“I’m sorry to hear that. I lost my family as well. I’m all that’s left. How are you coping with it?”
“It’s hard. I blame myself mostly. I try not to think about it. I got that kid over there to keep me company.” Kyle pointed toward Victor, who was now asleep and snoring faintly. Kyle was happy to see that the boy felt comfortable enough to sleep, even knowing that there were dead creatures wandering around outside.
“Yes, it is hard, but I’ve found a way of coping with it.”
“What’s that?” Kyle asked.
“It’s nothing, really. Just some personal things.”
Kyle backed away from the conversation. Life was different now. He knew that people had to cope with emotions differently than they had before. What he does to deal with the situation is his business.
“I haven’t been able to get a good night’s rest in a long time,” Kyle said, breaking the stillness in the room.
Chet reached into his pants pocket and brought out some green gel tablets encased in a plastic bottle. He tossed the container over to Kyle, who examined the pills. There were no words indicating what the tablets were, only numbers.
“What is it?” Kyle asked.
Chet smirked and said, “Nyquil. Take two of those and it will give you a good night’s rest. Believe me, there’s been times where I’ve wanted to stay awake, but they put me to sleep.”
Kyle looked at the tablet again. Although it was tempting, he didn’t think it was wise for him to fall into a deep sleep. The post office might not be as secure as he thought, and he’d never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Victor.
“Nah, I can’t take them. I’ll need to stay alert in case something comes in through the door.”
Before Kyle could toss the plastic bottle back to Chet, the man said, “I’ll go ahead and take first watch. I’ve been asleep most of the day and I’m not tired. It’s okay; if anything comes in I’ll wake you up right away.”
Kyle still wasn’t sure. How well did he know Chet? Well enough to trust him to take watch? Chet hadn’t given Kyle a reason to why he might be untrustworthy. He’s been nothing but helpful the entire time he’s been here. So far.
“All right, but I’ll just take one,” Kyle said finally. He opened the bottle and took out one tablet. He closed the lid and tossed it back to Chet. Kyle put it into his mouth and took a large drink of water.
“Before it kicks in, I’m going to find more stuff to burn. I’ll be back,” Chet said. He stood up and walked through the open door that led into the front office.
Kyle made a makeshift pillow out of Victor’s still-damp clothes. He reached for his shotgun and laid it down next to him. He wanted it within reach in case there was a rude awakening. Victor was still asleep across from him. All the kid wanted to do was to go home. It would have been an easy task if the world was normal.
Victor began to grunt in his sleep. Kyle laughed as he closed his eyes. He felt the medicine and exhaustion taking effect. His eyes quickly opened as Chet came stumbling into the room with more cardboard boxes and a wooden chair. Kyle noticed him and closed his eyes again. The last thing Kyle remembered hearing was the rain thrashing outside and the sound of snapping wood.
Kyle’s eyes fluttered open, looking at the ceiling. He didn’t know where he was. Slowly raising his head, everything suddenly came to him. He was in the room that he shared with Mary. He looked over to her side of the bed. It was empty, but he could smell the coconut scent she liked to wear. Kyle rolled out of bed and put his feet onto the ground. His slippers were there, waiting for him.
“Kyle?” Mary called out from outside the room. “Are you up?”
“Yeah,” he said, still a bit disoriented.
Was Kyle only dreaming about the dead or was he dreaming now? He pinched himself and it hurt. He actually felt the pain. He slapped himself on the face a few times and felt every last bit of it.
It was all a dream, he thought as he slipped his slippers on. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt relieved that it had all been a dream. Any second now he would get up and find his son, Eddie. When he did, he would give the boy a tight squeeze and a kiss. Most importantly he’d promise his boy that he’d never leave his side, ever again. Not for his mother, not even for Jasmine.
Kyle stood to his feet with a huge smile on his face.
“Mary?” he called out.
There was no reply. He walked through the open door and turned down the hall toward the staircase. He walked down the stairs slowly, carefully stepping over Eddie’s toys that were scattered on the steps. Normally this kind of carelessness would have angered Kyle, but after waking up form that terrible nightmare, nothing would take his happiness away from him.
“Eddie?” Kyle called out.
“In the kitchen,” Mary hollered.
Kyle quickly ran for the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon were so potent in the air he could literally taste them. He walked through the doorway, and sitting near the small round table was Eddie. Light shone in through a small rectangle window above the sink. The blinds over the sliding glass door were still closed. The boy was eating a large slice of bacon. Kyle was delighted. He ran, almost skipping, toward Eddie, and gave him a huge hug, causing the boy to drop his bacon.
Eddie laughed and said, “Dad, I’m trying to eat.”
Mary turned from the stove with a pan in her hand. “Sit down, Kyle. I’ll get your breakfast.”
Kyle let go of Eddie, still smiling. He took a seat at his usual spot. There was already a plate in front of him. Mary walked over with the skillet and served three sunny-side-up eggs onto Kyle’s plate. She walked back to the stove and using tongs, she grabbed a few strips of bacon. She put them on Kyle’s plate.
“It smells wonderful, thank you,” he said grabbing a fork and digging in.
Two slices of bread popped out of the toaster. Mary took them out and placed them on Kyle’s dish. He put eggs and bacon between the two slices and made a toast sandwich. He bit into it with much delight. Yolk from the eggs dripped out of the sandwich and onto his fingers.
There was a coffee pot in the middle of the table. Kyle poured himself a cup of the delicious black liquid. He stirred in cream and two sugar cubes. He smelled the coffee before taking a drink. The liquid burned his mouth, but it was manageable.
Mary put eggs and bacon onto her plate and brought it to the table. She sat on the third empty chair in the breakfast nook.
Mary and Eddie didn’t speak. They just continued eating their food and never looked up.
Kyle finished his food and took the dirty dish to the sink. He rinsed it out and left it in the sink to be washed later.
“Thanks for the wonderful breakfast, Mary,” Kyle said as he walked back to the table. “It’s Saturday right? What do you want to do today, Sport?”
Eddie didn’t reply. He didn’t even move. He stayed staring into his plate like he was in a trance.
“Eddie? Did you hear me, bud?” Eddie didn’t respond.
Mary stopped eating and looked at Kyle. She had a ghostly expression on her face as she said, “Eddie can’t answer you, Kyle.”
“Why not?” Kyle asked, squinting his face in confusion.
“Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“Eddie can’t talk. He can’t go anywhere.”
“What do you mean? I just heard him talking.”
Mary’s tone quickly changed from her normal voice to a low drone that echoed, “Eddie can’t talk anymore, he has no face … he is dead.”
Sorrow filled Kyle’s body. He quickly went to face Eddie. The boy raised his head to reveal the large gaping hole that now replaced his face. Kyle stood to his feet and backed away from the table, knocking over the chair he was sitting on.