The 29th part of the novel I wrote late at night while trapped behind a dresser.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
—
\nDaryl opened the giant freezer, chrome doors taller and wider than he was.\u00a0 Inside, the three of them would be able to stand without a problem.\u00a0 He began pulling ice from a hamper and putting it into a dry washcloth.\u00a0 Azizi and Martin were talking about medical books and treatment, but he\u2019d tuned them out.\u00a0 Martin was in a mood, and Daryl was already exhausted by the conversation.<\/p>\n
The countertop beside the oversized refrigerator was crowded with service trays and bulk bags of coffee.\u00a0 All things that dated from this mansion\u2019s previous lifetime\u2026just over a day ago.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Martin\u2019s mania that bothered Daryl.\u00a0 His friend had always been a little unhinged, though it was usually held in check.\u00a0 What upset Daryl was that\u00a0 all these weapons may prove necessary.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t for guns and the element of surprise, Molly and he would be dead.<\/p>\n
He headed back out to the great hall and gently placed the washcloth on Molly\u2019s bruised forehead.\u00a0 She moaned and turned slightly, her eyes opening again.\u00a0 For a moment, she stared blankly.\u00a0 Then a small smile decorated her face.\u00a0 She closed her eyes again, the smile holding on weakly, and placed a hand against Daryl\u2019s arm.\u00a0 He gently pulled away, the washcloth balanced on her head, and headed back to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Martin was talking about the power and Daryl let himself tune back in.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u20263 years for regular gas, about 5 for diesel.\u00a0 I think.\u00a0 After that, we\u2019re out of fuel.\u00a0 But we should start transferring it right away\u2026or at least keep an eye on a few tanks around here.\u00a0 If water gets in the fuel, that\u2019ll be it.\u00a0 Now for the power, it\u2019s coal.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we have nuclear here.\u00a0 Either way, without anyone to run the plants, they\u2019ll shut down in a few days\u2026 Surely the power won\u2019t last long without human supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t run it?\u201d Azizi asked.<\/p>\n
Martin frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you really talking about staying here?\u201d Daryl asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d Martin answered, a little too quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s suicidal.\u00a0 We should head to your spot in West Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azizi shrugged, playing both sides.\u00a0 \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t hurt, Marty.\u00a0 Fewer people means less danger.\u00a0 If these things cry for our blood, they\u2019ll be 250 miles out of their territory and clambering up that damned mountain to get us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin\u2019s eyes narrowed and seemed to darken, \u201cThere\u2019s something going on here.\u00a0 You heard it, didn\u2019t you?\u201d he asked Daryl, \u201cThe \u2018agreement\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daryl nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard it, too.\u00a0 They even let us go last night after a bit of a debate.\u00a0 Now, why\u2019s that?\u00a0 They\u2019re tearing everyone else apart, but they won\u2019t touch us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daryl realized that he had been clenching his jaw, the muscles in his cheek twitching.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I care,\u201d he replied,\u00a0 his voice cracking through his teeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first problem in a new world of problems, D.\u201d Martin replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you think there\u2019s some greater force behind this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Martin replied without hesitation.\u00a0 That one word, the conviction of that one word, hung in the air for several moments.<\/p>\n
Daryl sighed, then perched up on a countertop. \u201cTell me what happened with you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have any answers,\u201d Martin replied, \u201cbut we know that they die if you do enough damage to them.\u00a0 Which you\u2019ve figured out for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut how did it happen?\u201d Daryl asked, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Azizi popped open a can of juice, \u201cOne minute, the EBS clicked on all the channels at once.\u00a0 After that, chaos.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled, using Martin\u2019s terminology.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin was in your room going through your temporary internet files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, you gotta lay off the porn.\u00a0 That\u2019ll desensitize you.\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azizi shrugged,\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnyway.\u00a0 After I lost your cell, Martin and I went up to see what was shaking.\u00a0 I mean, we\u2019re 10 miles from ground zero\u2026 So if there was a firestorm coming, we figured we should go up on the roof to watch or something.\u00a0 That would be a once in a lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got that right, funny man.\u201d Martin said.\u00a0 \u201cSo we head outside and all those fucking Catholic kids next door are writhing around on their front yard.\u00a0 After a minute, they stop and we figure our prayers to the dark lord have finally been answered.\u00a0 Then, all creepy like, they get up and turn towards us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the power dies,\u201d Azizi jumped in, \u201cthe whole neighborhood.\u00a0 And those kids are all moving after us like leopards \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cAll quiet and swooshy like.\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of went on from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll terribly exciting, of course.\u201d Martin added.<\/p>\n
Daryl shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cGod\u2026 So there could be a lot of those things out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen more than a few together,\u201d Martin said, \u201cso the way I have it figured, if these freaks aren\u2019t going to do the horde of undead thing, we should be able to hunt them down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daryl felt a whip-snap rush through him, \u201cHunt them down?\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin leaned forward.\u00a0 \u201cIn every apocalypse story, it\u2019s people fighting for an impossible cause.\u00a0 The last vestiges of our sick society reaching out from beyond the darkness to control and dominate the actions of the survivors who strive for normalcy.\u00a0 I say we break the mold.\u00a0 We don\u2019t try to rebuild, we don\u2019t hide under a rock, we hunt these zombie freaks and blow them to hell and back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re talking about movies, Martin.\u00a0 We die in real life out here if we play gung ho.\u00a0 Jesus, do you even know how to work half those guns out there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPoint and shoot, D.\u00a0 Guns are made for citizen armies.\u201d\u00a0 Martin dropped his voice to a whisper,\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou can cut saplings in half with those out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s neat.\u201d\u00a0 Azizi added.\u00a0 Then he shrugged,\u00a0 \u201cEither way, shoot in the general direction of the bad guys.\u00a0 All it takes is a couple of bullets for the monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy god.\u201d Daryl whispered, shaking his head,\u00a0 \u201cWe gotta go.\u00a0 The best plan is to run and hide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin laughed wildly.\u00a0 \u201cIs it?\u00a0 Do you think they\u2019ll be ready for a full offensive?\u00a0 No\u2026 They show no fear of us.\u00a0 We\u2019re children in their eyes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I promise you, as powerful as they are, they won\u2019t know up from down if we drive up and kick them in the nuts.\u00a0 You saw them today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I saw them kicking me in the nuts!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaryl, seriously, we have a chance to hit them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about those assholes in the police car?\u00a0 They weren\u2019t monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azizi nodded, \u201cThat was worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorrying?\u00a0 Worrying?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Daryl was slipping on the razor\u2019s edge of reality again.\u00a0 So much of the day was spent in a mental state of drift, it was no wonder office workers snapped and commuters devolved into savages.\u00a0 So much rushing around just to get into a quiet cubicle and start daydreaming again.\u00a0 Total detachment in an angry world and, now, he would welcome that detachment.\u00a0 Wrap it around him, head down at the computer, mindless.\u00a0 Anything but Martin\u2019s insane talk.\u00a0 Daryl imagined himself still trapped in that burning Metro car, or maybe even locked in some sort of delusional state in an asylum somewhere.\u00a0 It was hollow comfort to realize that he was in reality for the first time in his life.\u00a0 The real, killing world of rain and opposition and no room for the soft skin of modern man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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