'Til Death Do Us Part

CHAPTER FORTY

Mike Journal Entry 17

It took about an hour to make the basement somewhat presentable, although it would take a strong imagination to NOT see what had happened there.

“Need any help?” Gary asked, opening the basement door, I was three steps from the top.

“I think we’re good,” I told him.

BT was coming up the stairs slowly, his previous injury making his leg stiff from the awkward position he had been in while helping me clean.

“Sucks getting old,” I told him from the top of the stairs.

“I hope I have the opportunity to find out, at least I have you to live vicariously through.” He grabbed the handrail to help pull himself up.

“Great, I was going to help you the rest of the way up,” I told him as I walked away, letting the basement door shut in his face.

“Anything?” I asked Travis going to the back of the house and talking through the window.

He was behind the protective metal barrier. He shook his head so that he wouldn’t give his position away.

I walked across the house. “Anything, Dad?”

“Nothing. I’d be surprised if they tried that again.”

“Probably right,” I told him.

Mad Jack’s box was still keeping the zombies at bay and I had to think Eliza was rethinking her strategy. We could possibly have a small lull.

The household was somewhat subdued. We were in the midst of a siege, and when nothing was happening, generally boredom became the biggest problem. Fear was too strong of an emotion to sustain for long periods of time. Everybody more or less was doing what I expected them to be doing: either busy work or lying about. I tracked back across the room. There was one notable exception to my previous statement. Justin looked like he was alternating between seeking comfort and finding some deep dark place to hide.

“Justin?” I asked, approaching him. He immediately shied away. I felt her the moment I pulled my hat off and placed it on his head. A genuine look of confusion, then elation spread across his features.

“This really works?” he asked incredulously.

I would have answered him but I ran out to the deck. Eliza might as well have had a stage light on her the way she stuck out from the crowd of zombies. She looked up immediately as she saw me. I had left my rifle in the living room; the only weapon I had was a 9 mm, and at fifty yards I’d have a better chance of throwing rocks at her. I did the next best thing—I flipped her the finger. I could hear and see Tomas laughing from here.

It was all fun and games until the two men leading the crusade started to open fire, then it got serious real quick.

At first I was outgunned two to none, within thirty seconds, I had Travis, Justin and my dad. I had run back in to snag my rifle. We got a few shots off, but Eliza and company had not advanced any further and the zombies had closed in around them like a protective barrier. I may have winged one of the men she was with…or he could have been dusting a fly off of himself. I ran to the kitchen and hastily fashioned my own hat, it wasn’t done with the same level of expertise as Trip’s but it did the job.