Roxanne's Story (Book 1): Survival in the Zombie Apocalypse (13 page)

“Damn! Maybe I should have asked you to bring a bottle of rum” Roxanne said as Sally started putting in the stitches.

“And I have nothing for the pain,” Sally said. “Maybe the next run could be to a hospital for syringes, pain killers and anti-biotic. All I have is aspirin. Here,” she handed Roxanne a cold pack. “You just snap this package and it will act as a cold pack. If it gets really bad during the night you can use that.”

Sally finished dressing the wound and said that she would get Lucky to help Roxanne back to her cabin. It had not been a pleasant procedure since Roxanne needed ten stitches and was now in a cold sweat and shaking like a leaf. “One question Roxanne. Are we in danger here?” Sally asked.

Roxanne shook her head, “No, why do you ask?”

“Because this is a knife wound and no zombie did that. What happened out there, Roxanne?”

“Our only danger is from Ze’s,” Roxanne ignored the question. “There are plenty swarming out there, gathering. We couldn’t get into Gatlinburg because of them.”

At that moment Lucky walked in and said, “I understand that I am needed here.”

Roxanne developed a fever and experienced cold chills during the night. “I don’t understand it,” Sally said as she and Lucky stood on the cabin porch the next day. “The wound is not infected. I checked for scratches and the ones she has are from working around the park, all healed and healthy. I even checked for ticks. You didn’t drink anything other than your bottled water, did you?”

Lucky shook his head, “No, only what we brought with us. We didn’t eat anything that we found either. The pickings were pretty slim on that. We have more here at the Park than we found elsewhere because the two dead guys who had hunkered down had cleaned out the neighboring towns. We will need to go in a different direction next time. Gatlinburg is definitely out.”

Sally sighed, “There is so little we know about this zombie disease that I worry when anyone gets sick, especially with a fever. How do we know that the knife wound didn’t transfer something to her if it had previously been used to kill a zombie?” She shook her head, “still the wound looks good so I won’t start imagining things. I’ll go open up a can of soup; you just make sure she doesn’t throw the cold compress off.”

Mutt had not left the cabin except to do his doggie business and then return to sit on the floor by Roxanne’s bed. He would only take water and Lucky hadn’t been able to get him to eat. He made a mental note to stop at a Pet Store if they saw one on their next run and get some doggie bones.

Roxanne was sitting up holding the wet compress to her forehead, “What were you two talking about out there?”

“Sally has a point,” Lucky said as he sat down on the bed. “We were so desperate for guns and ammo that no one thought of a drug store for simple medical necessities. I know when I was on the road alone I only went into a drug store looking for food and water. The First Aid Station here only has the basics: iodine, gauze, and aspirin. She brought it to my attention that we have been neglectful,” he smiled.

“You’re not making a run just for me are you? It’s just a simple cold. The worst was during the night. I’ll be fine.” Mutt jumped on the bed and lay down beside her, glad to hear her voice again.

“I suggested that she make a list but she insists on going next time we make a run. No reason why she shouldn’t. She knows how to survive.” Lucky paused then said, “She brought up the subject of the knife wound a couple of times. I think she’s fishing for answers. I don’t like being evasive except when my life depends on it and then I can talk my way out of most tense situations. But this is deceiving our friends, people we count on and who count on us.”

Roxanne looked away, her mind not wanting to go there. She secretly knew that the fever and chills were a reaction to what had happened with KC. It had happened to her the first time she had killed a human, it just hadn’t lasted as long. She was puzzled since she had convinced herself after that first reaction that it would get easier if she was forced to kill again. Perhaps she wasn’t hardened enough yet, she told herself. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that she had been living a simple life. God, how she hated this life that she was living now.

She looked back at him, “I don’t want you to do something that you are uncomfortable with. Work it out with Cami; better yet, just tell Cami that you are going to tell the group how KC died. I just don’t care to talk about it and I don’t know how I will explain it to Caleb. He’s a kid. He’ll have questions. Maybe Morgan can explain it to him sufficiently. Now, if you don’t mind I think I’ll lie back down again.”

After Sally arrived with the soup Lucky went looking for Cami and found her pacing on top of the tunnel with her newly found submachine gun. He climbed the ladder and saw that she had added the grenade launcher and a small box of grenades at her feet. He looked up from the box and said, “What the hell do you plan on using these for?” Cami smiled back, “Never can tell.”

“Well, just don’t take out the bus too if you use them.” He told her of his plans to inform the group of what had happened to KC.

Cami shook her head and said, “I don’t think they can handle it. You saw how Roxanne plunged that knife into KC’s midriff and then yanked it up into her breastbone piercing her heart. Jesus, seen a lot of things in my life, but that was vicious. Didn’t know Roxanne had it in her, not like that anyway. Got a new perspective on Roxanne. I’ll partner with her any day.”

Lucky turned away and looked out over the mountain side. “Scared you too, didn’t it?” Cami continued. “I wouldn’t worry about it Lucky. We all do what is necessary to survive. I was just surprised by…her methods.”

Lucky turned back to face Cami and put his hands in his pockets, “Don’t you believe her? That KC attacked first?”

“Well of course I do,” Cami shrugged her shoulders. “There was enough damage in that room to see that Roxanne was trying to hold her off and defend herself. Otherwise Roxanne would have taken KC out long before that, now that we’ve seen what she can do. And Roxanne didn’t have motive. KC did. KC wanted you and in her crazy mind that meant getting rid of Roxanne. Are you going to tell them that too? Be a little embarrassing won’t it?”

“I’ll just tell them that KC had been acting strange the whole trip, which is the truth. That we don’t know what happened in that house and Roxanne doesn’t care to talk about it. But we are 100% sure that Roxanne was defending herself until forced to kill KC. I’ll ask Morgan to exclude Caleb from the meeting. You can add anything you like but I hope you’ll be behind me on this and join in if I get stuck.”

“Don’t think you should do that, exclude Caleb from the meeting,” Cami said. “He will have questions and its best we answer them than Morgan trying to fill in for us. Maybe give Morgan a heads-up first and let him decide, but I know that Roxanne isn’t up to answering questions by an inquisitive teenager.”

Lucky nodded in agreement and descended the ladder. Cami shook her head and turned away,
Damn fools trying to be a family in a ZA
, she thought
. No such thing as a family anymore. The quicker you realize that the better off you are.

“I figured as much,” Sally was the first to respond to the news. “I wasn’t getting any answers for that knife wound. I don’t like being played the fool.”

“No one was trying to play you Sally,” Lucky answered. “We were still grappling with it ourselves. It was….it was…” Lucky sighed and looked down at the floor. “It was unexpected that KC was that far gone.” He looked up again and saw everyone’s eyes on him, wishing that Cami would jump in. “It took both of us by surprise, probably less of a surprise to Cami since she saw KC spying on people.”

“I caught her spying on me a couple of times,” Ed said nervously. “Maybe I was gonna be her next victim. Damn. I told Roxanne the first day ya’ll arrived that it was a bad idea letting you in. Bringing in crazies with you. No more. No more people and that’s it. Not gonna be looking over my shoulder every time I go to bed.”

“She scared the hell out of me when I was washing her hair,” Sally said. “I guess she just snapped. Did she say anything to Roxanne at all? Anything to give us a clue as to what pushed her over?”

“No, nothing”, Lucky answered. “Roxanne said that KC appeared to be in a trance. She managed to overpower KC once and pinned her down. Thought KC’s eyes had focused again, had come back to reality so she let KC go, only to be attacked more viciously. You saw Roxanne’s condition. I’m sure she had no other choice, in fact I’m 100% sure she didn’t.”

“But you didn’t bring KC back for us to bury,” Caleb said. “You left her there? KC saved my life once when my arrow missed and I couldn’t reload fast enough. I would have owed her that.” Lucky hated to see the look in Caleb’s eyes that they would leave anyone behind to rot or become zombie food.

“We buried her at the house,” Cami said, which was a lie, “while Roxanne was lying down in the truck. I don’t think she remembers half of it. She was in a pretty bad mental state. Personally, I think that’s why she’s sick now, trying to deal with it.”

“Yes,” Sally pondered, “that could very well be. I’ve seen this reaction before. I wish you had told me and I would have known what was happening.”

Morgan put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder, “Are you going to be OK with this Caleb? Best not to approach Roxanne with any questions. If she wants to talk about it let her come to you first.”

Caleb nodded, “I just want Roxanne to get well. If it makes her sick to talk about it then I won’t bring it up. Promise.”

“I don’t think Roxanne should go on the next run,” Lucky said.

“And I don’t think Roxanne would want us to baby her,” Cami retorted.

Gene stood up to indicate that the meeting was over. “The next run will be to a drug store or clinic. Sally and I will be together plus we’ll take Brandon and Cami. That will leave you,” he nodded at Lucky, “Roxanne, Ed and Morgan to hold down the fort. No reason to even suggest to Roxanne that she should come.” He put his hands on his hips and said, “Are we good with this? Anyone have more questions for Lucky or Cami?”

They all began to disperse when Sally said, “Well at least I won’t need to struggle to move the 2-drawer file cabinet away from my door in the morning.” She meant it to be funny, but no one laughed.

Roxanne was fully recovered by the next day and attempted to go about her duties but Sally objected. “I don’t want you using that arm and breaking your stitches” Sally said. “Wait until we make a run for more medical supplies. I don’t want you practicing with the crossbow or using your staff at the fence line.”

But the zombies weren’t at the fence line that morning; they were at the front tunnel where the bus was parked. The group gathered on top of the tunnel to assess the situation, all except for Ed. When Ed heard of the zombies gathering he was last seen running to his maintenance bay.

“Now, this is a different situation,” Cami said as they looked down on a hundred zombies. “Must have followed the truck back. Small group here and there and now they make up a large herd as they gathered along the road.”