“Ready?” he said.
We both nodded, and he opened the door.
The zombie ran for the open door. Buck swung at it, smacking it with a crack. It stumbled back and came running for us again. This time he swiped it across the face, smashing its face in. It fell on the dirt floor, and Buck smashed its head in with the rifle butt. When he stepped back the head was a mess of ooze. Buck looked winded.
“You okay?” I observed.
“Yeah,” he said, swaying.
He needed water. The strain on his body from exerting energy had worn him out. He was likely to fall unconscious. He was too big for either of us to carry.
“Where is the water?” I asked, putting a hand on his back.
“Down the mine, half a click,” he said.
I looked around. I saw the other zombie that fell sticking out from under the cage. It hadn’t survived. The tunnel was lit, but not much. We strolled into the tunnel. Buck rushed to a stand about halfway in the tunnel and opened a valve. The smell that came out was foul. I ran to him before he could drink, stopping him.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“Smell it, it doesn’t smell right. It smells like the zombies,” I informed him.
He looked down at the flowing water, sniffing. When he smelled it, he turned the knob off.
“You’re right,” added Hugh. “It smells rotten.”
Buck walked to the wall sliding down.
“What do we do now?” he said defeated.
“We try the entrance. We don’t give up,” I proclaimed.
I went to Buck and offered a hand to help him up. He looked at me and took the help.
We made our way back to the cage.
“Wait up,” I said.
I rifled through my bag and found the box of gloves and extra sample tubes. I went to the zombie we killed a few moments ago, taking samples. Then I went to the one that died two days before, taking samples. I labeled the tubes and stuck it all in my bag. I had three different variations of samples. One from a live zombie, one long dead, and a fresh dead one. Hopefully the samples hadn’t eroded over the time out of storage. They would tell me if there were any differences in the stages of the virus or disease they had.
“You enjoy all this, don't you?” Buck was amused.
“Zombies? No way.” I tried to keep it light.
“No. The science of it,” he said.
I had enjoyed it. It was the only thing I had been passionate about before all this.
“Yes.”
I closed the door and hit the up lever. I checked my gun. Ready for what awaited us.
The cage came to a stop at the entrance. Two zombies lingered by there. They heard the cage and came running.
“Safe to fire now?” I barked to Buck.
“Yes’em,” he replied.
Hugh opened the cage before the zombies reached us. I took out one, and Buck did the other. Hugh had a gun, but he monitored our backs. We moved swiftly to the entrance. No zombies were in the mine yard. The truck sat a few feet from us. I looked around and leaned out to look above the mine entrance. A zombie jumped down as I leaned out. I fell back as Buck took it out.
“Move!” he shouted.
Hugh helped me up, and we ran for the truck. Zombies filtered in from all around. Not as many as when we went into the mine. Enough to cause us issues. I opened the door to the truck and hopped into the seat. Hugh got in, slamming the door and starting the engine. Buck had leaped into the back shooting. Hugh steered us down the road to town.
“You think it will be full of zombies again?” I recounted.
“I hope not, but we aren't stopping if it is,” Hugh snapped.
I pulled on my seat belt, preparing for any zombie road blocks.
“You good back there?” Hugh asked Buck.
“Yes’em.”
The road down to town was clear. As the town came into view, no zombies were around.
“That’s too easy,” I murmured.
The closer we got, the more we could see why. Tree branches and debris littered the road. The zombies had made an actual road block.
“Go around the back way,” Buck said.
Hugh turned to the back road, and I shouted, “Stop!”
Hugh slammed on the brakes. A pit was in front of us. Hugh reversed and turned toward the front of town.
“Try the other side?” I questioned.
As we went toward the other end, I saw an escape route on the sidewalk. The only problem was part of the grocery store had a wooden pole holding the awning up.
“There!” I said, pointing. “Buck heads up!”
Hugh turned the truck to the sidewalk and sped up to ram the pole. The front of the truck had a steel grill on it, so I was not too worried about the truck. I worried about Buck. We hit the first end of the wood, and the pole smashed to pieces. The awning sagged toward Buck. We slammed the other end, and the awning toppled to the ground. I leaned to the window, and Buck gave me a thumbs-up.
“He’s okay,” I declared to Hugh.
Out the window I saw a zombie standing watching us. We met eyes as we sped through town. The last time a zombie watched us like that was when the fat lady zombie was chasing us.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
When we pulled up to the cabin, Peggy Sue ran out. Jaime was on the porch with a gun looking around.
“Buck!” Peggy Sue yelled.
Buck jumped out staggering.
“What’s wrong baby?” Peggy Sue asked worriedly.
I got out answering hoarsely, “Water. We need water.”
Peggy Sue slung Buck’s arm over her shoulder and helped him into the house. I followed, trying to avoid looking at Jaime.
“Bring water!” Peggy Sue called into the house.
Annette rushed in with three water bottles. She handed me one. I didn't wait, I opened the bottle taking a big gulp. I sipped after my initial gulp. I didn't want to make myself sick.
“Slowly,” I cautioned.
“Yes, baby, drink it slowly. Too much will make you sick.” Peggy Sue hovered over Buck.
“I missed you,” he told her between sips.
“Me too,” she said kissing him.
Annette was hugging Hugh too as he stood by the entryway to the living room, while Buck was on the couch. Brandi came running down the stairs.
“I was asleep when Julia told me you were back,” Brandi said rushing to me wrapping her arms around me.
All the stress from the past two days melted away as I hugged her back. I looked into Jaime’s eyes over her shoulder. He turned to his father, hugging him.
“You stink!” Brandi said, pulling back. “Where the hell have you been? You worried me to death that you became one of them things.”
“Long story,” I sighed.
“Violet! I am glad you made it,” Gracie said, giving my shoulder a light punch.
“Me too,” I told her, ruffling her hair.
“Hey, hey, not the hair!” Gracie joked brushing her hair down.
“Seriously though, what happened?” Brandi pulled back.
The rest of the house came in to sit in the living room and Hugh filled them in on all that had happened in the past two days. Annette brought in croissants with butter for us to eat. She promised a feast for dinner, but to take it easy on our stomachs for now. I slipped away about halfway through to shower.
Walking to the stairs, Jaime met me. “I am glad you made it, Vi.”
“Thanks,” I responded.
“For what?” he asked.
“For not hating me,” I said.
“I could never hate you.” He touched my hand that was on the banister.
I winced at the pain from the cut, but that simple touch undid me. I turned my hand over and entwined it with his, squeezing. I let go just as fast.
“I am going to wash the past two days off. I’ll see you later,” I said as I jogged up the stairs.
When I entered my room, I found flowers on every surface.
A small note sat next to one.
Vi,
I know you want to be just friends, but
when you were gone, I thought I had lost you.
I am okay with friends for now. I will respect that.
Once you find a cure, I want a second date. With
no interruptions. Accept the flowers as a peace offering.
Your friend,
Jaime
I sat the note down and smiled. So maybe I had been wrong about being just friends. The past two days I thought I was going to die down in that mine. I wanted to live. I went to the flowers, touching one. This one was not real like the first one he gave me, these were silk. I went to the others—they were all different. Some paper, some silk, some cloth. He must have spent hours making these. The gesture was heartfelt. The way he could take time to make such delicate things for me. I would still remain friends, but I would open my heart just as Buck and Brandi suggested.
I relished the shower. The warm water flowing over my aching muscles. We had made it out of that mine. We had survived. I would find a cure. It had to work. I would not let the world come to this savage thing it had become. The zombies were too much. The vile parts, the lust for flesh, the delight in pain. There was nothing I could do for my mother and Jessica, but I could try to help the rest of the world. They were people to someone. Gracie had her whole family out there. If I helped her alone, I would have done something worth my life. Taking another moment to gather myself, I turned off the water.
Wiping the steam off the mirror, I saw I had changed since the whole zombie outbreak started. My hair had grown longer, but other changes stood out more. My body was thinner, dark circles sat under my eyes, and my cheek bones protruded, making my face look stark against the white of my skin. Even though my mother’s side of the family came from Mexico—that is where the dark eyes and hair came from—the paleness came from my birth father. He was Irish descent. I never knew him. He left before I was born. My mother had said he was not one for settling down, that he tried when Brandi was born. He couldn't stand being in one place for long, so when she got pregnant with me, he left one night. No note, his stuff was gone, and she was alone. Therefore, I never hated her for staying with my step-father. She had been broken long before she met him. My birth father did that to her. I was nothing like her; I was strong. I would not let another person drag me down. I would eat and fill in the sunken-in parts. There was nothing I could do about the contrast color of my pigment. The hair I could trim to be less of a hassle.
Rummaging the drawer for scissors, I found none. I would ask Annette for some. For now, I used the hair tie to pull my hair into a half topknot on top of my head. The rest hung down my back. I took care with my clothes this time. I picked a delicate blouse of sky-blue. I paired it with some black leggings. I had overheard girls in gym class talking about how guys loved leggings because they made your legs and butt shapely. The blouse draped my frame. I added a black belt to cinch it at the waist. I didn't look half bad. I found some make-up in the drawer. I had no clue how to put make-up on. I didn’t want to ask Brandi because she would want to know why I wanted to do it. She would jump all over the room with giddiness. After being in the mine for so long, I needed time to process.
Looking through the make-up, I found some mascara. I had seen girls in P.E. putting on make-up, I could do this. I opened the tube and pulled out the brush. I leaned into the mirror, placing the brush to my lashes. I brushed the mascara and successfully put some on my lashes. I switched hands to do the other side. I placed the brush to my lashes again, but this time I stabbed my eye. I flinched at the pain. The mascara smeared on my eye. After my eye quit stinging, I looked at my work. This was a mess. I used a baby wipe to remove the smudge on my face. This time I gently brushed my lashes, trying to avoid hitting my eye. I put the mascara back. The next thing I chose was a lipstick. I went for a light pink. I was not ready for the bright red just yet. I applied the gloss to my lips. I stood back, admiring my work. It was not much, but it made my eyes pop and my face not seem so pale with the pink lips. As much as I wanted to sleep, my mind had been occupied with the samples. I needed to carve out a place for me to work without interruptions. My room would not do. I needed a room with less light that was cold. My room was at the top end, the sun made it warm. The basement would be ideal. I left and went in search of a spare room for a lab.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Back downstairs, the living room had emptied out. I went to the kitchen to find some more food. If I was going to make a difference, I would need to beef up my skinny body. I needed calories to burn when I didn’t want to come out of my lab. In the kitchen, I found Jaime cooking something on the stove. It smelled divine.
“Hello,” I said in a casual greeting.
He turned as if I had scared him.
“Oh, hi. How are you feeling?” Jaime inquired.
“I am better. I was looking for something to eat, whatever. Your cooking smells fantastic.” I sniffed the air closing my eyes.
“It is potato soup. Would you like some?” he asked me.
“Yes, please,” I responded.
I wanted to brooch the flowers in my room, but I felt all tied up inside. I didn’t like the feeling. I was used to straightforward, so I decided to go with that.
“Thank you for the flowers. How did you make all of them? I would like to learn some time,” I commented honestly.
I knew making origami flowers was not a skill I would need in my work or in life, but it was a human skill. One I could bond over with Jaime, and maybe others in the future. Humanity did not need to lose the arts because it was fighting for its life.
“I would love to show you how to make them,” he smiled.
Setting my backpack with the samples and supplies we risked our lives for on the floor next to the kitchen island, I sat on a barstool.
“Do you think there is a spare room I can set up as my lab?” I crossed my arms.
Jaime stopped stirring the soup with a pondering look on his face.
Before he could respond I, added, “One in the basement, possibly? I need it to be colder for the samples to not diminish.”
“Let’s eat and go look after. I think I know the right place.” Jaime pulled two bowls out of the cabinet.
He sat a bowl in front of me with a spoon. The steam rose with the aroma. My stomach growled.
“Not much to eat in a mine, I’m guessing,” Jaime teased.
“No, not really.” I stuck the spoon in the soup and blew on the contents.
We sat eating.
Jaime spoke first, “Vi, do you really think you can find a cure?”
I looked at him, trying not to get his hopes up. “I will try, but I have no guarantee that I can find one. I have to try though.”
“Understood. I want to help any way I can.” Jaime got up washing his bowl.
I finished my soup and copied him. I grabbed my bag, and we walked down to the basement. He opened a room at the far end of the hall off the den area close to Roth’s prison. The room was sparse, not like the rest of the house. A few boxes sat in the corner, and a table was pushed up against the wall. Stepping inside, I felt the chill of the room. Another door was ajar, and I walked to it, finding a small half-bath. A bit of work and this would do. I had a water supply, and the floor was tiled. The ceiling had recessed lighting that would be decent. I could make a ventilation system if needed.
“Will this work?” Jaime inquired.
“Yes. I will need to sanitize everything and set up my lab supplies.”
“I am all yours. What do you need me to do?”
He seemed sincere and willing to help. I will try with him, I told myself again. “Okay, first let’s move these boxes and set the table in the middle. Find some chairs and clean the room,” I said as I began lifting a box.
It took some time, but Jaime and I got the lab set up. Looking over the space, it wasn't half bad. The table had all the lab equipment we acquired in town. The samples sat
next to the microscope in a Styrofoam cooler we found. I wanted to get to work right away. My brain needed rest first because in the mine, sleep had been near impossible. Only when exhaustion took over would I eventually fall asleep.
“Thank you for the help. I think I will get some rest and start fresh in a few hours,” I said as I patted his shoulder.
He turned to me, grasping my hand, rubbing my fingers. I wanted to pull away but forced myself to stay still. No words passed between us. Jaime leaned in and kissed my cheek before leaving me. I stood motionless, not knowing what to do. How do I respond? I wanted to try to see if we could be more than friends, but I was also the old Violet who pushed away from any human contact. The old Vi would shut down and hide. The new me wanted to be open and explore what this meant. I couldn’t change who I was, but I could change the way I reacted. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel his lips left on my cheek. The warmth of his lips, the tender touch. It felt nice. Not like the brutal touch of my step-father. Breathing deeply, I made myself separate the two men. Jaime was not my step-father, nor did I get the vibe he would ever be mean to me or my sister. I turned to the lab, smiling. This was a new start. I closed the door.
Chapter Forty
Outside, unknown to the residents of the house, a chill blew over her disfigured face. One eye was missing, part of her skull gone also, her hair on the other side peeling with infection from the loss of half her head. Scabs covered the wound. All the humans thought she had died when shot. The shot hit her in the head but missed the one crucial part—the brain was what actually killed a zombie. She had been shot multiple times, but each time, the bullets missed her brain. The trap she was setting now, quiet in its efforts. Not a soul would know. She wiped at the drool that dripped from the charcoal face mixed with blood on her lips from the kill she had made a few hours ago. The only noise being her heavy breathing anticipating the next victim.
***
I had always obsessed over my studies. The only reason being my end goal. Freedom. I had freedom from my step-father, but it was not total freedom. We were restricted by the monster’s humans had become. I would not allow anyone else to make me live in fear again. I would find a way, or at least make some progress for others to finish. Turning over in bed, I threw the thick down comforter off and slipped out from the bed. My room still held all the flowers from Jaime. They made my heart skip a beat. Never being interested in the opposite sex before, I found the attention nice. Going over to one, I pulled a red one from its holder, twirling it in my hand. I think it was supposed to be a lily. The material was paper. Holding it in my hand, I went to wash up, setting the flower on the bathroom counter next to the violet that was fading. No make-up today, I brushed my hair back, pulling it into a braid. The flower I pushed into the top of my braid to wear as decoration. I wanted Jaime to know I wanted to be more than friends. I just hoped my back and forth on the issue would not hinder him wanting me still. Pulling a pair of overalls on with a plain white t-shirt and my boots, I set out for the lab.
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