“Dan!” I heard her footsteps closing. “What’s happening? You look like you got pepper sprayed!”
“Don’t touch me!” I coughed. The cold air felt like blades slicing into my lungs. “My head feels like it’s trying to split in two and I can’t see! We need to get away from this! You need to get us out of here!”
“Not yet!” I heard the crack of a water bottle opening.
“Abby, we need to leave now!” I doubled over and vomited the little stomach acid I had left. The retching only added to my near debilitating head pain.
“We’re not getting in the car until I flush your face, so deal with it!” she shouted.
Cold water hit my face before I could argue. My skin soothed, but the burning in my eyes refused to yield. My vision did not get any worse, however. The stench of that green sludge hung thick around us.
“That’s enough Abby!” I said as I heard her open another water bottle. “We need to save some to actually drink. I don’t think it’s going to help until we get away from this shit. I can feel it crawling on me.”
“Can you see anything? Your eyes are really red!” she said. I couldn’t see her face, but the worry in her voice was clear.
“I can see a little better,” I lied. “But you’re driving.”
“It’s my turn to drive anyway,” Abby said as she helped me to the passenger side.
Only her footsteps let me know she walked away after closing the door. Everything beyond the dashboard was a mix of light and colored blobs. After a minute or two panic started to creep up my spine. Abby had not returned to the car.
“Katie?” I tried to sound as calm as possible.
“Uh-huh?” Katie was calm.
“Do you see mommy?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where is she?”
“Running.”
My heart was in my throat. Frantically, I felt around the car for the hammer. The pistol would be useless to me with my vision out of commission. I was close to a full blown freak out when Abby opened the driver’s door. She was out of breath, but didn’t seem like she was panicked judging by the time it took for her to climb in and close the door.
“Where the hell were you!? You get lost!?” I blurted.
“No. You forgot something though,” she said sharply as I felt the shotgun slide next to me.
“You went back there for it?!” I gasped. “You see what shape I’m in! Why would you put yourself at that kind of risk?!”
“Dan, do you think I’m stupid?” she snapped back. “Whatever it was that got you is gone. It’s like it was never there. Besides, I know how much you love your toys,” she said, patting the shotgun.
“Why were you running?” My panic had turned to mild irritation.
“It’s cold out there, and it reeks.”
“Just promise me you won’t scare me like that again.” I leaned back and snapped the seatbelt into place. My momentary fear made me almost forget my headache, until the heavy metal concert between my ears came back for an encore.
“Can’t make that promise. It’s my turn to drive, remember?”
Chapter Fifteen
Abby turned us around and had us on the road in no time. It took nearly an hour before my vision returned to almost normal. The metal band had quieted down to a symphonic quartet. My stomach had even settled down to the point that I was hungry again.
With a couple granola bars and some Gatorade in my system, I had actually started feeling like a normal human being. It helped that I was no longer trying to survive the scourge of the undead in nothing but my skivvies. The sweats were tight and smelled almost as bad as the dead, but they were warm.
We had made the trip to the farm several times over the years. For Katie, it was like a mini vacation whenever we went out for a visit. She could run as much as she wanted without worry of traffic or the need to keep off a neighbor’s lawn. She had a special affection for the animals. She and her cousins would often head straight to the chicken coop to look for eggs. We never had the heart to tell her what eventually befell the meatier birds of the flock. Why destroy her love for fried chicken?
Things were different now. The trip that normally would take us a few hours had already stretched into more than half a day. We never attempted to make the trip while crisscrossing country roads. The GPS worked well enough, so we were not overly worried about getting lost.
Our self-imposed speed limit of under 25mph was our biggest time killer, but it was essential. The wreckage we had left behind could have easily swallowed us up, had we been going any faster. Even if we had survived the initial crash, we would have been at the mercy of the creature that tried to have me for brunch. The trip would take time, but when the world is coming to an end, time is an abundant resource.
The sun hung high in the early afternoon sky as we drove past more barren fields. Pristine snow blanketed the rolling earth. I would consider this a perfect winter day if it wasn’t for the figures crossing the landscape. Sometimes they were alone, but most times they moved in groups. Often the lone zombies would be staring off at nothing, swatting at something only they saw.
Katie was asleep in her car seat again. Car rides always lulled her off to sleep. I called Chris to let him know that we were okay. It was a short conversation as we updated each other of our respective situations. He was busy securing his farm, and except for the walking corpses he had seen the night before, things at the farm were quiet. We hung up after he relayed what information he had picked up on cable news.
It appeared that we made the right choice in choosing the back roads. Cities were off limits to anyone who wanted to live longer than that afternoon. He told us all major highways had blockades set up to stem the flow of people to different regions. The problem was, the dead did not care much about blockades. They marched through them, devouring anyone foolish enough to stand and fight.
“Dan, take a look,” Abby said. She allowed the car to coast to a stop. She folded her arms across the top of the steering wheel, resting her chin on them. There was still a halo effect around almost everything I looked at. It sounds cheesy, but it made Abby look damn near angelic.
A small town had appeared on the horizon. Although, “town” would be a generous term for it. It was more like two roads intersecting each other with a few buildings scattered around it. I hadn’t noticed any township signs anywhere to let us know where we were. I assumed it was one of the many communities that popped up to support the local farmers.
We had no idea if the infection had engulfed isolated places like this, but we had no reason to think things would be any different no matter where we went. We had spent hours on back roads avoiding even the smallest clusters of people. Modern sprawl being what it was, we knew we couldn’t avoid people forever.
“You think it’s safe?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know, but we should check it out. Granola bars and the leftovers of Officer Friendly’s lunch won’t last very long,” I said, squinting to get a better view of the town. In particular, I was looking for a grocer or hardware store. A gas station would have been a boon of good luck. I’m not known for good luck.
“You want to take over? My foot’s starting to cramp,” she said. Her ankle popped as if to accentuate her point. We climbed over each other, neither of us willing to go back into the cold until it was an unavoidable necessity.
“Keep your eyes open. We don’t know how friendly people are willing to be right about now. I’m willing to bet people here have guns too.” I rechecked the Glock’s magazine for the tenth time that hour.
“You think they might shoot at us?” Abby asked.
“If I had a safe place and supplies, I would give serious thought to pulling the trigger.” I slapped the magazine into place. I flipped the safety to the ‘don’t shoot your own leg off’ position, and slid the weapon into the quick release holster.
“You know, I don’t know how to shoot that thing,” she nodded towards the rifle.
“That’s why you’re taking the shotgun for now. It’s easy, it’s a point and click murder machine. Careful though, it kicks.”
“How do I aim?” she raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t. If it’s alive, point at the chest. If it’s trying to eat you, raise the barrel a bit. There’s enough shot in the shells to get the point across either way. If you miss with that thing, you’ll be demoted back to hammer duty.” I smiled at her. “Just be sure the safety is off when you need it, you’ll be fine.”
“I never thought you would actually willingly hand me a loaded gun. I suppose it makes sense though. I am ahead in the ass saving department,” she said.
“How do you figure?” It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.
“I stopped the cop from eating you,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“I think that makes us even at least.”
“I don’t think so. He was about to take a bite out of you,” she said.
“I shoved you through the window to keep from getting bit. I took them off the roof with me. If anything I’m in the lead!”
“You get half a save,” Abby looked straight through me as if daring me to argue.
“Half?!”
“Half.”
“Okay, maybe my math is off, but how is all that a half?” I demanded.
“Well,” she sighed. “You shoved me through a window onto a pile of broken glass. One of those things took a hearty bite out of my favorite jacket. Then I was followed through that window and had to save myself and Katie. If I didn’t get us out of that room on my own, we would be eating our neighbors right now. So yes, half.” she smiled.
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you got to be on the other end of that.” I crossed my arms and stared back at her.
“Dan?” Her smile faded. Her head lowered, the mist in her eyes slight enough to almost go unnoticed, if I did not know her as well as I did. “I know you were pretty hurt last night. With today and all, I’ve really been worried about you. Are you really okay?”
“I’m banged up but I’ll live,” I said. She looked away, her eyes scanning across something on the dashboard. I gently placed my finger under her chin, guiding her gaze back to me. “I’m okay. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I’m really hurt.”
“Will you?” The slight mist became small pools building up in the corners of her eyes. Not quite tears, but close enough. “You don’t always tell me when you’re hurt. Please don’t try and protect me. Promise that you won’t hide anything from me.”
“I promise, I’ll tell you everything. But my girlfriend may not be too happy about it,” I gave her a sly smirk.
“It’s okay,” she smiled, one of the pools spilling over into a single tear. “I know all about her. My boyfriend was with her last night though. He says she’s not really all that great.”
“Man, what a slut. She said I was her only guy.” I was happy to see her smile again. There are two things I hate seeing. Abby crying, and Abby pissed. In that order.
“Yeah, you need to pick better mistresses,” she wiped her face clean. Any trace of that runaway tear was gone forever.
“Hey, your guy was cheating on you too.”
“You’re right! What an ass. I guess I’m stuck with you then,” she said, rubbing the top of my head. “Shall we go see what Barney Fife is up to over in Mayberry?”
“Nice one. If Aunt Bea is there I got first dibs on the apple pie,” I said as I slowly pulled the car back on the road.
“I want apple pie too!” Katie clapped.
Chapter Sixteen
“I don’t like this place,” Abby said. She squeezed the shotgun grip like it was ready to hop from her hands and run off. “It feels wrong here. Where is everyone?”
“Damn good question.” I idled down the street, peering through shop windows for any sign of life. “Yeah, I think we should grab what we need and leave.”
We slowed to a stop close to the only intersection in town. I wanted to have three other directions, besides backwards, to flee if the need arose. We found a small grocer one building back from the corner that suited our needs. I lined the driver’s side door up with the grocer’s front door before shutting the car off.
Quaint would be the only way to describe the town. Brown stone and red brick storefronts dotted the roadway. Occupying the corner location next to the grocer stood a barber shop. Its red and white pole groaned as it spun in its metal stand. A small ice cream parlor sat across the street on our right, ‘Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe’ painted across its plate window. Next to it was toy store, its large white sign squeaked as it swayed in the cold breeze.
A small white church sat kitty-corner to the barber shop, tucked back from the sidewalks. A gold cross was affixed atop its lone steeple. I could imagine there was not a spot in town that could not see the cross glistening in the sun. In stark contrast, a bar made up to look like an old west saloon faced the church from across the street. I would have laughed at the irony if the whole town didn’t have me on edge.
It was the lack of people that set alarm bells off in my head like Mardi Gras and New Years all rolled up into one. Vehicles were parked on both sides of the main street. It looked as if everyone within fifty miles had parked their cars and simply disappeared. Not even a piece of garbage lay on the pristine street as proof that life existed there. The silent stillness was beyond unsettling. I would have preferred to see blood on the sidewalk or bodies on the street, something that would give some insight as to what happened there.
“Abby,” I whispered “I’m going into the store. You stay with the car and watch my back. If someone comes by, aim at them. If they keep coming, pull the trigger.”
“What if they’re not sick?” she asked. “I don’t want to shoot a normal person.”
“If you point that shoulder cannon at someone, and they don’t stop, talk, or piss themselves, they’re not human anymore.” She nodded. We slid out of the car, the doors lightly clicking as we gently pushed them closed. Abby’s eyes darted from building to building as she paced back and forth in the middle of the street.
I opted to leave the rifle in the car, safety on and set it in the front seat out of reach of inquisitive children. The small store with narrow aisles would limit my ability to react with the bulky rifle. I drew the pistol instead as I cautiously approached the door.
The shop had the same red brick façade as most buildings in town, a large green and yellow awning hung over two large plate windows. Ron’s Grocers was stenciled across the upper half of the window, gold handwritten letters forming an arc that spanned the length of the glass. Underneath, the words “Fresh Produce - Meats - Canned Goods” were written in gold block letters.
I sniffed the air as the door cracked open. The dead gave off a wonderful aroma when they were outside, so I figured their smell would be particularly pungent in any enclosed space. I didn’t detect Ode de Undead, so I pushed the door open. As it opened, a small silver bell hanging from the frame jingled for all to hear. I cringed and held my breath until the ringing stopped. In case you hadn’t noticed yet, stealth is not my friend.
I looked back to find Abby glaring at me. I shrugged my shoulders at her as I walked inside. Before closing the door, I pulled a wad of tissue out of my pocket and stuffed it into the bell, fixing the clapper into place. It was only partially to ensure that none of the undead would track us by the sound. Honestly though, to hell with the zombies. If that thing rang again, Abby would have shot me herself!
Despite the antique style of the building’s façade, the interior was fairly modern. Florescent tubes hummed from the ceiling, reflecting from the glossy white floor. The walls were painted a burnt orange with a depiction of a cornucopia stenciled atop the refrigerators lining the far wall. Four rows of shelves ran the length of the narrow but fully stocked store. Against the windows sat two rows of wicker baskets, filled with produce. A single lone register sat a few feet from the door, the LCD screen reading ‘LOCKED’.
I cleared the building, walking between each aisle with my weapon drawn. Not that I really knew what I was doing, but I’ve watched enough of the military channel to get the basic idea. Don’t buy it, huh? Yeah, I wouldn’t either. I bet I looked cool doing it though! I holstered my weapon after finishing my sweep and grabbed a cart.
I filled the first cart with bottled water before leaving it by the entrance. The second I filled with canned fruits, vegetables, beans, soups, pastas, and anything else I thought would last longer than a few days. I filled a paper bag with first aid supplies, soap, hand sanitizers, and of course, a couple of can openers. Refillable lighters and fluid were tossed in for good measure.
Resting cart number two behind the water cart, I went to work filling number three with lunch meats and cheeses, and of course, peanut butter and jelly. Who wants to survive the zombie scourge without a good PB&J? I went to the bread aisle and threw a couple loafs of sliced white in the cart. I spotted a box of mini apple pies on the snack shelf, for Katie. A paper bag full of apples, oranges, and bananas topped off the third cart.
I walked the aisles one last time for anything that might be useful. I half expected someone to come bursting in to stop me from raiding their store. My nerves were fraying from the stillness, and my mind started playing tricks on me. I began to imagine things that I didn’t want to think about. I’d open the door to see Abby torn apart while zombies climbed into the car after Katie. My anxiety was at an all-time high with all the horrible scenarios running through my head.
“Daddy!”
There are no words to describe how the sudden appearance of my daughter terrified me. I didn’t scream, yell, or even cry out for my mommy. There was no jumping or tumbling over anything behind me. Instead, my breath froze and my knees became pudding. I unceremoniously dropped straight down on my ass.
“Katie!” I stammered when I stopped panting. “What are you doing in here?!”
“I really have to go potty!” She hopped from one foot to the other, clenching her tiny fists together.
“Well, daddy doesn’t need to anymore! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I said. I forced my wobbly knees to work enough to get back to my feet. I wasn’t sure if I could stay that way though.
“Mommy told me to be quiet,” she said. I think she would have given me a sheepish grin, if she wasn’t in the middle of a full blown pee-pee dance.
“Okay kiddo, let’s find that potty before you spring a leak,” I said mussing up her hair.
I took her hand and led her to the back of the store. The bathroom turned out to be nothing more than a closet with a toilet. The room was so small, turning around while standing would take a master contortionist to pull off. Katie darted inside and slammed the door behind her.
I leaned against the wall while my heart slowed to just under warp speed. I laughed a little to myself. I had silenced the bell, or else I would have heard her come through the door. The girl who stomps her feet just to hear herself walk had chosen that exact second to turn on ninja mode. She got me good.
“You feel better?” I asked as she emerged several minutes later.
“I’m hungry,” she replied.
“Okay, let’s go back out to the car and we’ll have lunch soon.”
“Can I have peanut butter and jelly?” she asked with a big grin. A girl after my own heart.
I picked her up and walked back out to the car. Abby took the opportunity to run inside and take care of nature herself while I buckled our daughter back in. Katie and I talked about the farm as we waited. It really wasn’t to keep her mind off things. I just needed a distraction from the eerie quiet.
“How can anyone move in a bathroom that small?” Abby whispered when she returned.
“Makes me glad I don’t have to sit.”
“Oh yeah?” Abby gave me a sideways glance. “Seems to me like you did okay sitting on the floor in there.”
“You saw that, huh?”
“Saw it? I let her in the door!”
I didn’t know if I wanted to high five her for her deviousness or slap her for sending me into near convulsions. I wasn’t in a high five mood, and I don’t hit women…unless they are dead. I just stared at her, speechless. She cupped her hands over her mouth and laughed.
“Just remember, payback’s a bitch!” I called after her as I made my way back into the store. I could hear her snickering as I propped open the shop door.
It took three trips to fully pack the car. We pushed the carts back to the sidewalk. I didn’t see anyone nearby that would have cared about a few shopping carts laying around, and I was a bit too lazy at the moment to walk them back into the store.
“You know,” I said to Abby. “We will need gas eventually. Maybe I can siphon some out of these cars.” I nodded towards the parked vehicles.
“It’s an idea,” she replied. “What if the owners come back and need their cars though?”
“We’ll take a little bit from each, so we won’t leave anyone high and dry,” I said after some thought.
“I think you’ve been around me too long,” she smirked.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re having too many good ideas,” she said, nudging me playfully. “I’m rubbing off on you too much.”
“Hey, I hatch one or two good ones once in awhile,” I put my arm around her.
“I think you’re at your monthly quota. We don’t want to unbalance nature or anything,” she said, returning my embrace.
“The dead are walking the Earth, and
I’m
unbalancing nature she says.” I rolled my eyes at her and smiled.
“Shouldn’t you be siphoning gas, smart ass?” she said giving me a playful punch.
“I’m going back inside to see if I can find a hose and something to collect the gas in. I want to get back on the road.” I kissed her and pulled away. My intentions were not entirely pure, of course. Something besides siphoning tools had caught my eye while I was shopping, and I had no intention of leaving it behind.
The beer was not the best in the world. It probably wasn’t even the best in a one mile radius. But it was the only brand they had in stock. More importantly, the refrigerator was still working, so it was cold. Cold beer, even if it is a brand I would never admit to drinking to anyone, was a luxury I could not pass up.
It might have been the plan my family hatched to scare a few years off my life that changed my mood, but I was starting to feel more at ease despite being in the center of Creepville, USA. Overall, we weren’t in a horrible position all things considered. We had managed to survive the night and come out better than we were when we started our cross country trek. And we had a plan. A plan let me feel like I had taken a little bit of control back from a world that was fast going to shit.
If you have survived long enough to read this, then you know how well plans usually work out when the undead are involved. Regardless of how good I was feeling, there was something nagging at the back of my mind. Something very important that I was missing.
Deep thumping sounds began to rise like dozens of sledgehammers pounding on soft earth. Wood cracked, the pops echoing throughout the streets. The intense pounding grew, and I suddenly realized what I had overlooked. The townsfolk listened to the news too, and they did as they were told.
“They’re in the church!” I shouted too late. There was a loud crash, like someone had dropped a pile of plywood onto a flat floor. Abby screamed and the shotgun roared.
My feet barely touched the floor as I raced out towards the street. I was wholly unprepared for the sight that lay before me. A sea of graying mottled dead streamed from the church, falling over each other as they vomited out onto the street. Their unsteady gait did little to hinder them once they discovered there was a meal close by. In a few short moments, we would be surrounded.
“Dan!” Abby woke me from my frozen terror. “It won’t shoot anymore!” she held her shotgun up towards me.
“Pump it!” I shouted back, demonstrating the motions with my hands.
She pumped the weapon and fired. A creature dropped where it stood, its blackened blood spraying outward in a fine mist from the top of its skull. Her next shot shredded a teenager’s arm at the shoulder. He performed a lopsided pirouette on his way to the ground. He was on his feet and closing again before she could pump another round.
My legs were moving before my brain could shout “Hey idiot, run!” I drew my Glock and fired into the growing mass. I was caught off guard by the power of the .40 caliber pistol, and my shot didn’t end up anywhere near where I was aiming. The bullet ripped a large hole in the chest of a very old and very naked man.