by Lanza, Marie
“What’s it look like from up there?” I shouted out to Dan and Jaxon.
“It’s good! We’re good!” Dan responded without looking down at me.
I turned around, and the convoy still looked intact.
“Let’s move!” a voice shouted.
Dan and Jaxon jumped down from the bed of the truck. Dan gave me a small hug, and Ethan wrapped his arms around Jaxon. Jaxon picked him up and carried him to meet the others.
“Did we lose anyone?” Jaxon said to Miller.
Civilians began gathering towards the trucks. Several soldiers stayed on top of the vehicles firing sporadically at the infected below them.
“No. Unless you count whoever it was screaming.” Miller handed Jaxon another clip for his gun. “We don’t have much of this left.”
“Thanks.” Jaxon pocketed the clip.
“We have to move.” Miller turned around and headed off to the vehicles.
“Load ‘em up!” a voice shouted over the scattered gunfire.
“Let’s get to the truck,” Dan said, guiding me with him.
We didn’t waste another second jogging over to the truck and piling ourselves in. Jaxon loaded Ethan and Mayhem in the back while I climbed in through the driver side and crawled over to the passenger seat.
The engines began to roar, and the convoy moved forward.
Infected were still coming from the shadows, slamming against the vehicles as we drove by. The soldiers didn’t bother to waste any more bullets.
“Do you think we’ll stop tonight?” I asked to anyone willing to answer.
Dan’s eyes looked into the rear view mirror, waiting for a response from Jaxon.
“Only if we can find something…” Jaxon paused, and his eyes gazed down at Ethan. “As soon as we find something.”
It was going to be a long night.
The convoy took a long, winding road over rolling hills, away from anything that at one point had life. We couldn’t see much past the headlight beams of the truck, but it seemed as if the infected hadn’t traveled this far out into the countryside. Then again, we had mistakenly thought that once already.
It didn’t take long for Ethan to fall asleep on Jaxon’s lap. We were all feeling the same exhaustion. It was almost painful. In the comfort of his father’s arms, I was sure Ethan could have slept under any circumstances.
The humming of truck engines was hypnotizing. I drifted away thinking of my family. Looking at Ethan, sleeping so peacefully, had me hoping they were also finding peaceful rest or at least some moments of it. Even though our mission was always to reach Summer Springs in hopes they made it there, I couldn’t remember the last time I had really thought about them outside of that goal. I was having wrenching feelings of guilt, but I kept reminding myself that we were fighting for our lives every minute. I knew there were no reasons to feel such guilt, but living moment to moment in utter blindness of what was going on anywhere in the world, without a moment to spare to think of anyone else, ate away at my being.
All of our time seemed to be taken up by fear and thoughts of base survival. We never thought about living. Instinct just pushed us on to continue surviving.
A bump in the road brought me out of my unconscious state. I noticed Dan glance over at me but return his eyes immediately back on the road.
“Welcome back.” Dan smirked.
“Did I fall asleep?” I asked, thinking I was merely resting my eyes.
“Just a few minutes.”
I turned around to see Ethan still sound asleep, while Jaxon stared out the window. He caught my eyes and gave me a small smile. Mayhem was sleeping under their feet.
Red brake lights flashed ahead of us.
“Looks like they found something,” Jaxon perked up.
The trucks leading the convoy began filtering off of the main road. We turned to follow and instantly met a dust cloud floating up around us as the tires rolled onto a dirt road that led into a broad field.
The open field let the moon light shine down onto the land. The vehicles pulled up to a large farm house, stopping one after another. The engines rumbled as the trucks sat in park.
Dan adjusted in his seat to see if he could get a better look without rolling down our windows. I did the same.
“Can you see anything?’ I asked.
“Nothing.” Dan replied.
“We should just sleep in the trucks tonight. No sense in unloading all these people again.” Jaxon talked mostly to himself.
With a simple look from Dan, I knew that both of us couldn’t agree more with Jaxon.
A few soldiers exited the vehicles and immediately began searching the area. They moved at a slow pace, scanning their surroundings.
“Come on boys, pull out the bayonets. No guns,” Jaxon said under his breath as he watched the unit move.
Jaxon was right. Guns made too much noise, and in the dark, the infected were able to get too close before we could see them. Part of me thought I should let Mayhem out to assist in securing the area, but my better judgment took over. Besides, I didn’t plan on leaving the truck tonight.
A single gunshot.
Silence.
“Daddy?” Ethan’s little voice came to life from his sleep.
“Hey, bud, we’re just stopped for a minute.” Jaxon turned his attention back to the soldiers outside.
“Son of a bitch came out of nowhere!” the voice of the man carried over the still night.
“We just found our dumb ass of the group.” Jaxon pulled out his bayonet from his belt.
“There’s always one,” Dan responded.
“Ethan, I want you to stay in the car, OK?” Jaxon gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead and cracked the door.
“We’ll go with you.” I grabbed my machete and looked at Dan.
Dan agreed.
Mayhem perked up.
“Let’s just see what the plan is. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Ethan, watch Mayhem for me?” I asked.
Ethan gave me a smile and pet Mayhem.
Dan, Jaxon, and I got out of the truck and walked down along the convoy. The majority of the group had stayed in the vehicles while a group of four soldiers made sure the grounds were clear.
The soldiers circled around the house and disappeared.
Hart and Miller were at the front of the convoy staring out at the property.
“I think we can bunk up here a good day or so. At least until everyone gets rested,” Hart said to Miller, strategizing.
Dan, Jaxon, and I caught their attention as we approached.
“Jaxon.” Hart nodded.
Jaxon simply nodded back, acknowledging him.
“After the boys clear it, we’ll move in. We think this place will give everyone some good rest,” Miller said.
“Not if they keep firing those guns.” Jaxon had a clear aggravation to his voice.
“You’re right, that was a stupid move. He should have known better.” Miller looked past us to the house.
The small group of soldiers came around the house.
The leader made eye contact with Hart. “Clear!”
“Great, let’s get in the house next,” Hart directed.
I was suddenly overwhelmed with an awful feeling of danger. I couldn’t explain it to myself. The rumbling engines of the vehicles. The gun shot. The voices carrying over all of it. Everything was a dinner bell for the infected.
Two soldiers cautiously approached the porch steps to the house while the other two stood back. The lead soldier opened the door and waited a second before taking a step inside. I don’t think he even had his foot down before a body came crashing on top of him.
A gun shot.
The soldier collapsed onto the porch with the infected on top of him. The man screamed as the infected attacked his body. It was too late for the others to help. One of the men moved in with his combat knife and drove it through the infected’s head.
More infected stumbled from inside the house. One after anoth
er, after another, they spilled out onto the front porch in an unbroken line. Who knew how long these infected had been locked in this house, just waiting for that door to open? They looked hungry, their bodies just walking bones with lose flesh barely attached.
Jaxon ran to assist.
The soldiers fought back, firing their weapons at the infected and using their knives when they were in reach. More soldiers ran to the fight while others stayed to guard the convoy.
Both Miller and Hart moved toward the house with their guns drawn.
I lost sight of Jaxon in the chaos.
The soldiers pushed their way past the infected and headed inside the house, blending into the darkness.
Shots fired.
A blood curdling scream.
More gun shots.
“Honey, let’s get ready to drive the hell out of here.” Dan didn’t take his eyes off the house. He pulled his gun. “There’s no way we’re staying here.”
There was nothing.
Everyone waited for something. No one called out, no one approached the house. We just waited and watched for movement.
Soldiers began slowly filtering out of the house.
The men that had stayed outside moved in with their guns drawn on their fellow soldiers.
Those who cleared the house knew the protocol; they quietly lined up, each raising their hands, holding their weapons in the air. Each were checked for bites and scratches.
I still couldn’t see Jaxon.
Dan approached the scene, and I followed close behind. I glanced over my shoulder to look back at the truck; Ethan was sitting with Mayhem, staring out the window. I brought my attention back to the house.
One by one, the rest of the soldiers stepped out and went through the inspection before going back on guard.
A moment later, Jaxon came from around the back of the house; he was clearly limping.
I tugged at Dan as soon as I saw him come around the corner.
Jaxon was breathing heavily, and the limp in his leg was concerning. But worse, when we got closer, we noticed he was covered in blood.
* * *
“Are you infected?” a soldier shouted.
Dan turned to the voices.
I took a long look at Jaxon and turned to the voices behind us.
All guns were aimed on us as if Jaxon was a most wanted criminal.
Jaxon raised his hands in the air, demonstrating his surrender.
It hit me.
Jaxon could be infected.
“I asked you a question, sir. Are you infected?” the soldier shouted again.
“I’m not infected!” Jaxon responded back over the commotion.
“There’s a lot of blood on you, Jaxon,” Hart fired back.
Dan took a glance behind him then back to the soldiers. “He said he’s not infected!”
“Get out of the way! This is standard procedure,” Hart commanded Dan.
“There are no standard procedures anymore.” Dan had pure defiance in his voice.
I pulled my gun and joined Dan, nervously pointing it from soldier to soldier.
We were in a standoff with no chance of survival if this went badly.
Looking at Jaxon wasn’t reassuring. His breathing was heavy, he could barely stand, covered in blood and his clothes were torn.
“Just let us go. We’ll take him,” I suggested.
Neither of us had any idea whether or not Jaxon was infected, but we certainly weren’t going to let him get killed in front of his own son.
“Put your weapons down!” Miller ordered. “Weapons down!”
A few soldiers followed the order while others kept their guns drawn.
“Jaxon, were you injured?” Hart asked.
Jaxon didn’t answer.
I looked back at him. “Jaxon?”
Dan kept his weapon aimed. “We’ll leave. Just let us leave.”
“It’s not my blood. I wasn’t bit. I just rolled my ankle,” Jaxon finally answered.
“You heard him. OK?” I begged, keeping my gun aimed. It was time to hide the scared little girl that wanted to burst out crying.
“This is the end of the road with us, Jaxon.” Miller stepped forward.
“I had a fall, it’s just a twisted ankle and some scratches.” Jaxon finally put his arms down.
“We can’t take that risk,” Hart said.
“It’s fine. We’ll leave,” Dan spoke for Jaxon.
“Jaxon, let’s get back to the truck, OK? Ethan is waiting.”
One by one the soldiers backed away from us, always keeping their weapons carefully aimed as they made room for us to move to the truck. Jaxon and I began slowly walking back to the truck while Dan followed closely behind, gun trained on the soldiers.
At the truck, I opened the back and pulled out a jug of water.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Ethan must have been so scared and confused watching the ordeal from the car.
“Just a misunderstanding, buddy.” Jaxon couldn’t even fake a smile. “What were you guys thinking?” Jaxon removed his bloodied shirt and took the water jug from me. He began pouring it slowly over one of his hands, washing the blood away.
I took the water jug back from him. “Dan and I never thought stopping here was a good idea. We should just drive through the night….”
“Harmony, I mean what were you thinking pulling your weapons?” Jaxon rubbed his hands together and splashed the water up his arms. “We are lucky they didn’t blow all of us to hell.”
“Well, they didn’t.” Dan made it back to the truck and reached in the back, pulling out a bag. He took out a clean t-shirt and handed it to Jaxon. “But let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”
The water washed most of the blood from Jaxon’s hands and arms. As he put on the t-shirt he winced in pain. “How bad is it?” Jaxon turned his back to us… his back had large bleeding lacerations.
CHAPTER 13
It was bad.
Even if the lacerations down Jaxon’s back hadn’t been made by an infected, it was still highly possible he was exposed. The amount of blood on his body could have easily contacted the open wounds.
Jaxon pulled the t-shirt down over his back and turned around to Dan and me. “We’ll clean it later. I don’t want Ethan to see this,” Jaxon whispered so not to let his son hear.
“I’m so sorry, Jaxon.” There was nothing else I could say to him. The feeling of helplessness was devastating.
“Jaxon.” Hart approached us holding a gas can. “For the road.”
“Thanks.” Jaxon took the can.
“Good luck.” Hart walked away without another word.
“Let’s get out of here.” Dan walked over and opened the door to the back seat. “Hey, little guy, wanna sit up front with me?”
Ethan hopped into Dan’s arms. Dan carried him to the passenger seat, and Ethan scrambled into the truck.
“I got the back seat with you,” I said. “It’s for the best, Jaxon.”
Jaxon nodded in agreement.
The lights of the convoy disappeared into the darkness as we drove away. Dan took the dirt road to the highway and turned left heading west. None of us looked back.
I was happy to be leaving the group behind but anxious that we were now alone with Jaxon; his mind could begin falling into the darkness of those raging monsters at any moment. If he was infected, we still had no way of knowing when the transition would begin. For all we knew, it could have already started.
I felt Jaxon’s eyes on me. When I turned to him, it wasn’t me that he was staring at, but rather the gun in my hand. I never put it away when we got in the truck. The reason didn’t have to be spoken. Our eyes met, and then without a word he looked away from me and out the window.
I couldn’t imagine what he was going through internally.
What would it be like to watch him go through the transition of infection?
How long until he lost his sanity and forgets who we are?
There w
as no way of truly knowing until the process began or didn’t. There were no hospitals, no doctors to give him an exam. It was all a matter of waiting. And wait we did, with my gun pointed at him in case he quickly fell into insanity and tried to rip out our throats.
I didn’t want to imagine what it was like for Jaxon, knowing Ethan would be without either parent, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. It had to be a pain worse than death.
It didn’t take long for Ethan to fall asleep in the front seat.
We drove for an hour that never seemed to end before Dan pulled off the road. He didn’t ask what anyone thought, we didn’t discuss a damn thing. I was sure he was exhausted.
The area looked like it was once an industrial farm land. Dan parked the truck behind the first building, just far enough off the road where anyone passing by on the highway wouldn’t see us.
“I think this is as good as any for tonight. We should make it to Summer Springs by tomorrow.” Dan didn’t turn around as he spoke. He just stared out the window into the pitch black surroundings.
“I’m gonna sleep on the roof. You should feel somewhat safe while you sleep,” said Jaxon.
I wasn’t going to talk Jaxon out of it, and neither was Dan. It absolutely did make us feel better. We couldn’t take the chance that he might change while we were sleeping. So we let him have a few moments to check his weapon, check his sheath for his bayonet, and then pick up a bottle of water to take with him for the night.
“I want you both to know how grateful I am for everything. For picking me up off the side of the road, helping me with my son. If something happens…. if I change tonight, tell Ethan I loved him. I don’t have to ask you to protect him because I know you will. And put me out of my fucking misery before you drive out of here.” Jaxon reached for the door….
“Jaxon…”
Jaxon turned around before he exited.
I handed Jaxon a blanket to take with him. He accepted it and stepped out of the truck.
The truck bobbed down, then up, with Jaxon’s weight as he climbed up from the back. Dan and I sat quietly just listening to him adjust his body on the roof. I guess he figured it was the safest place given that staying inside the car wasn’t an option, and going into one of the buildings could mean running into another infected. I didn’t know if he had any fight left in him tonight. So the roof of the truck would have to do. It was high enough to where infected couldn’t easily reach him, yet close enough to us that he could offer some protection.
