Dark Days (Book 1): Contagion

by Dyer, Marcy G.

  Mary Anne thrust a broom at him. He used it to force the woman to let go of his arm, and he kicked her in the chest several times causing her to stumble backward allowing Reginald to get inside. He leaned against the door and took a couple of deep breaths.

  How bad was the bite? He closed his eyes for a few seconds and forced himself to look at his injured arm. No blood, but there were tears in the cloth. How'd that happen? He jerked off his jacked and examined the arm. No skin breaks. The jacket had saved him. He slid to the floor in a heap. Too close. Many more episodes, and he'd be dead.

  "You okay?"

  "Yeah. Bitten, but the jacket kept her from getting skin."

  Mary Anne's eyes went wide. "Are you sure? If—"

  "I'm sure." He lifted up his sleeve to show her his arm. "Otherwise, I'd leave. No way am I risking you and the girls." Reginald took over the wheel and started again. After thirty minutes or so, the motor home sputtered, then came to a stop. He cranked the engine and it sputtered again, but didn't turn over.

  "What's wrong?" Mary Anne asked.

  "Don't know, but I can't get it to start." He turned the key again. This time it made a growling sound, but never caught. "Time to walk, again."

  "Daddy, no," Belle whined. "I'm tired."

  "Sweetie, we have no choice. I'll find another car as soon as possible." They loaded supplies into pillowcases and carried them.

  "Why don't we play a game?" Mary Anne turned to the girls. "It'll help keep our minds occupied."

  "What kind of game?" Katie's eyes grew wide. "Anything's better than walking and not even talking."

  "Let's play 'I Spy'." Mary Anne looked around. "I'll start. I spy with my little eye something green and tan that's used for hunting."

  "A golf cart." Belle rolled her eyes. "You could make things harder."

  "It's a utility vehicle." Reginald grinned. "Come on." He took off at a moderate jog across the field next to them. At least it would provide a degree of safety. Maybe.

  They ran through the field until they reached the vehicle. "Come on, girls." Reginald lifted Katie onto the back of the UTV.

  "Dad, this is so lame." Belle put her right hand on her hip. "How'll we fit?"

  "Very carefully, and you'll have to hold on, but it's better than walking. Isn't it?" He lifted Belle into the backend next to Katie. "As soon as we find a car, we'll switch."

  When they were all perched on the vehicle, he turned the vehicle on. "Ready?" He put it in gear and moved forward at a crawl. They bumped up over the ditch and on to the road. "And we're off!" Reginald yelled.

  "You're so goofy." Katie giggled. "This is kinda fun."

  "We can pretend we're hunters out looking for big game," Belle drawled in an exaggerated Texas accent.

  Reginald and Mary Anne laughed then she leaned near his ear and whispered, "See, we sometimes need to let off steam. Even if it's just a ride across a field."

  He touched his wife's cheek. "It's nice to see you smile and hear the girls laugh."

  "We're going to make it to this place you had built." She kissed his cheek. "It's going to take time for me to forgive you for everything, but things will be good again. If you're willing."

  "Not just willing. I'll do whatever it takes to keep us together." If he'd taken his family to the compound the second he got the photos from Martinez indicating it was complete, they wouldn't be fighting for their lives, and the rabids wouldn't have killed David. Why had he waited? It was stupidity. Sheer stupidity.

  "What's this bunker like?" Mary Anne asked. "A cellar?"

  "No. It's more of a compound."

  "I know you said it had an outer gate and a moat."

  "Yes. Then there are two inner fences kind of like a prison. Only this one is to keep people out, not us in. The house is a large log cabin with lots of bedrooms. It has generators, solar power, and quite a few wind turbines so we'll have electricity most of the time. We have a stockpile of propane to fuel the stove and the fridge. And fireplaces in every room." Reginald grimaced. "It's something we should've built years before. A fun place to vacation."

  "It's a shame we never did." Mary Anne smiled. "But we're doing it now."

  "Yes. Finally, we're going to get away from the world." He raised an eyebrow. "We'll have our own little hideaway." If they ever made it. They didn't have much farther. Would he have his remaining family intact by the time they reached home? He'd rather die than lose any of the women sitting on the UTV with him. They reached the edge of a town called Junction when the UTV died. "Probably out of gas."

  He hopped down and helped Mary Anne and the girls off the UTV. "It'll be dark soon. Let's find a car and maybe a place to spend the night." They walked down Main Street and tried several houses. Owners had locked most of them. Were they still in the houses, hiding out, or had the horde decimated the population of this tiny town?

  They came to a white clapboard house. When he tried the door, it opened. Time to walk into another unknown situation with no weapon. From the doorway, the front room appeared empty. "Hello?" No answer. Why did his heart still ramp up every time he checked a building? He should've adapted by now.

  Reginald walked into the house. A door to his left was closed. He counted to ten to calm his shaking hands and opened the door. No one. He checked the closet and found nothing but clothes and linens. Next he checked the kitchen and pantry. Empty. He went into the other bedroom. Nothing. Empty also. Something scratched on the bathroom door. His heartrate skyrocketed again. He grabbed a large knife from the kitchen and held it ready as he slid the bathroom door open.

  A German shepherd puppy bounded out to greet him. "Why'd they lock you in there, boy? I bet they were coming back for you." He opened the door for Mary Anne and the girls. "It's safe."

  The girls squealed when they saw the puppy. "What's his name?" Belle asked. "Can we keep him?"

  "I don't know his name." Reginald rubbed her shoulders. "You can keep him for the night."

  "Just tonight?"

  "We'll discuss this later. Now's not the time. There's a car in the carport." Mary Anne pointed to the west. "We should see if we can find a key.”

  "Good idea." Reginald scoured the house and came up with a set of keys in a dresser. "Let's see if these'll work." The key worked. He started the older model Lincoln. The engine turned over on the first try and purred like it was new. He found Mary Anne and the girls inside searching the cabinets for food and supplies. "We're good. It runs great, and has a full tank. Let's load up everything we find tonight, and we'll head out at first light." The women continued to go through the house while Reginald walked out back. Bingo. A storm shelter. They'd find supplies in there.

  *****

  Randi stretched and forced herself to not turn around when she saw her sister coming in her direction. What kind of abuse would Adriana heap upon her today?

  "We need supplies."

  "What kind?"

  "Food. Duh. What do you think?"

  Randi bit the inside of her jaw to keep from saying something ugly. "We've already gone through the food we brought back?"

  "Yes. I'm trying to keep everyone in this camp fed. No thanks to you."

  Randi glared at her sister. "Yeah. No thanks to me you have meat. No thanks to me you've had vegetables and fruit. No thanks to me you have a fire pit. No thanks to me you have sleeping bags and tents."

  "Get off your high-horse."

  "I know you're hurting, but you've got to stop taking it out on Randi." Josh touched Adriana's shoulder. "Randi's doing everything she can to keep us alive. If you think she's not risking her life every single time she leaves this compound, then you need to make a run. In fact, why don't you go with me? We'll go find the necessary supplies."

  "I know there are a few at the fence every day, but come on, you two act like there are thousands upon thousands waiting for you to leave the safety of this prison."

  "Then let's go."

  "No." Randi held up her hand in a stopping motion. "Adriana doesn't even know how
to shoot a gun. She won't be able to protect herself or back you up."

  She glared at Randi. "And you sure as heck won't protect me."

  "It's not her responsibility to protect you. You're an adult. If you can't take care of yourself, then it's time to learn. Shooting lessons first thing in the morning. You will learn to handle a gun."

  "Why should I?" She jammed her hands on her hips. "I've never liked guns and have always thought they should be melted down and turned into scrap metal. Those feelings haven't changed."

  Josh raised his eyebrows at Randi who shrugged. "I don't care what your feelings are on guns. It's time for you to learn to protect yourself. There is no way to survive for one day outside of these gates without knowing how to shoot. Survival is sketchy even with weapons."

  "I don't want to learn."

  "And I don't give a flip what you want." Josh smirked. "Everyone in this compound, even the children, will learn to use a firearm. Lessons for the adults begin tomorrow."

  Randi suppressed a laugh at the look of horror on Adriana's face. Her sister had lived in a fantasyland for far too long. Maybe a venture into reality would be good for her.

  "Come on, Randi." Josh motioned toward the gate. "We need to make a run."

  "Count me in," Mark yelled and jogged toward them.

  "Me, too." Jill pointed toward Randi's father. "I'll let Xever know the four of us are headed out and meet you at the weapon storage.”

  Randi went through the weapons and passed out rifles to Jill, Mark, and Josh. She then pulled extra magazines for each of the handguns out of storage.

  "Where do you want to go?" Mark asked.

  "Why don't we try homes in Uvalde? If they're abandoned, we can scavenge for food and supplies there. Looters have picked most of the stores clean." Randi moved her shoulders in circles to work out the kinks. "Otherwise, it's San Antonio."

  "Let's roll."

  Randi drove toward Uvalde. She glanced at Josh. "Do you think we've gone through all of the supplies or is Adriana being a horse's rear?"

  "Don't know." Josh rubbed his hands down his jeans legs. "We brought back a ton of stuff, but we have been eating well. Too well for the apocalypse. Maybe we need to take inventory when we get back."

  "We're going through a ton of flour and cornmeal." Mark leaned forward and draped his arms on the back of Josh's seat. "The way I figure it, we have some type of bread or tortillas three times per day with leftovers. In a camp this size, no telling how much flour and cornmeal we go through a day. Time to cut the breads to once a week. We have plenty of meat, eggs, and milk so no one'll go hungry. Maybe we can find dried beans, peas, lintels, and things to stretch the meals further."

  Randi fought to suppress a chuckle. Mark hadn't said that much since he'd arrived in the camp. "You want to be the one to tell Adriana and Mom they have to cut the menu?"

  "Sure." Mark nodded. "If they don't agree, I'll talk to Xever. I don't want to lock up the supplies and ration them, but we can't keep making these runs every couple of days so we can eat better than we did before the world ended. In fact, I think I've gained a couple of pounds."

  Randi turned onto a residential street. "Should we try this one?"

  "Good as any." Josh pointed to one of the houses. "Why don't you park there, and we'll make our way from house to house?"

  "Better yet, we passed a gas station a few blocks back, why don't Josh and I start clearing houses and you and Jill see if there's enough diesel to fill up?" Mark tapped his chin with his forefinger. "Unless you think we shouldn't split up."

  "No. If you two stick together, we'll take care of the fuel." Randi parked on the side of the street. "Jill and I will watch out for each other, but you two need to have each other's backs. You don't know what you'll find in the houses."

  The men climbed out of the truck. Randi drove back to the station and parked near the diesel storage. She and Jill pried the cover off, dropped the long hose into it, and stuck the other end with the small pump inside the truck tank. She plugged the cord from the pump into the trailer light receptacle on her truck and turned it on. Within a couple of minutes, fuel flowed. She watched for a second. "Josh was right, his brother is a genius. When the electricity went out, I didn't think we'd be able to get gas from a store ever again, but Mark's pump is awesome."

  "Yeah. He's a gem all right."

  Randi glanced at Jill and her face flushed. "Oh?"

  "Yeah. I mean, he's really smart."

  "Not too hard on the eyes either."

  A flush crept up Jill's face. "I hadn't paid much attention."

  "Liar. I've seen how you two look at each other."

  "Doesn't matter. With life in the toilet, relationships are a luxury we can't afford."

  Randi leaned against her truck. "If we stop living, though, we might as well be dead." The first tank filled, and Randi switched to the secondary one and let it fill.

  "While we're waiting, why don't we check inside the station to see if there are any supplies we could use?" Jill asked.

  "Follow my lead." Randi had her weapon at the ready and stepped over the threshold. Empty. No zombies. Or food. The door to the service bay was open, and in the corner, she found three fifty or so gallon plastic drums.

  "Let's check out the drums."

  They were new, so the women rolled them to the truck and loaded them in the back. Once the secondary tank was full, Randi filled the drums and secured them with bungee cords. "We need to mark these as diesel when we get back. If someone used them in one of the ATVs or in the other cars, it'll ruin them."

  She drove back to where they'd left Josh and Mark and found them with a stash of food piled on the sidewalk.

  "We found a cellar with canned vegetables and a couple of bags of flour," Josh said

  "Great. We snagged a few barrels for diesel at the station you spotted." Randi took a box from Mark and stowed it in the bed of the truck. "That pump you built worked great."

  Once they had everything loaded, they drove further into town and found a grocery store. She parked near the door, but as they climbed out of the truck, shots rang out. Randi dove for the pavement and unholstered her weapon as she landed.

  "Where'd that come from?" Mark asked.

  She glanced back at him. His breathing was ragged, but he held his weapon with a firm grip.

  "Inside." She eased up to her knees. "Stay down."

  Randi called to Josh, "Think we can get in the truck and back out of here in one piece?"

  "Let's try. Where's Jill?"

  "I'm at the rear of the pickup, but I can crawl to your side, Josh."

  "Mark, open the back door and crawl inside." Randi stood and trained her weapon on the front of the store. "Jill, you're next." Her heart thudded in her chest, so she took a couple of slow breaths and eased her door open. "Josh, let's go." Randi checked to make sure everyone was in the truck, then slammed the gearshift into reverse and floored the gas pedal.

  No more gunfire sounded as they sped away. Silence stretched on for several minutes, and Randi started laughing.

  "What's so funny?" Mark asked. "That was terrifying."

  "Before this we were all law-abiding citizens. Your brother was even a cop. Now, we're common looters. Had I been the owner, I would've shot at us, too."

  "True." Josh leaned back. "Of course, that might not've been the store owner."

  "You think?" Mark drummed his fingers on the seat. "I guess it makes sense. If I had nowhere to go and found a fully-stocked store, I'd stake it out and take shots at anyone who tried to get inside."

  "Me, too." Jill brushed her hair back from her face. "Or try to find a group that would take me in."

  "Did we get enough supplies to last, or do we need to do more scavenging?" Randi asked.

  "If we stop now, we'll need to come out again in a couple of days." Mark stretched his injured arm and groaned.

  Jill sighed. "Let's keep looking. The longer we wait, the better the chance some other group will scavenge any available supplies
."

  She drove to another neighborhood and parked. "Might as well try houses again. Probably our best chance." They searched several and found more non-perishable food supplies. Randi shoved a box into the bed and, a man grabbed her in a chokehold. He pressed his knife to her throat.

  "I'm leaving here with that truck and those supplies." The man waved the knife at Josh, Mark, and Jill. "Any of you jerks even think about playing the hero, chica here's as good as dead."

  This couldn't be happening. Randi hoped neither Josh nor Mark tried to intervene. She couldn't lose anyone else.

  "You don't want to do this." Josh held his hands up in a stopping motion. "Just let her go."

  While the man focused on the others, Randi took a deep breath, grabbed his forearm with one hand, pulled downward, and screamed. "You're hurting me! Please don't cut me. Please! You can't kill me!"

  While she continued screaming and begging for her life, she slammed her other fist into his groin with all the force she could muster, jammed her elbow into his gut, and spun out of his hold. As soon as she faced the man, she slammed a knife-hand punch to the man's throat and planted a hard front kick to his groin.

  He doubled over. She landed a front kick to his face that threw him backwards onto the pavement. Randi had to disable him long enough for them to get a long way from here, so she gave him another kick to the groin. He grabbed himself and vomited. She picked up his knife, a Marine K-Bar. "Thanks for the new blade."

  Mark and Jill both stared at her with their eyes wide.

  "Come on. If there's one roach around, there're more."

  They scrambled into the truck, and she took off. Her heart pounded, and her abdomen muscles spasmed. "Let's drive around. If that guy's with others, we don't want to take any chances on leading people back to the compound.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A noise in the house woke Reginald, but the darkness of the room prevented him from seeing. He struggled to listen over the thudding of his heart. Voices. "Mary Anne," he whispered and touched her shoulder. "Someone's in the house." She sat up in bed alert. "Window." He pointed next to her at the floor to ceiling windows. "Go." She eased the window up and crawled out without making a sound. The girls were sound asleep on the floor, so he slipped out of bed and gently shook Belle then Katie. He held a finger to his lips. "Crawl through the window. Mom's waiting. Walk two blocks north. Got it?"