The Zombie Zovels (Book 5): Pretty Dead

by Lake, D. K.

  "How do you stay safe?" Margo asked.

  "They don't want me." Ansel lifted the rifle off his lap and leaned it against the table leg. "They sometimes go from door to door, breaking and entering, they have been here before but Lawrence has a good hiding spot in the back and they soon left again, they don't want an old cripple."

  Lawrence sat down at the end of the table nibbling on a cookie and spilling crumbs everywhere, and Ansel quietly sipped his tea.

  I quickly finished my tea and was out of my seat and standing by the window again. Ansel came over to me and rolled to a stop beside me.

  "How many are there with you?" Ansel asked.

  "Uh...two others. We should really get going." I said, letting go of the blind. "They'll be looking for us."

  "You can't leave now." Ansel said, wheeling around me and adjusting his telescope. "They're like a dog with a bone, they won't stop looking for you. And you shot at them so they will be especially interested in catching you."

  "Why? Don't other people try to shoot them?"

  "No, not many. They confiscated most of the guns. I pleaded to keep this one and the men that day must have taken pity on me and left me be, but they raid homes and take weapons. They don't want us fighting back."

  "Shit." I muttered.

  "Hmm. Shit indeed."

  "I had no idea."

  "And why would you? Here...see for yourself." Ansel gestured to the telescope. I didn't know what he wanted to show me but I moved in front of him and looked through it anyway. From up here, we had a good view down the street, and way off in the distance I could see more vans parked at the side of the street and more men had joined in the search.

  "Will they come here?" I asked, worrying about Lawrence's safety. I didn't want them to get hurt because of me.

  "I doubt it, they don't bother us so much anymore. The woman downstairs has Alzheimer's and thinks it's 1972, the couple on the bottom floor are junkies so they're no good to the collectors as they're always off their heads and not coherent. And then there's Issac who has a whole zoo downstairs, including two pet tigers and God-knows-what-else so they don't go anywhere near him."

  "So you should be safe?"

  "Yes. They know not many would open the door to you, so they will be searching the dumpsters and abandoned homes. They usually arrive just before nightfall and hunt all night."

  "Hunt?"

  "Humans." Ansel said.

  "Why at night?" Margo asked, coming over to look down the telescope.

  "Because it's when everyone comes out of hiding. People think it's safer at night to go looking for food or supplies, but no one is safe out there when the collectors are in town." Ansel explained. "You'd be wise to stay put for the night."

  I sighed. What was I supposed to do now? Risk going outside and getting caught or stay here and let Drew and Pope worry about us, that was if they hadn't already been snatched up. I needed to get back to warn the others. I didn't know what to do.

  "Do you have a shower here?" Margo asked.

  "Not exactly a shower, the water dried up a long time ago, but we do have bottled water that you can use. We make do with the sink in the bathroom." Ansel said.

  I eyed Margo. While I was worrying about the others she was thinking about having a bath.

  "You are welcome to use the bathroom to clean up. And you are both very welcome to stay the night." Ansel offered.

  Margo looked at me with an excited smile. The last place we stopped to get cleaned up was in a river and there was a snake in the water and Margo screamed so loud she nearly burst my eardrum. She was doing her happy dance where she'd bob up and down on her feet when she was excited or wanted something. I hated this girl but I knew all her mannerisms.

  "Please, Alex. I really would love to have a wash. And I mean, you really need one." Bitch.

  I turned to the side and sniffed. Ok, so I could do with a wash. My hair smelled like grease and sweat.

  "Fine. We can stay." I sighed, caving in and she clapped her hands. "But I don't think we should waste your water supply."

  "It's no problem. Lawrence goes twice a week with Isaac and the junkie from downstairs to collect water from a nearby river. It's on foot, so no fuel is used and they each take a shopping cart to fill with bottles. We have plenty for you to wash up in." Ansel assured me. "And we boil all our drinking water before you panic."

  "So I can have a bath?" Margo asked excitedly.

  "You can have a bath if you would like. Lawrence can boil the kettle a few times to fill the bath to take the chill off the water, and he will help you fill the tub if you like."

  "Yes, please." Margo battered her eyelashes at Lawrence because she was about to turn him into her personal slave for the night.

  "And we have some vanilla bubble bath." Lawrence added.

  "You're amazing." Margo put on her charm and squeezed Lawrence's cheek as though he was five.

  "I'll show you where the clean towels are." Lawrence said going all shy and embarrassed again and Margo trotted out of the room with him.

  "Thank you for doing this." I said and stole another look out the blinds.

  "What do your friends look like? I will keep a lookout for them overnight. The streetlights will be switching on soon so it will be easy to see the street from up here."

  "Oh, no, you don't have to stay up all night to do that." I assured Ansel.

  "It's no problem. We usually sleep during the day. It's the safest time to sleep without worrying. The night is the time you need to keep alert, people tend to go raiding at night. We had only been awake a little while ourselves before I spotted you two in the alleyway. But we are very secure in this building. You need not to worry."

  "Well, that's very kind of you."

  "So what do your friends look like?"

  "Um, Pope is tall and thin, he's wearing a leather vest and has shaggy dark blond hair and scruff on his face. And Drew is a little shorter, he'll have a crossbow with him, and he's wearing a navy sweatshirt and a pair of mud-stained jeans, and he has green hair. There are others but I don't think they'll come looking for us tonight."

  "Green hair? I got it. Don't worry, if they turn up I won't miss them."

  "Thank you." I smiled. "I better go and see how Margo is getting on."

  Ansel went back to his spot by the window and I wandered down the hallway. My heart felt heavy and all I could think about was Drew, and getting meds for Lane.

  Chapter 16

  I found Margo in the bathroom with Lawrence, giggling as he filled up the bath for her, lugging heavy bottles of water into the tub while she sat on the side.

  I wanted to slap that silly smile off her face. Had she forgotten about Lane already?

  "How old are you?" Margo asked, making conversation, smiling sweetly at Lawrence.

  "S-seventeen." he stuttered.

  Margo licked her lips but it just looked sexual to me so I kicked her when Lawrence's back was turned and she scowled at me. I glared back and eyed her with a warning that said leave him alone. She was like a freaking black widow about to devour her next victim.

  "I'll just go and boil the kettle for you." Lawrence said, blushing.

  I got the feeling he hadn't spent much time around girls before. He was young and would probably still be in school if the world was right.

  "Oh, did you get scratched?" Lawrence said, noticing the cut on my hand from where Margo had scratched me with her nails.

  "Yes, by her." I said.

  "I'll get the antiseptic cream." he said and left the room.

  As soon as he was out the door, Margo was raiding the cabinets, spritzing perfume on her wrist and looking at the differing lotions.

  "Do you have to be so nosy?" I said, shutting the cabinet door on her nose. "Have you completely forgotten why we're out here? Looking for meds for Lane, remember?"

  "No, I haven't forgotten, but there's not much we can do about it right now so we might as well take advantage of what they're offering."

  "Just t
ry to remember we're guests here. And if you could try your best not to have sex with that sweet boy that would be great. He doesn't need you defiling him."

  "As if. He's not my type." she said, flipping her hair.

  "And what type is that? The type that has their brain in their pants and not in their head?"

  She ignored my comment. "Anyway, I'm into Lane."

  "Into Lane? He's not some cookie jar, you can't just help yourself whenever you want some."

  "Why not? He wasn't complaining the other night when we were wrapped up in the sheets together." Ugh. My stomach was churning at the memory. Whenever we found a place to stay for the night before Lane got sick, the two of them would sneak off and get it on, and they didn't care who heard them. And Margo was a screamer in the sack. Would it be un-guest-like if I drowned her in their bathtub?

  Thankfully Lawrence came back in the nick of time before I could do anything to her and handed me some antiseptic cream to put on my hand before disappearing again to get the kettle.

  My eyes started itching again.

  "What's wrong with your eyes?" Margo asked.

  "They fucking itch. These contacts are horrible. I'm going back to wearing sunglasses."

  "You can't take them out now." Margo reminded me.

  "No shit." I groaned, rubbing them some more which only aggravated them and made them itch more.

  "And here's your hot water." Lawrence swung around the door and filled the tub.

  Margo reached in and tested the water.

  "I'm going to need about another ten of those." Of course, she was.

  "Good job we're not paying for electric anymore." Lawrence joked and left the room.

  "He's not your servant. Why can't you get off your ass and do it yourself?"

  "He wants to do it. He likes being useful, helping the damsel in distress."

  "Yes, because you keep sticking your chest out at him and batting your eyelashes. And you're no damsel. You know this is all your fault that we're here. If you hadn't run away we'd still be with the group."

  "Or in the back of a van." Margo muttered.

  "Drew and Pope are not in the back of a van."

  "It's possible though." she said, looking at her nails.

  "I'm going to leave the bathroom now before I smack your head on the sink and make it look like an accident."

  "Whatevs." she muttered as I left the room.

  I went back into the living room area and joined Ansel by the window.

  "No sign of them?" I asked.

  "No sign." he repeated.

  "Who's the bookworm?" I asked, picking up a large encyclopedia on birds.

  "Ah, that one belongs to Lawrence, he loves animals, but I'm guilty of all the fiction novels. I love getting lost in another world."

  "I know the feeling. I used to love letting a book consume me and drifting off to a world full of dreams, but I don't have time to read anymore." I said glumly.

  "Lawrence usually brings me back a stack of books from the bookstore."

  I flipped open a novel and saw a library tag inside.

  "And the library." Ansel chuckled. "I have quite a few books that are overdue." he joked.

  "At least someone is still making good use of the books." I said, running my fingers over the spines of the books on the window ledge. I slipped my fingers into the blind and had another peek outside. It was like my new obsession. But I couldn't see anything outside other than a stray dog running around. My eyes started to itch again and I moved back a step to itch them, squeezing them shut so the contact wouldn't pop out. The last thing I needed was to let them see my eyes.

  Lawrence walked into the kitchen to fill and boil the kettle again.

  "Sore eyes?" Lawrence asked.

  "Uh, yeah. I have contacts for my vision but they itch now and then."

  "I have some drops." Lawrence darted off down the hallway and reappeared with some eye drops that were contact friendly. I stayed and chatted to Ansel and Lawrence while I waited for Margo to finish her bath. I was starting to wonder if she had drowned in there.

  "Are there many infected inside this zone?" I asked.

  Lawrence furrowed his brow, suddenly uncomfortable.

  "There are in certain buildings but they have been sealed shut. You just have to make sure you don't break into the wrong ones. The ones with the black Xs are the buildings you want to stay away from." he informed me.

  "Right. Got it. Black Xs. Wait...did I see a black X on the door outside when you let us in?" I said, remembering the door Lawrence had opened for us had an X spray painted over it.

  "You did. I think it's helped to deter a few unsavory characters away." Ansel explained.

  "Good idea." I commented.

  "Lawrence, why don't you see what you can put together for dinner. These girls must be starving."

  "Oh, it's ok, we'll survive until tomorrow." I said.

  "Nonsense. We have plenty of food. We have a secret stash of food on the rooftop and we've managed to set up a small allotment of vegetables up there. And we have chickens."

  Chickens equal eggs. That's all we ate back in Eden. The very thought of eating another egg made me queasy. But I wasn't about to turn up my nose at good food.

  "We're not fussy." I smiled at Lawrence.

  "Fried eggs, tomatoes, and mushrooms sound good?" Lawrence asked, walking into the kitchen.

  "Uh, yeah that sounds great. I can help." I jumped up and followed him into the kitchen and got to work cooking the eggs while Lawrence disappeared onto the rooftop and came back with a basket of vegetables.

  Ansel stayed at the window keeping watch as the skies darkened and the street lights came on.

  Margo finally made an appearance, strutting into the kitchen in her tight jeans and low-cut top, her push-up bra working its magic.

  "Eggs?" Margo's face fell. I wasn't the only one that was fed up with eggs.

  I gave her a pointed look. "I love eggs." she said, changing her tune quickly.

  "Can I help?" Margo offered. Now she offers to help.

  "You can lay the table." Lawrence told her.

  I snorted and Margo heard me. He gave Margo the easy job and I was left scrubbing out a pan in the sink. Lawrence dished up the food onto plates and took Ansel his dinner on a tray and he stayed by the window while the three of us sat around the table.

  "This is delicious, it's nice to have fresh food." I said, looking over at Lawrence at the end of the table as he sipped his water.

  Margo picked at her egg. "Would have been better with sausage."

  I kicked her under the table and she kicked me back.

  "Oh," Ansel made a noise and looked through his binoculars at the street below. I quickly got up to join him by the window. "No, it's just the guy that lives over there. I thought it was one of your friends."

  I sighed loudly. "The vans are still on the street and they're currently in that building down there."

  My shoulders sank and I returned to the table. I felt trapped. I finished my food in silence, listening to Margo flirt with Lawrence but he was so innocent and naive that he'd probably fall for her charms and be declaring his love for her by morning.

  "What happened to your face?" Lawrence plucked up enough courage to ask. I had seen him looking at me a number of times, wondering.

  "Lawrence, don't bother the girl with questions she might not be comfortable with." Ansel said.

  "No, it's ok." I said. "I was in a car wreck, and the wound opened up a few times which made the healing process longer and the scar worse." I explained leaving out the helicopter part.

  After dinner I made Margo sit at the window with Ansel, you'd think I had just asked her to watch an execution she kicked up such a fuss. I wanted to get cleaned up too but I also wanted to get out of here and I didn't want to miss Drew or Pope. Margo was right, there was nothing else we could do tonight apart from wait so I decided to get cleaned up and wash the stink off my clothes. Lawrence gave me some washing powder for my clothes to scru
b in the bathtub and told me there was a dryer down in the basement that I could use. I stripped off and washed in the sink, not bothering to fill a bathtub just for me and Margo's water was brown and murky and there was no way I was getting into it, and I wasn't about to ask Lawrence to do anymore kettle runs. I poured some vanilla bubble bath into the sink and before I knew it I had bubbles overflowing onto the floor and floating all over the bathroom. The room did smell good though. The lemon body wash was refreshing, and the watermelon shampoo was amazing. I felt so fresh and clean after and Lawrence let me borrow one of his t-shirts for the night and a pair of his flannel pajama bottoms. Margo made a fuss when she knew I had washed my clothes so she stripped off and walked around in another of Lawrence's long t-shirts minus the pajama bottoms or the underwear. She tried to scrub her clothes out but complained about chipping her nails and her whining was driving me nuts so I just pushed her aside and did it for her to hurry the process along and Lawrence took our damp clothes down to the basement for us. I was tired and wanted to get some solid sleep before we left and went looking for the others, but we had to wait for the collectors to leave first. I stayed with Ansel for a while, listening to him as he talked about the city and how it collapsed. It was funny because to me it didn't look as though it had collapsed, it looked as though they had done a good job of surviving here. Other places I had seen had been overrun with deadbies or were like ghost towns, at least this place still had some life. But for how long if the collectors kept coming back?

  Lawrence offered us his bedroom for the night. He had a single bed and a small futon that folded into a single bed as well. He helped me to make the futon while Margo got comfortable in his bed.

  "Hey Lawrence, do you know of anywhere around here that would have medicine?" I didn't tell him I had already searched this apartment from top to bottom looking for meds when they thought I was still in the bathroom. I called Margo nosy but I had been just as bad, looking in the cupboards and snooping under the beds and all I found was a lone dust bunny because Lawrence keeps this place tidy.