Before I can ready my sword, Marty steps on the gas, running down all three of the inbred, people eating monsters from The Hills Have Eyes, the second one, the one that takes place in the desert. Pajamas takes the brunt of it, sailing sideways through the air, her stumpy arms still reaching for us.
She lands half a mile away. Look, I’m not gonna take the time to measure it but I’m pretty sure my estimate is accurate, give or take a couple feet. Her body slides across the pavement, her entire right side collapsed in on itself. She can’t even get to her feet, I’m pretty sure her bones have turned to jelly. It’s not stopping her from clawing her way closer but at the rate she’s going, it’ll be nightfall before she reaches us.
The other two didn’t fare so well. Captain Hook has disappeared, probably somewhere in the gears, tangled up and twisted, shredded to pieces. And Overalls got flattened by the back tires. He’s laying there, squirming, a sausage casing without any meat inside of it. His upper legs, all the way up to and right up over his ass, smooshed.
“You didn’t think I was gonna let you have all the fun, did you?” Marty shouts out the window with a yeehaw, followed by his gruff laugh. “I’ll be damned, the little Latin warrior lives. Girl, I cried over you, and Marty does not cry, not for no one. You get her down, I’ll go pick up the others around the building. Be right back for ya. But uh, make it snappy, we got a bunch of infected townsfolk maybe two minutes out. I ran over a bunch of them but these hillbillies are resilient.”
He takes off with a couple of friendly honks, rounding the building. Freakin’ Marty, I don’t think he could have pulled up in anything other than a school bus.
“How are you even here?” Caylee asks, blowing us kisses when we reach the storage shed. “You were on top of the dam, and, the other side of the state. You guys are amazing.”
“You didn’t think we were leaving this shithole without you, did you?” I ask, pulling Felecia into me with a smile that I feel throughout my entire being. “We weren’t resting until we found your crazy ass.”
“Even if that meant staying here,” Felecia finishes for me.
“Guys,” she coos, fanning her eyes, laughing and crying at the same time. “I love you. Can you get me down from here? Because I really need to hug you right now.”
“Jump,” Felecia beckons, dropping her swords. “We’ll catch you.”
“I know you will.”
She dangles herself over the slanted roof as low as she can before letting go, crashing into our open arms. The impact of her tiny frame knocks us back a few steps, but it isn’t enough to take us down. And the three of us together, nothing can take us down, nothing.
We wrap our arms around her until we’re nothing more than a jumble of limbs and happy tears, leaning against the side of the shed. Love and friendship win out over hatred and vengeance. Always. Sometimes it takes longer. Sometimes the fight is greater. But love prevails. It’s everything else that fades with time.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Caylee whispers into the space between us. “Are we too late? Can we still make it to England?”
“We’re going,” Felecia whimpers. “The military base is like twenty minutes away. They’re there, waiting for us.”
“We really get to leave? Together? We did it?”
“We did it,” I say, squeezing them so tight they might pop, not that either of them seem to mind. “You really tackled Buckley off the helicopter?”
“I guess I kinda did. I couldn’t let him go, knowing what kind of person he is. Knowing what he’d do to this world. What he did to you. It’s a good thing I didn’t go back to find you yet, or this would not have worked out like it did. I’m never letting you out of my sight again, just so we’re clear. You guys aren’t crossing the street without holding my hand, comprende?”
“Si,” we both laugh at the same time, finally letting go of our embrace.
“Caylee, god, how are you still alive?” I ask, cupping her wet cheeks in my palms. “Scott said you fell off the hangar.”
“I did, right into a cluster of them. Good news, we don’t turn if they bite us again,” she says, pointing to multiple teeth marks on her arms and legs. “I was able to fight them off, only one bite seems bad, on my calf, he got a chunk. Without my crutches, I kinda hopped away. I made it through the building, using that pole there like a walking stick.”
“It’s a little big for you,” Felecia laughs, wiping away Caylee’s tears, not that it matters because they’re replaced by more immediately. “You ran through the building on a broken leg? And then pole vaulted onto the roof of the shed? Cayles, you’re Wonder Woman.”
“Yeah right,” she giggles. “Next to you, I was just thinking, the whole time, what would Leesh and Noah do?”
“They’d go to the end of the earth to find you, Bestie,” Felecia says, tucking Caylee’s hair behind her ear.
“If you’re not gonna start making out, it’s time to roll.”
I swear, that was not me. I did not say that. The voice came from behind us. Marty? I didn’t even hear him pull up.
“Town garage was next door,” he calls out, smiling from under his puffy mustache. “Coulda loaded everyone in the back of a dump truck but I figure this was more fitting. Know what I mean? Circle of life and all, brotha. Let’s get the hell outta here. Our military transport is ready for takeoff. And word is, they got a nice little bathroom onboard. That way Stinky here can wash up,” he says, nodding in Felecia’s direction as we help Caylee climb the steps.
“You are so lucky I’m in a good mood right now, old man, otherwise my boot would be stuck between your ass cheeks.”
“Oh don’t I know it. Brings back memories, don’t it?” he asks, closing the door behind us. “Been a helluva ride. And not a minute’s gone by that you three haven’t impressed the shit outta me. If you gotta fight your way through the apocalypse, let me tell you, there’s no one I woulda rather done it with. Now let’s get the hell outta this nightmare.”
CHAPTER 46
They’re standing there, saluting us as we exit the bus, two rows of soldiers, a welcoming committee, with the man in charge at the end of the line, there to shake everyone’s hand. It feels wrong letting Paul be a part of this, but if not for what he and his father did, most of us wouldn’t be here right now. Paul’s still not getting on that military aircraft, but we couldn’t leave his dad at the airport, not with that many infects about to storm the place.
I wait until everyone else is off, Felecia helping Caylee down the steps, until it’s just me and Marty left. I know what he’s doing. I think I’ve known all along, I just tried to convince myself otherwise.
“You’re not coming, are you?”
He lets out a long exhale through his nostrils, tapping his hand nervously on the steering wheel. “Never really planned on it. I just wanted to get you guys outta this mess. Now that we’re there… Shit man, you know what, fuck it, let’s go.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m going to England. Now, let’s get outta here before I change my mind.”
“I had this whole speech planned and everything. Are you telling me I just wasted the last ten minutes of my life, trying to find the perfect words when–”
“Oh, yeah,” he laughs in that raspy voice of his as we make our way down the stairs. “You just wasted the last ten minutes cuddling with a couple of hotties, you little shit. You’re gonna need someone to keep your head from gettin’ too big. That whole victor’s village thing might have kinda swayed me a little too. I got to admit, it sounds nice.”
“Noah Britton and Felecia Harmon,” the general says proudly, pulling us aside as Marty and I join the others. “Your country, this world, we all owe you a debt of gratitude. The saltwater, you were right. It’s working. They’re using it right now to hold back the infection in eastern Europe. Firetrucks. I don’t doubt that we would have figured it out, but we would have been too late. What you’ve done, out there in the field, nothing short of re
markable. They were able to pull up footage from the Sonny Valley dam.”
“Pull up footage?” we ask at the same time.
“Before the cameras went offline. Surveillance. We can view them remotely. When I hear stories of heroism, forgive me, but, I take them with a grain of salt. Don’t get me wrong, we knew you had to be something special, in order to last as long as you have out there, but to see it, right there in front of me. I would be honored if you guys would sit with me on the flight, recount some of the details, maybe some of the locations, just in case we can access more footage. We’ve already captured the airport you just came from, your school.”
“You have that footage?” I ask, not sure if I’d love to see it, or if I want to pretend it doesn’t exist. Like a bad sex tape. The kind where you only lasted long enough to whimper the girl’s name and the angle made things look really small that you don’t want looking small. Oh, no, no, not me. I’m not dumb enough to film it. That wasn’t a me problem, let’s just say when I heard about it, I nearly Neiled in my pants.
“Our specialists have been compiling footage from across the country, downloading as much as they can before it’s lost forever, trying to piece together what exactly happened. Where we went wrong. Where we can improve. And we’d like your help. Would you do me the honors?”
“Only if you take back your comment about me stinking,” Felecia grumbles, folding her arms over her chest.
“The Lieutenant was right,” he laughs, “you are a spitfire. And one hell of a soldier. If you’d like to get more comfortable, we have clothes onboard. This was supposed to be more of a rescue mission than it turned out to be. We were prepared for hundreds, so, you’ve got your pick. We’ve got a couple of long flights ahead of us.” He cups each of our shoulders before walking off with some of the other decorated suits, a hopeful pep in their step that wasn’t there before.
This is all just so surreal. I’m having a hard time believing it’s actually over. We really did it. We made it.
“Exactly how much bragging about us did you do?” I ask, nudging Maxwell from behind.
“Oh, a lot, and not damn near enough. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you two. From the moment you entered that bus, swinging your sword like a samurai ninja knight, I knew you guys were something else. All of you. What you’ve done here, there’s not enough bragging in the world. But by the sounds of it, the footage will do enough of that. God, I hope they got that river crossing, because I need to see you riding that log in slow motion.”
“You think we can get them to edit out some of the embarrassing parts?” I ask, praying my first fifteen or so flying karate kicks don’t make the final cut. Hopefully, fingers crossed, those places did not have public cameras.
“Not a chance loverboy,” she laughs, wrapping an arm around each of us. “I’ll slip ’em a fifty just to make a reel of all your embarrassing outtakes… and ship it over to me.”
“Ship it?” Felecia asks, but I’m pretty sure I understand. “Ship it where?”
“Back here. I uh, I won’t be joining you across the pond,” she says in a lame attempt at a British accent. “I died in battle.”
“Max, no,” I stutter, stumbling over my words too much to go on.
“They wanted to move me up in rank, put me in charge, because of what I did here. The thing is, they don’t know it wasn’t me. They don’t know that the only reason I was successful, is because of who my soldiers were. You guys by my side, I’d fight these bastards day and night, kinda have. But not without you. And unfortunately, someone in my position, I don’t get much say in the matter.”
“I wasn’t kidding,” Felecia says, tearing up. “We’ll Anne Frank you in a closet or the basement. You can’t stay here.”
“You think those two knuckleheads can run a base without me? Besides, who else is gonna get the doctor back to Fort Henderson? And keep those boys in line? I’ll keep a room ready for you, just in case. Promise me, you guys have to live the best life you can, for as long as you can. But remember, nothing is forever. When it’s time, you know where to find us. This world is ours now, but that world, the world you’re going to, that’s still theirs. Take advantage of it, change what you can, until you’re ready to come home.”
“What do you know that you’re not telling us?”
“Nothing that you don’t already know. You’re gonna have one hell of a life there, and you’ve more than earned it. Thank you for accepting me as I am. I love you guys. I meant it when I said I wished I’d had you in my life all along. I’ve never meant anything more. You look after them, Squirt, you hear? Don’t you go letting them change on me. You too, old man. Caylee, Scott, what you did, there are no words. Family forever.”
“Family forever,” we all repeat, sad to see her go, but understanding why she has to.
“Until we meet again.”
We all stand at attention, giving her a strong salute. She doesn’t try to hide the fact that she’s wiping tears from her eyes before she turns and heads toward the mountainside bunker, where Dr Hopkins and Paul are waiting. I can’t be sure, but I swear I can make out Paul mouth I’m sorry in my direction. Whether he did or didn’t, I think I’m gonna tell myself he did.
“We love you too Max,” Felecia shouts. “And do us a favor, would you? Give Norwood a big, wet, sloppy I love you and want to ride your bones kiss for us.”
She shakes her head without looking back, raising a middle finger above her head.
I don’t know how I know, but I know, she’s right. We’ll meet again. I get the distinct impression this is more of a vacation than a forever. But I’m going to enjoy every second of it with the people I love. Even if it isn’t all of them.
I’ve got Felecia and Caylee by my side. Marty, Scott and Sami. I’ve even got Tyrone and Kristen back. I’d feel guilty asking for much more. I’ve got a million questions for all of them, and a million answers to give. But right now, I’m just reveling in the fact that I feel like the luckiest man in the world.
Boarding the oversized military jet only makes it all that much more real. I feel like I can smile again. Like the weight of the world has been lifted. I know now is when the weight of the world is actually placed on our shoulders, they’re relying on us to give them the answers they so desperately need, but, I don’t know, who am I to say, maybe we have them.
All I know is, the relief I feel when we leave the runway, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I can take the first real breath I’ve taken in days. Watching the world disappear beneath us, I can see it all fading into the distance. A past life, just like the lives we lived before Tuesday began. They became nothing more than memories. The week we spent in hell, roaming the wastelands, fighting tooth and nail to survive, that’s become a memory as well.
I don’t know what the future holds for us. But I know that together, we can overcome anything. And we’ll kick ass doing it. For now, it’s onto the next chapter of our lives. And I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with. Family forever. Until we meet again.
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Blood Type Infected (Book 5): The Departed Page 28
