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KATE
I hadn’t expected every inhabitant to be awake and anxiously awaiting our return. Apparently Jenna, who had been on watch when we slipped out, woke everyone when she saw us leave. Everyone is standing just inside the gate when we arrive.
“Mom, what the hell?” Carter says. “If you hadn’t left with Ben I’d be out there right now looking for you!”
“We were worried,” Reed puts in. “I could hardly believe Mama Bear and her old man just waltzed out of here with Eric like it wasn’t the apocalypse.”
“I had an errand,” I reply. Then I wheel the alpha into the compound.
Silence greets the introduction of the zombie strapped to the dolly. Then everyone starts talking at once.
Susan is incredulous. “You’re jeopardizing Creekside and bringing that thing in here?”
“Mama, are you sick?” Reed puts a hand to my forehead.
“’Bout damn time we caught one of these!” Johnny says. “We need to study it.”
“Are you stupid?” Ash says. “We need to kill it, not study it.”
I hold up my hands to quiet everyone. “We’ll discuss my actions just as soon as we secure the alpha zom.”
“An alpha?” Susan gapes. “God, this just gets worse!”
“How did you catch an alpha?” Reed looks impressed. “Man, I wish I could have seen that.”
“Creekside common room,” I bark. “Everyone go inside and wait there. Ben, Eric, and I will be there shortly.”
“Do you need an extra hand?” Johnny steps forward, eyes thoughtful as he studies the alpha. “I can help.”
“I’ll help, too,” Carter says.
“Me, too,” Jenna adds.
“We have it covered, thank you.” I make my voice firm to let them know I can’t be wheedled. “Creekside common room. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
They’re not happy, but they disperse.
“Well, it wasn’t a full-scale riot,” Ben mutters beside me. “That went over better than I expected.”
I frown at him. “Ash called me stupid and Susan accused me of putting our entire compound at risk.”
Ben shrugs. “They aren’t wrong.”
I’m too tired to argue. He, Eric, and I deposit the alpha zom in the second floor of Juniper, one of the unused and uninhabited dorms in our compound. We leave the thing strapped to the dolly and lock the door.
As we return to Creekside, Eric draws up beside me. His expression is somber. “I agree with you on this. We need to adapt. We need to face this alpha threat and get ahead of it.”
“Thanks, Eric. That means a lot.”
Ben grunts, scowling at nothing in particular. “You know I always have your back. No matter what.”
I give him a grateful smile. “I know, Ben. Thanks.”
This mollifies him. His expression softens and he gives me a curt nod.
Now it’s time to face my people and explain my plan for this monster I’ve brought into our home.
*
“HOW MANY OF YOU SAW the movie Gorillas in the Mist?”
Everyone under the age of thirty gives me a blank stare. Which means no one except Ben has any idea what I’m talking about.
“Gorillas in the Mist is the story of a naturalist who went to Africa to study gorillas,” I explain. “She lived with them and learned how to communicate with them.”
“You’re not saying you want us to immerse ourselves with that—that thing?” Ash says.
“Don’t forget about the part where Sigourney Weaver goes on a crusade to protect the gorillas from poachers,” Ben adds.
Thank you, Ben.
“That’s not the part of the movie I’m talking about. I’m referring to the part where Sigourney Weaver studies the gorillas and learns how they communicate with each other. Then she learns how to communicate with them. The alphas are communicating with the other zombies. We need to learn their language.”
Johnny and Gary lean forward. Jenna straightens, waiting intently. Reed’s eyebrows fly up and he cocks his head at me in consideration. Ben’s expression is grumpy as always, but he’s resigned himself to my plan.
Everyone else looks at me like I’ve left the plantation. Carter gapes at me like I’ve lost my mind. Susan and Caleb look at me like I’ve brought a great white into the room. Ash looks like she wants to relocate.
I have to sell them on this. I have to make them see what I see. All of them.
“Survival of the fittest,” I say. “You’re either in front of the train or you’re getting run over by it. We can sit on our hands while the alphas evolve and organize around us. Or we can get the jump on them and figure out how to defend ourselves against them. We can’t just keep blowing shit up every time they come around.”
“No offense, Kate, but I think we should do just that,” Caleb says. “The only good alpha is a dead one.”
“We’ve already had to evolve. Think about it. Would we have been using guns in the open to snipe zoms two month ago? When Ben and I ran through Arcata ahead of the Eureka horde we had to shoot an alpha to get through. What I’m staying is that we’ve already had to evolve. The alphas are forcing our hand. We can’t rely on old tactics. We need to study them and adapt our defensives accordingly.”
“We’re talking about monsters inside our home!” Carter says.
I rest a hand on his arm. “I understand your concern. It’s valid. Letting zombies inside our compound is dangerous. We’ll board up the doors and windows on the second floor of Juniper and reinforce the stairwell entrance.” I look to Ash and the other skeptics. “Our safety is the priority. That’s why we have to do this. This is the long game. I agree it’s uncomfortable, but think of it like an insurance policy.”
“You mean it’s a bitch to pay but nice to have when your ass gets rear-ended?” Reed asks.
“She means it’s like those laps we do at the track. They suck balls but we’re all grateful we’re not overweight pigs when we run from zoms.”
Ben. Ever the eloquent one.
“We evolve,” I agree. “It’s the only way to thrive. The minute we stop evolving, we die. It’s that simple.”
Silence. I can see my argument having an effect. Comprehension is dawning on those who, only a few minutes before, opposed my plan.
Ben breaks the silence. “Get over yourselves. You all know she’s right.”
If my argument swayed the naysayers, Ben’s words are a punch to the gut. Maybe it’s because he’s usually the first to condemn anything remotely risky. It’s fortunate I’ve had the last few hours to sell him on the idea.
I see the moment when Ash, Susan, Caleb, and Carter come to my side.
“Why does mom always have to be right?” Carter grumbles.
Ben raises an eyebrow. “It’s her super power. You should know that better than any of us.”
“The alpha will be under lock and key at all times,” I say. “It won’t escape. Neither will the two regular zombies we’re going to lock up in there with it.”
“What?” Eric’s chin snaps up. “You want to bring in more?”
“We need to watch an alpha with its pack. We have to give it a pack to command if we want to learn how it’s done.”
“Carter and I know how to catch regular zombies.” Jenna gives me a tentative smile. “We helped you do that before.”
I nod. A few pillowcases and some string did the trick that time. Those zombies had been a walk in the park compared to the alpha.
“How do you plan to observe them when you have them locked up?” Gary asks.
“We’ll cut a hole in the ceiling on the third floor. All observations will happen from above.”
Johnny’s hand shoots up. “I want to lead the research team.” He cracks his knuckles. I haven’t seen him look this jazzed since he started work on his How to Thrive in the Apocalypse book. “I’ll decipher their language.”
“What makes you an expert?” Ash asks. “Do you even speak more than one language?”
Johnny gives her an incredulous look. “I’m a writer. Language is my thing.” He glances at me. “Words are my super power.”
“The job is yours, Johnny.”
“I volunteer to be his assistant.” Gary’s hand shoots up in to the air. “I want to help. When I’m not cooking, I can be observing.”
“Dude.” Johnny slaps him high-five. “We’re the language department of the apocalypse.”
“Undead Language Department,” Reed declares. “We need to make you guys a door plaque. Are you going to keep office hours?”
“What’s your qualification?” Ash asks Gary.
“My fucked-up leg.” Gary says this with what I have come to regard as a perpetual well of cheeriness. “It’s perfect for sitting in the same place for hours on end.”
“Excuse me.” Susan raises her hand. “Sweetheart, not to be a downer, but how do you propose to get down the stairs, across the parking lot, and up to the third floor of Juniper?”
Everyone contemplates his wheelchair in silence. Gary’s brows knit together.
“We don’t have to overthink this,” Johnny says. “I’ll just grab some two-by-fours and make a portable ramp. We have that pile we grabbed from the woodshop. It’ll be good exercise for me to push Gary up and down the stairs since I’ve been out with tendonitis.”
“What he said.” Gary points at Johnny.
“Just until you can get yourself on a pair of crutches,” Johnny adds. “And so long as you know there are no in-and-out privileges. Once you’re in Juniper, you’re there ‘til it’s time for you to make dinner.”
“Deal.” Gary grins. “When do we get started?”
“I need a video recorder,” Johnny says. “And a portable voice recorder of some kind.”
“Time to scavenge.” Reed rubs his hands together with a grin. “I love going through other people’s shit. I broke my favorite bong last week. Maybe I’ll find a decent replacement.”