Chapter 11
It had taken the rest of the day to rework the front door to allow for carrying in Wanda’s twin bed and other supplies from the step van. Once the door was finished, Emilie and I had volunteered to do Wanda and Louisa’s share of the work for the day, allowing them to rest in the living room. Susan, to my relief, made herself busy with organizing the attic. I had a fleeting desire to lock her up there.
Julio and Boggs carried the frame to the twin bed inside. It was just the simple metal type, but by using both men it kept them from the hassle of disassembling the whole thing. Gus carried the mattress and Emilie and I helped each other with the box springs. It was decided the bed would be placed next to the fire to help keep Wanda warm. Louisa and Julio would be using the third bedroom upstairs. Since the bed and frame in that room had been stripped down and used for boarding windows and making weapons, leaving just a full sized mattress on the floor, Emilie had suggested that she and Gus swap out their queen sized bed and frame. Gus was all for it, agreeing that he and Emilie would be fine sleeping on the mattress on the floor of their room. Susan would stay in the attic on a camp cot they had brought with them in the van.
Once Wanda’s bed was set up, we made quick trips outside to bring the rest of the supplies in. We discovered that the newcomers had come across the Explorer on their way in and scavenged it. All of our supplies had been brought to us in an odd twist of fate, saving us the work. Julio and Gus had discussed emergency plans, and decided it would be wise to leave a box of dried goods and bottled water in the step van, as well as blankets. By the time we were finished bringing in the rest of the provisions, the bodies in the yard had burned down to blackened bone. The plan was to bury what remained the next day out of respect for who the creatures had once been when they were human. We went inside together, and secured the front door for the night. Louisa had put fresh sheets on Wanda’s bed and had it ready for the woman to sleep for the night. Susan was sitting on one of the loveseats with her feet up, lazily reading a magazine she said she had found in the attic. Wanda was sitting at the kitchen table. She looked so tired. Louisa was busy in the kitchen making dinner. She had set the counter with paper plates and plastic forks and told us it would be buffet style since the table was too small to accommodate everyone. She had made spaghetti using noodles they had brought with them and jarred sauce that was in the cabin’s kitchen. The smell made my mouth water and my stomach growl.
“I thought it’d be nice to have a hot dinner to celebrate new friends,” said the Latina with a smile. “I hope no one minds?”
Julio answered. “Louisa, you’re too sweet. You sit though and let me finish, chica.” He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Please, let me help. Go, sit next to Wanda.”
She nodded. “Ok.” The pregnant girl walked to the table and sat down beside the frail older woman. Wanda took her hand and smiled at her. They had a very noticeable bond.
I walked over to Julio to see if I could help. “Need a hand?” I asked.
He smiled brightly at me. “Sure. You can look for a colander to drain the noodles.”
I smiled back. “I know just where to find one.” I walked to a cabinet and pulled the strainer out, and then set it in the sink.
“It’ll be nice to not have to climb in and out over the sink anymore,” Emilie said as she walked up behind me.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “It was so much fun.” I rolled my eyes, and then smiled and giggled.
“Finally, she has a sense of humor,” said Boggs as he walked into the room.
“Ha ha,” I said in reply.
The kitchen was growing crowded, but it felt good to be around other people.
Gus joined us. He walked up behind Emilie and wrapped his arms around her. They were growing very close, and I was glad they were happy.
“If y’all don’t mind, I’d like to sit at the table with Louisa, Wanda, and Julio,” said Gus. “We have some things to talk about.”
Susan had walked to the threshold between the living room and the kitchen. She cleared her throat then interrupted. “Shouldn’t we all be involved in conversations?”
Gus turned to her. “Not this one,” he said.
“Why not?” she asked. I found her to be far too bold.
Gus crossed his arms over his chest. “It involves Wanda and Louisa, and their conditions,” he answered simply.
“Fine. Is dinner ready?” she asked.
Julio turned away from the stove. “Yes, Susan, dinner is ready. Let me serve the ladies at the table then you can come in and dish up your own plate.”
Susan walked back into the living room without saying anything else.
Gus sat at the table with the two women. He began talking to them about his background as a nurse in the Army. I relieved Julio at the stove, and whispered to him to go ahead and join the others at the table and I’d serve everyone. He kissed the back of my hand in thanks, and then situated himself in the fourth seat at the table. I turned off the stove and walked the boiling noodles to the sink, where I poured them into the strainer to drain. Emilie brought paper plates over one at a time while I scooped servings of noodles and sauce, and then she quietly took them to the table where she served Wanda first, and Louisa next. Boggs had left the kitchen, making me nervous that he was with Susan. Em served Julio next, I assumed because he was new to us, and then Gus. I listened half heartedly as Gus talked about planning a scavenging trip to secure medication and medical supplies. Wanda was very matter of fact about her terminal condition. I admired her emotional strength, and wished she could stay with us for the long haul. Emilie and I dished up our own dinner and took it into the living room, where Susan still lazily took up an entire loveseat. Emilie and I sat on the other couch together, using our laps as table substitutes.
“You can go get some food, Susan,” suggested Emilie.
“That’s ok, I’ll wait for Adam. He’s taking a shower.”
“Suit yourself,” said my red headed friend. She added a noodle to her mouth and sucked it up between her lips.
Susan put her magazine down. “So, Zoe, Adam never mentioned you to me.”
I looked up, finished chewing a bit of food, and swallowed. “No? He mentioned you to me,” I said. I tried to keep my face void of emotion. I took another bite of my dinner to avoid talking.
I heard Boggs come down the stairs, and was glad he’d be interrupting. When he entered the room with a plate of steaming food, Susan swung her legs off the couch.
“You can sit here, Adam,” she said with a smile.
Emilie stood up. “Here Boggs, you can sit next to Zoe. She’s been waiting for you.”
“Thanks Em,” he said.
Boggs sat next to me, and I was glad. Susan got up and walked to the kitchen. Emilie was watching the woman walk away, and I could tell my friend was peeved.
“Rude,” whispered Emilie.
“Emilie, after dinner I’ll help Gus switch the beds around upstairs. That’s sweet of you to give the better one to Louisa,” said Boggs with his mouth full.
“It’s the least we could do,” she said. “Scoot over, Boggs? I don’t want to sit next to her either.”
“Sure Em, you and Zoe can share me.” Boggs winked at her and scooted closer to me, so that he was centered on the small couch. Em sat down next to him, careful to not jostle our plates.
“Thanks,” she mumbled after she put another bite into her mouth. “Man that was sweet of Louisa to make dinner.”
“She seems really nice,” I added. “Do you think Julio’s the father?”
“Zoe!” Boggs nudged me. “It’s none of our business.”
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Susan came back in with a plate of spaghetti and walked back to her seat. “So, Adam, how have you been
?” she asked as if all was well with them.
“Well, let’s see,” he said before pausing. “I’m alive. Disturbed that the world is fucked. You?”
“Oh, the same I suppose,” she said nonchalantly. “I’ve really missed you.”
My appetite lost, I stood to take my plate back to the kitchen. Emilie stood to join me, and stayed close by my side.
As we left the room, she whispered to me. “Zoe, we really need to finish our food. Let’s head upstairs and eat, ok?
I nodded and we climbed the stairs, half full plates in hand, and went into Gus and Emilie’s room. To my delight, Boggs joined us about two minutes later.
“Hey ladies, mind if I join you?”
I smiled. “Tremendously,” I joked.
“Let’s eat then get these beds moved. Gus is having a pretty detailed medically-type talk down there. He might be awhile.”
It took us only a couple of minutes to finish our food. Afterward we were all full and exhausted. Emilie gathered up our dirty plates and forks and set them in the corner. Boggs lay down on the bed width-wise, arms over his head.
“What’s wrong, Boggs?” asked Emilie. “Don’t wanna go back to the living room?”
“Not in particular,” he admitted.
I was already sitting on the bed, so flopped onto my side to lie alongside Boggs. Emilie followed suit on the other side of him.
“It’s getting cold again,” said Emilie.
We lay there quietly together for some time. The light filtering in through the window was almost gone, signaling sunset.
“I should light a candle,” moaned Emilie.
“We need to get these beds moved,” mumbled Boggs. He sounded like he was nearly asleep.
The door opened, and Gus walked in. “Cozy?” he asked.
“Hiding,” said Emilie.
“I’d join you all but I’m afraid the bed would break,” joked Gus.
Boggs sat up and stretched before speaking. “Ok, let’s get this shit done. I’m beat.” He stood, ready to work.
Gus sat on the bed next to Emilie. He tousled her hair, something I noticed he liked to do. “We should bring the other mattress in and lean it against a wall first to make room for the frame in the other room. Shouldn’t take long. Thanks for helping, Boggs.”
“No problem,” he answered. “But are you sure you don’t just want to switch rooms?”
“I’d like to stay closest to the stairs, to be honest,” Gus said. “We can talk about it more tomorrow, but Wanda’s in a bad way. I’ve given her a couple of the pain pills Em found in the bathroom, but she barely ate anything for dinner and she told me her urine production is way down. It sounds like her cancer’s spread to her bones and she’s in a lot of pain. I want to find a pharmacy, get her some morphine. I just hope we have time.” Gus looked concerned for the older woman. “Louisa says she’s twenty weeks pregnant. We’ll need to get supplies in anticipation of the baby’s birth. It’s not my area of expertise, so we’ll need books so I can learn.” He sighed. “Ok, let’s do this bad boy.”
It took Gus and Boggs about twenty minutes to switch the beds around. Emilie and I wanted to stay busy so found clean linens and dressed both beds, especially wanting to thank Louisa for making dinner by doing something nice in return. I desperately wanted to shower but was too tired. Finally ready to sleep, Boggs and I left Gus and Em’s room to walk to our own. Julio was busy helping Susan get the camp cot into the attic. We walked past them into our own room and shut the door quietly.
“Zoe, are you ok?” asked Boggs.
I nodded. “I’m ok, Boggs. It’s just been a horribly long day. I stink like the burning bodies, my feet hurt, my head hurts, and I’m so tired.”
He wrapped his arms around me tightly. Kissing the top of my head, he used his hands to rub my back. The room was pitch black, but I felt safe in his arms. “Do you want me to light a candle or should we just fumble into bed?” he asked.
“Fumble,” I mumbled.
His hand found mine, and guided me to the bed. I reached my other hand out to find the covers and pulled them down. I climbed in and scooted over, and Boggs followed. We held each other and slept deeply.
I woke in the middle of the night, my bladder full. The cabin was still and quiet. Boggs and I had decided to keep a candle and lighter on the nightstand beside the bed, so I felt around the table surface until I was able to find them and produce a flame. I swung my legs over my side of the bed and carried the candle to the other side of the room. I opened the door and, out of habit, listened before crossing the hall to the bathroom. Once in the small room, I set the candle on the counter next to the toilet and pulled my pink tights down. I sat on the toilet and relieved myself, feeling better almost instantly. The ambient temperature had dropped considerably and I was getting chilled. I used toilet paper sparingly, flushed, and pulled my tights up. As I reached for the candle, I noticed the bottle of pain pills sitting at the edge of the candlelight. The lid was off, so I went to put it back on. The bottle was empty, and I knew it had been nearly full when we first found it. Of course I hoped that Susan had pocketed them so we’d have a reason to banish her from the house. I set the bottle back down, left the lid off, and crept back out to the hallway. Candle in hand, I walked the couple of steps to Gus and Emilie’s room. I put my hand on the door knob and turned it quietly. I really didn’t want to wake anyone I didn’t have to, so closed the door softly behind me and tip toed to the side of the bed where Gus was asleep. I set the candle down on the bedside table and knelt down so I was closer to the mattress on the floor. “Gus,” I whispered. He stirred but didn’t wake, so I set my hand on his shoulder and shook lightly. “Gus.”
His eyes shot open and he sat up, alarmed. “Zoe. What’s wrong?”
Emilie stirred beside him but didn’t wake.
“I’m not sure. I just used the restroom. That bottle of pain pills is empty.”
“The Percocet?” he asked for clarification, a hint of concern already starting to show on his face.
“Yes. It’s on the counter next to the toilet. The lid was off.”
He sighed. “Ok, we’ll bring it up at breakfast; see if anyone admits to it. I don’t want to start accusing our new housemates.”
“Ok. Sorry I woke you.”
“It’s ok, Zoe. You did good. Think you can get back to sleep?”
I nodded then gestured toward Emilie. “She’s really into you, you know that right?” I whispered.
Gus looked down at the sleeping Emilie. “She’s really amazing. I’m pretty into her too.”
“Good night,” I whispered as I stood and picked up the candle.
“Night,” he mumbled as he settled back into the bed.
I walked to the door and opened it quietly. As I started to cross the threshold, I stopped, frozen in place. Inside my brain I felt a tiny spark that didn’t belong there. It was faint, but obvious.
“Zoe?” whispered Gus, sitting back up.
I didn’t answer at first. The tiny spark quickly grew into the beginnings of hunger, the unmistakable and overwhelming desire to eat human flesh. I took a step backward, away from the door. I could hear Gus climbing out of bed.
“Zoe? What is it?” he demanded quietly.
Without looking away from the hallway, I whispered back. “There’s one inside the cabin.”
I turned to look at Gus, my eyes wide. He was naked except for boxer shorts and already reaching for his shotgun.
“Do you know where?” he asked, not beating around the bush.
I stopped and focused. The desire inside my head was getting stronger. I wasn’t sure how, but I felt it below us. “Downstairs,” I whispered.
“Zoe, go wake up Boggs. Leave me with the candle. Just set it on the f
loor in the hall.” He left the room and I stepped into the hall behind him.
I did as instructed, setting the candle in the hall off to one side. Gus stood at the top of the stairs, his shotgun raised and aimed down the stairs.
I hurried into my own bedroom and shook Boggs awake.
“Shhhh,” I muttered. “Gus needs you. One of the creatures is downstairs. Inside.”
Boggs was slower to rouse than Gus, but his head soon cleared and he got out of bed. He hadn’t said anything. He removed his Kahr from the drawer of the night stand and walked to the doorway to join Gus in the hall. He and Gus didn’t speak to each other, but instead used hand signals.
Gus proceeded down the stairs first, closely followed by Boggs. The fireplace had been left on to keep Wanda warm and cast a dim glow upon them once they reached the bottom. I hustled back into Gus and Emilie’s room and climbed onto the mattress.
“Emilie, wake up. Now,” I said in a harsh but quiet voice.
She sat up quickly. “What is it?” Her voice was filled with dread.
My head was starting to hurt, and my hip felt like it was on fire.
“Where’s Gus?” she pressed.
“Downstairs,” I replied.
“Zoe, what’s going on?” She was watching me intently. The only light was coming from the candle in the hallway.
“There’s one inside.”
We looked at each other without speaking for a long moment that was finally interrupted by Gus’ gun firing. We flinched in tandem. The next sound was Julio running out of the third bedroom, his footfalls full of alarm. Emilie and I rushed toward the door after him, wanting to warn him.
By the time we got to the top of the steps Julio was bounding down the stairs, shotgun in hand. “What is it?” he yelled.
Gus called back. “Julio, we need you. Girls, stay upstairs!”
“They killed it,” I said as the desire in my head had died.
Emilie clung to my arm. Louisa was behind us now and the attic hatch opened, Susan popping her head down.
“What the fuck is going on down there?” asked Susan.
“Should we go up into the attic?” asked Emilie.
“No, it’s ok now. It’s dead.”
“What’s going on?” asked Louisa, near hysteria. “Julio!” she began yelling for her lover. “Julio!”
“Louisa, stay upstairs!” Julio yelled back.
Louisa stood there in panties and a t-shirt that fell short on her growing belly. Her arms were crossed protectively over the baby growing within her.
“Emilie, will you stay here with Louisa?” I asked. Emilie nodded.
I walked down the steps slowly, not wanting to see what waited below. Halfway down, I remembered Wanda. Terrified that she’d been attacked, I quickened my pace.
“Boggs?” I called with urgency. “Oh God, is Wanda ok?”
I rounded the corner to the living room.
“No darlin,’ she’s not.” Gus answered for him. The cowboy was standing near the fireplace, looking a bit pale.
I looked for Boggs, who was standing over Wanda’s body.
Julio had knelt on the floor, and cried softly over the frail woman’s remains.
“What happened?” I asked. “Oh my God, what happened? Did it get her?” My voice was rising.
Blood and brain matter splattered the boarded-up window in the room. It looked even more disconcerting in the flickering light of the fire. I looked down and saw that Wanda’s head was grossly damaged as a result of being shot.
“You shot her? Gus! Why? Where’s the zombie?”
Boggs had stepped close to me and tried to calm me by holding onto my arms and looking me in the eyes. “Zo, stop. It was Wanda. She turned.”
I stared back at him, not quite understanding. “What do you mean she turned?”
“Zoe, she took the Percocet. She overdosed,” said Gus quietly. I looked back at the body and then her bed. There were a few large round white pills scattered on the floor. “My guess is the pain was just too much for her.”
“Oh God,” I moaned. “Are you all ok?” I asked. “No one got hurt?”
Boggs shook his head back and forth. “We’re ok, I promise.”
Julio finally spoke, still looking down at what was left of Wanda and was wiping away tears that I assumed he didn’t want anyone to see. “Louisa’s going to have a hell of a time with this,” he muttered then stood. “Zoe, do you mind making sure she stays upstairs?”
“Sure Julio,” I answered. “I’m really sorry about Wanda. She seemed like such a great lady.”
He hung his head. “Gracias.” He made the Catholic symbol of the Cross on his chest. “Gus, Boggs? Mind helping me take her outside? We can have a funeral tomorrow?”
“Of course, Julio,” answered Boggs in a caring tone.
“Zoe, we’ll clean up down here and be up later. We’ll just set her body outside the front door till morning. Can you and Emilie stay with Louisa?” asked Gus.
“What should I tell her?” I asked.
“The truth,” answered Gus. “That she died. You don’t need to say more than that for now. Julio, sound ok?”
“Yes, please. I should be the one to explain to her,” answered the young Latino. “I worry about the baby if she gets upset.”
“Ok.” I gave Boggs a quick hug and walked back upstairs.
Emilie and Susan were sitting in the third bedroom with Louisa, who was crying softly. I walked in and sat near Louisa on the bed. I gladly ignored Susan, whose eyes I could feel on my back.
“Where’s Wanda?” Louisa asked me pathetically. Her big brown eyes were bloodshot. I suspected she already knew that Wanda wouldn’t be joining us.
“She died, Louisa. I’m so sorry.”
The girl’s chin trembled, but she nodded in acknowledgement. “How?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Julio wants to be the one to talk to you about that. Ok?” I looked into her eyes and placed a hand over hers.
“Is he ok?”
“Ya, everyone else is ok,” I assured her. “They’re just going to take care of a few things downstairs, and then they’ll head up.”
She nodded again. “She was really special, you know?”
Susan spoke. “She really liked you, Louisa.”
It was one of the first nice things I’d heard Susan say since meeting her. I looked at her, trying to read her face. I was glad she didn’t look back at me.
Grace Lost Page 11
