by Eric's Story
"He gave his life for us to get away," Sean said to his sister and laid his hand over hers. "He held them off on the stairs so I could get up to the fire slide. He was brave until the end."
"I know." Stacey blinked and tears fell down her dirty cheeks. "I know. But I'd rather have him here than gone."
Sean nodded and was unashamed of his own tears. “He just wanted us to live.”
Eric looked down at Pepe who was sniffing around the edge of the trailer. "I…lost someone, too."
"Yeah, well, we lost the whole damn town we grew up in," Stacey answered him pointedly and gave him a hard look. "The whole damn town."
Her brother reached out to calm her and she sniffled loudly.
Eric felt sickened by his own selfishness and sat down on the edge of the trailer. "I'm sorry. I am.” He looked at her apologetically. “I know seeing so many die is horrible and…”
Stacey shook her head. “I’m sorry. I have no right to snap at you. We’ve all lost so much.”
Eric let out a slow breath. “I didn't know anyone was alive in the community center. If I had known, I would have tried to rescue you."
"How could you know we were there?" Sean shook his head. "Don't feel guilty."
"When did it all go wrong?" Eric stared at his dirty fingers and tried not to think too hard about Brandy.
"The first night we were in there, believe it or not. The Sheriff rounded up everyone that had not left town into the community center," Stacey answered. "But the wounded got up and started eating us up like we were a buffet. And like Sean said, we barricaded ourselves into the offices, lived off the vending machine and the lunches the staff had brought and put in the refrigerator in the lunch room."
"Coop…our dad…kept trying to get us out, but the Sheriff had us locked in real good. All these heavy damn storm doors chained shut. Super thick windows… We started on one of the windows and it took forever to chip through that stuff."
"Built during the cold war. I think they thought it was A-bomb proof." Stacey rolled her eyes. She peeked at Sean's arm and looked satisfied. Reaching out for the First Aid kit, she gave Eric a slight smile.
He felt she was trying to apologize for earlier and he smiled back.
"We were almost through when those things finally broke through our barricade. We locked ourselves in the office where we were busting out the window and it was a race to get the glass broken out in time. Once the opening was big enough, we started evacuating. The plan had been to go to the high school and get into a school bus, but it was just a crazed scramble at the end." Sean winced and made a terrible face as his sister began to dress his wounded arm. The deeper wound was no longer trickling blood and the smaller wounds seemed to be closing. "The football players tried to hold the door shut."
Eric flashed back on the mad pursuit up the hill. The fastest of the undead had seemed very fresh and looked like football players. "Oh. Wow."
"Yeah. We evacuated the old people, the women and the kids first. But those things got in and were already…" Sean lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. "They were…"
"Coop realized what was happening and shoved me out the window. Sean was trying to help and our dad told him to get out just as a bunch of them busted in through the damn wall! Some add on modern wall made of cheap materials. Their weight must have done it in." Stacey's hands were a shaking as she slowly wrapped her brother's arm.
"Dad and I were the last ones out. Some of them grabbed for me and I did this crazy dive out the window and fucked up my arm." Sean shook his head. "We got outside and Coop was trying to get everyone rallied together when those fast ones started coming out the window after us. Coop shouted for everyone to run. And those still alive…"
"We ran," Stacey said in a tremulous voice. "We ran. But they ran us down. The fast ones. The new ones. The ran down the old folks, the kids…the…the…" Stacey let out a strangled sob and turned away from Eric and Sean. Her shoulders trembled and she sniffled loudly as she tried to regain her composure.
Sean reached out to stroke her back gently. "It just…we tried…there was really nothing to use as a weapon. I tried to shove a few of them off this one…kid." He shook his head as more tears flowed. "Coop always made me and Stacey run with him every night. We used to do sprints for fun. He got us into marathon running. Hell, Stacey was a college track star. That's the only reason we were able to keep ahead," Sean looked at Eric with a tormented look on his face. "But we couldn't do anything for the rest. We just ran."
"Coop told us to run to Mrs. Waskom's place. So we did. Then we saw you," Stacey began to run her hands lightly down her brother's leg he had hurt leaping from the window. "And you pretty much know the rest."
"I'm sorry about Coop," Eric said in a low voice. "He seemed so strong."
"He was," Stacey said in a steadier voice. "He was the best."
Sean winced and let out a small cry as his sister's hands examined his leg.
"I'm guessing a couple of fractures. Which you probably fucked up more by that crazy sprint," Stacey lightly chided Sean.
"Yeah, but I’m here, ain’t I?" Sean grinned then grimaced again.
Suddenly Pepe's head shot up and his ears perked. He let out a tentative "woof".
"I think its time to go," Eric said.
Stacey nodded and shoved the First Aid kit back under the tarp. "Sean, you hold on tight," Stacey ordered him.
"Damn bossy twin sister," Sean grumbled. "Just cause you were born first by two minutes…"
Eric could tell it was an old argument, said in love, and Stacey seemed to relax a little at her brother's teasing.
A human howl of hunger sounded down the road.
"They're following," Eric said and swept his growling dog into his arms.
"Dammit," Stacey cursed and climbed onto the ATV.
Eric quickly got on and felt her arms come around his waist as he shoved Pepe back into his jacket.
"You guys! Hurry it up!" Sean shouted as down below several of the faster things broke into view. "Seriously, let’s go. Those things bite hard!"
Eric shifted gears and the ATV roared louder and sped down the other side of the hill toward the county road in the distance.
"Where are we going?" Stacey's voice was close to his ear and he could feel her body pressing against his back.
"A construction site in Ashley Oaks is being built into a fort. They said they planned a safe way to approach it and I'm gonna try and find it." Eric looked into the rearview mirror and saw the bloodied dead following them down the hill. "Dammit. Those guys do not give up."
Stacey looked back over her shoulder and her arms tightened around him. "Just keep going. At the rate their going they're going to blow their joints at some point. That'll slow them down."
"Trust me," Eric said in a resolute tone. "I'm not stopping until we're safe."
"Or out of gas," Stacey added.
"Got spare gasoline in the trailer," Eric assured her.
She was silent for a few minutes and he felt her head rest on his shoulder again. Finally, her voice said, "Coop liked to be well-prepared. He would have liked you."
Eric smiled slightly at this comment and was surprised when he felt his eyes welling up. "Yeah, I think I would have liked him, too."
As the sun slowly began its descent across the Texas sky, the ATV roared on down the dirt road and the dead followed.
Chapter Sixteen
On the Road
The drive down to the country road was tense, but uneventful. If the zombies were still pursuing them, they were now far behind the ATV and its trailer. Eric maneuvered the vehicle onto the paved road the dirt one dead-ended onto. The smooth surface was a relief to their weary joints.
Stacey glanced back to make sure her brother was still okay. Sean was asleep and Eric worried about how much blood he had lost. There was no way they could go to a hospital or clinic.
"He looks pale," Stacey decided.
"He lost a lot of blood. He needs to rest," Eric answere
d. He wasn't sure if this was true or not, but it sounded right.
The narrow road was completely clear of vehicles and Eric shifted gears and let the vehicle idle. He climbed off and headed to the trailer for his map. Sean stirred a little and blinked his eyes.
"We there?"
Eric shook his head. "No. Not yet."
"Where are we going again?" Sean sat up slowly. He looked pale and maybe a little dehydrated.
"A construction site they are making into a fort." Eric opened up the map and began to look over the route he had highlighted in yellow maker days before.
"Did you tell me that?"
"No, he didn't," Stacey said to her brother and forced him to lay back down.
"Okay. 'cause I was feeling a little hazy there," Sean confessed.
Stacey touched his brow and frowned a little. "I think you need some water."
"Painkillers would be good. Seriously. Got anything in that first aid kit?"
As Stacey pulled out the tin box again and began rummaging through it, Eric slid Pepe out of his jacket and placed him on the ground. The little dog had been sleeping and looked up at him groggily.
"Do your business," Eric ordered him and looked at the map once more.
Pepe, obviously feeling cranky about being awakened, lifted his leg and tinkled right where he stood.
"Cut dog," Stacey said and actually smiled. "What's his name?"
"Pepe." Eric looked down at the dog. The little guy flopped down on the ground and yawned. "And I'm Eric. I don't think I said that before."
"If you did, I forgot," Stacey answered truthfully.
"I'm Sean. That's my twin sister, Stacey," Sean said and sounded a little out of it.
"Wish we could have met under better circumstances." Eric rummaged under the tarp and pulled out a warm bottle of water and handed it to Sean. "I usually try and treat company much better than this."
Sean laughed: the sound thick and a little pained. "Yeah, well, your hospitality sucks. Seriously, who invites zombies to a dinner party?"
“Ha. Ha, very funny.” Gently, Stacey stroked her brother's hair. "Take the aspirin. Drink all the water."
"She's so bossy. Did you notice?" Sean giggled and gulped the warm water. “Yuck. It’s warm. Where’s the ice?”
Ignoring him, Stacey looked toward Eric. "I need some water, too. I’m parched."
"Oh, sure. We probably all do." Eric quickly got out two more bottles and poured some into a cap for Pepe after handing one to Stacey.
Stacey gulped down her water and then poured the last bit over her reddened face. Her blond bangs hung in her face and her ponytail looked scraggly. "How far?"
"Well, if it were a straight shot, we'd be there fairly soon, but there are some towns that I think we should avoid. I have mapped out a very roundabout way to get there to avoid more populated areas. I think we'll get there close to sunset."
"It's about five now. We need to get to shelter before dark."
"How do you know its five?" Eric noticed she didn't even look at her watch.
"Position of the sun."
"Coop taught us that!" Sean giggled.
Stacey leaned over him and laid her hand on his face again. "I think he's delirious."
"He lost a lot of blood," Eric reminded her once more.
Biting her bottom lip, she nodded. "Yeah. I know."
Pepe yawned loudly again and leaned against Eric's leg.
Stacey began to rummage around under the tarp, pushing the securing ropes aside and trying not to bother her brother too much. She pulled out the rifle and checked to see if it was loaded.
"Mind if I hold onto this?"
"Can you handle it?"
"Coop always took us hunting. She was the best shot," Sean said in a drowsy voice and tossed the empty water bottle into the grass beside the road.
"Hey, no littering," Stacey chided him and went to retrieve the bottle.
"Like the big bad cops are gonna get me," Sean mumbled.
"If you can handle the rifle, take it. I got the revolver and Pepe."
“Yeah. He’s a tough little guy. Zombies wouldn’t be smart to mess with him,” Stacey said with a grin. She wandered into the grass to find the bottle and Pepe followed her looking quite pleased with her commentary on his prowess.
Eric finished looking over the map and tucked it away. He felt he had his bearings now and he fished his small pair of binoculars out of his lightweight jacket. Lifting them, he scanned the area. Nothing stirred in the trees or the tall grass. Birds sang in the trees and the insects hummed around them, but he didn't see any zombies.
"It looks like we'll be fine on this road until we turn off on this little road here," Eric decided.
Stacey returned with the bottle in one hand and Pepe in her arms. The rifle was slung over her shoulder and she looked tired.
Now that the adrenaline rush was over, Eric was feeling exhausted, too. But despite his weariness, he knew he had to stay focused on things other than his aching legs from the mad dash earlier and his bleary eyes. Grabbing up one of the extra containers of gas, he turned off the ATV and began to top off the tank.
"We don't need to run out of gas at the wrong time," Eric explained.
Stacey nodded and snuggled up Pepe. He licked her cheek and chin happily. Eric was surprised at how easily the dog and the young woman were getting along. Brandy had rarely picked up Pepe.
Once he was done fueling up the ATV, he twisted the cap firmly back onto the container and reloaded it onto the trailer. Sean moaned low in his sleep and the sound sent a trickle of fear up Eric's spine. Stacey's twin looked comfortable enough, but his color was off.
"Let's go. Please,” Stacey said. "Pepe's ears are up."
Eric looked toward his dog to see that the little guy was looking around anxiously and sniffing the air. He immediately climbed back onto the ATV and tucked Pepe into his jacket as Stacey slid behind him and grabbed hold of his waist firmly with one arm.
The four-wheel drive vehicle surged forward again and it hummed down the paved road dragging the trailer behind it. A half-mile down the road, Eric saw an old woman standing in the middle of the road.
"This doesn't look right," Stacey said loudly into the wind so he could hear her.
The woman's housedress was splattered with bright red designs that Eric suspected was actually blood.
"Don't slow down. Just go around," Stacey urged him. “We can’t risk it!”
Eric nodded and made sure to give wide berth to the woman. As they passed her, she reached out her hands to them in silence. She was too far away to snag them and Pepe barked at her once as they passed.
Stacey twisted around to look back at the woman. The gray haired old lady just stared after the vehicle with her gnarled hands held out toward them. "Eric, I think she's alive."
After a quick check of his mirrors, Eric had to agree. The old woman would be charging them if she was undead and the big red splotches on her dress looked more like a deliberate design than blood.
"Okay, we'll head back for her."
Pepe burst into rapid fire barking and Eric hesitated as he began to pull the ATV about.
Abruptly, the old woman dropped her arms and turned slowly toward the tree line. Four zombies rushed out at her and she didn't even cry out as they tackled her to the ground.
Stacey screamed and Eric pulled so hard on the accelerator that they both jerked backwards as the vehicle took off.
"Oh, God. She was alive! She was alive! We killed her!"
Eric grabbed Stacey's hand firmly and squeezed it. "Listen to me! Listen to me! We didn't know!"
Stacey buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed loudly. "Why won't it stop? Why won't it stop, Eric?"
Caressing her fingers, Eric felt at a loss as to what to say. Dread filled him and his stomach clenched as he realized their chance for survival was growing slimmer. "I don't know. But we have to keep going. We have to keep trying to get to a safe place."
Stacey nodded and la
id her head against his back. "I know."
They lapsed into silence and didn't speak for some time. At one point, Eric was sure she had fallen asleep against his back. She felt heavy against him, but instead of it bothering him, it comforted him. She was strong and he admired that. But she also trusted him and that touched him.
The sun continued its steady downward path toward the horizon as they traveled on. It began to grow cooler and Eric worried about Stacey since she was in shorts and a tank top. He glanced into his rearview mirror to see if she was awake and he saw Sean rise to his knees. In the reflection, he could clearly see the twin's back and Eric felt his hair rise on his neck. Something wasn't right.
