In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

  John scanned each item from the basket he carried.

  “Potato chips, peanut butter crackers, sandwich meat… It looks like I’m set,” he said. A few feet away, Christian saw him paying for his groceries.

  “Hey, whatcha doing there, John?”

  “Exactly what I should be doing. Paying for my things.” John pulled a fifty from his wallet and pressed the “cash” key. The drawer shot out, and John traded his bill for the change he was due.

  “No offense, but that’s a little weird. I don’t understand your reasoning. Things are different—”

  “They’ll change back soon enough.”

  Christian raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

  “I just do,” John said. “These things don’t last forever.” He began placing his groceries back in his basket with the receipt.

  “What? Apocalypses? This is the first one I’ve been to.”

  John looked up with narrowed eyes. “Look, I’m just minding my own business, why don’t you mind yours?”

  Christian shook his head and walked away.

  ****

  “This fucking sucks,” Jordan said. He was leaning against the wall of the conference room, below one of the ceiling vents, next to Ashley and Aiden. The air that blew down on them felt nice.

  “It sure does,” Ashley said. “Do you guys wanna do something? Like play cards, maybe? I think there’s a rack with decks of UNO cards.”

  “Sure,” Aiden said.

  John was lying down on his makeshift bed, trying to sleep. Evelyn and Christian had a stack of paper on the table. They were playing tic-tac-toe.

  “We’re going downstairs to look for something to do,” Jordan said. Evelyn looked up, a look of concern replacing one of boredom. “There’s nothing up here.”

  “Be careful down there,” Evelyn said.

  “We know the drill.”

  “Here, kid,” Christian said. “Come here.” He reached for his jacket, which was hanging over the back of his chair. His gun was in one of the inner pockets. He held it out, the barrel facing him, and looked up at Jordan. “You might need this.”

  “The store’s empty though,” Jordan said.

  “It’s still best you be prepared for anything.”

  “That’s true, but… I’ve never shot a gun in my life.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time you did.”

  “Okay.” Jordan’s face turned white, and he looked confused and nervous.

  “You just point and shoot. Just make sure when you do, the safety’s off. Kay?”

  “All right.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Christian said. “Just get what you want and come back up here.” He smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.

  Jordan and his friends turned and left the conference room. Their feet clacked on the hard plastic steps as they hurried down. Jordan held the gun in his hand carefully. It was heavy.

  There was a small rack of UNO decks across from the greeting cards. Ashley grabbed one and tucked it into the pocket of her skin-tight blue jeans. “This’ll be more fun than Go Fish, anyway.” She laughed a little, and Jordan smiled. They headed back to the conference room.

  ****

  Ashley threw a green three on Jordan’s green seven, then Aiden came around with a green reverse, then Ashley with a green skip. They went around, trying to keep their minds off of the outside world, trying to stay sane, trying to laugh as much as possible.

  Not long after the three teens had come back with the game, Christian joined in, and so did Evelyn. When asked to join, John declined. He didn’t converse much with the others, nor did he want to. He just sat around keeping to himself. No matter what happened, John was not going to budge, and he made sure the others knew it.

  ****

  “It’s been four days,” Jordan said as the others sat around him at the small table they had pulled from the wall to use for their UNO game. “The situation really isn’t getting any better. We can’t just stay here forever. I’m worried about my family.”

  “Yeah, without phones I can’t get a hold of my mom,” Ashley said. “I want to make sure she’s still okay.”

  “We’ll definitely make that happen. We just need to figure a few things out here, get our ducks in a line, and then we’ll be on our way.”

  “We’ll need to gather things together,” Evelyn said. “You know, food and supplies. We can fill a few baskets.”

  “Yeah, we’ll do that before we leave,” Jordan said.

  “Wouldn’t a cart hold more?” Aiden asked.

  “Yeah, but we can’t very well put a whole cart into any of our cars,” Evelyn said.

  “Good point. I guess if we all carry a basket, we can still gather a lot of stuff.”

  Christian leaned in and spoke low. “Doesn’t seem like your store director wants anything to do with this.” He turned back to look at John, who was across the room reading a book that he’d paid for the day before. He was scowling.

  “Yeah, I wonder if he’ll come with us,” Jordan said. “He doesn’t seem too interested in leaving.”

  “He’s acted different these past few days,” Evelyn said. “He’s just been dreadful to be around. I hate to say this, considering what’s happened, but he has.”

  “I think there’s more to him,” Ashley said, “but he puts up a wall. It’s sad.”

  “Like I said, he wasn’t like this at all before. He was a hard-ass to work for, but as a person, he was a good guy. Some people don’t handle crises very well, I guess.”

  “Did you all know he’s been paying for everything he’s been using?” Christian said.

  “Yeah,” Jordan said. “That’s odd.”

  “Who the fuck cares if we take the stuff in the first place?” Aiden said.

  “John does,” Evelyn replied.

  “I guess he can’t handle the idea of stealing,” Ashley said.

  “Nope, not at all,” Jordan said. “You should see him when we have a shoplifter. He’s nasty as fuck.”

  Ashley nodded. “I can see that. Anyway, I know some of us could have paid for the stuff we’ve been using, but I personally only brought enough to buy what I came up for when this started.”

  “Yeah, I definitely can’t afford to buy half of what we took,” Jordan said. “Not until payday, anyway. That would be almost a week away.”

  “Well, I suggest we grab what we need and shove off,” Christian said. “Sound good to everyone?”

  Everyone gathered their things and readied themselves. John set his book down as the others were moving around.

  “What’s happening?” he asked. His voice was shaky. Everyone stopped and turned toward John. He crossed his arms.

  “We’ve been thinking a lot about what’s going on here,” Jordan said, “and—”

  “You weren’t thinking about going out there, were you?” John’s right eyebrow rose slightly.

  “John, we can’t live in a grocery store,” Evelyn said.

  “It sure would be safer to stay here than be wandering around out there.”

  “Maybe, but I’d rather die trying to make a change for the better than sit here waiting to die, which is what you seem to have in mind.”

  “I’m not trying to make you all stay here,” John said. “I’m just trying to tell you it’s not safe out there.”

  “We know it’s not safe out there,” Ashley said. “We know, but we’re doing what we’ve decided, and what we feel we need to. My mother’s out there. We all have family out there that we have no contact with. Aren’t you worried about your family?”

  “My family,” John said, with a chuckle. His eyes began to well up. “You shouldn’t leave. It’s just not safe out there.”

  “Our minds are already made up, Johnny,” Christian said. “We’ll be outta here within the hour, and you should come with. You’ll do better with others than on your own.”

  “I’m staying right here!” John said. He stood straight up. Christian, Aiden, Ashley, and Evelyn turned around and headed
for the steps.

  Jordan sighed. “If that’s how you feel, John, that’s fine. We’re not going to force you to come with us.” Jordan headed downstairs.

  Many thoughts ran through John’s mind as he looked around the empty and cold conference room. His eyes gazed over the evidence of people camping out: Messy blankets crumpled up, the unfinished game of UNO, the wrappers and bags and crumbs. A couple of green baskets, marked with the Ferrington name, lay abandoned on the table.

  John didn’t want to be alone.

  He looked at one of the other tables. Resting on the corner was a knife.

  ****

  Jordan and the others walked together in a group, each with a green shopping basket, filling it with various things: dry foods, first aid supplies, other necessities. Christian thought about making a quick stop by the Wine and Spirits department, but he decided, based on past experiences, it may not be a good idea to have any alcohol.

  The others regrouped at the front of the store, but before they could leave, they heard a voice.

  “I sure hope you all have plans to pay for that.”

  “John, are you really going to try to make us pay for this stuff?” Evelyn said with a frown. “You can’t call the cops without the phones, and even if you could, I’m sure most of them are either dead, or tied up in this mess somewhere. Whenever things return to normal, I’m pretty sure the Ferrington can recover from however much we took.”

  “It’ll make a difference, Evelyn!” John said. “It’ll hurt the store! It’ll hurt the company!”

  “That doesn’t even matter right now,” Jordan said. “This could have spread all over the country, for all we know. And if that’s the case, this will have happened at all of the Ferrington stores. All of the higher-ups are probably dead, John.”

  “Tell you what,” Christian said. “If this whole thing blows over tomorrow, I’ll pay the whole amount myself. But right now, it doesn’t matter. It’s ridiculous that you’re worried about this, and not our lives.”

  “I am worried about your lives! I’m trying to get you to stay!”

  “We’re leaving, and we’re leaving with the food. You need to come with us. I think you’ve let yourself get a little too close to this place the past couple of days. Just let it go. If things clear up later on, you’ll still have this job, but for now, let it go. It won’t hurt a thing.”

  “I’m not leaving, and if you were smart, you wouldn’t either,” John said. “You’re obviously all idiots, leaving. Going out there, essentially killing yourselves. I can’t stop you from doing that, but I can stop you from taking the groceries! If you want food, go rob a fucking Wal-Mart! I won’t have you stealing from a Ferrington!”

  “Why are we trying to get the asshole to go with us?” Aiden said, leaning toward Jordan, who shook his head.

  “I don’t know. Let’s just get the rest of the shit and leave him in his ghost town.”

  “I’m all for that,” Ashley said.

  “I’ve given too much, put too much into this company for people like you to spit all over its good name! My son… He was a store director at the Liberty Ferrington. My wife was the dietitian there. I can’t just let it go.”

  “Was?” Evelyn said, eyes widening. “John, how do you even know they’re not still alive?”

  “Oh, Evelyn,” John said. His lips cracked into a smile, one that chilled Evelyn to the bone. “You were always a hard worker. Been with the company for eight years, always made me proud, but do you know what your problem is? You’re a moron. How the fuck do you think I know they’re gone? I heard my wife’s screams over the phone. I heard my son crying. I heard the whole fucking thing like I was right there, clear as day. They’re gone, they’re gone.”

  Evelyn wanted to punch him in the face, but she knew John was hurting already. She just said, “I’m so sorry, John.”

  His watery eyes pinched shut for a split second, and the sadness in every feature of his face changed back to anger. “It doesn’t matter! I’m not leaving. I can’t, and won’t! My place is here, and if you don’t like me now, just keep pushing it! I don’t take kindly to thieves in my store!”

  “John, please,” Evelyn said. “Just come with us.”

  John lurched forward and grabbed her basket. Some of its contents spilled onto the floor, and Evelyn’s eyes widened with surprise. John grabbed her arm and pulled her up to him, whipping the knife out of his back pocket. He pressed the blade into her skin. Jordan and the others were in shock, and Christian readied his gun.

  “You try anything, and she dies where she stands!” John said. Christian lowered his arm and sighed.

  “What the fuck do you want, John?” he said.

  “Set the baskets down, and just get the fuck out of my store! You let go of the merchandise, I’ll let Evelyn go!”

  They lowered their baskets to the floor. Christian moved slower than the others. John loosened his grip on the knife and pulled it away from Evelyn’s neck.

  Christian raised the gun back up and fired a bullet into John’s leg. John screamed in pain, dropping the knife and limping back a little. Evelyn rushed toward Jordan and the others.

  “You stupid prick!” John said. “I hope you all die out there! I’ll be safe in the Ferrington while you idiots are being picked from the teeth of those creatures!” He fell to one knee, holding the other leg where the bullet had entered. Blood ran down his leg, darkening his gray slacks.

  Evelyn looked back at John. She sighed, wanting to say something to him, but she knew nothing would have made an impact.

  “Let’s go!” Ashley said as she grabbed her basket and hurried past the others. They gathered their things, quickly moved the pallets out of the way, and unlocked the doors. The group headed into the foyer, and then into the warm late-afternoon air. As exhilarating as the idea of leaving and starting anew had sounded to them, it all changed the moment they stepped outside.

  When they left the Ferrington, the feeling of death was in the air, and so was the smell. Dead bodies littered the parking lot. In the distance they could see destruction: car wrecks, smashed poles, a building on fire. They could also see zombies.

  Regardless, they couldn’t stay at the Ferrington anymore, especially after what had happened with John, so they swallowed their fear and moved forward.

  34

  Along the Road

  Zoe woke up, and for a moment didn’t know where she was. It was pitch black, and she could hear a steady sound.

  Memory slowly rushed into her head. She was on a couch. It wasn’t hers; this house had been empty and seemed a good place to crash. It was just off the road she had been following.

  Lightning flashed. The steady sound was rain..

  Zoe sat up. Her things were still on the floor before the couch, and not a soul moved inside the house. It had been empty when she arrived, and still was. Zoe had locked the doors and windows before falling asleep in the living room. She’d have slept in one of the beds, but sleeping in someone else’s home already felt strange, and sleeping in their bed would’ve been a step too far.

  Another flash, and thunder followed. She hoped the rain would pass by the morning. She didn’t have a destination to get to in a hurry, but staying in one place for too long didn’t sit well with her.

  She wondered what time it was. The power had gone out during the night, so she had no way of telling. Her MP3 player was plugged into the wall across the room for recharging, but she had no idea how much progress it had made before the power had gone. Zoe didn’t like the idea of making the next day’s journey with no music. Listening to headphones while traveling was risky, but she was never one to have her music loud to begin with. She made sure to keep it low, sometimes leaving only one earbud in (which did little justice to whatever she was listening to, but it was a small price to pay for safety).

  Memories of the dream she’d been having peeked in and out of her subconscious, but she tried to brush them off. She felt wide awake, though not much time could have passed
since she’d fallen asleep. Returning to sleep seemed impossible.

  She sat there for a while, waiting for some unnamed thing. The dark house lit up from time to time, and her mind raced with random thoughts that all bled into one incoherent stream of consciousness, offering her little more than a minor headache and a wish that her brain would just shut up and go back to sleep. Rain pounded on the roof above her head.

  Finally, Zoe got up, fumbled through the darkness, and found her MP3 player. She saw that it was almost fully charged. She unplugged it and brought it with her to the couch. She put together a playlist of songs and listened to music for a while. She would later recall listening to “Mad World” and “Bury Me With It” and “I Never Told You What I Do For A Living”, but not how far she got before falling asleep. When she woke up again, morning was peeking through the windows, and no sound was coming from her headphones.

  ****

  Zoe continued down the road. The rain had stopped during the night, but the world was still wet, and the sky was still overcast. She hoped it wouldn’t rain again, but the houses she passed gave her comfort that if it did, she’d be able to find shelter.

  Assuming, of course, they were empty.

  As she walked along the road into the afternoon, she put her MP3 player away. She had used up half of the battery the night before and was not able to charge it before leaving, so after a brief period in the morning, she decided against using it further. After all, she didn’t know how long it would be before she was able to charge it again, or how long she would have until the power went out for good. She didn’t want to imagine a world without her music.

  A noise interrupted her thoughts. A few seconds passed, and Zoe realized car was coming. A truck, by the sound of it.

  She moved off of the road and into the grass (where she would normally walk, but had kept off due to the rain) and waited.