Page 28 of Creepy
7
Troy brought me breakfastin bed.Oranges which he’d mentioned before and to my delight, boiled eggs.He’d caught a chicken in Florida and brought it all this way.He kept Sheena in his basement.It was a clever way to keep her away from wildlife or zombies catching her day or night.
“Why did you name her Sheena,” I asked.
“You remember the song, Funky Cold Medina?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought Sheena was really a rooster for the longest time until she finally laid an egg.See, I thought it was a hen, but then when it didn’t lay, I thought maybe I was wrong.So, I’d sing to her, Sheena was a man.”
Imagining him singing to a chicken, I laughed too hard until it hurt.I held my ribs, doubled over.
“Hey.It’s lonely out there.”
It reminded me I never got the eggs from Dillon.I didn’t want to think about him in bed with Troy.We’d had an amazing night.I thought about what day it was...Wednesday.Dillon would be back Monday if not sooner.I feared with three people, three men running around Creepy.If he got wind of it, he might show up sooner.And I didn’t know what I would do to keep him from killing Arlo, Troy, and Rowan.
Troy found me some clothes.Luckily, his mother had been close enough to my size.He’d promised to help me keep the diner going, so our first stop was to fill the generator.Next, I had him take me to the drugstore.My knee felt much better this morning, but my ribs were seriously bruised and the bite on my neck would take a long time to heal.I needed some really good prescription, antibiotic cream for my neck, and an orthopedic boot for my ankle.Able to put a bit more weight on it, I’d decided I only sprained it.Luck would have it, we found both the cream and a boot in my size.With it, I could walk without help from Troy.We collected whatever else we could find in the drugstore.Even though I’d been there once before, I hadn’t thought I’d need a boot.I’d already taken crutches down to the basement of Jules’ Estate.Thanks to Troy, we picked up items I hadn’t been sure I needed before.He seemed to know much more about injuries than I did.He’d said he’d been hurt a lot playing ball.
“I can’t believe there’s anything left,” Troy spoke of the fact there was still stuff on the shelves.
“I can’t get it all.”
He figured it’d all been gone before the evacuation.
The folks in Creepy hadn’t been like that, I told him.
“The Stayers haven’t raided?”
“Why would they?They have Alexandria.Dillon, as bad as he can be, keeps the crazies in line.He says I can have this town...”
“If what?You said he was blackmailing you.”
“I give him a little each week,” I said.That was true if I didn’t say what the meaning of the word “bit” was.Suddenly, I felt like Bill Clinton.Troy eyed me suspiciously but didn’t say more.I hobbled out of the store with my arms full.
Helped by the boot, I made us lunch at Mrs.Deans.I told Troy all about her.He told me he remembered the diner, Dirty Rice.We reminisced about the town, pre-apocalypse over bunless hamburgers, fries, and some of that beer I’d taken from his place.Today felt worlds away from yesterday.With the horror of the zombie attack fading and being able to walk, I wasn’t as receptive to Troy wanting to take care of me.I was getting around simply fine, but he insisted he clean up the mess.He planned to stick around and help me.
I told him all I usually do in a day.“By this time, I am usually scouring a yard for what I can find.But I really need to get home.”
