We Are Still Here

by Jimmy Bird

  Wide-eyed, she held it up, “You mean she can track me with this?”

  I reached out and grabbed the phone, “Yes. Well, at least she could before all the electronics went down.”

  Makalyn shook her head, “It’s not completely dead. I’m not entirely sure how, but she was able to get electricity all over the wolf reserve. She gave me this phone with pictures of my family on it. I would look at them when I was alone in my room at night.”

  I handed the phone back to her. I stood there and waited to see how long it would take her to realize that her phone was indeed a tracking device.

  Makalyn looked from her phone to me, “How do I stop her from tracking me?”

  I looked from her to the phone, “You either have to break it or throw it away.”

  Makalyn stared at me, “What?”

  Sympathetically, I looked at her, “I’m sorry. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to be sure that she’s not tracking you.”

  Makalyn looked down at the phone, “But…. But, what about my pictures?”

  “How much battery does your phone have?”

  Makalyn pushed the power button, “Twenty percent, why?”

  I took a deep breath, “Your phone is about to die anyway, why don’t you just toss it?”

  Confused, Makalyn asked, “Why? We don’t even know if she can track me with this.”

  “You’re right. We don’t know, but are you willing to risk all of our lives over it?”

  She looked down at her phone and pushed the home screen button, “I guess it’s okay. Just let me look at the pictures one last time.”

  I looked into her teary eyes, “Take your time. We’ll begin to pack what supplies we can.”

  I looked over at JoJo, “Come on. Let’s give her some privacy.”

  I climbed over the edge of the ladder and began climbing down. I noticed that JoJo reach over and gave Makalyn a hug.

  I could barely make it out, but JoJo told her, “Remember, you may not have the pictures anymore, but they will always be in your heart.”

  Makalyn looked back at JoJo, “Thank you. Do you mind if I ask you a question? Do you have any pictures of your family?”

  JoJo shook her head to indicate that she didn’t.

  “Then, how do you still remember what they look like?”

  JoJo smiled sadly, “Because, as long as they are in my heart, I will never forget them. Cherish your pictures while you can.”

  With that last comment, JoJo turned around and began to follow me down the steps. We walked over to the wagon and began filling it with bottled water and canned goods. A few minutes later Makalyn walked up behind us.

  She reached out her phone to me, “Here. I’m sorry that I acted that way. I know that it was selfish of me.”

  I reached out to take the phone, “It’s okay. None of us want to give up our loved ones. We all want to remember them……”

  I was cut off by JoJo, “Shhhh. Sounds like a car is approaching.”

  Wide-eyed, I turned back towards storefront window. I watched as a SUV stopped about a block away from the store. I got all excited. Did Seth come back for us?

  To my surprise, five figures got out of the vehicle, four heavily armed guys and an unarmed short haired girl. I vaguely recognized one of the guys and the girl.

  Makalyn gasped next to me, “It’s Serina and Billy!”

  I looked at her, “Are you sure?”

  Makalyn held up her phone, “Yes. I guess you were right. They were tracking me with this.”

  I could hear the females voice outside, “Spread out. Find Makalyn. I know she’s here somewhere. Search everywhere.”

  I took the phone from her hand and whispered, “Forget the wagon. Grab whatever you can and stuff it in backpacks or bags. Grab you weapons and go to back of the store. There should be an exit.”

  JoJo quietly asked, “What are you going to do dad?”

  I looked at her, “I’m going to try to send them on a wild goose chase the other way. I’m hoping to steal their ride. I’ll meet you out back. Just be sure to hide and be ready to move.”

  JoJo grabbed Makalyn’s hand, “Come on. We need to get out of here.”

  Makalyn looked over at me, “What about your dad?”

  JoJo pulled Makalyn, “He’ll be fine. He’ll meet us out back. Now hurry.”

  I looked down at the phone and back up again. It didn’t look like they could pinpoint the phone, just the general area. I looked outside and watched as Serina made her way towards the store. Without thinking, I slid the phone under a counter, just enough for her to see it. I was hoping that it would lead her to assume that Makalyn dropped it and was no longer here.

  I grabbed my weapons and hurried away from the window. I hid behind a counter in the middle of the store. I tried to stay as silent as possible, but the thumping of my heart sounded like it was going to give my hiding spot away.

  Before I knew it, the door squeaked open. I edge my head around the corner of the counter, careful to stay hidden in the darkness.

  In walked Serina, she had a handgun in her left hand, “Makalyn? Are you in here baby? I’m not mad. Come out, come out wherever you are.”

  I watched as she began to slowly make her way into the store. She stopped after a few steps and turned to her right. She bent down and picked up Makalyn’s phone that I had just put there.

  Serina pulled out a walkie talkie, “Billy! Billy! You there?”

  Billy’s voice echoed in the store, “Yeah, I’m here. Did you find anything?”

  “I found her phone.”

  Billy, “Think she figured out about the tracker and ditched it, or do you think something happened to her?”

  Serina seemed genuinely upset, “Well, I don’t see any blood or her body. Maybe, something scared her, causing her to drop her phone.”

  “Or maybe, she went back to the lake.”

  “I’m not sure that she’s smart enough to figure out about the tracker, but damn she’s cute. She’s lucky she’s hot, otherwise, I would leave her out here. Oh, that reminds me. Billy, remember, she belongs to me. You got that? Nothing like last time. She’s mine.”

  “Yeah, I got it. So, boss, what do you want to do?”

  “Let’s do one more sweep of the area and if we don’t find anything, we’ll assume that she went back to the lake.”

  “Ten-Four.”

  Serina began walking towards the back. I made sure that I kept the counter between us while I stayed hidden. Without warning, her pace quickened.

  “Billy! I found a Bird’s Nest in the store. It looks like someone made a suspended sleeping area. I’m going to check it out.”

  “Ten-Four. I’m going to finish searching the area and make my way towards you.”

  Man, if Serina climbs up to the tent, she can see the entire store. I need to get out of here. I waited until she climbed halfway up the ladder and rose to my feet. When I knew that she would have to climb down instead of jumping, I ran towards the door.

  She must have heard me because she yelled out, “Hey, stop. I’m not going to hurt you, I’m looking for my friend.”

  I made it to the door at the same time Billy got there. I must have caught him off guard when I pushed the door with enough force to knock him backwards and off his feet.

  I heard Serina yell, “Someone, stop him!”

  I ran directly towards their vehicle. I noticed that the other two guys were making their way out of a couple of buildings further down the street. They must have seen me because they began running towards me. I knew that if I hurried, I could make it to the SUV first. I just prayed that the keys were in the ignition.

  I made it to the vehicle and the guys were still a half a block away. I grabbed the door handle and pulled. It easily opened.

  I jumped in the driver’s seat and threw my bag into the passenger side. I reached towards the ignition. Yes, the keys were there. I turned the keys, it started right up. I looked up and noticed that Billy and Serina were running towards me
. I glanced in the rear-view mirror. The guys were almost to me. I turned the wheel hard and pushed on the gas.

  Billy must have recognized me, “Jimmy! Is that you? Wait. Hey, what are you doing here? Come Back. I want to talk to you!”

  I ignored him and pulled into the store parking lot. I needed to get to the back of the store and pick up the girls.

  I pulled around to the side of the building that led to the back of the store. There was no sign of them. Did Serina and Billy get to them before I did? No! They didn’t have time. I would have seen them. So, where were they??

  I pulled up to where I thought the rear door was located, “JoJo? Makalyn? Are you there?”

  To my surprise, the passenger doors opened. I turned to my left expecting to see either Serina or Billy. To my relief, it was Makalyn and JoJo.

  I looked at them, “Everyone okay?”

  JoJo responded, “Yeah! Who was that? Where did you get this vehicle?”

  I turned back around, “Long story. I’ll tell you when we’re away from here.”

  I continued behind the store until it turned back towards the left. I was hoping that they were chasing us, so I could turn onto the street that led to the highway without any trouble. Of course, things don’t always go as planned.

  I saw the two guys chasing us with machine guns, but no Serina or Billy. I turned onto the main parking lot, thinking that we had escaped but standing in front of us with guns drawn were Serina and Billy. I stopped the vehicle. I thought about backing up, but the two-armed men came running up behind us and stopped. Their guns were aimed at us.

  Billy shot a warning shot into the air, “Jimmy! Don’t be stupid. All we want is the girl and our vehicle back. You and whoever else is in there with you can go free.”

  I didn’t respond. I kept my eyes on the guys in the rearview mirror.

  Makalyn asked, “You’re not going to hand me over, are you?”

  I glanced sideways at her, “No, I’m not. I already told you, your family. We NEVER turn our back on family. I’m just trying to figure out our next move.”

  JoJo leaned forward, “Dad, just run them over.”

  Billy must have seen JoJo, “Damn Jimmy, is that your daughter? She’s kind of cute. It looks like your starting your own little harem.”

  There was no way he was getting his hands on my daughter! I revved the engine to show them that I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

  Billy aimed his gun at us again, “Jimmy! I’m going to count to three and if you don’t turn off the car, I’m shooting.”

  I just stared at him. Billy was my childhood friend. He wouldn’t shoot, would he?

  Billy started counting, “One.”

  I was frozen. Conflicted, by what I was seeing.

  “Two.”

  Oh, God! Was he really going to shoot?

  “Three.”

  He pulled the trigger, but his hand was knocked sideways by Serina. I heard the bullet whiz by the window.

  One of the guys behind us screamed out, “Hey! Watch it! You almost hit me.”

  I could hear Serina and Billy arguing.

  Serina yelled, “What do you think your doing? You could have hit Makalyn!”

  Billy responded, “Relax. I wasn’t going to hit them. I just wanted to scare them a little.”

  “Don’t lie to me. If I wouldn’t have stopped you, you would have shot them.”

  “Okay, but I was just going to shoot Jimmy. The girls could have gone with us.”

  “No, they wouldn’t, you idiot. If you would have killed him in front of them, then we would have had a fight on our hands. Besides, if we let them go, we can always catch them later.”

  “No! They are unarmed. We can take them now!”

  “Do you really think they’re unarmed? Think about it, how did they survive all this time out here unarmed?”

  Serina glanced in our direction, “No, they’re armed, and I bet they know how to survive too.”

  I’m not sure why I did it, but I pulled my gun out and aimed it at Makalyn’s head.

  Before Makalyn could react, I whispered, “Trust me.”

  Serina yelled, “No! Don’t shoot her!”

  Billy looked at her, “Well? What do we do now?”

  “We let them go, for now. We can always catch them later.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep. I can’t take the chance that he’s bluffing.”

  Serina looked at us and placed her hands up, indicating that they wouldn’t shoot. Billy followed suit.

  She yelled at the guys behind us, “Put your guns down. We’re letting them go. Okay, Jimmy, put your gun down. Your free to go.”

  Thank God she didn’t call my bluff. I slowly lowered the gun.

  I whispered, “JoJo, keep an eye on the guys in the back, just in case it’s a trick.”

  I shifted my foot from the brake to the gas. We started off slowly, I wanted to make sure there were no traps awaiting us. I made sure that I gave plenty of space between us as I passed Serina and Billy.

  As we passed, Billy yelled out, “See you soon!”

  After we passed them, I gunned it. I kept glancing backwards, looking for another vehicle or something. I’m not sure why but something Serina said kept bothering me. She stated that they will catch us later. I wondered if the vehicle had a tracking device in it.

  Makalyn was the first to speak, “Okay, why did you point your gun at me?”

  I focused on the road, “I noticed how obsessed Serina was with you and decided to test that theory.”

  Makalyn looked angry, “With my life?”

  I glanced at her, “Look, I wasn’t going to do it. You have to believe me. I just wanted her to think I would. See, she didn’t know we were related. She probably thought that we were strangers who met on the road and that I would do anything to escape.”

  Makalyn seemed to relax, “Okay, I guess. So, what now?”

  I turned back towards the road, “Same as before. Mount Scott. But before we go, we need to do a little detour.”

  JoJo asked, “A little detour?”

  I looked over my shoulder at my daughter, “Yeah. I think this vehicle has a tracker in it. Serina claimed that they would catch us later and the only way to do that is to know where we would be. Besides, Billy knows where we used to live in Moore and I figured that if we ditched the car in Moore, he would assume that we were there somewhere.”

  Makalyn asked, “So, how would we get to Mount Scott?”

  I sighed, “We walk until we can find transportation.”

  JoJo frowned, “But that’s so far.”

  “I know, but we can’t risk them knowing where we are.”

  It took us a few hours, but we made it back to Moore. I stopped the vehicle on the highway, just under the 4th street bridge.

  I told them, “Leave the doors open. It’ll drain the battery and help slow them down.”

  We grabbed whatever supplies we had and whatever they had left in the SUV. I pulled my knife out and laid down on the asphalt. I wiggled my way under the vehicle.

  Makalyn asked, “What are you doing?”

  From under the SUV, “I’m cutting the fuel line. Even if they get this thing started, it won’t have any fuel to run.”

  Makalyn seemed shocked, “Wow, that’s a really good idea.”

  I cut the rubber hose leading to the gas tank. Fuel sprayed all over my arm and shirt.

  I started getting to my feet, “Damn, now I’m going to smell like gas. I’m going to have to change before we start walking.”

  JoJo asked, “How long do you think it’ll take us to get there?”

  I thought about it for a second, “I’m not sure. It used to be a two-hour drive, so maybe, a week worth of walking or so. There are some towns along the way, and we might get sidetracked looking for supplies.”

  I looked inside the SUV for some supplies or even a shirt. I didn’t find a shirt, but I found some weapons and an emergency supply kit. We grabbed it all.

/>   I looked at the girls, “Alright, y’all ready?”

  Makalyn didn’t say a word, but JoJo said, “I’m ready. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll get to Mount Scott.”

  We began walking towards an off ramp that lead to fourth street. The plan was to follow fourth street to I-44 and follow it to Lawton. I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for us, but no matter what it held, I knew that we wound face it together.

  Chapter 17: Mount Scott

  I’m not sure how long it took us to get to the Wildlife Reserve in Lawton, but we made. It could have easily had been a year or more, I’m just not sure. We stopped many times during our long trip, looking for supplies and just stayed for days, too exhausted to continue walking. We searched for running vehicles but everyone we came across was pretty much picked over. I think that we even stayed a month or so in Chickasha, searching the city for anything that would be useful to us.

  We killed many zombies along the way and even had interactions with other survivors, but we mainly stayed to ourselves. I even think one of the younger survivors became infatuated with Makalyn, but she wasn’t having any of it. I’m not even sure that she realized the young guy was trying to flirt with her. He was like a kid in grade school with a crush. He would do something to annoy her and run away, hoping that she would chase him. Maybe, he was just trying to lead her away from us. Regardless, JoJo wasn’t having it. By the time the teenager showed up for a third time, JoJo walked directly up to him and pointed her gun at his head.

  “Listen here, stay away from us. I don’t want to kill you, but I will, if you don’t leave us alone. She’s already told you that she doesn’t liked being messed with.”

  The young man yelled some profanities at us and ran away. I couldn’t have been prouder of my daughter. She had kept a level head and didn’t try to retaliate in any way. I thought that when my time comes to die, my daughter would be just fine taking care of herself.

  We continued to the next town and so on and so forth. With each new town we came across, the more time we took scavenging for supplies. We did this until we could see the top of Mount Scott. It was still a distance away, but we were getting closer to our goal.