by Mike Staton
“That can be arranged. Don’t go anywhere.” Percival patted the youth’s shoulder and got up.
“I won’t wander off on you. Promise.” Evan added a cough after the short statement.
Percival nodded and stood up. He walked away from Evan, heading for the living room.
“I’m infected, aren’t I?”
“We’ll talk about it when I get back.” Percival didn’t have the heart to confirm it right then. He was glad that the youth had pulled through, but it felt bittersweet when there was next to no chance that he wouldn’t be infected.
He scooped his watch out of his helmet and walked into the main hall. Sarah was sleeping with her head down on the table. Percival opted not to wake her. He walked to the pile of gear and took a canteen out. He walked back toward the apartment.
“Is he up?” Sarah’s groggy voice rang through the darkness.
“Yeah. Yeah, he is.” Percival stopped at the door to the apartment. “Barely. He’s hurt bad, that’s for sure.”
“Can I come?”
“I doubt he’ll object to the company,” Percival said. He waited for Sarah to join him before reentering the apartment.
“I’ll get a glass from the kitchen and be right in,” Sarah said.
Percival nodded and crossed the living room. He walked back into the bedroom and sat on the chair. “You still with us?”
“Promised not to go nowhere.” Evan forced a smile. “Got the water?”
“And Sarah’s getting you a glass. Let me help you sit up.” Percival helped Evan to sit up and rest against the headboard.
“Figure out what time it was?” Evan asked.
“Just after five in the morning. Sun should be coming up soon.” Sarah crossed the room and sat down on the bed opposite Percival. “Canteen please?”
“I guess you’re just bein’ cautious, right?” Evan looked between Sarah and Percival.
“Right. Something like that.” Percival passed the canteen to Sarah. “It’s pretty likely the stalker that attacked you also got you infected.”
The room fell into an awkward silence that was punctured only by the sound of Sarah pouring water from the canteen into the glass. She handed it to Evan.
“Did it, uh, bite me?” Evan accepted the glass from Sarah. He brought it to his lips and drank the entire thing in one go.
“No.” Percival waited to answer Evan after he’d finished his first glass. “It tore you up with those little bone claws it had fashioned. Those probably had infected material on them.”
“And it was still on you when we shot it,” Sarah added. She refilled Evan’s glass. “It bled a lot, all over you and probably in the wounds you got.”
Evan was silent for a moment. He then took the refilled water glass and took a long drink from it. “Fuck it. I’m a tough-ass bastard and won’t let no little thing like that do me in.”
Percival couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s the attitude.” Sarah patted Evan’s leg.
“I hope, and assume, that there’s good news, right?” Evan asked after draining the second glass.
Percival nodded. “We’ve got a car and new guns. But it doesn’t stop there.”
“Radios, and cars, and guns, oh my!” Evan handed the glass back to Sarah. “What could be better that that?”
“We think we found more survivors. Military folk operating out of a depot south of us.” Sarah refilled the glass and capped the canteen.
“They were piping a message calling all survivors to them over the radio,” Percival explained. “They claim to have ‘guns and provisions and can provide protection’ or something along those lines.”
“What about me?” Evan took the glass from Sarah. “I’m not exactly healthy and fit. Won’t they want to do an infection check or something like that?”
Percival shrugged. “We’re hoping not. And it’ll be easier to pass you off as okay now that you’re conscious again.”
“It’s dangerous for you,” Evan said somberly. “Very dangerous.”
“More dangerous for you.” Sarah took the glass from Evan after he’d finished with it.
“Not really. I’m a dead man walking as is, and have the wounds to show. They might see me an’ assume that you all weren’t cautious and are infected too.”
Percival didn’t like the direction Evan was going with that argument. “There’s got to be tests to prove absolutely one way or the other. Tests they have access to.”
“I’m a biohazard,” Evan said quietly.
“So?” Sarah’s hand shook slightly.
“Look, I’m endangering you even now. Sarah, leave.” Evan’s voice held more command that Percival thought his own did most of the time.
Sarah rose without a word and left the room. She shut the door behind her.
“Two to the braincase,” Evan said. He coughed after the short sentence.
Percival mechanically stood up from the bed and drew his pistol.
“Better make it three. I don’t want to risk getting up again. Oh, and Mister Boss Man?”
“What, Evan?” Percival racked the slide on his pistol.
“Cover me up like you did that other fellow. I know you don’t have time to bury me properly.”
“I’ll do that,” Percival said. His eyes were already beginning to water. He raised the pistol. “Anything else, or last words?”
“You’re a good man.” Evan slipped his hands beneath the blanket and closed his eyes.
Percival squeezed the trigger three times. There was no scream of anguish or thrashing about.
Death, thankfully, comes quickly at times.
Chapter 7
Percival dropped into the driver’s seat. It hadn’t taken long to pack the car and cram everyone inside. The sun was just coming up.
“Are you okay to drive?” Karl asked. He sat in the passenger seat with Evan’s hunting rifle balanced across his knees.
“I’m fine.” Percival felt dead inside. He’d cried on Sarah’s shoulder immediately after shooting Evan and it hadn’t helped nearly as much as he had hoped. He started the car.
“You killed a friend back there,” Karl said.
“Shut up, Karl,” Sarah shouted from the backseat.
“I’m fine, really.” Percival didn’t feel fine, but he wasn’t about to shirk his responsibility because of it. He pulled away from the apartment complex. “I won’t endanger you while driving.”
“No, but—“ Karl’s statement was cut off as Sarah smacked him in the back of the head.
“Shut it.”
“I’m going to have to agree, Mister Slowell. Our leader doesn’t need additional stress, and he’s doing an admirable job keeping us safe,” Andrina said.
Karl let out a huff and folded his arms over his chest.
From what Percival knew of the man, it meant he had more to say, but wasn’t going to. Percival reached over and clicked on the radio.
The same recorded message played over the speakers. He sighed softly, clicked through a few other frequencies. The only ‘stations’ in operation were the repeating message from the military depot.
He clicked the radio off and drove in silence. The remnants of his team didn’t seem too talkative. Being away from home was beginning to get to Percival, and he suspected the same was true for the rest. That, and the loss of a friend, much less two, was always a difficult thing to bear.
Percival felt a little bit of himself die with that realization, and somewhere deep down inside him, he knew he’d be a better leader because of it.
*
Sarah climbed out of the car after Percival put it into park and pulled the parking break into position. He helped her pull a sheet over the car and tossed a handful of severed branches over it.
“It’s hidden enough, let’s go.” He backed away from the car. He hoped it wouldn’t be stuck off on the side of the road. The ground didn’t seem too soft there, but one could never quite tell.
And with it so far off the road, someone
would have to actually invest effort and time to inspect it. He doubted anyone would. He shook his head and walked back to the highway.
“You’re a good man,” Sarah said.
Percival thought it was out of the blue, but didn’t say anything.
“Really, I mean that. And I don’t mean it just because you’re my bed partner either.” Sarah jogged to catch up with him. She checked the safety on her shotgun and chambered the first shell.
“Evan told me the same thing before I shot him.” Percival unfolded the stock of his shotgun. He then chambered the first round. “I don’t know that I am.”
“It was hard, I know, but you did the right thing. Evan wanted it, and he had a good head on his shoulders. You know it just as well as I do, Percival. He meant it and he was thanking you.”
“What for?” Percival was pretty sure he already knew ‘what for.’
“Not one of us wants to be a zombie, and you know it,” Sarah said flatly.
Percival sighed softly. That was the response he’d expected. He knew it was true for most people, and certainly true for the group of survivors he traveled through the wasteland with.
“Don’t make it easy though.” Percival moved his shotgun to his shoulder, the muzzle pointing up in the air. While there was the occasional moan carried to them on the wind, he didn’t feel particularly threatened at the moment.
“I’d do you if needed. I’d not be happy about it, but I would.” Sarah continued to cradle her shotgun and looked sidelong at him. “Fact is, you did him a favor. Just as any of us would do for you.”
“Can we talk about something else?” Percival didn’t want to argue with her about it. He felt as though the topic was dry and his stomach couldn’t handle going back to killing a friend. “Please?”
Sarah nodded slowly. She seemed to want to continue to talk about it and ease his pain through discussion, but was a good enough friend to recognize when enough was enough.
“Do you honestly believe we’ll find more people at the depot? Good people?”
Percival nodded. “I do. There’re more resource effective methods of calling people in than continually broadcasting a one-way signal.”
“Any that’re good?”
Percival shrugged.
“That’s not very conclusive or comforting.” Sarah studied the forest line along the side of the road.
“Sorry, it’s true. I hope they’re good. I hope they’re honest. I hope they’re indicative that there’s a greater collective of survivors out there.” In truth he hoped for a government that he could contact and arrange to have all their needs taken care of.
“Government?” Sarah seemed to read his mind sometimes.
“Are you hiding talents from me?” Percival looked away from her to scan the tree line as they walked.
“I’ve not hidden talents from you, other than that little figure eight thing I did with my hips that one time that drove you crazy.”
Percival could tell from the tone of her voice that she was smiling. It, and the memory she’d conjured up, made him smile.
“Why?” She asked.
“You seem to read my mind sometimes. I wanted to know if you were a telepath and hadn’t told me.”
“You realize we’re still on Earth, right? Not some science fiction alternate reality.”
“Two words: walking dead.” Percival looked at her and grinned. Before the dead had risen and started attacking the living, zombies had only existed in fiction. The changes to reality never ceased to amaze Percival. Or, in this case, terrify him.
“I’ll give you that much.” Sarah smiled at him. “No, I’m not a telepath. Or an empathic, or anything else super special. I do think we’re really closely tied together though.”
Percival smiled at that and nodded. “Me too. Don’t entirely know what I’d do without your support sometimes.”
“You just like the pussy,” Sarah quipped sarcastically at him. “Admit it.”
“We’re almost back to the group. I’ll admit it later.” Percival broke into jog to get to the others quicker.
Sarah jogged after him. It didn’t take long to close the distance with Roy Joy, Karl, and Andrina.
“Good walk?” Roy Joy asked.
Percival nodded. Andrina must have said something to the man that had smoothed everything over, as he was now acting as if nothing had happened the night before.
“No dead-heads or anything. Couple moaners a ways off, but nothing on the street,” Sarah confirmed.
“And you hid the car?” Karl asked.
Percival nodded again.
“It’s off to the side of the road,” Sarah said.
“We pulled the sheet over it and decorated it with tree branches and stuff. Do you not trust us?” Percival cradled his shotgun in the nook of his arm.
Karl shook his head. “Just wanted to check.”
Percival let out a soft sigh. Karl was quickly becoming an individual he didn’t like, and the passive aggressive nature of Karl’s comments certainly didn’t help.
“You take point, alright?” Percival said.
“Right.” Karl turned away and walked up the road.
Roy Joy and Andrina fell in behind him, flaring out to either side.
Sarah waited by Percival. He waited until the others were a short distance out before following them.
“You shouldn’t let him get to you,” Sarah said quietly.
Percival grunted in response.
“I’m serious. He’s trying to shake you, and I think he’s taking out his grief on you. I mean, we’re still human, right?”
“Sometimes I wonder.” Percival stared at the backs of the rest of his team. Andrina had been handpicked by him, as had Sarah. Percival had been forced to bring both Karl and Nadia. At least he had on the first expedition.
“Well, Nadia was his girl. Well, not his girl, his girl, but,” Sarah said. She floundered for a moment.
“I know what you mean. She was one of the Watchmen. It’s not been so long that I can’t remember the compromise I had to make to get Karl to sign off on the first expedition.” Percival’s mind wandered back to the day. He wanted to take nothing but students on that first expedition out into the town proper, but the council had initially refused.
Percival went to Karl, as he was the head of the Watchmen, the campus ‘guard,’ to get his blessing. Karl had insisted that Percival change the roster of those to leave the safety of the campus and venture out. Karl had wanted his name and Nadia’s added.
Percival had agreed.
“Earth to Percival, this is Sarah calling. Do you hear me?”
Percival looked over at her. “Huh?”
“You were daydreaming. I said, ‘We should catch up with the others.’ Karl’s set a pace a little quicker than normal.” Sarah pointed. The others were definitely pulling away from them, albeit at a slow pace.
“I was reminiscing, not daydreaming. There’s a difference.” Percival started a short jogging pace to catch up with the others again. Once they fell back into position, he looked over at Sarah. “Know what I mean?”
She nodded slowly. “And here I was hoping you were thinking of me.”
Percival smiled slightly and walked on in silence. The team in general walked in silence. There wasn’t much to be said, and no one seemed to be in a terribly talkative mood. This suited Percival just fine. It left him to his own thoughts, and those were focused primarily on how to convince the council that Karl wasn’t necessary for future expeditions.
If it turned out that this trip to the military depot yielded well armed and trained allies, it would be a great arguing point for Percival. Karl didn’t want to go, and had even tried to usurp Percival’s authority on the matter. He smiled and was glad that his motorcycle helmet hid the look of joy.
Karl lifted his hand and clenched his fist. It was the sign for an ‘all stop’ for the group. While everyone else moved halted, Percival moved forward to Karl’s side.
“What is it?” Perciva
l asked.
“Movement. Either side of the road.” Karl pointed down to the tree lines on either side of the road.
Percival strained his eyes. “I don’t see anything, and I don’t hear any moans. Could it be the military folk?”
“Could be more stalkers,” Karl said. He dropped his voice so the others wouldn’t be able to hear him. “I doubt it’s the military guys. Why would they move through the forest where visibility is almost nil?”
Percival shrugged. “I know I wouldn’t. Maybe they’ve cleared this area of zombies and now worry more about people who might be carrying guns?”
“If so, that might not hold well for us visiting.”
“They haven’t shot us yet.”
“Point duly noted, Mister Polz,” Karl said. He lowered his rifle. “I don’t think they have enough firepower to clear all of the forest, and we’re a good ways out from the depot.”
Percival sighed softly. Karl was probably right in that aspect of his argument. Fighting zombies was both costly and dangerous. Sure military people would be better equipped and trained to handle such a threat, but, certainly they’d not take unnecessary risks.
Percival slung his shotgun and cupped his hands to help throw his voice through the motorcycle helmet.
“We’re here on friendly business to meet up with the people running the military depot,” he shouted.
The gargling noise from the tree line was not what Percival expected for a response. He looked to Karl who had taken a knee and raised the hunting rifle.
“Did that sound like someone hacking up a loogie to you?” Percival asked.
“It normally isn’t that loud, but yes,” Karl answered.
Percival stared at the tree line. Was something moving out there or had the wind caused the branches to move. Percival took his shotgun out and shouldered it. He hadn’t felt a breeze, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t another one closer to the trees.
A second gargling noise erupted from the opposite side of the road. Percival turned as something wet smacked into his chest, just below his neckline. He blinked and looked down. His helmet prevented him from seeing what it was. He knew it felt wet and warm.
He looked back up. A tall stringy man stood at the edge of the forest. His clothes were torn and it was difficult to make out his pallor from this distance, but it was easy to see the red spattered around his mouth and dripping off of his jaw.
