"Undead, undead.
All alone I breathe.
In time they come for everyone."
-Freddie
Karen was almost eleven years old, and an only child now. Her long blond hair stuck to the sides of her neck, damp with sweat. Joe went off to scavenge yesterday, leaving the three of them with a few gallons of fresh water and false promises of safety. Her older sister Rose gave mute testament to the lie.
By a small act of grace the bed stood between Karen and her sister's body. Thinking about Rose made her want to scream and cry at the same time, but she dared not do either. Hidden in the corner of her closet, Karen knew that silence meant life.
She peered through the closet door's wooden slats but it was difficult to see anything other than the outline of her bed in the dark room. Her mind filled in the details she couldn't see; her sister's ravaged body on the other side, eyes staring at the ceiling in silent horror. The back of her head....
Time froze with a smothering weight that made it hard to breath. At some time during the day she'd peed herself. Peed myself like a baby. The stench disgusted and worried her. Can they smell?
Niki's yipping was a welcome distraction for once. She could hear her paws clicking on the wooden floor downstairs. The dog would keep quiet for a minute or so and then erupt in a series of small barks before falling silent again. Her barking always drove Karen nuts, but today she craved its company. In the silence between Niki's barking bursts, Karen heard a thousand small, phantom sounds. She imagined Rose shifting, changing position, trying to get comfortable. But Rose was dead still. Dead as dead. Please God, keep her dead. Somewhere in the dark house, however, Mother was still moving and grooving.
It will be ok. I'll just stay here until Joe comes back… or until she leaves.
She awoke sometime later, surprised at herself for dozing off. Niki wasn't barking but there were a hundred small sounds – soft clicks, ticks, and almost thumps – tinged with doom and dark promise. Somehow she had slept and dusk turned into full-blown night. The last traces of light had fled and the air felt heavier, making breathing a chore. Her limbs felt wooden and unresponsive. Hair fell over her eyes but the effort to bring hand to face was too great. She had a suicidal urge to scream. Scream and bring everything to an end.
Or maybe I'll laugh. Like when Rose and I played the giggle game. I'll just laugh and laugh and laugh until Mother finds me.
Fear and adrenaline took hold of her again soon enough. Hide or run? She wanted nothing more than to stay buried in the back of the closet until Mother left or Joe returned. But for all she knew, Mother might be staying forever, and Joe, armed or not, might not be back for a day or two - maybe more.
Maybe not at all. They'd met him at the airport a few weeks ago. He'd saved their lives back there, no denying it. But there were no promises that he'd do it again. What about food and water?
Run then. She'd never be stronger than she was right now. Easier to avoid running into zombies out there than the one downstairs. Please let her be downstairs.
She inched forward and pushed the closet door open the tiniest bit, terrified it would betray her by squeaking. It did squeak and to her horror she peed herself again. Sometime later, when her heart settled down to a steady race and the thing that was Mother didn't come running into the room, she pushed the door open the rest of the way.
For a second, she thought she could see Slinky, on the floor by the bed (dead still). She'd won Slinky last Labor Day with Rose. They were supposed to be at Walgreens buying back-to-school supplies. Instead they ended up at St. Mary's carnival; squandering precious quarters on Jesus-approved games of chance. She remembered tossing the small ceramic ring into the air and watching it land neat as you please around the neck of an empty Coke bottle – first try! When they got home, Rose went inside first and kept Mother distracted while Karen snuck the green alligator into her room, where Slinky lived happily ever after.
Of course the shape sticking out by the bed wasn't Slinky. If the lights worked Karen knew she'd be staring at Rose's leg. But in the dark she could pretend it belonged to her stuffed friend.
Something crashed and shattered on the floor downstairs, and Niki renewed her barking, redoubling her efforts to wake the (still dead) dead. Mother was on the move. Karen was out of time.
In her mind, Karensaw herself run across the room, eyes turned away from her poor sister (dead still, still dead); running across the hall to Mother's bedroom, opening the casements on the large window, climbing out on the room ledge, dropping to the front yard and making good her escape. Easy peasy.
A soft thud floated up from downstairs.
Downstairs for sure, right? Definitely!
Time to run.
She couldn't do it. She remained on hands and knees, unable to cross the closet's threshold. Her arms and legs started shaking, like some dark epilepsy. Sweat dripped off her face and forearms. Some ran into her eyes, blurring her vision and causing the dark shape of (dead still) Rose's leg to shift in the dark. Karen squeezed her eyes shut.
Nothing moved. Nothing's up here. Just scared that's all. I'll open my eyes and it will still be there. Not moving. Nothing's moving.
Thud!
Definitely from downstairs.
"Nothing here," she mouthed. Niki stopped barking.
Now, now, now!
She stood up and her head swam, the blood rushing to her feet. No time. She ran across the room, face staring up at the ceiling, making sure to avoid looking at Rose. The bedroom door hung open, framing the darkened hallway. Mother's bedroom wasn't visible, but she knew it stood ten – maybe fifteen – feet away. Easy peasy.
She tripped over Rose's leg.
Karen hit the floor with the sound of thunder.
"No, no, no. Please, please." She backed away as fast as she could, untangling herself from the stuffed toy.
Slinky?
Her stuffed alligator was entwined in her legs, its button eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Just Slinky. No Rose. Just Slinky."
Tears of relief sprang from her eyes. She managed to get back on her feet, ready to sprint across the hall to the window. Escape. She would escape and find help. Maybe hide somewhere close and wait for Joe to come back.
He'll need to be warned and –
Karen blinked, confused.
Not Rose. But where –
A soft thud interrupted her thought.
And it definitely did not come from downstairs.
