Revenence: Dead Silence, A Zombie Novel (13 page)

"Nice to meet you, Cindy," Fauna replied.

"And this is our son, Timothy, and my sister, Stephanie."

"Good to meet you all," Fauna said.  She grinned widely.  "So which one of you was it that threw those spikes into those assholes heads from a moving car?  That takes skill!"

Jon, Cindy, and Stephanie looked at one another, confused. 

"What assholes?" Cindy asked, puzzled.  "We don't have any spikes."

She checked the pockets, taking their weapons, ammo, cigarettes, lighters...anything that could be deemed useful.  She didn't use guns herself, but she had been stockpiling what she found anyway.  She figured she might need it to barter at some point, if nothing else.  She took a gut hook from one man's front pocket.  She unsheathed it and smiled, watching the blade gleam in the dappled sunlight. 
That's nice,
she thought,
but not as nice as mine.

Jon shrugged.  "We never tried it, but I think we'll like it just fine.  It's been months since we've had real food.  Just that convenience store garbage."

"So I take it you don't hunt?" Shari inquired.

"No, but I'm sure I can learn.  I fish a lot, though.  Any ponds or streams close by?"

"Yeah, on the far end of the property," Fauna replied, grinning.  "We can definitely put you to work catchin' some fish.  I mean, I been doin' it myself, but to be honest, it's always bored the hell outta me.  I'll leave the guttin' up to you, too."

"Yeah, no problem," Jon said.  "Anything to help out."

"So how big is this property?" Cindy asked.

"Quarter section," Fauna said.  "Hundred-sixty acres.  But to be honest, I don't know how many of my neighbors are left, so...I guess property boundaries may not mean much anymore."

"And you don't see too many zombies out here?" Stephanie asked.

"Not really," Fauna said.  "Probably...I don't know, less than fifty since this whole thing started.  We drag 'em up to the north end of the property, burn 'em.  We're safe from up here in the loft, and we generally see 'em from the balcony, take 'em out.  Even on the rare occasion that we're outside when they come wanderin' up, they're never in any kind of large group.  Two or three, at most."

"It really is pretty safe up here," Stephanie said, looking around the loft.  She was a small, timid young woman, always crossing her thin arms defensively in front of her chest.  "I don't know what we would've done if we didn't come here.  Nowhere's really secure, most buildings have too many windows on the first floor."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Fauna assured her.  "You can make yourselves at home.  That sofa over there pulls out into a bed, I figure the three of you can sleep there," she said, gesturing to Jon, Cindy, and Timothy.  "And I have an air mattress for you, Stephanie.  We'll get you some blankets from the house.  There's plenty of runnin' water, but I'll ask you to keep your showers brief.  The hot water'll be stretched a little thin between the six of us.  As far as food, there's still some left, but we need to use it sparingly so that, hopefully, it'll last us through the winter, combined with whatever venison and fish we can freeze and jerky."

"We also brought what was left from the store," Jon said.  "It's not much, but I didn't want to just leave it behind."

"Good thinkin'," Fauna replied.  She turned to Cindy and Stephanie.  "You two wanna help me get some stuff from the house?"

"Yeah, sure," Cindy said. 

"I want to come, too!" Timothy cried, grasping his mother's hand.

"You wanna keep on eye on your mommy, huh?" Fauna said, smiling.  He nodded emphatically.  "That's a good boy.  You come too, we could use a man's help!"  Timothy smiled, his face lighting up.  The four of them climbed down into the garage.  Cindy looked at Shari and Jon suspiciously on her way down. 
Damn, that girl is insecure
, Shari thought, turning away as she rolled her eyes.

She took a couple of cuts of venison from the fridge, set them in a pan, and took some spices from the cabinet.

"So how old is Timothy?" she asked Jon as she washed some potatoes.

"He's four," Jon replied.  He rubbed his face and sighed.  "Only four.  Can you imagine what this must be like for someone his age?"

"Kids are resilient," Shari said.  "For all we know, he might handle it better than any of us." 

"Yeah, maybe."  He sank down into an armchair near the kitchen.  "I just wish...I just wish I could protect him from this, you know?"

Shari nodded.  "I think I know what you mean, but you have to keep in mind...you've kept him alive and safe."

"Yeah, but...I know it's not logical, but I just wish I had some way to take all this away.  Let him live a normal life, but now..."

"Now we have to redefine what a 'normal life' is," Shari interrupted.  "I don't mean to be dismissive.  I don't have kids, so I can only imagine what you're going through.  I'm just saying...it's a best-case scenario for him right now.  His parents are both alive, and so is he.  His generation..."  She paused uncomfortably.  "Whatever's
left
of his generation--is going to have  to grow up way stronger than we did, that's for sure."

Jon snorted, and a dull smirk came over his features.  "That's an understatement."  He gazed into space for a moment absent-mindedly, then shook his head, snapping himself out of it, and stood up.  "I'm sorry, I should've asked if you need help.  Anything I can do?"

"You want to cut up a head of lettuce?" Shari asked, handing him a knife and cutting board.  “I’ll get this meat ready.”

"Yeah, sure...it's in the fridge?" Jon asked as he began washing his hands.  Shari nodded.

"I don't think Cindy likes me," she said after a few moments of silence.  She glanced over at Jon's expression. 
His face confirms it,
she thought.

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but...it seems like when she looks at me, she's...I don't know...
challenging
me, in some way."

Jon was quiet for a moment, chopping the lettuce.  "I don't know if I'd say that.  But it's true, Cindy's never really been friendly with the females.  In the past, she's come across as catty with most women, other than her sister.  But that's her baby sister, and she's pretty meek in comparison to Cindy.  You know, Cindy can boss her around, be the alpha-female."

Shari laughed.  "I hope she doesn't think she can be the alpha-female here!"

Jon chuckled.  "No, I don't think she's quite that bold.  She knows we're guests here, and that you guys are doing us a favor.  Trust me, she won't get outta line."

"If you say she won't, then I trust you," Shari said, smiling at him.  He smiled back. 
He's much too nice for her,
said the voice in Shari's head. 
Ain't that always the way?

"So if you don't mind me asking," he said, "how did you and Fauna meet?  Did you know her before all this?"

Shari shook her head.  "I met her the day all this began," she explained.  "I came in off the road.  There were a lot of car crashes.  I avoided them as best I could, but when I saw one up the road from here, and a lot of zombies running around, I took my chances and turned in here.  Fauna took me in.  She's a very good woman.  She's always saying how important it is to help our fellow human beings."

"Well then, I guess we
all
oughtta be thankful to her, huh?" Jon said.  Shari nodded.

They heard the rattling of keys.

"They're back," Shari said.  She looked around the kitchen and sighed.  “Well, the meat and potatoes are baking, the lettuce is chopped...I think we’re done for now.”  She flopped down on the couch to roll a smoke.  “I'm gonna sit and relax, smoke a little.  Today was the first time Fauna and I left the property since April.  I was a little eager to get out, but..."  She leaned back into the cushion, sealing the paper shut.  "Now I'm just relieved to be back, and safe.  You smoke?” she asked.  She pointed to she joint she had rolled.  “
This
, I mean.”

“No, I don’t smoke weed or cigarettes,” he said, and laughed.  “Now, you put some of that in a brownie, that’s a different story!”  Shari giggled.

“How’s dinner comin’ along?” Fauna asked, climbing up into the loft with Timothy, Cindy, and Stephanie behind her.

“It’s in the oven, “ Shari  said.  “Should be about an hour or so.” 

“Daddy, I found a bunch of cool rocks!” Timothy boasted excitely as he climbed up.

“That’s great, buddy!  You’ll have to show ‘em to me.”  He turned to Shari, grinning.  “Collecting rocks is his new favorite thing,” he explained.

Cindy helped Timothy up, and climbed up behind him, her gaze focused on Shari. 
There she goes,
Shari thought,
giving me that stinkeye again
.  She watched as Cindy lit up a cigarette.

"Oh, hon--" Fauna said.  "You wanna smoke that out on the balcony?"
Shari watched, wide-eyed, as Cindy's expression became one of utter indignance. 
She's not gonna talk back to Fauna, is she?  On her first day here? 

Cindy sneered.  "But--Shari's smoking weed in here!"

Shari, Jon, and Stephanie all stared, mouths agape.  They looked first at Cindy, then at Fauna, who, with her head slightly cocked to the side and one eyebrow raised to an almost comical level,  looked more irritated than Shari had ever seen her. 
That bitch has got some nerve
, Shari thought, struggling to hide her amusement.

Fauna strode over to Cindy, took the cigarette, walked into the kitchen with it, and ran water from the sink over it.

"There," she said, throwing the cigarette butt away. She pointed to the balcony.  "You wanna smoke, do it outside.  My house, my rules.  Ain't no one ever smoked cigarettes in this garage, and that ain't about to change.  Now, I tried to ask you nicely.  Do us all a favor, don't ever cop an attitude with me over somethin' so trivial on my own property."  She stood, staring Cindy down, until the woman was nearly cowering behind her husband. 

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, sighed, and straightened her stance.  "You're right.  It's your place, not mine."

"Apology accepted."

"I'm gonna go have one outside," Cindy said, taking two more cigarettes from her pack.  "You wanna come with me, Steph?"

"Yeah, sure."  The two of them went out to the balcony, closing the sliding door behind them.

Fauna turned to Jon.  "Is she always this hard to get along with?"

Jon started to shake his head in repudiation, then seemed to change his mind.  "She can be.  I was hoping she would have the good sense to be agreeable...I mean, I know she's grateful to the two of you, but--she doesn't really get along with women."

Fauna nodded.  "Yeah, I saw those looks she's been givin' Shari.  Not too confident, is she?  It's a shame, she's a pretty enough girl."

So Fauna noticed it too
, Shari thought. 

"To be honest, uh...don't tell her I told you this, but I feel like I should mention it...she has some issues.  She used to be on medication before all this, but well...obviously, she hasn't been able to get her meds.  I was hoping she'd level out, but...I think the stress is really getting to her without her medication."  He saw the look of concern on Fauna and Shari's faces. 
Shit, maybe I shouldn't have brought that up,
he thought
. 
"I'll talk to her," he said.  "I'm not gonna let her ruin this opportunity we have here, or make everyone's lives miserable because she can't get along with the two of you."  He glanced over at Timothy, who was sitting in front of the coffee table, looking through the assortment of rocks he had collected.  "Is it okay if I use your shower, get Timothy and myself cleaned up before dinner?  It's been awhile since any of us have had a proper shower.  We had water at the store, so we were able to wash up in the bathroom sink.  Still, it'd be nice to take a real shower."

"Yeah, bathroom's over there," Fauna said, pointing.  "Towels are in the cabinet in there."  Jon scooped Timothy up, and Fauna waited until she heard the water running before she spoke to Shari.  "We're gonna have to keep an eye on her," she said in a hushed tone, looking out the balcony doors where Cindy and Stephanie sat, talking.  "She pulls any more shit, I got no problem puttin' her ass out in the barn.  The rest of 'em can stay in here with us, but I'm not takin' any of her shit."

It this going to be like Nick all over again?
Shari wondered. 
Why do people have to be such a pain in the ass?
  "Good call," she said, "but hopefully it won't come to that."