Other Side

by Rose, Isabella C.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  We planned late into the night. It was 2 AM by the time we made our way up the stairs to our beds. Buck and Hugh said good night on the first floor. Jaime and I walked quietly up to the second floor. I was all too aware of his warm presence next to me the entire way to my door.

  “Well, good night,” I said.

  “Vi, can I ask you something?” He leaned into me.

  I was trying my best to hold onto my word to myself, to not feel for him, but when he called me by my pet name only my sisters used, it did things to my stomach.

  “Sure,” I squeaked out.

  He looked into my eyes, and then turned to pace the small space between my door and the wall. What did he want to ask me that had him so hesitant?

  “You can ask me anything, Jaime. I trust you,” I said honestly.

  He stopped pacing and turned to me. Some emotion I didn't understand was on his face. He moved from the wall and pulled me into his arms, placing his lips on mine. The reservations I had melted away. I was that stupid teenage girl again. His lips were warm, and pressed so softly on mine. I let myself live in that moment for a second, and then placed my hands on his chest, pushing him back.

  “Was that what you wanted to ask me?” I asked breathlessly.

  “No, but if I didn't do that, I would never sleep tonight thinking of you.”

  “Oh.”

  “Violet, I want you. I want you to be mine. What I am asking is if you would consider being my girlfriend.”

  I wanted to tell him all the reasons why that was a bad idea when he added, “Don't say anything tonight. Think it over. I know you like to analyze everything, and I don't want you to make a rash decision because you feel you haven't got all the facts worked out in your head yet.”

  He leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek and walked to his door, disappearing. He left me there with so much going on in my head. The kisses he gave me, how he knew me so well without even knowing me, the proposal of being his, the mission tomorrow, the way the zombies were acting, and I still had yet to tell Brandi about everything that was happening. With that thought, I walked to her door, tapping lightly, hoping she was still awake. Brandi opened before I even put my hand down.

  “Vi, you have got a lot of explaining to do,” she said and pulled me into her room.

  Brandi's room was just as unique as mine. Where mine was winter themed, hers was flower themed like the name implied, tulip. The bed was against one wall in the middle with purple sheer drapes floating around the canopy bed. Her room was furnished more than mine, with a sitting area in the windowsill of the only window. Tulip wallpaper graced the side walls, and the other two matched the bedding of a lilac color. She had a desk and chair, dresser, and two sitting chairs by a fireplace. Esthetically, the house was an interior designer's dream. Brandi pulled me to the bed, and we lay back on the pile of pillows.

  “So, tell me everything!” she squealed delightfully.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, genuinely confused.

  Slapping my thigh, she said, “Don't play shy with me. I know we haven't been close, but I thought we were past that.”

  I sat up. “No, I do not know what you want to know.”

  “About you and Jaime, silly!”

  “We are just friends,” I lied.

  “Girl, if you don't spill the beans I'm going to explode! I saw that kiss in the hallway!” she admitted.

  Oh, God. Who else saw us?

  “How much did you see?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Enough. I gave you privacy after he kissed you. I am not that much of a snoop!” She acted offended.

  How many times was I going to get this feeling of how much I was not used to life in general? I had been so sheltered. Human interaction had been limited to negative experiences. Being out in the world with people who did not beat me was strange. I was not sure how to act. All these feelings that were new. I had kept myself closed off from the world and emotions, and now I was meant to start expressing myself freely. I was so out of my element, but I was beginning to like this new side of me. I could be me without fear. I told Brandi we were no longer under my step-father’s rule. I had to start thinking that way too. I would embrace this new world. Zombies excluded. I could not accept that change to the world. There had to be a way to find out what happened to them. Why they were changing, and how to change them back? If that was even possible. Waving in front of my face broke me out of my thoughts.

  “Earth to Vi. Get out of your head and live in the moment with me. Now, tell me all about you and Jaime! Please. I need something good for a change,” Brandi pleaded.

  She was right. We all did not know how long we had to live. A zombie could attack us tomorrow, and I didn't want to miss out a chance to get to know my only family member left in the world. I confessed all that happened in the last few days. I told her of the trip to town tomorrow, and by the time we finished talking she was sleeping with a smile. I tucked her in and slipped into the hallway. Before I could turn to go to my room to my bed, I heard crying. Dropping my head to Brandi’s door, a sigh slipped out. I would never get to my bed tonight. Lifting my head, I went to find out who was crying. To my dismay, the crying was coming from Tiffany’s room. Did I really have to find my humanity tonight? I was about to turn to creep back to my room when Tiffany opened her door.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Violet,” Tiffany said, wiping her eyes.

  “Yes, it’s me. Are you okay? I heard crying,” I said, not wanting to deal with her tonight.

  She pulled her door open to reveal she wore a silk nightgown that hid nothing. I was definitely not up for this tonight. I lifted my face up so I couldn't see her boobs staring me in the face.

  “It’s just all this. I wish my parents were here, and Jaime is ignoring me. I thought he came to rescue me,” she complained.

  “I am sorry that your parents are not here. You must miss them,” I sympathized.

  “They would know what to do. They always took care of everything, and now I have to figure things out and I don’t want to, you know. You must know. You are so sturdy and tough.”

  Just when I thought she was being nice, she called me sturdy, and whined about her parents not being there to pamper her.

  “Will you talk to Jaime for me and tell him how sorry I am that I dumped him? That I want to get back with him? He seems to like you for some reason. You will, won’t you?” she pleaded in a not-so-subtle way.

  She was grating on my nerves. She would have to toughen up if she were to survive. Would it be so bad if a zombie ate her? I chastised myself for thinking it the moment I did. She did not know any better. She was a spoiled child. That would change.

  “I will tell him you’re sorry if you truly mean it. The other stuff you will have to ask him yourself,” I noted trying to turn to my room.

  She grabbed my arm, and then pushed herself on me in a hug. “Oh, thank you, Violet. You’re the best wingman.”

  As quick as she hugged me, she turned and closed her door without a good night.

  “Yeah, I am the wingman,” I huffed under my breath.

  Finally, I got to my door. Inside, I turned the lock and fell into bed without even attempting to get under the covers.

  I was on the porch. The sun was shining, and I had a glass of lemonade in my hand. I was so parched. Taking a gulp, when the glass came down, it was no longer lemonade, it was blood. I spat. All around me, the porch had blood on it, and body parts. I dropped the glass, and it shattered on the porch. I looked at my hands and arms. They were the gray, ashy color of the zombies. No! I was not one of them! A screech came from the woods in front of me, and a male zombie came running toward me. I backed away, hitting the cabin. The closer the male got, the more I could make out. Oh God, it was Jaime. He was a zombie too. No! How could this happen? I tried to talk, but all that came out of my mouth was that ear-piercing screech.

  I jolted straight up in bed rubbing my arms, and rushed to
the mirror. It was just a dream. I was still the same pale, peach color I had been when I had gone to sleep. Relief washed over me. I went into the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth. I still felt like I had the blood in my mouth from the dream.

  When I came out, I noticed a slip of paper under my door. Opening the paper, I read a note.

  Dear Vi,

  You have made my life happy again. I know that we don't know

  each other that well, but I hope you will give me a chance to get

  to know you. And you me. Just wanted you to know I was thinking

  about you.

  Truly,

  Jaime.

  Damn him. I didn't want to think of what he asked me last night. I had to focus for the trip today, and I was still tired from going to bed so late. The note was sweet. I tucked it in the dresser drawer and got dressed. Jaime would have to wait. We were going out in the open with those things again. My mind put Jaime, his note, and his question into a box, and filed it away for examination later. One last look at myself in the mirror flattening the stray hairs that had come out of the braid, I left my room to find the others.

  I found Jaime, Buck, Peggy Sue, and Hugh in the living room.

  “Good morn’ suga’,” Peggy Sue chimed.

  She was too happy all the time.

  “Good morning,” I conveyed to the group.

  Sitting down on the sofa, I watched them. Buck was the typical redneck hunter. He had a graying beard, and I don't think I have ever seen him without the beanie. He had hair poking out of the hat, almost the same gray color as his beard. He must have been in his late forties. He had a solid build. Such a contrast to Peggy Sue. Her vibrant red hair was cut to below her ears and wild as could be. She seemed to be about the same age as him. She was pretty, in a motherly kind of way. She was trim, but I could tell she had worked hard most of her life by the muscle that shone in her arms and hands. She had worker’s hands; fine lines creased them. They were such an odd couple, but who was I to judge? My mother had married an abusive man and loved him. Hugh, on the other hand, was nothing like the other two. He was lean and tall. Smooth skin. Brown hair with just the tiniest hint of gray speckles. The only thing I could see between him and Jaime was the way they carried themselves with such confidence. Jaime took after his mother in features. They knew what they wanted and went for it. Apparently, they got it too by the inclination of the family cabin that could be several families’ home.

  Buck was cleaning guns. He had mine in his hands and passed it to me.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Checking the slide and making sure the bullet was loaded. Pulling the magazine out, I saw Buck had filled that too.

  There were canvas bags on the coffee table. Hugh passed them out to each of us.

  “For supplies,” he said as he handed me mine.

  I slung it over my shoulder. My stomach growled, and Jaime handed me a granola bar from his hoodie.

  “Thanks,” I said around bites.

  “Anytime,” he replied with a smile.

  Standing, we went to the front door. Peggy Sue strapped a knife to my leg.

  “Just in case,” she said.

  She did the same for Brandi. Jaime, I saw, already had one on. We all stood watching the security camera. Hugh went up to it and pressed some buttons. The screen filtered through different views of the cabin and the woods. Outside looked clear of any lurking zombies. That didn’t mean none were hiding where the cameras didn’t see.

  “Looks clear,” Hugh informed us.

  “Be on the lookout, though. We will take our truck since it is 4x4, and runs flat tires. You know if any of them tings get in our way. Hugh, Jaime, Brandi in the back. Violet, you can ride shotgun with us,” Peggy Sue said.

  I wanted to be in back with the rest, but I nodded.

  “Ready, Buck. Take us out,” Peggy Sue added.

  Hugh unlocked the door, opening it just enough for Buck to get a look, and he slipped out. The rest of us followed like we had planned. Peggy Sue brought up the rear and Annette closed the door, locking it back. The birds chirped in the distance. My dream flashed back as we crossed the porch to the drive. We all watched the woods for any movement. We made it to the truck with no incident. We climbed in, and Buck started the engine. The noise from the truck engine had my nerves on edge. It was so loud. We pulled out and onto the road without seeing a zombie. It had my hackles raised. A zombie had followed us to the cabin, and now they were nowhere to be seen. Another trap, my mind yelled. We would have to cross that if it came up.

  The town was about twenty miles away, in the opposite direction we had come from yesterday. When we were planning the night before, Hugh had said that the town wasn't much of a town. About a hundred people resided within the vicinity. More people lived on the outskirts like Jaime’s parents, Buck, and Peggy Sue. A small clinic, grocery store, two gas stations, a library, visitor center, and a restaurant made up the town. Not even a stoplight.

  The ride to town no zombies appeared, and no other cars of living humans. The plan was to turn off the engine when we hit the town limit. Buck had said he could coast down the hill into town, less noise. Fewer surprise zombies. We would pull up next to the grocery store. Hugh, Brandi, and Peggy Sue would go in and stock up as much as they could. Jaime, Buck, and I would go to the clinic. Picking up any medical supplies we could. I had other motives for wanting to be on the clinic team. I wanted to get some items to try and figure out how this disease took over. I had to do what was in my power to help if I could. I had taken college courses online in science and biology. It was what I was good at. If we found survivors in town, we would take them with us if they wanted. I could also try and figure out this disease, getting samples. My step-father did not know I had taken classes online, I worked on them at the library. The library was the only place he allowed besides my part-time job for me to be away from his house.

  As we approached the town, Buck cut the engine, putting the truck into neutral. Peggy Sue patted my leg, and we all prepared for what was awaiting us. The truck rolled slowly into town, and only two zombies were on the streets. One crouched, eating. I did not look too closely at what it was eating. The other hovered close. Buck turned the wheel so that we drifted between the grocery store and a gas station. The zombies paid us no mind. I found that weird. Anytime we got close to one, they seemed to smell us. That was another thing we had planned. We coated our clothes and body in grease from the kitchen, and Buck had some fish bait he mixed in. It didn't smell the best, so maybe we didn't smell fresh. They even ignored the crunching of the wheels on the road.

  Buck stopped the truck, and we all waited. No movement or noise. We moved quietly. I cracked the door when Buck had turned the truck engine off so it would not make noise. The group in the back had silently made it to the dirt. Buck used hand motions to tell them to go, and we moved toward the edge of the buildings. The clinic was on the other side of the road. The zombies were about fifty yards away. Peggy Sue slipped to the front of the store as the rest of their team followed. We would wait until they were inside to cross the road. Giving them a chance to hide inside the store and take out any zombies inside.

  Once they were inside, Buck gestured for us to cross the road. If we got lucky, the zombies would not notice us. I tentatively took a step forward, then another, watching the zombies. The one eating never looked up, and the other just hovered as if it was asleep. That piqued my interest. Did they sleep standing? We made it across the street. The one that stood twitched for a second but didn't move. I felt Jaime behind me. I peered into the clinic window. It seemed empty. The lights were still on. I reached for the door and pushed inside. Jaime and Buck were right behind me.

  “I’ll check the back. You two stay here,” Buck whispered.

  Bad idea. More often than not I was not liking quite a few things. Buck going alone to the back was one of them.

  “No, we go as a team!” I whispered back.

  He nodded. We followed Buck through
the clinic, opening exam rooms, and then finding a triage area. The building seemed to be empty. Jaime started putting meds and bandages in his bag, and Buck went to the other end of the triage area opening cabinets. I went to the counter and found what I was looking for. A centrifuge, microscope, and slides. The clinic was small, and so were the machines, which made it easy to stuff into my bag.

  “What are those for?” Jaime leaned over my shoulder.

  I had not told anyone my plan to get a sample of the zombies, and possibly capturing one, like the movie I Am Legend. Hey, if it worked in the movies why not in real life? But I had no intention of dying in the end.

  “Just to keep my mind busy,” I lied.

  “You’re planning on experimenting on them, aren't you?” Jaime accused.

  “I need to do something,” I explained.

  “I can’t believe you would not tell me. Of all the people I thought we were closer than that.” Jaime had a hurt look on his face as he turned away.

  I reached up to turn him back to me when a zombie grabbed my arm.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Jaime, look out!” I yelled as the zombie yanked on my arm.

  The zombie was an old woman, and she was salivating at the mouth. I jerked my arm free. Buck came up and slammed his gun into the back of her head.

  “Sorry, June,” he said to the zombie on the floor.

  He had knocked her out. My arm was slimy where June had grabbed me. So stupid of me to get distracted by Jaime again and almost get myself killed. I would tell him when we got back to the cabin, whatever this was between us was over.

  “Violet, are you okay?” Jaime rushed to my side.

  “Did she bite you?” Buck asked with his hand on his gun.

  “No, no. She didn't bite me, she just grabbed me, but she would have if you hadn't come over.” I choked out as fast as I could before Buck shot me.

  I grabbed a slide wiping the slime on one, and then a paper towel, wiping my arm clean.

  “Good. I heard you talking. Can you really do something with these things if you researched them?” Buck asked.