Dying Days 3 (16 page)

There were two dozen houses, all magnificent. The perfect hideaway from mindless zombies. Frank could see undead milling about near garages and gated stairs, unable and too stupid to break into and up the steps. There were traces of lights around about a third of the houses, electric light the naked eye couldn't see through blinds and shades. Frank could see them, and the shadows of the living inside. They were occupied and they had electricity. These humans were living in relative comfort, while the rest of the world went without basic things. Not that Frank was judging them. If he were merely human, he'd be living here as well, and making the best of it.

A zombie crossed in front of him and he snapped a neck without a thought.

Frank looked at the power lines that were attached to the houses and smiled. Would it be that easy? Tonight he would have some fun and gain another piece of this land for himself.

He wandered north, getting out of sight of the stilt houses, and found a gas station at the foot of a larger bridge. Many zombies were in the parking lot and inside the store, having gotten in through the shattered windows and doors. Frank decided he needed to kill a few hours, before it got dark and closer to midnight, so he began eliminating any zombie in the area.

There were so many coming up the road he didn't know if he'd have time to snuff out every last one of them, but he had a few hours to try.

Frank smiled when he got near the gas pumps and realized they wouldn't be too hard to turn on, as long as the inside of the store wasn't too damaged. You never knew when you needed gallons and gallons of gasoline to start a few fires.

He went in search of something to fill before killing more zombies.

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Are you sulking?" Darlene asked John, as she peeled her dirty clothes off, stripping down to her thong. She tossed her ruined shirt into a garbage can next to her bed. "Because I showed him my tits?"

"No… yeah," John said. He was taking his clothes off and folding them neatly and placing them on the ground, even though they were dirty and sweat-stained from the day they'd just had. "I finally saw them, like, twelve hours before. I thought I was special."

Darlene tried not to laugh in his face. She loved this jealousy, suddenly, rearing its head from him. She found it cute. "So, you think because we finally had sex, I can't date anyone else? I can't flirt and be myself around the boys?"

John smiled but the corner of his mouth twitched. "I just mean, well, I thought after last night we were finally over the hump."

"Nice pun."

"No, you know what I mean. Shit." He sat down in his boxers on the bed. "I just wasn't expecting you to be flashing your boobs at Eric, that's all."

"Do you remember when we met? You know, when you tried to kill me."

"I thought you were a zombie."

"And I thought you were an idiot, but that's not the point. Don't you remember how I kept from being raped by the guy I, affectionately, called Lazy Eye?"

"That was different."

"How? I flashed my tits at him. Shit, I have probably used these puppies to get out of more sticky situations than I can count. They are, literally, life savers."

"I think the meeting went well tonight."

"Are you changing the subject?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Too bad, I was going to flash my tits."

"You're not wearing a shirt… or a bra."

"Fine, I'll cover them up." She made a move to her dirty clothes.

"Are we going to take a shower?"

"I'm waiting for you. And the meeting did go well tonight." Darlene went into the bathroom and turned the water on. The remaining members of their community had banded together in Murph's living room and agreed they needed to be diligent about the zombies and the growing problem they were showing by gaining intelligence. In the morning, they would close up all of the stilt houses not in use, pull all the supplies and food into six main houses, and tighten security. Since they could, in theory, open the gates to the stairs, another system would need to be used. Plus, the middle group of houses only had one real way to get into the main house, so they would be used and the others abandoned.

Tonight, everyone would rest and not worry about it. Eric was staying with Murph, who was wise enough to know Eric was hurting. Murph complained his knees were really bothering him and he didn't want John staying there tonight (the old man had quickly figured out his boy and Darlene had finally hopped into the sack) but needed Eric's help.

"I thought Bri would stay with my dad tonight," John said, as he dropped his boxers on the floor and got into the shower behind Darlene.

"I didn't see Bri. She's usually up your ass."

"No, she's not." John put his head under the hot water.

Darlene laughed. "She's going to be pissed once she finds out I finally snagged you. She's definitely got a crush on you. I'm sure, especially at her age, we'll be mortal enemies for a few months. I hope you're worth it."

"Oh, I am." John wrapped his arms around Darlene and pulled her into the water.

"You might need to prove it, John-John." She kissed him and reached down, grabbing his manhood.

"I fully intend to."

After they'd showered and made love wet on the bed, Darlene snuggled into John's arms and kissed his nose. "Why'd we wait so long for this? Shit, don't answer that."

John chuckled. "I'm an idiot. But we're not going to waste any more time. Once we get everything together tomorrow, we'll have more time for us."

"Do you really believe that?'

He shrugged. "I'm trying to be positive. I think we'll have a battle on our hands, and it's coming really soon. We've lost so many people in such a short time."

"We need to get out of here."

"Why?"

It was Darlene's turn to shrug. "I'm not sure. Just a feeling I have. We can head up to Saint Augustine and warn whoever is left, or head to the high school and stay there. I know there's enough food and supplies to last us, if it hasn't already been looted. Or maybe we can head north."

John frowned. "Are you still thinking about heading to Maine?"

"I like to keep the option open."

"How do you think you're going to travel well over a thousand miles on foot?"

"I didn't say it was going to happen, John. I just don't ever want to have to stop believing there is still a home for me. That's all."

"You're home is here, with me."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" John asked and rose on his elbow.

"We can't talk about the future, and you know it. We live day to day. If we start making plans… we just need to stop and enjoy what we have right now, in the moment. We're luckier than most people still living. I can only imagine what we'd be doing if we were in a burned out city and eating scraps and fighting zombies at every step. This can't last forever, so why worry about anything past the next minute?"

"Can I stay here tonight?"

Darlene checked her invisible watch on her wrist. "I have another guy coming over in an hour."

"I'll kick his ass."

"I think Eric can take you."

"Ouch."

Chapter Thirty

It was well after midnight when Frank found the buried power lines and traced them back to their boxes a mile away. After all this time, the power grid was still active, and these humans had been living off free energy and surviving with refrigeration, air conditioning and showering. It seemed like cheating to him. This was, after all, the zombie apocalypse. They were supposed to be living off berries and rotting cans of food and rain water, filthy and skinny. Not living healthy and probably annoyed the zombies wouldn't let them on the beach to sunbathe, and they had to do it on their deck with a bottle of chilled wine.

Not that any of them would survive the night, but even if by some amazing chance they did, their days of creature comforts were coming to an end. Frank didn't want to let any escape, like the boy from the H3, although, he knew he'd find the kid as part of the newest undead and break his scrawny little neck.

Frank held the pickaxe up over his shoulder but hesitated. What if he wasn't as indestructible as he thought? What if he wasn't as evolved yet? Did he want to find out?

He closed his eyes and took the swing with the pickaxe, striking the power box.

The energy enveloped him and his brain surged, pitching him ten feet. Frank shuddered as the sparks bounced off his body, flicking from his fingertips and setting his hair on fire. He rolled and put it out, his eyebrows scorched.

This was what it felt like to be struck by lightning
, he thought.
And survive
.

He stayed on the ground and decided to gather his wits again before finishing the bloody night ahead.

Chapter Thirty One

"It's hot. Did you turn the air off?" John said, as he wiped the sweat from his face. He was wrapped in the blankets and they were soaked.

Darlene mumbled and rolled over, her back glistening with sweat.

John got up and stumbled to the living room. It was dark. Too dark.
Fuck. The power is out
, he thought. Could it be something as simple as a blown fuse, or had their time finally run out with free electricity? He decided to grab a flashlight and see if it could be fixed on his end. He assumed the fuse box was downstairs in the garage, but there was no inside steps leading down to it. He'd have to go outside and dodge some zombies. He didn't know if Darlene had a key for the side garage door, either.

For now, he'd let her sleep. There was no sense waking Darlene and getting sarcasm about being a big boy and changing a simple fuse.

Outside it was cool, a nice breeze blowing off the ocean. Clouds in the sky covered the moon, but there was enough light to see shadows under the house. When John shined the flashlight, he wasn't surprised to see five zombies up close. They were attracted to the flashlight beam like moths.

"Fuck all of you," he murmured and went back inside to get clothes on and get a machete. "Why can't this be easy?"

Tomorrow he'd move his clothes and personal belongings into Darlene's place. He liked the sound of that. Maybe it would eventually be their place. They hadn't gotten out of bed after their shower and lovemaking, so his clothes were still folded, neatly but filthy, in the bedroom. Without power, they couldn't wash their clothes, either.

He managed to get dressed and find a sharp machete in the closet without waking her. By the time he got back outside, only two zombies were in sight and the clouds had moved enough some stray moonlight was giving him natural illumination.

John went down the steps and unlocked the gate, slipping out and locking it again just as the first zombie got to him. Three chops severed the neck and some of its blood spurted on his shirt.
Great, now I'm even filthier
, he thought.

The second zombie was near the garage and John dispatched it with a single stroke, impressing himself. Now, he needed to figure out how to get inside the garage without breaking the lock.

Not expecting much, he jiggled the door handle and was amazed when it opened. He supposed it had never been locked in the first place. It was a good thing zombies weren't smart enough to open it… although, that seemed to have changed. John thought it good luck he'd found it before one of the smarter one's had.

The garage was empty. It smelled like old gasoline. The wooden shelves, to one side, were bare. John found the fuse box with the flashlight and popped it open.

He scanned each fuse and everything seemed to be in working order. The main fuse was still good. The problem wasn't here; it was out there somewhere. He wasn't going to pursue it this time of night. It would be yet another thing to add to the list for the morning. With the breeze, he hoped it would keep the house cool for the rest of the night.

As he headed back up the steps, glad no other zombies were nearby, he turned and looked at Murph's house next door. It was dark, but he didn't know if it meant the power was out or the old man had gone to bed. They never kept lights on and even if they did, the blinds and shutters covered the light from prying eyes.

John listened for sounds of any air conditioning units running but it was quiet. He figured everyone had lost power. He was wide awake and irritated.

The living room windows opened with a squeak and he froze, waiting for Darlene to yell. When he was sure she was quiet, he went around the house and opened every window not sealed shut. A decent draft of air was coming in, and he left the front door open and made sure the screen door was latched so it didn't catch a gust of wind and blow open.