All Is Silence - Deserted Lands #1

Chapter 7 - Part III

When Lizzie got to the Sunset overpass, she headed back on the other side of the street. Zach hustled across. She noted with amusement that he checked to make sure no cars were coming.

They went up to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The door opened. Inside it was even more creepy and deadly quiet than the houses. Lizzie watched Zach stop a few steps in. Then he shook his head. He turned his face white.

“What?” Lizzie asked, stepping forward.

Zach held his hand up. “Don’t.”

“Okay. Not sure God’s here anyway.” Being inside a church set her skin on edge, even before Zach saw something. “Let’s skip the churches after this.”

“Yeah.” At the next house, Zach stepped out of the garage with a chainsaw. “Always wanted one of these electric start ones.” He fired it up and grinned.

Lizzie paused at the door of the little cottage next door.

Zach let it idle and stop.

“Cause we need that?” she yelled.

“I guess you’re right. But I might want to come back for it. How am I going to remember which house it’s at?”

“I don’t know. Cut a tree down?”

“Great idea.”

“Jesus, Zach. I was joking.” But he was doing it. Poor spindly little tree was big around as her thigh. The chainsaw roared and spit saw dust. Zach grinned at her as it fell.

“Zach Riley, sometimes I wonder why people think I’m crazy.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” He stuck out his tongue

The Tank got full as they hit house after house. They were going to have to go home soon. Zach came toward her with a guitar case. He could hardly contain himself. “Wait for it. Close your eyes.”

She did, smiling.

“Okay, open ‘em. It’s an SG. Dark red.” It lay nestled in its black, soft bed.

“I know, stupid.” Lizzie reached out to touch it. “Like Angus Young’s. Way cool. I always wanted to learn to play guitar, but the band needed a bass player.” Supposedly her dad played. She took the guitar from the case surprised at the weight. “It’s as heavy as my bass.”

He gave her a lopsided smile as he gently removed it from her hands and sat on the cement wall. He played the opening few bars of “Stairway to Heaven.”

“No ‘Stairway,’” Lizzie said, sitting beside him.

“Denied!” He played the first parts of “Hell’s Bells.”

“Cool.”

“I only know the beginnings.” Zach stopped playing. “Hurts my fingers after a bit.”

“Yeah. Keep it. Maybe we can learn to play something together.” She stood up. Her fingers rubbed where her own callouses should have been. It had been too long. “I’ve written some lyrics. A couple bass lines.”

“You’re probably way too good for me.”

“I definitely am,” she said.

He laughed.

“You gonna try and catch up? I got eight cats, three dogs and two cell phones with chargers. Uh… thirteen. You?”

“Four cats, six dogs and one cell phone. No charger, but it’s the same as mine so it counts. Everything’s worth one point?”

“Eleven.” Lizzie left Zach to put away his guitar. “I get the next one.” She jogged across the empty lot to the back. A sound stopped her as she came up to the back door. Strange how cats voices and cries sometimes sound so human. She tried the handle—locked. She pulled out her car-hammer, turned away and pounded the window with the pointy part. The glass shattered and she reached in to turn the knob. The yowling had stopped. She stepped in carefully.

This house smelled like shit and death. There was a bag of cat food dumped out on the floor. Formulated for mature cats. She heard movement. “Here, kitty.”

Small feet sounded on linoleum. A small human voice answered. “Da da?” A little boy, diaper-less and rashy trundled slowly toward her. His eyes were wide and red.