My Dead World 2

by Jacqueline Druga

  “There’s safety in numbers,” Ben said. “I want to find a group of people.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, Ben, but five of you just stepped onto our land, doesn’t that now make us a group?”

  It was funny, and it didn’t hit me until after I said it. My father’s cabin was a homestead. We had plenty of land, water and safety. If we truly needed a community, a group, perhaps the answer wasn’t going out to find a community, but rather being a community for people to find.

  EIGHT – PLOTTED

  Like a good soldier, Lev walked around the camp, checking the fence, shining a flashlight out into the woods, and keeping an eye on everything.

  After Lev’s father, Lisa and Hannah, died, we had moved the small trailer from the property and burned it. Lev got another from Big Bear, another small one they used to rent out to campers. Not only did he use that to keep watch, but that was his place.

  Edi insisted on spending her nights in the old pop up, despite the fact she spent a lot of time during the day in the back air-conditioned room.

  With both trailers on the property already, Lev suggested since Ben and his crew were only short term, instead of them setting up tents, that they take the small trailer. After all, it did sleep six. They agreed and Lev moved into the cabin taking the loft bedroom where Cade used to sleep.

  Ben wasn’t a much of a sleeper. He sat outside the trailer with Corbin, while Sue Ellen and the boys slept inside.

  I didn’t know what to make of Corbin. He seemed nice enough. Judging by the age of his son, Corbin was probably a teenage father. He seemed like a good dad, he didn’t speak much, when he did, he didn’t sound smart. I knew it was mean to think that, but he didn’t have anything substantial or pertinent to add.

  Maybe he just liked to talk.

  He and Ben went fishing and brought back enough for all. He told us over supper that before everything went bad, he was a maintenance man at department store in the mall. The ‘light bulb’ guy, he said. “Fastest changer this side of Cleveland.”

  I caught myself nodding a fake, ‘hmm’ and before I said anything sarcastic, I humbled myself by remembering, before the virus, my current job and claim to fame was fastest drive through cashier at the local Arby’s.

  Who was I to judge? But I did.

  “Nila, be nice,” Lev responded when I made a comment about Corbin that night as I walked with him.

  “I am nice.”

  “No you’re not. He is a good man. I can tell.”

  “Well I just have a different feeling.”

  “Such as?” Lev asked.

  “I don’t know. He asks weird questions. Like if we had a cat. Why would that matter? He’s just strange.”

  “All this coming from a woman who takes survivor advice from Brad Pitt?”

  “I’m not living that down, am I?”

  “I will use it until it gets old and then some. You’re being unnecessarily judgmental. I have never known you to be so shallow.”

  “Come on now, think about that,” I said.

  “Okay, you have been shallow before. They’re good people. Ben is Cade’s father. They went fishing, got food for all. Ben offered to take a watch shift tonight.”

  “You obviously aren’t letting him.” I said.

  “I will after he knows the grounds. Then I can have a night to relax and beat you in chess. Come sit with me, I want to talk to you about something.”

  I followed Lev to the front of the house and joined him on the porch. We were invited to join Ben and Corbin as we walked by them. Lev was polite in declining.

  “What’s up?” I asked, sitting down.

  “So we have nine of us. Some are quite content staying right here. The rest are scattered in what they want, need and should do.”

  “Lev, I understand your point about staying here and I’ll stay.”

  “Yes, I know this. Staying is the safe option, this is the option we know is the best one. Mainly because we don’t know what is out there. We don’t have radio contact anymore and all we have are tidbits of information of what may or may not be. Green areas, infection free places.”

  “What are you getting at?” I asked.

  “Even though I don’t want to leave, I would like to know other options. There is strength in numbers. Ben and Corbin are assets. A part of me does not want to lose contact with them.”

  “Wow, that’s quite a thing for you to say. I always believed you had no doubts about keeping this camp safe and secure.”

  “Safe and secure, but I can’t make you well. I can’t help if there is an injury. I can’t figure out what is wrong when someone falls ill.”

  “And Corbin can? He can fix light bulbs and stuff. Not people.”

  Lev turned his head sideways and looked at me. “Did you miss the conversation with Ben? No, you didn’t. You heard it, I heard it and asked. Ben was talking about how Cade should have followed his footsteps.”

  “By going to school.”

  “No, by being a doctor.”

  “I didn’t get that from him.”

  Lev shook his head with a smile. “I did and I asked. Ben is a doctor and that is an asset we need.”

  “What kind of doctor?” I asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yeah, I mean if he’s a plastic surgeon…”

  “He still knows medicine. That’s an asset to a group with children and elderly.”

  “You’re confusing me, Lev. What are you getting at?”

  “Ben wants to leave. I want to stay. Both of us are right and wrong. I stay, I am led to stay based on ignorance. Ben leaves, then he is led to leave based on ignorance. None of us know for sure what is ahead in our choices. I was thinking of a compromise. Perhaps if we all know, then we can all make the intelligent choice.”

  “Compromise?”

  “Yes, I wanted to see what your thoughts were about me suggesting to Ben that we do scouting parties.”

  His suggestion perked my interested. “You mean go out and look before we leap?’

  “Yes. South. Another green area, or to Helena’s camp. Why not cross the lake to Canada? Instead of an entire group, it is easier to move around with just a few.”

  “I like that idea. I like it a lot. Without any way to get information, this will be the best way to make us informed.”

  “Good. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. And one other thing just between you and me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Bill was infected. We saw infected. We don’t know if it was a reset, a new wave or a mutation. We don’t have Bobby to give us information. We aren’t scientists. We can only learn from what we see. We learned a lot of how the body decayed, how fast and when it ended by watching. We need to know what’s out there to prepare and know what we are dealing with. You brought up that maybe they are alive longer if they eat. Billy’s father was gone at least a week and was still in an infected state. How? What would you say to me if I suggested that should we find an infected, we … study the infected?”

  “I’d say you’re twisted.” I paused. “But you’re thinking ahead. So you’re saying do a Pool Man Two?”

  Lev looked at me and smiled. “Everyone loves a good sequel.”

  FROM LEV’S SIDE

  Ben was a strong man, not just intellectually. He was a pillar that wouldn’t waiver. I could tell. He did all that he could to find his children and his mission now was to rest and go back out. A search for life.

  After Nila went to bed, I sat with Ben and Corbin. I explained my plan, how both of us were making our decision without full knowledge.

  I don’t know why I felt so strongly about Ben staying on. The fact that he was a doctor and we needed a doctor, weighed on me. There were children, an elderly woman. What if someone got hurt or bit, did Nila and I possess enough knowledge to help to fix them? In the world, with it the way it was, I could hunt, provide food, water, but where would I take Nila, Katie or Edi for help?

  I took them as my responsibility, whe
ther Nila argued that point or not.

  Although if I were to be honest with myself, a part of me just wanted it to be our tight little unit. Realistically, we needed others. They say it takes a village to raise a child; it takes a community to survive.

  Needless to say, Ben declined.

  Corbin had questions, but that didn’t make an impact on Ben’s decision. He seemed generally interested until he veered way off the subject and asked one of those obscure questions Nila was talking about. He asked earlier about cats and in the middle of asking about search parties he asked if I ever considered playing major league baseball.

  Ben wasn’t the least bit interested in the prospect of search parties.

  For what?

  Where to?

  What’s the point?

  “I don’t see the point. Two go out this week, two go out the next week. Seems like a lot of wasted time and resources. You wanna go, just go. Why scout it out? You seem like nice people,” Ben said. “My only reason for coming here was my son. There’s nothing that makes me want to stay now, or hang out any longer than I need to. Sorry.”

  I wanted to say, ‘What about the fresh water, the lake, or the deer. The elements of survival’

  I didn’t.

  I wasn’t going to beg and I was somewhat insulted that we weren’t good enough to stay with.

  Did we need him? He would be an asset. But we didn’t need him. The longer I sat with him, the more bitter I became.

  We were offering him a safe place. We were offering him sufficient food and water.

  To hell with him.

  He could leave. I’d figure out another way to find out what was out there.

  I excused myself and continued my watch and stayed clear of Ben and Corbin until Nila came out to relieve me. I didn’t say anything to her about making the suggestion to Ben. I simply mentioned we would try harder with the radios in the morning and then I went to bed.

  NINE – MINDSET

  August 1

  I don’t know why there was such a feeling of safety and security the moment the sun started to rise. It was like the brighter sky brought less threat. I knew that wasn’t true. Most of our attacks came during the daylight hours, but the night was scarier.

  I relieved Lev about two hours before daylight. We had a little rain. Not enough to make things muddy or interfere with the temperature. It was more of a nuisance. I was so happy to hear he really wanted to put forth an effort into making the radios work, even if we had to take them to the peak to try.

  I spent most of my short shift walking or sitting on the roof of the RV, then walking some more. Once the sky started to lighten and I saw Ben and Corbin making coffee on the open fire, I knew I was pretty much done with watch. I said ‘good morning’ to them both and inquired about Sue Ellen and the boys. Corbin asked me if I ever watched the series finale of Baywatch, I told him I hadn’t and let it be.

  With my folder, I sat on the porch and waited on Lev. It wouldn’t be long before he was up with his coffee and I’d go back to sleep for another hour or so. Sleep. Yes, I longed for that.

  I called my glue stick history. After writing down a detailed and impartial account of a moment as I could, using a glue stick, I attached the picture that went with the historical narrative. Some entries didn’t have pictures to go with them. Some pictures I didn’t date.

  On this particular morning, I worked on May fifth. Nearly four months earlier. Most of the times, when I wrote the date on the back of the picture, I had to rely on memory. More than likely, I was off. May fifth, however, was a date forever logged in my mind.

  I took a picture in my living room on that day, then one of the accident on my street. These I had already documented.

  I looked at another photo I took on that day. Actually, Addy, my oldest daughter took it. It was of Cade looking through his red bag. It wasn’t a particularly good picture, slightly blurry, but a visual documentation none the less. He wore his backwards baseball cap, it was not only the day we first met him, but the day he and I went out looking for supplies.

  I hadn’t even realized Addy had taken a picture until I printed them up.

  Using that picture, I recounted the story on paper. How that was the day he had to take care of his sister Julie, who had turned in his car in our driveway, how he and I headed to Evans City, but it was blocked off so we ended up at a veterinarian hospital to get much needed medical supplies. The trip was followed by a stop at Big Bear, where we got the radios.

  It was a vital, long day. Besides, day one at the cabin, it was day one of the official infection.

  I had the picture on the folder with a paper clip as I wrote, I would glue it when I was done.

  It wasn’t bright enough out to be a big shadow, but it was a shadow nonetheless. Thinking Lev had come from behind the house I looked up to see Ben.

  “Morning,” I said.

  “Morning. Mind If I join you?” he asked, holding a cup of coffee.”

  “No, please.” I scooted over.

  “I should have brought you coffee, I’m sorry. Can I get you some?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “As soon as Lev is up, I’m going back to bed.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “This?” I showed him the folder. “History. I want to write down as much as I can. That way there is a record. For me, for us, for the future. Who knows?”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Yeah, well, your son joked about it. He and Lev used to make fun of me for taking pictures. I kept saying no one did this for the Spanish Flu.”

  “Is my son in any of these?” Ben asked.

  “Your son is in a lot of these. This folder …” I held it out. “Is the first month here?”

  He took the folder and opened it. “You started this when you first found out?”

  “My brother, Bobby was with the CDC, I had a heads up on a virus. I had no clue what it was like in the beginning.”

  Ben flipped through and discovered that first picture of Cade. He lifted it to his eye level and stared at it. “He really was involved here.”

  “Yeah, he was. He was a part of our family and this whole place. He used to get so upset with my father because my father would make him chop wood and make spikes.”

  “Sounds like my son.” He handed back the folder.

  “That’s why he threw himself into the ‘Big Bear Wave’ of the virus. He helped out a lot there … he was bit you know.”

  “I figured that’s how he died.”

  “No,” I shook my head. I opened the folder and pulled out another picture. “Here.” I handed him another picture.

  “A selfie?”

  “That was taken in his car when he and I were trapped. He was stoned and convinced he was going to die because he had gotten bit on the ankle, but he never got sick. I think he was immune, or it was our theory, the virus needs a living host to be contagious.”

  “He was bit by the dead?”

  I nodded. “Months later … he was attacked and there was no surviving the injuries. My heart broke. I feel him around here. Everywhere.”

  “What would he do?” Ben asked.

  “About?”

  “Staying? Going?”

  “He’d eventually want to go, but he was pretty content here,” I said. “He wasn’t ready to leave. Why do you ask?”

  “I just was …” Ben paused and looked behind us when the screen door opened and Lev stepped out.

  “My relief has come,” I said brightly.

  “Don’t know how much rest you’ll get,” Lev said as he stepped off the porch. “Katie is in full force.”

  “Already?” I asked.

  “What can I say? I mean she can make rounds and hang with me, I don’t see any reason why there’d be trouble. I wanted to try the radio today and ...” he peered up and moved clockwise, “sky looks …”

  I waited. “Lev? Sky looks what?”

  “Shit.”

  “What?”

  Ben stoo
d up as well. “What do you see?”

  Lev pointed out. “The hill up there. Big Bear.”

  “There’s smoke,” Ben said.

  “Exactly,” Lev said. “And there shouldn’t be.” He looked at me. “Someone is there.”

  FROM LEV’S SIDE

  It surprised me that Nila was so insistent that I did not go up to Big Bear. That doing so was putting myself in a bad position. We all knew it wasn’t the infected creating the smoke, and to me, that had more dangerous possibilities.

  I had no intention of going up and driving through the front gate. The smoke being emitted was intermittent and not heavy. So whoever it was didn’t have a strong fire skill set.

  Ben commented that it was probably one person who found the campsite and wasn’t much of a camper. The early morning rain was probably making it impossible for them to get a good fire going.

  My plan was pretty simple. Take the truck over to the Big Bear main entrance, pull it off to the side of the road a quarter mile beyond the driveway and walk up through the woods to the camp. I knew my way around, I could go unnoticed and also slip into the camp without being seen. It was something I was more than capable of doing. That way I would be able to see who was there, and how many had made themselves at home on my father’s property.

  I was armed and ready to go when for some reason not only Ben, but Nila, suggested I not go alone and for me to take Corbin.

  “Are you good with guns?” I asked him.

  “Not especially.”

  “Bow, arrow, knife?”

  “Not really a weapons kind of guy.”

  I nodded. “I see.”

  “Is it important?”

  I tilted my head left to right, not wanting to come off as sarcastic. “Could be.”

  “I’ll give it a try.”

  “Why are you with me?”

  “Safety in numbers,” Corbin said.

  I just nodded in agreement, got in the truck, drove down the drive to the main road. The whole time, I watched the smoke that emerged only every so often. Once we got to the main road, I couldn’t see it anymore.