The Zombie Zovels (Book 1): Zombie Suburbia

by Lake, D. K

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “10.40-ish.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah I know right, we're usually up with the birds.”

  He sat up beside me, stretching again.

  “Sooo good.” he said, referring to his sleep, and probably the bed.

  “Even if you can't get the van working today, I may possibly consider staying here for a few more days so we can catch up on sleep and get some rest.”

  “Sounds good. But I will have this van running by the afternoon.”

  “Okay, whatever you say.”

  Lane playfully shoved me back onto the mattress and pressed himself on top of me, trapping me, and trying to kiss me.

  “Don't, I haven't even rinsed out my mouth yet.” I said, trying to avoid his lips.

  “You worry too much.” He kissed my forehead and let me up.

  We gathered our stuff for our trip to the river. Lane was eager and was already waiting by a tree for me, impatiently tapping his leg with his bat.

  “Hold your horses,” I said, ducking back into the van and retrieving the spray can. I closed the doors, not wanting to come back and find a zombie squatting in our new accommodation or more realistically an animal raiding our food supply. “How exactly are you going to find your way back to the van?” I asked, crossing the road.

  He frowned and scratched the back of his head.

  “You hadn't even thought about it, have you? Good job one of us has their head screwed on properly. We never end up back in the same location we walked from. Here,” I threw the can to him. “Leave enough of a mark so we can find our way back. You think you can manage that?” “I don't know, it sounds like an impossible task.” Lane said, removing the lid, smiling. I just happened to look over my shoulder and spotted a zombie wandering in and out of the treeline. “You see that?” I asked.

  “Yup, do you think it's from that pack we saw the other day?”

  “I don't know. Let's go before it sees us. It should be gone by the time we get back.” We made it to the river in just over an hour, longer than I thought it would have taken. I was glad I had talked Lane out of it yesterday. We both washed up in the river and I took a little longer washing my hair, much to Lane's annoyance, but my hair badly needed a wash, I was seriously considering chopping it off. I'd always loved my long hair, now it was just a pain in the ass to maintain. I washed our underwear and socks and rolled them in our damp towels. Lane filled the water bottle up and we headed back, following the marked trees.

  I left Lane fiddling around under the hood, while I hung up our damp laundry inside the van, using my rope as a washing line. I was still trying to de-tangle my hair when I walked around to see Lane. He had taken off his T-shirt (it wasn't even warm outside) and hung it over the hood, and was using it as a rag to wipe his hands on. Good job I had spares.

  “I've decided to cut my hair off.”

  “Uh-huh,”

  I rolled my eyes and leaned against the van, he wasn't really listening, too busy doing... something with his tools.

  “Right, let's give it a go,” he said, straightening up, wiping grease across his forehead. I tried not to laugh.

  “What?”

  “You have a little something on your...”

  He walked around and looked in the side mirror, flashed me his not impressed look, and rubbed it away with the back of his arm. Then he hopped into the front of the van. I could see him patting his pockets down.

  “Problem?” I said.

  “Um... have you seen the keys?”

  “Why? Are they not in the ignition?”

  “I didn't want to leave them in there.”

  “Why not? It's not like anyone was going to steal it.”

  “Stop being a smart ass and help me find them.” he said, checking around the floor under the seat. “No need. I have them. They dropped out of your pocket when you were doing a strip show for me down by the river, remember?”

  I pulled them out of my back pocket and handed them to him.

  “See, what would you do without me?” I smirked.

  He slid the key in and we both waited anxiously. He gripped one hand on the wheel, took a deep breath and turned the key.

  The van grumbled... but didn't start.

  “Wait, one more try,” Lane said.

  He tried again... this time the van roared to life and didn't cut out.

  “You did it!” I squealed in excitement. The thought of not having to walk for a few days was extremely exciting to me.

  He held his hand up to me for a high-five.

  “Get your stuff and let's get out of here.” He grinned.

  I dashed around to the back of the van and tidied the candles back into the box, they were glass and I didn't want them getting broken. I picked up my bag to take into the front with me, Lane came around to the back and slid the toolbox in. He closed the doors and we both walked around to the front.

  I froze on the spot for a moment when I saw one... two... three zombies heading toward the van. I slipped inside the van and closed my door the same time as Lane closed his.

  The zombie in front hurried forward and crashed into the hood, it bounced straight off, and landed on its ass. It stood back up and looked at us, I recognized it as the zombie from this morning. The other two were taking their sweet ass time as if they were off on a stroll in the park. One got distracted and wandered off to the side.

  “What's it doing?” Lane asked, still staring at the zombie in front of the windshield. “I don't know, but it's freaking me out. It looks like it's trying to figure us out. Just drive, maybe it will move.”

  “You know it's not going to move. It doesn't seem that hungry.”

  “It's probably still stuffed on rotten deer.”

  Lane put the van in reverse and we rolled backward. It slid off the hood and landed on the road. Lane pressed his foot on the gas. The zombie had only just made it back onto its feet when we drove forward. Lane swerved, but managed to clip the zombie and it spun around and landed on the ground again. The other zombie watched us drive by, looking confused, I waved goodbye, and zombie number three had disappeared into the trees and was gone. We hadn't gone far when zombie number four ran out of the trees like a streak of lightning, but it was no match for the van and it soon became a tiny dot in the side mirror.

  I leaned forward and fiddled with the car radio, wondering if there was a CD inside. To my surprise, Fall Out Boy came on when I pressed play.

  Lane reached over, pressed the skip button and turned the volume up. The song Centuries pumped out through speakers.

  “You like Fall Out Boy?” I asked.

  “Who doesn't like Fall Out Boy!” he answered, looking sideways at me, smirking. I slid along the seat next to him.

  “We're gonna be okay, Alleycat.” he said, reaching up and ruffling the back of my hair.

  Another week past. Another week without seeing any other survivors. I was starting to think there weren't any. We were lucky enough to come across a ranch, not too far from the main road. The zombies hadn't got to it and it had a pantry full of non-perishables and plenty of liquids. To say we got lucky was putting it mildly. We filled the van with food, fresh bedding, and any toiletries we found. We stayed for awhile, keeping everything we wanted to take with us in the van and we always slept in the van at night. The ranch still had running water, which was cleaner than the river. There wasn't much in the house, I think it had been a vacation home before, but I didn't complain, it restocked our supplies and it had a cabinet full of liquor. We had recklessly gotten drunk a few nights in the back of the van.

  After the supplies started to grow smaller we reluctantly said goodbye to our ranch retreat and got back on the road. The weeks started to blur together and we camped where we thought was safe (nowhere was ever really safe). We got clever and learned how to siphon gas, making sure we never got low, and there was no shortage of the stuff in the towns, we just had to be careful. Abandoned cars lined the streets in the
towns, and for another tankful of gas, it was always worth the risk. The van was starting to feel like home. And just when I thought the van was on its last legs Lane managed to repair it, finding other vans to take parts from, we even stopped at a garage in one of the towns so he could work on the van. The world felt like a lonely place. Picture this... you're standing in the middle of a street, in a town that was once buzzing with life, only now the only things that move are the leaves around your feet as the blustery wind picks them up and scatters them into the air. That's what it was like sometimes. Every time we found a new town I was hopeful of finding life... only it was never the life I was looking for. Humans had just disappeared. But we kept driving, we had no real home, nowhere to go, no destination, just a road... and we always followed it... hoping for a miracle.

  Chapter 15

  Idaho - Six Months Later. Voices stirred me awake.

  Just a dream. I thought.

  The only other real voice I had heard in the last six months had been Lane's... and the one inside my head.

  Definitely a dream.

  I rolled over, I was still in that in-between phase where you're not quite awake but still sleepy enough to doze off again.

  “Thom, look, is that a packet of Oreos?” said a girl's voice.

  I sat bolt upright. I wasn't dreaming. I turned around and looked at the hatch. It was shut, but I could see movement on the other side through the gaps. Someone was inside the van.

  What the hell?

  I looked down at myself, I was still half naked. I grabbed my vest top and yanked it on, not bothering to look for my bra.

  I shook Lane and he made a grunting noise. I quickly clamped my hand over his mouth. His eyes shot open and I pressed a finger to my own lips. He frowned, then we both heard rustling. Whoever was in the front was helping themselves to my packet of Oreos... which I'd been saving. Even Lane wasn't allowed to touch them.

  “Try the keys, Thom.” said the same voice.

  Lane sat up. “Who the fuck is that?” he mouthed.

  I shrugged, and quietly pulled on my jeans. The van's engine grumbled and music blared out of the speakers.

  “It works,” shrieked the girl. “And we have music!”

  “Colorado here we come baby.” said a male voice.

  Lane leaned over and grabbed my gun.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered.

  Lane pointed at the hatch.

  The volume of the music decreased. “Just gonna take a piss, then we'll roll.” said the male. “What's this?” asked the girl, rattling the hatch door. I was glad I had locked it last night. “Hmm... dunno. Let's try the back doors.”

  The engine died and a moment later I heard the voices at the back of the van.

  Lane was waving his arms and pointing. I had no idea what any of it meant, so I shrugged and he rolled his eyes at me. He stepped off the mattress and pushed me behind him just as both the doors opened.

  I peeked around Lane. The two strangers clocked on to Lane pointing a gun at them. “Oh, shit!” said the boy, protectively angling himself in front of the girl.

  The girl screamed and Lane pointed the gun at her.

  “Shut up!” Lane ordered. “Zombies, remember?”

  “We did-didn't know the van-the van was already ta-taken.” the boy stuttered.

  “Back up,” Lane said.

  The two of them walked backward and Lane jumped out from the van (only wearing his boxers might I add).

  “Keys,” Lane said, holding his hand out for them.

  The boy obligingly chucked them to Lane.

  “We're sorry!” cried the girl, then she started sobbing.

  I pulled on my boots and jumped down beside Lane.

  Lane looked at me unsure what to do. I looked back at the pair of them. The girl was a mess, crying into the boy's arms. She had black hair cut short into a pixie cut, dark make-up (that was running down her face... and who wears make-up in a zombie infested world. What's the point?). Her clothes were all black, black trousers, oversized black jacket, black choker around her neck, the only thing that wasn't black were the red Dr. Martens on her feet. I noticed even her nails were painted black.

  The boy was taller than Lane and really skinny, not a muscle in sight. He had light brown hair (greasy was not the word). Ugh! He was wearing a long-sleeved red T-shirt (with various stains) rolled up at the elbows, a hoodie tied around his waist, and jeans splashed with dried blood. I also saw the skin condition on his hands and arms.

  “Don't suppose you guys can give us a lift?” the boy asked.

  No-No-No-No! I thought.

  Then I caught Lane looking at me. Crap, not that look, the pity look.

  “What is your name?” he asked the boy.

  No, don't ask them that.

  They'll assume we want to be friends. I don't want any friends, especially not the kind that eat all my Oreos.

  “My name is Thom, and this is my girlfriend, Crystal.”

  Crystal turned in his arms and did a little wave at us, and I saw something wriggling under her jacket, followed by random noises.

  Lane looked at me, then back at Crystal.

  She smiled and shifted her jacket around, rolling the top down for us to see. A small head popped out.

  Crap-crap-crappy-crap!!!

  Now we would have to give them a ride.

  “Is that a baby?” Lane asked.

  I looked at Lane wondering why he had felt the need to ask them that, of course it was a baby. The small child turned its head to look at us. It wasn't a baby, I didn't know how old, though. “This is Ozma,” Crystal said.

  “I'm Lane and that's Alex.” he said, sticking his thumb at me, like I was one of his buddies. That's Alex?

  Hadn't I earned the title role of girlfriend yet?

  Lane looked at me again...

  Oh, I see, I have to make the decision.

  He was waiting for me.

  If I had my way we'd get back in the van pronto, and drove off. My conscious scolded me. Who had I become? I couldn't believe those thoughts were knocking around inside my head. My mother would be so ashamed of me.

  “What happened to your hands?” Lane asked Thom.

  “Um... it's a skin condition. I've had it since I was young. It keeps flaring up and, well, there isn't exactly a drugstore around here. Don't worry, I'm not turning into a zombie.” Thom laughed. “C'mon guys, help us out. Survival is better in numbers, right?”

  “Can I have a moment with my friend?” Lane said.

  Thom nodded and Crystal whispered in his ear. Lane grabbed my arm, turned me around and walked me away.

  I crossed my arms, sniffed and wrinkled my nose. Lane stared at me like I had all the answers. “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I dunno... friend?” I replied.

  “Alex, not now, I'm not getting into an argument with you right now. What do you think is up with his hands and arms?”

  “Definitely zombie leprosy.”

  “Shit! Really?”

  “No, you idiot. It's eczema. Pip used to get it on her arms all the time growing up. Still, he should cover it up, that's open to infection from anything.”

  “Should we give them a ride?” he asked.

  “Do we have a choice? We'd be horrible human beings if we said no.”

  “Wasn't this the point?” he said.

  “What?”

  “To find other survivors?”

  “Yes, I meant finding another safe house, not random hitch-hikers.”

  “Do you think they're dangerous?”

  I looked back at the pair of them. The girl looked malnourished and the boy looked like he didn't have a clue how to look after either of them. They didn't even have a weapon on hand. Unless they had a gun hidden in her bag.

  “Alex?”

  “Sorry, I'm thinking.”

  “And?”

  “I think you should get dressed. You can drive and I'll sit in the back with them.” “No, I think you should sit in the f
ront with me.”

  “No dummy! What if she pulls a gun out of her bag and blows through the hatch? It's not like I can ask to search through her bag.”

  But I should.

  We walked back to them. Thom held Crystal's hand tightly, biting his fingernail on his other hand. “You can come with us. But you have to ride in the back for now.” Lane said.

  “And no stealing our food supply.” I sounded like a real bitch. “I'll ration you out some if you don't have any of your own.”

  Not that I wanted to.

  Thom nodded. “Cool. For a minute there I thought you were going to drive off and leave us.” “You might want to cover those arms, they could get infected.” I said, and Thom rolled down his sleeves.

  Lane handed me the gun and climbed back into the van to get dressed.

  I caught Crystal eyeing the gun in my hand.

  “Where are your weapons?” I asked. “You do carry one, don't you?”

  Crystal grinned and produced a skillet from her bag.

  “I've found it quite effective.” she said.

  I really hoped she didn't plan on using that on Lane or me.

  Maybe that was what they did, finding survivors (victims) and stealing whatever they wanted. We had a lot to lose. Food, a vehicle (which also had my bed inside of it), a gun, clean water, and a collection of board games. The board games were the only things that kept us sane some days. I realized I hadn't said anything and was staring at them like a lemon.

  I smiled, it felt forced.

  “You have really nice hair,” Crystal said.

  “Oh, thanks,” I mumbled. “It was a lot longer, but I had to cut it off.”

  My hair now hung just above my shoulders. I hated it at first, but I don't put off washing my hair anymore.

  “I can braid it for you if you'd like?” Crystal said.

  “Maybe later.” I smiled, wondering when she last had contact with another girl.

  “So have you two been together since the start?” I asked.

  By start, I meant the beginning of the virus before it spread and the world changed to a big pile of crap.

  “Yes, we managed to make it out of Salt Lake City before it got completely swamped. I dunno how we survived there for so long amongst the chaos.” Thom said.