by Brown, TW
“All afternoon and night,” Bennett said softly, her eyes refusing to leave the creature just a few feet away.
“Why did you let me sleep so long?” Ken scolded. “God knows what has been happening in that amount of time.”
“A lot of nothing if you must know,” Bennett shot back. “A few groups have volunteered to do neighborhood sweeps, but I’m not sure they’ve even started. If so, nobody has been out this way.”
“What?”
“Just what I said,” Bennett spat. “I was out with a few of the neighbors discussing some things we needed to do in case the power fails, and we never saw a soul the entire time. Colton came by first thing this morning saying he hasn’t seen so much as a single person on the streets since the meeting broke up.”
“Stay put and keep an eye on things,” Ken said as he returned to the chair he’d fallen asleep in.
He’d set his weapons down beside it when he plopped down intending to just relax for a minute. He was only mildly surprised to discover his blades cleaned and sharpened. Grabbing the biggest of the blades, he headed back to the kitchen. When he returned, he discovered that Bennett had moved up so close to the glass that his throat clenched in reflexive fear.
“Do you think she was alive as all of this happened?” Bennett asked without turning around.
“What?” The question caught him so off balance that he wasn’t sure he’d heard it correctly.
“These horrible injuries. Do you think she was aware the whole time as this was being done?” Bennett pressed.
“Probably,” Ken said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Why are you asking that?”
“If one of those things gets me…” Bennett turned to face her husband. “You have to finish me. Please don’t let me go through that.”
“That isn’t going to happen to you,” Ken insisted.
“I’m sure she thought the same thing.”
For some reason, Ken was suddenly very uncomfortable with the situation. His wife was many things, but over-dramatic was not one of them. She was not prone to exaggeration, nor was she the sort to dwell on the worst-case scenario. In fact, there were few people he knew that were as pragmatic.
“Bennett, nothing is going to—” he began, but she cut him off.
“I want you to promise me, Ken,” she insisted.
He could count on one hand the number of times he’d heard such urgency in her tone. She would not be distracted nor could she be dissuaded from this conversation. And she would be looking directly into his eyes when he answered. There would be no placating. He would need to give her his word, and he would have to mean it.
“I won’t let you become one of those things,” he vowed.
That answer seemed to suffice. She returned her attention to the abomination outside their back door. “Now put this poor woman out of her misery.” She touched the glass where the creature’s hand slapped at it, and then stepped back.
After taking a deep breath, Ken unlatched the sliding glass door. His eyes had flicked back and forth between the three children and the woman a few times, but during his conversation with Bennett, he’d stopped paying the children zombies in the bushes any mind.
They were gone!
His eyes scanned the entire yard that he could see, but there was no trace of them. This did not make him feel good at all. It wasn’t that he worried about taking the small creatures down, it was simply the fact that he no longer knew where they were lurking.
After ensuring they weren’t close by simply waiting for him to open the door so they could all rush him at once, Ken yanked the door open and drove the tip of his weapon into the zombie’s face. The creature dropped to the concrete porch with a meaty thud.
Stepping outside, Ken looked around, but still saw no signs of the three zombie children. Even more telling, he didn’t smell anything as he stepped over the corpse and made a circuit of his yard. As he walked back to the house, he heard the drone of a motor chugging along up the road.
He glanced at the body on his porch as he stepped over it and closed the door behind him; he would deal with the body later. First, he wanted to see who was coming, then, as odd as it seemed, he was famished.
Bennett followed, and the two stepped out onto their front porch after Ken peered out the window first to ensure the coast was clear. He recognized Colton’s beat up old station wagon as it sputtered and belched smoke before shutting off in his driveway.
“We got problems,” the young man said as he threw his door open almost hard enough to wrench it from the hinges.
“The zombies are in town?” Ken said, already turning to go inside and retrieve some of his favorite weapons from his expansive gun collection.
“Worse?” Something in the man’s tone made Ken stop and turn around.
“A bunch of the kids hopped into cars and decided to make a run over to Sandy. I guess they decided it would be a good idea to raid the Fred Meyer over there for supplies.” Colton tugged at his loose-fitting jeans as he strode up to the house.
“When you say kids…” Ken left that open for Colton to expound upon.
“I mean a bunch of the kids from the damn high school,” he spat. “The oldest one being the Lake boy. In fact, I’d be willing to bet he’s the ring leader of the group.”
Chad Lake and his family had moved to Estacada three years ago. Unlike most new kids, this one had no problem fitting in. He’d usurped the role as the starting quarterback his sophomore year and had brought the team all the way to the state championship this past fall as a senior. He only knew the kid in passing and from the games, and Ken didn’t care for him one bit. He was an arrogant, disrespectful, self-entitled little punk.
“How long ago did they leave?” Ken asked as he led Colton inside so that he could, in fact, gather up his weapons since it did look like he was going to be making a drive over to Sandy.
“Maybe an hour ago,” Colton answered.
Ken spun on the man and slapped the wall of the hallway with his open hand. “Why the hell are you just now telling me?”
“I just found out about it.” Colton threw up his hands like he thought Ken might hit him instead of just the wall.
“Didn’t anybody try to stop them?” Ken snarled as he slung a rifle over one shoulder and fastened his webbed belt with a pair of semi-automatic pistols and a pouch with five spare magazines.
“The mayor,” Colton answered with a wince, again looking like he might be worried that Ken would react violently.
Ken looked at the young man and realized there was something that he wasn’t being told. A dozen possibilities flashed through his head, but he shoved them down and made an effort to wipe any emotion from his face.
“What happened?” Ken asked in his calmest tone.
“They roughed him up pretty good,” Colton finally admitted.
Of all the possibilities—the most likely being that the man had gone with the band of idiotic kids—that had not been a consideration. Ken felt a brief flush of shame warm his face as he realized what he’d expected to hear. Every time he thought he had a handle on the man, Mayor Drinkwine would do something totally unexpected…at least by Ken Johnson.
“And nobody tried to stop them,” Ken said it as a statement.
There had been a lot of talk that Patrick Lake, Chad’s father, was going to make a serious run for mayor in the next election. When it had been discovered that it was that man’s company that had scooped up a considerable amount of property around town as well as a number of the deeds on the businesses along downtown’s strip, many of the citizen had reacted in the all-too-predictable manner of becoming a bunch of bootlicking toadies.
There had been a few rumors of young Chad causing trouble, the occasional fight, and even an incident involving a sophomore girl. Ken tended to ignore gossip, but he’d also started considering his own bid for the mayor’s seat. He wasn’t about to let some California land developer come in and take over his quiet little town.
All of that ha
d been tossed in the waste basket when the zombies arrived. In fact, he’d forgotten all about the Lakes. Obviously that had been a mistake. It was one he would not make ever again.
“So they were headed to Freddy’s?” Ken asked for clarification.
“That’s what they said,” Colton confirmed.
“Then gather up a few of the guys and meet me at Fearless in ten minutes,” Ken said.
Colton nodded and hurried out, jumped into his car, and sped off. He turned to see Bennett standing with her hands planted on her hips. He knew that look and wasn’t exactly sure what had brought it on. He didn’t have long to wait and find out.
“And why is it that you have to go after the Lake boy and his group of delinquents?” Bennett said with a sneer curling up her lips at the edges. “They aren’t your problem. Hell…they’ll be lucky if they don’t get themselves killed.”
“I have my reasons,” Ken said, hoping he could avoid this conversation. He should’ve known better.
“Well you are going to tell me, and I will let you know if I think they are worth a damn.”
Once again, this was very out of character for Bennett…at least when dealing with him. She never shied away from imposing her will on others. That was not a tactic she used with him…very often. At least not openly. That he knew of.
“Things are going to be very dicey here,” Ken started. “I wouldn’t put it past somebody like Patrick Lake to try and take advantage of that situation. The last thing we need is for this town to be caught up in petty bullshit. We need to be a cohesive group if we are going to stand against what is to come. I have a feeling that zombies are only going to be a very small part of the problem.”
“And what does any of that have to do with that stupid boy running off to get himself killed?” Bennett challenged.
“What if he doesn’t?” Ken shot back.
“Doesn’t what?”
“Get himself killed.”
“Okay…so?”
“So,” Ken sighed, “he will come back with a bunch of supplies and be seen as some sort of hero or savior?”
“What does that matter?” Bennett bristled. “You brought back all that food from the warehouse. If anything, it would put you even, and the Lake boy is doing this, not his father.”
“Doesn’t matter who. And we’ve kept the food run relatively quiet. I haven’t made a big deal about it.”
“So then make a big deal.”
“And that would look like I was trying to compete with the Lakes. It would only ensure the divide that I am trying to prevent would occur.”
“I think you are making a mountain from a mole hill.” Bennett gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “But do what you need to do. Just don’t do anything stupid and end up getting yourself killed.”
“I won’t.”
Ken kissed his wife and headed out the door. A moment later he was pulling up in front of Fearless Brewery. Colton was standing out front with a few of the same men that had gone on the warehouse raid. There was a very noticeable difference this time: all of them were heavily armed.
Ken hopped out of his truck and strolled up to the men. They all waited patiently as he explained his plan as well as the reason. There were a lot of nods and not one single question.
A few minutes later, everybody had paired up per Ken’s instructions and headed out of town. The drive would normally take about fifteen or twenty minutes. Today, it seemed to take forever. By the time they turned right on the Eagle Creek-Sandy Highway, Ken felt like he’d been on the road for an hour. The reality was that it had taken right around five minutes, an act that stunned him when he glanced at his watch.
They headed up the winding road, twice spotting lone zombies that turned toward them as they passed. By the time they reached SE 362nd Drive and the turn that would take them to the Fred Meyer store where the Lake boy and his gang of flunkies had gone, there were surprising numbers of the undead wandering the open fields.
Heading down the narrow two-lane road, Ken felt a chill as he passed the few houses along this remote strip. Two of them had clusters of the undead gathered around, obviously trying to get inside. Another had burned to the ground and continued to smolder, indicating that there was no response by emergency services.
As they drew nearer to Sandy and the main highway that ran through its heart, the zombie presence continued to increase. In just the brief time since he’d been to the produce supplier’s warehouse, things had spiraled to unimaginable levels of the undead presence.
“Where are they all coming from?” Colton whispered from the passenger’s seat.
“Does it matter?” Ken answered the question with his own. “These things are growing in number faster than any reports said…and I don’t think there is a way back from it.”
“What do you mean?”
Ken could hear the fear in the young man’s tone. Hell, if he was being honest, he felt it himself. He’d been operating on the assumption that they would perhaps have to hold out for a few months. What he was seeing just in the small city of Sandy was enough for him to consider a different scenario. This new one was a world in which humanity did not fight its way back to the top of the food chain. As impossible as it seemed…civilization had met its match.
“I mean we need to consider that we aren’t simply hunkering down for a few months until help comes.”
“Then how long?” Colton’s voice cracked when he spoke, and Ken felt terrible for the answer he had to give.
“Never.”
There was a long silence. Ken wanted to look over, but he was now too busy trying to weave past the several undead stragglers that were making their way along the road. He didn’t want to hit them unless absolutely necessary. The last thing he wanted or needed was for his radiator or something to get damaged. Hitting a body did a number on a vehicle; even one as big and sturdy as his pickup truck.
At last, Colton broke the silence. His voice was barely a whisper. “That can’t be true. The military or somebody has to be doing something. This can’t be the way things are gonna be forever.”
Ken didn’t have the heart to say that this was just the beginning. He had a very strong suspicion that things were going to get much, much worse as time passed. For one, he doubted that the zombies would all just stay in the city. What’s to say they didn’t migrate out to the areas surrounding Portland like Estacada. Then there were people. Hell, he’d already raided a produce supplier. How long before people begin fighting over every scrap of food…every drop of water?
The entry drive for the store was just ahead. What Ken saw did not make him feel any better about what they were about to undertake. A handful of the undead were milling about. Their heads slowly turned his direction when he got closer.
“The place is empty,” Colton breathed.
Ken was starting to think that as well as they turned into the large open and seemingly empty parking lot. His eyes were scanning everywhere, but he saw no signs of Chad Lake. He rolled slowly past both of the entrances, not surprised at how dark and gloomy the interior of the store looked. As they reached the far end near the store’s gas station, Ken was ready to call it. Then he spied three vehicles parked side-by-side near the entrance to the covered home and garden area.
One of the vehicles, a very large new model Ford pickup had backed up and busted through the wooden fence-style wall of the outdoor garden department. Stopping to look closer, he could see that the entry doors to the store were indeed busted in at this point. There were also a handful of dead bodies on the ground.
Ken stopped, put his truck in park, and hopped out, leaving the engine running in case a hasty exit was called for. The other two vehicles containing the men that joined him came to a stop as well, and everybody climbed out.
“This is where they went in,” Ken announced. “They obviously had to take a few of the creatures down.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder towards the bodies scattered on the ground.
“So do we go in or are we gonna
wait out here?” one of the men asked.
“Both,” Ken replied. “I need two volunteers to stay out here and watch the trucks as well as keep an eye out for signs that anything might be headed our way.”
“Like more zombies?” another of the men asked.
“Among other things,” Ken answered with a nod. “I mean if you see anything living, dead, or otherwise. I want you to lay on the horn and get behind the wheel. If we come out and there isn’t time, then everybody might just be piling into the truck with a driver.”
“You think we gotta worry about other survivors?” Colton asked with a scowl.
“Until we get a handle on them, I’d say yes. If you were watching the news, there was as much footage of looters as there was the monsters,” Ken said. “I think we need to be ready for anything that comes our way.”
“I’ll stay out here,” Colton offered.
Ken wasn’t surprised. He was discovering that this young man had been a lot of talk about how much of a tough guy he was, and in his experience, that usually was just that…a lot of talk. The problem at the moment was that he didn’t have time to hold anybody’s hand.
“Fine,” Ken snorted with a dismissive wave. He pointed out one of the other men, basing his choice on the look of hesitancy he saw on the man’s face.
Gathering up the other three individuals, Ken headed for the spot where young Chad Lake had busted through. Once he made it through the debris, he spotted the first downed zombie. It had been a woman, and from the looks of things, an employee of the store. Her head was caved in and dark chunks were fanned out around what was left of her shattered skull.
Ahead were the glass doors that led into the store from the open-air garden center. They had been destroyed, and there were another pair of downed undead sprawled just inside.
Ken stepped over the bodies and paused. He caught a glimpse of a flash of light from somewhere deep in the store. He also heard what could be voices echoing in the darkness.
“Sounds like they may be all the way over in the grocery department,” Ken said. His voice grew quieter with every word as he realized how loud he sounded to his own ears.
