by Ami Urban
"Indeed. It was just very easy work. No challenges. Psychology was entertaining for a bit, but it's difficult listening to other people"s issues all day."
"Oh, so you were a shrink?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to try and diagnose my problems?" There was amusement in his voice, but I didn't find the sentence funny.
"I already have."
He gave me somewhat of a skeptical smirk. "Oh, really? Then what's wrong with me?"
"Nothing."
There was another pause. "I don't think I've ever heard a shrink say that to anyone."
I shifted my weight to the right. Sand was beginning to build up on the tops of my feet. "Well, I'm not after your money, so I can tell the truth."
Jack laughed out loud.
"That wasn't a joke. It was an assessment."
"Still funny. So... what's my deal?"
I straightened up with a sigh. He wasn't a very complicated person, so it wouldn't take long. "Aside from deflecting your fear with humor, you're a very mentally healthy person overall. You kept a stable job that you enjoyed and were able to live by yourself without requiring companionship. But, there's something missing. there's someone you feel the need to protect but for some reason, you won't."
Jack gave a nervous shift of his weight. "where'd you get that?"
"When I asked you if you had anyone to look after, there was a bit of a wistful pause."
He hummed to himself. "Uh-huh... What about you? Do you ever assess yourself?"
"Daily."
"Oh." There was a hint of upward lift at the end of his word. As if he'd discovered something interesting.
"Yes. I'm very aware of my idiosyncrasies. But I've made those personality decisions on my own. With Rex, I have absolutely no time for fun or games. My life is dedicated to him and that's how things are going to be for a while."
He pursed his lips, but nodded. "I like it when someone sticks to their guns. No pun intended."
I allowed myself a thin smile. He was quite well-timed as far as jokes went. Sylvia finally returned, but without a drink.
"All out?" Jack stood and brushed sand from his jeans.
"All out." Sylvia grinned wide at him, then threaded her arm through his. "I suppose it's time for bed now, huh?"
I could hardly hold in my groan.
October 17
"Huh...I could have sworn I brought a twelve pack." Sylvia and I rounded the front of the SUV where I'd set the beer. Lisa jumped in the back after saying a quick goodnight. Although I would have preferred to keep talking to her, I let it go. She was so damn serious and I'd almost gotten her to laugh.
"Oh..." Sylvia came around to my front and lowered her voice. "There are still four in there, but I thought we could keep them to ourselves." Her smile was just far too lopsided to be accidental. Although the sentiment was odd, I smiled.
"Ok..."
Without another word of warning, she grabbed my hand and yanked me to the front of the car. Then we sat in the sand and opened another bottle each. Clinking the neck of her bottle with mine, Sylvia crossed her legs, purposely letting her knee touch mine.
"I just had to get you away from her." She took a long swig of beer.
"Is there something I'm missing here?" I set my bottle down. I wasn't in the mood for alcohol anymore.
Sylvia tossed her head back and sighed. "Lisa is the most boring human being I know." She sent me a glance. "I can't imagine what she was regaling you with, but it must have sucked."
Sheesh. She was Lisa's best friend? "Maybe I like boring."
Sylvia scoffed. "you're just being nice."
"I thought you guys were like...good friends."
A laugh escaped her. "Oh, yeah, we are. I just like to speak my mind. I'm probably the most offensive person you'll ever meet. Just an F-Y-I."
That one statement told me all I needed to know about the woman.
"And in that same light, I'll get right down to the point. Jack, let's fuck."
The sentence was so sudden I almost laughed. On instinct, my eyes widened as she leaned toward me. In response, I leaned away.
"Hold on, there." After putting a protective hand out, I scooted backward in the sand. "I don't think that's the best idea."
She cocked her head to the left. "And why not?" Her hand slowly slid up my leg toward my crotch, but I caught it.
"you're not my type. I'm sorry."
In an instant, she snatched her hand away and put it on her hip. "Oh, what? I'm not your type "cause I'm Latina?" She said the last word with tilt of her head and a thick accent.
"Oh, come on. don't play that card."
"Excuse me?" She stood up, kicking a bit of sand my direction. "I'm not playing a card, man. you're the one who's a racist!"
"Hey, hey." I mirrored her stance. "I enjoy a politically incorrect joke every now and then, but come on. we're fucking adults, here. there's no need to treat this like a middle school playground."
The sassy look remained on Sylvia's face. Her lips were pursed tightly together as if she'd spew forth volcanic lava if she opened her mouth.
"Lo que sea, culo. Chico blanco est"pido. you'll come crawling back, because you know I'll blow your mind." With that, she turned on her heel, put up her hand and sashayed away like a model.
I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. "Thank God I don't speak Spanish."
***
The crashing of the waves lulled me to sleep, but something else woke me hours later. It was a sort of shuffling sighing noise. I was halfway awake when a thump got my ass up.
I sat up in the sand. The fire had died down, but I could still see. A soft white light from the moon washed over the beach. Its reflection swayed in the waves as they jumped onto the shore. I swallowed hard.
I heard the sigh again. As I turned, that's when I saw it. A Biter was making its way toward the car. The fire tossed orange shadows across its weathered face, highlighting the foam dripping from its mouth in a surreal way.
My thoughts shifted toward an indifferent "oh well." I'd slept out in the sand because I could protect my new friends if one them of happened by. But also because Sylvia was one of those women who no doubt would make sure I'd get no sleep.
I shook the rest of my sleepy thoughts out of my head and reached for my gun. Except it wasn't there. There was only empty sand. Panic set in. My heart began to thump against my ribcage. As quietly as I could, I searched the beach in a few inch radiuses around me, but found nothing. I must have left it on the seat in the SUV. Fuck.
And as I looked back toward the Biter, my stomach fell to my knees. Silas was sitting quietly at the fire, grinning at me.
"you're in trouble now, ain't ya?"
I swallowed hard, trying to blink. Only I was frozen. My muscles refused to move. There was my old friend " just sitting there like nothing had ever happened.
"Hey!" Silas turned and waved to the Biter. "Over here! Dude! Raw meat! Over here!" When the thing didn't respond, he turned back and rolled his eyes. "The thing"s deaf."
Finally, I shut my eyes. And when I opened them again, Silas was gone. But the Biter wasn't. It was fumbling closer and closer to the vehicle. It hand't seen me yet, so I scrambled around the front of the car and quietly opened the driver"s side door. After a brief search of the seats and glove compartment, I realized my gun was still missing.
Behind me, someone stirred in their sleep. I did the first thing that came to mind and flung myself into the backseat on top of whoever had moved. All it would take was one sound to make that thing come closer.
Fortunately, I hand't landed on top of Sylvia. Instead it was Lisa. As soon as she opened her eyes, our gazes met. I probably looked pretty weird since I was scared shitless. But her almost immediate response surprised me.
She twisted her face into a grimace. "Oh, really? Seriously? So, you're going to rape me? If you don't get off right now, your testicles will be in your throat."
Under any other circumstances, her statement would have made me chuckl
e, but instead, I put a finger to my lips and cocked my head toward the Biter outside. After one glance, she shut up.
"Stay here," I whispered as I eased up.
She nodded.
"What the fuck am I gonna kill it with?"
"they're sensitive to light."
I looked back at Lisa. She was clutching the blankets to her chest. Her eyes were wide with what I could only assume was panic.
"Kill it with fire?" My question was more of a silly statement, but she nodded again.
I took a deep breath and exited as swiftly as I could. The Biter had drifted off toward a sand dune, but was still too close for comfort. None of us would sleep with it so close. And since the car was parked in sand, it was going to take a good shove to get it going.
I crept toward it. When I was close to the fire, I bent down and grabbed one of the logs that was still flaming. The Biter was facing away from me and had stopped walking. It was just standing there growling and grumbling. I was feet away when I decided to take a swing. Holding the log like a baseball bat, I brought it down on the Biter's head. There was a sickening crack, but the thing didn't go down. Instead, it turned and screeched at me. In one swift movement, it knocked the log out of my grip. The fire fizzled out in the sand.
"Well, fuck."
The Biter took a step toward me, reaching its arms out and gnashing its teeth. I was pretty fucked.
"Jack!"
I turned to see Lisa with my gun in her hand. She tossed it toward me. It sailed through the air and I caught it, only to turn around and face the creature again.
"Bye bye, fucker." With one squeeze of the trigger, the thing"s head exploded into a thousand bloody bits. I had to admit it was mildly satisfying. I turned back to the SUV to see everyone standing outside with horrified expressions. My legs felt like gelatin, but I kept my cool as I approached them.
"Whew! we're all safe thanks to Lisa Croft here." I tucked my gun into the seat of my jeans and smiled at her.
Her eyebrows knitted together. "My last name is James."
"Are you serious?"
"He's talking about Lara Croft, Lisa. Tomb Raider?" Sylvia rolled her eyes.
"I see."
"So...where the hell did my gun end up?"
Lisa glanced at Sylvia whose face remained blank. "It was in the backseat."
I studied the two of them for a moment. "She took it, didn't she?" I gestured toward Sylvia.
"Why the hell would I do that?" She raised her voice.
"You did, momma. I saw you put it under you before you went to sleep." Alex stared up at her mother.
Sylvia looked down at her with fire in her eyes. "Mocosa! Has olvidado qui"n soy? Go to bed!"
"But momma!"
Sylvia grabbed the little girl's upper arm and dragged her back inside the car. Even though the two were out of sight, we could still hear Sylvia berating her daughter in Spanish.
"Lovely."
"For the record, I never saw her take it."
I looked back at Lisa. Her face was completely blank. I couldn't read it. "You know in some other countries people get stoned to death for lying."
"I'm not. I'm just a terrible truth-teller."
I let out an amused chuckle. "haven't heard that one before."
After a moment of silence where we stared into each other"s eyes, she said, "You saved our lives again."
I shrugged. "I didn't do anything I wouldn't have done otherwise."
"Well, regardless of that...thank you."
There was a strange electricity humming through my body. I recognized it as a kindergarten crush-like feeling. I was into her, but there was no way she'd ever go for me. And if I didn't say anything in the proceeding seconds, she'd probably think I was a pervert, too.
"Don't mention it, pal."
"Well that was stupid. But what was stupider was making my hand into a fist and nudging her shoulder with it like she was my bro. I even nudged too hard, because she winced.
"Ouch."
"Shit. Sorry." I pasted a stupid grin on my face.
Jesus Christ. What the fuck?
"Where are we going?" Sylvia asked as I took an exit into Bakersfield. I'd already had more of her than I wanted to deal with, so my answer was short.
"I need ammo."
"Oh-kay." There was an upward lilt to her statement as if she were talking to her scolding father. I imaged her rolling her eyes along with it.
"Perhaps we should search for food, while we're at it." Lisa leaned forward in her seat like she was looking at something. I saw it too. A car was coming toward us on the opposite side of the street. It was a minivan packed with household items and luggage. We slowed at the same time. The man inside prompted me to roll the window down.
"Rabies in town. Everyone got the hell outta dodge this mornin'," he said.
"Mr. Avery?" Lisa leaned over me. I could smell her sweet scent.
"Dr. James! I thought you'd left. what're you doin' back out here?"
"We're headed to Colorado. Is your family safe? Anyone hurt?"
Avery tilted his head. "We're okay. But I'd turn tail if I was you."
"I need ammo." I cut in, wanting to get out of the town myself.
Avery scratched his partially bald head. "Wal-Mart's been cleared out since a month. You won't find nothin' there."
"Damn." Lisa sat back in her seat.
"But Andy's probably got somethin'. He was hanging around until this morning. Didn't bring nothin' with him other than a duffel."
"Oh, that's right!" Lisa moved closer, putting her palms against the driver side window frame. She was so close. "Mr. Avery, thank you. Please be safe. Take care of your family."
He nodded. "I will, Dr. James. You do the same."
She returned with a bob of her head as I rolled the window back up. "Let's head over to Andy's bait shop. it's just a few blocks away."
I began to drive again. "How do you know that?"
"Bakersfield is relatively close to my home. I come here often when I need to get away."
"Does everyone have a southern accent here?"
"Something like that," she said. "Turn here."
I did as I was told and took a right down a street with a few small shops and a McDonald's. When I parked, I paused to make sure there were no Biters around.
"Okay, guys. let's be careful." I helped everyone out of the car before taking another look around.
But just as we were about to head into the ammo shop, a scream erupted from behind the closed doors of the dark McDonald's. We all stopped and looked at each other. While I knew ammo was important, I also knew saving a life could possibly be done without it. So, I turned the other direction while everyone else followed.
A warped handprint in blood streaked across the outside of the glass. There was no movement inside. I looked back to my partners and gave them a tilt of my head before moving forward. We pressed ourselves against the side of the building in case any Biters inside saw us. And that was the moment I realized what we were doing was a pretty fucking bad idea.
"Holy... What the shit?"
"What is it?" Lisa's harsh whisper almost scared me.
"When the balls did they start serving breakfast all day? What did I miss?"
There was a silence as I stared at the faded poster in the window.
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Sylvia's whisper was angry.
"You're damn right I'm serious. Who knew about this? I've been—" Another scream cut off my sentence. Slightly frustrated, I decided then was the time to burst through the door and try to save whoever might have still been alive. Even though all I was armed with was an empty shotgun.
"All right, you overgrown teether, drop the dentures and step away from the warm blood."
The scene in front of me froze. A pimply-faced teenager stood, soaked in blood, above a dead Biter. How do I know the thing was dead? Well, there was half a sharpened broom stick embedded in its skull.
"Are you serious right now?" It was Sylvia w
ho broke the silence.
"Answer the lady"s question, pizza-face."
"I was talking to you."
I turned my head. "Huh?"
"Don't shoot!"
"What?" I turned back to the kid who had his hands high in the air. Then I looked at my gun. "Oh." Shoving it back in the waist band of my jeans, I stepped forward. "Sorry. it's not loaded. You all right, kid?"
The teen dropped the other half of his broomstick.
Ha. Broomstick. Like Boomstick. that's funny.
"I...think so?"
"Did you get bitten?" Lisa walked around me and approached him.
"Yeah...he got my shoulder."
"My lovely companion introduced herself and told the kid " whose name was Kevin " they were going to go wash the wound with hot soapy water. Once they disappeared, I drug the other body into the maintenance closet where no one had to sit and look at it.
"Blood soaked into the uniform the Biter was wearing. The only thing shittier about working at McDonald's was dying while you worked at McDonald's. I wiped blood from the former kid"s nametag. Red collected in the black lettering, giving his name a morbid outline. ANDY.
"Too bad. Kid died a virgin."
I knew that voice. But I was too scared to face it. There was no way in hell Silas was behind me. So I ignored him, hoping he'd go away.
"Ignoring me is only going to make me louder."
He was bluffing.
"You can't have no fun with an unloaded gun!"
Okay. He wasn't bluffing. He was singing.
"My dad says that's for pus"
"Shhhhut it!" I hissed the words through my teeth while standing to face him. It was him all right. Except he was white as a ghost. A smile stretched across his face.
"Atta boy."
I looked down at the bloody hole still in his chest. With each breath, a bit of lung came into view. I swallowed hard.
"You look like Rob Zombie threw up on you."
Silas laughed. "And you look just like Ryan Reynolds fucked a dragon."
"That...that is amazing. I'm not even mad."
Silas shrugged. "Uh-oh. Here comes mommy."
"Everything okay?" Lisa emerged from the bathroom with Kevin in tow.
I swung around to look at her. And when I turned back, Silas was gone. "Uh... Yeah. Just gonna grab a weapon." I stooped down to the body again. "Sorry, Andy. Life sucks sometimes." I grabbed the end of the stick jutting out of his head. Then, I pulled with all the strength I had. With a sickening gush, the wood worked free and I had a new weapon in hand. Just in case.
