“The world might be ending, but I don't have to put up with that kind of stench. We'll do the women's bathroom.
Frank shrugged.
“Well, alright,” Carl said. “But I've seen plenty of stinking women's bathrooms, too.
“How have you seen them?” Kelly asked innocently.
“Tell you when you grow up,” he shot back as Amber glared at him.
Frank pushed the restroom door open, though he could have pulled it, and it might have been more tactically sound. Amber simply rolled her eyes not wishing to correct him verbally.
They worked their way through the restroom, checking each stall one by one. Three stalls inspected yielded nothing - no people, no zombies – nothing.. When they reached the fourth stall, there was a zombie stuck in the space between the toilet and the stall wall. Carl took aim and shot it directly in the head as it turned to look at them. Amber reached in and pulled the stall shut. They investigated the rest of the stalls and found nothing.
“I really have to gooooo,” Kelly said, doing what was commonly known as the 'potty dance'.
“It's fine,” Amber said. “Just use...that stall down there.”
Kelly walked down two stalls and disappeared behind the door. Carl and Frank disappeared into their own stalls, but Amber waited until they were done. After they had all relieved themselves accordingly, they made their way back to the minivan.
“I still need to clear that vending machine,” Carl said.
“We don't have time for that shit,” Frank stated, and continued walking toward the van. Carl didn't argue.
They loaded their weapons into the vehicle, then themselves, and proceeded to leave the rest area. They drove for perhaps another hour, before they ran into what Frank had feared all along: traffic congestion. Frank was able to drive past the first few cars, but eventually the congestion overcame their minivan.
“We'll have to hoof it from here,” Carl announced.
“All the supplies are in the damn car,” Frank stated, staring straight ahead as he surveyed the congestion. All of these cars had once been in motion, but now they were a monument to what society had once been. Many of them had suffered severe front end damage, having come to a sudden 'stop' when their drivers were turned. One could only imagine how many drivers had been thrown from their cars when the event happened, and some of the might still be walking among the mangle mess of steel and safety glass, denizens of this new society known as the living dead.
“This might not be the safest place,” Amber commented as she unclicked her safety belt.
“It's all we've got,” Frank said, in what sounded like a resignation.
Kelly unbuckled her safety belt and started to open the door on her side of the minivan. Amber grabbed her arm and shook her head.
“My side.”
Kelly sighed, but complied with the orders of her older sister. Once on the pavement, she tried to wander toward the back of the van, but Amber held her hand tightly, eliciting a glare from her younger half, which she ignored.
They walked to the back together, where their father was already shoving supplies into a duffel bag. He filled two bags, one of which had once been filled with sporting equipment. Frank and Carl both took a bag, and they were on their way. As they left the minivan behind, Amber couldn't help but look at it one last time. It was just a vehicle no doubt, but in some way it was the last piece of home they had. It was that last thing that they truly owned. So many memories had been made in the back of that van, and now they were all simply going away. New beginnings were always hard, but this was completely different.
“It's just a van,” Frank said, looking at his daughter. “We'll get another one someday.”
With that, they were once again on their way, only in a much slower manner.
Chapter 8
KHLA radio regrets to inform you that a new player has entered the game, by the name of Major Dunfield. He has demanded that all radio stations go silent until he can 'review' their content and replace the staff accordingly. For this reason, we'll be moving all of our broadcasting equipment to our mobile van and will continue to bring you the best news and classic rock. We're with you America.
“So let me get this straight,” Ross said. “You two live together; you have a relationship, but you're not married.”
“Is it really that strange?” Amanda asked Ross from across the room.
Come to think of it, it really was strange. He hadn't been exposed to many alternative lifestyles, and for his entire life, he'd been taught that same sex relationships were an abomination before God. It wasn't going to be easy to let go of that, and at the moment, he wasn't really inclined to try.
“So...what you two have sex, who...”
“Ross!” Sarah said!
Amanda ad turned bright red. What Ross thought was funny had clearly backfired.
“Maybe I should just...” Ross said, getting up.
“Sit,” Amanda commanded. For some reason he couldn't help but obey, even though he wanted to get the hell out of there. “Sarah honey, what's this mark on your leg?”
Ross glanced over, that was interesting.
“I was bitten,” Sarah explained. “but it's okay.”
Jamie walked into the living room and looked at Sarah's leg, which had in fact been bitten. Ross remembered seeing the bite mark when he'd encountered her in the woods, but at the time he was so depressed he'd had nothing to say about it.
“Sarah, people who are bitten...” Jamie started to say, and then brought her hand to her mouth, gasping. “Oh god...”
Ross could see the problem here. If Sarah were to turn, they would be forced to kill her, and then they would be stuck with...him. He could definitely see how that concept would be horrifying.
“It's okay!” Sarah laughed. “I was bitten a long time ago. If anything were going to happen...”
“Wait, hold on,” Amanda said, leaning over Sarah and giving Ross an amazing view of her backside, at which he turned red and looked away. Jamie noticed and was forced to stifle a laugh. “I know you...your brother was all over the news when he joined the army. A hometown hero story, do you remember?”
“I remember more than people think I do,” Sarah nodded.
“You know what I remember?” Jamie said. “I remember them saying you were autistic. You don't look autistic to me.”
“Autism has a lot of different forms,” Sarah giggled. “But you're right, something changed when I was bitten.”
Ross was now paying attention. At this point he was practically sitting on the edge of the couch, but to his disappointment, there would be no further discussion on the topic.
“Ross,” Amanda said, finally turning to him. “Why do you go with Jamie so she can show you the shower and your room?”
“My room?” Ross was confused. He assumed that he would be sleeping on the couch and moving on in the morning. He thought this was especially true after he'd insulted both of their hosts.
“Yes, we have a spare room, you're going to sleep in it,” Jamie said matter of factly. The way she spoke, it was as if there was no way to dispute her word. Ross simply stood and followed. They walked down a short hallway where Jamie showed him the restroom, and then a guest room directly across the hall.
“I got you a towel,” She said, pointing at it, as it sat on the guest bed. “And that's a robe for you to put on after you get done washing.”
“I'm sorry, what?” Ross was looking at the robe, which was pink and fluffy.
“Gotta wash your clothes, dear; you look like you crawled through hell and hugged a Sasquatch, and you're not going to fit into my jeans.”
“There's no way I'm wearing that...” Ross started to back up.
“You're right,” she shrugged. “I'll go grab one of Amanda's dresses.”
***
“You have to promise me something,” Sarah said to Amanda, who was still fussing over the bite mark.
“I need to get some antibiotic cream on this,” Amand
a announced as she went to the kitchen to retrieve a first aid kit.
“You're so nice,” Sarah smiled.
“People are going to see this,” Amanda warned. “I'll need you to wear pants, or a longer dress from now on, at least until it heals. That way people won't ask questions.”
“I need you to take care of Ross,” Sarah said, looking Amanda in the eye. “I'm not going to be around much longer, and I need you to make sure nothing bad happens to him.”
“Honey, I don't think Ross wants to be taken care of,” Amanda said, not knowing whether to be sad or relieved.
“Wants and needs are two different things,” Sarah said, suddenly becoming very serious. “He was never given the chance he deserved, but he's not a bad person. Can you help him? Please?”
“Well...I guess...” Amanda hesitated. “But, what do you mean when you say you won't be around for much longer?”
“We all have to leave eventually, I just have to leave a little sooner than most people.”
Amanda started to ask what she meant, though she was a bit terrified to find out the answer. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Ross and Jamie emerged from the back room. Sarah giggled, as Ross was wearing Jamie's pink fluffy bathrobe. Ross immediately turned red, and started to turn back until Jamie pushed him back toward the living room.
“Your turn, Sarah,” Jamie said as Ross sat on the couch, trying to make himself invisible but failing miserably.
Sarah hopped off the chair, and followed Jamie down the hallway, leaving Amanda and Ross to talk it out.
“Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?” She asked him.
Ross thought about giving a response, but instead simply sat there.
“I understand if you hate us--” She started to say.
“I don't hate you,” Ross interrupted, staring down at the white carpeted floor.
“Okay, well, I understand if you're uncomfortable around us. When I was growing up I met a girl. My parents told me it was a phase. When they realized it wasn't a phase, they told me I needed to read the Bible. That was their answer to everything. Read the Bible. There are answers in the Bible, sure, but some answers have to come from in here, and sometimes...from out there. When I brought Jamie home, they disowned me. They...they threw my pictures away, emptied my room...it was like I never existed. My ten-year-old sister...they told her I was dead, I haven't seen her for five years. My entire life was just...gone. Thank God for Jamie's parents; they let us live there for a while, but...I can't forget the life I left behind.”
“I don't miss my parents at all,” Ross said. Amanda now had his full attention.
“It's different for everyone. The point is, we aren't evil just because we want to do something different, like I said; we just need to find our answers elsewhere.”;
“Can you help me find my own answers?” Ross asked speaking softly.
“I can try, but you'll have to do some of the work,” Amanda smiled.
The relative silence was suddenly breached by the sound of an alarm piercing the night sky. Amanda stood up immediately.
“Oh God,” She whispered.
***
“Now leaving Kentucky,” Jonah said as he inspected his GPS device. “That took some time, didn't it?”
Aimee had a death grip on the handle above her door, and she looked as if she had just seen death itself. Jonah's driving was much more erratic than his walking, that much was certain. Aimee swore to herself that she would never enter another vehicle with this man as long as she lived.
“We...we are going to Ohio,” She gasped. “My family is in Ohio.”
“Yes,” Jonah said as he took another sharp turn, nearly slamming Aimee against the passenger door. “I won't be able to take you as far as you need to go, but this should be a good start for you.”
Jonah suddenly put on the brakes, realizing that they were at a fork. These back roads had been especially harsh, but Jonah had taken them mostly to avoid traffic congestion. The first road went straight, the way they had been going, and the second road was outfitted with a warning sign which read: “Road ends in water”. He studied it for a moment before saying “Huh”, and taking the first road, continuing their journey.
“Where exactly are you going?” Aimee asked Jonah, who hadn't stopped driving, since they acquired the car, other than the brief stop in the corn field.
“If this information is correct,” Jonah pointed to his PDA. “There's a housing development of some sort north of us, and that's where we'll find the boy's sister.”
“And what good will that do us? How will the sister of Jack Frost help us to survive?”
“Haven't you ever heard of a goodwill mission?”
“No,” Aimee said flatly. As a matterof fact, she had not. The economic situation in Cuba had been so poor in those last few years, that it was literally every man, or woman for themselves. The thought of doing something for someone else simply to do it was...well...foolish.
“Jack Frost,” Jonah called out to the back seat. “How are you doing back there?”
There was no answer of course, Jack had been in and out of consciousness since the corn field, though Jonah was hoping that situation would change before they reached the housing development. He could use a good soldier on his side, even one was ripe as Jack Frost.
“Well, maybe later,” Jonah said as he turned his full attention back the road. “We have about two more hours judging by these back roads. I'd like to take Route 33 to 70 but I don't think that would be conducive to our purpose.
“And why not?” Aimee asked.
“Well, we've encountered a few cars on the road here and there, but in my experience, when disaster strikes, people dive to get away from it. That might be a more appropriate response before the disaster, but human nature can be so unpredictable, and amusing at times. That said, there are probably a lot of cars stuck on the freeways and interstates, making it impassible.”
“I hadn't thought of that,” Aimee mused.
“It's common for larger nations,” Jonah pointed out.
“Cuba is not that small!” Aimee said defensively.
“Compared to Sealand,” Jonah nodded as he took another turn, heading further north.
In the back seat, Jack Frost groaned and opened his eyes, confused as he saw trees and sky racing by overhead.
“Where are we?” he groaned.
“We're in a car, heading toward your sister,” Jonah explained, handing Jack a bottle of water. “Buckle up if you can, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
***
They thought they had been walking forever, but in reality it had only been about four miles. They were being cautious, to put it mildly, but who could blame them at this point? The freeway was without doubt one of the most dangerous places to be, and Frank constantly wondered if he shouldn't take his family into the forest. Of course, he had to think twice about that, considering it could have been much more dangerous in the forest than it would be on the road, despite all the obstacles they had to face. His only wish at the moment, was that they might be off the road before nightfall.
No one said a word as they progressed through the like of cars which were easy enough for them to get through, but an impossible challenge for anything that happened to be slightly larger. How Frank wished he could find an ATV or something similar right now. Of course, he had to scoff at the idea of finding an ATV on the freeway, but then again, anything could happen, right?
“Did you hear that?” Carl asked.
Frank stopped to listen. He hadn't heard anything, but that didn't mean it was safe.
“What was it?” Amber asked, now completely alert and looking from side to side.
“Kind of...like a growl. It was...I think it was one of them.”
“A lot of them are stuck in cars still,” Kelly said. They had taken great care to ensure that Kelly was in the midst of the group, safe from the prying hands of any zombies that approached them, though that would do no good if any of them were
to fall, or all of them. It was a vain measure at best if they couldn't traverse this freeway, perhaps to the next exit. It would have been nice, very nice indeed if they could have walked on the grass, but this freeway had been augmented two years ago. All grass was removed and paved over, making this look more like a highway from a science fiction movie. To make it worse, they were now moving into an area with noise barriers – twenty foot walls intended to shield residential areas beside the freeway from the vehicle noise. Whether or not these walls worked was a matter of debate, but whether or not they posed an immediate threat to the Hosier family was a matter of fact.
“I don't like this,” Amber said. “I really, really do not like this.”
“Neither do I,” Carl said. “fastest way into New Jersey, though.”
They walked in silence for a few hours, checking every other car, and ensuring that they weren't going to be jumped by one of the eager undead. This was without a doubt, the tensest moment in Amber's life. She watched her sister, she watched the cars, and she watched the road ahead of them. They were far beyond the point of no return, but they were no closer to an exit. More than anything, Amber wished they could make it to an exit, so they would be able to climb the overpass bridge and survey the next stretch of the freeway before they attempted to traverse it. At one point, Amber thought about suggesting that they simply climb the noise barrier and make a run for it in the forest, but in a way, Frank was correct in that this was the most direct route.
As they walked in afternoon sun, which was now preparing to make an escape to the other side of the world, Carl heard what he interpreted as a shuffling sound from the other side of the freeway. There was a four foot tall concrete barrier separating them from the other side, and they had assumed that any activity across from them would not be a problem. After all, if zombies are unable to traverse a ditch, they certainly couldn't climb a freeway divide. As their attention was diverted, they realized that they were not looking at a zombie, but instead, a man. A living, breathing man. He was about five foot seven, wearing a green military uniform. Digital camouflage. As expected he was carrying an M4 rifle, and he immediately noticed the group on the other side of the barrier. His immediate reaction was to take a defensive stance and raise his M4.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Family & Friends (Book 2) Page 5
