“We just came from the far side of Pennsylvania,” said Joe.
The marine looked shocked. “You haven’t been out there this whole time have you?”
Joe nodded.
Keith leaned towards the driver’s side. “The stubborn bastard wouldn’t leave his farm.”
“That’s insane,” said the marine. “I can’t even believe it.”
“It wasn’t fun,” said Keith. “What with the boys dropping bombs over our heads all night. The vampires didn’t help much either.”
“I take it you guys are trying to find a safe place to stay?”
“Yea,” said Joe.
“Can I see that map?” The marine showed Joe on the map where they were supposed to go. He even pulled out a marker to trace the path. “If you don’t stop you should make it there by dark.”
“Thanks,” said Joe.
“What about you guys,” Keith asked. “You’re not going to spend the night out here are you?”
“Between the UV flashlights and silver bullets, I think we’ll be just fine. And don’t forget about the tanks.” The marine winked. “This should be a quick cleanup operation. You fellas will be back on the farm before you know it.” He slapped the side of the truck. “Now hurry up, you don’t have the protection we do.”
The marine walked back to the road to meet up with his comrades at the back of the pack. After they passed, Joe got back on the road and began to follow the man’s directions.
Chapter 28
Adam shut off his bike to better hear the instructions the soldier was giving him. They were on an old stone bridge that crossed over a wide river. The water below was dirty and brown, it rolled and swirled as it flowed beneath them. There were soldiers stationed at both ends of the bridge, presumably waiting for new people to come out of the evacuation zone.
“It’s another three miles until you reach the town of Marietta. We’ve set up traffic cones and signs to guide you. You will be staying at Marietta Middle School,” said the soldier. “There you will be provided with food, water and a safe place to go at night. Follow the signs and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the place.”
“Thanks,” said Adam before turning the bike back on.
A line of construction cones was waiting for him on the other end of the bridge. Adam let them lead him down the road.
Though the road was paved, it felt old. The area gave him the distinct feeling of going back in time. Perhaps it was the older houses and buildings, or maybe the fact that there was no power anywhere.
Not far from the bridge was a graveyard. The tombstones were scarred; one had moss growing on it. In the center of the graveyard was a small shack. The wood planks that made up its siding were fading from white to dirt brown and falling apart. The only window on the shack had been busted out and boarded up with plywood from the inside. The plywood itself had rotted and broken away in spots, allowing Adam to see the darkness behind.
There were people in the graveyard as well, others who’d evacuated he assumed. They were walking around as though they had nothing better to do.
Adam continued on into town. He passed people walking down the road. They strolled along in small packs, probably families, much like tourists on vacation. Some were lounging on the front lawns of town houses. The houses themselves were packed tight on half acre lots. Most were covered with wooden siding, painted white and chipping.
It was a quaint little postcard town. Adam knew he liked the place at once. The people made him feel odd and a little uneasy however. He was beginning to grow used to being alone with just Sarah and could feel himself tense every time they passed a group of strangers.
They found Marietta Middle School about two blocks down, dividing the seemingly endless rows of houses in half.
The parking lot was packed with vehicles. There was a group of kids playing baseball in the grass on the far side, and a playground beyond that. The playground was packed with kids of all ages, their parents watching from the side.
Adam parked his bike on the sidewalk, under the shade of the school.
Marietta Middle School was a single story brick building about the size of two or three football fields. It was a generic building that looked to be at least thirty or forty years old.
Adam missed the wind from the bike ride. It was an oven outside. He could see heat waves rolling off the parking lot.
“We made it,” he said.
Sarah pulled off the helmet and set it on the seat. Her eyes were distant as she spoke, “I was going to let myself die.” She looked at Adam. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” said Adam, turning towards the school.
There was a soldier stationed at the front door. His hair was flat against his forehead with sweat. “Welcome,” he said, opening the door.
It was cooler inside than outside which wasn’t saying much because it was still warm inside. If the building had air conditioning at all, it was working overtime and losing the battle.
The halls were spacious enough. The carpet was gray with red stripes and contrasted the white walls. The only illumination during the daylight hours came from the sun, so areas of the building got darker the farther they were from the doors and windows.
“Excuse me,” came a woman's voice.
Adam and Sarah turned around to find a woman in a red dress suit. She looked like she was probably in her fifties. Her hair was pulled tight in a bun, accentuating deep set features. She was holding a clipboard.
“Oh dear, you poor things.” She gave them an apologetic frown. “You’ve been out there on your own this whole time?” When neither of them responded she went on. “Well you’ll be safe here. It’s gotten quite packed, but there are still a couple rooms left. We’re going to place you with the other newcomers.”
“Place us?” asked Adam.
“Yes. We’ve brought in cots to all the classrooms. Everyone here is assigned a room.” She began to walk the heals of her dress shoes clicking with every step. “If you will follow me I’ll take you to yours.”
The lady led them down two halls, deeper into the building. Adam was able to peek through the classroom doors as they passed. Most were dark, but he could still see people inside. They lay on cots and lounged in lawn chairs. Suitcases and travel bags were heaped all around them.
“There are showers located in the locker rooms near the gymnasium,” the lady said as she led them. Adam noted how she held herself with such authority that he couldn’t help feeling a little childish in her presence.
“Food will be available during all hours in the cafeteria. So far there haven’t been any problems, but we ask that you refrain from overeating. We receive supplies every day, we just prefer to store as much as possible. And here you are.” She stopped walking and held her hand out towards the classroom they were passing.
“Come on,” said Adam, leading the way for Sarah.
“Oh, and one other thing,” said the lady. “I’m going to need your names.”
“Why?” asked Adam.
“So we can keep track of everyone. It helps us with supplies and making sure everyone is inside when night comes.”
“Oh, well I’m Adam Foster and this is Sarah…”
“White,” Sarah finished.
The lady marked them down on her clipboard then looked up with a bright smile. “Feel free to find yourselves some empty cots and make yourselves at home.”
“Thanks,” said Adam, stepping into the room.
“Enjoy.”
They could still hear the lady’s heels clicking as she walked away.
There were four people already in the windowless classroom. Adam squinted at them as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a chalkboard on the adjacent wall from the door. The teacher’s desk had been removed while the student’s desks were replaced with cots.
Two of the people in the room appeared to be a couple. They were huddled together near the front of the room. If Adam had to guess, he would say they were in their late forties.
The other two were a man and woman. The woman was curled in a ball near the farthest back corner. It was hard to make her out in the dark.
The man was closer to the front, sitting on a cot with his face in his hands. He wore a button up dress shirt with a black tie hanging loose around his neck.
“Are you hungry?” Adam asked. “Maybe we should get some food before settling in.”
“Okay,” said Sarah.
“Don’t forget, we’re in room three hundred and three.”
It took them a little while to find the cafeteria. They ended up wandering the building and stumbling upon the gym first. There were people everywhere, walking the halls and lounging in almost every room. Now that he realized how many people were actually there, Adam felt crowded.
The entire far wall of the cafeteria was made of ceiling to floor windows, which was nice because it let a lot of light in. He didn’t think it would be so good at keeping vampires out, however.
They didn’t find it a moment too soon, Adam’s stomach growled as they passed through the front doors.
The cafeteria was lined with long tables from wall to wall. They were short tables, leading Adam to believe they were the same tables meant for the middle schoolers. There wasn’t a single table that had less than two people at it. The ones that were eating spooned soup from plastic bowls.
“Over here,” said Adam, leading the way to where they were handing out the soup.
They were using the middle school’s normal lines to serve the food. Two long lines brought people past open cutouts in the wall, that allowed them to peak into the kitchen. A couple of volunteers were back there, lining up soup on the ledge for people to grab as they walked past.
There was only one person in line so they were able to walk right up and grab a couple bowls.
Adam took a sniff, chicken noodle. It wasn’t his favorite, but he wasn’t complaining. Food was food.
He took up his bowl in one hand and Sarah’s in the other. He was just beginning to search for a table when he heard Barry.
“Adam, you’re alive!” The big guy jumped up from his seat, a wide grin stretching his goatee.
He jogged over, heading right for Adam. Adam braced himself for the impact, holding the hot soup away from his body, so as not to spill on himself.
Barry must have seen the soup too because he stopped short and placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder.
“I thought you were dead for sure man. I can’t believe it, you made it!”
“It wasn’t easy,” said Adam.
Barry stepped back and took in Sarah. “Vampires are destroying the world and you still manage to pick up a girlfriend, impressive.” He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Barry.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” said Adam. “We just helped each other get here is all.”
Sarah took Barry’s hand and shook it. “Adam did most of the helping. I’ve basically just been an emotional wreck that he dragged along.”
“That’s not true,” said Adam.
“Well I imagine we all have pretty good reasons to be emotional wrecks,” said Barry.
Sarah nodded and sank back a little.
Barry turned his focus back to Adam, the wide smile returning. “Dude, seriously I don’t even know what to say right now. You’re alive ah!”
“I’m pretty hungry,” said Adam. “Let’s find a table and you can tell me everything I’ve missed.”
Barry led them to a table where they could finally get something to eat. Adam enjoyed every bite and judging by the look on Sarah’s face, she did too.
Barry’s family was all around them, talking and laughing. Adam even joined the laughter when Barry’s dad started going through his long list of jokes. Even Sarah allowed a smile.
Adam sat back, his stomach full and his mood high. After so many days of desperation, being safe and with people he knew felt like heaven.
Chapter 29
Joe and Keith reached the town of Marietta when the sun was going down. Time was running out as the big clock in the sky counted off the last minutes of daylight.
There were no soldiers on the old stone bridge. They all left a half an hour earlier. They didn’t pose as much of a threat to the vampires, so what would have been the point for them to risk their lives.
Joe drove across, finding the orange cones on the other side.
The town was empty as they drove through. They passed a graveyard with a beat down old shack in the center. It felt as though something, or someone was watching them drive by through the dark gaps in the boarded up windows. It made Joe drive slightly faster than he intended. It wasn’t until the graveyard was out of sight that the unease left him.
They parked near the front doors of Marietta Middle School. Keith hopped out and grabbed the drag bag. Joe grabbed the jug of holy water.
By then the sun had already sank below the horizon. Crickets were beginning to chirp, welcoming the night. The moon was out and the stars were making their first appearance. It was growing darker with every passing second.
Joe grabbed the front door of the school and pulled, it didn’t budge. Keith pounded on the window.
“Is anyone in there? Unlock the door!”
Joe yanked, making it rattle. Keith pounded on the glass again.
“Hello,” Keith shouted. “We’re out here!”
Behind them, the crickets fell silent.
Joe turned around, his hand going to his 9mm pistol.
“We’re gonna die out here!” Keith yelled at the door.
Joe searched the edge of the parking lot, trying to see through the maze of vehicles and into the woods beyond.
It was just dark enough that he couldn’t quite be sure of what he was looking at on the opposite side of the parking lot.
He now realized how exposed they were making themselves. They should have driven the truck right up to the door and laid on the horn. At that moment, he wasn’t so sure they could make it back to the truck if they had to run for it.
He thought of the beat down old shack in the center of the graveyard, and how he felt like someone was watching him. He felt that same sensation now.
“Stop,” Joe whispered.
“What?” said Keith.
“Stop making noise.”
It wasn’t just the crickets that had gone silent, everything had. There wasn’t a single creature making a sound.
Joe’s pistol made an audible click that broke the silence as he cocked the hammer. His free hand went to the wooden stake on his hip.
Keith set down the drag bag and began undoing its zipper.
Light fell across their backs and Joe turned to find himself face to face with a flashlight.
The door opened. The soldier that opened it flashed the beam on Keith before letting them in.
“What the hell are you guys still doing out there?” he asked.
“We just got here,” said Keith. “We’ve been driving all day.”
“Holy hell, you guys almost got yourselves killed.”
Joe slipped his pistol back into its holster. “We didn’t have much of an option.”
“I guess not,” said the soldier.
A moment later an older lady with a clipboard came strolling up. Her hair was disheveled and she looked flustered.
“Why in the hell did you guys come so late?” she asked.
“We’d of come earlier, but we didn’t feel like it,” said Keith.
The lady sighed. “Well as long as you’re not hurt I guess.” She opened the next set of doors and waved them in. “Well come on, there’s no sense in standing out here where they can still see you.”
It was bright inside the school. Whatever they had done to the light bulbs made it hard to keep their eyes open. Joe could feel the heat from it on his forearm. If it weren't for the large fan blowing down the hallway it would be like an oven.
The lady slipped on a pair of sunglasses. “We’ve equipped all the lights with ultraviolet light bulbs. If any vampire makes it through the door, he’ll be fried.”
“What’s stopping them from getting through the door?” asked Keith.
The woman gave him a funny look. “Haven’t you figured it out? Vampires can’t cross a threshold if there are people inside, not without permission at least.”
“What?” asked Keith.
“The front doors should be enough to keep us safe. Even so, they have been known to hypnotize people into letting them in. If something like that happens we will be relying on the lights.”
“You’ve seen this happen?” asked Joe. “They stopped at a doorway?”
“Yes. It’s the only thing that’s kept us all alive for this long.” She pulled a pen from the pocket of her red suit coat and held it to the clipboard in her hand. “Now, if I could just get your names I could show you to your room.”
“Well,” said Keith. “I’m Jack Aker and this is my good friend Tucker Ashford.”
The hint of a smile touched Keith’s lips as she wrote down the names.
“Alright, follow me,” said the lady.
As they began to walk Joe observed the lady. She held herself together well. She had to be dying in those red dress clothes. The material was too thick to breathe and the sleeves covered the upper half of her arms.
“I noticed the power’s gone out in most of the places we stopped. I assume you’re running these lights off a generator. How do you plan on stopping the vampires if they go for that?” asked Joe.
“The generator is located inside the school. No vampire is getting to it,” said the lady.
“What’re you going to do when you run out of gas?” asked Keith.
“We have a steady supply of gas coming in.”
Keith nodded his approval. “Maybe we can stay here after all.”
The lady stopped them in front of a classroom and held out her hand. “Right inside gentlemen. Step in and meet your new roommates.”
Joe entered the room, shielding his eyes with one hand to block the lights. There was a fan in the far corner of the room, creating circulation. It helped with the heat a little.
There were six people in the room. The closest was a married couple who sat holding each other with ashen faces. Behind them sat a couple of teenagers on the opposite side of a cot, playing a game of speed with a deck of cards. The boy was animated, laughing and calling the girl out, while the girl held her head low and forced a smile when needed.
Beyond them was a businessman who looked like his business had just been stripped away.
In the back corner was a druggy, as Joe liked to call them. Her hair was greasy and her arms showed tracks.
“Welcome to the cool kid’s room,” said the kid playing cards.
The lady cleared her throat. “We’ve provided every room with a bottle of sunscreen. Make sure you apply it to any exposed skin or you will get burned. On that same note we suggest you sleep under your blanket. The less you expose yourselves to the lights the better.”
“Is that it?” asked Keith.
“Do try to get along with the others. We won’t assign you another room.” With those parting words she turned on her heel and left.
“Pretty much all of the cots are open,” said the boy. “Feel free to take anyone you want.”
Keith went in first, dropping his drag bag on the nearest cot.
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
“Sarah and I got in this afternoon. I guess everyone else showed up just before that.”
“And you are?” asked Keith.
The boy held out his hand. “Adam.”
Keith walked over and shook his hand. “I’m Keith, and that big guy over there’s Joe.”
“Not Tucker?” asked Joe.
Keith shrugged. “The kid seems harmless enough. He’s not some government lady with a stick up her ass, trying to get all my information.”
“She didn’t seem that bad to me,” said Adam.
Joe smirked. “Me either.”
Keith took a step back as he realized the businessman was walking up to him. He had his hand out in greeting. In turn Keith’s hand was hovering over his silver tipped knife. He couldn’t help the knee jerk reaction. Considering everything that was happening, he was a little on edge and a stranger coming at him didn’t help.
“Matt Walker, head of the Walker Firm.”
Keith took his hand and shook it, though he didn’t look like he wanted to.
Matt turned towards Joe after that. “Matt Walker,” he repeated, his hand out.
Joe nodded his head, but didn’t offer his hand. After a moment Matt drew his own back.
“Well,” said Matt, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I figured if we’re stuck together we might as well get to know everyone.”
“And it never hurts to have a lawyer as a friend,” said Adam.
Matt turned to him and gave a quick and small bow. “Yes well, we have our uses. Anyway, the couple in front of you is Sherry and Chip. They’re both grieving over the loss of their twelve-year-old son. Sarah over there is in a similar state over her family. In the back corner is Lindsay. She seems nice, though she’s suffering from withdrawals. It’s been two days since her last hit and, as you can guess, drugs aren’t so easy to come by anymore.”
“And you?” said Joe.
“Me?”
“Why are you here?”
“Uh, I thought it was obvious. The vampires ran me out of business and out of town.”
Joe pushed passed him and sat down on one of the cots. He placed the milk jug at his feet and tested the spring of the cot with his hand. It was a little rough, but he wouldn’t complain.
“You guys lasted a while out there,” said Matt. “I’m going to go out on a ledge here and say you’re military types aren't you?”
Keith shot Joe a glance. “We’re construction workers.”
“Sure you are. It’s all right, if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine. I’ll go over here and sit in silence.”
“You do that,” said Keith.
“I bet you’re old high school chums.”
Keith showed no signs of amusement. “We’re brothers.”
Matt let out a single belt of laughter that filled the room. “You two are closer to being David and Goliath than brothers.”
When neither Joe nor Keith showed any signs of softening Matt held up his hands. “Okay okay I’ll let you two settle in.”
Matt went to his cot in the back of the room, mumbling under his breath the whole way. He shook his head as he sat back down.
“Don’t worry about Matt,” said Adam. “He’s alright.”
Joe lay back on the cot. The lights glared down on him. He could still see them with his eyes closed. Sleep was not going to come easy. He pulled the blanket over his head, thankful for the fan.
It had been an early morning after a night of fighting vampires. He didn’t know how much sleep he was running on because he didn’t have any energy.
“You guys have a card game I can play too?” asked Keith.
“Sure,” said Adam. “Pull up a cot.”
They were talking quieter. Joe presumed it was because he was trying to sleep.
Joe could have stayed up a few more hours to get to know everyone a bit better, but he was in no mood. The only thing he wanted was to make it to morning. He could figure out everything else he needed to do from there.