Just A Scratch

[Lord Palatine]

Just A Scratch
(Categories: Fan Favorites, Best Original Work, Gag Awards)

Laurie shows up at the door in tears. She has not been able to reach our parents and she’s freaking out, like usual. Adam rolls his eyes at me from across the room, and then looks at the television as a breaking news bulletin comes on.

“It’s here now.” He says in a hushed voice.

We have been prepared for this.  Adam is always prepared. I both love and hate that about him.

Adam grabs the bags and tosses them in the car. He even has a bag for Laurie which surprises me since he doesn’t seem to like her most of the time. I do a quick walk through of the house. Curling iron off? Check. Back door locked? Check. Adams taps his foot and glances at his watch. I ignore him. It’s not like there’s a time limit. We don’t even know where they are.

I finish my checklist and head for the door. Laurie is already in the car. Adam is pulling open the driver’s side and I turn to lock the front door as it comes around the porch. Luckily it trips over the bushes Adam keeps meticulously trimmed so it doesn’t get a good grip. It’s still strong as it snags my arm. I struggle to break free. Adam is there, kicking at it and yanking me from its grasp. He throws me through the already open front door then jumps in, squealing out of the driveway. I ungracefully maneuver myself into the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt. Laurie is crying hysterically in the back seat.  Adam is red faced.

“If you didn’t have to go through your stupid checklist we would have been out of there already! He could have bit you! Bit you! It would have been over! You need to think!”

He goes on like he does when he’s been scared. I examine my sleeve. Its nails had been very sharp and broken like it had been digging in the dirt. It tore through my jacket and my long sleeved shirt and had left a small scratch on my arm. It wasn’t even bleeding. No point in saying anything. Adam was still lecturing and Laurie still sobbing. It can wait.

We live on the outskirts of town so we don’t see much traffic, or many people… or them… as we head out of town. Adam’s plan to avoid the freeway is a good one. We drive across an overpass and see the traffic backed up for miles in each direction. In the distance small upright figures move between cars. I hope for all those people’s sake it is not them, but I know better. We had been watching all the movies since the first video had shown up on YouTube. Those who take the freeway always end up the same.

Adam heads towards the mountains. He is calmer but still has that look. Laurie sniffles in the back. “Where are we going?”

“The mountains,” Adams says. It had all happened so quickly that he hadn’t had time to plan for where and that makes him irritated. I scan the roads for any signs of cars. A few miles up we come to a gathering of cars in front a small lodge backed against a mountain. I point it out to Adam. 

At the front door there are people.  A family with two kids, a police officer, and a small bug eyed wiry man with glasses. The police officer waves us in. “You don’t want to keep going that way,” he says, pointing in the direction we are heading. The front of his range rover is covered in blood and hair. I look away.

“You don’t want to go that way either,” Adam says gesturing the way we came.

“ It doesn’t matter, this is the best possible place to stick this thing out,” says the wiry man as he  pulls out a worn and dog eared copy of Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide. I smile at him, amused. He glares back.

Wiry has Adam and the policeman help him close and padlock a heavy gate. We are closed in.

We go inside. The two kids are crying. They are a boy and girl and look to be around 5 years old. I kneel down and introduce myself. Jenna and Jeremy are their names. Their overweight mother and too skinny father bicker with Wiry.

“How can you possibly know that? Not everyone else is going to have this… this thing going on. You can’t just turn everyone away!”

“This is my establishment and I say no one else! It will be hard enough keeping this many fed.” Wiry says. His glasses slide down his nose. Adam and the policeman have busied themselves with barricading the door. Laurie helps.

“Officer West said the town is overrun,” continued Wiry, “and these guys who just came from the city don’t seem to feel it’s any different there. I’m going to save myself any more trouble and limit it with who is here now.” I turn on the small television looking for something to distract the children. Snow on every channel. That happened fast.

Wiry has taken charge. He puts us all in a circle and has us introduce ourselves. His name is Emmett. Officer West’s first name is Jay. Jenna and Jeremy’s parents, Mary and James. Plain like them. Emmett says we need to strip and inspect each other. I am nervous. Hadn’t even had a chance to tell Adam about the scratch. Mary is embarrassed. Emmett barks that it’s necessary. Laurie is much nicer. She is a nurse after all. Emmett is pleased with that bit of news. Has her examine all of us head to toe. Nearly everyone has small scratches, so mine goes unnoticed.

Emmett gives us a tour. He has stocked the kitchens with canned food and that dehydrated stuff they use on the space shuttle.  An entire arsenal of weapons lays waiting in the storage room. He’s like a proud father showing off his gifted children. Has been planning for years he says. Bought the place when the owners of the ski resort it was attached to defaulted. Perfect for zombie attacks he says. Nestled in the mountain so we don’t even have to watch the back.  And the fence is electric. Everyone is pleased by this news. Not me. I feel caged.

Emmett shows us the accommodations in the building. It’s a small lodge but has room enough for us. Laurie wants to stay in our room. Adam doesn’t seem to mind. While she is showering I tell him about the scratch, my concerns that I can catch whatever they have. Adam examines it. Says it didn’t break the skin and I’m fine. I’m too tired to argue.

I have a nightmare. It’s attacking me again. A man with blue eyes. Reminds me of Mr. Collins down the street. Maybe it is Mr. Collins. He catches me, and then turns into my dad. I wake up crying. Adam rolls over and holds me, petting my hair. Whispers he loves me and tells me we will be okay. The scratch itches.

We all fall into a routine. I am an elementary school teacher so naturally I take over teaching Jenna and Jeremy. Emmett has a few children’s books. I teach from these and take the kids outside regularly to look at nature. They seem to really enjoy it. Mary and James own a grocery store. They take over cleaning and food preparation. Mary is a great cook. I start to wonder how James stays so thin when he eats so much. Laurie takes care of all our medical needs. Scratches and scrapes, Jenna smashing her finger in a door. She also helps with cleaning and cooking though she’s not as good as Mary.

Adam does construction. He keeps himself busy by maintaining the lodge, fixing things that didn’t work before. Emmett “whoops” with delight when Adam gets the video monitor system working again. Now we don’t have to take shifts watching from the roof anymore. I’m excited because it was my shift tonight, and it gets cold at night. It’s a rare moment of joy.

Jay handles security since he’s the only one among us who can shoot a gun with any accuracy. Emmett has been trying to for years but never got the hang of it. Adam isn’t very good.  I am very adept at it which surprises everyone, including me. I have always feared guns.

Emmett takes over the leadership role. He is in his element. No one questions since it seems he has been preparing for just this event for years. I find his arrogance annoying. He orders us around when we are already working, berates us for meaningless things, and yells at Jenna and Jeremy for playing and makes them cry. I complain to Adam but he says we need to let him be since this is his place and we owe him so much.  He’s not hurting anyone.

More nightmares. Mr. Collins catches me and bites a chunk out of my arm. I wake up sweating. The scratch burns.

Jay spends a lot of time on the roof just watching. He says he has a gut feeling they will eventually find us.

It’s taken just under two weeks.

They come slowly at first. Only two today. Easy targets. Emmett takes me to the roof and tells me I need to hit one of them to get used to how it feels. I still see them as people. Emmett calls me names, a pansy, a wuss. Says if he was my husband he would back hand me right then and there to show me who was boss. I glare and take the rifle from him.  The gun is heavy, but I hold it steady.  I look through the rifle sight. My target stumbles up a slight ridge. Was this someone’s father? I close my eyes and gently squeeze the trigger.  The head explodes, and the body falls motionless. Jay yells with excitement and claps me on the shoulder.

“If I’m not careful, you’ll be taking my job!” he declares.

Emmett is smiling. I hate him so much.

“I only hit it because I imagined it was you.” The smile leaves Emmett’s face as I drop the gun and leave the roof.

It is no longer Mr. Collins. It is Emmett and he takes my arm off.

I throw up in the morning. Adam makes me lay back down. Laurie takes over teaching the kids. Mary brings me soup but the smell makes me sick. Mary smiles as she leaves.  Why?

I throw up again. And again. It happens every morning, but it’s spreading to the rest of the day. Adam is concerned. Mary continues to smile. I ask her what she finds so amusing as she brings me chicken noodle soup. She just smiles and puts her hand on my belly. Could it be? Adam and I were trying before all this began. I tell Adam what Mary thinks and he is thrilled. He has wanted this for so long. I want him to wait to say anything until we know for sure. He waits an hour. I’m nearly asleep as Laurie bursts through the door and throws herself on my bed hugging me through her tears. She’s so excited to be an aunt. Everyone else stands in the doorway and smiles, except Emmett, who scowls.

Everyone is asleep. I get up and go to the bathroom. I haven’t been sleeping well. I’m happy with that. No sleep means no dreams. I stare at my face in the mirror. Purple under my eyes. My hair is stringy and dull. My teeth unnaturally white next to my graying skin. The scratch continues to burn. I have been wearing long sleeves because of the cool weather. I take off my shirt. The scratch is red and blistered. A web of black streaks has begun stretching from it. This can’t be good.

I mention my scratch to Adam. He’s been treating me like I’m about to break, and tells me it’s just infected. I have to take care of myself for the baby. Try to eat more. Take some Tylenol. Maybe Laurie can give me something so it won’t get more infected. I try to reason with him, but I don’t get anywhere.

More of them are showing up. Coming in groups of three or four now. Emmett is sure the city is picked clean so there will be more soon. They can’t touch the fence since it’s electric. One of them edged another into it and there was a sizzle and a pop as its head exploded. Emmett smiles.

I’ve convinced Laurie to move in to her own room. I’m keeping her up at night, and she needs her sleep.

I pretend to be able to keep things down. I’ve gotten very good at holding it until Mary leaves, then throwing it up. Funny thing is I’m not even hungry.

I decide I need to tell Jay about the scratch. I would tell Emmett but he refuses to speak to me since the roof incident. Suits me just fine. I find Jay walking the perimeter of the fence, watching them. He calls me his little sniper and ruffles my hair. Just as I open my mouth to tell Jay about the scratch a horn cuts me off. Shocked, we look up. A van is speeding down the road towards us. They smash through some of them and come close to the fence. Smart enough not to touch it. A man hangs out the passenger window.

“Help!” He cries. “We’ve been holed up in the city for weeks! There’s no more food and there’s thousands of those things. Let us in!” Jay starts toward the gate, then stops.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“What?”

“Is anyone hurt?”

“Ya gotta let us in! There’s more comin’!”

The ones that were hit by the van are getting back up. I can hear crying coming from the back of the van.

“Come on man! Let us in.”

Everyone from inside the lodge has heard the commotion and is coming out to investigate.

“I said, is anyone hurt?” Jay asks, his voice gruff. The look in his eyes is scary.

The man starts swearing. He leans farther out the window, motioning towards the ones they hit with the van. Too far. As he catches himself from falling, a bandage on his arm becomes visible. He sees the look in Jay’s face. “It’s just a scratch, man!”  Without hesitation Jay shoots him in the head. His body falls to the ground. Screaming, instead of crying, erupts from the back of the van.

“ Leave! Now!” Jay yells. He is terrifying. The van backs up and drives away. The body on the ground is ignored by them. I guess they just like them alive. Emmett pats Jay on the shoulder as he walks past him into the lodge. I decide not to say anything about the scratch.

I start walking the grounds before bed. There are a lot more of them now. I think the van led them to us. Their moans are growing louder and are scaring the kids. No one takes them outside anymore. Sometimes when I shut my eyes, it sounds like singing.

Emmett is Mr. Collins again. Now he doesn’t bite my arm, he embraces me.

I wake up more scared than I have ever been. It isn’t just my arm that burns anymore. It’s my whole body. I go to the kitchen but have to leave quickly. The smell is making me sick. Jeremy and Jenna embrace me. I smile while I hug them, but I pull away after a short moment. The sound of their pulse is so loud in my ears. I go to the roof. There are hundreds of them now. Standing just outside the fence. One by one they turn to look at me. They reach towards me. Welcoming. Beckoning. I close my eyes and listen to their singing.

Adam finds me there, and is very concerned. He leads me back to bed. Tells me I need to stay there until the morning sickness goes away. I look him in the eye.

“You need to shoot me.  You need to end this.”

Adam stares. I repeat it. He calls me crazy. I pull up my shirt and show him how the black webbing is covering my whole abdomen.

“I’m not pregnant Adam.”

He says I must be having some kind of pregnancy induced psychological break. I plead with him. Tell him I don’t want to hurt anyone. He pleads back. Tells me to get a hold of myself for the sake of the baby, and for him. “I’ll tell Emmett!” I scream. His voice shakes slightly. He worries that the screaming will draw Jay’s attention. I scream more and try to run. Adam ties me to the bed and gags me. I thrash, yelling through the gag. He lays down on the other bed and cries. In my head I’m begging him. Adam, I love you. Don’t let me hurt anyone.  Don’t let me hurt you.

Eventually I sleep.

Mr. Collins is now my dad. He hugs me close. Guides me to where they are. They welcome me with hugs, kisses. I have never felt such love.

I open my eyes and see Adam standing over me, watching. He has never looked so beautiful. His warmth, the smell of his breath. I watch his blood pump in his neck. He is happy I am calm, takes the gag from my mouth, and I bite down hard on his neck. Blood squirts as he screams in horror. He tastes so amazing! I have never tasted anything so divine. He falls to the floor. I struggle to reach him. To taste again. Confused as to why I can’t move. I hear my bones pop as my arms break. Distantly I am surprised it doesn’t hurt. I ignore it. I just want to taste him again!

There’s pounding at the door. They’ve heard the screams, the struggle. The door is locked. I smell their life. I struggle to get to it. The ropes hold tight.

Jay breaks through the door. Mary and Laurie can’t stop screaming. James holds the kids back as they try to rush to me. Emmett runs in. Holds the gun to my head and smiles. Adam is on him.  He bites Emmett’s arm, tearing it off. Emmett screams. Jay shoots twice, missing me but takes Emmett’s jaw off.  Jay turns and pushes everyone out of the room.  He tries to shut the door, but Adam swings Emmett’s arm down and breaks Jay’s wrist.  Jay turns and runs. Adam follows with Emmet’s arm still in his hand. A moment later, Emmett rises and follows. I struggle for a long time. Eventually the ropes cut through my arms and legs. I fall off the bed and pull myself out of the room with my elbows and knees. I must get to that life. There is much less now, and I need to get to it before it is gone completely. I leave my hands and feet behind me. To me, it is just a scratch.