BROTHERS IN SOLITUDE ch 2

Chad couldn't see any movement inside the truck or store.  He brushed his hand against the cold butt of his revolver.  He'd shot plenty of the creatures since the onset of the outbreak, but he'd never pulled the trigger on another living person.  Something felt fundamentally wrong about the idea.

Drake swore under his breath.

"Let's get out of here," Chad said, starting to rise.  "It's not worth it."

Drake grabbed his brother's arm.

"We're not going anywhere."

"If they're packing," Chad said, "we could startle them and get tagged.  We need to split."

"That's our store.  If we let them rob it blind, there'll be nothing left for us."

Drake's eyes glinted in the moonlight, scaring Chad.  He'd never seen his brother so tense and angry.

"You think we should call out to them?" asked Chad.

Drake shook his head.  "We don't know anything about those people.  Can you see the thing from the fishing bridge yet?"

Chad looked back down the road.

"You need glasses," he said.  "No, I don't see it."

"Looks like they've been humping it for a while.  Their bed is filled with boxes, gas cans, and water jugs."

"Screw the lighter fluid," Chad said.  "We can come back tomorrow night."

"I think I see someone in there," said Drake.

Chad tensed.  Something moved inside the store.  Every instinct he'd gained over the past four years screamed run, run, run.

Drake rose from behind the car, drew his revolver, and pointed it at the store.

Chad jumped up and stood behind his brother.

Like always, Drake took control of the situation—something primal and unspoken about being the older brother forced him to always react first.  Chad hated feeling like a defenseless child.  He could hold his own in any situation.  Though they had survived all these years, Chad knew both of them alone would not have made it this far without the other.

"ANYBODY IN THERE?" Drake called out, taking a step towards the door.

The truck's driver's side door opened, and a lanky woman with dark curly hair and dressed in a black sweater and blue jeans leapt out.  Her pale skin almost glowed.

"Wait," she said, holding her empty hands high above her head.  "We're just looking for a place to crash.  We're exhausted."

"How many people are with you?" Chad asked, trying to sound tough.

"Just me and my husband.  We're from the Atlanta area, from a community called Ambertown."

Chad and Drake exchanged a glance.  Chad studied road maps often, but Ambertown didn't strike any chords.

"Please," she said.  "We're in bad shape.  We almost didn't make it out of Tallahassee."

Drake lowered his gun and exhaled.

"We're looking for a fortified city somewhere along the Gulf Coast," she said.  "Ever hear of such a place?"

The brothers shook their heads.  Since the outbreak began, information was scattered and unreliable.  Rumors of safe zones circulated during the plague's early days, but the brothers had neither met nor heard of anyone ever finding sanctuary.  As far as Chad was concerned, their Hilltop Avenue home provided everything they would need.

A man in his late-forties wearing a black leather jacket and armed with a sawed-off shotgun jumped out from the store, clearing the trash barrel with a graceful leap.  He stepped between the brothers and the truck.

"GET AWAY FROM HER," he shouted.

Drake and Chad raised their guns.

Chad's adrenaline kicked.

His heart pounded in his ears.

"Tom, wait," the woman cried. "It doesn't have to be like this.  Honey, put your gun down.  We can talk."

Chad looked to his brother, but Drake did not yield his aim.  Cursing the queen of hearts, Chad wished they had stayed in and played another game.

"Please, Tom," she begged.

Tom lowered the shotgun and walked over to her, placing an arm around her waist above a large hunting knife sheathed in her belt.

"Are you all right?" he asked, rubbing her hip as his eyes locked on the brothers.

"I'm fine."

"Everybody cool?" asked Drake, still aiming at the couple.

"We don't mean any harm," Tom said.  "We need a place to lay our heads.  Thought we might be able to secure that broken door and pass some time."

"Not much left of those windows," said Drake.  "If a handful of them figured out you were in there, it wouldn't take much for them to come crashing in.  Why don't you move along; pretend this didn't happen."

"Listen, kid," Tom said.  "I've been driving for two days."

"That's not our problem," Drake said.

"I haven't slept.  You're the first living people we've seen since we hit the roads.  If you've got a place we can rest our heads, even for one night, we'd appreciate it."

Chad looked at his brother.  Other survivors meant trouble.  The last one they encountered tried knifing Drake in a house on Mystic Lane.  Drake had watched the lone man for two weeks before attempting contact, thinking they could make friends and trade supplies.  Negotiations did not go well.

Movement caught Chad's eyes.

"Look," he said, pointing.  "We've got company."

In the distance, the staggering figured slowly approached, its footsteps dragging on the gravel echoed down Thomas Drive.

"Only one of them?" asked Tom.

"One is enough," said Drake.

Chad silently agreed.

"If you can't take care of one little rotter on your own, I'll handle it," said Tom.

"We can handle a whole army of those things," snapped Drake.  His hands shaking, the gun glinted in the moonlight.

"Over the years we've learned it's better to save ammo," said Chad.  This was no time for a pissing contest.  He lowered his revolver.  "The noise draws them out of the woodwork, and we like our privacy.  My name is Chad.  This is my brother, Drake."

Drake relaxed his stance.

"I respect where you're coming from," Tom said.  "Privacy is a good thing to have.  I'm Tom, and this is my wife, Felix.  We really need refuge.  We can trade supplies for a night or two's rest.  Food, propane, gas—whatever you two need."

Drake sighed and holstered his piece.

"Once we catch our breath, we'll be on our way," Tom said.

The approaching creature neared, its labored groans and dragging footsteps growing louder.  Dressed in swimming trunks and a tie dyed T-shirt, an orange life preserver dangled from its arm.  Chad noticed bone protruding from its twisted right leg.

He looked back at the couple, ignoring death as it dragged itself closer.

Maybe it was the way Tom held Felix, but something about the couple filled Chad with hope.  He knew they couldn't blindly trust the travelers, but meeting them opened new possibilities.  If they were from a community, there was no telling what kind of supplies they could trade.  Not to mention what they knew about the rest of the world.

When Drake looked at him for an opinion, Chad nodded his head, hoping he hadn't made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Look, mister," Drake said, "we have a flat just a couple of blocks from here.  If you need a place to catch your breath a couple of days, we can put you up, but we want some kick downs."

The couple looked at each other, wordless oceans passed between them.

"Thank you," Felix said.  "Like I said, Tallahassee was a disaster.  Tom's uncle didn't make it."

Tom lowered his head.

The creature reached the edge of the parking lot.  Reaching out with crooked, decaying fingers, its mouth opened wide.

"Load up in your truck and follow us," Drake said.  "It's not far from here."

Tom walked to the truck.

Chad boarded his bike.

Felix climbed inside the truck's cab and scooted over towards the passenger side.  Tom got behind the wheel and shut the door.  When he turned on the headlights, they illuminated three more approaching creatures.  The one in the middle, a woman in a tattered sundress, recoiled as the lights flashed across her red and yellow eyes.

"I hope you're right about this," Drake said.

"Me too."

Drake picked up his bike and hopped on.  The creature in swim trunks gave off a raspy growl as it reached the other end of the Chevy.

"Ready?" he asked, eyebrow cocked.

"You could call it that," Chad said.

Drake peddled around the car and stopped several feet away from the hungry ghoul.  The creature turned and stumbled a few steps towards him, nearly losing its balance.  Chad rode past it, and the brothers started towards Trelawney, the truck following slowly behind.

After entering the neighborhood, the headlights cancelled the darkness shrouding Treasure Circle, eliminating the possibility of anything leaping out at them from the shadows.  Chad couldn’t remember an easier attempt at the road and wondered if more people might be the key to some sort of permanent security.

Drake motioned with his hand before they turned right on Hilltop, leading the tuck several blocks to their boarded-up house.  Holding up a balled fist, Drake halted the truck in front of Old Lady Scott's house.

Tom rolled down the window and flicked on the cab's interior light.

"This the place?" he asked.

"No," said Drake, "but we want to make it seem like there's nothing going on in front of our house.  Once we get on top of this roof, we'll use a system of ladders to cross from building to building.  Pull the truck in the driveway and lock up.  It's been deserted around here, so no one will mess with it."

"Can I bring my gun?" Tom asked.

Drake thought a moment.  "One gun.  But keep it on ice."

"Agreed."

"Do you two live alone?" asked Felix from the passenger seat.  Chad noticed how pretty she was.

The brothers exchanged a glance.

"Yeah," said Chad.  "We're the only ones living in there."

After parking, Tom shut off the truck and got out, offering a hand to Felix and helping her exit the cab.

Drake and Chad tied the pull ropes to their beach cruisers' frames as their guests pulled two sleeping bags and three large backpacks from the truck bed.  Looking back, Chad saw Tom whispering in Felix's ear before the two headed over.

"We climb up here?" asked Tom.

"Yeah," Drake said.  "The ropes are sturdy.  See?"

He hoisted himself up and scaled the wall effortlessly, crawling onto the roof.  After pulling up his bike, he tossed the rope back down.  Tom tossed him the sleeping bags and two of the backpacks, slipping a large green bag over his shoulder.

"After you," Chad told Tom.  "I'll make sure we’re clear while you get up."

"No," Tom said.  "Felix first.  She needs to be safe before I make the climb."

"Help me up?" she asked.

"No problem," said Chad, feeling his cheeks warm.  He couldn't remember the last time he spoke to a woman, especially one as attractive as Felix.  Handing her the rope, he was glad the shadows and the dark hid his blushing face.  "Just tie it around your waist and Drake will hoist you up."

"I'll help her," Tom said, getting between Chad and Felix.

Felix tied the rope above her belt and tugged.  Tom stood behind her, placing his hands on her hips.

"I'll push." he said.  "Just hold on."

She kissed his cheek.

When she reached the top, Drake helped her on the roof before tossing the rope back down.  Tom and Chad climbed up together. Tom's agility and speed impressed Chad.

"Not bad," said Drake as Chad pulled up his bike and rested it by the chimney.

"I'm part of the Ambertown guard," Tom said as he pulled up the rope and tossed it next to the boys' bikes.  The group gathered Tom and Felix's bags.  "At least, I was before we left.  We need to be in good shape in case any of us find ourselves in trouble.  Sad to say, that happens more than I'd like to admit."

Felix hugged Tom.

"The ladder is over here."  Chad led the couple to the other end of the roof.  "We go one at a time."

After setting the ladder into position, Chad crawled to the mansard roof and held the ladder for Felix.  They traded smiles as she made her way over the gap.  After everyone crossed they repeated the process to their roof.

Chad returned the ladder to its place in the pile and cracked his knuckles.  As Drake opened the plywood hatch leading inside, Chad realized these two were the first outsiders to see their secret entranceway.

"This is it," Drake said as he lowered himself into the attic and flicked on his flashlight.  "Home, sweet home."

Tom and Felix followed.  Chad held up the rear, closing and latching the flap behind him.  Inside the attic, Drake stopped their guests.

"Look," he said, "we need to get something straight.  Most of windows are boarded and reinforced, so don't mess with them—we don't want any weaknesses.  That goes for the front and back doors too.  The door leading into the garage doesn't open.  We nailed it shut so we didn't have to worry about the automatic door coming down.  It's better if they don't realize we're in here, so we also don’t like a lot of noise."

"We won't disrupt your home," Tom said.

Drake lowered the extending ladder and led the way through the darkness with his flashlight.

"There's a room at the far end of this hall—you can crash there," he said.  "It has its own bathroom.  Believe it or not, the water still runs.  It's cold, but you can get a shower if you'd like.  I think there's shampoo and stuff under the sink."

"We really appreciate it," said Felix.  When she smiled, her entire face lit up.  Chad wondered how the old man and her wound up married, but figured people couldn't be picky at the end of the world.

"Yeah," Tom said.  "Things are bad out there.  I've come across survivors while patrolling the areas around Ambertown, and they aren't as classy as you kids."

"Truthfully, we haven't seen anyone else in a while," Chad said.  "I was beginning to think we were alone in this world."

"There's a lot of people still living," Felix said.

"Yeah," Tom said, "But it's not pretty.  We had to leave our home."

"I'm anxious to hear about it," Chad said.

"Tomorrow," said Drake.  "They're tired, remember?  We should call it for now, then powwow when everyone wakes up."

"Sounds good," Felix said.

"We'll tell you all about it once we get settled in," said Tom.

Drake pointed the flashlight beam towards the guestroom.

"Oil lamps are in every room with matches next to them," he said.  "There's also battery lanterns, but try to save the juice.  Here's a flashlight in case you need it."

Tom took the flashlight from Chad.

"Thanks again," Tom said.  He turned, leading Felix to their room.

When they shut the door, Drake motioned for Chad to follow him to his room.  Inside, Drake pulled Chad close.

"Listen," he whispered in his brother's ear, "these two may be trouble.  That Tom guy might cut our throats the first chance he gets.  We need to be careful."

"Why did you even invite them up?"

"They had a lot of stuff in the truck.  We need every bit of help we can get.  Maybe they also know of a better place.  We can't stay here forever, Chad."

"I know.  It's getting harder to find things."

"If they do anything funny, I'll waste them."

Chad sighed.  "You gonna kill them in our house?"

"If I have to."  Drake looked towards a poster of a busty woman in a bikini holding up a bottle of beer and stared through her as if he could see beyond the walls and into the guestroom.

"Take shifts sleeping while they're here?"

"You first," Drake said.  "I'm wide awake.  Make sure you lock your door."

"If they're cool, we can really learn from them.  I can't wait to hear their stories."

"Yeah.  Sure.  But don't let your guard down."