Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1) (41 page)

“Two to a room?  We could take rooms with opposing views.  One person sleeps while the other keeps watch.”  Gillian asked while helping Hector move some chairs. 

“Now that is a good plan.”  Hector nodded. 

“Well here is not a good plan.”  Beth said looking at the stack of furniture at the bottom of the stairs, “We’re on the wrong side of the barricade.” 

Devin slapped his forehead, Gillian swore, but Hector caught Beth’s eye and started to laugh.  The four spent the next several minutes trying to move and rebuild the structure through fits of giggles.  At the top of the stairs the group built another barricade, then paired up choosing rooms at opposite ends of the house.  Beth and Gillian taking the east side, Devin and Hector the west.  Everyone muttered goodnights and retreated into their rooms.  Beth gave a smile to Hector as she closed the door, he returned it with a wave. 

“Not sure I like the separation, but I am so looking forward to a night without Hector’s snoring.”  Gillian said when Beth turned around, “Who gets the first watch?”  She then asked. 

Beth eased her way to the window, watching the rain and lightening.  She pulled a chair over too it and sat down, “I’ll do it.”  She said still watching the storm.  Gillian sunk to the bed and with a sigh of gratitude.  Beth barely turned when two thumps announced Gillian’s shoe hitting the floor. 

Beth sat in the dark room staring out of the window, occasionally she would check through the other window that looked out over a different portion of the lawn.   The storm started to pass, Beth’s mind wandered to thoughts of Steve and Wes.  Resting her head against the glass she tried to imagine their faces, tired to remember a time over the summer. 

The sun was warm, the smell of the bar be queue filled the air.  Wes and Steve were laughing trying to drench her with a water balloon.  Lightning flashed illuminating the expanse outside her window.   She blinked staring into the darkness.  “It was a tree, swaying in the breeze.”  She whispered to herself.  Another flash told her it wasn’t a tree.  “There’s a zombie on our lawn.  We don’t want zombies on our lawn.”  She hissed jumping to her feet. 

“Wazamadder?”  Gillian mumbled.

“There’s one out there!” 

Gillian was sitting up instantly.   Beth hurried to the door, opening it she was in a rush to get to the other room, “EEEP!”  She squeaked running into Hector’s chest. 

“There’s one out there.”  He whispered holding Beth by the shoulders. 

“How did you see him?”  She asked.

“Him?  No it’s a woman.”

“No definitely a man.” 

“We have more than one?  Shit.”  He released her.

“Maybe they’ll just pass us by?”  Gillian whispered. 

“There is another one out there.”  Devin pointed back to the room he had just left. 

Lights flashed across the hallway.  All four stared from one to the other.    A horn sounded, then a gunshot.  Hector and Beth ducked, but then Beth turned and ran to the window.  Crouching to look over the sill she saw headlights gleaming through the rain.  A zombie lay motionless in front of the car, three more were approaching it.  The vehicle backed up slowly, another gunshot and another zombie fell. 

              Rain fell fat and heavy against the window, the wipers barely able to keep up.  Steve’s hands still shook on the wheel even though he had been driving for almost an hour.  The fuel truck escape still played over in his mind.  It had been far too close, he almost lost Kate and Wes.  He glanced in the rearview mirror.  Wes’ head was lying on the back of the seat, but his eyes were open, watching the dark landscape slide by. 

              “You ok?”  Kate asked from beside him. 

              “We need to find a
safe
place to stay.”  He grumbled. 

              “Hey, hey, over there.”  Wes called from the back seat.   Steve looked in the direction Wes was pointing.  For a moment Steve had no idea what he was suppose to be seeing until lighting lit up the silhouette of a large farm house with a barn not too far away.    He began looking for a ramp off the highway.  A mile or two later he found what he was looking for.  He almost missed it as the exit sign had been knocked down by a pickup truck that lay buried in some trees just off the road.  Wes grabbed the side of the car as it fishtailed over the rain drenched pavement. 

              “Ok we just, um need to find a way back to that house.”  Steve said trying to play off his nerves as he slowed the car to take the turn at the end of the ramp.  He glanced over at Kate who was still clutching the seatbelt in a death grip. 

              “Yeah let’s get there in one piece ok?”  She said relaxing her grip and sitting back in her seat.  Wes grunted something from the back seat that Steve ignored but it made Kate snort.  Steve weaved in and out of the detritus on the road finally finding a turn that seemed to lead them back in the direction of the farm house. 

              After several minutes they came to a small house close to the road.  Steve slowed the car, “What do you think?  You want to try it?”  Lightening lit up the area, a zombie was standing on the porch.  Steve pulled the car into the driveway, throwing light over the front of the house.  The porch zombie stumbled and fell of the front step, slowly rising to approach the car.  “Only one we can…”

              “No good dude, look.”  Wes pointed over his shoulder.  The front door to the house hung off its hinges several undead were staggering out of the blackness.  One, two ,three, “forget it!”  Steve agreed reversing out of the drive even as the first of the undead’s hand found the hood. 

              “Let’s find that other place shall we.”  Kate said through a nervous laugh. 

              For a few miles the only sound in the car was the wipers and the tattoo of rain on the windshield.  Finally Steve slowed the car again.  A break in the fence line showed him were the long drive to the large farmhouse began.  He stopped at the end of the drive and looked at his two passengers with a “whadda think?”  That was met with shrugs.  He eased the car down the bumpy muddy track to the house. 

              “Damn it.”  Steve shouted pounding the wheel.  Four undead were roaming around the lawn and field. 

              “Look the door is shut.  This looks like an Amish place and these guys don’t look Amish.  Check out the trucker hat and that hideous nightdress.”  Wes pointed out. 

              “You think they just wandered here?”  Kate asked. 

              Steve honked the horn.  Kate’s head spun her face demanded an answer.  “Draw any more out.”  He replied then pulled his gun, opened the window and shot a zombie that was in front of the car.  Kate glared at him for a second, shrugged pulled her own gun and shot at a zombie several feet to the right.   Steve slowly backed up. 

              “Where are we going?”  Wes demanded. 

              “We’ll draw them away from the house then come back after we deal with them.”  Was the answer.  Kate fired again, this time finding her mark.  Two zombies continued to approach the car through the rain.  Thunder rumbled and another shot rang out, this time fired by Wes from the back seat.  Steve was halfway down the drive now.  Only one undead still pursued them.  Steve shook his head, hit the brakes, put the car in park, swore, opened the door walked up to the zombie and shot it in the face.  Rain poured down on him as he stood over the ghoul, its corpse glistening with rain in the glow of the headlights.  “I’m going to find a safe place and I am going to get some sleep!”  He shouted at the dead heap at his feet.  Wiping the rain from his face he returned to the car. 

              “Feel better?”  Kate asked him. 

              “ For a second, now I’m just cold and wet.” 

              “Brilliant.”  Wes laughed. 

              Beth watched as the car backed slowly down the drive.  Several shot rang out until the driver finally got out to execute the last of the undead pursuing the vehicle.   Beth stood up placing both hands on either side of the window frame, unconsciously holding her breath. 

              “Oh that isn’t good.”  Hector said from beside Beth making her jump.  “That does not look like someone we want to deal with.” 

              “What? What happened?”  Gillian asked in a fear laced voice. 

              “Guy got out of the car to shoot one of those things in the head.  He looked pissed.” 

              Beth was only slightly aware of the conversation going on behind her.  The car had started pulling forward again.  She jumped and spun around bumping into Hector again then rushing past him she ran into Devin.  He grabbed her arms to keep her from getting around him.  “Where are you going?”  He hissed.  She yelped as he grabbed her injured arm.  “Sorry, where are you going?” he asked letting go.

              Footsteps thumped on the wooden porch.  Gillian, Hector and Devin froze listening.  “Did anyone think to lock….”  The question hung unanswered, the sound of rain increased for a moment then several voices drifted up the stairs.  Hector held a finger to his lips. 

              Wes shook the rain from his soaked hair, Kate yelped when the water hit her.  Steve hushed them as he looked around the room.  He pointed to the barricaded stairs.  The three tensed and raised their weapons slightly.  “You think they are still here?”  Wes asked.

              “Should we call out, see if they are…friendly?” 

              “Or alive?”  Wes suggested. 

              Steve stood thinking.  A sound upstairs made him look up and raise his gun to the ceiling. 

              “I know it is him!  Let me go.”  A familiar voice cried out from above them.  Steve dropped the gun to his side and turned to look at Wes.  Wes’ face showed total disbelief. 

              “Hello?”  Kate called from between the stunned men.

              “We are armed.”  Called back a gruff voice. 

              “Oh for crying out loud!”  Beth turned stamping her foot glaring at Hector, “Steve!”  She called from the top of the stairs. 

              Steve stood stunned for a second, he turned gapping at Wes then cried, “Beth?  BETH!  OH MY GOD!”  Wes’ gun clattered to the floor as he threw himself at the barricade.  Steve watched for a second, tears streaming down his face.  He joined Wes at the bottom of the stairs.  Thumping from the top told them another barricade was coming down.

              “Wes!  Steve!  Please be you!”  Beth cried tears almost blinding her eyes.  Hector moved the mattress and Beth flew down the stairs.  The sideboard was cleared, something with long brown hair flew into Steve’s arms. Her small fist pounded on his back as Beth’s muffled voice repeated into Steve’s chest.  “I knew it I knew it I knew it.”    Kate smiled with her hands over her mouth.  Three people appeared on the stairs.  Steve put Beth down.  She cried and smiled.  Slowly she turned to Wes.  

              The room vanished, they were alone.  Wes gave a little wave, “Hi.”  He said. 

              Beth stared at him, “Hi.”  She stood as he ran to her.  He stopped putting a hand on her face.  She closed her eyes at the touch.  He grabbed her and pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever felt.  He pulled back, looked her in the eyes and kissed her.  After several seconds they became aware of introductions around them.  Beth grabbed Steve and pulled him to her and Wes.

“I knew you were ok.  I knew you were.”  Wes sobbed into Beth’s hair, his hand running up and down her back then pulling her to him tight.  “You had to be ok.”

Beth’s shoulders were shaking as the tears ran free from her eyes.  She pushed him back and stamped her foot.  “Don’t you ever do that to me again!”  She screamed, then turned to face her brother. “Either of you!”  She pulled Wes to her again.  “Don’t you ever leave me again.”  She mumbled into Wes’s ever dampening shoulder. 

Beth woke with a start.  The weight on her chest was unfamiliar and terrifying.  Dim light filtered through the boards covering the lower level windows.  It took a moment for her to realize where she was and the weight was the arm of Wes across her.  They had fallen asleep holding each other.  Her heart rate slowed and a smile spread across her face.  Her stuffed bunny sat staring at her, it was a little worse for wear than she remembered but it smiled at her all the same.  She thought back to the night before, the storm and the reunion.  After tears and tails Wes had pulled the bunny from his back pack.  Now she had her brother, her bunny and her boyfriend back.  Rolling over to face him she watched his eyes slowly open.  He returned her smile. 

“Good Morning,” he said.  Behind them Steve mumbled in his sleep.  Beth quickly shushed Wes.  He covered his mouth but kept smiling.  Beth moved his hand and gave him a quick kiss. 

She was suddenly aware of how stiff and sore her back was.  The mattresses they had pulled down from the upstairs were old and lumpy.  At some point in the night she had moved enough of the down filling so that she was basically sleeping on the floor.  Sitting up she stretched, leaning forward to touch her toes.  Wes groaned as he stood stretching.  Steve muttered a threat at Wes to keep quiet.  Kate was now awake, smiling at Beth and shaking her head pointing to Steve.  “Not a morning person.” Beth whispered. 

The others began to wake now.  Hector yawned and stretched while moving to the stairs to relieve Devin from watch duty.  Kate watched him go, leaned over Steve, gave him a quick kiss on his cheek then followed Hector to relieve Gillian.  Steve tried to stay asleep but gave up when the floor began to creak with movement, the smell of coffee brewing and eggs cooking wafted into the room.  Beth laughed as Steve sat up.  “I’ll need to remember to tell Kate, the only way to get you out of bed is with breakfast.”  Steve just waved her off while stretching and stumbling toward the kitchen.

The group sat drinking coffee and looking out over the fields.  “It’s a good start.  This is as good a place as any to set up in.”  Devin yawned then thanked Beth for a plate of eggs.  “We can use Matt’s idea and create a fort.  Then maybe we can start to raise crops and such.” 

Steve looked at Devin, still in his wrinkled dress shirt and pants.  “Do you know anything about farming?”  Devin admitted he didn’t. 

“Looks like we’ll need to find a library.”  Wes shrugged while grimacing at his coffee. 

“We’ll need to fortify this place and figure out how to get information and supplies.”  Gillian remarked walking into the kitchen.  “I guess we need to start working on a plan.”