The Waiting Game - Evening
"I'm home boys." Jeremy called out as he entered the residence, closing the door lightly behind himself. His voice echoed through the halls but came with no response. "Boys?" he called out once more as he hung his bag and coat on one of the hooks behind the door and stepped into the foyer.
"Welcome home master Jeremy." One of the two maids that his ex-wife had hired lowered her head as her co-employer entered the room.
"Mary." Jeremy nodded his head. "Where are the boys? I'd expected them to be home and happy to see me after so long."
"I'm afraid that Suzanne took the boys down to the harbor to teach them about marine life. Mistress Abigail said that you would be coming tomorrow so Suzanne had decided to take the boys on a field trip in the time being."
"Well then, give her a call for me would you? I'll be unpacking my things if you don't mind. I'd like the boys back before dinner so that we can catch up."
"Yes sir. Although, I should say that they'll likely be back by the afternoon. Since that is the schedule that Ms. Abigail had created."
"I understand Mary. But please, if you don't mind, could you humor me and see if they might not come home a bit sooner?"
"I will try my best. I'll leave you to your items."
Jeremy sighed and took his bag from the hook behind the door and headed down one of the many hallways to the master bedroom. The opening of the door bombarded him with a slew of aromas which brought back memories of a time long lost. Fresh cinnamon sticks on the dresser. Floral printed, lilac scented bed sheets. Sticks of incense left out and about, and a half-empty bottle of Curve Crush sitting next to them. He wasn't entirely sure what the purpose was; perhaps some sort of twisted torture method that Abby had read about in her free time. Regardless, the blanket of nostalgia - and nausea from the mixture of conflicting scents - that wrapped around him made Jeremy long for the embrace of his ex-wife, if only a little.
"Damn." Jeremy smiled slightly, the corner of his lip twisting up the slightest amount of pain as he sighed. "You still get me Abby."
The ex-politician removed his wrinkled dress shirt and slacks, laying them over a chair in the corner before flopping down in the bed face first. Burying his nose in the sheets and closing his eyes, it was almost as if she were still here. Sure, he was the one who had suggested that they get the divorce in the first place but it still hurt to be apart from her. Taking in a big whiff of the lilac infused into the sheets, he scrunched up a large portion of them into his fist and then passed out as a tear fell from his eye. No point staying awake now if the kids weren't even around. Best to save his strength for later. For the boys.
Several hours passed by and Jeremy was awoken by the scent of a cooking casserole. Allured by the aroma, he lifted his body from the bed and stretched out his arms as he yawned deeply. Putting on one of the housecoats from the closet, the man groggily shuffled into the kitchen.
"What're you making?" Jeremy asked the maid as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Something new I've been trying to perfect. While the others are out of the house, if there's no other work to be done I like to spend my time creating new dishes. Just a little hobby I suppose."
"How long?"
"Oh, well I've been cooking for-"
"No, how long have I been out? Sorry."
"Oh," the maid twisted her finger in one of the curls which dangled in front of her brow, "I'm not quite sure. I called Suzanne at roughly nine and didn't receive an answer, but that's normal. It's been… six hours since then?"
"Six hours? Shit." Jeremy shook his head and then bit his lip. "All I've been doing this past week is sleeping. The hell's wrong with me?" he whispered to himself.
"Well, it's alright. They should be home at any time. Sometimes Suzy just forgets to check her phone is all. She's a very dedicated teacher for the boys, you know? Sometimes she just gets so wrapped up in things. I remember there was one time…"
Jeremy sighed and fell into a chair at the kitchen table as the maid rambled on about her co-worker. Honestly, he couldn't care less about what she had to say. Truly, he'd been waiting all week in anticipation for this meet-up for more than just one reason. The boys were going to be graduating soon, and none of them had been able to have a real discussion about where exactly they'd be going. Of course, Jeremy hoped that they'd come back home to Mena and attend a nice college in Arkansas. Might as well just follow in their parents footsteps the whole way and become politicians themselves. Jeremy stifled a laugh at his own joke and the maid mistook it for him actually paying any interest in her own train of thought.
"Right?" She chortled. "I understand that she has a few more duties than me, but really how hard is it to take care of the house and a couple of boys? When she gets back from those damned field trips she's almost as lazy as-"
What a time to chime in. Jeremy rolled his eyes and looked out the window. The place really did have a nice view, and it was the perfect season too.
"I'm going to get some fresh air." The man rose from his seat and walked to the large, sliding glass door and threw it open as he took a deep breath.
But what he was met with was not the pleasant smell of the ocean breeze. Nor was it the faroff odor of the factories in the distance behind them. Instead, what he was met with was the smell of rotting flesh and a muffled scream. Just then, a man rushed up to and tackled Jeremy to the ground, screaming at him and asking for help as he dripped blood onto the politician's white shirt.
"Dammit don't you hear a thing I'm saying?" The man shouted as he stared down at Jeremy. "We need help! The outbreak, it's finally reached us! Oh God above, we're all going to fucking die out here aren't we? My friend. My friend he was, he was right behind me and then… then they got him. Those monsters. They just. Grabbed. Him. I didn't look back. I'd already seen too much in the city and on the news. Once they get you, you don't get away man! It's the end of the world I tell you!"
"Calm down," Jeremy said as he lifted his back off the ground and placed his hands on the man's shoulders to console him. "It's all going to be alright. I'll go grab my phone, you just wait right here. Mary? Will you get the first aid kit? The man's clearly been attacked by some sort of animal and needs immediate treatment. I'll go call nine-one-one and see if I can't get ahold of Abigail and see if she has any prescription painkillers hidden around."
Jeremy made his way back to his room quickly, pulling his cell phone from the front pocket of his bag. Quickly pulling up the number of his ex-wife, he attempted to dial her three times, each of which were immediately directed to voicemail. It was one thing he didn't particularly miss about her. She never could seem to keep track of all her devices, and if she could then she just would neglect to charge them. She was unfortunately still stuck on landlines, and Jeremy had no idea what the number was for her new apartment.
Resolving to try her again later, he began to punch in the number for the paramedics when he heard a scream come from the kitchen. Dropping his phone, he rushed to the sound in a hurry. Slouched down in the sliding glass doorway was a man who was completely covered in blood and embracing the man whom Jeremy had initially brought into his home.
With a big gulp, Jeremy took a step towards the two men. "Well then, I suppose you must be-"
Just as he had begun to speak, Mary rushed forward and kicked the slouched man square in the jaw causing it to crack and his head to spin abruptly to the side. The body fell limp, and the maid quickly dropped to her knees next to the first man. Tears formed in her eyes as she struggled to find what to do with her hands. And when he turned his face, with his whole head shaking, Jeremy knew why. The man who had been embracing him had actually been tearing at this man's face with his own teeth.
Jeremy gagged and suppressed the desire to vomit at the sight. One eyeball dangled free of its socket, and numerous teeth shone through mushed flesh as the man's good eye darted around the room. His mouth moved, but no words formed. A few more seconds passed and then his whole body went limp. The maid continued to cry for several more minutes over the dead man's body before rising to her feet and wiping her tears.
"Well," she began, fighting through the tears and sucking the snot back up into her nose as she struggled to keep her composure. "Did you get a hold of the paramedics at least?"
Jeremy shook his head, and just as he did, the man whom they had both thought was dead reached out for Mary's leg and pulled her to the ground, forcing himself onto her. Two more men shambled into the room and also fell onto the maid, tearing away at her skin with their nails and tearing into her flesh with their teeth. Jeremy backed up against the kitchen counter, completely unable to accept what was happening.
He remembered back to something he'd seen in a movie once a few years before. While not much of a fan of watching sports, the movie 'The Blind Side' had always really got to him on several occasions. And it was in this moment that he remembered a single line from it. Maybe if he was still asleep, this could wake him from this nightmare.
"Close your eyes. Now when I count to three, you open them. The past is gone. The world is good, and it's all going to be okay. One... Two…"