Pushing Up Gravestones - Pushing Up Gravestones – Chapter 31

An owl gave a hoot, and there
seemed to be something crawling on the roof. There were screams of the dead in
the air, but there no moans and groans from the undead in the present moment.
There was just the owl, the breeze rustling the trees, and the little cabin bam
in the middle, surrounded by a thick forest of trees, and had four resting
souls who had just stopped by. 

Denise stretches her arms, and it
takes her a while to realize she had just awoken. She tries to squint and look
outside the window, and she keeps still in her bed. It was much too early to
get up and proceed outside. Maybe around about three AM? Denise thinks to
herself. It was clearly much too early to wake everyone up. 

Denise fidgets, and shuffles, and
frets. In the end, she can’t withstand the silence and sits back in her bed,
her back resting against the headboard. She doesn’t feel like going back to
sleep, but what else is there to do? Keep watch? But again, everyone will wake
up and be all grouchy.

Denise tries to lie back down in
bed, and instead, she hit her head – hard – against the headboard.
“Ow!” Denise squealed, resting her head in her hands. 

 In an almost slow motion kind
of fashion, Tina sprang out of bed and wildly looked around the room. Almost
instantly, everyone else followed. 

“Denise!” Ferrah scolded.
“Why the hell did you make such a loud noise? Even after everything, you
still don’t understand what not to do?!”

“I’m sorry! I won’t…do
that..again…” Denise releases her hands from her head and stares blankly
at Ferrah. Ferrah glares at Denise. “Stop staring at me. Please.”
Ferrah pouts and starts shaking in her tied position. “Can somebody please untie me?
Seriously. It’s not nice. I’m pretty sure my hands have swollen up.”

Denise looks across the room and
she shares worried looks with Rory and Tina. Denise felt fear well up in her,
stomach that feels like it was tied up tight. Denise gulps, and slowly rises
from her bed. 

Rory joins in and stands beside
Denise, them both standing still before Ferrah. Tina is cowering under her
bedsheets and carefully watches to see what the two do next. 

Ferrah starts to get impatient.
 “Come on! I’m not a zombie, am I? I won’t spring at you and eat you
after you untie me.” Ferrah responds to the stares of the two before her.
Ferrah shifts her head to the side to take her fiery red hair out of her
face. 

Rory hesitates before speaking.
“Right then. We’ll untie once we’ve completely made sure that you’re not
turned. Is that okay?”

Ferrah made an attempt to shrug,
failing with the ropes tied around her. “I don’t care either way,
just…make it quick.” That last word was raised to make it sound like a
question. Denise knew that Ferrah likes Rory; she remembered their fight. And
then she remembers that unpleasant talk with Rory that…other day? Denise
wondered. Was it really that other day or was it a month ago? Denise has lost
almost all sense of time, and it feels much too strange. 

Rory and Denise begin a checkup and
check for all symptoms. Tina watches intently and all toughness leaves her at
that moment. It was so hard to believe that Ferrah might be a zombie. Tina
begins to breathe unevenly, before just taking a big breath altogether. All she
can do in this present moment is to wait. 

After a few minutes, Rory breathes
out a sigh of relief and just smiles like crazy. “She’s clean!” He
announced. Tina gives a smile as well and laughs. Denise joins in as well, and
everyone is back to normal again. 

“Guys.” 

Everyone turns around to face an
angry looking Ferrah. Her flaming hair expresses her anger, and the team feel
slightly unsettled. 

“Un. Tie. Me.” Rory
rushes over and hastily gives the rope a few tugs and Ferrah pulls free from
the brown old ropes. She stretches dramatically and quickly checks her hands.
“Swollen! See!” And she brings her hands up to Rory’s face. 

Rory sighs, and uses his hand to
take her hands out of his face, and begins to comment on Ferrah’s earlier
actions. “Your hands are not swollen. They’re barely even red. It’s your
wrists you should worry about.”

Ferrah’s eyes widen, quickly
examines her wrists, and gasps. “Rory! Damn it! You had me worried
there!” She thumps her fists on Rory’s shoulders, while he just stands
there smiling. “That’s barely tickles, Ferrah.” 

Denise forces a smile, and presses
her slight jealousy down deep inside her. Enough of that. 

“So…Ferrah hasn’t turned?
Why’s that?” Tina pipes up and joins the conversation. 

Rory answers in a low voice.
“Perhaps…low exposure to infection leads to immunity over time? It might
be possible. At least, it’s not unreasonable. We don’t know much about this
apocalypse, so that may be as much true as it is untrue.” 

A hush lies over the conversation,
and everyone feels uncomfortable. They have already encountered
“immunity” with Tina. If Tina is immune, then what are the chances
Ferrah is? It should way below zero. 

Tina suddenly recoils. “Do you
hear that?” Everyone then turn into defense mode, and listen out. It takes
a few moments before Denise can safely say and assure everyone, but she does.
“That’s my phone!” And she makes a mad dash to her bed. Denise swipes
her phone out from under the pillow cover and breathes heavily as she sees the
caller ID. Mom. 

“Mom?”

Denise hurridely pressed the answer
button with her finger and swiftly brings the phone up to her ear.
“Mom?” Please
answer…Mom…

“Denise! Thank the
Heavens!” Sobs could be heard from across the line, and Denise realizes
how much she has missed her family, and vice versa. She breathes a sigh of
relief before proceeding into the conversation. 

“Mom! How is the family? Where
are they? Are they…” Denise found it difficult to say the next word.
“Dead?” she hoarsely whispers. She fears her mother may have not
heard her and she might have to repeat it again.

 “They’re fine. A little
shaken, but who isn’t, when all this….monstrosity is happening..” Her
mother’s voice trailed off, and Denise fears that not many more lines will be
able to be spoken before either the phone disconnects or…

“Mom, tell me where you are.
Quickly, we may not get much more said.” Denise ushers. 

“Uncle Bob’s Farm. You
reme…mber Uncle Bob, right? You remember where…lives…..?”

“Yeah, Mom, I do! We’ll come
over there as soon as possible!” Denise starts to panic as she heard the
line breaking up.

“We…?
Who…..you…..with?”

“I’m with people I met. I
promise they’re not zombies, mom! Look, the line’s breaking up, I…”

Ferrah gives Denise a faint smile,
and that smile sealed everything. They’re going to Uncle Bob’s.

“Be….q…uick…..”

The line went dead.

“Mom…” Denise breaks
down into sobs, and turns around, facing the wall rather than the rest of the
team. Her nose is running and big glassy tears can’t help but fall from
Denise’s eyes. That two minute conversation was more than enough to get Denise
motivated. “Enough…tears….” Denise turns around, and tries to
smile. Everyone is uncertain that Denise is okay. Her smile against a tear
stained face is not overly convincing. 

“We’re going to Uncle Bob’s.
That’s where my family is. They can help, I’m sure of it.” Denise
reassures. 

“Okay. But where is this farm?
And…a farm? Will that really keep us safe?” Rory asks softly, yet his
tone suggests he is skeptical.

“Uncle Bob…is an ex Vietnam
veternarian. He’s a little crazy. However, we’re lucky that he’s crazy.”
Denise smiles. 

“Lucky?” Tina seems
skeptical too. 

“That’s because Uncle Bob has
constructed his farm into a locked up fortress, not so long ago. There should
be everything we need.” Denise explains. 

“Nice! We should get going
soon then!” Ferrah laughs, full of excitement, eyes hungry for adventure
once more. 

“Well then. Everything’s
settled then.”