Fatal Reaction, Survival

by M A Hollstein

  “Add it to the pile,” Mike nodded to the box. “Can’t hurt.”

  “Okay,” Ellie said while sorting through the food. She also had a separate box that she was filling for their newfound comrades. She grabbed an unopened box of Cheerios, a few cans of soup and a couple of cans of Chili. “I don’t know what all I should…” Ellie stopped talking when she heard a low rumbling in the distance. It was the unmistakable sound of motorcycle engines. “Oh my God! Crusaders!”

  Mike sprinted to the light switch and turned off the lights in the garage. The sun had already set over an hour ago, and the light on in the garage was a dead giveaway.

  “The garage door!” Ellie squeaked.

  Mike rushed over to her and put his hand over her mouth, hushing her. He shook his head, no. The sound of the garage door closing would be heard in the otherwise silent night. As of right now, the only sound to be heard was the roar of the motorcycles. Mike ushered Ellie to the back of the garage, where they crouched down behind the SUV. He was hoping the dark color of the vehicle, and the darkness of the night would help them to blend in.

  “They’re looking for us,” Ellie whispered. “They’ll see the lights on in the condo.”

  Mike didn’t say anything. He hoped the Crusaders would do a quick sweep through the parking lot and then move on. He knew they were hoping to get lucky and stumble across where they were living, but didn’t quite know where to look. Just because they’d all pulled over a couple of blocks from here on Mission Avenue earlier that evening, didn’t mean that they were living nearby. Oceanside had a decent sized population. Well, it did have a decent sized population before the virus hit. Again, he wondered how many survivors were out there.

  “What about the Corvette?” Ellie whispered. “Did you put it in the neighbor’s garage?”

  “Shit!” Mike swore. He’d left the yellow Corvette in the lot. There was no doubt the Crusaders would see it and immediately recognize the car. He was kicking himself for not having garaged it. What had he been thinking? Leaving it in the lot was a rookie move. He knew there was a good chance these guys would come looking for them at nightfall. He’d gotten sidetracked as soon as they’d entered the condo and learned of Brad being infected. Garaging the car had slipped his mind. He’d been so worried about protecting Ellie from Brad, that he’d now put her life in danger with the Crusaders.

  The motorcycles zoomed past the alley that housed their garage. The sound of their engines quieted down as they grew farther away. Mike squeezed Ellie’s hand signaling her that it was time for them to make their move. They needed to get back to the condo. His guns and ammo were upstairs. He jumped to his feet and tugged at her arm. Ellie pulled away from him to grab the cardboard box she’d been filling with food.

  “Ellie!” Mike whispered. “Leave it!”

  Stubborn as they make them, Ellie clutched the box in her arms. They made their way to the front of the garage when the motorcycle engines grew louder again. The Crusaders were circling back. Mike knew that they’d seen the Corvette and the silver Toyota Tundra parked next to one another, and that’s why they were coming back. If it had only been the truck, they might not have given it a second glance. Silver pickup trucks were common everyday vehicles. The Corvette wasn’t as common, especially a yellow one.

  They were at the edge of the garage when Mike nudged Ellie. He looked both ways and could see the motorcycle’s headlights growing brighter in the parking lot. At the moment he and Ellie were obscured in the shadows. They’d have to move quickly before being spotted. Mike snatched the cardboard box from Ellie’s arms when the tape holding the bottom of the box closed, gave way. The contents fell through the bottom with a loud clatter. Cans rolled out of the garage and across the asphalt towards the garage situated across from them.

  “Run!” Mike yelled. Ellie didn’t hesitate. She ran around the back of the building. Mike was at her heels. The rumbling of engines vibrated the walls of the building, as the two Harleys entered the alley. They stopped in front of the open garage. Ronnie positioned his bike to shine the headlight inside. He grinned from ear to ear upon recognizing the black SUV parked in the garage. He looked over at his comrade who gave him a thumbs up. He was so close to getting his hands on that machine gun and the bastards that thought they could keep it from him. Ronnie could easily get his hands on whatever weapons he wanted. That wasn’t the issue. He and his crew were already creating a decent arsenal. The issue was that these guys obviously needed to be taught a lesson in respect. Here he was, ready to defend the Earth against the little green bastards in the sky, and these guys felt the need to keep a machine gun from him. What else were they hiding?

  Ronnie slid off his bike, while his buddy watched his back, and strutted over to the garage. He located the light switch and flipped it on.

  “Well, well, well, look what we have here,” he said, walking around the SUV to the back of the garage. He examined the amount of food and supplies stacked against the far wall of the garage. “Looks like we have some busy bees here. Doesn’t appear to be any weapons, though. Pity. I guess we’ll have to make a house call. This would’ve been a lot easier on them if they’d stored their weapons with the food.”

  Ronnie motioned for Tony to park his bike and to follow him. He walked to the back of the building until he came to a staircase. “What do ya think?” he asked. “Upstairs or downstairs?”

  Tony looked around at all the different buildings. “They could be anywhere.” He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it open while grinning wildly.

  Ronnie shook his head. “I don’t know what it is with you and fire. Your momma must’ve had her hands full.”

  “How about we smoke them out?”

  “Put the lighter away,” Ronnie said. “You can light this place up once I’m done with it.” He walked around the staircase that led him to a downstairs unit. He knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. He then rang the doorbell and pounded on the door. He could hear Tony standing behind him, flicking his lighter.

  Ronnie pounded harder on the door. Then he heard something. A dog barking. He turned, grinning at Tony, his face lit up by the flame of the lighter. Ronnie held a finger up, pointing at the upstairs units. He stomped his heavy boots as he ascended the cement steps. He stopped in front of the unit he’d thought he’d heard the dog barking from inside and knocked on the door.

  “Hello! It’s your old pal, Ronnie!” Ronnie rang the doorbell. The dog barked on the other side of the door, his claws scraping down the wooden panels. He could hear him being hushed by someone. Ronnie rang the doorbell again. “You know it’s rude to keep a guest waiting!”

  Tony laughed still flicking his lighter. Ronnie had a way of entertaining him. Ronnie gave Tony a knowing look that wiped the smile from his face.

  “What?” he asked.

  “If you keep flicking that damn lighter, it’ll run out of fluid.”

  “Nah,” Tony said, flicking it again. “I know a thing or two ‘bout fire.”

  Ronnie raised an eyebrow and Tony knew he was pressing his luck. He’d seen Ronnie in action plenty of times to know better. The last thing he wanted was to be on the receiving end of his fury. Snapping shut the silver lighter, he slipped it into his pocket.

  “What do you want?” a voice demanded from the other side of the door.

  Ronnie smiled recognizing the man’s voice. It was that so-called sheriff. “I want what’s mine!” He held up his handgun and aimed it at the peephole threateningly. “And if you don’t willingly give it to me, I’ll come in and take it.”

  Ronnie motioned for Tony to go around to the window they’d passed on the landing when they made their way to the front door. The window was large and probably belonged to a bedroom. There was also another window near the front door. He knew he could easily enter if he wanted to. But in case the Sheriff had a weapon trained on him, which he believed he did, he planned to keep him busy, while Tony snuck in the back.

  If the old Japanese man with
the machine gun weren’t with them, he’d at least confiscate the Sheriff’s weapons and have a little fun with his pretty little piece of fluff. He’d been quite impressed with her actions today. He could use a pretty little thing like her at his side. She was both beautiful and feisty. There weren’t many women left to choose from, and he’d need to collect as many as he could if he were to repopulate the Earth.

  “We don’t have anything of yours!” Mike said. “You’d better leave!”

  “I beg to differ,” Ronnie laughed. “What are you gonna do, Sheriff? Escort me off the premises? Put my ass in jail?”

  “I’m giving you the count of three.”

  Ronnie laughed some more. “That’s a good one! How about I count for you?” He clutched his belly he was laughing so hard. He could hear Tony, sliding the back window open. He only needed to keep him entertained for a little while longer. “One… two…” Ronnie stepped to the side of the window so that the stucco wall blocked him from the window in case the sheriff was to shoot at him. “Two and a half…” he called out loudly. “Almost there, Sheriff. You ready? Aaaaannnnnd threeeee!”

  Just then, Tony let out a blood-curdling scream.

  Gun drawn, Ronnie ran around to the back window on the landing. Tony was bellowing out in pain. The room was dark, and he couldn’t see what was going on inside. “Tony? Tony!”

  The familiar guttural sound of the infected filled the room. Tony yelled and screamed some more. His words were inaudible. His voice garbled as if choking on something, probably blood. There was a loud crash as he wrestled with the infected man and the two of them knocked over a bedside table. A lamp shattered on the hardwood floor.

  “Tony!” Ronnie pointed his gun into the bedroom and let off blind shots until his gun clicked empty. He needed to reload, and his ammo was in his leather saddlebags. He hadn’t thought he’d need to use his gun except to perhaps put a bullet between the eyes of that damn, so-called sheriff.

  Tony’s cries suddenly diminished and Ronnie knew he was dead. He was either killed by the infected or by one of his bullets. Either way, he knew he was long gone. Ronnie just hoped that his bullets took out both the infected man and the sheriff as well.

  A deep rumbling growl filled the dark room. For a second, Ronnie stood completely still on the other side of the open window. It was still alive.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Ronnie’s pulse quickened as he ran down the cement steps two at a time. He almost lost his balance, tripping over his heavy steel-toed boots. To keep from tumbling head first down the stairs, without thinking, he accidentally dropped his gun, to catch hold of the metal railing. His gun landed in a thick bed of ivy beneath the stairs. He grimaced. His leather boots weren’t made for running, only riding. Hell, he’d never had to run away from anything in his entire life. The thought made him feel humiliated.

  That goddam sheriff is going to pay for this, Ronnie swore. Not only did he embarrass me. He’d taken out Tony. Tony was his most loyal man. And it was hard to find loyalty with very few people left alive.

  Once Ronnie reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked up just in time to see the dark figure of the infected person leaping out of the bedroom window with animal-like reflexes. The damn thing was hunting him. Ronnie knew he’d be the infected man’s next target. There was no time to retrieve his gun from the ivy. He’d have to leave it behind and make a run for it.

  Ronnie sprinted around the building to where he’d left his bike while listening to the guttural snarls coming from the infected man pursuing him. Hopping on his hog, he gripped the handles, and he revved up the engine just as a stream of bullets from a semi-automatic weapon fired all around him. He glanced up and made eye contact with the old Japanese man who was holding the semi-automatic weapon. He was standing on a small balcony right above the open garage. Speeding around the corner, Ronnie fled the complex, knowing the old man could’ve easily taken him out. Instead, for some reason, the old coot spared his life. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  Hiro watched Ronnie leave. He was so close to nailing the guy in the back, but with most of humanity wiped out, he couldn’t get himself to do it. All life was precious, even the lives of the Crusaders. He glanced up at the white flashing light on the massive spaceship still hovering above. At some point, he knew that they’d need to work together.

  Hiro stayed on the balcony and watched the infected man lying on the asphalt. He watched for movement. He listened for sounds. After several minutes of waiting, and nothing happening, he was positive the infected man was dead. He then re-entered the condo. Now that both threats had been dealt with, he could finally get a good night’s sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Amanda awoke needing to use the restroom. She hated when that happened, which was practically every morning. She used to tease that her bladder was her internal alarm clock. Never fail, having to go to the bathroom always woke her up a good five to ten minutes before her alarm clock would go off.

  Now I don’t need an alarm clock, she thought. Tears pricked at her eyes. She used to detest having to set her alarm and get up at 6 am every weekday for work. Now she missed it. She missed her boring, mundane life. She missed her regular daily rituals. Would she ever need to set her alarm clock again? Would life ever go back to normal?

  Out of habit, Amanda glanced at her alarm clock which was sitting on her nightstand to check the time. It was 5:55 am. At least her internal alarm clock was still right on time and working like normal even if everything else in her life was a mess. She sat up, and then suddenly became very self-conscious. Bill was sound asleep in her bed. She pulled the sheets up to cover her skimpy nightgown and looked around. She then slid out of bed and tiptoed to her closet. She grabbed a pair of comfortable steel gray yoga pants and a black tank top and then retreated to the bathroom.

  A half an hour later, she emerged both showered and dressed. To her surprise, Bill was still sound asleep. Usually, he was an early riser. However, they’d had a late night, and were up until the wee hours of the morning. In fact, she was surprised she wasn’t still sleeping herself. She’d maybe gotten three hours of uninterrupted sleep. Amanda grinned, remembering their interaction. She’d never have thought in a million years that Bill was so passionate and gentle. She wondered if last night was a one-off or if maybe there was something more between them. Later, once Bill was awake, she’d have to feel him out. His actions will help her to determine what she meant to him.

  Sneaking out of the bedroom, Amanda worked her way down the hall to the living room. She twisted open the vertical blinds over the sliding glass door and then pulled them to the side. She opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony and looked upwards at the dark ship through the tree branches. She crossed her arms over her chest due to the chilly morning air. She noticed that there was no sign of the flashing white light. Amanda continued to stare upwards. Nothing. She wondered if the tree branches could be blocking the light. If not, and it was no longer blinking, what did that mean? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

  Stepping back into her apartment, Amanda went into the kitchen to brew some coffee. That was when she remembered she’d forgotten to get more bottled water last night. They were down to half a case. Amanda opened a couple of bottles and poured them into the coffee machine and quickly brewed a pot of coffee. She poured some into her favorite silver thermos that she used to take to work with her and left the rest for when Bill got up. She then slid on a lightweight jacket.

  Amanda was feeling restless, even though she was still tired from not getting enough sleep last night. She picked up the letter from the small kitchen table that she and Benjamin had left for Bill. Frowning, her heart sank as she re-read the note Benjamin wrote in red crayon for his father. Her heart hurt thinking about him. She hoped that he wasn’t scared and was doing okay with Susan and Liam. She still didn’t trust them and hated knowing that they took Benjamin.

  Fighting the urge to cry, Amanda flipped over the note, grabbed the same red crayon Benjam
in had used yesterday and jotted a new note for Bill. “Went to the corner store for water. Be back soon!”

  Amanda grabbed the car keys from the table and then set them back down. She’d walk over instead of drive. The walk would do her good. Maybe help her to expel some nervous energy. She looked around the kitchen and eyed the carving block. She extracted a butcher knife and slid it into an old purse just in case.

  Stepping outside, Amanda took in a deep breath of fresh morning air. The coolness of the air on her face seemed to help calm her nerves. As she passed by the car in the lot, she wondered if she was being stupid by walking to the store instead of driving. Bill would probably be furious with her. But if she played her cards right, she’d be back home before he even noticed she was gone.

  Amanda glanced up at the ship as she crossed the parking lot and then stepped into the grass. She walked down a small hill to the sidewalk below. There was still no sign of the flashing white light. Amanda returned her attention to the world around her. It was so odd walking down a quiet street. When she came to the crosswalk, she stared at the flashing red stoplight at the intersection. Since the power came back on when the spaceships arrived, she’d noticed that some of the stoplights returned to their normal functions and others flashed red. She hadn’t ventured far from the apartment since the power came on, but that was her observation yesterday.

  Taking a sip of her coffee, Amanda thought how odd everything was. Her coffee was familiar and warm and tasted like home. Yet, everything around her was different. Silent. Cold.

  Crossing the sidewalk, Amanda scanned the streets around her. She worried about having a run in with more of those gang members. After yesterday’s encounter, she was feeling a bit leery. However, she knew she couldn’t allow those guys to run her life. She was free to do as she pleased. She shouldn’t have to live each day in fear of survivors. It was bad enough she had to worry about becoming infected or becoming a tasty dinner for the supposed aliens headed for earth. She didn’t need some punk humans frightening her as well.