by Tahnee Fritz
Everyone turns their attention to me and George says, “That would be a good idea if there is any gas left and the battery isn’t dead.”
“Then try it. If what Jason believes scares the hell out of all of you, we need to try this. A running vehicle is the only chance we have at getting to the city faster.” I say.
George nods, “Okay, is anyone here a mechanic?”
“I am.” Annah’s voice takes us all by surprise. “I mean, I used to help out my uncle at his shop in St. Louis. I still remember a few things.”
“Great.” I say, stepping away from the door. “George and Jason will help you. I’ll keep watch and the rest of you just need to prepare for anything.”
“Anything?” Katie asks.
I nod, “Just be ready.”
* * *
Annah and the guys were able to scrounge up some gas from two of the cars parked in the lot. They didn’t get much, about five gallons. I think that should be more than enough to get to the city or at least far enough away from this place so Trevor’s gang won’t find us. Now, Annah is busy trying to get the battery to turn over. Without a charger or a new battery, it’s hard to accomplish. It is nice to hear the sound of an engine trying to turn over though.
After all the cars my dad and I passed when he was alive, we never found one that would actually try to start. They were either too banged up, too dead or the tank was empty. This van could be the one vehicle out here that will make my life a little easier. I can use easy right about now.
I’ve been leaning against the building for close to an hour now. The only thing I can focus my eyes on, is the field across the highway. The quickest path between the truck stop and the village where I left Trevor and his men. I know I should have killed that man. I shouldn’t have just stopped when he was unconscious. Finishing the job would have been the only way to ensure the safety of us all. Instead, I left him lying on the ground with his men hovering over him.
I’m such an idiot for not killing him.
There goes the engine trying to crank over again. The motor grinds slowly and the engine rattles under the hood, but no luck with this try. I can hear Annah getting frustrated with it. She said she used to help her uncle work on cars before the amazing cure came along. That was also before she was bitten and transformed into a zombie. I’m sure she’s forgotten a few things during that horrible experience. Everyone’s forgotten how to do things they used to do. The world will never be the same, even with my cure.
She tries one more time then releases the key, “I just don’t get why the damn thing won’t start!”
I glance over to her and see the annoyed look on her face as she climbs out of the drivers’ seat. George stands beside her as they look under the hood. His hands are greasy as well as his shirt and jeans. Annah’s been making him do most of the dirty work while she turns the key in the ignition. Joshua stands out of the way, but watches with interest as they work under the hood.
Katie and Rose gathered whatever they thought we could use from inside the station. They found a few things, a couple knives and empty bottles they filled with water from a spigot behind the station. Now, they sit on the sidewalk next to the van, waiting patiently for it to start. Adam, Jason, and the woman, Alix, sit alongside them while Ryder stands against the building with me. He’s been giving me worried glances ever since we came outside.
“You still haven’t told me what happened after we left you back there.” He says, quietly. “Did you kill someone?”
I nod my head, “A few of them and I wasn’t sure if I could control myself at the sight and smell of their blood.”
“But you didn’t taste it, did you?” he asks.
“No, but I really wanted to.” I reply.
“Bridget, it’s okay if you do. Those people are bad and it won’t matter what you do to them.” He says, trying to be reassuring.
I shake my head, “I’m afraid if I try even the smallest drop of human blood, I won’t be able to send the monster back where it belongs. I can control it enough when I bite a zombie or a vamp, but human blood is much more appealing to me. Every time I smell it, I can feel myself craving it, like my body knows it’s still warm and alive. I can’t give up what’s left of me for a simple drop of human blood.”
“I understand.” Ryder says. “I think I’d be the same way if I were you.”
“I just don’t want to kill a human that way. It’s bad enough how I killed them back at the village just to get back to you.”
He smiles, “You should be used to fighting for me by now.”
I shrug, “Yeah, I should.”
We hear Annah trying to crank the engine over again. She holds the key down for a few seconds longer, but it still doesn’t start. I’m beginning to think that this whole driving to the city idea was a bad one. The van probably needs a new battery, along with several other parts, and even then we’d be lucky if it turned over. We should’ve started walking and put some distance in while we still had the chance.
Annah lets go of the key and curses to herself. I look back to the empty field and stare at the tall weeds and grass. They sway back and forth in the wind and I glance to the sky. The clouds drift through the blue ocean above my head. The dark grey color of them threatens us with rain, but haven’t taken over the sky completely. The sun still manages to shine through and, even with the sunglasses on, looking near it burns my eyes. I blink the pain away and look back to the field.
“I think it might rain soon.” I say.
“Looks like it.” Ryder adds. “The wind is picking up too.”
I let the wind flow through my hair and I take a deep breath letting the smells drift up my nose. These humans around me are so intoxicating. It’s painful knowing that a big part of me wants to devour them. As long as I can keep that part locked away in the pit of my stomach, we’ll all be okay.
The crank of the engine fills the air one more time. It’s not as slow as it was a minute ago and I turn my eyes to the van. Annah has a determined look on her face as she holds the key down.
“Give it some gas!” Adam shouts to her.
She closes her eyes and slams her hand down on the dashboard while still holding the key. In that instant, a squeal comes from the belt in the engine and smoke rises from it. The van roars to life and shakes from side to side for a brief moment until settling into an easy idle. Cheers come from everyone sitting on the concrete and Joshua jumps up and down for joy. Ryder claps his hands next to me and I give a much needed sigh of relief.
“Finally.” Annah says, then climbs out of the van.
Katie helps her injured father to his feet while Rose walks over to George. They smile at one another and he slams the hood of the car shut. Smoke still seeps through the seams, but the van stays running.
“I guess this means we can hit the road.” Adam says, leaning against his daughter as they walk to the van.
“Time to go, Bridge.” Ryder takes my hand and we step away from the building.
I take a second to scope out the field before we get to the van. There’s no one there and the only humans I can smell are those around me. Things are going our way and we’ll finally be able to get to the city. Katie helps her father into the backseat of the van then climbs inside herself. Alix sits in the very back and Rose sits beside Katie.
“Hey, what’s that flying thing?” I hear Katie’s voice asking from inside the van.
She’s pointing at something she sees and I follow her finger with my eyes. There’s a small black object flying through the air. It’s too round to be a bird and I don’t see any wings on it. I squint my eyes, focusing on the item the best I can. It’s small and metallic looking and is headed right for the truck stop.
“Everybody get down!” I shout, thinking the worst.
Those outside the van duck against it while the few inside cover their heads with their hands and arms. Ryder gets to the ground and I kneel next to him. The round object, the grenade, crashes to the ground on the other side of
the parking lot. The ground shakes and rumbles as debris and pieces of a shed explode through the air. Fire lights up the air not far away and black smoke billows down on top of us. If I could hear anything other than the explosion, I’d hear the screams and shouts coming from everyone around me.
The smoke has taken over the area. I can’t see much through it, other than the back of the van and a few feet passed it. Squinting my eyes doesn’t help at all and the smell masks any other scent around me. The ground stops shaking and debris stops falling. I get to my feet and frantically search for the source of the explosion. I move away from the van and wave the smoke away from my face. It helps clear the air a bit, but I still can’t see much.
Fire simmers in the grass and a few branches of a nearby tree. The grenade crashed into a shed about fifty yards from the gas station and fairly close a gas pump. There would have been a much bigger explosion if it landed on that. Pieces of wood and dirt clutter the concrete of the parking lot and small fires are spread all over the place.
The smoke begins to clear and the highway is starting to come into view. I can see the grass and search for signs of other humans. I walk further away from the van, forcing my eyes and ears to focus on everything around me. There are other humans around here and I know exactly who they are. I might not be able to smell them just yet, but I know they’re here somewhere.
I can hear twigs breaking under heavy footsteps. They’re getting closer and closer and I peer my eyes through the smoke hoping to spot them. The sounds are a bit staggered and seem labored to me. The louder they get, the more I can tell they aren’t human footsteps. I strain my ears and hear the first zombie groan fill them. It came from behind me.
Just what we need.
Zombies and the threat of a human force surrounding us.
* * *
I spin around on my heels as the groaning gets louder. The wind is doing an okay job clearing the smoke away from this place. I take a second to glance over to the van. Ryder is standing at the back end of it, staring at the field across from us. Jason and George are looking everywhere for the source of the groaning and whoever threw the grenade. I look back ahead of me and see the zombies approaching.
Three of them, all females with blood dripping from their fingernails and mouths. They’re like a group of girls in high school trying to claw their way to what they desire. Currently, that’s a few humans crowding around a van. The zombies stumble in the grass and trip down the curb leading to the parking lot. Not a single one of them looks my way and they are practically running to the van. They move quicker than most zombies I’ve seen and there’s hunger burning in their eyes.
I take a breath and quickly move across the lot to get between the zombies and the van. The closer I am to them, the more the smell of their blood sends a frenzy through my mind. I want to bite into them, let their flesh and blood flow down my throat. I need that feeling of hunger to go away so I can be stronger again. I need my hunger to end.
The first one, her hair is crusty at the ends where blood has dried. Her eyes are as black as the short dress she’s wearing. There’s a long scratch down the side of her face going along her neck, stopping just above her chest. That’s probably the mark that gave her this life. She claws at me and I grab her arm, tossing her to the ground. She lets out a deep groan and digs her fingers into the concrete.
The next one has a bite taken out of her shoulder. It’s rotten around the wound and black bruises cover most of the skin I can see on her. Her hair is knotted, covering part of her face. I lunge at her, wrapping my arms around her waist to tackle her to the ground. She lands with a thud and digs her nails into my back. I hold her still, pinning her to the ground and lean closer to her neck. The scent of her dead blood fills my nose and I can’t hold it back any longer. I open my mouth and close my teeth against a small portion of her neck. The skin breaks instantly and blood fills my mouth. I let a lot of it flow down my throat and I can feel myself getting stronger as the seconds tick by. I wish I could keep going, keep letting this magnificently disgusting thing fill my stomach forever, but I can’t. I’ve got humans to look after.
I pull myself away from her unmoving form and get to my feet. I turn around and see the other two zombies chasing something away from the van. The girls inside the vehicle poke their heads out and look through the window. George steps out from where he had taken cover and stares at the zombies walking away from them. Joshua is ducked down on my side of a garbage can with his eyes watching the zombies. I look past the two women stumbling across the parking lot. Jason and Ryder are coaxing them along, pulling them further away from the van so the others can be safe.
“Come on, follow us.” Jason shouts and the zombies reluctantly obey.
I shake my head, staring at Ryder as he lets the zombies follow him. They’re getting closer, too close for me to be comfortable with any of this. He shouldn’t be the one to risk his life for the sake of others. That’s my job. I’m the one who’s supposed to keep him safe.
I take a few, quick steps, closing the short distance between the zombies and myself and hear a voice calling from behind me.
“Look out!” George screams from the van.
My feet instantly stop moving and I look up to the sky. The smoke has cleared enough for me to see another small, round object falling down on top of us. Another grenade has been launched and I don’t have enough time to run for cover. I drop to my knees and cover my head with my hands. The grenade explodes on the ground not far away from me. The force of the blast knocks me over and I roll across the parking lot a few feet closer to the garbage can where Joshua still sits. I can feel the cuts in my skin, the tears in my ruined jeans. I can already feel my skin healing itself as I open my eyes to look around.
The bomb fell next to a gas pump and fires are starting to spread. Chunks of concrete are all over the ground around me, with dirt and debris as well. I push myself up with my hands and get to my knees. I look to the hole in the ground and see the body parts scattered around. An arm here and a leg over there. Bits of clothing fly through the air, floating to the ground. That took care of the two zombies, but I have no idea if it killed anyone else in the process. I look around for Ryder and Jason, but the smoke is too dense for me to see anything.
I pull myself to my feet and look to Joshua. Tears streak his filthy cheeks as he stares at me. I put a hand on his shoulder, checking to make sure he’s okay. He’s got a cut on his forearm from a small piece of concrete flying through the air and hitting him as his arms covered his head. I glance to the van and the others. This isn’t safe for any of them to be here anymore. They’ve risked their lives too many times for me and they all need to leave. I can’t take losing anybody else. I grab Joshua’s hand and pull him to his feet. We quickly walk to the van and I see to it that he gets inside safely.
“You guys need to get out of here.” I say to George and the others.
He shakes his head and says, “No, we can’t leave without you.”
“Don’t worry about me. You have to get out of here, find the city, and be safe. Take care of Joshua and make sure he lives a long, happy life. I’ll be fine.” I say, then turn away from the van.
I don’t give them the opportunity to protest and I can hear Adam’s voice telling George to listen to me. Not a single one of them wants to listen. Keeping the cure out of the hands of a very bad man is what they think is right, which it is. It’s just more important to me for them to survive and make it to the city. They can tell the people in charge what’s going on and, maybe, I’ll have a decent chance of someone coming to my rescue if things go badly today.
“Bridget?” Jason’s voice calls to me and I can see him pulling himself to his knees not far ahead of me.
“I’m alright.” I say.
I move closer, stepping over objects as I walk. I don’t see Ryder. I don’t hear him moving or smell his blood at all. The concrete is black as I get closer to where the grenade exploded. My ears are working to the max and I can hea
r the footsteps of dozens of humans. They aren’t labored or forced. There are no moans coming from these people. Just their harsh footsteps and the metal of their guns clanking as they walk. I turn back to the van. Adam has the back door open a bit.
“Get the hell out of here!” I shout to them.
George leans over Adam and slams the door shut. Annah is behind the wheel and I see the reverse lights as she backs away from the building and drives away.
“Ryder?” I call, hoping to get an answer.
There’s nothing. The only sound is the ever growing presence of the human threat coming at us. I can’t find him. He must have been too close to the blast and got in the way. Those must be his body parts scattered in the parking lot. I shake that thought out of my head and move a little faster. Jason is searching the ground as well, aiding in my attempt at finding the one person I care most about.
I step over a large piece of concrete and the smoke clears a little more. I squint my eyes, keeping my gaze close to the ground. Dirt and fire are spread all over the place. The footsteps are only getting louder and I know it won’t be long before they have me in their grasp.
I keep searching. I have to find him.
“Ryder!” I shout at the top of my lungs.
He still doesn’t answer. I walk away from the blast zone and step around another gas pump. I see a pair of feet pointing up at the sky. I scream his name as I rush to his side. His eyes are closed and the left half of his face is burned and blackened with smoke. Blood seeps from a wound on his head and there’s a piece of metal lying on the ground beside him. I put my hand on his chest, feeling for a pulse. I press down harder, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight.
“Ryder, wake up.” I order.
There’s a scuffle going on behind me. I hear a struggle between Jason and one of Trevor’s men. I take one quick second to turn my head. Two big guys are ganging up on Jason. One has him in a headlock while the other slams his fist against Jason’s stomach. A few of Trevor’s men spot me and I turn my eyes back to Ryder. My hand stays pressed against his chest, begging the heartbeat to reach it. The sadness is starting to take over my mind as I stare at his seemingly lifeless face. A small trace of blood is under his nose and his cheeks are stained black from the smoke. There are footsteps moving closer to me and harsh voices fill my ears. I keep Ryder’s hand in mine and beg him to wake up. I need him to twitch or blink his eyes or just do something to let me know he’s still alive. Not knowing is the worst part of this.
