Part 5 (2/2)
As the blood flow slowed back down in Roger's body, he took a good look at the busted pile of plastic and aluminum wires that were wrapped in a white mermaid style wedding dress. The dress, now tore and stretched out, reminded Roger of his wife.
She wanted a nice dress, something beautiful like this, but at the time he couldn't afford for her to have exactly what she wanted. Instead, they went to a rental place and purchased her the best used dress he could buy on a mailman's salary. It was that day he decided to go back to school and buy her the best of everything.
After everyone but Roger had a good chuckle, the group set forth again. The back door was down a surprisingly well lit hallway off the back of the sewing room. By the time they reached the door and stepped outside, their eyes were adjusted and they kept moving.
The next two blocks were clear. The trio ducked into an Italian restaurant as a small group of fiends came into view. Watching out of the red curtained windows as they pa.s.sed, none of the men noticed the man walk up behind them. The moan and gurgles caused the three to jerk around quickly. Guillermo raised his lawnmower blade and stepped forward, prepared to defend his companions.
Before he had the chance to bring the blade down, the fiend's head burst open. Wet bits of brain along with pieces of the skull sprayed onto Guillermo's face. Bradley and Roger turned away just in time to avoid this disgusting shower.
”You're welcome.” The source of the c.o.c.ky Australian voice was further back into the restaurant.
A fireman's axe protruded from the split open head of the fiend. Roger handed Guillermo some dusty napkins from a nearby table to wipe his face with. The trio stood looking across the room at a young man who stood there patiently. The man was slightly taller than average, yet still shorter than Bradley. His hair was wavy blonde, and he was very muscular.
The Australian wore a black t-s.h.i.+rt made from thin cotton with a pocket on the left. The s.h.i.+rt was tucked into his faded blue jeans with a tear just below the right knee. A brown leather belt wrapped around his waist, it was more for style than to hold up his pants. Brand new boots matched the belt.
”Names Deacon Belle. Are any of you bitten? You need to leave if so, or prepare to be dealt with with extreme prejudice.” Deacon's Australian accent was strong, and his protective stance, made him appear ready to counter any attack.
”I'm Bradley, this is Guillermo and Roger. We are not looking for a fight, and we are not bitten.”
”I know you. From the news, right?” he pointed at Bradley with a smile, then extended his hand. ”We'll get along great, I'm sure. After all, you spend your career hot on the tail of me and my career.”
”I don't know what you mean. Besides we no longer have careers, Deacon. Maybe you didn't notice. We are all just trying to stay alive now.” Bradley took the Australians strong hand and shook it.
”I'm a firefighter, mate. You guys follow us around hoping to get a shot of a mangled and burned up body. Lookin' to make a buck off death and gore. Now there is death and gore all around you, walking the streets. I guess your ratings must have dropped off now that folks don't need the news to see it.” Deacon's tone made Bradley feel uncomfortable.
”We are just pa.s.sing through. We don't want any trouble,” Guillermo said as he shook Deacon's hand. ”If you want us out we will go. All I can ask is that you allow us to wait for another clearing.”
”Where are you planning on going?” Deacon's curiosity was beaming. ”This whole town has gone to h.e.l.l, mate. I can't imagine there are a whole lot of livin' people left here.”
”We heard a gunshot. A few days later we heard an automobile. I'm a.s.suming it wasn't you, and I intend on finding whoever it was,” Bradley said hurriedly.
”Why would you a.s.sume it wasn't me?” Deacon asked. ”I don't look like the type to fire guns and drive cars? I ain't action-movie-American enough for you?”
”Oh geez, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you at all. Please a” Bradley started to apologize.
”I'm just givin' you a hard time, mate. Relax a bit.” Deacon laughed. ”Why don't you let me in on your plan?”
Over the next several minutes, Bradley filled in Deacon on their plan, as well as what they knew so far about their situation. Deacon also told the men what he knew so they could consolidate their knowledge for a better chance of survival for all.
After considering the things they discussed, as well as his own situation, Deacon decided that he could trust this group of people. He had them follow him to where he had set up a safe house. He led them out of the back of the restaurant and into the back of the dimly lit building on the other side of the alley. They stopped in front of a wall made up of bricks, pipes, boards, and various pieces of furniture. Deacon lifted a cus.h.i.+on on a chair to reveal a tunnel.
”Head straight through,” he instructed, than struck two pipes together twice. The clanging of metal was loud, and the vibrations rang in their ears like church bells, or more like a dinner bell.
None of the men felt confident, anymore. They eyed each other and nodded in a silent agreement that they would stay alert and watch each other's backs. Guillermo volunteered to go first, followed by Roger, Bradley, then Deacon, who closed up the tunnel behind them.
As they came out of the other side, each one was halted by a woman aiming a shotgun at them. As their eyes continued to adjust to the poor lighting, they could see that she was short with black hair and pale skin. Her clothes were clean and gave her the appearance of a successful business woman. A gray pantsuit was perfectly complimented by a short thin tie, black shoes, and a bowler hat. She almost looked like she could be a new generation of a 1930's mobster.
Deacon exited the tunnel and she smiled at him. As he stood to his feet, she swept the dirt off of his clothes like a mother would her child before they went into the store.
”We have guests?” her voice was soft and kind as she spoke.
”Yeah. This is Bradley, Roger (which he p.r.o.nounced Rod'jah), and Guillermo.” Each one waved as his name was called. ”They seemta think that the gunshot was a signal, and that there is someone else just south of us that is plannin' on getting the h.e.l.l outta here.”
”Interesting,” she said with an intrigued tone. The smooth skin on her forehead wrinkled slightly.
”We are with a young woman and three children. We just want to pa.s.s on through, and we are hoping to secure our route. We would like to make this a stop if that would be fine,” Bradley spoke, taking the role of leader of the group.
”We can offer fresh vegetables as trade for your hospitality,” Guillermo added.
Deacon signaled that he would need a moment, and he and the woman went through a door, shutting it behind them. There wasn't much room in the area that they now stood. The only door was the one that the man and woman left through. It appeared that they were at the end of a long hallway.
Bradley suddenly realized that there was no other way out of this room. The tunnel they had crawled through had been closed and padlocked shut by the woman after Deacon came through. He turned to the others, who appeared to be calm and patient. Bradley's blood pressure shot up. He was not claustrophobic, but the thought that he just walked into a trap screamed through him.
”Hey. Is anyone else a little concerned?” he asked in a loud whisper. A bead of sweat formed on his brow.
Roger looked back and noticed the lock Bradley was staring at. ”Oh s.h.i.+t.” He walked over and rolled the heavy lock in his hand, hoping it wasn't secured. It was.
”What are you worried about? They are just through the door there.” Guillermo gave them an odd look as he seemed to be fine with their predicament.
”They may be cannibals. People in extreme situations will do anything to survive,” Bradley said, His loud whisper becoming louder yet.
This sunk into Guillermo hard, and he too begun to panic. He ran to the door and tried the k.n.o.b. When he found it to be locked too, he began pounding on the door. When the door did not open he grabbed for his lawnmower blade and made for the padlock on the tunnel. After he began chopping at the lock, the door on the other side of the room opened and Deacon and the woman stepped back out.
”What the h.e.l.l are you doin', mate?” Deacon asked with a look of shock on his face.
The three men stood there feeling a mix of confusion and embarra.s.sment. ”Well, uh. You locked us in here. That was my fault,” Bradley spoke up but spoke slowly. ”I thought the worst of our situation.” He was still unsure if their situation was any better or not.
Deacon did not know how to feel, but he laughed. ”I just had to talk to mama first. Any of you married? You can't invite friends over for beers and a game without approvin' it with the boss first. Jesus, mates.”
”I'm Sophia Belle by the way. We won't eat you,” she laughed as she said this, walking away through the door.
”Follow me, mates. We spend most of our time in the attic of the house next to the building we are in now. This is just a safe house we have been working on in case we are overrun and need something more secure. There is an exit out this way.” Deacon took the lead once again as the three men followed him through the apartment complex.
Deacon and Sophia pulled a large desk out away from its spot against the emergency exit. The tracks could be seen on the floor where the desk had been slid around many times before. With the desk pulled out of the way, Deacon slid the door open quietly and peeked outside.
The sun lit the room as the door opened the rest of the way. Deacon disappeared into the blinding light. Sophia looked on, nodded, and then urged the men out into the warm air once more. Deacon flagged them down about ten yards out.
The group made their way through a couple of loose boards in the privacy fence surrounding the yard of a small red house. Some of the gra.s.s was green, the rest of it was brown (most of it was just dead while some of it was covered in dried up blood), but all of it was long and s.h.a.ggy looking. This was the type of yard that drove Guillermo nuts.
The windows in the back of the red house had all been covered with thin sheets of plastic. The sliding gla.s.s door had obviously been repaired to allow it to shut again. There was an empty pool in the center of the tiny yard. Running just along the gra.s.s was a series of thin ropes that all seemed to lead into the wall.
Deacon led them into the house, the front windows boarded up completely. He took them down the thin hallway and hooked the pointed end of his axe into a loop to bring down the ladder to the attic. ”We started stayin' in the attic when we were attacked one night by a couple of them. Luckily we managed to defend ourselves without any problems, but we decided it would be safer to stay off the ground.”
”We collected bells from some of the shops around town,” Sophia stated as she pointed out the thin ropes connected to the bells hanging on the wall. Bradley knew one of these must be the one from the clothing store. ”They are a useful way to hear anything coming.”
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