What Walks Among Us (book one)

Just Trying to Help

I heard a creak downstairs and it paused me in my tracks. I had been headed to the window to sit out on the roof where I knew I could watch the world, what was left of it, without being seen. The occasional zombie would walk by while I was out there, they never really noticed me but I always scrambled back inside after catching sight of there mangled bodies.

But now, in the house in the middle of the night, nobody should be up. Earlier I had heated up the last little bit of chicken soup over a candle and had fed my step mother and my sister. Then I had gone around and made sure the boards were up on the windows and that the back door was still barricaded. My father, before he had left on a supply run, had given me a gun with some ammo. I didn't know how to shoot it but I never went even to the bathroom without it.

He never came back on that supply run.

I shuddered at the thought and changed directions when I heard another creak, some one was in the kitchen. The only thing we kept in there was the water that we had managed to gather, but even that supply was running low. There was about two cases left, and I knew it was more than what most people had, but my step mother refused to go two days without cleaning. I had gotten her to downgrade from a full on heated bath to a single bottle of water and a cloth, but even with that it still wasn't ideal.

I stepped out into the hallway and looked down at my sister, Mabel's bedroom, soft snores were coming out of the room and I stiffened up a little bit. If my mother was on one of her rampages and if she made too much noise the zombies would be all over the house like they were last time. They had stayed for four days and we had all walked on eggshells for those four days, and I was so thankful that my step mother had not made a fuss.

I was halfway down the stairs when I saw it, a cat, in the kitchen. It was sniffing around the water and then it looked up and I breathed slowly. Could animals be infected? Could they get the disease that brought the dead back?

I was at the base of the stairs, hand on my gun uncertainly, I knew it was a long shot that I'd be able to shoot properly, much less aim worth a lick. But it brought me comfort that I'd be able to defend myself if I really needed it. Just because I couldn't shoot didn't mean I hadn't been taught self defense. My father had put Mabel and I to work as soon as this whole thing started, but I hadn't actually put it to work.

The cat made it's way towards me, it was a kitten really, a little grey thing with what I could tell, blue eyes. It was painfully adorable and I wanted to pet it but when it got close I stepped away out of fear. If I died, I doubted my step mother or Mabel would make it out of this house long enough to gather even a crumb.

But the kitten was persistent and it brushed up against my leg before sniffing my calf. I was stiff as a board, drawing out my gun from my waistband very slowly, until the little kitten started to purr.

What was I thinking? They had said it over the radio, animals did not get the disease, something in them repelled it, and while they still were broadcasting, they announced that they were trying to find a cure for the disease.

I blew out a breath and put the gun away before picking up the kitten. It was purring and stretching out in my arms before it curled up and mewed, it's stomach rumbled in my arms and I made a split decision before silently making my way back up the stairs. I would keep her, I would keep her safe and hide her from my step mother, and hide her from Mabel.

I crept back into my room after having checked on Mabel again, if I had woken my mother I would know. She wouldn't be quiet about having been woken up. The kitten was pawing my cheek and I smiled for the first time in a while.

I returned to my room and locked the door behind me, when the zombies had first shown up I had hid a few provisions in my little attic door in my closet. Nobody ever really bothered to notice the attic space and so it was a perfect spot to hide my things. I set the fluffy grey haired kitten down and opened up the small door.