I scrambled into the driver’s seat and fumbled with the key. My hand was shaking, and it took several tries to find the ignition.
“There’s more coming!” screamed Caitlyn. I swung my head around to the left as the engine roared to life. There looked to be a dozen figures stumbling toward us.
“Oh, sweet Jesus!” I mumbled. One of the people running was a young woman who was trying to stay ahead of the zombies. But they were right behind her. As the other zombies slammed into the glass on the right again, I began to drive slowly away. The zombies ran after the van, hitting it with their fists. As I drove out of the parking lot and onto the street, the woman saw us and veered towards us. Two steps behind her was a group of three zombies, and they were gaining on her. I looked into her panicked eyes.
“PLEASE! HELP ME!” She screamed. I drew in a swift breath as I watched. She was still 50 yards from us when the first zombie caught her and they went down in a heap. As we drove nearer, the other two zombies fell onto the woman, who was screaming and thrashing. It was too late: her body all but disappeared beneath a mass of hungry grey-black flesh. I sobbed as I drove passed.
Other zombies began appearing and running toward us. Some ran to the woman on the ground, and soon a dozen of them were on her. As we drove down the street toward the freeway, at least fifteen of them ran after us. I accelerated and left them behind. I pulled onto the freeway going south.
Chapter Eleven
“Jacob,” I said quietly. He came up to me. “How is Emily?” I asked.
“Not good. She’s still unconscious. Paula got the bleeding stopped, but she lost a lot of blood. She’s very pale. And Alyssa. She was bitten. She’s infected,” Jacob said quietly.
Tears sprung to my eyes. “Take care of her. Keep her comfortable and warm,” I said. He nodded and made his way to the rear again. I drove on. I tried to concentrate on driving, but tears dropped silently from my eyes as the sun set. Driving on the freeway toward Los Angeles, my friend dying in the back seat. A sob broke out as I tried to wipe my eyes clear of tears. Thankfully, the freeway was empty of cars. It seemed as though we were alone in the world. I could hear Caitlyn crying softly in the back, and DeAndre comforting her. Risa joined in on the crying, I heard Scooter and the little Scottie dog whining, and Jacob came up to the driver’s area.
“Emily is getting worse,” he said grimly, sitting down beside me. “Paula is trying to help her, but there’s nothing she can do about the infection.” He sniffed quietly and I glanced at him. Tears were running silently down his face. Seeing him cry made my tears double. I let out a soft moan of sadness.
“Emily and I had English together last term,” I said. “I helped her finish her midterm essay. It was on her dreams for her future. She wanted to be a ballet dancer.”
Jacob mumbled something inaudible and stared out the window.
I couldn’t believe it. Not Emily. She was so sweet, the gentlest of my friends. The tears kept coming. I blew my nose.
As I drove, my head filled with memories of Emily. The fun we had had in New York, all of us seeing a Broadway play, sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty, running through pigeons in Central Park on a perfect day. She was such a good friend. She didn’t deserve any of this. Lost in memories, I drove on. After about an hour, I came to the Flying J, a truck stop on the way to Los Angeles. I decided to stop, refuel and check on Emily.
I tried to look ahead as I put my foot on the brake and pulled off the freeway. It had to be safe. We had been through so much already. I looked at the gas gauge, it was nearly three-quarters empty. Driving slowly down the side road and turning into the parking lot, everything looked calm. Just one car in the parking lot and the lights on inside. I could see the clerk as I pulled into a parking place; he was moving about normally.
Without a word, I turned the van off and got out. The rest were silent and came with me, with the exception of Paula, who stayed with Emily. We filed in, and I nodded to the clerk as I turned left toward the bathrooms. He nodded back. The place was safe.
After I finished at the bathroom, I went and gathered some snacks and then headed toward the aisle that had Band-Aids and aspirin. I gathered up anything I thought might help Paula make Emily more comfortable and made my way to the back. Grabbing two energy drinks, I met Caitlyn on the way back. Her face was white, tears running down silently. I closed my eyes as fresh tears ran down my own face. Making my way to the cashier, I added several boxes of Kleenex to my pile. My nose was running again.
After Jacob paid for everything, I returned to the van and made my way to the back. I waited wearily until everyone got in, then I started the van and made my way back onto the freeway. I drove about 15 miles to a deserted turnout beside a lake. The air looked rosy in the late-afternoon light.
I stopped the van and made my way to the back where Paula was sitting with Emily’s head on her lap. Emily was as white as a ghost. Amazingly, she was awake. She looked at me, her eyes filled with dull pain.
“Alyssa,” she whispered.
I sat down next to her and held her hand. Jacob, Caitlyn, Risa, and DeAndre came to sit with her too. Risa kissed Emily’s cheek and knelt next to her, laying her head on Emily’s middle. Emily’s other hand came to rest on Risa’s head, her fingers in Risa’s wavy hair.
“Is anyone else hurt, guys?” Emily asked.
“No, Em. We’re all okay. We’re just worried about you,” I said.
“I know I’ve been infected,” she said. She closed her eyes in anguish, fresh tears running down her cheek. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t worry, Em, we’re here. We’re all here,” said Jacob.
“Emily, look into my eyes,” I said quietly. She turned her head and looked into my face. Her expression was an amalgam of worry, terror, sadness and resignation. I looked deep into her eyes. “Emily, we are all here. We are your friends, and we love you. Here, feel my hand.” I squeezed her hand slightly. “Feel the warmth of my hand. I am here and Jake is here, and DeAndre and Caitlyn and even Risa here,” I said as Risa wiggled up and kissed Emily’s cheek. I smiled as Emily’s face relaxed a bit into a smile. “We are all here, we love you and we are not going to go anywhere. There are things happening that we cannot stop, but nothing can stop our friendship. Nothing can stop our love for you. Whatever happens. Whatever comes. We will stay with you.”
We sat with Emily for more than an hour, talking quietly, rubbing her hand, and just being. We had all been friends for the year. We had that chance to say goodbye to her. She grew quieter and quieter until she fell completely silent. We all just sat there in the afternoon light as the shadows slowly lengthened. Her eyes had been closed for several minutes when she spoke.
“Jake,” she said quietly. Jacob pulled close to her face, and reached his hand out to caress her check.
“Jake, you must do something for me, when the end comes,” she said.
“Anything, Em,” Jacob said.
Emily voice became a whisper. “I don’t want to turn into a zombie. When the time comes, you know what to do. You know.”
Jacob nodded, looking into Emily’s eyes. His face was pale but resolute. They had been friends since grade school. He would honor her wishes. She closed her eyes again and seemed to lose consciousness.
Paula checked her pulse. “I think she’s asleep now,” she said quietly.
We all sat and waited. It took two more hours. Thankfully, Emily slept through most of it. As her temperature rose, her face became pink, then red. She was burning up, in the last stages of the plague that was transforming her. Killing her. When her temperature suddenly dropped, DeAndre, Jacob and Mike carried her outside and gently laid her on the grass. We all gathered and waited. In the end, she opened her eyes one last time and focused on us, and it was still her.
“Thank you. For being my friends, for being with me,” she said as her eyes closed again. She seemed to lose consciousness again. Five minutes later, her temperature dropped again and her face went from red to greyish. Jacob
went and loaded the shotgun. He returned just as she began to thrash about. Tears streamed down his face as he held the barrel to her forehead. She began thrashing more, and Mike and DeAndre held her down. I looked away, and sobbed. Ten seconds later, the blast of Jacob’s father’s shotgun echoed across the parking lot and Emily’s thrashing stopped and she was still. Caitlyn and Risa began to cry. The rest of us were just silent.
I looked into the mountains, toward the setting sun. I could hear the trees in the evening breeze and the wind whistling softly through the mountain canyons. It sounded like the ocean. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. The air was clean, fresh and pure. Like Emily had been. I would forever associate clean mountain air with Emily’s death.
Holly went back into the van and emerged with a pale yellow blanket. She draped it around Emily’s body, and with our help, wrapped her completely in the soft, thick material. Then she took her bag out and withdrew a needle and some thread. She began to sew the blanket closed. When she finished, Jacob, DeAndre and Mike carried the body to the side of the grass and placed it under a huge pine tree. Risa placed small yellow mustard flowers on top.
“An angel entered heaven today,” I said quietly, hugging Risa as she cried softly. We made our way back to the van. Getting in, I felt weary and saddened beyond belief. I slid into the driver’s seat and just sat there for a few minutes as everyone got in and situated. My chest felt heavy. I was beyond tears and to a realm of deep sadness people rarely experience. I felt much older than 17. In the past 36 hours, we had experienced so much, my shoulders felt as if they were burdened with hundred-pound weights. I felt so sad and shocked and I felt I would never be the same. None of us would be. A dry sob suddenly issued forth from my lungs, and I reached for a Kleenex and blew my nose.
I was tired and weary and saddened to the point of shock. But I had to pull myself together. I didn’t want anyone else to end up like Emily. Making a decision, I turned to Jacob and the others.
“I don’t think we should drive into Los Angeles tonight. Something tells me it would a living nightmare. DeAndre, check the iPad and Twitter. Look up Los Angeles, zombie and plague hashtags. Meanwhile, I’m making an executive decision. We will sleep here for the night. It’s quiet, deserted and peaceful. Spending the night here will give us the rest we’re going to need tomorrow. That okay with everyone?”
They all nodded wearily.
“I think that’s a good decision. I’ve been worrying about L.A. too, but I didn’t want to say anything,” said Jacob. “They took the evacuees there, and we can find them in the morning.” I nodded and went to grab a blanket and a pillow from the back. Everyone else did the same, and we all got comfortable in our little van. Risa cuddled with the Scottie dog, which she had decided to name Blackie. Scooter lay across her feet.
We ended up spending an hour talking about Emily and reminiscing. Remembering her jokes during the Christmas play rehearsals and her goofy costume last Halloween.
“I never told anyone, and I don’t think she did either, but last spring dance, I stole a kiss from her under the gym awning,” confessed Jacob, smiling with tears in his eyes. “She told me she didn’t feel ready for a boyfriend, but that I was a sweet guy.”
I smiled, not the least bit jealous, which surprised me. Looking at Jacob, I saw he was looking into my face with an unreadable expression on his own face. “She was so sweet herself,” I said, smiling as Jacob’s face relaxed. “I think she was the best Alice I have ever seen,” referring to her role in last years “Alice in Wonderland” that the team has performed. “Coach Turner worked so hard with her, but in the end the role just came naturally to her, she played it so smoothly. I really believed she was Alice, for just that hour.”
DeAndre nodded. He had played the Cheshire cat in that production. “She was so easy to work with. She got along well with everyone. I will miss her so much.” His voice caught in his throat.
I looked over at Risa and Holly, who were asleep against each other, Scooter and Blackie snuggled up against their feet. And towards the back, Ellie and Paula had conked out too. Mike was looking out the window. “Mike, you okay?” I said quietly, not wanting to wake the others.
He turned his head and I saw tears in the moonlight. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just thinking.” I nodded. The world had become unreal and uncertain. Sometimes the only way to cope was to step back from it. To think philosophically.
“You guys, I don’t know what the coming days hold, but I really want to find out why this has happened, and if there’s anything that can be done to reverse it” I tucked my head against my pillow and closed my eyes.
“Good night, Alyssa,” Jacob said softly.
“G’night,” I said as I drifted off into sleep.
Chapter Twelve
The night passed uneventfully, which was a nice change. It was barely morning when my eyes came open at the sound of movement beside me. It was Mike, getting a water bottle out of the front bags. Everyone else was still asleep, and dawn was breaking. The sun was still behind the row of mountains to our left as we talked in hushed tones.
“Did you sleep at all, Mike?” I asked.
“Yes. Jake was still up when I fell asleep. I just woke up about 5 minutes ago.” He took a drink of water. “I’m heading out to the bathroom,” he said, finishing the bottle and grabbing another. I nodded and stretched my back.
I reached for a towel and clean clothes and went outside to wash myself. I could hear the others begin to stir. I walked down to the edge of the lake in the cool air, feeling rested and alert. As I walked past where Emily’s body lay, still and quiet under the giant tree, I felt a renewed determination to find out why my friends had to die. Emily didn’t deserve what happened to her, and neither did Conner and Coach Turner.
I spent extra time in the water, washing myself thoroughly and scrubbing the grime off. I scrubbed until my skin was pink. Yesterday’s events made me feel dirty and soiled. I felt I would never get clean, and I must have spent twenty minutes or more scrubbing myself. I was still trying to cleanse myself of the previous day’s horror when Caitlyn and Risa came down with Holly, Paula, Ellie and the dogs. I just nodded to them and continued scrubbing. After finishing and dressing, I walked back from the lake feeling energized. Risa and Caitlyn were next to Emily. They had picked flowers and were putting them all around the blanket that covered her body. The dogs sniffed Emily’s body, and then Blackie let out a whine and curled up next to Risa. Scooter sat on his haunches and let out a mournful howl, then fell silent. I walked over, kneeled beside her and made her a promise. I would find out why she had to die. I would find out what was going on and why it happened, and I would try to fix it if I could. I closed my eyes and whispered my goodbyes to Emily and then I got up and went to the van and got in.
In the van, I brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail, then grabbed some bread and jerky and munched on it until the others got in and closed the doors. I crossed my fingers that L.A. would be better in the daytime. It might have been wishful thinking, but we couldn’t go back and we couldn’t stay here. There was nowhere else to go, and our families were probably there … if they were still alive.
“Next stop: Los Angeles, where we will hopefully find our evacuated families. Sound good?” I asked. Looking over my shoulder I saw eight faces, all looking to me for answers. Even the three adults looked like they wanted guidance.
“Fresno, Bakersfield and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley were evacuated south. South to Los Angeles. I think we’ll find answers there. I hope so. Is everyone okay and ready to go?” I asked.
“We’re ready, Alyssa,” Jake said. With a deep breath and a long drink out of my water bottle, I put the van in drive. Taking one last look at the small, sad bundle under the tree that had been Emily, I made her one last silent promise, wherever she was. If I could help it, I would do everything in my power not to let the plague take any more of us. I couldn’t bear losing another friend.
The drive into Los Angeles took
less than an hour. Just as we dropped down into the first of two sprawling valleys that held more than ten million people, sunlight broke through the morning haze and hit our vehicle like an angel’s benediction.
“Alyssa, Twitter and CNN say the evacuees came to L.A. three days ago,” Jake said. “Twitter has a few references on some being taken east, but mostly there’s no word on any other mass movement. I did a search for the evacuation centers; they’re all over the place.” “Okay, which ones are farthest north?” I figured evacuees from the north must have come down this same road and been settled somewhere in the San Fernando Valley.
“Well, there’s school gymnasiums, hospitals, even office buildings where everyone was moved,” Jacob said. “I’m not sure where we should look first. So many people being evac’ed, this may be chaos.”
“They may have taken the injured to hospitals and the rest to large locations like school gyms or even parks,” said Paula.
“Well, I need to stop at a gas station, maybe they’ll know something there,” I said.
About five minutes later, I saw a good turnoff that had several gas stations with minimarts. I pulled off the freeway and made my way into the am/pm parking lot and pulled up to a pump. Looking around, I saw a few people gassing up and some people in the store. Everything looked normal. I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Putting the van in park, I turned off the engine and unbuckled my seatbelt.
“I’ll get the gas going,” Jacob said. He hopped out of the van but left his shotgun under the seat.
Mad World (Book 1): Epidemic Page 8
