Flesh-Eater (Book 1): Fear the Fever (12 page)

R
olling onto her back, Tammy stretched her arms above her head and yawned.  She looked around the room.  For a brief moment there, she had forgotten where she was and the happenings of the previous day.  She sat up, scanning the room.  Chad sat by the window, watching her with a smile.  She crawled out from under the blanket, careful not to wake the others.

“You’re just in time,” he whispered, as she joined him by the window.  She raised an eyebrow in question.  “The sun is just starting to come up, look.”  He pointed across the fields to the pink-orange colours breaking over the horizon.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful,” she said, watching in awe.  “So much better than the view from my place in town.”

“Yeah, it sure is something.”  He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in to his side.  “You look cold.”

“Mmm, it is a bit nippy.”

“I’ve got a jacket in the car, I can go grab it if you want,” he offered.

“I’m actually quite happy to just warm up like this.  If you don’t mind that is,” she said shyly.  Chad grinned at her.

“Of course.”

“Get a room,” Zuckerman mumbled from his recliner, making her giggle.

“Aww, don’t be jealous Z,” Chad grinned.  Without opening his eyes, Zuckerman lifted his hand and flipped him the bird.  “Classy,” Chad chuckled.

“Hey, do you think it would be alright if I rustled us up some breakfast?” Tammy asked.

“I’m sure that would be fine.  Everyone could probably do with a decent feed, given the day we had yesterday, there’s no telling what we could be up against today.”

Tammy nodded, releasing herself from his grip and padded over to the kitchen.  There was a basket of eggs on the counter, so she decided on scrambled eggs. After filling the kettle and switching it on, she rummaged through the cupboards to find a frying pan and a large bowl.    She found some sausages and tomatoes in the fridge and pulled those out too. She turned on the oven and got a blob of butter melting in the frying pan while she whisked the eggs.  She pricked the sausages and put them in the oven, before slicing the tomatoes.  She went back to the cupboards and pulled out a smaller pan for those.  While the pans were heating up, she grabbed some mugs down from the shelf and scooped coffee into each one.

With the tomatoes sizzling in the small pan, she poured the egg mix into the other, gently pushing it around with a wooden spoon until it was cooked.  She took the pan off the stove and set it down while she went to look for plates.

“Here, let me help,” Zeke said as he pulled them out of the cupboard.

“Oh, sorry, I hope you don’t mind.  I wanted to do something nice for everyone,” Tammy stammered.

“It’s fine, Tammy.  Thanks.”  Zeke smiled, handing her the plates.  “I’ll pour the coffees.”

With plates full, they carried them through to the lounge where the others were now rousing from their sleep, the smell of cooked food making their stomachs grumble.

“Legend,” Zuckerman said as he stuffed a forkful of egg into his mouth.

“You’re welcome,” Tammy smiled, handing a plate to Chad.  “There’s coffee too.”  She went back to retrieve the tray of steaming mugs.  “I didn’t know how everyone took it, so there’s cream and sugar if you want it.”

“Sit down.  You’re making me feel lazy,” Zuckerman said, adding three scoops of sugar to his cup.  Tammy looked on with a raised brow.  “What?  I like it sweet.”  He grinned.

“Where’s Harper?” she asked.

Zuckerman nodded his head to the window, “Out there.”

“Oh.  Do you think I should take her some food?” Tammy asked.

“I think that’s a really sweet thing to do,” Zeke said.  “She needs to eat.”

Tammy grabbed one of the coffees from the tray and a plate from the counter.  She carried them outside, stepping gingerly down the steps towards the big oak tree.

“Harper?” she said as she approached, so as not to scare her.  “I’ve got some breakfast for you.”  She held the food out in front of her.

“I’m not really hungry,” Harper sniffed, and Tammy felt bad for interrupting her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.  It’s just that, you didn’t eat much last night and you need to keep your strength up.  Please eat something.”  She set the plate down beside her.  “I made eggs,” she sang, in an attempt to get a smile.

“Thanks.”  Harper ignored the food and continued picking the petals off the flower in her hand as she stared at the makeshift cross the boys had put up.  “I miss her,” she whispered.

“Oh, honey, I know you do.”  Tammy dropped to her knees beside her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.  Harper clamped her hand over Tammy’s, leaning her head to rest on her chest.  “We’re all here for you.”

“I know.  I’m just used to being the one looking after people, not the other way around.”

“Everyone needs to be looked after every now and again.  Come on, why don’t you come back inside?”

“I will.  Just give me one more minute with her.”

Tammy nodded, getting to her feet.  “Okay.  But if you’re not back inside soon, I’ll drag you in there myself.”  She gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “See you soon.”

“H
ow is she?” he asked when Tammy came back in.

“As good as can be expected.  They must’ve been really close.”

“They were,” Zeke said softly, watching out the window.  “That’s why I want to help you.  We need to make sure no more of our friends end up…” his voice trailed off as visions of Millie flashed through his head.

Clearing his throat, Chad said, “We really appreciate it, man.  We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.”  Zeke nodded, his eyes following Harper as she made her way back to the house.  “I know it’s crazy in town,” he continued, “but I was hoping that after we set the traps, we could head back.  Just for a little bit.  I’d like to check on my family.  If that’s okay.”

“You haven’t seen them?” Tammy questioned with a worried expression.  “I just assumed…”

“No.  We were on a bus heading out of town with the team, when one of the guys…” he motioned between himself and Zuckerman, “we got out with two others and we were trying to get to the hospital to get help for Coach.  Then he turned too.  We had to leave our friend behind when he got sick and couldn’t go any further.  We were trying to help them,” he whispered.

“When we got to the hospital, they told us there was nothing they could do,” Zuckerman added.  “That’s when we decided to start our own search.  We couldn’t just give up.”

“In our haste to find answers, it never occurred to us to check on our families.  That’s really bad isn’t it?  Family should be the first thing you think of in times like this.”  Chad hung his head in shame, rubbing the palms of his hands over his eyes.

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.  You were trying to help your friends.  I think that’s really courageous.”  Tammy rubbed his back.  “If they’re anything like you, I’m sure your family will be fine,” she offered.

“I didn’t even say goodbye to them before leaving,” he muttered.

“We all do things we regret, man,” Zuckerman said.  “Hell, Ma was down at the shop buying ciggies, and Pop was passed out on the couch.  You think I bothered to say anything to them?  It was our chance to get a scholarship outta this shithole.”

“It’s not
that
bad here.  Well… it wasn’t.”  Tammy corrected herself.

“He didn’t mean it like that,” Chad said.

“It’s okay.  I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.  Most of our year was desperate to get away too.  I just happen to like it here,” she said, busying herself with collecting the dishes.

“Here, let me help you.”  He grabbed them from her hand, taking them to the counter.  “I’ll wash, and you can dry.”  He tossed a tea-towel at her with a grin.

“You don’t have to.  I can do it,” she said.  “It’s the least I can do.  I know I wasn’t much help yesterday.”

“Are you kidding?”  He stared at her in disbelief.  “When Harper broke down, I had no idea what to do.  You just handled it.  And when you sang at the burial, I know that meant a lot to those two.”  He grabbed her hands.  “You’re helping out more than you know, just by being here.”

Tammy blinked away the tears forming in her eyes, and folded herself into his arms.  “Thank you,” she mumbled into his shirt.

“We all have our parts to play.  Now,” he leaned back, tilting her chin up, so he could look into her eyes, “these dishes won’t do themselves.”  He winked, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning to the sink.

W
rapping her arms around her middle, Harper stood watching them at the sink.  Her sister was dead, and they were standing there, flirting, as if nothing had happened.  She knew it was irrational to feel angry at them, after all, they hadn’t actually known Millie, but would it hurt to show a little consideration?  Was that too much to ask?

Unable to stomach watching them anymore, she stepped through to the lounge.  Zuckerman was laying all of his gear out on the table, sorting it into some semblance of order.  It appeared they would be doing some travelling today.

She looked to Zeke, searching his eyes for some answers.  Surely he wasn’t ready to leave her sister behind already?  The pity she saw, told another story.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Just for a little while.  They need to make sure their families got out.”  Her bottom lip quivered and she bit down to hide it, but not before he noticed.  “We won’t be long, I promise.  I feel I owe it to them to help.”

Harper’s eyes filled with tears, but still she nodded.  “Okay,” she whispered.

“Will you be okay here?” he asked, reaching for her hand.  “I can stay if you want me to.”

“No.  I’ll be alright.  You go.  Just be careful,” she sighed.  “Make sure you come back in one piece.  And alive.”

“We will.”  He walked over to the window, grabbing one of the guns that leant up against the wall.  “Here, you keep this one with you.  Just in case you need it.”

“Thanks.”  She propped it against the side of the chair.  “Do you mind if I have a shower before you leave?  I never got a chance yesterday.”  She motioned to her blood-stained clothes and hands.

“Of course.  Towels are in the hall cupboard.”

In the bathroom, she slowly peeled off her shirt and jeans, dropping them in the sink to wash later.  She peered at her reflection, noting the dark lines under her eyes.  Her hair was matted with blood, and chunks of God-only-knew-what, hung from the strands around her face.  Her cheeks were smeared with dirt, and her eyes were rimmed with red.  She looked a mess.

Stepping under the steady stream of hot water, she allowed herself to relax, even if for just a moment.  She hadn’t realised how tense she had been.

With the water cascading over her body, she set to work scrubbing off all of the reminders of the day before, using a loofah she had found.  She rubbed and buffed away any remnants, continuing until her skin was almost raw.  Dropping her head, she watched until all the muddy water had drained away.

She swathed herself in a towel, and began pulling clothes out of her bag.  Her hand wrapped around the pendant necklace that her parents had given her.  She and Millie had one each, both with a picture of their parents and sister enclosed.  She sat on the edge of the bath, and opened the locket.  She ran her finger over the pictures of her family, smiling as she remembered the day they had taken those photos.  Millie, of course, had been singing the entire time.  Her mother had been perched on her father’s lap, and he had tickled her every time they’d tried to take the shot.  You could just make out the mischievous glint in his eye, and the beginnings of a laugh on her face.  It was her favourite picture of the two of them.

Fastening the clasp behind her neck, she felt more at ease.  It was as though she was carrying them with her.

She finished dressing and went back out to the lounge to join the others.  Tammy had been busy preparing lunch for them to take, and had even made some for her.  She felt a twinge of guilt for thinking that they didn’t care.

Zeke and the boys had gone out to the shed to set the traps.  They were hoping there would be something in them by the time they got back.  It was the only thing they had to go on.

She walked them out to the car and helped them load their bags.  They assured her they would return before dark.

She watched the cloud of dust follow them down the road, until she couldn’t see them anymore.  She was alone.  Again.

“W
e’ll go to your place first, Z,” Chad said, directing Zeke to where he knew his house to be.

“Whatever,” he muttered back, gazing out the window at the empty houses.  There seemed to be even more bodies lying around now.  Flesh-eaters were roaming aimlessly, or feeding on the fallen bodies.

“Don’t give up before we even get there, it’s only been a day,” Chad said, turning to face him.

“Come on, man.  You really think my old man got off his ass to get away?  You think he finally awoke from his booze-addled sleep to whisk Ma to safety?  Please.”  He waved his hand in dismissal.  “You know, as well as I do, they’re probably both one of them already.”

“How can you say that?” Tammy demanded.  “They’re your parents!”

“He’s a drunk, and she’s an addict.  They stopped parenting a long time ago,” he snapped.

Zeke met eyes with Tammy in the rear vision mirror, her mouth dropped open in shock.  “I’m sorry,” she stuttered.

“Don’t be.  You didn’t know.  How could you?  I bet you had the perfect up-bringing; white picket fence and all that shit,” Zuckerman said sarcastically.

She faced him, her chin raised in defiance.  “My parents died in a car accident when I was seven.  My Gram raised me.”

“Oh shit, sorry.  I…”

“It’s okay.  You didn’t know.  How could you?” she repeated back to him, turning to look out the side window.

“Nice one, Z,” Chad chastised.  “Tammy?  You okay?”

“I’m fine.  It happened a long time ago, I don’t really remember much about them.”  She looked back at Zuckerman.  “I know you think your parents are arseholes, but at least they were there.  I’d give anything to have my parents here with me.”  He had no come-back for that.  She was right.  They were always there, even if they chose to emotionally check out most of the time, they were still there.

It hadn’t always been that way.  They had been a normal, happy family when he was younger.  Like Tammy’s, his parents had been in an accident too, only they’d survived.  His mother had smashed her head into the windscreen so hard that she had permanent headaches.  The doctors couldn’t give her anything for it.  That was when she started ‘self-medicating’.  It was the only thing that helped her forget the agonising pain in her head.  She was only ever ‘straight’ enough to get to the shop for ciggies or another hit.

Taking care of his drugged-up wife became too hard for his father to handle, so he turned to the drink.  They both lost their jobs and were on welfare.  The little money they had was used for their next fix, leaving hardly any for food or clothes.  Zuckerman had had to steal on more than one occasion.  Not a fact he was proud of.  He had taken a job over the summer to pay for all his new football gear.

That was the main reason he had been on the bus that morning.  The scholarships on offer were his ticket to a life of normalcy and freedom.

“I’m sorry, Tammy.  I’m just feeling sorry for myself,” he said sincerely.  “You wanna go check on your Gram first?  I don’t mind.”

“She called me when it first started.  The retirement village where she lives now, were evacuating.  They had buses taking them to safety.”

“Right.  Good.  Guess we’ll keep going to mine then,” he said, defeated.  “Turn down here.”  As much as he didn’t want to see them, it looked as though he was going to have to.  He would look like a right jackass if he abandoned them now.

They pulled up outside his house.  No-one said a word as they took in the run-down shack in front of them.

For the first time in a long time, he was embarrassed.  “Sorry about the mess,” he tugged his cap down further on his head.  He climbed out of the car, the others in tow.  They picked their way through the debris scattered over the overgrown lawn, and up to the veranda.  “Watch your step,” he cautioned, pointing out the buckled wood.  “My father stopped caring about this place when he started drinking.”

“It’s okay, Z, no-one’s judging you,” Chad said.

“Yeah, sure.”  He knew his place didn’t compare to Zeke’s loving family home.  There were no pictures on the walls, or knick-knacks on the shelves.  There wasn’t any baking filling the cupboards, or food in the fridge.

Instead, what wallpaper they had, was peeling off the walls.  There were cigarette burns on the carpet.  None of the furniture matched and it was all covered in stains.  The smell of mould and stale cigarette smoke hung in the air.

This was why he didn’t bring friends home.  Chad was the only one who had met his parents, and that was purely by accident.  He had managed to get through his entire high school years without one friend finding out how he really lived.  Until now.

He led them up the steps and through the front door that had been left wide open.  Walking in single file, scanning every inch of the place for threats, they made their way through to the last place he had seen his father – the couch.

“No-one’s here,” he said, kicking at the leg of the couch.

“It doesn’t mean they’re…you know. Maybe we should look out back?”  Chad said.

“Knock yourself out.”  He laughed without humour, waving his hand in the direction of the kitchen.  “There’s not much to see out there, except dirt and a fence.”

“Do you want to grab any of your stuff while we’re here?” Tammy suggested, twisting a strand of hair around her finger nervously.

“Yeah, maybe I will.”  He ambled across the hall to his room.  It was the one room that was tidy.  His bed was neatly made and his clothes were folded away in his dresser.  Beside his bed, there was a silver frame with a picture of his family before the accident.

He looked down at the clothes he was wearing, they were filthy.  A fresh pair of clothes would be nice.  He went to his closet to grab a bag, stopping when he heard the shuffle of feet.

“Hello?” he said, taking a step closer.  “Who’s in there?”

A sniff, followed by a whimper.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”  He reached out, gripping the handle.  Taking a deep breath, he pulled it open.  A set of crazed eyes met his.  “Ma?”  She was curled in a ball in the bottom of the closet, cowering away from him.  “Ma?  It’s me.”  He crouched down.

“Get away from me!”  She kicked out her foot, missing her target.  She tried to back further into the closet, but her back was already against the wall.

“Jesus, Ma, are you high?” he growled.  He could hardly be angry with her.  She needed drugs to escape her everyday life, so why would he expect any better now?  She continued scrambling to get away from him, her legs and arms flailing as he tried to grab hold of her.  “Ma!  It’s me!  Would you just stop?!”

“Zuckerman?  You okay?” Tammy asked, peering around the corner.

Seeing a female face, his mother jumped to her feet, nearly knocking him over.  “He’s trying to kill me!” she screamed as she threw herself at Tammy, pointing her finger in Zuckerman’s direction.

“No I’m not, Ma.  I’m trying to help you.  I’m your Goddamn son!”

“Please help me,” she whispered, clinging to Tammy’s arm.

“Shhhh.  He’s not going to hurt you,” Tammy soothed, as she had with Harper only yesterday.

“He was trying to take me…” she rambled, scratching at the puncture marks on her arm.

“She has psychotic episodes sometimes,” Zuckerman sighed, lifting his cap to rake his fingers through his hair.  “The pressure on her brain, and the drugs… it’s not the first time.”  He rubbed his forehead.  “Ma?  You remember me, right?  I’m your son,” he spoke calmly this time.

“Brian?” she asked, squinting her eyes at him.

“Yeah, Ma.  It’s Brian.”  He held his arms out and she cautiously stepped into them, pressing her face against his chest.

“Oh Brian!  I’m so scared!”  She gripped his shirt with both hands as he held her.  “I hear them screaming.  Always screaming…”

“Who’s screaming, Ma?”

“All of them… I hear them…”

“Ma, concentrate for a minute.  Where’s Dad?  Have you seen him?”

She stopped her rambling and turned her wide, glassy eyes to stare into his.  She nodded slowly.  “He’s out back,” she whispered.