The Rabid

by Ami Urban

  "Thanks, dudes!" Jack waved goodbye to them before the door closed behind us. Then, he caught up to us like a child running to their parents. "That was great. you're funny."

  "Funny? How is narrowly escaping death funny? How is killing another human being with a walking stick funny?"

  Jack screwed up his face. "I changed my mind. you're no fun at all."

  Alex giggled.

  "See? Even she thinks you're a stick in the fucking mud."

  Even though I felt like laughing for the first time in months, I kept it to myself and shook my head instead.

  "You said a bad word, Jack." Alex appeared at his side and gingerly took one of his hands. It was a sweet sight to see.

  "Did I? I guess I did. Well, it's the end of the world, so not like it matters, right? Fuck it."

  Alex giggled again. "Yeah. Fuck it."

  "Hey! That wasn't an invitation to throw your manners out the window. Watch it, young lady."

  Alex laughed, which made Rex laugh. Jack joined in, but all I mustered was a smile.

  October 17

  The school was huge. At least, I thought it was a school. It could have been anything. It was so overgrown with ivy and caked with dust that I couldn't decide on the spot. All I knew was that it was the only place we'd be safe. Okay, so maybe I wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but we were all dog tired and needed a shower. Plus, none of those...things were around.

  I pulled the SUV to a stop on a gravel blacktop that looked like it used to be a basketball court. After switching off the ignition, I took a long look at Lisa. She was sound asleep against the glass window. It was enough to make my stomach hiccup. If stomachs can do that.

  "Oscar, Uniform, Tango!" I used my "six-inch" voice so I didn't scare them or draw any attention to our position.

  Lisa's eyes fluttered open. "What?"

  "NATO alphabet."

  She paused while brushing fingers through her tangled hair.

  "Why?" Alex asked from behind me.

  "Because it's cool. how's little Romeo doing back there?"

  There was a hint of a smile behind Lisa's eyes, but it only lasted half a second before she tossed her gaze into the backseat. "How long has he been sleeping?"

  "Pretty much since Vegas," Alex said. "Hey, Jack, what's my nickname?"

  I peered at her using the rearview mirror. "Well, J is Juliet. So I guess you guys are Romeo and Juliet."

  "Cool!"

  Lisa's and my gazes met briefly and all sound stopped. I could feel the electricity between us, but I'd always been bad at that kind of stuff and figured it was probably just static from the floor mats.

  Lisa shifted in her seat. "Oscar, Uniform, Tango?"

  "Out!" Lexi squealed.

  "that's right!" I reached back and we bumped fists.

  For the first time since we'd stopped, Lisa looked around. She placed both hands on either side of her. I could tell she was nervous because her knuckles went white. That seemed to happen around me spontaneously.

  "Why"d we stop?" There was mild panic in her voice.

  "Stopping is a good thing as long as we didn't run out of gas."

  "We ran out of gas?"

  Oops. "No. Sorry, that was a joke."

  She seemed to relax just a bit.

  "See that school...or whatever?" I gestured out the front windshield. "We're staying the night."

  "Is it safe?"

  "I don't know what you mean. I can't tell you something's safe or not, unless I know what you're talking about."

  She was silent for a long moment, just looking at me. "Movie quotes now. we're kind of in a dire situation here. I think we should check it out, yes?"

  I smiled. "Yeah. I'll go check it out. You stay here with Romeo and Juliet and lock the doors. If you see one of those things, just duck down."

  She nodded. The fear in her eyes had waned. She was almost used to this; I could tell. That revelation made me sad. No one should ever be used to something like what we were going through.

  I took a second before popping open the driver side door. Throwing one last look at her, I stepped out into a dry heat.

  "don't take your time, Rain Man."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Was that a joke?"

  She shrugged. "I thought I'd try it out."

  "how'd it feel?"

  "Dry."

  "Sounds about right. And it was Marathon Man."

  "Rain Man sounds better." Her voice went back to serious.

  "Definitely better."

  We shared a brief moment of humor as I shut the door. But her tight smile quickly faded, replaced by anxiety. I knew she was anxious because she'd get these tiny wrinkles around the corners of her mouth. I think I may have spent too long thinking about her without going anywhere, because I heard a knock behind me.

  "Are you all right?" Her voice was muffled.

  I nodded and turned toward the large building. Lisa had done a decent job at patching up my leg with what we had in the glove box, but it was still pretty sore. The dryness of the earth threw up dust with each step I took. I could taste the packed dirt as the last of the sun"s rays heated the ground. A cough escaped me, but I kept going.

  The door to the building was standing open.

  "Shit."

  "No kidding."

  A felt a dull throb in the back of my head as my peripheral vision filled with my dead friend. "I can't talk to you right now." I spoke through gritted teeth even though I was yards away from the SUV where Lisa, Alex and Rex were waiting.

  "Is that any way to treat an old friend?"

  I stooped down to pick up a rock from the dry dirt. Throwing it into the open hallway would attract the attention of any Biters if they were right inside.

  "And the wind up! And the pitch!" Silas narrated my every move with gusto.

  The rock flew about three or four feet, then skittered to a stop, echoing across each wall. For that brief moment, Silas and I were both quiet, waiting for a sound. Any sound. When nothing came after thirty seconds, I finally tossed a glance his way and swallowed hard.

  "you're not looking so hot."

  We wandered slowly into the dark hallway. The building was indeed a school; with lockers lining the halls and class doors off to each side.

  "Who me?" Silas's voice sounded surprised. He glanced down at the deep, pulsing hole in his chest. I could see dark red lines spreading outward from the wound where his shirt had ripped away. His skin had also started turning gray. "I got blood poisoning because you murdered me."

  I shut my eyes as the throbbing in my head continued. After meeting the dead end of the hallway, I decided to head back toward the stairs.

  "What...ignoring me now? That's not very polite."

  I rolled me eyes back in my head as I neared the stairs. Everything was dirty; the walls, the lockers, the railings. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor. I knelt down.

  "No footprints...means no one"s been here in a while."

  "Man, that Lisa you found...she's one hot piece."

  Even though Silas's words made my blood thicken, I ignored him still as I started down the dark stairwell.

  "If no one's been up here in a while, there may be another way in down there."

  "Let me tell you...if I could have an hour with Angel Lisa, I'd do things to her that'd make God blush."

  I stopped mid-step. "You know, you're a pain in the ass for a figment of my imagination."

  "Imagination?"

  I started down the stairs again.

  "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Jacky Boy. I'm for real. I'm in your head. you're going crazy, man. Face the facts. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

  "I do plenty of playing."

  I stopped when I heard the faint noise of what sounded like a footstep. Both Silas and I stood still for a few seconds before hearing the sound again.

  For a random moment, I became tired. I was tired of everything going on. I was tired of the monsters, of the lack of sleep, of being scared. Essentially
, I was done.

  So, I cocked the shotgun " the very same shotgun that I had used to kill my best friend " and began toward the sound.

  All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears and one set of footsteps " my own. All around me were classrooms with large glass windows. I could see discarded equipment like Bunsen burners and heating coils. Science classrooms.

  I stopped when the scratching noise came once more. It was around the corner. I waited. And then after waiting for three seconds, I decided enough was enough. If I was going to face this shit, I was going to do it like a bastard.

  "Hey!" I shouted. My own voice startled me as it bounced off the glass windows. "Come out!"

  What I heard next filled me with a sense of ridiculousness. A caw. It was a crow. It hopped out from behind the corner and pecked at the ground. It took a brief look my way, cawed again, then flew up to sit on an open door frame.

  "A black crow. Bad omen."

  I turned toward Silas. "Speaking of bad omens, get lost, Damien."

  "Ooh. someone's a grump."

  From the Desk of Dr. Lisa James

  It had been too long and I was starting to worry about Jack. He seemed to stop at the door of the building as though he'd heard something, then disappeared into the darkness. I looked back at my sleeping son and realized I was so not ready to face this world on my own.

  It had been oddly quiet in the car and the surrounding area. I figured those things just hand't made it this far. Or if they had, there was nothing to keep their interest and they left. Unless they were all huddled up in that school.

  "Do you think Jack's okay?" Alex's scared little voice came from the backseat.

  "I don't know."

  "I hope he didn't get hurt."

  I shook the thought out of my head. If there were infected in there, we'd all have known by then. Instead, I took a deep breath and held it until it hurt. Then I let it out slowly. A therapist had taught me how to deal with anxious feelings so far back that I'd almost forgotten. But I utilized them in that car.

  I fell back into the leather seat and held my breath once more while rolling my shoulders to work out the kinks. I touched each ear to each shoulder while closing my eyes for five seconds. As I was rolling my head to the side, I saw Jack stepping out of the building.

  My heart leapt, pumping blood into my face for some reason. I couldn't quite make out his facial expression, but his posture made him seem exhausted. Hell, we were all exhausted.

  He tossed his shotgun in the dirt like it was a broken toy and whipped off his over shirt to reveal strong arms, beaded with sweat. I choked down the thoughts quickly as he approached the SUV, wiping dirt from his face.

  "we're all clear, Foxtrot."

  he'd given me a nickname, too. "Good."

  "Just a pesky crow." He went silent a moment, his mind seemed as though it were elsewhere.

  "Jack?"

  He snapped out of it. "I might not be a gourmet chef, but I know there's some canned food and heating coils in there. What do you say we eat then get some rest?"

  "Yeah!" Alex pushed open the back door and jumped out.

  I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Rex stirred as I took off my seatbelt. I thought I was in for some screaming when he noticed where we were, but Jack seemed to pick up on his distress right away.

  "Hey!" He excitedly clapped his hands to get my son"s attention. "What do you say to a...piggy-back ride?"

  Rex's eyes didn't seem so sure, but he reached out his hands anyway. Jack scooped him up and put him on his well-toned shoulders. But I almost forgot about those when I saw how happy Rex was.

  "Hold on, Romeo! we're goin" in! You ready?"

  "Yeah!"

  "You sure? it's dark. aren't you afraid?"

  "I'm no scare!"

  "Me neither!" Alex bounded around them in a circle.

  I watched them run about in the waning sun with an ache in my chest. I wanted so badly for Rex to have a father figure in his life, but I didn't want to be that mom who had a new boyfriend every week. And Alex...she was an orphan now. She was mine. I suddenly had a daughter.

  I followed after them once they disappeared into the building. It was not a good idea to be alone outside.

  I noticed the door to the school was completely missing and wondered how we were going to keep things out while we slept.

  Jack, Alex and Rex's playful voices met me in the hallway. I could sense they were in the very last room at the end of the corridor. I picked up my pace.

  It looked as though the room used to be a Teacher"s Lounge. There were two sofas in the main area and a cot in a separate one. A fridge stood in one corner as well as a microwave and coffee machine. The clock on the wall was still ticking."

  Rex had Jack by his index finger and pretended to know where and what everything was.

  "And this is a purge." He pointed to the fridge.

  Jack cocked a half smile. "Purge? Is that how you say it?"

  "Yeah! Puuuurrggggeee."

  Jack scratched the back of his head. "See...I always thought it was called a budge!"

  "No, a budge is what cars cross over," Alex said as I walked into the room.

  "Uh-huh." Jack raised both eyebrows. "I see."

  I crouched down to my son. "Rex, are you hungry?"

  Rex's eyes widened. "Yeah! Num num num!" He stretched out both arms and began zooming about the room. "Brrrmmm brrmmm! Vroooom! I'm a pain!"

  Jack choked on a laugh. "A pain."

  "let's eat something."

  ***

  Tucking my hands in the pockets of my filthy jeans, I took one last look at my peacefully sleeping son. Alex was reading some tattered old book next to him. I walked back out into the hallway to see Jack at the entrance moving lockers and tables to block the door.

  "What if we need to make a quick getaway?"

  Without looking at me, he said, "there's a door in the basement that has a padlock and chain on it. If we need to, we can go out that way."

  We were quiet for a few moments. I watched him shuffle a few tables around and finally block out what was left of the light coming in from the door. we'd both gone around and wiped a few windows clean so we could get what daylight remained. While on that task, I'd found matches and a few candles, which I'd placed in the hallway and room we'd chosen.

  "Jack, are you all right?"

  He kept working. "Yeah, why?"

  "You seem distracted and I want to make sure you're not ill."

  Finally, he stopped and stood up straight. After rubbing some sweat from his eyes, he looked at me. "Do I seem distracted? I guess I am feelin' kinda...funky lately."

  "Would you like to talk about anything?"

  He hesitated as though he wanted to tell me something. Then, he just shook his head and turned to survey his work. He was evading me for some reason.

  "So...he has a problem with words?" He asked suddenly. Whenever someone else would ask a question like that, it would be hinted with disgust or condescension. But his tone sounded genuinely curious.

  I nodded. "Yes. And it has nothing to do with his autism, either."

  Jack was silent, so I continued.

  "He could never go to a "real school" because the other parents were worried their kids would contract some autistic disease." I emphasized the words "real" and "school" with air quotes. "So I've had to teach him whenever I've had the time. it's certainly not ideal, but he seems content most of the time."

  Jack sat down on a desk and ran a hand over his face. "So, how do you teach him the right words?"

  I gave a half shrug. "Just by telling him the right way to say it over and over again until it sticks."

  Without glancing at me, Jack widened his eyes. "Oh. Whoops."

  "it's fine. Sometimes a bit of silliness is allowed."

  An awkward moment passed. As Jack opened his mouth to say something, Rex began to scream for me. "Sierra, Hotel, India, Tango," he muttered.

  I shot him a knowing look as I walked off. "yo
u've got that right."

  From the Desk of Dr. Lisa James

  October 18

  After about an hour of trying to calm Rex back into a state of sleepiness " which included two lullabies, Alex walking him around the hallway and three bedtime stories " he was finally quiet again. It had gotten dark and the flickering candles were creating odd shadows on the dingy walls.

  I realized that Jack hand't come in at all and wondered if he'd decided to sleep downstairs in the basement.

  I walked out into the dark hall and looked to my left, where the glowing flame of a lighter shadowed his face. He was standing beside an open locker, studying something. I approached him.

  "What are you doing?" I asked.

  "Wondering why the hell this guy decided to join the cheerleading team as a cheerleader." He tapped a knuckle against a grainy photo inside the locker. A fuzzy-haired person was only slightly visible behind a couple kissing on some grass.

  I squinted in the dim light. "that's a female."

  Jack scrunched up his face. "What?" His voice started in a high-pitched joking tone. "How can you even tell that?"

  "She has breasts?" I tapped on the chest of the girl in the photo.

  "Oh..." He drew the word out. "Yikes."

  "No, it's refreshing considering many men prefer staring at breasts in their free time."

  He looked hard at me for the first time since we'd gotten inside the building. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if he was wearing a joking or serious expression.

  "Nah. I'm more of an earlobe and left pinky finger kind of guy." He flipped the lighter closed. The humor of his statement caught me so I smiled.

  "Are my earlobes passable?"

  "I dunno. it's too dark to tell."

  I nodded, my smile fading. "So, why are you rooting around in high school students" lockers?" I gestured toward the photo again.

  Jack cleared his throat. "Finding this." He opened his hand, revealing a thin white object.

  "I see. there's no way you plan on using that."

  "Of course. God wanted us to find this joint. I'm telling you."

  "you're actually going to smoke that?" My voice became near scolding.