Winter's Salvation (42 page)

Sam stood over her.  She wasn’t pretty anymore and now she could kill it.  As it began to roll Sam raised the bat and came down onto the back of its head a second time.  This time it lay still with its face flat in the dirt.  Sam took the bottom of her shoe and kicked her head do the side so she could look at her one last time.  Black smears of blood leaked from her wounds and dirt and pieces of straw from the aisle stuck to her skin. 

“Who’s pretty now?”  Sam said and raised the bat to smash her one last time.  The bat sunk deep into her face and Sam was forced to look away after she felt something splash onto her face and into her left eye.  She dropped the bat and rubbed her eye with the back of her hand.  Dark black fluid smeared on her hand and she could feel her eyelashes sticking together as she batted her eyes.                            

Oh my god. 
She thought to herself,
What did I do? 

“You sure are taking a long time.”  Drew said as he walked to the open door. 

They’ll kill me.  I know they’ll kill me.  I’ll be just like this girl and Drew will want nothing more than to kill me. 
“Give me a second.” She said as she stood up and turned her back to him.  She rubbed her face with the inside of her fleece inner liner of her coat.  Black thick blood smeared the inside of her jacket.  She rubbed vigorously until her face began to burn.

“Are you ok?”  Drew began to walk toward her. 

Sam acted as if she laughed, “I killed her.  We should get them out of here before they start to really stink.”

Drew stopped, sensing something was wrong.  “It’s going to get dark soon.  It could probably wait till the morning.”       

Sam looked to the windows and the sun was no longer shining through.  Drew was right and as long as she doesn’t look directly at him he may not notice the blood on her face.  She walked by him quickly not saying a word. 

Drew quickly followed behind her.  “Sam,” He called to her, but she never turned.  “Sam what’s wrong with you.” 

Sam wasn’t feeling sick, but she wanted to be left alone.  She thought back on her mothers and her conversation when Naomi had noticed her coming into cycle.  Her mother had told her that she may start to experience cramping and that is what she told Drew.  “I’m not feeling good.  I have cramps real bad.” 

“Oh you have women issues then?”  Drew left it at that.  Rod had always grabbed him and would take him to the beach or the mall, when Julie got her period, so that is what he related this to.  He would just leave her alone. 

As they walked into their house, Sam immediately ran upstairs to her room.  Naomi and Eric were sitting at the dining room table talking when Sam ran past them.  Naomi was getting up to go after her, when Drew explained she didn’t want to be messed with because she was getting cramps, but that did not stop her. 

Naomi knocked on the closed door and let herself in.  Sam was already tucked under the new pink covers they found from one of the other houses, facing away from her.  “Are you ok honey?” 

“I feel sick and just want to be left alone.”  Sam pulled the covers up tighter around her face.  She didn’t feel any different, but just wanted to hide and be left alone. 

“I’m so sorry honey.  Tomorrow I’ll go into town and get you some medicine.”  Naomi rubbed the blankets around her shoulder.  “There’s medicine out there that will take away your cramps.”  She leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  Naomi
noticed a strong iron smell coming from her and decided, before she wakes up She was going to make her a warm bath.  “I’ll bring you up dinner when it’s done.”  She got no reply from Sam, but the covers being pulled tighter around her.

“She must be feeling real bad.”  Naomi said to Eric, but Drew heard her.  Drew and Eric were sitting at the table with a deck of cards.  “So what happened down there?”  She addressed the young boy.

Drew didn’t want to get her in trouble, so she kept the girl a secret.  “Nothing really.  She started to complain about her cramps or something like that when I was hooking up the valve.”

When dinner was ready, which consisted of pork and beans and beef stew, Naomi dropped it off and left it on the table next to the bed.  Naomi sat on the edge of the bed, but Sam hollered something to her that she was not able to make out and then a very clear “Just leave me alone, Please.” 

Naomi and Eric lay in each other’s warmth and the concern for Sam weighed heavily on the mother.  “I have to go out in the morning and get her what she needs.” 

“I am so sorry I haven’t been able to help out as much and go out more.”

Naomi understood why he couldn’t.  Every time he put pressure on his foot it would rip open.  The infection appeared to be clearing up, but every time he would walk winces of pain shot across his face.  “There’s nothing you can do right now anyway.  Maybe Drew can pop the clutch in one of those old trucks back there and you could tag along for the ride, since you know where you’re going.” 

“Yeah we could do that.”  He held her closer, “You know I am, so happy we found each other.”

“I’m happy you saved us from my house.” 

“God it feels like it has been forever doesn’t it.”

“Well it was a couple months ago.  It’s not like it was just yesterday.”  Naomi said and then laughed.  “If it wasn’t for you and Drew, Sam and I would be dead by now. 

“You know you are the closest thing I have ever had to a relationship.”  Eric said trying to swing her back into a romantic mood.  “Some things just happen for a reason.”

Naomi squinted her eyes, “You think all this happened, so fate would bring us together.”

“Yes that is exactly what I mean.”  Now Eric responded smartly.  “The world went to shit, so we would meet.” 

Naomi just laughed and kissed him and then crawled on top of him, straddling his waist. 

**********

Eric ripped his foot back open when he tried to take control over Naomi and roll on top of her.  He was able to fall asleep, but only in brief increments.  He knew his foot was bleeding, but didn’t want to crawl out from under the warm covers to put a new bandage on his wound.  He tossed around the idea of getting up, but could not find the will to do it.  Then something fell in the hallway causing him to jump. 

He reached under the covers and felt Naomi’s warm hip to insure she was still sleeping.  Knowing someone else was out there gave him the motivation he needed to get out of bed.  He hobbled out the bedroom door and closed it behind him.  He began to make his way to the stairs which was in the middle of the main hallway on the second floor to go down into the kitchen.  From a bedroom down the hall walked a silhouette of a slender figure.  Eric immediately recognized it was Sam by the way her braids hung down like dark fingers waving freely in the shadows. 

Eric was happy to see her up and whispered very quietly, so he did not wake anyone else.  “Hey, how you feeling?” 

The silhouette froze and quickly jolted her head toward him sending the braids jumping and twisting.  Eric’s good feeling immediately left his body as the dark figure turned to him.  Long dark shadowed fingers like sharp daggers stretched from her sides and then it took a step closer. 

Eric’s heart jumped up into his throat.  He didn’t know what to do.  His legs didn’t want to move and all he could think about was Naomi and Drew.  Then the ghoul let out a long and ear piercing screech and ran toward him.         

Eric forced his legs into action.  This was his little girl, but he knew there was no hope for her.  As it took off toward him he immediately ran toward it.  He wanted to get passed Drew’s bedroom, so he could escape without having to walk close to Sam and risk getting attacked. 

             
They met passed Drew’s door, but not passed the stairs.  Eric crouched down low and pushed the frenzied ghoul up and off it’s feet driving it back to the other side of the second floor. 

             
“Get out of here!” Eric screamed, but he was not sure if they would be able to make out what he said over Sam’s screeching. 

             
She scratched at his arms and ripped at his face.  Eric felt her dagger like claws tear into his cheeks and neck.  He closed his eyes to protect them, as her fingers raked his face.  “Get out!” He screamed again. 

             
He didn’t have to give them warning because Drew and Naomi were already watching him drive Sam’s body against the hallway walls.  Drew turned to Naomi and saw her run back into her room.  He ran to help Eric, but Sam’s arms and legs clawed, kicked and wrapped around Eric all at the same time like she was a wild animal that was backed into a corner. 

             
Drew didn’t know what to do.  There was no way he could help without injuring Eric.  Just then a shot fired and chunks of drywall and dust flew into the air next to Eric’s head. 

             
Naomi ran back into the bedroom to get the pistol and attempted to fire a shot at Sam, but could not find the strength and courage to pull the trigger on her daughter.  Eric felt the debris hit him in the face and hollered again.  “Get out!  Get out of the house!” 

             
Drew looked to Naomi and then to the gun, as she dropped the pistol to the wood floor.  A loud thud forced Drew’s attention back to Eric and Sam.  The ghoul had kicked off the wall and forced Eric against the opposite side.  The zombie let go of Eric and looked to the two at the opposite end of the hall.  It began to run at them, but Eric reached for her and found a handful of braided hair and pulled her to the floor.  He got to his feet and pressed her head to the ground, but with her immense strength and absent of sense of pain Eric knew he would not be able to hold her for long.  “Get Out!”  He screamed again in the brief second Sam was not bellowing out the horrid screech they all have learned to fear. 

             
Naomi stood screaming, but not in fear, but for the loss of her daughter.  She was not moving and Drew knew he was going to have to force her.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the steps.  As he started down the steps Naomi faltered her steps and fell to her butt the entire time screaming Sam’s name. 

             
She fought Drew’s hands from hers and tried to climb back up the stairs.  “Sam no!  Not my baby!”  She cried. 

             
They were halfway down the stairs when Naomi started to regain her composure and Drew could no longer over power her in her hysteria.  He didn’t know what to do, he was losing her to the stairs, as he was being dragged back up to the fight.  He began to cry from panic.  “Mom I can’t lose you.”  He said crying, “Mom I can’t lose you too.”  He felt his grip be pulled away and Naomi advance up the steps crawling.  “No!  Please no!  Mom I can’t lose you!”  Tears rolled from his eyes from fear knowing he was going to be alone, but then Naomi stopped. 

             
She turned to him seeing him kneeling on the steps begging for her to come back in shear helplessness.  Naomi turned to him.  Then she made her way down the stairs and grabbed him.  They ran from the house with nothing, but what they were wearing.  Neither one wore shoes and the cold from the snow bit at their toes, as they crushed the layer of ice under their feet.  The wind blew hard throwing ice from the snow covered ground causing chills it to force it’s way into their clothing.  They ran as fast as they could to the abandoned farm house and immediately rapped themselves with the old torn blankets that covered the old broken beds and anything else they could find to shake off the chill from the ice. 

             
The back bedroom window had a view of the house they just left and they could still hear Sam’s screeching from across the snow covered fields, over the strong wind and through the old house.  The night was cold and the wind blew hard, but that was only a mild distraction to the sound of Sam screeching.  Madness and chaos continued to encompass both Naomi and Drew. 

             
Naomi could not shake the thought of her daughter being one of them and could not help, but think what she was going to do if Eric can’t fix this.  She didn’t have an answer.  She didn’t want an answer. 

             
Then a loud bang and silence was restored.  The chaos was over with the single shot of a gun.  The wind died down as if it were nonexistent and even the cold chill of the melting snow on their clothing no longer mattered.  The bitter sweet of not having to interact with the undead version of Naomi’s daughter was replaced by the remorse of knowing her child is no longer with them.  Naomi turned from the window and sat on the corner of the old bed, covered her face with her hands and then cried into her lap. 

             
Drew watched the open front door expecting Eric to walk from it.  He watched as the wind appeared to die completely and small snowflakes fell gently to the cold earth.  The moon shined brightly onto the dark house illuminating all the magnificent features of every frame and icicles that hung from the gutters. 

The sound of another gunshot echoed over the fields. 

              Naomi got up and held onto Drew, knowing that from now on it was just the two of them.