The Days Are Tired (Book #1 of the Dark Skies series) - A Zombie story

Chapter 22: Restrain

Noise in the hallway drew our attention. Will let go of me, walking away to check things out.

I watched in warped fascination as Cain hauled Paul into a room directly across from the one we stood in. The room was one that held random things like extra furniture and old parts to electronics. It was painted an off-white color and its corners and ceiling were full of dust and cobwebs.

Cain and Paul were similar in height and build but Cain still managed to manhandle the guy like he was some wayward weed in need of picking. He practically slammed the guy into a metal chair, a loud pang echoing through the enclosed space. Cain kept the creep trapped with one muscular arm, purposely applying more force than necessary.

But I still couldn't find it within myself to be sympathetic towards his situation. 

Dianna walked up to them and placed a grey bundle into Cain's larger hands. It was duct tape, they had gotten some when they went on the food run. Cain then proceeded to tape Paul's legs and hands to the chair.

"You know why I must do this." Cain addressed the man as he worked.

"By all means, do whatever makes you sleep better at night," Paul snapped back, his right eye twitching jerkily.

After Cain was done restraining the man to the chair, he stood straight, handing the duct tape back to Dianna. He then took a tense glance around at the crowd that had formed, scrutinizing our demeanor. Most of us stood in the hallway leading to the small room.

Beth had Parkson on one side of her and the dog on the other. She was now a mother of two.

Lacy was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her gaze narrowed on the man in the metal chair. Sofia hugged Lacy with one arm. The girl tried to put on a brave front, but, I knew the kid was scared as her bottom lip quivered. 

Leo was leaning against the room's wall trying to balance on his uninjured foot.

Frank stood in the doorway sizing the man up with his eyes. I could almost hear him calculating the situation. His face was so expressive. I could tell that he was a horrible poker player. Did he look almost thrilled? 

They all were looking at the intruder in wide shock and horror. And maybe even a little curiosity. Some inched closer to the intense scene while others tried to back off and blend with the shadows. They probably thought this was a nightmare too. 

The adults carried flashlights that helped illuminate the room. And illuminate the man in the chair, like a spotlight placed on an unsuspecting fan in the audience. The guy seemed out of place and frazzled. 

"Who is that," Lacy softly voiced the words everyone else was thinking.

"He's the idiot that broke in here and attacked Bri," Will spoke unabashedly.

"Hey, I already told you it was a misunderstanding..." Will's sharp gaze made Paul's sentence trail off. And he took to being silent again, flashing his crooked smile.

Everyone who hadn't been downstairs to see the initial dispute gasped in shock.

The very fact that I had been attacked in the place we now considered, in a sense, "home" was crazy. This was supposed to be our place of refuge. A place of protection. But this whole situation showed that we weren't as safe here as we initially believed. Our brick castle had lost its gate, allowing enemies to pass through unscathed.

The thought of Cain duct-taping Paul's mouth shut quickly flashed through my mind. But the problem was we needed his mouth free if we wanted to get any answers out of him. So I waved the thought away. Wrapping my arms around my still-shaking body, I forced myself to look forward as Cain updated everyone on what happened.