Praying for Grace (18 page)

“Morning,” I said.

“Hey, Zoe. Good morning.”

“Where is everyone?”

“Laura’s in the kitchen making breakfast. She won’t let anyone help. Gus is in with Abbey and I think Dan’s taking a shower.”

“How’s Abbey? Do you know?” I asked.

“Not sure. Gus hasn’t come out yet.”

“I’m gonna go check on her,” I said as I swung my legs out from under the covers and onto the ground.

Like a gentleman, Hoot stood to help me up. I took his hand gratefully, as getting up and down was becoming difficult due to my rapidly growing belly. I noticed that he was looking at me funny.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Your neck. It’s green.”

Feeling self-conscious, I put a hand up to my throat to cover it.

“I’ll go look at it in the bathroom,” I mumbled as I hustled to leave the room.

“I’ll have Gus come find you,” he called as I rushed away.

I found my way back to the bathroom. Like the bedrooms, this room had no door. Getting into it, though, required walking through a narrow man-made tunnel of wine bottles and concrete. Once inside it felt quite private. Dan must have finished his shower, as I found myself thankfully alone. Daylight streamed in through one of the skylight cylinders, brightening the room significantly. The cabinet top was constructed of a mosaic of small colorful tiles that surrounded a ceramic sink. A single mirror leaned against the concrete wall just above the colorful vanity. True to Hoot’s word, my neck was covered in faint green lines. Looking closer, white lines mingled with them just as they did on my abdomen.

Someone had set dry towels out on a cabinet that sat in the corner of the room, opposite a bright pink toilet. Had I been in a better mood, the toilet would have made me laugh. I unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing and let it fall to the floor. I startled slightly when I heard Gus call my name.

“I’m in here,” I called back softly.

He rounded the corner into the bathroom while I was looking at my reflection. I didn’t break my gaze with the mirror as he walked up behind me.

“Hoot said you were in here,” he said softly.

“My neck…” I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me and nestled his chin between my shoulder and my neck. “Do you feel ok?”

I tilted my head to the side. “I guess so.”

“You look so sad, Zoe.”

“I guess I’m just worried.” My own words brought my thoughts back to Abbey. “How’s Abs?”

“Sleeping still. I got her to wake up long enough to take another antibiotic pill and some Tylenol. Her fever feels lower but she’s still got that damned rattle in her chest.”

“Do you think she’ll be ok?”

Gus straightened up and began unhooking my bra. “I think so. At least I hope so.”

I let the bra slide away from me, and watched in the mirror as Gus’ hands gently caressed my swollen breasts, which were also riddled with faint white and green lines. My thoughts turned to baby Emmett. “I am sad, Gus,” I said randomly, touching on what he had said moments before. “We’ve lost so much and I have a sinking feeling we’re about to lose so much more.”

He gently turned me to face him. “I have no words,” he said as he kissed my cheek gently.

“Then just hold me? Just hold me and tell me everything will be ok?”

He held me close, but was unable to tell me what I needed to hear.

After a very cold shower, Gus and I dried off, dressed, and met the others in the kitchen. Laura made oatmeal, flatbread, and coffee for breakfast. Dan was busy placing a bowl of broth and a cup of tea on a tray for Abbey. He looked exhausted.

“Dan, you need to get some sleep. Let me sit with Abbey after breakfast?” suggested Hoot.

“It’s ok,” he said with a hint of a smile. “I’ll sleep in there with her.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” asked Gus with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” asked Dan.

“She’s young, son,” said Clark.

“Oh come on, don’t be gross,” replied Danny with a roll of his eyes. “It’s not like I’m going to screw her while she’s on death’s door.”

“Danny!” I snapped.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I know she’s young. She’s only fourteen. I respect her and won’t cross any lines.”

Gus clapped him on the shoulder in approval. “Sorry if I struck a nerve.”

“It’s fine.” Dan’s face reddened in embarrassment.

“The oatmeal’s hot, better eat before it turns into a big cold clump,” said Laura, saving Danny from further embarrassment.

“Thanks for breakfast,” said Hoot.

“You’re most welcome,” she answered. “It’s the least I can do for you bringing my husband back to me.”

“Well, we’re all glad we found him.”

“Well me too,” said Clark with a grin. “It took far too long to get home.”

I walked to the counter where Laura had left a pot of oatmeal and filled two bowls. I carried them to the table and nudged Gus as I passed.  He took the hint and followed me to the table, where he sat to my right. The kitchen was warm and smelled of cinnamon.

“I’m finding that little girl some birth control,” whispered Gus.

I choked on my first bite of oatmeal. “Like you’re a glowing example of caution?”

He sighed. Clearly, I hurt his feelings.

“Leave them be for now. I doubt ‘doing it’ is even on their minds,” I said quietly to avoid other ears from hearing.

“Dan’s a guy. Of course it’s on his mind.”

I took a deep breath and spooned more hot cereal into my mouth. It was sweetened with raisins and brown sugar.

“Laura, this is good,” said Gus.

“Thank you. Sorry it’s not very fancy.”

“It’s perfect,” I said as soon as I swallowed.

“I’ll show you the garden after breakfast if you want?” she offered.

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

“Alice is a big help out there. She and Megan…” Laura’s voice trailed off.

“How is she doing?” asked Hoot. “Alice, I mean.”

“Haven’t seen her yet this morning,” said Clark. “She seems strong in spirit, even if she is just a tiny thing. Just give her time.”

“Maybe I should check on her,” said Laura.

“Leave her be, sweetheart. Let her mourn,” said Clark.

“Ok, but if she’s not out by noon I’m going to make her get up and get busy.”

“Fair enough.”

Gus put his hand on my knee.

“Zoe, how’s your neck?” asked Hoot, to my horror.

“She’s ok,” Gus answered for me.

“What’s wrong with your neck?” asked Laura.

I looked up from my breakfast and answered honestly. “I got infected on Day One. It left these green lines on my hip, and they spread when I’m pregnant.”

“What do you mean infected, exactly?” pressed Laura with a look of concern on her face.

“It’s ok honey, we’re safe with them,” said Clark gently.

“Some of us have gotten infected with whatever caused this,” said Gus as he put his spoon down. Beneath the table he found my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Zoe can sense when the dead are near,” he continued. “Except for when she’s pregnant. It’s muted then.”

Laura looked at us quietly for a moment. “When’s the baby due? You must be about eight months by the look of it?”

I looked at Gus, not sure just what to say. He gave my hand another squeeze.

“Laura, Zoe lost a baby just a couple of months ago. That pregnancy progressed unusually fast. Molly was born looking full term, but she died during her first night,” added Gus.

Laura frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Ayup. So are we. She was a beautiful baby girl.” He took a deep breath. “This baby isn’t more than a couple of month’s gestation.”

“I didn’t realize,” said Clark.

“That’s a bit concerning, isn’t it?” asked Laura softly as she sat across from us.

“It is,” answered Gus simply.

“Can we talk about something else?” I whispered.

“Sure, darlin’.”

Laura looked at her husband. Overall she had the appearance of a weathered and hardened woman, yet at times her face held a softness full of compassion. 

“You all enjoy your breakfast,” she said as she stood with tears in her eyes. “I’m going to check in on Al.”

Clark watched as his wife left the room. Once she was out of sight, he turned to us.

“We lost a little one years ago,” he explained. “Laura still gets weepy about it. We tried to have a baby for so long, but once it finally happened the baby was stillborn.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”

“Ah. It’s not your fault,” said Clark as he leaned back in his chair. He nearly fell over when a shrill scream came from the depths of the house.

“Clark! Clark!” shouted Laura. “Oh Lord Almighty!
Alice
!”

Clark and Gus were both up and out of their seats at the same time, even though Clark had a few years over Gus and wasn’t quite as fit. I ran behind them, headed toward the back bedrooms. The hallways were a bit disorienting and Laura continued to cry out for help. Her voice sounded strained as if she were struggling.

Too many of us tried to crowd into Alice’s bedroom all at once. Laura was holding onto Alice’s legs, which dangled a couple of feet above the floor, in a feeble attempt to support the girl’s body weight. Gus and Clark rushed forward. Gus pushed the older woman out of the way as he grabbed onto Alice’s lower half and lifted her.

“You’ll have to cut it, Clark!” he grunted.

I stood just inside the room, staring up at the young woman who I had only known for a few days. A length of rope hung from a pipe in the ceiling, the other end wrapped around her neck. Her face was swollen and her tongue protruded grossly from her mouth. Her eyes remained open, her eyeballs rolled up toward the ceiling. Her arms hung limply at her sides. Clark pulled a pocket knife from his pants pocket and was already standing on a wooden chair that had been lying on its side nearby.

“She’s gone,” I stated. When no one said anything, I raised my voice. “Gus, you can let go. She’s gone.”

He looked at me with sadness in his eyes, and then glanced at Laura, who stood in a corner crying. Finally his eyes settled upward on Alice’s face. His chest heaved with a deep sigh and he slowly let go of her.

“I’m sorry, Laura. Zoe’s right. She’s been gone for a while,” said Clark.

“Why?” sobbed Laura. “Why would she do this?”

I looked at the devastated woman and could almost feel the pain radiating from her. She’d been with both Megan and Alice since this curse had fallen upon the world, and now they were both gone.

“She just couldn’t take the pain anymore,” whispered Gus.

Clark stepped down from his perch on the chair. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We still need to get her down, and you don’t need to see that.”

From behind me, someone cleared their throat. I turned and saw Hoot standing just outside of the threshold to the room, waiting in the hall.

“Zoe, I can help in here. Do you want to take Laura to another room?”

In truth, I didn’t care to watch the dead girl being cut down, so I quietly walked to Laura and took her by the arm. “Let’s go look at that garden?” I whispered.

Laura was trembling. She went with me willingly. We settled in the kitchen instead of the garden, where she made herself busy setting a kettle of water on the wood burning stove.

“We’ll have some tea,” she said with great sadness in her voice. “Alice grew the herbs. She loved peppermint the best.”

“Laura, you sit down. I’ll make the tea,” I said.

She did as I suggested and took a seat at the old wooden table. The kitchen had a wall with six cubbies, all formed of concrete and bottles, each curtained with a piece of burlap. I peeked through four before finding mugs. I took two out and set one in front of her, and one for myself in the seat beside her.

“There’s a coffee press above the sink,” she whispered. “It’s what I use for tea. And the tea’s in a canister above the stove.”

“I got it,” I said softly.

I dropped several pinches of dried herbs into the bottom of the glass coffee press and poured boiling water on top. Carrying the contraption to the table, I set it down just before taking a seat next to her.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I know you were close to both Alice and her mother.”

The woman sniffled. “Very. They were both good people.” She chuckled under her breath. “Megan was a bit out of sorts, as I’m sure you noticed. She was so funny, though. Such a good sense of humor. And Alice. Oh, sweet Alice.”

I pressed the top of the French press down to move the tea leaves to the bottom of the cylinder and poured the hot tea into both mugs.

“They both seemed really sweet,” I lied. I hadn’t liked Megan at all. She had suggested we leave Abbey behind to die.

I took a sip of my mint tea and swallowed, enjoying the warmth as it traveled down my throat and into my stomach. 

“I think Abbey and Alice would have become good friends,” I said.

“Probably.” She sipped at her tea half-heartedly. “We should bury her out back. There’s a boulder she used to sit on and just watch the hills to the west.”

“I’m sure we could do that.”

I leaned back and placed a hand on my swollen belly as my baby decided to stretch. When she didn’t settle down and my insides grew excessively warm, I knew that Alice was rising. I reached for Laura’s hand and took it in my own.

“Laura, I think Alice is turning.”

She looked at me with sadness. “I hoped it wouldn’t happen,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I know it always does, but I had hoped not for her…”

“Stay here? You don’t need to see any of this,” I said firmly. “I’ll go see if they need any help.”

I hadn’t heard any commotion or struggling, but still felt my baby pummeling me from the inside out. I got up and walked down the tunnel-like hallway and into Alice’s room. She was lying on the floor on top of a bed sheet. Hoot and Gus were wrapping the edges of the sheet around her in preparation for carrying her out of the house. The loop of rope had been removed from her neck, but her face and tongue were still swollen. Her arms had been folded across her chest. A small amount of blood pooled beneath her head. She was still as death itself.

“You guys need to get back,” I said in confusion. “She’s turning.”

“No darlin’. We took care of that so she won’t wake up.”

“I can feel her,” I said. I could feel sweat beading on my forehead.

“I promise, I did it myself,” said Gus.

My belly actually jumped from our baby protesting the nearby living dead.

“If it’s not her, there’s one nearby,” I said. 

“It’s ok, I promise they can’t get through these walls.”

“What about that front window?” asked Hoot, being prudent.

Clark shook his head side to side. “Iron bars.”

I sighed, feeling slight relief.

“Laura’s in the kitchen. She wants to bury Alice in back by a boulder she liked.”

“We can take care of it,” said Gus. “You look a little peaked. You should go lay down for a bit.”

I nodded, grateful for the suggestion. My belly tightened and I felt sick to my stomach. “I’ll let Laura know you’re going to bury her.”

Gus stepped toward me and kissed me on the cheek. “Mind peeking in at Abbey on your way? Let Danny know what’s happened and that I’ll be in with another dose of medicine in about an hour?”

“Sure. He must be out cold, sleeping through all the noise in here,” I said. “Between Laura yelling and taking Alice’s body down.”

“He’s gonna get sick himself if he doesn’t get some decent sleep,” said Hoot. “If he’s sleeping just leave him be.”

“Sure.”

I left the room without saying anymore, anxious to get back to the family room to get off of my feet for a while. As I curved to the left with the wall, I first heard the sounds. My stomach felt like it dropped and my skin went cold. I knew that sound all too well. I had heard it far too many times in the past months. I forced myself to step forward, and when I did the smell of fresh blood mixed with the stench of human bowels that had been torn open. I covered my mouth with my hand in a feeble attempt to keep myself from gagging. I could see partly through the entryway to the room where Danny and Abbey were resting. I could see her bent over him on the floor, her braids hanging over her shoulders as she used her teeth to tear flesh from his gut. I could hear her chewing and snarling as she gorged. I felt faint and the hallway spun. I did the only thing I could think of, and called to Gus silently, using my mind. I doubted he’d hear me, but prayed it would work. Abbey hadn’t seen me yet, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until she turned her attention from Danny’s already cooling corpse to the living.