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

by Mark Clodi

  “It’s funny, I think I’ve lived more in the past six weeks than I did the entire time I lived here before.”

  “Well emotions have run higher in the past month and a half than they did before. It will create a stronger memory, passion always seems to.” said Mary.

  “I suppose you’re right, doctor. Are the people ready Paige?”

  Paige nodded and gave Dora a hand up from the chair she was sitting in. “How’s your stomach today?”

  “Fine really, I just eat smaller meals, more often and it seems to do the trick, it didn't stop me from kicking ass on our bus journey, that’s for sure.”

  “Now that you know what is happening you can deal with it better. I still don’t think you should have gone; it was too much of a risk.” said Mary.

  Dora waved her hand in a calming motion, “Water under the bridge sister, I am glad I went. Let’s get this show on the road ladies.” Together they stepped out to the waiting crowd of people.

  Chapter 36

  Tim pulled his chain deeper into the double sleeping bags he was cocooned in. No matter what he tried the chain always created a tunnel that seemed to funnel cold air deep into the bag from outside. He was still warm, but always had an uncomfortable cold spot to deal with.

  “Would a tent have been too much to ask?” he muttered angrily. He had his head tucked down into the bags and was wearing a thick woolen cap that kept the worst of the cold air at bay. When they got to Iowa and safety Tim was planning to unleash a whole world of hurt onto Dora and the other council members. Mary would get off scott-free, he knew that, she was a doctor, but he was equally certain the others would not be so lucky. They would pay alright; he would make sure of it. Deep down he didn't want to face the fact that he might be as big of a coward as the others said he was. He was just tired, that is all. He had faced zombies before, killed a few maybe. In his mind Tim thought of himself as having shell shock or combat fatigue, not as being afraid. He had put his sleeping bag up against one of the unfinished bits of flooring that was going to make up the great hall when it was finished. It acted as a bit of roof, in case it rained, and Tim felt better having something solid at his back while he slept.

  A gentle thump sounded on the plywood above him and he stiffened, listening closely. He could hear nothing more after the initial noise; it must have been a branch or a leaf from one of the many surrounding trees falling onto the plywood. He pushed his head out of the bag until he could look up at the edge of the plywood and see the stars, blazing coldly in the night. It was not all that cold yet, not really, he thought sleepily as he drifted off looking at the stars...abruptly his heart lurched into his throat, above him a small, dark head moved to block out the star light.

  “What are you doing out here?” came the quiet child-like voice.

  Tim said nothing, only tried to shrink into the beam blocking his way from going completely under the plywood flooring.

  “I can see you.” said the voice softly.

  “Don't hurt me!” Tim finally gasped out.

  “I don't want to hurt you silly!” said the still dark blob above him, “I just want to talk.”

  “I...I know who you are!”

  “I don't know you. What is your name?”

  “T-Tim.”

  “Don't be afraid Tim, I am Andi, it’s short for Andrea. Not a lot shorter, but it only uses an 'i' instead of an 'ea'. Why are you out here Tim, instead of in a house where it is all warm?”

  Tim lifted his handcuffed arm into the girl's sight, she studied the chain for a moment and shrank back. “Oh, you’re a bad man. My mommy told me about bad men, they get handcuffs and have to wear orange clothes. Are you wearing orange clothes?”

  “N-no! I am not a bad man, they just don't like me.”

  “Oh, like Tommy Sandburger! The other boys always push him down at the playground, he just wants to play with them, but they’re mean to him for no reason. My mommy says just to be nice to him, because he doesn't have any friends. Do you have any friends, Tim?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Well I can be your friend, okay? Like Tommy.” she leaned forward and put her face near his then took a long pull of air in through her nose, “You don't smell too good.”

  “I, um, I am sorry.”

  “Not like Tommy, he smelled like dootie, I think that is why no one liked him. You smell a little bad, more like my daddy on a summer day after he cut the grass. You should take a shower.”

  “Andi, why are you here?”

  “Me? I just want to see what is going on. I miss people, mommies and daddies and barbeques. I come here to get close and see what people do. They do a lot of strange things together. I can watch people through walls if I try hard, my eyes are different since that night my mommy died. I saw you and wondered if you would talk to me.”

  “I’ll talk to you.”

  “Good. Why don't you like me?”

  “You, are... You know what happened to you? That you died and came back?”

  The face bobbed around and Tim realized the girl was nodding to him. “Well we don't want to be like you, we want to stay the way we are.”

  “You can't. Not all of you, we need you. Just a little of you, sometimes!” said the girl with some anxiety in her voice, “I am breaking the rules. Sam Waller says you don't talk with your food.”

  Confused Tim said, “Sam Waller? Sargent Waller?”

  “That is the name he told you. Sam Waller dresses up to talk with the food so we do not have to. Sam Waller says 'do not play with your food Andi'. Sam Waller says 'eat to be strong'. When he is alone and thinks no one can hear him“Andi's voice became even softer and harder to hear, “Sam Waller says 'I will kill those two little bitches someday.' Only he didn't kill me or Mo, he got killed by the food man, Jeff.”

  “How do you know Jeff's name?”

  “Jim Tiller says you always ask your food what it knows before you eat it. Jim Tiller didn't kill food man Jeff right away, he played with it first. Sam Waller wouldn't have liked that.”

  “Oh God, poor Jeff!”

  “Sam Waller says 'the food is not poor, it lives a good life, we protect the food'!” the girl said sharply, “Sam Waller says to kill all the really slow, stupid zombies and keep the smart talking zombies away from the food. Sam Waller says our food will reproduce if we can protect it long enough, then we will always have food.”

  “I am tired now, Andi. Don’t you ever sleep?”

  “I pretend to sleep during the day. The others like that. Do you want me to leave you alone now?”

  “I would like to sleep, yes. If that’s okay.”

  “That is okay.” The little girl pulled her head back over the plywood out of Tim's sight. He didn't hear her leave, but was too scared to climb out and look to see if she was actually gone. Twenty minutes must have gone by and he had just convinced himself that she was gone when her little head popped over the edge again, “You’re not asleep.”

  “No, I have a hard time sleeping with you up there.”

  “Did you see me? I was behind the board. Can you see through the board like me?”

  “No, Andi, I cannot see through the board, I just didn't hear you leave.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why are you still here?”

  “Sam Waller says 'never leave food that sees you alive to tell other food about you.'”

  Tim felt his bladder let loose inside his sleeping bags as he babbled, “No, no, don't kill me! I can tell you things if you keep me alive! Please don't kill me!”

  “Sam Waller says not to talk to your food. Jim Tiller says to ask it questions before you eat it.” said Andi leaning in closer to Tim's face and shrugging her tiny shoulders. She put one hand on the top of Tim's head and the other under the base of his chin and held him as effectively as if he were in a vice. Tim could not open his mouth and it felt like his teeth were going to break.

  “Ewww!” said Andi shoving Tim back and pulling away from him, “Now you smell like Tommy Sandbu
rger! You made yellow and dootie in your bag!” She laughed at him quietly for a moment and then pressed a barely visible finger against her lips, warning him to silence. A moment later Tim heard a couple of people talking in the street out in front of the house, they were not being very quiet, but their voices barely carried to where he was at. For just a moment Tim considered screaming out for help, one look at the girl's pale face and he gave that idea up and cowered back into his sleeping bag.

  Chapter 37

  Dora woke up early the next day, anxious to get a head start on the projects that had to be finished in order to leave. After speaking with the community last night Dora found that almost everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible, which might even be today. The buses were fueled and ready, the cars, likewise were ready to go, the town had been using them on food raids for the past month and a half and all they required was topping up their fuel tanks.

  The pint of blood fee struck many as distasteful, but it came down to living or dying and everyone was pragmatic on that score. Dora had circulated a list to get everyone's names, Jake had wanted that, he said he would look them up individually after they were safe in Iowa, though he would be taking a couple of pints this morning as pre-payment too.

  A wave of nausea hit Dora in the stomach as she lifted herself from her bed. With some effort she turned her good morning, 'Oh fuck me' into 'Good morning little baby' as she rushed for the bathroom. The vomiting made her feel marginally better, but she was not fooled, Dora knew unless she got a few calories into her stomach the vomiting would happen again. Cleaning off her face from a bucket of water next to the sink she toweled off, took her morning constitutional and cleaned up again. A few minutes later Dora was dressed in blue jeans, a heavy shirt and gray woolen socks on her feet. Heading downstairs she smelled coffee and eggs. Paige darted in from the front door to quickly turn the pan of eggs, calling a quick “Good morning.” to Dora as she darted out again.

  Dora smiled and took over cooking the eggs, wondering what had Paige so riled up. A couple minutes later she found out as the young woman brought a dirty, struggling boy in through her front door with Mary's help. Alex brought up the rear, looking rather stern with his arms crossed and a bruised eye. Dora raised an eyebrow at him and said, “What is this?”

  “This,” began Paige, “is a ‘Willy’. He is giving us no end of trouble. Maybe you can calm him down?”

  “Willy, do you know me?” asked Dora to the still struggling boy.

  He stopped moving so vigorously and said, “Yeah.” in a sullen voice.

  “Then what is the problem? Why are you fighting us?”

  “I am not staying here. Not with you.”

  “Why?”

  “This is so not fucking fair.” muttered Alex.

  Turning to him Dora half smiled and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  Pointing at the group including Willy, Alex said, “This. We have been wrestling with him after cornering him like a rat twenty minutes ago, we get him to you and you get him talking in two seconds. That is not fair. We sheltered him, we cared for him...” Mary put her hand on Alex's fore arm and he stopped speaking.

  Turning back to Willy, Dora asked, “Okay then why aren't you staying with us?”

  The boy was a mass of bruises, mud and dried blood. He was missing a chunk of his hair above his right ear, that scab was oozing pinkish blood down that side of his neck. His eyes were defiant and tinged just a little bit with something Dora thought of as 'insanity'. Finally he looked at each adult in turn and said, “You’re all gonna die.”

  “Well, yes, we know that Willy, but what has changed?”

  “You know?” he asked incredulously. “Then why aren't you leaving? Why aren't you at the fences?”

  “Wait, wait, you mean we are going to die today?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s just back up the bus a bit here, okay? How do you know this?”

  “I heard them last night, I was close, to the twins I mean. They had that one guy, Tiller with them, one of the girls, she was talking to all of them. Said you were taking the buses out of here, not today, but tomorrow. She said you knew all about the twins and Tiller and the fake army guys.”

  “How could she know?” asked Mary, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

  “Yes, how, Willy?” The boy shrugged. Dora asked Paige, “Is anyone missing from last night? The zombie's news is fresh, so they had to take someone last night.”

  “I will get a head count and see if anyone is gone.” said Paige rushing out the front door.

  “So why did you come back, Willy, if they are going to attack us?”

  “I came to get Beth out.”

  “Ah, young love! So sweet, so fresh. Can you get her out?”

  He nodded his head.

  “What if I told you we would be taking the buses and leaving this morning? Would you come with us instead?”

  Slowly he nodded his head and whispered, “We have to leave now. They are watching.”

  “Alex, you better go get the troops out, everybody needs to get up, even those who were on watch last night, half of them on the fence and get the rest loading up the buses, tell them we plan to leave in thirty minutes because it is an emergency. See if you can contact Jake somehow.” The plan had been to pick up Jake as they were leaving.

  Alex nodded and went to get people moving. Dora turned her attention back to Willy. “You look like shit my little man, I guess that is why Mary wanted to bring you up here and clean you up?”

  Mary said, “Yes, but he wasn't cooperating.”

  “Well now you cooperate Willy, you do everything she says and stop making a fuss so she can get done quick. And when she is done with you, you need to help her get Mike and Peter into the buses, got it? That is how you say sorry for causing such a fuss.”

  The boy looked at her a moment before his anger turned to fear, then he nodded meekly. Dora smiled warmly and said, “Good! See? We are all on the same side here, we love you Willy and just want what is best for you. Now scoot and let me finish cooking these eggs.”

  Mary brought the boy over into what used to be the living room, she stoked up the fire and wheeled a privacy curtain between Willy and the front door then told him to strip. The boy protested weakly as his hands started unbuttoning his shirt. Dora could still keep an eye on both of them while she scooped the eggs out into a big bowl, she took a few bites to calm her stomach and made a face at the taste, the eggs were just how Paige preferred them; with no seasoning at all.

  Getting into the cupboard Dora took down three cans of bacon and opened them up, she dumped the congealed mass of fatty strips into the still warm pan. Dora started the process of spreading the thin strips around the pan to get them fully cooked. The canned bacon was not as good as fresh, but they would not be taking it with them, so she might as well use it this morning. While that was cooking she got into the cupboard for some spices and liberally dosed a bowl of eggs with onion powder and salt. She brought the bowl over to stand by Mary who was scrubbing the dirt off of Willy while inspecting him for bite marks.

  Mary had already checked his pubic region and gotten him into a clean pair of boxers, the boy had goose pimples all over his body and without his clothing on the extent of his wounds was fully revealed. One of his legs was bruised black and blue from just above his ankle to almost mid-thigh. On the right side of his back from just below his rib cage was a long cut that stopped at the belt line, it was scabbed over, but not fully healed yet either. Dora whistled and spooned up a bite of eggs which she held out to Willy, he ate it without thinking.

  “You got yourself into a fight or two didn't you?”

  “Yeah, I was looking for Jack.”

  “I heard. Did you find him?”

  “Yeah. He didn't make it.”

  “Did you finish him off?”

  Willy shook his head, “Uh-uh. He did. I couldn't find him for a long time, then I went back to where we hid at and started going around in circles
, like Jeff taught us and I found another hole, it was just...” Willy held up his hands about two feet apart, “that big and didn't really want to go down it, you know, if there were zombies in there or something. I came back with a light and didn't see anything, but it ended in a basement that was mostly covered over. I found him there, he done himself. I didn't have to. He knew he was turning.” Tears came to the boy’s eyes, eroding clean white streaks over his dirt clad face.

  “Aw Willy, I’m sorry!” said Dora reaching out to embrace him, which caused Mary to squawk in protest, “Sorry Mary.”

  Willy let Dora hug him for a moment, he even returned it half-heartedly, then he shoved her away and tried to regain his dignity, continuing his story, “Anyway he was done for, but I didn't want to come back in. It was like before when I was alone out there. I didn't mind being on my own and now I know better on how to live, thanks to Jeff and what other people taught me how to do.”

  “Didn't you miss us?” Dora asked spooning more egg into his mouth.

  He swallowed and shook his head. “I felt bad for Beth when I heard the other zombies talking, I mean, I felt bad for everybody, but I didn't know how to get all of you out.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Dora, go get him a bowl of his own, he can feed himself, and if you aren't burning that bacon my nose is lying.” said Mary.

  Dora went over and stirred the bacon around, then brought Willy his own bowl of eggs, he just wanted salt and pepper on them, no onion powder. By the time Dora got back Mary had sponged almost all of the dirt off of the kid's upper body and was dressing the wound on his head.

  “Gimme a second before you give him that.” said Mary, she finished cleaning up hole in his skin above his ear and then had him roll over on his belly so she could clean up the cut on his back. “Dora, toss another couple logs on the fire and get a blanket for his legs, would you?”

  Dora nodded, handing the bowl of eggs to Willy by the time she had a blanket to drape over his legs the food had disappeared. “Hungry huh? So maybe you miss the regular meals here?”