Page 81 of Claimed By Ruin

I wheeled Uncle Levi to a small card table set off to the side. Locked the wheelchair in place and caught his eye. He looked frail, a slight quiver in his head. I sat in the chair next to him without comment. Christopher thought he was doing something. And yeah, Asia that far away… I didn’t like it. Not one bit. But I let this play out.

He touched her elbow again, and I clenched my fists but managed to stay seated. Watched as he led her to the chair and sat her down. He then walked back to the other end of the table, and two of the women stood. They came back with chickens that were clearly cooked over an open fire, a platter stacked high with ears of corn that were steamed. Bread. They even had three pitchers of what looked to be lemonade.

The women moved without speaking, serving the men first, then the other women, then Asia, then Christopher.

“Oh, don’t forget about our other guests,” Christopher said.

Still wordless, the women brought plates over to Uncle Levi and me.

“I’d say grace, but we all know what we have to be thankful for and who we owe it to,” Christopher said. With that, he started to eat. Took two bites before anyone else picked up their fork.

The meal proceeded in silence. Well, except for Christopher, who wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

“Isn’t that bread delicious?” Christopher asked.

Asia, who didn’t take a bite, simply nodded.

“Yeah, we have you to thank for that. Your farm provided the flour for the bread. Got the chickens from Pike’s place. Corn we grew right here in town. Isn’t it amazing? Everyone is working together.”

“It is,” one of the men said.

Christopher narrowed his eyes, then focused on the man. “Is it, Gary? Why don’t you tell me more?”

Gary shoveled a piece of chicken into his mouth, and took a sip of the iceless lemonade. “Yeah, it’s good, but if we’re really gonna beat this thing, gotta bring back the economy, you know? Commerce is what really made the world lift off, and if we want to start it back up again, seems like we should. It’s nice and all and we can help each other, but…that’s not livin’. Living for real.”

Gary still chewed and didn’t seem to realize that the sound of his teeth gnawing through the chicken was the only sound in the ballroom. He glanced to his left, his right, noticing the silence, and realized that every eye in the room was on him. But it wasn’t every eye he was concerned about.

Christopher’s eye. That was the one.

Christopher picked his napkin up off of his lap, dabbed his lips, put the napkin back, nodded towards the door, and in the next instant, two men appeared. They wore long-sleeve brown shirts like before. Feet booted. Machine guns slung over their shoulders.

“Wait—” Gary started.

“Gary, we have guests,” Christopher said.

Gary’s eyes bulged as he looked from Asia to me, then back to Christopher, who again dabbed his mouth with his napkin. One man stood on either side of Gary and pulled him to his feet. He stiffened, trying to flinch, but the men didn’t give him any quarter. They walked with him, though his feet were probably an inch off the ground, so it was more like a drag, out of the dining room and through a door.

The room was silent then. Completely.

Christopher waited, looking at one person, another, another, another, as the seconds ticked by. Then came a scream. Another. A third, fainter this time. Then nothing.

“So as I was saying, community. Working together. That’s what it’s all about.”

Asia

“You’re not hungry, Asia,” Christopher said.

“Oh, even in these times it’s good to cut back.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s right. Some of us can afford to lose more than others,” Christopher said.

I smiled. “Yeah, it’s true. Yay zombies, I guess.”

The room was dead silent, but I resisted the urge to look at Jack and Uncle Levi.

“Levi,” Christopher said, looking away from me abruptly, “you look cold.”

“I’m fine,” Uncle Levi said. His voice was strong. His breaths were even, but his forehead beaded with sweat.