Wake Up Dead - an Undead Anthology (17 page)

Mommy and Daddy are talking in the kitchen. Daddy had to shoot the drunken couple in the head. Mommy asked him why he had to shoot them, and he told her that the Sheriff says to make sure that you get them in the head, as it's the only way to kill them.

Surely a shot to the heart would do it? That always did it. In fact, I know a boy who died from being shot in the finger.

Daddy says that he's not going to work tomorrow because of the infection. I bet he's talking about what killed Eddie Smith. I came to bed before Daddy started drinking. He scares me sometimes, and I think he scares Mommy.

Well, I hope this infection goes away real soon, and I'm going to say a prayer now for the drunken couple who Daddy had to shoot in the head.

Goodnight.

There are lots of drunken people on the farm now. Daddy shot two of them this morning because they got too close to the pigs. One of them was already eating one of Daddy's cows; he shot that one a lot. I don't know why they are doing this, but I'm scared, and I can tell that I am not the only one.

Where are they all coming from? Why are they on our farm?

What made things even worse, though, was Mrs Drewery; she was one of them, wandering up and down the field. I tried to call at her out of the window, but Daddy told me not to because it would attract more of them. He says that she is infected, and that she will probably never be able to give me another lesson. I'm not too sad about that, but I will be sad if Daddy has to shoot her in the head like he did to the cow-eater and the drunken couple.

As I am writing this, I can see Daddy out of the window. He is carrying an axe. I hope he doesn't get too close to the wanderers, just in case he catches whatever it is that they have. He told me this morning that he wouldn't catch it as long as he didn't get bit by one of them. I don't think Mrs Drewery will bite him. One of the others might, though, because I don't know who they are and they could be crazy in the head for all I know.

Daddy has just chopped the head off a man. I didn't know him, and if Daddy did then I'm not sure he liked him much. He kicked the head away, and it landed somewhere down the bottom of the field. My Daddy is strong.

Mommy is calling me now. I don't think she wants me looking out of the window anymore. I'll be back later, though, when she is in bed, although I don't think we will be doing much sleeping tonight.

Mommy didn't bother making dinner tonight. “What's the point in eating?” she said. “We're probably going to die soon, anyway.” Daddy slapped her across the face and told her to pull herself together. I don't like it when Daddy hits Mommy, but I don't think he had much of a choice this time. She was screaming and crying, and Daddy didn't want any of those people outside to hear her, so he just slapped her a good one upside the head. I don't think she's talking to him now, which Daddy says is a good thing because if she's not talking, then they can't hear her.

I ate stale bread with no butter on, and to be quite honest it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't eat it every day, but I don't see the problem once in a blue moon. Daddy didn't eat anything; he just stared out of the window with the axe in his hand. He hasn't put it down for hours. I think it's like his safety-blanket.

Robbie looks as if he knows something is wrong. I can see in his eyes that he senses evil just outside the door. He barked for a little while earlier, but that was because he could see a small boy pacing past the window. I don't know who the boy was, but he was my age, maybe a little younger. The top of his head was missing, which was strange, and there was a hole in his head where his eye used to be. I would have thought it would have killed him, but he didn't look dead as he roamed around outside, mumbling to himself. I hope his Mommy and Daddy know that he is still alive. Maybe they can get his head fixed when all of this blows over. I don't know whether Doc Sawyer will be able to put him a new eye in, but I reckon that with a few stitches, the top of his head will be right as rain.

Mommy fell asleep in her rocker; I put a blanket over her, carefully. Daddy told me not to wake her up because she was apt to go crazy again, so I took extra care whilst tucking her in.

It's dark outside now, and I think most of the wanderers have gone off some place else – or at least I hope they have. Mrs Drewery would probably head on back to the schoolyard, where she works when she's not here teaching me. I can imagine her there now, roaming the yard, picking up toys that children have left lying around. I hope she's okay, and that the infection is getting better. I'm sure it will; these things always tend to blow over. For the ones that Daddy shot, though, and the man whose head Daddy chopped off with the axe, I will say a short prayer before bedtime.

I'll try to get Daddy to join in, but I doubt he will.

Goodnight Diary.

God Bless.

Robbie got out in the night! Oh, please Lord bring him back safe. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to my Robbie. He is my bestest friend in the whole wide world.

Daddy said that it was an accident, that he heard some noise coming from the barn and went to take a look. He said that there were three of them in there, wanderers, all just walking around, clattering into things. Daddy fought them, chopping of their heads. He's getting really good with that axe, and I still don't think he's put it down. It was while he was killing the three wanderers that Robbie made a dash for it. I don't know why he would have run off. Maybe he went to fetch help? I've heard of dogs being able to do that. A friend of mine, Isabel Tate – although I like to call her Izzie, and I don't think she minds – well, she fell down a well over on the Savannah farm, and nobody knew that she was down there until her dog, Potter, ran straight to the Sheriff's office and dragged him out there. It was a good job, too, because I heard that she would have only lived for another couple of hours. She was very thirsty when they pulled her out, and I've never seen anyone eat like it since.

Yes, perhaps Robbie has gone to get help, and he'll be back in a while with a whole posse of men to save us.

I hope so, because I don't think we are going to last here much longer. Daddy is starting to look tired, and Mommy is still asleep in the rocker. Every now and then I check her to make sure that she is still breathing. You never know, do you?

My stomach is starting to hurt a little bit now. I think this is what it feels like to starve. I mean, I've been hungry before, and my belly has rumbled, but this is something else. It hurts. My mouth is dry, too, and we can't get to the well to draw any water, at least not at the moment. There are too many wanderers out there. Daddy says that he will give it until noon and then he'll make a run for it, but I don't want him to. I'm thirsty, but what good will it be if he gets bitten by one of them and catches whatever plague it is that they have?

We'd all die from it.

But I know that soon we will run out of options; the sheriff is nowhere to be seen and we are in the middle of nowhere. I wonder if the people over at Redrock are infected. I know it is almost twenty miles away, but Daddy says he wouldn't be surprised if the whole of America have it. I like the way that Daddy doesn't try to sugar-coat things like Mommy; I fear that we would already be dead if Daddy wasn't here.

I am going to stare out the back window now. Hopefully Robbie will have enough sense to return through the rear fence.

I hope so.

Sheriff Colman is standing just outside the back door. Daddy says not to worry, that if he tries to get in, he will find an axe buried deep in his ceranium, whatever a cer-ay-nium is. I wonder whether the sheriff's wife is dead; the blood all over his jeans, and the strange sausage hanging around his neck make me think she is.

He's hitting the door now, and groaning in that terrible way that they all seem to. I hate that noise now. It makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck; it even makes my teeth vibrate, which is odd.

Daddy has just told me to go into the other room. I think it's the end for Sheriff Colman. I'll say a prayer for both him and his wife tonight.

I wonder who will be sheriff next? If it goes to a vote, I'm going to elect my Daddy; he would be the bestest sheriff there ever was.

Just heard the door swing open, and Daddy tell Sheriff Colman to, “Back the fuck off!” I think fuck is a bad word, so I won't say it too much. Daddy will tan my hide if ever he reads this.

There's a scuffle in the kitchen. I want to go take a look, but Daddy told me that whatever happens, I'm to stay in here. Besides, I am sure he will take care of the sheriff. From what I can see, Colman's not in the greatest shape of his life, moving around like a drunkard, bumping into things. Daddy will finish him easily.

Something's just crashed against the kitchen door. Oh, great! Mommy is awake now.

I have to go. She looks worried.