Surviving Rage | Book 1

by Arellano, J. D.

  Brittney shrugged. “Yeah. He killed Teresa after Victoria showed up.”

  “Who?”

  “Teresa. I guess she was the first one they took. Some skinny girl that worked at the AM/PM. He raped her a lot and it broke her. She stopped talking, even to us. She stopped eating and drinking, and when he came for her, she just laid there. I guess he got bored, so he took her out back and shot her. You can see her if you look out that window.” Tears forming in her eyes, she gestured towards the back window.

  “Damn.”

  Melanie sat on the bed, looking at her hands, which she held in her lap. There was no way out, no escape from these evil men. She couldn’t fight back, she was too small. His men had killed her after, and probably her mother and brother, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Or was there?

  Maybe there was a way to get revenge, and possibly stop them.

  She looked at the women. “You ladies want to get even with these fuckers?”

  Collectively, the women recoiled, surprised at her language. If she was being honest with herself, she was a little surprised as well.

  Sasha spoke first. “What do you have in mind?”

  Melanie stood up from the bed, turning to face them as a group. “Look, he’s going to use us, then kill us. The men with him are probably doing the same to others.”

  Brittney nodded. “They are. We hear women screaming from the other rooms.”

  “We’re going to die, no matter what we do, right?”

  Sasha nodded. “Yeah.”

  Victoria and Brittney nodded in agreement as well.

  “So we infect ourselves.”

  The three women stood up, shocked. “What?!”

  “Yeah. We infect ourselves and we infect them, maybe kill him in the process. I saw a man break his leg and continue chasing after my family’s van. They feel no pain. But first, we infect ourselves and pass it on to him. He goes out there,” she gestured towards the backyard, where the sounds of the party were intensifying, “and he infects them without even knowing it.” She lowered her hands to her sides, resting her case. “And maybe it stops them from hurting others.”

  The women looked at each other, searching for ideas. Minutes passed in silence before Victoria spoke. “I’ll do it.”

  “Me, too.” Sasha nodded, resolve showing in her eyes.

  “Count me in.” Brittney said, looking towards the locked double doors. “Let’s take these motherfuckers down.

  Melanie calmly walked to the bathroom door, opened it, and looked down at the corpse of the man. Before she could reconsider, she knelt down, swiped her hand in the blood, and stuck her fingers in her mouth. The other women followed suit, making sure they got a good amount of blood into their system. Afterwards, they washed up and closed the door, placing the towel back where it was.

  Then they waited.

  When Big John showed up hours later, drunk and horny, the three of them smiled widely, beckoning for him to join them on the bed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  Driving slowly and cautiously on Old Highway 395, Daniel and Serafina were on edge, looking ahead and to the sides for any signs of people. In the backseat, Ashley and Paul had been asked to keep their windows open so that they could listen for any car noises or things that may be of concern, while Brenna was asked to keep an eye out for anything coming up behind them, allowing Daniel to stay focused on what lay ahead.

  Earlier, they’d driven back to the previous offramp only to find that it, too, was blocked. Daniel kicked himself for not noticing it the first time they'd driven past, but in fairness, maneuvering the Jeep in between and around the damaged and discarded vehicles had required the majority of his attention.

  When they saw the 18-wheeler blocking the ramp to exit the freeway, no one in the Jeep was the slightest bit concerned. The highly capable off-road vehicle easily climbed the curb and drove over dirt, rocks, and brush to get around the big rig, forging a path where there was none. Reentering the road, they’d turned onto the 395 and began driving north.

  Three miles later, they’d slowed, knowing that the immigration checkpoint, with the heavily armed men, was only about a half-mile to the west. While the engine was well-tuned and relatively quiet, the heavily knobbed tires seemed incredibly loud on the pavement, so Daniel kept the speed below ten miles an hour in an effort to minimize the hum they made at higher speeds.

  Ashley’s voice came from the back. “I see something.”

  As agreed, Daniel remained focused on what was ahead while Serafina responded. “What is it?”

  The girl shook her head. “I saw someone attacking another person, and they looked at us, but then they went back to what they were doing. I think the other person was already dead.”

  “That’s terrible.” Serafina reached out and placed her hand on the girl’s leg to comfort her. “Are you okay?”

  Ashley nodded, continuing to stare out the window. “Just wish this was all over.”

  “Me, too. But for now, we’re going to head to the cabin, where we can stay safe and wait this out.”

  Brenna spoke up. “But what if the government can’t find a cure?”

  Without hesitation, Serafina responded. “Then we’ll do what we have to to survive. Your Dad and I will take care of you girls. That’s our job.”

  Brenna nodded, fear showing on her face. She took a deep breath, then turned and resumed looking out the back window.

  Sitting back in her seat, Serafina looked out the window, wondering exactly how they would survive if the government couldn’t find a cure. Things were already descending into chaos, as evidenced by the men at the checkpoint, and once power and water went out, things would get astronomically worse. She and Daniel had considered putting solar panels on the cabin, but with the limited daylight hours in the mountains, combined with an annual snowy season, it was evident they wouldn’t be very beneficial. There was a generator, but of course that would require fuel, which would eventually be hard to get. The one saving grace was the fireplace, which would keep them warm when it got cold. The fire pit out back could be used to cook stuff as well, assuming they had food to cook. What they’d brought was a pretty good start, but it was really only enough to last about a month, maybe a month and a half if they strictly rationed it. The lone bright spot was the water supply. The filtration systems Daniel had gotten were highly effective and with them the family would be fine on that front for a long time. There were a few small streams in the area they could take water from, and in the worst case, they could take from the lake.

  Of course, any injury or sickness beyond something minor would be a major challenge. Daniel had brought back loads of first aid stuff from the store, but that was all it was: first aid. Anything serious would require expertise none of them had and supplies that they’d have to hope to find.

  Daniel looked over at her briefly before turning back to the road. “You alright?”

  Serafina nodded, putting the concerns aside. They were what they were, and now was not the time to try to resolve them. “Yeah, just tired,” she said, reaching over and rubbing his arm. He reached down and took hold of her hand, bringing it to his mouth to place a kiss on its back. She pulled his hand to her lips and did the same before letting go.

  They rode in silence, looking and listening for any indication that they’d been heard or seen. The two lane highway was mostly clear as it wound down the side of the mountain into Temecula Valley. There were a few vehicles parked on the side of the road, but fortunately none of them were blocking the road.

  As they put more and more distance between them and the men at the checkpoint, the family began to relax. Serafina heard Ashley and Brenna whisper things to each other, and at least once or twice they included Paul in their conversation.

  Daniel exhaled as they reached the bottom of the hill, relaxing momentarily. Ahead was an intersection and along with it, a decision. Checking his rear view mirror once more, he pulled the Jeep to the side of the road
.

  “What do you think?”

  Serafina considered their options. To the left, they would make their way back to the freeway, which would be better for heading north. To the right, they’d continue heading north via the streets and could rejoin the freeway later. She looked at the map on her phone before responding. “From the checkpoint down, the first exit is the spot where we’d be getting back onto the freeway; probably also the exit they use to get off of it. That would probably mean wherever they’re staying is near there. Honestly, it seems unlikely that they would be much further, and I tend to think they’d actually want to stay close to the freeway.”

  Daniel nodded. “I agree.”

  “I’m saying we head to the right. We can take the first left, which will connect us to Margarita Road. Margarita will take us all the way up past the fifteen-two fifteen split.”

  “I like it.” Daniel put the Jeep in gear and pulled back out onto the road. As they approached the 79 freeway, he slowed again, coming to a crawl. At the intersection they studied the road on both sides. The 79 was six lanes wide at that point, and the lanes there looked much like those they’d seen elsewhere: cars, trucks, and SUVs were either wrecked or abandoned and in several spots, bodies lay on the street, unmoving. Smoke rose from some of the vehicles, but no flames were visible.

  Daniel turned to the right, weaving between a Penske moving truck and a Nissan Pathfinder, which had been on the receiving end of the bigger vehicle’s failure to stop. The SUV had been knocked forward and to the side, its back end completely smashed. As they drove by, Serafina saw a Filipino woman in the driver’s seat, apparently dead from the violent impact. The airbag had deployed, but it hadn’t done anything to stop the back of the seat from being pushed forward into the steering column, crushing the woman.

  Passing the wreck, Daniel increased their speed a bit, anxious to get off the major thoroughfare. They soon realized that the Northbound lanes (which actually headed west, towards the 15) were less congested than the Southbound ones, so Daniel drove the Jeep over the center divide and used the other side of the road until they reached their turn.

  As Daniel turned onto the small street, he leaned over towards Serafina. “You know, I’m thinking we’ll probably need to find somewhere to stop for the night.”

  “I agree. Clearly we won’t make it there tonight.”

  “Right, and I don’t want to drive after dark. Our headlights will make us moving targets.”

  Nodding, she realized he was right. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “Paul and I had to drive several miles without lights. It wasn’t fun, and that was in an area I know well.”

  “Okay, let me see what looks good for stopping.” She pulled up the map on her phone, using her fingers to zoom in on the picture while simultaneously wishing the screen was bigger. After a few minutes, she found what she was looking for. “Okay, once Margarita hits Murrieta Hot Springs, we’ll turn left and then there’s a really big park area off to the right. We can get there without straying too far from our route.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Over the next forty five minutes they continued working their way north, driving around vehicles, bodies, and fallen power lines. They again traveled on the wrong side of the road for a clearer path, finding that most people had been trying to head north, as they were.

  Twice, they saw infected people attacking others. Once, Ashley had spotted a commotion inside a Dunkin’ Donuts, and they’d slowed just in time to see a person get thrown violently through the plate glass window towards the street. The body had landed with a thud on the pavement, twenty feet from where they were. The infected fought and clawed as they tried to get by each other to climb through the window, determined to continue their assault on the dead person. Somehow, they were too focused on their prey to notice the big grey Jeep driving by. ‘Or maybe they’re colorblind,’ Serafina had thought to herself as they left them behind.

  The second time they saw an attack had been much more harrowing.

  Daniel had pulled the Jeep up to an intersection near the mall when an Asian woman in a white t-shirt and black slacks had come running from one of the fast food restaurants that lined the left side of the road. She was screaming wildly, begging for help. As she ran, a black backpack swung from side to side behind her.

  Chasing her was a chubby white man in a light blue button up shirt and dark blue slacks running with a speed that seemed impossible for his size. Legs and arms pumping, his shirt soaked through with sweat, he was closing ground quickly.

  Daniel put the Jeep in park and grabbed his Glock 19 as he exited the vehicle. He walked a few steps towards the commotion before he stopped, placed his feet shoulder width apart, and brought the gun up, holding it in his dominant right hand, bracing it with his left. The woman ran quickly through the plants, nearly tripping twice before she reached the hedge at the edge of the sidewalk. Her movements made it hard for Daniel to get a clean shot on the man behind her, so he waited, unwilling to risk hitting her.

  Hair flying, the woman tried to hurdle the hedge and leaped high, extending her front leg outward. As she did, the man dove, reaching out and grabbing the backpack that she wore. The man’s grasp on the backpack was fleeting, as the shiny faux leather material slipped from his grasp, but it was enough to stop the momentum of the woman’s upper body. As he watched, Daniel saw the young woman’s eyes go wide as her feet came upward and her torso was pulled back. The woman slammed down onto the pavement, breaking her skull with a terrible sound. The man was on her in a flash, attacking her lifeless body.

  Daniel pulled the trigger twice, placing bullets in the man’s head. It fell onto the woman, dead. The two figures laid there on the concrete, the blood flowing from them creating a large puddle around their motionless forms.

  Looking down at them, Daniel shook his head. “Fuck!” He shouted, turning back to the car.

  Serafina and the others were quiet as Daniel got in. They knew he was blaming himself, even though it clearly wasn’t his fault. Daniel leaned and placed his head on the steering wheel, his eyes closed tightly. Reaching over gently, Serafina placed her hand on his back, resting it there to let him know she was there for him. Daniel stayed like that for a minute, then pulled back, taking a deep breath. He looked over at her, took her hand, and squeezed it.

  When their eyes met, she said, simply, “It’s not your fault.’

  Nodding, he replied, “I know. But still….”

  “You can’t save everyone.”

  Daniel sighed before putting the Jeep in gear and checked the mirror, ready to pull back onto the road. “I know. I just wish I could do more. That’s twice now that I haven’t been able to help someone.”

  Serafina grabbed his arm, hard, stopping him. “Hey. There’s someone back there,” she jerked her head towards the back seat, “who’s pretty damn glad that you were there for him.”

  Daniel looked towards the back seat. Paul was watching him intently. Looking back at Serafina, he nodded. “You’re right. Thanks.” He took his foot off the brake and put it on the gas, pulling away from the curb.

  Serafina smiled slightly, glad that she’d been able to lighten his mood a bit. She looked back at the girls and Paul. “Doing okay back there?”

  “Yeah.” Ashley responded, still looking out the window at where the two bodies laid. “That was scary, though.”

  Brenna looked away, not wanting to see the bodies anymore. “I’m okay.” She looked at her dad. “That was a good shooting, Dad.”

  “Thanks.”

  Paul leaned forward. “When we get to Big Bear, can you teach me to shoot like that?”

  Daniel nodded, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. “You’re all gonna learn to shoot like that. With a pistol AND a rifle.”

  Paul leaned back into his seat, nodding.

  Ashley and Brenna looked at each other in surprise, then smiled in approval.

  Daniel raised his voice slightly. “Hey. Current rules still apply.
Those guns stay where they are unless Auntie or I say differently.”

  They readily agreed to his instructions, though each of them was eager to learn.

  Thirty minutes later, they turned onto Murrieta Hot Springs road, drove a half-mile, then turned onto the residential street which would take them to the park. With the park on the left, the houses lined only the right side of the street, making it a bit easier to watch for movement. In a few of the houses, they saw movement inside, but each time the movement was the type that indicated someone was hiding, trying to avoid contact with the outside world.

  ‘Smart choice,’ Serafina thought to herself as she looked ahead, then back down at her phone. “Up ahead there will be a road on the left, which will take us to the picnic area.”

  Daniel nodded as he watched the road. “Got it.”

  When they reached the road, Daniel slowed, peering ahead to make sure there wasn’t anyone or anything waiting for them. The road was narrow, even with two lanes, and tree branches hung onto the path. As he drove down the short road, he kept to the center of the road, ensuring maximum distance between them and the areas hidden by the bushes.

  After five hundred yards, the road widened, opening out onto a small parking lot, which was empty save two small cars, which appeared locked and empty. Ahead and to the left there was a small picnic area with eight picnic tables, their eight associated grills nearby. Beyond that was a playground set with swings and a play set. Closer was a series of trash receptacles, half of which were for refuse disposal, the other half for recycling. To the right was a brick building which held men’s and women’s restrooms. Beyond the tables was a wide grass field that stretched outward for about five hundred yards before reaching the edge of a small lake. Serafina figured in most states they would consider it a pond, but in SoCal it was a lake.

  On the bright side, the entire area was empty, with the exception of birds and a few squirrels.

  Cutting a wide circle in the parking lot, Daniel swung the Jeep around and stopped with it facing the road that they’d come in on. Opening the door, he grabbed his Glock and the shotgun. He put the handgun behind his back in his waistband, then he chambered a round and shouldered the shotgun, flicking off the safety. “Sera, can you come around and get in the driver's seat? I’m gonna clear the area. If there’s trouble, I want you to be ready to get the hell out of here.”