The Dead Flash Series | Book 1 | Alone

by Crist, J. D.

  "We can't stay here. There are too many people that live around here. Let's gather what we can and go to my hunting cabin. It's in the middle of nowhere, and we would be safer." Charlie was surprisingly calm, and no one questioned him. Instead, the family started to move and gather what they thought they would need in the house. Joe and Charlie made a trip to the shed out back to grab what "weapons" they could find to protect themselves.

  Emily was clipping Marley's leash to his collar when they walked back into the living room. Joe walked over to her and took the leash from her hands, and handed her the crowbar. He must have cleaned it while he was outside as there were no signs of it having killed Ms. Tilly. She nodded at him and reached to take the leash back. Joe pulled it back from her hand.

  "Your hands need to be free just in case. He's a good boy though, I think we can tie it around your waist, and it will be fine."

  Emily nodded and raised her arms as Joe secured the leash. Marley seemed to understand and stood close to Emily's side. As Emily looked around the room, she looked at Chad for the first time. She felt a hatred that she expected but also a concern that she did not understand.

  "Chad, you should try to call Veronica and see if she can meet us to make it to the cabin." Emily could see the shock on everyone's face as she spoke the words. Even Chad stood motionless, obviously caught off guard.

  "Look, I may hate him for what he did, but I can't leave a pregnant woman alone to die. Chad, make the damn call." Emily was proud of herself and watched as Chad dialed his cell phone. While she may be the bigger person, she could not stand to listen to him talk to that woman. She began singing show tunes in her head to drown out the noise.

  "She only lives about a mile from here. It's on our way out of town, and she says she will be ready."

  "Well, we should get going then." Charlie was not going to let anyone make a big deal out of this. If it was how Emily wanted it handled, he was on board. Emily stood with her mother and sister while the guys ran the few supplies they had out to the vehicles. Once it was all loaded up, they returned. Charlie, Richard, and Joe each picked up one of the kids to carry to the van. Emily took her place at the end of the line. No one argued with her choice to go last. Emily chose to believe that she looked so determined that no one wanted to stall them with an argument.

  Emily watched as the front door opened and her family began the run to the cars. Emily followed Joe out the door, and the bright sunlight clouded her vision for just a second. They had the windows closed inside to keep from being seen, and the sun seemed overly bright today; as Emily stepped out on the porch, habit kicked in out of nowhere. She turned to close the front door, and by the time she turned back, she could see that Joe had already reached the van. All of the kids were inside, and Charlie was sliding the door shut as Joe looked back at her.

  She watched as Joe turned back to her, and his face dropped. He looked to be screaming as he ran towards her but Emily could not hear anything. Emily began to turn to look behind her as a white-hot pain filled her shoulder, right next to her neck. She reached for the doorknob and turned it to go back inside, but the zombie's grip was too strong to move as the door swung open. Emily's gaze turned back to her family, who was all frozen where they stood. Emily fought the pain enough to yell a single word, "RUN!!!"

  She then looked up at the sun as her eyes closed and the darkness took over. She could feel the tug at her waist as Marley was trying to fight whoever had her. Poor Marley stuck to die with her. He deserved better than to be tied to her corpse forever. She wished she could untie the leash, free him from her fate. But she had nothing left and felt the cool pavement as she hit the ground. The sound never returned to the world as her thoughts drifted to nothingness, and she let go of everything.

  Chapter 7

  Thump, thump, thump...

  It had to be the final heartbeats she was hearing. Emily laid still and listened to them pass by.

  Thump, thump, thump...

  Emily forced her brain to think clearer. It was not her heartbeat she was hearing. The pain in her shoulder suddenly shocked her back into reality. She remembered leaving the house, her family's faces, and the pain. She remembered the cool pavement under her face as she let the darkness take over. It was then that she realized that she was no longer lying on the pavement. As much as she didn't want to, Emily forced herself to open her eyes. She saw that she was lying on the wooden floor of her darkened living room.

  Thump, thump, thump...

  Emily placed her hands on the floor and forced herself up into a sitting position. She tried to look at what must be a bite mark but could not see it. She reached her hand up, and when she drew it back, it was covered in a rust color. Emily wiped it on her jeans and looked around. Her family must have listened to her final plea and left. She was alone but could not figure out how she got inside.

  Thump, thump, thump...

  There was that noise again. Emily looked behind her to see that the front door was coming open only an inch or two and then closing again. When the door was closing, it was not quite latching. Her gaze traveled to the floor in front of the door. Laying there was Marley. He appeared to be exhausted but was using his size to keep the door from opening all the way. Emily suddenly remembered Ms. Tilly and the events by the fence that morning. She sprung from the floor and ran the few short steps to the door. She shoved the door violently closed and locked it for good measure. She then reached down to untie the leash from her waist. When she pulled the leash away, she could see its outline remained in the shirt and skin.

  Emily looked down at the poor pup that now laid at her feet. He must have dragged her inside before the dead could make a complete meal out of her. The poor guy was trying to save her and did not realize that she was already dead. She allowed herself to slide down to the floor next to Marley. She ran her hand over his soft fur. Emily knew that there was no way to tell him that he should run, and even if there were, he would never leave. She didn't need Chad; she had Marley.

  After several minutes Emily stood up and made her way to the kitchen. She could hear Marley stand and follow her but not with the usual energy he would have. She rustled in the cabinets for a while and eventually found a small bag of puppy chow she had bought just in case of emergency. She pulled a couple of bowls from the cabinets and gave Marley food and water. He ate slowly, but the water went very fast. She refilled the bowl and set it back on the floor.

  While Marley continued to eat, Emily made her way to the bathroom. She left both the bedroom door and the bathroom door open as she went. She knew that when Marley had his fill, he would come looking for her. Once inside the bathroom, she stood in front of the mirror. She found it difficult to raise her eyes to look at it. After several minutes of arguing with herself, she finally took a look in the mirror. The sight shocked her but not in the way that one might expect. There was a wound where her shoulder met her neck, but it was not nearly as bad as she had expected. Emily looked at it for a few minutes and pulled her hair from the drying blood.

  "Well," she said to herself," I am not going to be one of those dead things walking around looking like hell. I might as well try to clean this up." With that, Emily moved towards the shower and turned the knobs to the perfect temperature. She then began to remove her clothes and tossed them in her hamper. Emily pulled back the shower curtain and stepped under the warm water. Emily stood under the gentle waterfall, allowing the water to wash away everything that had happened. Once the water began to run clear off her body, she washed and scrubbed until she felt squeaky clean. She washed thoroughly yet carefully around her wound as it was very tender. She felt a pain of sadness as she reached down to turn off the water. In here, she was safe and nothing outside existed, but all good things must come to an end.

  Emily pulled open the shower curtain and could see Marley was sleeping on the bedroom floor. She reached for a towel and wrapped her long hair in it. She then grabbed a second and, after drying her body, wrapped the towel around herself. She
stepped out onto the bathmat and positioned herself back in front of the mirror. She ran her hand over the glass to clear away the steam and get a second look at her wound. It was a bite mark; she could see the teeth marks where they had broken the skin. It was no longer bleeding like crazy and appeared to be clotting. Emily reached down and grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink. She was sure that everyone had tried antibacterial ointment to cure the bites, but she figured why not. She placed a generous amount on the bite and then taped a square gauze over the top.

  "Might as well try to take care of myself. Just because I'm going to be a zombie doesn't mean I have to look like hell. I refuse to be walking around, covered in my blood with only one slipper on." She could not help but laugh at the mental image she created for herself. She headed to the bedroom to pick out the outfit she would be wearing while hunting for brains or human flesh. She chose a form-fitting pair of jeans but decided against the belt. It could get caught on something and leave her looking like the dumb zombie in the group. She then chose her black boots and a novelty shirt that said "I'm not in the Mood," it seemed fitting for what she would be doing. Once she was dressed, she headed back to the bathroom. She decided against makeup, it would only run the first time it rained, and she would look like a box of melting crayons. She began working on her hair and decided on a tight, high bun. It would be less likely to get snagged while she roamed. Emily looked herself over in the mirror and smiled. She then turned back to the bedroom and looked at Marley.

  "What do you think?" she asked. "Am I the best-dressed zombie ever or what?"

  Marley wagged his tail and came to sit next to her. Emily patted the dog's head and headed back to the living room. She could only hope that when the change happened, he would be able to tell and run. Emily did not want to hurt him, but she wouldn't have any control at that point. Emily sat on the couch and began to play with her hands. She could see through the cracks in the curtains that the sun was almost entirely set. It should be happening anytime now. Suddenly, she felt Marley jump up on the couch next to her and lay his head in her lap. Chad had made it clear that the dog would never be allowed on the furniture. Well, it was his turn to be wrong about something. Emily began to pet the pup's head, and before she realized it, she fell asleep.

  The sun breaking through the cracks in the curtains woke her the next day. As she began to stir on the couch, she felt Marley jump down to the floor. Emily stretched and looked down at him. The poor boy probably had been waiting for hours to use the bathroom. Emily forced herself to stand and walk towards the back door. As soon as she opened it, Marley shot out like it was the start of a race. Emily stepped out on the back porch just like she would any other morning to wait for him. Once out there, she could see the body of Ms. Tilly next to the fence. Emily reached up for the bandage on her neck. How was she still herself? Ms. Tilly had changed overnight, and Emily was bitten almost a full day ago. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Marley pawing at the back door. He was done and ready for his breakfast.

  Emily headed inside and gave him the last of the small bag of puppy chow. Marley began eating his breakfast, and Emily started to see anything left for her to eat. She managed to find one package of breakfast pastries in the cabinet. She opened the package and decided against the toaster, and just began eating them right out of the package. She finished her small meal in a matter of minutes and tossed the silver wrapper in the trash. Marley was still enjoying his meal, and she decided to go check out the bite while he finished. She headed down the hall and went into the bathroom. Carefully she removed the bandage and began to examine the bite. She pulled herself as close as possible to the mirror and looked at it from every angle she could manage. Emily could not believe what she was seeing. It appeared to be healing.

  Emily looked at the bandage and saw that there was very little blood on it. In every zombie movie she ever saw, it never took someone this long to turn into a walking corpse. Even in what she had seen so far, people turned very quickly, yet here she was. Emily reached down and dug through the drawer until she found the thermometer. She pressed the button to turn it on and placed it under her tongue. She waited for what seemed an eternity until it beeped, signaling it was done. She pulled it from her mouth and looked at the digital display, 98.6. Even the announcement on television had said that people infected would develop a fever. Emily placed the thermometer back in the drawer and looked at her bite once more. She could not even believe that she was allowing herself to think that maybe she would not turn. Of course, she would. Emily made herself a new bandage and placed it over the bite. She could not stand to look at it anymore.

  She headed back down the hall just as Marley was walking into the living room. He seemed to be happy and full. Emily knew that would not last forever as they both were out of food. She could feel her stomach growling as the pop tarts were not enough to make her feel full. Looking around the house, she knew that there was nothing left. They had loaded everything to take to the cabin, and it was all an hour away now.

  "I guess we will have to venture out, boy, unless you have decided to stop eating?" Marley licked his face while wagging his tail. "I'll take that as a no," Emily laughed. She headed back down the hall and grabbed a duffle bag from her closet. She quickly put a few changes of clothes into the bag and then headed to the bathroom. Once there, she packed the few first aid supplies she had along with a few toiletries she thought she made need, including a couple of rolls of toilet paper. She then headed back to the living room, where Marley was already taking a nap. She grabbed his leash from beside the door and stuffed it into the bag just in case she needed it, and grabbed her purse from the rack. The purse was all on instinct. Indeed, she would not need money or credit cards in a world like this.

  However, Emily held on to it anyway. She walked past Marley and headed towards the kitchen. As she walked past her bookshelf, she glanced down at the only photo album she had. In it were the few pictures she had of her family of happy moments. She knew that it would in no way help her to survive outside this house, but she, for some reason, had to have it anyway. She grabbed it and stuffed it into the duffle bag as well. She then turned and patted her leg, signaling for Marley to follow her. Marley stood from his resting spot, stretched, and then followed her into the kitchen. There was nothing left in here for Emily to take, so she headed for the back door. She grabbed her crowbar tightly and placed her hand on the door handle.

  "Stay close to me," Emily warned Marley, hoping somehow he understood her. Emily then opened the door and headed towards the fence. Emily saw that Ms. Tilley's body was still lying on the ground and chose a spot a few feet down the fence line. She hadn't jumped a fence since she was a child, but she was going to try it again today. She placed her hands on top of the fence and, with ease, lifted herself to the top. She jumped to the other side. She turned to see Marley standing on the opposite side of the fence. He had begun pacing and whining, not sure of what to do. Emily backed up a few steps and called out to him.

  "Come on, boy! You can do it! Come on now!" Emily watched as Marley backed up a little way and ran at the fence. She watched as he jumped, clearing the fence with ease. As soon as he landed on the other side, he ran towards her, excitedly wagging his tail. "Good boy!" Emily praised him. She then turned towards Ms. Tilly's backyard and started to make her way towards the back door. Ms. Tilley had always prided herself on her garden, and Emily could not help but admire all the hard work the older woman had put into it as she walked through. She noticed that one of the side gates was open and pulled it back to its closed position. This would probably have something to do with what happened to Ms. Tilly.

  Emily was near the back door when she saw another body. It appeared to be their mailman, and he had a garden trowel buried in his skull. It looked like Ms. Tilly had been working in her garden when he attacked her. The older woman had put up a fight, though, and taken him with her. Emily stepped over the body and soon was at the back door. She turned the handle and breathed a
sigh of relief that it was unlocked. She opened the door, and once she and Marley were inside, she locked it behind them. Then there was no time to waste. She made her way through the older woman's house, ensuring that all doors and windows were closed tight. Once she was sure that everything was secured, she looked around.

  Ms. Tilly had photos on every wall and shelf around the house. She had been a widow for nearly ten years and had made the most of her life. She said that she and her husband had so many things they still wanted to do, and it was her goal to do them all for him. Emily could only Hope that she had reached her goal and done everything on her list though she was sure that this was not how the old lady wanted to go out of this world.

  Emily made her way to the kitchen and saw that the cabinets and refrigerator were still stuffed with food. Emily chose a few things she thought Marley would enjoy, but that would be safe for a dog to eat. Emily spent the rest of the day peering out the window, watching the dead wander back and forth in the streets. Later that night, she made both her and Marley eat and then made herself a little bed on the couch. She just could not bring herself to even think about sleeping in Ms. Tilly's bed. Once she was laid down, she felt Marley climb on top of her, obviously not asking permission to sleep with her tonight. The couch was small, so he was lying on top of her. Emily welcomed the comfort of knowing she was not alone while she slept.