V

No Shelter

The crackling of the gravel driveway interrupted Lisa's train of thought as the truck turned off the winding dirt road and came to a stop. "We'll be safe here," said Speedy as he turned off the engine. Lisa wasn't so sure. Death could come from anywhere, but they might still be alright, as long as they stayed hidden and didn't make any more mistakes. The headlights turned off, and they were pitched into darkness.

"That's strange," said Speedy. He turned the headlights back on. Darkness from Speedy's house was bad. His family might have turned off the lights to avoid attention, like a house on Halloween without any candy, but it didn't feel too likely.

Speedy got out of the truck. The night was getting colder. The house was isolated, which could be an advantage or a disadvantage. They'd be safe if the zombies stayed in town, but if any of them started wandering up the mountain road, the only escape route would be gone.

Speedy went towards the house, and Helen got out of her side of the truck.

Lisa sat as still as possible, her grip tight on the hilt of the baseball bat. What if zombies had already come up this way? There was a radio in the truck, but she wasn't sure she could handle the news right then. Nobody else had mentioned it. She also couldn't stop thinking how, without her medicine, a seizure could come any second. More than that, she could barely remember life without the imposed calm of antidepressants and wasn't sure what to expect from it. She held herself still and said nothing.

"Hello?" said Helen at the house. It wasn't the smartest thing to do under the circumstances.

"Estoy aqui!" shouted Speedy as he walked forward.

Lisa stuck her head out of the truck and whispered. "Would you guys be quiet?" Their ignorant behavior was putting her life in danger.

Helen shrugged. "There's nobody here."

"No," said Speedy. "Deben ser aqui." He went to the door, speaking Spanish faster than Lisa could understand, and threw it open. "Dónde están?" he called inside.

Lisa opened the truck door and ran across the gravel, thanking God she hadn't worn heels to work that day. She grabbed Speedy's shoulder. "There could be zombies in there," she whispered. "We don't want them to know we're here."

Speedy shook his head. "No, my family should be here." He flipped the light switch, but nothing turned on. "Que pasó?" He wandered into the house, the gun hanging loosely from his hand, his face flashing between confusion, fear and sadness. Lisa wondered if she'd looked like that when her bank was filled with bodies.

She had trouble separating substance from silhouette. The truck's headlights lit the room from an odd angle, sending an eerie shadow across the wall. She traced it back to a lamp near the window and turned that on, but nothing happened from that either. Next to her she made out a couch. She followed its line of sight across the room to the television and realized she was in a living room. It should have been familiar, but everything felt wrong. There was a doorway to the next room, but the headlights didn't show what was past it.

"Do you have a flashlight?" whispered Lisa.

Speedy shook his head.

"Any guns? Weapons?" she said.

"No," said Speedy. "I don't think so."

Helen came over between them. "We can use this," she said and pulled a cell phone out of her purse.

Lisa stared at her coworker. "Did you have that the entire time?"

Helen frowned. "It's only for emergencies."

"What do you think this is?" said Lisa, raising her voice more than she planned. She regained control. "We can call for help."

Helen shook her head. "There's no signal out here." She pressed a button on the phone, and the screen lit up. "I meant this." She held the phone in the air, and the dim light from the screen reached into the next room. "I use it when I can't find my keys."