Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1) (40 page)

The day had been spent with a lethargic beginning.  The sun had risen fully before the group had even begun to discuss their next move.  Long silences filled the spaces,  Beth could almost hear the silly questions Matt would have posed.  The day was half gone before they had gone ten miles from the truck that had given them power.  Gillian had offered to drive stating that it gave her something to do.  Problem was she still had tears running down her cheeks from time to time.  Beth stretched out in the back and immediately felt guilty for doing so, as if this dishonored the memory of those who were gone.  The truck hit a bump, Beth’s injured arm hit the wall, “Ow, Gill!  You’re going like ten miles an hour can you watch out for the pot holes?” 

“Sorry got distracted.”  Gillian slowed the truck and looked out over the field to the farm house.  Devin was roused from the passenger seat.  The farm consisted of a large house with a barn and a couple of out buildings close by. 

“No power lines going to it.  Must be Amish.”  Devin pointed out to the others. 

“What do you guys think?  Want to give it a try?”  Hector asked

“Hopefully they were the more progressive Amish.”  Beth stated. 

“Yeah we know but how much better is it going to be really?”  Hector grumbled.

“Well it could be really good, especially in this area.”  Beth stated.  Looking at the confused looks she explained.  “Most people think the Amish are completely against technology.  The truth is depending on the order they belong to they can have a lot of the same things we have.”  Again she noticed the raised eyebrows. “As long as there are no wires going into the house they can have lots of things.”  She looked at the others and knew they didn’t understand. 

“You mean they have battery powered stuff?”  Hector asked.

“Well yes and no.”  Beth replied. “Some sects allow propane powered refrigerators and hot water heaters.  Battery powered lights for the buggies and even cell phones.”  She finished. 

“Seriously?”  Hector asked.  “What about guns?  Do they hunt?” 

“Not that I am aware of.”  Beth responded.

Devin was still surveying the house.  “Well let’s find a way to get there.”

“And soon,” Gillian nodded, “We can’t keep going without refueling again.”  She shuddered at the thought.  They had a full tank but had passed a rest stop.  It had been half burned and covered with the undead.  She applied the accelerator but kept the speed to around thirty.  A mile down the road they came to an exit.  Pulling up to the toll plaza they pulled to the left most booth, avoiding several wrecked cars. 

“This is a cash only lane.”  Devin joked.  “Anyone got some change?”  Romero gave an appreciative bark.  Beth just shook her head.  Gillian started, she had actually stopped to pay the toll, shaking her head slightly she turned left to cross the bridge to find the road back to where they saw the farm house.  Several more cars littered their path but there was enough room to pass the truck through.

  Passing a school bus, Beth couldn’t help but take in every detail.  The front was smashed in and one wheel had broken through the barrier and was hanging over the side of the bridge.  The windows were smeared with dried blood.  Several of the hand prints were very small.  In her mind’s eye she could see what had happened.  One of the passengers or more had been infected and turned.  The screams and panic rang in her ears even though she had not witnessed the event. 

“Do you think we should stop and check the vehicles for supplies?”  Devin asked.

“I think it is best if we just keep going.”  Gillian responded.

“There might be something we need.”  Devin argued, but Beth noted there was no real conviction in his voice.  They rumbled on turning left again and heading back in the direction of the farm house. Devin staring off across the fields, Gillian at the wheel, Hector rearranging supplies and Beth absently rubbing the palm of her hand on her injured arm.  She watched the daylight beginning to fade. 

Night had fallen by the time Kate parked the car behind the lone convenience store on the empty stretch of road.  They could see the highway they had left just an hour before.  They had been able to find a couple of bottles of water and a few scraps of food, basically a couple of snack cakes and some chips.  The best part was, in Kate’s opinion, the bathroom.  The toilets still flushed and the faucets still ran.  Each of them took turns standing guard while the other in the group tried to clean themselves as much as possible.  Steve found deodorant in one of the isles.  “Looks like people don’t mind smelling bad when they are on the run.”  Wes laughed.  His smile was wiped from his face as Kate threw him a stick.

“Yeah but they aren’t stuck in a car with you.”  She pointed an accusing finger at him, “You stink.”

“Me?  What about monkey boy over there or you for that matter?”  He demanded.

“Well Steve does smell.  Me?  I’m a lady.”  The three broke out into fits of laughter.  They scavenged whatever they could and returned to the car for the night.  Kate slowly woke, the bright light blinding her.  Wes grumbled from the driver’s seat, Steve hushed them both.  Even though there were dark circles under his eyes he was wide awake and alert.  He pointed to the far corner of the store behind the car.  A zombie was shuffling around the trash can, an empty bag fluttered in his hand.  The creature would knock into the bin stumble back wander away a few feet then stumble back to the container. 

“What is it doing?”  Kate wondered aloud.

“Not sticking around to find out.”  Whispered Wes while he turned the key, the powerful engine sprang to life at once.  Steve urged Wes to move as the ghoul’s attention sprang from the trash can to the noisy rumble of the engine.  Wes pulled away watching the zombie get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. 

“Glad he didn’t decide to change the bag last night.”  Kate laughed nervously. 

“He could have been there, we never made it that far.”  Wes replied.

“Couldn’t have, I mean we were in there for a couple of hours, and we weren’t exactly quiet when we returned to the car.”  Wes had no reply to this so they drove along in silence for a while.  After a few hours they pulled over on a deserted stretch of highway high up in a mountain.  The view was spectacular. 

“You know I used to ride up here with my dad.   We would go to a biker rally of few towns over.”  Kate said staring out over the valley.  “It looks so peaceful, it isn’t, but it looks nice.”  She pointed to a small town in the valley.  Wes and Steve looked down at the scene.  Wes thought Kate was overlooking several things to come to the peaceful idea.  Several buildings were blackened and burnt out. Cars littered the streets and the occasional zombie wandered in and out of view.   No, Wes thought, that place looked like the exact opposite of peaceful.  He exchanged a glance at Steve who only shook his head as if to say, let her have her moment.

Getting grudgingly back into the car Steve fired up the engine then let out low whistle.  “We have a small problem.” 

Wes looked over Steve’s shoulder at the gas gauge, “yep that is a problem.”

Driving for an hour, the three kept glancing at the gauge while it steadily approached the large “E”.  Wes became progressively frustrated the closer it got to the letter. “Seriously!  We saw cars all over the place when we had a full tank and three full fuel cans.”  He cried out and punched the back seat.  Steve didn’t say a word.  He was watching the sky grow darker, threatening rain. 

Distracted by a flash of lightening, Steve jumped when Wes yelled, “Hey check it out!  That’s a fuel truck.” Steve slammed on the breaks, Kate threw out her hands to keep from smashing into the dash.  Wes picked himself up off the floor of the backseat and hit Steve on the back of the head.  “Dumbass.”  Kate nodded her approval.

“Ow, what do you think?” Steve asked rubbing the back of his head.

“Well after that stop, I think we should see if there is anything in there.”  Kate replied grumpily.  Slowly approaching the truck Steve became uneasy.  Kate also became tense looking as the three vehicles around the fuel truck became visible.  Fuel cans littered the highway surrounded by a shoe here, a bag there and several ominous stains on the pavement.  Steve turned off the key and let the car coast closer to the side of the truck.  “Maybe we should keep the engine running?”  Kate whispered.

“Maybe, if there are any around they’ll be like the gas station guy and not notice use.”  Steve whispered back.  Wes’ knuckles were white on the back of the seat. 

“Stay here, be ready to run if we have to.”  Kate said shakily but trying to appear brave.  She nodded at Wes to make sure he was ready.  She eased the door open, thunder rumbled in the distance.  The first can she picked up was heavy.  She gave a thumbs up back to the car.  Wes gave a short whistle telling her his can was also full.  Moving as fast as they could they emptied them into the tank.  Kate lifting the heavy containers while Wes brought more.  He was starting to find more empty than full and had to go further and further from the car. 

He started gathering the empties around the tanker truck.  Kate gave a yelp jumping back as gas splashed out of the car onto the pavement.  Wes looked up.  “Full” she mouthed.  Wes gave a thumbs up and beckoned her to him.  She grabbed as many empties as she could and ran to join him. 

In the car Steve kept up a constant mutter, “come on, come on.” Seeing Kate run past with the empties he sat up straighter, “Leave it, we have enough.”  He called. 

The empty gas cans thumped to the ground, Wes was trying to figure out how to get the gas out of the truck.  Kate began combining some of the can that held small amounts of gas together.  A sound caught her attention, she shook her head, it was just Wes messing with the valves.  She stepped back, tripping over one of the empty containers, losing her balance she continued to fall.  Wes lurched forward to grab her, knocking several empties noisily out of his way.  The moan told them they were in trouble.  Wes held Kate’s arm as she regained her footing, they stood rooted to the spot terrified.  Steve screamed from the car and fired up the engine. 

The undead poured out from behind every vehicle.  They came up out of the tall grass and ravine.  Everywhere Kate and Wes looked the dead were closing in around them.  “Shit! Shit! Shit!”  Wes was muttering searching his pockets.  Kate looked left then right, she couldn’t see the car through the throng of the dead.  Wes was kneeling down suddenly heat and fire rose up behind her.  The zombies bounced off the hood of the car and were thrown in front of them.  Steve slammed through the once human wall. 

Wes dived in the back, Kate slammed the door as soon as she was in, several hairs were ripped from her head, left in the clinging hand of one of the undead.  Flaming zombies stumbled through the fire Wes had set from emptied gas cans.  Fist pounded on the windows, angry faces peered in.  Steve threw the car in reverse.  Bodies crunched against the trunk and popped under the rear tires.  Rain began to fall, a gas can ignited showering the undead in flaming rain.  Steve put the car in drive, plowing through the ghouls and the flames.     

The truck rumbled to a stop along the dirt ruts to the huge farmhouse.  Beth looked from the back door of the armored car to the dried blood on her hands and shirt.  “Hey, it’s going to be ok.  We are going to find a safe place.”  Devin did his best to reassure her.  Silence filled the cab both thinking of all the friends they had already lost.  Beth’s attention was caught by the front door of the truck opening.  Hector Jumped out and glanced back at them.

              “Time to go.”  Beth whispered.

The thought that every time they stopped it seemed they lost someone weighed heavily on her mind.  With each step toward the wide wraparound porch her heart rate increased.  Panic fought to take over and she struggled to maintain control.  She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, “I want to be home!  I want to be home right now, I don’t want to be here, I want to be home in my bed.”  She chanted this several times in her head getting it out of her system.  Opening her eyes and taking a calming breath she looked at the porch.  A light  breeze rustled the remains of the corn harvest in the nearby field.  Somewhere in the barn a horse whinnied.  Some of the calm Beth had been able to restore ebbed away.  Romero whimpered and ducked down into the back of the truck.   

“Where are they?”  Devin asked in a carrying whisper.  Hector waved his arm to quiet everyone.   His heavy boots creaked on the wooden porch.  Hector peered through one of the large windows near the front door.   Cautiously he turned the door knob.  It turned easily in his hand.   Motioning for the others to get ready he turned the knob fully and pushed the door open.  Seconds passed like hours, yet nothing moved inside the house.  Hector motioned Devin forward to cover him and gestured for Beth to keep watch around them.  The two men disappeared into the darkness through the doorway.  Several seconds later Devin hissed and waved for Gillian and Beth to follow. 

Entering the front room mustiness met Beth’s nose.  It didn’t have the stench of death but of disuse, as if the place had been empty for a long time.  The cleanliness of the room told a different story.  Devin closed the door letting only the late day sun light the room through the windows.  The small group stood and listened.  Only the sound was a set of wind chimes softly tinkling on the corner of the porch.  Devin shrugged at Gillian who looked over at Beth.  Hector was looking through the room toward the kitchen, his rifle relaxed but ready to be snapped up in a second.  Which he did and spun as Beth called out “Hello!” 

Hector glared at her while the room held its breath.  Nothing responded.  Beth had expected to hear the tell tale thump and bump from upstairs telling them they were not alone, but nothing came.  “Still we are going to check this place out room by room, together.”  Hector whispered.

“Yeah I don’t particularly care for  a repeat of the dance studio.”  Beth commented rubbing the side of her head. 

“Where to first, the creepy basement or the upstairs and possibly the even creepier attic?”  Devin asked trying to keep his tone light. 

“We sweep this floor, then go top down.”  Hector explained.  The group moved as one through the downstairs of the house.  They found a nice large kitchen, living room, dining room, toilet, and two bedrooms.  Upstairs they found another bathroom and four more bedrooms.  None of the rooms showed signs of violence.  The beds were made the rooms were clean, everything was in its place.  Gillian was reaching for the pull to the stairs to the attic when Beth wondered aloud.

“I think they were gone before any of this started.”   She looking into one of the bedrooms at an old fashioned glass eyed doll, “Why are those things always in old houses?  They are seriously creepy.”  She returned to the room and snatched up the doll.  Gillian pulled down the attic door and stairs.  Hector pointed his weapon up the stairs and listened.  Holding the doll in her injured hand and her gun in the other Beth mounted the stairs.  “I don’t care what else is up here, this creepy thing is finding a new home.” 

Thin strips of light filtered through dust from a vent at the far end of the attic.  The boards were mostly bare save for a few trunks and a couple chairs.  Hector’s flashlight illuminated the corners from behind Beth.  She reached the top of the stairs and placed the doll on one of the chairs.  She avoided its gaze as she and Hector searched the open space.  Dust lay thick up here so their foot prints were easily seen on the floor, “Kinda reminds me of a cartoon.”  Beth said pointing at Hector’s boot prints.

“We still need to check this place out.”  He grunted.

“I didn’t mean to say we shouldn’t it just looks funny.”  She grumbled.  Clearing the attic they rejoined the others at the bottom of the stairs.  “Just the creepy basement left.”  She smiled, but her sense of unease was building again. 

“I think the door to it is in the kitchen.”  Devin said, a definite strain to his voice.  As they proceeded down the stairs he spoke up, “I should say I noticed the door was bolted shut.” 

This announcement caused Beth to pause forcing Gillian to give her a little push down the stairs.  Beth did not like the prospect of unbolting the door in the kitchen as they had no idea why it was bolted in the first place.  Reaching the kitchen no one step forward to the locked door, finally Beth huffed and approached it.  She gave the military man a disgusted look then pressed her ear to the wood.  She heard nothing.  Mustering some courage she knocked on the door, quickly taking a step back.  Everyone collectively held their breath waiting for the banging to start on the other side.   Nothing happened.

Beth reached for the bolt, behind her Gillian was repeating, “Oh man, Oh man”  and bouncing on the balls of her feet.  Beth was reminded painfully of Matt.  Turning to Hector she nodded and pulled the bolt free.  Taking another deep breath she turned the knob and threw the door open, then jumped back with a scream.  Something fell forward, Hector raised his gun, Devin pulled Beth further back, Gillian squeaked and a broom hit the floor. 

“Who the hell deadbolts a broom closet?”  Hector gasped out bending over slightly catching his breath. 

“What!”  Beth jumped around the corner and stared into the shallow cupboard containing three more brooms and a dustpan.  “So where is the door to the basement?” 

“Maybe there isn’t a basement.”  Gillian stated hopefully. 

“Naw, I bet it is one of those you can only get to from outside, you know with the doors that  open up.”  Hector gestured opening two doors at a low angle. 

“Aw crap.  I don’t want to go back outside. It’s getting dark.”  Devin said looking at the long shadows starting to creep across the yard. 

“Well we have to, to hide the truck.”  Hector reminded him.  “The barn should be ok.  I mean we heard a horse in there.” 

“Yeah but they didn’t bother Romero.  We need to check the barn before it gets dark.”  Beth noted, “And we need to get Romero inside.” 

“How do we do this?  Check the barn then move the truck or move the truck into the barn then check it?”  Gillian looked out the window, “The barn door is open.” 

“I’m thinking we move the truck in, then we can use the headlights.  Remember this place doesn’t have electricity and it is getting dark.”  Devin said.

“No place has electricity now.”  Beth reminded him.

“Doesn’t matter it is getting dark!  Let’s get this moving.” 

The group cautiously opened the front door and checked the surrounding area, it was still clear.  The clouds were getting greyer as the light faded.  The smell of rain was carried to them on the increasing breeze.  “We’d better make this quick.  It looks like rain over there.”  To emphasize Beth’s point a low rumble crossed the empty field.   

   “Come on, I don’t want the coming storm to mask any sound in there.”  Hector said pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the barn. 

Romero barked happily seeing his friends exit the house.  Beth smiled seeing the little dog’s excitement.  “I’ll get the doors.”  She stated, Devin nodded and joined her on foot to the barn.

“You doing ok?”  He asked glancing at Beth. 

“I guess I’m just waiting to see who we lose next.”  She muttered.  More thunder sounded, closer this time.  Devin and Beth increased their pace to the great red barn.  Behind them the truck growled to life.  “I think we’re going to have a problem.”  She whispered reaching the door. 

Devin smelled it too, the distinct odor of death.  He waved the truck to stop while Beth rechecked her weapon.  Hector turned the keys and grabbed his rifle.  Romero whined when he was told to stay. 

Beth was peering through the gap in the door when Gillian joined the others.  “What do we have?”  She asked holding her own gun pointed down at the ground but in both hands like Hector taught her. 

“I can’t see anything.  I mean I see a horse and several stalls but I don’t see any of them.”  Beth responded.

“This isn’t going to be good.  Stalls and two floors, man this is gonna suck.”  Hector noted.

“Should we skip it?  If any are around they don’t seem too concerned over us.”  Gillian whispered.

“So far.  No we need to get this hidden.  I really don’t want anyone trying to take it.  Or anymore trouble like Ryan.”   

“Do you think that is going to happen?  I mean do you think people will just try and take the truck without seeing who owns it?  This might be a great way to find more survivors.”  Gillian asked. 

“From what I saw at the ball park and back at the warehouse I’m not really willing to go out on a limb and trust anyone at the moment.”  Hector replied giving Beth a nod.  She returned it and pushed the door open further.  She struggled grimacing as her injured arm pressed against the wood.  Devin jumped quickly to help. 

  Gillian was looking at Hector’s back as if she wanted to continue the discussion but Beth felt Hector had made a fine point.   This did not feel like the time to trust first and hope for the best. 

The smell of decay mixed with damp straw intensified but did not overpower.  “Can’t be too many, I can still breathe.”  Beth whispered.    She cautiously moved deeper into the barn with Hector on her right and Devin and Gillian behind.  The horse whinnied and stamped in a stall half way along the barn. 

Hector held up a hand to halt the party.  He pointed to a place just across from the occupied stall.  A pair of black shoes could be seen, they lay on the ground at odd angles.  Approaching the shoes, Beth saw they were attached to a pair of legs covered in black pants.  As she drew nearer she could hear the grunting and thrashing of an undead.  Peering around the corner she saw a bearded man in a white shirt that had two large blood stains on it.  The creatures back was broken, its legs useless.  One of its arms appeared to be shattered as it flung it around, the appendage whipping through the air.  Hector grimaced, then grabbing a pitch fork from nearby.  As he advanced on the man, Beth turned her back on the scene.  She should have been used to it by now but she still cringed at the crunch as the implement was thrust through the eye sockets crushing the bridge of the nose, destroying the brain. 

“Let’s check the rest of the barn quickly.  It is getting dark and that storm isn’t going to wait on us.”  Hector stated backing away from the dead man. 

“He must have been trying to take the horse.”  Beth said as she walked over to the stall.  The horse reared and whinnied.  She held up her hand speaking calm words trying to get the animal to relax.  She glanced around, spying a feed bag nearby.  She grabbed it and returned to her slow approach. 

“Beth we need you.”  Devin hissed.

“This will be easier if the guy calms down.  Plus we have no idea how long it has been since he has eaten.”  She spoke clearly.  Gillian hushed her but Beth spoke up again.  “What?  If I talk normally it will draw them out.  If they don’t come out then we are sorta safe.”  She raised her eyebrows as if to invite a contradiction.  No sound came. 

Devin noticeably relaxed but Hector seemed agitated.  “We are going to have a talk soon.”  He pointed at Beth.  The others spent a few minutes checking things over while Beth coaxed the horse to eat.  Cautious at first the animal began to eat greedily after a moment’s pause. 

The headlights from the trucks were the only light now.  The wind was picking up and lightening began to flash.  “Ok that is enough, let’s get back to the house and set up a barricade.”  Hector said to the others.  He eyed the loft above him uneasily . 

Placing a hand on his arm Beth drew his attention to her, “Hey if they are up there, they’ll probably break their legs when they fall off trying to get to us.” She smiled at him and he nodded.   Quickly they pulled the truck in, locked it then struggled to get the barn doors shut against the increasing winds.  Running back to the house their feet hit heavily on the porch.  Beth tried to look through the window but couldn’t see anything.   “It was clear before.”  She shouted over the thunder. 

Hector pushed the door open flicking on his flashlight he scanned the room, and then motioned for the others to get in just as the heavy rain arrived.  Closing the door behind them the room felt eerily quiet.  “Ok,” Hector whispered, “We barricade the bottom of the stairs, then more at the top and we lock the bedroom door.”

“Are we all going to stay in one room?”  Gillian asked.

“Safety in numbers?” Devin suggested grabbing one end of a side table. 

Beth grabbed the other end, “I don’t know, those rooms are rather small might be more of a hindrance if we have to move around to escape.”