A Girl a Dog and Zombies on the Munch Read online

  “My rifle stays with me,” Billy declared.

  “Be reasonable, son,” Harry said. “We can’t have armed strangers wandering around. Not with our wives and children. We’ll give your weapons back when you want to leave.”

  “It’s the only way you get in,” another man said.

  “We don’t know you from Adam,” a third man said. “You can’t expect us to trust you right off the bat.”

  Billy bristled, and Courtney moved past him before his temper got the better of him. “That works both ways, mister. How can we trust you when you don’t trust us?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud,” Sally Ann said. Marching up to Harry, she handed him her shotgun, then turned. “They don’t trust us. We don’t trust them. Fine. But this man knew Sansa’s parents....”

  “Not well,” Harry said. “I run a service station, and they’d stop for gas.”

  “You see?” Sally Ann said. “How more honest could he be.” She gestured. “Go around Marysville if you two want. But I’m going in. I want some hot food and a good night’s rest and I really don’t think they’re going to slit our throats in the middle of the night.”

  “Good God, girl,” said a thin man over by a car. “What do you take us for?”

  Sally Ann went on through.

  Courtney drew her revolver and held it out. “It’s been rough for us.”

  “Ms. Hewitt,wasn’t it?” Harry said. “It’s been rough for all of us.” He accepted the revolver.

  Courtney took Sansa’s hand. Together they walked through the gap , Gaga and Willis trailing along.

  Courtney stopped and looked back. “Billy? We’ve come this far. We shouldn’t separate.”

  “I’m doing this for you,” Billy said. He thrust his rifle at Harry.

  Sally Ann had waited for them. “Lighten up, will you?”

  “I can’t help it,” Billy said. “We’ve nearly been killed how many times now?”

  Sally Ann smiled at the lights in the distance. “I have a good feeling about this. Maybe if they like us they’ll let us stay.”

  “What about the compound we heard about on the radio?” Courtney said.

  “It’s way up north,” Sally Ann reminded her. “Why go that far if we don’t have to? Let’s enjoy ourselves. It could be the worst is behind us.”

  “You hope,” Billy said.

  Harry Comstock and the tall man escorted them into Marysville.

  Courtney didn’t know what she was expecting but it certainly wasn’t how normal everything appeared.

  The hamlet consisted of about a dozen houses and two places of business. Harry’s gas station sat at the junction of the main road with a side street. Across from it was a small market. Both were open.

  Night was hours off, yet thanks to the overcast sky, it was so dark, the street lights had come on and the market and the gas station were well lit.

  “Generators,” Harry explained when Sally Ann asked how that was possible. “The winters here, as you probably know, are pretty fierce. Cold as can be, and a lot of snow. We have the generators for when the power goes out.”

  “How long will it be before you run out of fuel?” Sally Ann asked.

  “Months,” Harry said. “We’ll find more before we do.”

  Not a lot of people were out and about.

  Courtney wondered why aloud, and Harry told her that most were home doing what they would normally be doing.

  “Mothers are taking care of their kids. The dads, most of them, are at the barricades to the north and south.”

  “What about the east and west?” Sally Ann said.

  Harry idly waved a hand at the open fields that stretched for a mile or more in either direction. “As you can see, nothing can get at us either side without us spotting it from a long ways off.”

  “And the zombies?” Sally Ann said.

  Harry shrugged. “We haven’t seen that many. The few we have, we picked off easy enough.”

  “You’ve been lucky, mister,” Billy remarked. “There are thousands of the things in the Twin Cities.”

  “We’re a long ways from Minneapolis and St. Paul,” Harry said. “Why would they come out this far?”

  “Food,” Billy said. “Fresh meat to munch on.”

  Harry and the tall man exchanged looks of annoyance. “I’ll thank you not to bring that up while you’re staying here. We don’t want to needlessly scare our families.”

  “You ask me, Mr. Comstock,” Sally Ann said, “you’re in denial.”

  By then they were at the market.

  “Let’s go in,” Billy said eagerly. “I want to buy a six-pack and enough food to fill my backpack.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Harry said.

  “How come?” Billy said.

  “Nothing is for sale,” Harry said. “Not here, nor the gas station. We’re saving what we have for us.” He held up a hand when Billy went to speak. “That doesn’t mean we won’t share. The four of you are welcome to spend the night at the Jasper place. Their cupboards are full of canned goods.”

  “They won’t mind putting us up?” Courtney said.

  “They’re not to home,” Harry said. “They took off for the Twin Cities the day before the war broke out to put Mrs. Jasper’s mother in a nursing home. She has dementia.” Harry scowled. “They haven’t come back. So you can have the run of their house,” Harry continued. “Eat their food. Sleep in their beds. In the morning we’ll have a talk about whether you move on or stay.” He clapped Billy on the shoulder. “We could use another man to help out with guard duties and whatnot.”

  “Hey, Courts and I can do our share,” Sally Ann said. “We’ve killed zombies.”

  “Aren’t you the toughie,” Harry joked, but no one laughed. “Come on. I’ll show you where the Jaspers live.”

  It was down the side street about a block, on the left, a two-story frame house with a peaked roof and a front porch.

  Harry opened the front door and walked on in. The curtains were open, admitting enough light to reveal a comfortably furnished living room with a huge sofa.

  “There are candles in a kitchen drawer,” Harry informed them. “The stove is gas, hooked to a tank out back. I ask that you keep everything as neat as you find it, and that you don’t let your dogs do their business inside.”

  “You have our word,” Sally Ann said.

  “All right, then.” Harry paused at the door and indicated the tall man, who was on the porch. “Chester will be across the street. You need anything, give him a holler.”

  “Across the street keeping an eye on us,” Sally Ann said.

  Harry smiled and winked and left, closing the door behind him.

  “I wish they’d given our guns back,” Billy said.

  “Chill, will you?” Sally Ann said. “Let’s get some candles lit and see what there is to eat and settle in. We’re safe here, people.”

  Courtney wanted to believe her. But a tiny voice deep inside warned her not to.

  CHAPTER 7

  The evening passed wonderfully.

  Billy surprised them by announcing that he would cook. Courtney suspected it had to do with the giant can of beef stew he found in a cupboard. A loaf of bread, and butter from the fridge, provided them with a veritable feast.

  Courtney never liked canned food all that much but the stew was delicious.

  Everyone was in good spirits until Sansa started to talk about the green cloud that passed over the Kent farm. Sally Ann cut her off and brought up that they should turn in early to be well rested for tomorrow.

  Truth to tell, Courtney was beat. The meal, the warmth, had made her drowsy.

  There were only two bedrooms. Sally Ann suggested they draw lots to see who would sleep on the sofa. Billy volunteered, saying it wasn’t fair that ‘you lovely ladies’ should have to.

  Sansa cleared her throat. “I want to sleep on the sofa, if it’s okay.”

  “Why?” Courtney wanted to know.

  �
�Upstairs will make me think of home, and my mom,” Sansa said glumly.

  “The sofa it is, then,” Courtney said. “Provided you don’t mind company. It’s big enough for two, and we can keep an eye on our dogs.”

  Courtney and Sansa took Willis and Gaga out to do their business before turning in. The other houses along the side street all had lit windows. Smoke curled from chimneys. Out on the road, the street lights cast circles of light. Somewhere, music played.

  “It sure is nice here,” Sansa said.

  Courtney was noting how the clouds had a strange glow about them, and how the wind whispered as if it were a multitude of voices. Involuntarily, she shivered.

  “You okay, Courts?” Sansa asked. She had taken to calling her by Billy’s pet name.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Courtney said. She saw a lanky figure by the house across the street, who she took to be Chester.

  “Do you want to stay here like Sally does?” Sansa asked.

  “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

  They went back inside.

  The dogs, exhausted, sprawled on a rug.

  Sally Ann brought down folded blankets and said she was turning in. Billy already had.

  “How about we each take an end?” Courtney suggested. The sofa was big enough that they could curl up with plenty of room.

  Yawning, Sansa was barely able to keep her eyes open as Courtney tucked her in.

  “Thank you for looking after me,” the girl said, her eyelids drooping.

  “No problem.”

  Courtney moved to her end, adjusted the pillow, lay on her side, and covered herself with the blanket. Warmth spread through her, and she felt herself relax. That tiny voice flared to life, warning her to stay alert, but her fatigue was a black cloak enfolding her mind. She drifted into a vast stillness.

  Then, suddenly, she was wide awake.

  Courtney realized she had rolled over while she slept and was now facing the back of the sofa. Her cheek was on the pillow. The blanket had slipped partway off, and she was chilly. She pulled the blanket higher and snuggled in again.

  This was her best sleep in days.

  She could hear Sansa breathing, hear Willis snore. Small as he was, from his snores you’d think he was a Great Dane.

  Courtney smiled. She was on the verge of sleep when a new sound registered. A sound as if something were brushing against the house. A tree limb, she reckoned, blown by the wind. But she didn’t hear the wind, and she didn’t recall seeing a tree anywhere near the house.

  The brushing sound stopped.

  Courtney slid farther under the blanket. She was worrying over nothing. She emptied her head and lethargy crept through her and just when she was about to go out like a light, suddenly she was awake once more.

  She needed to get a grip. Her nerves were so frayed, they were spoiling her rest. She lay quiet, hoping to drift off again. She listened to Sansa breathe and Willis snore, and grinned. All was well.

  No sooner did she tell herself that than new sounds intruded. This time there was no mistaking them for the wind. There was no mistaking them for anything other than what they were.

  Footsteps.

  On the front porch.

  Courtney slid her head out from under the blanket and rolled over.

  The footsteps faded away.

  She wondered if it had been the tall guy who was keeping an eye on them. Or maybe some other Marysville resident. But why would someone be checking on them in the middle of the night?

  Courtney waited, and when she didn’t hear any new sounds, she pulled the blanket up again and closed her eyes. At last she could enjoy a few more hours undisturbed slumber.

  The footsteps returned.

  Along with other vague noises.

  Anger compelled Courtney to get up. Wrapping the blanket around her, she moved to the door and pressed an ear to the wood. Just as she did, there was a scratching noise on the other side, causing her to jump back.

  A sense of unease came over her. She glanced at the window. Even though it was dark out, shadows appeared to be playing across the glass between the open curtains.

  Slowly sidling over, careful not to show herself, Courtney peeked past the near curtain. Her breath caught in her throat and she shivered, but not from the chill.

  The porch crawled with zombies. Or, rather, they were shambling across it in a steady stream from left to right, some dragging one leg or the other.

  The number staggered her. Dozens went by and yet more came after them. Out past the porch, more figures shuffled and lurched.

  It wasn’t a stream.

  It was a river.

  Courtney drew back before one of them spotted her. Her brain was alive with questions. How could there be so many? Where did they all come from? They couldn’t have approached the hamlet from up or down the road or the sentries at the barricades would have given the alarm. No, the creatures must be pouring out of the woods to the east. A swarm from the Twin Cities, possibly. Sally Ann had been saying that once the zombies in the cities finished off the people there, they would spread to the countryside.

  Over on the sofa, Sansa mumbled and rolled over.

  Willis stopped snoring.

  Gaga sat up.

  The last thing Courtney needed was for either dog to bark and give them away. Sliding her hand behind the curtain, she groped and found the cord to the traverse rod. She slowly pulled it to close the curtains but no sooner did she start then there was a thunk against the glass.

  A face was pressed against the pane. A ghastly face, the eyes glazed, half of a cheek gone, the lower lip dangling.

  Courtney stopped pulling.

  The zombie seemed to be trying to press its face through the glass. Why, Courtney had no idea. She saw its tongue move, saw slobber or drool trickle down. The thing was licking the window!

  Gaga growled, softly.

  “Quiet,” Courtney whispered.

  Sansa did more mumbling and rolling.

  There was another scratch on the front door.

  Courtney had left her revolver on the floor next to the sofa. She could reach it in several quick steps, and tensed to do just that.

  With a slight sucking sound, the creature at the window drew back, stiffly turned, and rejoined the flow of living dead.

  Dreading another zombie would notice, Courtney closed the curtains. She moved to the stairs to go up and wake Sally Ann and Billy but someone was coming down.

  “We’re in trouble,” Sally Ann whispered.

  “Don’t I know it,” Courtney said.

  “You saw them too?” Sally Ann said. “Something woke me and I looked out the upstairs window. I can’t believe how many there are.”

  “Hundreds,” Courtney said.

  “Thousands,” Sally Ann said.

  “What do we do?” It dawned on Courtney that she was relying more and more on her friend’s judgement of late.

  “Nothing.”

  “Be serious.”

  “I am,” Sally Ann said. “The things were probably drawn by the streetlights. If they don’t see anyone, if the sentries and the people in the houses are smart enough to lie low, the zombies might pass on through without attacking anybody.”

  “I don’t like being hemmed in,” Courtney said.

  “What choice do we have?” Sally Ann whispered. “There are too many for us to try and break out.”

  “Just when I thought things were going great for once,” Courtney said.

  “We’re alive, aren’t we?” Sally Ann said. “Just keep your fingers crossed.”

  That was when a scream knifed the night.

  CHAPTER 9

  It came from close by, a keening cry of utter terror. A cry that tore at the heart. A cry the likes of which that those who heard it would never forget it.

  Sansa jerked up on the sofa and uttered a cry of her own.

  Quickly, Courtney moved to the girl and put an arm around her to comfort her—and to keep her from cyring out a second
time. “It’s all right. I’m right here.”

  “We need to stay quiet,” Sally Ann whispered.

  Willis had scrambled up and now was looking all around in confusion. Tilting his head, he sniffed, and let out a snarl worthy of a wolf.

  “Shhh!” Courtney said, reaching for him.

  The little dog sprang toward the door, growling deep in his throat.

  Sally Ann tried to grab him but he scooted past and commenced to scratch at the front door, and snarl.

  “The zombies!” Sally Ann said, and scooped him up.

  Feet pounded on the stairs and down into the living room rushed Billy. “What the hell?” he exclaimed. “Some noise woke me. What’s going on?”

  “Keep it down, will you?” Courtney cautioned. “There are zombies all over.”

  “What?” Billy said. He stepped to the curtains and reached out.

  “Don’t!” Courtney exclaimed.

  Billy yanked.

  Half a dozen dead faces peered in at them, some with their mouths working as if eager to chew flesh, some with their clawed fingers on the glass.

  Quickly closing the curtain, Billy turned, his shock evident. “What in the world has happened?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Sally Ann said. “Marysville is being overrun.”

  As if to confirm her assessment, a second scream, and yet a third, pierced the night air, followed by the boom of gunshots.

  Billy moved to the door. “We have to help them!”

  “No!” Sally Ann said. Dropping Willis, she lunged and grabbed Billy’s arm. “Are you insane? You wouldn’t last a minute out there!”

  More gunshots and more screams added to the rising bedlam. Somewhere glass broke with a ringing crash. A dog howled in pain.

  Courtney felt Sansa tremble.

  The scratching on the door and the window grew louder.

  “They were nice to us, they let us stay here,” Billy said, but not loudly. “I don’t like doing nothing.”

  Sally Ann stared at the ceiling. “Is there an attic in this place? A cellar? Somewhere we can hole up? I didn’t think to look.”

  “Me either,” Billy said. “I’ll go through the house and...”