Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising (28 page)

Trying to be cheerful, Kate pointed out the positives of sleeping in the loft. Primarily, it was one large room with a sectioned-off smaller area by the lone window. Unfortunately, the glass was missing which meant they would be chilly, but it was also a good lookout point. After the rain, the temperature had dropped drastically and their breath misted on each exhale, but Kate continued to speak words of encouragement. They used hay bales to block the wind and help keep them warm. Except for the one standing guard, they’d be sheltered from the chill, but with four people to split the watch, guard duty wouldn’t last too long. As usual, Matt volunteered for the first watch. Bundled in his sleeping bag, he propped himself up in front of the window.

“It’s too early,” Emma complained. “I’m never going to be able to fall asleep.”

Moments later Matt snorted derisively when he was being serenaded by snores. He took great delight in waking his sister a couple hours later to start her shift.

“It’s too early to sleep,” Matt mimicked as he curled up in a nest of hay.

***

Emma’s dreams kept her company as she vigilantly scanned the yard for intruders. She desperately wished she could forget but the images haunted her. Lately, all of her dreams ended with being ripped to shreds by zombies. She had again dreamt she was wearing a flowing white gown, but this time Matt escorted her down a path in the woods. Evan carved their initials into a tree and they kissed. Suddenly, the surrounding trees became zombies that clawed at their flesh. Evan whispered
till death do us part
as his torso was split in two. Try as she might, Emma could not stop thinking about death or her dream.

After a few quick preparations, Emma tiptoed over to Evan and gently tapped on his shoulder. Thinking it was time for his shift, Evan gathered up his sleeping bag and scuffled over to the window. When Emma cuddled up next to him, Evan was pleased to have company. To him, the first fifteen minutes of watch always seemed the worst so he was relieved to have someone to share it with and help him stay awake.

“You really should get some sleep,” Evan whispered. “We’re going to have a long day tomorrow.”

Emma smiled and kissed Evan softly on the lips. As her kiss became more demanding, Evan felt her pulling him closer. Before he knew it, Emma was straddling him as her tongue probed his mouth. As if they had a mind of their own, Evan’s hands went wandering. He froze when Emma unzipped her jacket. She had removed the shirt underneath and was unhooking the front clasp on her bra when Evan found his voice.

“Emma! What are you doing?”

“I don’t want to die a virgin, Evan, and I’m sure you don’t either,” Emma whispered into his ear while softly kissing his neck.

Cupping Emma’s face in his hands, Evan lifted her chin. He looked directly into her eyes.

“You’re not going to die, Emma, I promise. I will take care of you but this is crazy. My mom and your brother are less than twenty feet away. I love you but this is … hey, wait, I’m not a virgin!”

“But you said you’d never been in love before,” Emma replied with more than a hint of accusation.

“And I was telling you the truth. I’ve never been in love before but I’ve dated other girls. Sometimes things can get out of control and that’s what I am trying to avoid right now!” Evan insisted. Emma started to pull away but he drew her close and kissed the top of her head. “C’mon now, talk to me. Don’t pull away.”

Turning her back to Evan, Emma looked at the floor. Like most girls, she struggled with her own self image and after years of hearing Jillian criticize her it was hard to shake the feeling that she didn’t measure up to other girls.

“Is it that you don’t want to be with me?”

“It’s not that! I’m just trying to keep you safe. You know as well as I do that in every horror movie ever made teenagers having sex equals death.”

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” she snapped. “This isn’t a movie. If you don’t want to do that with me, just say so. Just don’t insult me with some bullshit about movie rules.”

“I
do
want you, Emma. Why are you so quick to believe that I don’t? I. Want. You. Okay? Just not like this. Not in some damp, smelly barn with you shivering in the cold and definitely not with Matt, my mom, and Lucy a few yards away. What I’m trying to say is that our first time should be special. I want us to be in a bed, with candlelight, and soft music playing.”

As if in response to Evan’s request for music, a chorus of moans rose up from the neighboring field. A pair of zombies wandered side by side under the silvery moonlight. Emma quickly yanked up the zipper on her jacket to cover her exposed skin and stood to look out at the creatures below. If the pair hadn’t been transformed into horrible, flesh-eating monsters it might have looked like they were taking a romantic stroll through a glistening, frosted field. She tried to avoid eye contact with her brother and Kate, who had also rushed to the window because of the noise. The debate began over whether to shoot the zombies or find a quieter way to dispose of them. No one wanted to alarm their host but they couldn’t ignore the creatures either. Before they could reach a decision, a large tractor fitted with a flail chopper rumbled through the field and made short work of the corpses.

“Maybe we should go see who that is,” Matt yawned. “What are they doing up at this hour anyway. I know farmers get up early but this is ridiculous.”

“No, we have no business going down there. Whoever they are is none of our business. We don’t need to advertise that we’re here. Now, we have a busy day ahead of us so I suggest that the rest of us should get some sleep,” Kate ordered.

The others went back to sleep while Evan stayed at his post. A dull ache spread in his groin and he knew it was going to be a long night. As much as he wanted to take advantage of Emma’s proposition he knew it wasn’t possible, at least not while they were still trying to get to the cabin. Frustrated, he decided that they were going to reach the cabin the next day no matter what. At first light, they would leave. There would be no breakfast with their host and no more taking it easy.
Everyone needs to pick up the pace
.
Every minute that we aren’t at the cabin our lives are in danger. They’ve got to understand that.

By rights, they should have made it to the cabin in one day. Instead, they were freezing in a dirty old barn. Convince that his father would be disgusted by his lack of leadership, Evan began packing up their gear and carting their bicycles down the ladder. There wasn’t much more he could do until daylight so he waited, silently cursing everyone and everything around him.

***

As the sun rose and the others finally began to wake, Evan wasted no time lugging the rest of their things down the ladder. Confused by his haste, Emma asked why he was in such a rush.

“Did you forget we’re having breakfast with Mr. Jacobson?” Emma asked. “I doubt he’ll be up this early.”

“Emma, we don’t have time for that!” replied Evan in an exasperated tone. “We should have been at the cabin by now. At the rate we’re going we’ll be lucky to make it there by Thanksgiving.”

“Evan, I know you’re anxious to get moving but it would be incredibly rude to sneak off after the Jacobsons were kind enough to shelter and feed us,” Kate interjected after hearing Evan’s scheme. “You were raised better than that. You should lie down for awhile; you’re awfully cranky this morning.”

Fuming, Evan stalked to the other side of the loft and slumped into a corner. Emma longed to curl up next to him and go back to sleep but she resisted. Clearly, Evan was agitated and Emma thought it had something to do with her. Instead, she huddled between Matt and Lucy to try to keep warm.

When she woke again, Carl Jacobson was calling his guests to breakfast. Eagerly, Matt, Lucy, and Emma clambered down the ladder to join their host. Only after Kate glared at him did Evan slowly rise and reluctantly join them. Carl led them to the enclosed back porch where a long picnic table was set with six place settings. Apologizing for his wife’s absence, Carl explained that she was still feeling under the weather.

“I told her a week with the grandkids would be too much,” Carl complained as he began passing platters of crispy bacon, glazed ham steaks, and country sausage patties. “But she wanted to spend time with them before it was too late.”

Carl explained that Iris had been in remission for the past few years, but three weeks ago her doctor had told her the cancer was back. Since she had opted not to repeat radiation or chemotherapy, the doctors guessed she would probably have about six months. Noticing that the kids had stopped eating, Carl decided he had better lighten the mood.

“Not to worry,” Carl said, ruffling Lucy’s hair. “She’ll shake this flu. She just needs a little extra rest. Now, eat up before it gets cold.”

The fluffy blueberry pancakes looked too scrumptious to resist. Even Evan, who silently resented the delay, couldn’t help but load his plate a second time. Carl picked at his food and eyed his watch almost as often as Evan. Excusing himself, Carl disappeared to take Iris her breakfast and medicines. Kate and Emma began clearing the table and, to Evan’s dismay, planned on washing the dishes. His quietly voiced displeasure was met with icy glares; even Matt seemed surprised by his friend’s impatience.

From inside the house they heard a loud thud, followed by the crash of shattered glass. Without hesitation, Emma raced through the back door and into the Jacobsons’ home. The air was still thick with the rich smell of frying bacon and percolated coffee. Emma peered through the doorway into the living room and pulled the pistol from her pocket when she saw Iris Jacobson ripping shreds of flesh from her husband’s neck with her teeth. Ghastly screams of agony pierced the air as Emma steadied herself and fired two shots into the former Mrs. Jacobson’s head. Iris’s frail body fell with a thud and Emma rushed to Carl’s side. The gaping wound in his neck gushed blood in a pulsing spray. Feeling his strength fade, Carl took Emma’s hand and gave a feeble squeeze.

“Tree,” he croaked.

Emma nodded. She knew he wanted to be buried with his wife under their tree. She promised him that their final wish would be granted as she watched Carl Jacobson draw his last breath. Wordlessly, she fired one shot into his brain.

With a heavy heart, Emma rose and pulled a patchwork quilt from the couch. Not waiting for the others to help, Emma spread the quilt on the floor and rolled the bodies onto one half before covering them with the remaining fabric.

“Emma, what are you doing?” Evan demanded.

“It will be easier to drag the bodies out to the grave this way. Besides, Lucy doesn’t need to see this,” Emma replied tersely.

“What grave? Em, we don’t have time to dig graves,” Evan protested.

Emma stormed past him, ignoring the rebuke. Kate, Matt, and Lucy watched from the doorway. Matt slipped out the back door and followed his sister to the garage. Slinging a shovel over her shoulder, Emma trudged through the backyard and stopped under the towering oak tree.

Without a word, Matt joined his sister and began digging. Even Lucy tried to help; she found a small garden shovel and scooped dirt with the tiny blade. Kate proceeded to clean up the kitchen and wash the dirty dishes while Evan protested that they were wasting time.

“We’d get done a lot faster if you’d quit complaining and help,” Kate replied.

Accepting that he was again outvoted, Evan sheepishly joined the others. Once the kitchen was cleaned, Kate found a shovel and pitched in. Although not the regulatory six feet, they dug deep enough for both bodies to be well interred. Sending Lucy back to the barn to gather their backpacks, Matt and Evan pulled the blanket-covered bodies across the yard. Before rolling the bodies into the hole, Emma interlocked the couple’s hands so that they would be forever joined. It took only minutes to fill the hole with dirt and pack it down. As the last shovelful of dirt was patted into place, Kate said a somber prayer.

“I couldn’t help but notice,” Matt said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “There’s an old pickup truck in the garage with a key in the ignition.” He flinched, anticipating a smack from Emma.

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” replied Emma. “Maybe we should borrow the truck. We’ve lost a lot of time and I think Carl would have wanted us to get to safety as quickly as possible.”

The boys were both pleased but also stunned. They had expected Emma to be outraged by the suggestion. Checking his watch, Evan calculated that there was still a small chance of making it to the cabin before nightfall.

While his mom and Lucy were taking one last bathroom break and Matt was loading bikes into the truck, Evan apologized to Emma for his behavior. He felt guilty for his lack of compassion but the prospect of a vehicle put him in a better mood. Their make-up kisses grew passionate, since they assumed they were alone.

When Matt returned, he found his sister and his best friend locked in each other’s arms. Though awkward, Matt chose to ignore their demonstrative affection until his sister’s hand slid dangerously close to Evan’s waistband.

“Have you lost your freaking mind?” Matt admonished. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? My God, you act like you’ve never seen a horror movie in your life. And you’re supposed to be the smart one.”

Horror movies again
, Emma thought. Then the realization hit her.

“I should have known,” stormed Emma. “Evan would never have come up with something that
stupid
on his own! This is not a movie, you moron. If or when I choose to sleep with someone is none of your business!”