Clouds of dirt kicked up around us as we continued walking down the road towards our destination. The buildings on the south side looked as if they were going to tumble down on top of us at any minute. Some were lopsided with large holes, welcoming in anything and anyone with open arms. Not a single chatter or whisper was heard amongst the people that we saw walking by, simply going about their day. Nothing here looked happy. All of our sunshine had been taken, plucked from deep inside us like vultures picking at a dead carcass.
There was one word to describe what we all had, what we all were facing. Memories. They were like the plague that washed over us, sinking us deep beneath the darkest of lakes, and keeping us there with an evocation of those zombie times.
I'd never been any farther past the City Hall before. You could say I liked staying within the parameters that were well known to me. Unknown areas don't really sit well in my stomach. It brings back thoughts of the dead hiding behind every corner, lurking, waiting for you to be in reach so they could grab you with their brittle and fleshless hands.
I knew enough of this place to know that the giant fortress of brick walls barricading the community wouldn't let anyone or anything in or out without the consent of the Luckies since the entrance is on their side and not ours. What I didn't know, as an ex-zombie member, was if I was immune or not to another bite from the infected.
But it gave me somewhat comfort in the mission I was going to do, knowing that the Stiffs that left were successful at remaining undetected in the North, because that was the only way out—unless they found another way.
As soon as we approached the great stone wall we came across a one-story shack of a house. The smell of stale must entered my nostrils like a freight train, making me almost gag.
"What the hell!" I said, as I covered the bottom of my face with my sleeve.
"I know, it takes some getting used to," Eve smirked and continued walking towards the gaping hole on the side of the house, not bothering to use the door. "Don't worry; it won't smell like that below. It's just to ward off anyone who wants to park it here."
I didn't bother asking as I continued covering my mouth and nose but even then the smell poured through making my eyes water. I could have sworn I smelt shit too.
"Follow my steps exactly. It's booby trapped," She said, stopping in her tracks and eyeing the floor.
My eyes followed her steps, maneuvering in a certain pattern and heading toward a closed door at the end. I soon followed and did the same as she. I didn't understand why anyone would place booby traps in a place like this. You were already risking your life, let alone your sense of smell, just by being in this place. But if these traps made Eve take it seriously then I sure as hell am.
My feet sounded like they weighed a ton as I made the molded wooden floors creek beneath. I looked around hoping no arrows or big boulders would magically appear and take my life. If that happened, I'd be screwed because I was no Indian Jones.
Reaching the door next to a content Eve she opened it; I noticed the stairs heading down. Without a beat she walked down to what appeared to be a basement. I could hear the sound of her boots ricocheting off the walls, getting deeper and deeper as she walked. Trying to psyche myself up to go further into the unknown, I took a minute to shut my negative thoughts out that were forcing its way in. It was like a broken record in my head, Don't do it, Don't do it. It's not safe. Just forget all this and go back.
"Everything okay up there?" Not realizing I was closing my eyes, Eve's voice startled me and snapped me out of the trance. I adjusted my eyes to the stairs in front of me. Walking down to the room, small beams of light pierced through the splintered walls and illuminated our surroundings. Broken glass and withered material lay on the cold floor forever still. The room was no bigger than the length of two of me.
Hearing the rustling coming from the corner where Eve was, she moved some of the scraps to the side and exposed a latch connected to a thick metal square door. My heart skipped a beat as she opened it and revealed nothing but darkness on the other side. I shouldn't have been shocked to see Eve head right on down like it wasn't a big deal. I wish I had just a sliver of her enthusiasm.
To be honest, I wasn't at all like this before I turned. In fact, I was quite the opposite. As an adventurous child, even at an early age I would climb the tallest tree I could find, reaching the top all by myself, hoping to touch God's land above. I remember my mother would find me talking up a storm and making new friends everywhere we went. 'A social butterfly' is what my parents would say about me. But that quality in me evaporated into oblivion the moment my life got hit with the virus that disseminated my town, and within months, the whole world.
I watched as her body gradually began to be swallowed by the bleak dark mouth of the floor, and then soon she completely disappeared.
Again, I was a bit hesitant in following a brave and noble Eve who clearly didn't give a shit about not seeing what she was climbing down to. Even if it was my tenth time following this path, I'd still be up here fiddling with my fingers like a lost child in a store.
Sucking up what courage I had, I got on my hands and knees backing up into the hole and slowly stuck my foot down trying to find the latter. "You look like a scared fish up there. You've got to put your leg down further. You're not close enough to the step." Eve's voice echoed out of the dark black box as I heard bits of chuckles after.
I pushed my body a bit further, sinking my whole leg down. Finally, I heard a hard cling as my boot hit the metal bar allowing me to climb down. The room was cold and somber. My ears could only focus on our breath and our footsteps. My arms flung out in front of me automatically. The pitch black atmosphere was impenetrable and I stood rooted in my spot afraid to move.
As my mind welcomed my surroundings, my eyes adjusted to a gleaming neon arrow. "Nice trick, huh?" Eve said as I heard her shuffling over to it. "You won't be able to open the secret passageway without it being fully dark in here."
Just then, part of the wall opened up, casting away the unwanted dark as a beam of light from the other side shined onto us. We walked through a small hall and above us dangled a thick wire that connected to motion detector lights, illumining our steps. I heard small chatter as we got closer to the sound. Turning right, my eyes came upon a big concrete room with a bed at the far left corner along with a whole wall of papers and what looked like a map. There was a kitchen to the left, and two individuals sat at the small wooden dining room table in the center. Four eyes looked my way, frozen in place.
The man had a thick beard and short messy hair. His broad shoulders hunched over a bowl of whatever it was they were eating. The woman dropped her spoon and it clinked on the table. Her thin brown hair sat nicely on her shoulders and her honey-brown orbs were fixed on me. My brows shot up at the top of my head, nearly flying off as I realized what I was looking at. His pale and warn out pigmentation showed the obvious signs, but hers did too. The vibrant and luscious dark complexion was remarkable and very noticeable. Why the hell is a Stiff and a Lucky in the same room together?
I stepped back just out of pure response by my body. I mean, I couldn't blame myself for feeling this was wrong on so many levels. How could he sit there with one of them knowing full well how her side was treating us? The more I wrapped my brain around the Luckies and their antics, the more my blood boiled.
Eve looked back at me and extended her arm out trying to reel me back in, but my feet were firm in their place. "Come on Leona, they don't bite," Eve teased.
"Why didn't you tell me there was a Lucky here?" I asked, taking another step back.
"If I did, would you have come?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
No response left my lips as I continued to stare down the two imposters. I mean did he know what was happening to us above ground? Or was he some crab in a shell with this weird fantasy of being with the enemy?
The chair squeaked as the woman stood up and took a couple of steps forward. "Please, won't you join us?" She smiled brightly, gesturing to the other vacant chairs.
I firmly staked my place as Eve sat down. Traitor.
The woman still stood, waiting for me to come over. Her knitted holly poncho looked pretty beat up along with the worn out dark green trousers she had on. For a Lucky, she sure dressed like a Stiff.
"She ain't gonna sit down, Trinity. Face it—she's judging." The man groaned like he was some sort of bear.
"Oh, stop it Morgan. She's our guest."
The man leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms. "It's true." His dark weary eyes fell onto me. "Ain't it girl?"
A small upward curve of his lip caused my eyes to narrow and dagger right at him. He shook his head and gave a deep chuckle. "Always going to be judged by what they don't understand," he said, looking away from me and back to his bowl.
I could feel the adrenaline forcing its way out of my body as I tried to restrain myself from flying across the room at the man. "Do you know what's happening above?" I took a step forward. "Do you know what her kind is doing to ours?" I look over to her and then back to him.
I could feel the heat begin to flare up inside me, especially on the back of my neck. "I don't understand what? That you're basically falling in love with our enemy?"
From the corner of my eye I saw the woman's smile disappear and her eyes downcast by my lashing words but I continued anyway. "The ones who make us line up at the City Hall with their clipboards and pens in hand." I took another step closer. "Making us run around in circles like some lap dogs as they take notes." I realize that I'm now looking down at the man, just inches away from him. "Taking our blood and giving us shots. Not caring about how we're living and starving on our side!" My voice ricocheted off the walls. "Instead, they make us attend these stupid Zombie Anonymous meetings and for what? To express our feelings? What the hell are my feelings going to do to keep me and Jenny alive, huh?"
He finally looked my way and I could see his glistening orbs penetrate my soul like they were speaking to me—like we shared the same pain. His chair slid out away from him as he stood up. Now he was the one looking down at me. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment and then I felt his embrace like a warm blanket. My body went stiff as my arms dangled to the sides. I've had a few hugs before, but this one felt different. I didn't want to push him away. I slowly pulled my arms up and wrapped them around his waist. If I closed my eyes I could imagine my father hugging me.
Unable to control my body, my throat started to close as I gasped for air. Swollen tears beaded down my cheeks with an overcoming of emotions spilling out. All I wanted to do was crawl into a ball but his tight hold didn't let me have it alone. My legs gave out and now both of us were on our knees still clinging onto one another for dear life. He never let go, and neither did I.
Once I gained my composure, I finally released our embrace. I smiled apologetically and stood up. I didn't know how much time had passed but I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I knew my mind and my body needed that release.
Morgan stood up and gestured me toward a seat next to Eve. "Are you hungry, dear?" Trinity said, walking over to the kitchen with two bowls in hand. She placed them in front of us and I could see the same liquid food we had back at the shelter.
I remembered I hadn't eaten yet as my stomach growled in response. "Thank you." I looked at her hoping she knew how sorry I was for how I had acted early.
Taking my bowl, I slurped the meat flavored substance. It tasted exactly like ours at the shelter. I looked over to Morgan, whose face disappeared inside his bowl, finishing his meal. "How did you guys get the same stuff we've been eating?" I questioned. My eyes darted to each of them and they looked at me as if I didn't know their secret.
"It's our supply," Trinity finally said.
I looked at my now empty bowl and back to her. "Your... supply? I don't understand."
"We are the ones giving you the supplies to eat, not the North," Morgan said.
I blinked a few times hoping it would help process what I just heard them say. All this time I gave the Luckies the slightest bit of credit for what food they gave us, when in fact it was two strangers who I barely met and who lived below us that were the ones giving us the meals we needed to survive. Staring into Morgan's mysterious and sunken eyes I knew it wasn't the only secret they were going to reveal to me.