The Link Between Us: Managing the Apocalypse

by C. J. Boyle

  Dean let a grin curl the edge of his lip, "Actually, I think I have a better idea."

  A little while later, Dean and JoJo were standing outside looking at a SWAT all-terrain vehicle. Dean ran his fingers along the side of it as if it were a sleek Mustang. "You can drive through a building with one of these. Isn't she beautiful?"

  JoJo, Dean, Chester, and a dude named Ash sat in the tank as it drove through the city streets of Denver. They all wore SWAT gear with bulletproof vests and helmets. Dean drove the tank while he messed with his helmet strap. "The beer warehouse is right there. If they are alive they must be around here somewhere."

  JoJo looked at his phone. He hoped this would work, "Just keep turning left working outward."

  Chester sat behind Dean. "Why does it feel like we're the B team trying to rescue the A team?" He looked out the window, "If Dean is the only one that lives again..." He didn't want to finish his thought out loud.

  "I think I'm getting something!" JoJo said excitedly. "Turn down this road!" He instructed Dean turn by turn until he brought the tank to a stop outside a Community Center.

  Dean smirked, "I know this place. I spent years hanging out here. You know, before I figured out it wasn't cool." He nodded, "Good times. I know this place like the back of my dick."

  JoJo looked at Dean, shocked and annoyed by his words. This didn't seem like the same young man who he met in the cafeteria just a couple of hours ago. Deans friends laughed. JoJo suddenly knew that Dean was just showing off for them. "I'm sending the text. We'll wait a while to see if anyone answers, okay?"

  TEXT: Is anyone alive in there?

  * * *

  Inside the Community Center Brody tried to plan their escape in his head. Every time he imagined it, all three of them died horribly. He couldn't let the little boy in his arms be ripped apart by Links, but how were they going to get out? Brody laid the boy down gently without waking him up and moved to the back of the pool. Even though his main objective was to relieve himself in the pile of filth that was already there, he listened and watched. He couldn't see any Links but he could occasionally hear them. 'Maybe we could just climb out and walk slowly until they were outside?' He thought to himself hopefully. 'Then I could hotwire a car that may or may not start because it has sat there for three months doing nothing.'

  BING!

  'What the hell was that?' Brody zipped himself up and tried to find the source of the noise.

  BING!

  It was coming from Carl. Brody quietly made his way back over to Carl and the boy. He nudged his friend. "Carl," he whispered. "Carl. Where is your phone?"

  Carl woke up dazed and confused, "What?"

  "Your phone!" Brody was ready to forcibly search him.

  Carl felt around his body until he found it and gave it to Brody. He immediately looked at it and then beamed a smile. "The cavalry is here!" He whispered and fired off a text.

  TEXT: Yes! We're here!

  * * *

  "Let's just drive through the wall right there." Dean was eager to test his new toy out. "We'll just shoot everything in sight and go back home."

  BING!

  JoJo looked down at his phone. "They're alive!"

  "Who's they?" Chester chimed in from behind.

  "Brody, Carl, and a little kid...apparently," JoJo said looking down at his phone.

  Dean put his head down on the steering wheel. "Shit. Then we have a problem." JoJo looked at him and waited for him to continue.

  "This tank only seats four." Ash looked at him from the back seat. "No one, except you, thought this was a rescue mission. We just thought we were going to have some fun."

  JoJo looked at Dean. "You guys are dicks." He shook his head. How could this happen? He was the smart one. It should have been obvious that no one else would fit in the tank. But he had never done anything like this before. Nor did he want to. But Kera risked her life for him, so he felt that he owed her a favor. He picked up his radio. "Uh, this is JoJo? We found Brody and Carl but we need some help."

  * * *

  Across town Joseph just finished having some fun with two lovely ladies when his radio mentioned his older brother Carl. He dried his sweat soaked chest with a towel and threw it aside as he walked across his room toward the radio. When he learned that Carl was missing, he assumed he was dead. He grabbed the radio and pressed the button. "This is Seph. Where you at, JoJo?"

  "We're in front of the Community Center on Morgan."

  Joseph nodded. "Gimme twenty." He put the radio down and quickly got dressed.

  * * *

  Brody tried to see Carl through the darkness. He reached over and nudged him, "Carl. It's time to go. Get up."

  "I don't think I can," Carl tried to sit up, but he couldn't. He touched his side. It was soaked in blood. "Looks like I was hurt worse than I thought."

  "Why didn't you tell me that you were hurt?" Brody used the phone's flashlight mode. "Jesus, Carl, that's a lot of blood." He looked at Carl's pale face. His eyes were closed. "Carl?" He quickly texted whoever it was outside.

  TEXT: Hurry. It's life or death.

  * * *

  Dean pointed at the building's glass doors. "Just after those doors, there is a wide hallway. On the left is the basketball court and the gym. On the back right, the pool."

  JoJo nodded, "And they're in the bottom of the pool being guarded by Links. This shit's crazy."

  Chester leaned forward, "Why don't we drive through the front doors and use the guns on this thing to shoot everything that comes out into the hallway. That should be enough of a distraction for Brody to them to get out."

  It seemed as good of an idea as any. But JoJo wanted to check with Brody first. He texted the plan to him and waited. The text he received back was short and desperate.

  TEXT: Do it NOW!

  "He says do it now," JoJo announced.

  Dean fired up the engine to the tank. He didn't need to be told twice. He slammed his foot down on the pedal and the tank sped forward. As the building got closer at high speed, JoJo cried out, "Oh my fucking God!" They exploded through the front door. Bits of glass rocketed everywhere. When Dean pressed on the break, the tank came to an instant stop. The hall was lit up by the sunlight that now found its way into the building. The men looked through the bulletproof windshield and waited. When a Link crawled out into the hallway on all fours, JoJo's hand shot over to the joystick that controlled the guns.

  Dean smacked his hand away. "Not yet!" He looked JoJo in the eye, "They can't get us. Wait till there's a lot of them."

  * * *

  Brody heard a massive crash and knew that it was time to move. He looked at the boy who started crying. "Ssshhh. No, no, no, no, no, don't cry!" Brody whisper-shouted. Brody smiled and grabbed the boy's nose. "Look. Got your nose! See?" He showed the boy his thumb shoved between his fingers. The boy reached for Brody's hand and tried to get 'his nose' back. Brody looked at his unconscious friend and then back to the boy. How was he going to manage this? He had to think of something and think of it fast. The boy could obviously walk, but he didn't trust him to stay with him. He picked up the boy under one arm, and then bent down and picked up Carl under the other arm. Brody may be all muscle, but picking up floppy dead weight was difficult. He half carried half dragged Carl over to the stairs leading out of the pool. He hoped that he didn't run into any Links because both his arms were full. He slowly climbed the stairs and looked around. There were no Links in sight. Behind the pool was an emergency exit. He could see light shining through the cracks. "Yes!" He whispered to himself.

  * * *

  Ash and Chester leaned forward so far that they were almost on top of Dean and JoJo. They all watched as Links closed in on the tank. JoJo had his hand on one joystick and Dean had the other. A bead of sweat ran down JoJo's forehead and then fell into oblivion. "Now?"

  Dean watched a Link touch the front of the vehicle. "Now!"

  They both grabbed their joysticks and pulled the triggers. Automatic gunfire blasted out of
the barrels located on the front of the tank. JoJo aimed his gun wildly back and forth as he watched blood burst out of the Links in various places. He couldn't imagine why Dean and the others thought this would be fun. He was completely horrified.

  * * *

  Brody headed toward the emergency exit as fast as he could. He suddenly heard a barrage of gunfire and knew he had to get to the door quickly. Suddenly a Link ran into the pool room and headed straight for them. The boy started to scream again. Brody reached the door and kicked the bar. It flew open and sunlight beamed in assaulting his eyes. He dragged Carl and held the boy against him as tight as he could. He turned to see the Link gaining on him. Soon he would have to drop them both and try like hell to get to his gun out fast enough to shoot. When he turned back towards the sunlit alley, Joseph and a few of his Bloods started shooting past him at the Link. He never thought he'd thank God for ruthless gang members coming to his rescue, but he did. Joseph doubled back to Brody. He grabbed the kid out of his arms allowing Brody to pick up his friend properly and run with him.

  "This way!" Joseph yelled.

  They ran to a waiting truck where Brody laid Carl inside. He immediately lifted Carl's shirt to examine his wound. There were a couple of long gashes in his side, oozing blood, and pus. The skin around the wounds was red and inflamed. "I have to get him to Doc or he's not going to make it."

  Joseph put the boy in the back of the truck. "Take the truck." The tank drove up and stopped next to them and the men got out.

  JoJo limped up to the back of the truck and looked at Carl. "Shit."

  Joseph nodded towards the tank. "That's my tank."

  "No, it's not." Dean made eye contact with Joseph and made sure he could see his gun.

  Brody looked at Dean. Carl didn't have time for nonsense. "Give him the goddamned keys and get in the damn truck, now!"

  "What? No fair!" Dean shook his head but did what he was told. He slapped the keys down in Joseph's waiting hand. "Have fun."

  Joseph went over to Carl and placed a hand on his leg. "Love ya, bro." He looked at Brody. "Keep me informed."

  "Okay, Seph. I will." They shook hands.

  Chapter Eight

  The Home Coming

  When they got to New Hope, Brody jumped out of the back of the truck, grabbed Carl and ran him to the infirmary. Dr. Wallace was waiting for him because Brody had called ahead. "Put him right here, Brody." Brody placed his friend on the operating table and stepped away.

  "Excuse me, Sweetie." A woman's voice came from behind him. He stepped aside to let her pass. He recognized her from the video call the other day. She was the doctor's wife, Martha. She stepped up to the table while putting sterile gloves on.

  Dr. Wallace was busy cutting loose Carl's clothing. "What did you guys do? Roll around in shit?" He placed the clothing right into the trash. He took a minute to look at Brody, but he seemed to look past him. "I don't have time to ask you where you got that." He pointed at the boy that JoJo had in his arms. "But you both need to wash up. You're making me sick. I can't concentrate."

  Brody knew the doctor used that as an excuse to get rid of them so they could work in peace. He also knew that, if he didn't get clean, he would never have any hope of seeing Kera again. He took the child into the back of the clinic where there was a deep sink. He placed the boy in it. "Ok, Little Man, it's time to get cleaned up. Stay right there." He knew the doctor kept clothing in the infirmary because it was the first place many people had to come and usually they needed something clean to wear. He grabbed some clothes for himself and the boy then went back to the sink.

  The boy looked at Brody. "Hungie."

  Brody smiled, "Okay, buddy. We'll get food as soon as we're clean, k?"

  He made sure the water wasn't too hot or too cold and then gently ran it over the boy's head and body. As he scrubbed the boy clean, he noticed a small wound near his belly button. "What happened here, Little Man?"

  When the boy was all clean and dry and dressed in a t-shirt that was two sizes too big for him, Brody decided it was time to clean himself up. He took his clothes off down to his boxers and leaned into the sink as far as he could, using as much soap as possible and splashing himself with water.

  Martha stood in the doorway watching Brody take a whores bath in the sink. She watched his shining muscles contract as he dried his head and body with a towel. She had a far-off look in her eyes as if she was imagining...something.

  Her husband, Dr. Wallace, walked up behind her and watched her watching Brody. He cleared his throat, "Martha, what are you doing?"

  She whipped around and looked at him. He seemed amused, but she smiled and waved him off. "I was just thinking," she pointed behind her, "isn't that the young man I saw on video chat doting over Kera?"

  "Yes. Why?" He looked at her curiously.

  "Well," she shrugged, "you do remember she thinks he's dead, right?"

  Wallace watched Brody get dressed behind Martha. He walked up to them. "Say what now?"

  * * *

  Kera sat on her cot leaning against the wall. She hadn't moved in hours. She just stared at the wall, replaying in her head, the last moments that she had with Brody. The skin around her eyes was still red and inflamed. It burned, but she paid it no attention. She was too busy imagining Brody's lips pressed against hers. She touched her lips. It was almost as if she could feel it.

  Brody walked into the building that held the solitary confinement cells and, of course, the first thing his eyes fell on was Mitchell. He didn't see Brody come in because he was fooling with one of his legs, poking at an open sore on his shin. Brody was annoyed at seeing him, but couldn't help noticing his injuries. His shin was badly bruised and had a few open cuts. "What the hell happened to you?"

  Startled, Mitchell put his pant leg down. "Nothing." He glanced at Kera's cell, "I...I fell."

  Inside the cell, just a few feet away, Kera was sure she heard Brody's voice. She bolted off the cot to her feet and stared at the door. It was almost closed so she couldn't see outside of the cell. She listened closely.

  "Yeah, well, you should go see Doc. That looks pretty bad." Brody was hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  Back in the cell, Kera was on the verge of an anxiety attack...or a heart attack, whichever came first. "Brody?" She called out.

  Brody looked at the metal door and started to walk toward it. "Yeah, Baby, I'm here."

  Kera's eyes darted back and forth wildly. She started to hyperventilate. "Go away!"

  Brody froze just before reaching the door. He furrowed his brow. "What? No way, Kera." He looked at Mitchell, who shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere." He put his hand on the door.

  "I don't want you to see me like this!" Kera's sore throat squeaked as she yelled.

  Brody grinned, "Kera, come on." He spoke through the door.

  "No, Brody, I look SO bad!"

  Brody leaned forward and turned off the switch next to the cell door. "Better?"

  "No."

  He looked at Mitchell who was writing something on a piece of paper. "Kera, I'm not leaving here without you. I'm coming in whether you like it or not." He reached for the door, but Mitchell stepped in front of him. Brody was ready to pound him into the ground until he realized what he was doing. Mitchell taped the piece of paper to the cell door. It read: DO NOT DISTURB. He winked at Brody and then took off.

  Brody opened the door and walked into the darkened cell. He pulled the door shut, but left a crack of light to shine through. He sat down on the cot and looked at her. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her dark outline backed against the wall of the tiny cell, so far that she was practically standing on the toilet. "Brody," she whispered.

  "Sshh, shut up." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. "Come here." He guided her down until she was sitting on his lap with her legs out to his side. He leaned up against the wall and held her close to him.

  She let her head rest against his chest. His heart raced like a galloping horse. He took a
deep breath and let it back out. She listened to his heartbeat get slower and slower as he relaxed and held her. It was at that moment that she realized that he had genuine feelings for her, and from that point on, she vowed to take that fact into consideration. Of course, she knew she wasn't the only person on the planet and that the solar system didn't revolve around her, but it had been hard to think about anything but the pain of her loss.

  He smelled good. He absentmindedly stroked her hair and then rubbed her back. She ran her hand up over his chest and to the back of his neck as she sat up just enough to kiss him. But it seemed like an awkward angle so she turned her body to face him, putting a leg on each side of him. He put his arms around her as they kissed passionately. She stopped kissing him long enough to pull his t-shirt up and over his head. He assisted by putting his arms up and she tossed his shirt aside and then it was back to kissing. She put her hands on both sides of his face and looked into his eyes. As he kissed her, he helped rid her of her shirt.