A Safe Place Read online

  A Safe Place

  By

  Scott Frost

  Prologue

  The world turned into a state of terror. The infected never stopped hunting; never stopped searching for food. We didn’t see it coming. No one did. It happened overnight. We watched the news broadcast before we fell asleep, but thought nothing of it. The reports were vague. They warned citizens to stay inside. We listened. We stayed inside. They said that a virus had potentially spread. Potentially, everything was always potentially.

  Natasha and Emma fell asleep on my lap. I watched my beautiful wife and daughter sleeping. They looked peaceful. They were both laying across the couch, their heads resting on a pillow on my lap. Emma was wearing her favorite Dora the Explorer night gown. I was sitting upright, slightly leaning against the arm of the couch. I was very unconformable , but I didn’t want to move and risk waking them up.

  It took me a while to fall asleep that night. If I had known that the next time I opened my eyes the world would be different, I would’ve prepared. Not that I would’ve known how to prepare. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently. I would start off with gathering plenty of ammunition, water, food, and find a safe house. Oh yeah, and plenty of gasoline, and a very dependable vehicle and several hundred cartons of cigarettes. But that wasn’t the case. I fell asleep just like every night. I simply closed my eyes. But before my eyes closed I quietly said I love you to my sleeping beauties.

  The next morning when I woke the world had changed. I don’t remember hearing any gunshots or pounding on our door. I am thankful that I dead bolted the door . I don’t remember dreaming. I don’t remember anything about the night. I woke up refreshed. It had been the first good night sleep I had in a long time, without the aid of sleeping pills. As my eyes opened, I noticed that sometime during the night, Emma and Natasha shifted sleeping positions. Emma was now curled into a ball off the pillow. Natasha was barely on the pillow, and curled up in the fetal position, her arms around Emma.

  I slowly moved off the couch trying not to wake them. My legs, back and neck hurt. I stretched, and yawned. And then it hit me, the need for nicotine. The dreaded smokers curse. I walked into kitchen and grabbed my pack of smokes. I opened the kitchen window and lit a Camel Light. I inhaled deeply, too deeply. My lungs filled up with smoke, and my throat burned. I coughed loudly. No phlegm. Good sign.

  I took another drag, a lighter drag this time. And the rush of nicotine hit me. It was a relief. My chest relaxed. I sat at the table, and finished the cigarette before making a pot of coffee. My morning routine was always the same. First a smoke and then I made a pot of coffee. I looked through the cabinets and settled on my favorite coffee, though not Natasha’s favorite, Alterra’s House Blend. I pulled out two coffee mugs; Natasha’s red coffee mug, her favorite, and my Florida’s Key West coffee mug, my favorite. I also took out the cream, and sugar.

  Next to nicotine, caffeine was the next most important thing in the morning. As I waited for the coffee, I lit another Camel Light. It was a good thing Natasha was still asleep. She would’ve given me a hard time, and called me a chain smoker. And some days I was a chain smoker. The days that I could smoke one after another was a long time ago, now it’s a different story. I still smoke but not as much, and sometimes not even one a week. Cigarettes are not easy to come by in this new world.

  I heard the sound of waking from the living room. It sounded like my wife stretching. I heard the couch creak as she slowly moved around Emma and stood up.

  I was about to put out my smoke, but then decided against it.

  “Good morning honey.” She said, her voice tired, but still sweet

  “Good morning sweetie. How did you sleep?” I asked

  She rolled her eyes, and smiled as she walked toward me. As she got closer she opened her arms. I moved my chair, giving her plenty of room to climb onto my lap. She sat on me, wrapping her arms around me. Her face buried into my neck, her lips kissing in small circles. She pulled away from me and our eyes met.

  “You know how much I love you?” She asked.

  “Not as much as I love you.” I replied.

  As often as we played this game; the I love you more game, I never grew tired of it. All that really mattered was that we loved each other. And though I haven't heard her voice say I love you in a long time I don’t think love ever leaves. All it does is fade away somewhere in the back of our heart and mind, but it’s never gone. Just on vacation.

  The beeping sound from the coffee machine made her jump. I laughed. She leaned down and we kissed. It was a quick, but sweet kiss. And then she moved off me, her warm body felt good on top on me.

  She filled both of our coffee mugs and added cream and sugar in her mug. I added cream. She glanced at the kitchen clock.

  “Why are we up? It’s only 6am.” She asked

  “I don’t know. To be honest I hadn’t even looked at the time.

  Want to go back to bed. And maybe, you know what.” I said, giving her a seductive and funny wink.

  “Alex, get your mind out of the gutter. You know we don’t have time for that. Emma will be waking up soon. You know she always wakes up around 6:30am, plus I need to take a shower; how about a rain check for tonight after she falls asleep, candles and everything?”

  “It’s a date.” I said.

  “Did you end up watching the rest of the news last night? What’s going on with that virus?”

  I watched the reports for a while after she fell asleep, but to be honest I wasn’t paying much attention.

  “No, not really, let’s see what they are saying.”

  We grabbed our coffee mugs. We didn’t want to wake Emma so we walked into the bedroom. We sat next to each other on the bed, and our empty hands found each other. We held hands. I set my mug on the nightstand and hit the power button on the remote. The TV turned on but the cable was out.

  “Great the cable must be out.” I hissed.

  “The cable is always going out.” She said, with a hint of I told you so. She wanted cable, and I wanted satellite. I won. Right then I wish I hadn’t.

  “Let’s check online.” She said as she got off the bed.

  We walked into the living room, and quietly sat at the computer desk. I let Natasha use the office chair, and I pulled the ottoman and sat on that. She powered the computer. And hit the internet explorer icon. We waited for the annoying ring tone. Nothing happened. I stood up and walked toward the dining room, which is where we kept the phone.

  I held it to my ear and listened. Nothing. No dial tone.

  “What the hell. The cable is out. The internet is out. The phone is out. Check your cell phone.” I was beginning to get worried. The cable being out was nothing new but the internet and phone all going out at the same time never happened.

  She had already pulled her purse onto her lap and was digging in it trying to find her cell phone. She flipped it open and hit one button. I assumed it was a speed dial. She flipped her cell phone down, and flipped it open again. She hit three buttons.

  “Nothing. Alex, what’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. Let me check next door and see if they are having problems.”

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  I put on my shoes and reached for the door handle. The sound of my daughter stopped me.

  “Daddy, where are you going? You don’t have to go to work today do you? I thought we were going to the zoo. You promised.” As she spoke she kept looking back and forth from me to her mom. She flashed us both her sad puppy eyes.

  “Daddy isn’t going to work. He just needs to check on something. He will be right back. Are you hungry?”

  “I’ll be right back sweetie.” I said as I opened the door and left.

  I heard Emma say that she wan
ted pancakes with chocolate chips.

  I walked out into the fresh air, and wished that I had grabbed my smokes. I walked about five feet and stopped. I didn’t really know either of our neighbors, but knew the one on the left a little better. His name was William. I think he was in his mid-forties. He worked third shift. No kids. No wife. He was a quiet guy, which is why I liked him.

  I knocked but then realized that he wouldn’t be home yet. I was pretty sure he worked the 12am to 8am. I knocked one more time, still no answer.

  I walked past my apartment door and reached our other neighbor, the loud ones. I don’t remember their names. They were a young couple, younger us. They had constant parties. Several times when the noise got too loud or we heard fighting we called the police. The landlord didn’t seem to care that much because no matter how many times we complained the landlord never did anything about it, which is when we decided to stop calling the landlord and start calling the police.

  We had thought about moving out of that apartment for a long time, but financially we were never able to. We had dreams of buying a nice home for Emma. A home with land and a tire swing. And maybe even a pool. Ironically now I have no money and have a home. I don’t own it, though; I don’t think anyone owns anything these days. Our home has a tire swing, but no pool. We don’t plan on staying much longer. It’s time to move on. My family wants to leave. I promised Emma that I would take her to Disney Land and a promise is a promise.

  Chapter One

  My parents lived in an old country home in Crown Point, Indiana. Their house was twelve miles away from the closest town, and their closest neighbor was over two miles away, I hoped that living away from a populated area would protect them. My brother and sister shared a condo in Chicago. I didn’t have much hope for their safety. Even if they found a way to barricade themselves in their condo, how long could they have lasted? They would’ve run out of food, and water, and it would’ve been impossible to search for supplies. I always regret not being able to call them or search for them, but after the initial outbreak things happened very fast. It was never safe to be outside so trying to get to Crown Point would’ve been very difficult and trying to get to Chicago would’ve been impossible. It would be a little easier now but too much time has passed. I still hope they are alive and surviving like we are.

  We lived in relative solitude for several days after the initial outbreak. We ate sparingly, allowing Emma the bigger portions. We still had running water and electricity. We hadn’t left our apartment since the outbreak, nor did we want to. We had no outside communication. We thought about checking on our neighbors again, but didn’t want to risk letting someone get in. We had more to worry about than just the infected. We didn’t know our neighbors well enough to trust them.

  We constantly feared that someone would attempt to break in our apartment and steal our supplies, or worse. So we stayed in our safe haven, and prayed for help. The first couple of days weren’t that bad. We had plenty of food. We watched movies and read. We played games; Emma’s favorite board game was monopoly. We played that game at least a hundred times. Our new life had become a habit. We woke in the morning. I checked the door and the windows. We ate breakfast. We watched a movie, and read. We ate lunch and watched another movie or two before dinner. We ate dinner. Nights were harder.

  Emma adjusted better than I thought she would. We explained everything as best we could. She understood that people were sick, and it wasn’t safe to go outside, but she didn’t understand to what extent people were sick. She kept asking if she could call her friends. My reply was the always the same. She was just seven and had just started talking on the phone with her friends.

  “Very soon, I promise.” I said.

  She asked the same question several times a day. My response was always the same. It was part of our new daily routine.

  We slept in the living room on an inflatable mattress. Occasionally after Emma fell asleep, Natasha and I went into the bedroom and made love. I miss those moments. I miss the feeling of her body. I miss her smile, and the sound of her voice. I remember in perfect detail the last time we made love. It was a week after the outbreak, after the infected started searching for survivors. We played monopoly until Emma fell asleep. It was late, around midnight. We kissed Emma goodnight, and prayed for her safe keeping.

  I walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water, and Natasha followed me. After my glass was empty, Natasha walked into my open arms, and we embraced each other. I ran my fingers lightly up her back. She kissed my neck, and slowly nibbled on my ear lobe. My hands traveled around her back, and slowly made their way to her chest, gently rubbing her breasts. She softly moaned her approval. We made our way into the bedroom, and I sat on the bed while she did a slow strip tease, the whole time humming, Let’s get it on by Marvin Gaye.

  She stood in front of me, nude, and beautiful. I watched her body, her stomach rising and falling at each breath. Her body was perfect, and shimmered in the moonlight that came through the window. She slowly walked toward the bed and lowered herself on me, and kissed me until her lips made their way to my lips. She stayed on top, breathless. Her cheeks and neck were a crimson red. She looked down at me, and with her sweet smile asked me to promise her something.

  “I want you to promise me something. If anything happens to me I want you to do whatever it takes to keep Emma alive and safe, and happy. Promise me!”

  That was the first time I had considered the possibility of something happening to her, let alone, Emma. I should have been more concerned, but the truth was I felt safe. Yes, we watched as the infected walked outside, but they never came for us. I thought we were safe. It was a foolish hope. It was foolish for me to think nothing bad would happen, after all, we were living a horror movie.

  “Promise me,” she repeated, as she slowly lowered herself onto me. I wrapped my arms around her back, and kissed her neck.

  “I promise to keep Emma safe. I promise to keep you safe.” I said.

  I would’ve promised her the world, and meant it.

  We fell asleep naked, holding each other that night. Emma‘s screaming woke us up early the next morning. Natasha put on her robe and ran into the living room. I quickly grabbed my boxers, and followed Natasha, grabbing my baseball bat that was leaning against the dresser.

  She had screamed because she woke up all alone, and was scared. The infected hadn’t broken in. We were still safe. Natasha held Emma for nearly twenty minutes before she calmed down, and eventually she went back to sleep.

  I wish I would’ve taken more precautions back then. If I had, maybe my family would still be together, though, maybe not. Nothing is for sure in this new world.

  The next couple of weeks were hard. We ran out of food, and lost electricity. The water was still on. We let Emma eat the last of the food. Natasha and I didn’t eat anything for two days. I knew I had to leave. We needed supplies, and it was my job to find them. I also wanted to find a gun. And so the plan was discussed. I would leave, and find supplies. I didn’t want to be alone, but I didn’t want Emma or Natasha to leave the safety of the apartment. On the third day, after running out of food, I left.

  We moved the bookshelves out of the way, and I looked out the peephole. I didn’t see anyone. I unlocked the door, and opened it. The fresh air was wonderful. I walked outside, and stood on the front deck, scanning the area. No one was around. The parking lot was nearly empty. Our apartment had six units, three upstairs and three downstairs. I decided to check on our neighbors downstairs.

  I walked down the stairs, and knocked on Unit 1’s door. Unit 1 belonged to an older couple, Harold and Doris. No one replied. I knocked harder. And still no answer.

  I turned the handle, and to my surprise the door opened. I let the door open, and waited until it hit the wall before I walked in. I shut and locked the door behind me. I searched every room, the apartment was empty. I quickly ran into the kitchen, and started my search for supplies. I used a suitcase I had found in the bedroom t
o carry what I found. I searched both bedroom closets for a gun, but didn’t find one. Once the suitcase was full, I made my way into the bathroom. I looked around and decided that I needed another suitcase. I didn’t find another. My plan was to go back to my apartment, unload the suitcase, and go back and reload the suitcase with everything else I could find.

  As I left the apartment, I shut the door, and walked toward the staircase. I looked around, and at first didn’t see anyone. As I made my way up the stairs, I stopped. The smell was horrific. I nearly dropped the suitcase when I turned around. The smell was of death, the smell of the infected.

  I saw them walking toward the apartment complex. I didn’t count them. I was in shock. It was a large group, easily over twenty. I froze, and I watched them walk closer. They walked in unbalanced steps, bumping into each other, and falling at times. They looked like movie zombies. You know the type you’d see in Day of the Dead, but much slower. I kept my eyes on the tall black male that lead the group. Not that he was leading, but merely walking faster than the others. His left arm was skinless, and almost down to the bone. His left cheek was missing, and his bottom lip was gone. His eyes were empty. When they reached the parking lot, I heard the door open behind me.

  Natasha screamed, and started to cry. I quickly picked up the suitcase and ran to her. I pushed her inside and closed the door. I spent the next five minutes barricading it with everything I could find. With Natasha’s help we had four bookshelves in front of the door, a file cabinet, two twenty pound weights, and a coffee table. As we finished pushing the coffee table against the other items the pounding started.

  Natasha grabbed Emma and ran into the bedroom. She found Emma’s Walkman and had Emma put it on. When I walked into the bedroom Emma was sitting on the bed, crying, with her headphones on. Natasha was sitting behind Emma, holding her.

  It wasn’t the first time we had seen an infected but it was the first time we saw a group of them. Since the outbreak we had seen several infected walking around outside. At first I didn’t know they were infected. We were foolish back then. As far as I knew everyone else in the apartment complex had left to find safety. We did not. The news reports that we watched said to stay inside and so that is what we did.