This is the End (Book 2): Not Dead Yet

by Lisa Biesiada

  Coughing, I stuck the knife back in the holster and pushed my hands against the ground so I could sit up. A sharp pain in my side protested and I looked down to see a piece of metal sticking out of my belly. It didn’t look too big so I took a deep breath, grabbed it with both hands and pulled it slowly out of me.

  I’d never been stabbed before but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it as my mind threatened to check out again blinded by pain. I grit my teeth and whimpered as the last edge was pulled free and tossed the offending item to the side. Looking down, blood was running steadily from the wound.

  Pushing my backpack straps off my shoulders I pulled it into my lap and unzipped it, hands finding what I’d been looking for. I pulled my hoodie out and tossed the bag on the ground before wrapping the hoodie around my waist and tying the sleeves as tight as I could to stop the blood flow.

  I sat there and focused on breathing until the pain became a background drum solo for my heartbeat before looking around. Roscoe was lying down next to me with his head on his paws and he looked up at me with his giant dog eyes and thumped the ground with his tail.

  Reaching over, I rubbed his head. “I know boy, me too.” His tail thumped a few more times before he stood and started running frantic circles in front of me. Obviously he wanted me to get up and go look for the others but that was easier said than done.

  I shifted onto my knees and using the katana as a walking stick that was miraculously still attached to my harness along with my remaining rifle, I slowly stood all the way up.

  “Oh god, not a good idea.” I said to myself as the world spinned and I leaned over and threw up stomach acid.

  When the heaving stopped, I looked up through my panting and drooling. The only thing around were trees, trees and more trees. It would seem we’d lucked out and at least crashed in a forest, hopefully far from anyone infected.

  Roscoe barked at me and darted off through the trees so I took that as my cue to follow. Everything appeared to still work as I could walk, but the pain in my gut kept me from moving very fast.

  I stumbled over a tree root and nearly fell, only saved by the small branch I’d caught before I could hit the ground. I looked up and was met with a smoking pile of unrecognizable metal which meant it was likely our plane. Coughing and murmured words drew me closer as fast as I could.

  “Guys? Anyone?” My words seemed quiet to me as they came out on a whimper and I struggled to limp over to the wreckage.

  The whole left side of the plane where Jack and I’d been sitting was gone and I could see Penny and Chloe still inside trying to unbuckle their seatbelts. I hobbled around the front to find the cockpit smashed in and empty.

  A panic started to well up inside when I realized I didn’t see anyone else.

  “Jack! Ty! Where are you?!” I yelled frantic and desperate. I limped the whole way around to where the cockpit had been and a moan forced me to stop.

  Looking down, I saw Brian’s foot poking out from underneath a piece of metal. I fell to my knees and crawled around to where his head was. There was so much blood mixing in with the dirt that I started to stick to the ground.

  “Penny, Penny, come quick! I found Brian!” I tried to pull the scrap of metal off him, which only made his groans louder. I looked up to see Penny running over and stop so fast it looked like she was sliding into home.

  I scooted back and looked up at Chloe with Johnny crying in her arms as she made her way over. Her face was dirty and her clothes were torn, but otherwise she didn’t look any worse for the wear.

  “Chloe, where’s everyone else?” I asked, trying not to look at Brian and Penny crying over him. I knew he was dying and I didn’t want to watch.

  “I don’t know, the plane, it started to go down, and then you, you flew out, and Jack…” Chloe’s words were halted by her sobs. Her little ribcage was heaving from the effort of trying to breathe around the tears and her words became unintelligible.

  Cringing, I stood up and limped over to her, grabbing her shoulders and trying to catch her undivided attention. “Jack what? What happened?” My words were harsh and I shook her a little bit out of fear which only made her cry harder.

  Instantly regretting making her cry more, I pulled her into me and hugged her as tight as I could. “Shhh, shhh. It’s ok, we’re ok.” I murmured into her hair while stroking her back. When I felt her cries start to calm I pulled back to look at her face. “We need to find them, Chloe. Can you help me look?”

  She nodded her head, tears leaving little trails in the dirt on her cheeks. I turned her and pushed her off further into the clearing with Roscoe hot on her heels. Once I heard her start calling out names, I turned and looked back down to Penny and Brian.

  Penny was almost completely wrapped around Brian’s head and crying so hard I wondered if her ribs were going to crack. His eyes were closed and the look of twisted pain was gone from his face. He looked like he was sleeping, which meant he was dead.

  “Penny, I’m sorry, but we really do need to find the others,” I started, trying to sound consoling but urgent. She looked up at me through red, swollen eyes, saw the blood seeping through the hoodie around my waist and nodded, rising to her feet.

  Sniffling, she walked over to me. “Your stomach…” She reached out to me to start inspecting me but I pushed her hands away.

  “I’m ok for now, I’m more concerned about everyone else.” I backed away as Johnny came running over and wrapped himself around her leg.

  She just nodded at me and reached down, pulling Johnny up into her arms.

  I waited for her to walk far enough away that she wouldn’t see what I was about to do next. Watching her clear the trees where Chloe had just gone, I turned back and looked down at Brian. His features were peaceful and I envied him for a moment as I pulled my knife out and rammed it through the side of his skull. Pulling it back out, I wiped the brain matter off the blade on his pant leg and turned off towards the others. It was cold and hollow but it had to be done. We didn’t need any more zombies.

  I stumbled through the twigs and dirt, using the trees for balance while looking for the others. The sky was overcast but calm and the birds were chirping away merrily. It struck me odd that birds were chirping; I hadn’t heard a bird for weeks but took it as a good sign that we were well and truly alone out here. My biggest concern was finding the others and figuring out exactly where “here” was.

  Voices up ahead forced my tired legs to move faster as I hobbled over vegetation. I rounded a large tree to see Penny and Chloe hovered over where Earl was tying off a piece of fabric around Bash’s arm.

  Blood ran down Earl’s face, but he looked alright otherwise. They had set Bash’s arm against a branch and used some of his shirt to hold it still so I took that as a sign it was broken.

  I didn’t say anything to the group, just nodded when Earl met my eyes and started off. I had to find Ty and Jack.

  I walked a ways alone in the quiet, trying not to think about what had just happened. I’d survived a plane crash. Brian hadn’t. I couldn’t find Jack and Ty but the others were ok. I wanted to fall to my knees and cry for about 5 months but instead I just kept walking.

  The voices had faded out completely behind me as I made a slow, wide circle around what was left of the plane. Bits and pieces of metal and plastic were everywhere, including hanging in the tree branches.

  Roscoe ran around my legs, startling me and nearly causing me to fall, Chloe right behind him. He was barking and I knew the best thing to do was trust the dog. Chloe and I chased after him until we came to a small clearing to find Ty on the ground sitting up against the base of a giant tree. I watched Roscoe run over and start licking his face enthusiastically as Ty started to laugh and cry and hug his dog. Chloe ran over and soon all 3 were a tangle of limbs and tears.

  I wanted to join them but it didn’t feel right. A part of me knew they were like family now, but I still didn’t feel like I belonged, so I hung back. I looked up and nearly peed my pants seeing J
ack still strapped to his chair and dangling from a branch.

  “Jack! Jack!” I ran over to the branch, my yells getting the kids’ attention as Ty struggled to stand using Chloe as a crutch and hobbled over.

  Jack’s hat was on the ground just below the limb he was tangled in. The tree was huge and he was a good 10 feet above the ground. I couldn’t see his face well; it was partially hidden behind the leaves but I could see his chest moving slowly which meant he was still alive.

  “How do we get him down?” Chloe asked. I hadn’t noticed her move to stand beside me with Ty still leaning on her.

  “I’ll climb up and cut the belt. He’ll fall, but it probably won’t kill him.” I answered, tightening the sleeves of the hoodie around my waist.

  She put her hand on my shoulder to stop me. “I’ll go, you’re hurt.” She said, looking down at my gut. I followed her gaze to where the sleeve was coated in blood and stood back. She was right; I was in no shape to climb trees at the moment.

  I nodded at her and she raced over to the tree, stopping at the base to figure out how to get up there. After a moment Ty and I joined her in staring up. Jack was on the lowest branch and there wasn’t really anything else to grab onto below.

  “Here, step on my hands and I’ll push you up.” Ty started, bending down slightly with his hands laced. She put a foot in his hands and using his shoulders, they bounced a couple times before she jumped and he pushed, launching her towards the branch.

  It was just enough to get her there as she struggled to find a grasp, feet slipping on the bark. I held my breath watching her struggle her way up until she was kneeling on the branch looking down at us.

  “Good Chloe. Now just crawl out to him and cut the belt.” I yelled up at her.

  She nodded and started to crawl out to where Jack was still passed out and very much stuck. When she reached him, she stood up and leaned out; using a smaller branch above for balance, but still couldn’t get far enough out.

  Backing up, I watched with fascination as she looked up, studying the branch above her before I saw her knees start to brace.

  Ty started to tell her no, but before he could get the words out, she leaped up to the other branch and swung a few times, hanging by her hands. When she had enough momentum she kicked her legs up until her knees were around the branch.

  Hanging upside down like kids do on the monkey bars, she upside down crab walked back over to where Jack was and I almost passed out when she let go to dangle by just her knees wrapped around the branch.

  Upside down, she was now directly over Jack and I didn’t bother to hide the impressed look on my face as she pulled out her knife and started sawing at his seatbelt.

  As soon as it had enough give, the nylon snapped and Jack started to fall. I rushed over in a vain attempt to catch him only to have him fall on me and take us both down.

  “Angie! Are you crazy?!” Ty ran over and pulled Jack off of me and I just grinned at the shock on his face.

  “There’s certainly a good argument for ‘yes’ on that one.” I groaned as I pushed Jack the rest of the way off of me and sidled up to him. Putting my fingers lightly on his neck, I tuned out the noise around me and closed my eyes. I felt a faint pulse and could kind of hear his heartbeat.

  I felt around his body, giving him a full pat down, but didn’t find any large wounds or anything that was leaking blood so I had to assume his injuries were internal. Putting my ear to his mouth, I listened.

  His breath was light, but it was there. “Go get Penny and hurry!” I called to Chloe who was taking one last swing from the branch before she let go and I watched her sail through the air to land gracefully on the ground on her feet. I’d never been more jealous of anyone in my life.

  “Really? You done now, ‘cuz I think Jack’s seriously hurt here.” I snapped at her in irritation.

  “I’m going already!” Her sarcasm wasn’t missed as she traipsed off back into the woods to find Penny and the others.

  Ty came over and sat next to me and we watched Jack breathe together.

  “Is he going to die?” The fear in Ty’s voice was palpable.

  I took a deep breath and winced. “I hope not.”

  Looking down at Jack, I started to wipe the dirt and blood combo from his cheek with the edge of the hoodie around my waist. His brows were furrowed, as though he was troubled and confused even in sleep.

  I didn’t have time to consider the implications of Jack dying before the sounds of the others heading in our direction forced me to look up. Penny, Chloe, Earl and Bash appeared from between the trees and Penny rushed over, a giant red plastic toolbox in her hand.

  Scooting back to give her room, I watched as she kneeled down and started poking Jack in all the places I had. She checked his pulse and his blood pressure and all I could do was stare helplessly as his lips started to turn blue.

  Penny’s fingers stopped on his ribs and she started tearing his shirt open. A large lump was building up and her hands immediately stopped poking when she found it. I heard her heart slow and knew what she was going to say before she even looked up at me.

  “I think his lung was punctured; there’s definitely some broken ribs.” Looking down at Jack, the frown on her face grew. “He doesn’t have long.”

  I looked at Jack’s sleeping face and suppressed the urge to throw up. Running my fingers lightly down the stubble on his cheek, I sniffled and tried to swallow the bile that was rising in my throat. No. Not Jack. Take me instead! I looked up at the sky through the trees and begged and pleaded and argued with whatever was up there to take me and let him live.

  My pulse slowed as the clouds parted, revealing the ice blue sky in shards. Tears were now rolling down my face in big fat drops that landed with a loud splash on my hand, only to roll off the side and onto Jack’s face.

  Looking up from my hand I focused on Penny. “What can we do?” I asked between sniffles.

  She just shook her head at me. “He’s bleeding into his lungs. I could cut a hole and release the pressure, but he’d bleed out. He’d need a transfusion.”

  I thought about that while I watched the tears continue to land on my hand and roll off onto his cheek. Wait….

  Looking back up at Penny, I thrust my arm at her. “Then give him my blood.”

  She started to shake her head, “We don’t even know if your blood types match.”

  I shook my arm harder at her. “I’m O Negative, that’s universal, right? If he dies, at least I’ll know I did everything I could to keep him alive. Plus there’s something in my blood that makes me heal fast, maybe it will help him too.”

  Penny’s pained expression as she looked at me then Jack felt like waiting for a judge to deliver a verdict and I could only wish I knew what words to say that would make her agree.

  I looked up at the others for support. Earl was rubbing the back of his neck, just like Jack did when he was irritated with me. Bash had sat down leaning up against the same tree Jack had just fallen from and Ty and Chloe just stood there staring with their arms crossed.

  “Well?!” I asked up at them, the hysteria I was feeling starting to leak its way out.

  Penny saw the desperation on my face and sighed as she reached for the plastic toolbox. Opening it, she started pulling out gauze, syringes and plastic tubing. Tearing open a package, “I can’t promise this will work. We aren’t in a sanitized environment and we have no way of knowing if whatever heals you will heal him.” Her eyes were heavy as she peered into mine. I nodded my head in solemn understanding.

  The others came closer, forming a circle around Jack. “What can we do to help?” Chloe asked Penny.

  Penny looked up at Earl, “Dad we need a fire.”

  He nodded and motioned for Bash and Ty to follow. I could only assume they were going to find wood.

  Penny motioned for Chloe to come sit down with us. She squirted hand sanitizer from a bottle that she had retrieved from her backpack into Chloe’s hands, who in turn rubbed them together.r />
  I didn’t say anything; just watched Penny work. Her hands were sure and steady as she set up the tubing and prepared needles. I took her well-paced heartbeat as a good sign that she knew what she was doing.

  Holding an alcohol wipe, she grabbed my arm and met my gaze. “You sure you want to do this? There’s no telling how much he needs and I can’t let you die from blood loss either.”

  Taking one last look at Jack’s sleeping face; I nodded without a word and straightened my arm, pumping my fist so my veins would pop.

  With a sigh, she wrapped a tourniquet around my arm and after inspecting my veins for a moment, stabbed me with the needle, starting the IV. I didn’t flinch at the giant needle and she didn’t meet my eyes after seeing the scars of past punctures. It was an unspoken understanding between healthcare provider and patient and I knew she could see they were old. On the bright side, at least I wouldn’t have to waste my breath telling anyone I was a recovering addict.

  Penny had already started an IV in Jack’s arm and I become a little fascinated watching her setup the tubing so it flowed from me to him. She had found a bag of Saline in the first-aid kit and had it hanging from the tree, also flowing down into Jack’s arm.

  I didn’t look up when I heard the boys trudging back over and start to assemble a fire, I just held my breath and prayed this worked. I watched the blood run from my arm through the tubing. Not blinking, I kept my eye on it as it made its way over and into Jack’s arm. It looked normal enough; it was just blood. It didn’t glow or sparkle or do anything else magical. If I couldn’t feel the wound in my gut knitting itself up, I wouldn’t have any idea there was anything different or special about my blood.

  “Angie, you might want to look away for this.”

  There wasn’t time to ask why and my breath stopped as Penny jabbed an Exacto blade into Jack’s torso where the lump had gotten a lot bigger. My heart stopped as blood bubbled up out of his chest and ran down his side. Vision swimming, I started to get dizzy and had to remind myself to breathe. There was just so much blood flowing out of him that I couldn’t even see Penny stab his lung with a plastic straw until I heard the whistling of air released from it and Jack’s chest start to heave with labored breaths.