The Dark Trilogy (24 page)

“
Yes, yes it does. Self-defense is one thing, but enjoying it and killing anyone … or anything, if that’s how you prefer to think of it, is a sin.”

Jeff waved his hand disdainfully. “Let’s not bring God into this.”

George looked at Jeff as if he were a child. “How would it be possible, given all that has occurred, not to bring God into this? Or do you think that he has just been sitting on the sidelines this whole time, not paying a bit of attention to what’s been going on?”

Jeff held his hands up in a sign of surrender. He was not in the mood for a religious debate, especially with someone who looked raring to go. The apologetic look on his face placated George enough to let it pass. The big man came back to the table, and they sat quietly for a few moments, until George, who still had a look of great concentration on his face, spoke up again.

“
I don’t know, Jeff. I do know that murder is a sin. So I’ll do what I can to survive and get to my family intact, including defending myself, but I will NOT go out of my way to attack those creatures. You can’t tell me that you know for certain, without any doubt at all, that there isn’t still a spark of humanity left inside them.”

“
Yes I can.”

Jeff had a hard expression on his face, with a tightened jaw and a stern gaze.

“
Well, if you’re so sure, enlighten me. Please.” George spread his hands and waited for an explanation.

Jeff’s face darkened, and George realized his newfound friend was getting angry. Jeff leaned forward, his eyes flashing with rage. “Have you had to face off against someone you knew, someone who had turned into one of those things?”

The question took George by surprise, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He didn’t say a word, but Jeff already knew his answer.

“
Unless you’ve looked into the eyes of someone you love who’s been bitten and turned into one of those things, you have no idea. Until you look into their eyes and see that there is absolutely no recognition or comprehension of who you are anymore, you wouldn’t understand.”

Jeff continued staring until George had to turn away, uncomfortable with the look in the other man’s eyes. Jeff stood and paced the room.

“
I’m sorry, Jeff.” It was lame, but it was all he had. George didn’t look up to see if the other man had acknowledged his apology, and he received no response. He looked down at the cards scattered in front of him.

A few minutes later, Jeff sat back down across from him, staring out the window. The two sat in silence for a while longer, until it became awkward.

“
So what happened? If you want to tell me …”

Jeff rubbed his eyes. He looked across at George and felt profoundly exhausted.

There were no sounds except that of the crickets outside, no movement except when a slight breeze moved a branch on one of the trees. Slowly, Jeff began to tell his story.

Chapter 22

Jason was lying in bed on his stomach the next morning when he felt the fingers on his back. He had his pillow wrapped around his head and tried to ignore them as they gently rubbed, coaxing him to get up. He moaned and mumbled something about letting him sleep for just a few more minutes and pulled the pillow tighter.

“
Come on, Jason, it’s time for breakfast,” the voice implored. It was muffled, and he tried to ignore it, his eyes clenched shut.

“
I made your favorite …” The words were soothing, tempting him to get out of the bed. The fingers began scratching his back the way he loved.

“
Momma, no! I don’t want to get up. Let me sleep for a little while longer,” he whined and shook the hand off.

He heard the clicking sound of disapproval and could imagine his mother’s head shaking as well, her hands on her hips, like she always did when she was irritated with him.

When she pulled his pillow away, he shifted onto his back and slowly let his eyes adjust to the morning light.

“
Now get up, boy. It’s time for my breakfast too.”

Jason opened his eyes and saw his mother standing in front of him. She was dressed in the blue scrubs she wore for her job as a nurse in one of the big downtown Cincinnati hospitals. They were splattered with blood. Her braided hair had come loose and disheveled, floating around her head. As he looked at her face, he saw that her eyes were cloudy. Her teeth were smashed and blackened as she grinned at him. Bits and pieces of her ashy skin were flaking off.

She touched his face with her hands, which were desiccated and missing much of their skin. As she caressed his cheek, she leaned over, her hand slipping behind his neck.

“
You better get up now, boy. ‘Cause momma’s hungry.”

*

When Jason sat bolt upright, he was staring into the startled face of Megan, who had just tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Megan stumbled back and nearly fell at Jason’s reaction. As she clamped her hand to her chest, he slid back on his bed toward the wall, his eyes wide with fear.

“
Jesus, Jason! You scared the heck out of me!” Megan laughed as her heart pounded fiercely. Shaking her head, she smiled at him.

As she looked on, Megan realized Jason’s expression was not gradually relaxing, like hers was. His eyes were still wide with fear as he stared at her and shivered.

“
Jason?” The word was hesitant. Megan took a step forward and stopped when the twelve year old scooted farther away from her on the bed. “Are you okay, honey?”

Megan gave him a smile that was as bland and nonthreatening as she could manage, but Jason remained backed up against the wall, in the corner of the bed.

A few moments later, as she stood waiting, Jason began to regain his composure. He rubbed his eyes and hid the wetness at their rims.

“
I’m okay. Could you just leave me alone, please?” Jason forced the words out slowly to hide any trace of emotion in his voice as he covered his face with his hands. When he pulled them away, Megan was still standing in front of him, the look of concern on her face even greater.

She moved closer to the bed, and Jason pressed himself against the wall, shying away like a skittish horse in its pen. Megan hesitated for a moment and then moved forward until she was at the edge of the bed. She sat down at the foot of it, as far from Jason as she could.

“
Please don’t.” Jason said as he scrunched his body up into a tight ball.

“
Jason, what is it? Please tell me, maybe I can …” He was shaking his head and shivering again. Megan stopped, frozen where she was and said nothing, just continued to stare at him.

The boy wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face behind them, hiding himself as much as possible from her prying eyes.

“
Please go. Just go.”

Megan continued to stare at him without moving.

Jason looked over his knees and saw that she was still there, still looking at him. “Why haven’t you left? Get out now!” His voice was ragged. There was resentment there, but the tremulous anger was a cheap façade covering up something else, and Megan saw through it immediately. Jason was afraid of her.

The confusion snapped her out of her frozen state, and she crept closer to the boy, unable to stop herself. “No! Get away!” Jason said and looked like he was trying to burrow into the wall. Megan could see the terror on his face as his eyes grew to the size of saucers, as if she were some boogeyman or evil troll come to swallow his soul.

She stopped momentarily and stared at him. Jason hid his face behind his knees again, and his chest rose and sank rapidly, as if he were desperately trying to catch his breath. He spoke quietly, whispering between rough sobs, and she could barely decipher any of it. “Please no … God please no, no momma no, leave me alone, momma, please!”

Megan reached out and moved her hand toward the top of his head, hesitating at the last moment. Swallowing hard, she let her hand rest on the boy’s head. He jerked away from her touch, a look of terror on his face that curdled her blood.

When the look disappeared, Megan tried for a warm smile and moved her hand slowly toward Jason again. His face was filled with dread, but he did not try to move away this time.

A single tear rolled down his cheek as the gentle woman touched his face. Jason tensed but did not squirm anymore. She delicately rubbed the tear away and moved her hand across his cheek. He faintly remembered the sensation of the bony fingers caressing him in his nightmare and held back a scream. Megan’s fingers felt warm and human, though, and the memory began to fade.

“
It’s okay, Jason. I promise it’ll be okay,” Megan repeated slowly, gently, as he closed his eyes and let her wrap her arms around him. She felt relieved when the twelve year old finally relax and his arms slipped around her. When she felt the warmth of his tears on her shoulder, she began to rock him and felt her own tears coming in response.

They didn’t say anything else as they held one other.

*

Jeff burst in a few minutes later holding one of the rifles. The woman and the boy jumped apart, startled by the interruption. Jeff did not blink at seeing them comforting one another. He was dressed, and the bandages on his head were covered with a baseball cap. He had a tense look on his face.

“
It’s time to go. Grab everything you can; we’re leaving now!”

With that, he left. Megan and Jason stared at each other, sheepish smiles crossing their faces.

They were still lost in their own thoughts when they heard a loud thump below. It sounded like it came from outside the house. Before they could react, they heard several more loud thuds. A sliver of fear set Megan’s hands and feet on pins and needles, and she looked at Jason. He looked as frightened as she felt.

She moved to a window and bent two slats on the blinds to stare out at the front yard.

There were at least twenty rotting shapes making their ponderous way toward the house.

“
How in the hell did they find us already?” Megan cursed.

Several more thumps rattled the outside of the house, and they heard glass breaking downstairs.

“
Let’s move it, people! Come on!” Jeff yelled up the steps as Jason scrambled to pull on a shirt he had found in the dresser. He had slept in his jeans.

“
Grab what you can, and I’ll meet you downstairs!” Megan repeated Jeff’s orders and turned to run out the door.

Jason left the room a minute later with a pillowcase filled with a few things he had collected from the bedroom. As he hit the stairs, the thunder of a rifle shot made him stumble. He took off toward the kitchen and met George coming the other way.

“
Get to the garage, now!” He pushed the boy in front of him as they raced in opposite directions. George was carrying the other rifle, and it still looked awkward in his hands.

Another shot rang out from behind them as Megan tore down the steps. George motioned her toward the garage, and they sped in that direction.

“
Jeff, get to the van now or we’re leavin’ your ass!” Jason almost laughed when Megan tossed the remark behind her.

They hit the garage, and Megan ushered them into the back of the van. George made a halfhearted attempt to get behind the wheel, but Megan was having none of it. The keys had been left in the ignition, and the engine turned over immediately. Several fists slammed into the wooden garage door in response.

“
How in the hell did they find us?” George’s question echoed Megan’s earlier inquiry. “I mean, there were none of them around last night. Not a single one. Now there’s a whole goddamn platoon? What the hell?”

“
They were probably around the area, and the noise we made coming here stirred them up. It was only a matter of time before they found us.”

“
Yeah, but once we got here and settled in, there wasn’t much noise for them to pick up on. We don’t have any electricity going, we hid the van-”

“
I don’t know, George. No idea.” With a shrug, Megan dismissed the conversation as she stared at the door leading to the house and squeezed the steering wheel impatiently. Several more fists joined in with the others at the big door behind them and thuds sounded against the plywood they had quickly nailed over the side door window the night before. It would hold, but not for long.

The next minute felt like an eternity as they waited for Jeff. The monotonous thudding was punctuated by another rifle shot inside the house that made everyone jump.

Relief showed on all their faces when the door opened and Jeff ran up to the van. When he heard the big, heavy garage door vibrate behind them, he twisted around and pointed the rifle in its direction.

“
Come on, get in!” Megan demanded as Jeff swiveled again at hearing other fists slamming into the side door.

“
How the hell are we supposed to get out of the garage?” Jeff asked as he looked from door to door, not sure which was going to break first.

“
I’ll smash down the door,” Megan yelled out at him, exasperation filling her voice.

Jeff shook his head. “You’ll do more damage to the van than the door. It’s not some cheap aluminum job; it’s reinforced wood.”

Grinding her teeth impatiently, Megan glared at Jeff. “You have a better idea?”