by Josh Vasquez
“Besides, I need to get out of this place for a while. You and Jeremy get all the fun of going out,” she said.
They prepared for the trip the night before. This time they would take more than the hunting rifle. Chris lent Tori his AR-15, Lexx took one of the shotguns, and Jeremy and Josh both took a rifle. On top of the firearms, they each took a bladed weapon. They did not want to leave anything to chance, if there was a problem, they would be able to get out of it.
The next morning before they left, Josh pulled CJ aside, away from everyone else. They walked in the backyard, Bacon trotting behind them.
“I need you to look after things while I’m gone, CJ,” Josh said.
“I will.”
“I need you to look after your Aunt Laura for me too.”
“I will.”
Josh looked at his nephew.
Does he look older?
The boy pushed the now shaggy hair away from his face. The features of his face seemed more defined and if it wasn’t for the peach fuzz under his nose, he could easily be mistaken for an older teen. Josh smiled at him. CJ noticed and looked the other way. When he looked back, his uncle was still staring.
“What?” He asked.
“Nothing. You just look older,” Josh responded.
“Right, sure I do.”
“No, really, you do,” Josh said. “I’m really proud of you, CJ. You haven’t shied away from responsibility and you can pull your weight around here. You’re an asset to our family.”
“Thanks,” CJ said, unsure how to take the compliments.
“You’re welcome.”
They walked a few more steps until Josh stopped. Bacon came up behind CJ and rubbed its snout on his leg. CJ knelt down and gave the pig a rub behind the ears. It lifted its little head; a smile crossed the piglet’s face.
“You’re in charge when I’m gone.”
“Huh?” CJ said, pausing his pig scratching.
“You heard me,” Josh said.
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I’m not talking to Bacon.”
“Why me? Why not Dad or G-Dad?”
Josh glanced back at the house and then back at CJ.
“Because I think you’re the only one with your head on straight. Your dad and G-Dad will both think they’re in charge, but know that it’s really you I’m counting on.”
CJ soaked in his uncle’s words with a mix of emotions. While on one hand, he was glad his uncle saw him fit to look over things, he was also worried about what he thought about his dad and grandfather. Yeah, his dad had been having a rough time, but CJ hadn’t doubted in his father’s ability to lead. Why did his uncle? What did he see that CJ didn’t?
“Um, ok, I guess,” CJ finally said.
Josh put his hand on CJ’s head and gave his hair a ruffle.
“Everything will be fine. We shouldn’t be gone more than a day. It’s more just in case it takes us longer,” Josh said.
“Do you think it will?”
“No, we know what roads to take to get us there without having to worry about roadblocks. And once in the city, we’ll avoid Georgia Southern as much as possible, and try our best to get in and out.”
Josh smiled at his nephew.
“No problemo.”
***
The four of them left without much fanfare, even though everyone seemed tense and worried. Josh and Jeremy had made quite a few trips to the surrounding area, but nowhere as populous as Statesboro.
“Hey, at least it’s not Savannah,” Lexx joked before they left.
It was met with half-hearted laughter. He was right though, at least it wasn’t Savannah. The fight to get out of there had almost been the death of them all. Who knows, they could all just be worried for nothing.
The four of them crammed into the cab. It was too cold with the wind for Tori and Lexx to sit in the bed, the thermometer in the truck reading in the forties. It was nice and toasty inside with all the extra body heat, but nobody complained. Josh drove, Jeremy next to him in the middle of the bench seat, and Tori and Lexx sharing the remaining space. She was half-sitting on the seat and half on him. He made a joke about her scooting over more, which was answered by groans from the guys and an elbow to the ribs from her.
“I would tell you guys to get a room, but…” Josh said.
“Don’t be hatin’,” Lexx responded.
Jeremy started laughing, which in turn made Tori start giggling, leading to all four of them bursting into a fit of laughter.
“Ah, I missed this,” Lexx said.
“Yeah, in a weird way it’s kinda nice,” Tori added.
It had been a while since the four of them actually spent some time together. Lexx and Tori had been preoccupied with getting the fence finished, while Josh and Jeremy focused on gathering what they could from nearby towns. This road trip almost felt like a vacation. Of course, their mission was a serious one, but it doesn’t mean they can’t have fun on the way there.
They winded through the woods, Jeremy reading from the map Josh marked up. They were making good time. All the supply runs had been good for something else: they knew which roads were blocked and which were not. Josh told Jeremy it would be good information to have in case they ever had to leave the cabin in a hurry. He was not planning on that happening, but he said he would rather be safe than sorry.
“So, Josh,” Lexx started. “I gotta ask you somethin’.”
“What’s that?” Josh asked.
“Why in the world are you and the fam still doing the church thing? Like what’s the point? I don’t think anybody is keeping track anymore!”
Josh laughed.
“What do you mean keeping track?”
“I mean, you think God still cares if y’all are still doing the church thing? If he’s even there, cause I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t look like he bothers with us anymore.”
It was quiet as Josh pondered Lexx’s questions.
“Way to make it an awkward ride, Lexx,” Jeremy said.
“I’m just asking,” Lexx mumbled.
“No, it’s okay, Jeremy,” Josh said. “I don’t mind. Lexx, it’s not that we striving for a perfect attendance award, so that’s not it. And to differ in opinion, I don’t think God has abandoned us at all. Actually, I would push for the contrary. The fact that we’re all alive despite the things we’ve gone through, the fact that I found my family, the fact that we have a safe place to live, the fact that we haven’t starved to death… You want me to keep going? I understand it might be weird for us to still worship on Sunday, and maybe a part of it might be that we’re clinging to something normal, but mainly we worship because that is what we believe we were created for. Does my rambling make any sense?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I just don’t understand how you stay so upbeat about this shit.”
“Upbeat. Hmm, it gets to me sometimes. I just have to remember that no matter what happens, God is in control. He wasn’t taken off guard by these events.”
“Yeah,” Lexx interrupted. “God’s in control. I hear you. But doesn’t that mean he’s responsible for this whole thing? Doesn’t that make him kind of a dick?”
“I’m going to give you the textbook answer, but to be honest, it’s still something I have to struggle with sometimes. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all things. He created everything in the universe; therefore, he has certain creator rights over everything. But when sin entered the world, it fractured everything. That’s why we have things like sickness, catastrophes, and death. This plague is not from God, but God just may be using it. You tracking with that?”
Lexx slowly nodded.
“We have no idea how this started. We may never know for sure. But one thing we can know is that humanity has been hit by some hard times before, and we always find a way to bounce back. To put it simply: it ain’t over, ‘til He says it’s over.”
Josh flashed a smile in Lexx’s direction, but quickly put his eyes back on the road. They were coming aro
und a sharp curve, the overhanging branches of Oaks blocking the upcoming view. Lexx did not have time to respond, because as they came around the last of the bend, Josh slammed on the brakes. Tori slid forward towards the dashboard, but Lexx pulled her back tightly against himself. Everyone braced for what seemed like an immediate impact. But seconds passed and the truck did not strike anything.
Out in front of them, several yards ahead was a stopped minivan. A family huddled on top as dead surrounded the vehicle.
Chapter Sixteen
David Miller, on top of his van, swung his baseball bat at the nearest zombie’s hand. There was crack of wood against dry skin and brittle bone, the hand crumpling in retreat. More hands replaced it. He swung his bat again.
Crack.
Fwack.
Crack.
Snap.
An arm pulled away, a broken ulna causing it to hang at a nauseating angle, like a limp flag on a crooked flagpole.
“Daddy!”
He spun to see his youngest daughter’s ankle in the grip of one of the undead horde. With a flashing rage before his eyes, he pounced, bringing the bat down hard on the zombie’s head. Its head slung back, but its grip tightened. He swung again. Again. He reared up to swing again, but as he was bringing the bat down a fourth time, the head disappeared. Instead, there was just a stump of rotten neck meat and a thick sludge of coagulated blood. He watched as another head disappeared. This time the flashing of a blade caught his eye. His tunnel vision began to recede and as it opened up, he saw four people hacking and slashing away at the crowd of dead. They circled around the van, always moving, keeping the zombies pinned against the metal frame. It was over in minutes. Decapitated heads and loose limbs were scattered around the perimeter of the van. One of the people was talking to David, but he just saw the man’s mouth move with no sound. The man looked slightly agitated and spoke again.
“Hey man, I said y’all can come down now,” Lexx repeated.
David Miller’s family understood the man and began to climb down with the help of the others on the ground. First, his wife, then his teen-aged daughter, and then finally, his little Anna-Belle. The man on the ground looked at David expectantly.
“You comin’ down or not bro?”
David looked down at the ground and then back at the man. The bald man raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot. He looked back at David’s wife, Ellen, and shrugged his shoulders. She slowly walked back towards the van. Her eyes met her husbands.
“David, come down. It’s okay. They saved us,” her voice calm and reassuring.
David climbed down.
“Thata boy,” Lexx said, patting the man on the back.
David jerked his shoulder away. Lexx held up both hands and took a step back. Another one stepped up to David. He was a younger guy, mid-twenties maybe.
“Hi, my name is Josh. This is Lexx and these are our friends, Jeremy and Tori. Are y’all okay?”
David looked back at the minivan.
How long were we up there? He thought.
He remembered coming around the turn and the mob of zombies being there when they got there. He remembered quickly getting his family out of the van and up on top. He remembered Ellen screaming, his daughters crying. Before he climbed up top, he grabbed the baseball bat from between the front two seats. It was the only weapon he had from the house. He was never a gun guy and lived in a neighborhood where the landscaping was provided. He didn’t own any tools. The baseball bat was it. The bat had sat dormant since college, when David last played. Until now, it only collected dust underneath his side of the bed, there in case a burglar broke into the house.
He remembered the first swing and the bat colliding with dead flesh. He remembered how good it felt and the red washing over him. He remembered swinging again and again.
But why was I swinging?
He remembered.
Looking at his youngest daughter, barely over six, he remembered. She clung to her dingy-white security blanket, he thumb stuck in her mouth. She had almost broken the habit, it only returned in times of great distress. Her eyes stayed focused on the ground before her.
David looked down at his daughter’s ankle.
Blood.
His heart sunk and his stomach turned in knots, over and over. He raised his hand to his mouth, to hold back the vomit that felt imminent. It never came. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
No, no, no…
He walked over to Anna-Belle. Kneeling down in front of her, he put his hand above the wound on her leg. She broke her concentration on with the ground and locked eyes with her daddy. He was crying. He took a closer look at the now blackening wound around her ankle.
“She’s bitten,” he said, his voice barely over a whisper.
Ellen began wailing. He knew it was the bite that did you in. They had seen it before with his oldest, Katie’s boyfriend. Fifteen and already a boyfriend. She was too young. David had hated Eric since the first day Katie brought him home. He hated the way the creep would try to glance down her shirt, to get peeks of her developing cleavage. She was just a little girl. His baby.
So, when Eric came over the day of the outbreak, bleeding from his neck from an open semi-circle wound, David was secretly happy. He knew it was wrong, but he wanted that boy out of the picture. His feelings did not change two hours later when Eric finally expired. And when the boy got back up, David was there waiting with the baseball bat. He remembered Katie crying and asking her father not to kill him, but the dead Eric eyed his daughter the same way he did when he was alive. Like a piece of meat. David remembered swinging the bat and sending brain matter flying against the wall.
Katie had not spoken since.
But now, as she hugged her little sister, she could not stop talking.
“Oh, Annie. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Annie, it’s okay Annie, it’s okay…”
Katie flashed an angry look at her father. It screamed, “Why did you let this happen?”
David in that moment felt powerless. He sat there on his knees and watched as his wife and Katie held on tightly to his little Anna-Belle.
I won’t be able to do it.
Eric had been easy; he had already hated Eric. But Anna-Belle? How was he going to look into the little green eyes, of his scarlet-haired baby and put her down? She looked so much like her mother, beautiful in every way. How could he do it?
“I… I… Can’t do it,” he finally spoke.
He felt another hand on his shoulder, but this time did not yank away.
“I know. I had to put my niece down after she turned...”
“Your niece? This is my daughter dammit!” David erupted.
He quickly stood up and got in Josh’s face.
“You want me to kill my daughter?”
The girls began crying harder behind him. Josh stood his ground, not backing down from David’s aggression.
“She won’t be your daughter for much longer and then you will have to act, or you will lose your whole family. It’s hard I know, but unfortunately it’s the way things are now.”
David swung. Josh ducked, but not quick enough, taking the punch to the top of his head. He recovered and threw his weight into David, tackling him to the ground. The two men rolled, tussling on the ground, until finally Josh pinned David. Josh swung, hitting David in the jaw. He swung again and again and again, until Jeremy and Lexx pulled him off. David rolled onto his side and spat blood out onto the asphalt. One eye was black and his face was bruising up.
David looked at his family. They were terrified, but they looked at him with…
What is that look?
Pity.
He groaned. Blood was slick against his face. He stumbled up to his feet and in doing so, caught his reflection in the windows of the van. His clothes were torn and ripped; his face bloodied and disfigured. He let out a wheeze of pain and another groan.
He was one of them.
He was one of the undead.
“
Leave us,” he said, from his tight jaw.
The four who stopped to help all exchanged glances.
“I said, leave us!”
He stared at Josh through his one good eye. Josh looked him up and down, and then walked back to his truck. He reached in and came back with something in his hand.
It was a gun.
Josh released the clip and put it back into his pocket. He then turned the pistol and handed the grip to David.
“You have one shot. Make it count.”
Josh then motioned for the others to follow him back to the truck. They drove off as quickly as they arrived.
David looked down at the gun in his hand. It was heavy and cold.
You have one shot. Make it count.
Ellen and Katie were still sobbing over Anna-Belle, occasionally casting glances of pity towards David. The weight of the gun continued to grow in his grip. Josh’s words echoed in his head.
You have one shot. Make it count.
He knew he would be unable to end the life of his daughter. And if he waited for her to come back as one of those things, would he be able to do it then? Would he be able to look into the dead, green eyes of his baby girl and pull the trigger? How much more would Katie hate him then? Maybe, maybe he could talk Ellen into it. She was stronger than he was; she should do it.
Fucking coward.
You have one shot. Make it count.
“I can do this,” he mumbled, his family ignoring him.
The gun suddenly no longer felt heavy in his hand, but easily floated through the air as he lifted it. The movement was effortless, as if this was the way things were meant to be.
Yes, this is it. I understand now. I have one shot and I will make it count.
David placed the end of the barrel against his temple.
“Ssh… Don’t be afraid. Daddy is going to fix this…”
Ellen looked up to see what her husband was babbling on about.
“NOOO!” She screamed.
But it was too late as David pulled the trigger and made his shot count.
