“Oh Max! We have been so scared, we can see out the little window near the front of the house and they, they, took old Mrs Weilder out and, and, butchered her in her front yard, a whole group of them! Max, they ate her, they ate her, I saw them eating her. They ate and ate until there was so little left…I just could not believe what I saw. What is going on?”
“Sarah, I am sorry you saw that, I am sorry Mrs Weilder is dead, are you safe? I mean did anyone come into the house or anything?”
“No, no one came into the house. Where are you? I thought you would be home by now. It is so late, I though you were coming home. We need you Max. I don’t…I don’t think I can do this on my own.”
“Sarah you have to, look how much charge does your cell phone have left? I don’t think we should talk too long in case I have to call you again later. You need to get the food and blankets upstairs and not go downstairs a lot, no lights tonight, not even in the attic, if they see them they will be drawn to them, I think. I mean they don’t seem to use tools or anything and I bet they would come after a moving light. Don't draw attention to yourself.”
“Geez Max I am…I know, I figured it out, I am going to bring the kids down to use the bathroom and get blankets and everything, but we will be very, very careful and very fast, I won’t have them breaking in here, if I can stop it. If you come home use the garage to get in I am going to push a lot of stuff in front of the front and back doors. And mister you better be calling my name loud and clear or I will brain you. No one. No thing, is going to eat my children alive.”
Max was happy to hear the resolve in Sarah’s voice, he knew she would take care of everything as best she could. Sure she was a part time worker, soccer mom in her mid-thirties, but underneath her soft exterior was the solid core of a woman he married. Everything would be alright. He briefly filled her in on his attempt to get to his truck, leaving out the worst of it, then said, “Get the gun Sarah. Get it, don’t argue, you know what we are dealing with and even if you cannot use it right, you need to have it.”
“I will Max, I will. We’re going to be alright, right?” Sarah asked softly.
“Yeah, sure babe, just another day at the office. I am not sure who has the worse sleeping arrangements.”
“Me, I have rafters and a piece of plywood to sleep on.”
“I get to sleep on concrete covered by hard carpeting in one of the cubes. Still I will give you this one, two kids and you in the attic is going to suck.”
“I win an argument at last! It has only taken fifteen years!” Sarah said.
“Well I am tired and bruised so maybe I can't argue really well right now. I love you and will call again in the morning.”
“I love you too Max, stay safe. Good bye.”
With that she hung up the phone and left Max wondering if he would indeed speak to her tomorrow.
Steve came over, it was obvious he had been listening in from the doorway. “Sarah all right? The kids?”
Max nodded, “What about you, you make any calls?”
“Yeah I called my pop, he is smart, going out of his mind though, he can’t reach Emily, my sister or her husband or the kids. He is an old coot, more guns than sense and I tried to get tell him to stay put, but… Well honestly Max if anyone can survive this my old man can. Camping, hunting, hiking, the guy is tough, I just don’t know if he can take on a city full of zombies by himself. I could not reach Emily either. I…I fear the worst Max, I am sure they are not alright. Positive of it. I don’t know what to do, but next time you break out, I am going with you.”
“Oh geez Steve, I am sorry man, really sorry. I met your old man once, when your mother died, it was not a good time to judge character or anything and, well he seemed like the kind of guy who might not survive his spouse by too long if you know what I mean. Like Johnny Cash or something. He pulled through that though, I mean your mom died, what three years ago?”
“Yeah about that, he had it rough after she died, then he started doing the same old things again, his hobbies, when he retired we, Emily and I, thought he might fade pretty fast too, but you know, he didn’t. He got all religious and made the best of things. God saw him through, God wanted him to be here, God wills it kind of stuff. We have never been too religious, but we suffered through it, figured it was a coping mechanism and he recovered. Hell, I figured he would out live me. Until this happened. I don’t know Max, I think we gotta get out of here and find someplace safe. Safer.”
“I agree, we get out, swing by your dad’s, pick up my kids and head, where? Where do we go? Head for the hills? I am not so sure about that. I have been thinking a little and unless the military sets up a safe zone we need to find a place to go to. Maybe Iowa? I have a buddy there and if things are not as bad maybe he could take us in?”
“Iowa? Sure, why not, North Platte is on the way, we can swing by and pick up Tom’s family too. What do we do now?”
Max and Steve had made their way out of Kirkpatrick’s office to where they, Tom and Officer Stewart had chosen to bed down for the upcoming night. “I am thinking we need the guns and ammo in Stewart’s car.” Max said.
Stewart looked up at this, but did not say anything. Steve, started to protest and then said, “Okay, yeah, I can see that, you have a plan, don’t you, you wouldn’t have said anything otherwise, lets hear it.”
Max detailed his plan and by the time he was done he knew he had them on board for a covert action later that night.
Chapter 17
Nancy and her posse were a block away from MAC Co when they heard the first gun shots. “Jimbo, be a sweetheart and go see what’s happening” Nancy instructed. Reluctantly Jim shuffled forward and around the corner of the building out of site. A few moments later he reappeared and reported seeing, “The living fighting with dead.”
“That’s it? The living fighting with the dead? Useless son of a…come on V lets take a peek for ourselves.” After watching the scene unfold for awhile Nancy asked “What do think we should do Veronica?”
Veronica, harrumphed and hawed for a moment, making Nancy impatient, then finally spat out, “Wait until night. Watch. Break a window to get in if we have to. Kill them all and eat them, no more brothers or sisters, a big pack is hard to feed.”
“Very GOOD Veronica! Very good indeed! You know what I really want though? I want a guy named Fred, I want to find him and make him dead. Fred — dead. Get it? He is hopefully still pretty stupid right now, but he is still, maybe, our master and he would be a very bad master. Death would not have improved him. Accounting. You know how it is.”
Veronica made a laughing sound, awkward, but Nancy knew what she met by it. Nancy was concerned now, not worried, that might come later, but a Veronica who might resent her as much as Nancy resented Fred? Probably she would resent her even more, as Fred was just a mindless zombie and had yet to exert any influence on Nancy, whereas Nancy was controlling Veronica all the time. 'Yes, a pretty puzzle.' thought Nancy, perhaps cutting Veronica’s share of the food back a bit might be in order. Or would it matter now? Nancy liked the feeling of eating and felt a compulsion to eat whenever she saw a human form, but did the effect wear off? It had only been, twelve hours? That was it? Nancy was not feeling hungry or worn down or in need of another meal, however she would not pass one up if it happened by either. The more she consumed the more powerful she felt, so she wanted more.
“Veronica, honey, momma is getting hungry again, can we get in there now for a quick bite or should we go find easier prey?”
Veronica screwed up her face, her very pretty, younger face, Nancy noted, then answered, “Easier prey.”
“Why Veronica, why not these guys right now?”
