Escaping Vegas

by Dennis Elder

  “Problem?” asked Mark, hoping to move the conversation along.

  “Yea,” replied Sam.

  But Sam didn’t elaborate. A few uncomfortable moments ticked by but no one spoke.

  “We,” started Sam, then stopping, not knowing how to continue.

  “We are,” began Sam again.

  Again, there was an uncomfortable silence. Susie wouldn’t look up. She held her hands tight in her lap and was unconsciously biting her lip. Finally, Mark spoke up.

  “We are what,” asked Mark, hoping someone would finish his sentence for him. All he really wanted was to get into his bed and sleep undisturbed until the next morning.

  Sam dipped his head a bit and spoke again.

  “We are going to,” started Sam again.

  Before he could finish his sentence Susie blurted, “We are going to have a baby!”

  Mark’s shock was hard to disguise. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. It was about the very last thing that Mark ever expected. He went dead silent, blinked a couple of times, and then his mind went completely dark.

  When Mark had lectured everyone in Yermo about sex and babies and warned how a pregnancy could jeopardize the entire group’s ability to make it to Salt Lake City, Susie was the one to proclaimed to everyone that she would never had any children.

  “Just not my nature,” she said that night in Yermo.

  Finally, Mark collected his wits.

  “A baby,” questioned the Major.

  Sam didn’t speak, he just nodded. A few more uncomfortable moments went by. Mark tried to speak, but then he stopped.

  “Didn’t I tell everyone to be careful,” started Mark, deliberately holding his temper. “We talked about how a baby on this trip could keep us from making it all the way to Salt Lake before the snow closes the roads.”

  “I know,” said Sam.

  “I could have understood this from one the young girls,” continued Mark. “But not from you, Susie.”

  That got Susie’s attention. She raised her head for the first time and stared back defiantly at the Major.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” retorted Susie.

  “I means exactly what I said,” responded Mark.

  “So, I’m not capable of getting pregnant in your holy eyes?” said Susie with a slightly raised voice.

  “It has nothing to do with your capability of getting pregnant,” responded Mark, invoking his military command voice.

  “Then maybe it’s because you think I’m too old,” shouted Susie.

  “What!” complained Mark. “Age is not a factor…’

  But Susie cut him off.

  “This baby,” said Susie, as her voice faltered slightly. “This baby is not a factor. It is a living human and we,” said Susie as she took Sam’s hand in his and looked into his eyes for needed support, “This baby is ours and we will raise it as we see fit and we don’t need your blessing.”

  Suddenly Mark realized he was now the one in trouble. He was dealing with a hormone driven pregnant lady. He was no longer talking to straight shooting Susie, or Triathlon Susie. This was now a woman who could suddenly break into tears or send her husband to the store for a jar of pickles. All kinds of strange images filled his mind. He was completely out of his depth, and stared blinking again. He looked at Sam but couldn’t find the words. Then he looked back at Susie with her tear filled eyes. The Major blinked a few more times. Still the words would not come. Finally, Sam spoke up.

  “We just wanted you to know, Major. Thought you deserved to know.”

  Still Mark had no reply. A few more seconds passed.

  “We won’t hold back the group,” said Sam. We’ll go as far as Susie can make it, and then the two of us will hold up somewhere for the winter. Once the baby is strong enough, we’ll catch up with you in Salt Lake.”

  The Major weighed Sam’s suggestions for minute. Leaving them behind would certainly be the best thing for the group. The group always came first.

  Several more moments passed. Mark was thinking through all the possible affects this would have on the team. Then his minds slowed down again and he remembered what he’d said earlier about being a family and nobody messes with the family. This baby was a now a member of that family and Mark knew he and all of them would protect it with their lives.

  “No Sam,” said Mark, in a calm response. “We started together and we’ll finish together.”

  “Really Major,” began Sam. “We’ figured we’d find a…”

  Mark raised his hand. Sam had learned a long time ago to stop talking when the Major did that thing with his hand. All the guys knew the sign.

  “No,” begin Mark. “We’ll go as far as Susie can ride. Then we’ll find a warm place to hold out through the winter.”

  Mark smiled and added, “Hell, the way Susie rides we’ll probably make it all the way to Salt Lake anyway and she’ll have the baby the next day.”

  Susie looked up and smiled back at Mark.

  “Thank you,” she whimpered, as she wiped away a few tears.

  But then Susie smile turned sour. Her eyes went suddenly wide and without any warning she vomited across the small coffee table. It was a perfect column of projectile vomit. No one had any time to react. It caught Mark square in the center of his chest, splattering his favorite Grateful Dead T-shirt in strong-smelling throw up.

  Nobody moved for 20 seconds. Everyone was too stunned to speak. Slowly Sam and Susie rose from the couch, like a couple eager to leave a bad dinner party. They stood there for single and very uncomfortable moment. Finally, they both turned quickly toward the door.

  “Thanks Major,” said Sam, guiding Susie as she clamped her hands over her mouth. “We’ll let ourselves out.”

  Two seconds later Mark’s hotel room door slammed shut. The Major still hadn’t moved. The vomit was slowly running down into his crotch and it was beginning to feel cold down there. The rising smell made him gag a couple of times. He plans to go to bed early had just been destroyed.

  Mark suddenly wondered if those barbecues coals might still be hot enough to provide some more hot water.

  Chapter 149: Zombies

  The three teenagers sleeping on the ground were huddled close together for added warmth. After the sun went down the previous night, it had gotten very cold. All they had were some thin sleeping bags and their coats to keep them warm. Two days ago, they left Mesquite, walking North on I-15. As far as they could tell they were the only people who’d survived from their small Nevada town. They saw a few of the half dead people stumbling around but managed to stay clear of them.

  After a week of hiding out in the casinos, they finally decided it would be best to find others who might have survived whatever it was that killed everyone. None of their parent’s cars would start. They’d considered walking South, but Vegas didn’t sound like a good idea. Anyway, Patti had an Aunt in Salt Lake City and there were plenty of Mormons up there. Billy, the 16 year old boy, said his best friends were all Mormons and their families were pretty nice. So, Patti, Billy and his sister Nancy decided to go North. After their first day on the road they’d been forced to spend the night in a rest stop about half way between Mesquite and St. George. By noon that day it started raining and they were lucky to find the shelter before they were completely soaked. They were just across the Utah state line on the second day when it got too dark to continue. That’s when they’d decided to sleep by the side of the road. They were dog tired and needed some rest. When the sun finally rose on the morning of their third day, Billy was the first to stand up and stretch.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this sore,” he said, as he walked slowly up from the sandy ditch they’d slept in and onto I-15’s South bound lane. He looked North and saw houses a few miles ahead.

  “Looks like were almost to St. George,” said the young boy. “Maybe we can find some food there.”

  That got the two girls moving a bit. They hadn’t packed enough food and were now very hungry. Billy’
s sister, Nancy was fourteen and headstrong. Patti wasn’t related to the brother and sister, but she knew them both from High School. Patti turned seventeen two weeks ago. She’d been crowned Homecoming queen the same night everyone died. She was so excited that night. But when she woke up the following morning, her entire family was dead in their beds. She tried to wake them, but nobody was alive. Even their dog, Barry was dead. She never understood why she’d survived and none of them had.

  The three teenagers stuffed their sleeping bags into their small back packs and hoisted their loads on to their shoulders. Then they started walking North.

  Two miles later they spotted some people North of them, standing behind a makeshift barrier that ran across both lanes of the freeway. The barricade wasn’t much but it was obviously there to send a message.

  At first the kids we excited to see that someone else had survived. But when the three teenagers got within 50 yards, one of the men at the barricade raised his shotgun to his hip. The sight of the gun stopped Billy, Patti and Nancy dead in their tracks.

  “That’s far enough,” barked the man holding the shotgun.

  The three walking teenagers were close enough now to see that there were about 15 men and women in the group behind the barricade. They were all armed and looked determined.

  “Hello,” offered Billy, mustering as much confidence as possible. “Good to see other people survived.”

  But none of the people behind the barricade seemed happy to see the three teenagers.

  The man with the shotgun motioned to the South and said, “Just turn yourself around right there and go back where you came from.”

  Billy wasn’t sure what that meant.

  “What?” he shouted back. “We just want to pass through,” he continued. “Were on our way to Salt Lake.”

  “Not through here you’re not,” responded shotgun man. “Nobody comes through here. Can’t risk it.”

  Nancy had been quiet long enough. She quickly decided the guy with the shotgun was an idiot. But Nancy thought anyone that disagreed with her was an idiot.

  “Risk what?” Nancy shouted, with just a twinge of sarcastically.

  Billy recognized Nancy’s tone. It always made any problem worse. He turned quickly to his sister in an effort to shut her up.

  “Hey,” he barked at Nancy. “Be cool.”

  Shotgun man regripped the stock of his shotgun. Then he leveled it at the three teenagers.

  “You might be Zombies,” said shotgun man. “Infected.”

  It took a few seconds to register, but then Patti knew what the guy was talking about.

  “You mean those half dead folks stumbling around?” she stated.

  “Call ‘um what you want,” said shotgun man. “There just Zombies to us,” he continued. “You might be Zombies too, but just don’t’ know it yet. Could be bit and then you’d turn on us. Can’t risk it.”

  “Zombies,” countered Nancy, spewing her words with as much sarcasm as he could. “Those walking people aren’t Zombies you moron!”

  Nancy rarely thought before she spoke. It had gotten her into more than a few fights growing up. Using the word, moron, for example, was typical of Billy’s sister’s approach. Ready, Fire and then Aim was her standard operating procedure, and now she’d successfully insulted this guy. A few seconds went by before he finally responded.

  “Get your asses out of here before we blow you all away!” shouted shotgun man, as he pumped a shell into the chamber. The other people raised their guns too, in a show of support.

  That was enough for Patti. She spun on her heal and headed South as fast as her legs would carry her. Billy followed almost immediately. He looked back over his shoulder as he walked away,

  “Come on sis,” said Billy. “We’re not gettin through that way.”

  But Nancy the firecracker didn’t budge. She just stood there scowling at the man with the shotgun.

  “I think you guys maybe watched a few too many episodes of The Walking Dead,” said Nancy, before finally turning to follow her brother. Halfway through the turn she hesitated and turned her head back toward shotgun man.

  “And you’re still a moron!” she finished, just loud enough to be heard. Then she finished her turn and slowly walked away. After a few steps a broad smile cracked across her face.

  Chapter 150: The hell I am

  Mark’s marauders had been ready to ride for over 30 minutes. But they were waiting to start because Susie was throwing up, again. She said she’d only been pregnant for about two weeks, but this morning her body was really struggling. Doc had given here some anti-nausea medicine. It had helped. Now she was trying to eat a little something before they got started.

  Earlier Mark sent Jake and Jacob down to the I-15 freeway to scout South. He wanted to make sure nobody was hot on their trail before they began the next ride. Jake had checked in few minutes ago by radio and reported the all clear. Since everyone was now together Mark gave them his daily pre-ride talk.

  “By now you all know Susie is pregnant, said Mark. It seemed he was one of the very last people to find out, vomit and all.

  “It’s going to be hard on her, but together we’ll help her get through it,” he continued. “Today’s ride is only 38 miles.”

  That got a few muted cheers from the group.

  “However,” said Mark. “Most of it is up hill. We’ll ride through the virgin river gorge and up to the town of St. George. It’s a larger town and should provide plenty of good hotels and food. We should also find extra ammunition.”

  Caroline raised her hand.

  “Yea,” said the Major.

  “Sir,” said Caroline. “Do you think any of those Vegas guys will come after us?”

  Mark didn’t answer at first.

  “I’m not sure,” began Mark. “They took a heavy hit from us the other night. I think that they will either decide we are too dangerous to pursue or too valuable to ignore.”

  “If it were you back there, Major,” continued Caroline. “Would come after us?”

  Again, Mark didn’t answer immediately. He’d always been honest with his team, but he also didn’t want to scare them unnecessarily.

  “If I were back there I would have asked to come with you guys, said Mark with a smile. That got a few chuckles from the team. “But given the kind of men they seem to be, well, their kind lets their emotions do their talking. They act irrationally. So yes, if there enough of them left, I think the will come after us.”

  “But they must realize that what we did to their other men, we could do to them again?” offered Sylvia.

  “Yea they know it,” said Mark. “But maybe there motivated by revenge now. Who knows what they’re thinking? Like I said they’ll either come or they’ll stay home. It’s a fifty fifty proposition.”

  Suddenly Susie and Sam came out of the hotel doors and made for their bikes. Susie looked much better. Doc came out behind them with his bag on his shoulder.

  “We’re ready to go now,” offered Sam. “Susie’s doing much better.”

  Mark looked over Susie as she mounted her bike. She did look a little better.

  “You ready to ride girl?” asked the Major.

  “Let’s hit it,” replied Susie.

  Mark pulled his radio out and hit the send button.

  “Scout one this is main body. Do you read, over,” said Mark.

  Down on the freeway Jake lifted the radio to his lips.

  “Roger that, over,” said Jake.

  “We’re coming down, over” said Mark.

  “10-4, coast is clear, over and out,” said Jake.

  The group pushed off together again. They were back riding with their assigned partners. The only real change was Sam was now pulling both Susie’s and Sam’s trailers. But Sam was a good rider and would be able to manage the extra weight.

  Once they got down to the freeway again, the little group of 23 survivors once again turned North onto I-15. Mark kept a medium pace, nothing punishing like the ride f
rom Vegas to Mesquite. They quickly settled in and found their normal rhythm. After a couple of miles, they crossed the Nevada Arizona border. Five miles later they entered the Virgin River gorge. Suddenly the road was bracketed on both sides by two hundred foot tall cliffs. Everyone also noticed the rode began to rise in elevation. From now on they’d increase their elevation all the way to Salt Lake City. As usual, every 15 minutes or so the riding partnership in the very front broke of and slid to the back of the group. Everyone got their chance at the front, where it was definitely the hardest to pedal. Even Sam and Susie took their turn. But Mark kept an eye on Susie.