Rotten Page 12

  “I see her too,” I said.

  “Her?” one of the guys asked. I thought it was Matt but didn’t want to look away from the female form that walked in the shadows of the trees.

  “Yeah. Assuming by the dress, I mean.”

  “Can you tell if she’s...”

  “Dead?” I asked. “I don’t think so. Maybe. She’s walking normally, though, so I don’t think so.”

  “We should go help her,” said Braylen.

  “Too risky. We should wait and watch,” answered his friend.

  “She might need help,” I added.

  “I agree with Poppy. Can we afford not to help?” asked Braylen.

  “What do you mean?” asked Matt.

  “Safety in numbers?” I interrupted.

  Ellis cleared his throat. “Well, there’s that, but I was thinking more along the lines of leaving someone out there might attract more of the infected.”

  “Oh,” was all I said.

  “He’s right. I’ll go out,” said Braylen.

  “No need. She’s headed our way,” I said.

  It was nearly impossible to make out fine details, but the woman was young and small, maybe in her teens. She had shoulder length blonde hair and wore a short yellow dress that left little to the imagination. She picked up her pace as she got near the center of the clearing, looking over her shoulder several times. The closer she got, the clearer her features became. Her left leg was covered in blood.

  “Shit,” said Ellis. “Should we go out and wave her over?”

  “Only if we see some of those things following her. Fuck,” I said. “But then they’d know we’re in here.”

  “Let her come to us. Get a good look at her face if she makes it to the door. Just make sure she’s not one of those damned crazy-ass witches.”

  “She looks young. And scared,” said Braylen.

  “C’mon, c’mon,” I said under my breath. “Hurry up.”

  I grew nervous as I waited to see what horrors might emerge behind her.

  Finally, she reached the staircase. I lost sight of her but knew she was ascending the stairs by her frantic footfalls. Even with expecting her to appear, I was startled when she did. She was younger than I thought. Her face was streaked with dirt and the telltale lines of dried tears mixed with makeup. She seemed as surprised to see me through the glass pane as I was of her; for a moment I expected her to scream. Instead, she turned away from me as if she intended to run away.

  “Son of a bitch, there’s a shitload of them!” yelled Braylen.

  Without giving it much thought, I released the lock on the hatch. The girl was leaning against the opening, making sliding it difficult. Eventually she moved, and the door opened inward.

  “Hurry!” I yelled. I could clearly see several figures entering the clearing at once. Some were on the right, others straight ahead, and oddly a dog was off to our left.

  The girl whipped around and looked at me with large, frightened brown eyes.

  “Get in,” I urged.

  Seemingly not comprehending me, I grabbed onto one of her arms and pulled. She stumbled inside but didn’t say a word. Before I could reach for the hatch handle, Matt was at the opening and stepped onto the landing.

  “We can take them,” he said.

  “Ellis, you got the window?” Braylen asked.

  “Yeah. My aim is best on the center group.”

  “Matt, dude, I’m with you,” Braylen continued as he quickly made his way to the landing where his friend stood, already aiming his rifle.

  The first shot came from Ellis at the window. It was deafening, and the girl covered her ears with her hands., I grabbed the girl by the arm and led her to the small sofa. Gunfire continued, bullet after bullet. During the first pause, Matt instructed the other two shooters to concentrate their firing to the right.

  Almost as soon as it began, the gunfire stopped.

  “Is that all of them?” Ellis asked, his breathing labored.

  “I don’t see anymore,” answered Matt.

  “Doogie,” the girl said.

  We all looked at her.

  “Who’s Doogie?” I asked, concerned she may have lost a companion.

  “My dog. I heard him barking. Is he okay?”

  Her eyes filled with tears and I instantly felt sorry for her. I looked to Ellis questioningly. He shook his head side to side.

  “I don’t think he made it. I’m sorry,” I said softly.

  She bowed her head in defeat. “I was so close to getting him back. He didn’t know it was dangerous.”

  “How long have you been out there?”

  She lifted her head and looked at me. “I don’t even know. A day. Two. It’s just all blending together.”

  “Is anyone with you?” asked Matt.

  She shook her head side-to-side. “Not anymore. It was just me and my mom...”

  I reached out and took hold of one of her hands, to find it nearly frozen.

  “Were you out overnight like this?” I asked.

  She nodded. I looked up at the others. “She’s freezing.”

  “I’ll grab a blanket,” offered Ellis, who promptly headed to the small bedroom we had shared only hours earlier.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

  “Janet,” she said with a sniffle.

  “Help her clean up?” asked Matt. “Braylen and I’ll finish patching the window.”

  “Thanks,” I said before looking back at the girl.

  “I’m Poppy. That’s Matt and Braylen, and my friend Ellis is getting the blanket.”

  On cue, Ellis emerged with the comforter from the bed. I helped him wrap it around the newcomer, who was shivering. There was only room for two on the small couch, so I stayed with Janet. Before long, I heard Ellis preparing food in the kitchen while the other two men managed to block the broken window with one of the cabinet doors from the bathroom. Janet broke down crying from time to time. I wished I could do something to comfort her.

  “Janet. Do you want to eat something now, or take a shower?”

  She looked at me like I was crazy but didn’t answer.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked, trying to simplify the choice.

  She nodded.

  “Okay. We’ll start there.

  I stood up and limped to the kitchen, where Ellis was busy mixing a can of tuna fish with a

  single-serve packet of mayonnaise. There wasn’t much but I hoped we’d all be glad to share.

  “How’s she doing?” he asked me as he added a dash of ground pepper to the fish and stirred.

  “It’s hard to say. I’m sure she’s been through hell.” .”

  “The sun will be setting soon.”

  “Yeah. We need to get everyone settled while there’s still light.”

  “Window’s done,” said Matt as he joined us in the small kitchen.

  “Thanks, man. We don’t have a ton of food, but it’ll be ready soon.”

  “Awesome.”

  “What’s the talk about the sun going down?” asked Braylen, who stood by the front hatch, looking out over the clearing.

  “Last night we kept this room dark, in case any of those things were watching,” I explained. “We lit candles in the back rooms, but only with the doors closed.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Matt said with approval.

  “There’s the small couch and a chair, but otherwise just the one bed,” said Ellis.

  “I can’t go back in there,” I said, panic suddenly taking over my core.

  Ellis looked up, alarmed. “Why?”

  “That thing was in there...”

  He frowned at me. “It’s gone now, Poppy.”

  I sighed. “Still...”

  “Let’s just eat something,” said Ellis. “You’re being dramatic.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Matt, in the cabinet above the sink there’s a bag of corn chips. Mind grabbing them?”

  “You got it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I walked back to the living room with Ellis at my side. Janet was leaning forward with her face in her hands.

  “Janet, will you eat a little something?” I asked.

  She looked up and stared at me blankly. I sat beside her and loosely wrapped an arm around her. “Try to at least eat a few bites. It’s not much, but you’ll feel better.”

  We sat around the table as a group, Braylen occupying the other chair and Matt and Ellis on the floor. We ate chips dipped in tuna fish and drank water while talking about what to do next. Everyone agreed that we’d have to leave the airplane home as soon as possible. Not only were food supplies low, but escape routes were almost nonexistent. We’d stay put for another day or two until my ankle was stable, and then leave in search of better shelter. Janet didn’t say much, just that she’d come from the west and that roads were nearly impassable. She’d witnessed a helicopter crash into the Everett prison and the resulting raging fire. She wasn’t ready to talk about her mom, or Doogie her dog.

  With daylight quickly fading, I showed her where the shower was and left her to clean up. While she was washing up, I picked out clean clothes from the bedroom that she might be able to wear. She was so small I feared anything in the house might fall off her.

  ***

  “Ellis, we’ve talked it over and think one of us should stay awake and keep watch. Braylen’s been awake for longer than me, so I’d be happy to take the first shift.”

  “That’d be awesome. We had a rough night here with someone getting attacked outside. I should probably put Janet in the bedroom with Poppy.”

  Folded clothes in hand, I walked past Ellis and frowned. “Not happening, no way, I’m not sleeping in that room.”

  As I waked to the bathroom,
I heard Ellis sigh behind me.

  I knocked on the door lightly. She didn’t answer, so I knocked louder and waited for a moment.

  “Janet?” I called out. Getting no reply, I knocked again. “Janet? You okay in there?”

  When she still didn’t answer, I tried to turn the knob but found it locked, not surprisingly. I looked over my shoulder at the three men behind me. They were all watching with concern etched onto their faces. Matt took the initiative and crossed the short floor span in only a few strides. He slid up next to me and knocked on the door considerably louder than I had.

  “Janet, open the goddamn door!” he commanded sternly.

  I looked at him sideways. In turn, he looked at the other guys and nodded. They walked toward us without hesitating. I was closest to the bulkhead that ran perpendicular to the door and backed up as they crowded around.

  “Janet!” yelled Matt.

  “Kick it in,” instructed Ellis.

  “Back up,” said Matt.

  Braylen, Ellis, and I backed up to give Matt room. He took a stride back himself and prepared to kick the door.

  “Wait!” I urged, causing Matt to stop. “The floor. Look.”

  They all focused on the bottom of the door, where blood spread out in an eerie pool of deep crimson.

  “Fuck!” yelled Matt as his boot struck the door.

  Wood from the door jamb splintered outward from the force. My heart beating wildly, I rushed forward as the door swung inward. Pain shot through my arm, which I ignored. Janet lay nude in the half-full bathtub; one arm hung awkwardly over the edge while the other lay straight and palm-up on her lap. Both bled extensively from wounds that ran from wrist to elbow. A dirty pocket knife dropped from her left arm and onto the floor as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “Oh God, Janet!” I choked out, my voice shaky. “She’s still alive! Get me towels!” I shouted as I knelt beside the bathtub. “Janet, look at me. We’ve got you.”

  The girl kept her eyes aimed forward. She didn’t blink, and her pupils began to dilate. Her skin was pale before, but quickly took on a hue of blue. Her throat contracted as she swallowed one last time. It seemed an eternity before someone placed a towel on my shoulder. I reached up and grabbed it with one hand and dropped it to the bloodied floor at my knees.

  “It’s too late,” I said. “She’s gone.”

  “Guys? Give me a minute with Poppy?” asked Ellis.

  No one else spoke, but I heard their footfalls fade in the distance.

  I looked to my side as Ellis knelt beside me.

  “Why?” I wailed, not expecting an answer.

  “I imagine she’s seen things she just couldn’t live with.”

  “We could have helped her.”

  “No. She wanted to go.”

  “No, I mean we could have helped her overall. To live in this nightmare.”

  He wrapped an arm around me and held me close. I hadn’t realized I was shivering until his warmth hit me.

  “You gonna be okay?” he asked me.

  I found one of his hands and squeezed it. “I don’t think so, but I guess I don’t really have a choice.”

  “Do me a favor?”

  I looked at him as he laced his fingers through mine.

  “If you feel like taking her way out...”

  I shook my head and interrupted him. “It’s not for me. No way...”

  “Shh. Just...talk to me first, okay?”

  I tilted my head slightly, trying to figure him out. I nodded. “Okay.”

  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Before moving away from my face, he rested his forehead against mine and whispered, “thank you.”

  “Ellis?” I whispered back.

  “Yeah?”

  “My knees are getting soaked with her blood.”

  He leaned back and sighed but didn’t let go of my hand. When he stood, I naturally stood with him.

  “I think we need to leave,” he said quietly.

  “My ankle’s feeling better.”

  “That’s good. It’s getting too dark now, but we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

  Still holding my hand, he led me out of the bathroom and back to the living room where the other two men waited. Braylen sat on the small couch while Matt looked out the hatch window. They were both shrouded in the darkness of late evening.

  “This sucks,” said Braylen casually. “Sorry she opted out.”

  “Yeah me too,” I said.

  Ellis cleared his throat. “We need to settle in. It’s too risky to carry her outside after dark and Poppy’s covered in blood. I’m getting a bit nervous about staying here.”

  “Me too, in all honesty,” said Matt in a smooth voice. “There’s too much traffic here.”

  “Ellis wants to head out in the morning,” I added.

  “You gonna be okay with your sprained ankle?” asked Matt.

  “Yeah. I’ll manage. I’ve told Ellis before and it goes for you guys too; if I slow you down leave me behind.”

  Braylen snickered, nearly laughing. “Yeah we’re not that type.”

  “What about Janet?” I asked.

  “There won’t be time to bury her, so we’ll have to leave her,” answered Matt.

  I frowned. Even only having just met her, leaving her to rot in the bathtub felt wrong.

  “You sure we shouldn’t at least carry her outside?” I asked.

  “No. With all the gunfire there’s too big a chance there’s more of those things lurking around. Let’s settle in for the night. Tomorrow’s bound to be intense,” said Ellis.

  “I’ll take the first shift,” said Matt. “Bray, you’ve got the couch. I’ll shut the bathroom door. If anyone needs to use the loo during the night ...just don’t.”

  I didn’t answer or wait for anyone else to speak. My reluctance to go to the bedroom was long gone by now. My pant legs were soaked in blood and all I wanted was to take them off and climb into bed. I didn’t wait to cross the threshold into the bedroom before pulling them down and letting them fall to the floor; it was too dark for anyone to see anything. I made the rest of the brief walk on auto-mode, and once to the side of the bed pulled off my shirt. I proceeded to climb onto the mattress and wrapped myself in the sheet. As I curled into a ball, Ellis sat on the mattress beside me. He covered me with a thin blanket, for which I was grateful, and he remained seated next to me.

  “I left the comforter with Braylen.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Are you doing okay?” he asked me.

  Still facing away from him and the room now nearly in full-dark, I shook my head side-to-side. “Not really. It’s all too much...too much death...too much blood...”

  “Yeah. I hear you.”

  He squeezed my shoulder gently, his hand lingering for just a moment longer than it should have and I wondered what he was thinking. Once I felt his body weight shift as he lay down, I curled up into myself and closed my eyes, desperately trying to keep from sniffling as tears fell onto my pillow.

  “Hey...” he whispered. “If you need to cry it’s okay.”

  I didn’t answer but wiped my face with the back of my hand.

  “Poppy...”

  “It’s okay. I’ll be okay. I’ll stop,” I fumbled, struggling to avoid falling apart.

  He sighed lightly and shifted his weight in the bed again. “You don’t have to stop crying. I just wish I could help.”

  I involuntarily chuckled.

  “C’mon. Roll over. We can talk about it.”

  “I’m too tired.” I noisily sucked air in through my nose, trying to combat the runniness that crying had caused.

  “Fine...”

  The bed shifted and squeaked as he climbed over me and plopped down, facing me. I could barely see his outline and was glad that it meant he couldn’t see my tear-reddened face.

  “We’ll head out tomorrow and try to find somewhere safer. Hopefully we can find out what’s going on. Maybe the government has opened shelters somewhere.

  “I know. It’s just that I’m so scared.”

  “I guarantee you’re not the only one,” he reassured me.

  He pulled on the blanket, covering himself. Left in only my underthings after taking my clothes off, I was glad to be wrapped in the bed sheet.

  “I thought you left me,” I said very quietly.

  “What?” he asked, his tone exasperated yet semi-humored.

  “When I woke up earlier and you were gone. I thought you weren’t coming back.” I allowed new tears to fall.