Dark Grace (23 page)

The sun was high in the sky above us, and the stretch of highway we were walking on was void of trees to shade us.
Daytime temperatures still being cool, and the fact that we were all still wet from crossing the cold river, I was glad for the added warmth. We had walked a mile at the most, keeping our pace brisk, when we came across the first signs of our lost civilization. The remains of an old gas station stood alongside the highway. The windows and door had been boarded up long ago as evidenced by weathering. A lean-to that once covered a lone gas pump in front of the building was half collapsed. The cedar shake roof showed signs of being taken over by wildlife. We passed it by since finding supplies inside seemed unlikely and since the building itself looked as if it may collapse at any time.

The signatures of the Roamers in my brain had paused for a brief time.
I could only assume it was a recess in their advancement as they got to the river. I had hoped they wouldn’t be able to cross, but within moments I could feel them pressing forward once again. They had seemed slow and unable to move very fast as we drove past them the day before. I could feel them picking up speed with a renewed sense of vigor at the promise of fresh meat. Just as alarming, I could also sense another horde closing in from the west and another from the east. We were weaponless now, aside from the knife that Bobby had hauled across the river.

“I’m getting tired,” said Bobby.

Gus slowed his pace and looked back at me questioningly. I simply shook my head ‘no.’

“We need to keep moving, Bobby,” he said softly.
“Find somewhere safe, or a car.”

“The note said they’d try to bring a car back and leave it.
We haven’t seen one, so chances are there just isn’t one coming up,” she groaned. I could tell she was getting frustrated, and scared.

“There could be almost any reason they didn’t leave a car for us,” I said.
“We have to keep hope, Bobby. We always have to keep hoping…” I let the thought trail off. My own words sounded weak.

“Let’s pick up the pace,” said Gus, breaking the silence.
I assumed he was aware of my thoughts again, and knew that the dead were getting dangerously close.

The cut on my shin was beginning to throb.
I tried to force the pain from my mind, only to notice that my hip was starting to ache. I was suddenly seeing our group of three through dead eyes from behind us. As usual, we were slightly blurred and foggy.

“Gus,” I said with alarm in my voice.

Gus was already turning around when I spoke, and had stopped in his tracks. The scent of pine trees in the distance and the stench of death mingled as the Roamer advanced upon us. There was just the one. It had long stringy hair caked with what looked like either mud or blood, or both. Skin had sloughed from its face exposing the right side of its jaw and molars. My heartbeat quickened as Gus stepped in front of me and Bobby, placing himself in arms reach of the ambulating corpse.

Gus possessed no weapons at the moment, and was about to face the creature with his bare hands.
I watched as he made contact with it using his left foot. The Roamer stumbled backward, but regained its balance quickly and moved forward with new determination. Gus kicked it again, this time harder. The creature fell to the ground and snarled hideously. Gus kicked it in the face when it tried to rise again, leaving a stark white area over its cheekbone where dried skin was torn away from the impact of his boot. The boot-battering continued until liquefied brain oozed from the Roamers head and onto the asphalt. Finally the creature lay still and Gus stood there looking down at it, trying to catch his breath.

“We need to go,” I said with urgency.
“There’s more of them close behind.”

“Ok, let’s pick up the pace,” added Gus.
“Bobby, you still have that knife on you?”

“
Yeah.”

“Good, keep it handy.
Let’s go.”

Gus started out at a slow jog to set the pace.
I grabbed Bobby by the hand, knowing she was tired and pulled her forward with me. We kept a steady pace for almost a mile, when I could feel her lagging behind more and more.

“Gus,” I called out.
“Bobby’s slowing down,” I huffed. I was well aware that stopping would mean death. I could sense that the living dead would soon be within sight.

“Bobby, we have to hurry,” he urged.

“I’m trying,” she said between breaths. “My side hurts so bad.”

“Get on my back,” he ordered.
“Fast!”

Gus was the kind to leave no one behind.
Bobby wrapped herself around him while he knelt on the roadway. As soon as she was attached to his back, he stood. He made it look like lifting her was no effort. I grabbed onto his hand and urged him forward. The sounds of the dead followed us; eerie clicking and keening mixed in with unearthly moaning. I was aware that they were planning something but wasn’t privy to their intentions, aside from devouring us. It was as if I was intentionally being blocked from some deep section of their rotten minds.

“There!”
I shouted. I started to divert our path off of the highway toward a tall metal electric tower. “Climb!”

We rushed to the structure, reaching it just as the small horde came into view.
The keening grew louder. The living dead sounded frantic. Gus helped Bobby get her footing on the metal tower, pushing at her butt to encourage her to hustle. He hoisted me up next, not taking time to be gentle. The air filled with the scent of rot and foulness that accompanies only those beings that belong in the grave but refuse to stay there.

“Hurry!” I screamed at Gus.
“Climb!”

He began climbing as the nearest Roamer arrived at the bottom of the tower.
His ability to hoist himself took me by surprise. He was strong, but I hadn’t realized he could climb like a monkey. Granted, fleeing for your life can make one do things they might not otherwise have done.

“Keep going!” he shouted at both of us.
“As high as you can! We don’t know if they can climb or not!”

Bobby was just above me, struggling to find a foothold for her left leg.
Being directly beneath her, I was unable to advance until she did. I looked down, which wasn't wise. Not only did I feel dizzy from the height, but felt a pang of deep-rooted fear as I saw one of the zombies pursuing us. It was arching its head backward at an unnatural angle, clicking and groaning in an organized fashion. I knew then that it was instructing the others to follow it. There were seven in all. The three of us were halfway up the tower, with only one way to go. Panic built within me. I continued inching my way up once Bobby found her hold again. Not daring to look down again, I only knew that the other Roamers were climbing because their incessant noises were growing closer. I wondered briefly if I’d be seeing Molly again, after I too was dead.

The sound of gunshots filled the air, along with the roar of a car engine.
I stopped climbing and tucked my head into the crook of my arm. I flinched with each shot that rang out. The keening of the dead stopped suddenly, as did the gunfire. I worked to slow my labored breathing, and then looked down at the overly ripe corpses that lay splattered from a combination of being shot at and falling to the ground. I was dazed and barely heard my name being called.

“Zoe!” It was Abbey’s voice.
It sounded so distant. I looked out beyond the footprint of the tower and saw our friends standing there. “Zoe!” called the preteen again.

“Abbey!” I called back as I began descending the tower.
The trip down was faster than it had been going up. Once I reached the ground, I waded through the mess of decayed flesh and liquefied innards. I ran to Abbey and embraced her. She smelled good, like shampoo and soap.

“Looks like we showed up just in time,” said Nathan’s familiar voice.

I sensed Gus behind me, and turned to confirm. I flashed him a quick smile. Bobby was beside him, looking like the ‘odd-man-out.’

Gus extended his hand to Nathan, who took it firmly.
“Owe you one, brother,” he said.

“Glad to see you both made it.”
Nathan looked at Bobby, and extended his hand to her. “I’m Nathan, and this here is Abbey.” He looked behind him and gestured with his head. “Susan over there, and Boggs in the car.”

“Bobby.
Really glad to meet you.”

“Welcome to the group, Bobby,” he said.

“Thanks.” She looked a bit shy, and rather traumatized.

“There’s more of them on the way,” I muttered quickly.
“We need to go.”

“Pack into the car,” said Nate.
“There’s not much room, but we’ll make do.”

We jogged the short distance to the vehicle.
It was an old station wagon with only two rows of bench seats, and the cargo compartment in back was full of supplies. Susan climbed in behind the wheel and smiled weakly at us. Boggs was in the back seat, looking out his window, obviously avoiding looking at us. Abbey and Nate took their seats up front with Susan, with Abbey sitting in the middle. Gus opened the back driver’s door and encouraged Bobby to scoot over toward Boggs. He stepped in next and situated himself as close to the middle as possible, with me following and getting a choice seat squished against the door. Boggs had yet to look at us let alone acknowledge that we were there.

“Boggs, good to see you’re alive, brother,” said Gus.
Boggs responded with a low grunt followed by shaking his head back and forth. I waited for Boggs to say something to me, anything, and was hurt when he didn’t.

The station wagon still faced the direction from which we had come, and I saw more Roamers rounding the bend.
“Susan, go!” I whimpered.

She turned the car around in an arc, and drove away.
The interior of the vehicle was too warm so I rolled my window down and put my face up to the opening. The fresh air was refreshing.

“Where are we headed?” asked Gus.

“Adam’s grandparent’s motel,” said Susan.

“Who’s Adam?” asked Bobby.

“That’s me,” grunted Boggs, finally speaking. “She’s the only one who calls me Adam.” He sounded not only cranky, but outright rude.

“Well, pleased to meet you, Adam-Boggs.”
Bobby made herself sound extra chipper, which I could only assume was intentional and meant to make Boggs feel like an ass. I fought the urge to giggle.

The scenery passed as Susan drove.
Mountain terrain and tall trees gave way to rolling hills of grass and shrubs. The going was slow in areas where the infrastructure of the highway was quickly collapsing. I had never considered that nature would begin reclaiming the earth as quickly as it had. Nathan explained that they had cleared the road of three separate accidents and stalled vehicles left in the way. Assuming nothing had changed since their drive earlier in the day, the path “home” should be clear. They hadn’t found another functioning vehicle so had been driving back to the downed bridge daily in hopes of finding us. Their serendipitous timing today had saved our lives. Abbey was quiet for most of the trip. She was busy reading a new novel that she had found at the motel. Susan said very little, with Boggs saying even less. Bobby, Gus, and I spent the time just listening to Nathan as he told us about their adventures since being separated from us. Linus and Agnes had branched off in their own direction when they had all reached the Pysht River and the downed bridge. It had been Linus who had delivered the blow to Jane’s head to keep her from rising. I was glad, in a way, to learn it hadn’t been one of the others who I had grown to consider family. The trauma had been too much for Agnes to bear, and she had insisted they go back to being on their own. She had explained that she just wasn’t ready to lose more friends.

We stopped at the intersection of highways 113 and 112 so that everyone could stretch.
I gladly climbed out of the crowded back seat, followed by Gus and Bobby. Boggs got out through his own door, and walked to the side of the road. I wanted to walk to him in hopes of a conversation of some sort, but his body language warned me away. Gus took me gently by the elbow and we moved away from the vehicle.

Standing face to face, he placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke quietly.
“He’s hurting, Zoe. Give him time.”

I nodded in understanding.
“No one’s noticed,” I said quietly.

“Noticed what?”

“That the baby’s gone.” I set my hand on my empty belly.

“I think everyone’s frazzled right now.
If you want I’ll talk to everyone when we get to the motel, so you don’t have to explain.”

“I need to be the one to tell Boggs.
And Abbey. I know she’ll be crushed.”

“Ok.
Just let me know if I can help, ok?”

I nodded again.
I found myself aching to be held by the man standing in front of me, but knew the timing would be outright cruel to Boggs. Instead, I placed one of my hands in his and squeezed lightly. “Thanks, Gus.”

The others were busy piling back into the station wagon.
Nathan took the driver’s seat to spell Susan for the rest of the drive. Otherwise we all ended up in the same arrangement that we had been in since leaving the electric tower behind.

After about another hour we began to see signs indicating Neah Bay was near.
We drove west, with the sun directly in front of us, making its way toward the horizon. A few lone homes and farms dotted the landscape. A few buildings had burnt to the ground. Curiously, we saw no Roamers.

As the sun kissed the horizon before us, the small town of Neah Bay came into view.
The entry to town held five large totem poles as a welcoming presence. Sadly, one had fallen over. They looked like they were each carved from a solid old-growth log and each was painted in bright colors. The largest building was labeled with an intricate sign that read The Makah Cultural Center. It was constructed of large logs and planks. The large front windows had been smashed in by looters. There were no signs of people remaining as we drove through the town. Nathan had told us that they found very little in the way of life as they explored. It was as is if the population just got up and left. Eventually Nate turned to the left, heading southwest toward the beach where the elder Boggs’ motel was situated. It had been years since I had been out this way, but the route seemed familiar. I guessed we were only about fifteen or twenty minutes from the little motel.

Just as the sun was casting its last rays for the day, Nathan pulled off of the road and into the motel parking lot.
It was just as I recalled it: a small old-fashioned strip motel with a main office in the middle and a handful of units to either side. It appeared to have been painted not long ago with clean beige siding and dark green trim. It was a stark contrast to many of the buildings we’d come across since the dead had risen. Nate pulled the car around to the backside of the building where the parking lot extended to allow for four extra vehicles as well as a dumpster area. My mind was blessedly clear of the dead. The smell of the ocean was heavy; salt mixed with the vague scent of sand warmed by the sun. Nate cut the engine.

“Here we are,” he said, sounding tired.
“Home Sweet Home.”

I stepped out of the car and breathed in the fresh air.
It was getting darker than felt safe.

“There’s eight units in all,” said Susan.
“We’ve been sleeping in the guest rooms, but there’s a room underneath where supplies were kept and laundry done. It’s concrete with no windows, so we’ve been using it to store stuff, eat meals, and spend time as a group. It’s our safe room should the dead attack.”

“We’re working on constructing an escape route,” added Nathan.
“And reinforcing the only entry.”

“C’mon, I’ll show you!” said Abbey excitedly.
“We have all kinds of cool stuff down there we got from stores and houses in town. I even have a little library I started!”

I was glad to see Abbey happy.
Even through her excitement I could tell she bore a sadness that I knew would scar her for life. She’d lost her parents and her sister, as well as Emilie and Jane most recently. I allowed her to pull me along toward the room, which meant walking slightly downhill since it was built below the motel under the main lobby. The door was painted the same green as the trim on the rest of the building. It didn’t have a knob, but rather a latch that allowed for a padlock. Abbey dialed in the combination, which she promised to help me remember later on. The door swung inward noisily and she pulled me into the dark room. The fading daylight only lit our way for a few feet.

“Here, I’ll turn on the lantern,” she said quietly.

A moment later the room was bathed in a soft white light with shadows cast about eerily. The lantern was battery-powered so the beam of light was steady. Nathan entered behind us. The room was larger than I had expected. Industrial sized washers and dryers, three of each, lined the back wall. Of course they’d be of no use now, with no electricity or running water. A row of dark wood shelves lined another wall. They were stocked with canned goods, boxes of dried goods, textiles, all sorts of chemicals and cleaners, bottles of water, even a small supply of prescription bottles.

“Some of it was already here.
The rest we scavenged from town. Of course we want to add more,” said Nathan.

“Zoe, the combination’s easy.
12-24-30. We always keep it locked on the outside unless someone’s in here. If it’s locked from the inside, knock three times and then two times. That’s our signal. If you’re inside always keep the door locked. It’s just a metal hook that goes through this hole,” pointed Abbey.

“Thanks, Abs,” I said.
I put my hand on her head and she smiled at me.

“Let’s get settled for the night.
All the rooms have back windows, so if there’s any alarm during the night head out that way and straight to this door. First one here opens it.”

“Got it.”

Nathan led us back outside where the rest of the group was waiting, except for Boggs. I assumed he had gone ahead to wherever his room was.

“Susan, Abs, and I are sharing a room,” said Nathan.
“Boggs is next to us. You’re welcome to take your pick from the other six rooms, but I’d suggest staying close to the lobby since it’s closest to the safe room.”

“Thanks, man,” said Gus.
“It’s good to be back with you all.”

Nathan slapped Gus on the back gently in acknowledgement and agreement.
“C’mon, we’ll grab keys from the lobby and get you settled.”

We walked the short distance to the front of the building and followed Nathan into the lobby.
Susan and Abbey continued on to the room they were sharing with Nathan. The reception area had been stripped of furniture and looked rather barren. There were no wall decorations. Nothing to give it personalization. Nathan walked around the reception counter and asked which rooms we wanted.

“You’re not keeping the keys hidden?” asked Gus.

“Nah. We all talked it over and wanted to leave them in case any other survivors wander by while we’re not here. Just a good karma thing. Anyway we’re already using rooms three and four. The next closest are five, six, seven, and two. Five and six are just the other side of the lobby.”

“Bobby?
You pick first,” said Gus.

“I think I’d feel safest in five or six if that’s ok?”

“Of course it is,” I said. “Nathan, go ahead and give her five since it’s the closest.”

“I’ll take six,” said Gus.

“Zoe? Two or seven?” asked Nate.

I shook my head ‘no.’
“I’m good.” I placed my hands on Gus’ elbow and took a side-step closer to him.

Nathan looked at me without saying anything, stole a glance at Gus, and then finally nodded once.
He looked haggard. He handed each of us a flashlight. “You’ll need these.”

We left the lobby and parted ways with Nathan.
Gus and I helped Bobby into room five. Gus did a quick walk-through just to double check for any hidden dangers.

“Bobby, if you need anything during the night just knock on the wall, ok?” said Gus.
“Even if you just need company.”

“Thanks,” she said softly.
“I kinda feel like the outsider, not knowing the others.”

“You’re part of the group now,” I reassured her.

“Things feel pretty tense with you and the rest,” she observed.

“
Yeah,” I admitted. “We’ll explain soon.”

“It’s ok, I didn’t mean…”

Gus winked at her. “Get some sleep, Bobby. Stay inside unless there’s any emergencies. Out the back window to the room below if we’re attacked. And knock if you need anything,” he reiterated.

Gus and I left Bobby’s room, and waited until we heard her engage the deadbolt.
We walked hand-in-hand to the next door down. I turned my flashlight on while he unlocked the door, and followed him inside.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked me once the door was closed and locked.

“Do what?”

“Share a room.”

I nodded. “I’m tired, Gus. Tired of struggling with it all. He didn’t even acknowledge me, let alone notice that the baby’s gone.” I began to choke on my words.

Gus wrapped his arms around me and held me close.
My heart ached in so many ways that I doubted I would be able to cope long term.

“He’s hurting, Zoe.
Because of both of us. You know I like Boggs, and even consider him a brother. I wish to God we hadn’t caused him this pain. But still, him hurting you back as revenge like he’s doing kills me. I wish I could make it all better, but it’s going to take time.”

“I would have given my life for hers, Gus.
And he just left us, and hasn’t even asked about her.”

“I know.
He’ll come around. And I still stand by what I said. I’m here for you no matter what, including if you decide you want me to step back.”

I nodded into his chest.
“Can you just hold me for a while? I ache all over and I’m so tired.”

“Of course I will.”
I felt his hands near my waist, lifting the bottom of my borrowed sweatshirt upward. “But I’m not holding you with these filthy clothes on.”

I raised my arms and let him pull the sweatshirt over my head.
He unwrapped the strip of sheet that was still binding my sore breasts. I slid the boxers down past my legs and stood before him nude. For the first time, I felt no sense of embarrassment at his seeing me naked.

“Are they still sore?” he asked, nodding toward my swollen breasts.

“Yeah.”

“It’ll take your body a few days to realize she’s gone.”

I frowned. “It’s so hard, Gus. Not having her with me.”

“I know darlin’.”

If anyone knew the pain I was suffering, he did. Chances were beyond slim that his own children had survived this plague of the dead. He’d never know for sure, which might be even harder. I reached a hand up and placed my palm on his cheek. His stubble had grown out just enough that it felt soft now. I stroked his cheek with my thumb, needing to just feel him. We looked at each other in the dim light of the flashlight. For the briefest of moments in time there was a spark within my brain that I was sure was part of his soul connecting directly with my own.

“Did you feel that?” I whispered.

He stroked my hair back from my face and nodded. “In my head. I felt you,” he whispered back. “It was like I breathed you in.”

I knew then that we had connected in a way that would forever bind us.
It was one of the most intimate moments that I had ever experienced.

Gus took his own clothes off.
His jeans were still damp from our swim in the river. I placed a hand on his bare chest and felt the rhythm of his heartbeat. We held each other close and it felt so very right. I held onto him more tightly when he lifted me off the floor and cradled me in his arms as he walked us to the bed. He used one hand to draw the covers back and then gently set me down on the bed. He carefully climbed in next to me and pulled the covers over us. I placed my head on his chest while he held me. I listened to the beating of his heart, something I had quickly grown to love doing. Before long, we both slept.