Latter-Day of the Dead (15 page)

“Hello? It’s me, Brother Elias. Are you looking for your parents? You’re safe with me…it is okay.”

She responded with furious hacking and coughing.

My face compressed with worry. “Oh, no. Were you attacked?”

I still couldn’t tell whose daughter it was through the unlit gap between us. The violent coughing continued, dropping her to all fours.

I took half a step forward and pleaded, “I need to know if you’re okay.”

Feeling short on time, I scooted closer to get the answer myself. She remained on her hands and knees, staring down at the dirt.

“Tell me now or we will be forced to leave you here,” I threatened.

I shook my head firmly and marched up to her. She raised her head and I was now close enough to see her. She was missing the skin from the top of her cheek to the bottom of her jaw on the right side of her face. The gaping hole left her teeth on that side exposed in full view.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, taking a few steps backwards before running to my awaiting group at the side of the house.

“She’s infected,” I explained to Kib.

“Well then don’t let her over here!” he said, cocking the shovel over his head.

I looked back to see she had gotten back to her feet and was heading our way.

“Behind the house…go!” I shouted.

We wrapped around the side of the house. Kib jumped up on the wooden deck and tried to open the back door.

“It’s locked.”

“No,” Mary cried at the news. “I can’t keep running.”

I looked at her leg and then around the backyard.

“We have to hide,” Sariah said, pointing to under the weighty deck at our feet.

“Everyone under…hurry,” I ordered.

Kib slid under first with the shovel and helped pull Mary in next to him. Sariah fit in easily after Mary. I jumped back quickly to see the affected girl was stumbling to the side of the house. I dropped down to my stomach and scooched under the deck next to Sariah. It was a tight squeeze. Even as the last one in I still got a fair share of cobwebs across my face and in my hair. We all held our breath and tried to remain as still as possible.

I questioned our positioning almost immediately after getting situated. If we were spotted we would be stuck. There was not even enough room to lift up to our knees if we needed out.

There was no chance in changing hiding spots now, as I could see the feet of our young seeker out of the corner of my eye. She took a few steps into the backyard and stopped, obviously confused as to where we went.

She walked to the front of the deck where all four of us could now see her feet. The feet moved a few steps to the far end of the deck by Kib and Mary, then back to the side Sariah and I were occupying. This back-and-forth happened a few more times until we watched both feet pivot their toes straight towards us.

I planted both palms firmly into the ground at each side of my chest in case we needed to slide out as quickly as possible. I watched Mary and Sariah both close their eyes when the girl stepped up onto the deck. The footsteps were now right on top of us. My chest burned as I tried to keep my short breaths to a minimum.

There was open space between each wooden slat of the deck, but lying on my stomach did not provide me the opportunity to see what she was doing. Dust sprinkled down with each step. It was the same back-and-forth pacing as before, each of us cringing when the footsteps would cross over the top of us.

We had no plan, and we had no opportunity to discuss a plan. We just laid in the darkness, surrounded in silence. The only noise came from the tempered steps above us.

Kib began waving his hand frantically to get my attention. I lifted the side of my face off the ground to see what he was trying to say. He was throwing his thumb over his back to his other side. He could have been letting me know we should slide out that way. I couldn’t be sure so I just watched and would be ready if he moved.

The frantic gesturing stopped and Kib quickly dropped back down to being still. I watched him, confused. Tears started reeling down Mary’s cheeks next to him. My confusion was momentary, understanding their reaction once a second set of feet climbed onto the deck.

I strained my neck to try and get a glimpse of who was up there. A support beam stopped my shoulder when I rolled to my side. I scraped my arm past it, twisting onto my back. Sariah closed her eyes and pressed her finger to her mouth, silently requesting my cooperation in being quiet.

I slid my head over near my shoulder to peek through one of the openings between deck slats. The sole of the girl’s shoe stomped right over the opening, dust falling into my eye. I pulled back, startled, before repositioning for a look again.

The unknown deck-walker that was up there with her headed over to my side. I lifted my head to press one eye close to the opening. The girl and whoever else was up there did not interact or seem to acknowledge each other, which I found odd.

After a good look I realized who it was. I got the attention of the other three to explain to them. I held my hand with my pinky folded down at first, then spread my index and middle finger into a V-shape and poked it into my eyes. I think they all understood I was referring to the four-fingered, scissor-eyed Rodell. Mary silently cried into her folded arms in front of her, exhausted and defeated.

We were stuck. And for the next hour we were stuck. Both Rodell and the girl continued their pacing routine with no sign of moving on. Still on my back, I continued to watch each time they passed. The longer we waited, the harder it would be to get out, I feared.

Sariah scooted close to my ear and whispered, “Sister Mary doesn’t look so good.”

I looked over Sariah’s shoulder. Even in the dark I could tell Mary was thick with sweat. We needed to move.

During my observations of the two above us, I noticed they would periodically stop and raise their heads. It was like they were smelling for something; smelling for us. I thought about me and Kib just getting out and fighting them off, but it was too great a risk with Sariah and Mary possibly in harm’s way.

I patted my hands around the surface under the deck looking for something to use. After coming up empty I tapped my pockets and forgot I had something that could possibly buy us some time. I slid back to the side of the deck we entered on. Sariah and Kib were both putting their hands up not knowing what I was doing.

The clockwork pacing from Rodell and the girl made me feel like I could show myself quickly while they were both turned and walking towards Kib’s side. I waited under the edge of the deck until they were both facing the opposite way.

Once I had the opening I pulled the top half of my body out and sat up. I grabbed Verdell’s bloody handkerchief he had given to me and tossed it onto the deck. Heading the other way, the girl stopped and turned her head sideways. I ducked down but watched. The teeth showing through the hole in the side of her face glistened against the moonlight. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air.

My hands grabbed the underside of the deck and I pulled myself back under before she changed directions towards the smell of Keturah’s dried blood on the handkerchief. Repositioned under the deck, I could see Rodell making his way over to the handkerchief as well. Sariah and Kib were still trying to figure out what I had done.

The girl’s breathing intensified when she dropped down to the handkerchief. She grunted, and Rodell groaned at her for whatever it was he felt like he was missing out on.

She stood with handkerchief in hand when Rodell staggered over. I was getting ready to have Kib exit out his way when Rodell and the girl began fighting over the handkerchief. The ruckus was loud enough that I felt comfortable verbalizing direction.

“Go.” I pointed them to Kib’s side.

The scuffle sounded more intense being directly below it. They pushed and pulled on each other while we prepared to exit. Rodell gained control of the handkerchief, causing the girl to screech.

Kib pushed out feet-first, needing to drag Mary, who did not look willing or able.

The girl above pounced on Rodell’s back to retrieve the handkerchief. He casually grabbed her arm and flung her off the deck completely. She crashed right in front us.

We all froze, praying she wouldn’t see us. She collected herself, and glanced under the deck at each of us. Her hiss sent us all scrambling out from under the deck. She lunged and reached in-between the wooden stairs at the front of the deck, barely missing an evading Sariah.

Rodell’s attention was now on the commotion as well. Kib dragged Mary out his side, Sariah and I scraped out the other. The girl stammered over to Kib’s side. He poked the shovel head at her repeatedly to keep distance. She groaned in displeasure.

Rodell dropped off the deck right after I pulled Sariah out. We ran to the side of the house. He pursued us with his head cocked to the side so the eye that didn’t have a pair of scissors plunged into it could see where we were headed.

“Meet us out front!” I yelled to Kib, who was still keeping the attacking girl at bay with the shovel.

Mary was no help to Kib, practically catatonic through the chaos. Kib poked at the girl again, this time she grabbed the shaft of the shovel. They both pulled, neither grabbing the advantage. Kib switched from pulling to pushing, charging the young girl backwards. He yelled and kept charging. The speed was too much for the girl. She fell backwards and Kib’s momentum carried him forward. Her stomach caught the head of the shovel before giving way. The heavy steal plunged deep into her abdomen. She mouthed a scream that could not be heard. Blood quickly pooled around the engaged tool.

Kib could not look at her. He removed the shovel and dropped his head, not wanting that to be the outcome. He walked back, distraught, and got Mary ready to leave. Her arm was draped over his shoulder when he turned back to see the girl who he thought he had killed standing.

“Lord be with me,” he muttered.

The girl walked towards them. With each step her wounded midsection opened and closed, blood slopping out sporadically. On the fourth or fifth step her large intestine began to spill out.

“Ummm, we’re going to go ahead and go,” Kib said to Mary with a bewildered grimace.

chapter twelve

W
e met Kib and Mary at the front of the house. Rodell and the girl were both slowly in pursuit, giving us a little time to regroup.

“You won’t believe what you are about to see,” Kib advised.

In no time the girl following Kib and Mary rounded the front corner of the house. Her intestines and stomach hung from the open gash across her belly, slapping against her legs with each staggered step.

Sariah was the only one to speak when she said, “Gross.”

I knew we couldn’t afford any more delays. We had to get to the house. Mary’s coughing echoed up the road. Even with Kib and I having to help move her, we were able to get a decent distance from Rodell and the girl following behind.

“Someone shouldn’t be able to be walking around with their insides on the outsides, right Doc?” Kib asked between glances behind us.

“Right.”

“So…is this, like…the end of the world?”

“I don’t know, Kib.”

Our house was finally in sight. We picked up the pace seeing relief and shelter ahead. I pushed Mary’s weight all the way to Kib so I could get the front door open. It was stuck and wouldn’t budge.

I slapped on the door with an open palm. After a few moments the curtain was pulled slightly to the side and an eyeball peeked out.

“Father, it’s us,” I shouted at the window.

There was a lot of rustling and movement heard inside before the door was cracked open. My step towards the opening was met with the barrel of a shotgun pointed right at us.

“Whoa! It’s okay…we’re okay!” I shouted.

My father grabbed the shoulder of the man guarding the door and pulled him back, saying, “That’s my boy, let them in.”

Coming inside I could see they had to move the large bureau they had blockaded the front door with. The room was overcrowded with people. A baby cried uncontrollably in the background. Sariah ran in and hugged one of our mothers. I now had time to see the man with the shotgun was one of our neighbors. He had yet to lower his weapon.

Another man inside jumped up to help Kib get Mary over to the couch.

“Make room,” he ordered.

They eased Mary onto the couch. I rolled my lips in-between my teeth in anguish now that I could see her in the light. Her eyes were starting to dilate like the others.

“My darling Mary, where is she?” a voice from the hallway bellowed.

The crowd of people fanned-out to allow Verdell to make his way over to his wife. He dropped to his knees in front of her, still wearing the blood-stained white suit from the interrupted wedding.

“My beloved, are you all right? I was worried sick,” he said.

Tears abandoned her enlarged pupils.

“Talk to me, Mary,” the prophet begged.

“Talk to you?” she growled between coughs. “Talk to you? Terry is dead. Sharon is dead. You left us all there to die.”

“Don’t say that, Mary,” Verdell spoke with sorrow, looking around at the many spectators.