by Tim Moon
Killing infected or Nick’s crew wouldn’t get to the root of the problem though. No, it was bigger than the unthinking drones they called infected. Someone had created them. Someone had put his friends and family in the position of having to fight for survival.
Black Tide.
Ben’s eyes narrowed in anger. Black Tide was ultimately responsible for creating the shit-show that was their lives had become. Ben rocked back and forth on the floor thinking through a thousand options - hundreds of scenarios, which included punishing everyone even remotely responsible. It was not just Charlotte who had suffered, after all. Ty had died because of the Necrose virus too. Not by a bite, but the untethering of civil society.
Of course, there were others too. The hundreds, if not thousands, that Ben had witnessed. The athletes and spectators at the triathlon. All the civilians and soldiers at the airport. People from the Quarantine Center. How many had been murdered? How much of a debt did Black Tide owe?
Too much to fathom.
His father had some role in all of it too. Isn’t that what he implied? How the hell did his father get tangled up in the greatest mass murder of all time?
Ben ground his teeth. Despite all the other factors, he kept coming back to one immutable fact. He’d moved too slowly. It was his fault Charlotte died. Why had he taken so long to get into the car? Had they left just a few seconds earlier, the wood spike would have hit her headrest instead. Or missed all together.
“FUCK!”
Ben hurled the peanut butter against the wall. A glob of the brown paste splatted against the wall as the plastic container bounced away, hit the floor and rolled to a rest underneath the truck’s rear tire. He stood and gripped the tailgate with both hands, knuckles blanching under the pressure.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw a shovel hanging on a nail. He threw off the blanket he wore and went to pull the shovel down. He had work to do.
Gripping the tool as if it were a lifeline, Ben exited the garage through a door to the backyard. Charlotte deserved a proper burial. Had his house not burned down, it would have been nice to bury her there. Since she was so far from her home, Ben wondered if it really mattered where she was buried. Her family would never know the difference.
The backyard spread out much larger than he would have guessed. Along the fence line were neatly organized flower beds and shrubs. Just like the house, it was obvious that a lot of care had gone into tending the yard. In the back-right hand corner, was a single, tall maple with finger-like branches that spread out to cover half the yard. Not a single leaf clung to it, but in the fall, he imagined it would glow golden in the sunlight. A worthy place to rest in peace.
Ben picked a spot near the tree, close enough that she would be covered by the branches overhead but far enough away to avoid the bigger roots. He scraped a rough outline of the grave into the grass and began to dig.
The rhythm of the work distracted him from the pain. It wasn’t too long before he had the whole thing a foot deep. Rich soil piled high next to the grave. Just like the improvised sandbags they had made, the smell was oddly comforting.
Someone cleared their throat behind him. Ben stopped digging and looked up.
Anuhea looked down at him standing almost knee deep in the hole he’d dug. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The numbness inside Ben melted away. He climbed out and pulled Anuhea into a hug.
“I’m so sorry,” Ben said. “I was too slow-”
“Stop it!” Anuhea snapped, pulling back and slapping his chest. A dark scowl contorted her features and her skin flushed red. “It wasn’t your fault. They did this to her. This isn’t on you. It’s on them.”
His shoulders drooped as he stared into the hole, considering her words. He didn’t hear Anuhea leave but a few moments later, she returned with a shovel.
Together, they finished digging Charlotte’s grave.
94
Burying Charlotte was a calm, quiet affair. Each of them took turns to say a few words about her. Oliver said he’d miss playing with her. As Charlotte’s oldest friend, Anuhea shared the most. She started with a story of how they’d met at university along with a few details of the years after.
Nancy brought dried flower petals that she found in the house, some sort of homemade potpourri. Everyone took turns sprinkling some over Charlotte’s body.
After the others left, Anuhea helped Ben fill in the grave. They placed bricks from a raised flower bed around her grave. Chadwick came out when they were almost finished with wooden plant stakes that he’d found in the garage and fashioned into a cross. Using a permanent paint marker that was stored with the plant stakes, Anuhea wrote Charlotte’s name, date of birth, the year of her death and placed the cross at the head of the grave.
“We should eat,” Chadwick said.
“I’m starving,” Ben said softly.
Anuhea didn’t respond.
They followed Chadwick back into the house, where they congregated in the living room. Nancy handed out packets of backpacking food and they all settled in for a quiet meal. Each pouch of dehydrated food was “cooked” with water Chadwick boiled on a portable camp stove they had stashed with emergency supplies in the car. He also had a cup of tea. Conversation was sparse and short-lived.
All Ben could think about, while eating what was supposed to be lasagna, was he should lead the group. First things first, they had to replenish their supplies. Everything they had gained over the previous weeks had been lost. Second, they needed a safe place to live. Somewhere that was safer than where they had been.
Looking around the room, Ben knew he had to say something. Anuhea looked to be on the verge of snapping, while Oliver seemed to be a turtle hiding in his shell. His mom’s eyes glistened with concern.
“I want to go back,” Ben said.
“To the house?” Nancy asked. The look of shock on his mom’s face almost made Ben smile. He didn’t say anything though. Going home hadn’t occurred to him.
“It wouldn’t be safe,” Chadwick said quickly.
“No, I know that,” Ben said, holding up a hand to ward them off. “I meant… I want to go back to the sporting goods store. They have everything we need to start over: weapons, ammunition and even some food.”
“Does this mean we’re leaving town?” Nancy asked.
Ben stared at the floor and then nodded. With the house and those around it burned down and their perimeter breached, it wasn’t worth the risk. Even if they wanted to go back and move to another house, the survivors of Nick’s group might return. Not to mention the general risk of staying in town. No, the attack had changed Ben’s plan and proved that it was time to venture further out.
“Where do we go?” Nancy asked.
“We have a map in the boot,” Chadwick said, standing up.
Anuhea shot him a curious glance.
“I believe you Yanks call it the trunk,” he said it with a bad American accent and grinned slightly.
Ben chuckled a bit. Anuhea busied herself by picking up trash from the meal. Oliver had finished his meal and was playing with an action figure on the couch.
Chadwick was about to leave, to get the map, when Ben motioned for him to stay.
“It’s okay, man. I have a place in mind,” Ben said. “I’ve thought about it for a while and I think you guys will like it.”
“Do tell,” Nancy said.
“It’s on a lake, surrounded by forests and mountains. There’s plenty of space and solitude.” Ben put the trash from his camping food back into the bag and handed it to Anuhea when she reached for it. “Thanks,” he said to her. “It’s the site of a summer camp. I can’t think of the name, but I know how to get there.”
“That sounds brilliant!” Chadwick grinned, trying hard to lighten the mood, but his enthusiasm wasn’t contagious. He sensed it wasn’t working and eased back a little. “What do we need to make this happen then?”
“First, we gear up,” Ben said. “Then we move out.”
95
&
nbsp; The remainder of the day was spent double-checking the gear they had available in the car and picking the house clean of any useful items. Afterwards, it was clear they would need to raid a grocery store.
By Nancy’s estimation, they had more than enough food for one or two people for a couple of months. It wouldn’t last long for five people; maybe a few weeks at best. He’d caught the brief look of defeat on Anuhea’s face when they had come to that realization. Given how hard they had worked to gather supplies prior to the attack, he knew exactly how she felt.
“Let’s check some of these houses here,” Ben said. “We still have quite a few hours of daylight.”
He couldn’t stand the idea of not keeping busy. He had to keep his mind from wandering too far, dwelling too much on the pain.
Anuhea nodded.
Chadwick returned from loading the car with supplies from the pantry.
“We’re going house to house,” Anuhea said. “Want to join us?”
Chadwick nodded. “Yeah.”
So, just like they had in the old neighborhood, they began the hunt. This time when they cleared a house, they immediately began the process of collecting supplies. Nancy and Oliver moved the truck to each driveway, so they didn’t have to carry stuff too far.
“I know things are tough right now,” Chadwick said carefully as they hauled supplies to the truck. “Oliver is feeling it to, you know? She was like his mum, in a way, or maybe more like a sister.”
Ben grunted and nodded again.
“I just wanted to bring it up. He could use some attention, I think.”
“Thanks, Chadwick,” Ben said, grateful for the suggestion. “I’ll do that.”
His friend flashed a grin and slowed his pace, favoring his injured leg. Ben bit the inside of his cheek with concern. Chadwick’s injury was another thing they would have to keep a close eye on without Charlotte around.
The next house on the block was blue and white with a small, decorative fence in the front yard. Ben entered quickly and cleared the living room. He kept going with Anuhea right behind him. They swept through with practiced ease, searching for infected.
A faint growl caught Ben’s attention and as turned to face the hallway. The hall was empty. He tilted his head trying to pinpoint its location. Anuhea grunted behind him as a zombie lunged out of a partially opened coat closet and grabbed her.
She staggered back a few steps, managing to get her rifle up to hit it, but couldn’t get a good swing. The infected latched onto the rifle and snarled. All its weight pushed against her as it tried desperately to sink its teeth into her flesh. Anuhea wrestled with it, trying to gain an advantage.
Ben spun around to help. He grabbed the zombie by the hair and flung it sideways. A handful of greasy, matted hair and rotted scalp peeled away in his hand. Squishy, rancid flesh and hair clung to his fingers like spaghetti. He shook his hand in the air to get it off. Little bits flew off, splattering the floor and ceiling.
The infected lunged back at Anuhea, oblivious to its missing scalp. In one swift move, she let go of her rifle with one hand, unsheathed her knife and plunged it into the skull of the infected. She gasped for breath and stared at the corpse slumped on the floor in front of her.
“Close call,” Chadwick said after he rushed inside from the porch.
“Sorry,” Ben said, feeling lame for not doing more.
“It’s fine.” Anuhea made a face as her gaze fell to his hand. “That’s not though.”
Ben’s face contorted in disgust as he stared at his hand. Hurrying into the kitchen, he checked the faucet and was thrilled when water came out. He rinsed off in the sink.
“Don’t waste the water pressure,” Anuhea said.
“Damn that,” he muttered as clumps of hair and pieces of flesh flowed into the drain. He wasn’t about to clean out the strainer. “We can get water bottles.”
Once it was rinsed off, Ben used a dish towel to remove the last stubborn traces. He tossed the defiled towel onto the stove and followed Anuhea to clear the rest of the house. There wasn’t much risk of another infected. After that brief scuffle, it would have made itself known.
After they made sure the house was safe, Ben went to check the garage while Anuhea took the backyard. A huge grin lit up his face at the sight of a matching pair of midnight blue SUVs. He raced out to the backyard, startling Anuhea.
“Dude help me find the car keys,” he said, beaming at her.
“What did you find?”
“Come look.”
She went to the garage and nodded. “That’s an upgrade.”
“Right?”
“Who gets matching cars though?” Anuhea asked.
“A loving couple?” Ben shrugged.
“A couple of weirdos.”
“Help me with the garage door,” Ben said. “Lift on three.”
The door rattled open, but the street was clear.
“Whoever finds the keys first, drives first,” Anuhea said.
“Deal.”
Thus, began the search. Much to Ben’s annoyance, it didn’t last long. As soon as they walked back into the house, Anuhea found the keys in a small basket on the kitchen counter.
“I feel like that was a setup,” Ben complained.
She tilted her head and then tossed him one set of keys and went back to the garage. Anuhea pulled the first SUV into the street. Ben started up the other SUV just to make sure they keys were right and the engine worked. He left it in the garage, so they could easily load it with stuff from the house.
“The tank’s not full, but we can find gas,” he said.
“They’re perfect. We can split the gear evenly between the two and have extra space for new supplies,” Anuhea said. “We should still take the truck though. That will come in handy later, especially if we’re out in the forest.”
“Agreed.”
Anuhea checked where Chadwick was. He stood by the truck talking to Nancy.
Ben could tell something was up. “Are you okay?”
“You asked about my family before and I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Ben said. “I can respect that.”
Anuhea hesitated for a moment, her bottom lip quivering slightly before she adopted her usual tough mask. “My father was an alcoholic.” Her head bowed, staring at her feet, but she glanced up to gauge his reaction.
Ben nodded, encouraging her to go on.
“He had a violent history; mostly when he drank. He’d go on and on about random stuff. ‘Don’t trust no one,’ he’d say. ‘Everyone will let you down.’” Anuhea shook her head. “I guess he didn’t see the irony in that since he hardly ever kept his word. Anyway, he got drunk one night and didn’t come home, like so many other nights. Next morning, I woke up sick. I had an awful headache, fever, and I threw up. So, of course, mom tells me to stay in bed, which was great because it was a school day.”
She flashed a weak smile.
“I was sitting in my room, watching my mom pull out of the driveway to take my brother and sister to school. And… Here comes my dad’s car from the other direction. He’s hauling ass, driving way too fast. And you’ve seen some of the roads around Kona. They’re narrow and winding. So, he’s speeding, loses control and hits my mom’s car head on. Both cars go over the guard rail and tumble downhill.”
Ben’s chin plummeted. His shoulders slumped as he imagined the pain and burden of seeing that happen.
“It should have been a decent enough day. No school, right? Even though I was sick, I could still watch TV or play video games. Everything changed in an instant though, right before my eyes,” Anuhea said, wiping away tears. She held a hand to her lips. “Now, I feel like it’s happening again.”
Anuhea’s story was heart wrenching, but he didn’t grasp the connection. When she looked up, she must have seen that in his eyes.
“I don’t want to be the one racing dangerously out of control after this,” she said softly.
&nb
sp; “Ah.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I felt that when my family died. A sense of being out of control and unable to handle the flood of emotions. What do I do? Where do I go?” Anuhea shook her head. “I’m barely holding it together. I don’t want to feel like that again.”
Ben put a hand on her shoulder. He was quiet for a few moments contemplating what she said. It made sense.
“Okay,” he said, unsure what kind of support she was looking for. “You know I’ve got your back. I’m always here for you if you need anything.”
Anuhea leaned in and put her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
96
“Gather around the kitchen table,” Ben said when they returned to the house they had temporarily commandeered.
He got a bottle of water for himself and offered some to the others. Chadwick came down from upstairs, cracked open the water bottle and they took a seat with everyone else around the dinner table.
Ben pulled a map out of his cargo pocket. The thick weather-proofed paper unfolded easily, and he placed it on the table. It showed Southwest Washington, with bold dots marking the location of Vancouver, Portland, and the smaller surrounding towns. Mount St. Helens stood out as did Mount Adams, and the smaller mountains that lined the Gorge.
“That’s a gem, isn’t it?” Chadwick said, peering at the map.
“It is indeed.”
“What are we looking at?” Anuhea asked.
“Right now, we’re sitting here,” Ben said, pointing to Vancouver on the map. “So, like I mentioned before, I want to take us to a lake. That’s right…” He looked for it. “Ah, here. Lake Merwin.”
Nancy nodded in approval as they all leaned in to examine the map.
