The Zombie Chro [99] - About A Woman, A Zombie Chronicles Novel

by Mark Clodi

  Dora went inside after pointing out the location of the remotes to Mike, she returned minutes later with a couple bottles of wine, glasses and their swimsuits. “Here we are! Now Paige don't look at me like that! I promised you wine and here it is. I have a nice light white here from…Summerset in Iowa, just the thing for a hot day, and you will love what it is called.”

  “I hate to even ask.” said Paige.

  “Oh don't be like that! It’s called 'Kiss Me', isn't that lovely? It is good too, I think I am right in assuming you two haven't drank much wine?”

  They both nodded and took a look at the swimsuits she had brought out with her.

  “Then this is the perfect light wine for you to try. I shall expand your palate! Give you an introduction to the find art of wine drinking. Here Paige, wear this one.” Dora handed her a black one piece.

  Paige looked at it and nodded her thanks before moving off to the pool room to change. Dora looked at Mike and said, “You can change on the deck behind the bar, I promise I will stay here.”

  “What if I don't want you to stay here?” Mike asked sheepishly, turning a little pink.

  “Why Michael! That is just lovely, but Paige told me to mind my manners and I shall do so, for today. Tonight it may be different, so don't despair.”

  Mike went around the bar with hardly a shrug and was changed and wading into the pool by the time Paige came out. She glanced at the two of them and Dora shook her head slightly and then exclaimed, “See Paige? It fits perfectly! And you look lovely; a little white around the edges, so you better load up on the sunscreen, but a day of lying around here will solve that. Now scoot while I go change. You two stay out of trouble while I am gone.”

  Dora disappeared into the changing room leaving Mike and Paige to look at each other.

  “She is like, insane.” Mike said.

  “Maybe, she seems lonely to me, almost desperate. I think we might be the best friends she has and she just met us.”

  “Maybe. This is better than being at home with my dad.”

  “Yeah, for me too. My roommates weren't home. I guess being here with you is better than being alone. Not much food though. A lot of cheese. Probably goes with the wine. You better not drink much, you know, in case more of them show up.”

  Mike's face looked around at the walls, then back at Paige, “We seem pretty safe in here, don't you think?”

  Paige shook her head, “Those aren't prison walls, I mean it’s better than wood, and higher, but I don't know if they will keep the zombie-guys out.”

  “Better than wood?”

  “Shut up! Is that all you think about?”

  Mike's face got serious, “No, I think about video games a lot too.”

  Dora came out of the changing room in a two piece suit and she looked stunning. Her skin was tanned, but not dark, and she dove into the deep end without saying anything to them. Paige had sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water and Dora emerged close to her.

  “Perfect. You were so right Paige, the temperature is just perfect right now. This afternoon it is supposed to get up to a hundred and ten. We would have felt like we were boiling out here in the water.”

  “Yeah, it gets too hot in July, I should move north.”

  “To where? Canada? You don't strike me as a Canuck love.”

  “Well I was thinking more like South Dakota.”

  “Really? Why? I mean I know Kansas City isn't Denver or New York, but it still boasts a lot of culture.”

  “I don't know I guess I just like smaller towns.”

  Mike was busy at the shallow end of the pool watching the television. He had set the remote down along the side and was flipping from channel to channel, finally settling on a major national news network.

  “Hey guys! Look at this!”

  “What is going on Mike?” Paige asked as they both swam over.

  “Some network got some footage of Denver, it’s pretty far away, but it looks like it is burning.”

  The poor quality image on the television screen showed a billowing tower of debris and the announcer was talking about how what they were looking at was the Denver International Airport, right along the major highway interstate seventy six. The camera panned down further to the highway and everyone could see a mob of people crowding it, heading out along the highway, filling all four lanes of it. The announcer said they were heading north east into the suburbs around the airport and that the entire mob was infected or 'zombies'. As they watched a wall of them paraded up an off ramp and into a gas station parking lot, where they pulled a family out of a parked car and tore them apart.

  Dora said quietly, “I think I am going to be sick dears.” She turned away from the television.

  They were all silent for a while with Mike and Paige continuing to watch the coverage until the helicopter flew away from the scene and back towards Kansas, along interstate highway seventy. The mobs there were only slightly smaller than the ones along the other highway and the first of them was a good fifty miles from Denver and heading their way.

  The announcer stopped relaying the film from the helicopter and went back to the news desk where they switched to scenes from California, which made Denver look like a walk in the park. The newscaster did warn them about the disturbing scenes before he started relaying them and Dora had time to turn away before they were shown. Paige couldn't help but watch out of the corner of her eye and Mike just ground his teeth and viewed them head on.

  After a while he turned the television back to the local channel, which had picked up the film from the national news about Denver and was replaying it with the more gruesome parts blurred out. The newsmen Jim and Diane were looking harried, like they hadn't had a break since that morning, which they probably hadn't. They had lost touch with Ned and their remote news van and were filling the airwaves with warnings from the local government for people to stay in their homes, arm themselves and kill any slow moving person who would not respond to verbal warnings. They also conveyed that the zombies needed to be damaged in the head to stop them completely, but that severing their spines could make them into ‘twitchers’, zombies that would have a hard time following people who were running away.

  “I don't have anything to damage their heads. I mean it was all just a joke before right, the paint ball gun, I mean. But it’s not a joke is it, things are really over.” Dora was crying, which seemed to embarrass Mike.

  “No it’s not a joke, but we should be safe here, right? You have walls and stuff and it is a gated community.”

  “The walls don't even go around the whole place, they are not built yet. People can get in here if they want to. Our gate has a good lock.” Dora sighed and continued, “I guess the sauna will never be done.”

  “Who needs a sauna in Kansas?” asked Paige quietly.

  “Yeah it was a stupid idea, it’s not like we would actually use it in the winter either. What are we going to do?”

  Neither Paige nor Mike had an answer to Dora's question.

  Chapter 10

  “You know I do have a freezer full of steak and seafood.” said Dora.

  “Really?” asked Paige.

  “No, I am lying! Yes we do, what do you think the grill is for? Roger always buys his meat by the truck load and fills the freezer up in the fall, we still have about half a freezer full, mostly because all the barbeque's we were going to have never happened. It’s all high end stuff to. Oh I think we have a box of hamburger patties, for when people bring their kids.” Dora snorted, “Never happened, of course, so that box is unopened. McDonald's makes a better burger than you can grill at home and you guys are close by.”

  “What if the power goes out?”

  “Then the meat spoils I suppose. We could still cook it, the gas won't go out. I guess we eat as much as we can and toss the rest.”

  “Couldn't we make jerky? The Indians did.”

  Dora thought about that for a moment, then pulled herself out of the pool, Paige caught Mike eyeing h
er behind as she went and elbowed him. He protested his innocence but didn't leer quite so badly. Dora got to the counter space by the grill and opened a cabinet door to reveal several cookbooks, most of them on grilling and food preparation. She fished around in the back and let out a triumphant yell to hold a thin book above her head. She brought this over and tossed it down in front of Paige and Mike before stepping down a ways along the edge of the pool to jump in. Despite her distancing herself from the book a few drops splattered onto the cover.

  Mike and Paige looked at the soft bound book, which had a cartoon like cover of a bunch of people in various outfits holding grill implements, the title read, “Just Jerky. The Complete Guide.” Mike flipped through it and turned to Dora. “This is awesome, we better start now, Jim mentioned power outages could start anytime.” looking at the ingredients to some of the recipes he asked, “Do you have salt? Brown sugar? Other spices?”

  “Of course! In the cupboards. Roger was all gun-ho to do this, like all of his plans they were more planned than completed.”

  “So, should we, you know, start making jerky?”

  “Of course, Mike.” Dora got a far-away look on her face, “I suppose I don't want to say that at the end of the world I was swimming in my pool. Alright, let’s go. As soon as we have the first batch going we pop a bottle of wine, agreed?”

  The other nodded their assent and they all hopped out and dried off using towels from the changing room. Dora showed them the freezer, pulling out steaks by the package and then showed Mike and Paige where the spices were. Paige looked over Dora's double oven and found it had a 'Drying' feature, with the convection fan it could also make jerky. They spent an hour defrosting, cutting and spicing meat, then another hour defrosting, cutting and setting meat aside to marinate for batch two, the whole process would take between twelve and eighteen hours. By the time they finished they were all hungry and Mike grilled up some of the remaining steaks on the grill while Dora popped the bottle of wine and poured them all a glass.

  While eating the steaks they watched the news. Parts of Kansas City were under heavy attack. They listed the city by severity and the three were alarmed to see they were in a yellow zone, right on the verge of a red zone, a newsman, no longer Jim from the morning show, told them the Mayor was contemplating an evacuation, but had not yet made the decision on where to have people go.

  News from the plains was bleak, the helicopter reporter was back in the air looking at Limon Colorado, the horde of zombies there, estimated to be between thirty and fifty thousand had cleaned the town out and was headed down the open highway again. There was no organization to the mob, but they did seem to follow the roads, instead of going overland. Hundreds, if not thousands were wandering around aimlessly, with more splitting off of the horde at any given time, however the horde marched on. As it came to the small towns dotting the plains the conjecture was it would simply devour them. Evacuation orders were given for all cities and towns along the interstate.

  The land line at Dora's house started to ring. This startled them, making the three jump at the sound. Dora walked over to the phone mounted outside and looked at the caller id, then turned her back on it.

  “Who is it?” Paige asked.

  “Roger's cell phone.”

  “You're not going to get it?”

  “No.” Dora stated flatly, “I am not. I don't have anything to say to him.”

  Paige shrugged. The phone stopped ringing and they watched the news start to loop over the same stories it had before. Mike had assembled the paint ball gun, after being given assurances that there were no other firearms in the house. The gun lay on the bar not out of his reach, he was reasonably sure, given the news footage, that the gun would be next to useless, but it was all they had.

  The phone started ringing again. Dora stepped over to it and looked again, “Hah! Marge this time? I wonder what she wants? Maybe to say, 'So sorry I have been sleeping with your husband, but things are going to hell and we should all pull together now'?”

  “You going to get it?” asked Paige.

  Dora swung her head around, eyes watery, then she looked down and said softly, “I don't know what to say to her either.”

  “Call her a bitch and tell her never to call again?” suggested Paige.

  “Not yet. How about a hot afternoon dip?”

  “Sure, but could you turn off the ringer?” asked Mike.

  “Done.” said Dora, turning to adjust the phone. The three got into the pool to cool down a little, but more to wash off the sweat and spice smell from the morning's labor. After a few minutes of carousing they all stopped talking and drifted apart.

  Mike finally broke the silence when they had drifted together again, “We need weapons.”

  The women nodded.

  “Do you know any of your neighbors? Are any of them hunters or sports shooters?”

  “I don't really know any of my neighbors, we don't talk much. I mean, I know their names, I know who is supposed to be here and all, but socializing? No. Never. I think the guy across the street, Tobin is his last name. Across the street and one house down, I think he went out hunting in the fall. I remember seeing some sort of camouflage truck out in front of his house then. He would have to be my best bet.”

  “What about baseball bats? Any of the neighborhood kids play ball?”

  Dora laughed, “I definitely didn't have anything to do with the neighborhood brats. None of the people on our street have bred yet, so far as I know.”

  “Okay, then we should try your neighbor across the street first. Then any other empty houses we can, to see if we can find guns and ammo. I do know how to shoot, I got my first deer when I was fourteen.”

  “Ooh, a great white hunter!”, Dora exclaimed, “How hard is it to shoot? Could you teach me? And Paige if she doesn't know how?”

  “Learning how the gun works isn't hard, safety is the biggest problem and accuracy too, the more you shoot, the better you can get. It takes time. I hope your neighbor has guns.”

  “Well I hope his alarm system isn't engaged.” said Dora.

  “Alarm system?” asked Mike.

  “Yeah, all the houses have them. We never use ours, that is what insurance is for.”

  “Well either way, we won't find out from the pool. You guys want to go now?” asked Paige.

  “Better now than when it is dark.” said Dora.

  They got out again and dried off as best they could in the hot, humid air.

  “You guys changing or do we do this in our swim suits?” asked Dora.

  “I'll put a shirt on.” answered Mike.

  “Me too and I'll pull those jogging pants on.” said Paige.

  “Not me, I think I look more defenseless in my suit. Who would shoot me if I were caught breaking in.”

  “You think your neighbor is home?”

  “No, he never seems to be around during the day. But today? I don't know.”

  They headed to the front door and Paige stopped Dora, “Wear shoes at least!”

  “This is God's shoe dear,” she said, pointing at her feet, “Besides all I have is flip-flops or slip ons, no traction and we are going across the fucking street, not down to the mall.”

  “God! You really are crazy! You’re going into a robbery practically naked!”

  “I am a braver woman than you, yes. Burglary though, I hope. Robbery is when they are there and we take stuff from them personally.”

  “Whatever. Let’s go.”

  Mike had the paint ball gun with him, it was loaded and ready to shoot. He looked out the front doors cautiously, the street was empty. There was not movement anywhere, barely a breeze in the air to make the trees sway. Nodding he gestured them out and they shut the door behind them. Dora was the last one and she tested the door after they shut it, while the other two were not looking. It was locked. She had left the keys inside. A look of momentary concern passed over her face, she bit her lip and followed the others.

  The crossed the street to h
er neighbor's place without any problem, no zombies came out to get them and they didn't see any of the living dead anywhere. Looking at the double doors of her neighbor it started to sink in that they were actually going to burglarize the place. Dora was getting ready to tell Mike to stop, not to do anything, when he tried the door, it was unlocked and swung open easily.

  “What the hell? Doesn't anybody lock the doors here?” Mike said.

  Quietly Dora responded, “Oh, I do.”

  They moved inside the house, leaving the door open behind them. The air conditioning was going full blast, the cool air raised goose pimples on Dora's body and even the others shivered in the cold. Nothing seemed out of place from the doorway. Dora closed the door behind them and locked it. “Just in case.” she told the other two, “We don't want anyone sneaking up on us, right?”

  The first sign of any trouble was in the living room. The glass coffee table was overturned and shattered. One of its mahogany legs was broken off and lay on the floor amidst the glass. Dora pointed it out and asked Paige to grab it for her. Paige muttered something about God's shoes that Dora didn't quite catch, but did fetch the table leg. It made a hefty, if short club and Dora felt immensely better about having something to protect herself with.

  “If I were a gun, where would I be? The master bedroom? The basement? Well if he is a hunter I would say the basement. I hope he doesn't have a gun safe.”

  There was a blood trail through the kitchen that led to the basement stairs. Mike cautiously opened it, while Paige selected the longest kitchen knife out of the rack by the sink. She took up last place in the group now, with Dora and her club moving into the second position. The blood trail continued down the stairs, visible even on the rugged brownish carpeting. Mike paused and cocked his head to one side, listening. He looked at them and said quietly, “I don't hear anything.”

  “Betcha wish you’d worn shoes now, huh?” said Paige, watching Dora tip-toe around the blood splatter.

  “Shh!” Dora answered.

  They proceeded downstairs and came into a long rectangular room that seemed to make up half of the basement. The other half was hidden behind a wall that had two doors in it, the one closest to where they were was open, the blood splatters led through it. This side of the basement was lit by track halogen track lighting, casting the far side in shadowy darkness. The far door was barely visible, but shut. On the opposite wall from the two doors, there was a third door, it was open as well and Dora could see a sink from the angle she was standing at. Lost in the darkness on the far side was a pool table. This side of the room seemed to be devoted to a large television and several well used couches and chairs that did not match.