Praying for Grace (2 page)

“Abs, try giving him your finger to suck on,” I said quickly.

I grabbed the lighter from Nathan as he held it toward me. I struck the lighting mechanism again, and made my way toward the stove. Opening it, I was glad to see it was filled with what looked like ancient crumpled newspaper. It looked dry and I wondered how long it had been abandoned there. In an environment like this, it should have mildewed long ago. I struck the lighter for a second time and held it to one of the wads of paper. It caught quickly and a tendril of smoke rose toward the flue at the back of the iron chamber. Knowing I had no time to waste, I looked about for any longer-lasting sources of fuel to add to the meager fire. I struggled to open the door of the cooking compartment that sat beside the fire box. The iron handle was rusted and didn’t move easily. Finally, it gave way and stacked inside were several dried braids of woven grasses and a few medium sized pieces of split firewood. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect stash. I added one of the woven pieces to the quickly-burning newspaper and blew on it gently to encourage the flames to take. I could hear the commotion of the others trying to move the table without me, but knew I had to get the fire going. As soon as the braided grass was ablaze, I stuffed a piece of wood into the stove and hoped for the best. I stood and turned to help the others, and my head suddenly filled with the essence of the living dead. 

I didn’t have time to warn the others. Susan began screaming, the sound shrill and ear-piercing. Her cries blended with Emmett’s. The light from the fire was just enough to brighten the room. Nathan was already hobbling toward the open window, where Susan was stuck between the opening and the table that she helped move. I could see her struggling against the creature that was outside. Its signature was faint in my mind, especially for being so close, but I was fairly certain it was an aged Roamer. As far as I could tell there was only one. Boggs was the first to reach Susan, who was flailing against the force of the creature that was doing its best to pull her outside.

“It’s got my hair!” she wailed. She proceeded to scream in pain again.

Boggs wrapped his arms around her waist the best he could, considering that the table stood in his way.

“Move the table!” he shouted. “I can’t get her with the table in the way!”

“Fuck!” screamed Susan. “Fuck, get it
off
me!”

Death was in the air, now mixed with the smell of blood. I rushed forward, where I met Danny and Nathan. The three of us struggled to slide the heavy table away from the window.

“Abbey!” I yelled as we weren’t moving it fast enough. “Leave the baby on the floor! We need help!”

The girl did as instructed, joining us in the effort. At last the heavy piece of furniture budged enough for Boggs to wedge himself in beside Susan.

“Oh fuck…” I heard him moan.

Susan’s cries had subdued, leaving her whimpering.

“She’s bleeding,” cried out Boggs as he began striking at the creature that the rest of us had yet to lay eyes upon.

“Cut my fucking hair, Boggs!” cried out Susan.

“I can’t Sue, its face is too close,” grunted Boggs as he struggled with the creature.

The signature of the Roamer was growing in my head. It was hungry, but there was something else. Susan was bleeding and the smell of her blood was driving it wild. I wasn’t sure if it was me smelling the iron scent of blood, or the living dead smelling it. Either way, it was nauseating. Eventually Susan began screaming in pain again as I heard the sound of Boggs hacking into dead flesh. It took longer than usual, but the signature in my head finally faded as the zombie died. I heard it crumple to the ground outside, knocking something against the house as it did so.

Boggs hurried Susan away from the window, her whimpering now drowned by the wailing baby.

“Is she bit?” yelled Danny, being prudent. When no one answered he raised his voice even louder. “Damn it! Is she fucking bit?”

I looked over at the teen and saw the worry on his face. Boggs kept his hold around Susan’s waist and Nathan was already at their side. He took his shirt off and held it over the side of her head, which I assumed was where she was wounded.

“I…I…I don’t think so,” stammered Susan.

Abbey looked at me with fear in her eyes. I knew that she was silently asking me to tell her everything was fine. Instead, I reached out and took hold of her elbow and pushed her behind me.

“Abs, stay back till we’re sure,” I whispered. “Boggs,” I continued. “Nate. You both need to back away from her.”

“No way, Zoe,” answered Nathan. “She needs me. I’ll take the risk.”

“Boggs, step back,” I continued.

Susan whimpered again. Whether from pain or fear, I wasn’t sure. I reached behind myself for my familiar pistol, forgetting that I had long ago lost it. Boggs made no move toward safety.

“If she’s wounded you know she’ll turn. You’re risking everyone’s safety if you’re close when it happens,” I said, trying to keep my tone down. I knew Gus would agree, if he were still with us.

“She’s right,” said Danny, in an attempt to help me.

“We have to check her out,” I said. “You know the rules. Head to toe. That’s how we’ve always done it.”

“I’ll look her over,” said Nathan. “Just give me a minute.”

“You have to let me help, Nate. With your leg, it’s too big a risk,” Boggs voiced his concern. “You ok with that, Sue?”

I could see tears mixed with blood staining Susan’s face. She nodded ‘yes’ to Boggs and looked pathetically at Nathan.

“I don’t think it bit me. I think it pulled my hair out.” Her breathing was starting to calm now.

“Take her over by the fire,” suggested Danny. “It’ll be warmer and there’s more light.”

As Boggs began ushering Susan toward the old stove, I backed up, taking Abbey along with me.

“I want to stay with her,” mumbled the girl. I knew she was terrified that she may lose the woman who had grown to be like a sister, or even a mother, to her.

“Come help me with the baby, ok?” I asked quietly.

Baby Emmett was still fussing but sounded exhausted. I lifted him from the cold floor.

“Abs, grab a diaper and a blanket from the pack?” I asked.

I could have done it myself but wanted to give her a task to help occupy her mind. Emmett’s sleeper suit was soaked-though with urine and his diaper was falling off from overuse. I peeled both off and set them aside. Abbey was at our side quickly with a fresh diaper and receiving blanket. The baby was breathing in irregular gasps from the exertion of crying, so I quickly diapered him and loosely wrapped him in the soft baby blanket.

“Thanks, Abs. Can you sit here with us till they make sure Susan’s ok?”

The girl didn’t answer, but sat beside me while I pulled my shirt up to nurse the baby. Once he was latched on, I reached my hand out and took Abbey’s in my own. I could feel her trembling. We watched absently while Susan stripped down from the waist-up and Nathan and Boggs looked her over. She was free from wounds, aside from the one on the side of her head. True to her word, a large clump of hair and skin was missing from her temple. Nathan and Boggs did their best to wipe the area clean with Nate’s shirt, but the bleeding made inspecting it difficult.

“I don’t see any bites or scratches, Zo,” said Boggs. “She’s missing a big wad of hair, though.”

“Does it hurt?” I called out. “Gus left some pain pills in one of the bags on the beach.” My heart dropped in my chest at the mention of his name.

“It’s pretty bad,” she admitted. “But I think I’ll be ok.”

Baby Emmett had calmed down in my arms and was nursing contently.

“Zoe, didn’t you sense that fucker?” asked Nathan.

“Not till it was already on her,” I said, trying to not startle the baby.

“It’s not her fault,” said Boggs in my defense. 

“We need to secure the window,” said Danny.

“Nate, let’s get you and Susan resting. Danny and I can stack the crates against the table.”

Susan and Nathan helped each other to an empty spot against a wall near the stove. “Can I go over by them now?” asked Abbey, sounding very much like the little girl I had first met.

I nodded. “Go ahead, sweetie. I’ll help with the window.”

Abbey sat next to Nathan, who wrapped an arm around each of his girls. The three sat quietly. I watched as Boggs and Danny made quick work of moving crates. Eventually Emmett fell asleep in my arms.

Boggs came and sat beside me and the baby while Danny began looking through some of the boxes.

“Danny and I want to check out the rest of the place,” he whispered to me.

“Do you think Susan’s ok?” I asked, just as quietly.

“Honestly? I do. I’m glad she’s fallen asleep, for her sake. Her head looks like it hurts like a mother fucker.”

“When will you and Danny explore?”

“As soon as we can. We need light, though. He’s checking through boxes for anything helpful.”

“Want me to come help look?”

Boggs shook his head. “No, just keep the baby comfortable for now. He’s had a long day too. It might have been his crying that attracted the dead fuck.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. “Where do you think it came from?”

“No idea. Maybe it’s what you saw from the shore below?”

“Maybe. I’m not sensing them like I was.”

“I’m starting to think this fucking island was a bad idea.”

“Boggs, what do you think the flashes in the sky were?”

“I suppose a meteor shower. We’ll probably never know.”

“I suppose not,” I mumbled.

“Boggs,” called Danny. “Jackpot.”

Boggs stood and walked to the teenager. I listened as they fiddled with something, but the room was too dark to see what Danny had found. Within a few minutes the beams of flashlights blinded us all.

“Flashlights?” I asked.

“Inside an emergency kit. Abbey, can you take this thermal blanket to Susan?” asked Danny.

She stood and took a small thin metallic blanket from him. She unfolded it and wrapped it around both Nathan and Susan, who didn’t stir.

“Nate you should use the first aid kit to clean her scalp,” suggested Boggs.

“I’m on it,” he answered.

“I’ll bring it over,” offered Abbey. She seemed glad to help them in any way she could.

“Danny and I are going to check out the rest of the place,” explained Boggs.

The two of them left through an interior door. I hoped we’d see them again.

It seemed to take forever until Danny and Boggs returned. I knew everything was ok by the looks on their faces. Nathan cleaned Susan’s head wound the best he could, and she now slept with a strip from one of Emmett’s receiving blankets wrapped around her head. Blood was already seeping through. She barely stirred when Boggs began telling us about the rest of the house.

“It’s good news. The house is old and most of the widows are high and small. There’s only four other rooms and it shouldn’t take long to secure. Once it gets light out we’ll get to work and relocate farther inside.”

“I don’t like it here,” said Abbey. “It’s cold and feels weird. And I’m hungry.”

“I think we’re all hungry,” said Danny. “We’ll look for food as soon as we secure the building.”

“There’s some dried food in the pack down on the beach,” said Nathan. His voice was strained and I wondered if his leg was paining him more than usual. I knew he wouldn’t take any of the pain pills that were still down on the beach, though, because of his past drug addiction.

“I don’t think we should risk you or Sue going back down, since you’re both injured,” I mentioned.

“I’ll help,” said Abbey.

“Danny, I think one of us should stay with Nate and Sue. And the baby. Two of us should head down for the supplies. I want to take Zoe,” said Boggs. “Can you stay here?”

“What about me?” asked Abbey.

“It’d help if you tend to the baby while we’re gone,” said Boggs.

Abbey looked disappointed but nodded her agreement. “Ok.”

“We’ll leave at first light,” said Boggs.

Most of us slept until morning. I only managed to get in a brief nap, hoping Gus would talk to me in my dreams. He was as absent in my sleep as he now was in my life.

***

With morning came the filtered light of a sun hidden by clouds heavy with moisture. Rain had fallen steadily since we arrived, and the new day brought no exception. My mood was as dark as the sky. Boggs and Danny had already gone after our supplies, only to find they had been carried away with the tide. Danny, Abbey, and Boggs went to check the rest of the house for any usable supplies. I stayed behind to feed the baby, and Nathan and Susan continued to doze. I was worried about them both. I feared that Nathan’s leg was in much worse shape than any of us knew, and Susan felt feverish.

The others were taking far too long for my comfort, so once Emmett had his fill, I bundled him up and carried him into the next room. Daylight was scarce through the small windows in the stone walls, but I was able to make out basic shapes. I stood in what I figured was a living area. It was sparse, with only a few more crates in one corner and the remains of an old sofa against the interior wall. The piece of furniture was threadbare and old batting had been pulled out of the arm rests, likely by a rodent seeking nesting material. Like the walls, the floor was made of stone. A second wood stove sat in a far corner.

“Boggs?” I called out as loudly as I dared.

“Back here,” answered.

Emmett had fallen asleep, so I nestled him onto the couch.

I walked deeper into the house. Cobwebs hung from the cracks and crevices of the walls. The air felt moist and cold and smelled stagnant. I startled when I entered a narrow hallway and heard something in one of the back rooms fall over.

“You ok, Danny?” I heard Boggs ask.

I went ahead and entered what must have been a bedroom. Danny was kneeling on the floor next to a chair that appeared to have fallen over. He and Boggs both looked up as I entered, each holding a finger to their lips, signaling for me to be quiet. I was set immediately on alert, and stopped in my tracks. Boggs took a step back from Danny, and then also knelt on one knee on the floor. This room was different than the others. It looked newer, with the three outer walls framed in with drywall instead of old fashioned lath and plaster. The wall that was now directly to my back looked like it must have been the exterior, matching the rest of the stone walls that I had seen in the living room. The floor was made of wide wooden planks, and not concrete. An old area rug was lying near Danny, one corner disheveled. I surmised that he had tripped on it, resulting in the chair being knocked over. The far corner held old furniture that had been stacked and covered in sheets of thick muslin. Half was now uncovered, making me wonder if Boggs had been looking through things. Boggs and Danny both hovered over a certain area of the floor, where the area rug had been moved back. I could tell they were listening. Boggs held a palm up indicating that I should stay back. I could hear my own pulse and Danny’s breathing. Like the guys crouched before me, I listened intently. A faint and short lived splash that came from beneath us.

Danny looked up and met my eyes with his. Eventually he unlocked his gaze with me and peeled the area rug back farther. With the movement of the rug came another splash, this time louder. Something beneath us was moving. A chill ran up my spine and out of instinct I looked around for anything that might be used as a weapon. I also reached deep into my mind, searching for anything that might present itself to me on a primal level. It was there, but what ‘it’ was exactly was unclear. I found myself wishing there were more of us in the room, but knew that Nathan and Susan would only be in the way. I wanted Abbey far from here. Whatever was below the floor was evil. Of that I was sure.

We were lacking in supplies and weapons. With the loss of Gus came the loss of one of our greatest resources: a leader with strength. I had become so accustomed to sharing my thoughts with him that without thinking or meaning to, I reached out to him. It wasn’t in words. It was just a sense of desperate need for him. Of course, he didn’t answer back. My heart sank, the pain too much too bear. I had avoided thinking about my love, my soul mate, knowing that when I finally allowed myself the privilege it might very well break me to a point beyond repair.

Before I realized they were doing it, Boggs and Danny cracked open a panel in the floor. The underlying scent of mustiness instantly mingled with that of rot and nose-biting vinegar. Immediately the sound of splashing escalated and was accompanied by a low-tone growl.

“What the fuck!” grumbled Boggs. “Zoe, stay back.” He had already raised one hand out to warn me back, and covered his nose and mouth with the other.

Danny took a defensive stance a couple feet away from Boggs. The splashing sounds had quieted but the growling continued.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“I’m not sure,” said Boggs as he turned his flashlight on and shined it into the space beneath the floor. His face paled and I was sure he was about to vomit. A split second later my prediction came true as he spilled the meager contents of his stomach into the opening in the floor, the mess landing somewhere below with an echoing splash. The growling changed tone and became a hissing, sounding very much like a warning to keep back. 

I walked forward. The worst that could happen would be death, and by that point I was ok with death. For a moment I even considered blindly walking into the hole and just getting it over with. As Boggs wiped his mouth and Danny moved forward toward the hole, so did I. Danny took his own flashlight and shined it into the abyss.  I leaned forward, but Boggs held me back gently.

“You don’t want to see this, Zo,” he said after clearing his throat.

“No. I need to,” I answered firmly.

The stench was growing unbearable. I looked down, following the beam of light from Danny’s flashlight, which flickered twice.

“It’s in the back left corner,” said Boggs.

There was a set of wooden stairs leading down into a room that looked just tall enough in which to stand. The floor was slanted and was covered in stagnant water. It was too dark to determine just how deep it got.

“Boggs, give me your light,” I said.

“No way,” he said.

“I’m not asking.”

I heard him sigh when I reached an open hand out for the flashlight, never taking my eyes off of the depths of the room. Eventually I felt the cold shaft of the small metal light in my palm. I gripped it with my fingers and found the on/off switch with my thumb. I aimed it at the hole before turning the beam of light on. Holding my own light instead of depending upon Danny’s, which was again flickering, I was able to clearly see the concrete walls of the room. The liquid on the floor looked muddy. There were still ripples on the surface from movement.

I put the butt end of the flashlight in my mouth and gripped it with my teeth, and then swiftly sat on the edge of the hole and swung my legs over.

“No, kid,” said Boggs from behind me.

His voice sounded stern and I felt his hand clutching the back of my shirt.  Without looking away from the hole, I shrugged him off.

“Shhh,” I whispered. “Listen.”

Coming from below was a low snarl followed by several muted yet organized clicks. Boggs’ grip on my shirt relaxed, and I took the opportunity to lurch forward, quickly descending the wood treads of the makeshift stairs. I heard Boggs cursing behind me, however it didn’t stop me from proceeding forward. Once my feet hit the hard floor beneath the mucky water, I shined the light into the far corner where Boggs had indicated he saw something. Lying in several inches of liquid was a humanoid form. I could make out a head, chest, and arms, but nothing from the waist down. It was marbled red and brown with streaks of yellow. As the creature saw me approach, it advanced by pulling itself along using its forearms. It made a scraping sound from exposed bone meeting concrete as it pulled itself along. It was then that I realized how stupid I had been, coming down without a weapon. I looked around quickly in hope of finding anything I could use to defend myself. I had been prepared to die, to let the end just come, but my head was suddenly filled with a flicker of desire to live. It was reminiscent of the spark I had shared with Gus, but I knew it was not him. It was something that came from deep within myself.  I heard Boggs rushing down the steps behind me, and was suddenly glad. The creature stopped abruptly, much as a running dog on a tether would be halted by a length of chain.

“It’s tied up,” said Boggs quietly from behind me.

I looked at the creature, studying it. Bits of sloughed skin floated in the liquid behind it. Some of it contained long strands of hair. The stench was becoming dizzying. The thing looked back at me. I knew it could see me, even though there was nothing recognizable as eyeballs. I could not sense it. I could not see from its point of view. Its teeth were visible though a mouth that was unable to close due to a lack of proper flesh, leaving it with an eternal scowl. Arms ended in hands that were mostly bone and sinew. Lengths of thin cable bit into each limb at the wrist. I followed the cables with my eyes to where they attached to a heavy metal ring in the wall. The decayed zombie had only been able to crawl to the middle of the floor. It lay there, still trying to advance, but unable to leave its restraints behind. Each movement brought a slosh and stirred up the foul odor.

“Who would do this?” I asked as I began gagging. “And what is that smell?”

Boggs stepped beside me and leaned forward, dipping his fingers into the liquid on the floor. I watched in disgust as he sniffed his fingertips.

“Smells like vinegar,” he mumbled as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. “And death.”

“We need to kill it,” said Danny from above.

“I have to get out of here,” I said through my hand, which was covering my nose and mouth.

“I’ll take care of it,” offered Boggs.

The creature began keening all of a sudden. I had been looking up at Danny and whipped my head around to look at the disgusting thing before us. I still couldn’t feel it in my head. I felt a pull, though. It was trying to communicate with me. It opened its mouth wide, as if to scream. I didn’t see a tongue and was quite sure that the inside of its throat had rotten away long ago. When I didn’t respond to it, it grew frustrated. It began writhing in the liquid, splashing about. It had no legs but the base of its spinal column was still precariously attached, reminding me of a rattlesnake.

“Boggs,” said Danny after clearing his throat. “Do you see it?”

I was listening, but afraid to look away from the creature.

“I do. It’s ignoring me and you. Zo, what does it want?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t feel it.”

I heard Boggs sigh beside me, but ignored him. The creature snarled at me, its hissing mixed with a gurgling sound.

“I need to get out of here,” I said quietly. “Boggs, kill it after I leave?”

I would have done the job myself, but felt too sick from the stench in the room. I climbed the stairs and quickly left the room. As I made my way down the short hall to the living area, I put my hands on my knees and leaned forward, forcing myself to take deep breaths. Vomit was threatening to spill on the floor and my head was spinning. From behind me I heard a single gunshot. I assumed that Boggs or Danny had put the creature down, but nothing signaled me internally since I had been unable to read the beast.

As I began to walk back toward the small kitchen area where the rest of the group waited, I heard Emmett begin to fuss. It was probably time for him to eat again, so I picked up my pace to cross the room quickly. I wanted to put the gruesome scene behind me as fast as I could.