The Apocalyptic Nurse (Book 1): Plagued Road Home

by Bell, A. E.

  Creed tried to reassure her, “Honey, we will just get off at this exit. Between the GPS and your maps we will find our way out.”

  Oliver and Sylvie started arguing in the back. Evie knew that being stuck in an RV had to be hell on the kids, but it wasn’t the time for them to be causing a commotion. She told them, “Y’all need to stop right now. Sylvie, you come up here and co-pilot with dad, I’m gonna go hang out with Ollie for a little while.”

  Evie started playing a game of rummy with Oliver. She reminisced about playing it with her grandmother. It managed to divert her attention for a short time. Ollie seemed to relax a little bit for the first time since all this began. Evie yelled up front, “Hey babe, I have the GPS set, but if you need help let me know.” They continued their game. Evie felt the RV shifting slightly, so she knew they were on the exit.

  When they got to the top of the exit, Creed turned right and saw a gas station. He said, “Hey Evie, this gas station up ahead seems to be open, should I stop?”

  Evie replied, “Sure, we can load up on some food while we’re there.” There was a considerable amount of people at the gas stop. Evie took the kids inside, so they could stretch their legs and help her get some food. Creed stayed back with the RV to pump gas and make sure nobody messed with their traveling home. Evie and the kids took the food they had gathered up to the front desk. She began talking to the old man at the counter, “It sure is slim pickings.”

  He said, “Yeah, I’m sorry about that ma’am. I don’t think I will have enough gas or food to keep this place open another day. I don’t usually sell this much in a month let alone a week.”

  She asked, “Have you heard why they blocked the interstate? They are turning everybody away.”

  He explained, “Ma’am it’s gotten really bad downtown, they are trying to prevent any of those monsters from getting to any other cities.”

  She said, “Well, l if I wanted to go on a country road that they don’t have blocked off, how would I go about getting there?”

  He asked, “What direction are you trying to go?”

  She scoffed, “Any direction that gets me away from here, I’ll figure the rest out later.” He proceeded to tell her directions, and she thanked him for the information.

  Creed was standing next to the RV when Evie and the kids came outside. She couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing. He was a proud man that didn’t always share his feelings, but he didn’t have to because she usually knew what he was thinking. Creed’s greatest fear was that something would happen, and he wouldn’t be able to protect his family. And now the possibility was staring him right in the face. He tried to himself that all they could do is put one foot in front of the other. Creed gave up his career as a forest ranger to travel with Evie and homeschool the kids. He absolutely loved his career, but family always came first with him. The thing he missed the most about his job was constantly being outdoors. He tried to make up for it by taking the kids on field trips as part of their schooling. He would take them on nature hikes, hunting, fishing, and primitive survival training.

  When Evie got close to him, she leaned in and placed her head on his chest, he pulled her near. They just stood there like they were holding onto each other for dear life. Somehow those moments were the ones that had kept Evie going all these years no matter what the issue. He kissed her on top of the head, she hugged him tight for a moment longer and then pulled away and got back in the RV.

  They headed in the direction that old man at the gas station told them to go. Evie also turned on the GPS just in case. After a minute of recalibration, Evie turned it off, “That bossy bitch inside the GPS don’t even know where she’s at.” Evie pulled out the map to figure out exactly where they were and more importantly where they would end up. They ate their sandwiches and chips for supper. Evie thought it would be best if they saved the non-perishable food and ate all perishables first. It could be a very long trip to Kentucky. There is not a lot of space in an RV, but Evie and Creed had come up with some very ingenious storage ideas. They had everything from magnetic spice racks, a pegboard to hang pots on, and dry food dispensers mounted to the wall. They figured these space savers would let them use the cabinets exclusively for canned goods.

  Freakishly, there was very little traffic on this road. Did people know something that they didn’t know? The map clearly said that if they got to the end of this road, then they would be safely outside of Seattle. It shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes at this speed, which was a relief because it was going to be dark soon. Evie looked over at Creed and said, “We have to decide what we are going to do for the night. Do we keep driving or do we stop, and all try and get some rest?”

  Creed responded, “It’s a tough decision. I know we are all tired, but my gut tells me to keep driving.”

  Texts started pouring into Evie’s phone from her entire family. “What is going on there?” “Are u guys ok?” “Wtf please tell me that ur ok!?!!” “I saw the news, are people really eating each other?”

  She sent out a group text to all her family and close friends, “We are all fine. I think we got out just in time. We haven’t seen any of the infected in a while. I will txt again soon. We love u and are on our way back.”

  As soon as she put her phone down, she looked up and saw four people run out in the middle of the road. It looked like one man was being chased by three of the infected. He tripped and fell. They attacked him, feverishly feeding on him. Creed told Evie, “I’m going to have to go around them.”

  She quickly exclaimed, “Hell yeah, we can’t help that guy now. It’s too late for him.” As they were going around this animalistic attack, Evie yelled back to the kids, “Get on the floor and no matter what, don’t look out the windows!” The kids sat down on the floor, they both grabbed their guns and sat there scared out of their wits. One of the infected tried to get in the RV as they were going around the commotion. He was banging on the side of it, the moans and growling just got louder. Evie freaked out, “Floor it. We can’t let inside.” She grabbed her gun and walked towards the entrance door. She was ready in case he managed to get the door opened. She glanced towards her kids, they were both sitting there panicked. She said, “It will be okay, I won’t let this thing get near you.” As they passed by, the banging noise stopped, and all she could hear was moaning and scratching sounds along the back of the RV. Then nothing. It was completely silent again.

  Evie sighed and said, “Jesus!” She looked out all the windows and didn’t see anything. She told the kids, “We are safe now, they’re gone.” They both stood up and hugged their mother.

  Creed yelled back, “Are y’all okay?”

  Evie said, “We’re good back here.” She got the kids settled back down. She told Creed, “I’m gonna just go ahead and lay down for a little while so I can take over driving for you.” Her body just gave out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  Creed yelled out, “Evie, get up. We got a huge problem.”

  She yelled back to him, “For fuck’s sake! What the fuck is it now?” She staggered her way up front. She wanted to cry when she looked out the front window, but instead, she laughed. “Of course, a fucking roadblock. Just stop the car, I’m gonna talk to the soldiers. It’s a long shot, but maybe they will let us through.”

  She got out of the camper, put her hands up and said, “I just want to talk. We don’t want any trouble.”

  The soldier yelled at her, “You need to turn around and go back. No one is permitted past this point.”

  She pleaded, “I just want to talk to you for a minute. I used to be in the Army. I know that you have your orders. Please give me 5 minutes.” He waved her on. She overheard some of the soldiers talking about one of their own being injured, the nearest medic was 20-30 minutes away, and he was pinned down by the sick. She told the soldier that she was speaking to, “I am a nurse and used to be a medic, I can help your friend. Just let us pass, and I will fix him up.” He walked away to discuss it with the others.
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br />   He came back and said, “Okay, we will let you pass if you fix up our friend.”

  They opened the barricade and Evie waved to Creed to come on through. He didn’t know how that crazy bitch managed this one, but he was none surprised. She had a way of getting what she wanted, especially from him. She went to the door of the RV and said, “Hang out with the kids. I’m gonna help one their wounded. It’s payment for passage through.”

  He shook his head and jokingly said, “As long as that’s the only payment passing hands.”

  She followed the soldier to the back of a truck, where she saw a young man laying down. She said, “Damn you’re just a kid. What’s going on with you?”

  He started to take off his shoe, “My foot has been hurting me for a long time, and now I just feel sick.” He removed his sock for her. His foot was excoriated and had green purulent drainage seeping out.

  She gently lifted his foot, “I think you will be just fine, but you are gonna need it cleaned good, and a dressing put on it.” She looked back to the other soldier, “Y’all do keep IV start kits and fluids with you right?” He nodded. She said, “Get me all the first aid stuff that you got.” He double-timed it to the other truck and brought back a rucksack. She told the young soldier, “I’m gonna start the IV first.”

  He said, “Ma’am, I’m afraid of needles.”

  She smiled at him, “Of course, you are. Just look the other way, it will be over in no time.” She stuck the IV catheter in his arm and got it the first stick, she taped it down and then hung the bag of fluids. “Now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

  He looked like he was going to pass out, “No, I don’t guess so.”

  She opened the normal saline and betadine. She began cleaning his foot. It looked bad, and she wished she had some IV antibiotics to give him, but she didn’t. She put a fresh dressing on his foot and said, “I’ll be right back, are you allergic to any medicine?” He shook his head no. She went to the RV and came back with a bottle of medicine. “This is Keflex. You need to take it three times a day. Take it until you can see a doc.” She walked over to the other soldier and told him, “His foot needs cleaned with this normal saline and betadine twice a day, then cover it with this gauze and wrap it. Make sure it gets done, or he could lose a foot. I gave him some antibiotics, make sure he takes them. When that bag of fluid is finished, you need to hang another. When that bag is finished, take the IV out, cover it with gauze and tape it down. Thank you for letting us pass, I will never forget it. You boys need to stay safe. Have you seen any of those things yet?”

  He said, “Nope, we’ve been lucky so far. We’ve heard a lot of stories about what’s going on. To tell you the truth, I would rather be back in Afghanistan.”

  Evie told him, “Listen y’all need to be careful, we just saw three infected not even fifteen minutes down the road. They chased a man down and then fed on him. One even tried to get into our RV.”

  She could see the fear in his eyes. He put leaned on the truck and whispered, “Dear God, please help us get through this.”

  She didn’t have the heart to tell him that if there was a God, he had given up on the world. She just started making her way back to the RV.

  He yelled out, “Thank you.”

  She turned and saluted him, “No, thank you. Be safe.” She opened the door and climbed into the RV with her family.

  Creed put the vehicle in gear and started driving. They turned at the end of the road. Evie got out the map to double check where they needed to go next. She said, “Another couple of hours and we should be in Idaho. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go sleep, again.” She went and laid back down. She was finally able to fall asleep.

  A couple of hours later, she woke up. She went up front. “Are we in Idaho yet?”

  Creed exclaimed, “Yep, we just crossed into Idaho about ten minutes ago! The worst is over. I think we should stop for the night. We can get rest and start fresh in the morning.”

  She asked, “Do you think it’s safe?”

  Creed reassured her, “I do, honey. I really do.”

  She relented, “Okay, I guess we will.”

  Chapter 5

  They pulled over at an abandoned gas station in a small town called Elk River. Everybody laid down to try and get a good night’s sleep. They got up in the morning and went outside to stretch their legs. Evie used her phone to check the news. There were reports of the infection spreading to multiple cities in the country. She grimaced, “Fuck, it has spread to several cities.”

  He asked, “Are you sure?”

  Sarcastically, “Yea, I’m sure. I can fucking read!”

  Annoyed he said, “There’s no need in being a bitch. I just asked a fuckin’ question.”

  Apologetically, “You are right. I’m just frustrated. I’m sorry. They’re also reporting, that it’s believed, the infection is because of terrorist attacks. They’re blaming it on the North Koreans. Holy fuck, that’s terrible news. They aren’t just going to wait for it to spread, they are dispersing it themselves.”

  He hurried the kids back into the RV. Time was of the essence. They needed to get back to the cabin immediately that they built years before. It was going to be their haven in the failure of the world that they anticipated. They tucked it away in the middle of the woods away from prying eyes.

  Once they were back on the road, Evie turned on the radio. The reporter said, “Washington state has been completely devastated by this infection. The infected people are coming back to life and eating the flesh off of the living. People that get bit are becoming infected, and turning into these flesh-eating beings. There are people infected in several major cities. Officials are urging people to go to one of the many FEMA camps available to them.”

  Evie began having a mini mental meltdown. She began sobbing. Although they had tried to prepare themselves for whatever catastrophe devastated the earth, it did not stop her from feeling overwhelmed. The thought of any of her family becoming one of the infected made her sick to her stomach. Creed decided to leave her to her own devices. He had learned that there were times, Evie needed to be in her own headspace. Somehow, he knew her so well that he was able to recognize those moments.

  She eventually pulled herself together. Now she had to concentrate on the task at hand, and that was getting all her family safe to the cabin. It was over two thousand miles away and taking back roads was going to increase the time it took. She figured even if they drove without stopping it would probably be at least a three-day trip. She took a deep breath and went back to check on the kids. She would die for those kids, and the thought of one of those monsters getting ahold of them and tearing them apart with their teeth filled her with disgust. The idea that her babies could turn into one of those things crushed her. She realized that she might have to lie, kill, or steal to protect the people she loved so dearly.

  Sylvie and Oliver tried to hide their fear from their mother, but she was able to see right through their thin veil of courage. She gestured for them to scoot over so she could sit between them. The placed her arms around the children, “I promise that we will risk our lives protecting you. It’s going to be a difficult road ahead of us, but we will make it. I raised you both to be strong, it’s time that you use that strength. I’m going back up front to drive. Just remember, I love you and will do everything in my power to get us all through this safely.”

  Evie went up front to talk to Creed, “I think I need to drive. The kids need some of your attention. You are so much better at getting someone’s mind off things than I am.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind, you know I hate driving.”

  She nodded, “To tell you the truth, it might help me get my mind off things.” He drove to a section of the road that had a shoulder and pulled over. Evie hopped up in the driver’s seat, and Creed went back with the kids.

  He got the monopoly game out and said, “Y’all wanna play?” He could tell by the expression on their faces that the answer was yes. They both jump
ed up like jackrabbits and gathered around the table. They loved playing games and hanging out with Creed. He was so sweet and loving like a giant teddy bear.

  Evie needed some music therapy, so she put in her Lynard Skynyrd greatest hits cd. It wasn’t long before Creed, and the kids heard the lyrics from “Sweet Home Alabama,” in Evie’s perfectly off-pitch voice. What she lacked in vocal ability she made up for with her stylistic development of the songs. She could automatically feel the stress leaving her body. If for only a few minutes, the RV felt like a happy home again. Nobody was asking what was going to happen next, the kids weren’t whimpering in the back, Evie wasn’t stressed to the absolute max. It felt good. Evie stopped singing for a moment, and yelled, “Yay, we are in Montana.” Creed and the kids start hooting and hollering. She turned the music back up and restarted her jam session.

  After the CD was over, she took it out and turned the radio back on. The female reporter said, “Montana is being hit hard by the infection. Montana residents are advised to be extremely careful and to stay in their homes.” Evie’s heart sank.

  She called for Creed to come up front. She said, “I think we need to stop and gas up and get more food provisions.”

  He replied, “Okay, sounds fine to me. Is something wrong? You seem upset.”

  Defeatedly, “Yeah, Montana is struggling with the infection too. I don’t know how we will make it home. I don’t know if we should try to make it home. Maybe we should find a place and hunker down.”

  Creed reassured Evie, “We need to stay the course and get more gas. I think the kids need to stay in the RV and you can run in and get the food. Unless you prefer to pump the gas.”

  She jokingly replied, “No, that’s your job. Maybe we should find a grocery store or something. They’ll have more food options than this junk we’ve been getting. Plus, they have a gas station.”

  Seriously, “No, that is a terrible idea. We know that it is infected out there. We need to steer clear of crowded places.” She rolled her eyes, but then smiled at him. It seemed like forever before they finally found a gas station but finally succeeded. Creed turned to the children, “You two are going to stay with me, your momma is going into the store to grab a few things.