Running with the Horde (13 page)

             
I told Daisy we needed to turn around, it was painstaking because neither of us wanted to fall. I gazed into throng below us. The bright lights on top of the fence revealed thousands of arms raised as if to catch us and the roar climbed to a fevered pitch.

             
It was so loud it was painful.

             
Dead eyes were locked on our every movement. I closed mine tight and pictured our jump. We would fall into waiting arms, they would set us down and make a path for us like they did for me before. I was holding Daisy so tight I could feel her heart hammering in her chest like a scared rabbit.

             
It was now or never. I picked up Daisy and jumped horizontally out over the crowd fifteen feet below.

             
For the briefest of moments time stopped and we were weightless, Daisy below me in mid-scream. I remember the wind, then a canopy of hands and arms breaking our fall and Daisy’s breath exploding from her lungs upon impact.

             
We were lowered to the ground and covered up tight by zombie bodies, invisible to our would-be murderers above.

             
I kept chanting in my mind, she is mine-she is mine.

             
So far it was working, nobody was chewing on Daisy.

             
We sat up awkwardly, our bodies entangled and Daisy too terrified to move. I could almost read her mind as I got to my knees. She sat on her ass confused, looking up into the wall of walking corpses packed in around her.

             
She had to be wondering why she wasn’t dead yet.             

             
I held her hand as I got to my feet. I looked behind me and thought of a path. A narrow path opened where I looked. I looked down at Daisy and pulled her to her feet.

             
When she was close enough to hear me I shouted in her ear, “Come with me if you want to live!”

             
Yes I said it.

             
It may seem lame but I didn’t think I’d ever get a better opportunity to drop that line. She looked up at me like I was an alien. I took that to be a yes. I wrapped her arms around my waist like she was a sweater.

             
The lights from the compound illuminated another few yards ahead of us and then our path disappeared into absolute darkness.

Chapter 24

“Night Flight”

             
Our progress in the darkness was slow and we stumbled more than once. I made my way by feeling with my hands in front of me like a blind man and taking slow halting steps. Eventually my eyes adjusted and I could make out the dim shapes of bodies tightly packed in on both sides of us.

             
Daisy hung in there gamely, the wet spot growing on my back told me she was crying. I patted her hand on my belly trying to reassure her that we were fine now.

             
The noise was still deafening. I pictured a volume knob in my head and turned it from a 10 down to a 2. I wasn’t surprised when zombies grew immeasurably quieter. The absence of noise was a physical relief.

             
The high grass of the field ended abruptly and I nearly face planted on Central Avenue. I turned to my right and the path opened for us in that direction. With the curb to guide me and nothing to trip on I was able to pick up the pace considerably until we were doing a slow shambling jog.

             
We would have made a good team in a donkey costume. That very impractical thought made me giggle. We continued on in this fashion for quite a while stopping to rest periodically.

             
The path snaked around stalled out cars and other obstacles and we made decent time passing 49
th
and 52
nd
Streets. The massive horde of zombies began to thin out as we moved further away from the compound.

             
It dispersed altogether by the time we crossed under the I694 overpass.

             
I stopped to rest there, gently prying Daisy’s hands from around my waist. We sat down on the slanted cement understructure of the bridge to catch our breath. Daisy starting sobbing hard into her hands, I wasn’t sure if it was terror or relief, probably a combination of both. I waited her out, saying nothing as her cries ebbed off to sniffles before pulling her to her feet.

             
“C’mon, we need to keep moving.”

             
She nodded and we resumed our flight, heading north on Central Avenue.

             
My goal was to get my car and head home to safe territory. There was no way Bill and Tessa could know we were still alive but I didn’t know the situation up on Rose Hill. Henry might be headless but Daisy’s sister might still be out there with her band of merry men.

             
There could be other camps I didn’t know about as well. It could be the zombie situation had made everyone crazy. I wasn’t in a hurry to find out.

             
We took a right onto Old Central. The two roads are split by Moore Lake. It has a public beach on it. Well I guess everything is public now.

             
As we walked by it I couldn’t look away. My body started to itch like crazy. By my calculation it was somewhere in mid to late November. It was really damn cold. The adrenaline from our midnight adventure with the Swansons and the zombies had long since worn away and we were both shivering severely.

             
Still though that water looked good. I hadn’t bathed in weeks. I wore grime on my body like a second skin. Daisy saw me looking.

             
“What are you staring at?” she asked in a horrified voice.

             
I didn’t even look at her, “I’m gonna take a bath,” I said and started jogging through the parking lot to the deserted beach. I figured she would follow me if she wanted to and she did.

             
I made it to the edge of the icy water and stripped out of my crusty clothing. My jeans were so dirty they looked like they still had legs in them when I took them off.

             
The cold air of early morning bit into my skin as I stood naked at the water’s edge rethinking my bath plan. Daisy stood next to me, staring like I had lost my mind.

             
“I can’t take the filth anymore, it’s killing me,” I told her.

             
Then I dashed into the water and dove in head first. The water was shockingly cold, I gasped as I came up for air and hustled back to the shallow water. I scrubbed my body viciously with handfuls of sand moving as quickly as my trembling bruised body would allow. I managed to avoid ripping the scars open on my shoulder and hip as I rubbed my body raw.  I dove back into deeper water and gave myself a vigorous rinsing.

             
Steam rose from my body as I emerged from the water. I didn’t want to put my nasty clothes back on but they were all I had. Daisy patiently handed them to me piece by piece. When she handed me my underpants I grimaced and tossed those aside hoping no human being would ever need to touch them again.

             
When I was once again fully dressed I was still wet and freezing. We were a mile or so from my car. I was going to need to run or I would die but it was worth it. I felt almost clean again.

             
I set a nice moderate jogging pace but Daisy was still struggling to keep up, she hadn’t had a polar plunge for motivation. She kept begging me to stop and rest. I tried to accommodate her as often as possible but my body was starting to go numb.

             
We passed dozens of confused zombies along the way. A few started forward upon seeing or hearing Daisy but they stopped whenever I grabbed her hand.

             
We made it to the street on which I’d left my car in nineteen minutes by the count in my head. It wasn’t my best mile time. I was so chilled, I sprinted toward the house dragging Daisy behind me.

             
The street was clear of the dead and the key was right where I had left it under the welcome mat. I couldn’t get it to go into the keyhole I was shaking so badly. Finally Daisy elbowed me aside and took care of it.

             
It was warmer inside the house but not by much. It stunk with the body decomposing in the kitchen but I didn’t care. I ran to one of the bedrooms disrobing along the way. Yanking a thick blanket off the bed I wrapped up in it tight and plopped down onto the bed. A few minutes later I still couldn’t get warm.

             
Daisy knocked softly on the frame of the door. I looked over at her. She was wearing her own blanket. She stepped into the room and dropped the blanket to the floor.

             
She stood there a moment without smiling, like an ancient Greek goddess. A very dirty one.

             
“We should keep each other warm,” she said.

             
She didn’t have to ask me twice. For a while I was transported to a better place and time. I wasn’t worried about being clean or dirty. Most importantly, I was no longer cold. Things would be complicated in the morning but there was no sense paying a bill before it was due. I drifted off entwined in her arms and legs and slept like a dead man.

Chapter 25

“Homecoming Part 2”

             
I awoke alone bathed in a late morning sunlight, feeling warm, content and safe for the first time in months. Someone, I hoped it was Daisy, was rummaging around in the kitchen. I swung out of bed and curled my toes into the worn out carpeting and stood to my feet taking time to stretch out each muscle. Satisfied, I went to the closet hoping to find some different clothes I could wear.

             
It was mostly formal stuff in there and from the looks of things the guy that lived in this house hadn’t been overly concerned with the latest fashion trends. I tried the dresser next and found some underwear and socks in one drawer. I put them on thinking how only a few months ago I would have sooner died than wear another man’s underwear and socks.

             
Soon I was dressed in heavy denim jeans that were too big for me and a very large wool sweater. It was forest green with white pine trees on it. I headed out to the kitchen to see what Daisy had gotten up to and feeling like a tool.

             
She had made breakfast and was sitting at the table waiting for me with a little smile on her face. The body of the man I’d killed weeks ago was gone. A black tar-like stain the only indication it had been there. I tried to ignore that as I smiled back at Daisy and sat down at the place she had set for me.

             
The food consisted of canned tuna and cold baked beans. That would be nice for later but I ate every bite and wished there had been more. Daisy cleaned her plate as well. We didn’t speak until we finished eating. When she started talking, it wasn’t the subject I thought she would bring up.

             
“So what do we do now?” she asked.

             
“Well, I figured we’d go back to my place and rest for a few days. That is, if you want to come with me?” I replied.

             
“Where else would I go?” she looked alarmed, her eyes dewing up like she was getting ready to cry.

             
“Of course you’ll come with me. I just didn’t want you to think I was going to force you or something,” I said.

             
“Don’t you want me with you?” she asked as tears started leaking down her face.

             
“I do! I do want you with me. For sure I do,” I said. Somehow I’d managed to hurt her feelings. “Did you want to drive by your parent’s place first, just to see what the situation is?” I asked.

             
She looked at me like I suggested she stab herself in the eye with a fork, this wasn’t going well. She swept her plate off the table with an angry slap. It shattered on the floor as she stood up and stalked out of the kitchen back toward the bedroom. The door slammed a moment later and I heard her crying.

             
I sighed and went to track down the keys to my car. There were still in the same place I’d hidden them inside a coffee mug. I opened the door to the garage and took a look at my baby. She looked great as always. After a quick inspection I pulled two handguns and some bullets out of the trunk and loaded them up. There was a gas can in the garage as well so I topped off my tank.

             
I didn’t feel like it but it was time to fetch Daisy and get rolling. She was done crying when I entered the bedroom but wouldn’t look at me. I pulled her gently to her feet and hugged her tightly, I felt bad for thinking her hair smelled like garbage. I kissed her lightly on the forehead and led her back through the house and to the car.

             
“This is yours?” she asked.

             
Yes she’s mine, do you like her?” I replied.

             
“Sure, I guess so,” she said.

             
So she didn’t really dig muscle cars, no big deal. It’s not like we were soul mates.

             
We said goodbye to our safe house a few minutes later.

             
The driveway was full of zombies when I opened the garage door to pull the car out, the yard and street were full too. I looked back at Daisy sitting in the front seat. Her eyes were as big as saucers. She was holding a pistol in both hands and looked ready to start shooting at anything. I swore and hustled back inside the car.

             
“It’s okay, Daisy, don’t freak out,” I told her as I carefully pried the guns from her fingers one at a time.

             
A few of the zombies had followed me into the garage. Daisy was clinging to my arms trying to climb into my lap. She was looking everywhere at once and stammering about how we were going to die.

             
“Just breathe, okay?” I said. “Its fine, I’ve got this but I’ve got to use the shifter.”

             
I pushed her back to her side, reached across and locked her door hoping she would feel more secure. I could tell it didn’t help much but she stayed on her side, hugging herself around the knees.

             
I put the car in gear and started rolling slowly out of the garage, the car pushing zombies out of the way. When we were out, I stopped and put the car in park. Daisy’s hand gripped my chest like an iron talon.

             
“Don’t you dare try and shut that fucking garage door!” she shouted.

             
I sighed and realized it wouldn’t be a good idea to push her on this so I made a surrender motion with my arms until she released me. I was pretty sure I would have a hand-shaped bruise on my chest later.

             
I put the car in gear again but the zombies were not moving. I closed my eyes tight and once again thought of a path. A few seconds later the zombies moved aside and we had clear passage down the driveway and into the street. I hit the gas and we were gone.

             
As I drove back to Old Central I could feel Daisy staring at me.
Here it comes,
I thought but she said nothing, just kept staring.

             
After a few moments I broke the silence, “I don’t know why.”

             
Daisy finally looked away.

             
My cul-de-sac looked the same as when I left it. I made a right and headed up the street. Daisy said she wouldn’t get out of the car until I made sure the house was safe.

             
I left her there waiting with the engine on and the door locked while I went to let myself in. I paused on the steps of the porch when I saw the blood trail.

             
Someone had been to my house while I was vacationing in Swanson Land.

             
My pulse kicked up to double time as I pulled out my gun.

             
The blood trail led to a dead body in the corner of the porch. It had been a zombie, somebody had shot it in the head. There was more blood on the other end of the porch by my chair and a lumpy object on the little coffee table.

             
A severed hand lay there like it was resting. Someone had done some crude field work, sawing it off just above the wrist. A chunk of hand meat was missing from the gooey part in between the thumb and forefinger.

             
It would seem my visitor had undergone some type of incident.

             
“What’s going on?” Daisy yelled from the open window of the car.

             
I nearly jumped out of my skin.

             
“Nothing, its fine.” I yelled back and gave her a little smile and a wave. The look on her face said she didn’t believe me.

             
The hand was obviously rotting but it wasn’t too far down the road. It couldn’t have been there more than a couple of days. I picked up the table and dumped the hand over the railing into the bushes, no sense freaking Daisy out any more than she already was.

             
The key I kept under the welcome mat was missing but the door was unlocked when I tried it, more bad news. I wondered if I’d find a bloody, one-handed zombie roaming around inside.

             
A search of the house proved it to be empty but someone had definitely been living here for a few weeks. Whoever it was had slept in my spot in the living room and been into the food and liquor downstairs.

             
Not enough to make a dent in my supplies but enough to piss me off. It seemed like he or she was long gone now but I couldn’t take any chances. I was going to have to do something to make the place more secure if Daisy and I were going to stay awhile.

             
I retrieved a tarp from the garage and covered the body on porch so Daisy wouldn’t see it. Then I went to get her from the car.

             
She was super pissed about me leaving her alone for so long and insisted I drive into the garage before she got out of the car. Only after seeing me slide the manual lock closed did she emerge from the passenger side.

             
“What did you dump in the bushes?” she asked.

             
“Oh, just a dead bird, it was gross,” I lied.

             
She looked at me like I was the worst liar on Earth. I made a note to myself to remove the body and scrub the blood away before she could see it. I figured once I got her inside she wouldn’t want to go out anytime soon, so I would have time.

             
She took my tour in silence. I couldn’t tell if she was impressed or not. I guessed not, considering how rich she’d been. When we got to the bedroom she took a look at my twin bed and asked where she would sleep. I looked at my bed with longing but decided to be a gentleman. I explained this was her bed now and I would sleep in the living room.

             
I didn’t have as many supplies as she’d been privy to at the Rose Hill house but I had a lot. More than enough for two people to survive for a long time. That is, of course, if we didn’t freeze to death.

             
An hour later, after doing my two unpleasant chores, I sat on my front porch enjoying the late morning sun and the view of my zombie-free street. Daisy stepped out and stared at me, she seemed to do that a lot.

             
I wondered what happened to the giggly girl I’d first met in the cellar. She had seemed high at the time, maybe she was. Now her three go-to emotions were sullen, scared and detached. I didn’t think I could deal with it forever.

             
“I want to take a bath, like you did,” she said.

             
I thought about it for a minute, rubbing my hands through my hair.

             
“Only if you promise not to lose it if we see any zombies.”

             
“I promise,” was her reply.

             
We would see about that but why the hell not. We both needed her to take a bath.

             
Preparation was the key to our second trip to Moore Lake Public Beach. We brought several towels and a few thick blankets. Most importantly, we brought shampoo, soap and my car. 

             
On the way there, I instructed her on the basics of lake bathing.

             
“The water is so cold you won’t be able to breathe. You want to get in, get wet, soap down and rinse off within two or three minutes tops. I’m not a doctor or anything but when your body goes numb that’s always a red flag.”

             
She nodded studiously throughout my tutorial. I pulled into the parking lot, drove through the beach and right down to the water’s edge. The area was clear so we got right down to business.

             
Soon we were naked with two big towels waiting on the hood of the Pontiac.

             
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen her naked but I still felt my pulse quicken. Before anything embarrassing could happen I took a running start and dove into the water yelling something lame about being the last one in.

             
I stayed under as long as I could stand it. When I surfaced Daisy was right there next to me gasping in waist deep water. We wasted no time with the soap and shampoo. I was done first but she was struggling and asked me to help wash her hair.

             
It was the most painful, torturous and amazingly sexual bath I ever had. There are times at night when my dreams sweep me back to those few moments and I live them all over again though it is nowhere near as cold and painful.

             
With the heat cranked and wrapped in warm blankets we made it back to my house in minutes. Soon we were inside and trying to stay busy. I made lunch while Daisy disappeared upstairs. She called down to me saying she needed help with something. I told her I was making lunch but she insisted.

             
When I made it to the room she was laying on the bed wearing only the clothes she was born in. She said she was still cold and it was my turn to warm her up. I could never resist a beautiful woman. I forgot about lunch and lost myself in her arms.