In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

  “Al, you don’t need to apologize. It was an honest mistake. I know—”

  “Yeah, but you could’ve been hurt. I’ll make sure to keep my head on straight from now on, okay?”

  “Well, thank you, dear.” Ruth smiled. Al pecked her on the lips.

  “Now, while the coast is clear—”

  A loud roll in the sky drowned Al out. Angus jumped, and Fred comforted him some more.

  “No, Al,” Ben said. “I’ll go shut the gate. You sit tight.”

  “Well, all right.” Al handed Ben his gun. “Keep this close.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Ben said, without even thinking. After he said it, he realized how much he liked the sound of it. He smiled. “I’ll be back in a second.” Ben headed for the back door. He unlocked the deadbolt, then the chain lock, and finally the lock on the doorknob.

  Ben made certain the gun was ready, and then opened the door and stepped into the heavy rain. It was practically pouring horizontally over him. The wind felt strong enough to send anyone half his weight blowing through the air like a piece of paper. He was soaked as soon as he stepped out, and the rain was nearly blinding.

  A huge clap of thunder overhead startled him, but he kept moving. The bodies of several zombies were strewn out on the lawn like discarded toys.

  I better do what I need to do, Ben thought. He hurried to the gate, which was flopping back and forth on its hinges.

  In the distance, on what Ben was pretty sure was the road, a zombie stood idle. It had something in its grasp. A bolt of white lightning stretched across the sky, lighting it brilliantly, followed by a clap of thunder. A few seconds later, there was another jagged line of lightning. It touched down on top of the zombie. The bolt met with its head, its arms flew into the air. It tightened, jerking from the impact, and collapsed to the ground a second later. A bellowing burst of thunder followed, making Ben jump. His eyes were saucer-sized. It would have been horrifying if it had happened to someone he cared about, but for it to happen to someone on the other team gave him a feeling of vindication. Deep within, it spawned, rapidly grew, and burst out through a broad grin on his wet face.

  The rain washed over him in small waves, pounding his back and arms. He held his gun hand at half-mast, but after seeing a zombie get fried like a bug in a zapper, he felt a bit more confident standing out there, alone.

  A cold, dripping hand reached out. Ben closed the big wooden gate, latching it and checking to make sure it couldn’t open. He looked around once more to make sure he was alone in the back yard. Without out further hindrance he rushed inside, closed the door, and locked all of the locks.

  ****

  “This storm really doesn’t want to let up,” Charlotte said in a very quiet voice. She sat cuddled next to Ben on the couch facing the front yard. She sipped from a cup filled with hot cocoa, possible thanks to Ruth’s refusal to move to an electric stove.

  Ben sat with his legs stretched out on the coffee table. Charlotte’s were drawn up underneath her. On the far side of the table sat a small glass container with a vanilla-scented candle inside.

  “You said it,” Ben said. “I’ll tell you what, one crisis at a time is enough for me.” The slightest hint of a grin appeared on his face. She turned to meet his eyes.

  “Yeah, definitely.” She returned the smile. Following that was a roll of thunder. She looked into Ben’s eyes, and he into hers.

  “You’ve been great through this,” Ben said. “Even though I’m still not entirely sure about us, I’m getting there. You’ve just been really patient. I want to tha—”

  Before Ben could finish, Charlotte kissed him. They pulled back for a second, and when they joined a second time, he kissed her back. The third kiss lasted a lot longer, and pretty soon, while the other survivors were fast asleep, Ben and Charlotte were bathed in candlelight, kissing deeply to the sounds of rain and thunder.

  38

  After the Church

  With several of the survivors now armed, making their way up 12th street wasn’t much of a problem, especially since most of the zombies in the area were attracted to the large fire.

  “There’s a car dealership around the corner,” Ralph said.

  “We could get a few cars and use them to get to Washington,” Garrett said. “We can head for the Astoria-Megler bridge, it crosses right into it.”

  “We’re going to Washington?” Ralph asked. “I never agreed to go to Washington.”

  “You’re welcome to go back to the church,” Kyle said. He stopped walking to shoot an approaching zombie.

  “Okay, get us there,” Layne said.

  “Make a right on Duane,” Ralph said.

  The group reached the car dealership. There didn’t seem to be anyone around.

  “So we just break in, find the keys, and take a couple of cars?” Garrett suggested.

  “Sounds like a simple enough plan,” Layne replied. The doors were unlocked, and there was no one inside.

  “We need enough to seat ten people,” Katie said.

  “Two cars, five people each,” Layne said. “I’ll drive one.”

  “I’ll drive the other,” Garrett said.

  “Where do you think they keep the keys?” Dex asked.

  “Hopefully not in a vault,” Layne said.

  The keys were kept in a desk, filed very neatly. The group got two keys and found the corresponding cars.

  “All right, I guess it’s time to divvy up,” Layne said.

  “I’m going with Dad,” Dex said. Layne looked at him.

  “Me too,” Lacie said.

  “I’d like to go with you, too,” Jessi said. “And Kara, of course.”

  “Then that means I’m taking Ralph, Kyle, Warren, and Katie,” Garrett said, partially to clear things up, but also to make sure he had their names right.

  “Okay,” Layne said. “Try to stay close behind, so we don’t lose you.”

  “Man, you’re going to be the one eating my dust,” Garrett said. Layne smiled. Everyone got into their cars, and they were off.

  Layne followed Garrett, since he didn’t know the way to the bridge. The roads had quite a few cars on them, and even more zombies. Most of them were unable to keep up with the survivors and gave up, and the few more daring zombies were no match for the cars or their armed occupants.

  Soon the top of the bridge loomed into view: A green, steel spider web that arced up and down like a rollercoaster. They hit a highway on-ramp, and Layne saw the car before him slow down. Then he saw why.

  The bridge was almost completely blocked. The stopped cars on the highway grew more and more numerous, culminating in a near-solid wall of vehicles at the mouth of the bridge.

  Both cars stopped. Garrett got out, and so did Layne.

  “I guess we’re hoofing it, then?” Layne said.

  “We’ll see if we can find some more cars once we get across the bridge,” Garrett said. “Someone had to have left their keys in their car, right?”

  “All right.” Layne turned to the group in the car. “We’re going to have to cross the bridge on foot.”

  The survivors gathered outside of the vehicles. A fog was rolling in from the ocean and beginning to cover the bridge.

  “How long is the bridge?” Jessi asked.

  “About four miles,” Ralph said.

  “We can make this, easily,” Layne said. They headed off.

  Getting across the bridge was not an easy task. There were parked cars everywhere; a lot of people had attempted to leave the city when the incident first occurred. There was the occasional body in or outside of a car, which Layne was trying hard to not pay attention to.

  Fortunately, there were few zombies. It seemed most had made their way off of the bridge, probably due to lack of food. They saw a zombie from time to time, but the survivors dispatched them with ease.

  The fog set in, making vision difficult. The group was able to go around most of the cars, but occasionally had to climb over them.

  The four miles Ra
lph mentioned had not included walking around and over vehicles. At this rate, Layne figured they’d be across the bridge by mid-afternoon at the earliest.

  “I’m tired,” Kara said. It was the first thing Layne had heard her say in a long time.

  “Honey, I can’t carry you right now,” Jessi said. “There are too many things in the way. I’m just gonna need you to stay strong for a while, okay?”

  “Okay,” Kara said. Layne wanted to offer to carry her, but it simply wouldn’t work, since they had to climb over the hoods (and sometimes tops) of cars. When this happened, someone would have to lift Kara over the car and hand her to someone on the other side. They all took turns, and it was quickly wearing them out.

  “So where are we going to go?” Ralph asked, breaking a long silence. “After we cross this bridge, what happens next?”

  “We try to find our loved ones, I suppose,” Layne said. “Or maybe just a safe place to stay.” The thought made him uncomfortable. How long would they wander around, looking for a place to stay? How many “safe places” would they find, only to have it torn away from them, and how many more people would they lose along the way?

  Layne kept hoping he would see the end of the bridge through the fog, or at least the end of the traffic jam. He hoped he would see solid land, but the rows of stopped cars kept coming, and the bridge was endless.

  “Hey man, can I talk to you for a sec?” Dex asked Layne. “It’s kind of private.”

  “Sure,” Layne said. The two of them walked ahead of the others so no one else would hear. “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know if you could tell or not, but I kind of like Lacie.”

  “I had no idea,” Layne said. He rolled his eyes.

  “Shut your face. But seriously, I just found out she’s only seventeen.”

  “And?”

  “That’s illegal, man,” Dex said. Layne started laughing. Dex looked around to see if the others could hear.

  “Dex, no one cares,” Layne said.

  “Really though, I’m concerned. Like, what if everything ends up getting back to normal? I could get in some serious shit.”

  “Dex, for every one normal person we see, we see a few hundred of your ‘zombies’. If things ever get back to normal, no one would care. We’re trying to survive, after all.”

  “Yeah,” Garrett said, startling them both. “It’s what we, as people, do.”

  “How long have you been there?” Dex said.

  “Longer than you. You guys caught up with me. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “It’s fine, I don’t care anymore,” Dex said. He looked embarrassed, but relieved. The three fell back with the others.

  They made minimal conversation, but Layne mostly tuned it out. He was going over the words he had just said.

  If things ever get back to normal.

  Layne was bothered, but not by the prospect that things might never get back to normal. What bothered him was how easily it had come to him. Like it was something he had accepted long before.

  “Did you guys hear something?” Ralph asked. Layne stopped walking and listened. The others did the same.

  “I don’t hear anything,” Dex said.

  “No, wait,” Katie said. She raised a hand for silence. “Yeah, I hear it too.”

  The group fell silent. No one moved. To Layne, they looked like ghosts, they may as well have been part of the fog.

  Then, he heard it. There was a very faint sound, the sound of moaning.

  “It’s… it’s just the wind,” Warren said.

  “No,” Garrett said. “It’s not the wind.”

  “Okay,” Layne said. “I want everyone to stay right here. Garrett and I are going to go up ahead and check things out.”

  “Be careful,” Jessi said.

  Layne and Garrett made their way ahead, trying to be as quiet as possible. They reached a blockade of cars.

  “We’ll have to go over,” Layne said.

  “No,” Garrett replied. “Under.”

  They crawled under the car and onto the other side. Layne couldn’t be sure how far they trudged along. The moaning grew louder, and soon it was accompanied by the sound of shuffling feet.

  “Land ho,” Garrett said. Layne could see it too: A long line of dark green, a hilly forest. But he was paying more attention to the bridge up ahead, just before landfall.

  It was difficult to see through the fog, but Layne could see enough. There were still a good hundred yards of blocked bridge, but the field of vehicles was thinning out. Unfortunately, the gaps between the cars were littered with zombies. Layne couldn’t tell how far back they went, but he imagined it continued past the bridge.

  Layne and Garrett ducked behind a large fuel tanker and peeked out from the back of it.

  “So,” Layne said. “What now?”

  “Most of these cars still have the keys in them,” Garrett said.

  “We’ll never make it. There are too many cars in the way. We’ll have to grab cars farther on, past the bridge.”

  “Let’s head back. We can figure out what to do when we regroup.”

  They cautiously made their way back to the others.

  “So, what’s the news?” Dex said.

  “There’s a ton of them,” Layne replied. “Zombies, I mean. They’re blocking the exit to the bridge.”

  “Big fucking surprise,” Kyle said.

  “There are children present,” Ralph said. Kyle shot him a look.

  “Think we can we take them?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Layne said. “I can’t tell how many there are through this damn fog.”

  “I’m tired,” Kara said. Jessi picked her up.

  “So what do we do?” Dex said. “If we wait for the fog to lift, they’re just as likely to see us as we are them.”

  “Right,” Layne said. “I’d prefer to use the fog to our advantage. But we just can’t take the risk of going at them head-on.”

  “I have an idea,” Warren said. The rest turned to him. “I hate to take a page from the folks we just left behind, but we can blow them all away.”

  “What do you mean?” Garrett asked.

  “We’ll have someone get close. Very close. And we’ll blow up one of the closest cars to them. It’ll clear us a path, hopefully one big enough to get us off the bridge. Preferably in a car.”

  The group exchanged glances.

  “It’s crazy,” Dex said. “I like it.”

  “It may not work,” Layne said. “What if we aren’t able to clear a path big enough to escape through?”

  “We’d be sitting ducks,” Katie said.

  “We probably have enough ammunition to fend off whatever’s left until we can get to safety,” Garrett said.

  “Besides,” Warren said, “did you see the way they ran into the fire? Maybe it’ll happen again.”

  “It’s the best plan we have so far,” Layne said. “We can’t get through on foot, that’s for sure.”

  “Okay, okay,” Lacie said. “How do we blow up a car?” The group looked around.

  “How hard can it be to blow up a car?” Dex said. “People do it all the time, right?”

  “Yeah,” Garrett said. “People with explosives.”

  “Back in Astoria,” Ralph said. “There had to be something explosive there, right? I mean, the guys at the church were able to do it.”

  Everyone fell silent.

  “Then we can’t waste any time,” Layne said. “Someone will have to get to Astoria and back before the fog lifts.”

  “That’s crazy!” Katie said. She winced, listened for a moment, and continued much more quietly. “We have no idea how much time we have, or if we’ll even be able to find anything.”

  “We have to try,” Layne said. “I’ll go alone. It’ll be faster that way.” The thought of crossing the bridge once more, let alone twice, made Layne’s feet hurt.

  “Wait,” Garrett said. “I think there’s an easier way. That tanker, up the bridge, you remember? Maybe
we can use it. It looked like a gas tank, right?”

  Layne thought for a moment. “Yeah, it did look like a gas tank. But how do we set it off?”

  Garrett cocked his shotgun.

  “Okay then, here’s the plan,” Layne said. “The tanker is close to the zombies. And we can probably get it just a little bit closer. Then we set it off, preferably from as far back as we can.”

  “I can hit it with this,” Katie said. She held up a rifle.

  “Okay. Garrett and I will set the tanker up and get it moving. Then we’ll get the hell out of there. You set it off. That should give us an opening.”

  “We’ll all have to be nearby when it goes off,” Garrett said. “To save time, and to get out smoothly. We’ll have to be close, and we’ll have to be quiet.”

  ****

  The group moved in. It was a meticulous process; Layne would move ahead, make sure there were no zombies, and mark a car by hanging his tie on the mirror. Then he’d go back to the group, they would quietly make their way to the marked car, and then start the process over again. It was time consuming, but it was safe.

  As they went, the moans of the zombies were getting louder. Finally, the gas truck loomed into view, and Layne stopped.

  “You guys wait here,” he said. “As soon as the tanker goes off, run and catch up with the three of us.” He motioned to himself, Garrett, and Katie. “We’ll make an opening, get into some cars, and get out of here, okay?”

  “Sure thing, Dad,” Dex said.

  “Try to be serious, okay?” Katie said.

  “All right, Mom.” Layne stifled a laugh.

  “Let’s get moving,” Garrett said.

  The three moved ahead. Katie crouched next to a car, propped her rifle on its hood, and aimed dead ahead. “I can’t see shit,” she said.

  “We’ll try to get it going in a straight line,” Layne replied. “If you can’t hit it, one of us will.”

  “But that will probably kill us both,” Garrett said. “So do me a favor, and don’t miss.” He was somehow able to say this without a hint of malice.