Chapter 3
Holding the crumpled note in one hand, Kat made her way down towards the large detached houses that ran perpendicular to Main Street. She stopped at the edge of the fence, smoothing down her tank top and hitching up the combat trousers. She'd made an extra effort this morning, braiding her hair with an upside-down plait that ran down over her left shoulder and chosen the least scruffiest of all the clothes she had been given. Feeling rather like she was being summoned before the headmistress at school, Kat took a deep breath and marched herself forwards and up the steps before knocking on Deanna's front door. The hardwood door swung open and the petite lady greeted her with a warm smile Kat was convinced didn't quite reach her piercing blue eyes. "I got your note," Kat said, holding it up.
"Of course, do come in. Usually we do this much earlier on than this. Come through and take seat." Deanna led the way into a nicely furnished lounge with books lining the walls, and expensive looking ornaments dotted here and there. Kat sat down in one of the chairs facing the sofa.
"What's this all about?" Kat asked, looking about her. The drapes at the windows were very plush, as were the throws on the sofa. From what she'd picked up in conversations, she knew Deanna was one of the people who'd spent most of their time since the world gone to shit hidden behind the walls of Alexandria. She'd been living like this, with all of this around her whilst Kat and Charlie had spent nights hiding in caves, sleeping in trees, starving. Kat gritted her teeth and waited.
"I'm glad you're here, it's time that we had a good talk. Do you mind if I record this? It just helps me when I'm trying to decide on things."
Kat looked at the video recorder sat opposite. "Decide on what things?"
"It just helps me remember the conversation, that's all." Kat nodded her head slightly. "Great, then we can start. So you've been here now for quite a few weeks – how are you feeling? You do look a lot better then when you first arrived."
Kat shrugged, "Guess that's what happens when you have regular food for a change,"
"Denise diagnosed you with exhaustion, if I'm not mistaken? I'm not surprised you were in that state, from what I hear it is pretty bad out there."
Kat gave another short nod, folding her arms across her chest. What's the real reason behind all this smiling interrogation, she thought to herself.
"I like to officially meet everyone, on their own, explain what we do here and how we hope you can contribute to our community. Is there anything you'd like to ask? I know you've probably picked up all the basics by now but I'm sure there's much you'd like to ask about,"
"What do you mean 'contribute to our community'?" She gave Deanna a wary look. What did she want from her?
Deanna explained "This little community here is growing, slowly, but I see a future for us. It's one where we are a thriving place where we can get back to the great cornerstones of civilisation - commerce, industry, business all flourishing. We still have a ways to go of course, but it could happen. But we all have to work hard to get there. We all have jobs to do here."
Kat thought this woman must be off her meds. "Cornerstones of civilisation?!" She snorted; quite clearly this woman had been living in a different world to her since the dead started walking.
Deanna leaned forward, "Like I said, we still have some way to go, but that's where you would come in. That is, if you've decided you'd like to stay?"
Kat's eyes narrowed it that. "What do you mean?" She wasn't sure she liked the idea of what Deanna was getting at.
"This place," Deanna said after a brief moment, gesturing with one hand towards the window, "This community of people has to work together - we need food, we need to protect ourselves, we need a million different things to keep this place running. You've seen we have electricity here. Hot water. There's a reason for that. The way this place was built, it was meant to be self-sustaining. We like to keep it running that way."
"I still don't see what I've got to do with any of that."
"Well Kat, you turned up at our gates, you were desperately ill. We took you in and your boy…"
"… brother.…"
"You and your brother, we g8ve you medical treatment, used up many resources helping you get better. We looked after your brother, we've clothed both of you, we fed both of you. We gave you both a lovely house to live in. And all of this can keep going on…"
"Just so long as we work for you," Kat finished for her. She felt sick. Of course she knew she owed them, the question was how much? "Are we allowed to leave? What if we don't want to stay?"
Deanna gave a like chuckle. "And why would you want to do that? You want to go back out there, end up back in the state that you were in? And what about Charlie? What would be best for him?"
Kat lept out of her chair and started pacing across the room.
"You don't get to worry about Charlie. Him and me look after each other. You didn't answer my questions. Are we allowed to leave, or are we prisoners here? Are y'gonna to force us to pay back what we owe?" She felt panicked, what exactly were they going to have to do to get out?
"No, Kat you're not a prisoner. You may leave if you want to. But if you want to stay, and I really hope that you will, you should think real hard about what you would be gaining if you did. If you stay then you need to contribute. You'd be expected to work. It's only fair – we all have our roles to play."
"And you're the big boss lady, telling everybody else exactly what they should be doing? Getting to live in this big, posh place, whilst everyone else is getting their hands dirty." Kat lent forward and hissed, "I don't think so!"
Unfazed, Deanna stood up also walked over towards the archway leading to the door. "Kat, that's just the way things are. If you don't think you can live here then I'll expect you and Charlie will be ready to be gone by the morning. If not, then report to Maggie who is heading up the weeding and planting up of our produce area by 9 AM."
Kat stormed out of the house, down the front steps and across the green that lay across the road. She headed towards the training field, an area that had been roped off specifically for weapons practice. She found Charlie there with Carl who was showing him how load up a revolver.
"Hey! I'm heading out. You wanna come?"
Surprised, Charlie looked up and grinned. "Hey! Look at this…" He shook the bullets out into the palm of his hand, and turned round to show her. He then loaded it up again, flicked the barrel chamber up, and spun it.
"Very impressive," Kat said impatiently, "I'm heading out, and going for a walk. You wanna come or not?" She saw him glance between her and Carl, and made the decision for him. "Never mind, just stay here. You guys have fun," She turned to go, but was called back by Carl. He was holding out a knife inside a brown leather sheath. He nodded at it, and Kat took it. "Thanks,"
"Never leave without one," he said.
She nodded, and headed out towards the gate. She just started pulling it back when an extra pair of hands helped her take the weight. It was Charlie, who was panting slightly having run to join her. She raised a questioning eyebrow.
"It's cool," was all he said.
Beyond the gate Kat was really able to vent her anger. Charlie had trouble keeping up with her pace. They'd been walking for some time, and the monologue she had been giving him was still going on. They must have been at least 3 miles out from The Zone, and it didn't look like she was about to turn around any time soon. He checked and double checked over his shoulders and to their sides, and so far all was clear.
"… And another thing, I knew it was a mistake to go there. I always knew we shouldn't have gone. I know you did it help me but frankly it was a case of 'take and you shall give', she had such face on her, real smarmy, and she knew exactly what I was gonna say!"
"Isn't she the leader though? Isn't that what she's meant to do?"
"I don't care! They didn't have to help us, Charlie, they could've left us - they should have! Now they can make us feel real guilty about everything, make us contribute as she calls it. More like blackmail if you ask me…" She continued to grumble. "And what's worse is that we actually do owe them. We ain't free. We gotta pay it back. I hate owing anybody anything. I mean what…"
She was cut off suddenly by a sharp "SHh", and she stood still looking round to see why Charlie had made her stop. A little way to her left, and through the trees there was a quiet growl-moan. She peered over at Charlie's shoulder and saw it. He had already withdrew his knife, and they both made their way over towards the Growler.
"What the hell…?" Charlie said, looking round at her to see her reaction. It was just as shocked as his own. She shrugged, not knowing what to say. They crept closer, until the Growler was spotted them, then its arms and legs started to kick and flail madly in their direction.
Once upon a time, it'd been a woman clothed in a blue and white flowered dress, with shoulder length blonde hair. She was tied to a tree, rope across her throat, around her chest and her hips.
"Who would do something like that? How long has she been there?" Charlie said, inching closer. Somebody, somewhere had tied her to the tree and then at some point Growler's had crossed her path ripping open her blue dress to plunge their hands into her soft belly for the intestines within. They'd come across other people hanging in trees, but they'd been there ones too chicken to stick it out. At least that was self-inflicted. Kat looked closer at the woman. There was a clear four-way cut on her forehead that must have been put there before she died. W.
"Jesus…" Kat muttered, before plunging her own knife through its left eyeball with a squelch.
They walked on for a little while longer, both enjoying the freedom of being outside the walls for the first time in weeks. Kat was finally diverted from the topic of work at Alexandria as they pondered who could have tied the woman to the tree.
"It's a pretty sick thing to do… A horrible way to die," Charlie said, kicking a large stone out of his path. "Maybe she deserved it? Y'know, like it was punishment for something?"
"Maybe. And whoever it was cut her before she died… She'd of had to have done something pretty bad. And whoever that was, they just left her there… As growler bait, until she turned. Or do you think they'd go back and get her?"
"Ha! Growler bait… That's a pretty cool idea – Ow!"
Kat punched him hard on his upper arm. "The hell it is! If it's that then they're attracting the dead here, and that ain't good. Dumbass!" A bad feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach. Who would want to attract more growlers? The only people around here where those in Alexandria. Why would they do something like that? Was that woman once one of their own? Had she refused to work for them? What was going on here? And more to the point, did they want to get involved in it?
"Charlie, I don't think it's a good idea that we stay…" She began, expecting him to argue back.
He didn't reply. Kat watched as he kicked another stone, then he just looked at her. He squared up to her, the top of his head level with her nose. Kat remembered when he was just shoulder height, back when everything turned to shit. She'd gotten to know him very well and could tell he was thinking.
"I like it here. I mean… At the zone place. It's safe, and we're not alone."
"It's always been you and me; I told you, kid, that I'd look after you. I know I let the side down, getting sick. I'm not about to let that happen again – I just don't think this place is good."
"Why!? Because they want something in exchange for giving you something? C'mon Kat!"
"Not just that, I've got bad feeling about this…" Even to her own ears, that sounded lame. She just couldn't put a finger on what was nagging at her.
"But I have friends here, you would too if you just tried. They have food, Kat. Food! And I get to learn about guns properly, not just 'point-and-shoot' whatever we happened to find, and I really, really don't miss sleeping in trees," he vented, and took a deep breath ready to reel off more.
Kat was caught up short. She hated owing anybody anything, she'd rather be on her own, finding her own food even if that meant going hungry. But she had sworn to look after the kid, and she knew deep down that they couldn't keep going on as they had. Listening to him begging to stay twisted her insides into painful knots. Had he really hated it out there, just the two of them?
"Okay, okay." She held up her hands, "Heaven forbid I should deny you Mortal Kombat or whatever. But if we stay, there's conditions."
"Mortal Kombat!?" Charlie snorted.
"I mean it, kid, if we stay, we’re giving it a try out first – two weeks then we rediscuss this,"
"A Month,"
Kat shook her head. "Two weeks,"
"A month," Charlie repeated, sticking his jaw out stubbornly.
"All right, three weeks," Kat relented.
"A month,"
"That's not how this works, kid, y'know that?!" She stared down at him, this boy rapidly turning man – did she really want to insist on depriving him of a bed? Of walls? Of friends? She could do without those things, but it was unfair to inflict it on him. "Okay, fine! You win. But you've got to promise me, along with your so-called proper gun training, you'll continue with Aiki-jō. Deal?"
Charlie's hazel eyes beamed at her, and he gave her a huge bear hug. "Deal!" He then promptly spat on the palm of his hand and stuck it out for her to shake. Kat jokingly suppressed a shudder, and took it, laughing at the action.
~
The Forest was black, the leaves overhead blocked out what little light the stars could give and the night sky was moonless. Unable to see, she listened. Where there should have been cicadas humming, it was silent. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. There was no rustling of tree leaves. Aimlessly she turned around desperate for some clue of where she was and what to do. The darkness pressed in on her, the quiet unsettling. How long had she stood here waiting? What was she waiting for? There was a snap of a twig some distance to her right. She spun to face it.
"Who's there?"
There was no reply. She waited, a stomach knotted, her feet itched to move.
Some way off to her left there was a very low howl that rose in pitch. There was an answering call that came from behind her, and another over to her right... Panic took over, and she started to run. She ran until her chest began to burn. She kept tripping over tree roots and stumbling over the uneven ground. She fell over landing hard on her knees. High-pitched laughter echoed. It came from everywhere and nowhere. She scrambled back up, and blindly ran on hoping it was away from the danger. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.
She could smell The Dead before she heard the groans. The rancid, stomach churning rot-smell hit her like a ton of bricks. The groans grew louder, but she knew she couldn't stop. The howling started up again, just out of sight. She could hear their footsteps pounding as they chased her.
"Leave me be! Leave me alone!" She yelled desperately. She went to take a knife from her pocket, but it was missing. When did she lose it? She couldn't remember…
Then the Forest became clearer; the trees were not trees at all. The stench was coming from them. She was surrounded, what she thought were branches were arms reaching for her, grabbing at her. Putrid flesh hung down like leaves, their innards were low hanging, becoming tangled in her hair. Desperation choked her. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run.
"No, no! NO!" She screamed.
Wild, giddy laughter rose up around her. Almost close enough to touch, she could hear them calling to one another. Manic and gleeful the howls went up causing the dead to dance and strain as they reached for her.…
She woke to Charlie shaking her, and she sat up violently almost leaping out of the bed. She was sweating, her voice still screaming. It took a few seconds before adjusting back to reality. Kat sank back on the bed and accepted the glass of water Charlie passed to her. She took a few sips, blood pounding in her ears.
"You're okay, Kat. Everything's fine," Charlie said as reassuringly as he could.
Kat drank some more water. Her hands trembled as she held the glass to her lips, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.
"They're getting worse," she said, tears dripping over.
"Maybe you should talk to that doctor again? Take her up on that offer? She could help,"
"It ain't nothing anyone else hasn't already had to live through. They are just dreams. Like she said the other day, I’m just 'adjusting'." She sniffed.
"Well it doesn’t seem like that to me…" His young face was full of worry.
Kat shoved her bedclothes back, and swung her legs out. They were shaking as she stood up, and she walked over to her closet. "I ain't talking any more to anyone. I am gonna go for a walk, I need some air."
"I'll come…" She cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"I just need to clear my head, you go back to bed and get some sleep. I'm sorry I woke you again,"
Charlie shrugged. "Goes both ways - like we agreed," he stood up and gave her a quick hug. "You looked after me, so now it's your turn."
Kat gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head and then ruffled his her fondly. "Thanks kid. I won't be long."
The night air was cool and refreshing on Kat's face. She took slow paces towards the top of the street where the twelve foot steel wall separated the community from all that lurked in the dark beyond. She placed a hand against the metal feeling its hardness, the rigidity. Nothing was going to push it over in a hurry that was for sure. She turned and took steps following the line of the wall, trailing her hand upon it, enjoying the coolness beneath her touch. She made her way past most of the houses, where there was open grass and trees. Part of the area had been dug over in what looked to be planting beds and further round she could see the outline of the church against the night sky. She wondered if anybody bothered attending. She walked on a little further taking in slow breaths, feeling the pace of her heart returned to normal. The nightmares had to be caused by staying up keeping watch, looking after Charlie, ‘just stress’ she told herself. It made sense. The last three years they'd spent wandering around, bouncing from house-to-house, moving through Woods and towns, farms and fields. Always looking for food, never having enough, never finding safety, always needing to move on. Wasn't that what her dreams were about?
A sudden noise drew her attention instantly. Something was scrabbling at the wall on the outside. Horror turned in her stomach - it was climbing up the wall. Then a figure appeared over the top, and climb down.
"Jesus Christ!" She exhaled. "You nearly gave me a bloody heart-attack! What the hell are you doing?"
It was Daryl, looking almost startled as she was. "What's it look like? Didn't expect anyone would be around and the gates on the other side. What the hell are you doing out?"
She ignored his question "Coming back now? It's like, three-thirty in the morning!?"
He looked her up and down, and Kat became very aware she was still only in her nightdress just with a sweater thrown over. She hadn't bothered putting on any shoes, or tied her hair up. Suddenly self-conscious, she folded her arms across her front.
"’Bin keeping an eye out." Was his explanation, "You still ain't sleeping?"
Kat nodded. "How'd you know?"
He shrugged, "Ain't hard to guess. Hear you most nights."
She felt mortified, and was too embarrassed to say anything other than "Oh, sorry." She felt her cheeks burning. Frankly she'd rather not have the whole of Alexandria kept awake by her yelling. Did everyone know?
"Don't worry about it. Ain't nothing,"
They stood there for a moment or two, neither quite sure what to say. Kat was intrigued by his night-time excursion and bit back the multitude of questions that bubbled to her lips - did he go out often in the middle of the night? What was he really doing out there? Was anybody else out there waiting for her to go away so they could climb back in as well? He had his crossbow slung over his back, but he also had a gun and a knife on him; was he hunting something out there? And why couldn't he just use the gate, he didn't come off as the lazy type to not be bothered to walk around. Was this meant to be a secret?
Daryl tried to think of something other than 'Nice Nightie' which he flat out refused to say.
Kat broke the silence in the end by saying: "Well, I suppose I'd better head back. Promised Charlie by wouldn't be gone too long."
"'Kay. I'll head with you."
They walked back together in silence, each taken up by their own thoughts. Once they stood outside their houses, Kat turned to politely say good night, but was beaten to it by Daryl who gruffly said, "Wait here. Think I've got something for yer," and he jogged gently up the steps of his porch and disappeared inside. Kat was mystified - what could this man, who she had barely seen since arriving at the safe zone, possibly have for her? He wasn't gone long when he reappeared carrying a small box. He looked a bit sheepish, and more or less threw it at her.
"Taste like shit but it's supposed to help," he muttered.
She looked at the small box, made of cardboard with yellow flowers on it. Chamomile tea. It was a small gesture, but Kat felt genuinely warmed by it.
“Um, thank you." Then she stopped. The familiar gnawing in her stomach switched on. Why was he giving her this? Was this a bribe to keep quiet? She looked up at him, suspicion in her eyes. "… But why?"
"You need it. If it don't help give the rest back."
"No other reason?" Kat probed, squaring up to him. They faced each other fully, a foot apart in the wide street.
He stared down at her for a moment, and Kat could clearly see the sky blue of his eyes shining through his locks of hair. The gnawing feeling turned to water.
"Nah." Then turned on his heel and went back inside his house.