Junior sat in the passenger seat of the Angora issued SUV, marveling at what a magnificent job he’d done convincing Norma Swick to let her husband return to Angora. Rhino had been quiet for nearly the entire ride which wasn’t all that unusual, as they neared the lab. Junior shivered with excitement, knowing that Rhino will tell Randy about how he had really stepped up and handled the situation. It would be pretty sweet to get a little pat of the back from the boss, Junior thought to himself.
“
Are you sure this is safe?” Norma Swick asked from the back seat. “I think he should be in an ambulance or at least on a gurney.”
“
He'll be fine Mrs. Swick. We are only a couple minutes away,” Rhino said plainly, as he accelerated through a yellow light.
On the passing corner, Junior noticed a gang of about fifteen strange looking people moving toward the curb. The gang quickly spread out into three separate groups and began running toward citizens on the street. Junior craned his neck back to look at the scene as their SUV sped away leaving the disturbance in the distance. “Hey, what was that?”
Ignoring the comment, Rhino frowned at Junior, “You know, nobody's going to be happy about the misses being along for the ride,” he whispered.
“
I had to think fast,” Junior mouthed.
Junior took offense to Rhino’s comment and the look on his face. He expected Rhino to be pleased with him for getting the Swicks to come along without incident.
“Maybe if you didn't talk so fast, I could have offered something to the situation, without bringing her and without mentioning Angora,” Rhino whispered, glaring vengefully at Junior.
“
Well, maybe if we waited any longer for you to get your ideas out—she would have called security on us. Did you think of that?” Junior’s whisper began rising in volume.
“
How about this Junior,” Rhino growled through clenched teeth. “What if he dies on the way to Angora or after he gets there? Now you have opened up the company to a huge lawsuit opportunity. It's not like this is on the books, now is it?”
Junior remained quiet for a moment. He scowled at Norma and let his mind go for just a minute.
James would surely fire me for this if anything happens to the old man while the wife is here. The wife would probably sue. Yep. She looks like the type that would sue, in a heartbeat. Damn!
“
Why didn't you say anything? Or stop me? How am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?” Junior said, changing his whispered tone to a less argumentative one.
“
Hey, don't blow this back on me. How could you have been stopped? You just swooped in, with your brilliant explanation before I could even get a word in,” Rhino blasted.
Junior sat back in his seat trying to sort things out in his head. If things go south on this, his job will be nonexistent.
“I just can’t believe all this is happening. You know, I think it’s from that bite,” Norma said.
Junior hesitated, waiting for Rhino to respond to the woman. He turned his head to Rhino, lifting his eyebrows as if to offer him the time reply. Rhino looked over at Junior with sarcastic glare and a nod, “It’s all you bro.”
“What’s that ma’am? What bite?” Junior turned back in his seat with a frown, thinking that the old woman was half-delusional.
“That damn, good-for-nothing brother
of his bit him—right on the arm. Then—he bit our angel, Jenna, on the hand,” she said pointing to the bandage on Kyle’s arm.
Junior’s mind began to reel.
What is this woman talking about?
“What happened?” Junior asked in a monotone voice. He really didn’t want to hear about it, he had bigger problems of his own right now, but he didn’t want to be rude to the old lady with an ailing husband beside her.
“Ever since Kevin got home from that flu shot clinic, he was acting different, like he was back on the gin again. We told him, if he started drinking again, we’d kick him out. And wouldn’t you know it, he went into some tantrum and bit my husband. Little creep!”
“Wait, who’s Kevin?” Junior asked, puzzled.
“I told you, Kevin is Kyle’s good-for-nothing brother.”
“Wait Kevin and Kyle were both at the flu shot clinic?” Junior asked.
“Well… Kyle was there, but he got tired of waiting and was going to leave,” Norma looked down in shame. “Kyle called Kevin and asked if he wanted a flu shot, so as to not let his spot in line go to waste. So they switched spots.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait a second. So Kyle never got a flu shot?” Junior asked.
“Nope, they’ll have another shot clinic at the VA hospital later this month and Kyle can get it there. Kyle thought it would be for the best anyhow, since Kevin doesn’t have any insurance and he’s always coming down with some illness or another. See, Kyle always does right by his brother and do you think Kevin could do the same? No!”
Junior turned to Rhino who glared out the windshield.
Not only did I get Angora into this mess with a sickly old man, but it’s not even the right patient we were supposed to retrieve. Great.
“
He's dead!” Norma squealed. “Oh my god! He's dead! Help him!” she begged Junior with pleading eyes before throwing herself onto her husband’s lap.
Junior, dumbfounded by this new information from this screaming widow, reached over the seat and felt Swick's neck for a pulse. No pulse. Shaking his head at Rhino, he slumped back into his seat and stared out the front windshield. They were slowing down at the entrance gate to Angora. Rhino looked into the security camera, mounted to the card reader outside the gate, and slid his ID card. The buzzer sounded as the gate began to open.
“We are almost there Mrs. Swick,” Junior said, repositioning himself in his seat. He sat with his back to the passenger door, so that he could easily see out the windshield and back at the Swicks.
Now’s not the time to lose it Junior.
Norma wailed uncontrollably, while holding her husband.
Junior wanted to vomit.
This is it. My job is toast. It died in the back seat with Kyle Swick. Randy and James are going to tear into me after this one
. He tried to think of what he might say to them, but he couldn’t think straight with the misses back there blaring like a fire alarm.
Rhino pulled the vehicle through the gate, accelerating as he saw Brody out of the security booth, waiving them on.
Junior looked out the front windshield, as the SUV sped closer to the building, when Norma’s bellowing transformed into burning squeals. He gave Rhino a panicked look before turning to the backseat.
“
Shit!” Junior yelled.
Kyle’s
mouth was latched on his wife’s neck. Blood had sprayed all over her face and poured down her chest, staining her top. Norma gasped and gurgled, with her eyes peeled open, as her husband maintained his hold.
“
Stop!” Junior yelled.
Rhino looked in the rearview mirror and slammed on the breaks. Junior smashed into the dashboard and the Swicks smacked into the back of the
Junior’s seat.
“
Draw!” Rhino commanded.
Junior froze. He stared
, as Kyle sunk his teeth deeper into the neck of his wife, like he’d seen lions do to their prey on the Environmental Channel. Rhino put the truck in park, drawing his weapon. Without hesitation, pointing the gun at Kyle's head, Rhino squeezed the trigger, just once. Kyle’s body fell limp on top of Norma. The wife didn’t move. Rhino and Junior looked at each other, then at the bodies in the back seat, covered in blood. Rhino reached between the seats and grabbed Norma's shrunken wrist, he shook his head at Junior. They were both dead.
“
Why? Why did he do that?” Junior muttered.
“
I thought he was dead,” Rhino frowned at Junior.
“
Rhino, he had no pulse. I checked it. He was dead,” Junior said, beginning to doubt himself.
“
So, he was dead. Then he woke up, all on his own? No CPR, no defibrillator, just all on his own, right?” Rhino yelled sarcastically.
“
Listen, man,” Junior began, deepening his voice.
Movement caught Junior’s eye in the backseat. Both men turned around
and were stunned to see that Norma had pushed her husband’s corpse off of her. His gory, lifeless body slumped up, against the back of Rhino’s seat. Her head cocked to the right side, away from the wound her husband had inflicted upon her. She slowly sat up, glaring at Junior with hollow eyes. Without a sound, she lunged at him. Her bloody body pressed up against the back of Junior's seat, her arms flailing around, trying to grasp him. Junior crammed himself against the windshield and dash board, trying to stay out of her reach. Awkwardly gasping for air, almost hissing like a cat, she stalked him with starving, soulless eyes. Her eyes, whites included, had completely changed color to black and were pulled open so far, that she appeared to be in a frenzy of sorts. Rhino fired another single head shot, and her body slumped against Junior's seat.
“
Shit, shit, shit! I thought she was dead Rhino! I’m done. I'll walk!” Junior thrust his door open and leapt from the vehicle, slamming the door.
Forty-five minutes had passed since getting stuck on the Wheel, and the crowd beneath the
ride began to calm. Some were wandering around, while others stood beneath the wheel looking up at the people contained in the carts.
“Dad, look,” Kate gasped, pointing forward to the cart directly across from them. “They’re getting out. Where are they going to go?”
“I’m not sure, hon,” Joe looked around at the wheel spokes and looked back at the young couple evacuating the cart across from them. He steadily stood in the cart reaching out to the spokes.
“What are you doing? Dad, please sit down,” Kate squealed, without loosening her white knuckle grip from the safety bar. “What will they do when they get to the bottom? In case you forgot, those things are still down there. They haven’t left. They’re just waiting for us to come down, so that they can…get us,” tears welled up in Kate’s soft, brown eyes.
“Kate, it’s okay. Just relax. I’m just checking things out,” Joe said patiently.
Chatter started among the riders, the carts began to sway as more people were standing in their seats and attempting to step out onto the spokes.
“I’ll be right here,” Joe reached up, grabbing the steel pole above the cart. While trying to maintain his balance, he slowly placed a foot on the edge of the cart. It swayed slightly. He and Kate exchanged a panicked look.
Joe squeezed the massive steel piping connecting their cart to the ride that extended around the perimeter of the wheel in a giant circle. He delicately maintained his balance while keeping the cart from rocking. With every twinge of the cart, Kate would gasp in terror. Feeling a high degree of balance, he lifted his right foot from the edge of the cart and positioned it on another steel pipe. This one ran parallel with the cart, leading to the center of the giant wheel. Keeping his grip, he steadily shifted his weight from the cart, to the parallel steel. Stepping out of the cart completely, clutching the overhead perimeter pipe, he took a moment to survey the situation.
The empty cart just below them hung more than three feet above the crowd below, slightly out of their reach. Taking a quick glance upward, Joe felt thankful that they weren't in the cart on the top of the wheel.
Once, we’re able to get to the cart below, then what?
“
How you doing sweetie?” He asked, turning his attention to Kate.
“
I'm okay, Dad,” Kate’s voice quivered, breathlessly.
“
Listen. I need you to come out here with me.”
“
No way Dad! I'm not moving,” she tightened her grip.
“
Kate, you have to get out of the cart. Just take your time and slide over to this side,” he pointed to the place where he had been sitting when they boarded the ride.
“
Why Dad? Why do I have to get out? The cops will be here anytime, and they'll help us get down after they arrest those people down there.”
Frustration overpowered Joe as if he were being strangled by it. All he wanted in this moment was for Kate to trust him. For once, he wanted her to shelf her doubts and questions and do as she’s told. During this critical situation at the carnival, he wanted only a few minutes of compliance from her without having to outline every single detail to her. He took in a deep
breath, closing his eyes. As he began to compose himself, he looked to Kate with newfound patience, although it remained clouded with reluctance at what he would need to show her.
“
I think it may be a while, it’s already been forty-five minutes. Do you remember the people that they… killed over there?” Joe motioned across the carnival.
Slowly, Kate turned her head looking across the carnival. Her eyes eagerly scanned the blood soaked ground, finding no bodies left behind.
“Where are they?” She whispered with muddled look on her young face.
“
They’re down there,” he pointed to the mob below. “They were attacked by those… things and then somehow became those things.”
He stood observing her, while giving her time to proce
ss the scene. He hated that he had to spell this out to her. Barely able to process the situation himself, Joe knew that unless his teenage daughter thoroughly understood the situation, that she would be immovable from the cart.
“
I have a feeling that these things aren't going to be stopped here. Look, some of them are making their way down the street. I think that this may take the authorities a couple hours or more. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. I want us to get as far away from them as we can. We definitely don't want to be here when they decide to start climbing up to us.”
Joe
felt surprised at the level of self-control and patience in his voice. He actually wanted to reach in and yank her out, but he knew that patience and control is what Kate needed more than anything right now.
Kate hesitated. Her saucer–like eyes darted around the carnival a few times before frowning back at her father in despair.
“Okay, Dad. What are we going to do from where you are that we can't do here?” She loosened her grip, inching her way closer to him, a look of surrender in her brown eyes.
“
We are going to slide down this pipe,” he tapped the perimeter pipe. “To the next cart down,” he leaned out a bit to glance at it again.
Peering over the edge of her cart, Kate shot an icy stare at Joe,
“We'll be right on top of them!”
“
Look again, Kate. We'll be out of their reach. They won't be able to get to us. From there, we’ll be in a better position to get out of here. Once we get down to that cart, we can try to come up with a diversion to distract them long enough to be able swing down and run. We can work with other riders on the distraction idea, but we have to be in a good position first or we’ll never have enough time.” He motioned to the other carts, with nearly all the riders climbing out onto the piping.
“
Okay, I trust you,” she said with a huge sigh. “Just give me a sec.”
Shaking her head, Kate gradually slid all the way over in the cart, closer to Joe's position. Biting her bottom lip, she positioned her left hand on the back of the cart and her right on the safety bar as she progressively stood. She steadily let go of her rigid grip on the back of the cart, then extended a trembling hand toward her father. Joe inched closer to the perimeter steel, securing himself with his left arm above his head, wrapped around the steel. He stood with his back toward Kate, extending his right hand to her, twisting his body so that it mirrored hers. He firmly grasped her hand and let her take her time letting go of the safety bar.
At last, she found the courage to let go, extending her arm out to her side, helping to maintain her balance. She stepped up on to the edge of the cart and leapt to the parallel pipe, landing beside her father. She wrapped her arms around him like a koala bear to a tree as tears streamed down her face. Joe struggled to get his arm out of her air-tight embrace. They inched closer to where the perimeter and parallel pipes met, with Joe in the front and Kate still clutching his midsection from behind. Kneeling down, Joe sat on the parallel pipe, a leg dangling on either side. Kate meticulously duplicated his every move as though she were on the back of the motorcycle with him.
“
You alright?” He angled his head over his shoulder.
“
Uh-huh,” she nervously nodded.
“
You’re doing great. Sweetie listen, I’m going to go first. Then I will be down there to help you into the cart. I need you to watch me. So you can see how to get down,” he said.
“
Okay,” she took in a deep breath.
“
Kate, really pay attention. Once I get down there, I'm not going to be able to make it back up,” he stressed.
“
Yeah Dad, I got it. I'll pay attention,” she mumbled, out of breath.
Letting go of Joe, so he could maneuver, Kate grabbed onto the pipe she sat upon to maintain her balance. Joe slid forward wrapping his legs around the perimeter pipe. He pulled himself off the parallel pipe swung around to the outside of the wheel, facing Kate now, he flashed a half grin. Kate eagerly scooted forward, grabbing hold of the perimeter pipe.
Joe loosened his arms and legs and began to slide down the steel toward the cart below. He moved at a snail’s pace, so slow that his thighs and nearly every muscle in his arms burned. Only half way to the cart below, his arms felt as if they were on fire. Loosening his grip slightly, he began to gain more momentum. After the longest few seconds of his life, he stopped himself at the next intersecting pipe. He flopped into the adjacent cart, his legs blazing, but not nearly as severely as the stinging in his arms.
As his fiery muscles screamed in pain, Joe steadied himself in the cart. His mind reeled, trying to make sense of the madness ensuing at the carnival. He’d never seen chaos like this in all his life. What he originally thought to be a fight or even rioting, turned out to be something much more gruesome.
How is this possible?
He examined the battleground, the wounded, the dead, and the awakened, wondering if this could all be real. His mind drifted to his job, not his occupation, but his actual job, being a father. He had two daughters that he had promised his wife he would protect, the day each of them were born. Assuring himself that he was doing the right thing, by getting Kate down to this cart, he knew that next—they needed to get home to Roxy.
Once we are all together, we can figure out what to do from there.