“Oh.” Ken wasn’t sure how to take that revelation.

Leslie Cloy, owner of Cloy’s Hardware, surveyed the small town and wiped a tear away. “It don’t matter no more, I guess, everything that happened before. The divorce from Bertha…the kids going to live in California with her. It’s all done now. And this is the end. I don’t feel I’ve done much with my life and it’s not a good feeling. Always waiting for something to happen.”

In the distance, the baby gave three sharp screams, then was silent. Lenore lowered her head. Ken felt his stomach heave, but he managed to keep his breakfast down.

“Nothing matters when it’s all going to hell and there ain’t nothing we can do,” Mr. Cloy said and shook his head sadly.

“I ain’t giving up,” Lenore declared in a low, firm voice. “I’m not gonna just sit here and watch the world end and not do a damn thing to survive.” She exhaled slowly. “I’m gonna go get my grandma.”

“How?” Ken’s voice sounded high-pitched even to him. Despite the chaos in the town around them, he felt safe perched high up on his building. The thought of going down into the hell in the streets below made his insides twitch.

“I don’t know, but I’m going. I’m not giving up.” Her voice was firm.

Mr. Leslie Cloy swallowed more water and ate another cookie. “Well, ain’t much I can do no more.”

Ken wanted to assure his old companion it would all be okay in the end, but he couldn’t. Mr. Cloy would be one of the dead soon. They all knew they were on his deathwatch.

“You know what? I ain’t going to sit here like a big ol’ ‘less-than.’ I am on my way to meet my Maker, but you kids should at least get a shot at making it.” Mr. Cloy stood and rummaged in his jean pocket before pulling out his truck keys. “Take my truck and get the hell out of here. My shotgun is in the rack. Shotgun shells are in the glove compartment.”

He tossed the keys toward them and Lenore snatched them out of the air.

“That’s like a really sweet offer, Mr. Cloy, but we really have a serious problem with dead things being in the street. It would be pretty hard to get to the truck,” Ken reminded him.

Mr. Cloy nodded somberly, then shrugged. “It was a thought. Wait! I can distract them!”

“I so don’t like the sound of that,” Ken decided.

“I can go to the edge of the roof and see if maybe the ones in the street will respond to me yelling down at them. Then you guys can go out the front door of the shop and get to the truck. Maybe I can get them around to the side of the building.” Mr. Cloy glanced at the desperate dead hands scrabbling at the sides of the window below. “They seem pretty determined to get to their prey once they got their sights on it. Gimme that rope.”

Lenore shrugged at Ken and went to retrieve their makeshift rope.

“You’re a good guy, Mr. Cloy,” Ken said finally. “Seriously, an all-around good guy. You’ve always been super cool with me even when I knew you weren’t all that comfortable with me being-”

“It ain’t nothing. We’re human beings. Gotta remember that. ‘sides, Jesus never said nothin’ about gay people, so I don’t take what Pastor Baird said as gospel truth no how. You’re okay in my book. Always were.”

Lenore tossed the rope down to Mr. Cloy. He snagged it and promptly started tying it to a pipe sticking out of the top of the roof of the storage room.

“I’m gonna give it a trial shot and let you know how it goes,” he called out.

“Thanks, Mr. Cloy-Leslie!” Ken felt tears in his eyes again and they burned almost as fiercely as the Texas sun.

With a nod, Mr. Cloy lowered himself off the storage room and limped across the roof of his building. The zombies in the storage room began to howl as they caught sight of him.

9.

Escape

Lenore stood with her arms folded over her ample bosom and once more swore to herself that she was not going to die today. There was no way on God’s slowly-dying earth that she was going to give up and die. She didn’t care how bad things looked, she didn’t care how much the zombies howled, she didn’t care about the fire in the distance, because she was not going to die today and that was that.

Through narrowed eyes she watched Mr. Cloy hobble toward the edge of his building. Behind him, the dead gathered in the small window of the storage room moaned for his flesh. It was a terrible sound that made her skin crawl. Coupled with the fierce heat of the sun beating down on her bare head, she was getting a terrible headache that was making her even crankier.

Beside her Ken was trembling. She could tell her buddy was trying to be brave, but his hands were quivering at his sides and she could see tears in his eyes. Ken was a sensitive soul even if he was a smart ass. She has half inclined to hug him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay, but they were both sweating like pigs and she really didn’t like touching anyone anyway. She just wasn’t very good with the whole touchy feely thing.

Mr. Cloy made it to the edge of the building and stayed for a long moment just staring down. Lenore figured he was trying to get up his nerve, but when he looked over his shoulder at them she could see his eyes were wide with fear.

“There are so many,” he called out to them.

A fresh set of chills flowed down her spine.

Ken grabbed her hand and she gave it a hard squeeze. His skin was slick with sweat and she knew it was from more than the sun’s fierce heat. Mr. Cloy looked terrified as he studied the street below. Lenore could see his knees knocking together and his jaw quivering. She wasn’t sure if it was the infection or if it was the sight of what was below. Maybe it was a little of both.

“Okay, they are coming to...” Mr. Cloy wiped sweat from the back of his neck. “They’re all gathering down below me. I think...I think maybe I can hold them here so you guys can sneak out and get to my truck.”

“Do you think we should risk it?” Ken’s voice was raw with fear.

“Yeah. Cause I ain’t staying here to get trapped by those things,” Lenore answered firmly. “I’m going. If you want to stay, you can, Ken, but I don’t think it will be such a good idea.”

Ken chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before nodding. “You’re right.”

Mr. Cloy hobbled along the edge of the roof and shouted down into the street. He waved his hand over his head and then hobbled back to the far edge of the building to draw the dead from the main street.

“Lenore, Ken, I got them right under me and they are looking like they wanna climb the wall and get me. You two better get going now while the front street is clear.” Mr. Cloy looked painfully-pale and fragile as he gave them a small wave.

“Thank you, Leslie,” Lenore called out.

“We won’t ever forget you. You’ve been such a great friend!” Ken mimed giving Mr. Cloy a hug.

Mr. Cloy grinned, shaking his head. “I guess the rapture comes a little later on. You guys have a fun ride up. I always wondered what it would be like.” He sighed and raised his hands over his head. “Come on! Over here. Come look at the human on the roof. Yay! That’s it. Come on over!”

The cries and moans from below grew louder as the zombies trapped in the storage room became even more agitated. Lenore couldn’t imagine how Mr. Cloy felt with all those things staring at him so hungrily.

Lenore and Ken reluctantly walked away and headed to the door leading downstairs. Just as they began their descent, they looked toward the man who was saving their lives.

“He’s such a great guy,” Ken said at last.

Lenore nodded, suddenly afraid she was about to cry.

Together, they hurried down the stairs to Ken’s apartment. Lenore was anxious to leave, but bit her lip as Ken threw a few personal possessions into a backpack and searched for his cat. He finally found her asleep under his bed and shoved her into a cat carrier.

“You’re kidding,” Lenore said.

“I’m not leaving Cher,” he said firmly.

“Fine!” Lenore couldn’t actually argue with him. She was running off after her grandmother when chances were she was already dead. How could she deny Ken his beloved cat? She gazed into the cat carrier to see Cher staring solemnly at her. After a second, the cat yawned and looked bored. “We’re both bat shit crazy.”

Ken grabbed a heavy golf club from a bag in the hall closet. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Lenore grumbled and almost grabbed one for herself. She decided the coat rack had served them well so far, so she abandoned the thought. Ken unlocked the apartment door and they descended the stairs to the door that opened into the shop.

Ken hesitated at the second door. “What if they got in? What if they’re in there waiting?”

Lenore trembled with cold chills as adrenaline pumped through her body. “I’ll look.”

They shifted places. She carefully unlocked the door and cracked it a few inches. She let out a sigh of relief. The shop was just as they had left it. The Sheriff’s dead body was still on the floor and the wardrobe was just as they had left it. Cautiously, she pressed the door completely open and edged around the corner to take a quick peek at the back door. It was also still closed.