When the Dead by Michelle Kilmer Read Free Book Online Page B

to touch her.” Isobel shivered.
                “There
is no way I am putting a finger on her,” Markus added.
                “She
wants to bite us anyway so why don’t we taunt her in that direction? It will be
slow going but I’m sure it will be worth it. She shops for large amounts of
food at a time to minimize the number of trips so we’ll find some quality stuff
in here.”
                Rob
volunteered to coax Katie out of the kitchen. She really wasn’t a threat,
except to their ankles and the closer Rob stood to her, he found, the faster she
moved. The promise of living flesh kept her going.
    Finally clear of the kitchen area, Rob and Ben trapped her in a makeshift
pen made out of the coffee table, a recliner, and the entertainment center. She
spent the rest of the visit holding her body up with one hand while clawing the
air with the other. How desperately she wanted to consume them.
    “Shouldn’t we shoot her?” Moira was looking at Katie with concern while
the others unloaded the kitchen cabinets. Edward raised the handgun he had
acquired from Juan.
    “No,” Ben placed a hand on the gun to stop him, “that will attract more
and I don’t think we should kill anything unless our lives depend on it. We
need to stay human as long as possible.”
    Moira nodded in agreement but Edward wasn’t ready to lower the gun.
    “So we’re just going to leave her here to starve? I don’t see how that is
more human.”
    “Edward, leave her be. You might need those bullets for someone else.”
Moira had stepped in front of the gun to show her husband how serious she was.
He dropped the gun to point at the floor and hugged his wife.
    Ben and Rob dragged the tarp of bodies to the basement while the others
followed. They placed the corpses in an empty storage unit in a far corner. The
tenants had a moment of silence in front of the tidy stack of dead before
closing the door.
    “Farewell to all of you. Ryan, Susanne, and you two strangers, whoever
you are, rest in peace,” Moira said softly.
                “Look!”
Markus pointed out a half-window that was placed high on the wall of the
basement. It gave them a view of the front lawn. Their eyes were level with the
directionless feet of the dead. Everyone gathered at the small pane of glass
and watched for a few minutes until it became too much.
    Isobel felt it routine to mark #4 off the list of tasks. Collect all
bodies and place in basement. Check.
    The group went back up to the first floor hallway but, the work wasn’t
done.
                “Markus,
Edward, Moira, you should grab everything you want and move it upstairs. We can
help carry any larger items. Leave your things in the common area at the top of
the stairs for now. We can sort out living arrangements later,” Ben directed.
                “I
don’t want anything but some clothes, my tea and books, a place to lie down,
and my reading chair,” Edward replied.
                “Jeff
and I can help with the chair and your bed,” Rob offered.
                “How
nice of you both,” Moira smiled and led the way back into their apartment.
                “I
can keep watch while you help Markus, Ben,” Isobel suggested.
                “If
you are ok with that, away we go!” Ben cheered half-heartedly.
    While everyone else was gone, Isobel found a few precious moments to
herself. She sat down on the carpet about halfway down the hall and waited for
everyone to return. The handgun was starting to feel heavy in her hand but she
couldn’t trust the world enough to set it down, even for a second. She needed a
sense of security and sleep, both desperately.
     

Last Second Thoughts
    “Maybe
we should stay, Austin.” Jill had her bags packed and stacked next to their
front door but she was standing in the nursery. The smell of fresh paint, pale
lavender, had finally faded from the air just two days prior.