Rotten (23 page)

Mrs. Williams is small, curvy, blonde and brown-eyed, and you already know about the fifties vibe she has going on.  I imagine that she is in her late forties, but I would never ask and something about her seems ageless.  She keeps her hair short and Marilyn Monroe-ish, and wears red lipstick (even in the apocalypse), and she just looks like the type of lady who actually does clean house in pearls and heels.  

I believe I had adequately described Sully so I will move on to myself.  I am half-Japanese, and no I can’t speak Japanese and honestly, I know nothing about the culture.  My father was an American, his father was the immigrant, and my mother was as much as a southern belle as one could find in our era, and together they were an unlikely and short-lived couple as my dad died when I was two years old.  My father’s side of the family did not approve of the marriage and had nothing to do with us, so it was a surprise when my grandfather included me in the will.  I am average size, have brown eyes, and black hair that I wear just past my shoulders. 

Now back to the story.

The man, Ron, who was tall and slim, broke the silence. “I could use another beer if you could spare it, it’s been a long hard week, hasn’t it, Beth?”  The woman, her cheeks bright red, nodded her head with her eyes focused on the table.

Sully stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge.  “Anyone else?”

We all said we wanted one and Sully handed them out.  Princess looked at the man, popped open her beer, and took a sip.  “So what’s your nationality?  If I had to guess I’d say you got some African swimming around in your bloodstream.  Don’t you think, Moon Man?”

Moonshine cracked a painful smile.  “You’re probably right, Princess.  Let’s go get those chickens put away.” 

“No, ma’am, I am purebred white American,” Ron responded, as we started down the stairs.

“What the ever-loving fuck?”  Princess held it until we stepped outside.  “Sorry girls”

“I don’t blame you,” Rebekah said, and then turned to Sarah. “Don’t say that word.”

“I know. It’s an adult word.”

“I look Jewish?” Highland laughed.

“Well, seems I look like an Indian, what an asshole.”  Rotten shook his head.  “I didn’t think people like that still existed and hell he’s not even that old, what thirty-five?  Forty, tops.”

“Now you guys know why I was out here when you got back.”  Will kicked a rock down the driveway.  “He told me I looked Mexican and asked if I was legal.  My dad would have said there’s no fixing ignorant trash, no matter the color.  Seems to me there’s only two kinds of people left in the world, deadheads and us.” 

“There’s no way that asshole is staying here, no f….” Princess took a deep breath.  “No way.”

“Dude.” Moonshine held up his fist for a bump.  “I don’t think I’ve been sized up so fast in my life, and with some of the rednecks I’ve hung out with that’s saying a lot.” 

Sully stepped out, shaking his head, and shut the door firmly behind him.  “He’s taking a shower.”  He sighed. 

“He’s not staying here,” Princess said.

“I agree.  He’s some work, isn’t he?  And can he talk, some of the most ridiculous crass bullshit I’ve ever heard, I’m worn out.  And it’s only been a couple hours?”  Sully looked at Will.

“Yep, about two hours,” Will said.

“Longest two hours of my life.  Wayne, why don’t we ride up to Mrs. Simpson’s place and get that Cadillac.  We’ll give it to them and give them some food and send them on their way.  I don’t mind if that Connie woman stays, she’s seems to be good company for your mother, but I’m with you about Ron and Beth, they need to go.” 

“Good idea, let’s go.” Highland turned to the sedan.

As they pulled out of the driveway Mrs. Williams stepped outside.

“Look, he’s already running us all out of our own place,” Will said.

Mrs. Williams sighed.  “I’m sorry about that kids.”

“It is not your fault,” Rotten said.  “He can’t stay here.”

She nodded.  “He is definitely a disruptive force we don’t need.  I would like to ask Connie to stay, though.”

“She seems fine to me, but not that a-hole.” Princess winked at Sarah. 

“He’s like a caricature, everything about him is over the top and exaggerated, and his poor wife barely speaks, and usually looks to him for permission before she does.  I feel sorry for her.  Connie met up with them on the way and I assume she felt it was safer to travel in a group than alone.  Where did Sully and Wayne head off to?”

“They went to get them a car so we can send them on their way,” Rotten said.  “And the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.”

“We’ll tell them at dinner and I’ll try to get a moment alone with Connie and ask if she wants to stay.  Some of you come back in with me please, we need some distraction.” 

We looked at each other, none of us wanting to volunteer, and finally I spoke.  “I’ll go.”

“I’ll come with you,” Will said.  “I’ll break out a board game or something.”

“I like games,” Sarah said.

“We’ll go, too,” Rebekah said and we followed Mrs. Williams back into the house. 

When we reached the top of the stairs Ron was just shutting the refrigerator door with a fresh beer in his hand, Connie was stirring the stew at the stove, and Beth was still sitting at the table.   “Y’all got anymore beer?”

“If we do they’re for all of us.” Princess appeared at the top of the stairs. 

“No need to be rude, little lady.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Princess sat on the couch beside Will as he set up a checkerboard.

Ron walked over to the recliner where Will spent his nights and sat down, watching us.  “Where’re you from, Dawn.”

“Her name is Dove, like the bird,” Sarah said.

“Don’t back talk me, girl.”

“She’s not back talking, she’s correcting your mistake, her name is Dove,” Princess said.

“I’m from Freemont,” I said.

“No, I mean originally.” 

“Originally, I’m from Freemont.” I knew what he was asking, but I wanted to irritate him.  “And originally my mom was from Freemont and my dad was from Atlanta.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just call you China girl,” he sneered.

“Suit yourself,” I said. 

“Maybe we’ll just call you redneck, then,” Princess said.

“What?  Is she your girlfriend?”  He smiled at us and I felt dirty.

“Dove, could you come help me in the kitchen?” Mrs. Williams interrupted.

“Sure thing.”  I was grateful for the reprieve, but I was thinking she should have called Princess.  I could tell by the hard set of my best friend’s jaw she was about to lose it.

“I am so sorry,” Connie whispered, as I stepped around the counter.

I glanced over at Beth. I couldn’t really tell how old she was, but I thought she was younger than Ron.  She had dark medium length hair pulled back in a pony tail and she bordered on that line that some women spend their life fighting of not thin, but not quite fat.  She sat at the table in the same position as she had earlier and stared down at the wood grain.  I looked back at Connie and raised my brows.

“She’s just lost her daughter,” Connie whispered and cut her eyes in Ron’s direction.  “I think she had it rough before that.”  Connie was older, in her sixties, and had short gray hair, a soft face that hadn’t wrinkled, and was on the chubby side.

“You don’t say.”  I was nearly amazed how one person could change the energy of the room, suddenly we were whispering and hiding, suddenly we all felt threatened.  It seemed in the zombie apocalypse the enemy changed daily, if it wasn’t zombies or all-powerful gods and their enforcers - the men in black- it was ignorant rednecks spewing destructive hate. 

I almost squealed in relief when Rotten and Moonshine stepped into the room.  “So has the one-legged zombie shown up yet?”  Moonshine sat on a barstool facing Ron across the room.

“Not yet.” Will looked up from the checkerboard.  “I guess it takes a while to drag yourself from Arlington.” 

“So where’re y’all headed next?”  Rotten stood at the glass, looking out into the yard, with his rifle still in hand.  I suppose I should mention we were all armed, well everyone except Sarah, we had taken to having a gun within reach at all times.  We’d seen enough zombie movies to understand that our survival depended on us being quick thinking and ready. 

“I figure we landed where we was headed.”  Ron stood up.  “Why would we want to leave? Y’all got everything we need.”

“We’re not a hotel and this house is full, there’s plenty of empty houses around.”  Princess settled on a barstool beside Moonshine.

“No, I’m pretty sure we’re staying here, it’s rough out there and there sure as hell ain’t no cold beer.”  He laughed. 

Sully stepped in the room, followed by Highland, and said, “We’ve got you a car and it has a full tank of gas.”  He held up the keys. 

“I was just explaining to the kids that we was staying, we don’t need the car.”

“You’re not welcome here, Ron.” Mrs. Williams stepped around the counter.  “We’ve created a family here and you just don’t fit in, it’s not personal.  And as Princess said, there are plenty of empty houses these days.” 

His cheeks turned a bright shade of red.  “So the united nations here have voted me off the island?”
 

“If that’s the way you want to see it, then yes, we would like you to go.” Sully stepped over to stand beside Mrs. Williams.

Beth lifted her head and looked around at us as though she was waking from a very deep and long sleep.  “I understand.” 

“Sit down, woman, we ain’t leaving.  Look folks, I’m sorry if I offended anyone, but I believe in calling a spade a spade.”  He smiled at Moonshine.  “I’m not politically correct and I’m not used to diversity, I know in the city it’s all about diversity, but we’s country out here.  So if I see a chink I call it a chink, my grandfather fought in WWII so I got a right to call it as I see it.  That don’t mean we can’t get along.” 

“You ignorant son of a bitch,” Rotten said, turning away from the glass.

“What you city people call ignorant, we country folk call being a God fearing American.”

“We’re all Americans here, Ron.  Our personalities and styles are different, though, and you just aren’t going to fit in with us.  I hear there is a group out in Texas that may be more to your liking.”  Sully said, his hand beside the pistol he wore in a holster around his waist.

“Now how in the hell are we supposed to make it to Texas from here?  No, we’re staying here and I will turn a blind eye to your
lifestyles
,” he sneered.

“Damn, dude, could you be any more dense?  We’re not giving you a choice, you have to leave.”  Moonshine stood up. 

Ron moved fast, surprisingly keeping his beer in hand, and snatched Sarah up from where she sat on the floor in Rebekah’s lap playing checkers with Will.  She screamed and he tightened the grip of his arm around her neck, holding her firmly against his chest. 

“Put the girl down,” Sully said softly.

“You people listen here, you’re not sending us out there to face the goddamned zombies.  So let me tell you how it’s going to be…”

I heard the noise before I saw the hole open up in the middle of Ron’s forehead.  He fell backwards, crashing into the broken TV and pulling Sarah with him.  She screamed and fell on top of him and then scuttled away when his grip around her neck loosened.