Roads Less Traveled (21 page)

“No, but you’ve been asleep a long time, and I was starting to get scared,” he whispered. She rose up from the mattress and went to the window, then kneeled in front of the cross-legged boy on the floor. She smiled and hugged him, feeling refreshed.

“Go on, your turn. Get some sleep, I’ll keep watch,” she said and gestured towards the bed. He looked at her doubtfully, for fear she would fall asleep at the window.

“You sure?” he asked. Mia chuckled lightly and nodded.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m good to go now. You get some rest, and we’ll leave when you wake up.”

Ash slept until a bit past midnight. Mia had been studying the map from her bag; the route she wanted to take, as well as alternate routes, was highlighted with crayon. She figured they could make it to Riverton before stopping for food and water; Riverton or Judy Gap, then head due west to Kasey’s. The terrain was going to get rough from here on out, and she worried about the bikes, and how much longer Ash would be able to keep up.

“Is it time to leave?” he asked. She jumped, startled by the sound of his voice, and whipped her head around. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning, and she had to laugh in spite of herself.

“Yeah, it’s time to go. Hungry?” she asked and started pulling more jerky from her bag. After a quick bite, they packed up to leave.

* * *

It was the beginning of October, but in the mountains it was already starting to feel like December. Mia was glad she had a jacket, but wished for gloves. Ash had had the presence of mind to take his gloves and hat from his suitcase back at the rest area. She hated riding at night, but had so far not run into any trouble doing so. As long as they were able to keep to the road, they’d be alright. She noticed a severe difference, the more miles they went, in this side of the state line compared to the other. It was like they had entered another world.

This part of the panhandle was sparsely populated, and the back road they were on was devoid of any cars. For the most part, they were surrounded by woods, passing only the occasional house. If she had taken them just a bit farther north, they would have passed through half a dozen small towns. But this way they were riding in between, keeping a low profile.

At dawn they pulled over and sat on the guardrails to eat a small breakfast, which of course consisted of jerky and candy, then rode on. Mile after slow mile they pedaled, up mountains and down mountains, until Ash’s little legs couldn’t go any more. It was lunch time when she noticed she didn’t hear the whine of his tires behind her. Fear once again rose inside her chest, and she slammed on the brakes. Twisting around, she saw him a couple hundred feet back, struggling to keep up. She got off her bike and put the kickstand down, then jogged back to him.

“Tired, need to rest,” he panted. Mia grabbed the handlebars as he put his feet down.

“It’s okay, I’ve been pushing you too hard. We’ll stop for a while. Come on,” she said as she began pushing him and his bike down the road to where her own was parked. She helped him off, then set his kickstand. He plopped down on the pavement and pulled a water bottle from his bag.

“Boy, these sure are some steep hills, huh?” Ash said after gulping down a mouthful. Mia joined him on the ground and drank from her own bottle.

“Sure are. It only gets worse from here. Do you want to leave the bikes and walk? We can if you don’t think you can make it,” she offered. He shook his head, gulping down another mouthful of water.

“No, I can do it, I just need to rest is all,” he said. Mia dug the last of the jerky and candy bars from her bag and divided it between them. Ash looked at her hesitantly when she handed him his share.

“It’s okay, we’re almost to Riverton. We can get some more supplies there.” She opened a candy bar and started eating. Unconvinced, but doing as he was told, Ash took his share and dug in. They rested for another hour; Mia didn’t want to wear the boy out in case they had to make a break for it somewhere.

They came upon the town from the east around three o’clock that afternoon, and stashed their bikes behind some trees at the foot of a small hill. Mia motioned for Ash to get down low, and they crawled the rest of the way on their bellies until they were looking down at the town from atop the ridge. She took a set of binoculars from her pack and studied the situation.

“Shit,” she mumbled. It was loaded with deadheads. She scanned around, locating all the stores and such, and tried to determine their best course of action. They needed food. She thought about just shooting a squirrel or rabbit, but was afraid to use the shells. She only had a very small amount, and what would happen if she really needed them? Like now. From what she could tell, the closest place was the Rite Aid. There would be food there, and it was located in the outermost part of town. There were buildings around it, but they looked abandoned.

“I want you to stay here, okay?” she said finally after memorizing the layout and the path she would take. Ash’s eyes immediately went wide and he shook his head violently.

“No, no way. I’m coming with you,” he said, his voice hitching with panic. She squeezed his shoulder.

“Calm down, okay? Just cool it.” She turned her face to the town below. The moaning of the undead echoed through the hills. She closed her eyes and sighed as she made her decision. He would probably be safer with her anyway.

“Alright, you can come. But you have to stay low, keep quiet, and no matter what, do not wander off or get separated from me. Got it?” she said in her best teacher tone. Ash nodded enthusiastically and smiled. She frowned and shoved the binoculars back into the bag, then made sure the shotgun was loaded. She took one last look at her destination, and motioned for Ash to be quiet and follow her.

They shimmied down the hill and snuck slowly through the tall weeds of the field, knees bent and heads lowered, for several hundred feet before coming up to the first building. Mia stopped and knelt on one knee, then leaned back and whispered very faintly into Ash’s ear.

“Ready?” she asked. He nodded. She put her finger over her lips, then to her eyes, before raising her gun again and cautiously moving on. Ash was right on her heels, hunkered down and making hardly any noise as they weaved through the grass and up onto the concrete slab behind the warehouse. The Rite Aid was in front of this building, with another large warehouse-looking structure on the left.

She motioned for Ash to stay put for a second, then hastily tiptoed to the right side of the building. She peeked around the corner, and jerked her head back fast. Two construction workers were feasting on a dog in the alley. She pressed her back to the brick wall, gripping her gun tightly to her chest, and struggled to control her breathing. She could shoot them, yes. But why waste the ammo and risk alerting the others to their location?

She hurried back to Ash and pulled him gently along behind her, praying that the other side would be clear. She glanced quickly around the left side corner, and let out a breath. It was clear. Straight ahead was the Rite Aid, with only one street between it and the warehouse. She motioned again for Ash to stay close, then walked briskly down the alley. She kept her eyes straight ahead, her heart pounding as she waited for a deadhead to pop into the alley ahead of them at any moment. She held her hand out behind her and felt Ash’s chest, then pushed and swept him aside as they neared the street. They looked at each other with their backs pressed against the wall for a moment before Mia took a look around the corner.

She pulled her head back, and then chanced another look down the opposite way.
Fuck, fuck, fuck
, she thought over and over again. Zombies, everywhere. Granted, not nearly as many as in the center of town, but more than what she had shells for. They would have to make a run for it, and hope like hell the Rite Aid’s door wasn’t locked. Get in, get out, and run. She turned to Ash and whispered the plan in his ear. His eyes grew wider by the second; apparently he didn’t like the plan.

“Just stay close,” she whispered once more. Holding the gun in her right hand, she took Ash’s hand in her other and held it tightly. They nodded to one another, then took off across the street, Mia dragging Ash behind her. A few deadheads already staggering in that direction noticed them, but Mia kept running. She let go of Ash’s hand just as they ran up to the door. She threw all her weight against it and fell inside as it swung open. Ash followed her in, and ran straight to the grocery aisles. Mia got back on her feet and braced the door with her body, realizing too late that the dead bastards would be on top of them by the time Ash finished.

“Almost done?” she hollered. He yelled that he was almost finished just as the first of the undead slammed itself against the glass door. Thick, mucousy liquid oozed from its face, and it began beating its fists against the door. Mia watched chunks of flesh fly off its fingers as it hammered the glass, slowly but with more strength than she would have liked. Then it started moaning.

“Shit,” she mumbled to herself, then yelled over her shoulder. “We have to go right now!” A dozen were already congregating in the street out front, and she knew more were on the way.
Couldn’t give us a few more minutes before you started with that goddamn moaning, could you?
she thought. Ash ran back up the aisle, and then stopped so fast he almost fell on his face, the rubber of his soles squeaking and grabbing hold of the shiny linoleum floor.

“Oh crap,” he whispered. More were beating on the door now, bouncing Mia back with each thump.

“Ash, go to the back and see if there’s another way out of here. And hurry,” she shouted, snapping the boy out of his frozen condition. She listened to his feet as they pounded through the store, closing her eyes and focusing all her strength on keeping that door shut.
Bastards are strong
, she thought more than once, each shove on their side sliding her feet further in. Arms were starting to thrust their way in between the door and the frame, clawing fingers trying to reach Mia’s face and eyes. Blood, flesh, and other sticky substances dripped from their rotting fingers, and she fought back the urge to vomit more than once. She listened for Ash to start screaming, regretting the instant she had told him to check the back.
I’m an idiot
, she thought.

On the verge of tears, she finally heard his little feet beating back up through the store. He stopped as he rounded the last corner, waved her back, and then took off running again. Mia grunted and shoved back on the door, then raced down the aisle, trying to catch up with Ash. The zombies that had been pressed against the door all fell into the store at once after Mia took off, creating a temporary dam and holding the others back.

Mia quickly recalled the layout of the town in her mind. This back door should bring them out closer to the center of town: not good. But it was better than the alternative at the moment. They could try running down a few blocks before circling back, cut down the alley next to the warehouse, then through the field. No problem.

They hit the stock room doors at a dead run, Mia having passed Ash and taken the lead. She brought the shotgun up and quickly scanned around the room, then headed towards the loading dock door at a sprint. She stared at the sign, “Keep Door Closed At All Times,” made sure Ash was right behind her, then kicked it open. There were several undead headed in their direction, but none close enough to stop them from hauling ass out of there.

“Come on!” she yelled over her shoulder and began jogging briskly down the sidewalk. She controlled her run; she didn’t want to lose Ash. He kept bumping into her back as they ran, but she kept up a consistent speed. They ran two blocks, dodging the dead, and had just started to cut the corner down the alley when Ashton screamed. Mia turned on her heels and saw a woman grabbing him from behind. She hadn’t seen the zombie bent over behind the car tearing at what looked to be a small child.

“No!” Mia screamed and ran to Ash. She rammed the butt of her gun into the dead woman’s face, but her grip remained strong around his throat. His eyes were wide with alarm and he was gasping for air. Blood trickled down his neck, the woman’s jagged and caked nails digging and tearing into his skin. The woman moaned loudly, her mouth gaped open, and a mixture of blood and tissue spewed forth from it. Mia slammed her in the face again, and could see more of the dead bastards closing in out of the corner of her eye.

The zombie’s hold wasn’t weakening, so in desperation Mia flipped the gun around in her hands and shoved the barrel into the thing’s mouth. The recoil tore the deadhead’s fingers from Ash’s neck as it fell, ripping his skin and causing blood to pour down his jacket. She pumped the action and shot another standing behind Ash, who had dropped to his knees with his hands clutched to his throat. Her eyes darted back and forth, watching in horror as the undead closed in around them. She stepped back on her heel and saw the alley was clear, so she unloaded her gun into the crowd, hopefully buying them some time to run.

After the first empty clicking sound, she tossed the gun aside and grabbed Ashton by the shoulders of his jacket. She pulled him to his feet and cried out as blood shot from his neck almost as fast as his little heart could pump it. She realized then that his carotid artery had been severed, and that he was going to bleed to death, surrounded by stinking, rotting deadheads, and there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop it.

“I’m not leaving you,” she whispered and wrapped her arms around him, half-carrying him down the empty alley. She didn’t slow or stop at the corner, but instead kept moving as fast as she was able. When they reentered the street across from the warehouse, she had to duck and pull Ash down with her, nearly being hit in the face by a zombie’s claws. She rolled, carrying Ash along, across the sidewalk and into the street before struggling to her feet again. She was covered in blood now from Ash’s wound, and was dodging this way and that to keep them out of the clutches of all the undead that had swarmed to their location.