Chapter 11
"So Daniel... How long have you and your family been living here?" I say as I move Phoebe's toys into a pile on the floor.
"Well Cameron, I think it's been about 10 years now." He says as he flops onto the brown leather couch.
I hear Phoebe's little feet pat across the wood floor as she dives into her father's lap. He smiles and gives her a hug. Linda laughs as she sits in the lounge chair across the room.
I sit on the couch next to Daniel and Phoebe. "That's a long time."
"Yes, it is." He agrees. "This was my father's house, I grew up here."
"And so did I!" Phoebe cuts in with a small giggle.
Daniel, Linda, and I laugh at Phoebe. I can tell she's a little embarrassed because her cheeks have a small tint of red on them. I'm guessing she's not the type to be the center of attention.
They must have been really happy before "Z-Day" started. I'm surprised that they don't have to fear for their lives, the infected just don't come near their house. Maybe it's because they live so far away from civilization. I remember someone saying that we're an hour away from the city. I didn't know there was farmland and woods out here. This might be a good place to move to.
This is the first time I've felt safe in a long time. There's no threat of infected walking up to your window at night while you're sleeping. Since I live alone, I always had to watch for everything. I used to live with my father until he passed a couple of months ago, a little bit after Summer's mother did. It was really hard, I was so happy Summer was there for me. I needed her, and she needed me. I can tell it still hurts her.
Living by myself had its perks. I'm not always told to clean and to make myself look presentable. Well, there's no reason to. The only time I do is when I see Summer. Another perk: I don't have hormones always crowding the house. Since my mother died when I was young and I don't have any siblings, I've always had an easy life. I did try to move in with Summer and her family, it would have been easier than risking getting bit every day going to her house, but her father wouldn't allow it. I don't think he understands that it's different now. We need to survive, and living in the houses we did before the outbreak isn't surviving. It's hiding.
I do miss my father. All the good memories I've had were with him. Hunting, fishing, building our boat that sank last summer. I've had a pretty good life with him. As for my mother, she died when I was four from a head-on collision with a drunk driver. I remember her, to an extent. She had long curly brown hair. And I remember that she was really tall. She also had beautiful green eyes, just like mine.
I only remember one memory of her. It was before I started preschool and she helped me learn how to write my name. It was really bright in the room, probably because it was in the middle of the day. I remember the sunlight hitting my back, making me feel all warm inside. It smelled like lavender, because of the scented candle on the other side of the room. There were papers covering the table, some with pictures on them and some with my misspelled name.
"No silly, your name isn't 'Camon'." My mother laughed with a voice that made me feel so loved and content.
She grabbed a different piece of paper and started to write my name, saying every letter she wrote.
"C A M E R O N"
"There you go." She smiled.
We sat there for what seemed like forever. She taught me how to write each letter, and how each letter sounded. She didn't stop until I knew it by heart.
I remember the day the cops showed up at my house to tell my father and me that my mother had died. We were eating dinner, I think we were having spaghetti. I could tell my father was tense before dinner because he called my mother and she didn't answer. When there was a knock on the door, my father jumped up and ran to greet what he thought was my mother. I remember sitting at the dinner table watching the two cops step into the house. They mumbled something real quiet. Then my father fell to the floor crying. I ran up to him to ask him what was wrong. He didn't tell me until later that night.
"Cam, mommy isn't coming home." He said to me while he tucked me into bed.
"Why?" I asked holding my stuffed dinosaur up to my chest.
He looked at me with the most despairing look I've ever seen. "She's in heaven now."
We sat there and cried for a while. Him more than me, because I was too young to know what death was. And then we fell asleep in the same bed together.
Looking at Daniel and Phoebe makes me miss my father. Being eighteen and not having your parents is hard. Especially in the world today.
Phoebe gets off of her father's lap and sits on the floor next to the pile of toys. She picks up a small doll that's wearing a red dress and starts to make it bounce up and down as if it was walking. After about a minute of playing, she sets the doll down and pouts.
"It sucks to not have anyone to play with." She sighs.
Linda looks up from the book she was reading and smiles. "Well, I'll play with you."
"Really?" Phoebe looks surprised.
"Of course! Anything to make my little sister happy." She says cheerfully. Linda joins Phoebe on the floor.
"So did you also go to school with Layke?" Daniel asks.
"Yeah, I did. I didn't know him, but I saw him once. He helped Summer get out of the school on Z-Day." I explained. "Wait, why did Layke go to East high when he lived way out here with you guys?" I asked.
"He lived with his mother at the time. He wanted to have a break from his siblings. No one knew that the break would be for a whole year. Sarah, my ex-wife, died when the outbreak started and Layke came back to live with us." Daniel explained.
Loud footsteps coming from upstairs interrupt our conversation. Robbie rushes down the stairs with what looks like my rifle in his hand. Scooter follows, having a lighter approach than his brother.
"We're going hunting." He says as he walks toward the door.
"With my gun?" I ask sarcastically.
He looks down at the gun and back at me. "Maybe..."
I roll my eyes. "You can use it. Besides, Layke and Summer went out squirrel hunting. They should be back soon."
"Um no, they didn't." Scooter cuts in. "Layke took her to the lake for a picnic."
"What?" I say shocked.
That stupid fuck took Summer on a picnic?! What the hell! You got to be kidding me.
I get up from the couch and angrily walk out the door. I can see the sun setting over the woods that are about a mile away. The sunset makes the sky an array of reds, oranges, and yellows. It's so hot outside that I can feel my forehead start to sweat. Wearing a flannel in the middle of July probably isn't a good choice.
Why does Summer like that guy? Is it his blond hair, or blue eyes, or his charming attitude? The only thing he did was save her from a couple of infected at the high school. I have saved her MULTIPLE times! Yesterday, if I wasn't there to help she would have gotten herself killed. I don't understand her. I'm right here! I've liked you for years now! Why don't you see that? We've been stuck in hell and you still don't see it! Every second in the last five months I've lived to keep you alive. You are literally the only thing I think about. Everyday. Every second.
I kick a can that was laying on the ground. It flys through the air and hits the door of the barn. I can't take all these people everywhere. I need to be alone and think. And the barn looks like a good place.
I get all the way to the doors of the barn before I realize that Robbie and Scooter have followed me.
"What's wrong with them going on a picnic?" Scooter yells while running up to me. I can tell that they're in a rush to catch up to me.
"Nothing." I bark back.
"That's a fucking lie." Robbie sarcastically says as he leans up onto the barn doors preventing me from opening them.
"I need to be alone," I growl as I try to push Robbie and open the barn doors.
"Don't you dare put your hands on me boy!" Robbie yells and forcefully shoves me to the ground.
The dirt ground was hard and full of tiny rocks. The fact that I landed on my tailbone made the fall hurt worse. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize what's happened.
"Robbie that was uncalled for," Scooter says as he gets in between us.
Robbie gives Scooter a nasty look. "Scooter shut the fuck up. This little shit needs to learn who's in charge. And it sure as hell ain't him."
He moves Scooter aside and walks up to me. He grabs the white v-neck that I'm wearing and pulls me up off of the ground. Still holding onto my shirt, he points his finger in my face, "Don't do that ever again or you will be the one who needs medical supplies."
He lets go of my shirt as he backs away from me and spits on the ground. "Come on Scooter, we're going hunting."
Robbie walks toward his truck with my rifle still on his back. Scooter looks at me before he follows, I can tell that look was an apology for what his brother did. I stand there until I see their truck disappear down the road. I go to open the barn doors, but I stop when I hear a sound coming from the woods. I reach down to where I always keep my pistol. Nothing. I frantically search the area to find a weapon. I see an ax laying against some wood that's piled by the house. I run over to it and pick it up.
The sound has gotten louder, it sounds like something's running. I can't tell what it is. I point the ax in the direction of the sound and stand ground.
Suddenly, two horses burst into the clearing from the woods behind the barn. One was white and the other was brown. It was the two horses that Layke and Summer were riding. They run past me, around the house, and away from my view.
Something's wrong. Where are they? They should be back by now. What happens if they need help? I need to find them. If I'm going to go look for them, I need a gun. And that bastard took all my guns. I have to find something.
I run back into the house. Daniel is still sitting on the couch, Linda and Phoebe are on the floor playing.
"Daniel, I need a gun." I urge.
"Why?" He says with a worried look in his eye.
"The horses that Summer and Layke were riding came back. Without them."
...
We run down the porch steps and onto the hard earth, guns in hand. The air is cooling, making the flannel I'm wearing comfortable to be in. The sun is almost down by now. Any minute it will be completely dark outside.
"Where are the horses?" Daniel asks.
"They went around the house and disappeared."
Daniel lets out a quick high pitched whistle. A couple of seconds later, the two horses show up and run over to Daniel.
"Get on," Daniel says as he throws himself onto one of the horses.
I put my leg into the saddle and swing my other leg over. I make sure that the handgun that Daniel gave me was in my pants. I give my horse a little kick and I follow Daniel as he leads us to the woods.
As we trot down the trail I notice that it's completely quiet. No birds chirping, no frogs croaking, and no angry moans of the undead. The only thing I hear is the sound of the horseshoes against the dirt and the exhales of the overtired steeds. The top of the sun is barely peeking from above the trees as if it was telling the moon goodbye. The moon is on the other side of the sky, bright and full. My nose is filled with the pleasant scent of pine needles as a gust of wind blows over me.
It seems so content, that nothing's wrong. Maybe Summer and Layke are okay and they just lost the horses. And maybe now they're walking back laughing about how stupid they are. And maybe they're holding hands. Or maybe they're hooking up behind a bush. I don't freaking know.
I sigh as that thought passes my mind.
"You okay?" Daniel says as his horse and my horse walks side by side.
"Yeah, I'm just worried about Summer and Layke." I lie. I don't care about that piece of... Never mind. I shouldn't be secretly talking shit about his son right in front of him.
"Yeah me too bud. I haven't heard anything yet." Daniel says with worry in his voice.
"I just hope we find her... Them." I clear my throat and pretend that I didn't say that.
"Me too." Daniel sighs. "I don't want to lose him again." He adds.
"Again?" I question.
"Remember when I told you that Layke went to live with his mother?"
"Yes," I respond.
"Well, he didn't want to live with her. I sent him over there because I couldn't handle him."
"Why couldn't you handle him?" I ask.
"Parenting a teenage boy going through puberty is hard. He would sneak out at night and go to parties, come home drunk, and puke all night long. I couldn't let Phoebe see him like that." He sighs. "So I sent him to his mother's. He refused at first, but I gave him no choice. He didn't want to leave his friends, but I'm guessing he managed. He was so upset with me he told me he hated me."
Wow, I feel bad for Daniel. If Layke wasn't such a douchebag, he would have been able to stay with his family, and away from Summer.
"Earlier today you two seemed okay," I said to try to comfort him a little.
"Yeah, we've come a long way from then. I'm so proud of him, after the outbreak, he came back. Not for his friends, but his family. He and Phoebe are practically best friends now." He says as a small smile comes across his face.
We've been on the trail for about 30 minutes now, and the moon is high in the sky. It's pitch dark and there's no sign of them yet. The trail's getting thinner as we keep riding.
Suddenly, I hear the screaming of the infected in the distance. Daniel motions for me to take out my gun quietly. We get off the horses and gently walk down the path towards the noise. The trees that cover our heads open up into a pitch dark sky. I hear frogs chirping loudly, and the sound of water moving with the wind. The moon's reflection shines brightly off the water.
The gnarling gets closer. Daniel hands me the flashlight and I shine it towards the sounds. It illuminates a huge oak tree that hangs over the lake.
"Help!"
"That sounds like Layke!" Daniel yells.
We run towards the oak tree. There is a group of infected huddled along the tree's base, scratching and clawing at its bark. My flashlight moves up into the leaves, and I can see a figure standing on a branch. It's Layke. He's standing on the lowest branch, holding something over his shoulder. I can see long blonde hair dangling from it. It looks like Summer. Layke's feet are inches away from the infected's hands. He jerks them away from their fingers as they reach for his toes. The infected slowly turn around towards the light and break away from the tree. They stumble towards us, growling and hissing.
Daniel aims his gun and shoots the closest one in the head. Its body slumps to the ground. The next closest one comes towards me, and I shoot at it. It takes me two tries to put it down.
By this time, all the infected decided that Daniel and I looked like an easier snack than Layke in the tree. Three more infected staggers towards us, and Daniel and I take our turns gunning them down. The gunfire sends echoes across the water. After the infected are all on the ground motionless, we run up to the tree's base.
"What happened? And why is Summer unconscious?" Daniel yells at Layke. "Spare the story about why you two are in your underwear."
I take a second look. They are in fact, in their underwear.
Are you fucking kidding me? They were probably seconds away from doing it in the woods when the infected happened to hear the overly excited yelps from Layke. I cannot believe that Summer would do this, not because it's with someone other than me, but because this isn't her. She would never do anything like this. She's not that type of girl.
"Summer fell unconscious while I was pushing her on the tire swing. It's probably because of her concussion." Layke explains as he carefully hands Summer to Daniel so he could jump down from the tree.
Daniel gently lays Summer onto the ground, and I take off my flannel and cover her up with it.
"I guess the infected heard us yelling and talking. She passed out as soon as the came out from the trees." Layke says as he wipes off some dirt from Summer's chin.
This guy is seriously pissing me off.
I walk over and kneel next to Summer's face. "Why are you too half naked?" I snarl as I glare at Layke.
He seems a little flustered as he lets out a small laugh. "We wanted to go swimming and well, we didn't have bathing suits."
I roll my eyes as I start to gently pat Summer's face. "Summer, wake up."
"She hasn't moved since she passed out. I'm surprised she didn't wake up when I was climbing the tree." Layke says.
"Well, go and get her clothes," Daniel suggests to Layke. "And put yours on too, no one likes to see your white thighs." He teases.
After Layke gets dressed, he brings over Summer's clothes and throws them on the ground next to me. Carefully, Daniel helps me dress her.
"We better get out of here," Daniel says. "The sound of the guns probably attracted more infected. I don't want anything else happening to you two."
Daniel helps me put Summer on a horse. I make sure she's secure and get onto the same horse behind her. I steady her body with my legs. Layke and Daniel get onto the other horse, and we trot off just in time for an infected to stagger out of the woods behind us.