"Sounds good." Josh retrieved his dinner and sat at the table. "This is the first hot meal I've had in I don't know when."
"It'll probably be the last for a while too." Mark popped the top on a Coke. "Found these in the fridge. Want one?"
He nodded. "Won't have electricity much longer."
"I'm surprised it's still running. Before long, our lives will revert to the dark ages."
Josh turned on the television after they finished eating. He flipped from channel to channel and finally found a news station still on the air. A newscaster wearing faded jeans and a Kiss T-shirt sat behind the camera. "Good evening. I don't know how much longer we'll remain on the air, but we wanted to update you on the current situation." He shuffled papers. "We've just received reports the President and Vice President have contracted the rabies virus, and it has decimated Congress. I pray you are well-armed and can protect yourself because our country has fallen along with the rest of the world."
Josh's posture slumped and the hollowness in his chest made him tired. Life had changed, and they were doomed if they didn't go with the changes. He glanced at his brother sitting on the sofa. Mark chewed on his thumbnail. Why had he been so hard on him?
"Mark?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for earlier." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I shouldn't have taken my stress out on you."
"No, I'm the one who owes you an apology. When Sierra died, like you said, what else could we do? If we stuck around to bury her, the zombies would've gotten us." Mark scrunched up his nose. "It's time for me to grow up and admit what we're facing. When I was at the Space Center, I was sheltered to an extent. You were out in the big middle of the mess, and I should've trusted you."
Chapter Ten
Reginald ran for the door as Mary Anne headed toward him. Why had she come back? "Go back to the car. We don't know what's in there." She turned, slipped on a candy bar, and landed on her left arm. It twisted at an odd angle, and she screamed. No! Reginald reached and pulled her up by her right arm. "Come on, honey."
He helped her into the car, went around the front, and slid into the seat. He gulped down half a bottle of water and held back a scream. What if Mary Anne needed surgery? She could lose the arm or worse. Die.
Mary Anne let out a soft moan.
"Mom?" David asked from the backseat.
"I'm fine, honey." The strain in her voice belied the pain she was feeling.
"No, you're not." Reginald allowed his glance to stray to her for a few seconds before focusing back on the road. Mary Anne's face had paled several shades, and she pressed her lips together in a tight white line. "I'll get you to a doctor, honey." Reginald patted her leg. "Hang on. We'll get there." He increased his speed. If only he could get them to the safety of the bunker, he could find a doctor to help Mary Anne. No matter what.
"Did Mom get bitten?" Belle whispered.
"No, she fell and broke her arm." Reginald gritted his teeth and increased his speed. How much longer would this horrendous trip take? Mary Anne groaned again and shifted in her seat. Reginald touched her cheek. A fine sheen of sweat coated her smooth skin. They should reach Roswell within the next hour if they didn't run into problems. Maybe he could find pain medicine or someone to help her there. She moaned again. His heart rate soared.
"Dad, what's that?" David leaned over the seat and pointed toward a light on the side of the road. "It looks like another convenience store."
Reginald moved into the left-hand lane. If looters hadn't raided the store, maybe he could find a bottle of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. The nonprescription meds might provide her with a modicum of relief. At least until he found a pharmacy. He pulled into the parking lot. No movement through the window in spite of the bright lights inside the store. "Wait here. If things go bad, David, climb in the front seat and get out of here."
"But—"
"No, 'buts'." Reginald held eye contact with his son. "I'm serious. Get your mom and sister out of here."
"Yes, sir."
After their last experience, he wanted to grab pain meds and get out. Assuming there were any left.
"Hello?" he called out and waited for a response. When he didn't hear any movement, he searched the decimated room until he found a small bottle of ibuprofen. The cooler still had diet Cokes, so he grabbed four of those, and ran back to the car. He handed everyone a soda, opened the ibuprofen, and gave Mary Anne four. "I know it's not much, honey, but maybe it will help." She downed the tablets, and he handed her an open drink. His heart ached when he looked into her eyes. If this didn't help with her pain, he didn't know what to do. He grimaced and suppressed a groan.
"I'll get us to Roswell as quickly as I can." He kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry. You of all people don't deserve this."
"Accidents happen, Reg." Mary Anne turned away from him. "I'm fine. Now that I've taken the pain medication, I'll try to sleep."
"Dad, go!" David screamed. "Now!"
Reginald checked the rearview mirror. Several men were running toward them. They didn't appear infected, but the frowns on their faces told him they weren't the welcoming committee either. He continued to watch as they sped away. The men gave chase for a few feet before giving up.
David leaned back into his seat. "Did they want to jack our car?"
"Maybe." How did he tell his son the remaining people in this world were out to help themselves and no one else?
"Not everyone's bad." Mary Anne looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Those men probably did want to take our car, but don't assume the entire world has turned into opportunistic scum."
Hadn't it, though? They had dropped their morals by breaking into stores and homes and stealing what they could. What about the people who owned this car? Did they come out of the store with supplies only to find a scumbag had made off with it?
The world would be safe from the rabids if he'd never taken the job at the lab. He swallowed the boulder lodged in his throat. In the next town, he’d hunt for a house or a store with a gun. Their lives might depend on having a firearm with ammo if things turned dire.
*****
After a decent night's sleep, Josh woke up, stretched, and climbed out of bed. He found bread in the freezer and an in-date carton of egg whites in the fridge. Since Mark was still sleeping, Josh started cooking. No telling when they'd get decent food again, so he wanted to take advantage of the eggs and bread.
Mark walked in. "Funny how sleeping changes my outlook on things. Life doesn't seem so bleak now. Maybe we'll make it to Uncle Reginald's place today."
"That's my goal, bro. Have a seat." Josh served breakfast in the bright, yellow kitchen. Sunflowers decorated the walls, and the plates were all red with bright yellow sunflowers on them. It reminded him of his mom's kitchen. She always loved sunflowers and said they reminded her of God's promises.
"Do you think we'll make it today?" Mark took the last bite of his egg and swallowed. "I'm ready to get there and find out if our family made it."
"I hope so." Josh cleaned up their mess, and then went room to room looking for weapons. He found a shotgun and a case of shells under the bed in the master bedroom. A moment of guilt stilled his movements as he dragged them out. He was a cop yet acting like a common looter. Time to get over it. The homeowners weren't returning. Besides, his job ceased the day this scourge worked its way into society. The nightstand held an XD .45 and a box of shells, so he collected those and headed to the living room.
Mark grinned when Josh walked in. "Look what I found." He held up a crossbow. "It was in the garage along with a quiver of arrows. I put the arrows in the car."
"Good job." Josh pointed to the Remington 870 pump shotgun. "It's a .20 gauge, and there's a case of shells with it. Also found another .45." He handed the XD to Mark. "Check the magazine and the chamber. Here's a box of shells."
Mark checked the weapon and positioned it in his waistband. "Sweet."
They climbed into the loaded-down Porsche and headed out. Josh looked at his b
rother. "I'm taking the long way around San Antonio. There's no telling how overrun the city is."
"Yep. Chances of us getting caught are way too great."
"We'll take 97 to Hondo unless we run into problems." He set the cruise control and relaxed. Driving during the morning with no cars in sight felt both comforting and eerie at the same time.
"What do you think about the newscaster saying the country has fallen?" Mark asked.
"It's difficult to comprehend, but this disease must've spread fast and far or we would see more well people on the roads."
"I thought maybe they huddled down inside their homes until it passed. It will pass, right?"
"What do you think?"
"No." Mark sighed. "Things'll never be the same again, and if we don't learn to adapt, we might as well stop the car, get out and hunt zombies to munch on us."
Josh swallowed. Even if they did learn to adapt, chances were an opportunist or an infected would kill them. Or worse they'd become zombies themselves.
"You know what bites?"
"What?" Josh raised an eyebrow. "Besides zombies?"
"Man, that's lame." Mark punched him in the arm. "I'm serious. Do you realize we'll never get married or have kids?"
"Women are nothin' but trouble, anyway." He took a big swig of his water.
"Probably, but it doesn't mean I don't want to get married. Or at least have sex."
Josh choked on his water. "Uh..."
"Don't go there. I don't mean..." Mark pulled open the glove box and found a CD. "It's not like that, but think about it. Going the rest of your life being celibate."
"Uh...
"You already said that. Let's drop the subject."
"At least a few women will survive this." Josh glanced at his brother. "It's not like you can't meet one and get married."
"How would we find a preacher?"
Why was that his biggest worry? "If you meet a woman you want to marry, I'll officiate the ceremony."
"You can't legally. Besides, how will we get a license if the government has collapsed?"
"You don't have to have a license or someone legally allowed to do weddings."
"Would God honor it?"
"Yes." Josh laughed. "God didn't invent marriage licenses. He only invented marriage. Racist governments started requiring licenses in the late Nineteenth Century to prevent mixed race marriages."
"That's just wrong."
"Yep." Josh needed to change the subject away from women, sex, and marriage. "I know you didn't get to spend but a few weeks of your internship at the Space Center, but what did you think of it?"
"It was cool." Mark grinned. "Except one of the guys there used to give me a rough time. He thought I was too naïve."
"You are naïve."
"Also too literal."
"You're that, too."
"But I'm brilliant."
"About some things." He smiled. Mark had always been odd, but a genius. At least about most things. Their parents would have been so proud of him when he graduated valedictorian from high school with a full-ride scholarship.
"I'm glad Dad and Mom were killed."
He glared at his brother. "How could you say that?"
"Do you wish they had to live through this mess?" Mark shook his head. "Nope. Mom wouldn't have fared well. She'd have tried to help the zombies even though there's no cure. Dad, well, he would've done whatever Mom wanted. It's better they didn't have to see this."
"I hate to admit you're right, but I don't wish living through this nightmare upon my worst enemy."
"You have enemies?"
"Not too many." He glanced at Mark. "Being a homicide detective put me in the path of a few dirt-bags."
"Guess it's a moot point, now."
"Yeah. I doubt the guys in prison who hate me are much of a threat. If they're able to get out, they have more pressing needs than me."
"True." Mark grew quiet for several minutes. "I could use a big ol' glass of iced tea."
"That does sound good." Josh gestured toward the backseat. "How about a lukewarm bottle of water or a Coke?"
"Guess it'll do."
"What the devil?" Cars littered the road up ahead making it impassable.
Chapter Eleven
Randi walked to the tent circle and found Miguel and Leon sitting by the fire. "We're running low on supplies, again."
"What do we need?" Miguel asked.
"We need to see if we can find canned vegetables and powdered milk for the children." Randi rubbed her neck. "At least until Adriana agrees to start them on the goat's milk."
"I'll take care of Adriana." Leon pressed his lips into a thin line. "This is ridiculous. We can't make constant runs when we have supplies here. One of us is going to get killed out there."
"Anything else?" Randi asked
"Coffee." Miguel shrugged. "Sorry, but I'm having a hard time functioning without it. As a resident, I lived on the stuff and to not have it has given me migraines. I promise, I'll wean myself off, but if you could find even one bag, I'd appreciate it."
"We'll try." Randi ran her hand through her hair. "We need to leave soon since we'll have to go to San Antonio. Most of the stores around here have been picked over."
"The ones in the city will be worse." Leon stretched his arms over his head. "Small towns will give us an advantage. There are fewer people to ransack the stores there."
"Makes sense." Randi wanted to make the run on her own because she needed time alone, but no way would her brother or brother-in-law allow her to leave the compound by herself. "What about the family? If we all leave, then who will watch out for them?"
"Maybe Miguel should stay behind." Leon clapped his hand on Miguel's shoulder. "Also, he's the only medical person we have."
"No way. You two aren't leaving without me."
"Be logical. If something happens to me or Leon, you can still take care of the family when someone gets sick, but if something happens to you? No way would either of us be able to do anything for them. I can't start an IV, and even if I learned, I don't have a clue what to give anyone. How about you, Leon?"
"Nope. Best I could do is give them a coupla aspirin." Leon winked at Miguel. "Sorry, bud. You're stuck here. Let me go tell Adriana we're leaving."
Leon walked away. Randi hugged her brother. "Leon and I'll watch out for each other."
"Fine, but I don't like it."
"You don't have to. Just accept it."
Leon returned, and Randi grabbed the AR-10, an extra magazine, and extra magazines for her .45 and .380. "You armed?"
"Yep." Leon held up a 30-30 hunting rifle. "I've also got a couple of handguns and extra ammo."
Randi pulled out onto the road and headed toward Uvalde. Golden trees lined the road. She loved the Hill Country, but they might be better off if they lived in west Texas. The hills and trees here made it hard to know if there were people hiding or zombies roaming without traipsing cross-country. At least in west Texas, there were no trees and the landscape was flat enough to see the curvature of the earth.
They pulled into Uvalde. "I thought we'd try a smaller town before going to San Antonio." Randi shrugged. "It's only about seventeen thousand, so maybe we can find what we need." They went into every convenience store and restaurant they could find, but looters had emptied them.
"Let's head toward Concan." Leon leaned drummed his fingers against the door handle. "It's even smaller, but there are several towns and campgrounds along the Frio. Where there are campgrounds, there are stores."
"I'm on it. If this doesn't work, I guess we could try Kerrville again before we cut back to San Antonio."
"Yeah. I'm paranoid of what we might find in the city and with it getting later in the day..."
"I know. We don't want to get caught out after dark." Randi glanced at the clock in her truck. Almost three. Not much time if they had to go far. After stopping at several stores and campgrounds, she pulled into a convenience store in Concan. Randi's heart slammed against her ribcag
e as she stepped inside, but it was empty. No flesh-eaters. No people, and no supplies. She turned to Leon. "Nothing. It's completely wiped out."
"Let's try Kerrville, then. Looks like these tiny towns were hit hard."
Randi put the truck into gear. More driving along the hilly, tree-filled roads meant more time to think. She didn't want to think.
"Will my parents and Adriana ever admit that the world is on the brink?"
"I don't know. For some reason they all have it in their heads that if they play like everything's fine, it'll be fine."
"They never talk about Raul."
"Part of their 'ignore it' philosophy."
Randi stared out the window and watched the trees and hills zip by. Come spring, bluebonnets and wildflowers would cover these hills. Would any of them be alive then?
She pulled into Kerrville and drove downtown. One of her favorite Hill Country towns. The downtown area with the historic buildings, and the Guadalupe River flowing through town gave her a sense of comfort. Not something she experienced often.
How much longer could they continue to scavenge without getting shot or bitten? She turned onto Main Street, but most of those stores were empty.
"Hey, there's a hardware store. Let's at least see what they have." Leon pointed to Davis Hardware. "If there are a couple of generators, and some heaters we could keep the camp a tad warmer."
"Can't hurt to look." Unless it was overrun. Then it could definitely hurt. The door was intact and locked. "If we break out the glass, and it sets off an alarm, we might as well hang up a fresh meat sign."
"Break it. If an alarm sounds, we'll get out of here." Leon shrugged. "Unless you have any better ideas?"
"Nope." Randi took the tire iron from her truck and swung it at the door. Glass cracked without setting off an alarm. She took another swing and shattered it. Still quiet.
They removed enough glass, and she stepped through the door. Sweat snaked down her back, and her voice lodged in her throat as darkness covered her. Either the electricity finally went off, or the owner had turned out the lights.
Leon joined her just inside the front. "We need to find a switch or flashlight."
Dark Days (Book 1): Contagion Page 9
