When they left the convenience store Jomo felt more out of place in the world than he ever had before. Everything was so empty, silent, and surreal.
Guadalupe walked over to a 1960 Dodge Charger, the sole car parked in the vacant gas lot.
“Yours?” Jomo said.
“It is now,” Lupe said. He got in beside her. “Where do you want to go?”
“Away from here,” Jomo said. The store that had been his shelter now felt like a looming sinister presence behind them. Lupe had shown up conveniently, in the nick of time, as they did in the movies, and saved him from an almost certain death.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” Lupe asked as she turned the key in the ignition.
“For back there.”
“Ah,” she smiled, winking at him, “It was nothing.”
“You’ve had some practice with that,” he said, as she placed the Bo Staff in the back seat.
“I’ve had a lot of time to myself,” she agreed.
He nodded. Lupe peeled out of the parking lot.
The highway was empty but for one set of headlights heading toward them on the other side of the road.
“They can’t go that way!” Lupe said. “What are they doing? Atlanta is infested!” She flashed her high beams at the oncoming car, rolling down her window.
“What are you going to do?” Jomo asked.
In reply she stuck her head out the window
and shouted, “Go back!” at the top of her lungs. “Go back! It’s not safe!”
The car continued to barrel down the road, completely ignoring them. As it shot past the Charger she noticed a man behind the wheel. He had a serious air about him, singularly focused on the road. He was looking dead straight, hand gripping the wheel in a vise. The only word she could think to describe his look was intent. Intent to do what she didn’t know, but he intended to do something, and he wasn’t going to be dissuaded from that path.
“There’s nothing to be done for him,” Jomo said. “I think he knows what he’s getting into. We have to keep moving.”
“Yes,” Guadalupe said. “Yes, we do.”
She continued to drive but seemed preoccupied by the man in the car.
Jomo spoke to get her mind off it. “You know, back there, in the convenience store, I had everything I needed to survive, but I realized I had nothing I wanted. I wanted my friends back, my family, and if I could have gotten any of them back I would. I would have taken back that decision to be alone, to isolate myself from the world. I can’t bring my family back, but I had my friends. I had them, at least. I knew the isolation would drive me insane, and kill me as quickly as any of those things out there. I was ready to leave when they came. I was ready to be out there with my friends again, though I knew that might never be. But then you came along.”
“Awww, Jomo, you might make me cry.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Lupe replied. “You’ve never seen me at a chick flick.”
Jomo laughed. “Point taken.”
“We’re going to keep heading north. The CDC
is overrun.”
“You went there?”
“I wanted answers. I didn’t get any. All I know is it started with this Mad Cow virus, but no one knows how to stop it, or reverse it.”
“You’ve talked to people?”
“There were still lots of people in pockets of the city, barricaded in their shops and their homes. None that knew much more than I did. And not many who wanted any one else holing up with them.”
“That’s sad.”
“What is?” Lupe asked.
“You would think that in a crisis like this people would want to help one another to survive. If not for themselves, then for the sake of the human race; for its survival.”
“You’re smart. I don’t have that much faith in people anymore. People are guided by their own selfish interests. It’s what that philosopher guy said- survival of the fittest.”
“Darwin. He was actually a scientist- a geologist and naturalist,” Jomo said.
“Yeah, him.”
“Guess we’ll have to see if that motto continues to hold true.”
“Guess so.”
***
They weren’t out of the fog, but the neon cross of Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital loomed in the distance, piercing the gray like a sign of hope. The group pulled the cars up to the emergency entrance. There was an abandoned gurney in the drive thru and they lifted the injured woman on to it as gently as they could. Still she cried out in pain.
“Quickly,” Samir said, “Let’s get her inside.”
They brought their weapons with them, as they now did with any unknown situation.
The hospital lobby was empty of people, but the halls were littered with paper, knocked over IV stands, and overturned carts.
“I don’t think there’s anyone here,” Klaus said.
Just as he said this a woman came down a pair of steps and through a door to their left. A 30ish blonde in nurse’s scrubs she said, “I thought I heard someone. Keep it down will you. There’s still a few of them up on the third floor.” She looked at the rag tag group and the woman on the gurney and said, “What have we got here?”
“She was hit,” Samir said, “By a car. I,” he corrected himself, “hit her with my car. Her legs are most likely broken. I don’t know what other damage she might have.”
“Is she bit?” the nurse asked.
“No.”
The woman was unconscious at the moment; the move from the car to the gurney had taken everything out of her.
The nurse had a walkie on her and she radioed for a doctor. “We’ve got a woman here; she’s been in a car accident. We need help, stat.”
Two doctors came through another door to their right and across from them down the hall.
“We’ll take good care of her,” one of them said.
“Are you the only staff left?” Ian asked.
“The only ones that stayed, yes,” the doctor answered. They wheeled her away to an operating room.
The nurse lingered briefly. “She’ll be okay. They are first-rate doctors.”
Samir exhaled loudly. “Thank you.”
“There’s a sitting area, over there, if you want
to stick around. No one will fault you for leaving.” She walked off to join the two doctors.
They went to the waiting room and sat. “Maybe we should leave,” Marina said.
“We can’t leave,” Samir said. “Not until I’m sure she’ll be all right.”
“It’s night and it’s foggy, where else do we have to go?” Ian said.
“Right,” Samir said, ignoring the sarcasm.
***
“So this Darwin guy, he was popular for his theory of evolution, right?” Lupe asked him.
“Among other things,” Jomo said.
“Well, what if these things, these zombies are just another step in evolution.”
Jomo looked over at her interestedly. “Fascinating theory, but I would tend to see these things as devolution, something that wasn’t supposed to happen in the evolutionary chain. Something aberrant.”
“You’re really smart Jomo. What do you really believe?”
“I believe we were created by a God, and that these abominations are the antithesis of what he ever intended, and an affront to him. I also believe that man had his hand in this. Yes, it happened because of some Mad Cow Flu, but I believe something was introduced to these cows that caused it, something not in nature.”
“Wow,” Lupe said. “You think they were experimented on?”
“I suppose we’ll never know, now.”
She was looking at him intently. “I really wish
you hadn’t given me that idea. That makes things worse.”
“As if they could get any worse.”
She stopped by the side of the road.
“What is it?” Jomo asked.
“I saw lights on, over there. I think it’s a diner.”
“I see it.”
“You hungry?” she asked.
“Starving.”
“Good, let’s eat.”
***
Two hours later the nurse greeted them in the waiting area.
“Well, good news is she’s stabilized. The bad news is both her legs are broken and she has a cracked rib, but no internal bleeding. She’ll survive. You can go in and see her if you’d like.”
They were grateful to her as she led the way.
The patient looked up as they entered the room. Both her legs were in casts and elevated, and her torso was heavily wrapped.
“I’m so sorry,” Samir said.
“It’s okay. At least you didn’t kill me, and neither did the zombies. Plus I get to know what it feels like to be a mummy.”
The others laughed. Samir only smiled. He felt too guilty to laugh.
“I’m Claudia by the way.”
“Samir.”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Just for future reference though, if you want to introduce yourself, trying to fist bump me with your car is not the way to go. A simple handshake will do,” Claudia
winked.
This time Samir did laugh. “I will keep that in mind. You’re taking this pretty well.”
“Well, considering I was nearly eaten, your little love tap was nothing.”
“I like this girl,” Marina said.
“Me too,” Ian agreed.
***
Upon entering the diner the first thing they observed was the empty tables. The next thing they noticed was the waitress in her whites and her red and white gingham apron.
She walked out from behind the long counter, and in a thick southern drawl said, “Well, I’ll be! You’re the first folks I’ve seen in at least eight hours! Considering all that’s going on I’m going to say that’s a good day.”
“Are you...” Guadalupe stammered, embarrassed, “still serving?”
“Of course we are,” she said. “I’ve still got a cook in the back, and little old me. So come on in! Sit wherever you please.”
They both ordered breakfast even though it was nearly midnight.
Guadalupe offered to pay but the waitress declined. “No siree! It’s on the house!” She laughed. “I have a feeling money is going to be worthless real soon anyway.”
“Really?” Lupe said. “You won’t take anything for your troubles?”
“No trouble ma’am. Just doing what I can for what’s left of us.”
“How about the cook?” Jomo asked. “Will he take payment?”
“We’re all in the same boat. No, he’s already declined everyone since yesterday. We’ll eventually move on out of here. Don’t expect many stragglers left coming from Atlanta.”
“No, I guess not,” Lupe said sadly. “Thank you for everything. We really appreciate your kindness.”
“You’re welcome.”
They left the diner with full stomachs and full hearts.
Lupe smiled at Jomo, “Just when I thought everyone was in it for themselves, someone comes along and surprises me.”
***
“Should we keep heading north?” Klaus asked.
“I think we should find a place to rest for the night,” Samir said. “Maybe stop for a while. We’re not achieving anything by continually moving.”
“Are you saying we should find a place to make our home?” Marina asked.
“We should consider it. We’re eventually going to run out of places where we can get gas for the cars, and then we’d have to travel on foot. Maybe we should stop for a while. It doesn’t have to be permanent, unless we find a good safe place from the shamblers that we’re all comfortable with.”
“It sounds good to me. I sure could use a bed and a shower,” Ian said.
“Me too,” Kamara agreed.
“Yes,” Xinga said.
“Well, it sounds unanimous,” Samir said. “I’ll head up the front vehicle and I’ll stop if I see something promising. Stay close behind, and beep if you see something I miss; or better yet, just flash your lights.”
“Will do,” Marina said. “Xinga, do you drive?” It seemed as if she was the only one who hadn’t done driving duty.
“No, I have not learned,” she said.
“Well, we’re going to have to teach you sometime, during the day, of course.”
“Okay,” she smiled, “I want to learn this.”
Daybreak came, and they were all tired and needed sleep. They came upon what looked to be an abandoned two story motel. All the curtains were drawn and there were no cars in the parking lot.
The door was open and they entered the reception area, but no one was manning the desk.
“Hello?” Klaus said quietly. Weapons at the ready they waited for a response. None came.
“Go behind the desk,” Samir said. “Look for keys to the rooms,” he asked Klaus.
“Found them!” he said, rummaging through drawers.
“Okay, we’re going to have to search room through room. Check all of them before we settle in. Make sure there are no shamblers in any of them. There are six of us so we can check six rooms at a time. We’ll stay close and call out to one another if there’s any trouble.”