Wake up! The world is ending! There are fucking zombies out there!
Instead, he swallowed that scream. He walked over behind the couch to stand behind his mom and put his hand on her shoulder. She quickly put her hand to cover his and smiled up at him. He smiled back and told his parents that he was turning in for the night.
He lay awake in his bed for a long time after that. Dale lay in the dark and stared at all the familiar shadows in his room. They comforted him. He could faintly hear the hum of the powerlines high above him. He was still awake when his parents went to bed but slipped into sleep shortly after that.
THE NIGHT WAS FILLED with noises. Dale stirred in his old bed, tossing and turning as the sounds of crashes, glass shattering, gunshots and screams fought for entry into his consciousness.
It was a crash and scream that eventually woke him up, early the next morning.
He was still shaking off the sleep, until the sound of yet another scream reached him. Dale sat up in bed, suddenly awake. His room was still dark, but he could see pale light coming in from above his drawn curtains. The sun had not yet risen but was about to do so.
Dale quickly threw on a t-shirt and jeans and made his way out of his room.
As he got to the living room, his eyes were glued to the window. The curtains had been partially opened, and he could see the street out front. Dale moved into the living room to get a better angle when a sudden noise beside him startled him.
“Dale.” Dale nearly lost his balance as he jumped back.
His dad was sitting on the couch, just visible in the grey dawn. He was in his pyjamas.
Dale met his father’s eyes. His dad turned to face the window and lifted his chin, indicating that Dale should go take a look.
Dale crept forward and peered around the curtains. At first it seemed like nothing was out of place. The street was empty. But then he saw it. There was a figure standing a few houses down, right on the edge where the street met the sidewalk. The person was facing away, but Dale could tell something was wrong. It looked wrong. The figure stood in a kind of half crouch, and its head seemed to be pointed almost straight down. It seemed to be frozen in place.
Tom had crept up beside Dale.
“There’s more of them. Look over there.” He pointed across the street at the next house down. Another stationary figure stood inside, at the window. “And there.” He pointed beyond the figure standing in the street. Dale spotted another figure standing in the middle of a flower bed.
They were here. The undead had arrived. Suddenly, the heads of the two figures standing outside snapped up and over. Dale thought he had heard a sound. With exaggerated movement, the two figures trudged off towards the noise. Tom placed his hand on Dale’s shoulder and pulled, indicating the two should back away from the window.
They retreated to the kitchen and stood at the counter. Dale was thankful for the solid surface, using it to steady himself. His heart was pounding, and his gut ache was back too.
“Looks like you were right about these ... undead.” His dad said it with clear distaste. It all sounded wrong to Dale. Almost as if his father was accusing him, and this was all his fault.
Fuck you, dad. He thought.
“No shit, dad.” He said.
“I think we should prepare to take that trip to the cabin.”
Tex decided to stir himself from his dog bed at that moment. Before either of the men could do anything, Tex walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room, intent upon the partially open window. The two men exchanged a look as Tex started to growl.
“Tex!” Tom whispered. “Heel boy. Here!” The confused dog looked back and forth a couple of times between his master and the window. With a groan, he turned around and sat by his master’s side. Tom rested his hand on his dog’s head, and the two men breathed a sigh of relief.
Dale faced his dad. “We have to keep Tex from making noise. That dog barks, and we’ll have those things over here in no time.” He whispered.
Chapter Forty-nine
Tom and Dale sat in the kitchen for the next hour, discussing plans for their exodus. Tom made some coffee, and the two sat savoring the brew. Tom had good taste in coffee – that was one of the things Dale could appreciate. Tex had been banished to his dog bed.
Tom left to get dressed and came back about ten minutes later with his wife in tow. She looked terrified. The three sat around the kitchen counter, coffee in hand. After a minute, Tom put his empty mug down and stepped into the living room.
“Tom! What are you doing?” Claire asked, her eyes wide.
“Just going to shut these curtains, dear.” He slowly made his way to the window. After a minute of looking out, he slowly drew the curtains shut.
“There are a couple more of them out there now.” He stated as he turned back to his family. “I suggest we check the television to see if there is any news.”
Dale figured that this was a good idea. It was also very unlike the dad he knew. Tom turned the tv on and within moments found the local news feed. It was that good looking brunette, Tammy something-or-other. She looked slightly disheveled compared to her usual sharp appearance.
Whatever, Dale. As if you would kick her out of your bed! Dale couldn’t keep the grin off his face at the thought.
Dale and his mom moved closer. The volume was set very low, but once they got to the couch, they could hear her.
“Ladies
