1-22-12
Ahem, welcome back ladies and gents or whatever you wanna call yourself. I present you with the next part of our tale! I must tell you know that I switched back to Artie and next week is gonna be Mike. Eventually these two will meet and I can stop confusing you all but not yet friends not yet. Oh hey if you could be so kind as to tell me if you see any typos and things I'd be greatful. I checked before posting but sometimes things get away from me. Ok let's see what next? Oh yes the warnings.
Warnings: Fire (You'll understand that soon.), angst, cussing maybe I can't quite recall.
Artie was jerked somewhat out of his self pity when his cell phone rang. Oh that's right he was on the phone before. Maria must have hung up and called back. He picked up the phone and answered weakly, "Hello?" His voice cracked and he had to choke back a sob. He couldn't cry. He never cried. Jake would totally punk him if he cried, except Jake would never do anything ever again, because he turned into a zombie and he'd just bashed his head in.
"What happened? Something happened didn't it? I could sort of hear what was going on for a bit, but I think you got too far away after awhile so I hung up and called back to get your attention."
"I killed Jake." He stated simply.
"I'm sorry can you repeat that? I think I'm still in shock from before, because I could've sworn you just said you killed Jake."
"I did Maria. I killed him. He was one of them and I had too, just like your roommate."
"Oh no! I didn't know Jake was one too! Did you have any idea?"
"He was sick just like Stacy, just like that girl from earlier too I'm assuming. I didn't think anything of it 'til a little bit ago. I wonder if I could have saved him, if I could have done anything for him. He was more than my cousin. He was one of my best friends. They all mean so much to me and I don't know what I would do if I lost you too." Silent tears rolled down his face as he spoke into the phone.
"Baby boy I know it hurts. Look, I'll grab some stuff and come over there. I can't stay here another second, and I know you must be feeling something similar. Just hold on for me okay?"
"Maria please be careful. We don't know how many other people out there are like this."
"I know Artie, I know. I will do my best to get to you alright?"
"Alright." He slide his phone shut and sunk to the floor wrapping his arms around his knees and placing his forehead on top of them. His heart was thundering in his ears and his whole body felt hot. Taking deep breaths to try and calm himself he closed his eyes and tried to block off all his thoughts. Emptiness would be so much better than everything that he was currently thinking. There was so much going on in his head that it was starting to throb. He hoped Maria got there soon. He hoped she got there okay since he was on the subject. That brought him back to the thoughts he didn't want to have. A knock came at the door and he was once again startled out of his thoughts. Standing up he made his way to the door and looked through the peep hole before opening it. Seeing Maria standing there in front of him was one of the greatest sights he felt he'd seen in a long time. He threw his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"I'm glad I'm okay too." She joked trying to lighten the serious mood for both of their sakes while hugging him back just as tight. He smacked her in the shoulder and gave her a tiny half smile.
"That's not funny and you know it."
"Well you seem to be smiling so it had to be a little bit funny. However if it makes you feel any better I'm really glad you're okay too."
"It makes me feel a little bit better. Now get in here before I really freak out. This hallway is weird under normal circumstances. Now I wouldn't trust it with my most hated possession." He dragged her into the apartment and shut the door with force. It wasn't a slam, but it was harder than it really needed to be. "Here, you sit here. I'll be right back." He went into his room and pulled the sheet off of Jake's bed knocking the blankets on the floor in his haste. Taking the sheet he went over to his cousin's body and placed it over him. It was the least he could do all things considered. Maria watched him mutely as she couldn't think of any words to say that could possibly make him feel better in a situation like this. What could you say? Oh I'm sorry your cousin turned into a zombie and you had to beat him over the head? She just waited for him to come back over and patted him on the back comfortingly, or so she hoped.
Artie looked up at her suddenly and spoke. "I don't know if I can stay here." He paused for a moment. "We shouldn't leave while it's still dark though, so I guess I have to suck it up." He stood up and headed to the bathroom. He wasn't really sure what he felt he would accomplish by going into the bathroom, but he felt he needed to do something with himself or he would go crazy, if he wasn't crazy already. Looking in the mirror he took in his appearance and grimaced. It had only been a few hours since he'd last seen his own face, but there was a drastic change in it. His face was ashen and he could see tear tracks on his cheeks. He splashed water on his face and dried it off before heading back to Maria. "We need weapons."
Maria looked at him a little lost for a moment before what he was saying clicked. "Yea, among other things."
"I wonder if it's totally chaos outside yet or if there's still time to get our shit together before everybody goes into mass hysteria."
"Well while I was outside it seemed pretty calm. I did hear a scream coming out of my dorm as I left, but I was too busy panicking and worrying about you to investigate mysterious screams in the night. I can't say for sure I would have even if I wasn't, this is just too extreme for me."
"I agree, I keep hoping that if I just close my eyes, I'll wake up and this all turned out to be a nightmare. I remember when I was younger I would plan out what I would do if a zombie attack ever happened. I never thought I would actually need it for something."
"Oh you did that too." Maria asked with a half smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I feel less lame for doing that when I was younger now."
"I wish my ninth grade drama teacher was here right now." Artie said seemingly out of nowhere. It was silent for a moment as Maria tried to make sense of what he just said. Coming up blank she looked at him with a face that equated to, what the hell are you talking about? Seeing her questioning glance he elaborated. "He was obsessed with zombies and had this survival guide thing. It was like a stack of cards telling you how to do this, or what weapons to use, and how to barricade a building."
"Ahhh okay I see. That makes sense now. I thought you had cracked or something. Do you happen to remember what these survival cards were called? They sound extremely useful right now and I think we could use all the help we can get."
"I don't think I ever knew, but that's what the internet is for. Assuming it still works. I really can't be asked to look it up right now." He told her looking suddenly exhausted.
"Are you tired? You should sleep; I'll stay up and keep lookout for … something I don't know zombies I suppose. I don't feel like they'd wonder way up here, but I guess it's better safe than sorry."
"No, no I'm not tired. I couldn't just leave you awake by yourself with … I just couldn't."
"Do me a favor. Go to sleep, or I can knock you out. Your choice, but either way you will not be awake." He gaped at her wondering if she was really serious. She just examined her nails as if she hadn't just threatened his well-being.
"Fine, I'd rather not have head trauma so I'll try and sleep. Emphasis on the word try."
Artie lay on the couch and closed his eyes. He managed to get to the brink of sleep before his unhelpful mind reminded him this was where Jake and been sleeping when he got home that afternoon. He jerked up to a sitting position and placed his head in his hands and pressing on his eyelids as if he could push the thoughts out that way. Maria looked at him concernedly from her place on the overstuffed chair that resided next to the couch where she had been reading a magazine. The look in her eyes asked if he needed something and he shook his head waving her off. He laid back down and forced himself to have an empty mind so he could sleep.
The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by a bleary eyed Maria who seemed to have fallen asleep herself at some point in the night. He sat up with a yawn and stretched his arms over his head almost smacking her in the face as she hadn't moved quite far away from him yet. She shot him a half hearted glare and wondered off to the bathroom for what he assumed was a shower seeing as she had a bag that he never noticed her having before with her. He must have dozed off again while waiting for her to come out, because he woke up to the smell of toast. Opening his eyes he looked over at the kitchen just in time to see Maria walk out with a plate of the aforementioned food item.
"So how did you sleep?" She asked him gently, talking softly as if she would cause some sort of disaster by talking too loud. As if things could get worse.
"Pardon my phrasing, but like the dead. I didn't know I was asleep 'til I wasn't." He snatched a piece of toast off the plate and bit into it. Maria had been so nice as to not serve him dry toast and instead had apple butter on them which was his favorite. He suspected that to be the reason she did it as he knew she was partial to grape jelly on her toast.
She made a face at his words, but said nothing. "So where do we go from here?"
"The police?" He guessed, though at this point they had to know what was going on and were probably swamped with work, that or dead. This whole zombie thing was taking Artie already normally cynical personality to new heights and he knew he had to get a grip before somebody did it for him. "We need to get supplies. We can load them into your truck. You did drive your truck over here right?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yea, I brought that monstrosity of a vehicle." She'd had it since she was fifteen. Her parents had been paranoid that she'd wreck their car while learning to drive so they went out and bought her a huge used truck. She hated trucks with a fiery passion, but over the years she had grown attached to hers not that she would ever admit that to anyone. Artie grinned at her reaction to his question already knowing she secretly loved that thing. She was his best friend after all; he had to know these things or he wouldn't be a very good one now would he?
"Well off to Wally World than. Come along lass." Artie was about to make his way out the door when he was clothes lined by his collar because Maria was holding on to said collar.
"I think you're forgetting something."
"And what would that be?" He questioned while rubbing his throat.
"Gather all the stuff you have here that we can use. That is unless you just want to come back here. That means we have to do something with-"
"NO!" He interrupted, "Uh I mean, I'd rather not stay here no. We should do something with … well you know."
"Do you want to umm, bury him?" She asked tentatively as she didn't know what might set him off.
"He said he always wanted to be cremated, because the thought of rotting in the ground freaked him out, which in turn freaked me out so we both agreed we wouldn't be buried."
"So you wanna burn him? How are we gonna do that?" She was skeptical of this idea and he could see it on her face. Instead of trying to alleviate her concerns he made a joke of it.
"Well with fire of course." She punched him in the arm and he winced. Why was he best friends with someone who was so abusive? His arm was sure to bruise from that one, but maybe he deserved that one. "Okay ow, guess that wasn't as funny as it was supposed to be. I guess we just wrap him in a sheet and ya know … burn him. We're not exactly professionals so that's the best we can do. He wanted to be one with the Earth or some such nonsense anyway so I guess it's just as well we can't like put him in a vase, or an urn, or whatever the hell those things are called that you put peoples ashes in."
"So we just burn him outside? Do you want to stay there 'til the fire goes out or leave before any unwanted guests come along?"
"I don't want to just leave him, but I don't know if it'd be the wisest choice to just stand around watching a fire like a bunch a cavemen considering what's going on in the world right now. At least I assume it's the world and we don't just live in the most suck ass place in America, because then I would be pissed."
"I highly doubt it's just us. We can't be that special. I agree though, I'd be pissed too, if that was true." She shook her head and got back on the subject at hand. "So should we do it now or after we get all the crap we need together?"
"Crap first, I'm not super eager to do this."
"I understand."
They went around the apartment gathering things they thought they might need and brought them to Maria's car. Once they were finished with that they set to do the arduous task of cremating Jake. Artie was very hesitant about this, but he knew it had to be done. There was no way that he would just leave his cousin there, and he wasn't going to bury him against his wishes no matter how much he wished he could take the easy way out. He respected him too much for that and knew that if their roles had been reversed he would do the same. With Maria's help he carried him out into the hallway wrapped in the sheet and made their way to the elevator. The plan was to head up to the roof as that seemed to be a safer place then the ground. As long as no one else (and by no one else this obviously meant zombies) was up there.
Once they made it to the rook they set him down. Artie pulled out the bbq lighter the two had always used for all their fire lighting needs. There was less chance they would burn themselves with it as it was longer and they were both pretty clumsy when it came to things like that. His hand wavered as the lighter neared the edge of the sheet. Unsure if he could do it he looked to Maria for help. She gave him an encouraging smile and urged him on. Taking a steadying breath he swallowed and lit the sheet. He didn't know if it was just his own wrapped sense of reality or somebody up there really wanted to mess with him, but it seemed like the fire crawled up the sheet in super slow motion. It was like watching a car crash. The want, no the need to look away was so strong it was making him dizzy, but he just couldn't make himself do it.
After what felt like an eternity the body was fully consumed in flames and burning brightly. The smoke curled into the sky in graceful arks and Artie swore he could make out Jake's face in it. Maria, feeling it was time to go, patted him on the back and guided him off the roof. He allowed himself to be lead away like a lost child as he just couldn't muster up the strength to fight her, not that he really wanted to. She led him to her truck and pushed him into the passenger seat before getting into the driver's seat and starting the truck.
"It's gonna be okay Art." That was all she said before starting the car and driving off.
