The Dead Divide Us

by Vincent S. Tobia

  “Nope, they were all fine. Doesn’t sound like it's moving away from New York or the parts of New England that it’s reached. Does anyone else here have contact with those places? You know, in the hazard zone?” Paul said to Roy.

  “Hazard zone?” Paul thought. "Did I just really say that?" Like he was now living in a sci-fi movie?

  “Sadly no, the only information we can get from those areas is from the television or internet and even that’s scarce,” Roy said, concerned. Ruth looked up from her laptop.

  “I know. I’ve been searching for more info on the infected areas. I’m coming up with nothing,” Ruth chimed in.

  “Well keep looking Ruth,” Roy said and then turned to face Paul. “I was just outside talking with Glen and Warren from across the street. We’re going to have an old fashion town meeting at the high school auditorium at 8 o’clock this morning. All of Green Falls is invited. Whoever shows will have a right to speak," Roy said.

  A town meeting? Was that really necessary? Was this thing really that big of a deal? Paul felt a slight headache start to approach; he used to get head-splitter migraines back in high school. The only cure was to lay down in complete darkness and pray for sleep. He was hoping that this wasn’t going to be the case tonight. Paul took two steps to the right and opened a cupboard door above their shiny new Kenmore Elite stove and grabbed the bottle of aspirin.

  “A town meeting? Really?” Paul asked, trying to hide the displeasure in his voice.

  “I think we need to get everyone on the right track... basically gather information and keep people from panicking,” Roy said in his leader tone of voice.

  “I’m sure the mayor and Sheriff Baxter will be there?” Paul said in an irritated manner. He didn’t like the sheriff.

  “Yes, unfortunately they’ll be there. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to talk,” Roy added.

  “And what if this thing blows over by then?” Paul asked.

  “Then we cancel the meeting and go on with our regular lives. There’s no harm in preparing for the worst, Paul.” Roy said.

  Ruth then gasped out loud and put her hand up over her mouth, staring at the laptop screen.

  “What is it?” Paul asked. Both he and Roy rushed over to the laptop.

  Centered on the screen was an image of what looked to be a severely dehydrated and highly stressed man. His skin was a grayish blue color. It appeared that all of the veins inside the man’s body were trying to escape, and his neck had numerous tendons stretching outward. What Paul noticed about this man right away were his eyes; they were blank and emotionless. Then he noticed the bullet hole in his forehead.

  “Oh my God,” Roy said in disgust. “Please don’t tell me that’s one of the sick ones?”

  “This was just posted onto Twitter. Username is TheHiddenTruth13. The caption for this picture is pretty long. It‘s actually posted in two tweets,” Ruth said and then began to read the captions to the picture of the sickly dead man with the bullet hole in his head.

  “It says: I watched them gun this one down. The Army is taking them all out but it seems to be spreading faster than they expected. I’ve seen what they are broadcasting on television and I know they are not showing you any of this. This man was ready to bite and kill an innocent civilian, a little girl actually. I believe the news is lying to you. This is more dangerous than you are being lead to believe. Sending a new picture to upload now.”

  Ruth clicked refresh and TheHiddenTruth13’s twitter reloaded with a new picture. All of Paul’s fears from the previous hour multiplied by fifty. Tears immediately filled Ruth’s eyes as she gazed in stupendous wonder and fear at the new picture. Roy’s mouth dropped and cracked under its own weight.

  The new picture was of Times Square in Midtown Manhattan. Usually lit with large advertisements, Times Square was now blank like a newly cleaned blackboard. Black smoke billowed out of one window to the left of the picture. The streets below the buildings were all blocked with cars (most of them crashed into one another) and there were dead bodies everywhere.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” Roy said, lifting his jaw back into place. “It’s gotta be doctored, photo shopped or something…right?” Roy said again and then glanced over to Ruth and Paul. The three of them exchanged a look of communal bewilderment.

  “Can you refresh it, Hon? If this person is posting the truth, I’d like to keep an eye on this,” Paul said to his wife.

  Ruth lifted her pointer finger and clicked the mouse to refresh the page. TheHiddenTruth13’s twitter page started to reload, but then came back with an error message saying: Error Page Not Found.

  “What the f…” Ruth spoke softly, then hit refresh again.

  Same result. The twitter account page of TheHiddenTruth13 was gone.

  “Alright, now I’m starting to really worry. Paul, what are we going to do? Was that really Times Square?” Ruth said frantically.

  Paul held his hand up to his brown beard and stoked his own chin. He walked over to the sink counter and leaned on it.

  “Roy, if those pictures are real then we’re going to need more than a lousy town meeting to help us,” Paul resolved.

  Roy looked up at Paul, then to Ruth, and then back again to Paul.

  “I know. But until we know that what we just saw was real, we can’t tell anyone. It would just cause more panic then there already is. Most people outside already have a feeling that the news stations are holding back information. This would drive them nuts,” Roy explained.

  “What are we going to do?” Ruth questioned aloud.

  “I say that we go about our business and keep the possibility of those disastrous images in our minds. You’ve got contact with family relatively close to there Paul. They’ll call you if something cataclysmic happens. Right?” Roy said.

  “Yeah, of course. Robert and my parents are supposed to be calling me back.” Paul said, and then he reached into his pocket to take out his cell phone. No missed calls; that was good. Paul set the ring tone to ‘loud’ before setting it back down.

  “So we’ll keep an eye on the news. See if the reports change. But Ruth, I’d like you to stick with the internet searching. What was that person’s online tag name?” Roy asked.

  “It was the hidden truth, then a number…13, I think,” Ruth replied, unsure.

  “That’s good. We’ll keep our families together on this one. I love this town, this street, but I don’t and can’t trust anyone as much as I do you guys,” Roy said, sounding sincere.

  And he was right. The Benton’s and the Landry’s were very close -closer than any neighbors in Green Falls for sure. Roy Benton and Paul Landry worked together at Nintendo of America in Redmond, Washington. They had met shortly after Paul started working in their graphic design department. Roy was not a graphic designer but a lead sales representative for Nintendo. Paul always thought that was why Roy was so good with people, because for his job, he had to be a people person. Roy and Paul eventually became great friends, but their real bond came when Ruth and Roy’s wife, Kirsten, were introduced. You would have thought that they were long lost sisters who were torn apart from some war-ravaged, poverty stricken, third world country. They had everything in common. Then down the line, when it came time for Ruth to deliver her first child, the Benton’s were right there for support.

  Most recently though, and this thought kept coming back to Paul now, both families made a trip upstate deep into the mountains. They spent a week at a cabin owned by Roy’s father, Butch Benton. What a great name, Paul always thought. The cabin was fairly isolated; they had to bring five full coolers of food and drinks. And another truck, Paul’s truck, was filled with other camping supplies.

  “We trust you guys too, Roy,” Ruth said and then looked at Paul with a worried gaze.

  Paul now walked back to the center island. The box of frosted flakes wobbled as his hip hit against the counter top.

  “Roy, listen this might be premature but…”

  “The cabin, right?”
>
  “Yeah, how’d you know I was going to say that?” Paul asked.

  “I’m good at reading people, and that’s what I’ve been thinking about too. That cabin would be a great place to hold up if things got really bad around here,” Roy explained.

  Ruth stood up, now clearly worried and a little angry.

  “Aren’t we jumping the gun here guys? I mean, Jesus, really?”

  Paul reached out and took his wife’s hand, then pulled her in close for a hug. She began to cry into his shoulder, and as she did, he smelled the fresh scent of clean cotton cloth coming off her bathrobe. Paul now longed for sleep.

  “We aren’t saying that we are definitely going to the cabin, just saying that it’s an option if things turn for the worse,” Roy said calmly.

  “We’d have to do a lot of supply gathering before we go and perch ourselves up there in the mountains,” Paul said.

  “You’re right Paul. Hey, I’m going to get back to Kirsten and Alexis. I suggest we keep an eye on the news and even try to catch some sleep before the town meeting. Paul, I’d like you to ride there with me, if that’s okay,” Roy said.

  Ruth, still in Paul’s arms, turned back to face Roy.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll come by after seven?” Paul asked.

  Roy walked toward the kitchen door.

  “That’s perfect. Remember guys: keep this internet imagery thing a secret for now. I’m sure when morning comes this will all look a hell of a lot better than it does now,” Roy said and was about to leave when he heard a loud ringing sound. It was Paul’s cell phone.

  Paul quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

  The caller ID read: Robert’s Cell.

  Chapter 3: Get Out of Town

  1

  Robert slammed his truck into gear while speed-dialing his brother Paul. As he positioned himself in his weathered driver's seat, Robert noticed a few tiny snowflakes rush up onto the windshield. The gray skies told him no lie; the white stuff was going to fall today in Colton, Pennsylvania. Robert turned his 1989 Ford Bronco, a mixture of green and rust on the outside, onto Main Street. He was headed out of town and was only two blocks away from his apartment building leaving that mess behind. Robert was pained about the situation he left in his apartment; how in the hell was he going to return later? He all but decimated his landlord with a baseball bat. Carl’s bloody and battered (pun intended) corpse was rotting away in Robert’s bedroom. Robert had done it all in self-defense, no doubt about that, but it was still hard to believe just how Carl was acting beforehand. Robert wondered if that was how others who were “sick” were acting. To make it worse, Robert drove away with two National Guardsmen standing outside of his place. Had they known something? Did they suspect him?

  Robert drove another two blocks before asking himself, “Why the hell did I drive down Main Street when I could have taken the back roads out of town?” His mind raced at the thought of running into more authority figures. In his mind, any authority figures would just know what he had done this morning to Carl. Feeling like he was an outlaw that had broken a hundred ancient and sacred rules, he played over in his mind how he would explain why he had done it once he was inevitably caught.

  “Hello, Rob?” Paul’s voice yelled over the cell phone bringing Robert back to reality.

  His mind had been racing so fast he didn’t notice that Paul had answered, nor did he notice the Colton Fire Company now in sight, the apparent ‘safe place’ where he would be taking his parents…soon.

  “Paul! Jesus man, sorry…sorry, I’m here,” Robert said snapping back into attention.

  “Is everything alright? You get to Mom and Dad’s already?” Paul hurriedly asked.

  “No, no, not yet. I’m on my way there now, I ran into…” Robert said, but was suddenly interrupted as he had to slam on his brakes. His truck came to a screeching halt and for a moment he thought it might flip over on its front left side. Broncos were known for being top heavy beasts, but Robert loved his truck all the same, enough to pay for two transmissions in her.

  Before him stood two National Guardsmen, both in fatigues and both tall in stature. They immediately pointed their high power rifles directly at Robert’s vehicle... or were they pointed only at him? He couldn’t tell for sure. Either way, Robert felt the blood drain from his face.

  Had the Army already found out about Robert’s grievous crime? Did those two redneck Soldiers enter his apartment and find Carl’s corpse? Did someone rat him out?

  “Rob? Rob? What happened?” Robert faintly heard Paul’s voice pierce through the cell phone's tiny speaker and quickly raised the phone to his ear.

  “Paul, I’ll call you back,” Robert said quickly and then he snapped the cell phone closed and threw it onto the passenger seat.

  Robert looked back up to the Guardsmen blocking the road. Robert cursed himself again for not taking the back roads; Buck’s Dairy Road would have led him right onto old route 9 and then in another six miles or so he would have been at his parents’ farmhouse and avoided being stopped. Fuck.

  Robert heard a loud, deafening cracking sound next to him which caused a high-pitched ringing in his ears. As he turned to his left he expected to see the driver side window smashed open. Instead, Robert was faced with another soldier staring intently at him; this one was a much older man but still wearing the fatigues like that of the others. He held up his baton and motioned for Robert to roll down the window. Robert did so, slowly, as the ringing in his ears subsided.

  “Hello, son. You mind turning off your vehicle?” the older man asked Robert. This man had white hair with a gray mustache. There were plenty of cracks from old-age on his face.

  “What seems to be…the problem?” Robert asked as he reluctantly turned his keys and the engine stopped. Robert hated to hear his engine die; it made him feel trapped.

  “The problem? Son, have you turned on your television yet today?” the man asked with one eyebrow raised in surprise.

  “I have in fact; I was on my way to my parent’s house…”

  Robert was abruptly cut off by the man: “Step out of your vehicle son.”

  Robert drew in a long wary breath. The men standing in front of his truck had lowered their rifles, but that didn’t make Robert feel any better. He nervously unhooked his seat belt and gave a quick glance toward his bat.

  “You can forget about needing to grab your ole aluminum pal there. Leave it be,” the older man said as he opened Robert’s door for him.

  Robert’s feet hit the hard and frozen pavement with a loud thump. In the cold air, Robert swore he heard the sound bounce off the surrounding mountains.

  “You with me boy?” the old man asked, concerned.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, of course,” Robert replied.

  “Well, you don’t seem very ‘with it’ son,” he said pointedly to Robert.

  Breathing in a long breath yet again, Robert started to say: “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s just with everything the news…I’m not exactly sure what’s going on…I’d just like to get to my parents house. Make sure they’re okay,” Robert stammered.

  “What’s your name boy?” the old man asked sharply.

  “Robert Landry,” he said, hoping he wasn’t going to be asked for his address.

  “Okay, Mr. Landry, I’m Major General Frost. As you can see here, the army is taking this situation very seriously.”

  “Oh I know, I just…” Robert started.

  “Please don’t interrupt me son,” Major Frost said evenly.

  Robert just nodded his head.

  “We’re asking everyone in Colton to please come to our shelter for the time being. Sign in, drink some coffee, and let us keep an eye on things out here until the situation is under control.”

  “That’s fine, but I’d like to get my parents down here first,” Robert said quickly, hoping to seem compliant while at the same time wanting to leave.

  Frost gave Robert a long, stern look while he scratched his mu
stache. He then leaned in closer to Robert.

  “You know something we don’t boy?”

  “What? No! I just need to make sure my folks are okay.”

  Again, Major Frost studied Robert from head to toe and then shook his head. Robert was deathly certain Frost could smell the fear and untruthfulness coming off of him in cold freezing sweat.

  Just then, a gold minivan pulled up next to the fire company. Both Robert and Major Frost turned to look as a family of four popped out of the vehicle. Robert was surprised to see it was his brother’s old friend Jan Goodman. He was bringing his family to the Colton Fire Company for safe haven. Jan noticed Robert right away too. It had been a long while since they had seen each other.

  “Robert!” Jan called out. Motioning to his two daughters and wife to go head into the fire company before he made his way over.

  “Hey Jan, how’s the family doing?” Robert asked Jan. Major Frost seemed content to watch Robert’s conversation with Jan Goodman, but he still had a determined look on his face where Robert was concerned. Major Frost was on him tight, like stank in a whore house. Robert was certain it would only be a matter of time before his secret came out.

  “Oh, we’re good. There is a lot of confusion out there. I thought it better to head here and be with the community,” Jan said solemnly as he noticed that Major Frost and Robert were building some sort of awkward tension of their own.

  “Hey, are your parents okay? Are they inside already?” Jan added, trying to ease things over.

  Robert glanced at Major Frost and then turned back to Jan.

  “As a matter of fact, I was just going to go check up on them, bring them both back here,” Robert said. Frost had to let him go now, Robert thought.