Love in the Time of the Dead

by Tera Shanley

  Mitchell jumped in the bed of the truck, and they made their way slowly but steadily up the ravine to where the rest of the group waited.

  “Come on, Adrianna,” Laney said as she picked up the little girl who had taken to clinging to her leg while Sean was busy. “You can sit in the back seat with me.”

  The truck was a four-door, and roomy enough, but Finn was roughly the size of a Clydesdale, and they had six people to fit into a five-seater.

  “I’m staying back here,” Mitchell announced when they pulled up.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because there is no room to spread out inside, and I need sleep. I was up all night watching you twitch and moan.”

  She rolled her eyes heavenward. “Fine. More room for us.” She grinned at the little girl firmly holding onto her hand.

  Sean drove, and Guist took the front seat, leaving the back seat to Finn, Laney, and Adrianna.

  “I’m hungry,” Adrianna said after they had picked their way a couple of miles through the dense woods.

  Laney had opened the window that separated the bed of the truck from the cab so she could hear Mitchell if he saw Deads. It also wouldn’t hurt to keep her nose in the wind. She thought Mitchell was already asleep, but at the child’s complaint he started rifling through his pack. He handed Laney a bruised but still edible apple through the window.

  “Can she have an apple?” Laney asked Sean.

  “Yeah, but she can’t chew the skin very well yet.”

  She pulled a pocket knife out of her pack and peeled the apple with an unbroken cut. She handed the long coil of skin back to Mitchell, who arched his eyebrows with impressed approval. She sliced the apple into manageable slivers for Adrianna, and as the child munched hungrily on the fruit, Laney searched her own pack for something to add to the meal. All she could find was more dried fruit, two leftover biscuits, and half a package of colony-made wheat crackers. Guist had obviously planned for them to hunt on the way to their next mission when he had packed for them.

  She divvied up the stash between herself, Adrianna, and the men, but after having consumed her small portion, she concluded it wasn’t nearly enough. Finn pulled out a plastic bag that contained thick squares of homemade granola bar in it. The sight and faint smell of the peanuts alone were enough to elicit a rumbling growl from her unsatisfied stomach.

  Finn pulled out a square and handed it to her without saying a word. She nodded her appreciation and knocked it lightly against Finn’s own granola bar in silent cheers. She offered some to Adrianna, but the little girl was satisfied and nodding off with her head resting in Laney’s lap.

  She looked up to see Sean watching her in the rearview mirror. His radiant eyes looked curious and tender.

  She leaned her head on the window and finished her meal, and before she knew it, she had fallen into an unexpectedly peaceful sleep to the gentle pulling of the truck as she stroked Adrianna’s hair.

  Laney’s head snapped forward as the truck jerked to a stop. “How long have I been asleep?” she asked Finn as she looked out the window to unfamiliar surroundings.

  “Half the day.”

  She must have heard him wrong. “As in all of the waking hours of a day?”

  “Yeah, we stopped like six times for munchkin here to take a potty break.” Finn nodded his head toward a fidgeting Adrianna. “You didn’t move a muscle.”

  At the mention of it, she felt the strain against her own bladder to the point of discomfort. “Why didn’t anyone wake me?”

  “For what? We were just driving. Besides, your mind and body are trying to heal from a whole lot of hurt. You needed the sleep.”

  She had to admit that, besides a seriously stiff neck and constant dull ache where all of her injuries were, she hadn’t felt so well-rested in a long time. “Did we run into any Deads?”

  “A few groups but we outran them all. This truck has some get-up-and-go. There just aren’t as many of them this far up in the mountains. There wasn’t a huge population to turn Dead in the first place and fewer humans for food up here. This colony is kind of in the middle of nowhere.”

  Sean had pulled the map over the steering wheel and was discussing the route in a hushed voice with Guist. Apparently traveling the woods for such a distance had thrown them out on an unfamiliar road.

  “I think we’re almost there,” Finn said, sounding relieved.

  “Need a moment,” she called up to the front seat. She hopped out of the truck to relieve her bladder. She could feel Mitchell’s eyes on her from the bed of the truck, but she did her best to ignore him. She focused on scouting out the perfect forest toilet instead. She smelled the faint, sickly sweet musk of Deads, but they were too far off for immediate concern.

  When she was back in the truck again, Sean turned to her.

  “We’re going to be there in a few minutes, but I wanted to touch base with you guys first.”

  Mitchell stuck his head in the window.

  “There were closer colonies, but this one houses one of Doc’s old buddies. Name is Dr. Mackey and they met back in their days of working at the CDC together. I figured this would be a better option to start work with Laney.”

  “You mean on Laney,” she grumbled.

  “We trade with this colony and their leader is a good lady,” he continued. “But she is strict. If you guys want to stay here and give Mackey some time, you will have to mind colony rules to the letter.”

  Mitchell made a snoring sound and retreated from the window.

  Sean frowned slightly and folded up the map. He put the truck in drive and took a hard right. Within minutes the truck pulled up to a makeshift gate that flanked a fence of strewn barbed wire.

  Guist leaned forward in the front seat and squinted at the fence. “I don’t think that would stop a Dead. They don’t feel anything. The best you could hope is that they get tangled up in the wire to buy some time.”

  “True,” Sean said as he pulled the truck to a stop. “Which is why they also electrified it and attached bells every few feet. Not even a rabbit gets in without the guards being alerted. It’s still not as safe as the colony needs, though, which is why they’re building that.” Sean pointed out his window. Through the foggy mist that had descended upon them Laney could make out an imposing wooden fence in progress. “The wire fence is only temporary. The colony is fairly new and it takes time to create safety.” Sean waved two fingers to a guard who had spied their truck and was approaching. There were ghosts in his voice. “And even then, no matter how safe you think you are, things can still go horribly wrong.”

  The guard talked quietly to Sean through his open window and then spoke into his walkie talkie. He requested backup and was rewarded with four more guards that appeared out of the fog. They ordered everyone to exit the truck, and the other guards gave respectful greetings to Sean. They apologized for subjecting him to the required bite check.

  “I completely understand. I do have one request though.”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  “The woman in my crew, Laney, has been shot on her side,” he told them. “We put her through the ringer a couple of days ago because we thought it looked suspicious.” He smiled. “I assure you she isn’t turning and the wound is already healing. I just wondered if you would conduct both her and my daughter’s search with respect and as much privacy as can be managed.”

  The four guards looked to the first who had approached the truck. He consented.

  “Behind the truck,” a short, stocky guard commanded.

  Laney took Adrianna’s hand and pulled the little girl behind her. She stopped when they were out of direct view of all but two armed guards and began lifting the child’s shirt and pant legs as instructed until she was cleared.

  “Okay, baby. Go back over to your daddy while we finish up here,” she told her in a low voice. If this was the time she was going to be shot for her Dead bites, it was best if Adrianna was out of the line of fire.

  “Clothes off,” the shor
ter guard instructed.

  She started to protest the complete removal of her garments, but he cut her off.

  “We have orders. If you don’t comply to the bite search, you don’t enter the colony.”

  She bit her lip and scurried farther out of direct sight from her team before she peeled off her clothes for the second time in a week for a group of complete strangers. Light rain spattered across her bare skin and raised gooseflesh in waves across her arms. The men were professional, obviously doing their best to ignore her feminine assets other than to do a quick check that her skin was unblemished by teeth marks. They ignored her tattoo, choosing instead to focus on the atrocious injury on her side. She didn’t look down at it. She stared straight ahead and waited for the verdict. She knew what it looked like. It looked exactly like what it was.

  “Sir?” the shorter guard called to Sean.

  He appeared around the side of the truck.

  “Seriously?” she exclaimed angrily. “Can I at least put my pants back on?”

  “Yes,” Sean told her, as he glared down the guard. “What is the problem?”

  “Sorry, sir. It’s just that—” he pointed to her side as she tried to scramble into her pants “—doesn’t look like any gunshot wound I’ve ever seen. Surely you can see why I’m going to have to call it in to Mel.”

  “Get her on the radio. I’ll talk to her personally. Did you even bother to notice it is an old injury?” he asked angrily.

  The anger must have been for show since he’d recently made the same assumption that she was in danger of turning into a brain-eating zombie at any moment, too.

  “Landry,” Sean barked. “Put your clothes back on!”

  She was already hurriedly zipping her pants up with her back to the argument. If he was waiting for a “yes, sir” from her, he was clearly deranged. She turned her head to tell him so, but she stopped when she noticed his eyes raking down her bare back. She resisted a shiver and a smart remark. Instead she reached for the black shirt still draped over the side of the truck bed, and slid directly back into her semi-modest comfort zone. She grabbed her vest and weapons and slunk around the truck to stand by the others. Maybe the color in her cheeks would go down before the boys got a real look at her face.

  “I’m either never leaving this colony or we are living in the woods forever. I can’t handle any more gate checks,” she complained as she straightened her shirt.

  “Aw, don’t be a spoil sport, Landry,” Mitchell said through a rakish grin. “The rest of us like gate checks just fine.” He slapped her backside firmly and went back to fastening his belt.

  She glared at him and scooted out of physical harassment range, rubbing her bottom gingerly. “Mitchell, you are a bunion.”

  “Oh, come on, Laney. If I didn’t annoy you, you would be completely bored with your life. You would! So you’re welcome,” he said with a devilish wink.

  He went back to work redressing. He was standing unashamedly beside her in all of his shirtless glory. No matter how much the man made her blood boil, she couldn’t deny that he was a beautifully made, masculine creature. He was tall and lean, and his defined chest delved directly down to an elongated and muscular abdomen. His pants hung low on his waist, but not annoyingly so. They showed just enough musculature retreating to regions below, and try as she might to feel differently, she couldn’t help but find the fashion obnoxiously intriguing on his physique.

  She squinted at the tiny script tattoo across his ribcage. It was located under his arm and done in such a fashion that it was almost indecipherable. She always tried to make out what it said, but thus far had been disappointingly unsuccessful. He had his done the same night she had gone in for her peacock tattoo. He had never let her look closely at it though and so far had absolutely refused to tell her what it said or meant. Probably to annoy her. He would say, “You aren’t ready to know yet,” with an obnoxious grin.

  He noticed her interest in his tattoo and pulled the shirt over his head. “Nice try.”

  She didn’t know why he looked so amused with himself. “It probably says bunion,” she muttered.

  Sean and the guards rejoined the group. “We’re cleared for gate check, but we have to report directly to Melony Benton. She is the leader here. By we, I mean Laney and I.”

  “Where Laney goes, we go,” Guist said in a tone that invited no argument.

  “That’s what I figured. Let’s load up.” Sean hopped in the driver’s seat and started the truck.

  She hoisted Adrianna into the back seat, and the shorter guard jumped into the bed of the truck with Mitchell.

  “Where are we, anyway?” she asked as Sean pulled the truck through the opening gate.

  “Blue River, population six hundred eighty-five,” Finn offered. “Or so the sign said. I’m assuming the last few years has maimed that number a bit.”

  She wiped condensation off of the window with her forearm as they climbed a steep mountain road. Buildings made of logs peeked from between thick groves of pine trees. Every colony was different, but this one was the most unique and picturesque she had seen. Most colonies felled the trees near living quarters so the people who dwelled there could spot danger at a distance and feel a little safer. In contrast, this high altitude colony used trees to camouflage its very existence. Each building was one of a kind with snaking, thin walking trails that connected them all. All of the cabins were small, but some were of newer, cruder construction while others seemed dilapidated, though sturdy. Her ears popped as the truck climbed a zigzagging switchback. To the left of the truck was a leveled area that housed three rows of RVs someone had taken the time and substantial effort to track down and haul in. They were placed in close proximity to each other but as far as housing went, it was highly efficient. Farther up the mountain, long wooden cabins made of fallen pines jutted out of the forest. Each had ten doors, evenly spaced, which indicated the cabins were made of separated bedrooms for different families. The space between the wooden logs that comprised the construction was packed tightly with what looked to be concrete of some sort. She counted six of the long cabins before Sean pulled the truck into a parking area filled with other four-wheel-drive vehicles and one giant eighteen-wheeler. How they managed to get that huge supply truck up the mountain road Sean had just maneuvered was beyond her.

  “Let’s go,” Sean said as he parked the truck.

  He led the group up a trail through the dense woods. They crossed three small bridges where one of many rivers snaked its way down through the Rocky Mountains. The bubbling and gentle rushing of the water relaxed the tension in her shoulders almost immediately. How could a place so beautiful still exist in this world? She paused on a small wooden bridge and looked over the edge into the flowing water beneath.

  “Do you think it has trout in it?” she asked Finn. She wasn’t quite able to keep the excitement out of her voice. The thought of a fish dinner had her stomach aching for sustenance.

  “I know it does. I see one right there.” Finn pointed.

  “Colony tour later. Business first,” Sean called from up ahead of them.

  The end of the trail brought them to the front steps of a cabin much larger than the others they’d seen. She was panting like a freight train and feeling light-headed by the time they arrived.

  “Geez, Laney. Forget the Deads. It’s a little hike uphill you have to worry about,” Mitchell teased.

  “It’s the altitude,” Finn defended her. “The air is thinner and it will take some conditioning to get used to it.”

  The front door opened, and a tall woman in her mid-thirties stepped out to greet them. Her medium brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her smile was easy, natural and unforced. Her jogging outfit was a light blue color, and it made her bright green eyes seem animated and bright.

  “I’m Melony Benton. You can call me Mel, though. Everyone around here does,” she said. “Welcome to Dead Run River.”

  Well that was surprising. “Dead Run River? I thought t
his was the Blue River colony.”

  “Ah,” Mel said with a smile. “The town was originally called Blue River before the outbreak. The new name came later when we started setting up a colony. When we started building this place, Deads were attracted to the water for some reason we still haven’t figured out. It seemed every Dead from any town around here gathered at the same place, all along the river’s edge. Like they were waiting for something. It was quite the job to thin them out. The Deads ran this place in the early days. People started calling it Dead Run River and wondered if we would ever be able to set up here. Humans persevered, but the name stuck.” She studied everyone as she spoke, and when she finished her eyes fell on Sean. “Good to see you again,” she said with sincerity. “Though I thought it would be a while until your next visit. You were just here a week ago.”

  Something on Sean’s face made the woman’s green eyes fill with worry. “Come in, please.” She led them into the great room of the large home and turned to Laney. “First things first. Let me see it.”

  Sean nodded to her in encouragement, and she lifted the hem of her shirt until her unbandaged bite was exposed.

  “Mel,” Sean said in a low voice. “She’s Laney Landry.”

  The woman’s green eyes snapped up to Laney’s face. “Is this what it looks like, then?” The woman gestured to her side.

  She nodded. “The Dead that bit me died almost instantly.”

  “That’s not all, Mel,” Sean offered earnestly. “Her blood, it brings back their minds. She can’t do anything for their bodies, but for a few minutes, they are themselves again.” His face took on a grim and haunted look. “I’ve seen it.”

  “Well, it’s actually a cruel thing to do to them,” Laney said, trying to stifle the excited look on Mel’s face. “But if you have a doctor or anyone really who can try to start figuring me out, I’m at a point where I’d be willing to be a lab rat for a while.”

  “Why now?” Mel asked curiously.

  “I made a promise to someone.”

  Mel knelt back down to examine her healing bite.