End of the Line (21 page)

             
“You fucking idiot,”

             
“What?” she said shocked and angry.

             
“You could have brought all of them on us.”

             
“He was the only one, you dick.”

             
“How do you know?”

             
“Cause, I ain’t fucking blind.”

             
Jake, wearing only pants and Annemarie, wearing a long t-shirt, came down the stairs.

             
“What happened?”

             
“Tanya took care of it.”

             
“Took care of it,” Dave said. “She brought it to us. How many shots did I hear?

             
“She didn’t,” I said. “My decision to take it out.”

             
“Then you’re both idiots.”

             
“So what should have we done? Invited him for tea then let him eat us because we didn’t have any milk?”

             
Dave looked pissed. This was funny because he didn’t care about the zombie we killed outside of Aisha’s house.

             
“People are dead for doing stupid things,” he said “And that was stupid.”

             
“Dave,” I said. “Shut the fuck up.”

             
“You fucking faggot.”

             
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Tanya said. I was surprised but glad she defended me. “I’m sick of you questioning Jim and me. Everything we do, we do it wrong. We’d be lost without Jim.” 
             
“Lost?” he said, his face reddening. “He doesn’t do anything. Morale? Organization? We don’t need that shit. We need leaders. We need a secure location and protection.” It hurt when he said that, even Dave. I thought I did my best to keep people occupied and kept their minds off the nightmare outside.

             
“Dave,” I said. “No one likes you.”

             
“I’m not meant to be liked,” he retorted. “I’m meant to keep us safe.”

             
“No—“ I said. “Rachel put me in charge. You want to be in charge, we can put it to a vote who should lead. Me or you. Do you want to find out? Because I don’t think you’ll like the results.”

             
I knew Dave would stand down. I spoke to Rachel once about how to deal with him. I was tired of the gay jokes and general lack of respect. She told me he was a complainer, but not a leader. He preferred complaining to doing anything.

             
“I want to keep people safe,” he said, his voice lower. “We have to be careful.”

             
“Noted and if you listen outside, the zombies are not converging.”

             
Dave calmed and that seemed to cool Tanya down, but if the three of us didn’t get along, someone might make a fatal mistake.

             
“Everyone go to bed,” I said. “I’ll take watch.”

             
No additional zombie attacks occurred in the night. I watched dawn from the balcony. It was chilly. I wrapped myself in a women’s robe because that was the only one I could find. I’m sure everyone would make fun of me, even the ones that liked me. From the left side of the balcony, I could see the North Shore. In the summer, Cam and I would go to the beach and occasional trips to Fire Island. At Fire Island, no one would look at us funny for kissing or Cam carrying me around in the water.
             

             
I decided to search the house for keys. I started with the hallway by the door and searched the first large closet. I opened it to find lots of coats, including a fur. I removed it for Princess, hesitated, put it back, and then pulled it out again. The wife didn’t take it and for all we know she was dead or undead and wouldn’t need her coat. At the bottom of the closet were mesh containers with little draws. I opened it to find some nice handkerchiefs. I grabbed one for Princess.

             
I heard someone coming down the stairs and it was Annemarie.

             
“Nice,” she said looking at the fur.

             
“For Princess.”

             
“You are way too nice to her.”

             
“I know, but the nicer I am to her, the more receptive she is to helping us.”
             

             
“She’s only receptive to her dope.”

             
“This might help her be more of a human.”

             
“She has to be one first. Anything else in there?” she said, changing the subject. “Not that I like taking stuff.”

             
I searched through pockets, hoping for keys.
             
“What are you looking for?”

             
“The keys to the cars.”

             
“What for? You going for a spin?”

             
I realized that Annemarie, Jake and Aisha didn’t know about Ashley.

             
“It’s for Ashley. She’s leaving.”

             
“Leaving?” she said. “Going back to the CostKing?”

             
“She’s going to California to find her son.”

             
“Jim— She can’t.”

             
“Before you start, I had a long discussion with her last night. Her mind is made up. We can’t stop her. We can’t physically restraint her.” Although the thought crossed my mind.

             
“Jim—we can’t let her go. She’ll die out there.”

             
“I’m going to give her some driving lessons. That’s why I need the keys to the car.”

             
“This is madness.”

             
I sigh in frustration. “I know, but I want to make sure I give her every tool to survive including trying to convince Dot to go with her.”

             
“Great, the blind leading the blind. Dot would leave Ashley on the side of the road in a minute.”

             
“There isn’t much else I can do, unless you’d like to go with her.”

             
“Where should we look for keys?”

Chapter 13

             
Annemarie continued to search upstairs while I headed back to the garage. Even with the sun out, it was still dark and difficult to navigate. Now it stank of cigarettes. Dot was staying down here.

             
“Dot?” I called out.

             
I heard snoring. I followed the cigarette smell until my light discovered a pantry filled with food and bottles of booze. Dot passed out on the floor with several empties around her and a few candles burning. She had her own party and invited no one. She’s lucky she didn’t burn the house down. I made a note to survey the pantry later and blew out all but one candle.

             
I decided to check the garage for keys. After all, maybe rich people thought their garages were secure. Maybe the house had an elaborate alarm system when it had power.

             
The quiet and darkness of the garage spooked me. The only light came through the edge of the garage door. I knew the best way to see was to open the door. I didn’t know if there were more zombies out there.

             
I decided to risk it.

             
I went to the door and pressed my ear against it and listened.

             
I heard nothing. I unlocked and opened the door. It was automatic but I was able to push it open. Light came in. It was lovely out. Warm and sunny, but not too hot. I forgot what day it was but if it were Saturday, I might go to the park with Cam, sit on the grass. Cam would kiss me when people were looking.

             
I had to stay strong. Cam would want me strong.

             
Now that I could see, I noticed the long board with several sets of keys attached to it. Okay, we achieved keys. Now we would see if they worked.

             
It all depended how long ago the family fled. The house wasn’t so dusty. Maybe it had been months, which gave us a better chance that these cars would start.
             

             
“Okay,” I said to myself. I decided to keep the door opened so I could see what I was doing. I wished Henry had come.
             

             
I grabbed the Prius one first since I recognized the key and knew the car wouldn’t need as much gas. I hit the open button and heard it unlock. The light was on but dim. I think the battery was nearly dead. Even so, I tried to start it.

             
Nothing happened but a
click click click
.

             
I got out of the car and went back to the board and grabbed a bunch of keys. I went to the SUV and tried each one until I found the one that opened the door. This time it didn’t unlock and there was no light.

             
I went to the convertible and discovered a note under the windscreen.

             
To whom it may concern. My name is Dr. Harold Goldstein and I have fled my home along with my wife Pamela, my older son Steven, daughter Joyce and baby Amanda. We plan to take my boat up to the coast to some place that doesn’t have a lot of people.

             
If you are reading this note, and you plan to take my car, I lovingly restored it. It is a 1967 Mustang convertible with most of the original parts. Please take care of it.

             
I snickered. The man loved his car. I’m glad they didn’t get the flu and fled alive. Not only was it a good thing, but it meant five additional zombies weren’t lurking. I unlocked the convertible. The light went on and it started immediately. I had to wonder if the owner started it right before he left. I shut it down, closed the door and pocketed the keys. I could use it to charge the Prius. No reason to steal Dr. Goldstein’s trophy car and it wouldn’t suit our needs.

             
I decided to go upstairs and asked Dave for help when I heard the moan followed by the sound of something dragging

             
Fuck.

             
My heart raced, my mind blanked. It sounded close. Should I go to the garage door and try to close it or flee upstairs?

             
I didn’t want to risk it getting to the house, so I ran to the garage door. I could see it, but thankfully this one’s body was twisted at an odd angle making it have trouble walking.

             
I stared at it for a moment, stunned to see it move despite its torso twisted slightly to the left. I had to wonder how that happened. When it saw me it got angry, excited or hungry. I don’t know. I only knew it put more energy in getting to me. I was sweating. I felt like I was going to puke but nothing happened.

             
“Oh fuck,” I whispered to myself. Okay, I couldn’t panic. Only one of them and it was slow. Find a weapon and bash its brains in, easy as pie.

             
I didn’t want to do it. I wanted someone else to shoot it.

             
It dragged itself closer. Once a man, he wore overalls that were torn in several places. He was missing an eye and now had a dark socket. I had to kill it now. If I went to get the others, it might go anywhere.

             
I searched the garage until I located a shovel. I did the slowest walk to it. When I found roaches in the apartment, I made Cam kill them. Now I had to bash the head into a creature that was once human and now wanted to kill me. It still moved to me with a fierce determination to get to its feast. I stood outside the door wondering if I should wait for it.  I noticed the horrific stink and flies. They buzzed around me, wondering if I too was a corpse.

             
The creature made a horrific moan, the kind they make when a kill is close. Something snapped, the fear, the terror, I needed that thing gone. I remembered killing the Smile-Mart greeter. I ran forward and with all my might smashed the shovel over the thing’s head.

             
I knocked it down and it collapsed to the ground, but it didn’t die. I didn’t hit it hard enough. It wasn’t even mad I hit it, instead seemed more excited I was closer. It began to move on its belly to get to me.

             
I screamed when it reached out and smashed it again in the head. I felt the hand grab my sneaker, a $19.95 CostKing special and move up my ankle. I could feel the cold touch of its decayed fingers as it tried to pull my leg in to bite.