Don't Dare Call Them Zombies : Books 1-4 (17 page)

While sitting on the edge of my cot I pondered if I should take my shoes off. It would feel great to remove them, but I then began to wonder about the consequences of such an indulgence if something happened before morning which would require me to get up quickly.

I sat there overanalyzing the situation when Jennifer, still looking at me, made her intent for my next action clear.

“Get to bed,” she ordered.

I obeyed, took my shoes off, and laid my exhausted body on the cot. It was not overly comfortable, but certainly more comfortable than the makeshift bedding we had used on the roof of Grocery World. I turned and looked at Jennifer to notice she was quickly drifting to sleep. Fatigue was catching up with me as well, and my eyes started to involuntarily close. Before long, I was asleep.

I began to dream. I was in the sanctuary of the same church that had become our temporary residence. Reverend Sikes was delivering a message, but I couldn’t understand his words; they seemed distant and vague. My mother, Arlene Harper, was sitting at my right and Jennifer was at my left. I then noticed the red hair of a woman sitting in the pew in front of us. Somehow I knew it was Ms. Suzy. She turned and smiled at me only to turn back around. Her daughter and grandchildren were sitting beside her.

I tried to speak to my mother who I had been so desperately seeking to find, but she wouldn’t respond. I grabbed her arm and lightly shook her, but she wouldn’t look at me. I tried the same with Jennifer, but obtained no response. Frustrated that no one would say a word to me, I stood up in the middle of the sermon to get out of the room.

Brushing past everyone sitting on our pew, I managed to make it to the central aisle. The sanctuary had become dead silent and looking around I noticed that everyone's eyes were on me.

“Somebody say something!” I shouted.

No one made a sound.

“What is wrong with all of you?” I yelled.

I turned to see that the front doors of the church were not barricaded. Walking quickly towards the way out of the sanctuary I encountered two old, white haired men in black suits who were apparently ushers, standing on either side of the door. Upon nearing them they stepped closer together and blocked my exit.

“Move,” I said.

They slowly shook their heads back and forth.

“Get out of my way, now!” I commanded.

They stepped away from each other, and I was able to reach towards the double doors. In an instant I pushed them open. What I saw in the bright, sunny daylight outside made me take a step back.

Thousands of freaks in blood stained scraps of garments were outside. The flood of undead corpses that surrounded the church extended as far as I could see. Their moans and growls mixed with occasional snarls and grunts created a terrifying cacophony as they surged towards me.

I quickly reached to pull the doors closed, but the hands of several freaks were in the gap preventing it from closing. They were stronger than me and managed to pull the door open.

Turning around, I noticed no one in the congregation that filled the pews seemed to notice what was transpiring; their heads were once again directed at Reverend Sikes. Everyone seemed perfectly calm; they were oblivious to the hoard of freaks now pouring into their place of refuge. I ran past the pulpit and towards the door that led to the hallway. Grabbing on to it I gave it a strong yank, but it wouldn’t open. I pulled and pushed on the wooden door, but it seemed to be locked.

I glanced behind me and saw Reverend Sikes standing behind me.

“We have to get out of here,” I exclaimed.

“Why do you say that?” he responded.

I looked at him wondering how he couldn’t be aware of what was about to happen to us both. Suddenly, his face started to decay before my eyes. His skin started to peel and fall to the ground revealing patches of bone, muscle, and rotten flesh.

I stood there in shock and he suddenly lunged at me.

A blast of thunder roared from above, shaking the social hall, and my eyes opened. I sat up on the cot and took a look around the room realizing that I had been having a nightmare. As the fog of sleep started to clear, I could hear that it was raining much harder than before. Jennifer was still asleep, but several other people were now awake.

After putting my shoes on, I went to a window and looked out. Through the sheets of rain pouring down upon the fields outside, I could see the headlights of golf carts patrolling the church yard. I was impressed that they were continuing to keep watch despite of the torrential rainfall. I almost felt guilty for spending the last several hours sleeping in a dry cot, in a warm room while they had been enduring the elements outside.

Looking back at Jennifer, I saw the bag of items from the van beside her. Not wanting to wake her I quietly proceeded to look through it. The sight of the dog food bag made me realize that we needed to check on our little dog as soon as possible. However, the smell of my body odor convinced me I urgently needed to wash up. I saw a plastic bag of white t-shirts in the bundle of stuff and ripped open their flimsy packaging. With a new, clean shirt to change into I stood up, walked towards the men's restroom, and found a sink I could use as a wash basin.

I wanted to wash up quickly because I didn’t want Jennifer to wake up with me being nowhere to be found. The last thing she needed was another scare. Using hand soap and paper towels, I was able clean up reasonably well. Although I had to put back on some of the same dirty clothes, at least I felt a bit more hygienic. Looking in the mirror, I could see that I also desperately needed to shave, but the razors I needed were in the van along with several other things we could use.

After putting on the clean shirt I exited the restroom and noticed there was activity in the kitchen. A light was on and a few women were moving about. I heard the clang of pots and pans as the faint scent of fresh brewed coffee entered my nostrils. The intoxicating scent became stronger as I walked over to Jennifer's cot. I knelt down beside her and whispered that it was time to get up. Her eyes opened and they started to look around the room.

“Everything is fine,” I told her. “Just relax. There is nothing to be alarmed about. I think they have started to cook breakfast.”

She rubbed her eyes, looked at me directly, and sat up on her cot. I pushed myself up and sat beside her on the cot. Suddenly, her head fell into her hands.

“Darn,” she uttered to herself. “Darn it.”

“It's alright Jennifer. What's wrong?” I asked as I put my arm around her.

“Why, why is this . . ., ” she mumbled.

I then saw a single tear fall down her cheek as she looked up at me.

“I'm here Jennifer,” I said as I tried to comfort her as she took my hand in hers.

“Why is this what?” I asked her.

She lifted her head, looked into the distance, and stared into space. I didn’t know what to do or what to say, so I just sat with her and watched as activity increased in the room. The smell of coffee became overwhelming as I could hear the sizzle of something frying in the kitchen.

Jennifer finally turned and looked at me.

“I'm alright,” she said. “I just dreamed I was somewhere else and that none of this had happened.”

“I don't want to believe this is real, but I know it is,” she continued.

“I'm sorry,” I said quietly.

“At least you’re with me,” she said looking directly at me.

“I'm glad you’re with me too,” I responded.

It felt good to be close to her, but I couldn’t shake the idea that the only reason we were together was because of the horrors outside. If the apocalypse had never happened, she’d probably be little more than a casual friend. I would be cutting meat at Grocery World, and she’d be getting ready to go to work at the barbershop this morning. Although I liked the feeling of closeness we shared, it was most likely something less than totally genuine. But for now, it was all we had; it kept us going.

“How about some coffee?” I asked Jennifer.

“Sure,” she responded.

Walking towards the kitchen I saw I was not the only person seeking a morning dose of caffeinated refreshment. A small line was forming that led to two industrial coffee makers. I found a place in line behind a seemingly pregnant woman wearing a long maternity dress. I watched as a number of other women started to cook eggs, bacon, and ham. Peering all the way to the other side of the kitchen, I noticed a woman putting a pan of biscuits in an oven.

“The early bird gets the worm,” a voice said from behind me. It was Sam. He was up early, like me. His short, light brown hair was in disarray, and he yawned as he stood there. I noticed a box of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. It was pretty obvious he was a heavy smoker; his face was covered with age spots and wrinkles.

“Good morning,” I said. “How did you sleep?”

“Didn't get much,” he said. The dark, puffy bags under his eyes proved he was being truthful.

“Are you ready for the run to Robert's place after we eat?” he asked.

“Jennifer probably will want to wash up some, but we will be ready,” I said. “We will also need to grab a few things from our van outside.”

“Like what?” he asked.

The line moved again before I could answer his question. It was now my chance to get coffee for Jennifer and myself. I filled two large Styrofoam cups and proceeded to add plenty of cream and sugar to each.

With both hands full I answered, “some more ammo and my butcher knife.”

I stood watching while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Butchers knife?” he asked. “Are you a butcher?”

“Yep, I worked in the meat department at Grocery World. I have a few extra knives in the van if you want one. They work pretty well,” I said.

“I'll stick with my pistol,” he stated as we walked out of the kitchen.

Before we could make it back to where Jennifer had been sitting we heard a commotion in another part of the church. I could hear yelling and shouting, and it was getting louder.

“I'm going to check this out,” Sam said.

“I'll come along,” I told him. “Let me just give these to Jennifer.”

I rushed over to Jennifer's cot to find her already looking in the direction of the noise.

“Take these. I’ll be back,” I said.

I handed her the two cups and took off before she could respond.

Sam and I, along with a few others ran towards the sound of the shouting and yelling. As we raced down the hallway, I noticed that anyone who was not awake already had been awakened by the loud voices.

As we passed the pastor's office, I saw a group of people surrounding the door to the dusty old room I had been taken to the day before. The room had given me a strange feeling the day before, and I had no clue what to expect as we now rushed towards it.

“Get your stuff, and get out of this church, now!” I heard Reverend McMann yell.

“Screw you,” I heard a male voice shout back. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“You can't send us back outside,” a woman’s voice shouted with desperation. “Those things are out there.”

“You heard the pastor, you’re gone!” I heard another man say.

A moment later, Sam and I arrived outside the doorway to the room. A small crowd was present, and I could see the teenagers that had passed Jennifer and me the night before. The oldest boy was standing near the doorway of the room arguing loudly with Reverend McMann. Behind him, a black haired, younger girl was standing with a blanket wrapped around her body. Her clothes lay on the floor behind them.