by Lucas Coon
"See, so it was a romantic whisking. I swept you off your feet through my brutal honesty and willingness to spend nearly sixty dollars on coffee for you." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I know it's not a big story, but it was the start of us and I always like to think about it. Anyways, my family is nowhere near as screwed up as hers. My mother and father are still married and I have an older sister. That's pretty much the entirety of it."
"Aunt Karen is a crazy cat lady." Lilly chimed in to break Darren's perception of his perfect family.
"Yes, yes she is sweetheart." Kayla patted the little girl on her head and smirked at Darren. He hung his head in shame.
"Having ten cats does not make you a crazy cat lady." He said under his breath.
"Try closer to twenty and yes it does." Kayla shut him down. Mitchell realized that Darren wasn't going to win any of their conversations. He may have put forward a tough guy bravado, but he was definitely second fiddle to his wife. It worked though, so they were clearly happy. "Mitchell, I believe that makes it your turn. Hopefully you're enjoying hearing all about how messed up we are."
"I've seen worse." Mitchell tried to reassure them that they were not the worst family in the world, nor were they the weirdest. He had seen worse though, typically on daytime television shows. He was fairly certain that these two were on the normal end of the spectrum. He took a breath in; he wasn't good at introductions, but it was his idea and it was his turn, so he had to follow through. "I'm Mitchell Grayson Swartz. I was a world history teacher for the freshman classes, as well as one senior class, at Crofton High School. I took my job very seriously. I enjoyed teaching young minds about the history of the world and the things that our societies have gone through to get to where we are today. I, unfortunately, don't have a cat, but the minute I get home I'm going to go adopt one." He smiled at Lilly after saying this, she grinned back. "Let's see, my favorite color is green as well." He motioned towards Darren. "But my favorite food group would be anything breakfast related." He put his hand on the back of his head. "I honestly don't know much else to talk about..."
"What about your wife?" Lilly suggested a topic for him.
"Lilly!" Kayla scolded her,
"No, no, she's right. Since Aria isn't here to introduce herself, I should do it for her. Well, my lovely wife's name is Aria Morgan Swartz. Her last name, prior to our marriage, was Maybelle, which is a name I loved by the way. If we had a little girl I probably would've fought for that as her name. Show co-owned a bakery down town. It did pretty well for the location and she was happy with it." Mitchell went silent. Why did this have to happen? All of this was a huge interruption to the life that he and Aria had built for themselves and for the future they would've had together.
"Why didn't you guys have any babies?" Tact was not on the list of traits for Lilly. She was definitely one to ask things straight-forward and wasn't shy. Kayla attempted to scold her again, but Mitchell accepted the question and continued.
"Well, Lilly, we actually were going to. We really wanted to have children so when we decided it was time we both went to the clinic to get tested. That was the first major problem. We found out that I had...” He paused and looked at his audience. The most attentive member was only five years old, so he altered his planned statement. “Uh, problems. I was pretty much deemed as pretty much being unable to have children." He looked at Lilly, she seemed confused. "I'm sure you'll have that talk with your parents later in life. Anyways, we gave up the thought of having kids. We both decided that we would just enjoy our life together, so we did. Well, about two months ago Aria had stayed home from work because she was sick. When I got home she called me into the bathroom and screeched in excitement. Oh man, I remember it like it happened last week. She jumped on me and almost knocked me down. That whole week she kept yelling "I'm pregnant" at me over and over. I couldn't believe it." Mitchell shook his head. "So, we were going to have a baby. It was like a little miracle, but, well, you know what happened after. Now I don't know where she is or if she's even OK." He looked down. "I really hope she's OK."
"We'll find her man. I'm sure she's fine." Darren patted him on the shoulder and pulled away. It was a helpful and it really made him feel better, but there was no guarantee that he was right. The only way to find out was to keep going.
Mitchell stood up and shrugged. "Well guys, I think it's about time for us all to get to bed." He smiled at them. If he had to choose a place to be, other than with Aria, in this situation, he was glad it was here. "We're planning on tomorrow being the big day right?" He realized that they had never laid out a plan of action.
"Yes sir. Tomorrow is the big day. The next step in our "adventure".” He air-quoted the word adventure. It was an appropriate air-quote; this was not an adventure.
"We should probably all get up early and talk about what exactly we're doing..." Kayla had a point, it was best that they lay out a plan. They may not be able to make it all the way to the hospital in one day. It wasn't far, but, when you're dodging infected people that are considering you for their next meal, it becomes a little more difficult. "But I agree, if we're going to do this, then tomorrow is the day."
"Alright guys, goodnight!" Mitchell walked towards his office. It wasn't a far walk, but it was definitely a lonely one. Seeing the happy couple and their adorable little girl made him yearn for his wife even more. He took a step into his room. The air was cold with the sting of solidarity. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. Tomorrow, they took flight. Tomorrow was his next step in finding Aria. Tomorrow was everyone's next step for survival. The morning wouldn't come soon enough.
Chapter 11 – Somewhere in The Middle
Though the night dragged on, as they often times do, the darkness brought no peace for Mitchell. He felt as though he was killing his body with the lack of sleep, but there wasn't much he could do to get around it. He would lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling tiles, count them one-by-one, point out the one he removed to himself, then start the whole process over. If he closed his eyes, he would quickly open them again in fear of having the same nightmare that he had been having. He would try to fight past it, but every time he thought he was jumping off the cliff of consciousness, another thought would grasp his mind in a vice and squeezed at it until he was fully awake. His first thought was Claire. Did she make it somewhere? Odds were she'd turned by now. He didn't like to think about it, but he was happy that he was at least able to give her a few hours of peace. She had definitely changed by now, that really wasn't much of a question.
His next thought was of Abram and Aya. Did they make it somewhere safe? It was morning, so they had some time to get to another location. Were there any other safe locations nearby? He considered the couple's odds of survival. If Abram paid really good attention to what they were doing, and the gun was fully loaded, they may have made it somewhere nearby. Aya seemed a little frail, she was shorter and thinner than an average woman of her age, whatever her age was. If Abram went down, there really wasn't much of a chance of her surviving. He'd like to think that she would've been capable of pressing on without Abram, but it was incredibly unlikely. Did they actually head to the school to find their children? Was the school safe-zoned? Did Abram say what school they went to? Mitchell couldn't recall if he had actually given a name to the school or if he was vague about it.
"He said that it was a school that was marked for an early evacuation. That would mean that it was in the downtown area, or at least close. They may have went there. The only one I can think of would've been Black Ridge elementary. I bet that's where they went. That's on the outskirts of the downtown area and is somewhat close to Woodward High school. If they went that way then they could at least have made it to the quarantine zone, if the quarantine zones are all still active." He thought about it for a few moments and decided that they would have made it. They had plenty of daylight to get to the outskirts and, if they went the right way, they should have gotten there before the sun even s
tarted setting. "Yeah, they would've made it, there's no reason for them not to have." He attempted to reassure himself that they were fine. It worked to an extent, but there was still the thought in the back of his mind that they could have fallen victim to the infected.
Mitchell stewed some more in his own head. 'Is the evacuation zone still a good place to go? Are the quarantine zones still in effect?' These thoughts were pacing through his mind and giving him a headache. He continued to lay on the floor and stare at the tiles. He attempted to remain motionless, but he began to feel the room spinning. He took a deep breath in and attempted to steady himself, it didn't work, it made it feel like the room was spinning faster. He closed his eyes to try and block out the vertigo and took another deep breath in. From behind his eyelids, a familiar sight filled his entire field of vision, a sight of all white. Nothingness. He attempted to open his eyes, but his attempts failed. He felt like his eyes were already open, but he knew they weren't. Why did he keep fading into this bright abyss?
Much like the last time, he was paralyzed. He attempted to move but none of his limbs were mobile. 'OK. I'm unconscious. I am no longer awake. That's fine, but why am I paralyzed.' He was able to think to himself and that was it. 'Am I breathing? The last time this happened, Darren said I wasn't breathing. I need to breathe. I need to breathe!' He couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. He moved on in his mind. 'OK, I have no idea as to whether or not I'm going to wake up, or suffocate. This is fantastic. Wait, I'm still thinking. I can still hear my voice in my head. Doesn't it make sense that as long as I can still hear my own thoughts, I have to be alive?' He realized that this had to be true. If he were dead he wouldn't be able to think. 'Does that make sense? I don't know what death is like, but I can't imagine that post-death you can still hash out your thoughts. Hmm...' He attempted to put his palm on his forehead. He felt like he was moving, but he could tell he wasn't. It felt mostly like a phantom limb.
'What is happening to me? Why is this happening? Am I dying? Nothing has stopped this all from occurring, I keep whiting out. I don't get it...' He silenced his mind for a moment. Again he attempted to move. It was strange, he felt like he could move, like he was moving, but there was no motion attached to the thoughts. He stopped for a moment. 'I need to get out of this. I need to wake up.' He took a deep breath, at least he believed he had taken a deep breath. He wasn't really sure if he was actually breathing at this point. 'OK. I will wake up. I will count to three and wake up on three. Here we go. One. Two. Three!' He tried to jerk himself out of whatever he was in. 'No good. One more time. One. Two. Three!' He attempted to move all limbs at the same time. As he did the white faded and he opened his eyes.
Mitchell looked around. He was in the middle of a field that was within a valley. He noticed mountains in all directions surrounding him.
"Where the hell am I?" He asked the question to himself, then realized that it felt more like he was speaking than thinking to himself. "OK. Breathe in, look around, take in the scenery and make a determination." He did what he had told himself to do and determined that he was in the middle of nowhere. "Why am I not lying on the floor of an office building?"
"Is that where you're hiding?" A familiar voice spoke to him, one that he loved to hear. Aria walked up beside him.
"Aria?" He stood with his mouth ajar, he was taken aback by the fact that he was standing directly next to his wife. "There's no way that it's really you."
"Unfortunately you're right. This is all in your head Mitchell. You're dreaming all of this right now, including me. Is this your paradise? Out somewhere in the middle of nowhere? At least the lake is pretty."
"What lake?" He blinked and noticed that the field in front of him was now a crystal clear lake. "Oh, that lake." Mitchell stood and stared at the water for several moments. He could feel Aria next to him, she was standing close, but not close enough to be touching him. He noticed that there was no wind, the air remained as still as possible. "Why am I dreaming this? What is going on with me Aria?"
"I wish I knew. I wish that I could tell you what was happening, but all I can tell you is that something isn't right. You're definitely sick. Honestly, even you can see that Mitchell." She looked him over. "You aren't looking healthy. You've lost some of your color. I hate seeing you like this." She touched his face. He could feel her hand, it was cold, but it felt as if she was actually touching him. "You're fevering too."
"I know. I'm trying to take care of myself. Between not being able to eat and not being able to sleep, I don't know what to do." He tried to respond to her.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" She asked.
"Every time I fall asleep I have the same nightmare. It's of you, but you're infected. Every time I wake up from it, I feel like I'm going to get sick or have a heart-attack." He met her eyes. "Aria, are you still out there?"
"Well, I'm right here aren't I?" This answer felt so good to him. "How about this, will you sleep better if I promise that you won't have that nightmare ever again?"
"I have a feeling that I would sleep just fine if you could promise that." He smiled at her.
"Done. I promise you, Mitchell, that you will never have that dream again. I can't guarantee that you won't dream of something else, but that will never happen again." He wasn't sure how she could make this promise, but it felt relieving to hear it. Regardless of how she would be fulfilling this promise, he believed her.
"Thank you." He felt himself starting to cry. "Dammit, Aria, I miss you so badly. I should've went with you, I shouldn't have let you leave alone."
"Mitchell, stop it. You know that you can't dwell like that. It's not your fault that we're separated right now." She smiled sweetly at him. "You, of all people, should know that I would never blame you for any of this."
"I know that love. I'm trying to keep a positive frame of mind. I keep telling myself that you're fine and that you're out there somewhere. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow with these new people that I've been staying with for a while now..."
"Darren, Kayla and Lilly right? They seem nice. I can tell that you really enjoy their company." She cut him off.
"How did you know that?" Mitchell inquired confusingly.
"Mitchell, you know why..." Did he? Did he really know how she would've known that? He didn't feel like he knew.
"Oh, I guess I do..." Why did he say that?
"Alright, honey. You need to get out of this. You have a decision to make though." She turned back towards the lake. "You can turn and walk away from all of this in front of you, or you can follow me into the water. If you follow me into the water, you won't wake up. You'll remain here, with me for as long as your body holds out. We'll be together in the water for the remainder of the time, but that will be the end. If you turn and walk away, you'll wake up. Nothing has changed, so you'll be back where you were. This is your decision, Mitchell. And it's one you have to make right now, love." She caressed his face again, her hands were still cold as she kissed him on the cheek. She then turned and began walking towards the lake. Mitchell stood and watched her wade into the water. He stood for only a moment, though it felt like forever. He considered his options. Should he end it here and be happy for a few seconds, or continue and face eternal sadness. What would Aria want him to do? He knew the answer to this question.
"Wait, Aria." He stepped forward as he called to her. At this point she was up to her waist in the pond.
"Yes, love?" She turned and asked.
"Are you sure I won't have that nightmare again?" He asked. He could once again feel himself crying. He didn't want to make this decision.
"I promise Mitchell." She smiled, turned and continued walking.
"Well then, I love you. I'll be seeing you soon enough, OK?" She didn't stop. Within only a few seconds, she was completely submerged. Mitchell turned around and looked at the road in front of him. He didn't remember there being a road, but there was one. The sun was setting at the end of the path. He took a step and felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach
. His next step was a little harder but he continued on. The next step was easier. He reached the end of the path, and was greeted by the brightness of the sun. He felt the warmth of the light on his face. It was refreshing to feel something so warm. He closed his eyes tightly and held them.
He slowly opened his eyes again. As he did he noticed a familiar scene. The sun was shining in through a window and kissing his face softly. He slowly pried his eyes open all the way and made note of the desk sitting next to him. He was back in the office and it looked like it was morning at this point. He felt his head pounding. It felt like his skull would split open at any point in time. He turned onto his back to stare up at the white ceiling. He made another mental note that the room was spinning. He closed his eyes to try and break the dizzy spell, but that made it infinitely worse. He opened his eyes again and felt a twisting feeling in his stomach. He sat up to try to focus, but quickly succumbed to the sick feeling. He leaned over and vomited into his trashcan. After his stomach was void of its contents he felt much better.
Mitchell rubbed the water from his eyes and used his shirt to wipe his face. He looked at the filthy t-shirt that he was using as a towel. It was covered in dirt, blood, and now this. He crumpled it up and put it in the trashcan, there was no point in continuing on with it. He opened up the backpack that he had taken from Kyle and removed the camouflage shirt. He pulled it over his head and put his arms through it. It was a bit tight, but it was good enough.
Mitchell grabbed his currently open bottle of water and rinsed his mouth with it. He tossed what was left of it into the trash can. This was the final stretch, they would be leaving as soon as they could and Mitchell wasn't going to bring anything that may be coated with any bacteria that may be tearing him up inside. He opened all the pockets of Kyle's back pack and emptied the contents. There wasn't much to it, it was mostly just the small food items that Kyle had collected. When he got to the last pocket he opened it and found a handwritten note. It unfolded and looked it over.
