Reanimates, p.7
Reanimates, page 7
part #1 of Reanimates Series
“Everyone get out on the passenger side,” I yelled. “We need to run for it.”
I could just make out a two-story yellow house that was a few hundred feet up the road from us. “Head to that house,” I said. “I will bring up the rear and make sure everyone is safe.”
Each member of the group wore different looks on their faces. Michelle was clearly terrified while Frank looked determined. All I knew was that we had to move now, and it was on me to keep every member of the group safe. I grabbed the bloodied blade from the floor and gave Frank a light push as I wanted him to be the first one out the door.
As I climbed over the seats and made my way to the roadside, I took a look to make sure that everyone was with us. Satisfied that I was the last person to exit the Humvee I then looked at the horde that was rapidly closing on us. They were now close enough that I could smell them. As I stood erect, I looked to the other side of the Humvee and saw that the lone reanimate that had tried to go through the driver’s door was rounding the front of the truck.
I had to shout to be heard above the noise from the horde. “Frank is on point so everyone, follow him. I will bring up the rear to be certain that no one gets left behind. Let’s move!”
Frank nodded and took off at a jog towards the house. As we closed in, I saw that the white mailbox had the number 752 on it. The property was lined with trees, mostly pines and the house had what looked like two lilac bushes in front of it. The driveway was packed dirt, though there was more grass and weeds now than actual dirt. Parked in the driveway was a tan Dodge Caravan. I was hopeful that if the owners were still here that they had not yet shrugged off their mortal coils. The yellow siding looked to be vinyl and each window had a set of grey shutters that also looked to be vinyl. Right next to the driveway and hidden behind one of the lilac bushes was a small deck that one needed to use to access the house. We had made good time to the house and had grown the distance between us and the horde, though members of it had started to cross to grass and would actually get to us before the part that we had seen on the road. Frank climbed the two steps with a swiftness I did not think he possessed and made it to the door before I was even in the driveway. I saw him try the doorknob and smile as it turned with ease in his hand. I reached the steps as Becca who was second in line entered the house. I turned my back on the group to keep an eye out for trouble. After several tense moments Julio called my name. I turned and saw that I was the last member of the group that was still outside.
I turned and ran up the stairs and into the house, slamming the door shut behind me. As I turned to lock the door, I saw that the first vestiges of the horde had arrived in the driveway. I knew we would have to find somewhere in this house to lay low and be quiet in the hopes that the reanimates would soon forget about us and go elsewhere in their search of flesh.
Chapter 6
The room where we entered was a mudroom, a common space in Vermont. Mudrooms though aptly named, were also good for other weather hazards thrown at the residents of the state, like snow or the grass that clings to your clothes after you mow the lawn or of course mud, as it had its own season in Vermont. Mud season happened right between winter and spring and was so named because half of the roads in the state were still dirt, especially the back roads in the more mountainous areas. When the snow melts it turns those roads into pits of mud where most people cannot drive without the help of a four-wheel drive.
This particular mudroom had a bench to my left for shoes and boots with a five-foot-long coat rack attached to the wall. The rack was full of coats, both his and hers as well as coats small enough to fit someone around the age of seven. The walls were white, and the floor was made of some very old hardwood. I could tell that it was old because there was a lot of space between the boards, a common feature of really old floors. There were two doors leading out of the room, one on my right that led to the kitchen and one in front of me that led to the family room and a staircase. I hoped that there was a bathroom on the second floor because that would be the perfect place to hide out and wait for the horde to dissipate.
I worked my way swiftly through my group and took the lead. The small hall that led out had a nice soft burgundy carpet. The staircase was open on the right side with a railing to keep you from falling and a wall on the left side. The stairs were covered with the same burgundy carpet and they were a lot more solid than I anticipated. I ascended the fourteen steps without them making a sound.
The landing at the top of the staircase was a hallway. To my left looked like it was the master bedroom and there were four more doors to my right, all but one standing open. I waited for the other five members of my group to climb the steps. As Julio, who came last, made the final step there was a loud crash at the door through which we had entered the house. It would seem that the horde had arrived.
As quietly as I could manage, I laid out my plan. “We are gonna proceed like we did at flight, three teams of two. There are five doorways and three teams, so I am hoping that one of the doors is a closet because I would hate to have anyone sneak up on us while we are trying to clear a room. I will take Michelle with me, Julio you take Karen and Frank will take Becca.”
Everyone paired up and the group split. I went towards the master bedroom with Michelle sticking right behind me. The hallway was white with various family pictures adorning the walls. The residents looked to be a couple of lesbians with three kids. Two of the kids resembled the brunette mom enough that I would have bet they were biologically hers. I did not have the time to ponder out the family tree of the people whose house we have essentially stolen though.
The door to the master bedroom was halfway open, giving me a view of the left side of the room. I stood in the hall motionless for a few moments studying what I could see and straining my ears for any telltale sounds that would give away someone that was lying in wait. There was a long cherry dresser along the wall that I could see. Upon it sat what must have been an eighty-inch television. The dresser was around six feet long and four feet high and had twelve drawers. The wall behind the dresser and TV looked to be a soft shade of purple, but it was in shadows right now and could have been grey. The floor was a dark hardwood that was in far better shape than the floor in the mudroom. On either side of the dresser was a door, one open and leading to a bathroom and one closed which was probably a closet. Satisfied that there was no one hiding on the other side of the door I reached out and gave it a light push, sending it away from me and exposing the rest of the room.
Set in the center of the wall to my right was a king size sleigh bed in cherry. The sheets and comforter were a deep red and were also in a mess of tangles as if the residents had fled during the night. On either side of the bed was a set of nightstands, each with a small black reading lamp and the one closest to me had a wind-up alarm clock that did not tick.
I slowly entered the room and felt oddly dirty for having done so. Not dirty as in I needed a shower, but dirty as in I was invading the privacy of those that lived here, almost like a peeping Tom. I came to the conclusion that the floors on the second story were fairly new as they never creaked under protest of my weight. There was an odd smell to the room that I could not quite place, one of the couple’s perfumes perhaps?
I got to within a foot of the bed and lowered myself to the floor. I wanted to look under the bed to be sure that there was no one there. Seeing no one I got back up and headed to the closed door on the far side of the dresser. I did not like the fact that the room was so dark, but I was reluctant to open the blinds and alert anything or anyone to our presence.
I reached out and grasped the knob, it was gold in color and quite cool to the touch. I turned it to the right slowly in an attempt at being silent. When it had turned as far as it could go, I yanked open the door. As soon as the door was fully open, I had something slam into my chest and knock me to the ground. I thought I was ready for anything but for the second time today I had been caught unaware and knocked off my feet.
As panic started to rise within me it was quickly replaced by mild amusement as I realized that I was struck by an old-style ironing board. The closet was quite large, but not quite what one would call a walk-in. there were two bars mounted on opposite sides and both bars were full of hangered clothes. Where the wall and floor met was a shelf system on three sides and this was covered with shoes and boots.
I got back to my feet and Michelle led the way to the open door. My assumption was correct in that this was a master bath. The floor was a nice ceramic tile in a soft shade of grey and the walls were a seafoam green. There was a pair of sinks set into the same vanity and a large tub with jets. Sleeping inside the tub, as if it had no cares in this world was a large Maine Coon cat. It was a deep black with white and brown patches mixed in. The tub looked like it might be my favorite place in this house. There was also a toilet complete with a bidet and a small door that hid three shelves for storing toiletries and clean towels.
We left the bathroom and bedroom and met the group back in the hall, the cat had awoken and was now following us closely. As we stood in a circle to discuss what we found it went from person to person, rubbing on their legs while purring.
Becca reported for her team. “We took the furthest door. It was a boy’s bedroom. Given the toys and decorations I would say he was around ten. Nothing of interest in there but a twin sized bed. We also took the door set in the middle of this back wall. That was a bathroom. From the looks of it, it was just for the kids. There’s a sink, toilet and shower.”
Julio started to talk when she was finished. He and Karen had explored the other two rooms. They were both bedrooms for girls, one had a twin bed and the other a crib. The last door did indeed open into a linen closet. The only living thing that remained in the house seemed to be the cat.
I was extremely upset that the house belonged to a pair of lesbians and their small kids. I was hoping that I might be able to find some new clothes to wear. None the less I decided that I would go and soak in the inviting tub that I had found. I left the group and returned to the master bath. I did not close the door because I wanted to be able to hear if someone called out to me.
Leaning over the tub I turned the tap on hot and was delighted when the water eventually warmed up and then reached scalding hot. I flipped the lever that engaged the drain plug and watched as the water level slowly rose. I adjusted the temperature to this side of Hell and undressed as I waited. When the water had reached the desired level, I shut off the tap, opened the linen closet and grabbed a towel and wash cloth. The only options I had for soap were a variety of body washes, but that did not bother me. I would rather smell flowery than the mix of body odor and sweat that I currently gave off.
I slowly lowered myself into the steaming haven and my skin went flush with goosebumps. I never thought a bath would feel so good in my life. I hoped that soaking in the water would ease my pains from being repeatedly knocked off my feet and from sleeping on the hard ground last night. When I was submerged up to my neck, I took the washcloth and covered my eyes. I could not have been more comfortable and swiftly fell asleep. I did not realize that I had fallen asleep until a voice woke me. I did not register what it said but recognized it as Becca’s.
I reached up and pulled the washcloth from my eyes and muttered “What?”
Becca stood before me wearing only a mischievous smile. “I said, do you mind some company?” she repeated.
My jaw hung a little slack as I drank in her naked body with my eyes, but I managed to shake my head no. She was not waiting though and had already started to climb in the tub. Though there was enough room for two adults in the tub, she slid right on top of me, her hand exploring my body. Our lips met with lustful passion and my hands mirrored hers. Our excitement grew and so did I. I reached down and slowly entered her, eliciting a slight gasp. Becca looked deep into my eyes and kissed me with a passion I had never known before and started to rock back and forth on me.
The sound of someone clearing their throat stopped us mid-stroke. We both looked towards the door and saw Frank standing there looking embarrassed.
“Sorry boss”, he said. “You might want to come and see what is going on outside.”
He did not wait for a reply and left. I felt disappointment in the fact that Becca and I could not finish what we had started but I knew that I had a duty to the group. I started to pull out from her, but she protested.
“No way are we not finishing this!” With that said she started to rock back and forth on me in earnest. I marveled at how she felt, inside and out and knew that I would not last long at this pace. Seconds before I had an orgasm Becca had a powerful one of her own. Even though we were both breathing heavily we kissed passionately a few more times before she climbed off me and got out of the tub. We dried and dressed as hurriedly as we could and found Frank waiting for us outside the bedroom door.
He led us to the bedroom at the end of the hall that was the boy’s. “Look out the window,”, he said.
I went over to the window and got on my knees. I parted the blinds enough to see the driveway and part of the street including the Humvee. The truck was surrounded by reanimates and it looked like there was someone inside it. I looked at Frank questioningly.
“Yeah”, he confirmed. “Some asshole is trying to boost our ride. There are three of them, all dudes, all armed with rifles and handguns. The dead didn’t take notice of them until after they freed the front end, and they slammed the truck’s doors shut.”
“They are either going to take away our ability to get out of here, or they are going to get that Hummer destroyed by the reanimates,” added Karen. She looked at me with disgust in her eyes, and I was fairly certain that she had learned what Becca and I were doing. She could not hide the fact that she was jealous. I did not have time for games, so I ignored it. I stood back up and started to pace.
“I don’t see what we can do. They have guns and all we have is a blade that used to belong to a paper cutter,” I said. Almost in response to my statement we heard the repeated sound of gunfire. The would- be thieves must have opened fire on the reanimates in an attempt to get them away from the truck.
“They are wasting bullets,” said Julio. “There are way more reanimates than they could possibly have for bullets. Maybe we give them enough time to run out of ammo and then go take ‘em out?”
Michelle chimed in, “What are we going to do? Those things won’t leave with dinner sitting there, so even if they run dry on ammo, we won’t be able to get to them.”
A bullet ripped through the wall next to me and we all dropped to the floor. We crawled from the room and once in the hall went to the bedroom with the crib. It was on the opposite side of the house and would be the safest spot from wayward bullets.
Michelle was right and we all knew it.
“I think we need to forget about the Hummer.,” said Karen. “Maybe we can find keys to that van. Those things will seat six people comfortably. Sure, they are not as rugged, but at least we can all fit in one vehicle.”
I looked from face to face and could not see anyone that did not agree with her assessment. As we stood there with me trying to decide our next course of action, I could hear the sounds of bullets shattering windows on the first floor.
“I would assume that if those keys are still in this house that they are downstairs,” I said. “I will go down and look, but I would appreciate a volunteer to help me.” Frank started to speak, and I stopped him before he could get a word out. “Not you Frank. Your military background makes you too valuable.”
I could tell by the look on his face that he did not like my take on things, but he did not argue with me. To my surprise Becca was the second one to volunteer. Karen muttered “Of course” under her breath but I acted like I had not heard it. I was starting to think that Karen’s crush on me might end up being an issue down the road but hoped that I was wrong.
I knew that there would be plenty that could go wrong on this search. One of us could get hit by a bullet or we could encounter a reanimate or even attract the attention of part of the horde. If they breached the walls, we would no longer be safe. I doubted that we would be able to escape once trapped on the second floor.
The most likely places for them to have kept their keys were the kitchen and the living room or family room. I did not see a spot in the mudroom for keys so that would be the last place I searched if we could not find them elsewhere.
Becca and I descended the stairs. I looked at her and pointed towards the family room, then at me and the kitchen. I did not want to talk, lest we draw the attention of anything within earshot. Becca nodded at me and leaned in for a kiss. I knew I felt something for her, though I also knew it was not love, not yet. I had been attracted to her since the second I saw her, but I did not know her well enough yet to have fallen for her. I could not put a name to what I felt, but I did know that I was excited to see where things went with us, even surrounded with all this death. I know that it is a total cliché, the whole people falling in love during the apocalypse, but if we were not surviving to live and I mean actually live, then what was the point of surviving?
I gave her one last kiss before I turned towards the kitchen. I crouched down to where I was almost walking on my knees, believing that this would keep me from the sight of any reanimates that might be looking through a window and any stray bullets that made it into the house. The only sound besides the groaning of the undead and the creaking of the floorboards beneath my feet was the occasional snap of a bullet making contact with some item that was inside of the house.
I was sure I was being overly cautious, but then I was never a big risk taker. I entered the kitchen and noted that my head was securely beneath the countertop. It would take one hell of a bullet to go through the house’s walls and the cabinets plus what they contained and still find me with any lethal force.
The floor in here was old linoleum, a pattern of dull blue squares in a white background. There was a row of cabinets that lined the outside wall with the sink in the center. A window looked out into the driveway from above the sink and it had been shattered. I spotted the shards of glass on the floor long before I was in danger of stepping on them. I snaked my way around the kitchen as quickly as possible, the entire time my hand was exploring the unseen countertop above my head.
