CHAPTER 18: NO FLOWERS PLEASE

September 6, 1993

Anthony shook Harlan awake. He could hear ferocious coughing coming from the other side of the house.

"Hey, are you all there?"Anthony put a hand on his back.

"Whuh? Yeah, I'm awake. I'm here." He couldn't see anything in the dark.

"Hilda is… not okay." She was hacking up a storm. They heard Carr's door open and close. Seems like the whole house was awake. Harlan felt the dark tide of fear fill his stomach.

With a huff, he turned on the flashlight, illuminating the tony bedroom. Anthony looked greasy and tired. Harlan was sure they all looked some type of way after being on the run for, what was it now? Three days?

Hilda coughed again and Harlan turned his head towards the door. Anthony gently placed his hand over Harlan's and squeezed. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Please."

Without another word, they stood up and walked across the hall. Hilda was curled up under the covers, shivering. Carr sat on the foot of the bed with one hand on Hilda's leg. Junior stood in the corner with no idea what to do as his mom lay dying.

"The antibiotics didn't work." Carr said, not taking her eyes off Hilda. "She took the first round when we got back." Harlan couldn't feel his face, he wasn't sure how he was emoting.

"C-Can I get another blanket?" Hilda mumbled.

"Sure thing sweetie." Carr left the room for a moment. Harlan took her place at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, it's me." She kept shivering. "How're you feeling?"

"Like dogshit, Harley." Another coughing fdit. "What the fuck is happening?"

Harlan felt his eyes water as he fought back a frown. "I think… you know what's wrong."

Hilda let out a long shuddering breath. "I'm fucking toast, huh?"

"Burnt to a crisp." He laughed, Hilda laughed, no one else did. Anthony stepped over to Junior and ushered him out of the room. Carr reappeared with a thick afghan and laid it across Hilda. She put the back of her hand on the other woman's forehead.

"You're on fire Hilda."

"I figured. I feel like I'm freezing." A moment of silence went by. "What time is it?"

"It's early." Harlan replied. "Very early."

"Really? Because I think it's too late for me." Hilda laughed at her own joke. Harlan held her hand and squeezed it. "Was that a bad joke?"

"No, no Hilda." Harlan felt a tear streak down his cheek. "I'm just sad I wont get to hear more of them."

In the dim light of the flashlight, Harlan could see his sister smile. "Figures that it took the end of the world to bring the Delgado's back together, huh?"

"Fuckin' figures."

Carr approached the two. "Do you have any… last wishes?" There was a thud from downstairs, but no one paid it much mind.

"Take care of mijo for me, Harlan."

"I always planned to."

Anthony appeared in the doorway, whispering. "Guys. Problem."

All three turned their heads to the wiry man with a wild look in his eye.

"Where's Harlan?" Harlan asked. Saying his own name still felt weird. As if on cue, his nephew appeared behind Anthony. Another dull thud resonated from downstairs.

"Don't make a fucking sound." Carr ordered. "What's the situation?"

Thud.

"They're outside, but I don't think they know we're in here." Anthony whispered.

"The monsters?" Junior asked.

"Yeah kiddo, monsters, so we gotta stay really quiet." He put a finger to his lips, Junior received the message.

"How many?" Harlan asked.

"I have no idea." There was another gentle thud.

"Kill the light, I'll look." Harlan turned it off and Carr peeked out the window.

The sun was starting to rise, burning off the morning mist, but the haze was still there. She squinted, looking for movement in the smog. At first she couldn't see much, but the longer she stared the more bodies she saw.

Not five. Not ten. Not twenty or fifty. But hundreds, maybe more. She gently replaced the blinds.

"So? How fucked are we?" Anthony asked as Hilda broke into a coughing fit. She turned into the pillow to try and mute herself.

"Like a whore on prom night." Carr's eyes locked on Junior "Sorry, uh, like an uh…"

"He already knows all the bad words." Hilda murmured. "Just don't encourage him." She tried to sit up in bed and held her arms out. "Come here mijo."

Junior hesitantly stepped over and hugged his mother, mumbling something.

"No mijo, no. Your uncle will make sure."

Junior detached and left the room with Anthony, leaving Carr and Harlan with Hilda. More gentle thuds came from downstairs as the dead aimlessly bumped into their temporary shelter. Harlan hoped it wouldn't be their last.

Hilda coughed. "I don't wanna be one of them, Harley."

"You wont."

"But I'm gonna try not to… turn like that."

Carr had a deep frown. Harlan sat on the floor next to this sister and held her hand. "Hold on as long as you can. We can't fire a gun right now."

"Do what you have to. Whatever it is, it won't be me."

"Don't talk like that Hilda." Harlan felt his face getting hot.

"No, it won't be me. I'll be dead soon Harley and someone needs to make sure I don't hurt Junior." She paused, looking at Carr and Harlan's faces. "Or anyone else."

"We'll make sure, don't worry."

The trio were silent for a while, interrupted only by Hilda's suppressed coughs and the dead outside. The more time passed, the longer her coughing fits got. As the sun rose higher in the sky, Carr got a better grasp of the situation outside.

"It's massive alright, but not impossible."

"Could we sneak past them?" Harlan asked.

"Hm, maybe."

More silence.

"I like Tony, Harley." Hilda said weakly.

"Oh, thanks."

"He's sweet, and he's been good with Junior." She coughed. "He told me how you two first met."

Harlan laughed. "Yeah, not under the best circumstances."

"He really loves you, I can tell by how he talks about you."

"I love him too, he knows that." Harlan rested his head against the bed's end table. "I can't think of anyone else I'd spend the apocalypse with."

"Not even me?" Hilda chuckled, then coughed again. Harlan playfully punched her shoulder.

"I would if I could." He sighed. "But I-… I'll take good care of Junior. We will take good care of him. I promise."

"I know you will, and not just because he has your name."

"What?"

"You were a little self-absorbed, Harley."

"Wha- really?" He looked up at Carr, who smirked and held her index finger and thumb close together. He replied with a muted sneer. "Even on your deathbed you wanna start shit. Unbelievable."

"Gotta go out swinging."

"You just want the last laugh."

She reached out and gripped Harlan's hand. "I'll be laughing while I watch over you and Junior." As if on cue, Anthony entered the room with him. Junior hid behind the tall lanky man's legs.

"Hey kiddo, how're you holding up?"

Anthony mouthed something at Harlan, who didn't understand. Junior didn't say anything.

"He'll be okay." Hilda wheezed. "He's a tough kid when he has to be."

"Do you want some time with mommy?" Anthony asked.

Junior shook his head.

"Do you… want to say goodbye?" Harlan said uneasily.

Junior turned and ran away. Harlan got up and followed him to the bedroom on the other side of the house. He found Junior sitting in the corner, facing the walls. He gently sat down near him.

"Are you okay, Junior?"

"I don't know you."

"You don't, but I'm your uncle." Harlan was in uncharted territory. The last 6-year-old he spoke to was when he was 6 himself. "You can get to know me. I'll be taking care of you from now on."

"I don't want mami to go."

Harlan sighed. "I don't want her to go either. She's my sister, and although I didn't see her for a… long time, I don't want to lose her."

"Where is she gonna go?" Junior turned around. Harlan saw his face was wet. He pulled his nephew into a hug.

"She's gonna go to heaven, Junior. She'll be watching over us and making sure we're all safe."

Junior started to cry, and Harlan cried with him. A few minutes went by and there was a knock at the door. Anthony's face said all that needed to be said.

"Stay here, Junior." Harlan followed Anthony into the other bedroom to find his sister pale as paper, sweating, and breathing hard under the blanket. He resumed his seat and grabbed her hand. She was ice cold.

"Harley," she managed between breaths, "don't let him end up like me."

"I wont, I wont. I promise I wont. I love you Hilda."

"Get him to Riverside, alright?"

"That's the plan, isn't it?" Harlan tried desperately to lighten up Hilda's final moments.

She released a long, slow wheezing laugh. Her hand went limp as her eyes left Harlan's and trailed up to the ceiling. Hilda stopped breathing.

Harlan squeezed her hand hard and bit his lips. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Hildy?"

No response.

He shook her hand back and forth before letting out a quiet sob, pulling her hand up against his forehead. Junior stood in the doorway behind Anthony with a blank expression. Carr shooed the two away, leaving Harlan with Hilda's body for a few minutes.

Harlan couldn't string words together if he wanted to. He sat there crying and holding his sister's hand. After a few minutes, Carr walked back in.

"I'm sorry, Harlan." He looked up, his lips quivering, and looked back down at the carpet. "She was a good woman, a good mom."

"Thanks." Harlan couldn't control his sarcastic tone as he wiped his nose with his arm.

"You know what we need to do now. Can you do it?"

Harlan didn't say anything, he sat planted on the carpet.

"Do you want me to do it?"

"I think I-I have to."

"They're still outside, not as many as before but enough for us to keep quiet." Carr said as she peeked out the window. She turned, Hilda's eyes were still open and staring at the sky. Harlan hadn't moved from his spot on the floor, his legs tucked under his chin.

A minute went by, neither human nor corpse moved.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Carr asked.

"I don't know."

"Then what are you gonna do?"

"Whatever I fucking want, Carr."

Hilda's head turned.

Harlan turned to look at her eyes, now a pale milky white. He scrambled to his feet as his sister swatted at him and fell to the floor. Harlan threw himself against the wall. Carr turned to face the two. Hilda grabbed Harlan's boot and pulled him to the floor. He stuck his arm under her chin, keeping her head away as she crawled on top of him. She mashed and gnawed, desperate for a bite.

"HILDA STOP IT! STOP IT!" He cried.

Suddenly the weight as lifted off of him. Carr lifted the smaller woman and tossed her to the floor

"Is this was you fucking wanted?!" She screamed at him as she planted a foot on Hilda's back. Hilda swung at Harlan, who plastered himself against the wall. There was a bang at the door.

"Harley what's going on? Are you two okay?!" Worry dripped into Anthony's voice.

Harlan was breathing rapidly. Hilda kept grabbing for him, then grabbing for Carr, she couldn't make up her mind. He was frozen.

"We're fine, stringbean!" Carr reached for her machete and held it high.

"NO DON'T-"

She brought it down on Hilda's skull, cleaving it almost in half. Her arms fell limply to the floor.

There was a moment of silence, broken by a noise downstairs.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.