and sat down. Perhaps if she tried to forget about what happened it might go away? She smiled at Agnes and started eating her stew again.
“What do you mean?” Agnes asked outraged.
“The world is a dangerous place.” Lucy said, “I just think you should stay home from now on where I can protect you.”
“Why?” Agnes demanded, “Did something happen out there?”
“Everything is fine.” Lucy said with a graceful smile.
A siren echoed through the night. It was so loud that Agnes clasped her ears shut with both hands. The siren kept ringing.
“What is that?” Agnes yelled.
Lucy sat frozen in fear. She knew all too well what that sound was. It was the sound that reminded her of her childhood. It was the sound that warned that danger was approaching.
“It’s the emergency siren.” Lucy said, “They don’t sound the siren unless there are more than one infected person in town. The siren hasn’t been rung since...”
She thought for a moment and continued, “Since I was a little girl.”
ELEVEN
The siren echoed through the night as a warning to all that the wall had been breached. Every resident of the small tranquil town ducked for cover by barricading their doors and windows. Those who were lucky enough to have attics sought solace there. Nobody wanted to get caught in the middle of a war with the undead.
“That’s bad, right?” Agnes exclaimed terrified, “What do we do now?”
Lucy calmed herself down and retained ladylike poise. Even in the biggest of emergencies a lady always had to compose herself. Though she was alarmed herself, she had to stay strong and level-headed for Agnes’s sake. There comes a time in every woman’s life when she has to make a stand for what is important in her life. Agnes was her life and she would protect her at any cost.
Lucy straightened out her dress, bobbed her hair with one hand to ensure all was in place and then walked over to the window.
“Mom?” Agnes whimpered.
“We stay indoors.” Lucy said without looking away from the window.
There was a moment of silence as Agnes waited to hear the rest of her mother’s plan.
“That’s it?” Agnes asked confused.
Lucy turned around graciously and said, “For now.”
“Shouldn’t we barricade the door or something?” Agnes asked.
Lucy stared out through the window as two police officers ran down the street. The one was on his short wave radio and trying to call for backup or something.
“Nobody’s answered in years.” The other officer told him as they ran out of sight.
And then it dawned on Lucy; help wasn’t coming. She slowly turned away from the window and got lost in her thoughts. There were only two police officers in town; it was a small town and zombie invasions were a thing of the past. There was no way that two officers could protect them should the town be run over.
“Mom!” Agnes cried out.
Lucy kept her grandiose poise as she shut the curtains and turned around. She clasped her hands together in front of her as if gesturing that everything was under control.
“Compose yourself.” Lucy said gracefully, “This is nothing to worry about.”
“What if the town gets over run?” Agnes asked.
“I have the utmost confidence in our police force.” Lucy said assured.
“What?” Agnes asked perplexed, “Jack and Anthony? They’re fat pieces of jelly. They can hardly walk without running out of breath. They’re no good.”
Her mother was acting like herself again, but it came at the wrong time. She wanted someone who could show a little more emotion than a stone carving. She wanted to know her mother was just as scared as she was. They were trapped in a town which could get over run by zombies at any moment.
“We should just stay put.” Lucy said, “When I was a younger girl, people went outside when the siren went off and they died. We are staying put. It’s not like the undead will come knocking at our door.”
There was a sudden and rapid knock at the front door which startled both of them. They stared at the door and then at each other.
“Aren’t you gonna answer it?” Agnes asked.
Lucy took a deep breath, composed herself and reached for the doorknob. She opened the door expecting to see a zombie, but was relieved when she saw a boy standing on the porch.
“May I help you?” She asked.
Agnes spotted Elliot on the porch and pushed her mother aside.
“Elliot!” Agnes exclaimed.
She grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him into the house before closing the door.
“This is Elliot?” Lucy asked, “I pictured him a bit taller.”
“What are you doing here?” Agnes asked surprised.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Lucy asked, but was ignored.
“I came to get you.” Elliot said, “I think I found the secret tunnel.”
“Yeah?” Agnes asked impressed.
“Wait a moment.” Lucy announced, “What tunnel?”
Elliot and Agnes turned to face Lucy; both annoyed at the interruption.
“Oh, that part you hear?” Lucy said sarcastically, “But the rest of my questions fell on deaf ears.”
“It’s called selective hearing, mother.” Agnes said.
“I found the blueprints for a secret tunnel that leads out of town.” Elliot said, “It looks like it comes out about five hundred yards or so beyond the wall.”
“I think we should take it.” Agnes said.
“What?” Lucy gasped graciously, “You cannot be serious.”
“What choice do we have should the town be overrun by the undead?” Agnes said.
“Do don’t know what’s down there.” Lucy said, “What if there are infected people down there just wandering about in the tunnel?”
“I think we should take our chances.” Agnes insisted.
“I agree.” Elliot said, “My dad was just a teenager the last time the town was overrun by zombies, but he still remembered it clearly. There were hundreds of them. He barely escaped with his life.”
Lucy found herself in a predicament. They had no idea whether the tunnel was still even accessible or not, but then on the other hand she remembered the last time the undead breached the wall. It was a massacre.
Lucy took a deep breath and composed herself.
“Alright, we can go.” Lucy said, “But we’re getting my sister and her children. I am not leaving them behind.”
“Great.” Agnes said relieved and turned to Elliot, “So where exactly is this tunnel?”
“The church.” Elliot said smug, “Where else would you find absolution?”
TWELVE
Lucy peeked out through the keyhole of the front door to check whether the coast was clear. Agnes and Elliot stood behind her. Agnes had a frying pan in her hand while Elliot had a butcher knife. Lucy and Agnes were dressed in their best Sunday Church outfits as per Lucy’s request. A lady had to look her best when leaving the house – even if it was to kill the undead.
“Any zombies out there?” Elliot asked.
Agnes gave him a harsh look and motioned with her hand for him to be quiet. Lucy looked back over her shoulder and he could see she was annoyed.
“We do not use such foul language in this house.” Lucy said and peeked through the keyhole again.
She couldn’t really see much through the keyhole, but she could see a few people walking down the street.
“Are there any out there though?” Agnes asked.
Lucy studied the people for a moment; they all seemed to be walking irrationally and slow which meant they were walking corpses. She sighed and stepped back from the door.
“There are a few of the infected out there, yes.” Lucy said defeated.
“We can take them.” Agnes said confidently.
“With a frying pan and a butcher knife?” Lucy asked sceptically, “We’re ill equipped to fight a group of the undead. And how ar
e we going to keep your six year old cousin safe?”
“It’s better than staying here and doing nothing.” Agnes shot back.
Lucy rolled her eyes and thought, and there is that mouth again. Then again, Agnes had a point. The last time a group of the undead breached the wall was back in 1935 and many people died – sure they had the occasional walker stroll through town before then, but September 1935 was a massacre.
“Fine.” Lucy said with a sigh.
She reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door creaked open and she cautiously stepped out onto the porch. She glanced up and down the street and when it was safe, she motioned for Agnes and Elliot to come outside.
“How far is your aunt’s house?” Elliot asked.
“On the other side of town.” Agnes said, “A block or two from the church.”
“We’ll take the car.” Lucy said.
She led them over to the car which stood parked in the driveway and spotted two zombies stumbling towards them. The zombies noticed them and were hungry for their flesh. Lucy panicked and started fumbling with the keys in order to open the door.
“Get in.” She said as she unlocked the door.
They all got into the car and she backed out into the street just as the two zombies reached the driveway. She bumped into one of the zombies and it fell underneath the wheels of the car. The squishing sound of blood and crackling sound of shattering skull made Lucy cringe. She rolled down her window and glanced down at the bloody mess beneath the car.
“Sorry.” She apologized to the heap of goo.
She put the car in gear and drove off. Though the sirens rung and the wall was breached, there wasn’t much chaos in the streets. Most people opted to stay indoors, so the streets were deserted except for the occasional family who packed up everything and got into