Quarantined in Chaos (Nova Nocte) (4 page)

              I’m going to miss everyone. Miss this life of community and purpose. I hope they survive. I hope we do, too.

             
Today was difficult. Edith practically begged us to stay; her attempt to convince Cal becoming immensely intimate. At one point, the Roman cocked up an eyebrow and considered the ploy.

             
“You’d really consent to
that
?” Caelinus rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb. “That is quite the proposal, sweet lady, but I’m afraid I must make the journey. I assure you, you will not be forgotten.” He kissed her forehead gently and grinned. “Especially after making such a generous offer.”

             
The petite grandmother blushed and patted his hand before leaving the dining room.

             
“I’ll miss having a handsome gent like you around, but you’ll be able to reach me online when your troop gets out of the quarantine. I’ll make everyone a farewell feast. Let me know if you change your mind though Cal; I may surprise you.”

             
All day, hugs and tokens of friendship were exchanged. We played games with the kids for a couple of hours; we’d all begun to think of them as ours to protect. I made a mental promise to find a way to get them all to safety one day. Daemon played tea party in the afternoon with Ellen and Bobbi. The plastic tiara sat askew his head and glitter nail polish had been applied to his nails while he slept. Reggie laughed at the fledgling vampire being forcibly given a makeover. The bright pink lipstick and azure eye shadow was interesting against his leather jacket and wranglers.

             
Around 4PM the mood changed.

             
Sunny shouted instructions to Chase from the other bedroom.

             
“Remember to grab the bandages and vitamins.”

             
Her husband double-checked the rucksack and shoved in some mouthwash.

             
“Got it, Sweetie. And the doll from Bubba. And the usual supplies.” Chase flashed a toothy smile at me and held up a flashlight. “Did you pack my wind-up flashlight?”

             
“Of course I did. It’s right...” We listened to the shuffling of clothes and various supplies. “Um, it was just here. Chase, where did you leave it?”

             
I snapped my lips tight to trap in the giggling. My own bag sat on the floor next to the cot.

             
“You had it, Sunny. I thought you said you packed it already?”

             
“I thought I did. Why don’t you come give me a hand?”

             
“I can’t, I’ve only got the one.”

             
Marley Guy walked past the door, chuckling and mumbling to himself.

             
“Not funny, Chase. Where is that light? I thought...”

             
Our laughter broke free.

             
“...Chase?”

             
A flurry of footsteps came down the hall. I tried to reign in the hilarity while grabbing my bag to leave but was stopped at the door by Sunny.

             
Pregnant or not she moves quick!

             
“Do you two think this is funny? This is serious.” I glanced behind me at Chase; his face was dark red trying to keep a calm expression. “How old are you?”

             
“Sweetheart, I thought you’d know that after we’ve been married for so long.”

             
My eyes watered as I excused myself from the room. Somehow I squeezed out the half an inch of the doorway that Sunny wasn’t blocking. I took my belongings to the living room while the hormonal woman’s voice echoed down the hallway. Setting the bag down, I sought out the one person I’d yet to say goodbye to: Troy.

###

              I found Troy sitting next to a spike pit. The groans from below told me that multiple Dead were within. While I knelt next to the bowman he tossed golf ball sized stones at the misshapen head of the tallest. The grey rock rebounded off the sagging skin; the color of the stone a near-perfect match.

             
“Here to say goodbye?”

             
I kept my eyes on the fleshie; folds of ashen skin hung off the slender frame, snagging on the roots that protruded from the pit’s walls.

             
“Yeah, I didn’t want to leave with things like this.”

             
Troy dug another stone from the dirt and threw it sidearm; it caught a skeletal zombie in the eye socket. The creature’s half-shaved head twitched to the side as it collapsed.

             
“You mean with you deciding to shack up with fang boy instead of a real
live
man? I could see why that might bother you.”

             
I picked up the spear he’d set down and jabbed it through the tall one’s forehead.

             
Can’t hear myself think with these things moaning and reaching after us.

             
“I didn’t choose Daemon over you; it was never a choice.”

             
He hurled another stone at the spasming zombie’s head. It made a squelching sound and the body stopped moving.

“I love him, but I still won’t get to be wit
h him when we leave. I know you’re the smart choice. Problem is, I just can’t be with you and love him, it isn’t right.”

             
He stood and dusted off his cargo pants. Troy paused before holding out his hand to help me up.

             
“Doesn’t mean I’m not willing to give it a shot. I can wait until he’s gone and you can move on. Besides, there’s not exactly a huge dating pool here for me.”

             
I took the offered hand and found myself an inch from his smile.

             
What the hell do I say to that?

             
My thoughts were cut off by his kiss. Troy’s lips pressed into mine while his muscled arms pulled me against him. For a moment I was stunned.

             
Where did he learn to kiss like this? Mmmm...

             
I began to sink into his embrace. His tongue massaged mine and I felt his interest rise against my hip.

             
What are you doing? Are you staying or going, Squirrel? You can’t have both.

             
The memory of Daemon’s face when he told me he knew about our first kiss flashed through my mind. I pulled away from Troy.

             
I’m going. I decided that when I reread my journal; I have to leave. No Troy. No staying in quarantine.

             
“Don’t leave, Squirrel. You can stay here with us; with me. You said it yourself: you and the pulseless wonder can’t be together. We can.”

             
I straightened my shirt and caught my breath. Our eyes locked.

             
“I have to go. It’s not just about you and Daemon; it’s about my life. Past, present, and maybe even future. I’m sorry. I...I just wanted to tell you goodbye and take care of yourself.”

             
I walked away from the only guy I might have actually been able to settle down with. From the bottom of the hill I heard cursing and the familiar thwack of skulls being caved in.

             
Well that went better than expected.

             
Everyone I passed looked at me then towards the traps. No one said a word when Troy strode towards the house covered in the black fleshie blood. He tossed a splintered log on the ground near my feet; it was coated in gore. Without looking at me, Troy continued to the side door of the house.

             
“Have a safe trip.”

             
Our little caravan travels as quickly as we can. Reggie flew ahead of us after his deep feeding at the camp. He clears the path of fleshies and leaves the remains to mark our way. Cal and Daemon do the same while we follow through the carnage in our beat up truck and cramped hybrid. As we journey, Reggie gathers gold and silver – payment for the dangers – and our vampires gather extra provisions for us.

             
Yesterday we stopped at the Florida-Georgia border. The visitor center was overrun with abandoned vehicles and half-rotted corpses. I looked up into the afternoon sky; it was overcast but the sunlight still peeked through the clouds.

             
“Just us humans for now.” The horde of barely mobile Dead meandered towards us. I stared at one for a moment. “Let’s stay close and put them down quickly, but quietly.”

             
I opened the door to the bug-splattered Prius and drew my sword. The others followed suit while Daemon and Caelinus slept in the covered back of the Dodge. We formed an outward huddle and moved as one towards the object of my focus. The creature limped and stretched its bony arms for us. Giving my blade a few cursory swings, I waited for it to reach us; I was in no rush to put my asshat boss out of his misery.

             
His trimmed beard seemed to weigh his face down, the loose skin hanging from the emaciated skull. His natural tan had given way to a pallid grey. I remembered how he treated me during reviews and smiled. Stepping out, I drove the point of my weapon through his chin and into his brainpan.

             
It shouldn’t feel this good to destroy him.

             
I looked into the dried eyes of the terminated fleshie.

             
So glad I get to prove him wrong; he said I had no skills and was worthless. Who’s the one lying by the highway to rot?

             
I kicked the trash off my blade and prepared to strike out at the next zombie to reach our circle. The squelching sound of other heads being obliterated echoed around me. I didn’t dare look to see who was delivering the blows. The corpses piled up around us, brain bits and flecks of cranium shot like confetti into the dry air.

             
Finally, the initial wave was decimated. In the silence that followed the massacre, I risked a glimpse around. Chase and I locked eyes and shared a glance at the next flock of Dead.

             
“What do you think, Squirrel, should we go after them or retreat to the cars and drive on?”

             
The huddle turned into a tight line as we sized up the remaining fleshies.

             
“There are only eight or nine visible. Let’s roll past them until we hit another bottleneck.”

             
Wordlessly, Chase took Vincent and Bubba to clear the bodies from the street while we returned to the vehicles. Searching for fuel was nearly pointless; after a year, most of the gas had already evaporated and we needed to find somewhere to bed down for a few hours until night came. Then we could follow Reggie’s trail to freedom from the infection. Assuming it isn’t a trap, of course.

###

Sunny and I watched the sun set a brilliant orange and purple over the burning pile of Dead. It had taken an hour, but our group cleared the demolished automobiles from the road and raided them for anything of value. The bodies were stacked waist high and in varying stages of decay. For good measure, I wore thick leather gloves to toss heads into the flames.

             
Wouldn’t do to get bitten by just a head and die now.

             
Lorcan used his harpoon to move the heads. I watched the middle-aged tourist and tried to remember how long he’d been in the community; five, maybe six months? His shirt was patchy with sweat from the endeavor even though the rest of us wore jackets to stay comfortable. I felt worry rise in my gut. Could he have a fever?

             
“Anyone want to tone down the fire a bit? It’s right warm tonight.”

             
That’s right, he’s from Ireland. This is probably close to summer weather for him.

             
My nerves eased as I patted Lorcan on the back and grabbed the leg of a particularly large body.

             
“It’ll get cooler, don’t worry. It’s not what you’re used to, but the weather will chill up soon.”

             
He smiled as we added the swollen carcass to the inferno.

             
“Well that’s a blessing. I can’t wait to get up north and find some transport home. This holiday’s gone on too long for my liking.”

             
The back of the Dodge opened. Daemon rolled out and landed on the ground with a thud. His mentor stepped over him and stretched his arms towards the heavens.

             
“Thank the Gods we are out of that compartment.” The Roman exclaimed over the chorus of cracks emanating from his spine.

             
I watched as Daemon popped upright and did some twists and stretches of his own.

             
“Nice stunt work there.” I teased.

             
He pulled his mane into a ponytail and grinned.

             
“Thanks. Think I might audition for a gig as a stunt double when we get out of here. That or gigolo. I have the body for it don’t you think?”

             
We laughed for a second before it sounded strained. Cal shot us each a look and I heard his voice in my head again.

             
‘Try not to be tempted by his comments; the boy is merely trying to return to being friends. We will both be gone soon enough.’

             
Without thinking I’d checked out the physique in question and fought the feelings that it spawned.

             
“Maybe you should be a mime. Canada is part French, I’m sure you’d get work.”

             
The others chuckled at the jibe and we sat down to plan the evening.

###

              We spent half the evening clearing a path on the defunct highway. Along with weeds, the asphalt had sprouted decayed corpses, staggering Dead, and abandoned autos. The jack-knifed semi required a joint effort from Daemon and Cal.

             
“You have to lift a little, not just shove it.”

             
“Daemon, this may surprise you, but I do know how to push things out of a path.”

             
“And yet,” He wiped a swatch of hair from his face. “...you aren’t lifting when you push.”

             
I stabbed at a crawling fleshie with my camp shovel. The serrated edge sawed into the exposed cranium and ended the creature’s stinky existence. Behind me I heard a loud smack.

             
“Sorry, my boy thought I’d slap some sense into you. How is your respect for your elders coming?”

             
A metallic creaking accompanied the barb.

             
“Ugh, it’s getting better old man. You just keep this thing moving into that ravine.”

             
I fought to withdraw the embedded shovel before using it to drag the body off the road. Light chuckling followed the sound of the semi being overturned and rolling to a stop at the trees.

             
I really expected that to blow up. Must’ve watched too many movies.

             
Shrugging away my disappointment, I signaled the team to regroup.

             
“Alright, we are clear for the foreseeable distance; let’s get rolling.”

             
The small reserves of fuel were poured into the vehicles and we rode while our Undead allies flew ahead. The dim moonlight threw the solid shadow we drove on into contrast; the trees to either side stood like jagged teeth ready to devour our convoy. As our group joked and watched for hazards, I picked a tiny star and made a wish. And then I pushed aside the memory of my night with Daemon.