by Karen Carr
If I had to, I would be able to aim and pull the trigger. Lily stood by Trevan’s side leaning into him. He must have been giving her a report of what happened to him because his voice sounded agitated and hers smooth and mellow like she was trying to calm him down. Trevan hadn’t reacted well to the apocalypse and had even wanted to kill us all. It took months before he stabilized and I feared he was going down the same path again.
I crouched down and watched Zeke and Broder, who were both heading in opposite directions. Zora placed her hand on my back and crouched down next to me and Stan stood behind her.
“Nice gun,” Zora whispered. “Want to trade?”
I shook my head, no. Zeke gave me this gun and I was going to keep it.
“Enroy,” Stan said. He pointed to a man who was making his way toward Zeke.
“Shit, he’ll recognize him.” I stretched one leg behind me in case I needed to sprint into action.
Zeke recognized Enroy, pulled his cap farther over his head and hurried past him. Luckily Enroy didn’t seem to notice and instead ran behind a vehicle to protect himself from Broder’s bullets. So far, no one had been able to take Broder out, but I was sure that he was a goner and Miles was nowhere to be seen.
Zeke moved away from Enroy and toward Huck and Galen. Zora, Stan and I watched, huddled together, as Zeke met with Galen and Huck and they all proceeded this way in quick short steps, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, but wanting to get here fast. We were all ready to spring to action if anything went awry.
Broder was mowing people down like stocks of corn. Miles appeared again and ran toward him with a glorified look of triumph in his eyes.
“Get down,” Broder shouted at Miles, his voice louder and deeper than I expected.
Miles didn’t listen and kept running toward Galen. I gasped and felt tears bloom in my eyes—Miles was a goner. Several men fired at once on Miles and for a brief moment his body was suspended in air, his hands outstretched at either side, before the blood seeped from his wounds. He went down like a rock, falling face forward on the green. Tears plunged down my cheeks as Broder let out a mournful wail and charged at the men who had shot Miles.
Zora, Stan and I clutched each other in a mournful hug just as Zeke, Huck and Galen reached us.
“Give me the keys,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes and choking back a sob. “I know where to go.”
With a nod from Zeke and without a question, Huck handed me the key to the substation’s cell along with the door to the back. I praised myself for labelling all of the keys.
“Galen, Huck and I will go in the front,” Zeke said. “You, Stan and Zora go around the back.” Zeke touched Zora’s shoulder. “We’re going to get your sister out, but you have to remain calm.”
Zora took a deep breath and pressed her chest out. “I am ready.”
“Let her go first,” Zeke said to Zora.”
“I will,” Zora said. She touched my arm, the one holding the Uzi and I instinctually yanked it away. Embarrassed, I hugged her with my free arm and then ran down the alley. Zora and Stan followed me to the movie theater, but I had lost track of Lily and Trevan. The last I saw Lily, she was still consoling Trevan and I had no time to worry about them. Lily was strong enough to get through this, so I pushed them to a corner of my mind.
Without hesitation, and with shaking hands, I unlocked the back door to the theater. Before we went inside, I briefly described the layout to Stan. Apparently Zora had been in the theater multiple times without my knowledge, so she knew exactly where to go. We opened the door and snuck into a three foot alcove next to the main corridor of the theater, closing the door gently behind us.
I peaked down the long corridor and saw a huge man standing outside the police substation door, blocking my way in. I slung my Uzi around my back and grabbed a knife instead. Zora did the same, putting away her gun and bringing out a large hunting knife.
“You girls are serious,” Stan whispered. He gestured to several police batons that were resting against the wall next to the guard. “We don’t have to kill them,” he said.
“Sure,” I said. “We need a distraction.”
Stan placed his hand on his chest and gestured to the hallway. He was about to enter the hallway when we heard Zeke’s voice from the front of the theater. The man guarding the substation took a few steps forward but didn’t leave his post. He was facing the other direction, so I took the opportunity to run forward and grabbed a baton. Zora was right behind me and grabbed the other one.
The guard turned around and Zora and I both wacked him in the shins at the same time. He howled in pain and fell to his knees and that’s when I saw his face. It was the beefcake, the one who had tried to take advantage of me in the Reverend’s house before. I gave him another wallop in the stomach and he gasped for breath.
“You’re not getting away from me this time, girly,” the Beefcake said between heaves. He was about to yell out when Zora clobbered him on the head, knocking him to the ground.
Stan pushed the Beefcake with his feet. His head rolled around and he moaned. “He’s out, but not for long.”
I pushed a cart in front of him and raced to the door of the substation. Zora was already tapping on the glass, and pointing. When I arrived, I saw Boa on the other side. My hands were shaking, so I handed Zora the key. She opened the door and hugged Boa as she rushed out. I bit my lip, trying to keep my emotions in tact after witnessing the happy reunion between the sisters.
Zeke appeared down the hall and rushed the Beefcake who had woken up and was trying to stand.
“Get out front,” Zeke said. When the Beefcake looked at me, Zeke pretended to be on his side. “I’ll take care of her for you,” Zeke said.
“No you won’t,” the Beefcake said. “She’s mine. I’m going to teach her a good lesson.”
The beefcake lunged for me again, tackling me to the floor. One bite in his shoulder would turn him into a zero. I had done it twice before, bitten a man and turned him into a zero. The Beefcake grabbed me by the neck with one hand, sticking his thumb in my mouth with the other. It would be so easy to bite him, to send his soul to the depths of hell for eternity, but instead I kicked him in the balls and he doubled over in pain.
Zeke pulled him up by the arm. “You okay there, buddy?” he asked, his strong grip holding the Beefcake away from me.
I stepped backward to be with Zora, Boa and Stan. “Through the back,” I said, pushing Boa in the right direction.
The four of us walked slowly back toward the exit, all-the-while keeping an eye on Zeke and the Beefcake.
“Let me go, asshole,” the Beefcake said, struggling in Zeke’s grip.
I smiled knowing Zeke was stronger than the Beefcake. The Beefcake was full of muscle and brawn, but Zeke made him seem like a toy doll.
“Wounded coming in,” someone said. It was Galen. He was helping Huck down the corridor, pretending that he had been hurt in the battle.
“This asshole is with them,” the Beefcake hollered to Galen.
I let out a giggle, little did the Beefcake know that Galen was with us too.
Zeke finally gave up struggling with the Beefcake and hit him in the head, knocking him completely out. He dragged him to the substation, threw him inside and closed the door.
“Get out of here,” Zeke said. “I’m going to get a ride. Head down the alley, I’ll pick you up if I can and if I can’t, keep running.”
My heart clutched as Zeke strode the other direction, away from safety and toward the front door. Huck and Galen pushed us toward the back exit, and I showed them the way out. Soon, Huck, Galen, Boa, Zora, Stan and I were all in the alley. I sighed with relief as I saw Trevan and Lily sitting on the curb, Trevan’s head resting on her shoulder.
We waited as inconspicuously as possible to see if Zeke would come through with a ride. As soon as I was ready to give up, I saw a big military style truck drove down the street with a speed that signaled Zeke’s arrival. The truck stopped in
front of us and we all dashed inside. All of us except Miles, who was dead, and Broder, who was most likely dead also. Zeke drove relentlessly out of the village and down the street to the 15/501. We had accomplished our mission.
We had rescued Trevan and Boa, but we had lost Candy and Miles. They were strangers to us, but I still felt their loss, especially when Galen put his hands over his face and wept. I wondered what Hipslow would say, and how he would make us pay. I didn’t care. I wanted to work my way back into Hipslow’s favor. Was it worth two of his people to rescue two of ours? I would never know.
CHAPTER 16
Zeke drove the ten wheeled canvas-covered escape vehicle, which Trevan told us was an M923—an older military transportation vehicle, down the 15/501. Because of the canvas, we were unable to see anything except what lay behind us. It reminded me of the Hind, nowhere to sit except an extremely uncomfortable bench which Lily and Trevan collapsed upon. Boa and Zora also took a seat on the bench, talking swiftly and softly and not caring about anything else except their reunion.
Huck joined Zeke in the front of the vehicle, taking the passenger side seat. Stan stood next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I stabilized us both by grasping the metal frame of the truck bed. We both observed Galen who stood hanging onto the canvas, watching the road pass by under the rear of the vehicle. He had lost the most, Candy, Miles and Broder.
The best news of the day was that no one was following us. No sign of a helicopter, or of anyone behind us. I knew the peace wouldn’t last long and we had to get across the bridge before Minnesota blew it.
Galen turned toward us, his eyes were puffy and red, his expression weary. “We have to get the electric vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. I owe Hipslow that.” I shrugged, it wasn’t my decision. “Take watch. I’m going to talk to the driver.” Galen strode forward, hanging on to the metal frame as he did so, forcing me to take over his post to survey the road for followers.
Galen conversed with Zeke and Huck, and when Zeke turned into the Walmart parking lot I knew that Galen had convinced him to stop. Zeke drove next to the electric vehicle and Galen jumped out of the back of the transport truck. Galen rushed over to the electric vehicle and hopped into the driver’s seat, closing the door after I saw him lock the door too. His behavior didn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. When he put the car in gear and accelerated out of the parking lot without any regard for us, I knew something was wrong.
“He’s on tilt,” I said. A creepy sensation filled my body as I pictured Minnesota waiting on the island, ready to blow the bridge on the first signal and the signal was going to come from Galen—I knew it.
“Wasting time,” Zeke said. “Everyone hang on.”
Zeke pressed the gas and followed Galen out of the Walmart parking lot. This time I sat in front, kneeling between Huck and Zeke, hanging onto Huck’s seat. Stan, Boa and Zora took guard at the back while Trevan and Lily remained on the bench. Zeke followed the electric car, which darted around the stalled and abandoned vehicles on the road. Every time we came across one, Zeke would shout out for us to hang on and then he would crash into it, sending the vehicles spinning out of our way. Our large truck was unable to maneuver around them.
“The bridge,” I said. “He’s not waiting for us.”
The electric car reached the bridge and sped across it. Zeke slowed down instead of speeding up.
“Go, Zeke,” I pushed Zeke’s shoulder. “Before it blows.”
Zeke and I exchanged glances as the electric car drove farther across the bridge, honking its horn all-the-while in short and long bursts.
“That asshole,” Zeke said before coming to a complete stop.
“Move, Zeke.” I pressured his shoulder, but suddenly the whole entire middle of the bridge blew up and a thunderous explosion rattled my eardrums. Minnesota had blown the bridge to smithereens and we were stuck on the wrong side.
“Damn him,” Huck said. “He knew we were on this side. He sent the signal to blow. He’s sending us to our graves.”
“We can’t make it any farther in this thing,” Zeke said. He turned off the engine. The others came forward to look at the smoldering remains of the bridge.
“We can go back the other way,” Stan said. “There’s another bridge several miles from here. We just have to drive back to Walmart and take the other road.”
Zeke rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me?” Zeke pointed through the window. “That noise and that smoke and that fire are going to attract every one of those assholes and they are going to come right over here to see what happened. If we don’t meet them on the way back, once they see the bridge blown, they’ll figure out it was someone on the other side. Our best bet is to walk out of here, now. Going to Pittsboro is a dumb idea.”
We all got out of the M923 and took as much equipment as possible, which was next to nothing. I still had my Uzi, and Zeke still had several other weapons, including two Desert Eagles, I didn’t know what a Desert Eagle was, but Trevan was impressed and wanted one, instead Zeke kept one and gave the other to Huck. Zora still had her gun, and Lily a knife but that was it. A low noise signaled the arrival of someone on a dirt bike. Every one of us drew our weapons and pointed at the incoming rider.
“Stop,” I said before anyone fired a shot. I stepped in front of the incoming bike.
“Get out of the way, Hella,” Zeke said. He held a smaller gun and tried to aim it at the dirt-biker and his companion.
“It’s Broder!” I said. Broder was alive. A woman with blood dripping down the side of her face rode with him.
Zeke put down his gun and Broder pulled up to a stop. His companion got off the bike and so did Broder. He then looked at the smoking bridge and let out a bunch of expletives.
“Cat found your tongue?” Zeke said.
Broder growled at Zeke and then turned and walked into the bushes. His companion followed him.
“Let’s follow Broder,” I said. “He knows where to go.”
I started to walk after Broder, but Huck grabbed my arm. “How do you know we can trust him?”
“We have to,” I said.
Boa looked at Zora. “I don’t want to be captured again.”
“Neither do I,” Zora said. “At least we should get off of the road.” Zora and Boa walked over to where Broder and the woman had entered the woods. The rest of us followed her. We were a big troop, with the addition of Broder and the woman, including Zeke, Huck, Lily, Trevan, Boa, Zora, Stan and myself, we were a party of ten. It would be an effort to disappear into the woods.
“Jordan Lake is not far from here,” Stan said. “We can go there and rest up. There are bound to be supplies in the big houses next to the golf course. Once we’re all rested and fed, we can head on out to Durham to get Saudah.”
“Stan,” I said. I didn’t want to think about going on a rescue mission again, not at least for a few days. I knew I had to get Saudah, but my body was about to give way and I didn’t need a guilt trip.
Broder and the woman were waiting for us in the woods. I explained to him that we wanted to go to Jordan Lake and he smiled agreeably. The mystery woman had light brown skin and dark brown hair and spoke Spanish. Huck was the only one who was fluent in Spanish because of the time he spent living in Mexico, so he spoke to the woman. Her name was Ana. She was from Oaxaca, and had travelled all the way across the country to find her brothers who were working on a farm.
We walked through heavy underbrush and around fallen trees and dense woods. In an hour we reached the high wires and the path underneath. The going was rough, but we kept walking. My feet were sore, my back hurt, and my stomach felt ill, but I kept walking. Zeke walked on one side of me and Huck on the other. The land under the power lines was dense with underbrush, thorns and lining the path poison ivy travelling up the trees in vines as big as my leg.
Broder led, after having given him the directions he was able to keep us on a track north east, Ana kept to his side. Huck and Ana laughed and exchanged s
tories since he had lived in Oaxaca before. I heard her mention the phrase Mancha Manteles and Huck repeat it and then they both laughed. Huck had told me Mancha Manteles meant tablecloth stainer and it was his favorite meal. We followed Zora and Boa who were happy to be reunited, expressing their fear and anguish at being apart.
After a couple of hours we came to the intersection of Red Coon Run and Mt. Gilead Church Road. A smattering of double-wides lined Red Coon Run, and well-worn dirt bike trail went under the high wire path. The dirt bike trail was much easier to walk and lifted everyone’s spirits.
By now we were all dying of thirst and couldn’t wait to get to the lake. The storm threatening the sky did not return raindrops. How I wished for a rain to fall on my cheeks again, to reach my tongue and slide down my throat. I was still damp from the previous rain but instead of making me comfortable it made me feel worse. The weather wasn’t hot, perhaps in the mid-seventies, but my thirst drove me crazy. We passed a couple of dirt bikes in a ditch and I wondered if their owners had been changed.
As the sun lowered in the horizon, we passed endless amount of trees and startled countless deer, some already with young fawns. We climbed up a steep hill, avoiding a few ditches, and then stopped when we saw several heaps of bodies lying in the path before us.
“We must be close,” Huck said.
We walked forward and examined the bodies. They were well dressed, polo shirts, chinos, sun visors. Huck and Ana were deep in conversation as we examined the bodies, and Broder looked at their wounds, turning them over one by one. They all had matching wounds, one that the rest of us knew well. Their heads had been exploded by my virus. Every so often, Broder would look at me with a knowing expression.
“What is she saying?” I asked Huck. Ana gave me an uncomfortable look and said something to Huck in Spanish.
“She says we should get out of here, whoever or whatever did this was sure to be near, and if it was near, so were the military. She is scared they will catch her again.”
