Sunrise (15 page)

“On my back,” she said. “Thank God.”

“Are you hurt?”

“It’s just my hands,” the girl said. “I caught myself on the way down. I fell on my butt.”

“Goddammit,” Erik breathed, jamming a key into the padlock around the pull and push mechanism.

“What’s taking so long?” Jamie asked.

“I can’t get the fucking key to work!”

“They’re closing in,” Kirn warned.

“Don’t fire unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Jamie said.

A small group of about twenty infected shambled forward, their movements restricted both by the immense amount of decay plaguing some of their bodies and the vehicles situated against one side of the road. Alexis, still crying, looked over her shoulder, but quickly turned her head when she saw the corpses.

“It’s going to be ok,” Dakota said, wanting to reach forward, but not willing to get blood on his hands. “You’re safe now.”

“I can’t believe he left me,” the girl whispered.

“Who?”

“My boyfriend.”

A roar went up in the crowd.

Kirn fired a shot. “Runner,” he said.

“Were you with other people?” Jamie asked, pushing Erik aside to try and maneuver the key out of the padlock. “Was there anyone else with you?”

“N-no,” Alexis said. “There wasn’t.”

“How did you get here?”

“I jumped out my window and into our swimming pool. I’m not bit, I swear.”

“Just give us a sec, we’re gonna get you in here.”

“Hurry up with that gate!” Wills called.

“We’re working on it!” Erik cried.

Jamie twisted the key as hard as he could and the lock popped open.

“Shit,” Steve breathed.

Three infected came running out of the alley.

Alexis screamed.

Jamie and Erik ripped their fingers through the gate and began to pull it open as fast as they could. Above, Kirn and Wills opened fire upon the infected. The first went down as its kneecaps were blown out. The second and third managed to dodge the bullets or avoid fatal shots by taking blows in the chest and shoulders. One ran forward, tripped over the curb, then lashed out at the ground as it propelled itself toward Alexis.

Steve tore his gun out of its holster and fired.

Blood and brain matter exploded onto the third infected, stunning it just long enough to allow Kirn and Wills to deal the fatal, killing shots.

The gate rolled open.

Alexis ran in.

A choir of death began to sound in the streets as the zombies shambled out of the shadows.

“Someone has to check you,” Dakota said, leveling his eyes on the girl as they stepped into the locker room.

“I have to…strip naked?” she asked.

“It’s just a precaution. We want to check you for bites.”

“I didn’t get bit,” Alexis said. “I already told you.”

“I know.” Dakota sighed. He slid his fingers into his pockets and watched a few tears run down the girl’s face. “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll do it. I don’t want anyone else to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m gay,” Dakota said. “I don’t know if it’s any help for you to know that.”

“You’re not saying that just to get me to undress, are you?”

“No. I’m not. They’re waiting just outside the door if you’re not sure.”

A sob escaped the girl’s chest. Pulling her shirt over her head, she tossed it into the corner and slid her pants down her legs, shivering as she stood before Dakota in only her underwear. He checked everywhere from her head to her toes, then sighed, gesturing for her to remove the rest. When she did, she stood there with her hands beneath her breasts, trembling in her nudity.

Dakota concluded his exam. “You’re ok.”

Alexis reached for a dry towel that sat on a nearby bench.

“Why don’t you go ahead and take a shower,” Dakota said. “The skinny guy with brown hair and glasses will take care of your hands after you get out.”

“She’s safe,” Dakota said.

A collective sigh of relief went up among the group.

“Good,” Jamie said, running a hand through his hair. “Now all we have to worry about is the infected.”

“We’ll get rid of them,” Erik said, adjusting his rifle across his back. “All we have to do is use the sound displacement technique.”

“That’s a load of horseshit,” Kirn said.

“Then you’ve got the job,” Jamie said, clapping Kirn on the shoulder. “You and Wills get to the roof and start working on it.”

“You asshole.”

“I may be an asshole, but I’m the asshole in charge.”

Kirn and Wills left, the former muttering something under his breath as they did.

“Everything else ok?” Erik asked, turning to look at Dakota.

“Her hands are messed up, but other than that, she seems ok. You might want to look at her back though. She said she fell while she was trying to climb the fence.”

“She’s also pregnant,” Erik said, reaching up to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “That puts us in a predicament.”

“We don’t even know how far along she is,” Jamie said.

“Are you kidding?” Erik laughed. “She’s at least five, if not six months in. We’ve got a real problem here, Jamie. We really do.

“I know.”

“We don’t have the medical equipment here to deliver a baby.”

“We’ll worry about that later.” Jamie shook his head. “For now, let’s just welcome the tenth member of our group.”

Alexis stood in the second floor lobby. Head craned forward, eyes reveling in the sight of the delicate strands of life beneath the plastic domes of the terrariums, she looked to be a child in awe of the world, innocent beyond her sixteen years and the baby growing inside her. Her lips parted into a smile and her hands started shaking, as though excited at the prospect of something great and wonderful. So captivated was she in her own little world that she barely heard Dakota approach.

“Hey,” he said, sliding up alongside her. “Erik take care of your hands?”

She lifted them in response. Fresh, if somewhat-dirtied bandages tipped her delicate fingers. “Who made these?” she asked, as if completely oblivious to Dakota’s previous question.

“I did.”

“You did?” she asked, looking up at him. The same twinkle remained in her eyes.

“Uh huh,” he said, leaning forward. “Oooh!”

“What?”

“I didn’t know they started to grow.”

“Yep,” Alexis said, leaning forward so her and Dakota’s head were level with one another. “They look nice.”

“Thanks.”

Alexis stood. She started to stretch her arms over her head, but stopped, grunting and dropping a hand to her stomach.

“Are you ok?” Dakota asked, alarmed.

“It’s the baby,” Alexis said. “Wanna feel?”

Dakota shook his head, not wanting to intrude on such a personal moment, but was forced to do so anyway. Alexis pressed his hand against her stomach, holding it steady while she took steady breaths in, then out.

A pressure kicked against his hand. “Feel?” she asked.

“I felt it,” he said, though wasn’t sure how to take such a thing emotionally. “How old is it?”

“Five-and-a-half months.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“I was going in to see the day this happened.”

Dakota pulled his hand away from her stomach, slid it back into his pocket and turned to look out the window, sighing as he saw the slowly-growing wave of zombies advancing upon the asylum.

“So many,” Alexis said. “What are they going to do?”

“Lure them away with dummy bullets,” Dakota said, looking up at the roof. He half-expected to hear the sound of the rifle being fired, then remembered they most likely had silencers attached to their guns. “At least, that’s what Jamie said.”

“Is he the one in charge?”

“He is now.”

“There was someone else?”

“Uh huh. The sergeant. He… uh…killed himself…yesterday morning.”

Alexis grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

“I guess it’s a good thing, in a way. His cancer was eating him alive.”

“My grandpa died from cancer,” Alexis said, stepping away from the window. “It doesn’t seem like a nice way to go.”

“No,” Dakota said. “It doesn’t.”

The two of them continued to make their way down the hall, occasionally stopping when Alexis took notice of something and wanted to examine it further. Most of these things were cracks in the walls or the occasional scar on a door, but one thing in particular Dakota took note of—a portrait, one of a man seated at a desk with a skull at his side.

“That’s creepy,” Alexis said.

I don’t know how she can find a picture creepy these days,
Dakota thought.
It seems useless to think that a picture’s creepy.

“Did Jamie assign you a room yet?” he decided to ask, wanting to steer them away from the picture.

“Not yet,” Alexis said. “Was he supposed to?”

“He will,” Dakota said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

By the time night came and dinner had passed, Dakota collapsed into bed, exhausted and almost unable to keep his eyes open. Nearby, Jamie stood rummaging through a wardrobe, combing through rows upon rows of shirts, suits and coats. At one point, it seemed as though he was going to start pulling them out to try them on, but he eventually pulled himself away and tore his shirt off his head.

“What were you looking for?” Dakota asked.

“A shirt,” Jamie said. “To wear to bed.”

“You don’t have to wear a shirt to bed, silly.”

“It gets cold here,” Jamie said, sliding into bed and under the covers. He leaned forward, braced a hand over the lantern, then blew it out, thrusting the room into darkness. “You ok with this?”

“I have to be now,” Dakota chuckled.

“I can relight it if you want.”

“No, it’s good, Jamie. Thank you though.”

Jamie resituated himself in the bed and wrapped an arm around Dakota’s waist, sighing as a chill blew into the room. “Damn old building,” he whispered. “Damn stupid ventilation.”

“It’s not as bad when we have each other,” Dakota said.

“No. It isn’t.”

Dakota smiled and closed his eyes.

“We’re going out tomorrow,” Jamie said.

“To do what?”

“A supply run. I want you to come with me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Jamie whispered, nestling his head in Dakota’s neck. “I trust you more than anyone else here.”

Dakota wasn’t sure how to take that.

He didn’t bother to try.

Jamie adjusted the machinegun against his arm.

“I’m nervous,” Dakota said. He reached forward and brushed his hand against Jamie’s upper arm. 

“I don’t blame you. I am too.”

Tightening his grip on his pistol, Dakota raised a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun and scanned the area, looking for any stores they could possibly raid while also keeping an eye out for any zombies that may be around. What appeared to be a small supermarket lay in the distance, along with what was easily identifiable as a dentistry office, but he wasn’t sure it would be wise to raid the latter without Erik’s supervision.

“You see that?” Dakota asked, pointing.

“I see it.”

“I’m also talking about the dentist’s office.”

“I saw that too.”

“It’d probably be a good idea to bring Erik back here later.”

“I agree,” Jamie said, gesturing him along. “For now though, let’s just see if we can find anything useful. We’ll radio in Kirn and Wills if we find something.”

“You sure it was safe to leave them in charge of the jeep?” Dakota asked.

“I hope so,” Jamie sighed. “Otherwise we’re going to have a long walk back.”

An hour and three boxes of processed snacks, canned fruits and toiletries later, Dakota wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and watched Jamie lift a portable radio from his belt and to his lips. “Kirn and Wills,” he said. “Kirn and Wills. Are you there? Over.”

“We’re here. Over,” Wills replied.

“Me and Dakota are at Patty’s Convenience Store on Barrel Street. We’ve got three boxes of food and toiletries here. Requesting pickup. Over.”

“We’re on our way,” Kirn said. “We haven’t heard in from the other two civilians, Corporal. Over.”

“Check in with them and get back to me.” Jamie set the radio down and smiled at Dakota, flashing his neat, pearly-white teeth. It didn’t take long for the radio to buzz. “Report, over.”

“They’re fine, but still looking. We dropped them off on Jenson
Avenue. Over.”