Flesh-Eater (Book 1): Fear the Fever (14 page)

T
he ride to Chad’s was a quiet one.  Zuckerman sat in the back, clutching his family photo to his chest as he stared out the window.  When Chad had emerged, flecks of blood on his shirt and face, Zuckerman had almost looked relieved, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  She knew it had to have been hard growing up as he did.  What had happened in his bedroom must’ve brought up a lot of buried emotions.  She couldn’t shake the image of him smashing the bat into his father’s head.  It had been brutal, but in a way, she guessed it was probably a little therapeutic as well.

Chad sat with his knee bobbing up and down, as if eager to get away, and who could blame him?  Having to execute his best friend’s mother couldn’t have been easy.  He kept sneaking sideways glances at Zuckerman, perhaps waiting for him to say something to ease his mind.

She offered him a small smile, reaching her hand back to touch his knee.  He stopped fidgeting and focused on her hand, gripping her fingers in his.

“This the place?” Zeke asked as he pulled into a long driveway with one of those big ornamental gates.  Chad nodded stiffly.

Tammy took in the large house before them.  It was made of white stone, with ivy climbing up the side walls to the second storey.  Above the entranceway, held up by two sizeable pillars, was an ornate balcony, which she assumed was the master bedroom.

She turned to face him with wide eyes, “You live here?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking embarrassed.  “It was passed down to my Dad when Gramps died,” he said by way of explanation.

“It’s beautiful,” she gushed.

He shrugged his shoulders in indifference.  “It’s just a house.”  He climbed out of the car, staring up at his home.  “Here we go again,” he muttered to himself.

“You ready?” she asked, slipping her hand inside his for support.  He looked down at her and smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.  He nodded, stepping forward.

Zeke and Zuckerman joined them, walking up the steps to the solid-looking oak door.  He pulled out his key, slotting it in the lock and turning, pushing the door open in one fluid motion.

“Hello?” he called out.  “Mom?  Dad?  Anyone here?”  He walked through the foyer, to his father’s study.  “Dad?”

“Maybe we should split up, take a look around?” Zeke suggested.  “We’ll take downstairs, and you two,” he pointed at Tammy and Chad, “look upstairs.”

“Okay.”  Chad grabbed her hand again, leading her up the stairs to the landing.  “That’s my parents’ room.”  He pointed to the left.  “We’ll look there first.”

Peering through the open doorway, he could see that no-one was in there.  He checked the closets, noting that their bags were gone, along with several of their clothes.

“Chad?” called Zuckerman.  “There’s a note!”

Chad looked at Tammy, then back downstairs.  They ran to see what the others had found.  Zuckerman was waving a piece of paper in his hand.

“It was on the counter,” he said, handing the note over.

Our darling Chad

We hope that you managed to get away before any of this happened.

We waited as long as we could, but the authorities were urging us to leave.

We have gone to stay with Aunt Eden until this epidemic passes.

If you are reading this, pack, take the Mercedes and join us in Florida.

Stay safe.

We love you,

Mom and Dad

“They’re not here,” he stated, folding the note and placing it in his back pocket.  “They’re in Florida.”

“What now?” Tammy asked.

“I guess we head back,” Zuckerman said.  “Unless you want to follow them?”

Chad shook his head.  “No, I think what we’re doing is important.  If we come up with nothing, then we’ll come back and grab the other car, and we can all go.  My Aunt has a huge place, she would put us all up.”

“Okay.  If you’re sure?  No-one would think any less of you if you wanted to get out, ya know.”

“Yeah, I know.  I want to stay.  Let me just grab some clothes from upstairs.”  He took the stairs two at a time, while skimming the bannister with his hand.  He stepped into his room, heading straight for the closet.  He grabbed a bag and threw in a jacket and sweater, a couple of pairs of pants and some spare shoes.  He made sure he had enough for Zuckerman too.  In their haste, he hadn’t had a chance to grab anything.

He went back into his parents’ bedroom, retrieving the handgun he knew his father kept in his bedside drawer.  He found the bullets in a box in the back of the cupboard.  Adding those to his bag, he went to join the others downstairs.

Something stopped him when he reached the landing.  He felt a sudden need to check his room again.

On light feet, he entered his room once more.  This time, taking his time to look around.  He noticed that a few things were out of place.  His bedsheets were pulled up haphazardly, like someone had been in it and left in a hurry.  Silently dropping to his hands and knees, he lifted the valance on his bed.  Two scared eyes met his.

“Chad?” the tiny voice whispered.

“Caitlyn?” he asked.  “Caitlyn, what are you doing here?”  He helped her climb out from her hiding place.

“I… I…”

He could see she was terrified.  “Take a deep breath, Caitlyn.  Where are your parents?”

Her lips trembled as her eyes filled with tears.  “Gone!” she coughed out, sniffing and dragging her arm across her eyes to hide the tears.

“Caitlyn, look at me.”  He knelt down lower, clasping her shoulders.  “Where did they go?  They’ll be worried sick about you, you know that, right?”

She shook her head, fresh tears spilling over her long blonde lashes.  “No, they’re gone.  They… left…me,” she hiccupped.  “They… didn’t… come… back.”

“Oh, Caitlyn,” he said, pulling her into him.  “Shh, it’s going to be okay.”  Caitlyn lived three doors down.  Chad looked after her sometimes when her parents went out.  She was the sweetest six year old he’d ever met.  “Come on, you can come with us.  Grab your things and you can meet my friends.”

“I didn’t bring anything.”

“That’s okay, we can find you something.  Wait here.”  He ran back out to the landing.  “Tammy?  Can you come here a minute?”

“What is it?” she asked, as soon as she was close enough.

“We have a stowaway.”  He nodded towards his room where Caitlyn was poking her head out.  “This is Caitlyn.  She lives down the road.”  He lowered his voice.  “Her parents left and haven’t come back.  We have to take her with us.”

Tammy put her hand to her mouth.  “Oh, the poor thing,” she whispered, feeling heartbroken for her.

“Yeah.  Can you help me find some clothes for her in my mother’s wardrobe?”

“Of course.”  She turned to Caitlyn.  “Come here sweetheart.  We’ll look after you.”  She smiled sweetly.  “I’m Tammy.”

Before…

Caitlyn sat playing with her Barbie’s while her Mom was busy in the kitchen.  Greta, their housekeeper, was helping her to prepare dinner.  The television on the wall was muted, but they could still see the pictures.  The news had just begun, when her Mom dropped the knife she had been holding.  It made a loud clanging sound as it bounced on the marble tiles.

Caitlyn looked up to see her Mom’s face had gone white, and she looked upset.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” she asked.

“Nothing, my darling,” she’d said, wringing her hands on the tea towel beside her.  Greta was making the sign of the cross over her chest and mumbling something that Caitlyn couldn’t hear.

“He should’ve been home by now,” she heard her mother say.  “He’s been gone too long.”  She was whispering to Greta, her hands continuously working at the tea towel until her hands were red.  She snatched her phone off the counter, punching in a number.  “Come on, come on!” she cried out, pulling it from her ear to stare at the screen.  “It just went to voicemail.  He’s not answering.  Something’s wrong.”

She had scooped Caitlyn up off the floor, hugging her tightly.

“Listen to me, honey.  Mommy has to go out, okay?  I need to find Daddy.”

Caitlyn nodded, reaching out to touch her mother’s cheeks, tracing the trail left behind by her tears.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?  Is Daddy okay?” she whispered, wishing she could make everything better.  She didn’t like to see her upset.  It made her feel sad.

“I need you to run up to your room, okay?  I want you to sit in your closet until I get back.”

“Why?”

“I just need you to do it, okay?” her voice was louder now, bordering on hysterical.

“Okay, Mommy.  I love you,” she said softly.  “Everything will be okay.”  She turned and ran up the stairs to her room.  She flung open the door to her closet, climbed in and sat down.  She tucked her favourite Barbie in her lap, and peered through the slats of the door.

She heard the garage door open and the car screech out the drive, the door banging closed behind her.

After a while, she heard the front door open and close.  She waited patiently, hoping her mother would come and tell her she could come out now.

She didn’t come.  The house was silent, and Caitlyn was beginning to wonder if Greta was still there.  She really needed to use the bathroom too, but she had promised that she would stay in the closet.

She shifted her position, hoping that would help.  It didn’t.  She really didn’t want to pee in the closet.  She eased the door open, and peered out.  Not knowing what she was meant to be hiding from made it tricky to know what to look out for.  Deciding that she couldn’t possibly wait any longer, she darted out and across the hall to the bathroom.

She snuck down the stairs, searching for the housekeeper, to see if it was safe for her to come out.  Greta didn’t appear to be anywhere.

She heard a noise from next door.  Something that sent chills down her spine.  Someone was sobbing, and begging.  Someone else was screaming.

Her little heart racing, Caitlyn ran back up the stairs and into her closet again.  She pushed her back up against the wall, and dragged the clothes down the rail to surround herself.  She couldn’t get away from the horrible sounds though.  They penetrated the walls, and into her skull.

She began to cry, praying that her mother would come and take her away.

W
hen they finally came downstairs, they had another person in tow.  She was small, not more than six years old, and she looked scared, her eyes darting frantically between them all.

“It’s okay,” he heard Chad say to her.  “They’re our friends.”

Stepping forward, plastering a smile on his face, he held his hand out to her.  “I’m Zeke, what’s your name?” he asked.

“Caitlyn,” she whispered, clinging to Tammy’s side.  She tentatively reached out, shaking his hand.

“This big lug is Zuckerman, but you can call him Z,” he winked at her, pointing back at him.

“Hey.”  Zuckerman waved awkwardly.

“You coming with us?” Zeke asked her.  She bobbed her head up and down, her wide eyes staring at him.  “Great!  You don’t happen to like muffins do you?  We have too much back home, and I’d hate for them to be wasted.”  The corners of her mouth lifted into a grin as she nodded again.  “You sure?  Cos we can make up a big bowl of veggies instead, if you want.”

“No!  I like muffins,” she said, stepping out from Tammy’s leg.

“Oh good.  What a relief,” he sighed, smiling at her.

“Thanks,” Chad mouthed over her shoulder.  Zeke waved it off.  They could all do with the distraction.

“We all set?” he asked, jingling the keys in his hand.  They had been gone for quite some time now, and he wanted to get back and check on Harper.  He hoped she hadn’t run into any trouble while they had been away.

Chad picked up the bag he had packed, and the one Tammy had put together for Caitlyn and continued down the stairs.  They all made their way out the door, pulling it closed behind them.  Out of habit, Chad pulled his key out to lock it.

They clambered into the car, making sure that Caitlyn was strapped in.  She was tucked in between Tammy and Chad, while Zuckerman took the front seat next to Zeke.

Putting the car in reverse, he backed out of the long driveway, and made his way back home.

G
rabbing another stick from her pile, Harper proceeded to pull the bark off.  She used her knife to slowly whittle away chunks of the wood, as she fashioned it into yet another spear.

She had spent the best part of the day doing this; making sure they had enough weapons to keep them safe, without anyone having to get too close to another flesh-eater.

She couldn’t lose anyone else.  Having watched her mother join in the eating frenzy as her beloved family dog was devoured, and accidentally shooting her sister, she didn’t think she could handle it if she had to bury anyone else.

These people she was with, they were good people.  They were her new family now, and she would protect them as best she could.

The sound of an approaching car, made her pause.  She dropped what she was doing and crept to the edge of the porch, trying to get a look at the car.  Through the dust, she could just make out the faded blue of Zeke’s Land Cruiser.  She let out a breath of relief.

Pulling herself up to stand, she walked out to meet them.

“Anything?” she asked, as he stepped out of the car.

Zeke shook his head.  “Both their families are…” he looked over at Zuckerman, “gone already,” he finished.  “We do, however, have a guest.”

Harper craned her neck to see around him.  Stepping out of the car, was a little girl with long blonde hair, and the biggest hazel eyes she had ever seen.

“She was hiding at Chad’s,” he said.  “She said her parents left her,” he whispered behind his hand.

How could anyone leave someone so sweet and innocent?

She moved towards her, slowly so as not to scare her.  “Hi,” she said.  “I’m Harper.”

“Hi.”  Caitlyn smiled up at her.  “I’m Caitlyn.”

“What a beautiful name,” she said.

“Caitlyn here,” Zeke said, placing his hands on her shoulders, “would like to try some muffins.  You think you could get her some while we check out the shed?”

“Of course.  What kind would you like?  We have banana chocolate chip, cinnamon and apple, or blueberry.”  Harper wrapped her arm around her shoulders, leading her inside.  Tammy followed, while the boys unloaded the car and headed for the shed.

“Mmmm, I like all of them!” Caitlyn said with delight.  “I think I’ll try the banana chocolate chip first.”

“Good choice.  That’s my favourite too,” Tammy agreed.  “In fact, I think I’ll join you in one.”

Harper pulled the muffins out of the cupboard, selecting three big ones and placing them on plates.  She grabbed some lemonade from the fridge and poured them each a glass as well.

They sat in the lounge, warmed by the fire that she had kept stoked.

“I have an idea,” Harper said, setting her plate down on the table beside her.  “Why don’t we do your hair?  I’m pretty good at braids, and you have lovely long hair.”

Caitlyn grinned, chocolate icing smeared on her front teeth and around her mouth.  She nodded enthusiastically.

Harper stood up.  “Let me see if I can find some hair ties.”  She wandered off down the hall, to Zeke’s parents’ room.  She found a brush, some pins and a hair tie on his mother’s dresser.  Snatching them up, she padded back to the lounge.  She settled herself behind Caitlyn, her legs folded underneath her.  Pulling the brush through her hair, she was reminded of the times she had helped Millie with her locks.  A tear escaped down her cheek at the memory.

“You okay?” Tammy asked gently.

“Mmhmm,” she replied.  Tammy nodded in understanding.

“You’re good at this,” Caitlyn said.  “Mom always tugs on the knots,” she grumbled.

Harper smiled.  “I’ve had a lot of practice.”  She split her hair into sections, and with nimble fingers, she began to thread them together into a thick braid.  She secured it with the hair tie, pinning back any stray hairs.  “All done,” she said proudly.

“You’ve had a pretty big few days, huh?” Tammy asked, watching Caitlyn stifle a yawn.  “Why don’t you have a rest?  You can lie in front of the fire to keep warm, if you like.”  She ushered her over to the mattress closest to the fire, draping a blanket over her.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn murmured, nestling deep inside the blanket.  “I’m glad you found me.”  She smiled sleepily.

“I’m glad we found you too,” Tammy said, smoothing her hair behind her ear.  “Close your eyes, get some rest.  You’re safe with us.”  She kissed her forehead, before slipping away.  She motioned for Harper to join her.

“They’ve been out there a while now, you think they found something?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

“There’s only one way to find out.”