Once out of the space, Bobby started driving slowly, honking the horn to get the attention of all the undead in the area. This was extremely effective, and the truck had a large following before they’d even made it to the end of the tar road that led back to all their campers. As he drove, he explained his plan. “I’m gonna go around the park a few times to round up all the stragglers and then once we’re on the backside of the park and the guys call, I’ll gun it. That should give them plenty of time to get to the truck. These things aren’t very fast.” “That’s good thinking Hoss,” Kirk said, “You got a good head on yer shoulders.”
Chapter 15
Star’s house
Richmond VA
“Nana! She texted me back! They’re ok! Thank God!” exclaimed Isaac. He had been worried that something had happened to his family. “I’m glad they're safe Mysaac. You have to be quiet now though. You can’t be yelling or we’re going to end up with those things outside trying to get in here,” Star said. “Sorry Nana.” Isaac whispered.
The house they lived in had a chain link fence surrounding the front yard, so they felt relatively safe for now. Star suggested they get some lunch, and then after they’d eaten, Isaac should show her and Charles how to sharpen his knives and how to aim his rifle. “I have a feeling that my little pink taser won’t be very effective at killing those things out there if we have to. Better to be safe than sorry,” she said. Isaac agreed to show them what he knew after lunch. He had a massive collection of knives. He’d been collecting them ever since his mom had given him her father’s old buck knife for his 8th birthday. He’d left it to her when he died. She passed it down to him when she felt he was old enough to be responsible.
They went into the kitchen to find something to eat. “Let’s use the stuff from the fridge first, we don’t know when or if the power will go out,” Charles said. They agreed and made turkey and cheese sandwiches and salads with ranch dressing for lunch. With their lunch ready, they sat down in the living room to watch the news some more while they ate. Isaac daydreamed about what he’d be doing right now if he was with his mom, dad and brother.
After he’d finished his lunch, Isaac parted the blinds to see what he could see outside. He saw one man pounding on the door of the house across the street. He noticed that the pounding was attracting others, five of the people on the street were slowly heading towards the house as well. Looking further down the street, he observed more figures shuffling in the direction of the sound of the pounding. He counted ten.
Suddenly, the door across the street flew open and their neighbor, Mr. Jones came out onto his porch. Isaac watched as the old man pushed the guy that was pounding on his door off the porch. He shoved the man so hard, that as he fell, the man did a backwards somersault before landing on the ground. The others that were attracted to the sound were in the front yard now, and Mr. Jones started yelling for them to get off his lawn. None of them heard or complied to his demands. As they inched closer, the man Mr. Jones had pushed off the porch, stood up and started up the steps again. Mr. Jones raised his hands to strike the man, but the man grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm towards his mouth. Mr. Jones screamed and tried to get his arm free, but the man was very strong. He cried out in pain as the man’s teeth tore a chunk of flesh from his meaty arm. In all his wriggling, trying to get free, Mr. Jones failed to notice that the people in the front yard were all now ascending the three steps to get to him on the front porch. Before he could scream a second time, the man bit him again, followed by two more that had made it up the steps. They pulled him down onto the floor and the dead surrounded him and dropped to their knees. He was torn to pieces on his own front porch.
A few minutes later, the undead monsters all got to their feet and stumbled off the porch, away from Mr. Jones. Seconds after that, Mr. Jones himself sat up. He got to his feet and tumbled from the porch. He stood back up and began to follow the rest of the creatures out of the yard. Isaac closed the blinds. He had seen enough to last him for a while. He didn’t mention it to his grandparents. He didn't want to worry them.
Chapter 16
Beacon Lodge
Zapata TX
Inside his camper, Justin quickly packed up his large dark blue duffle bag. He had his .45 handgun, 2 boxes of ammunition, some Vienna sausages, granola bars, homemade venison jerky, a few cans of ravioli and two sets of clean clothes inside the bag. He thought for a second and then turned around, went to the bathroom and grabbed two rolls of toilet paper and his hairbrush and deodorant. He threw his cellphone charger in the bag last, hoping that whichever truck Bobby chose had a working charging port in it. From outside, over the pounding of the ghouls, he heard a vehicle start and then a horn honking a few seconds later. The pounding and slapping immediately stopped and he knew then that he’d be safe until he could get to the truck. He looked out one of his windows to confirm his thoughts. The undead were indeed following the truck. A group of at least 20 of those suckers were trailing behind the white Chevy. Justin called JC to check on his progress. “Hey man, I’m ready and the rest of them are in the truck. How are you doing over there?” He asked. JC replied, “I’m almost ready. A few of those zombie things followed me over here and one of them almost tripped me up as I got to my steps. I made it, but now there are a bunch of those dead fucks outside my door, banging, trying to get to me. I couldn’t find my big bag. I must’ve left it in my truck. I’ve only got my small red laundry bag in here with me. It doesn't fit as much stuff in it though. I’m just grabbing the last few things I can get into it. We need to give Bobby some time to gather all the undead bastards he can get. Can you fit any of these cans of Italian green beans in your bag?” JC loved those beans and ate them every day for lunch at work. When asked why it was all he ate for lunch every day, he simply said that they were like candy to him and who doesn’t like candy? Justin replied, “Well man, if you can carry them out to the truck when they come get us, I’m sure there’ll be room for them. Just don’t forget a can opener if you bring them, my food has pop tops.” JC said, “that was the first thing I put in the bag, my friend.”
As JC packed, he started a conversation about what he thought Dallas might look like. JC was a nervous talker, so he just humored him. Justin didn’t know what Dallas looked like, but he knew how Beacon Lodge looked. If Dallas was anything like here, then they were going to have a hard time getting back home. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try though. He would give his life for Madyson and would do everything he could to get home to her. Justin stayed on the phone with JC until he was finished packing and then hung up and called Amber to let them know he was ready, so they could bring the truck around. He was ready to get out of there. His pregnant wife would be waiting for him, almost 500 miles away.
Chapter 17
Amber’s truck
Zapata TX
Bobby drove the truck slowly down the road surrounding the RV park with a throng of dead cannibals trailing behind them. He was being careful not to drive too fast so the dead would stay interested in the meal tucked inside the vehicle, but fast enough so the dead wouldn’t overwhelm the front. He had to run down a few stragglers that had stepped in front of the truck. They’d gone around the park three times already. “One more time around and Justin and JC should be ready,” he said. “I’ll head down the opposite side of the park and then gun it once one of them calls. That should give the guys plenty of time to get to the truck and get inside.” Amber’s phone vibrated. It was Justin calling. She put him on speaker, no need to stay quiet right now. He was ready to be picked up. “Hurry up, JC is bringing all his damn beans and he’s gonna need extra time to get his ass in the truck,” he said. Bobby said “Okey doke, on the way,” and then Justin hung up. JC sent a text saying that he was ready, but to pull up as close to his camper as they could get so he didn’t have to try to run so far to get to the vehicle with all his stuff in his arms. Amber quickly replied with a thumb’s up emoji.
Bobby revved the engine and took off fast,
leaving the horde of undead that had amassed behind the truck. He turned the corner a little too fast for Caesar’s liking and he whined in the backseat. He didn’t care much for car rides, and if they weren't careful, he’d eventually get car-sick and throw up. They came around the park at break-neck speed and then came to a quick halt outside Justin’s camper. Justin rushed out, slamming the RV door and hauled ass to the truck. He threw his big bag into the bed of the truck, pulled open the back door and threw himself into the backseat and closed the door after him as Kirk quickly slid out of his way. “Whew!” was all he said. One more time around the park the truck went. Bobby stopped the truck in front of JC’s camper and honked the horn once more, signaling to the man that they were here. JC’s door flew open and out he came with a small laundry bag stuffed to the brim with items on his back and cans of his favorite beans in his arms. He lumbered over to the truck, dropped his bag and his beans into the bed of the truck and opened the back door. Caesar hopped into the front seat between Bobby and Amber while JC crammed himself into the backseat with Justin and Kirk and then shut the door. They had done it! Everyone was alive and had their essentials with them. Even the dog seemed happy with their outcome, although neither Bobby nor Amber had remembered to bring his dog food. As they drove out of the RV for the last time and headed for downtown Zapata, they discussed their next steps. All the men in the back wanted to get to their families. It was understandable, but with all of them in one vehicle, it would be impossible to get to them all at once. The real question was whose place was the closest to them?
Chapter 18
Star’s house
Richmond VA
Isaac found himself sitting alone in his Nana’s room, checking and then rechecking his phone every five minutes hoping to hear from his mom. His mind weighed heavily on the sight he had seen across the street earlier. Sighing heavily, he opened the blinds of the single window in the room and peered out. Outside, he saw a group of people shuffling around in the road in front of their house. He watched as a big black cat came walking across the road in front of the people. He was filled with horror as he watched one of the people, a man, pick the cat up, bring it to his face and take a big bite out of the poor feline’s belly. The cat yowled in pain, twisted around and then half jumped, half fell out of the dead man’s hands. It took two or three steps and then tripped over its own innards as they began falling out of the hole the man had created. Isaac screamed and quickly closed the blinds. That was enough of that, he thought.
He went out into the living room where his Nana and Papa were and told them about the cat. Star parted the blinds and looked out towards the front of the house. She was shocked to see that several of the group of people Isaac had told her about were now pressing themselves up against the chain link fence surrounding the area. She saw Mr. Jones from across the street standing against the fence as well, trying to get in. He looked so pale and he was covered in blood. He had a hole where his stomach used to be. It was truly a scary sight. She felt such sadness for the man. Mr. Jones was such a nice man; he always came to their barbecues whenever they invited him. The undead outside must have heard Isaac scream, she thought. The others not leaning on the fence were tearing the poor dead cat apart and eating what they’d recovered from it. This sight compounded with how Mr. Jones looked made Star sick to her stomach and she looked away, closing the blinds. “It’s a good thing I always buy extra food and bottled waters at the store when I go. Bet you’re both glad I’m such a hoarder huh?” She was happy they had enough of everything, she never wanted to leave the security of their small home. Charles argued that he never said anything about how much she bought. He said, “Always better to have more than we need, rather than not enough.” Isaac agreed with him. He loved all the extra snacks that she brought home. His belly was always satisfied. They all calmed themselves while looking back at the news channels, hoping to find a ray of hope coming from the man speaking from a teleprompter.
Chapter 19
Amber’s truck
Zapata TX
At first glance, life seemed to be going on as usual in the small downtown area of Zapata. The more they focused on the world around them however, those in the truck began to take notice that some of the people on the streets were dead and some were alive, just going about their normal routines. As they looked on, it was getting easier to tell who had a pulse and who didn’t. The dead all had the same gait as they walked. It was a slow shuffling and their knees did not bend. The zombies were soundless, which made it harder for anyone on the street to hear them coming up behind them. The dead were roaming the sidewalk at a slow pace, some in groups, some alone. Amber saw a lone zombie slowly making its way towards a woman pumping fuel at the local station and rolled down her window to warn the woman. “Look out lady!” she yelled out of the open window, but the woman either didn’t’ hear her or didn’t think she was hollering to her. The woman’s back stayed turned to the dead cannibal silently creeping up behind her. As they turned the corner to get to highway 16, she saw the zombie grab the woman by the hair, pull her head back and bury its face in her neck. Bright red blood squirted from her neck as he pulled away, chewing the mouthful of flesh he’d just rendered from the woman. The woman fell to the ground screaming as they pulled out of sight. “Oh my God, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Amber said. Bobby pleaded with her to get a hold of herself. He explained that throwing up in the truck would be awful for all parties inside. She took a few deep breaths and her stomach calmed down. That was a close call, she thought.
In her lap, Bobboo had fallen asleep in the space of the few minutes they’d been in the truck. He hadn’t even woken up when she screamed at the now dead lady. She reached down to brush his hair out of his eyes and noticed that he was warm. No, not warm… Hot. The boy had a fever. Looking at her husband, she said “He’s got a fever babe. He was fine this morning when he got up.” Bobboo started coughing and the fit woke him up. “I don’t feel good Mama,” he said and started coughing again. It was a rattling cough from deep inside his lungs.
The three guys in the backseat all exchanged worried looks. He was a part of their makeshift family and they all loved him in their own ways. “No, this can’t be good at all. The little man hasn’t been sick at all in the six months we’ve known him,” Kirk said. “We could stop at a pharmacy really quick and get him some cold medicine if you think it would help,” Bobby said while driving the truck down highway 16. “Screw that!” Justin exclaimed. “You guys already forget what we just went through trying to get out of the campers? If it’s a cold, he’ll feel better soon. We need to keep moving. I told Mady I’d be there as soon as I could.” “Justin is right,” Amber said. “If it’s a cold, it won’t last long. Let’s just keep going. I’ll keep an eye on him. If he gets worse, we’ll decide then. Right now, it’s too early to tell what’s wrong with him, I’m no doctor.”
From the backseat, JC asked “So what’s the plan then guys? I’d like to see my Karen soon, make sure she’s still ok.” Kirk answered, “Hico is about 6 hours from here. Let’s get there first so I can check on my son Chet and the grandkids. After that, we can head north towards Weatherford and Fort Worth to get Madyson and Karen.” “How are we gonna fit everyone in the truck?” Bobby asked. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get there cowboy,” Kirk answered. They all fell silent as they looked out the windows at the carnage. There were a large number of crashed vehicles on the road. Bobby went around those he could by navigating the big truck onto the shoulder and in one case, out into a field, giving the smashed-up cars a wide berth as they passed. This doesn't bode well for the passengers of the truck. They’d all thought that once they left Beacon Lodge, they would be safe.
Chapter 20
Star’s house
Richmond VA
From inside the house, Isaac, Charles and Star could hear the chain link fence squeaking as the dead people pushed against it. They had turned off the TV and all the lights but needed to keep the furnace on since it was
so cold outside. Charles had health conditions that demanded he stay warm; his body couldn’t handle cold weather. Every time the furnace kicked on, the people at the fence heard the sound it made and pushed harder against the old fence, trying to get to the noise. It was an old fence, installed over 20 years ago when Charles and Star first bought the little home. The fence wouldn’t take too much more pressure before it gave way.
Wrapped in a blanket and laying on the floor, Isaac willed his phone to ring or something to let him know that the rest of his family members were safe. He was going to give his mom 30 more minutes or so before he texted her himself. The suspense was killing him. He hoped beyond hope that they’d be able to get away from the RV park safely, since it was so close to Mexico. He had flown out to see them for his birthday the month before and he knew how close the border was from where his family stayed and had also seen the lake. Even he noticed how quickly the water was dropping during the short two weeks he was there visiting. He thought that by now, the dead Mexicans could probably just walk across. This thought scared him, but he was sure that his family would find a way to get to him eventually or that he’d find a way to get to them. He missed his family more than he thought he ever could, and he longed desperately to hug his mom.
Made In Mexico | Book 1 | Day 1 Page 4
