Jeremy stood up, picked up his bowl, and silverware. “Just wasn’t right.”

“Was nothing we could do. His skin was blue and cold. He’d been dead a while,” Jason said.

The room fell silent. Jeremy brought his dirty dish into the kitchen, and to be alone, I presumed.

“The land became ours And our mother’s. She wanted nothing to do with it, because she felt like the land was cursed. Our grandfather died on his way here, I guess. We didn’t know him. Just what our father told us.” Jason looked around, as if admiring the rafters and quality of the completed work. “Two generations of Terrigino men died here. Tried to tell our mother, wasn’t going to happen to Jeremy and me. We were younger, and stronger. When we finished building the place, we begged her to come see it, but she wouldn’t. Wouldn’t even look at pictures of the place. When I say she washed her hands of this land, I mean she scrubbed away even the idea of soil from under her nails.”

“The place is absolutely breathtaking,” Allison said.

“Thank you, dear. I appreciate that. My family appreciates that,” Jason said.

Jeremy emerged from the kitchen. “We don’t really have anything for dessert. I’m sorry about that. I’d have made Jell-O, or something.”

“Please, that’s all right,” Palmeri said.

I watched Spade. He’d been as quiet as Dave and Sues during dinner. He’d eaten silently, and just seemed to be taking everything in. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, or know him, for that matter, but I felt like he was up to something. I just wished I knew what.

“But, I can brew us up some coffee. Would anyone care for a cup?”

Coffee did sound amazing. As much as I would love a cup, I didn’t want anything to hinder my sleep. There was no denying that it felt safe in here. The log cabin was like a fortress with enough weapons, and apparently food, to make anyone lower their guard and relax a little.

Only thing that would be better than a cup of coffee is a pack of cigarettes. Still missed the one Marfione had given me, the one I’d tucked behind my ear to smoke later, but never got the chance. I’d give most anything to have that cigarette back.

“I would love some,” Charlene said. She quickly added, “If it’s no trouble.”

“If it were trouble, dear, I’d not have offered.”

Spade’s jaw tensed. A ripple made its way up his cheek as if he’d ground his teeth together. I missed it. Something caused the reaction. I looked around casually; certain something was taking place that I just wasn’t seeing.

Jeremy stood half inside the dining room, half in the kitchen, his back and shoulder kept the swinging door from swinging. “I will just--”

Erway ran into the room. “Zombies are scratching at the windows!”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

My weapons were upstairs in the bedroom, the machete, sword and the knife.

Everyone else seemed to have a rifle leaning against the wall behind their chair.

“My rifle’s in the other room,” Charlene said. “Near the window.”

She wasn’t going anywhere without me right next to her.

Allison checked her clip and slapped it in place. “Let’s go get it,” she said.

Jason patted the air with both hands. “Everyone, everyone, please. Please, just settle down. It happens sometimes. The smell attracts them when we cook.”

“Because you are such a wonderful chef,” Jeremy said.

Jason bobbed his head side-to-side, mulling over the compliment. “I suppose so. I suppose. Thing is, ain’t none of them things getting in here. I explained the windows, the bars, and the shutters. The doors are steel, and so are the door casings. They’d have to have dynamite to blast them in. Huffing and puffing won’t do shit. That, I promise you.”

“So, what do we do?” Spade said.

Jason looked at Jeremy. “Will the coffee be long?”

“I’ll make it now,” he said, and went into the kitchen.

“Coffee,” Palmeri said. “You still want coffee?”

“Dear,” Jason said, addressing Erway, “the zombies--you look out the window?”

“I saw them, yes.”

“How many? Guess.”

“Ten, twelve. It was dark,” she said.

“If you’d like, if it will make you all feel better, follow me upstairs. Okay?” Jason got up from the table. He wiped his mouth on his napkin, dropped it over his bowl and left the room.

We sat, staring at each other, not exactly sure what to do next.

“Well, are you coming?” Jason said. I could see him from where I sat at the table. He had one foot on the stairs, a hand on the railing, and was leaning back to look at us in the dining room.

Spade motioned us to move along with his rifle. Dave and Sues went first, Crystal behind them.

“You two stay right next to me,” I said to Allison and Charlene. I made eye contact with Spade. “Something going on?”

Spade pointed with two fingers at the kitchen, and then shushed me.

Dammit. Something was wrong. He either knew, or sensed something that I was totally missing. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand. That was not good. Not at all.

I led Allison and Charlene out of the kitchen, and Palmeri and Spade followed.

Charlene snatched up her rifle by the window. “Why are we going upstairs?”

“You’ll see,” Jason said. He was already upstairs. Charlene had practically whispered. How had he heard her?

We climbed the stairs. I was behind Palmeri, but ahead of Alley and Charlene. Spade followed along. He kept looking back. I knew this, because I kept looking back at him. It was as if he expected Jeremy to come at him with a kitchen hatchet or something.

I ducked into the room I’d slept in. My belt was on the chair by the bed. I strapped it on. The sword and knife already felt like a part of my body. I slipped my head under the shoulder harness, and sighed with the machete affixed to my back.

“All set?” Allison said.

“Don’t think I’m ever taking these off again.”

“Think we get to keep them?” Charlene said.

Was a good question.

In a bedroom toward the front of the cabin, Jason had raised one of the windows. “The bars will keep the zombies out even if they managed to climb up the side of the cabin like Spiderman.”

Leaning against the wall was rifle with a scope and a silencer screwed on to the barrel.

“When Jeremy and I were younger, we’d come up here with .22s and shoot at beavers, woodchucks, and squirrels. Whatever was out there, you know. We’d just pull a chair up to the window and…” He aimed his rifle out through the slatted bars, and pretended to shoot. “…ping, ping, ping. Just pick off rodents. Were some great times. Truly amazing memories. Thing is that whatever we shot, we ate. Father taught us that. So after we’d hunted, we’d go down and collect up the carcasses, gut ‘em, skin em, and bleed ‘em. Stews and jerky were two of the things we made regularly.”

That awkward silence fell over the room once again as we watched Jason, who now seemed lost in reflection. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and give him a shake or maybe yell in his face, What the fuck is wrong with you?

“Okay,” Jason said. “Who’s gonna be first?”

I jumped back. His sudden enthusiasm caught me off guard.

Spade hadn’t moved. The guy was as tense as a statue.

No one moved. We stood there. Waiting.

Jason smiled. “It’s not only simple, it’s kind of fun.”

With the rifle aimed out the window, Jason squinted. He pressed his open eye to the scope, and aimed. A moment later, he fired off two shots. Sounded like puffs of air slamming into a pillow.

Never heard a gun with a silencer before. Had to admit. Was kind of cool.

Palmeri was at the window. “Headshots. Nice.”

“Want a turn?” Jason offered her the rifle.

Palmeri shook her head. “I’m good.”