Patrick D'Orazio - Into the Dark

Teddy also told him something else about the camp. After dark, almost every night, a few of the infected would somehow find their way through the woods. No one could explain it. The camp went deathly silent after dark. The shades were pulled, and no lights were allowed. The moans of the infected were enough of an alarm for those on patrol to zero in and take them out before they alerted other ghouls to the camp’s location.

“You won’t have to do a shift up top tonight,” Ray told Jeff. “But starting tomorrow, I’m sure you and George will be up on the wall like the rest of us.”

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Megan spent time with Lydia and the children. The older woman was the mother hen, caring for the kids as well as everyone else. Jason tried to also chat with Teddy and Ray, but kept getting pulled into various games by Joey and Nathan.

George stayed by himself for the most part. He only emerged from the RV to collect the modest dinner of hot dogs and beans that Lydia prepared in the early evening. Jeff watched his friend sullenly eat and decided not to try to talk to him any further. He knew Michael’s decision had to be gnawing at the man.

As the sun died in the sky, Jeff watched the camp shut down. What the teenagers had told him was true. Everyone not on watch drifted toward their RVs.

Shades were drawn, and the world was quiet once again.

It was a calm night for Jeff and the others as they went to sleep inside the RV. Michael had offered them sleeping pills, which Megan refused on behalf of all of them, barely containing her ire with their new leader. His smile never faltered as he welcomed them to the camp once again before leaving the RV.

Eventually they fell asleep to the sounds of quiet footsteps above as the men and teenagers of the camp took turns on watch. Jeff thought he heard a moan in the middle of the night and then several furious footsteps running across the roof, but couldn’t be sure as he dozed fitfully on the pullout couch.

The next morning, Megan watched Jason get up and quickly dress. As he stepped outside the RV, she wondered about the twelve year old. Although he didn’t speak much, it was clear it was a daily struggle for him in this new world. Even around George, the man with whom he had spent the most time, the boy showed little emotion. So it seemed strange to her that he was the one adapting to the camp better than any of them. The children liked him and so did Michael, apparently. Megan didn’t know what to make of that, but supposed it was for the best.

Thirty minutes later, she was up and ready to go as well. When she stepped out of the RV, she saw Michael sitting with Frank and Marcus at one of the card tables. The two underlings glared at her while Michael smiled and nodded. She waved to him, deciding to play nice for the time being. She turned when she heard the children and was grateful for the distraction. They were playing with Jason and Lydia across the courtyard. The children were running in circles around Jason and laughing quietly at one another.

“Is he your kid?”

Megan swung around, startled. Cindy was standing there, behind her, a grin on her face. She giggled as she saw Megan’s frightened look, and her toothy smile widened. The heavy black makeup on the young woman’s face added to the creepy vibe she gave off. Cindy’s diet had clearly not suffered over the past few chaotic weeks. She was slender, but her arms and legs were well defined, with muscle buried beneath her array of tattoos.

Megan took an involuntary step back as she tried to regain her composure. Cindy advanced, amused at the reaction she was getting.

“Cat got your tongue?” the punk girl asked as she crossed her arms.

“No.” Megan shook her head and blinked. “And no. Jason is not my kid.”

Cindy snorted and stared over at the boy. “Not surprising. I didn’t figure you as the type to go for dark meat.”

Megan watched Cindy lick her lips as she took a closer look at Jason’s lanky physique.

“In a few years, he’ll be a nice little treat.” She turned on Megan again. “Know what I mean?” Her eyes sparkled as she raised an eyebrow.

Megan went cold inside. She gritted her teeth as she took a step forward.

“You stay away from him. Do you understand? Just stay the hell away from him.”

It came out as a hiss as she stabbed at Cindy with her finger.

Cindy’s grin spread. She looked excited at Megan’s response.

“Mmm, baby. Mommy loves it when you get all angry like that,” Cindy said in a low, sultry voice that knocked Megan off kilter. When the odd girl rubbed her hands up her legs and torso as she moaned, Megan was transfixed, unsure how to react.

After a few seconds, Cindy threw back her head and let out a wicked laugh. When her head tilted forward again, her eyes were filled with raw hatred.

“Bitch, you aren’t in charge around here. I am, and don’t you forget it.”

Cindy advanced on Megan, her long nails lashing out. Megan ducked, her arm shifting to cover her face. As she knelt, waiting for the first scratch, Megan heard more of Cindy’s twisted laughter. Slowly lowering her arm, the diminutive woman saw Michael’s girlfriend standing relaxed in front of her.

Shaking her head as she stopped cackling, Cindy looked at Megan with distaste. “If I wanted that little boy, I’d take him, and there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it.”

She moved with a fluid grace, wrapping her arms around Megan before the petite woman could cringe once again. Gripping her tightly, Cindy snuggled her head close until her lips were pressed against Megan’s ear.

“Listen carefully, Megan, or whatever the hell your name is. You better stay the fuck out of my way and steer clear of my man. In fact… ” She paused, rocking Megan gently in her arms as she heard a slight whimper coming from her lips. “Maybe you should steer clear of Jeff and George too. I might want a taste of them as well.”

Megan fell to the ground as Cindy released her and walked away. Looking up, Megan saw Frank and Marcus laughing, although Michael wasn’t pleased by Cindy’s little display. The girl strolled by him, ignoring the tirade he was directing at her. He gave Megan a brief, apologetic look and followed Cindy into the RV, slamming the door behind him.

Megan nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt another hand on her shoulder. She recoiled, but then relaxed when she saw it was Lydia.

“Oh dear, I am so sorry.”

Lydia shook her head with regret as she glared over at where Cindy had just been standing. “There’s something wrong with that girl.” She looked back at Megan and extended her hand. “Don’t worry about anything she says. She’s a mental case, but Michael keeps her on a pretty tight leash. Rest assured he’ll set her straight about what she just did.”

Megan brushed herself off and let Lydia help her back to her feet. “She really is a twisted bitch, isn’t she?”

Lydia chuckled and shook her head. “You have no idea.”

They walked back toward the children. Megan glanced over at Frank and Marcus one last time, and they were still chuckling at her. She gave them the finger and smiled delicately. Frank’s face tightened, but he gave no other response as she kept walking.

Jeff woke about an hour later, having only slept in fits and starts throughout the night. He looked over at George, who had chosen a chair to sleep in, and realized that only the two of them remained in the RV. The older man had covered his head with a pillow and had propped his legs up on an ottoman.

Jeff got up and moved over to the sink. He put the stopper in, lifted the tap, and splashed his face, rubbing away a layer of sweat. Staring in the mirror, he examined himself.