Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1) (23 page)

              Wes looked over the side of the pew he was using as a bed at the remnants of the sandwich he had been eating for dinner.   He hadn’t been able to finish it.  It, like his day, wasn’t sitting well.  He still could see the faces of the zombie children from the other church.  Turning back over, he lay on his back staring at the ceiling.  He was so tried but sleep eluded him.  He rubbed his eyes and another memory flashed into his mind.   Steve had left the tower to grab them something to eat.  Wes had been watching the street when he saw a zombie round a corner.  It had been a girl.  When she was alive, Wes guessed she would have been around his age, but he didn’t know her. 

“She must have gone to another school.”  He mumbled to no one.  The thought of school struck him as odd suddenly.  He doubted he would ever be going back. He shivered slightly.  It was cold in the church.  It hadn’t been a particularly warm past few days.  That is what struck him about the dead girl he had seen.   She was wearing a t-shirt, gym shorts and flip flops.  He guessed she might have been a cheerleader or some other athlete coming back from practice, the type of girl that would never have talked to him in school.

This thought made him laugh.  “Would she want to talk to me now?”   He felt the handgun, heavy and cold, in his jacket pocket.  “Now that I shoot zombies in the face.” The image still hovered in his mind when he closed his eyes.  Pushing the hair off his face he muttered, “No, she would want to talk to Steve.  At least Beth likes me.”  Thinking back to the girl again, he guessed she would have been pretty if not for the fact that she was dead.  Staring up at the ceiling he imagined how it happened. 

She was leaving the gym after cheer practice.  She was probably cheer captain, he mused.  She had her gym bag over her shoulder and someone grabbed it.   

“Hey! What is your problem?”  She would say in that superior tone.

              She would then see the living corpse that had grabbed her bag.  He would be staring at her, dead eyes bloodshot and bulging.  His filthy hands claw at her and a torn mouth would try to bite her.  She let go of the bag and started to run.  The zombie stood for a moment stupidly holding the bag, before it dropped it and pursued her.  As she ran she lost a flip flop and hurt her foot and couldn’t get away fast enough.   

“That is when those stupid shoes let you down.”  He stated.  He never liked flip flops.  “That is why you should always wear appropriate footwear.  In case you need to make a speedy get away.” 

The picture of her filled his mind.  One flip flop, blue gym shorts, a blood stained t-shirt and one arm missing.  Wes shook the image from his head.  He spent the next two hours trying to remember a time over the summer with Beth.  They were hanging out at the pool.  Every time he had just started to fall asleep the girl in the blue shorts would show up.  She would come out of the pool, or be in the picnic area. 

Finally he fell into a restless sleep filled with classes with the girl in the blue shorts and a zombie choir singing KISS’ Beth. 

Devin turned off the headlights and drove along the front of the building.  The large windows in the front were mostly covered in newspaper.  A few boards where still held in place, several lay on the ground, but most had found new homes long ago. The paper hid the giant windows of a former showroom that was in the middle of the building.  At one time this held all the latest fashions, now it was dark and held mystery. 

In several places the paper had fallen away.  This caused some excitement when Trevor saw a figure standing in the window.  Devin stopped the truck and waited.  All the occupants collectively held their breath. 

“Where else should we go?”  Whispered Matt.

They waited, the figure didn’t move.  Devin squinted into the darkness. 

“I think it is a mannequin.” 

“You sure?  I really don’t want to get inside and find the place crawling with those guys.”  Max shuddered. 

“Well they seem to get pretty excited when they see us, and this guy hasn’t moved.” 

“Maybe it is a survivor.”  Beth stated hopefully.

“Or maybe it is someone who wants to take our guns.”  Stancy grumbled.

Beth turned to retort but was cut off by Hector, “fair point.  Thing is, they haven’t moved…at all…So I am leaning toward the dummy idea.  I am ready to fight for a place to stretch my legs.”  To emphasize the point, one of his knees popped loudly as he shifted on them. 

“I wouldn’t say no to a bathroom with walls.  That last pit stop was…nerve wracking.  I never wanted to do my business outside and that was
before
someone wanted to eat me.”  Gillian explained.

Devin did not say a word but slowly drove along the building turning at the corner.  They drove the length of the side of the building, everyone tensely looking for signs of life, or death.  Nothing moved in the wooded area just past the pavement.  Devin reached the end of the wall and turned the truck along the back. 

“The loading dock doors are too high for us to get into easily.”  Hector noted, pointing at the closed doors. 

“That looks good!”  Trevor exclaimed pointing at a door at the top of a small staircase halfway along the building. 

“Why are we parking in the back?”  Beth asked, “Don’t you think it would be better to be seen?  You know in case there are people alive around here.”

“We can get some rest and not really worry about someone trying to steal our vehicle.”  Max spoke up.   Beth turned to him, a confused look on her face.

  “Well,” started the officer, “if you were in need of a safe vehicle to try to make it out of the city this is the best one, and if you see it sitting with no one in it.  Well why wouldn’t you try to take it?”  He shrugged. 

“Don’t you think they would try to find out who was here first?”  Beth argued.

“You’ve got a lot to learn about people, little girl.”  Stancy grunted.

“Just what is that suppose to mean?”  Matt defended.

“People only look out for themselves.”  Stancy answered mater of factly, as if this closed the matter.

“If that were true, your ass would still be downtown.”  Bill noted.

Trying to head off the building tension Devin spoke up. “That should be just above the back bumper.” 

“Huh?”  Matt questioned.

“The door.”  Devin pointed out the front window.   “That should make it easy to get in and out and we can use the doors as a kind of shield if we get surrounded.”

“Surrounded by whom? Come on let’s just get out of this damn truck.  Seriously I think we are safe, when was the last time anyone came near this dump?”  Stancy urged.

  Nobody answered her so she crossed her arms and glared at Matt.  He stared back, made a silly face then looked out the back window.  Devin eased the truck up to the staircase.

Hector opened one of the back doors and Bill grabbed the back of his belt.  Hector looked back at Bill a slight look of discomfort on his face.  “Don’t flatter yourself.” Bill stated noting the look on the other man’s face. 

Hector looked Bill in the eye and laughed, “sorry, but I am a damn good looking man ya know.”

  This earned a laugh from Bill and a derisive snort from Stancy. 

“Ok Devin back it up.”  Hector yelled. 

Devin slowly positioned the truck against the stairs.  Metal on metal screeched as Devin backed as far as he could against the building.  There was only about six inches from the edge of the truck’s back door to the wall of the old factory.  All but one of the metal grate stairs sat under the rear of the truck; the handrail was bent by the force of the engine pushing back against it. 

“Did you make enough noise?”  Stancy commented.

“What do you care?  Remember, you said no one has been here in forever.”  Matt commented. 

Again Stancy glared at him. 

“Oh give it rest you haggard old vulture.”  Matt sighed.

“How dare...” she fired up at once.

  “Matt, help me with this door.”  Hector called.

  Matt climbed over Beth to help Hector and Bill with the door.  Beth took in a quick breath of pain as Matt tripped over on her leg.  He fell onto Stancy who pushed him hard away.  Beth glared her until Matt stepped on her knee again and fell into Gillian’s lap.

“Well it opens toward us.”  Bill pointed to the hinges on their side of the door.

Hector grabbed Matt and pulled him away from three annoyed women.  “I don’t know if you’re a klutz or you planned that.”  He smirked at the red faced boy. 

“We need something to wrench the door open.”  Beth noted joining the others at the back. She rubbed her knee and didn’t look at Matt. 

Matt tried to distance himself from her.  He was looking anywhere but in her direction when he noticed a strip of metal that had broken off the stairs as they had pushed up against them.  Pulling one of the truck’s doors forward a little he squeezed around it and jumped down to retrieve the shard, accidently kicking it several feet away. 

The piece was only a short distance from the back doors but once clear of the truck he froze.  Carried on the light fall breeze he could hear a distant moaning. “Matt, hurry up!” Beth called from the back of the truck.   Looking all over he couldn’t make out any movement near him.  Gathering his courage Matt grabbed the metal bar.  He ran flat out back to the safety of the armored car. 

“Man there is some really creepy moaning going on out there.”  He told the others as soon he was helped up. 

“Well it can stay out there.”  Hector replied taking the piece of thick metal from Matt and inspected it.  It was of a good thickness tapering to a flat edge.  “Great eye, this is perfect.” 

Matt beamed at the complement.  Beth got the feeling he rarely received much praise. 

Hector worked the flat end of the bar into the crease between the door knob and the frame.  Hector and Max applied pressure while Bill pulled the door and Beth pulled Bill.  The frame gave a loud crack and Bill and Beth fell back into a protesting Stancy. 

With the door open Hector snapped on the flashlight on the end of his rifle.  Beth clamored to her feet pulling her own gun out.  Max cut her off and moved into a cover position behind Hector.  Matt moved to get his gun when Gillian stopped him. 

Beth waited at the back of the truck holding her breath.  She watched Hector’s light dance over the walls and floor. 

“Looks clear.” Max hissed to the others. 

The group spilled out into the open area of an empty loading dock.  They all spread out, stretching and groaning, but stayed within an arm’s length of each other.  Standing in the dark they listened for any noise, any hint they were not alone. 

“This is great, cold, dark and empty.”  Stancy’s voice whined, making Matt jump.

“Give it a rest.”  Gillian griped from her left.

As her eyes grew accustom to the dark, Beth could make out some boxes and debris ahead.  A light suddenly came on from behind her.   “I found a flashlight in the truck.”  Devin replied unnecessarily to her.  She hadn’t even realized he hadn’t been with them.  Beth decided from then on to always do a mental headcount every time they left the vehicle.  “It is always good to know.”  She muttered to herself. 

Devin shut the back doors to the truck and closed the door into the building.  “Please tell me you have the keys.”  Hector joked.  Devin hit his pockets in mock panic.  Matt started to freak out until Devin held up the jingling keys. 

“Don’t upset the kid.  He’s annoying enough.”  It was Stancy again. 

“Pot,” Beth held out a hand, then the other, “Kettle.” She shrugged.  This received an annoyed look from both Matt and Stancy. 

        As a group they moved closer to the center of the open warehouse.  The pile Beth had noticed turned out to be several broken pallets, empty boxes and various packing materials.  Looking through the boxes they found two contained rolls of padding for bras and a box of under wires. 

Stancy picked up the padding and glared at Beth.  “With this stuff you might actually attract a man.” 

“I have one thank you.” 

“I doubt that now.” Stancy sneered.

Beth looked stricken for a moment.  Anger boiled up inside her.  Seeing what was about to explode, Matt quickly picked up one of the long wires, “if we only had some hot dogs.”  Distracted, Beth sighed and shook her head at Matt.  Passing by him she squeezed his upper arm in thanks. 

Devin swept the flashlight around the dock.  There were several doors on either side of them and a glass door toward the front.  He cautiously made his way to the glass door, turned off the flashlight and looked through it.  “It’s the showroom.”  He whispered.  “And…oh thank god, it is just a mannequin.  I thought it had to be since they didn’t…” He stopped looking back at the others who just smiled at his relief.  

“Yeah the factory is on either side of the dock.  The one side made the everyday underwear and the other side made the sexy stuff.”  Matt explained.  Everyone turned to stare at him.  “What?  My mom used to work here.  She brought me and my brother with her when we couldn’t afford a babysitter.”  He explained and started rooting through the boxes again.

“Where are the bathrooms?”  Gillian asked. 

Matt pointed toward the front of the building.  Gillian started to head in the direction he pointed.  “Wait, wait, no one should wander off alone.”  Beth immediately moved to catch up.  “I know it sounds lame but we have to use the buddy system.”  Gillian laughed but readily agreed.  Beth borrowed the flashlight from Devin then led the way to the door marked “Women”. 

“So who gets to be Stancy’s buddy?”  Gillian asked from a stall.  Beth just laughed. 

Returning, they saw a busy, but spread out group.  Trevor was building a fire out of several of the broken pallets and cardboard.  Matt was busy dividing up the left over padding, Martin was breaking down some of the larger boxes.  Hector and Max were discussing who would take the first watch. 

The decision was made that Hector would take the watch.  Devin, Max and Bill took some of the larger pallet pieces to furnish barricades to the doors leading to the other parts of the factory.  While the others began to make beds out of the padding and cardboard.   

    “That should hold em.”  Max stated proudly when he returned to build his own bed.