Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1) (30 page)

“What the hell was that?”  Beth asked as the noise of the howl began to die down. 

“Keep it down and stay away from the windows.”  Hector hissed tiptoeing into the room.  “The street is filled with them.  They are all heading into town.”

Matt eased his way over to the window and peaked over the sill.  The road was covered with the undead.  Moving slowly but with a kind of propose.  Beth glanced out the window and thought it looked like a sea of people, a parade in a way.  Then she made out the state of them.  Bloody, broken and horrid.  She closed her eyes but could still see them. 

Turning away she looked around for anything to clear the vision from her mind.  On the table was a magazine with a beautiful ship on the cover.  She scooped it up and began flipping through the pictures of gorgeous places and happy people.  After several minutes Beth began to get lost in an article about Mexican pyramids when.

“Seriously?”  Matt whistled as he pressed both hands against the grimy window. 

Beth glanced up at Matt and closed the magazine.  She looked at the cover and wondered if the cruise ship sailing the beautiful clear blue waters might still be out there.  The idea appealed to her, a huge floating palace with food, medicine, and a means to stay away from land for a prolonged period of time.  For a moment she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on her face.  She was on the deck of the cruise ship.  Wes was laying on the deck chair next to her and Steve was calling them from the diving board about to do a belly flop into the pool.  A smile broke over her face.  Her thoughts were again interrupted by Matt.

“Are there really that many?  I mean yeah I know they are with a circus and all, but why do they always appear?” 

Matt now had Devin and Gillian’s attention.  Opening her eyes to reveal the dirty small apartment Beth sighed, “Matt what are you talking about?” 

“Come take a look.” 

Beth got up and joined Matt at the window.  “So?  What is the deal?”  She asked.

Matt pointed to a lone figure wandering slowly down the now deserted street.  The grease paint was cracked and streaked, the baggy pants stained with blood.  The big red floppy shoes made the already uncoordinated corpse even more unsteady.  Behind the clown trailed several strings holding the remnants of red, yellow, green and blue balloons, long since popped. 

“I mean in every zombie movie there is a clown, but I just thought that was because clowns were creepy enough to begin with.”  Matt explained.

“Yeah, Wes liked…likes…well I don’t know if he still…anyway,”  Beth shook her head frustrated, “like you said why is there always a clown?  Who would get one for a party?  It’d scare kids.”

“Well I think people fear clowns because they are a representation of death.”  Matt shrugged, still watching the slow progression of the undead clown down the street.  Turning from the window he noticed all the confused faces staring at him. 

Beth broke the silence, “What the hell are you talking about?” 

Matt looked around the room, waiting for someone to back him up.  When none of the expressions changed he shook his head, smiled and huffed.  The action annoyed Beth and she was about to tell him so.  Matt took a deep breath and began to explain, in a tone as if explaining that two times two equaled four. 

“Well let’s look at the general appearance of the clown.  First is the white pallor.  The lips are generally red and larger than normal.  The nose also is bulbous and red.  Generally they have a look of bloat and the hair is wild.  Sometimes they wear gloves that make their hands look huge.” 

“You had a bad experience at the circus when you were a kid, didn’t you?”  Beth asked pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. 

“Yeah but that isn’t it.  Popcorn and too much cotton candy, wasn’t pretty.  Anyway, the white face is very corpselike.  The lips start to recede as the corpse starts to decompose.  Gases build up in the body causing the torso to distend until it eventually ruptures.” 

Beth wore an expression of disgust. 

“What?”  Matt asked confused, “The gases created by decomposition have been known to raise a body that has been weighed down with a 200lb weight from the bottom of  a lake.” 

“Why do you know this?”   

“Anyway the hair and nails are rumored to keep growing after death but it actually is the skin of the scalp and hands receding from decomposition.  That is why the clowns hair and hands look the way they do.” 

“So why do people have them at the circus and parties to make them laugh? And seriously why do you know this?’  Beth asked.  Torn between amusement and slight concern at his mental state. 

“I think people came up with the clown as a way to deal with death.  To make it less scary.  People feared death and a corpse.  So they came up with the clown.  A walking corpse that couldn’t hurt them, but would make them laugh.” 

“Well I don’t find these walking corpses funny and they sure don’t make me laugh.”  Beth grumbled. 

Matt turned back to the window.  The clown corpse was almost even with the window.  It stopped and turned its head to look up at Matt.  He back away, hoping he had not been seen, “Yeah I know what you mean.” 

Beth looked back down at the gleaming white ship on the magazine cover.  She wondered if she would ever see the ocean again.   

“Right, after that, um informative and truly disturbing exercise lets discuss this plan to get the hell out of dodge.”  Hector inquired.

“First thing on our list needs to be provisions.  There isn’t much here and we have no idea when we will find someplace to restock.”  Devin explained. 

Beth had put down her magazine and picked up the hand drawn map she had made from memory of the Distribution center.  “There is a grocery store on the way to the center.  We could stop on our way back.”  She said hopefully.

“Sorry but I think that has to be our first priority.”  Devin smiled apologetically at her.

Beth sat frustrated.  She had wanted to leave to search for Steve and Wes hours ago.  She knew Devin was right they needed food but that didn’t make her feel any better.  If they went to the grocery first they may not have time to go to the center.  If they didn’t make it there soon Steve might not be there.  Beth opened her mouth to protest but Hector held up a hand to stop her. 

“Beth I know you want to look for your brother and your friend, I understand that.  We have to plan as if we aren’t going to find them.  We need to have food.  If we get there and the place is too dangerous we will have to make other plans to get out of town.”  Beth began to protest.  Hector talked over her.  “No matter what, we will need to eat.  Look at it this way.  Your Brother is a football player right.”  Beth nodded, “He will be happy if we have something to eat when we find him.”

“He is always hunger.”  Beth grumbled.

Hector took this as her agreement to go to the grocery first and put off the center for later.  “Ok then tomorrow I’ll take Beth, Devin and…”  Matt hopped in his seat, hand in the air, “Matt to go and check out the grocery store.  Max I need you to stay here to keep this place secure.”

“What about me?  I can help.” Gillian demanded.

“Wait!  What do you mean tomorrow?”  Beth stood up shouting. 

“Calm down.  It is too late and too dangerous to go out there right now.”  Beth protested but Hector continued, “I don’t want to be out and about when it gets dark.  We will plan this out and leave early in the morning.”

“Fine!  Then we  might have time to go to the center afterwards then.”  Beth shot at Hector.

Gillian slowly stood in between them.  “I think that is fair.  So tomorrow morning, Beth, Hector, Devin, Matt and I will head out to the store and, time permitting, check out the distribution center.”   Hector did not look pleased by this compromise. 

Matt did a quick count in his head and noted a problem.  Beth seemed to come to the realization at the same time because the both began to talk at the same time. 

“Not good, not good.”

“No we need another.”

“Seriously that is uncool.”

“Trevor or Max needs to come.”

Holding up his hands, trying to calm the teens Hector loudly asked. “What? Wait, what is the issue?”

“Go on tell him!”  Matt urged Beth.

Beth spoke up.  “Ok we have to do this in teams.  Two people to a team and we stick together.  Nobody goes off by themselves.”

Hector looked at Beth amused.  “Good plan.  Seems like you are pretty sure of this.” 

“Seriously Dude?  You haven’t watched too many movies have you?”  Matt questioned. 

Beth looked back at the man.  “Common sense, if we go off by ourselves then one of us gets bit, but we don’t tell the others because we don’t want to be killed or left behind so we hide it.” 

Matt took up the explanation here. “Of course no one seems to notice that we keep getting sicker and sicker until we inevitably attack the others…..” 

“So we stick together that way no one gets jumped and no one gets bit right?” The others stared at Beth.  “That is what happens in all the movies.”  She shrugged. 

“Yeah alright makes sense to me.”  Gillian agreed. 

“I’m with the smart one.”   Matt smiled putting an arm around Beth’s shoulder. 

“No, you are with me.”  Hector stated. 

Matt’s arm dropped from Beth’s shoulder. 

“Beth you are with Gillian, Devin with Trevor.”  Hector continued. 

“What is with the splitting it up girls and boys?”  Gillian asked offended. 

“Fine Beth can go with Trevor and you and Devin can stay in the truck.” 

Devin and Gillian began to protest loudly until Hector offered to leave everyone behind.  “Listen!  I want two people in the truck.  One driving, one acting as a look out.  I want one person to push the cart and the other to cover them.  Beth and I have some weapons training, Matt, Gillian, Devin and Trevor have no training so that is why I chose who I chose.  Questions?” 

“No I think I would rather go with Beth than a grump like you.”  Gillian teased.  Matt still looked slightly disappointed. 

“Um why isn’t Max going?”  Trevor ventured.

“Max needs to stay here to keep our home base safe.  No offence to Bill or Stancy,”  She gave a derisive sniff, “But I want someone here who knows how to handle a gun.”

Frustrated by the delay in leaving Beth spent the rest of the evening rummaging through various household items.  She was trying to determine what would make a decent weapon by testing their weight and durability.  So far a brass lamp and a table leg were the most promising.  When questioned on why she was bothering, Beth replied that clubs didn’t run out of ammo and never needed reloading.  A fact that no one argued with, as Beth swung another sturdy item with ferocity. 

Steve watched Kate cross the room.  She had changed out of her leathers and was now wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans.  Steve thought the jeans fit her very well.   He let his eyes wander over her from her dark hair to her white sneakers.  He wondered where she had found the shoes when saw her swing a pack off her shoulder dropping it next to her boots.  Now he remembered that pack.  He realized he was staring and looked away quickly as she turned around.  She had caught him.

  “What?”  She demanded. 

“Huh?” was his reply.

“What?  You were watching me!”  She eyed him suspiciously.

“What?  No I wasn’t,” his voice cracked with guilt.  “I mean I was but it wasn’t…Well, I mean.” 

She fixed him with a glace.  “What were you looking at?”  Her hands were on her hips and she was looking straight into his eyes.  He noticed that her eyes were as blue as her shirt.  He lost himself in her eyes for a moment then he noticed she was talking.

“You’re doing it again!”  She growled.

“Sorry, what?”  Steve cringed at her tone.  He looked at her knitted brows, her eyes flashed dangerously at him, her straight nose flared with anger and her perfect lips in a frown.  He stared at those lips and wondered what they would feel like to kiss. 

“Damn it!  Knock it off.”  She yelled. 

“Oh god, I’m sorry I just…I was just.”  He stumbled. 

“What!  What were you just doing?  Ever since I got here you have been watching me, every time I turn around you’re hovering watching everything I do.  It’s like you are keeping an eye on me.  You think I got bit out there?”  She became, if possible even madder, “or you think I’m going to steal something?” She advanced on him finishing her point by poking him in the chest. 

“Ow!  Jeez relax!  That is not what I think.”  He shot back firing up to match her anger.

  “Then, what?  What the hell is so wrong with what I am doing that you have to keep such a close eye on me.”  Kate Spat. 

“Paranoid much?”  Steve sarcastically responded.

“I’ve been here for three like hours and every time I turn around you’re spying on me.  No one else seems to have a problem with me.  Your buddy barely even looks my way, so what the hell is your problem?”  She was right up in his face now.  “What?  So what is it!” she demanded.  “Why are you always watching me!”

Steve was starting to get angry at her by this point.  Pretty or not she was yelling at him, poking him, and accusing him of spying on her.  “Now wait just a damn minute.”  He shot back. “I am not spying on you!” 

“So what is it?  You just checking me out?” She scoffed.

Steve head swam, she did think he was…  “Well as a matter of fact I was, but now that I see you up close you’re really not that attractive.”  Steve threw back at her.

She stepped back looking stunned.  “Wait what?” 

Steve was really pissed now.  “What the hell did you think?”  It was his turn to growl. 

Kate backed up further and quietly responded, “I thought, well, you are always with that younger guy, and you aren’t related and he’s kinda feminine, so well I thought.” 

Now it was Steve’s turn to be stunned.  “Yeah I’m always with Wes, I grew up with him around. He may look frail but he is tough, and for your information, little miss perceptive,” he put extra sarcasm on that last part, “Wes happens to be completely in love with my sister.”  Steve was breathing hard like he had run a mile.  Never had he been thought of as anything but the football hero, but here this girl is accusing him of being gay and on top of that… she had the nerve not to be his sister, when he so wanted her to be Beth.  He let out a shout and punched the top of the pew.   

“Oh, I’m...oh.”  Kate continued to back away her face was glowing red.  “I’m gonna go.”  She mumbled and headed toward the door.  Reaching for the handle Kate jumped back in surprise as the door swung open and Wes nearly collided with her. 

“You two done shouting?”  He asked.

Kate closed her eyes and groaned, “Oh, could you hear us?” 

“You were loud enough to wake the dead, oh wait, too late.”  Wes laughed. 

She stared at him, behind her Steve laughed. Kate excused herself and hurried past Wes.  As soon as she was gone Steve exploded, “You won’t believe what she thought!”

“Thought we were gay, huh?”  Wes replied Steve gawked at him. “Hey it isn’t the first time someone thought that of me.” Wes Shrugged.

  Steve closed his eyes and shook his head.  This had never occurred to him as he knew Wes always had feelings for Beth.  Opening his eyes he looked at Wes, a smirk crossed his face, “might be the pretty hair…stinky hippy.”

Wes spun around anger boiled up inside him until he saw the grin on Steve’s face.  He tried to hold an angry look until they both burst out laughing.    “I’ve been talking with Bear.”  Wes explained trying to catch his breath.  “You should cut Kate a break man.  They have had it really rough.  She saw her Dad get killed, she almost died like three times.  If she is a little paranoid…well they have had a few problems with other survivors.”

Steve understood what Wes meant.  Kate was very pretty.  “Seriously?” he thought.  “With everything going on all the people dying why do the sickos get to live?”  Steve looked up at the cross above the door.  “Don’t we have enough to worry about?”  He asked.  Wes followed Steve’s gaze and agreed.