Z-Risen (Book 2): Outcasts (15 page)

11:45 hours approximate

Location: Trailer Park - Undead Central

Our “camper” was a metal and fiberglass enclosure mounted on top of a F250 truck. It had a bunk that rested over the canopy. The interior was sparse, but it did boast an L-shaped couch that doubled as a dining room table for three. Two, if I stretched out. There was a tiny sink and even a toilet. The little space had a feminine feel, but I could care less.

Belle made us take off our outer garments and inspected our wounds. Anna had a nasty bruise running up her side that would be purple and yellow by tomorrow. I had a few scrapes here and there, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in time. Belle dressed our wounds. She was thorough, and I knew she was looking for any hint of a bite.

“I’ll bring some food by. There’s a package of diaper wipes you can clean up with, but you two get some rest. Are you okay sleeping up there?” she asked us.

“No worries,” Anna said.

Belle left us alone with a few words of warning.

“Stay inside as much as possible. If you see a group of infected, keep out of sight. Make as little noise as possible. Do that, and they leave us alone. If things get tight, you’ll hear bells in the distance. That’s Joel running out to distract a horde.”

“Say what the fuck?” I asked.

Anna elbowed me in the side.

“What, I’m a foul-mouthed sailor.”

“I’ve heard much worse living with that French firecracker,” Belle said.

“
Coulda gone my entire life without hearing that,” Anna said under her breath.

This time I elbowed her in the side.

“Claude used to do it, but Joel is younger and can handle himself. There’s a set of bells a few hundred feet away. Sound them and the infected go in that direction. We run a tight ship here.”

“Of course Joel does it. He’s a super Marine. He eats Z’s for breakfast and then spits them out.”

“Right,” Belle nodded. “He’s very spry.”

“That’s our Joel. You should remind him that he’s spry,” I said. I tried to imagine the look on Joel’s face and nearly cracked a smile.

“I will if I see him. He patrolled last night. We haven’t seen him much since he arrived.”

“I bet you sleep better,” I said.

“Are you like Joel? Can you help protect us?”

“He’s not like Joel. He’s more like a fish out of water,” Anna said.

I started to protest.

“But Jackson Creed has his moments,” she said and met my eyes.

I looked away first.

“Get some sleep. If you hear bells, it’s all hands. Remember that.”

“So we hide if we hear bells or we go out there?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Do what the situation calls for,” Belle said and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Anna and I made use of the baby wipes and managed to get most of the blood and grime off. I helped her and she helped me. She ran her hands over some of my wounds and I touched hers. We didn’t talk much, just sat and got comfortable. I could get used to this domestic shit.

“They don’t have a plan. They don’t have a clue. No wonder Joel has been wired since he got here.”

“This place is defensible, but if they get cornered it will get messy,” Anna said.

“Messy isn’t the word for it. This camp is a bunch of retired travelers. All they know about surviving the zombie fucking apocalypse is to stay inside and stay quiet.”

“Wouldn’t hurt you to be quiet,” Anna said.

“What, and have you miss my stunning insights and wisdom?”

“Write them down. I need my beauty sleep.”

“You’re already beau-”

“Just save it, Creed. I’m who I am and you don’t have to sweet talk me.”

“I wasn’t trying to sweet talk you. You’re a damn fine looking woman, Anna,” I said. Christ, what was I doing, checking out a car?

“I wish I could say the same for you.”

“What’s wrong with me?” I protested.

“You’re kinda scruffy and when you take off your shirt you look like you’re half werewolf.”

“Where wolf? There wolf!” I said and pointed at the window.

“Shut up and eat.”

“Yes ma’am.” I grinned.

I chowed down on a couple of strips of jerky while she went at the granola. I ate most of a tin can filled with tuna, then Anna helped me finish it off. Crackers, a couple of fruit strips, and I was beginning to feel like we might actually be safe for a while.

After we ate, we crawled up into the bunk. There was an old red blanket and some kind of comforter. I tugged them over us and settled back.

I put my arm around Anna, half-expecting her to push me away, but she snuggled into me.

That’s all I knew for a long time, because I fell asleep as she muttered about how we should rest, there’d be time for other stuff later.

I dreamed that I was on the run. The road stretched on forever. The sun hung low in the sky and it was the color of blood. I was alone and the road didn’t end, so I ran and ran and ran, but always behind me were the sounds of moans and groans as the dead pursued.

###

22:30 hours approximate

Location: Trailer Park - Undead Central

I woke to voices, sat up, and bashed my head into the overhead canopy.

“Mother…”

“Dude. You should take it easy,” Joel said.

Anna was dressed and sitting at the table with Joel and Belle. They had a map stretched out. Belle was marking spots while Joel studied it intently. A pair of candles held down two corners and provided flickering illumination. The windows had curtains, but they’d been taped down so no light could get out.

I glanced at my beat up watch and did some quick math in my pounding noggin. I’d slept for almost twelve hours and my body felt like I could sleep for twelve more.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and shrugged into my pants and shirt. My head pounded from a nasty headache that a full bottle of Advil might make a dent in if I washed it back with a fifth of whiskey.

“Damn head hurts.”

“I think you broke the camper, Creed. What part of keep it quiet didn’t you understand during orientation?”

“The fuck, Joel. You guys come into our…shit.” I looked sheepish. This wasn’t my place. I was a guest at best.

“Just messing with
ya. Now get your ass down here and help us strategize.”

“Big word for a Marine.”

“So’s machine gun, ya navy puke.”

“That’s five words, Joel,” Anna said helpfully.

“Ah, Christ. I thought you two were just being polite last night when you offered to take the camper together.”

I kept my poker face but Anna blushed a furious shade of red. Joel looked between us and sat back on the couch.

“Just shut the fuck up,” I said, staring at Joel, but there was no anger.

“Yeah. Okay. That your pick up line?”

Anna and Belle burst into laughter.

“I’m serious. What did he say, Anna? That he had a crush on you, might be the end of the world, all that shit?”

“Jackson Creed was a perfect gentlemen,” she said.

Now who was keeping a poker face?

“Just tell me what we’re doing so I can get back to sleep,” I mumbled.

“Sleep, huh. Remember the rules, keep the noise down.”

I rolled my eyes and joined them.

With the couch and table in use, there was little extra room, and I had to hunch over to peer at the map. I gave up on that uncomfortable position and got on my knees.

“We’re here,” Joel said and pointed at a red dot. The area around it was mostly rural but the highway was easy enough to follow, and it led straight to LA.

“Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” I asked.

“This is where Bright Star may be located,” Joel pointed at a blue dot that was just outside of the big city.

I found the legend and studied the scale. We were a long way from that dot. On any normal day
we’d be able to drive up the coast in an hour. Now, with the freeways jammed, it could take days.

“So why not stay here? This is nice enough, and they have a plan. Just stay quiet.” I said.

Every time I thought about the old folks here using that to avoid detection, I wanted to groan. There were just too many of the things out there, and if they became fixated on the survivors, these people would be dead in no time.

“Roz and Christy want to stay, but I’m going.”

“Going where? To Los Angeles? How do you plan to get there? Fly?”

“I
ain’t going to LA. I’m going here.” Joel pointed out another spot on the map.

“Camp Pendleton?”

“They train Marines, but they might let you in.”

“The fuck would I want to go there for? You can have all the saluting and shooting stuff with your hard-on assault rifle. I’m sick of it,” I said.

What I didn’t say was that I thought the idea of staying here was pretty damn good, especially if I could talk Sails into staying. She might be a pain in the ass, but right now she was my pain in the ass. Or so I surmised after our one night together. I was under no delusions that I could keep her here if she didn’t want to stay.

“I’m sick of it too, but I need to know what’s going on out there. I need to know if my brothers are still there. I’ve been thinking about it, Creed. This shit, this running around shit, I’m done with it. I want to get back, get in a unit, and get in the damn war.”

“So you’re going to abandon us and drive, what, forty miles away to a Marine base? How do you plan to get there?”

“Side roads, off road, whatever I have to do. I’m taking this camper.”

I looked at Belle but she just shrugged and went back to studying the map.

“It’s a good plan,” Anna chimed in.

“It is?” I asked.

“What do you want to do, Jackson, stay here and start a family? It’s the end of the world. If I can live a few more weeks, fight for a few more days, it’s worth it. I’ve got nothing else left,” Anna said.

That stung, but I coughed to cover the lump that had formed in my throat.

Anna met my eyes and then she must have realized what she said because she looked surprised.

“Anna,” I started.

“Come on, Belle. These two got stuff to sort out.” Joel rose to his feet, hunched over to avoid the roof, and made for the back door.

“Joel. Can’t you think of any other options? We’re a team, man.”

“We are, but you have to do what’s right for you.”

“That’s your big speech?”

Joel shrugged, peeked out the back window and then cracked the door open and hopped down. Belle followed, and then the door clicked softly shut.

###

22:45 hours approximate

Location: Trailer Park - Undead Central

“Don’t start
with me. I’m going,” Anna said.

“Fine. You don’t have anything here, right?”

“Oh Jesus, Jackson. I didn’t mean it like that. What're we doing, anyway? Last night was just a way to blow off stress, right?”

I dug out a bag of crackers and munched on a couple. Anna handed me a bottle of
water which I drained in one go.

“Sure, Sails. Just blowing off steam. Couple of people just out for a zombie joyride jumped in the sack together.”

“You better not fucking fall in love with me, Jackson. I’ll kick your ass.”

“Who’s talking about love? I just like being around you, okay? And you can try to kick my ass anytime you want.”

Anna covered her look with a drink of water.

“Idiot,” she muttered.

“Maybe, but I’m the idiot that’s here right now. Why don’t you think about staying? Give it a day or two. After yesterday and today we deserve a break.”

“I don’t want to stay here. I'm going with Joel because it gets me closer to LA, and that gets me closer to Bright Star. Roz and Christy are staying, so you’ll have someone to keep you company."

"I need to watch over Christy. I owe her after what happened to her brother." I tried to cover the disgust in my voice but it was there and it was bitter.

"I've told you a million times."

"You can tell me a million more times and it won't change the fact that he's dead and that fucker Lee is responsible."

"Enough about the kid. We're talking about us, right? If you're so bitter then I’ll no longer be around to be a reminder.”

"Fuck!"

“The hero would stay,” she said. “You saved us all back at the hotel.”

“Enough with the hero bullshit. I just did what was right and it sucked. How many of those guys did I kill? Joel probably shoots a guy and doesn’t think twice. That’s not me.”

“It was
us or them. I’m glad it wasn’t us,” she said.

I met Anna’s eyes and pondered what kind of a future she and I might have. The way the world was now, it wouldn’t be a good one, but at least we’d be able to watch over one another.
Sails wasn’t what I’d expected. Back when she was running with Lee, she’d been a hardass that punched my Marine buddy and then pulled a gun on him. Even I wasn’t that fucking stupid.

She didn’t take shit and I liked that. She was tough and I liked that as well. I’d never planned far enough into the future to think about settling down with someone. Never
thought twice about what I’d do beyond the next port of call or the next bar hop.

But here I was.

“Just tell me what you think we're doing and I’ll tell you if you’re right,“ she said.

“Don’t put that shit on me. It takes two to make a couple. Math. I may be a dumb squid but I can count.”

“See, Jackson, that’s where we differ. I don’t see us as anything like a couple. We’re just here to watch out for each other,” she said.

“And that’s it?”

“You don’t know me, Jackson.” She looked down. “You don’t know what I saw or what I did. In the end it didn’t matter, because they were taken from me. Everyone. First my husband when he ran off last year. Then my kids when they were killed by those things.”

I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. Anna looked down and her hair covered her face. I knew she was fighting tears and I didn’t know the first thing to say. She gripped my hand for a few seconds, shook her head, and looked up at me.

“It’s okay. We can talk in the morning. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure, but I’m sleeping by the door in case you try to pull a disappearing act.”

“Clingy doesn’t suit you.”

“Running away doesn’t suit you.”

“Just shut the hell up, Jackson. I’ve done enough talking today.”

So I shut up.

We ate in silence for a few minutes. I grabbed a magazine off a pile and saw the date was from a few years ago. After flipping through a few pages I realized it was all about golf, something I was not at all interested in, but it was better than sitting around glaring at each other.

“I’m sorry,” Anna said.

“Me too.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the one who’s being stupid.”

“Forget it, you don’t have to apologize.”

“Yeah, Jackson. I do need to apologize for treating you like shit. For treating you like you don’t matter,” she said. “You do matter, Jackson.”

After a second I shut my mouth. “You better not fucking fall in love with me, Sails.”

Anna didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then she laughed, and just like that, the tension was gone.

“Come on, let’s just get some rest,” she said.

Anna stood up and stretched. She checked the door and turned the lock.

“Z’s can’t open doors.”

“Yeah, but others can,” she said.

Anna took my hand and led me to our bunk.