Nothing is Certain Page 7

  Mary screamed. The torn face of a woman was staring out of the window. Chris was behind Mary, pushing her further up the stairs. “This is no good! We gotta find something else!”

  Chris ignored her. The next landing seemed clear. He tried the window; it didn ’t budge. The din from the undead was getting louder. Many were reaching for the bottom of the ladder that was, thankfully, out of their reach.

  Glass shattered where Chris kicked in a window. The sash was thrown up, and Mary was pulled through. Two doors stood on either side of the hall. Mary pulled Chris back as one opened a crack. An eye peeked out, followed by a beckoning hand. The twins rushed into the apartment. The door closed and locked behind them. Several people sat in the living room, staring at them as they stared back.

  “Welcome to my home,” a woman greeted them. “I think we are safe here.”

  Escape

  By the second day, the smell in the attic was almost unbearable. Nikki was hungry even with the stench. This was second to her thirst. She could see water below her, watched as the bottles were kicked over by the crowd of zombies still milling around. Few had been able to figure out how to get out after they forgot she was there. Her world consisted of three large windows on the front of the room and one smaller one on the side. She had looked out those front windows and wondered if the fall would kill her before the undead got to her. She doubted it. “Not ruling it out,” she muttered. “I’m not going to die up here. I’m not going to be forever crawling through this dirt after I’m dead.” Her fist pounded the floor. The din raised by the undead shoppers was almost overwhelming.

  Painfully, Nikki crawled over to the small window. Her knees ached from crawling, and her hands still stung from the cuts. Rubbing the grime off the glass with her sleeve, she could see the low roof of the antique store next door. The moaning of the undead had subsided now. There was only the sound of things being bumped and knocked over.

  “ Do you bastards even know I am up here? If I leave, will you follow?” Her stomach rumbled painfully. “Die from hunger, or die from the fall. Make your choice, girl,” Nikki grumbled. Slamming her fist on the floor, she roused the dead again. Using the noise for cover, she kicked at the glass. The first hit hurt her toes. She adjusted and kicked with the heel of her shoe. The glass shattered when it hit the concrete of the thin alley below. Every zombie in the street was drawn to the sound of the dead calling and the crashing.

  “ How the hell are you going to do this?” The cool air whipped her hair across her face. The alley was about four feet wide, and the other roof was three feet below her. She was weak and tired. Below, the alley was quickly filling with the dead. “OK, remember when we took gymnastics? We’ll just…backflip to the other roof.” She edged out of the window. Holding the broken frame, she positioned her feet to give her the best leverage. Her body hung out over the empty space between the buildings. She rocked somewhat to get some momentum. “Just like in the gym. Ready, one, two, three!”

  She was in the air. She had meant to do a lovely, arching move that would land her gracefully on her feet. That had been the plan, anyway. Stars burst in front of her eyes, the breath left her body, and every inch burned with pain. Nikki had landed flat on her back on the roof. Oh God, I’m paralyzed,she thought through a haze. No, I’m dead. I know it. The first attempt to breathe was agony.

  Coughing, she sputtered, “OK, not dead.” Pain washed over her body. “Hurts too much to be paralyzed.” She rolled onto her side. The first attempt to get up ended in several minutes of lying still. Finally on her feet, Nikki assessed the situation. “I’m on a roof. It’s getting cold, and I still have nothing to eat or drink. This is so much better.”

  Beneath her feet, the tar-covered wood creaked. “Oh fu—” Before the words had even left her mouth, she was in the air again. There was more pain as debris pelted her. This time, however, her landing wasn’t as hard. A once-beautiful antique sofa of deep crimson velvet lay on splintered legs, the upholstery cushioning her fall. Her eyes focused on the hole above her. Hours later, she woke to light rain falling from the darkened opening.

  The office held a desk, a mini fridge, and a coatrack with a jacket. Warm water and stale PopTarts had never been so delicious. About ten minutes after, the cramps doubled her over. Nikki learned to eat small bits after that and not to down the entire bottle. She lasted two days in the shop. Then the food was gone. She had found some clothes that weren’t too old. It seemed the store did some consignment as well as the antiques. This she was thankful for; a clean shirt and jeans did wonders for how she felt.

  A plan was half formed in her mind. The street in front of this store was mostly empty. The undead seemed to still be interested in her last address. At night it might be easy to slip past them. Then it was just a few blocks over to the woods. Had to be fewer of them there; maybe she could find one of those hunting cabins. Those guys usually had food stocked up or something. Taking the last water bottle, a handful of silverware, and a fireplace poker, Nikki headed for the door.

  Slowly and silently, she turned the deadbolt. The crack let in the cool air and the stink of death. Across the street, two of them didn’t seem to notice the movement. Fighting the urge to run, she walked slowly down the street. At the corner she turned, heading toward the woods. She had caught the attention of one of the undead in the middle of the street. She quickened her pace, but the creature just kept watching her. Nikki drew level with it and passed by it. It seemed to lose interest. Nikki blew out the breath she was holding. A tear ran down her face. The little food she had eaten threatened to come up. At the next street, Nikki’s resolve broke. The entire road was crowded with the undead.

  It took all she had not to scream. Terrified tears ran down her face, and her legs threatened to drop her. Her breath came in bursts of panic, and dark tunnels formed in her vision. A moan rose from the crowd. The silverware flew out of her hand in the opposite direction from where she was running, its effectiveness lost in the clatter of the poker that dropped in sheer panic. Now she was running, brush and limbs scratching her face and the knees of her jeans wet from where she fell to the ground. She retched. Tears flowed freely, her breathing heavy and painful. She was tired of being tired and terrified.

  Not What Was Expected

  The excitement of the first few days was over. Kyle found that he really missed video games. He missed his music; he missed his escapes. Alistair’s house had all the safety they could ever need, but it didn’t have anything that he and his sister could enjoy. There were a few old board games, several movies, and books, but it was stuff their uncle liked. Even their parents didn’t seem to enjoy it. Krissy made up games and played with Dude Cat, but she, too, got bored. She complained loudly when Kyle got to go outside and she didn’t.

  “You know, Dad,” Kyle said on one of these expeditions, “it might not be a bad idea to show her how to use one of these.” He waved the gun.

  His father frowned at the gun. “I wouldn’t even show you, but you already had one. I am not going to ask where you got it.”

  “I didn’t have it before. I found it after all this started,” Kyle immediately defended himself.

  “ Well, good, and I guess it’s good you had it. And since you do, you’re going to learn how to handle it properly.” Ray fumbled with the safety on his own handgun. Kyle pushed the barrel away from his face.

  “ Jesus, Dad! You never point a gun at someone unless you intend to kill them.” Kyle took the weapon. “First of all, this is the safety. You had it in the fire position. That should be on until you want to fire.” He was shaking his head at his father. “OK, gun safety one-oh-one.” He pulled the magazine and checked the bullets. He cleared the chamber and flipped the safety back on. Handing the weapon back, he started his instructions. “OK, first we are going to learn how to load and ready the gun.”

  “Who is teaching who?” Ray asked, a small smile playing on his face. “Good God, don’t let your mother know you know this much. How do you know this
?”

  “I’ve been kicking around the idea of joining the army. Thought it would come in handy.”

  In the Woods

  “ This is my zombie-free zone!” Nikki screamed, her eyes shut tight. Below her she could hear them lumbering through the underbrush. They were coming through the darkness. One was already in view, shambling toward the tree she had climbed.

  “ When I open my eyes, they won’t be there,” she whispered. She shut her eyes tighter, her fists clenching and unclenching as she heard a low moan. A thud of a dead fist on the tree followed by limbs breaking told her the zombie was right below her. “When I open my eyes, they won’t be there!” she shouted.

  “Shhhh!”

  Nikki grabbed tighter onto the tree, and her eyes flew open. Her head spun, looking in all directions. She only saw darkness. Straining her ears to hear the voice again, she only heard the dead shuffling below. Anger rose in her. She refused to look down. All she wanted to do was go home. She wished to be left alone. Ever since she had run out of the store, she had been followed. She could hear them moaning below her.

  “Go away!” she cried.

  “Shhhh!”

  “Who’s there?” she demanded. Her anger now directed at the voice on the breeze.

  “Shhhh!” was the only reply apart from the moaning of the dead.

  At the foot of the tree, she could hear their fingers clawing and scraping on the wood. Nikki could imagine bloody fingertips with nails breaking free and the obliviousness of the creatures. She had seen one fall over a rock; a compound fracture sent the bones in its arm through flesh and clothes. The zombie didn’t even notice. One had spied her through a pair of trees. It had tried so hard to reach her that it nearly tore its own face off pushing through the rough bark.

  “It’s the wind in the trees, that is all,” she said as she shut her eyes and began to repeat, “They won’t be there when I open my eyes. They won’t be there when I open my eyes—”

  “ Be quiet! Shhhh! They can hear you!” came a frantic whisper from her left—or was it right? Losing her grip for a second, she quickly clung back onto the tree. Balance regained, she swept the limbs aside, trying to locate the owner of the voice. All she saw as a squirrel several feet away, watching her. It seemed annoyed she was in its tree.

  “Did you say that?” she asked the animal.

  “If I say yes, will you be quiet?” the voice hissed from the blackness.

  Again Nikki tried to find the source of the admonishment. Her head spun left and right in desperation. She wasn’t sure if she actually heard someone or if the days without sleep were finally sending her over the edge. She desperately wanted to find the owner of the voice. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. There were zombies below her and a ghost voice with her in the tree. The first tear slid down her cheek.

  “I want to go home,” she whimpered.

  “There is no one alive there,” hissed the voice.

  “I want them to go away.” She sniffled, gesturing below her.

  “If you are quiet, they will go away,” the voice breathed.

  She gave a little laugh and whispered, “If I’m quiet, they will leave. If I’m quiet, they will leave…” After a moment or two, she just thought it over and over in her head. It seemed to be working as she could no longer hear them below her. She began to relax. “If I’m quiet…”

  “Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” rose from below; the call was joined by three additional tones—four zombies moaning for her, wanting her to join them.

  “ You said if I was quiet, they would go away!” she screamed. No answer came. “You used me to distract them!” Terror and anger fought for control. “You lied; they’re still here. Make them go away!” she howled as tears of fear and fury ran down her face.

  Crack…crack, crack…crack. Four blinding flashes and deafening blasts from right behind her head. Her ears rang. There was a muffled thud as someone jumped down from the tree. There was a high-pitched whine in her ear, mixed with all other sounds, which seemed a million miles away. Through the haze came a sound.

  “There! I made them go away. But they never would have come if you had kept quiet,” called an angry voice. Nikki felt as if she had a pillow over her head.

  “ Now get down here! We have to get moving. The sound will only bring their friends.” She looked down right as the moon broke through the clouds. A shape was moving between the stilled bodies of the zombies. It was waving her down.

  Carefully she began to slide down the tree. Her foot found the next branch, but her fingers and arms felt like rubber from holding on so tight. It wasn’t her arms that gave out but a branch. A yelp of fright escaped her as the limb broke free. Her feet dangled in midair. Her fingers protested for a second; then she lost her grip and fell into strong arms.

  “ Shhhh,” whispered the man who had caught her. She couldn’t see his face behind his ski mask. She was scared of him. He was tall and dressed in dark camouflage. She was short and wearing a pink hooded sweat shirt with a jean jacket over it that she had found in the consignment shop. He set her on the ground and turned his back to her. Nikki felt the urge to run. Before she could take more than a step, he was facing her again.

  He slung a heavy rifle over his shoulder. She looked at the darkness surrounding them. She could disappear fast in the darkness. She froze when he pulled out a large handgun and grabbed her hand. As he pulled her through the woods, Nikki was amazed at how little noise he made. She seemed to snap every twig as every dried leaf that ever seemed to have fallen crunched underfoot. Every noise she made felt as if it were amplified a thousand times, advertising their location to the zombies.

  “At least my hearing is coming back,” she muttered and was quickly shushed.

  As she was pulled through the trees, her heart was pounding and her lungs were on fire. She regretted not trying harder in gym class. Something lunged forward out of the dark at them. The muzzle flashed, and her ears rang again as the man fired at the zombie. Nikki swore—her ears really hurt now.

  The crumpled form of the zombie lay across their path. She was pulled along as her companion began to inspect it. Nikki pulled back, trying not to get close as the man flipped over the corpse and began to search it. He patted the filthy jacket of the creature, letting go of Nikki’s hand as he rummaged in the pockets. Standing up, he held up a gun that caught the moonlight on its polished barrel.

  Her hand free, Nikki began to back away. Ready to sprint, she turned. In a flash he had her by the wrist, pulling her closer to the zombie.

  “I don’t—” she began, but he cut her off.

  “ Shhhh,” he warned as he handed her the gun. He stuffed a box that rattled into her jacket pocket. She then felt a cold knife hilt pressed into her hand. She stared down at the gun, felt the ammo box press against her stomach, and held the knife that was in a sheath. Perplexed, she looked into the eyes in the ski mask and opened her mouth. He shook his head. He took the knife and attached it to the waist of her jeans. He checked the gun; it was empty. He reached in her pocket and retrieved the ammo box, shook out some bullets, loaded the gun, and flipped off the safety.

  Pressing the weapon back into her hand, he made a gun with his thumb and finger and gestured the gun firing. He flipped the safety back on and made his fingers like a gun but then nothing when he did the “bang-bang.” He gestured at her to see if she understood.

  She glared at him and rolled her eyes. With a mouth-open nod, she mouthed in a “duh” manner. The eyes in the mask rolled. He turned and started to move across a field. She gave him the finger and looked at the gun and then into the woods. Safety in numbers, she thought and began to follow him. She was just catching up to him when he threw an arm out to stop her.

  In the Cabin

  The arm stayed across her path, but Nikki wasn ’t going anywhere. She saw it, too—a light up ahead. It wasn’t moving. She looked at him; he stared back. She pointed at the light and held her hands up. He shrugged and inclined his head toward t
he light. She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. He let out a little laugh.

  “ Shhhh,” she replied and heard him fight to keep from laughing. He motioned with his head again, and they set off toward the light. As they crept along slowly, the outline of a small building became clear. It looked like a hunting cabin, the type Nikki had thought about escaping to. Excitement bloomed in her. She didn’t care how musty the sheets would be, how lumpy the mattress, or how thin the cot. It was some place to sleep, maybe get some food in her stomach.

  They had arrived at the edge of a clearing. The cabin sat in the middle of it. Nikki ’s companion motioned for her to get down. She crouched next to him. Looking over, she saw he was intently watching the cabin. She tapped him on the shoulder and held up her hands. He made binoculars with his hands on his eyes and pointed at the window. She gestured a “Yeah, and?” He held up one finger, telling her to wait. Together they watched the window. Nothing happened. Again she raised her hands in a “Well?” He flexed his fists, rolled his eyes, pointed to her, and waved her on. She frowned at him and shooed him forward. He pumped his fists in frustration, beckoned her to follow, and began to cross the clearing.

  They approached the small cabin slowly and crouched over. A light blazed in a window set high, near the roof. All the windows on the ground level were boarded up. A ladder lay on the ground under the window with the light in it. Holding up a hand telling her to wait, her silent companion crept over to the front door. He tried it; nothing happened. It was bolted tight.

  Returning to her side, he shrugged and then bent over to retrieve the ladder. He lifted it into position and laid it as gently as he could against the house. Next he motioned for her to climb. She shook her head no and motioned for him to go first. He raised his shoulders and motioned again.

  “What if one of them is up there?” she hissed.