The Town of Last Haven: A Zombie Novel

Part 3

"Where's Julia going?" Clarise asked, looking up to Natalie with tears in her eyes. "I don't want her to go!" The twelve-year-old threw her arms around her sister and sobbed into her shoulder.

"She'll be here," Natalie said as she patted Clarise's back. "See? Opal's here." The Labrador started licking the tears from Clarise's still-baby-chubby face. "And I hear Julia coming along now." Natalie smiled, now putting an arm around Trent.

"Julia's the bravest of us, so we do what she says, okay?" Natalie raised an eyebrow as she looked to each of her younger siblings.

"Is it because she's the dead genius?" Trent asked.

"Um, what?" Natalie, Austin, and Clarise asked together.

"What do you mean 'dead genius'? Julia's alive . . . right?" Clarise chewed on her lower lip, and Natalie kissed her sister's forehead before nodding a yes.

"Julia's not dead. I mean, she does watch zombie movies--more than any of us--and she does read books about zombies, so doesn't that technically make her the dead genius?" Trent ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "By the by, if we're going to be locked in our house until mom and dad come home, do you think Julia would let me borrow one of her books?" 

"If you want to become the second zombie genius in the family, wait until after..." Natalie couldn't think of the next words to use. "Um, just read something else for now... only until we leave the basement, okay?" Trent looked glum, but Natalie didn't want her brother scaring their little sister. And Clarise was scared easily--jump scares were Trent's favorite thing to pull on Clarise, and Natalie would not let that happen.

Two loud bangs from a gun, and Clarise clung terrified to Natalie. Even Trent jumped, but his hand went to Austin's knee. Austin patted his brother on the back, and Natalie ran her hand through Clarise's hair.

"I'm scared," Clarise whispered, trembling like mad. "I want mom and dad!" She began to cry, but Natalie held her tighter.

"They'll be back soon, Clarise. I promise."

"How can you promise anything in the damned zombie apocalypse?" Austin asked Natalie in ASL, so Trent and Clarise couldn't understand them.

"What are they saying?" Clarise asked Trent.

"Not sure," he said in return with a shrug. "I don't know American Sign Language."

Footsteps were heard coming downstairs in a rush, and Julia appeared on the final step. Beads of sweat decorated her brow, her blonde bangs sticking to her forehead, her fishtail side braid coming slightly to a muffed-up mess.

"Someone fired shots--was that you?" Austin asked, and Julia nodded once.

"Being downstairs is a bad idea. If mom and dad forgot their keys and are coming home right now, no one will be able to hear them unless they fix the doorbell with those things outside." That was Julia's best with sarcasm. "We'll wait upstairs and keep an eye out for mom and dad, okay? I have dad's gun and I know where he keeps the bullets, so we'll be safe."

"Dad will be proud to know you're protecting us!" Clarise turned to glee, drying her tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands, sniffling slightly.

"Yeah," said Julia with a forced smile. "If he doesn't kill me first."

"He won't," Natalie and Austin said together.

The four younger siblings followed Julia upstairs to the ground floor. No strangers, dead or alive, were knocking at any of the doors and windows, but Clarise had a strong hold on Natalie's hand. And Trent was standing pretty closely to Austin as it was. Julia had her hand on their dad's gun the whole time. 

She'd seen a plethora of zombie movies and read a ton of survival guides--she was an adventurer. She'd learned far more than a simple one or two things from her science fiction-y studies. The enemy attacks on two occasions: when they are ready, and when you are not. Julia and her siblings were far from ready.

The five went to Julia and Natalie's shared room. The walls were an off-green color, the furniture white, and books on every shelf, on the top of every desk, and even on the coffee table in their walk-in bedroom turned book nook room. It was spacious still, quite grandiose, and quite lovely--perfect for the sisters.

"We'll watch in shifts, so some of us can get some sleep..." Even as Julia spoke, she realized that none of them would get sleep while they lay in wait for their parents' return from one of the mayor's famed social functions. "...or we can read and remain quiet. Sounds like a plan?" she asked, and they nodded.

And just as Clarise was about to ask where Opal was, there she appeared with Lovey, her favorite stuffed animal toy--it was a black and white zebra with a pink mane--fitting for their perfect pal Opal. Natalie took Clarise into the book nook room and Opal followed them in. Natalie sat down with Clarise's head in her lap. Julia leaned against the arch of the door as Clarise's hand slipped down to stroke Opal's black fur. 

Julia glanced to the two columns of books stacked tall. Julia was one for adventure novels and Natalie was one for romance novels. The stack of adventure novels was higher than romance.

"How you two have the time to read all those books with schoolwork to do and all the stuff mom and dad have you do, I don't know!" Trent exclaimed. 

"How you two have the time to play all those video games with schoolwork to do, I don't know!" Julia said in return. 

The dinner hour turned later, and six turned to seven, then to eight. Still four more hours--or more--till the Brown siblings' parents returned home. When Clarise's nerves were wracking so much, Natalie sang a song to her, and Clarise dozed off. Austin and Trent were still by the windows looking outside with pairs of binoculars. Lights off and only a lantern lighting the windowless book nook room, the five thought they were safe enough. 

"There's more of them out there," Austin said lowly to those awake--Trent had fallen asleep next to him with a pillow under his head. "What time is it?" Julia glanced to her cell next to her--it was little passed nine. She still had no calls from their parents, and Natalie and Austin were supposed to be getting phones of their own later in the week, but that would most likely be postponed, as it were.

"It's nine-thirteen," Julia answered with a soft sigh.

"Damn," Austin cursed.

"I don't want Clarise hearing that." Julia and Natalie agreed.

"Sorry, but curses are called for in the apocalypse, aren't they?"

"Everyone into the book nook room. Shut the door." Austin's heart was beating out of his chest, his throat dry. And before anyone could ask why--Trent and Clarise waking up now--Austin ushered all into the room and shut the door.

"What's going on?" Clarise asked quietly.

"Too many out there. If they see the light, they might come after us."

"But mom and dad--" Clarise chewed on her lower lip.

"Are probably safer than us. Remember, the mayor mansion is huge. Plus, it has the security details and everything. They're probably more worried about us than we are of them, right?" Austin raised an eyebrow, and an unknowing Clarise nodded her head softly.

What Austin kept from his brother and sisters was that as he was watching the horde through the binoculars--the horde coming towards them from up the street--he'd seen the mayor . . . and their own parents.

Their parents would not be coming back for them.