Read Revenence: Dead Silence, A Zombie Novel Online
Authors: M.E. Betts
After they concluded the short service, she returned to the loft and wandered languidly out to the balcony and sank down into a lounger. She thought back to all the mornings when she and Fauna had sat in those loungers, drinking their coffee. She glanced over at the empty seat next to her...and nearly screamed out loud, instead managing only a loud, panicked gasp.
There was a woman perched in the lounger. She seemed to be wearing a period costume, perhaps Victorian. Her pale blonde hair hung in ringlets around her shoulders. She regarded Shari with amusement.
"Well now, don't look so surprised, princess! It was only a matter of time before you cracked up, wasn't it? You recognize my voice, don't you? I'm Kandi. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
You're not real
, Shari thought.
"
Ouch
, that hurts! And anyway, who's to say what's real and what's not? If I'm real in your head, doesn't that make me real enough?" Shari rose from the lounger and went back inside the loft.
"What? You think I won't follow you in?" The intruder disappeared momentarily as Shari closed the sliding door. She then reappeared inside the loft beside Shari. "You oughtta be thanking me, you know. You wouldn't have gotten this far without me, princess. Who do you think helped you to do all these things you've been doing latey?" Shari closed her eyes, waited ten seconds, and reopened them.
"Still here, love," Kandi said.
You're a figment of my imagination,
Shari thought. Her heart raced.
Oh God, I'm losing it.
"Relax, dear. This isn't a bad thing, really, it isn't. How do you think people manage to survive in circumstances like those you've experienced over the last few months?" Shari ignored the question, holding her head in her hands, pressing her eyes as if they were they were to blame for the hallucination. "They manage--listen carefully, this pertains to you--by allowing themselves to crack up. Just a bit, mind you. Here's what it boils down to...you can either crack for the
better,
or you can crack up for the
worse
. You can crack a few eggs to make an omelette, or you can resist and drop the whole dozen on the floor, making for a bloody mess. It's all up to you, really. You know what I suggest, princess? Roll with it. If you don't, it may very well roll over you, you understand? You can't do this alone. You need me. If I weren't a necessary part of your survival strategy, then I wouldn't be here." Shari opened her eyes, considering her options carefully. She realized that her new imaginary friend was right. She fullly understood, finally, why she had felt so disembodied lately. Kandi had been there with her when she saw her first zombies...she had been there when she was in denial about what was going on that first day. She had been there when she rekilled Mitchell Astley, and she had been there when she learned to shoot a bow. Every time Shari did something that was generally outside of her character...every time, Kandi was there.
I get it now,
Shari thought.
Well then...I guess I should be grateful to you. I just wish I didn't have to go batshit crazy...but thanks, I guess.
"Oh, it was nothing, really," Kandi replied. "I was just fulfilling my function. I'm glad you're coming to terms with it, by the way, because we'll work much better in tandem than if you had decided to be stubborn and uncooperative. You're a smart girl, Shari. It hasn't all been because of me, you know...you do deserve your fair share of credit for having come so far in such a short period of time. The two of us together can do great things, you know. I just know we'll get along famously."
"It’s more difficult than you’d think to hide the fact that an imaginary companion is talking to you night and day,” Kandi had responded with a smirk. "You think you can just ignore me, play it cool."
Well, it won’t be difficult for long, because we’re leaving soon
, Shari had replied. Kandi had momentarily feigned surprise, then laughed.
“I already know that, dear. Don’t forget, I live in your head! Your decision to leave here is one of the things that made my appearance necessary.”
Shari had decided to help Jon and Cindy as best as she could before she left. She had them both using bows...not particularly well, but she spent a few days teaching them the basics. Jon already knew how to use the radio, and Shari promised to try and get in touch when she was within range.
She searched through some of the reference books in the loft. She took the ones with the most useful information into the house, where she used Fauna’s all-in-one printer to make copies of the important pages. She wanted to know how to make her own bow, throw together a radio receiver, transmitter, or antenna from spare components, or what plants in the wild were edible or useful. Making copies gave her the opportunity to take the information with her, but leave the books for Jon and his family. It also kept her duffel bag as light as possible. She figured a few key pages were much lighter than lugging all those books around. She put the loose pages into an empty folder she found in the desk and stashed them in her bag. She looted the bathroom for any key items that might prove useful...a tube of antibiotic ointment, a bottle of ibuprofen, some gauze and medical tape, plus several rolls of duct tape and a handful of other essentials. She gathered all of the personal items she needed, and a few sentimental ones. She then ascended to the attic, and finished filling her bag with all the ammo that she could fit into it. She also filled a backpack she had found in the garage with ammo. She took two AK’s, one regular and one of the ones that were modified for sniping, and of course, the bow that Fauna had given her. She also her Fauna's .357 in one coat pocket and her Glock model 30 in the other. She dressed Eva, loaded her duffel bag on, and got ready to be on her way.
“I’ll be back to visit,” she told Jon and Cindy. “I don’t know when, really, but I’ll be back.”
“You’re leaving now?” Timothy asked, looking up at Shari with large, curious eyes.
“Yeah, I’m leaving,” Shari replied. “You help your mommy and daddy, okay?” Timothy nodded. “I’ve got to go try and find my own mommy and daddy,” she explained.
“Take this for good luck,” Timothy said, holding out his tiny hand. He offered her a smooth, ovular rock. It was dark gray with small, goldish flecks that glittered radiantly in the sun.
“Thank you, Timothy!” Shari said, hugging him tightly. She put the rock in her chest pocket. “I bet it’ll bring me plenty of good luck. And when I come back to visit you, I’ll be sure to bring you something cool.” He grinned, his eyes lighting up.
“Mommy, she said she's gonna bring me a surprise!” he cried, running over to Cindy. She smiled and scooped him up, then approached Shari.
“You be careful out there,” Cindy said. She hugged Shari, taking her by surprise. “And...you know, I’m sorry about...you know...what happened. I mean, I'm not happy about what you and Jon did, but I'm sorry I pulled a gun on you.”
Shari shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I know you guys are good people, and I’m glad you’re here to make use of this place, and to keep it going. I know Fauna’s glad for that, too.”
She mounted Eva, and started down the driveway.
“Be careful, Shari!” Jon called. She nodded, then looked back and waved.
“You guys take care of eachother, alright?” she called over her shoulder.
She turned onto the road.
This is it,
she thought, wondering for the first time if she had made the right decision.
"Having second thoughts, are we? Got the screaming abdabs?" Kandi had appeared beside her, riding an imaginary horse of her own. It was a shining, jet-black Arabian.
Oh, right
, Shari thought.
She's part of the reason I left
.
"I hate it when you think about me like that, as if I can't hear your thoughts," Kandi complained. "So where to, then?"
"I dunno," Shari said aloud. "Eventually I'll try to make it to my parents' house, but I guess for now I'll just...survey the damage. See what I see, you know? Keep in mind, I...
we
, I guess...haven't seen much of the world since all this happened. I've heard reports on the radio, but I haven't experienced it firsthand."
"Well, I'm sure it'll be lots of fun," Kandi said sarcastically. "Whole towns burned out and looted, sadists making survivors' lives even more of a living hell than they already are. What great craic it will be. No matter, at least you've got me to keep you company."
"Yeah, lucky me." Shari muttered.
"I resent that, you know," Kandi said, pouting. "There'll come a time when you realize once and for all what an asset I really am to you. And in the meantime, try not to be such a wench, will you?" Shari rode on silently, eyes straight ahead.
"Undead, fifty yards away to your right," Kandi said nonchalantly. Shari glanced over...two of them headed her way, sure enough.
"I'm not wasting the bullets, or the time it would take to get my arrows back," Shari said, riding faster. "But thanks for the heads-up."
Kandi smirked, and rode faster to keep up with Shari. "I'll keep 'em coming," she said.
"What about his ATV?" she had heard one of them ask.
"We'll come back for it later," one of them had responded. "It's nine of us on nine ATVs. Do the math...nine of us can't drive ten vehicles, numbnuts."
Daphne knew how cold they were, because she'd seen and dealt with these types of people many times before since April. She also knew they wouldn't change their plans, that they wouldn't consider the fact that, perhaps, the person who had slain their buddy had heard them talk about where they were going. They would drive on, as planned, to the settlement They just weren't intelligent enough to be self-conscious.
They're all the same breed of animal,
she had thought bitterly.
They'll never surprise me.
She had idled his ATV off of the road, into the thick cover of the woods. She had checked the man's body for valuables and cut off his right ear, stashing it in her pouch. Once she could no longer hear the sounds of their motors, she had mounted the ATV and set off in the direction of the settlement they had mentioned. It wasn't usually in her nature to use any sort of vehicle, as she preferred walking whenever she had a choice. However, she had been hoping to catch up to them before they got to the town, and perhaps spare the lives of the inhabitants. As she neared the settlement, the sadists hadn't heard the motor of her approaching ATV over the screams and chaos they were causing amongst the inhabitants. By the time she had gotten there, at least half a dozen men were already dead, their guns and ammo stolen. She had heard women and children weeping, and the two surviving men of the settlement shouting to one another. She had managed to take out two of the raiders with throwing sticks before the rest had hastily retreated.