Dead End Stories From the End of the World

by P. S. Power

  Nate waved him to the chair next to him, which was a little odd. Stranger still, Burt wasn't at the table. Lois was, always, since people ate every day, and Julio too, for the same reason. Rita, from Molly's team had her own sewing and repair squad now it appeared, so that counted. Carl had been heading hunts, not just for the women's compound, but everyone while Jake and the others were busy with the new group.

  That was it. Five votes to rule them all.

  Nate spoke gently, but a little more firmly than normal. He glanced at Jake and shrugged.

  “What first?” It was odd, but Jake just shrugged back, then stood.

  “First, Len's building project...” He outlined the plan, asked for input and the resources needed from Burt and Carley, how many people, working for how long, potential weather related problems and all that kind of thing.

  Nate had to translate for Julio, but the man nodded along without looking troubled.

  The vote went fast and no one spoke against it from the audience, even though Jake kind of thought they would. It was going to suck, doing all that digging and wood gathering in the cold. He'd have to do his own, if he wanted to hide from the cannibals, most likely, but that was just for one person. A hidey-hole was a different beast than an underground complex with several decently large rooms. It wasn't enough space still, but at least with him gone it would open a spot for one more, right?

  Everyone voted for the project, and it would start for real, the next morning. Early. People groaned, but not too much. After all, what the heck were they going to do otherwise? Sit and talk? No one there had enough stories to tell to keep that interesting for long.

  That was all Jake thought the meeting was about, but Nate stood and took a deep breath.

  “OK... the, uh, thing at dinner... Um, Jake you want to handle that one too?”

  Jake raised his eyebrows at the man, actually surprised. Well, it made sense that they get things taken care of now, he guessed, though why he should lead the discussion on it just didn't. Nate was the leader, but apparently had been knocked back a half step by the day's events. Oh well, Jake could take this part.

  “All right... so, just to make this clear, in case people missed it, most of you have some kind of power or gift, something that makes you special, which means that you've all been lazy so and so's to keep it hidden. That has to stop now. Get with Sammi and she'll make a list of who can do what, so that tasks can be assigned to meet skills instead of at random.” He spread his hands, making a broad gesture.

  “Also, from now on, if you're going to sleep with someone, spell out exactly what the relationship is first and don't sleep with someone else's partner. If you really want to, get with both of them, or all of them if that's the case, and work things out first. We have too few people for complicated games and not enough to do as things get cold and we have to all stay inside more.”

  There was a soft sound from the room. At first Jake thought it was the blunt sex talk, but most people just got that. It made sense. Now it was a rule, but one they should have lived by the whole time. It wasn't “no sex” just talk things out openly first. Not a big deal.

  No it was the announcement that most people had some kind of special ability that did it. After a second Jake held out his right hand until everyone was silent.

  “Don't act too surprised. Everyone alive now is probably different in some way or another. Most of your powers suck in a fight, I'm sure, or if not, tell Sammi so she can get you where you need to be. But face it, zombies are walking the world and have been for over half a year. Most survivors aren't just lucky. Something let them live. Don't sweat it. It sounds strange now, but these are the same people you've known the whole time. In a way this is a positive thing, since a lot of you can do more than you've let on, meaning everyone else's chance of survival should be going up now.” He gestured toward the small blonde girl and smiled.

  “Get with Sammi before bed and first thing in the morning. Cisco and... Bart, we, Nate and I, and um, Vickie... need you two up here first though. Tipper too.” Before anyone could move Jake gestured to Sammi.

  “I'll take your place on dishes tonight. Where do you want to set up?” He made it sound so obvious and natural that the girl just nodded and walked to where a table had been slid, off to the side of the main room, pulled it out and set up a chair behind it. Then muttering softly about paper and pen, she scampered off.

  “Right. No holding back either, or we'll have to have a discussion about it.”

  Or someone would. This was a huge bother, but made sense. This way the hidden things wouldn't surprise them all later.

  The next part was harder, for Jake at least. How did you get people to not act like morons? His solution was a simple one, he dumped the problem on Nate and Vickie. It wasn't his deal anyway. Even if they wanted to kill each other, well, he didn't have any rules against that personally. Nate did, wanting to leave as many alive as possible, but it was his thing.

  At first, as he listened, he kind of wanted to blame Tipper, being the source of so many of his own mental difficulties in the last months, but it was pretty clear that Bart had just wanted a little “strange”, and instead of acting like a sensible person and discussing it with Cisco first, he thought that what she didn't know, wouldn't hurt her. Except that he'd cut his finger a bit, and the blood touched her arm at the table. From his blood she'd read... everything.

  She explained it quietly.

  “Most of it, well, you let stuff go. Everyone does some things they aren't proud of at some point, and they really don't want it known. No problem, but this was just a few days ago... I flipped. Sorry. I just... I thought we had something.” Cisco let her head hang, and looked sad in the candle light. “Not my best move.”

  Nate nodded in the right places and seemed, now that Jake was paying attention, to be listening to everyone on some deeper level too. Jake mainly wasn't thinking, so it probably wasn't a problem at the moment. Tipper looked angry, but about what he couldn't tell yet. When it got to her turn to speak she made it clear though. She was mad. At him.

  That got a head tilt from Jake. What did he have to do with the situation? Nothing. Tipper was just having a girl moment and trying to blame things on someone else, he realized as he listened. Nodding along with her abstractly. It didn't matter anymore he found, or even bother him.

  “And if Jake wasn't going around being all whiny about things, then I wouldn't have been worried and looking for someone to sleep with.” She said finally.

  It didn't make any sense at all. Oh, the part about him being whiny, yeah, from a different and completely callus perspective, he could see that. How it had supposedly driven the woman into the arms of Bart... Nope, that didn't make any sense at all. Not one bit.

  Luckily Vickie pointed that out too.

  “What the hell? T... If I didn't know it was physically impossible, I'd ask if you were on drugs. How do you get from point A to W there without passing any letters in between exactly? Didn't know you could teleport.”

  Tipper made a harsh face and pointed at Jake violently. It was enough that he nearly went for his side arm.

  “He...” She spoke, venom in her voice. “Is a freak. I don't know what's wrong with him, but it's really there, and it isn't just me that's noticed it. The fact that he even thinks someone would be with him is... disgusting. I don't know how you manage to be around him at all V. He's a good cleaner, a hard worker and all that, he even looks fine, but he's wrong, on a deep level.”

  Ah.

  Jake just got up and walked to the kitchen. He didn't have to take that kind of thing, did he? There were dishes to wash after all. Sammi was off making her list and they'd need the help. As to what Tipper said, well...

  That didn't make sense at all. Wasn't he just normal? Like...

  He almost said, like everyone else, but that wasn't true, not here, not anymore. Everyone else was special. He really was just a regular guy. Maybe that's what was doing it? Too bland and unremarkable for someone like
her?

  It didn't matter now.

  He went and started on the dishes like he'd promised.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning, after an awful night of listening to people making love in the dark for hours again, something he wouldn't miss, Jake just finished packing up his cart before breakfast, ate some of Sammi's corn mush with strawberry preserves on it, and some strips of fried meat, then headed out without saying anything about his plans. It was much easier this way, just doing things. No one tried to stop him or tell him he was being silly.

  Oh, he was, of course.

  Doing this would probably get him killed. Maybe soon. But it was still better than being at the House with all those people that hated him. He knew that now. What he didn't know, as he walked, pulling his little messed up looking cart along with him, was why Heather was standing in front of him, just past the windmill that pumped the water.

  “You can't leave.” She said, as if it had meaning.

  Jake aimed the cart to move just past her and kept going. She was pretty pregnant now and not that quick to begin with. Even pulling a cart he could probably shake her eventually. She didn't move out of the way though, in fact she took a few steps to stay in front of him.

  He sighed. She was good at starting fights, wasn't she? Maybe that was her real power? Being a pain in the ass, not precognition at all. That or she had two.

  “Excuse me, but I thought I asked you not to do this again? I have things to do now.” Jake made his voice soft, almost polite, regardless of what he felt at the moment. Which was mostly annoyed.

  The girl crossed her arms over her stomach, light blue ski jacket pulling tight there.

  “No. If you leave then everyone else dies. You don't have the right...” She stopped suddenly, and made a face. A horrible one that looked pained.

  For a second he wondered if she'd gone into labor. Or was going to fake it to get him to stop. Taking a shuddering breath she started crying instead.

  “Oh, God...” She said softly. “I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it.”

  Jake nodded and kept on walking. It didn't matter what she said. He didn't have a right to leave? To be happy, or at least not miserable? Well, that certainly seemed to be her way of thinking, but that still didn't mean he had to stick around, did it?

  “Sure you did. But you messed up. Obviously. That, or it's your plan to have me leave and has been the whole time. Whatever. I don't care anymore. Go and play your little future games with someone else now. I have better things to do.” Like almost anything. He kept walking, she started to move beside him, still crying.

  “I didn't mean it! I just... You can't leave! I won't let you.”

  That got Jake to stop, without warning, the girl, her hair a dirty brown now, and a little stringy looking, compared to the faked out black it had been the first time they met, kept going for several steps. He stared at her.

  “Um, how do you think you're going to stop me? Kill me? If I stay there any longer I'll probably do that myself. I can't take it anymore. Since you're a big part of making it that way for me... Is that the real plan? Have me kill myself? How would that help anyone?” Just because he didn't see it, that didn't mean that it wasn't a valid point. Maybe he had to die for everything to work out?

  “What? Why would you kill yourself? You're just saying that.” Heather didn't seem very confident in her words though and hesitated before saying anything else.

  “I mean, you wouldn't really...”

  “Why not? I'm all alone, all the time. You and Tipper, and Carley, you three keep going on like all I care about is getting the next piece of ass, but I'm a virgin, Heather. A twenty-four year old that's never even had a real girlfriend and has the life expectancy of a loaf of bread.” He shrugged and started walking again. “No hope of that changing, and you all keep harping on me as if it's my fault, when way over half of it is because of other people. Holsom, you... How many women did you drive away from me already?” Jake didn't know anything, but it seemed like a good question to ask. The girl was strange after all and had hinted, early on, that she might be doing something like that.

  She looked away as she walked.

  “I had to. Otherwise... things didn't go right.”

  “And this is your plan? Me leaving? Because it's exactly what you've made happen. You created the whole set up, or at least helped, at almost every turn.”

  “No! Which is why you can't do it. I don't know where I went wrong, but this can't be happening. You have to stay with us now...” She sounded worried.

  That wasn't his problem though, was it?

  “God, did it ever occur to you that I might not want to be part of your little fantasy world? That alienating me like you have been might eventually have repercussions? That maybe, just maybe, not everything you see is reality and that you're more than a little bit unstable? For one thing, you keep thinking that the best way to make me stay is by ordering me to, even after you personally have proven to me that you're an evil monster. Why should I ever listen to you about anything? Yeah, you had a few ideas that worked out. So have a lot of people.” Head shaking he sighed, not giving her a chance to speak again.

  “Tell you what. I'm leaving. I don't want anything more to do with you, not ever. Go away and leave me alone. I can't make that much clearer without death threats.”

  “Jake... you're not being fair, this is bigger than you and your petty needs.” At least she winced after she said it, showing that the girl at least knew on some level she'd said the wrong thing.

  He just nodded.

  “I'm sure it is. But I live in the center of my 'petty needs'. No one else is being asked to go through the same crap I am, are they? So, that about ends this conversation. I don't want to see you again and if I hear of you doing anything at all that affects me or my life in any way... I will come for you. Do you understand that? I'm not joking, it's not an idle threat. You do not get to control my life, sabotage me, or make anything around me worse ever again, for any reason. Say that you understand. Now.” Jake just kept walking, but he fully intended to protect himself, right here and now, if she didn't agree.

  “I... Jake, we need you. I need you.” She held her stomach, which was blatant manipulation. Well, he'd killed pregnant women before. It wasn't a happy making thing, but he could manage it again.

  “Too late for that. Say you understand, and then leave.” The cart rolled slowly to a stop as he went for his side arm, pulling it smoothly, but not aiming it yet. She had three seconds to say something or...

  “Fine. But... this can't happen. I know it doesn't seem fair, but...”

  “Walk away.” His voice growled low and harsh. “Now.”

  She still hesitated, but after a few seconds turned and did leave. It was something. Really, it was his fault, at least the stuff with her. If he'd left her at the house in town he found her in, or even just shot her right then, a lot of things in his life would have been better. Sure, more people would be dead overall, but that wasn't his problem, as long as he wasn't one of them, right?

  Except that, of course, it was.

  Always.

  The rest of the trip was actually nice, quiet and nearly serene. There were clouds in the sky, but they didn't seem like rain would be coming, not for a while at least. The birds made chirping sounds in the trees, all of them nearly free of leaves already. A faint scent of moisture to the cold air, mixed with the mud from under his boots and the tires of the rough cart. Nice, overall. Way better than constant rejection.

  Jake even managed a smile as he walked.

  The little house, white with a rust red trim, painted and not having the nice siding of the other place, still looked secure. He took his time checking though, starting with a perimeter search and moving into the house, calling out at the front door, just in case someone had put a zombie inside for some reason. It had happened once before already, but that had been the cops. Normal people probably wouldn't bother. Still, he had hours of light left. So b
etter to be safe. It was all clear, of course.

  The cart got unloaded quickly, and the stores of food, and wood, were checked. The well still worked too, so everything was nearly ready for him. He decided to reset his trap lines and collect wood until dark, just in case he needed more.

  Just at dusk he caught sight of a large deer herd and shot two without noticing he'd done it really. Very nearly pure reflex at that point. It was startling, but only after it was done already. Well, it gave him things to do while waiting. The next day he'd need to start digging his little hiding place, just in case Heather wasn't totally wrong about everything. Better to be ready, and besides, he knew for a fact that he'd need to work hard to keep busy, lacking anyone to talk to, or any form of entertainment at all.

  The last time he'd left, been voted out, if he was being honest, it had taken nearly a month before anyone came for him. This time it happened in five days. Jake was just getting the roof on his hiding spot buried when the three people from the House walked up. Tipper, Carley and Sammi.

  Well, it was nice to see Sammi at least.

  Jake kept working. It was getting late and while he had plenty of fresh meat and lots of dried, that didn't mean he really wanted to run and start dinner yet. He had about half an hour for that.

  “Jake!” The girl said, running over to him happily. Like a real child might. He fixed her with a look, buried the shovel in the now soft earth and smiled. Then he gave her a quick hug.

  “Hey. I wasn't expecting to see anyone. Someone get stabbed already? If so my money is on Tipper having done it. You may want to be careful.” It was supposed to be a joke. It didn't come out like one. Instead it just sounded like he really meant it. Oh well, he couldn't get himself to care about possibly insulting her right now.