by Russ Melrose
Becky turned toward me, her face twisted with fear.
I kneeled next to her. "We need to go, Becky. We need to get back to Raj and your mom. Can you walk?"
She was crying softly, but she gave me an affirmative nod. She kept an eye on the group that was coming for us. I wiped a tear off her cheek and helped her up and she took my hand and we started walking.
"Remember, they can't catch us," I told her.
The swimmer was lying in the gutter, his left arm stretched behind him, fingers splayed, cupping his wounded buttock. A splotch of blood stained his shorts. His face was twisted in pain and there was a nasty abrasion above his temple.
I had an impulse to kill him, get him out of our lives, but I was torn. I knew he was still dangerous. And I might have killed him if Becky hadn't been with me. But I couldn't shoot him in front of her. I hadn't hesitated with the other infected, but the Swimmer wasn't like the others. At least that's what I told myself.
Becky cowered as we passed by the Swimmer. She leaned close against me and tightened her grip on my hand. The Swimmer didn't look our way.
"Becky, you let me know when you think you can run. Okay?"
We walked quickly. Becky turned every few seconds to check on the group behind us. We hadn't walked more than twenty yards when she tugged at my arm. "Let's run now, Jake."
"Okay," I said, and we started to jog down Hale back toward the intersection and the backyard where Sarah and Raj were. Becky never let go of my hand.
She looked back to the group behind us to make sure we were still a safe distance from them. We were easily outdistancing them. And the further away we got, the more relaxed Becky became.
When we were a block from the intersection, the first few of the infected from Jupiter Drive showed up. They looked down the street toward us and began lumbering hurriedly in our direction.
Becky stopped in her tracks and the color drained from her face. I knelt down and got eye to eye with her. "It's all right," I told her. "We're going into the backyard of that house right there." And I pointed at the next house down, a large rambler with the windows mostly uncovered. "They'll come to that house and they'll think we're there. But we won't be there. We'll go through the backyards and get back to your mom and Raj. We'll slip right by them and they'll never know. Do you understand?"
"I'm scared, Jake," she said.
"I promise they won't get us. We're a lot smarter than they are." And I gave her a reassuring smile. "Okay?"
Becky nodded and we cut across the neighboring yard with its wheat-colored grass and into the driveway of the rambler. Both groups of infected were over a half block away. For once, I used the wood gate door and slammed it loudly behind us. I wanted them to hear us.
We hustled across the backyard to the fence. I tucked the gun away in the back waistband of my shorts. I whispered to Becky that I'd be lifting myself up to the top of the fences and making sure the backyards were clear before we'd go over. Then I'd lift her to the top of the fence and she'd sit there till I climbed over the fence and brought her down. The air conditioners and swamp coolers were going, so there was some noise to help mask any sounds we'd make.
We'd made it through three backyards when we heard the group from Jupiter Drive out on the street. Their shoes scraped the asphalt as they plodded forward in their never-ending shuffle. Their moans were less strident now that we were out of sight. Becky and I stood in the backyard holding hands and waiting for them to pass. I kept massaging my thigh muscles with my free hand to loosen them up, and I was achy in the shins from running on the hard asphalt.
We waited for them to pass. When we reached the fence adjacent to Lois Lane, I stood and listened for several seconds. It was quiet as could be. I could tell Becky was getting emotional and excited. I lifted myself up and saw the street was clear. I smiled at Becky and lifted her up to the top of the fence, then I climbed over. We ran across the street and cleared the fence to the corner house. I picked up my backpack where I'd left it in the yard and put the Glock back in its pouch. The bat was still laying in the grass next to the fence. I fitted it back into its slot in the backpack. Having everything back in its place made me feel as if everything were all right again. Becky waited eagerly. I stepped lightly onto the support beam and peeked over the fence.
They were standing next to each other underneath one of the apple trees. They'd heard me and were looking apprehensively toward the fence. I raised my finger to my lips to make sure they wouldn't overreact. I didn't want them saying anything or getting too excited.
Raj smiled half-heartedly through a bleak countenance. Sarah looked eager and hopeful but unsure at the same time. Her cheek had swelled and the window to her left eye had narrowed.
I dropped down and lifted Becky to the top of the fence, facing Sarah and Raj. Becky had undergone a stark transformation. She beamed a thrilled smile at them though her eyes were still red and watery. Raj's hands grabbed Becky around the waist and brought her down. I heard a stifled cry from Sarah. She couldn't contain herself. I grabbed the top of the fence and lifted myself up and over.
I hoped the infected hadn't heard Sarah's muffled cry. Either way, we had to get moving. The gunshots would draw the infected from Wasatch Boulevard to this neighborhood. All of them. And there was still the Swimmer.
Sarah was kneeling down embracing her daughter. Becky had her arms wrapped tightly around her mother's neck. They cried quietly, almost silently. I stared at the ground and bit my inner cheek. I felt like a third wheel. Raj stood next to them, looking fondly at his friends. He seemed to have found his smile again. The three of them were having a moment of shared intimacy. And while I was anxious to get going, I gave them their moment.
I had to think about where we should go. We needed to be on Jupiter, but it was only a half block down from Hale and the vicinity of the gunshots. By tonight, Hale and Jupiter would be crawling with the infected. I knew we were too physically and emotionally spent to travel very far.
I took my backpack off and set it on the ground. I opened the main pouch and found my iPad. I walked to the apple trees and used the shade to get a better look. My shins and thigh muscles ached. I felt like an old man.
Scanning Google Maps, I found another street that paralleled Jupiter and would take us to Brockbank. A block south, two streets branched off of Jupiter Drive. The first street curved and dipped down a couple blocks to Wasatch. The second street, South Fortuna Way, angled west away from Jupiter Drive before heading south to Brockbank. It was perfect. If we could get a block down Fortuna Way, we might be okay.
We couldn't wait any longer. I put the iPad back in the backpack and touched Sarah lightly on the shoulder to get her attention.
She looked up at me with red, watery eyes. Tired eyes. "We have to go," I whispered.
She used the flat of her fingers to wipe the tears away and dried them further with the back of her hand. She smiled at her daughter and stroked her hair a few times as if Becky had something in her hair, but there was nothing there. She looked up and nodded to me.
We went over the back fence and were on our way. Jupiter Drive was clear of the infected and we crossed the street. The house directly across the street looked vacant, and I considered holing up there. But the house was too close to the area of the gunshots. We needed to put some distance between ourselves and South Hale.
We traveled through backyards to make sure we wouldn't be spotted. It was critical we go unnoticed. Everyone was tired but we kept moving. I was surprised by everyone's resilience. It took us twenty minutes to get to the first street and a couple more to get to South Fortuna Way.
I was hoping we could go a block down Fortuna Way before stopping for the day, get as far away from the gunshot area as possible, but I'd settle for the first abandoned home with an attic. The fourth home down had an attic fan on the roof. Its windows were uncovered and I could see an attic vent high up on the side of the house. It was a two-story with teal-green wood siding, a basement too. It was perfect.<
br />
Sarah and Raj were so tired, they paid little attention to my lock pick wizardry, though Becky looked on rapt with fascination. Once I opened the door, I grabbed the Glock and went in. I told them they'd have to wait till I cleared the house.
I scouted the house as fast as I could. I found the thermostat and turned it down to sixty. Then I cleared the rooms faster and more casually than I ever had. I sensed there were no infected here and it bothered me that they were outside waiting. I located the ceiling entrance to the attic in the hallway upstairs. I found food in the fridge and a Toyota Tundra in the oversized two-car garage. And that was good enough for me.
Chapter 15
Purified by Fire
The keys to the Tundra were in a colorful ceramic bowl on a slender side table in the hallway just outside the door to the garage. Once in the garage, I placed the keys on the hood of the truck. It was a late model Tundra with a black metallic finish. Alex would have loved it. I wasn't thrilled. Too big for my taste. I looked in the front cab area and saw the Tundra had an automatic transmission. That I liked.
After I left the garage, I grabbed a chair from the dining room and lugged it upstairs. My thigh muscles didn't care for the stairs. I placed the chair under the attic entrance and stepped onto it. Very carefully, I lifted the trap door to the attic and set it aside. I stuck my head up through the opening and looked around. It was a typical attic with two-by-four framing and insulation. Nothing else. Despite the attic fan, I could feel the intensity of the trapped heat. The attic air was stale and dense. Not ideal, but it would be adequate if we had to use it. I left the trap door where it was and left the chair underneath the opening.
I checked out the bedroom that faced the street. I wanted to see how far down South Fortuna Way I could see. The bedroom belonged to a teenage girl. From the look of her room, she was a typical teenager. Oversized posters of Katy Perry and Beyoncé adorned the walls. I checked out the window next to the bed and saw Fortuna begin its southward bend. I could only see half a block down.
Down in the kitchen, I grabbed a T-bone steak and a package of frozen mixed vegetables from the freezer and headed downstairs. The family room was set up around a sixty-five inch Sony 4k Ultra television. The furniture formed a u-shaped viewing theater opposite the television. A dark beige sofa backed against the wall was the centerpiece. It had an oak coffee table in front of it. The coffee table was flanked by two large matching arm chairs angled toward the television.
Raj sat yoga style on the nearest arm chair, meditating, his back stiff as a flag pole. He stared past the television into nothingness, his face imbued with a deep sadness.
Sarah and Becky were in the other arm chair. Sarah held a frozen bag of peas against her left cheek and eye. I'd also given her a wash cloth to wrap around the bag. I'd made the bag of peas malleable by running warm water on them to help form fit the bag against Sarah's face. Becky sat in her mother's lap, her head resting on her mother's shoulder. She held her stuffed bear, Ralphy, in her lap. She'd already regaled her mother and Raj with the story of what had happened with the Swimmer and the other infected we'd run into. Now she was quiet and contented.
Sarah was off somewhere much like Raj, though without the sadness. She stared across the room, her lone visible eye blinking intermittently, her mouth serene and stoic. She toyed with Becky's close-cropped hair a few moments, then tenderly cupped the back of Becky's head with the palm of her hand.
I had the couch. I felt odd sitting alone on the couch while Sarah and Becky were huddled together in the arm chair, but that was the way they wanted it. I sat on a soft microfiber cushion and placed the T-bone steak and the mixed vegetables on my thighs. After a minute, they felt incredibly cold on my bare flesh. I realized I should have grabbed a couple wash cloths for myself, but I was too tired to get them now. Whenever my thighs felt too cold, I shifted the steak and vegetables around or took them off for a few minutes. The cold penetrated and numbed my thigh muscles.
Everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. The thought that kept pestering me was why the Swimmer hadn't bitten Becky or attacked her. It didn't make any sense.
Sarah eased out from under Becky and stood up from the chair. She bent down and squeezed Becky's hands for a moment and smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. Then she came over to the couch, removing the bag of frozen peas and the wash cloth from her face and setting them on the coffee table.
She kneeled on the cushion next to me and settled on her haunches, her back perfectly straight. Sarah was a bit of a mess. A semicircular stippling of dark red and purple had formed just below her left eye in the shape of a quarter moon. I could only see half her eye and that half was smoky red from the broken blood vessels.
She smiled awkwardly. Her chin began to quiver and I knew she was going to cry. She placed her left hand on top of mine, covering it lightly with hers. I didn't move and had to remind myself to breathe.
I waited for her to say something. She swallowed nervously a few times and then came out with it. "Thank you," she whispered, her chin still quivering. "Thank you for saving my daughter's life."
The tears spilled over the rims of her eyes but she made no effort to wipe them away. I licked my lips to generate saliva, but it was a wasted effort—my mouth was desert dry. I nodded to let her know it was okay.
She swallowed again and went on. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was wrong about you. I haven't treated you well and I'm sorry."
Then she did something unexpected. She touched my upper arm lightly with her free hand. She curled her fingers around my arm and leaned forward and placed her forehead on my arm.
Her body trembled and she cried softly.
Becky scrambled out of the arm chair and raced around the coffee table, depositing Ralphy on the table as she flew by. She plopped down on the other side of me and took hold of my bicep with both hands and leaned her head into my arm just like her mother.
"I'm sorry, Jake," she said, looking up at me.
I glanced at her. She was smiling earnestly, though I detected a hint of mischievousness filtering through her smile. She'd recovered incredibly well from her ordeal.
I stared straight ahead, feeling bewildered. I wasn't used to displays of intimacy, and I wondered how long I'd have to sit there. My thighs felt incredibly cold, but I didn't dare move the T-bone or the bag of vegetables.
And whether it was out of nervousness or compassion or simply a desire to escape the inertia, I slipped my hand out from underneath Sarah's and placed it back inside hers and we clasped hands together. Her hand was silky smooth and her fingers long and elegant. I squeezed her hand ever so lightly to let her know it was all right. And she squeezed my hand in return. It occurred to me that the simple touch of our hands spoke a language that was as clear and authentic as anything we could have said to each other.
Raj's voice broke the spell. "Tell him," Raj said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Jake saved my life today, and he saved Becky's life too. He deserves to know."
And in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Sarah pulled back and took her lovely hand with her. She wiped the tears with the flat of her hand and tried to compose herself.
Becky pulled back too. Her shoulders became slumped and she stared bleakly into her lap.
I'd known all along there was something they weren't telling me, but I hadn't really cared. I'd been focused on getting them to their destination safely. The rest of it didn't matter—whatever the rest of it was. If I could get them where we were going safely, everything would work out. Then I'd be free to go to the cabin.
"There's something I need to tell you, Jake," she started. She blinked several times and used her forefingers to clear the tears from her eyes. "I should have told you back at the house. Raj told me I could trust you, but I was afraid. I'm sorry. I should have trusted you."
She hesitated and her hand trembled noticeably as she wiped another tear away. "She's not contagious," she began. And she said it as if were the most normal thin
g in the world to say. "We've been around her all these weeks and we haven't gotten infected. So, we know she's not contagious."
I had no idea what she was talking about or who she was talking about. "What?" I asked. "I don't understand. Who's not contagious?"
Then Becky began to cry. At first, a few sporadic whimpers, then a persistent, muffled cry. She continued to stare at her lap and wouldn't look up. And then it hit me. Sarah was talking about Becky. Becky was infected.
Sarah shifted nervously. She was ill at ease and couldn't get comfortable. Finally, she settled down and began to tell the story.
"We came home from our vacation on a Wednesday night," she began, her voice shaky. "… a day after the fourth. We were at Lake Tahoe for ten days." She took a moment to collect herself and went on. "No one knew about the virus yet. We were tired and slept in the next day. We didn't watch any television. In the afternoon, Becky went over to Suzy's house to play. Suzy Beckham. She was Becky's best friend."
The tone of Sarah's voice had a pleading quality to it. No doubt, she was hoping I would understand. She spoke hurriedly in a low whisper and couldn't get the story out fast enough.
"Suzy lived with her mother a block away from us. When Becky got there, the front door was open. She called Suzy's name, but Suzy didn't answer. No one answered. Becky thought she heard a noise, so she went into the house. She was always welcome there, so she walked in. The noise she'd heard came from the kitchen. Becky called Suzy's name again, but no one answered. She went into the kitchen and …" Sarah paused and looked down nervously as if she were searching for the words, "… and … and Suzy and her mother were on the floor feeding on the family dog. Becky didn't know what to do. She was terrified. She couldn't move, and she didn't understand what was happening."
Sarah began to tear up again. She leaned toward me and lowered her voice even further as if she didn't want Becky to have to relive the moment. "Suzy got up and came over to where Becky was standing. She grabbed Becky's arm and bit her. Then Becky ran from the house and came back home."
