THE HOST FROM THE SOUTH
Ike and Dave’s Infinite Playlist of Music to be Murdered By (Part 2)
by J. Ian Manczur
(Part 1)Earlier that day…
A gaggle of zombies. He flipped the coin. It disagreed with his choice of words.
A mother and son.
A congress of zombies. He flipped the coin. Agreed, but that gave them too much credit.
Flesh eating monsters not worthy of a second thought.
A plague of zombies. Yea, that was perfect. Coin disagreed.
Had to be a mother and son. They were dressed in a similar style of wealth. Probably died in church. Only bars and churches were open at the end.
A horde of zombies. Classic. Nixed by the coin. No reason given, but he trusted its opinion.
Maybe not. Feasting on the flesh of a child. Zombie adoption. Or maybe child on woman. A zombie family unit. Stop. Dangerous thinking.
An anarchy of zombies. Coin liked it. He did, too. He scribbled it down in his notepad.
He heard a tap on the glass of the sliding door. Dave poked his head out with a smile, waiting for permission to interrupt. Ike waved him through. Dave approached with a cautious, yet undeniably cheerful step, “Hey buddy, what are you thinking about?”
The answer was simple and concise. A mixture of what the best collective noun would be for zombies and a deeper philosophical.. theory on how best to view the creatures. Just say it, damn it. “Nothing, really.”
“Sure looks like you’re thinking about something.”
“You know what a collective noun is?”
Dave thought for exactly one second, “Nope.”
“Never mind then.”
“I’m interested,” Dave prodded, earnestly.
“It’s really not that important, just thinking of some of the grander questions in life.. and a number of less important things.”
“Come up with anything?”
Ike flipped the coin one last time. He stared at the result. Dave moved closer to see what the outcome was, even though he didn’t know the question. Ike had already closed his hand. With a sigh of resignation, Ike turned to Dave, “Not really.”
Dave pulled a chair to sit next to his comrade. They sat in silence for awhile, until Ike stubbed out his cigarette and pulled out his pack. He offered one to Dave, who politely rejected.
“Sorry, old habits.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Mind if I have one?” Ike spat through gritted, teeth as he lit another.
Dave nodded in acceptance. Again they fell quiet, Ike lost somewhere and Dave not knowing how to reach him. “Everything’s almost ready. And I made a pre-travel snack.”
Ike didn’t answer, so Dave repeated. Ike responded with a distracted, “Heard you, kid.”
“What’s eating you?”
“Poor choice of words.”
“Fair enough. Ok, you are obviously bothered by what you are thinking about, so…” Dave gestured with his hand, signaling Ike to complete his thought.
“Alright. I’m worried about how we view zombies. I mean, we all have our preconceived notions about what we’re facing, but what do we really know?”
Dave shrugged in response.
“Exactly. Hear me out. We are running around killing humans--people, or are we? How do we view them? How should we? Do we see them as monsters or who they used to be? Which one is better?”
“I’m not following.”
“Ok, come over here. Those two by the stop sign, see them?” Dave nodded. “What are they?”
“Zombies.”
“Yes, but.. describe them to me.”
“Ummmmm, zombies.”
“A little more,” Ike added with a hint of aggravation.
“Creatures that hunt for my flesh? I don’t know. One used to be female, the other was just a kid.”
“So you view them as monsters, first and foremost?”
Dave shrugged in agreement. “How do you view them?”
“I’ll get to that in a second. Part two, have you ever had to kill a zombie that used to mean something to you?”
“Like a family member?”
“Yea, or a friend, teacher, any person you had an emotional attachment to.”
“Not really. Killed a guy who used to run a shop that I used to go to, but beyond that, they’ve all been strangers.”
“Now, what happens if you run across someone you care about?”
“Kill them?”
“You’d have to, but would you hesitate.”
“I don’t know.. maybe.”
“You may, you may not, but what if you do? Heat of battle, zombies swarming, can’t afford to hesitate. Therein lies the dilemma. Now, how do you solve the emotional problem?”
“I‘m beginning to regret asking..”
“I don’t know, either.” Ike stood and started rounding Dave’s chair, cigarette firmly grasped between fingers. “This is what I’ve been debating. Now, I’ve never studied the psychology of war.”
“You‘re not the only one.”
“But, I’ve been thinking. It’s sort of like a civil war within our species. Do you get my meaning?”
“Go on.”
“It’s brother against brother. I think, in order to survive day to day, I need to remember that. I need to see each zombie as what they were and are. The friend, the lover, the family member, the brother I never had but could have had, if the world remained sane. It is easier to forget, to see them as monsters. But, what happens when we get that one remembrance of what they are, what they were? If I make it harder for me, if I numb myself, then I can kill those who were because I am so used to killing those who might have been.”
Dave didn‘t know what to say in response, so instead he just offered, “Well, I’m depressed.”
“Sorry for that, kid.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. It‘s important to think these things. Just, they’re beyond me.”
“Yea.” Ike said dejectedly, as he fell back down in his seat. He stared off into the anarchy, finishing his cigarette while Dave watched.
“So, you ready to leave after lunch?”
“Yup. Jack ready?”
“He is.”
“Ipods up and running?”
“Fully charged.”
“Well then, let’s eat.”
They hoisted themselves out of the chair and moved back in the house, Dave first and Ike trailing behind. Dave stopped short and Ike almost crashed into him. He twirled to face Ike, “Go back outside for a second. I totally forgot I have a surprise for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Let me get it.” Dave ran inside, leaving Ike out on the porch. Ike returned to his seat and fished out another smoke. “Take a look at this.” Dave produced a handgun from behind his back.
“Now, where did you find this?”
“House next door while I was scouting yesterday.”
“Let me take a look at it.”
“Oh, no, no, no and no.”
“What?”
“Every time I find a gun, you take a look at it and end up keeping it. I want a gun of my own.”
“I have more experience handling firearms.”
“Yea, and you’ve taught me. I got it.”
“But..”
“I’m going to keep this one. I‘ve checked it out like you showed me and everything works fine.” Dave was firm on his stance.
Ike paused to contemplate. “Alright, you’ve showed enough competence to make me believe you got this one. Just please, one favor, don’t make me live to regret this.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t live to regret this.”
“Also, one of my fears.”
“Trust me.” Dave shoved the gun into the front of his belt.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!”
“Don’t worry, it’s not loaded.”
“What‘s the first rule?”
“Never point a gun at something you don’t intend to shoot.”
“That includes yourself, kid, especially your baby-makers. Devil likes to load empty guns. I have a holster inside, should fit it.” Ike stopped at the threshold, “You made sure it works?”
“Yes, Ike.”
“You should really let me take a look.”
“Trust me.”
“Alright, I trust you, kid.” Ike sighed. “Shall we?”
TO BE CONCLUDED…
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