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

forgive me for my dirty mouth.”
     
    After
the meeting the group left to their own apartments to brainstorm any possible
rescue options. It was quiet that morning. The sun was shining for some unknown
reason. The heat of it made the stench ten times more unbearable. The corpses
in the street paid no attention to the rays beating down on their decaying,
dripping skin.
     

Noise Complaint
    The
Cabels could hear movement upstairs.
                “What
could be making all of that noise?” Moira asked as she looked worriedly at the
ceiling.
                “That
Tom Vaughn lives up there. Gruff guy if you ask me. He doesn’t hold doors.”
Edward furrowed his brow.
                “One
person can be that noisy?”
                “Maybe
someone else could go upstairs and see what’s going on. I’m too old to climb
more stairs.” Edward rubbed his knees. He was sore from moving house the night
before.
                When
Edward didn’t move to find a volunteer, Moira stood up and walked across the
hall to Isobel and Ben.
     

    “It’s
kind of you to be worried about Vaughn, Moira. But he wouldn’t do you the same
favor,” Ben said.
    “Oh I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about what could happen if he
brought someone else into the building. He could expose us all. Who knows what
type of people he might be friends with too? I’m not eager to meet them.”
    “Ha. I’m fairly certain he doesn’t have any friends,” Isobel scoffed at
the idea.
    “We’ll go up there after lunch if it makes you feel better,” Ben assured
her.
    “Just ask him to keep it down,” Moira requested.
     

    After
eating, Ben led the way upstairs to the third floor.
                “You
know, he’s got more guns than I can count. He could have killed us all and had
the whole building to himself.”
                “Can
we have a bit of hope then since he hasn’t?” Isobel said cheerily.
                “I
just think we shouldn’t give him a reason to change that. Proceed carefully.”
                “Proceeding
carefully,” Isobel said as she knocked lightly on Tom Vaughn’s door. Ben had
his hand on his gun but he moved it when he saw the look on Isobel’s face.
    No answer. Isobel knocked once more and waited.
    She
tried the knob and it was locked. Ben pointed to her jacket pocket.
    “Use the keys from the office,” he said.
    “I thought you didn’t want trouble.” Isobel smiled as she unlocked the
door and opened it as slowly and quietly as she could. Whether a living or
undead Tom Vaughn greeted them, she decided, she would be equally terrified.
    “Tom?” Isobel whispered. No reply. It seemed as though he wasn’t home.
    “Where is he?” Ben asked.
    Vaughn’s apartment was messy; at least it looked like a mess. On
closer inspection it was incredibly well stocked. He had at least 15 guns and
their respective ammunition, boxes of canned goods stacked in one corner,
almost to the ceiling, and a lot of survival gear. Isobel was stunned.
    “It looks like a fucking bomb shelter in here.”
    “Yeah, kind of like he knew something was going to happen; like he’d been
preparing for this for a long time.”
     

Tom Vaughn’s 1st Assignment
    Tom had had a successful run. He’d managed to gather a lot
more food for himself and also spend a few minutes in the sporting goods store
down the main road. He was clutching a new machete as he climbed the fire
escape to his apartment. He threw his duffel bag into the window and entered
after it. Sweat was running down his face. As he wiped it off he noticed he
wasn’t alone.
    “What the fuck are you doing here? How’d you get in?” He still had the
machete in his hand, his knuckles white from the tight grip he had on it.
    Isobel was looking at the machete as she answered. “We have keys from the
office. We heard a lot of movement a little bit ago and wanted to check on
things, you