Learning To Live (Zombie Overload Series)

by Wright, C. M.

"Don't text her either, Canada," Will's voice scares the shit out of me. I always loved the fact he knew me so well. Now? At this moment? Not so much!

  Oh my God! I'm such an idiot! And yes, that has been established already, I know.

  Grabbing my laptop, I turn it on, praying the internet is still on and that I can get a signal in this part of Missouri. It is and I can.

  I type in the search engine bar "What should I do for someone with a fever" and the results show that both options are recommended, depending on which site you go to. Well, shit. Let's not make this easy.

  I decide to go with the option of keeping him cool, since it's easier with it being cold as hell outside and all. I ask him to sit up and I help him remove his shirt. I also turn off the heat to the back and then wet another rag, placing it on his forehead. Settling back on the floor, I watch him. Then my thoughts take me somewhere I don't want to go. What if he gets pneumonia from being so cold? Shit! Shit! SHIT!

  I shoot up over the front seat right next to Jake's face, startling him, and he jumps.

  "Shit, woman! You scared the hell out of me!" Then he sees the panic on my face and his expression turns to concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"

  "Jake, Will has a fever. I looked on the internet and one site says keep him cool, but another says keep him warm. I chose the keep cool option but what if he gets sicker from being cold? What do I do, Jake?"

  "Well, first of all, calm down. Second, why didn't you just ask me in the first place? I am in the military, remember? I do have to know basic survival and first-aid. Keep him cool for now, give him some fever reducer, and check his temp again in a half hour. He'll be ok."

  Right. Ok. He knows what to do. Ok. Will is going to be ok...Wait! I recall the looks and Jake's attitude toward Will and start to worry. He's not telling me this just to kill him off, is he? No, he wouldn't do that...would he?

  Chapter Ten

  I turn back around and sink to the floor, fear churning in my stomach like hot lava. My mind is spinning like mad. The paranoia is overwhelming!

  Will's arm moves and his hand rests on my cheek, gently rubbing. I raise my head and our eyes connect His love for me is right there, clear for anyone to see. I never have to question his feelings for me. I cover his hand that is still caressing my cheek with my own hand and smile at him.

  "I love you, Canada," He softly tells me.

  "I love you, too, Will." I lean forward and brush my lips against his. Then he smiles and closes his eyes.

  I vow to myself that I'll keep him alive. No more fear. No more second-guessing myself. No more relying on others when I'm uncertain of their true motives.

  And...no more Jake!

  Feeling mentally stronger and more in control, I lean forward and remove the rag from Will's forehead, using it to wipe the rest of his face and the back of his neck. Wetting it again, I place the rag back on his forehead.

  Going through the bag of medical supplies, I finally find the item I prayed was inside. I place the thermometer in his mouth and when it beeps, pull it back out out and check the digital screen. A hundred-and-one point nine degrees. Ok, could be worse. Not too bad. Now to just get it down from there.

  I give him more water to drink and then make sure he's comfortable. Turning and looking back over the front seat, I ask Jake how much further to Snowden. He tells me we should arrive in just a few minutes. Trying Bianca's cell, I still receive no answer. Climbing back over to the front, I start preparing myself for the fight we will surely be facing very soon.

  Reloading both of my handguns, I place one next to Will, just in case. I warn him the bullets are for the zombies, not him. Little joke that was so not a joke. Just wanted to put that out there, but hoping for reassurance that he won't do anything stupid, especially after his little speech about not making it back alive.

  He assures me with a laugh that none of those bullets have his name on them.

  Feeling better that he has no plans to take his own life, I pull out the sniper rifle, Jake's rifle, and my shotgun. I fully load each one and place them on the floorboard next to my feet.

  I look up just in time to see the "Welcome To Snowden" sign. As we enter the town, we find ourselves in a residential area and can already see the undead. There are at least thirty or so scattered here and there just down the first few blocks. We drive through slowly, looking for the house Bianca described.

  After five or six blocks, we come to the business part of town. The road runs left to right in front of us. We sit at the blinking stop light and look both ways, trying to decide which way to go. A couple zombies start heading toward us but we ignore them, knowing they have no chance of doing any damage to us.

  I tell Jake that Bianca had said she was headed to a nearby gas station so that is what we should look for and I also remind him she was coming from the other side of town.

  He starts forward, leaving the business area, and we drive the streets, looking for the house or a gas station. Finally, we see a gas station a few blocks away. Passing it, he drives further up the street and a large green house with white trim appears just a block away. I see Bianca's car sitting in the street...along with a shit-load of the undead.

  Chapter Eleven

  With fear and dread, I search the zombies to make sure Bianca isn't one of them. I don't see her, thank God! Yes, I realize not seeing her doesn't mean a damn thing, but hope is hope and I'm not giving up hope so easily anymore. I look at Jake and he looks back at me.

  "You ready for this?" he asks me.

  "Of course. I'm a freakin' pro at this shit now."

  Jake gives me a big grin and says, "That you are, my sexy bad-ass woman."

  Will growls deep in his throat. My grin instantly disappears as I realize exactly what Jake had just said and that it was loud enough,I suspect, just for Will's benefit.

  I pick up my handgun and sniper rifle. Pointing the handgun at Jake's head-don't tell my kids I did this-I say, "Shut up, Jake, and put your big girl panties on. Let's kill some of these bitches."

  He gives a slight nod. I climb over the backseat to help Will sit up so Jake and I can get up and out the hatch without stepping on him.

  Will grabs my arm and stops me. He tells Jake to go on up, and with a "screw you" look to Will, Jake goes after glancing back at me.

  "Be careful, Canada. I mean it. No stupid chances. And don't be doing anything stupid with Jake, either."

  I open my mouth to argue with his comment but he stops me.

  "Just do what I said."

  I nod and lower my eyes to my lap.

  "One more thing," Will pauses and I raise my head. "If I die and turn, kill me. And don't be stupid about it. You did it once. Just this time...don't miss. Promise me, Canada. Promise me."

  Shit...SHIT! I stare at him, my mind racing with words of protest, but I know he's right. It's something I will have to do.

  I nod and whisper, "I promise."

  I give him a long kiss and he holds me tightly against him until, finally, I pull away and tell him I have to go. He nods and I stand up and reach for the hatch.

  Looking back at him, I say, "Just do me a favor. Don't die."

  He gives me a thumbs-up but the sad, defeated look on his face is going to stay with me for a very long time.

  I give him a weak smile then climb up and out onto the roof. I get into a shooting position, bring the rifle up, and look through the scope, targeting the first zombie. Pulling the trigger, I start taking them down, one by one.

  Jake takes out the ones closest to the truck. After several minutes of this, I'm almost thrown off the truck-if it hadn't been for Jake grabbing onto me, I would have been-when the truck is rocked back and forth. Looking down, I'm shocked to see the amount of zombies surrounding the truck, all very determined to get to Will and the two of us on top.

  Pulling out my handgun, I help Jake with the ones doing their best to get inside to Will-though the windows should hold, I'd rather not take the chance. One by one they go down. Finally, the area
around our truck is cleared-for the most part-and I get back to sniping the ones closer to the house. When I've got them down to a more reasonable amount, Jake pulls the truck forward as I continue clearing the zombies.

  He pulls the truck sideways against the porch steps and close enough that the handrails dig into the truck. Reloading my handgun and loading my pockets with more bullets, I lean down inside the truck and give Will a kiss, promising once again to be careful.

  Jake leaves the truck running and we climb off the top of the truck and onto the porch. Immediately, a zombie staggers out of the door toward us and I shoot him in the head. Then we enter the house quietly and slowly. We clear the first floor, taking down several zombies and with my heart pounding, we head up the stairs.

  For some reason, I don't think the second floor of this house is zombie-free. I don't know why I would think that-maybe because I can hear grunting and moaning up here!

  Cautiously, Jake and I start at the first door in the long, dark hallway. He listens first, as usual, then opens the door on each one. We get to a third door and find it wide open. Inside, I see a pair of legs on the floor beside the bed. My heart stops, certain we've found Bianca's dead body. But then I see the legs move and hear loud, intense moans and grunts.

  Shit! So now I'm gonna have to kill a friend!

  Chapter Twelve

  We sneak over to the bed and I take a deep breath, preparing myself. Ready as I'll ever be, I step forward and turn, my gun ready.

  But it's not Bianca!

  The zombie-whoever she is-is desperately trying to get to something under the bed. I walk closer and shoot her in the head and she stops moving. Jake grabs the zombie by its ankles and drags it away. I drop to my knees, again expecting Bianca-but it's a little boy!

  His eyes and mouth are frozen wide open in terror. I keep my hands where he can see them, but I don't reach for him, not wanting to scare him even more. Softly, I tell him he's ok now and we will take care of him. He doesn't move or respond.

  I look up at Jake, pleading with my eyes for him to do something. He nods and motions me away from the bed. He takes my place and I listen as Jake talks to the boy, with a calmness and patience I don't have. Finally, I see a thin arm reach out for Jake. Jake helps him out completely and the little boy latches his arms around Jake's neck, tight.

  Poor little guy. I would guess he's about ten. Brown hair, brown eyes, and skinny as a toothpick-all arms and legs. Jake stands and the boy wraps his legs around Jake, determined not to be let down. Jake pats his back and looks at me with a deep expression of pain. I know how you feel, Jake.

  We leave the room and continue the search for Bianca. I want to call out to her but who knows what else is up here?

  We reach the last door, and I listen. Hearing nothing, I open the door and find what has to be the master bedroom based on the size. The closet doors are wide open but another door is closed. I'm pretty sure it's a bathroom and I'm praying Bianca is behind it...and still living. Walking slowly to the door, I tap on it, softly calling out her name.

  With relief, I hear Bianca respond and the door is flung open. She grabs me around the neck and almost hugs the life out of me, happy to finally be saved. I laugh at her and tell her we found Will and that he's alive. She's very happy about that. She and Will were always pretty close. She says she can't wait to see him. I can't either, so we agree it's time to get the hell out of there.

  She goes back into the bathroom and picks up her little dog, Vayda, a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix with one blue eye, one brown eye and six toes on her front paws. We leave the room and make our way downstairs. At the door, Jake pauses to look around and sucks in a breath. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, Jake!

  I move forward and look around his arm. The entire block is filling up with undead! They have already surrounded the truck on all but our side, though not from lack of trying. A few are trying to bash down the wooden handrails, which are the only things, besides the steps, keeping them from us.

  I suck in my own breath and Bianca lets out a whimper. The boy buries his head in Jake's neck and cries. I look at Will inside the truck and he's staring at me, fear for for us in his eyes.

  I look at Jake, confused when he doesn't move, and I see he's just standing there, staring wide-eyed at the zombies.

  Knowing it won't be long before they get the handrails down, I give Jake a shove and tell him to get the hell on the truck before it's too late, and he abruptly returns from his frozen state, leading the way.

  With difficulty, he detaches the boy and places him on the roof of the truck. The boy starts screaming as he's removed from his savior, which sends the undead into a frenzy. Jake snaps at him to scoot back and the boy actually obeys, giving room for Bianca and me to get up. Jake climbs up at last and the boy throws himself onto him.

  I look around in astonishment at how many I see. They are literally everywhere! You have got to be kidding me! I grab up the shotgun and start blasting. I hear Jake tell the boy between each shot that he has to go inside where he'll be safe, and after a few protests, the kid finally goes.

  Bianca tells me to hand her a gun and I give her a handgun. She's not too bad up close. Jake uses his rifle to take out what he can, but soon hollers down to Will to give him some of the grenades he had restocked inside the backseat storage compartment.

  One by one, Jake throws the grenades and we watch as body parts fly in all directions. Bianca and I are still shooting the ones we can but they just keep coming! I'm worried about the ammo we have, not knowing exactly how much Jake has brought with us.

  I tell Bianca to get inside and then ask Jake if we should try what we had before, him blasting as I drive out of this mess. He agrees, saying we don't have much choice. I jump inside and scramble into the driver's seat. The boy is curled up into Bianca's lap, arms around her neck, face hidden in her chest. Will is next to Bianca, his arm around her, comforting her-or at least trying to. Looking outside, there isn't a whole lot of comfort to be found.

  Putting the truck in drive, I ease away from the house, careful not to knock Jake off the roof or screw up his aim. Grenades go off in front of us, and I drive through the pockets Jake makes. But all too soon, the supply of grenades are gone and Jake is dropping inside.

  When he settles in the seat next to me, I look at him, terror on my face. There are still too many zombies and there is no way I can drive through them. This isn't a movie! Real vehicles can't take the kind of damage the movies portray. And having a vehicle that doesn't go anywhere is the last thing we need!

  Jake just looks back at me and shrugs in defeat. What the hell!

  OK. That pisses me off. What good is it to have a frikken badass military man if he can't save the day all the time?

  I remind myself that this isn't a movie. Fine. Then it's up to me. I'm not going to just give up and become a zombie's main course.

  My brain starts kicking into overdrive, and spotting an alley just as we come to it, I jerk the truck into the turn. Pressing the gas, I take out a few of the zombies, then yell at Jake to get back up and start shooting the damn things. He does, and since the alley isn't nearly as full as the streets, we make it through the next few until coming to a street that is much less congested with undead than what we left behind.

  Sighing with relief, I look over at Jake when he collapses back down in the seat next to me. But then rage fills me. Justified? I don't know. Do I care if it is? Nope!

  As low as I can so no one else can hear, I growl at him, "What the hell was that all about, Jake? Are you done fighting? Want me to let your ass out right here so you can be chewed on? Be more than frikken happy to, you dumbass!" Ok, maybe I was a little over-the-top, but really? Come on! He's going to get his own ass killed!

  "I'm sorry. I just ran out of ideas. It happens, you know. I'm not Superman! And what the hell do you care, anyway?" he growls back at me.

  "Well, of course you're not Superman. I never said you were! But being in the military, fighting in wars, I'd think
you would be able to cope a little better." My frustration is rising.

  Sighing, Jake runs a hand over his head and then down his face. When he turns his face to me, I gasp in surprise and shock.

  "Holy hell, Jake! You look like shit. I'm sorry. I forgot you haven't had sleep in a really long time. I'm really, really sorry." I am, too. He looks pretty damn bad.

  I suggest he crawl in the very back and get some of that much needed sleep, and he agrees easily. But I stop him from moving by placing my hand on his arm. He looks at me-his expression exhausted, but curious.

  Quietly, I tell him, "I do care, Jake."

  Jake continues to stare at me for a few moments, then shoves my hand off his arm and climbs over the back of the seat, on a mission to claim his sleeping area. I watch as the kid follows him and I can hear Jake talking to him as he makes a bed on the floor for the boy.

  Will tells Bianca to get some sleep, too, and gives her some clean blankets and a pillow. Then, throwing his own bedding and pillow up front, he slowly and carefully climbs over the seat.

  He places his pillow on my right leg, lies down, and covers up. I feel his forehead and am relieved to find it's not near as hot as it was. I pull the blanket off him and he bitches, but I ignore him. Finally, he settles down and falls asleep.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The truck is quiet now since I'm the only one awake-the stillness inside and the undead outside-sends chills straight through me. It is so freakin' eerie! I think this may be the one time so far I've felt alone in this, even though I know I'm not, but it's easy to feel that way at this moment. I drive us out of town and back to the highway and allow my thoughts to wander to...Jake. Did you even have to guess?

  I just want to make it clear, to you, that I was not trying to rekindle our "thing"-whatever that "thing" is. I simply wanted him to know that I do care what happens to him. Jake's important to our group and he's helped us all, a lot. And since you're expecting me to lie about my own feelings, I'm going to prove your ass wrong. I care about Jake because...I care about Jake. Yes, I wanted him badly. Yes, I wanted to be a family with Jake. But that was before I had Will back. Will is the one who completes my family. He's the original and no one can replace the real deal. He's my husband, my kids dad, and my best friend. I'm not going to give him up for someone who even admitted he just wanted sex. I'm not even going to risk it for a one-time-no-one-has-to-know thing, either. Would you? And if you said yes...shut up!