How could he have been so weak – so foolish? Was the transformation already starting? How long did he have? He couldn’t dwell on these thoughts right now; he knew the group had to get to safety. They had to put plenty of distance between themselves and the zombies that had just attacked them. James felt compelled to lead his friends to safety even though his GPS-like sense of direction was failing him.
“Slow down, Jim,” Kara begged, out of breath and exhausted. “We’ve been on the run forever. I think we’ve lost them.”
“Just a little bit more, sis – we are almost back to where we left the cars last night when those undead meat sacks first showed up.”
A few hundred yards after escaping from the condo, Corbin had put Nikki down on her feet; she had regained enough of her composure to move on her own. Corbin clutched baby Megan close to his chest. Her constant crying tore at his heart…his baby was badly injured and he feared the worst. He could feel her tiny body shivering with fear. Even though he didn’t want to think about it…he knew his baby was infected. He had failed his precious baby and his beautiful wife.
What kind of father was he? How could he not protect his family? Terrible thoughts raced through his mind, but he moved forward. James would get them to safety. James always found a way to keep them safe. Always.
The marine prodded the group to move very quickly but to move with extreme caution. Zombies could be anywhere. They could be around any corner. The undead could spring up any time of day or night. They seemed particularly drawn to loud noises, groups of people and the undead were eerily prone to be extremely attracted to the smell of cooked food.
James wasn’t sure if the cooking of food lured in the undead because of a connection the zombies had made where cooked food equaled human activity…or maybe, cooked food somehow rekindled latent memories in the back of their minds. Probably not the latter, he thought to himself…no, that would give those meat sacks too much humanity.
The group raced down a few empty, pothole-filled streets until they located the parking lot between the old bookstore and the burned out children’s clothing store; they had finally worked their way back to where they had abandoned the Impala and the van the previous night. The group still had no fuel for the vehicles but at least they could get to their supplies to help treat their wounds.
Gas had been difficult to come by, even in the early days of the zombie infestation, but now, now it was almost impossible to find. During the past six months, the group had been resourceful in refilling their vehicles. Mostly, they would venture into the automobile graveyards of the interstates and siphon fuel from the long since abandoned vehicles. Even this tactic was becoming less and less reliable.
The friends stood on the sidewalk and peered into the icy parking lot. No signs of any activity. The vehicles rested quietly, like obedient dogs, waiting for their masters to return. A strong breeze between the two buildings tossed around trash and papers like butterflies fluttering aimlessly about in a late summer breeze.
The parking lot appeared empty, but that meant nothing – danger could be lurking anywhere and they knew it. Nowhere was ever safe or secure. Always having to watch over your shoulder – just to make sure you didn’t end up in a zombie feeding frenzy. You never really got a peaceful, relaxing sleep since the zombie apocalypse started. If you slept too soundly, well you ended up getting your face eaten. Lack of sleep meant one was always tired – likely to make mental mistakes – often leading to death. Belonging to a close-knit group improved your odds of surviving and lessened the likelihood that one small mistake would get you killed. This group of friends knew that fact all too well. They had battled many zombies, struggled together to find warmth and shelter and procured food and clothing against almost insurmountable odds.
“Kara and I will take a closer look,” Nikki said to James. She turned towards Corbin and looked with sad, but loving motherly eyes, at her baby. “Then I want to hold our baby – she needs her momma.”
The two women entered the parking lot with weapons drawn. They searched behind and in the trash dumpster. Nothing was hiding, waiting for its next meal. The thick metal exit doors on the children’s clothing store were rusted shut. No undead would burst through those doors without making tremendous amounts of noise. The final spots to check were the vehicles. Kara checked in and under the van. All clear. Nikki checked the Impala. Nothing. The area was secure.
The past six months together, on the run, had honed their skills. Meticulous attention to detail, understanding their environment and just the sheer will to survive kept them sharp and on their toes. That was true for the whole group. Even though no one had mentioned it in the short time since the attack at the condo…but all of them had thought about it…whether they would admit it or ever say it out loud. How did they mess up last night? How did the zombies find them? What had gone wrong?
The two seasoned women gave the all-clear sign and everyone moved towards the Impala. Exhausted and all-but-defeated, the group collapsed into the comfortable seats of their car. Corbin lovingly handed Megan to her mother. The baby had stopped crying; only minor whimpers and some bleeding from her leg told of her recent encounter with the zombies. Kara had not joined them. She gathered medical supplies from the trunk of the car and the backseat of the van to treat her brother and the baby.
Nikki rocked Megan softly, the baby resting, mostly silently, against her mother’s shoulder. Tears welled up in Nikki’s eyes slowly at first and then, as if a dam had broken, a deluge of sadness opened up. Corbin put his arm around his wife and baby and the family rocked back and forth in a tear-filled silence.
Kara swung open the passenger side door and slid into the front seat next to her brother. She had filled a backpack full of supplies to treat their injuries. James’ eyes were closed and his head was tilted fully forward resting on the steering wheel. Blood from his wound had already stained the driver side seat and was streaming down his limp arm to the floorboard.
“James, take off your shirt,” Kara said. “I need to stitch you up.”
James turned his head towards his sister. He tried to be strong for her. He could see her fear and concern. “No, help the baby first.”
Kara turned towards the backseat. Corbin had moved slightly away to give Kara more room, but Nikki still clutched baby Megan firmly.
“Nikki, I need to doctor up Megan,” Kara said in a low, firm tone. “Will you let me do that?”
“Here take my seat,” Corbin said as he opened the back door and slid out into the bright morning sunlight.
Kara crawled between the front seats to the back of the car and sat beside Nikki. She watched the young mother rock back and forth. She hadn’t heard it earlier while she was up in the front seat, but Nikki was softly singing a lullaby to Megan. Kara couldn’t make out the words; the sweet, but melancholy tune brought tears to her eyes.
Nikki kissed her baby gently on the top of the forehead just below her soft, curly auburn hairline. The young mother felt extreme heat coming from Megan’s head; her baby had a very high temperature. She knew her baby was badly ill. Nikki turned her baby so that Kara could have easy access to the injured left leg.
Kara pulled up the hem of the dirty blue dress covered in a daffodil motif. The baby’s tiny thigh was badly bruised and deep teeth marks could be seen from almost the top of the hip to the knee. The leg had scabbed over some but had already turned a dark blue-black tinge from the deep muscle damage. Baby Megan barely made a sound as Kara stitched up and wrapped the injured limb.
“There we go, Megan – that was a good girl,” Kara said softly. “I bet that would have even made mean ol’ James cry.” She leaned forward and kissed baby Megan lightly on the side of her neck.
Kara then quickly shimmied up into the front seat next to her brother and Corbin resumed his position in the backseat with his family. No one spoke.
Kara skillfully stitched up her brother. She had to take it slowly, even though she had done this many times, this time was diffe
rent. Her eyes were red and swollen from tears. She could barely see what she was doing, but her hands took care of the rest. As she finished up, she wiped the tears from her eyes to inspect her work. The bleeding had been stopped and the bandages were well secured.
After about fifteen minutes of rest, James opened his eyes and spoke. “We need to get some gas. I doubt we’ll find enough for two vehicles.” He paused, taking a long breath – the pain was excruciating but he tried not to let on. “Let’s consolidate all our stuff into the van. There’s more room in there anyway.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Corbin said as he nodded towards Kara. “You three rest.”
Kara and Corbin took the next twenty minutes to unload all of their supplies from the Impala to the van. Both were shocked at how much stuff they had accumulated over their journey together - clothes, food, medical supplies and even some toys for baby Megan. All of these things made their lives easier. The last of the items to move were weapons and ammo. These items kept them alive – gave them an upper hand against the undead. The weapons also brought some peace of mind. The items never made the group over confident, but it did help them sleep a bit better each night.
“That’s all of it, Kara,” Corbin said as he leaned against the side of the van.
“We’re in trouble, huh?”
Corbin bowed his head, fighting back tears. “Yeah, I think our luck ran out this morning...” Kara moved over towards her friend and embraced him in a tight hug. He hugged her back. Both cried for a few moments and then returned to the Impala and entered the vehicle.
“Since you two are finished making out,” James said with a slight smile, “we really need to go and get some gas for the van. I figure we are about two miles from the interstate. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a few still full of gas…” James tried to get out of the car but had no energy.
“Shit!” James said, clasping the steering wheel tightly for support. “Give me a second and I’ll be fine…then one of y’all can come with me and we’ll find some fuel.”
“I don’t think so, old man,” Kara said. “You and Nikki move over to the van and stay put. Corbin and I’ll find the gas.” The old vet and Nikki didn’t complain. They moved over to the van with some help. Kara kissed her brother on the cheek and he playfully waved her off. He was in so much pain but didn’t want his sister to worry any more than she had to.
Nikki sat in the front passenger seat with baby Megan. Corbin closed the door softly behind his fiancée. He leaned in through the open window and kissed her and then his tiny daughter. As he was pulling away, Nikki pulled him closely to her lips and whispered in his ear.
“Hurry back to me…I’m worried about our baby. She’s too sick and I can’t do anything for her except hold her.”
Corbin nodded unable to speak…his emotions were running high. He didn’t want to leave at all, even for a short time, but they needed gas and they needed to get the hell out of this town.
Corbin and Kara armed themselves. Both took small amounts of food and water in their backpacks just in case the trip took longer than anticipated. They also dressed in their heavy winter coats and gloves to fight off the bitter wind chill. The two friends began their journey east towards the interstate on foot.
About twenty minutes into their trip they heard the loud roaring of a V8 engine behind them. They instinctively ran behind the edge of a building for cover. As they peeked around the corner they were shocked to see their old Ford van sitting at the intersection. James slowly motioned them back to the van.
“What the hell?” Corbin inquired after jogging up to the van.
“Where did you find the gas so quickly, James,” Kara asked.
“I wasn’t thinking…nor had I thought to check when we first ‘acquired’ this van. As I was trying to get comfortable, I must have nudged the selector switch to the extra tank. I heard the click and looked down…and well, here we are. This van has dual gas tanks and those idiots we met back in Arkansas must have filled it up before we took it from them…”
Corbin and Kara threw their supplies in the back and got in the van. No one spoke as the van sat idling in the intersection. James pulled off to the side of the road, mostly out of habit; it wasn’t as if he was holding up traffic. As the van’s wheels brushed the curb on the edge of the empty sidewalk, James shut off the engine to conserve precious gas. He took the keys from the ignition and handed them to Kara.
“You drive,” he said softly. James slid out of the driver’s seat and Kara slid across to take his place.
No one spoke; silence filled every nook and cranny of the van. However, everyone in the van, except baby Megan, contemplated the gravity of their current situation. They all knew the reality. They all knew the truth: Everyone ever bitten since the start of the zombie pandemic turned. Everyone. No exceptions. It was just a matter of time.
How long before their time was up?
Chapter 26
January 3, 2014: Friday, 7:17 AM – Charleston, West Virginia, two miles from the interstate, an almost completely abandoned intersection in the middle of a once bustling town…
Thirty minutes passed as the group silently rested in their old van. The seats were not necessarily the most comfortable, but the passengers had much more room than when they were cramped up in the Impala. What the van lacked in the “sex appeal” of an old muscle car, it sure the hell made up for it with roominess and extra storage capacity.
“Waah!” Megan screeched, breaking the deafening silence. Her wailing soon turned into constant crying. Deep painful howls coming from such a tiny baby – with no real way to express her pain other than cries for help. Her young body was quickly succumbing to the ravishing effects of the zombie plague. Megan flailed her tiny arms in desperation. Corbin reached over and held her tiny hands in his, trying to comfort his child.
“She’s burning up,” Nikki said as she cradled the baby on her shoulder. The heat from the Megan’s extreme fever made the side of Nikki’s face sweat where the two touched. “I don’t know what to do. She’s in so much pain…she’s been shaking the whole time.”
James too had been shivering, but only for the last half hour or so. He could feel the poison, or disease or whatever it was exploding throughout his veins. Only his anger about being weak and getting bitten in the first place kept his mind off the agonizing pain.
“Maybe we could give her a small piece of James’ pain pills?” Kara offered. “Maybe those would ease some of her pain?”
Nikki shook her head.
“Maybe that isn’t such a bad idea,” James added. “Maybe it would be better for her if she took more than a few…”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Nikki yelled, clearly understanding the intent behind James’ recommendation. “Are you telling me to put my child to sleep permanently? You want me to kill my own baby? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Calm down, honey,” Corbin said. “I don’t think James meant that.”
“Yes, that is precisely what I meant. We all know what’s going to happen. We’ve all been sitting here for close to an hour now.” James paused, fighting off the sudden urge to vomit. The disease coursed through his body. “We all know what is going to happen…”
“We don’t know that!” Kara yelled defiantly at her brother, knowing full well that the transformation was an undeniable fact. They had all seen it before. They all knew what would happen…just not when.
“Why don’t you gag on your own fucking pills?” Nikki screamed as she angrily waved her middle finger from side-to-side in his face.
James looked at Nikki, seemingly un-phased by her angry outburst. He wasn’t surprised with her reaction. Hell he expected it. Actually, he expected worse. Had she not been holding the baby, he fully well expected her to have hit him…repeatedly…for making such a suggestion.
James spoke evenly and calmly without stuttering or blinking: “Oh, believe me, I’d down this whole bottle but pills take too long. I’ll know when my time i
s up. Understand this, I will not become one of those meat sacks.” The old vet popped open the pill bottle and downed a small handful of the narcotics to ease some of his pain. He turned back towards the front windshield and sat in silence with his head slightly bowed and his eyes closed.
“Let’s all just calm down,” Kara pleaded.
Nikki and Corbin both moved from the captain’s chairs in the van’s second row of seats to the couch-like back seat in the very back of the van. There they could both be close to one another. Corbin rested his back against the side of the van. Nikki squeezed her body in next to him, laying her head on his shoulder; her hands in constant contact with her precious baby.
After everyone appeared to be calm and as comfortable as could be expected, Kara spoke once again: “I’m going to start up the van and we can get back on course for Maine. No need to sit here any longer.” She fired up the V8 engine, put it into drive, checked the side mirror and turned on the left blinker to merge into non-existent traffic. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have been able to laugh at the automatic, ingrained driving response she had just exhibited. Checking the mirrors? What for? And a turn signal?
The mind did weird things when exposed to extreme stress…
January 3, 2014: Friday, 8:57 AM – in the middle of nowhere, outside of the Charleston city limits, an access road running parallel to the interstate …
Kara skillfully maneuvered the van around charred and forgotten vehicles on the crooked access road. On her left hand side, she could see the wrecked cars and flipped over SUVs blocking all four lanes of the interstate. She could only imagine the fear and confusion that must have taken place as droves upon droves of families tried to escape from the city. She remembered back to the first months after the initial onset of the zombie infestation.
Z1N1: The Zombie Pandemic: 2012 Was Just the Beginning Page 25
