by M. D. Massey
The ride down is silent and tense. Axl and Angus have the same expression on their faces and they look more like brothers than ever. Their eyes are hard and their eyebrows drawn together, their lips are pursed and their jaws clenched. It makes my skin crawl.
When we reach the lobby we head over to the front door, stopping so we can look out into the parking lot. It’s empty.
I blink several times. My eyes have to be playing tricks on me. “Where did they all go?”
Angus spits on the floor. Right on the carpet. “Don’t care, long as they ain’t botherin’ us.”
“There’s some ‘cross the street,” Axl says. “But they’re walkin’ down the hill.”
“Whatever,” Angus mutters, pushing the door open.
We head out to the Nissan and I keep my eyes open as we go. But the handful of bodies in sight are doing exactly what Axl said. Walking down the hill.
Whatever. Like Angus said, as long as they aren’t bothering us.
I toss the bag I’m carrying on the ground behind the Nissan while Angus opens the door. The back is empty. The bag of medicine Joshua is talking about must be in the backseat. I run up and throw the door open, digging under the seats until I locate it. I yank it out and slam the door at the same time as Axl and Angus. We’re just heading back to the hotel when a man screams for help.
I spin around and scan the area. “Did you hear that?”
The others stop. It takes a few seconds, but eventually the man screams again.
I throw the bag on the steps right by the front door and pull out my gun as I charge through the parking lot. The brothers’ footsteps pound on the pavement behind me. A steady stream of profanity flows out of Angus’s mouth. Of course he’d be pissed about helping someone.
When I get to the street, I check out the area. There’s a horde of bodies, at least twenty of them, at the bottom of the hill, and a man dashes down the street in front of them.
“We have to help him!”
“Leave him,” Angus growls. “He’s a goner. Look at all of ‘em!”
I ignore Angus and turn my glare toward Axl. He has to be reasonable. “We can’t just leave him!”
“Shit,” Axl mutters. “Come on, let’s get the car.”
We run back to the Nissan with Angus cursing the entire way. Axl jumps in the driver’s seat.
“You’re gonna have to shoot,” he says, backing out of the parking lot.
I roll the window down and climb up, so I’m sitting on the door with my upper body hanging out. Just like in the movies. Angus tries to do the same thing in the back, only the window won’t go all the way down. He won’t stop swearing.
Axl speeds down the road. The man is barely visible through the mass of dead. He still has a lead, but not much of one. He’s carrying a leather briefcase and a black and white umbrella. He stops every now and then to jam the umbrella into the face of one of the dead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, he’s running out of time.
When we get close enough, I start firing. I miss with the first two shots. I’ve never had to fire out the window of a moving car before, and it’s harder than I ever imagined. I take a few more shots and adjust my aim. On the fifth try, I hit my target and a body goes down. After that they fall one after the other. Angus does the same from the other side. I take six down before my gun clicks. Axl comes to a screeching halt next to the horde and he begins firing too.
The man looks up. His face is red and streaked with dirt, and his eyes get huge. Hopeful.
“Run!” I yell. I release my clip and slam a full one in, then take out a body stumbling toward him.
The man dodges a few and heads toward the car. Just as he’s about to break away, one grabs him and they both fall to the ground.
“Shit!” I turn around and throw my legs out the window, jumping to the pavement. My feet slam into the ground and I stumble forward a few steps before I regain my footing. Then I take off running.
“Dammit, Vivian!” Axl calls behind me.
I ignore him and keep moving, raising my gun as I go. The man screams and fights under the body and I take aim. He’s not making any progress. The head is in my sights. I take a deep breath and squeeze the trigger. The bullet pierces the dead man’s temple. It falls on top of the man and I have to kick it off.
“Come on!” I yell, grabbing his arm and jerking him to his feet.
He’s right behind me as we run for the car. Axl kicks the passenger door open when I get there, and Angus does the same with the back door. We’re barely inside when Axl hits the gas and speeds away from the hotel.
“Gonna lead them away,” he says, looking over at me. “You’re dumb as shit, you know that?”
“I’m not going to just sit back and let someone die when I can do something.”
Axl looks over his shoulder at the man. “You’re welcome.”
The man is panting. “Th-thanks,” he manages to get out.
“So who are you?” I ask, turning around in my seat. He’s in his mid-thirties and has dark hair and dark eyes. He’s good-looking. Like movie star good-looking, and wearing top-of-the-line designer clothes that barely look wrinkled despite his near-death experience
“Mitchell Harrington,” he says. “I’ve been hiding in my condo for a week. I was supposed to have a ride out of the city, but they never showed. I decided to get out myself, but those things attacked me.” He shakes his head. “What’s going on?”
“You’re smack dab in the middle of a zombie apocalypse,” Angus says.
Mitchell shakes his head again, like he can’t focus or doesn’t believe us. All the color drains from his face and his eyes get huge. “You have to be kidding.”
I push a mass of blonde hair out of my eyes and point back the way we just came. “Wasn’t that horde of dead bodies attacking you proof enough?”
He turns even paler and sits back in his seat, clutching his briefcase tightly to his chest.
Axl does a quick drive around the block before taking us back to the hotel. We pull into the parking lot and jump out. There aren’t many bodies around; most seem to have run off after Axl when he drove away the first time, but there are still a few.
Mitchell drags his feet, so I grab his arm and pull him forward. “You’re going to have to move faster than that if you don’t want to get eaten.”
I scoop up the bag of medicine as I walk by. Once we’re inside, the three of us walk to the elevator with Mitchell trailing slowly behind us.
“The Mark Hopkins?”
I slam my finger against the button. “We’re on the eighteenth floor.”
“The California suite? That’s over $7,000 a night.”
“Not anymore it ain’t,” Angus says.
Mitchell must be in shock. He won’t stop clutching that stupid briefcase to his chest like it’s some kind of life preserver. This guy is going to be a major pain in the ass. Not only that, but I’m not sure he’s going to be able to adjust to the fact that he’s no longer rich and important.
“So what did you do, before the virus hit?” I ask as the elevator goes up.
“I started my own Internet dating service,” he says. “Soul mate dot com.”
Angus and Axl both laugh, but I don’t. It may sound lame, but that service was huge. This guy was loaded. Not that it’s going to do him any good now.
“How’d that treat you?” Angus asks with a smirk.
Mitchell doesn’t seem to understand that Angus is making fun of him. “I made fifteen million dollars last year.”
Angus’s mouth drops open just as the elevator door does the same.
23
“So where are you guys headed?” Mitchell asks.
He sits on a chair in the living area still clutching the briefcase while he watches everyone else pack. He hasn’t moved from that spot since he got here, and I’m beginning to wonder if he’s ever going to snap out of it.
I’m on the couch across from him with Emily’s head is in my lap. She’s out
cold. “I think we’re going to try and head into the country somewhere. Find a farm or vineyard that’s been abandoned and try to survive.”
Mitchell looks down at the briefcase like it holds the answers to all of life’s problems. I wish it did. Maybe there’s a genie in there, and if we rub it he’ll pop out and make all this horror disappear. Or at least find us a safe place to live out the rest of our sad lives.
“You could come with me to Vegas,” Mitchell says so quietly that I wonder if I heard him wrong. I search his face, but he doesn’t even blink. Yup, I heard him right. He must be insane.
Before I can say anything Angus, who just happened to be walking by when Mitchell said it, cuts me off. “Hell no, boy. We ain’t goin’ to Vegas.”
“Well, it’s not Vegas exactly,” Mitchell says. “It’s um…in the Mojave Desert.” He pauses and licks his lips nervously. His grip on the briefcase tightens. “It’s about an hour outside of Vegas. In the middle of nowhere, really.”
I shake my head. He’s nuts alright. “Why would we want to go to the middle of nowhere?”
“Shit. We gotta find someplace green where we can grow us some food. Not the desert. That’s the dumbest idea I ever heard,” Angus barks.
“Well, it’s not like there’s nothing there.” Mitchell clears his throat like he’s working up to something big. “There’s a, um—a shelter there.”
My heart races. What’s he talking about? Why doesn’t he just come out with it? “What kind of shelter?”
A few other people have stopped packing and are now standing around, staring at Mitchell. No one talks.
“It’s an old missile silo that was built by the government back during the Cold War. There was this company that bought a bunch of them and renovated them. They sold them off to wealthy clients as a place to go in the event of a catastrophe.”
“Wait a minute!” Al steps forward. He’s practically bouncing up and down. “Are you talking about the Atlas missile silos?” Mitchell nods and Al’s smile stretches across his face. He looks around the room like an eager kid. He acts like we should all know what Mitchell’s talking about. “I read all about these places online.” He turns back to Mitchell and his eyes are so big and full of excitement that my heart starts pounding faster. “Did you buy into one of these things?”
“Yes,” Mitchell says flatly.
“So it’s kinda like a fallout shelter?” Axl asks. His gaze moves to Emily’s face, slack from sleep. His eyes flash with hope.
Mitchell nods, but Al shakes his head. “It’s more like underground luxury condos. These places are amazing. They have all the amenities of the most expensive apartment buildings in any city. And more. Complete with a gym, a pool, a movie theater, and library.” Al puts up his fingers as he names things, like he’s checking items off a list. “They even had small hospitals. But most importantly, they were stocked with enough provisions to sustain a group of people underground for five years.”
My heart leaps. A small spark of hope lights up inside me. Five years? That’s better than anything we could do at a farm.
No one speaks for a second, and then all at once the room explodes. Mitchell just sits in his chair, still clutching his briefcase while everyone shouts questions at him. He doesn’t answer any.
“Okay, everyone!” Winston calls. “Let’s quiet down so we can get some answers.” He looks at Mitchell. “You’re saying there’s a shelter out there you can take us to and there will be room for everyone?”
Mitchell nods, but then shrugs. “There should be.”
“What do you mean, ‘should be?’” Axl asks. “We ain’t drivin’ you all the way to the middle of nowhere for that.”
Mitchell clears his throat again. Why does he seem so nervous and unsure? Is it us or him? “Well, the shelter was made to sustain fifty people for five years, and the condos sold out.”
“So you’re saying it was full?” Jessica asks.
Al shakes his head. “That’s insane. Wasn’t it like three million dollars to buy one of those things?”
“Something like that,” Mitchell says with a shrug. There’s something about his attitude that bugs me.
“So there isn’t room.” All the hope that had been there a few seconds ago melts off Sophia’s face. She hugs onto Ava so tightly the little girl winces.
“That’s just it,” Mitchell says. “Most of the population has died. What are the odds that everyone who bought one of these condos is still around?”
“Not good,” Winston mumbles. He looks at Mike and rubs the back of his neck.
Mike scratches his beard. “So what’s this place like? Where is it?”
“It’s literally in the middle of the desert. I have coordinates to get there.” Mitchell finally pulls the briefcase away from his body and opens it. “And it’s pretty much what the kid said it is. Underground condos with all the amenities. A generator, food and supplies to last five years, as well as a state of the art security system.”
Emily shifts a little in her sleep and I brush the hair out of her face. We need this. I need to get her somewhere safe. I try to remain calm, try not to get my hopes up. It isn’t easy. “So what’s on the surface?”
Mitchell pulls out a couple papers and hands them out. I take one, and my eyes grow wide as I study it. It’s a cutaway picture of the shelter and it literally looks like an underground apartment building, except it’s rounded like a silo. There are eighteen floors underground, with living areas on most of them. But on other levels there’s a pool and a clinic, a movie theater and a gym. Everything a rich person could need at the end of the world.
“On the surface it’s just a small building made of steel and concrete. It’s bullet and blast proof, and there’s a keypad for entrance, so the owners can get access.” Mitchell bites down on his lip and sits quietly while everyone passes the pictures around the room.
“So, you’re just gonna let us in if we take you there?” Axl’s voice is hard. His lips purse and his eyes narrow on Mitchell. He doesn’t trust this man. It puts me on edge. Axl is a good judge of character.
“I was waiting for the company helicopter to pick me up. They were supposed to come a week ago, but obviously that didn’t happen. They must have all died. I didn’t know anything about these zombies, so I decided to just make it there on my own somehow. You saw how well that went.” Mitchell shakes his head. “I’m obviously not equipped to handle this on my own, and you people seem to know what you’re doing. If you could get me there I’d be more than happy to plead your cases with whoever is inside. I’m sure they’d let you in. There has to be room. You have a doctor with you, that’s helpful, and I’m sure there are other skills you people possess that would make having you around useful.”
He sits back when he’s done talking and stares at us. Waiting. The way he keeps saying you people irritates me. It’s condescending and arrogant. Axl may be right about this guy.
“So we drive you all the way out there and you’re just gonna let us in?” Axl asks him.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
Axl shakes his head. “He ain’t gonna let us in. He just needs a ride and then he’s gonna leave us out in the desert!”
“No, I wouldn’t do that!”
“Why would someone do something like that?” Sophia asks.
Angus spits into his coke can and adjusts the gun at his waist, like he’s trying to intimidate Mitchell. “‘Cause he’s rich and he thinks he’s better than us.”
“No one is rich anymore,” Arthur says, watching Mitchell carefully.
I am too, so I notice the look of contempt that flashes through his eyes. But it’s gone so fast I doubt anyone else caught it.
Mitchell meets Arthur’s gaze. “I swear I will let you in.”
Axl shakes his head, but doesn’t argue. Emily moans in her sleep and he’s by her side in the blink of an eye. His expression softens and he brushes the hair out of her face. Arthur glances toward Emily too, like he’s checking to make sure sh
e’s okay. We’re all on edge. Like it or not, this guy may be our only hope of survival.
The room is silent while everyone considers Mitchell’s offer. Their expressions range from worry to excitement and everything in between. And I’m right there with them. I want to believe this guy. To think there’s a place out there with our names on it where we’ll be safe and taken care of, but a voice in my head tells me to be cautious. Something about Mitchell worries me. The calm way he just sits in the chair waiting for us to decide, like he thinks we owe it to him just because he’s someone special. Someone important.
Winston clears his throat and steps forward, so he’s standing right in front of Mitchell. “Look, I don’t know if what Axl is saying is true, but he’s right. If we go out of our way to take you across the desert, we’re going to need some kind of reassurance.”
Mitchell’s face is blank as he meets Winston’s gaze. “What did you have in mind?”
“The code. You said we can’t get in without it, so share it with us.”
He clutches the briefcase tighter. “How do I know you won’t just kill me or leave me behind?”
“You’ll have to trust us,” Arthur says.
“Like you’re trusting me?” Mitchell shakes his head again. “I can’t.”
Everyone’s silent for a moment and Mitchell goes back to biting his lip. He seems to do it whenever he’s thinking something through. “I’ll make a deal with you. It’s about ten hours from here to the shelter. I’ll tell you the code when we’re halfway there. If I feel like I can trust you. If you get me halfway and I don’t think I can, we’ll just part ways. How’s that sound?”
Winston looks around at everyone else. No one argues, and a few people even nod. Axl’s eyes are still hard.
“Looks like we have a deal,” Winston says.
Mitchell smiles and relaxes for the first time since we picked him up. “When do we leave?”
