Authors: Julie Cooper Brown
“That’s so nice, but I am gonna have to break his heart. He’s way too young for me. He doesn’t need to think about girls right now anyway. And he’s only crushing on me because I’m the only other warm blooded female here besides you and the girls. Hopefully we’ll all survive long enough for life to become normal again, but I don’t think that is gonna happen. Have you always had custody of Allen?” Tisha looked down and tears were forming in her eyes again, her chin started to tremble and Kate felt bad for asking. “I’m sorry, Tisha. I am just being nosy. I shouldn’t ask personal questions.”
She wiped at her face and sniffled. “No, it’s okay. Allen belongs to my little brother Calvin. He didn’t make it. He was attacked at work before we all knew what was really going on. I went to claim his body and it was gone. Later that night, he showed up. John shot him. Allen didn’t see him and he doesn’t know that his dad came back. He thinks his dad died from a head wound caused by a fall at work. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I don’t want him to know. Of course at that time everything got worse and we had to run. I was going to tell him but he made a comment about being happy that his dad wasn’t around to have to worry about him (Allen) being eaten by a zombie. His dad worried about him an awful lot. He was over protective, ya know. And Allen was just as protective of him. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him after he said that. So, when you said that they were still aware inside… I wondered what my brother was feeling when he came back.” She broke down in loud sobs and John came over from the bar and wrapped her in his arms and rocked her. A few seconds later Allen was holding them both and crying as well. Nothing was said of why she was crying. They all knew. Kate felt sorry for them, she had not yet lost anyone close to her. Well, not that she had to witness.
Kate took the last sip of her beer and looked at Angel. She was leaning on Kate’s arm fast asleep, and Kimmy was still staring at her. Tisha regained her composure and John and Allen returned to the bar. John has his arm around Allen and Allen laid his head on John’s shoulder. He wiped the tears from his eyes.
Kate gently moved her off of her arm, got up out of the booth and laid her down in the seat. She asked Tisha to keep the demon child away from Angel, thinking that a task would distract her thoughts. Tisha laughed at the demon child reference and said “Absolutely.”
Kate saw a door by the restroom that she hadn’t noticed before; it opened up into a small room with a full size bed and two comfy looking chairs. She closed the door and went into the bathroom. She propped the door open with the waste basket so she could see what she was doing, did her business and went back out to the main room.
“How long do you think that Angel’s father was down before he got back up, Kate?” Dave asked her as she emerged from the restroom. They had obviously been talking about how she found Angel. Kate had forgotten about him rising for a second time.
“It was somewhere around five, six hours, maybe seven. We sure didn’t expect that to happen.” She said as she looked over at the booth where Angel and Kimmy were both sleeping. Tisha had gotten up to sit at the bar with John. Everyone was turned in their stools looking at Dave. She took a seat in the chair next to him.
“Well, we haven’t seen anyone else get back up after being shot so, maybe it only happens to the ones who go through the abled stage. It could be some kind of genetic anomaly. We just have to be more careful. I thought I’d let you guys know so if it happens it won’t be a surprise. You have to decapitate them. The bodies can’t get to you without the head and vice versa.” Everyone had become silent and it was getting dark outside.
“I found a room with a bed and a couple chairs, and we have a long trip tomorrow if the cars out there have gas to syphon. I’m gonna grab Angel and take one of the chairs. I assume you want to keep watch, Dave?”
“You assume right my friend. Allen will keep me company, won’t you Allen?’
“Yea, I’ll stay up with you.” He left the bar stool to take the seat across from Dave.
“I’m ready for a little sleep, too.” Tank said as yawned and stretched. Tisha picked up Kimmy and walked up to John.
“I’m gonna stay out here with them for a while. I’ll be in shortly, Tisha. I love you.” Joh
n
said. “I love you, too.” Tisha kissed him on the lips and followed Kate into the room.
Kate settled in the chair with Angel in her lap and quickly fell asleep only to be immersed in yet another nightmare.
She is standing in the middle of an amusement park and didn’t know how she had gotten there. The multicolored lights gave her an ominous feeling. She had lost her key and didn’t know where it could be. She could see and hear the band of undead clowns on stage singing.
“It’s the one and only boogie man! He creeps, he hides, he sneaks,
he slides! If your little feetsies are hanging off the edge of the bed, you’ll run on STUMPS motherfucker!”
She saw an entrance to a ride. The flashing lights above the door said it was the Tunnel of Terror. She didn’t want to go through the doors but was being pulled in. As she neared, the doors swung open and she could see the living dead lining the tracks of the tunnel, and the overhead lights illuminating the platforms ahead on each side. The brakes of the ride released with a loud clanging sound that echoed throughout. The chains on the track began click, clacking as she moved forward; she looked down and was strapped into the seat of the ride, her arms down at her sides, unable to move.
The reanimated corpses of Jillian and Evan were in the first platform to her right. Evan’s disfigured face dripping blood and muck onto the seat as leaned over the rail and blindly swiped at her. The drops hissed and bubbled as they sizzled and burned into the upholstery of the seat. Jillian did not try to harm her, only turned her back. Her long beautiful hair flowing down her back, it was moving in waves and seemed to be alive.
On the left, Dave was walking back and forth with his MP5 in hand and when she passed he screamed, put it in her face and pulled the trigger. Her body trembled with both fear and relief. The gun did not fire and he laughed at her. He gave her a salute and turned the gun on himself. She squeezed her eyes shut just a millisecond before he pulled the trigger because she didn’t want to see her old friends brains splatter against the wall. She heard the thump of his body hitting the floor and could hear the band outside louder than ever.
“Little Jimmy, Jimmy…GOT EM!”
The ride continued and before she reached the next platform, she saw little Kimmy all covered in tiny specks of blood, laughing and slashing angrily at something that she could not yet see. As she grew closer, Kimmy looked at her and held out her chubby, little left hand and she was holding Kate’s lost key! It was gold and attached to a shiny, purple, heart keychain. It glistened even in the dim lights of the tunnel. Kate started to reach for it, but realized her arms were still chained down and now she could finally see what Kimmy had been doing.
A life size Barbie doll was chained to the wall stripped of all her clothes. There were many cuts and slashes across Barbie’s body and Kimmy had a pair of scissors in her hand. Though Barbie bled from her wounds and tried to pull away from oncoming blows, her face remained waxen and expressionless. Kimmy scaled the giant doll’s body with one jump and latched onto Barbie’s waist, making quick jabs to her face with the scissors and ripping her hair out with the other hand. Barbie tossed her head from side to side. And the band played on.
“The Worlds’ Greatest Boogie Woogie Wu will come to you. Slumber party sleepovers, intimate nights! Whatever the occasion of the midnight hour, he will gladly come and fuck that shit up!”
Kate could see the end of the tunnel. A huge cross in front of her glowed bright yellow and Angel appeared on the track crying for Kate to help her. The cross then turned blood red and began melting. A huge black figure came from behind Angel and folded her into its arms until her cries became muffled and she disappeared. Kate struggled in her restraints and instantly broke free. The ride was over and Kate was back outside in front of the gruesome band. A female with long, blood matted hair and a missing arm was now singing…
“Please don’t let me fall asleep, cause the boogie man will creep. Through my window in my room, stab me with a broken broom.”
It was so strange, Kate recognized the song as something she’d heard many times before but could not put her finger on it. She looked around for Angel and saw John and Tisha in line for the Ferris wheel. She ran to them for help and when they turned around, they were undead. What Kate thought was a cone of cotton candy at a distance, she now saw for what it was. A cone of bloody brains. They continued taking bites from it and staring at her as she backed up into the arms of another undead and screamed…
“KATE! Wake up! It’s just a dream!” Tisha was shaking her by the shoulders.
“Man, you scared the bejesus outta me! You gonna be okay?” Kate grabbed and hugged her tightly. “Thank god, it was a dream. Where is Angel?” She stood and slapped her own face to make sure that she was awake. Kate had never in her life had such vivid dreams. She didn’t want to ever dream again.
Fully awake now, the song in her dream resurfaced and she knew exactly what it was. It was Boogie Woogie Wu by Insane Clown Posse. It didn’t surprise her that the band she conjured up in her head was undead clowns. She had always liked that song and played it at every Halloween party for the last five years. She didn’t like it so much in the dream.
“Everyone is outside. Dave and Tank are syphoning gas and John and Allen are putting the stuff we need to take in the van. I was coming to wake you when you started screaming. What kind of dream were you having?” She asked as they walked out into the bar.
The second that Kate saw Angel a wave of comfort washed over her. “It was just a bad, bad dream. They have been really lucid lately. I’m glad you’re all okay. How come you didn’t wake me sooner? I would’ve helped.”
“Dave said to let you sleep a little longer, that you were gonna need the rest. Besides, there really wasn’t anything for me to do either. The guys took care of it all.”
Angel ran to Kate and she picked her up and sat her on her hip. Kimmy looked at Kate with her creepy, weird eyes, laughed and walked up to Kate. She opened up her hand and held it out to her. In her hand lie a small shiny purple heart, though there was no key attached.
Kate felt the goose bumps rising all over her body as she remembered the keychain in the dream. Kate reached out to take the heart, Kimmy closed her hand and ran out the door, leaving Kate feeling puzzled. She went out behind her, determined to find out about the heart. The guys were finished syphoning gas and filling the tank so it was time to roll.
Chapter Twenty Two
Once everyone was settled in the van Tank headed down the half mile driveway. Kate was feeling close normal again; as if the dream had stayed behind with the bar. Everyone talked for a little while and learned more new things about each other. Though Dave had not been very involved in the conversation and Kate didn’t want to put him on the spot by asking him what was wrong. He’s usually a private kind of guy so she would respect that and talk to him later. The conversation eventually grew stale and Kate watched the road pass by through th
e
window, lost in her own thoughts of the little heart that Kimmy held out to her.
“Where did you find Kimmy, Tisha?”
“She came with her social worker, Miss Blake, about two weeks ago. At first I thought they were sick because of Kimmys demeanor,” (she chuckled) “But when I realized they were okay I let them in. I didn’t think that anyone even knew that there were people at the Springs, so it was funny when they showed up knocking on the door. Miss Blake was nice enough, but Kimmy had her wrapped around her little finger.”
“Did she say where they came from?”
“No, I didn’t even think to ask. I was just helping someone in trouble.” Kate was not satisfied so she thought she’d ask Kimmy.
“Where did you come from, Kimmy?” Kate asked and received a most adult like response.
“Don’t speak to me, Bitch.” Kate was taken aback by not only Kimmy’s language, but her tone and she showed no sign of the childlike pronunciations of her words as she has done the whole time.
“Kimmy came straight from Hell.” Allen said as he raised his hands in front of his face to protect himself because Kimmy had turned in her seat and began beating at his head with Barbie’s torso. Kate snatched it from her and threw it out the window. Kimmy screamed and raised her fist to hit her and before she knew it, Angel had Kimmy by the wrist and said “You don’t hurt my Kate.” She squeezed Kimmys wrist and Kimmy screamed louder and cried out, “You’re burning me! You Bitch, you’re burning me!” Kate told Angel to let go and she did, her face remained passive as if nothing happened at all. She loving placed Teddy’s cap and his head and pressed it down to try to make it stay. Kimmy pulled her arm to her chest and rubbed it as she glared at Angel with more hatred than any child should ever carry in her eyes. They seemed to glisten with it.
Kate removed the sewing kit she found out of her pocket and began threading the needle to sew Teddy’s hat back on his head. Angel smiled brightly at her. She would never get tired of seeing that.
“See Tisha,” John said. “You and your bleeding heart invited the Devils Spawn into our midst.’ He chuckled getting a kick out of throwing her words back at her. Everyone had a good laugh at that and Kimmy finally settled down for a bit. Kate finished with Teddy and then got the purple ribbon out of her pocket as well and put Angel’s hair in a ponytail, tying the ribbon around it.
Kate became worried for Dave because he was being less social when he had been fine only the day before. But still, she let him alone. She knew that when he was ready to talk to her he would, and if he didn’t, she was going to approach him in private. After all, what are friends for?
They had gotten pretty far. They crossed into Tennessee and the rains poured down again. It was cold outside and the only one prepared for that kind of weather was Tank. He told Kate where a jacket and sweater were, in a Rubbermaid storage bin that was in the very back of the van. Kate got them out and handed the sweater to Tisha, then asked if anyone else might’ve wanted the jacket and they declined. So she covered Angel and herself with it and dozed for bit. She had slept much better than she had at the Hideaway, and felt a lot better when she woke up.
It was dark by then and still raining, but it was raining much harder than before. She looked back at Dave who was laid out across the very back seat. His face was turned toward the seat so she couldn’t see it. She wanted to wake him to see if he was okay, but thought he might be coming down with something considering they weren’t used to such chilly weather. She would let him rest. They would need to stop for gas soon, so she’d decided that she would wake him then. Unexpectedly and suddenly, the front tire popped and the van weaved violently across the road. They were thrown around and forward until finally, the van slid several feet before coming to a complete stop.
“DAMN IT! I don’t have a spare! We used it on our way to Florida.” Tank yelled.
“We’ll have to wait for the rain to stop, and then we’ll walk.” John said
“Walk where? I don’t want to leave my van until I can see daylight. I’m sorry. This is probably the end of the road for all of us.”
“No, Look!” Angel said. Everyone looked in the direction of her pointed finger and about
a
hundred yards ahead of them, sat a tiny white church. There were no lights of course and it was very dark. They were in the hills of Tennessee, there were woods everywhere and the moon provided very little light. The cross on top of the church seemed to be brighter than the rest of the building and the dream replayed in Kate’s mind but she quickly dismissed it. She found it too strange to think of. They grabbed what they could and got out of the van to walk the three hundred feet to get there, in the rain.
Tank walked ahead and Dave walked behind them, watching for Infected as they went. As they grew closer, Kate saw a shimmer of silver beside the church. She squinted her eyes to keep the rain out so she could see. It was the most beautiful red mustang she had ever seen. She wondered who it had belonged to.
They approached the door to the church and it was chained shut from the outside. Worried that there could be a horde of infected just inside the doors, Kate and Tisha stayed huddled at the entrance while the guys checked around the sides. She heard Tank whistle as he passed the pretty red mustang.
John and Allen returned a minute later but Tank and Dave were gone for several minutes. Kate handed Angel to Allen, and told them to run if she didn’t return within a few moments. Once she rounded the side of the church, Tank and Dave were coming back, accompanied by short, nervous looking elderly man. She saw his collar and realized he was the Pastor or Father, whatever his religion called for.
“Kate, this is Father Barrett.” Dave introduced them and then broke into a coughing fit. He needed to get out of the cold rain. They all did, they were soaking wet shivering at this point. Father Barrett only nodded at her and went to the doors. With shaky hands he produced a ke
y
ring with several more keys on it than anyone should need. Kate noticed a shiny red key. He unraveled the chain and let them all in, shut the doors behind them and chained the
m
back up from outside.
Kate put Angel down on the floor and she walked away while Kate helped Tisha organize the stuff they were able to carry in with them. Father Barrett returned from outside through the side door.
“I am not locking you in; I’m locking the living dead out.” He laid his key ring on
the alter. Angel stood staring at the large Jesus nailed to the cross on the wall at the back of the church. Kate looked around for Dave and saw him sitting in one of the back pews. He was holding on to the cross necklace that he’s worn since high school. She assumed he was praying so she left him alone. He had never expressed whether or not he had a religious preference, so she wasn’t sure. Tank and the others were talking to Father Barrett so she sat in the front pew to join them.
“Thank you, Father, for letting us in.” she said.
“You’re very welcome, though you probably won’t want to stay here long. I have a spare tire in the church van out in the garage. The van doesn’t run, so you can take all the tires if you like. There’s even a hand jack back there. I suggest you be on your way at first light,” he said quickly and walked behind the pulpit to grab a bottle of scotch and pour a shot. “I’d offer you some, but it’s all I have left.” He downed the shot. “Now, there are two small rooms to the left that we used to use for daycare, if you feel like lying down. This room here.” he pulled a red curtain back to reveal a set of double doors that were chained up like the front doors. “In this room, is the risen dead of my congregation, well, most of my congregation. Do not touch these doors, do not touch my keys. You see why, I say you won’t want to stay.”
The dead knew they were out there and became restless, shoving the door and moaning in loud, haunting wails. The door opened a little but held tight because of the chains. One of the dead had their fingers out through the slit and Father Barrett pushed the door shut, it snatched its fingers back.
“Now go, get some rest. Eat. Do whatever it is you have to do and then you must leave in the morning.”
“How did you get them all rounded up to go in there?” Tank asked him as he eyed him suspiciously.
“Some of them were already in there for a meeting to discuss the coming rapture.”
“Obviously one of them were infected, but all of them? How many are in there?”
“Thirty one.” Father Barrett looked down and took another shot of scotch.
“And you did this all by yourself? No one helped you?” It seemed very weird that this one little man had herded all those undead into that room alone.
“Well, no. Another member of my congregation helped me.”
“What happened to him?” Tank really wanted to know because for some reason, he didn’t trust the Father. Tank wasn’t going to let it go.
“It was a woman.
Diane helped me and she’s in there as well. I guess your next question will be how she got in there, too. Well, don’t bother to ask. I pushed her in at the last minute. She was sick too, and beginning to show signs. I could not risk my life!” He stomped back behind the pulpit and produced another bottle of Scotch. This one was full. He was so shaking violently, that as he poured another shot, he spilled some of it. We hadn’t been there fifteen minutes yet and already he’s had three shots. He was half soused. Tank and I had looked at him in disbelief. He was full of lies. He would’ve been the last person they would have expected to hear lies from.
“How do you know they were all infected? Had any of them turned before you locked them in there?” Tank kept drilling him.
“One had turned. A few others were injured in the scuffle. I could not be sure who was infected and who wasn’t, so I locked them all in.” He said this with no remorse. What kind of man of God did this type of thing?
“You mean to say… that you locked them all in and only a few were infected? You locked innocent, very much alive people in there with them?” Dave had entered the conversation and wasn’t happy.
“And what is your life worth now that there’s nothing left? You’re no man of the cloth! You’re a murderer of innocent people that looked to you for help! And they trusted you enough to seek your guidance!! You guided them right to their death! What makes your life more important than theirs?” Dave walked up to the pulpit and backed the Father against the wall.
Father Barrett tried to cower away from Dave yelling at him. Dave slammed his fist into the wall beside his head, leaving a gaping hole in the plaster and disappeared into the hall that led to the restroom.
Father Barrett stood still for a moment before he slid down the wall to his butt and wrapped his arms around his knees. Kimmy sat in the first pew laughing her little head off. All the while the dead in the room beyond continued to lament. Kate went in search of Dave and found him still in the bathroom. She knocked gently.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure, only you though.” He was sitting on the edge of the toilet seat, Kate stood leaning on the sink.
“You don’t look too hot. You okay?” she asked. He shuffled around on the seat and put his head in his hands.
“No, I’m not okay at all.” He tilted his face up to look at her. The only light in the bathroom was a short stubby candle and she could barely see.
“Bring the candle and come closer,” he said. She did as he asked and approached him with the candle held up. His face had paled and the white of his eyes were a bright pink. The bags under his eyes were bluish in color. He didn’t look like that twenty minutes before. Kate inhaled sharply and stepped back, she almost dropped the candle.
“Dave. Dave. No, oh no. What happened? When, How? No!” she sobbed.
“When I went into the bathroom at the Hideaway to wipe the blood off of my boot, it got on my hand. I have a cut on my hand, I don’t know how I got that, but it seeped into it.”