Chapter 2- How to Serve Baby
Written by Richard Allen
Sal stared at the briefcase and the clean spot. He opened his mouth and spoke. “Aaaahhh… arrgarrrr.” He was trying to get used to his own voice. His sudden outbursts of noise made him feel wrong in some deep-down way, so he methodically practiced talking to himself every day. His head tilted right and the reconnecting fibers snapped tight and he repeated. “Aaaahhh… arrrgarrrr.”
The hip-hop song on the radio roared to a stop. Defining silence filled the entirety of the space and seeped into every crevice. Then, a beautiful gentile guitar sound emanated from the indestructible speaker 5000. The lettering was clear and distinguishable. Guaranteed 300-year battery life.
He had visions of a young adult male getting the speaker as a present from the man and woman from the train station but they wore matching pajamas with reindeer and some trees embroidered onto them. A high-pitched scream erupts. The young man was jumping up and down and laughing. The sweet raspy voice continued to sing, “Silver twine... valentine... crows... shiny things….”
Wait came to Sal’s mind… so he stopped.
Who is Tom and why does he wait? The raspy voice continued to sing “Shiny things” and Sal smiled. His neck wound festered a little but began to get that green look and stopped decaying at the rate of normal human flesh. He started cleaning again and fell deep into thought.
A big building with giant walls and thick glass walls and everything was shiny and cold. Almost able to feel a shiver in his mind when he thought about cold this time but the feeling quickly melted away.
“That could drastically stop the aging process by thousands of years!” the man in the suit said. “Robert Jenkins! You are getting a Nobel prize!”
“I know!’ Exclaimed Robert. “We both are going to get the recognition we deserve!” The boy was sitting on a chair and looked up because the men were getting so excited they were yelling.
“Wait. What time is it? Oh no, please excuse me. I have to run and pick up little Leroy. I’ll see you at the lab tomorrow bright and early. Get some rest, Jimmy, we’re going to be busy men!”“Drive safe Robert!” Jimmy replied and began working with endless vigor.Sal watched the vision as he cleared other parts of the house.
The piles of junk and rust shifted from one side of the house to the other back and forth as he sifted the good shiny things from the trash. A large gun with fifty Cal. Rusted but still visible… and the word Egal. He threw it in the front yard in the pile to build one of his statues. “Only shiny things for me.” He chanted in his mind… After four hundred and twenty suns flew by, he stopped, his lifeless greenish yellow eyes sparkled as if a black dot winking in the middle of a black hole…
The house was done!
Sal decorated his house in a simple and elegant style. The pile of radiators was reduced to three on the inside. He hung them on the tattered living room wall by the couch that was re-upholstered and re-stuffed with cushions he found on the train. The rest of the radiators were neatly stacked in the backyard.
One day he realized the metal pile was as high as his roof so he climbed it and began fixing his roof. Thinking to himself. “I got to protect all my shiny things. No one else will…” he used cardboard and metal signs and broken door fragments but they didn’t stop the rain and they blew away… The cardboard broke and the door fragments were impossible. This took him the longest to figure out and he loved this new game. The word “Tetris” came into his mind. He was forced to use the metal signs that overlapped everything so the water would slide down more easily. “Be like water…” he thought again. So, he understood how water would love to slide down if the bottom panel was underneath the top one. “The easiest path.” He thought. “That’s so simple, life is so simple and shiny.”
He used nails and a hammer to secure everything down.
Stuffing the mattress with foam and a sheet of foam over the top and sewed cloth scraps together to keep it all in place. The sewing cabinet was stocked full but before long the spindles of thread were reduced by twenty-five percent.
His front windows were littered with clear stuff that cut his hand off. Thinking the word “ouch” he expertly stitched the other one back on with surgery-like precision. The woman with the hat showed him in visions. He watched her teach the boy who would point and the young adult boy how to sew.
Jimmy would teach them how to tie knots and fix things… Sal loved fixing things. It made him feel less board.
“OK, I have three things I love as much as shiny things now. Exploring, cleaning, and fixing things like roofs and metal things with parts that move.” Sal thought.
He found a new door at the hardware store, the label read: 9 Clouds Clothing and doors smart glass 36 in. W. x 80 in. Right-hand in swing. When he removed the old door and frame, he realized how fun it was to destroy things too. Seeing the EnviroPlastic wood beams underneath the frame in his mind made him giddy. Remembering the feeling of amazement when the new door was installed and how beautiful it looked… the vision but he could touch it... feel it, and see it.
Like the sign that crumbled… Its job was complete but this door… Its job had just begun. It opened and closed perfectly. The shims are in place and trimmed like a professional.
He removed his makeshift roof and put in 8 x 8 sheets of EnviroPlastic compressed wood and rolled on the vapor barrier then put in metal roofing with a metal crown. He made so many trips to the hardware store thinking about it made him so happy.
“The sun is with me more often now.” Sal wondered why It streaked past like a fly before and now it kept him company more often.
“Maybe the sun likes it when I work too… Maybe that’s how the sun communicates. Its speed depends on if you’re doing what you’re supposed to, then sends warm maybe.”
“Eeehhhh” eked out of his mouth. Which was the word of the day today.
Sal wished he had a friend to talk with and saw the young man crying, he missed his friend. He wanted his fifth passion to be able to love someone else. Anyone at all. Anyone who could talk back and help carry supplies and I look at their eyes and smile and they look at me and smile. “Please God, can I have one friend?” He prayed silently. Attempting a smile, he gave up.
He had a rough day carrying all the gardening soil for the flowers and fixing the roof and building a statue. “The sun was away now come and went 17 times so he was ready to lay down for a night’s rest
###
He woke up unrested for lack of need of rest, and headed out to the hardware store again, his second favorite location… the first being the train station.
The quest today Involved seeing both locations, so it was going to be an exceptionally good day. He was working on chopping the train up into smaller pieces. The visions were his muse in reassembling them but he didn’t have the knowledge or equipment to weld them so he made a pile of train parts.
Sal heard something from behind him and he felt the urge to chase it but it was just an urge. It’s like having an itch and purposely not scratching just to see if you can… but this itch didn’t even register in Sal.
A baby cried. Sal paused and looked. A woman with a large warm garment that was sleek with amazing movement range. Tiny eyes and hands peaked out from the folds. “Gasp!”
A look of complete horror on her face but she didn’t scream but ran away without making a single sound or footstep, closing her baby into his soundproof Satchel and tightening the draw strings as she disappeared into the brush.
Sal paused for a second then went on his way finally reached the train station. He got to work pulling out the Sawzall and inserting the metal cutting blade in the tip, he began slowly cutting through a massive axle. Picking up bigger and bigger chunks each with each train he took apart. Growing stronger. Lifting each part over and over because it made it easier to lift more if he never stopped.
A rustle came from a train cart to his right. Sal didn’t think anything of it and kept working as he thought about who it might be. Maybe an animal friend. He smiled seeing his old dog, Ralf. Looking to see if it was a friend, now hopeful and looked in the direction intently.
A rustle from behind him now so he looked and heard “Hello?” Then a pause “Can you understand me? I need help… I was praying after she left with Jake and praying then I found you...”
Sal saw a shiny rifle barrel and an injured man with deep blue eyes filled with panic and desperation. Sal just stared at him expressionless making gestures with his head as if talking, but nothing came out of his mouth. “Are you human or a zombie? Cause you sure look like a zombie.” The injured man said plainly. “Attack me if you’re going to. I’m done for anyways.”
Sal just stared and bobbed his head slightly and made some unintelligible hand gestures. Paul felt panic, his deadline approached quickly... "This guys a mute... something just feels right coming from him... What other choice do I have."
“I’m coming down. I’ve been bitten so stay back. There’s no other choice anyway… and I need help. Please find my family and make sure they’re safe.” He spoke while sliding down the side of the cart and jumping onto a lower one.
“Please hear me out, I need help from anyone… I’m coming over now. If you kill me, then oh well, I’m dead already so watch out… My name is Paul, what’s your name?”
Sal continued working watched the man and said nothing. Bone was exposed on Paul’s forearm and some fingers. Sal observed. “After we’re done talking, please take my gun and shoot me, Mr... My wife and baby escaped… Please find them… Arrrggg…” Sal stopped and thought “He needs Help?” And listened intently.
“Please quickly, I’m changing,” Paul said frantically throwing his rifle at Sal’s feet keeping his distance. “Take my gun. I don’t want to be a zombie. I can’t let my family find me like that. They can’t see me like that.”
Paul convulsed in transformation, as he fell into nothingness. His sadness stopped, his cares stopped, his body writhed in agony but it was sweet to his mind. Drifting further and further… He felt nothing, only hunger and rage now. Pure rage. A lust for unleashing the full capabilities of his body over clocked past what was possible for living flesh.
Zombie Paul screamed so loud, red blood stained his teeth as his throat tore. Blood splashed onto Sal’s face and the smell of fresh hot nasty morning breath mixed with blood surrounded Sal. “Good thing I don’t remember what smell is.”
The rifle shone In Sal’s eyes. Paul calmed down once there was nothing to kill so he walked away silently and aimlessly.
Sal picked up the rifle. He recognized the feeling of the gun and held the butt of the gun against his shoulder and saw images of deer walking majestically in the forest and a perfect shot to the heart. Sal realized he was aiming at Paul’s head so he held the gun upright and began to follow Paul.
“What were you saying about a wife and kids?” Sal asked mentally. Paul never replied.
“Do you want this gun” He never replied to that either so Sal decided to go home.
It rained the entire walk home. The sky was overcast, the sun never came out. Sal thought about all the grey in the sky. Like dark metal. “So beautiful…” at that thought it began raining even harder till Sal could barely see his torn hand in front of his face.
Coming up to old man Harry’s property Sal remembered there was a neat barn and felt compelled to go there. His body pulled him there before he realized he wanted to go there.
Sal opened the barn door walked inside and shut the door. It was pitch black inside but he could see in the dark. Exploring the barn, he found old meat hooks, animal bones and shiny blades.
In a corner, a woman and a baby cowered. He was right in front of the woman’s face but she didn’t seem to see Sal. “It’s like she’s blind…” Sal thought.
She just held her baby tight and gently held his sound retardant pouch until she fell asleep. Sal found an old horse blanket and put it over her. He smelled them both and felt the baby’s fragile skull in in the pouch. The smell of sweat and tears and anguish and pain lingered over the exhausted pair. She smells like… like mom. The woman’s face formed into a frown as her dreams turned into nightmares. She shivered so Sal put the blanket back over her arm and tucked it in so it wouldn’t fall again. Her expression relaxed as she abandoned reality and fell deep into sleep. The sound from the rain dulled but it still was pouring cats and dogs.
Sal knelt beside her watching her sleep all night, not moving or blinking. She looked so tired and deep asleep he didn’t want to wake her up so he snuck away before dawn. The sun peaked in from the widow and shone into her eyes walking her up from her rest. Her baby safely snuggled up and warm in his pack. She opened a flap near the babies face and nursed him under the warm wool blanket.
A blanket she thought startled. Wondering where she was and what was going on recalling her flight from the train yard and hiding. It was so dark last night… she was completely turned around and didn’t know east from west.
Footsteps crunched the gravel in the driveway so she quietly laid her baby down and peeked out of the window. Seeing Sal, she covered her mouth and turned to run for her baby… but Crash! She screamed and hit the meat hooks. One pierced her jacket and ripped through with ease missing her skin. She hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her… standing as quickly as she could and grabbed her baby and climbed to the loft wheezing still, she kicked down the ladder behind her and found a place to hide “Just till the sick people leave…” she told herself trying to humanize her attackers.
Sal could taste them in the loft. He could smell her fear so he didn’t want to stress her anymore. |He stood motionless as three zombies flew past him at fifty miles per hour or more. Sal watched his clothing flap in the wind from their body mass and speed.
The first one was fastest and almost in range to jump into the loft. Sal’s hand ripped through its head before the rouge zombie knew it. Sal was confused as to why his head blew up. “Good night” he thought.
The last two came in to avenge their friend in unison, hyper enraged with rogue blood lust… tripling their speed.
Lifting his arms straight out to either side, their faces smashed against Sal’s monkey like forearm’s clothes lined them…. Before they could register their plight, they were flying upside-down through the air in a daze. Limping and walking in circles, rattled and confused even for zombies…
Sal found potatoes and carrots and vegetables and threw them up into the loft then lured the zombies out of the barn by pushing them and pulling them by their arms… They grunted with every push and looked at Sal and moved their heads as if they were talking but they never said a thing. They pushed and tried to resist but failed against Sal’s overwhelming new strength.
Shutting the barn doors behind him, he watched the pair outside and watched lose interest and walk off into the sun.
Sal couldn’t believe he found the woman and baby by accident. The sun was high in the sky now and Sal faced away from the barn watching a herd of deer walk past and spread out to graze.
Sal stayed still so he didn’t scare them away. “They’re so wonderful.” Recalling their anatomy from years of hunting and preparing meat. He marveled at the build of the biggest Buck. The horns were massive, chunks missing from years of fighting, and claw and teeth marks. The buck walked up to Sal and smelled his face, turning his massive head narrowly missing Sal’s head. Whizzing past with calculated speed and precision. His massive eyeball focusing and focuses on different parts of the zombie.
Sal became aware of the woman watching him from the corner of the window but he continued to observe the massive Buck who noticed the woman right after Sal. Making an earth-shattering call, the herd all stopped grazing and looked to their leader who trotted off down the road, moving faster than the woman could even see… she blinked and the whole herd was trotting in one group.
She escaped the barn and hid. Following her strange hero to the main road. Sal never let her fall too far behind slowing to help her journey, little did she know it was a house renovated by a zombie.
She kept to the tree line and moved swiftly, quietly, and patiently watching every move the strange zombie made. Wondering if he slowed his pace for her…
She heard him say “Aaaahhh arrrrrrr” in a strangely caring tone. Every hour without skipping a beat.
Her baby cooed, unable to focus his tiny developing eyes on the woods flittering past… but the occasional bug or butterfly visited him and made him laugh. With each laugh her heart both dropped into the deepest pit of her stomach and soared higher than the heavens.
Her zombie approached a house with a shiny metal roof and statues of metal scraps that resembled knights of old and stacks of radiators arranged like a house of cards… The colors of the setting sun glittered off of the green metal roof as the overlay of pink and red and all shades of black disappeared with the sun. She waited and watched from the top of a tree, tied to the trunk. She crafted a small hammock with a six-point baby harness and her child fed while she spoke softly. “I wonder what his name was… I think I’ll call him… Dick.”
Small snoring and soft cooing permeated the cool silent night’s air as she drifted into a deep sleep.
Sal chased away his neighbors and friends from her location all night, returning them inside their homes, and locking their doors. Some neighbors had to have sleepovers. Sal recalls his work in his mind’s visions.
The sun peaked over the hills at the edges of their world and woke the mother and son. A blanket wrapped around their shoulders and fruit in a sack tied to their tree bed. She ate, tasting the deep red of the strawberry rich, fertilized with the best recycled plant matter. The apples and oranges were exceptional. Her mouth watered uncontrollably thinking about the strawberries. She began to cry thinking of her dead love, lost forever, wanting to share these delicacies with him. His presence was gone. The absence was felt and pressed a black hole into her soul. The baby plugged this void, Jake is him… but momentarily she couldn’t help but feel the loss with the full weight of her being. Tears streamed from her face and her chest heaved. She whispered “I’m so stupid, I’m so stupid. Why couldn’t I have been stronger? I’m so stupid. I can’t live… I can’t do it. Paul… Paul…”
Sal hearing her cries wanted to help but he left her alone till her tears stopped and her face softened, her eyes red and puffy.
They watched each other for a little while. “What are you up to Dick…,” decide to go check and see herself. “He put the food here. He was here while we slept. He could have killed us before… Hold tight my love.”
She began tying her child to the tree where they slept, the baby being tickled pink and laughing loudly. She gave him a pacifier, kissed his forehead then closed the sound proof pack. Cozy like a cute little elf tied to a tree. She smiled. “While his mom talked to a zombie. This is crazy…” she slapped her face and climbed down.
Sal watched her move gracefully. She walked over and stopped across the street. He patiently watched the woman, as she worked up the courage to say. “My name is Jenna. Jenna Graysen… what’s your name?”
Sal nodded his head in recognition and thought. “Paul and Jenna sitting in a tree.” She walked halfway across the street and began to give her life story but four roaming zombies heard her, sniffed the air then began sprinting with the speed of cheetahs.
Sal moved with lightning speed and picked up the woman in his arms, all she could see was a blur and they were inside the house.
Coming to the realization her baby was still out there she’s yelled. “Baby! He’s in the tree!” Sal, thinking she called him baby blushed on the inside… He laughed. She wanted her baby so he ran over and retrieved all of their belongings and the child from the tree. He held the baby so gently and stared into its tiny eyes.
“The names Sal! How can I help you baby?” Sal thought at tiny human, inches from his zombie face. Jake’s little blue eyes stared into Sal’s green eyes.
Coming to his front door the baby rested its tiny hand and placed it on Sal’s broken disfigured nose and they both laughed together.
