by Roberts, EM
“So, Ella, what are your plans, today?” her father asked as he cracked eggs into a black iron skillet. They sizzled as they hit the hot metal.
“Well, I thought I would head out to the care station and leave some things and see if anyone’s left any news for us,” she replied.
Parker looked at her in puzzlement.
“We decided to make a care station and leave food and supplies there in case travelers were in need. It’s out on I-75 before you get to the Knoxville exits. Also, we asked that people leave information there about everything that’s going on,” she explained.
“Do you need some company?” he asked, wanting to help out in any way he could.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” she said, and then added, “But, you’re not getting out of slopping the hogs.”
After making plans to leave after breakfast, Parker left the kitchen with Theo for a lesson in hog slopping while Ella took over preparation of the morning meal.
About an hour and a half later, Ella and Parker loaded some supplies into the same blue truck Ella had been driving the day before and began their trip to the interstate care station. A few minutes into the drive, Ella looked over to see Parker going through the music on her mp3 player. She wondered what kind of music he liked. She remembered photos of him with famous R&B singers as well as Country and Rock stars. She smiled when he made a selection and Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the USA” came through the speakers.
“I remember when this song came out,” Parker said, “I was in high school, and it was the summer I met my wife for the first time. It was a good summer.”
Ella turned the music down. “What happened to your wife and daughter? You never said last night. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“They died. So did the Vice President and his family. We were quarantined in different areas of an underground bunker at the White House, but it didn’t matter. They all became infected and died,” he answered softly.
“Did you have to… uh, you know…” she began.
“No, there was a secret service agent who took care of it, but later I had to take care of him. After he became infected, he almost killed me. He was my first,” he said, leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes.
Ella assumed that meant an end to the conversation. She cranked up “Without Me” by Eminem. She had some oldies but goodies downloaded on the device. She missed being able to download music at a moment’s whim. She looked to see Parker’s reaction to the song. He smiled and his finger tapped to the music as he mouthed the words.
She made her way onto the interstate, swerving through the abandoned cars, sometimes having to go off of the road. There were a few infected creatures that made half-hearted attempts to give chase. She would take care of them on the way back through-- wanting to delay the unpleasant task. She could see her destination in the distance. She noticed a cross on the side of the road near a small, wrecked Honda Civic. The next time she came through, she would plant flowers.
She and her father had come up with the idea to leave food and supplies along the interstate for weary travelers as well as any news they thought might benefit the travelers—they’d done this a few months after the outbreak. Once a month, she and a partner came and replenished the supplies. Sometimes, there was news or just a letter of thanks. Sometimes, there wasn’t anything. They didn’t expect anything; they just wanted to help. Pulling off the road, she looked up at the sign, and gasped.
“Parker, oh my God, Parker. Wake up!” she shook him.
“What?” he opened his eyes, and then sat up when he noticed where her gaze was fixed.
The two climbed out of the vehicle and walked over to the sign. Two bodies, facing in either direction, were tied to the round pole holding the sign in place. They were not infected creatures. These two bodies looked like they hadn’t been dead very long. One was a young man with short blond hair. He was handsome and looked to be somewhere in his early twenties. The other belonged to a middle aged woman with long brown hair. The man had been shot in the head, but the woman showed no signs of trauma except for the bruising around her neck indicating she’d been strangled.
Ella watched as Parker looked around the bodies. She saw him pry something from the man’s closed hands.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a note. It says Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. Vengeance has been delivered,” he read.
“Okay?” she replied questioningly. “Religious zealot?
Parker proceeded to tell her how he and Izzy had come upon a group of murdered survivors who were left with a religious note similar to the one he now held in his hand. He told her about the body they’d found in the next town also with a note indicating the murder was an act of vengeance. Ella jumped when she felt a hand suddenly grab her arm. Looking about wildly, she realized it was the woman attached to the pole.
“Hel...Help….me,” the woman begged, gasping for breath.
Parker jumped into action. He unsheathed his knife and used it to cut her bindings. He grabbed the woman and lowered her to the ground. Ella fetched a bottle of water from the truck and dribbled it into the woman’s mouth. Choking and sputtering, the woman managed to swallow some of the water.
“He killed so many….made me…..I deserve to...die,” the woman whispered through dry, chapped lips
“How long have you been here?” Ella questioned as she gave the woman more water.
“Three, maybe four days. He said I didn’t appreciate God’s will,” the woman explained, opening her eyes and looking at Ella.
“Where is he going? What does he look like?” Parker questioned the woman.
“Not sure,” she said, closing her eyes. Ella checked her pulse. It was faint but there. She was still alive.
“Let’s get her to the truck. We’ll put her in the back so she can lie down. Can you ride back there with here, in case she wakes?” Ella asked as she spread a blanket in the back of the truck.
Parker lifted the woman and carried her to the truck. He gently placed her on the blanket. He then grabbed the boxes of supplies and dried goods. Taking them to the sign, he placed them in a sealed tote that was there for that purpose. After doing this, he climbed back into the bed of the truck and pulled the woman’s head onto his lap. Ella knew in that instance this was a man who cared about people.
Ella climbed into the vehicle and started the trip back home. She made a quick pit stop where she shot four infected creatures in the head. Even though she was in a hurry, she felt compelled to complete this action. It was just a matter of looking out for other people who may travel this road. Anytime, she could kill one of the creatures, she did.
After what seemed like hours, she, Parker, and the woman arrived back at the house and pulled into the driveway. Parker carried the woman into the house and to one of the spare bedrooms. Roe, the only one with any medical background, announced the woman was most likely suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. Fluids and rest, explained Roe, would improve her condition considerably. The woman was lucky to be alive judging by the bruises on her face and neck.
Chapter 10: The Day of Reckoning
The man watched as Ella and the black president carried his ex-wife into the house and wondered if he should leave. He was sure he’d killed her when he wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed what he thought was the life out of her. Apparently, the devil had thwarted his plans. But, God would prevail. He always did.
At first, he’d thought these people were God’s chosen, but now he knew better. Each of them was in some way lacking, even the old man Theo. The woman, Ella, was attractive, and he’d thought about letting her live and become his new companion, but she’d defiled herself with Dean in the lookout tower. He’d heard her moans and grunts which had excited but repulsed him at the same time. God had taken care of Dean, and he, the man, would take care of the rest.
The woman Roe was also a sinner. She’d approached him the first night of his vis
it letting him know she found him attractive and would like to get to know him better. He knew what that meant. He’d politely declined using the excuse of mourning his wife to rebuff her. Shrugging and telling him how sorry she was for his loss, she’d walked away. Just the fact she’d wanted to fornicate outside the bounds of marriage made her a sinner. He knew he would pass judgment on her; he just hadn’t realized he would do the same for the rest of the group.
The man and woman, Ava and Austin, were also engaging in sexual acts outside of marriage. Did these people not know that they must be joined in marriage sanctified by God in order to partake of each other’s flesh? He and the woman had made an oath before God to cleave unto only each other. He’d thought that it was the perfect union, until they’d met that young man back on the interstate.
They’d come upon him at the sign where Ella left food for greedy travelers. The young man had been stuffing his bag with all of the remaining food. He hadn’t wanted to share any with the two of them. In addition to being greedy, the sinner had stared at his wife hungrily. This had angered him mightily and before he’d known it, his hand reached for the gun at his waistband and he’d shot the sinner in the head.
The woman, his so called wife, had protested his act of vengeance, and that was when he’d known she was no longer faithful to him. Perhaps, she’d encouraged the young man’s lustful look? Didn’t she realize any sin justified death? That was the rule in this new world. He’d had to punish her because God demanded it. Maybe he was meant to travel the world alone. Maybe, he truly was the only one worthy.
Later that night, as he stood over the woman’s bed, he felt no remorse. The only regret he was feeling was due to the fact that he’d failed in his first attempt. Of course, Satan was behind that. Satan always interfered with plans of the just. The woman was no doubt secure in the devil’s clutches by now. Well, that was too bad. He really was sorry she wouldn’t find a place in heaven.
He leaned down and clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes popped open, and he smiled at the fright he saw mirrored there. Good, he wanted her to know it was he who was passing judgment on her. He reached for the knife at his side. Grasping it, he sawed it into her throat, smiling as the blood gushed out over his hands and onto the white sheets. How fitting was the contrast between the two.
He stood there with his hand over her mouth until she quit struggling and until he was sure this time, the life had left her body. He wiped his hands and knife on the sheet and made his way to the door. He now had a whore to judge.
******
Ella dreamed she was back in Knoxville. She was standing on top of an abandoned semi-rig looking out at the ruins of the town. Smoke still drifted in some spots, and the ash mixed in with the falling snow. She wouldn’t venture into the ruins of the city. For one, it was unsafe and debris was everywhere. She doubted she’d be able to drive through the streets. Two, there were infected creatures everywhere. The plan to bomb the city and kill them had backfired. Many of them roamed in the distance, limbs missing and wounds gaping. Some even dragged themselves along on the ground. She now knew the only way to kill them was to injure the brain or decapitate them. They could be burned and dismembered, and they would still try to attack.
This had been a scouting mission. Right now, she, Roe, and her father had plenty of supplies and gas from their excursions to Taylor’s Creek and Dogwood, the neighboring town. Also, they had a store of canned goods her father and she’d prepared during the summer months. That was one of the good things about living on a farm. What she was worried about was the future. The government had fallen, there were no phones or electric, and she’d seen very few people that were uninfected. She wondered if this truly was the end of the world like the religious people seemed to think.
She jumped down from the truck and sprinted to her own vehicle. Starting it up, she made her way back to Interstate 75. Driving along, she surveyed the wreckage and carnage left by people trying to abandon the city. Half the time, she’d had to drive in the median and on the sides of the road. Spotting her exit in the distance, she prepared to leave the highway. At the exit ramp, she noticed a wrecked small blue economy car surrounded by a few infected creatures. They were pounding on the windows and rocking the car in their attempts to get to the car’s contents.
Ella slowed down for a moment. They wouldn’t be there acting like that unless something was alive in the car. She looked down at the squirming bag on the seat. Well, shit. She’d brought the chicken just in case she ran into a tight spot. It looked like this was going to qualify. She slowed the Jeep and coasted by the creatures and their prize. She couldn’t see in the car, so she was going to have to park and silently make her way back. The creatures didn’t even notice her, they were so intent on their prize in the car.
She stopped the vehicle and grabbed the squirming bag from the seat. Silently closing the door, she crouched and made her way in between cars until she was about ten feet from the creatures. She reached into the bag and pulled out the white Leghorn laying hen. It was plump and feisty, and started to make squawking noises right way. Taking her knife, she quickly cut the chicken in its thigh area drawing blood. She threw the poor thing about ten feet into the air. Squawking and fluttering, it took off running for its life while she ducked back behind a car.
Three or four of the creatures turned and began chasing the chicken. She waited a couple of minutes and two more ambled off. That left about five of them. She would have to just deal with it. She would have to kill them as fast and accurately as she could and then rescue the person in the car before the others returned. She could do it. She just needed to be steady and calm. She waited until the infected chasing the chicken were out of sight. Standing, Ella yelled at the remaining creatures milling around the wrecked car.
As they abandoned their post and shuffled toward her, she aimed her handgun and brought down two of them within seconds. That left three that were determinedly and aggressively making their way toward her. She took those three out as well. She sent a quick prayer of thanks to Uncle Sam and her father for honing her shooting skills. So far so good, she thought as she ran to the small blue car and looked inside. She tapped on the driver’s side window.
A woman with dark hair and pale skin lay slumped over the wheel of the car, a flattened airbag around her face. There was no passenger on the driver’s side. Ella looked in the rear of the car. She didn’t see anything there. Maybe the creatures were drawn to the blood on the side of the woman’s face. Just as she was about to open the driver’s door, she noticed a small face peek out from under a blanket lying on the back floorboard of the car. It was a young girl of about five or six.
“Sweetie, hi there, I’m gonna help you get out of here,” she said, trying the back door handle. It was locked. She tried each of the other doors, and all were locked.
“You need to unlock the door for me, so I can help you,” she requested, smiling at the small girl
The little girl shook her head no and pulled the cover back over her head. Well, that wasn’t going to work, Ella thought in frustration, as she looked around for a rock big enough to break the window. She needed to hurry and get out of here before the creatures came back.
Grabbing a rock, she went to the passenger door and smashed the window. Leaning in, she unlocked the door and slid into the seat. She lifted the woman’s head and felt for a pulse. It was there--thready and weak. She looked down. A piece of metal from the steering column had pierced the woman’s rib area. There was blood all over her legs and the seat of the car. Ella wasn’t a nurse so she didn’t know the extent of the damage. She reached down and tried to pry the piece of metal from the car. If she could break it off, she could just leave it in the woman’s chest until she reached the farm. It wouldn’t budge. There was no way to loosen it unless she found a saw and cut through the metal.
What were her options? She couldn’t leave the two of them here. The window was broken now and the creatures would climb inside. She supposed she could
tow the woman’s car out to the farm with her in it. She did have a chain in the Jeep for that very reason. She started to open the door when she heard the woman whisper.
“Take my daughter...please...keep her alive,” the woman whispered, her eyes open now.
“I’m taking you both,” Ella replied, placing a soothing hand on the woman’s forehead.
“No..I’m dying. I’ve been spitting up blood for a while now. I’m a nurse, so I know I’m dying,” she murmured, turning her head slightly toward Ella. She smiled sadly with bloodstained lips.
Ella looked out the window. Four of the creatures had returned and were about a hundred yards away. When they were closer, she would kill them. She reached back and unlocked the passenger door. Walking around the car, she reached down and pulled the cover off of the little girl who shrank in fear.
“Okay, sweetie, I'm taking you out of here. I’m gonna take your momma, too,” she promised as she reached in and pulled the stiff, little girl out of the car.
Looking over at the advancing group of creatures, she realized in dismay, that they’d been joined by several others. There were at least twenty of them now. She could kill some of them, but probably not all by the time they reached her. Picking up the young girl, she leaned in the passenger seat again.
“I’m coming back for you,” she promised the woman.
“No,” the woman replied, “You need to go. I’m as good as dead, and I want my daughter to have a chance.”
“Let me give you my gun,” Ella said, holding it out.
“No, you’ll need it. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to shoot me. Do it...please,” the woman begged as the creatures got closer.
“Ma’am, you’re putting me in a tough position here,” Ella replied.
“Pleasee… .” the woman moaned feebly.
Ella sat the girl down beside the car, pulling the blanket over her head. She reached in and grabbed the woman’s bloody hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll protect your daughter with my life,” she promised, as she placed the gun to the woman’s temple, turned her own head away and pulled the trigger.
