by DeLeon, Jon
“I already said I’d do it,” Tyler said.
“Good, then HOPEFULLY tomorrow we’ll be able to make a call,” Liz said.
The night and dinner dragged on until all three turned in for the night. Kurt lay on the couch. That night, he dreamt of Joe running up the concrete stairs again. This time, he saw Joe stuck at the door at the top of the stairs. Kurt was on the other side. He knocked three times, one time and then four times, and the door opened. Joe was saved.
Kurt was in the driver’s seat while Liz navigated and Tyler tried to fix the satellite phone.
“Any luck, Tyler?” Kurt asked.
Tyler set down the phone, leaned back and let out a sigh. “No. I can save pieces of it but not the whole thing. I think I can repair the dial function, but the circuit card for sending the signal out is melted, actually melted. Told you it wouldn’t work,” Tyler said, in a bad mood again at failing.
“I think I see a clearing up on the left, probably a good spot to make camp tonight. Looks like it’s relatively dry ground.” Kurt pulled the wheel to the left and parked the RV in a small gap between a few larger trees. “I’m going to stretch my legs.”
Tyler looked up from his unfinished fix. “No. Man, you’ve been driving all day. Why don’t you take a nap and rest up a little bit. Then you’ll have enough energy to take first shift tonight.”
The three had put together a plan of rotating schedules and shifts so that there was always someone awake at night. They didn’t want to be ambushed in their sleep. Having one of the three on guard put everyone to peace.
“I’ll check the area out, and Liz can get dinner started.” Tyler checked his handgun, ensuring that there was a round in the chamber.
“All right.” Kurt climbed between the split captain’s seats as Tyler went out the side door. Kurt stopped just before the bedroom door. “What’s for dinner tonight?”
Liz answered with as much sarcastic excitement as she could. “Tonight’s special is SPAM stew.”
“At least I’ll have something to dream about.” Kurt laughed as he closed the door.
Kurt watched as Joe as was trapped in that stairwell once again. This time, he couldn’t help him. Kurt lurched awake from his terrible nightmare. “I hate that dream,” he whispered to himself before lying back down and letting sleep reclaim him.
Kurt was lying on a beach. He felt the sun warming his skin. He sat up, waking from a nap to see his brother, Joe, splashing in the ocean. Joe waved to him, calling him to come in. Kurt stood and let his toes sink into the soft sand. He smiled as he ran into the ocean. The water was lukewarm. He could taste the salt in the air. He ran in the shallow ocean to Joe. They hugged each other, both happily laughing. Then in an instant, Joe became blue and cold. Kurt watched his brother slowly turning into an icicle. “I’ll find you,” Kurt said to him. “I’ll find you!” Joe’s embrace began to freeze Kurt. He could feel the ice up on his back.
Two appendages of ice shattered the dream Kurt was having. Consciousness rushed upon him like a tidal wave. He sat up with a jolt, with open eyes. His adrenaline brought his body fully awake in a heartbeat. Kurt expected an undead attacker to take a bite out of his face. Instead he felt a rush of warmth on his mouth. Soft, moist lips made contact with his. Liz was straddling Kurt, laying onto him a kiss full of passion and promise. For a moment, Kurt let himself melt into that oral embrace, feeling a rush of love and excitement course through his veins. Then Kurt’s mind came back to him. He pushed Liz back, severing their connection.
“What are you doing?” Kurt’s voice was a confused whisper.
“Relax. Just let it happen.”
“But you’re married.”
“He won’t be back for a while.”
“That’s not the point.”
Liz rolled off Kurt so they were now lying side by side. It was now that Kurt realized she was only in her panties and bra. She had come for much more than a kiss.
“You don’t understand, Kurt.”
“I’m pretty sure I do.”
“I’m not a bad person.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“Ever since all this . . . zombie stuff . . . Tyler hasn’t touched me. I have needs.”
Kurt lay in silence.
“Tyler used to be a loving man. He was always laughing and joking around. He made me happy every time we were together. Now, well, now he is so serious. Tyler doesn’t smile, doesn’t flirt, doesn’t love. I only ever feel cold around him.”
“He has a lot on his mind to deal with.”
“We all do, Kurt. Tyler has just changed. He isn’t the man I fell in love with. I do love him though. With you, I could just fill the other needs I have.”
“It’s not right.”
Liz turned so she was looking Kurt in the eyes.
Kurt knew he shouldn’t. Every moral code and religious doctrine that had been drilled into his mind screamed at him. There, staring at a beautiful woman in nothing but her underwear in the back of an older Winnebago in the middle of the Russian forest during the zombie apocalypse, Kurt let himself go. As Kurt leaned into her kiss, Liz pulled his shirt over his head and threw it in the corner. His pants came off next. They were both in their underwear, sharing a passionate kiss, when Kurt’s mind came back to him. He pushed Liz back, breaking the hold her warm lips had on his emotions.
“Wait,” Kurt said, “I can’t.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Listen, Liz, I don’t want you to take this wrong. I mean, you’re awesome and beautiful, and I want to. God do I want to, but it’s not right.”
“Kurt, the world ended. There is no right or wrong in this zombie world. Besides, no one will know.”
“I will, and it is still wrong to me.”
Kurt gathered his clothes. Liz did the same.
Liz looked up from the shoelaces she had just finished tying. “Kurt, don’t hate me now. I couldn’t bear that. You’re amazing. Besides, you have to admit it would be fun.”
“I don’t hate you, and it would be fun, but you’re married.”
Liz stood up and walked back to the middle of the RV to check on the pot of stew threatening to boil over. She turned and looked at Kurt. “Thank you.”
“Yeah.” Kurt responded. What the hell?
It was only a few minutes later that the latch on the side door of the Winnebago opened and in stepped Tyler. He was dripping wet and his boots were covered in mud.
“Is dinner ready? I could definitely use some warm soup right now,” said Tyler.
“Just finishing it up now. Take your boots off and wash up.”
Kurt was surprised at how unfazed by their embrace Liz appeared. Had she done this before? Was it an open marriage? As Liz and Tyler kissed a welcome to each other, Kurt’s stomach wrenched slightly. He felt a weight of guilt pile on top of his shoulders. The best thing Kurt could do now was to keep his mind distracted elsewhere.
“Tyler, anything new out there?”
“Hey, Kurt, how was your nap?”
“I’m still a little tired, but it was good.” Kurt almost choked on his words.
“Well we can all get some good sleep tonight. There is nothing around for miles, and with the rain falling now and muddy conditions, I doubt anything, zombie or not, will be attacking tonight.”
“How long is the rain going to last?” asked Kurt.
Tyler started washing his hands and laughed to himself. “I’m not a weatherman, Kurt.”
“Hopefully not too long.” Liz started to pour stew into three bowls she had set out at the kitchen table. “I wouldn’t want to get the RV stuck here.”
“Yeah, me either.” Tyler had had enough of the mud for one day.
“Then let’s eat and get some rest and dream of waking up to a dry morning.” Kurt was happy to have something else to focus his worry on. Thank God for bad weather.
The next day brought an answer to their prayers. At sunrise it was evident the rain had stopped sometime in the night. The g
round had frozen over and turned into a hard compact. It would be easy going.
The ground may have become easier terrain, yet the going had become more difficult. Their progress had become more and more troublesome. At first they thought the rain had knocked down trees, but at the third road blocked by trees, something else became evident.
Tyler and Kurt had gotten out of the RV and were trying to move the downed tree. It wasn’t that thick a tree and looked moveable.
They walked up to the tree that lay across the road.
“Kurt, look at this,” Tyler said, waving him over. He was pointing at the base of the tree. It was clearly cut. You could see axe marks along the trunk.
“What the hell?” Kurt asked.
“I knew it,” Tyler said. “There’s no way all these trees across the roads could be natural. Someone is doing this.”
“Why?” Kurt asked.
“To keep us out or maybe in?” Tyler said.
“In?” Kurt asked.
“Think about it. If the infected are out there and someone around here isn’t, I wouldn’t want people getting out and bringing zombies back with them to where I was safe. I’d lock them in and stay safe behind my barriers.”
“That would mean there’s somewhere safe around here.”
“Yeah, but they may not be very welcoming.”
“Still, maybe they can help us.”
“Maybe.”
“Well let’s get this tree out of the way and find out,” Kurt said.
Tyler and Kurt picked up one side of the tree and dragged it to the side, clearing the road. Liz drove the RV past where the blockage was.
“Let’s put it back,” Tyler said.
“Why?” Kurt asked.
“To keep others from following us, to keep the zombies from following them to us.”
“But if there are more alive . . .”
“Kurt. This is about our survival. Mine, yours and Liz’s lives. You are going to put her in danger. You want to do that? Grab the fucking tree.”
Tyler and Kurt moved the tree back across the road.
As they stepped back inside the RV, Kurt into the passenger seat and Tyler through the side door, Liz turned to Kurt. “Why did you move the tree back?” she asked, confused.
Kurt just waved his hand and shook his head. Don’t.
Liz understood the meaning. She drove for about an hour, coming to a stop suddenly.
“Another roadblock?” Tyler asked from the back.
“No, we actually may be in luck!” Liz said, pointing out the windshield of a tanker on the side of the road.
The semi truck was tipped over, its wheels sunk so deep in the mud that it had flipped on its right side. “With all the backtracking, we only have one full gas can of reserve fuel on top of the RV.” They had started with nearly twenty strapped to the top. The last few days had used quite a bit of gas. This tanker could solve their fuel issue if it had anything left.
“Yes!” Tyler said, pumping his fist. “Come on, Kurt, let’s go see if there is anything left in that tanker.”
“Are you sure about this?” Kurt asked as Tyler and he approached the crashed tanker.
“We need the gas,” Tyler said as he quickly moved, gun drawn, and looked in the driver’s window. “No one home.”
“Let’s see if there is anything left in this tank.” Kurt moved to the back side of the truck and found a valve. He opened it and stepped aside. Nothing happened. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Tyler asked. He was scanning the forest, listening for anything out of the ordinary.
“I don’t think there is anything left in it,” Kurt said.
“Smell it,” Tyler responded.
“What?”
“Smell if there are any fumes coming out of it. There may be some gas still inside, just not enough for it to reach that spout.”
Kurt leaned in and took a whiff, too big a whiff. He started coughing violently. “There’s,” cough, “definitely,” cough, “something in there.”
Tyler held back a little laugh. “Well you got the hose, right? Start sucking.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Hey, we need the gas.” Tyler openly laughed once. “I’ll cover you, don’t worry. Besides, all you have to do is get it started. Just don’t swallow it.”
“I hate you.”
Tyler laughed audibly.
Kurt pushed the hose he had carried over from the RV into the tanker. When he felt like he had pushed it to the bottom, he took the other end and started sucking. He sucked hard for a few pulls. He could feel it working. With one last massive inhale, gasoline shot into his mouth. He pulled the hose out fast, splashing himself in the face. “Ah, shit!” he exclaimed, falling to the ground.
Tyler ran over. “Here, give me the hose.” He grabbed the hose and pushed it into a gas canister. “I told you not to swallow it,” Tyler said as he laughed.
Kurt couldn’t even respond. He was too busy coughing and wiping his face with his shirt.
Tyler moved the hose to a second gas can they had carried over to the tanker. “Kurt, hold this while I get more gas cans!”
Kurt reached out, his senses somewhat returning. Tyler waved to Liz, who brought the RV up the road next to them. In a matter of half an hour, they had filled nearly ten cans and the RV before the tanker went dry.
Kurt had rinsed his face with water, but he was still burning inside and out. “I’ll drive next,” he said.
“You sure, man?” Tyler asked. “Can you even see?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just burning. Trust me, I’m more alive and energized than I’ve probably ever been.”
“Guess you don’t need Enerjax if you just drink gas, huh?” Liz said, laughing.
“Feed that shit to zombies and they’d probably be back to normal,” Kurt joked.
Tyler laughed. “I’ll copilot. Liz can take a nap now. We’ll have to keep the windows open to let that air out or we’ll all be burning. Definitely, I think just you being alive is enough.”
“Sounds good,” said Kurt.
Kurt was again behind the wheel. The taste of gas seemed to have tainted his gums. It had been a few hours since he had basically swallowed pure diesel, yet every breath he took burned his throat, and every swallow churned his gut. As he negotiated a sloping curve in the road, Kurt was daydreaming of the past, doing anything to take his mind off the fuel rotting his taste buds. He was on a beach with his brother just before Joe had left for Afghanistan. Together they had shared a day of truly epic proportions. In the morning, the two brothers had signed up for and ended up winning a beach volleyball tournament. After that win, they had shared a few beers with a group of international supermodels visiting South Beach for a photo shoot. It was in the afternoon, when the models had left, that Joe and Kurt lay out listening to music, soaking up the last rays of sun. The sky had been on fire with an orange glow. How Kurt wished he could just magically transport himself there.
Kurt was wrenched from this wonderful dream in an instant. Fear brought him back to real life.
His subconscious was looking out for him. As the road straightened from the turn, a pile of trees that had been felled lay across the road. Attached to the middle of the tree wall was a stop sign. Kurt’s body reacted before his mind realized what was going on. He slammed on the brakes, sending the Winnebago into a tailspin. The RV skidded sideways, stopping less than a foot from the trees.
Tyler, who had been asleep in the passenger seat, woke up as his face smashed into the side window. “What the fuck?!”
“Is everyone all right?” Kurt had a vice-like grip on the steering wheel.
“Yeah.” Liz had been napping in the back of the camper and hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“I’m fine. What was that about?” Tyler was not happy.
“Someone blocked the road again. Look!” Kurt released his hand from the steering wheel and pointed at the obstruction outside his side window. This blockage was almost a wall, clear
ly bigger and better built than the previous roadblocks they had run into. Tyler leaned over, peering outside. He hopped out of the RV and walked around the front to get a better view.
“Hello? Is there anyone out there?”
Kurt lowered the window. “What are you doing?”
“I’m tired of this shit! Someone made these blockades!”
“Yeah, and maybe they are some backcountry cannibals.”
Tyler laughed. “You watch too many movies, man.”
“Okay, that was a little extreme, but how do you know we can trust anyone we meet?”
“We trusted you. Was that a bad choice?”
Kurt felt his heart skip a beat, his mind going back to the cold and warm night kissing Liz. “No.”
“Exactly.” Tyler cupped his hands to his mouth and turned to the forest. “Hello! Is anyone alive out there?”
Liz had gathered herself and was now standing behind Kurt’s seat. “What’s going on?”
From somewhere in the forest, a menacing voice shouted, “Show me your hands! Have the driver do the same and slowly get out. Slowly.” The last command was full of threat.
Tyler took a step toward the voice. “Hello, I’m Tyler.”
The voice repeated its demand with more menace. “Stop! Hands up! Have the driver step out of the vehicle, now!”
Tyler lifted his foot to take a step forward. A gunshot ricocheted off a rock by his left boot. Tyler stuck his empty hands out, above his head.
“Whoa! Wait! Stop!”
“Have the other person step out of the RV or the next shot rings true.”
“Kurt, I think you better come out here.”
“Liz, stay in the RV and out of sight.” Kurt opened the driver’s door, paused for a second to gather his courage and hopped out. He walked forward with his hands raised, joining Tyler.
After a painful minute, what looked like two mirages emerged from the underbrush to the side of the road. Two men dressed in immense and elaborate ghillie suits approached. They clearly knew the skill of stealth. Each suit had been covered in leaves, pinecones and branches from the surrounding forest, yet every step they took was silent. Not a single rustle or snap. Kurt and Tyler looked at each other nervously as the men grew close, their rifles aimed directly at Kurt’s and Tyler’s chests.
