Moms Against Zombies Read online

  know it’s there, then you’d never find it.

  The kids are huddled nervously on the couch. Even

  Trevor is just sitting still, watching everything.

  “We’re safe for the moment. If you hear anything, I

  want you to come into the bedroom right away. Come on.”

  The solemn little troop follows me into a room with

  four bunk beds.

  Their faces light up, but turn back toward me to see if

  they’re actually going to sleep here.

  “Yes, you girls can have the top bunks. Carson, you can

  have the other bottom bunk.” I lift Trevor into my arms.

  “And you, mister, are going to sleep with Mommy until

  Daddy gets here, okay?”

  “Tay.” Trevor snuggles his head into the crook of my

  neck.

  “If there are any problems, pull up this rug. Carson, or

  Joy, lift the door and scoot underneath the floor. You can’t

  make any noise or the bad guys will hear you so put the

  plug in Trevor’s mouth.”

  They crowd around, looking into the hole at the bottom of the floor.

  “Crawl to the edge of the house and follow the bushes

  out to the shed. Carson, you know what to do from there.”

  Nicole looks ready to burst into tears. “Oh, sweetie.

  This is just in case something happens, but we won’t let

  anything happen to you.”

  I pull my scared group into a one-armed hug. “Always

  remember, even when Mommy and Daddy aren’t around,

  we love you. Now, enough of this sad business. Let’s go

  see what’s in the refrigerator because I’m hungry, and I did

  promise a treat tonight, right?”

  I stand and head back to the kitchen, hoping my little

  angels won’t have to grow up too fast.

  -----------

  We spent the rest of the evening unplugged from the

  world on the couch watching DVDs, waiting for word that

  it was safe to return to normal.

  I had the kids sleep in their clothes, simply because

  things happened in the middle of the night in the movies.

  When morning arrived and Cooper hadn’t, I put on a

  cheerful smile, knowing his chances of survival had been

  cut in half.

  “Mom, when is Dad going to get here?” Nicole asks

  innocently around the breakfast I had thawed from the

  freezer.

  “I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as possible. We’re going on an adventure later this afternoon,” I say, trying to stay

  positive.

  There’s no way I can call him since it could

  compromise the position he might be in. I have to be

  patient, and I’m horrible at it.

  Thankfully, I have four distractions to keep me busy

  and not focused on what the outside world looks like at the

  moment.

  At noon on the dot, I round everyone up and we make

  sure there’s nothing to show that we’d been in the house.

  The children are super excited because we’re going to

  use the underground tunnel to get to the shed.

  Carson goes in first, then Nicole, followed by Trevor.

  As Joy is climbing in the hole, I go to unbarricade the front

  door, just in case we need to come back in a hurry.

  The door closes over my head and the short crawl with

  only a light shining to show the way is very claustrophobic.

  I make it to the end and find all four children watching the

  entrance worriedly.

  A huge grin lights Carson’s face as some of the

  responsibility rolls off his young shoulders.

  “Now what, Mom?” Nicole asks, looking around at the

  tight quarters.

  “This way.” Carson walks to the back wall and pushes a

  button.

  All the boxes in one stack are moved, revealing a

  staircase down into a well-lit area.

  “Cool.” Joy and Nicole say at the same time. “Jinx, you owe me a coke.” Giggling, they almost scream it. “Double

  Jinx.” Then they realize we’re just watching them in horror

  at the noise they’re making.

  “Girls, that can never happen again. It could have

  gotten us killed. We can’t make noise. It should be all

  whispers unless I give you the all clear.”

  Nicole bursts into tears and Trevor, sensing his sister’s

  distress, begins to whimper.

  “Hey, now. It’s okay. Nothing happened this time, but

  we have to be more careful.” Kneeling in the dirt, I hug her

  tightly until Trevor, not to be outdone, squeezes his head up

  between us so that he’s sandwiched in the hug, making us

  both laugh.

  “All right, everyone. We can keep going. Shh.” I hold

  my finger to my lips and they copy it. Carson takes the lead

  again, only this time, we walk for what seems like forever

  until we reach another staircase leading upward.

  The door at the top opens up to a broken-down garage

  with a large, super cab truck waiting for us.

  This might all seem like a lot of overkill for an event

  that might never really happen, but the stuff my husband

  has been working on for the past fifteen years or so is top

  secret. Only a few people have access to the information he

  has in his brain. Not to mention, the computer files he

  backs up religiously.

  Carson and I had loaded most of the stuff into the truck

  this morning, but I double check to make sure it’s all tied

  down under the tarp in the bed of the truck.

  We keep two gas cans full and ready in the back of the truck, just in case we have to drive a long time without

  stopping.

  The truck starts perfectly, but I quickly realize we

  haven’t prepared as well as we thought when the first

  question is voiced.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Crud.” There are no CDs or electronics to take the

  kids’ minds off their current trip.

  “Well, we’re going to your Aunt Jessica’s.” Then

  comes the next set of questions in rapid fire from their

  astonished little minds.

  “We have an aunt? Where does she live?”

  “Does she have children?”

  “Why haven’t we heard of her before?” Carson asks

  cautiously.

  “She’s my sister, and I didn’t know she was alive until

  a few years ago. My grandmother gave her up for adoption

  when she realized she couldn’t take care of two children by

  herself, much less three when my mom got pregnant

  again.” I meet their gazes in the rearview mirror.

  “She’s younger than me and has two children. They live

  on a farm about two hours from here, and I think we should

  be safe there until Daddy catches up to us. He knows where

  we’ll be,” I answer their unspoken question.

  Trevor’s already trying to keep his eyes open as we hit

  the outskirts of Charlotte, NC, but that’s where the traffic

  starts.

  I’d avoided the highway, choosing the less traveled back roads, but it seems that the less panicked people are

  taking the same path. The road filled with cars continues to

  move steadily, but slowly until the true county roads give

  more options for travel.

  Even though they’re trying to be really good, I still
hear

  one question that I never want to hear again.

  “When are we going to be there?”

  Thankfully, the three in the back seat finally drifted off,

  and that’s probably the only reason I kept my sanity.

  Because what should have been a short two-hour drive,

  wound up taking close to four hours.

  One pit stop at a country store, where we were able to

  empty our bladders and refill the tank with gas easily, thus

  proving the panic hadn’t hit the rural countryside yet.

  The further out we drove, the fewer cars and people that

  were around us. I made sure to come to my sister’s farm

  from the back direction so no one in town knew we were

  there.

  Since it was a small town, I’m sure people would find

  out eventually, but it would buy us some time.

  -----------

  With the first steps down from the truck, I try to

  remember how old I really am because I feel eighty.

  Regaining some movement in my legs as I gently wake the

  children, I’m almost back to my normal self, until I see my

  sister.

  Then the tears I had been holding in for the past twenty-four hours manage to slip out and make their way down my

  cheeks.

  Jessica runs down the steps and throws herself into my

  arms. It’s only been a month since we last saw each other,

  but it feels like years after what we’ve been through so far.

  Pulling myself from her embrace, I say, “Kids, this is

  your Aunt Jessica. Roxanne and Drew are your cousins.” I

  gesture to the two redheaded kids standing on the back

  porch, unsure of what is going on.

  “Jessica, may I present my children, Carson, Joy,

  Nicole, and Trevor.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you for the first time. Why don’t

  we go into the house and see if I have some fresh cookies

  and milk for a snack,” Jessica says, knowing the way to a

  child’s trust is to give them a sweet.

  Four heads nod politely.

  “Roxanne, can you take Joy and Nicole with you to see

  if the cookies can come out of the oven?”

  “Sure, Mom. Follow me, girls.” Seeing the approval on

  their mom’s face, they hurry inside, afraid the invitation

  will be withdrawn if they linger.

  “Well, I guess that means we get to pour the milk and

  get the chairs ready. Wanna join me, guys?” Drew offers to

  Carson, unsure if Trevor should be included or not.

  “Come on, big guy.” Carson picks Trevor up with ease

  and carries him up the porch steps to where their new

  cousin holds the door open.

  With her arm still slung over my shoulder, Jessica turns toward me. “How ya holding up?”

  “I’ll make it. What’s the news saying?”

  “Other than a quick report yesterday afternoon, there

  hasn’t been anything. It’s like the whole city just vanished

  off the map.”

  “Anything but. The lines to leave the city were worse

  this morning. Mostly because people stayed home last

  night, then realized the city wouldn’t be safe if this thing is real.”

  “Is it though?” Jessica asks as we walk up the porch

  steps.

  “Cooper never showed up, so I won’t know what he

  was talking about until he’s here to explain what he meant

  about actors posing as zombies. I hope it’s some big hoax

  and we’ll all talk about how crazy people got.”

  “The country tends to ignore things that happen in the

  big city, and only when it starts to look serious do we

  batten down the hatches.” Jessica pokes her head into the

  kitchen as she walks past to make sure the children are all

  behaving.

  “I’m so glad you let us come and stay for a few days. I

  had no way to keep the kids entertained cooped up in that

  house. We were all so worried, and cabin fever would have

  gotten to us way before any zombies could eat us.” I settle

  into an arm chair. Slipping my shoes off, I curl my feet

  underneath me.

  “So, you’re pretty sure this is related to his job?”

  Jessica questions as she sits across from me.

  “I don’t see how it couldn’t be. He’s always working on classified projects, and now that he’s the second in

  command, the chances go up a lot.” I always knew this was

  a possibility, but I try not to dwell on it.

  “You’re more than welcome here until he catches up

  with you. Heck, I don’t care if you just move in with me,

  but the kids might have a few problems with it considering

  they just met. They’re just emotional because of the

  divorce. When things calm down and they see the world

  hasn’t ended, then they can make up for lost time with their

  cousins.”

  Jessica smiles, knowing it’s not going to be that easy

  for her kids to bounce back. “Thanks for trying to make it

  seem better. They’re both old enough now. They

  understand when Dad shows up to visit with a girl who’s

  barely legal that he isn’t thinking about them anymore.”

  “Remember what I said last time I was here, that not all

  men are like that. Who knows? Maybe this zombie thing

  will bring all the good guys from the city out here to visit

  the country girls and they’ll want to find a wife.” I wink

  suggestively at my sister, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “Whatever, crazy lady. There are plenty of guys

  around, they’re just taken or have been married several

  times.”

  “Exactly my point. If they were great guys, they would

  still be married so they’re not on the available list.”

  For the first time in the past few days, I feel I can relax

  and be myself. There’s no one chasing us, and the zombies

  are just a figment of my imagination.

  The screams, though, are real as they erupt from the kitchen when an oven mitt gets too close to the coils and

  catches fire.

  Snack time is officially over as we send the children

  outside to see the barn kittens.

  “Roxanne, Carson!” I call them both over as the others

  make straight for the barn. “We may be perfectly safe out

  here, but if you see anyone around, or if anything doesn’t

  seem right to you, bring everyone straight inside.”

  “No problem, Aunt Trish. We can watch out for

  everyone.”

  “I’ll make sure Trevor doesn’t leave my sight, Mom.”

  “Thanks, kids. We’ll call you when dinner is almost

  ready so you can wash up and set the table.” Jessica shoos

  them out of the house.

  “I hate the fact that Carson is having to take on so much

  responsibility lately. He’s trying to be the man of the house, but he’s still only a baby.” I take the chicken from Jessica

  to start rinsing it in the sink.

  “Hey, we have to let them grow up, sis. It’s much better

  to allow them to have some responsibility now so when

  they’re adults, it won’t be such a shock to them. Maybe

  that’s why so many men aren’t great husbands or fathers;

  they just weren’t ready when the grown-up stuff hit them,”

  Jessica wisely advises as she pul
ls out a fry pan and other

  ingredients to place onto the counter.

  “I guess. I just feel like I’m letting them down. I should

  be the one doing all this stuff, like the oven mitt. If I’d been in here instead of sitting and relaxing, that wouldn’t have

  happened.” Shaking my head at my ineptitude, I begin to dice the chicken.

  “Now I know you’ve gone crazy. You’re not always

  going to be there. They have to learn how to handle

  problems and what to do in an emergency. We were both

  here in case they needed us, but they didn’t.” Jessica comes

  around the counter to stand beside me, shaking her finger in

  my face.

  “Don’t let others tell you how to raise your kids. They

  got the chance to deal with a potentially dangerous

  situation and they had the fire out before we could even get

  in here. Don’t be so hard on yourself either. You kept it

  together during a very crazy situation.”

  “You’re right. I just feel so lost without Cooper. He’s

  always there when we do the drills, and everyone did a

  great job. I just miss my partner, and when he didn’t show

  up like he was supposed to, well, I’m terrified that he won’t

  make it to join us.” The large knife in my hand continues to

  dice while my heart is far away from what I’m actually

  doing.

  “We’re going to eat dinner, then put the kids in the

  living room to watch a movie while we sit on the porch

  with a glass of wine. I don’t know about you, but I don’t

  plan to face the zombie apocalypse sober.” Jessica tries to

  say it with a straight face, but we both burst out laughing.

  “You’re right. Drunk zombie fighting hasn’t been done

  on TV yet. We can create a new show. I think it’s the

  perfect plan for the evening.” Just what I need to keep my

  mind off of Cooper and our future.

  -----------

  The children had crashed watching a movie after hours of fun with water balloons and a water hose, leaving us

  moms a few hours to relax before we crashed as well.

  As the screen door slams, we shoot up from the chairs

  we’d fallen asleep in.

  “Who’s there?” Jessica calls out, grabbing the riffle

  from over the mantle.

  I move slowly behind her as she makes her way toward

  the door as the person on the other side tries the door knob.

  “You open it while I cover them,” Jessica whispers to