” Lauren hushed him.

  Simon could see now that she was waiting for a transmission.

  “Sorry,” he mouthed inaudibly.

  Simon joined her on the floor, leaving eight feet between them. Together they listened. An hour went by before Alec’s voice was heard again.

  “I think we’re good,” he said. “Stacy has been talking to their leader for the entire time.”

  “And?” Lauren pressed.

  “It looks like a peaceful conversation,” added Alec. “We should be back in an hour or so.”

  “Okay,” she replied. “See you soon.”

  Lauren and Simon let out groans of relief. It was like a blanket of anxiety had been thrown off of them.

  “I’m going to start making dinner then,” declared Simon.

  “You want some help?” offered Lauren.

  Simon paused a second then answered. “No, I’ll be alright. Besides, it looks like you already set the table.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. We can’t both be hovering over the fire,” Simon added. “Not enough room.”

  Lauren nodded and made herself busy tidying up their makeshift camp. She did small things like, straightening the sleeping bags, organizing everyone’s gear outside their tents, and picking up debris off the floor. Including the casings from the rounds she’d fired at Simon and the barricade. She dumped all of the trash in a large cloth mail bin. It had once been used to sort mail, but now served a different purpose. She then sat on the floor and watched Simon finish cooking.

  “Smells good,” she praised Simon.

  “Salted deer meat and some soy beans I soaked in barbeque all slathered on some old rice,” he informed her. “Just hope it tastes all right.”

  The engine sound of a vehicle could be heard. It grew louder then stopped outside their building.

  “Looks like they’re back just in time,” said Lauren.

  She could hear Stacy talking excitedly to someone. The voices were muffled as they went around the building to the roof ladder. Julio was the first to come down. Then Stacy, who was still talking.

  “There are just so many benefits of working together.” She spoke quickly.

  Following her were a man, a woman, and a little girl Lauren didn’t recognize. They each wore a large backpack. Finally, Alec climbed down.

  “Let me introduce you,” Stacy said to their guests. “This is Simon.”

  “Hi,” said Simon extending a handshake to them.

  “And this is Lauren,” Stacy gestured to her.

  Like Simon, she shook their hands. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” each of them greeted her.

  “This is Gary and Liza. And this is their daughter, Autumn.” She introduced them.

  Autumn smiled. Her cheeks were smudged with dirt and she looked malnourished. Her blonde hair was wild and frizzy. Her parents didn’t look any better. They looked like they’d been through hell. Liza’s hair matched that of her daughter. Gary was balding and wore a pair of glasses with a chipped right lens.

  “Lauren is the one I was telling you about,” added Stacy. “She wants to get a school up and going for the kids.”

  “Is it already going?” asked Autumn frantically. “Is it too late to get in?”

  “Nope,” Lauren laughed. “We haven’t started yet, but you’ll definitely be in if you want.”

  “I do!” she exclaimed.

  “Gary and Liza were teachers before,” explained Stacy.

  “I taught tenth grade,” said Liza.

  “And I taught second and third,” Gary explained.

  “That’s perfect,” Lauren stated. “I must admit, I have no teaching background and I’m in a little over my head.”

  They all shared a laugh.

  “Something smells good!” exclaimed Julio.

  “You guys are just in time. Simon has whipped up a delicious meal,” ribbed Alec.

  Simon lowered his head and averted his eyes.

  “I’m just joking man,” whispered Alec. “It really does smell great.”

  Simon nodded. Stacy and Julio began serving up plates to their guests. Soon everyone had a plate and was digging into it.

  “So—” Simon asked in between bites. “You’re going back tomorrow?”

  “No,” answered Stacy. “There’s no need. The whole thing, them attacking us, was a mistake. They thought we were part of a group that had been attacking them.”

  Gary thought it best if he explained. “We thought you guys were the ones who’d been killing our scavenging parties. We’d started off fine but began to run out of supplies, so we sent people out.”

  “Like we did,” Simon nodded.

  “Except our parties stopped coming back,” Gary continued. “We sent out four of our best trackers. Military training and everything, but only two of them came back. They said a group of armed men and women surrounded them. They’d managed to hide in some underbrush. They watched as the armed group tortured the other two. They…” he trailed off. “They skinned them alive.”

  “They what?” Simon was horrified.

  Gary couldn’t bring himself to repeat it.

  “So, when our scouts spotted your group, we just assumed you were part of their group. Many of our people wanted retribution,” he explained.

  “We were just scared,” said Liza rubbing Autumn’s back with one hand. “We just wanted to be safe.”

  “So where is this other group then?” asked Lauren.

  “Not sure,” answered Liza. “They’re nomadic. Appearing and disappearing around the area.”

  “They seem to hang around the major roadways and cities,” Gary stated.

  A shiver ran down Lauren’s spine. It seemed the dangers were only getting worse.

  “I thought the army blocked the interstates off and controlled them?” inquired Simon.

  “You can drive around most of their road blocks,” explained Gary. “But the army is long gone. The roads are clear, save for a few vehicles pushed off to the sides and into the median. It’s how we’ve been getting around until we realized the dangers of traveling it.”

  “We should get back and report this,” Simon said to his group. “After dinner we’ll pack up and head back.”

  “It can wait till tomorrow,” objected Stacy. “There’s no rush.”

  “You sure?” he questioned.

  The look on his face was of uncertainty.

  “Yeah. We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” she answered. “Besides, Leo seemed excited to have a night to himself.”

  “Okay,” responded Simon.

  The rest of the evening was a continued introduction to Liza and Gary’s group. Stacy, Simon, and Lauren, took turns sharing their own history with them. How everyone came together and what they contribute to the greater good of the group. They discussed further their plans to open a school. Liza was able to recommend school books and where to get them. Their excited chat lasted well into the night. Lauren couldn’t wait to get started.

  One by one everyone called it a night until Liza and Lauren were the only two left.

  “Year round school sou
nds good,” yawned Lauren. “But do you think the kids would enjoy it?”

  “We can always ask them once we get started,” Liza also yawned. “Maybe we should discuss it further tomorrow. It’s getting late.”

  Lauren rubbed her eyes. “I suppose it is. To be continued?”

  “To be continued,” smiled Liza.

  Lauren nodded in agreement and sleepily made her way to her tent. Tomorrow was sure to be an eventful day.

  Chapter 11

  BAD NEWS

  It was almost noon when they finally left to head back to camp. First they had to deal with the infected who’d gathered outside the post office. Then, Simon and Julio had to find another vehicle so they could all get back. Once the station wagon and van were packed they headed out. Leaving the building secure for future travelers. The reinforced Chrysler Town and Country led an old beat-up Buick LaSabre down the road. The car closely shadowed the minivan as they swerved to miss potholes and fallen trees. All debris that had been present on their first trip through.

  “Base this is Alec. Can you hear me?” he called over the radio.

  There was no reply. Alec repeated his message every few minutes.

  “You might as well give it a rest,” said Simon. “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Yeah,” Alec said reluctantly. “You don’t think…”

  He paused. Simon looked at him to see why.

  “What they said about the third group of people,” he sounded scared. “The cannibals.”

  Lauren was the first to answer. “I understand your concern but it’s unlikely.”

  “Nah man,” replied Simon. “They said they only attacked scouting groups. No way they could take the whole town. Not without a major fight.”

  “Guess you’re right,” conceded Alec.

  Just then a voice finally replied to his messages.

  “Alec this is Jim. Do you copy?”

  “Hear you loud and clear Jim. Why is the mayor manning the radio?” asked Alec.

  “Is Stacy with you?” asked Jim.

  The two men looked at each other. Then Simon made eye contact with Lauren in the rearview mirror as Alec replied.