(Book 2)What Remains (4 page)

While in hiding we didn’t move much past the
ladder to the attic. The window to Calise’s room was blocked in the
same way Maddox’s was. Our family room had two windows that faced a
cul-de-sac. If that didn’t make the primary gathering room risky
enough, the narrow front porch buffering the outside of the two
family room windows certainly did.

Sarah and Maddox somehow pulled up the boards
comprising the two-step front porch incline. With the boards
removed it created a thigh-high step. If a reaper were to stumble
up to it, there was little to prevent them from climbing up to
window level. It hadn’t happened yet, but I feared it was
inevitable.

The kitchen had even more windows. When we were
house shopping it was the bay window that had sold us. Before the
end, while I boarded things up, I discovered how difficult it was
to firmly cover a table-size pane of glass, so the barricade I
erected was feeble at best. Desperate times can either bring about
delusion or dreadful acceptance of things. With the safety of my
family at stake, I refused to concede to delusions. The delusion in
this case was that my efforts had made the kitchen safe. In
response, we had the standing rule to avoid the room whenever
possible.

I peered inside the doorway to our kitchen. The
area was eerily bathed in light from one of the few uncovered
windows. Above the sink was a window that looked out towards the
neighbor’s driveway. Sarah had covered up the bottom portion of the
window for security but left the top free. There was no possible
way anyone could reach up that high. Even standing on a chair
against the counter I would have needed to stretch just to get up
there. The rare opening to the outdoors gave the room some natural
light during the day. At night we either had to keep the lights
away from it or cover the window with a curtain to maintain our
inconspicuousness.

Tucked into a bend in the counter sat a green
vase with a dozen withered roses. I’d bought them for Sarah about a
week before I became trapped at work, for our wedding anniversary.
The bouquet was comprised of twelve vibrant crimson and white
flowers. Now they were petrified in a moment from before the world
ended. The counter beneath the vase was littered in dried petals
that fell from their drooping stems. My heart felt heavy from the
sight. It served as a tragically beautiful reminder of long
departed joyous times.

During her own efforts to secure the house,
Sarah had improved things slightly. Light was blocked and physical
barriers on the inside of entryways were piled with furniture to
prevent them from being forced open. Still, I saw the state of
things and knew we could not stay here forever. A mass of undead
would easily break through the windows if they so desired, and I
was sure my heroic wife had come to the same realization.

Concealment was our primary defense. Sarah knew
this and used it as a motivator in blocking the windows. The back
yard privacy fence was all that kept the infected from accessing
and subsequently breaching more vulnerable areas. Limited, subtle
activity in the kitchen was only possible because of the hidden
vantage point granted by the fence.

Our next door neighbor’s house and the house
behind us had some view inside the fence. Sarah told me she watched
both properties closely. Thus far there had been no signs of life,
or otherwise. If either residence had a zombie inside, there was
always the chance it could see us and draw attention from those
roaming around the street.

Of course, I had drawn ample attention with my
kamikaze mission into the neighborhood. Groups of undead flocked to
the area hearing the blazing gunfire from my pilfered Taurus 1911
pistol as well as from Sarah’s shotgun powered rescue. Some stayed
around the fence, from where I was pulled to safety, for days after
the incident. Many others wandered around the front yard almost
like buzzards following the lingering trail of my blood.

The attention span of the undead could act as
the poster child for un-medicated Attention Deficit Disorder. This
became obvious with how quickly the pursuing horde lost interest
and moved on. Naturally, it would have been too convenient if all
of them left. A small group still blocked the entrance to the
cul-de-sac like rotting sentries. Our incognito status was all that
prevented them from banging on the walls.

Moving around the safe areas of the house
definitely helped my recovery. I felt less stiff and the pain
became more manageable by the minute, even without narcotics. A lot
of the pain management was mental. Being able to see and interact
with my loved ones provided a pleasant distraction.

Soon I was able to make it up into the attic
without the intense struggle. My reward for freely reaching the
second level was a detailed explanation of what the kids imagined
up to pass the time. The complicated rules of my babies’ games were
beyond me. I implemented the ‘smile and nod’ tactic while just
enjoying the conversation.

They’d managed to convert the drab storage area
to something quite livable. Nearly every box was opened then
flattened to provide some extra insulation against the rafters.
Three nest-like piles of softness served as beds. The makeshift
mattresses were lined close together, which told me that the nights
were spent huddling together for warmth and/or safety.

Just like any typical attic, ours had two
venting outlets on each end of the expanse. Both had been
thoroughly obstructed. This wasn’t a living area by design, so the
vents let out a lot of precious heat. Of equal concern was the
threat of sounds leaking down to the hungry ears of outside
predators.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that one of
the bordering boxes in the pile that blocked the vent was placed
differently. Sloppy gaps in the tight packing made it seem like the
differently placed section had been pulled away many times. Through
one of the gaps I saw the fray of fabric. Maddox saw that I noticed
the fabric addition and chimed in, “That was my idea, Daddy!”

“Oh?” I tried to conceal the startle his proud
outburst gave me. “What exactly is it I’m looking at?”

He eagerly looked to Sarah, who gave a nod of
approval. Calise reacted like this was a routine. Her dainty little
hands covered her mouth just as they do whenever she feels the urge
to talk during a movie.

Maddox grabbed me by the hand, pulled me closer
and whispered, “You have to stay quiet while it’s open.” He moved
his hand, a miniature replica of my own, up to the box and gently
eased it away from the rest of the wall. Behind it was a thick
swatch of fabric secured to the wood with thumbtacks.

I cocked my head with curious wonder then
painfully swiveled around to meet eyes with my wife. She placed one
finger over her mouth to remind me to be quiet. Smiling behind the
finger, Sarah nodded towards Maddox in order to redirect my
attention. Then I felt a sudden rush of chilly air.

Maddox removed enough of the tacks to allow the
fabric to flop down. He carefully folded the swatch over and tacked
it in place. His motions eagerly ushered to the exposed hole that
now beamed some natural light into the area. I squinted as my eyes
adjusted and peered out.

Outside the confines of the attic, one of the
slanted strips of wood that covered the vent had been chipped away.
Looking past it I was shocked by the surprisingly good view of the
fence, our neighbor’s house and part of the front yard. Nothing in
the area outside moved.

I was sure the opposite vent had a similar set
up. The other vent would be the one that looked down on the gate I
was pulled through. Maddox pulled me back and re-closed the
peephole. I stepped back feeling truly proud of the preparations my
family had made while I was away.

“What do you think, Daddy? Don’t you think I had
a good idea?” said my little man, who eagerly sought my unnecessary
approval.

“It was a wonderful idea, Monkey.” My eyes grew
moist with tears. Sarah was teary also, both of our tears brought
on by both pride and worry. “I doubt I would have even thought of
that.”

Getting down from the attic was an arduous,
aching chore. The time that lapsed while we were in the attic
reminded me that medicine was still quite needed. I needed to get
down and retrieve some pills since my warmly comfortable attire
didn’t factor in pockets.

I descended the steps at a sloth’s pace. Searing
waves of pain echoed from my joints. By the time I reached the
carpeted floor I was completely winded. The physical exertion
wasn’t what exhausted me; it was the battle to squash my reaction
to the pain. Maddox was waiting at the bottom to ensure I was all
right. I wanted him to see me being strong, like I had to redeem
myself as his immovable object of a father.

Memories of my desperate climb up the brick
train bridge surfaced during the short descent. That experience
seemed like so long ago. Hanging on that rope above a churning
torrent of infection nearly broke me. I was so ready back then to
accept the seemingly unavoidable clutches of death. If Phil hadn’t
saved me when he had, I probably would have let go.

I shuddered at the memory and Maddox noticed my
sudden distance. I prayed to God I would never have to tell him
about Phil. A son should not have to know that his father took
another man’s life, let alone a man whose lifesaving efforts
enabled him to even have a father. Knowledge like that in this
modern era could forever change how he looked at me.

“Daddy?” said Maddox in a timid, yet caring way.
“Are you okay? Do I need to get Mommy?” He began to start back up
the ladder to get help.

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder.
He stopped then looked back with concerned eyes. “No…” my voice was
weak but serious. “I’m fine. Can you help me into the bedroom so I
can take a nap? It’s been a busy day of not being in bed for me. I
think I’m ready to take it easy for a bit.”

Maddox’s smile betrayed him. He’s not a little
kid anymore. Soon I’d have to accept that my son was far more aware
of the permeating evil in this world than I would like him to be.
“Okay. Mommy said we’re all having dinner together tonight, so it’s
a good idea to nap now.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He helped me up into bed then went into the
bathroom. Seconds later he returned with a bottle of water and two
mostly emptied bottles of prescription painkillers. One bottle
would make me drowsy and one would not. Both pills have worked well
despite being past their expiration.

I took a swig of the water. Maddox held out both
bottles and said very seriously, “I don’t think you should take
these.” He shook the bottle that contained the drowsy pills.
“Calise is really excited about dinner and would be sad if you
aren’t there with us. While you were gone she talked about you
every
night during dinner.”

“Every night?”

His head bobbed up and down in an exaggerated
acknowledgement. “Not just during dinner… but
all
the time.
She asked Mommy a lot of questions about where you were and if you
were okay. I just told her you were fighting the monsters and you’d
be home soon.”

A familiar tug of tears filled my eyes. “That’s
what I was doing. I’m sorry she made you talk about it so
much…”

“How many did you have to fight?” he asked
shyly.

Visions of the endless dead came through my
mind. I could still feel the impact run through my arm as my Kukri
cut through each harbinger of evil. Then I thought… where the hell
is my beloved weapon? I hadn’t seen it since I woke up from my
coma. Frankly, outside of nightmares, I hadn’t even thought of it
since then.

My son’s eager questioning forced me to dismiss
the thought. How long was I going to be able to shield him from
this? The reapers were going to be something we had to deal with
every day for as long as we had left alive. I simply couldn’t hide
the irrefutable horror of this from him forever.

“I…” debate raged inside my bandaged head. “I
fought more than I’d like to think about. For now that’s all you
need to know, Monkey.”

He looked disappointed but accepted it. “Okay,
Daddy. I’m just really glad you’re home.” This was followed by a
hug that had the loving roughness usually employed by Calise.
Quickly breaking from the hug, Maddox extended only the non-drowsy
medicine. With a childishly devious grin he said, “So which
medicine do you want?”

I wiped away a tear and laughed. “Well, doctor,”
he immediately giggled at that, “I think the non-sleepy pills will
do, thank you!”

I washed two capsules down my gullet. Exhaustion
was ready to overtake me. I kissed the boy’s shaggy head and said,
“Go help your mom with dinner. I’m going to nap until it’s
ready.”

I awoke to Calise’s loud whispers. “Daddy!
Daddy! It’s time for dinner. Come back upstairs!”

My eyes opened to a bouncing flashlight beam.
Sleep had hit me so hard that I thankfully had no room for dreams.
This was the first time since waking up at home that I had been
able to enjoy a nightmare-free period of rest. That could have been
attributed to my improving health, but I think it was thanks to the
time spent with family. If it wasn’t for this improvement in mental
health I wouldn’t even have a reason for my body to heal. After
all, I had battled through the hell outside only to reach them once
again.

Calise hopped on the bed’s blanketed end. It was
like a twisted version of those commercials for our mattress brand
with the girl jumping and the wine glass. Regardless of the kinetic
energy absorption ability my resting place possessed, the jostled
wakeup call hurt.

“Alright, alright! I’ll be right there,
Princess. Just give me a few minutes.” I was never very good at
waking up from a nap. Irritation had always been the first thing I
felt after being disturbed. All her life Calise has known me as a
midnight shift…
zombie
. She’d woken me from naps, many
times, and wasn’t at all bothered by my being short with her.