Dark Grace (16 page)

“Zoe,” he called out quietly.
“This is definitely it. I see Jane’s teddy bear.”

I walked over to where he stood, and looked down to the corner of a sectional sofa.
Sure enough, little Jane’s plush bear was lying there.

“Where are they?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Jane wouldn’t have left this. She loves it.”

“Let’s see what else we can find.”

I walked to the far side of the store where some older pieces of furniture were on display. Gus walked to the back of the store to search near the cash register.

I rounded a tall armoire and stopped in my tracks.
“No, no no, no, noooo,” I moaned. “Oh God Almighty noooo.” I fell to my knees and tried to force myself to breathe. Lying on the floor was a horribly decaying Runner, the back of its head caved in. It was outstretched, its arms still trying to grab hold of its victim. Directly in front of it was a sight I will never forget. Sweet little Jane, lying in a pool of crimson blood. Her freckled face was turned toward me, her skin a deathly shade of white. Her green eyes were still open and looking directly at me as if begging for help. Her tiny hands were clenched in fists and I could see where she had wet herself in her final moments. Her left leg had been bitten badly. Most of her calf had been torn away and her purple dress was ripped.

I didn’t realize I was weeping until Gus’ arms were wrapped around me.
He turned me away from the horrible sight and held me tightly to him.

“Don’t look, Zoe.
Don’t look.”

“She was just a baby,” I moaned.
“Oh God no, not Jane.” I wept in his arms.

“Shhh.”

I was having trouble catching my breath and felt as if I were about to lose my sanity. My already broken heart was shattered.

“Take me away from here, Gus,” I pleaded.
“Please. Take me away from this place.”

Gus had helped me to one of the sofas on the far side of the store. I rested there for a while. It may have been minutes or hours. I was too overwrought with sadness and despair to keep track of time. Eventually my tears stopped and I found myself staring across the room at nothing in particular. Gus was busy inspecting Jane’s body, but for what reason he refused to tell me. He was also looking for any signs as to exactly what happened to the others. My mind wandered back to my dream of Emilie holding the hand of the little girl. While the child had worn my face from childhood she had otherwise resembled little Jane. Had Emilie warned me of her death? Boggs was gone. Everyone had left us behind. I could only hope they were still alive and that someday I might see them again.

“Zoe, it’s time to go.”

I looked up at Gus and took a deep breath. “Did you find anything?”

“Some supplies they left behind.
It looks like they were eating when whatever happened went down. I found a map on the table along with the food.”

“They could be anywhere,” I said without emotion in my voice.

“There was a Sharpie pen lying beside the map and Neah Bay was circled. Any idea why they might head there?”

I didn’t even need to think about that one.
“Yeah. Boggs’ grandparents have a motel they manage there.”

“Have you been there before?”

“It’s been years, but yes.”

“I think it’s safe to assume that if they left without us they had no choice.”

“What if they hate us, Gus? What if they left us behind because they hate us?”

“Zoe, think about it.
I’m sure they’re angry as hell, but no way would Boggs leave you and the baby unless he had no choice.”

I nodded and wiped my nose on my arm.
“Ok. So now what?”

“We can try to wait here in case they come back, but since the Roamers seem to have disappeared we might want to think about leaving now.
Head west toward Neah Bay and hope we meet up along the way.”

“We should leave a note just in case they come back,” I said without emotion.

“Want me to write it?”

I nodded.
“Please.”

“I’ll be right back.
Hang tight?”

“Gus?” I asked to grab his attention.

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“What do you think happened here?”

“It’s hard to say. My hunch is one of the dead was in here and they didn’t know it. There’s a small back room where it looks like a scuffle took place. I’ve found four bullet holes in the walls. I think a bad situation turned worse and they got overrun and had to run hard to save themselves.”

“Do you mind if we lay Jane on the sofa and give her the teddy bear?”
I was forcing my tears back somewhat unsuccessfully.

“Of course we can.
I’ll do that right after I write the note.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.
A chill ran up my spine. I could hear the wind howling outside almost as if it were screaming in rage.

***

Gus placed Jane to rest on a plush green loveseat. I tried to not look at the back of her head, which had obviously been crushed in. I assumed it was to prevent her from turning and tried to not picture what, or who, had done the final act of mercy. I had found a pretty floral quilt that was on display in a corner and covered her with it. I couldn’t bear to conceal her face, but gently closed her eyes. As a final good-bye, I tucked her teddy bear under the blanket and into the crook of her tiny arm. I leaned down and kissed her cold cheek.

“We need to go, darlin’.
Before it gets dark.”

“Ok.
I’m ready.”

We left the furniture store through the front door, same as we had come in.
The sky had darkened even more and rain was falling steadily. Patches of un-melted hail remained against the curb on the opposite side of the street. Thunder sounded around us.

“We need to find a car,” said Gus, his voice raised in competition with the wind.

“Can’t we just take that one?” I asked, motioning to a car parked across the street.

“No good, flat tire.”

“Gus, the horde is headed back,” I said. My head was beginning to fill with unwanted desires of the dead, and my hip was throbbing.

“How close?”

“Not very, but they’re moving fast.”

We headed south on foot, hand-in-hand.

“If we can’t find a car soon we’ll need to try and hide,” said Gus.

We got to the next intersection and hail began to fall again.
A motorcycle lay on its side near the far corner, the metal frame badly damaged. A lone human arm lay beside it, withered and stripped of flesh.

“There’s too many to hide.
They’re getting closer and they know we’re here.” I clutched at my hair with my right hand, the intrusions in my mind becoming unbearable. My baby was also twisting about wildly, confirming my suspicion that she too was aware of the dead when they were near.

Gus pulled on my hand to lead me across the intersection, taking us west toward a parking lot.

“Zoe, look for one that’s unlocked. If we’re lucky we’ll find keys, but if we find one that’s old enough we can try to hotwire it.”

“Since when do you know how to hotwire?” I asked.

“Nate taught me.”

By the time we reached the first of the cars in the lot I was out of breath and supporting my belly with my free hand.

“You check the first row, and I’ll check the far end.”

“’Kay.”

Gus kept my hand in his for a moment and pulled me toward him. He kissed me softly on the lips, squeezed my hand, and finally let go.

“Let’s hurry,” I said as he walked away.

The parking lot was about half full, which was a bit unusual from what we had experienced so far. Most of the cars looked newer. I checked each one, focusing on looking for open driver’s doors. My head was pounding and I tried to keep the images of the dead from interrupting my own vision. The wind was picking up and gusts were strong enough to knock me off balance. The eleventh car I came to, a dark blue Ford Focus four-door, was unlocked. It looked ‘older’ but I had no idea how old Gus was looking for.

“Gus!” I yelled as loud as I could.
I had to repeat myself three more times before he looked over. I waved at him and he made his way to me. “Unlocked,” I said.

“Good girl.
Keep watch while I try to get it running?”

I nodded, and then stepped back to give him room to work.
Rain continued to pelt us, and my clothes were soaked.

“Gus!
Hurry!”

I turned to face the building that the parking lot serviced.
It was a small casino, decorated in panels of glittery silver and deep red. I squinted my eyes, fighting the rain, and stared at the front glass doors.

“What is it?” asked Gus, still working under the steering column.

“Something’s in there.”

My skin was running ice cold and I found myself unable to move.
I could sense evil and darkness. As I kept my eyes on the building, I felt a deceptively gentle warmth spread across my arms and face.

“Oh God, Gus, hurry,” I moaned.

The building burst into flames before me, preventing me from hearing the engine roar to life behind me. The force of the explosion was enough to knock me off balance and I found myself leaning against the vehicle. Gus’ voice yelling for me to get in the car was vague in the background. The rumble of the fire that was consuming the building and glass shattering were also muted. I stood up fully and watched as a burning man emerged from the front entry. Clothed only in flames, the already blackened and cracked skin of the creature reminded me of the encounter I had experienced on our first day on the island. It had clear blue eyes that seemed to be trying to pierce through to my very soul. It walked slowly toward us, eyes unblinking. It was not reacting to the flames that surrounded it. I felt as if I were in a trance. As my baby began battering me from the inside, I seemed to break free somehow. As I looked away from the creature’s eyes, Gus was standing beside me and his tone was alarming.

“Get in the car, now!” he yelled.

I crawled in through the back passenger door, not wanting to waste time stepping around to the other side. Gus and I slammed our doors closed at the same time and within seconds the vehicle was lurching forward. I turned around in my seat to look back at the inferno. The burning creature was standing in the middle of the road, facing us. It held an arm out in our direction. Words entered my head so strongly that they drowned out the hunger of the horde of dead that was approaching. It will be ours. Suddenly, my baby became incredibly still inside of my womb. The creature in the road seemed to turn to dust, collecting in a heap in the middle of the street. The fire in the building extinguished itself moments later, and as the rain continued to pummel the earth the ashes of the creature began to wash away. As Gus rounded a corner, I saw the first of the horde behind us. I clutched at my belly, willing the baby to move. I felt nothing except for a sense of emptiness.

Our drive away from the little town, whose name I hadn’t bothered to take note of, was quiet. Gus drove for a good half-hour before pulling over. Neither of us had spoken and I had remained in the rear seat. The rain had stopped and evening was quickly turning into night.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked

“I want to regroup, and I need to rest,” he answered as he twisted to look back at me. As he did so, he winced. “Do you sense any of the dead?”

I looked inside my own mind and shook my head ‘no.’

“Think you can drive for a spell?”

“Sure.”

“Ok, let’s get out and stretch. I need to pee.”

“Gus?”

“Huh?”

“The baby stopped moving.”

“Probably just sleeping,” he said. He didn’t look worried. I couldn’t help
but
be.

Gus opened his door and guardedly stood.
I could tell that his healing wounds were paining him. I followed his lead, opening my own door and standing. Gus was relieving himself on the side of the road. I decided to go around to the other side of the car and do the same. I was growing both hungry and thirsty and decided to raid the meager food supplies we had brought with us after I was done. I stood and turned to walk back to the car and found Gus leaning against it. He had obviously been watching me while I had my pants down.

“Pervert,” I chided and smiled half-heartedly while I pulled my pants up.

“Can’t blame me,” he retorted. He wore a look of longing on his face.

“Is it hurting much?” I asked, gesturing to his abdomen.

“A bit. I’ll be ok.”

“Do you think we should drive through the night or try to find somewhere to rest?”

“Might be good for us to get some sleep, and then make a fresh start early morning.”

“’Kay.
Let’s get going.”

“Keys are in the ignition.”

I took my place behind the steering wheel and started the engine. As Gus took a seat beside me, I reached into the back seat and grabbed my backpack.

“Mind grabbing some water and a snack out of here?” I asked him.

“Sure.”

He rummaged through the pack and produced some beef jerky and a bottle of water.

“Mind sharing?”

“No, of course not,” I replied.

He handed me a piece of dried meat and I began chewing it eagerly. I would have killed for a fresh fish taco and a side of Spanish rice. And a big piece of chocolate cake with a layer of strawberry goo inside and a ton of butter cream frosting on top.

“We’ll need to find more food soon,” said Gus.
“We can’t live off this stuff for long.”

“I was just thinking about chocolate cake.”

“Don’t go there,” he laughed.

“There’s a motel coming up.
Two miles.” I pointed to the sign on the side of the highway.

“We’ll check it out.”

Gus handed me the open bottle of water and I drank from it greedily. We each ate one more piece of jerky, making sure to ration. We drove the two miles in silence. The scenery was bleak with no buildings to speak of.

“There it is,” I said.

The motel was a small one-story with about ten units. The doors of the units were painted dark red, in stark contrast to the white siding. It was showing signs of aging. The parking lot was gravel and had weeds growing sporadically. Just to the side of the motel sat a small diner with red siding and white trim, the opposite pattern of the motel.

“There’s one inside.
It feels like the one that was trapped in the house back in Concrete; weak and dying.”

“Let me deal with it this time?
Please?” asked Gus.

The last time we had encountered a trapped Roamer, I had taken it upon myself to come face to face with the creature; to try to find some answers about my connection to the dead.
It had led Boggs to hurt me in anger, leading to poor decisions and the serious consequences we now faced.

“S
ure, but I’ll back you up.”

“We’re running low on ammo, so I’ll look in the trunk for a tire iron.
See if you can park out back, ok?”

“
Sure.”

“Any idea which unit the Roamer’s in?” he asked me.

“Somewhere at that end.” I pointed toward the end of the motel farthest from us.

As I pulled into the gravel lot, I slowed our speed.
I sensed the creature inside as it became aware of us. It was so hungry that it was clawing against the wall and beginning to pound its fists. It was all I could do to keep its desperation from overwhelming me.

“It’s a bad one, Gus.
Its hunger…” my thought trailed off and I winced. “You need to let me come in with you. I don’t think it’ll hurt me.”

“Not happening, Zoe.
Sorry.”

It was nearly dark as I pulled the car around back.
I parked near a large green dumpster and an old couch that had been left by someone too lazy to dispose of it properly. Gus fiddled with the wires to kill the engine. As we both stepped out of the car we could hear the Roamer banging on the back wall of one of the units. There were no doors on this side of the building; just windows that I assumed led to bathrooms. Gus had already opened the trunk to look for a weapon to end the afterlife of the Roamer that was waiting inside. I walked to the side of the motel and placed my hands against the wood siding. My baby finally made his or her presence known again, moving gently this time. I could hear the creature within moaning and snarling. I watched through its eyes as it ran toward the wall that separated us. As it reached the barrier, it stopped cold and grew quiet. It raised its decayed hands to the wall, spread its rotten fingers, and placed its putrefied palms flat on the faded yellow striped wallpaper. Somehow it sensed me just as I was sensing it. Oddly, I felt a great sense of peace overwhelm me. The images of the creature’s grotesque hands suddenly went black in my mind and a feeling of despair overcame me as the Roamer died.

“Gus?” I called out.
I looked around, but found myself alone. My baby was once again still and I wondered if I had imagined her moving. “Gus?” I repeated, panic in my voice.

“I’m here, darlin’. Everything’s fine.”
He was looking out from the small window to my right.

“Where were you?”

“Taking care of the zombie. It’s gone.”

“I know.
I felt it die.”

“You ok, Zoe?”

I nodded. “It was just emotional. Why didn’t you take me with you to kill it?”

“You told me it was focused on you, remember?
Took advantage of it being occupied is all.”

“I never told you that.”

“Yes you did.”

“No.”

He shook his head at me like I was crazy.

“C’mon, let’s get inside.
That unit smells too bad, so we’ll find a way in to a different one.”

He crawled out through the window and joined me outside.
He held his hand out for me and we walked together down the backside of the motel, checking windows as we went. I had suggested that we try to go in through the back in order to leave the front door to whatever unit we ended up occupying intact. The second to the last window was closed but not locked. Gus hoisted himself up and disappeared into the room. He told me to wait out back until he came to get me, but I figured that was wasting time. I walked around to the other side of the building despite his request that I not. I knew he’d take a minute or two to clear the room of potential dangers before unlocking the front door, so I waited patiently until I heard the knob lock disengaging. He was surprised to see me standing there, but looked too tired to scold me.

“Come in,” he said with a sweep of his hand.

I walked into the motel room, which was dark from both the time of day and lack of electricity. The drapes were pulled closed, and would remain so for our safety. The small room was occupied by a queen sized bed that was covered in a thin orange bedspread, a small desk with a television set on top of it, and a two-person round table with two chairs. The faded brown carpeting was worn and the walls were shades of orange. In one corner was an easy chair. My hunch was that it was not nearly as comfortable as it looked.

“Home sweet home, huh?” I said.

“At least for tonight.”

I watched as Gus walked to the bathroom.
I heard the window slide shut. “Lock’s broken,” he called out to me. “But at least the window’s high, so I think we’ll be ok.”

I walked toward his voice, holding my belly.

“I think we should do a quick look around for supplies before it’s full-on dark,” he said once he saw me. “We need water and food. The manager’s office might have something. Tomorrow we can hit the diner next door.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Let’s just be sure to stay quiet and out of sight. The highway worries me, being so close.”

We walked together to the front door.
Gus reached his hand out and placed it on the doorknob, and then looked at me. I nodded to indicate that my mind was empty. He disengaged the deadbolt with his other hand and cracked the door before looking out to make sure nothing unexpected awaited us. I had my pistol at the ready, and noted that before stepping outside Gus removed his from where it was tucked into his waistband.

“Go ahead,” he whispered.
“I’ll close the door behind us.”

I stepped out into the cool night.
The clouds had thinned and stars were shining in the night sky, the only light coming from a nearly full moon. The air was heavy with moisture from the day’s rain. Gus grabbed my hand and pulled me to the right. We walked quickly toward the manager’s office. I heard a coyote howl in the distance, followed by several more. The shivers that ran up my spine weren’t from the howls, but rather from knowing that much more dangerous things were out there.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the manager’s office.
It was a typical motel entry with large glass windows and a swinging door. The sign in the window still said “vacancy” and was hanging lopsided. On a whim, I pushed on the bar and found the door unlocked. A small bell than hung on the inside chimed, announcing our entry. Gus and I walked in together, guns raised in preparation for any dangers. My mind remained clear.

“I think so,” said Gus.

“Think what?” I asked, confused.

“You asked if I think we’re alone.”

“No I didn’t.” I paused, causing Gus to turn and look at me rather curiously.

“C’mon, let’s just clear the rooms quick.”

“Yeah, ok.”

We walked around the reception counter, which was a mess of newspapers and an old half-full coffee cup that was growing mold.
Directly behind the desk was a short hallway that was bathed in near total darkness, the moonlight not reaching this far into the building.

“Let me go first with the flashlight,” whispered Gus.

I wasn’t going to argue. He shuffled in front of me, and clicked his flashlight on. The beam revealed a room in the back, complete with a twin sized bed, nightstand, and dresser. The bed was unmade, but otherwise the room was tidy. A large blood stain beside the bed on the beige carpet stood out from the rest of the room.

“Not seeing much in here.
We should check drawers real quick though.”

I walked to the dresser and opened each, doing a quick inventory.
There were several t-shirts, so I grabbed a couple of them figuring they’d at least make for good sleepwear for the night. The single drawer in the nightstand supplied us with a bag of hard candies and another flashlight. Unable to help myself, I unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into my mouth. Cherry. It was as close to Heaven as I’d felt in a very long time.

“I’m guessing that’s a bathroom behind that door,” I said while still sucking on the candy.
I gestured toward a single door near the foot of the bed.

Gus nodded at me, and then reached for the knob to open it.
The door swung outward, revealing a larger-than-I-expected utilitarian room that contained a simple shower stall, a sink, toilet, and shelves that held boxes of supplies.

“Gus,” I said.
“Look.” I pointed at the bottom shelf which held several gallon jugs of distilled water.

“Ayup.”
He seemed indifferent and almost irritated.

“You ok?”

“Yeah. I was just hoping to find more usable stuff here.”

“Think we could use the water to bathe real
quick?”

“It’d be nice, but I don’t want to haul it all back to the room”

“We can just use the shower here. Keep watch and I’ll go first?” I tried to make my eyes look pleading.

He sighed.
“Ok. But no more than five minutes, ok?”

I nodded eagerly.

“Keep the flashlight in here with you. I’ll search the rest of the place while you clean up.”