Where Zombies Walk: Chapter 8

Felix proved to be a greater help than even he could imagine. More than once, Rex praised him for his show of strength and stamina as they battled their way up the steep hillside with the heavily laden wagon.

Olga worriedly monitored their progress, but said nothing. She’d overprotected her nephew because of his deformity for his entire life. She could see now that it wasn’t a necessary thing to have done.

Felix was born while they were huddled together like eggs in an egg carton in the bomb shelter. The birth was a long and complicated one. It resulted in a damaged foot for him and death for his mother. Having assisted with the birthing, Olga carried a heavy guilt over what had happened. It didn’t matter that none of them were trained for such an event and that they’d managed to save Felix even if they couldn’t save his mother. She kept wondering if someone else in the group might have done it better.

Because of Felix’s age, Olga was careful to keep him away from those who might assume that his club foot was a result of nuclear contamination while in the womb. He was deformed due to a birthing incident and lack of sufficient medical care. He was not a mutant. She’d kept this worry from him while they lived in the cave and wondered if she should confess it now that they were relocating into a foreign territory. Felix was an innocent teenager who’d led a fairly isolated life. He had no idea of the true dangers and cruelties that awaited mutants in the world outside of their nucleus, just as he had no idea that he could easily be mistaken for a mutant. Seeing how well that he stepped up to and handled the responsibilities being placed upon him, she wondered if it might be time to warn him of these possibilities.

They camped one more night without mishap before they braved their way deeper into zombie land. They reached the abandoned camp in mid-afternoon. Although tempted to rush in and explore the various buildings on the site, they hung back and observed to make sure that there were no unexpected occupants.

Olga’s eyes surveyed the property with both approval and curiosity. “This is one impressive camp. The buildings look to be in great shape. I can’t understand why it’s abandoned. Is there something wrong with the soil?”

“From what I determined while staying here,” Rex offered, “the place was used as a health resort. I’m assuming they left because of the zombie threat. I imagine anyone who could afford to come here had money. They’re probably safely tucked away in middle earth.”

“Hmm. Middle earth,” Olga mused. “That’s a nice term.”

Rex raised a brow. “What do you call it?”

“I haven’t given it much thought, but when I think of it, I think center of the earth. I like middle earth better.”

Rex smiled. “I think it’s safe to go in.”

Olga left Felix and Kendra with the wagon while she and Rex investigated each of the six buildings on the grounds.

Kendra leaned against the wagon as she watched them disappear into the largest building. Admiring its thick log siding, she could see why Rex would call the place a camp instead of a resort. The log buildings blended in with the raw landscape in a way that made it look like they belonged there just as much as the sparse patches of grass, rocks, and trees that surrounded them did. She could just imagine how the wildlife must have meandered the grounds during dawn and dusk feedings before the war brought life as they knew it to a halt. It must have been a hunter’s paradise.

She sighed with satisfaction when Olga stepped out onto the porch of the main building and beckoned for her and Felix to join them. She was tired and her foot was getting worse. Had the place been uninhabitable for any reason, she just didn’t know if she’d have been able to move on. The pulled muscle in her back was given a reprieve when Rex insisted that she carry nothing at all, but she still needed time off of her foot to let it heal. As she and Felix limped together toward their waiting aunt, she inspected him with her peripheral vision. He was clearly tired. Dog tired, in fact. It wasn’t just her who needed some down time.

The inside of the cabin was roomy enough to fit the cave that she’d been raised in inside of it five times over. She was practically speechless as her aunt gave her a tour of the kitchen and great room. There was a large, dark pine harvest table on one side of the room nearest the kitchen. An overstuffed sofa with upholstery that sported a wildlife pattern and two coordinating chairs were strategically placed on the opposite side of the room next to a fireplace. They were positioned so that the occupants could look out through the enormous, thermal paned picture window onto the center of the camp grounds. A coffee table and end tables, a floor lamp, a table lamp, and a few area rugs completed the look. Although covered in dust, she could still appreciate the wood floor that ran the length of the house.

“There are enough solar panels out back to power up the entire camp, but they aren’t connected,” Rex offered.

“Rupert was our solar wiz,” Felix said with a frown.

“As am I,” Rex said light heartedly. “I connected enough to keep the lights on in here when I stayed before. I’ll get all of them up and running in due time. For right now, let’s get that wagon emptied and settle in for the night, shall we?”

Kendra was in awe as she continued to tour the main house. She marveled over the enormous bathroom with its tub and shower. A slight gasp, followed by a giggle escaped her when Rex informed her that she’d soon be able to soak in the deep tub.

Olga had described her home before the war on many occasions, but it had seemed abstract until now.

“You lived like this?” Kendra said with an awed whisper.

Olga put her hands on her hips and nodded. “Better than this.”

A single tear slid down Kendra’s cheek. “How hard it must be for you, aunt. I’m so sorry.”

Olga shrugged. “It’s been hard for all of us.”

Kendra vigorously shook her head. “You can’t miss what you never had. Felix and I never had this. How were you able to continue on?”

“Did I have a choice?” Olga asked with a thick, emotional voice. “Anyway, after being crammed into that bomb shelter with a few dozen smelly bodies for the better part of a year, the cave was a palace.”

“What type of home did we have before the cave? How did my mother and father live?”

Olga looked at her with surprise. “This is the first you’ve asked that.”

“It never occurred to me before.”

Olga pulled Kendra into a hug and rested her chin on the top of her head. “Your parents weren’t rich, but the family was well off enough that we could afforded to migrate to the center of the earth alongside the wealthy ones. The house you were born into was large with every possible amenity. When your parents build our settlement, we still had a good number of perks. It was one of the advantages of having a family full of scientists.”

“I thought that only my parents were the scientists,” Olga mused.

“Your parents were the ones who were involved with the government’s germ warfare program, but you had two uncles and an aunt who were also scientists. There was also a mechanic and a refrigerator/air-conditioning repair man amongst us.”

“They were all taken?” she asked, knowing full well that they had been, but still needed her aunt to confirm that fact.”

“All of them,” Olga said with a nod.

“Did you have a profession before the war?”

Olga chuckled. “You’re full of curiosities all of the sudden.” When Kendra remained expectantly silent, she sighed. “I was the third scientist.”

Kendra grinned. “So, that’s why you’re so good at mixing things.”

Olga grinned and started down the hall. “You’ll be having your own bedroom here. Do you think you’ll like that?”