Zomb-Pocalypse 3 Page 3

  “Not really,” my voice breaks a little as my fears nearly overwhelm me. “I don’t want them to go,” I say, and Abby grabs my hand and holds it. “Not alone,” I say, “not without me.” Abby looks at me sharply.

  “You can’t seriously want to go down the mountain,” she squeaks in shock, and I nod.

  “I don’t think any of us want to go, but I can’t help feeling like…if I’m not there to help, something terrible might happen to them.” I take a deep, shuddering breath. “I have to go.” I can tell Abby wants to protest, probably wants to tie me up and lock me in the closet so I can’t go, but she doesn’t say any of that.

  “Your dad will never let you go,” she says wisely, and I nod.

  “I know.”

  We sit together, leaning on one another for warmth and strength until we hear my mom calling our names. We scramble through the window, not wanting her to know about our secret spot. She would probably board the window shut.

  We reach the top of the stairs just as she’s starting up the bottom step, and she startles at our sudden appearance. “What were you girls up to?” she asks, and as one Abby and I shrug.

  “Just talking,” I tell her. Even though she looks at us suspiciously, she has no proof of anything so she finally nods.

  “Why don’t you girls head to bed early tonight? The boys are leaving first thing in the morning and we should all be up to say goodbye.” Her lips purse and I know exactly what she isn’t saying. In case they never come back.

  It’s probably only seven, but it’s practically dark now and there is nothing else to do without electricity. Sunny and Megan join us upstairs and none of us really say anything as we get ready for bed. We are all thinking about the trip tomorrow. Megan offered to go, but she was turned down—the funny thing is, with the exception of Silas and Regg, she might actually be the next best shot.

  Sunny crawls into bed with me. I use the flashlight to read her a quick story, and she falls asleep with my arm tucked under her head. I don’t mind though, it’s already freezing and her extra body heat helps.

  It doesn’t feel like I’ve even fallen asleep, or maybe I did doze off, when a scream echoes through the house and my eyes pop open. I sit upright in bed, accidentally shaking Sunny. “What’s going on?” she whimpers, and I shake my head before realizing that it is too dark for her to see.

  “I don’t know,” I tell her as I climb out of bed and reach for the pistol that I’ve hidden on the top of the bookshelf, where Sunny won’t be able to easily find it.

  Abby and Megan are awake now too, and we all shudder when we hear the screams again. They are definitely male, and whoever is screaming is in horrible pain.

  “Who is that?” Megan hisses in the darkness. No matter how hard I try and listen, I can’t recognize the agonized shouts. It could be anyone I care about: my dad, Silas, Ryan, or even Sergeant Regg.

  “Do you think they got into the house?” Abby asks. “The zombies,” she clarifies, though none of us need any clarification. Her question makes Sunny start to cry. Abby apologizes and gives the little girl a hug.

  I pace back and forth with my gun in my shaking hands. I don’t know what is on the other side of that door, but the screams sound close—definitely upstairs with us.

  “Do you still have a gun?” I ask Megan, and I hear the click of her weapon in response. “Okay.” I take a deep breath and slowly release it as I grab the flashlight off the shelf and click it on. “Stay here with Abby and Sunny and shoot anything dead that tries to come through this door,” I instruct her. In the flashlight glow, I see that her eyes are focused and sharp as she gives a curt nod.

  “You can’t go out there,” Abby protests as I reach for the door knob, but Megan answers for me.

  “Someone has to go see what’s happening, we can’t depend on anyone outside this room because we don’t know who is still alive…” she trails off. I swallow as I yank the door open and emerge into the freezing cold hallway.

  I shine my light back and forth, praying that I haven’t just thrust myself out into the middle of a zombie horde roaming the hall. Nothing looks disturbed. I hear the scream again, though now it’s really more of a gurgling plead for mercy, and my eyes narrow in on its source. I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I recognize the room belonging to Natalie and Hank.

  I take one tentative step forward, but stop when I hear pounding footsteps coming up the stairs. I whirl around as my parents and Barry reach the top step. They are all still human, so I lower the light from their eyes and my gun from their faces.

  “Are you okay?” my mother shrieks. She should really be quieter, but panic has set in and I know there is no point reasoning with her.

  I nod. “I am.” The hallway is silent now, and I know nobody else knows where to look. “It came from Hank and Natalie’s room.” I tell them, and all three of them wince. Pregnant Natalie—this can’t be good.

  Barry is the first one to recover as he strides to the door and knocks loudly. “Everything alright in there?” he demands, and we all wait with baited breath to hear a response. The angry moan of a zombie answers us back, and then we hear the terrible sound of fingernails scratching against the wood of the door. Even Barry takes a step backwards.

  “They’ve turned,” he says unnecessarily, and my mom starts to cry. Megan pokes her head out of the room and I point towards the door, the look on my face telling her everything she needs to know. Megan blinks a couple of times and then ducks back into the room, and I almost wish I had stayed there too.

  The moan of a flesh eater comes again, and my dad turns towards me. “Please take your mother and get out of here,” he begs me, and I nod, surprising him. I grab Mom’s hand and pull her into my bedroom, making sure to knock and announce myself first—I don’t want Megan accidentally shooting us in the face.

  I sit with my mom as she struggles to stay strong for our sakes. Megan, Abby, and I are all doing the same thing for Sunny. After a few moments, we hear the door being broken in and then two quick gun shots. There is a bunch of shouting between Barry and my dad, and then the rapid firing of a pistol until it clicks empty. It doesn’t last longer than a minute, and then there is absolute silence. I pull my hand from my mom’s and stand up. “Jane, don’t,” Mom warns me, but I ignore her.

  “I’m just going to peek out and make sure they’re okay,” I tell her as I ease the door open and peer out into the hall. I see Dad and then Barry emerge from the room, and I run to my dad and embrace him. He’s pale and shaking and I squeeze him tighter, trying to give him an anchor.

  “Stay away, Jane, you don’t want to see it,” Dad warns me, and I nod. I’ve already seen too much carnage, and I’m sure I will not escape this life without seeing a bunch more. There is no reason to go looking for it unnecessarily.

  A pounding from downstairs makes me jump, and my dad squeezes me even closer. “I suspect that’s the boys, and they’ve heard the gun shots,” Barry says, sounding like he doesn’t have a care in the world as he takes off down the stairs to let them in.

  Chapter Three

  “Keep your mom in the room with you, would you?” Dad asks as he reluctantly pulls away and pushes me towards the bedroom door. I give a nod and watch as he takes off down the stairs before I leave the doorway and creep forward to crouch at the top of the stairs to eavesdrop down below. Ryan, Silas, and the Sergeant are standing in the living room with my dad and Barry.

  “How did this happen?” Regg demands, running his hand through his short brush cut in agitation.

  “It looks like Natalie was the first one to turn and she ate Hank alive,” my dad informs them quietly, so quietly that I have to strain my ears to hear. I bite back my frustration at the softness of his voice. This is pretty sexist, the women being confined to their rooms while the men gather below and take care of us.

  “How did she turn though?” Ryan asks in confusion, and I am wondering the same thing.

  “She must’ve been bitten or scratched
today when they ran into that zombie outside,” Silas says, and it makes sense. I feel my heart sink. I can’t believe Natalie didn’t tell anyone, although I guess I can see where she wouldn’t want a bunch of strangers to put her down, especially with a baby to think about. Maybe she thought she would be able to fight the virus off. Now that I think about it, Natalie and Hank hadn’t come down for supper—Hank must’ve been covering for her. I shake my head. Natalie and the baby were a tragedy, but Hank didn’t have to die too.

  “We should take advantage of this and make an early start,” Barry interrupts, drawing everyone’s eye to him.

  I watch Sergeant Regg check the watch on his wrist. “It’ll still be dark for a good bit yet,” he protests, and Barry nods.

  “It will, but dawn should be breaking by the time we reach the bottom of the mountain. We have the opportunity to bug out quicker, have more daylight to gather supplies, and get back sooner.” He pauses and looks at each man in turn. “Will any of you be able to get back to sleep tonight anyway?” he challenges them, and even I shake my head.

  “What about the bodies?” Silas asks, and Barry nods towards Ryan.

  “This one is staying back to guard the women. He can pick one of them to help him clear out the room.”

  “What happened to the baby?” Ryan asks a few minutes after Barry turns away and begins to make plans with my dad and Silas.

  Barry turns around with a sigh, like he wishes Ryan hadn’t asked that question. “Once the mother was gone, we could see it squirming around underneath her skin—it looked like her belly was possessed,” Barry says, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

  “You couldn’t save it?” Ryan demands, and Barry and my dad both shake their heads.

  “It was obvious the baby turned when the mother did,” my dad manages to choke out.

  “How could you possibly know that?” Silas asks, and I watch my dad grow even paler.

  “We could hear it growling through the womb and see it trying to claw its way out,” Barry says, his words painting an image I will never be able to forget. “I emptied my bullets into her belly, and that was the end of it,” Barry says, his voice firm and final. No one in the room asks anymore questions.

  Barry turns back to Silas and my dad, and I see Ryan glance up to the top of the stairs. I have to quickly duck out of the way so he won’t see me. I decide to head back into the room and wait with everyone else. My eye catches the doorway that leads into the carnage as I walk back, and I feel my stomach churn. Maybe my parents are right—there is some stuff I just shouldn’t know.

  My mom has calmed down and is sitting on the bed, talking quietly with Megan and Abby. Sunny has somehow managed to fall back asleep. “What’s going on out there?” Mom asks when I creep in. The room is dark, but they’ve left the flashlight on for a little bit of light.

  “It sounds like they are going to leave pretty soon,” I confide in them, and my mom gets to her feet.

  “What?” she demands. “But it’s still the middle of the night!”

  “Barry says if they leave now they will reach the bottom of the mountain by sunrise and will be home sooner,” I tell her, even though technically I’m not supposed to be privy to any of this.

  My mom deflates. It’s like she wants to protest but knows it’s not a bad idea. “I guess we should go say goodbye then,” she says hollowly, and I nod as I watch them all file out.

  “I’ll be right there,” I tell them. Abby gives me a funny look, but I purposely ignore it. I sit on my bed and really try to think about what I’m going to do. On one hand, I should probably stay and do as my parents tell me—I know that is what both of them want—but I just don’t think I can. To them I will always be their little girl, someone they want to protect and keep safe, but it’s a new world and keeping me hidden away doesn’t guarantee my safety. Ryan will be safe enough here at the cabin, and I am so thankful for that, but what about my dad… and Silas. I will be worried sick about them the entire time they are gone, and if anything happens to them, I know I will always wonder if I could have changed the outcome.

  “Damn it,” I mutter to myself as I stand up, having made my decision, and grab a pen and paper from Abby’s desk.

  Mom,

  I’m so sorry but I couldn’t stay. I have to make sure Dad will be alright. I love you, please don’t come looking for me. I will be back tonight with everyone else.

  Jane

  I stare at the paper and feel my stomach twist with anxiety. I am not sure what my parents will do to me for disobeying. Can I even be grounded in the zombie apocalypse? What would they possibly take away from me that hasn’t already been taken away by the zombies? Whatever they decide to do, I know it won’t be good. I steel my nerve and grab my backpack. It’s loaded with supplies and is ready to go in case we ever need to bug out quickly—Silas made sure I kept it packed and ready. I’m already wearing my coat. It’s so cold at night that it isn’t suspicious. I slip it off and throw an extra sweater on underneath, and then I slip out of the room. I have my gun tucked away, and my knife in my backpack.

  I go straight down the hallway to the window that leads out onto the roof and creep towards the edge, dropping my backpack into a clump of bushes, and then I take off running to join the others. “There you are,” Dad says, forcing a smile when he sees me coming down the stairs. “I thought you’d fallen asleep again,” he teases, and I give him a half-assed attempt at a smile. Like anyone, except for Sunny, could sleep around here tonight.

  “Nope,” I tell him as I give him a tight hug.

  “Everything will be alright, sweetie,” Dad tells me, and I nod.

  “I know it will,” I tell him, and I pray that will be the truth.

  I look over at Ryan, who is standing towards the back with Abby and Megan, and I make my way towards him.

  “I feel like crap staying behind while they are out there risking their lives,” he admits the second I get close enough to hear him. I nod. I know this has to be hard for him, but he probably volunteered to stay behind to protect me.

  “You’re making the right decision,” I tell him and give him a big hug. He doesn’t know it right now, but I’m also saying goodbye to him. “Protecting our home is just as important as going out to find supplies for it,” I murmur as I move away. It’s good advice and I wish that I could take it, but Ryan doesn’t have family going out there today—I do.

  I come up beside my mom and wrap her in a huge hug. “Dad will be okay,” I promise her, and she sends me a wan smile that I know she is just putting on for show.

  “Of course he will,” she tells me fiercely, and I plant a kiss on her cheek.

  “I love you, Mom,” I tell her, and she finally looks at me.

  “I love you too, Janey,” she says as she gives my arm a final squeeze before moving forward to give my dad another hug goodbye. I look around; no one is watching me, so I take the opportunity to slip away. I stroll casually to the kitchen until I’m out of sight, and then I run as fast as I can to the back door. My hands are shaking with adrenaline and they fumble the lock my first try, but I get it with the second twist. I make sure to carefully turn the knob to lock it behind me, and then I’m running in the darkness. It’s pitch black, but I know my way like the back of my hand. I just have to hope that I don’t run into anything lurking around out here. I race around the side of the house as quietly as I can, stopping to grab my backpack from the bush.

  I see the truck we drove up here in is running, warming its engine in the cold morning, as well as two other vehicles. They must each be taking a vehicle so they can bring back the most amount of stuff. There is still one more car, but it isn’t running and I know they are probably leaving it for the others, in case they need to escape quickly.

  I jog over to the F-150 and try the back door. It’s unlocked and I climb in, just about having a stroke when the interior light comes on. I quickly shut the door as hard as I dare and throw myself down onto the floor, staring up at the light
and cursing its existence. My heart beats erratically until the light finally starts to fade and finally goes out completely. I let out a sigh of relief and then lay back and wait, shifting uncomfortably. I should’ve taken my backpack off first, but I didn’t. Now I’m laying here like a turtle flipped over on its shell, and it is not comfortable.

  I wiggle, trying to find a better spot, and almost consider getting up to remove my backpack, but I hear the crunch of shoes on gravel and that gets my heart beating like crazy again. I close my eyes and pray it’s Silas, and that he doesn’t have anything he needs to put in the backseat. I can’t have him discovering me until it’s too late to turn around. The sound of footsteps gets louder and my crazy brain suddenly thinks of something else—what if it isn’t Silas at all? What if it’s a zombie?

  I shake my head in the dark; I’m being ridiculous. If it’s a zombie, I’m relatively safe inside the truck, unless it’s a horde, and so high up on the mountains that is just as unlikely. The door opens, and I have to resist the urge to let out a squeak as my adrenaline kicks into overdrive. I hold my breath and stare at the back of the seats as the light comes on, making spots of light blur my vision. I slam my eyes shut and command myself not to move. I hear rustling, like a backpack being thrown into the passenger seat, and then the door is slammed shut and the light slowly fades again.

  I feel better when the cab is bathed in darkness again—but not much better. I hear Silas rolling the window down, and then the cold air is rushing in as he leans out and talks to somebody.

  “I’ll just follow you then,” Silas shouts across the driveway. I hear someone, maybe Barry, reply with a grunt of agreement. The sound of engines revving and tires crunching on the rocky, uneven driveway is all I can hear. Silas rolls his window up, puts the truck in drive, and we’re off. This is it, I’ve pulled it off, and it’s too late to turn back now.

  It’s slow going down the mountain in the darkness—and super bumpy. Almost immediately, my back starts to ache from the uncomfortable way I’m laying, thanks to my backpack. Every pothole we hit makes me want to groan, but I keep my mouth shut. Having Silas mistakenly shoot me because he thinks I’m a zombie moaning and groaning back here, is at the very bottom of my bucket list.