by Roberts, EM
Six hours later
Roe awoke to the sound of moaning. She glanced over at Pete. He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands. His back glistened from sweat, a bead of it rolling down into the crack of his ass. She climbed over and sat on the edge of the bed beside him.
“You okay?”
“No...My head--awful pain,” he muttered incoherently.
She grasped his chin, flinching at the heat she felt radiating from his skin. Looking into his eyes, she gasped. It was the worst case of bloodshot she’d ever seen. She stood, walked to the counter and grabbed the thermometer. Placing it under his tongue, she nervously waited-- 106.4. She paused. Maybe it was some kind of mistake. She turned the thermometer off and then back on. This time, the reading was 106.8.
“Let me get dressed. I’m driving you to the hospital.” She turned and ran to the small closet that held her clothes. She was surprised he wasn’t delusional yet. A fever that high generally resulted in delusions and convulsions. Grabbing a pair of jeans, she bent over to slip them on.
Suddenly, without warning, she felt the force of his body hit her from behind, and she fell over onto her face and head. A little stunned, she quickly rolled over and looked up into the face of a mad man. He fell down on top of her and grabbed her arms, pinning her to the floor.
“Pete, you’re hurting me. Get off of me! You’re delirious with fever. Pete...listen to me.” She bucked wildly trying to throw him off. Roe wasn’t a small or weak woman. She was 5’9 in her sock feet, and for a woman in her early fifties, she was athletic and muscular. She kept in shape for situations like this. After all, she was a single woman traveling on her own. Normally, she could hold her own, but Pete’s hands felt like vices.
He grunted and leaned closer and closer…until she could smell his morning breath. It wasn’t very appealing.
“What the fuck? Get offf of meee!” she screamed wildly. She could only attribute this violence to his high fever. She bucked again dislodging him slightly, but not enough.
She felt his teeth pierce her shoulder. He ripped away a small chunk of skin, chewing it in satisfaction. His face was almost ecstatic with pleasure as he chewed.
Roe looked at him in shock and disbelief. She could feel the blood flowing from her shoulder and running down her arm and chest. The pain was intense. He leaned in closer for a second time. She felt a surge of adrenaline and bucked wildly again, this time dislodging him completely. She scrambled back, jumping quickly to her feet. She had a moment of insanity where she wanted to go over and try to help him but thought better of it. Instead, buck naked, she ran for the door not even stopping for clothes.
Slamming the door, she looked for something tall enough to prop up against the handle. She grabbed the rake she’d been using the day before. Turning it upside down, she placed the handle down on the top step leading to the trailer and the metal part against the door. She didn’t know if it would hold or not, and she didn’t care to find out. Pretty quick thinking in time of a crisis, she mused as she ran from the camp to the parking lot wincing as the gravel tore at her feet.
Shit, she’d forgotten her phone. She could hear Pete pounding on the door, grunting and roaring as he tried to make his way out. The door knob rattled, violently. She’d meant to get the door fixed. It wouldn’t stay shut unless it was locked, and the rake wouldn’t hold it for long. She had to get him help, but she wasn’t about to go back in for her phone. She ran over to her Jeep and jumped in. Reaching down under the floor mat, she grabbed her keys thanking God that she was one of those trusting people who didn’t lock her vehicle and kept her keys in her car. See, Ella, she thought, this is one time where your bitching at me did not pay off.
Pulling away from the parking lot, she glanced in the rear view mirror. Pete had made his way out of the camper. She hit the brakes. Maybe she should go back. He needed help, but she was afraid. She hadn’t liked the look in his eyes. It seemed more than fever induced delirium. What if he ran into the other campers? Well, the place looked mostly deserted. She just hoped no one came out. She sped up, leaving him behind staggering wildly around the campground.
Roe drove into town stopping in front of the sheriff’s office. She jumped out, her hand clapped over her shoulder, trying to ignore the pain. She wasn’t going to die from the bite--she hoped. Pete was actually much worse off than she was. She knew he hadn’t meant to do what he did. The nurse in her knew that much. The major issue right now, this minute, was her lack of clothing. She was naked as the day she was born. She looked in the jeep, spotting a rain poncho in the cargo area. Pulling it on, she realized it barely covered her ass. Well, there was that. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be arrested for public indecency.
Opening the office door, she looked around for someone. She yelled, “Guys, anyone? I need some help out here!”
She walked up to the first desk and waited, cringing as her feet stuck to something on the floor. Still, no one. She was getting nervous. This was unusual. Wasn’t there always someone available at a police station? Even in this fucked up, hill jacked town? She spied the phone on the desk. Maybe, she would call Ella. Surely, no one would say anything since the place was deserted.
With shaking fingers, she punched in the number. Two, three, four rings. Just when she was about to hang up, Ella answered:
“Hello?”
“Ella, it’s Roe…”
“Roe, thank God!! I was just about to come there. Are you okay? Didn’t you get my text messages last night?”
“No, but Ella, I need help. Pete is bad off sick, and he attacked me.”
“Roe, listen to me, there is some crazy shit going on. An epidemic or something. People are acting crazy all over town. Where is he? Get away from him.” Ella said urgently, her voice coming loud over the line.
“No, I left him at the campground. I’m at the Sheriff’s office. It is a ghost town. No one is here.”
“Roe, go out, get in your car and drive out to my dad’s house. The officers are responding to calls all over town. We’re making people barricade themselves in their homes. Don’t stop for anybody. I mean it. I’ll meet you there.” Ella ordered, tires squealing in the background.
“But, what about Pete? What should I do about him? I can’t just leave him there.”
“Yes, you can. Trust me, if Pete tried to bite you, then he is infected with whatever this is, and he’s a threat to you. Now, get in your car, Roe, and drive.” The urgency in Ella’s voice prompted Roe into action. Usually, Ella was calm and collected in a crisis. This time, Ella was nervous, and the fear resonated in her voice. That scared Roe.
Roe placed the phone in its receiver and glanced around once more. This was just so fucking weird. She opened the door and walked out, glancing around the small town. She noticed several people walking jerkily around the sidewalk, grunting and moaning. Upon noticing Roe, they started her way. This was seriously some crazy business. She ran for the Jeep, grabbed the door, and jumped in. Peeling out and narrowly missing a fire hydrant, she sped out of town. She would do what Ella said. She wouldn’t stop for anyone.
Chapter 3: Training Day
Two Months into the Outbreak
Roe and Ella stood atop what used to be Black Eyed Pete’s bar and grill. Glancing over Taylor’s Creek city limits, Ella judged there to be around fifty or so creatures milling about in a somewhat catatonic state. She saw her first grade teacher Rebecca Gabbard, her gray hair tangled and matted. Ms. Gabbard would be appalled with her appearance right now if she were cognizant. The teacher had always pulled her hair into a tight bun and wore dresses to school, taking pride in her appearance. Ella was glad the woman couldn’t see herself in this state.
A few steps behind the teacher, stumbling along, was the first boy Ella had ever kissed--Joey Wells. It’d been on the school bus after a double header basketball game. She and her friends had planned it all week. They would initiate a game of Truth or Dare, wherein she would choose dare and would be ordered to kiss Joey. It tur
ned out to be a humiliating experience. After giving it her best, he’d pulled back and announced, “Ella just tried to stick her tongue down my throat.” Joey had been married a year ago and was expecting a child when the outbreak first struck. He, his wife, and no doubt his child had become infected. She recognized many more of the faces alongside Ms. Gabbard and Joey, but she had to put the personal connection behind her. She was here today to set them free.
She and Roe had parked the truck on the outskirts of town, silently making their way to the building without being spotted by the creatures. The key to survival was being quiet and alert. One or two of the creatures, she could handle, but it seemed like more and more they were traveling together in larger numbers.
“I’m not sure I want to do this. It seems wrong,” Roe said, biting her lip in consternation. She was dressed much differently today than she’d been two months ago. Gone were the designer clothes and shoes. In their place were jeans and a bright blue tee shirt covered by a denim jacket, and on her feet were practical walking shoes. True, Roe hadn’t completely given up her dressy clothes. There were still times when she would break out a dress or something nice, but she reserved that for when she was feeling down.
“Roe, it’s not wrong. These people are already dead--you will do this,” Ella replied adamantly as she opened the large duffle she’d lugged to the top of the building. Her arms would ache tonight from the effort.
She pulled out an AK 47 and placed it in Roe’s hands. At the farm, Ella had explained how the gun worked and even had Roe shoot a couple of rounds. This field trip would put Roe to the test. Having never shot a firearm before last month, Roe was still nervous and wary of any and all weapons.
“So, let me get this straight, you want me to shoot as many of those creatures as I can in the head?” Roe asked, still in disbelief. Ella was pretty sure she’d explained all of this on the ride over. Surely Roe hadn’t thought she was joking or that Ella would be doing all the work.
“Yep, that’s exactly what I want you to do,” Ella replied firmly. It wasn’t a pretty task, but it was something that needed to be done. One, it was the humane thing to do, and two, it was a matter of future survival. The fewer creatures walking around, the better for them it would be.
“But they’re not hurting anyone. I’ll be killing them in cold blood,” Roe tried to reason with Ella. She knew it was Roe’s background as a nurse that made her feel torn on this issue. Roe was used to helping people, not hurting them.
“Roe, you’ve seen these creatures at work. They’ll kill you if they get the chance. They aren’t people anymore. They’re---like wild animals. They have to be put down,” Ella, replied, as she retrieved her own weapons. She would be using the handguns first. She’d given Roe the other gun because she could fire rapidly and frequently with it.
Ella raised her head and walked over to Roe. She had to get Roe to realize this was something that had to be done. Hell, it was going to be hard for Ella to do it. In just the past two months, she’d had to kill people that she cared about--even loved. Roe, on the other hand, hadn’t killed anyone yet. Ella had taken care of Roe and sheltered her from most of the violence. It wasn’t because she didn’t think Roe could do it. She realized it was because she, Ella, felt compelled to take care of the people around her and she’d wanted Roe to maintain her innocence for just a little while longer.
It wasn’t until her father asked Ella how Roe would survive if either of them were injured or, God forbid, killed that she realized she wasn’t doing Roe any favors by protecting her. She was putting Roe in danger by not teaching her how to fight these creatures. She knew Roe wouldn’t like it, but that was just too bad. If it made her look like an asshole, well, then so be it. Roe would get over it.
“I know you think I’m weak because I can’t do all of the things you can, but I’m okay with that. I am weak,” Roe told her as she looked out over the town, taking in what it used to be and what it was now.
“I’ve never thought of you as being weak! You’re the strongest person I know. You’ve survived prejudice and discrimination, and you know every fucking thing about life. Also, you’re a freaking nurse, and you can take care of me,” Ella grinned as she looked at her friend. The words were true. She looked up to Roe because Roe wasn’t afraid to take chances or do what she wanted to do to be happy. Roe didn’t care what people thought about her, and Ella couldn’t seem to stop caring about what people thought of her.
“Okay, but can I just close my eyes and just start shooting like an action hero in one of those shoot ‘em up movies?”
“Yeah--probably not,” Ella replied as she sighted in on a couple of the infected.
“Roe, just sight in on one of them, and remember, they’re not people,” Ella said firmly, as she walked a few feet away.
Roe took her first shot which ultimately blew a hole in the only stop sign in town. She sighed and looked at Ella with a raised eyebrow.
“Good job, you killed the stop sign. I never thought we needed that thing anyway,” Ella joked.
Looking down, she became aware they’d been noticed with the shot. The creatures started to meander towards the bar with eagerness in their step that wasn’t there before.
“Ok, relax girlfriend, and aim for the head. Even if it takes a couple of bullets--we have plenty,” Ella said, smiling with encouragement at Roe. “Now is the time; they know we’re here, and they’re coming for us.”
Roe shot again and hit one of the creatures in the shoulder. Her second bullet hit the creature in the head. Roe dropped the gun and vomited over the side of the building. Ella had expected this, but she needed Roe on her game.
“Well, there went that lovely breakfast your dad made for me, and dammit, I really enjoyed that bacon,” Roe half-heartedly joked, wiping her mouth on her shirtsleeve. She picked up her gun and shot again. This time, she seemed steadier.
Ella took aim and shot Ms. Gabbard in the head. Next, she took down Joey Wells. For the next couple of minutes, she and Roe systematically shot as many of the creatures as they could, the sound of gunfire booming and echoing in the silent town. Roe missed just as much as she hit, but she seemed to be getting more comfortable with the weapon and what they were doing.
There were only a couple of creatures left having made their way directly below the building. They weren’t able to climb with their lack of motor skills, but they lurked waiting patiently. Even though she only spotted the two, Ella knew there were others somewhere milling about in the distance. She would eventually get them all, she hoped. It was her plan to clear the town as much as she could. Ella was leaning over to take care of them when she heard Roe gasp. As she followed Roe’s gaze, she saw a forlorn creature stumbling down the street. Aw shit, she thought. This wasn’t good.
“It’s him, Ella. It’s Pete. Oh my God, it’s Pete,” Roe cried, dropping the gun.
“No, Roe, it’s not. Pete is dead. That is just some creature that looks like Pete, and never throw your gun on the ground--you could kill someone,” Ella whispered as she took Roe in her arms and hugged her. She hadn’t really thought about them seeing Pete when planning the outing. How stupid could she be? Of course, Pete would be here. She remembered every face of each creature she’d killed, and he hadn’t been one of them.
“I’ll take care of it Roe,” she said, picking up and aiming the AK47.
“Can’t we just leave him be? We can let someone else do it,” Roe pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.
“We can’t do that. What if we let him be and he kills someone?” Ella reasoned.
“You’re right. He wouldn’t want this,” Roe said sadly, as she gazed at the man who’d once been her lover and friend.
“I’ll do it if you want me to. You can look away,” Ella told her friend.
“No, Ella, you’re right. That’s not him. As his friend and someone who cares about him, I need to do it. You taught me that,” Roe said, determination filling her eyes even as she wiped them clear on her jacket sleeve.
Ella handed her the weapon, turned around and walked to the edge of the roof. She aimed at the two remaining creatures and released them from their torment one after the other. She heard the sound of Roe’s weapon. One shot, then another. Her friend walked over and hugged her, one hand gripping the weapon. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes without speaking.
“You know what? I bet there’s a bottle of something good stashed somewhere in Pete’s office. He always did like to hide the good stuff. You think we can squeeze in a drink before going back? You know how your father hates alcohol. Let’s be bad girls while we’re out,” Roe joked as she started climbing down from the roof.
Ella didn’t figure it would hurt. This wasn’t the first time she’d been on this mission of mercy. Last week, she’d snuck away and killed as many of the creatures as she could. She’d downed a half bottle of vodka afterwards and smoked a joint she’d found in Pete’s office just to settle her nerves. She didn’t enjoy the killing, but she knew it needed to be done. There would be no one to save them from the creatures. They had to save themselves. She sure hoped Roe found some alcohol because she was in sore need of a drink. Hell, maybe they’d find another joint while they were at it.
Chapter 4:
The Most Powerful Man in the World
His beard was itchy and his hair tangled, but it was these two things that kept him from being recognized, or so he thought. He needed anonymity in this strange new world. There were people who hated him and would delight in his death. Never mind the fact he hadn’t really done anything to deserve this ire. At least to his mind, he hadn’t. Often, though, in times of a crisis, people needed someone to blame. It seemed he was that man.
Six months had passed since this thing had claimed 98% of the world’s population. At least, that was the estimation of the World Health Organization before that organization had fallen victim to the same virus it had been studying. The young, elderly, and the weak literally had no chance. He couldn’t even imagine the devastation in third world countries. The remainder of the population, as small as it was, seemed immune to the virus. They, however, were not immune to being ripped to shreds and eaten by those who were infected. He hadn’t decided yet whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that he was one of the immune. Some of the things he’d seen and done made it hard for him to consider himself lucky.
