The Living Dead Boy (3 page)

Chapter 3

Deeply engrossed in his book, Josh didn’t hear the front door open.  He was so completely enmeshed in the world of the shambling undead that when his dad’s rough hand touched his cheek, he jumped with a yelp.

Drake burst into laughter, dangling from their father’s forearm.  He was hanging there like a monkey, swinging back and forth, oblivious to the exhaustion etched in his parent’s face.

“Kinda deep into that book, huh?”

Josh could feel his cheeks reddening as he shoved the book into his backpack.  “Yeah.  It was a good part, too. The zombies were just about to eat the policeman.”

“Well, I’m rooting for the policeman to shoot them in the head,” his dad answered with a wry smile.

“In da head,” Drake said gleefully.

Josh shoved his hair out of his eyes and slid off the loveseat to hug his dad.  James Rondell, known as Jamie to his friends, smelled like sweat and his blue Walmart vest was rumpled from his long day.  Drake looked like their mom, but Josh definitely looked like his dad.  They both had sandy hair and green eyes.  His dad’s eyes had fine lines reaching toward his hairline and dark circles underneath. Though he was twelve, Josh still felt young enough to kiss his dad’s cheek and he pressed his lips against the dry, rough skin.

“Did you have a good day at school?”

“I got an A in spelling.”

“That’s my boy.”

“I can’t spell,” Drake chirped.

“That’s because you are three,” Jamie answered with a grin.

Lynette shoved open the door from the kitchen. “Good! You’re home.  Now we can eat!”

Josh let go of his dad and watched him stroll over to his mom.  He hated when his parents got mushy, but lately they had been fighting so much he needed the reassurance that their kiss gave him.  Drake tagged along behind Jamie and tried to push his way between his parents’ knees.  Josh felt like clocking him.  Last night the fight had been really bad and he was relieved to see his dad kiss his mom firmly on the mouth then hold her close for a few seconds.

“I’m hungry!”  Drake wailed.

“Josh, get the table set.  Drake, go wash your hands with Daddy.”

“I’m hungry!”

“I know, buddy.  Let’s go get those hands washed.” Jamie lifted Drake over his shoulder and headed toward the downstairs bathroom.

Sighing, Josh pulled open his grandmother’s old china cabinet and began to pull out bowls for the chili. Growing up had its perks, but he sometimes resented that Drake got so much attention.  The older he got the more work he had to do around the house while Drake was able to run around and be annoying.

His mom shoved the kitchen door open with her hip, swiveled on one foot, and managed to make it to the table without spilling the big pot of chili.  Setting it down on a hot pan holder in the center of the table, she let out a groan.

“I think I made too much.”

The china bowls clicked against the table as he set them down.  He winced, trying to be careful, but his Mom was too distracted staring at the big pot to give him any attention.

“What is it, Mom?”

“I just keep forgetting I’m not cooking for six anymore.” She shook her head, her blond hair shimmering around her face as it shifted under the light from the small chandelier.

Josh looked down at the six spoons he had clutched in one hand.  His grandparents had died so fast and so close to one another it still didn’t feel real.  He kept expecting to see both of them wandering through the old house.  He quickly laid down the spoons and returned the extras to the drawer of the sideboard.

The kitchen door whooshed shut behind his mother as he began to fold the linen napkins.  Back in Killeen, they had eaten out of plastic bowls with old mismatched spoons and paper napkins.  But once they moved in with his grandparents, his mom had adopted his grandmother’s routine for dinner.  Josh kind of liked it.

Returning to the table, his mother set a basket of corn muffins next to the chili.  Steam rose off the freshly baked bread, making Josh’s stomach grumble with hunger.

Drake and Jamie returned to the dining room, laughing about something they had shared.  Hoisting Drake onto his chair with the bumper seat, Jamie looked more relaxed than Josh had seen him in awhile. Josh quickly finished setting out the three glasses and Drake’s plastic cup and took his seat.

“Now, the chili may be a little hot.  I think I may have over killed just a little because I got distracted,” Lynette confessed as she poured ice water from the big pitcher.

“I like it hot,” Jamie assured her.  “Nothing like your tongue on fire to let you know you’re eating real Texas chili.”

“I like it hot, too, Daddy!”

Josh rolled his eyes at his younger brother.

“Josh, go turn off the TV,” his mom ordered, taking her place at the table.

With a sigh, he slid off his chair and hurried into the living room.  He grabbed up the remote, turned off the movie, and hit the eject button.  The tape slid out with a loud clunk and the TV immediately switched to the broadcast channel.

“...as the riots continue.  Authorities continue to remain silent as to whether or not the violence is being spurred on by a terrorist attack. Several anonymous sources from deep within the FBI claim that they have heard that terrorist cells may have spiked the water supply with a drug that causes the extreme violent behavior we have been witnessing in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.  All flights into those cities have been canceled as pockets of violence continue to erupt on the streets. The President has released a statement that defends his move to declare those cities quarantined.  Troops began arriving...”

Josh stood mesmerized as helicopters hovered over the cities, camera crews filming the bloody rioters below them. It was violent and surreal. It looked like a zombie movie.

“Josh, hurry up!  The food is getting cold.”

“But, Mom, I think there is something bad going on. It might be zombies!”

“Josh, obey your mother.  Turn off the TV,” his father called out.

“Dad!  Seriously!  Zombies!”  Josh looked at the news coverage again.  A bunch of crazed people were hurling themselves against the doors of the CNN Center in Atlanta.  They were covered in blood.

“Josh!  Get in here!  Now!”  His dad’s voice was firm.

“Gosh!”  Josh turned off the TV and stomped back into the dining room.  “Seriously, those people rioting were covered in blood-”

“That’s enough of that,” his mother said firmly. “We’re eating now.  Sit down.”

“Sick of seeing the footage of all that,” Jamie groused, serving Drake some chili.

“I just hope this doesn’t start up the war again,” his wife sighed.

“If it is terrorists, who knows what will happen. Two days of this shi-stuff is ridiculous.  They should just round up the troublemakers and lock them up until they figure out what is wrong with them.”

“I heard on NPR that the media is blowing it out of proportion. That it’s really very isolated.”

“They were covered in blood, Mom.  It’s not a good thing if you got people attacking other people covered in blood.  It’s zombies!”  Josh stared at the chili his father served him.  “Zombies, okay?”

His mother looked at his dad, imploring him to get Josh off the zombie thing.  It was the same look she always got when she felt Josh was obsessing.

“There is no such thing as zombies, Josh.  But there is such thing as bio-terrorism.  That’s what we’re dealing with most likely.  That, or some really bad drugs ended up on the street.”

“Drugs are bad,” Drake decided. He was munching on some cornbread.  His face and hands were coated in crumbs.

Josh stabbed at his chili with his spoon, a frown etched on his forehead. His stomach clenched and his throat felt constricted.  “What if it’s zombies and you’re away in Austin and they come here?”

“Enough talk about zombies.  You’re scaring your brother,” Lynette said sharply, her blue eyes reflecting her displeasure.

“Let’s say grace,” Jamie said after a short, tense moment.

Josh took his mother’s hand on his right, and his Dad’s on his left.  Both parents leaned over the table to grab hold of Drake’s crumb-covered little hands.  The golden head bowed, surprisingly reverently, and Josh followed suit.  He felt grumpy and scared.  He hoped God didn’t notice.

“Dear heavenly Father, bless this meal we are about to eat.  Bless my wife for making it and bless my children who eat it.  Remind us to keep our faith even when times are hard and that you are always with us, even when we are afraid.  In the name of your son, Jesus, Amen.”  Jamie squeezed Josh’s hand gently, then let go. “Let’s dig in!”

“Does Jesus like chili?”  Drake asked as he tried to shove more cornbread into his mouth.

“If Jesus were here, he would love your mom’s chili,” Jamie answered with a grin.  “Wouldn’t he, Josh?”

“I guess,” Josh grumbled.  His stomach hurt and it was hard to swallow.  He hated that his parents weren’t paying attention to him.  What he had seen on TV had looked just like a zombie movie.  Why couldn’t they see that?  Why couldn’t the newscasters, soldiers and president see that?

Lynette sighed as she buttered a piece of cornbread. “Your dad is leaving tomorrow for Austin for almost a whole week.  Let’s try and make this a good dinner, okay?”

Nodding, Josh took a bite of the chili.  It tasted good, but it was hard to swallow.

“If I get the job in Austin, a lot of things will change for the better,” his dad said.

“I know.”  Gulping down his water, Josh felt his throat open a little.  His fear was still pulsating in his head, but he knew no one was going to listen to him.

Reluctantly, he forced himself to eat and listen to his parents chatter on about the possibility of a new job and new home in Austin.  Soon they were laughing as they made plans, sharing their hopes and dreams, as Drake rambled on occasionally about something that really didn’t make sense. Josh didn’t want to sit and listen to his folks.  He wanted to rush into the living room and turn on the TV to watch the news.  He wanted to turn on the family computer and check out the zombie forums.

Instead, he ate slowly, contributing very little to the family conversation, until at last he was excused to do his homework.  As he set his bowl in the kitchen sink, he looked out the window at the last remnants of the setting Texas sun.  It was beautiful, but the darkness falling over his neighborhood made him shiver.

Chapter
4

The boughs of the big tree creaked and moaned as the night breeze twisted through its leaves like rushing water. The soft wind tumbled through the open window of the tree house and rustled Josh’s hair.  The boy was reading his zombie book again and making notes in a notebook he had covered in zombie pictures.  It was his guide to all things zombie and he had made it himself.  His homework was done and he had thirty minutes to himself before he had to go upstairs to bed.  A flashlight resting on a shelf over his shoulder illuminated the words on the page.

Shivering, Josh zipped his hoodie all the way up to his neck and nestled down in the old pillows and quilts his mother had let him take up into the
tree house.  The zombie book didn’t really have any new methods for killing the undead, but it did make his skin crawl.  He hoped and prayed that his parents were right and that the crazed people in those cities were just victims of a terrorist attack.

“Josh?” His father’s voice called out to him from below.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“I’m coming up.”

“Okay.”  Josh carefully set his
Dawn of the Dead
bookmark he had made himself between the pages of the book and closed it.

He could hear his dad grunting as he climbed up the makeshift ladder made out of boards nailed into the trunk of the tree.  Jamie finally reached the doorway and lugged himself inside.  The
tree house was big enough to sit maybe four adults.  They wouldn’t be able to stand up, just stoop over, but it was perfect for kids.  Posters were taped to the walls, shelves his dad had built were loaded up with toys, and a cooler tucked into one corner was filled with water bottles.  There was a large nook in the trunk the tree house was built around and it was filled with cans of ravioli, chips, cookies, and other food the kids stashed up there.  Josh called it emergency rations.  The tree house was tucked up against the trunk of the tree and securely built along the thickest branches.  It had an odd, almost wobbly look to it, but it was very sturdy.

His dad settled on a large pillow one of the other kids in the Zombie Hunters had brought from home, looking around at the interior of the tree house  “We did a very good job, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.  It’s cool.”

Jamie stared down into the yard, his expression thoughtful.  Josh thought it looked like his dad was weighing something in his mind.

“I won’t be here when you get up in the morning.  I need to get an early start to Austin.  I just wanted to ask you to do a few things for me when I’m gone, okay?”

Josh nodded as he sat up and scooted over to sit next to his dad.

“I need you to help your mom out-”

“Dad, I do!  But Drake-”

“Now, listen, Josh.  Calm down.  Okay?”

“Yeah.”

Jamie slung his arm around Josh’s shoulders and tugged him closer.  “Things are really rough right now for all of us. None of this is easy on any of us and sometimes your mom and I get so caught up in what we are doing, we forget about your needs, too.  You’re eleven...”

“Twelve.  I just had my birthday last month.”

“Twelve.  That’s right.  Man, you’re growing older by the second.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Josh nodded his head, feeling the weight of his years on his shoulders along with his father’s arm.

“So, you’re twelve, and you got your own thing going on with your friends, this tree house, your zombie obsession-”

“Zombies could be real, Dad.”

Jamie sighed.  “There are worse things out there than zombies, Josh.  And I’ve seen it.  Maybe its easier for you to be afraid of zombies instead of moving away to a new city and leaving your friends, I don’t know. But you need to drop it while I’m gone.  Your mom is really nervous about how things are right now in this family.  She just lost her grandparents who raised her and she’s going to lose her family home.  Yeah, it ain’t much.  This tree house will probably outlive it -”

Josh grinned at that.  His headquarters was awesome.

“- but your mom is having a rough time.  She needs you to help her get through all of this.”

“Dad, I do everything she tells me to!”

“Yeah, you do, and I appreciate it.  But she’ll need you to help her without her asking you constantly. Just get in there and help with Drake more and that will help her out a lot.”

His dad ruffled his hair affectionately as Josh sighed. He knew his surly attitude didn’t help.  Often, it just made his parents cranky at him.

“Think you can do that and tone down the zombie stuff?”

“Yeah, yeah.  But, Dad, those people on the news, they looked like zombies!”

“I was just watching MSNBC and they are saying it is some sort of terrorist attack.  They put some sort of drug in the water that makes people violent.  The army has it under control.  They are suggesting we all drink bottled water until the crisis is over.  It’s going to be okay, Josh.  I wouldn’t be leaving for Austin if I didn’t believe it is going to be okay.  I know it seems close to us, but that’s the thing about the news.  It makes the world feel much smaller than it actually is.  Besides, your mother can shoot the wings off a fly.  If there were zombies, they’d be headless if they came near your mom.”

Josh rubbed his nose and looked toward the house. It was mostly dark now.  He supposed Drake was asleep.

“Your mom has a job as a substitute teacher at your school tomorrow, so she’ll need you to help out with Drake in the morning since she’ll be getting ready for work.”

“Okay.”

“On Sunday, make sure you help her get Drake calmed down and into his church clothes.  There is going to be a social afterward, so help keep Drake distracted while she makes pies.”

“Okay.”

“And let Drake play with you and your friends so she can deal with packing up our stuff without him bothering her.”

Josh started to protest, but changed his mind. “Fine, Dad.”

His dad pressed a firm kiss to his forehead.  “Thank you, Josh.  I know it was rough on you when I was away during the war, but you’re a good kid and I have faith in you to help your mom and brother when I’m not here.  You have always been a good kid.”

That brought a grin to his face.  “Well, I am a cool kid.”

“Yes, you are.  Now, let’s get back into the house and to bed.  We all have a long day tomorrow.”

Josh grabbed his book and notebook and tossed them into the wire basket dangling on a thick rope that was pulled taunt between the tree house and a pulley outside his bedroom window.  His dad had put up the rope and pulley system to keep Josh from falling when trying to carry things up and down from the tree house Josh pulled on the thick line and the basket drifted over the backyard and right up to the window.

Following his father down the ladder, Josh felt a little better than he had before.  Jamie had a soothing voice and a way of making him feel more confident and safe.  With his beard and long bangs, Jamie didn’t look much like a solider anymore, but his arms were strong and his gaze steady. Josh never wanted to see his dad disappointed in him. Despite his annoyance at his little brother and the circumstances of his life, he would do his best to do what his dad asked.

Together, they walked toward the house, his dad’s big hand a comforting presence on his shoulder.