cheated on you, with your husband, she is probably married too right? So it was a double sin. You ever run around on your husband?'
'Only in my head.' Dora replied with wry amusement.
'A venial sin, nothing to worry about, she actually did the deed. In the old days we would have stoned her. Maybe we still should.'
'Couldn't we just get stoned with her?' Dora asked.
'Joke if you want. You need to wake up Dora. The dead are returning to life. It is the end of days. Your friend, who committed adultery, is going to die and come back and try and kill us as a servant of Satan. After we put her down again her soul will find its way to hell for eternity.'
'Oh fuck, you're a whack job!'
The other woman nodded, 'Call me what you want, it won't stop me from trying to help you.' Her son and Paige returned from the hallway and checked the back yard by flipping on the light briefly, seeing nothing they headed downstairs.
'Okay, okay, but Marge doesn't have to die right now, does she? Maybe she can repent and still make it?'
'It is the end of days, everybody won't be treated the same, the time for amends is gone, now it is judgment. I am afraid it is too late for her. I will keep her from bleeding to death. Bring more towels. And a wash cloth. Do you have any disinfectant? Bleach or hydrogen peroxide?'
'I'll see what I can find. Don't kill her while I am gone, okay?'
Mary nodded, 'I won't. I said you should kill her, not me.'
'Yeah, that is right, I mean killing is also a sin, last I checked.', to Marge she said, 'Try and repent anyway dear, I am sure it can't hurt. I will leave you in good hands and be back soon.'
Dora went downstairs calling loudly before she got there, 'I am not a zombie, don't shoot me. Put your clothes back on Paige. I am coming down the stairs.'
When she got to the concrete floor she saw Paige and Peter waiting for her.
'Thanks Dora, I mean, it isn't like the kid needs self-esteem or anything. Me either for that matter. He's thirteen for Christ's sake, so lay off a bit will ya?'
Dora shook her head, 'Nope. All clear down here?'
'Yeah, we knew it would be the door was shut. I figured the kid needed an excuse to get out of there so his parents could fight in peace, you know? How'd that battle go?'
Looking at Peter, Dora said, 'Not good. I take it your mom doesn't like your dad anymore?'
'She just met him again.' The boy said sullenly.
'The plot thickens!' Dora said with some glee, 'Do tell Petey boy! How did this turn of events came about! C'mon you two we need to check the laundry room, Doctor Mary needs some bleach. I am sure hoping Roger bought some… Continue Peter.'
Peter looked at Paige who shrugged her shoulders, 'You might as well, she'll make your life hell if you don't and it is far better to have her on your side. Unless you want to go up into that again?' Paige asked, upstairs they could hear Mary and Alex having a heated discussion in the living room. Peter shook his head 'no' in response to Paige's question and went with them into the relative sanctuary of the laundry room.
'My dad showed up at our house yesterday afternoon. He had a gun, these bats.' Peter hefted his bat, 'And a plan to get us out of here. It was the first time I met him.'
'No shit?' said Dora.
'Dora! Language!'
'I am sure Peter has heard the word 'shit' before Paige, go on Peter.'
'Well, she always told me he disappeared, and apologized that he never wanted anything to do with me, like it was her fault or something. She got, um, pregnant, and he took off when he found out.' in the dim laundry room light they could see the boy blush saying the 'P' word, 'I was born on my mom's eighteenth birthday. I never saw my dad. Never got a letter or a phone call. Mom never got support from him.'
'She seems to have done okay, being a doctor and all.', said Dora.
'Yeah, I grew up mostly with my grandma and aunt when mom went to college. Grandma says Mom is smart in everything except love. When mom went away to med school I only saw her ever few months, it was out of state. Then she did rotations a hospital in Nevada. I was seven and went with her, she got some money by then, but I still hardly ever saw her for another two years. When she graduated it was second in her class. She got a job here and we've been in Kansas ever since. Grandma lives down in Oklahoma.'
'See Paige? This is why I like kids, they are direct. Peter how did your dad find you?'
'He said he moved here about a year ago and was trying to work up nerve to contact us, me. Then this whole thing started and he knew it was now or never.'
'What are you doing here? In this suburb I mean?'
'We live here, about three blocks away. We came over to Mister Tobin's house yesterday after sunset. He has guns, or had some anyway, someone killed him and took them all. Except for this old fashioned one. They left that one there. My dad tried to get it to work, but he didn't know how. There weren't any instructions.'
Dora and Paige gave each other a look and Paige said, 'Your mom told you that someone killed mister Tobin and took his guns?'
'He was dead, his guns were gone.'
Dora jumped in, 'The house, like two doors down only across the street?'
'Yeah.' the boy confirmed.
'How did your mom know that guy?'
'She was his doctor. He gave us some venison steaks last year and mom told him she would buy some if he got another deer this year. Did you know Mister Tobin?'
'Ah, not really, no. I mean, I knew his name, but I never really spoke to the guy. My husband did.'
'That guy in the car? Who cheated on you?'
'Yeah Peter that guy in the car who cheated on me. He knew Mister Tobin too.'
'Oh.'
'Oh?'
'Nothing.'
'Jesus, I don't speak 'kid', what does that mean Paige?'
'Sometime Dora, 'nothing' means 'nothing'. Probably not this time, but let it go, he filled us in. Isn't your friend dying?'
'Friend? Hm…I will have to think that over. Look!' Dora said, pointing at the shelf, 'There is bleach! Grab it Petey and let's get back upstairs. Wait at the bottom first, maybe your mom and dad are having a juicy fight we can eavesdrop in on.'
The boy shrugged and grabbed the bottle of bleach. The three of them proceeded to the stairway and stopped to listen, other than the steady thumping on the screen door out front, there were no sounds.
'Hey, Paige?'
'Yeah?'
'You see that little kid, the girl, well her and the other one?'
'Yeah. I know who you are talking about, why?'
'Well she acted, well, smart. I put the gun up to her and she ducked down and away from it, then took off, but grabbed her sister, did you see that?'
'No. I was a little busy saving your ass.'
'Paige! Language!'
'You sure she ran away? That doesn't seem likely…'
Dora stopped walking up the stairs, turned to Paige and looked her in the eyes. 'Yes, Paige, I am sure of what I saw. I'm not fucking with you. I was hoping you or Mike shot the little bitch.' They continued to the top of the stair and into the living room.
'I didn't shoot her. We'll have to ask Mike. I, well, I kind of doubt it, if they were not near you we didn't shoot them, we had enough trouble keeping them away. It is a good thing you heard us yell about these three.' said Paige indicating the three newcomers.
'What? Paige I couldn't hear anything, I never heard you yell about these guys. It was only luck that I didn't
