Indead-ted To You

V

TOMMY

I waited for her to fall asleep fully before I got up and made a space for myself beside the couch on the floor. I laid on a decorative pillow. It sucked. I felt bad after today. I told her no one would get hurt on my watch. But none of us could’ve known but we should have done a hell of a better job checking things before looting. I pulled my hat over my eyes and waited for sleep to consume me.

The next few days were quiet. Entering into our now normal routine. It was weird because we all anticipated going home soon but soon wasn’t coming. And after noticing more infected and dead walking through the trees, I started to feel like it wasn’t getting any better. I was in the kitchen with Cori watching her make chili. Cori could chat your ear off but it made me feel like I was just back at the diner and she was serving me on her weekends. She was going on how she had replaced a few items in her recipe when Leigh came in with Beni.

“Hey,” Leigh said to us. Beni smiled at Cori and gave me a shy smile. I tipped my hat. After the run into town the other day, I’d slept beside Beni on the floor, making sure her night terrors didn’t wake anyone or alerted anything around us. She thanked me each morning but would act so stand offish to me. Awkward like two people in a one-person elevator. It was confusing.

One night, everyone had turned in early. We were making improvements every day on the cabin. Extra security, starting the garden, and making our next run so everyone was spent each day. It kind of felt like this was becoming pretty permanent. Which was scary in the sense this was what life would be. Could be. I was laying on the floor by the couch. Beni was sound asleep right now. So that left me with my thoughts. I looked at the ceiling, my eyes adjusted and so accustomed to this ceiling I’ve stared up at it for a few weeks now. Now just counting how many logs made the ceiling. Again. That’s when a quick shimmer of what seemed like a flashlight shined through the living room curtains. I was on all fours now. Crouched. Suddenly another light. Then another! There was someone outside. We’d become used to the sick ones roaming aimlessly about, but none of them had flashlights ever. I rose slowly, trying to find the source of the light. I went toward the dining table to grab my gun. And from the angle it was a clear view into the kitchen, toward its back door. I stopped just before the kitchen entrance. My gun is on the table just a stride away. My heart stopped, as a flashlight illuminated from the back door window, through its sheer curtains, spotlighting my gun. It froze on it for a moment. Then the light disappeared! I heard quick steps on the ground outside until they’re gone.

I hurry to the guest room, quietly waking Joe. Then I get Don. They both groggily come out. “Someone was here. Outside the house.” Both men began to look more alert. “What do you mean?” Don demanded. “I saw a flashlight shining through the curtains. Then the kitchen door window. They saw my gun but not me.” Joe placed one of his hands on his forehead, “You’re sure?” I nodded yes. It set my senses on full attention. “I don’t think it’s safe to stay.” I said. “Don’t say that.” Don said, “Our home in Oregon is still a 9 hour drive from here.”

“That isn’t the point, Don. If someone found this place… we don’t know them. We can’t risk that.” I debated. Joe watched our exchange and the more tense it was becoming. “Alright, easy.” Joe interjected, checking if we’d been heard by the women. “I gotta say I agree with Tommy, Don. We just don’t know who they could be and if they’d come back.” Joe rolled his eyes at Don's dramatic fit he was giving.

“We’re safe here!” Don huffed. “We don’t know that now.” I said coldly. Our eyes locked and it felt like a moment I should swing. But I didn’t. But I think he felt it too. “We’ll ask the girls,” Joe said, exasperated. “We’ll put it to a vote. Until then, behave and keep your eyes up and around the entrances and windows.”

I sat in the chair that I was in earlier, gun in hand. Feeling anxious. The early morning sun was starting to show in the windows now. I knew I couldn’t sleep but I was feeling tired and up all at once. I sat in my head with endless thoughts and scenarios if whoever found us were to come back. What were their intentions? Who were they? Was it even worth the risk? I believed it scared Don shitless the thought of moving forward.

The fact he would even risk staying. I couldn’t understand it. My eyes found Beni. Sleeping so soundly. This is the longest she’s gone without waking up the last few nights. It was soothing to see her rest. I still felt bad. I didn’t want her to think she would ever truly be in danger near me. Anyone for that matter. I double checked the doors and windows. Nothing. All secure. Joe had dozed off in the guest room lazy boy and Don’s room door was closed. Took my gun with me to lie by the couch where my pallet was. I set it beside me and laid there. Sleep was coming easily until I felt a light weight land on my chest. I opened my eyes to see a limp hand of Beni’s from the couch. It had fallen onto me. I didn’t move. I let it be. It was comforting after the thoughts I’d had for a few hours now. She would probably wake up and be embarrassed by it but for now, I let it lull me to sleep.

“Hey, kid.” I stirred awake to Joe’s voice. He stood above me. I got up, still tired. I almost felt hungover. Everyone was up and around. It felt tense already. “The shed was broken into.” Don said, looking up at me from the chair. Cori looked at Joe and I. Leigh nervously wrangled her little house jacket’s corner she had on most of the time. “Is that all?” I asked. Beni shifted her feet beside me. I looked right at her, “Are you okay?” She seemed surprised by my sudden redirection of attention. “They said you saw flashlights last night. Trying to look in the cabin?” Beni asked.

“Yes. I was going to tell you myself but I overslept.” I rubbed the back of my neck. It’s the hardest sleep I’ve had since this all happened. “I think we should leave. Find another place.”

“Do you think it will be that easy?” Don said, slow and steely.

“Well, I don’t think reservations or vacancies will be a huge issue for us.” I responded, bored of his fits he threw since we had this conversation this morning. Beni giggled. Silencing quickly and moving to the couch. Cori moving with her. Leigh folded her arms, “Maybe the person was seeking refuge.” “Yeah, it's another possibility out of all the ones we have thought of. However, I don’t feel like risking everyone's safety to see which one plays out.” I said, looking at them both, “No, it ain’t going to be easy but we have the van at least if anything and at least one another.”

“He’s right.” Joe agreed, “We need to be smart. Safe. We still don’t know where the world stands right now.” Everyone looked around. Quiet. I shrugged and walked over to my duffel grabbing clothes and my towel. And I went to the bathroom to get myself together for the day.

BENICIA

I got my things all together. Just in case we did leave today. I agreed that if someone found us, moving would be best. But the idea also terrified me to my core. We’d been lucky enough to have met Don and Leigh and that they were welcoming and kind. The reality of it all was even though there were these monsters rising from the dead, there were still people on this earth and sometimes that was worse than anything else.

The tension between Don and Tommy was thick enough to make everyone aware this was not an easy decision being made. Don still angrily sulked, until he abruptly stood, smacking the table, and trudging into the kitchen and out its door with a slam. Leigh winced, looking at the three of us in the room with her. “I’m sorry guys, it’s just hard to leave here. This is where we had our son… our first part of our story started here. I - I get it. Let me just try to talk to him… I don’t want us to separate.” She shrunk as Tommy came out of the bathroom and down the hall. Quietly, excusing herself and followed after Don. I felt as if she was a little embarrassed of Don, like he was a little controlling too. I sighed, watching as a now clean and freshened up Tommy stood and regarded us all, “What’s the plan?” He was in a black, two button shirt and dark jeans. Hat off. His hair was about three or four inches long and was a damp mess. Goodness, he was just… sexy. The word popped up in my head before I could really think it. I tried to push it off. Remembering how safe I felt with him out of everyone. That’s why I’m so nervous around him. Why I look for him… I concluded it to he was my comfort person in this absolute s**t show. Especially the last few days after my run in out on the run. He’d slept by the couch, soothed me awake and back to sleep in the most gentlemanly way. I didn’t want to feel special but it did. But when he acted so normal during the day, I just felt like a weirdo for even thinking like I did.

“Beni,” Tommy’s voice, the devil himself reading my mind, called to me. They all were looking at me, “Hmm?” I responded, completely lost in the supposed conversation I’d missed. “What do you think?” Cori asked, sitting beside me on the couch. I awkwardly sat forward, “About leaving? I agree.” Cori looked surprised. I looked at her, then Joe and Tommy.

“That’s three out of four, Cori.” Tommy said, sighing. Joe sighed too, moving to sit beside Cori. I hadn’t been listening for so long Cori had enough time to express she wanted to stay. Cori then stood, exiting the room and going into the guest room. Joe eyed Tommy.

“I’ll go to her.” I interjected. Standing and walking back to the guest room.

“Cori?” I called as I entered the room, closing us in. She sat at the end of the trundle bed frame. I sat beside her, “Cori, we really just don’t know who,” I began. Cori then stood, seeming flustered. “I know… I know. I just…” Cori leaned on the dresser across from me, tears welling in her eyes, “I’m so scared.” I watched her, my heart aching because I understood. “When they described their own experiences. You on the run… It made me so grateful we found this place.” I didn’t know what to say. Cori took a deep breath, “What was it like?” My eyes found hers. I knew what she meant. “What was it like to kill one of them? To fight it off?” My head spun at the memory. Remembering the smell, the woman’s decaying face and its strength. Then remembering the sound the metal rake made against her bloody skull made me wince slightly. “Awful. It was scary as hell.” I said to her. “They’re strong and they don’t get tired. Even when I slammed a rake into the side of her- its face, it kept trying to come. It didn’t stop until I smashed her brain and skull into the linoleum that it stopped… I was so tired. That’s what scared me too. They’re almost unstoppable.” Cori had tears fall down her face that she wiped quickly. I stood up and in front of her. Grabbing her hands. “We will keep each other safe. Okay? We will all keep each other safe.” I said, reassuring her and finally letting some tears escape me. Cori began to cry, and I brought her in for a hug. After a short moment, we both pulled away. She took a deep breath, “Okay.” We gathered ourselves until we felt ready to go back to the living room.