by Tahnee Fritz
I turn my eyes toward the feet of the person the zombies were munching on. The left foot is twitching. I lift my feet and head for the body. Whoever it is, or was, would be much better off completely dead. Turning into one of those monsters has to be extremely painful and is not what anyone on the planet should want.
I can hear the raspy breathing coming from whoever is lying on the ground. I step around the back end of the car and stare down at the body. A woman, maybe in her thirties or early forties. I can’t tell with all the blood on her face. A gaping hole in the middle of her stomach reveals whatever is left of her organs along with some of her intestines strung onto the concrete. Her eyes are rapidly moving back and forth and I can already see the black haze taking them over.
Dad walks up next to me and stares down at the woman. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing I am. How the hell did she survive that? Most of what’s in her stomach is either gone or hanging outside of her body. She has to be in an intense amount of pain and is probably in shock so she doesn’t know what’s going on anymore. I can’t help but feel sorry for her. She was probably on the road to the next town and got mixed up with those two zombies. Or they were travel partners and failed to tell her they had been bitten. Whichever it was, it’s not a good way to have your life come to an end.
“I got this one, Bridge.” Dad says as he angles his gun at her face.
I look away and stare at the feet. The sound of his gun echoes around us and her foot stops twitching. Dad puts his hand on my shoulder and leads me away from the gory scene. Sherry and her family are standing a few feet away with their eyes wide as they stare at us. I can’t tell if the look on Sherry’s face is that of disgust or excitement. Her mouth is hung open, but there’s a slight smile on one side. Any second she would let us all know what she’s thinking.
She takes a step closer and says, “Oh. My. God. Bridget. That was awesome! You were like a freaking hero just now, going up to those things and blowing their heads off like it’s nothing. Ugh, I wish I had your bravery.”
I look at the ground and shake my head. At least she wasn’t disgusted and grossed out by what I just did and being thought of as a hero tickles my fancy a bit.
“I think we should keep going.” Jim says. “With all that noise from the guns, someone or something had to hear that. We don’t need to run into anything else out here.”
He leads the group again and dad joins the other guys. I lag behind with Sherry who links her arm with mine. I smile and walk alongside her, following the others.
We make it to the next town just before suppertime. Luckily there’s still a town here to make it to. Nothing special about it. Looks like it was at one point the main street in a bigger town or city. The welcome sign has been hand written, apparently they renamed whatever this place was, and it is now called Nash Tenn. Obviously a mixture of Nashville and Tennessee, but according to dad we aren’t even close to where Nashville should be. Maybe that city died over the last few years and the founders of this one wanted it to live on in some way.
The buildings that make up the strip of the small town are nothing but old brick or wooden buildings, many with boarded up windows. Some had just been recently built and turned into apartments or houses for the people who live here. My eyes pass over the buildings as we walk by them. There are two right at the entrance to the town, one on each side. They are built up higher than some of the others serving as watch towers. I can see two men standing with big guns in their hands. They stare down at us as we enter their town.
Past the towers, are a few shops and even a small restaurant. Right next to the restaurant, is a fenced in area with cows and chickens roaming around. The food source. In the middle of the street, people have set up small stands trying to sell or trade whatever they can to make a living. We walk past one with a young woman trying to sell handmade clothes. Another with an older man selling wooden carvings that he made himself. More useless things that would just take up too much space in our bags.
People walk right on by us as we make our way down the street. Most ignore us, but there are a few who send snarling glances. I guess these people don’t care for newcomers in their precious town. I notice how they are dressed differently than we are. The women and younger girls are all wearing dresses with their hair all done up nice and neat in buns, not a strand out of place. Sherry and I are comfortable in our jeans and t-shirts and I’m sure our hair doesn’t look too pretty. The men and boys here all wear jeans with button down shirts. The men in our group are wearing jeans too, but they are covered in mud and grime. Their shirts are soaked in sweat and all of us are in desperate need of a shower.
I catch a few odd glances from some of the girls around my age. They all appear to be prissy with their upturned noses and flowery dresses. I can’t imagine trying to run away from vamps or zombies wearing one of those things. Fighting one off would just look ridiculous.
“I feel way out of place here.” I say to Sherry.
“Me too. All these girls look really mean and bitchy.” She replies quietly.
I smile, “Yeah, they do.”
We keep walking, following the guys. We pass a few more shops, one for clothes and another for bags of rice and oats. Then we get to the housing and apartments. People sit on their porches or on the balconies of their apartment and stare at us as we walk down the street. There’s a large building on the right hand side with a man in a black suit standing right outside the door. It’s an old hotel, a small one too. The lights around the old marquee are old busted out except a remaining few. It didn’t seem like the town had electricity so that sign probably hasn’t worked since just after the cure got out of hand. The glass windows are all boarded up with small holes in the wood so people can see out to keep watch. This building screams eerie, but it’s right where we are headed.
The man standing outside the building approaches us and says, “Welcome travelers. You look like you’re in need of a place to stay the night.” His deep southern accent makes me smile.
Sherry’s father steps forward and says, “That would be nice. We have been walking for quite some time now.”
“Well, come on in. I have plenty of rooms available and you couldn’t have picked a better night to come to Nash Tenn.” The man states. “My name is Henry Johnson, owner of this fine establishment and curator of the big event tonight.”
He takes a bow, then leads us in through the blacked out doors to the hotel. We follow and step inside the small lobby of the building. The red carpet under our feet is stained brown and torn in a few places. The walls are a faded yellowish color with gold trim and candle holders hung all over the place. The front desk is made of mahogany wood with a young woman sitting in a chair behind it. She passes us all a huge grin as we follow Henry Johnson through the place.
He leads us up a flight of stairs to the second floor, then turns left down a hall. Candles are spread out to light up the way, some in glass fixtures on the walls and others hanging from the ceiling where chandeliers used to light up the place. We walk to the end of the hall where we stop right next to an old ice machine.
“I have two rooms available for your large group.” Henry pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks a door to our left, then pushes it open. “As you can see, there are two beds in this room as well as the other. We also have cots on hand in case some of you prefer to sleep alone. We managed to get the plumbing to work so ya’ll can take a shower and get cleaned up. The water is cold, but it’ll still get the job done. As for payment, I just ask that you attend our little event tonight and have a good time. I would also appreciate if ya’ll would clean up after yourselves in here, like keep the beds made and your dirty clothes off the floor. If you choose to stay another night, we’ll talk about payment then, but enjoy yourselves tonight.”
“What’s this event you keep bringing up?” Jim’s brother, Brian, asks.
Henry smiles and clasps his hands together, “Oh, it’s just down the street under the big tent they’re settin
g up. We just have a bit of a show to put on and we are more than excited for it. This doesn’t happen very often and this town tends to make a big deal out of it.”
“Why at night?” dad chimes in.
“That’s the only time it can be done and you will see why, sir.” Henry digs in his pocket and pulls out another key, then hands both keys to Jim, “Ya’ll can use the room across the hall as well. Have a good evenin’.”
He leaves all of us to stand alone in the hall. Each one of us has a real dumbfounded look on our faces. Almost seems too good to be true and I’m really curious as to why he gave us the rooms for free. Normally, inns and motels on the road want at least some food or something rare as a trade to stay overnight. Something this amazing, there’s got to be a catch.
“Okay, my family will stay in one room and, Phil, you and your daughter can have the other.” Jim states.
Sherry steps forward in protest, “No, I wanna stay in whatever room Bridget is in.”
“Sweetie, I don’t think our new friends want us encroaching on their lives any more than we have already.” Jim replies.
Dad shakes his head, “You haven’t encroached on our lives at all. You helped us out when we needed it, why go our separate ways already. Let the girls stay together for the night. It might be good for both of them to have normal teenager time at least once in their lives.”
Jim moves his eyes between Sherry and my dad. He’s thinking about the decision and I find myself really hoping he says we can stay together. The last actual sleepover I can remember having, was right after the “cure” was released to the public. I had a few of my old girlfriends spend the night and it was a blast. We played truth or dare most of the night and made prank phone calls to some of the guys in our grade. I know spending a whole night with Sherry won’t involve any of that, but it will still be much better than spending another night alone with my dad for company.
Finally, Jim opens his mouth and answers, “Okay, they can have the room across the hall, Sherry, Dena, Bridget, and my nephew Dillon, and we will take this room. Not ideal, but I think you’re right. They should have some girl time.”
Sherry lets out a happy squeal while a pretty big smile crosses my face. Jim hands they key to his wife and she goes to the door to unlock it. The guys start tossing their bags all over their room and get comfortable on the beds. Dad stays in the hall and stares at me.
“I think I’m gonna go find a shop to trade for supplies and get us some dinner. I’ll find out what time their little show is going to start so we can go together.” He says.
“I’m going with you.” Jim adds.
I nod, “Okay. I think I’m going to make good use of the working shower and get cleaned up.”
Dad sniffs the air and jokes, “Yeah, you are getting a bit ripe.”
“A few months on the road will do that to you.” I say. “And you smell pretty gross yourself.”
He smiles then leans forward and plants a small kiss on my forehead, “I love you, Bridge.”
“I love you, too, dad.” I say, realizing this will be the first time in a very long time that we will be apart for more than a few minutes.
He walks away from me, with Jim by his side, and I turn around and watch him leave. I worry, of course, thinking I’ll never see him again. That’s why we always make sure we say we love each other before we go anywhere alone. Just in case we never get the chance to say it again.
Henry Johnson was absolutely right about the shower. The water is freezing cold and the pipes let out loud groans whenever the water gets turned on or off. The pressure itself isn’t so bad, not a waterfall like I would love, but it gets the job done.
I have candles spread out in the bathroom to light up the place. It’s just your typical hotel bathroom. The walls are a faded yellow color and the white tiles have started to turn grey from years of dust and grit getting stuck on them. The mirror is cracked in a couple spots but doesn’t mar my reflection.
I use a small amount of the soap we found and feel cleaner than I have felt in a while. I actually smell like a girl again, an ocean fresh girl. After I dry myself off, I wrap the white towel around my body and step onto the small mat on the floor next to the bathtub. Goose bumps cover my arms and legs after the short, cold shower. My wet hair hangs over my shoulders.
I stare at myself in the mirror, shadows dancing across my face from the flames of the candles. I step closer to the mirror to get a better look at myself. There are a few freckles across my nose and cheeks right under my brown eyes. My hair is starting to get long again, almost time for me to trim it up a bit. On my left shoulder is the scar I got when I was ten years old. I flipped over the handle bars on my bike after trying to jump this ramp my brother built in the driveway. Mom was so furious at Charlie and worried beyond belief when the doctor’s said I fractured my collar bone. Had to get surgery and keep my arm in a sling for a few weeks but it was worth it. Charlie and I had a lot of fun that day.
A smile comes to my face as I think back to the wonderful times I spent with my family. Times I’ll never forget. I used to terrorize the hell out of my sister. Steal her clothes, her makeup, and hide them all over the house just to make her stay home even longer to hang out with me. She always acted like she was mad about it, but I could tell she really liked spending time with me. I’m sure she’d love me right now for finding soap and shampoo in that car yesterday. She wasn’t much into getting dirty or not taking a shower for more than a day. She was the girly-girl in the family.
My backpack is sitting on the floor next to the toilet. I sit on the closed lid and start sifting through the bag for my fresh pair of clothes. Another pair of dark blue jeans, the skinny kind so my boots will fit over them easily, and a black V-neck shirt with a few white stars printed on it.
I get dressed quickly and slide my boots back over my feet. I put the watch back on my left wrist and glance at the time, just past seven. Then I go about shoving everything back into my bag. I dry the soap and shampoo bottles off and put them at the bottom with my other clothes on top. I offered to let Sherry and her mother use it, but they had some of their own. Something they were able to trade for when they left the last city they visited.
Before I walk out of the bathroom, I stare at my reflection again. My hairbrush is sitting on the grungy counter next to the sink and my hair tie. I run my fingers through my wet hair and bring it back into a pony tail again. One of these days I’ll have a reason to let my hair hang down.
I stuff my brush in the bag and zip it up. Then I open the door and walk out into the main room. Sherry is sitting on the floor at her mother’s feet getting her blonde hair put back into braided pigtails. She smiles up at me, then winces as her mother tugs at her hair again.
“I could do yours next, Bridget, if you want me to.” Dena suggests.
I shake my head and politely say, “No thanks. I like it like this, it’s easier to take care of.”
“Your father came back. He said that event starts at sundown and apparently the whole town is going to be there. Other than a few people to watch for those creatures out there.” Dena says, tugging on Sherry’s hair again.
I nod, “It must be one hell of a show if the whole place is going. Makes me wonder what they have going on in this town.”
“I know, it could be like a weird church thing or something.” Sherry adds.
“I’ve never been to church.” I comment like it’s nothing.
Both of them give me an odd look. Even the little boy, Dillon, who’s playing with his teddy bear on the other bed, turns his head and passes me a confused look.
Church has just never been forced on us. It was a choice in my family and all of us chose not to go. That and over the last few years I’ve begun to question my beliefs in a higher power anyway. If there were such a thing as God, would they really cause this to happen to the people they created? Would they really allow a horrible thing like zombies and vampires to advance to the top of the food chain? The human race is endan
gered now and I really find it hard to believe that someone in the sky is in control of it all. I used to think a god was behind everything, but things happen, you lose people you care most about, and you begin to change your mind.
“You’ve never been to church?” Sherry asks, both her eyebrows raised.
I shrug, “My family never went to things like that. We’d go there for weddings and stuff, but never for an actual church service.”
“Don’t you believe in God?” Dena asks.
“Not really. I have no reason to given all that’s happened to this planet and my family. I’d like to think if someone is in charge of it all he’d give me a break and quit with the bullshit.” I reply.
Dena shakes her head and lets out a sigh, “I know you have lost a lot of close people in your life, but you can’t blame God for that. He’s the reason all of us are here. He chose us to survive this thing. How can you think God didn’t keep us around for a higher purpose? How do you know that God didn’t leave you alive so you can do something better with your life?”
Again, I shrug. There’s no sense in arguing with someone who is apparently a diehard Christian. They tend to stick to their beliefs no matter what and always try to win the argument. I know what I believe in and to me it’s the right thing. If there is a god out there, he sure has one strange sense of humor and needs to lay off the death for a little while.
A knock comes to the door and I turn my head. It’s a soft knock, nothing too angry sounding or like the person on the other side of the door wants something other than to see how we’re doing. Still, every time I’m standing behind a closed door, I can’t help but wonder who or what is waiting on the other side. With two man-eating creatures roaming around, you never know what’s you’d open the door to. Still, I take the few short steps to the door and twist the knob. I let the door swing open and see my dad’s smiling face staring at me. He hasn’t had the chance to get cleaned up and, knowing him, he’ll probably wait. After all, there are four other grown men he has to share a room with.
