Flash Series (Book 1): Infected

by Jessica Gomez

  During one of our story times, James told me of a place his school had studied. He mentioned it in passing conversation, but one thing that he said stuck with me―self-sustainable. I knew our little hide away was not going to stay safe forever. Azami was growing, and she needed more space to run around. We all did. I couldn’t let her run free outside, even though there was nothing but fields all around us, but there was no cover. There was nothing to stop anyone from seeing us.

  This place James spoke of could function without the outside world’s influences. There were hot springs, old lava tunnels, and tucked away in the mountains with lots of foliage and trees for coverage. Most importantly, the safety and room to run that this place offered would be priceless. It was only a few hours away. We were in Colorado and the place we needed to go was in the mountains of Oregon.

  James said their teacher would show them how to evacuate with the important items for survival. His teacher must have been one of those doomsday preparers if what she taught in class was any indication. Thank God for it. At least she gave him the know-how to survive on his own, and he was so young. I was surprised that he remembered something that most children his age would brush off and never think of again.

  Luckily, Ian took the time to explain to him a little more in detail how to get there when he asked. Not that he actually thought James would have to make his way there on his own, I’m sure. It sounded like he wanted to settle his little brother’s curiosity.

  James and I talked about making the journey to this place–this utopia–to see if his teacher was right, if people could really live some semblance of a carefree, normal life. James had hopes that somehow, Ian had survived and made his way there. He recalled that they used to pretend that aliens took over the world and they would run and hide there.

  If Ian survived and made his way there, James would be beside himself, but the odds were very slim. Even knowing the sadness this place might bring James, thinking of his brother, I knew we could make it our home. It would be a new start; a place to live and call home. There was nothing more I could have wanted for all of us, even if it was only the three of us.

  My decision was made, but the move would require planning. We’d have to pack supplies ahead of time and locate a car to get us there. The amount of supplies we would need to carry couldn’t fit on our backs, and Azami was still very small for such a long distance trip.

  Trying to find a car nowadays was not an easy task. Most of the batteries were now dead, or the car itself was completely unusable. They were trashed and gas was siphoned from most, used to make fires for either warmth, or destruction, depending on the person’s state of mind in the days after the Flash. We went on some reconnaissance missions for cars. James knew about a car dealership a couple of miles away, on the opposite side of town.

  During our scouting trips, doubt began to plague me. James couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that this place was actually functional. His mother and brother indulged his imagination as a young boy, and only went along with the story to placate him. We had a good thing going for us here, under this tree. The first place I would call a home, as sad as that seems. This was the only place that had felt right in a long time. After all my internal debating, my doubt was wiped away on our last raid.

  We stumbled upon a few canned goods. I sifted through the pile and handed James the acceptable ones, while Azami tossed rocks around. James was placing them into our backpack when a vision hit him full force and locked him in place. His eyes were wide open, but unseeing, and he remained that way for only a fraction of time, but it seemed like hours.

  When he came to, he looked at me panicked. “There’s something coming.” He was breathless, like he wasn’t sure how to explain. “They’re people… but they look Infected; mutated.” That had to be impossible, but I didn’t waste time questioning him. I trusted him with Azami’s life and mine.

  We rushed to finish collecting our stuff and ran to hide in the rafters above the grounds we were raiding. I pressed Azami’s face into my chest while we waited, barely breathing as my heart pounded fiercely. We watched as these Infected people burst through and rummage around the now empty lot, sniffing and smelling everything.

  There were three of them, more people than I’ve seen in a long time. It’s been even longer since I’ve seen an Infected. How were they still alive? How is this possible? Their actions were clear; they were looking for food. Their behavior seemed odd, like they didn’t understand basic motor functions. Opening bottles was too difficult of a challenge for them. They walked and ran hunched over, arms almost dragging on the ground like apes.

  While we watched, one of them crossed paths with the other and they became violent toward one another. The conflict reminded me of wild animals fighting over territory; growling, biting, and clawing at each other.

  The noise grew by the second, but the fighting still wasn’t enough to cover the startled squeak Azami let out, causing all three of their heads to snap around, looking for the sound. We froze in place, our muscles going tight while our breathing ceased, waiting them out.

  Just when I thought they’d glance up and spot us, a stray dog wandered into the lot, saving us, but dooming itself at the same time. As soon as the Infected spotted it, they ran to the oblivious dog and started ripping it apart, devouring its raw flesh and entrails. Its low whimpers suddenly ceased, and all we could do was watch in horror as the Infected ate. I covered Azami’s ears and pressed her eyes into my chest harder, hoping to shield her somehow from the gruesome act. I waited until they were done feeding and moved to another area before I removed my hands.

  “Poor dog,” James whispered.

  “I know. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to see those kinds of things.”

  James patted my hand in assurance.

  We waited until James’s sight was clear and headed back to our tree. We unpacked in silence. Azami stayed quiet and had yet to speak a word, shock clearly plastered on her face. She sat on our bed motionless, but not sleeping. James stared off into space, probably replaying the gruesome sight we had encountered, just as I was doing. I think I was more concerned and shocked that there were Infected ones still out there. This was not good, not good at all.

  Finally, after about an hour of silence, James spoke. “What do you think those things were?”

  “I’m not sure. They were definitely Infected, but I thought they had all died within the first year after the Flash. They don’t seem too… human anymore. They acted more like wild animals. Did you see how they targeted that poor dog? I have a feeling that they would have done the same thing to us.” I finished, mostly speaking to myself.

  “I know. I was thinking the same thing.”

  We didn’t speak much the rest of the afternoon, both of us thinking inwardly, thoughts of our future running through our heads. What kind of future would we have if those kinds of things were on the loose? Where had they come from? Why had we not seen them before?

  Thinking over the past year and today’s events with the dog made me realize that our living situation was not pliable anymore. At dinner, I decided to approach the subject with James. “I was thinking… after what happened today, I don’t think it’s safe to be here anymore. I think we should go and find that place in the mountains. We have enough food and water after today. We can get a car from the dealership down the road. We should go there tomorrow and pick one up to make sure it runs. What do you think?” I didn’t have time to react; James flew across the little hideaway and hugged me tightly, squeezing the breath out of me.

  “I’ve wanted to go there since we talked about it; I just didn’t want to ask.”

  “James, why would you wait to ask? You know I would do anything for you. I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me you wanted to go so badly.” Tears sprang to my eyes as I held him just as tightly.

  “I know, I should have. I’m sorry.” He sniffled and wiped his nose.

  “So, I guess you’re okay with trying to find this place?�
�� I held him out at arm’s length.

  James laughed along with me. “Yes. We can go get a car first thing in the morning.”

  “Okay, sounds good. But for now, let’s eat. I’m hungry.” I turned to Azami. “Come on, baby. Come and have some dinner.” She sat up slowly and walked toward me. “How are you doing sweetheart? Are you still scared?”

  Azami paused, thinking before she answered, then slowly shook her head no. “Poor, goggy.” She said, looking up at me with shiny eyes.

  “Oh, Az.” I cooed at her and scooped her into my arms to rock her back and forth. “It’s okay to be sad. Some things in our lives are going to be sad, and some things are going to be fun and happy. We just have to try to remember that we have each other, and together we can do anything.” I hug her tightly. “Now, let’s eat dinner. I have some Spaghettios for you.

  Her little eyes lit up again, this time in joy. She pushed out of my arms so fast I thought I was going to drop her. Once she hit the floor she bounced up and down, clapping her hands together, saying Oooh Ooo Oooh’s.

  We sat down on the edge of our mattress and ate our soup. After finishing, we mapped out a route to take to Oregon. We knew where the springs were supposed to be, but we still had our doubts. James was so young the last time he’d seen or spoken to his teacher.

  In the morning, we packed everything we wanted to bring, which was pretty much everything in our little fort. After we hauled everything out, I realized that we’d need a station wagon, or something big enough to hold our bed. Finding a new mattress in good condition would be impossible.

  The air was electric with excitement. James’s sight was clear to leave. Panic coursed through me at the thought of the new breed of Infected, ones that would probably eat us alive if we came across them. Lucky for us, James could see them coming. The thought of them finding us gave me so much anxiety. I didn’t know how I’d get away and carry Azami to safety. They were too fast.

  Before we left for the dealership, we placed everything in neat piles so when we returned with the car, it would be in order to load. We made it to the dealership in a couple of hours. Azami seemed to understand what we were doing and was as eager to move on as we were, walking as fast as her little feet would carry her.

  There were plenty of cars to choose from. There were even the long wagon types we were looking for. We also got to choose between rusty blue, rusty red, or rusty white, which was actually yellow. We grabbed the keys for the rusty blue one out of the manager’s office.

  “I hope the car starts.” James commented.

  “Cross your fingers.” I said, turning the key in the ignition. The engine started to rumble to life but died shortly after. I turned the key again and this time our wagon roared to life. Thank goodness they made it mandatory to have solar charging batteries to be installed in all cars a few years before the flash, otherwise we would have been out of luck.

  “Yes!” James yelled and Azami jumped up and down in the seat next to me, clapping her hands.

  “Get in.” I ordered James, checking the gas before we left. Lucky for us, it was full.

  “Where are we going first?” James asked.

  “We’re going to the gas station to get gas cans, and fill as many as we can with gas. Then we head back to the tree and get our stuff. After that, we’re hitting the road for Oregon.”

  We swung by the gas station, found some gas cans, and filled them to the brim. The good thing about most of mankind being dead was that we didn’t have to worry about the material things being gone. In the beginning, people, Infected and Immune, were fighting over such things, as gasoline, but it wasn’t a hot commodity anymore. Even if it were, there was no one around to use it.

  We made our way back to the tree and started loading up the small amount of personal items and food we had acquired over the past few days.

  In the middle of packing, James stood still, gazing into emptiness. I knew that look… he was seeing something.

  “What?” I asked, looking around.

  “They’re coming.” He said, looking at me sharply. “Over there.” He pointed toward the horizon, coming from the city.

  “How long do we have?” I asked, tossing Azami in the front seat of the car, telling her to duck down and continued to gather our things franticly.

  “About ten minutes. They’re fast.” James’s fear was showing through his brave exterior.

  “Hurry.” I commanded him, trying not to panic. I didn’t want to scare Azami anymore than she already was.

  Just as we finished loading the mattress in the back window of the station wagon, James’s face turned from its normal peach to ashen white. I turned to look in the direction of his stare, seeing three Infected running in our direction. Their eyes were locked on us, slobber flinging from their mouths as they ran toward us in expectation of a meal. They were the same ones as before, the ones who devoured the dog within minutes.

  “Get in!” I screamed at him, bringing him back to reality.

  A split second later he responded, jumping in the car and slamming his door. I put the key in the ignition and turned it. The car rumbled a couple of times and died. My heart flew into my throat. It never occurred to me the car could possibly not start again. Shit! Shit! Shit!

  I turned the key again. Nothing.

  “Hurry,” James cried out. “They’re here!” Tears were filling his frightened eyes and Azami began to cry franticly, enticing the Infected even more.

  I turned the key again to nothing but more rumbling.

  “Lock your door!” I screamed.

  James slammed his lock down.

  I turned the key again, just as the first jolts assaulted the car. They began scraping at the windows trying to get to us. Their nails, which were actually stumps of bones, left bloody streaks behind. Their mouths foamed with anticipation, licking the glass as if they could taste us. They continued to slam their fists against the window repeatedly in frustration.

  James began to cry and scream, covering Azami with his body and practically climbing onto my lap, both of them frantic and shaking.

  “COME ON! You piece of shit!” I screamed at the car, slamming my palms against the steering wheel.

  I turned the key again. This time the car sputtered, but finally roared to life. I threw the damned thing into drive and pealed out in the dirt around our tree; our home. The Infected stumbled after us before falling to the ground, disappearing in our dust.

  “It’s alright. They’re gone.” I reassured them, rubbing both of their backs the best I could as they leaned into me. It took James a while to calm down and sit back up, but Azami remained with her little face in my lap, falling asleep shortly after.

  After James collected himself, he said, “If we hadn’t been ready to go, they would have gotten us.”

  It wasn’t a question, it was a cold hard fact. I didn’t need to confirm his suspicions; we both knew he was right.

  The road trip was slow going. There were cars, trucks, and semi’s lining the road in the more highly trafficked areas, causing us to drive around on the shoulder or through fields. We stayed clear of the main freeways that were hard to pass. There were so many cars, reminding me of a graveyard. On the back roads, the cars were further apart, providing enough room for us to drive between them and around them.

  We tried to avoid looking in the vehicles because most still entombed skeletons. In one vehicle we passed, a skeleton in the front seat wore a tie-dye t-shirt that read ‘Born to be Wild.’ Even though the scene was depressing, I couldn’t help but laugh.

  On the first day I drove until my eyelids would no longer stay open. I pulled over and decided to park for the night. There were no towns for miles, so the Infected would have no reason to venture out this far. There was nothing for them to feed on for miles in any direction. I laid James’s seat flat for him and then pulled Azami onto my lap, leaning back my own chair. My eyes felt heavy, like they were being pulled closed, making me fall asleep instantly.

  ~~~~~~~<
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  James moved, startling me awake. I just sat there and stared at him, watching his tranquil features. He was so relaxed when he slept, not a care in the world. I reached over and brushed his hair behind his ear and stroked the side of his face. The sun was up and shining brightly through the front window of the car. I looked around at our surroundings, scanning for any Infected. No one was in sight. The only thing to be seen were shrubs and sand. I figured that now was probably a good time to eat breakfast.

  “James. James. It’s time to eat breakfast. We should be able to make it there today if we hurry.” I whispered to him softly.

  I felt his body stiffen. He bolted straight up next to me, still half asleep and I laughed at his tired, yet excited reaction.

  “I’m ready.” He said, bouncing around in his seat.

  “James…” I started but paused, not knowing how to continue with what I wanted to say. “You do know that we may not find anything there, that it may not even be functional at all.” I took a deep breath, hating that I had to say this. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up too high.” I finally looked at him, telling him without saying the words, that Ian was more than likely gone, just like everyone else.

  “I know, Lil. Even if there’s no one there, we’ll still have each other. We can just tell people we moved.” He started laughing and slapping his leg as if what he’d said was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. I couldn’t help but laugh at him and shake my head. Azami stirred beside me from all the noise. “Besides, we’re not losing anything, we’re just going to see what else is out here for us.”

  “You’ve grown up way too fast, you know that?”

  “We kind of have to.” He reached around his seat and grabbed three cans of food, all with no labels. “Here, let’s see what we got.” He handed one to me and then to Azami, along with a can opener.

  I twisted the can opener until Azami’s lid popped off. Her little eyes tried to peer over the top of the can. “Tomato soup, baby,” I showed her and she smiled. She loved anything tomato. I glanced up to James as he was just finishing taking his lid off. “What about you?”