by Brent Abell
Nora snatched the pug from the road and placed him back in his carrier so they could double-time it out of the danger zone. Twilight fell and the four figures ran until the last of the zombies faded from sight and the world grew dark. They knew traveling by the moonlight was dangerous, but they had no choice.
They had to push on.
***
George’s knees and legs burned from the overnight hike. It hadn’t taken long before they had slowed up and quit their running escape from the zombies flooding out of Daytona. During their night escape, they hadn’t run into any others.
“I think they went back to heading south,” Todd offered to break the exhausted silence that had fallen over the group.
“You may be right. Once they figured they weren’t munching on us, they went back to what they were doing before,” Nora said.
“I’ve figured out the whole migrate south thing,” Greg added.
George smiled, “I think there’s a lot we haven’t figured out yet.”
Nora glanced down at Frank. He shook in his sleep and she could feel how much trouble he was having breathing. She wished she could move Heaven and Earth to help the pug, but she knew everything in the new world had to die. She also knew George wasn’t doing much better. His fit at Daytona followed by his attempted death-by-zombie attempt worried her.
“We should stop over there,” Todd said, pointing to a shaded area on the side of the road.
“Looks good to me,” Nora answered. “I’d be good with anything at this point.”
The four walked wearily to the shaded grove and did a quick scan for zombies or gators. When the search came up negative, they slung their packs to the ground and collapsed to the dry hot grass. It hurt to sit on the browned grass, but the relief of sitting down drowned out the pain. Nora took Frank from his carrier and set him on the ground and then proceeded to unlace and pull off her boots. She examined the blister on her left heal and decided to wait and lance it before they hit the road again.
“Story time! What’s the worst thing you’ve done that you’d have to apologize for when you hit the pearly gates?” Todd asked the group.
The rest remained silent and nobody seemed quick to offer a tale. Frank snorted and looked away; even he acted annoyed by the question.
“I let a killer free and he slaughtered a village,” George offered, “I shot my wife when she turned and ended the life of a person I considered a son.”
“Wait, you think you’re responsible for the village?” Greg inquired.
“If my unit had acted faster, we could’ve erased a high-profile warlord target north of Tikrit in 1993. Before we left Iraq, he wiped out an entire village before we returned the favor and scrubbed the world of his evil,” George said.
Nora looked at him and took pity on him for the guilt she knew he carried on his shoulders. “What about your wife?”
“When she turned, I had to do it. I couldn’t let her exist like one of them. Harry, who I lost before we met Nora, I had to kill when he turned.”
The group sat in stunned silent.
“Oh, and I’m dying of lung cancer.”
“I don’t know what to say, but is that what the on-ramp thing was about?” Greg asked.
“Look, I don’t have much time left and I want to check to see if my son is safe in St. Augustine.” George looked down at Frank. “He’s not doing so hot either.”
Todd petted Frank’s head and watched the pug soak up the attention. “My dad was a vet and I’m with you on that. I’m guessing his lungs are failing him. Has he eaten much lately?”
Nora thought about the last couple of days and couldn’t remember the pug eating much. Not that any of them had eaten much, but Frank had barely touched what little they had to offer him. Todd confirmed what she’d already figured, but it didn’t make it any easier. Frank was still a part of the team and they wouldn’t abandon him.
“Nora?” Todd asked trying to get her attention.
“No, no he hasn’t,” she quietly answered.
Nora picked up the pug and hugged him. She held him on her shoulder like a baby and comforted him. He licked her ear and check before resting his head back down and closing his eyes. She wanted to cry listening to his wheezing breaths.
“Next subject,” Greg interrupted.
“Worst thing I did was hook up with Greg,” Todd laughed. Greg hit him on the shoulder and joined in on the joke.
“Worst thing I did was let him join me,” Greg joked in return.
“Worst thing I did was jam a screwdriver into my ex-boyfriend’s face when he tried to rape me,” Nora flatly said.
“What?” Todd asked.
“It wasn’t bad; he was dead already,” Nora clarified.
George opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He knew something bad had happened to her, but he hadn’t imagined that was it. Nobody else made a comment, so he decided to break the awkward silence. “So, it’s true about the zombies being… that brutal?”
“I think it was true at first, but they seem to have moved on from it,” Greg answered.
“Yeah, we saw some pretty fucking ugly shit with them before the whole lot of them began moving south,” Todd added.
“I don’t really think anybody knows shit about them. I don’t think they can tell us why they’re walking around, why they migrate south, or why they could even attempt to sexually assault someone,” George said. “None of it makes a damn bit of sense.”
“Look, we ran with some bad people and we’ve done things we’ll be able to atone for, but we hope that being with you, Nora, and Frank will help us be better out here,” Greg said.
“You do keep better company now,” Nora snickered.
George stretched his arms and looked up at the mid-day sun. “Let’s grab a few more minutes rest and get back on it. I’m not sure if those zombies will follow us or go back to their shuffle to Miami.”
The others murmured in agreement and found small bits of food in their packs to snack on before heading back out on the highway.
They were only one more sleep away from St. Augustine and they hoped it wasn’t in vain.
7
The night proved to be uneventful and George praised God for it. The hike, up until they had stopped for the night, had been brutal as always, but they knew the end of their journey was coming to a close. George knew his book was totally closing, but he hoped he’d gotten the others far enough to carry on and live out the rest of their lives in peace. During the night, when he couldn’t sleep, he’s come to grips with what he figured to be the inevitable. In this world, he didn’t believe Trent to be among the living.
In this world, he was alone except for the wayward souls he’d latched onto as a make-shift family. Deep down, he knew that was why he did it; he hated being alone. Even in the deserts of Iraq, he needed someone to depend on him. When the zombie outbreak started, he had Sally. Once he hit the streets of the dead world, he had Harry. When he failed to keep him safe, he found the others. He wanted, no needed, to keep them safe. From Iraq to Orlando, everyone who ever depended on him died. He always showed the world a brave face, but he kept the pain buried deep inside. Sometimes, it threatened to tear him apart and spill out of his soul.
Not even Sally knew his pain. Sure, she’d ask him if anything was bothering him and he would give her a reassuring nod and a quick no, but not even his eyes could give his secret away to her. The pain always simmered just below the surface and he went on with life while the others did not. Their ghosts walked beside him and soon he’d be joining them.
“You okay, George?” Nora asked.
George snapped out of it and gave her a big smile like he didn’t have even the smallest care in the world. “I am fine and ready to hit the St. Augustine beach.”
“Look,” Todd said. He pointed to a makeshift sign on the side of the highway. Blood covered it and handprints were smeared through the wording. The sign was heavily weathered and the paint cracked across it. Weeds gr
ew unchecked around it and they all became silent.
Nora looked at George and saw him tear up. She knew he’d been preparing for the worst, but to actually see your worst nightmare play out in front you was brutal. She rushed over to embrace him. Frank got smashed between them, but he responded by licking George’s arm. Nora felt the hot tears on her shoulder and drew him closer to her.
Finally, for the first time since the whole mess started, George sobbed loudly. Frank nuzzled George and whimpered. Nora wasn’t sure if it was from pity for George or from his own pain. Todd and Greg came close and put their hands on George’s shoulders. The group huddled together in silence and let the tears flow.
“Ain’t that fucking cute,” a voice called out from the tree line.
George’s head snapped up and found where the familiar voice came from. “Jay.”
The man stepped out from the underbrush with a shotgun and held it to his shoulder, pointed at the group. “I’ve missed you, George. Where’s the other fella?”
“He died and, if you don’t move the fuck along, I won’t make the mistake I made last time,” George warned. His tone was dark and serious. Nora thought a shadow crossed over his face and it made him look mean.
“No, I’ve been looking for you. The guy up in the camp had me searching around the area,” Jay said. He pushed Todd and Greg back. “You two boys need to get on your knees and put your guns on the ground. If you fuck with me, I’ll put a bullet in the girl’s face.”
Todd and Greg backed away with their hands raised. Once they backed away, they slowly drew their guns and bent over to place them gently on the ground. Jay pointed the shotgun at the ground and they got on their knees. The scorching hot asphalt bit into their knees and they winced. Small pieces of gravel dug deep into their knees and Greg felt blood trickle from the scratches and abrasions. Todd stared up at Jay and, for a moment, their eyes locked. Jay saw the anger roiling behind his eyes and he stifled a laugh.
“You just a Billy Badass ain’t ya?” Jay teased Todd.
“If George doesn’t kill you, I will,” Todd spat.
Jay leaned down and got close enough to Todd’s face they could’ve touched noses. “I ain’t afraid of you.”
“Todd, back off,” George ordered.
Jay spun around and poked his finger in George’s chest. “Oh, boy, are you in for a surprise.”
The roar of a truck engine came from the north. George and Nora looked up the interstate. In the distance, they could make out the on-coming vehicle through the heat waves radiating from the tar covered road.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Nora muttered.
“Me too, Nora. I thought Jay was harmless, but I was wrong and let him live,” George explained.
“Plan?” Nora asked.
“Not to make the same mistake twice,” George replied.
The vehicle stopped and the driver side door opened. A small man slinked out and put a cowboy hat on his head. He remained shrouded in shadows and George couldn’t make out anything about the approaching man. Even though the stranger was small, he cut an opposing figure.
“Holy shit, am I happy to see you,” the driver whistled.
George’s blood froze even in the extreme heat. “This day is full of surprises.”
The man looked at the two men on their knees and snickered. “You two have a knack for keeping bad company. After I get done killing this asshole, I’m going to take my pound of flesh from you two motherfuckers.”
The man slapped Todd across the mouth and cackled madly.
Todd spit out a wet glob of blood and sneered at the man. “Fuck you, Rendell.”
Hearing Todd speak his name enraged him. He had trusted them and they had been hooked up with Rendell Walker. His mind focused on the throngs of dirty people cheering for him to kill Harry or for the zombie of his friend to chew his throat out.
“You know him!” George roared.
Nora recoiled away from him and Frank buried his face in her chest. Jay and Rendell turned to George and smiled at each other.
“You do have a way of leaving loose ends about the apocalypse, George,” Rendell said.
“I hoped one of the zombies would’ve chewed on your face for awhile,” George snorted.
Rendell spun around. “You don’t get to hope anymore!” he spat in George’s face. Spittle flew in George’s face and he fought the urge to wrap his hands around Rendell’s throat.
“You are a mother fucking dead man walking,” George retorted.
A smile crept across Rendell’s face. “I bet you thought that already when you baited those undead freaks into my happy kingdom.”
“Too bad they didn’t chew their way to your little playpen.”
“We’ll discuss this back in St. Augustine,” Rendell said and backed away from George. “Get the others up and moving; we need to get back to the tents,” he said turning to Jay.
Jay pointed George’s gun at Todd, Greg, and Nora with Frank in tow. They slowly began to trudge off up the interstate toward the FEMA camp and whatever the men had in store for them.
***
George could see the fences in the distance and, in the fading light; the tell-tale signs of razor wire wrapped themselves around the top creating a foreboding visage. Tents filled the inside, but he couldn’t tell if there were any people inside the camp’s perimeter. Before, he thought he’d be thrilled to see the camp. He dreamed of rushing in and finding Trent. They’d run to each other and he’d embrace his son. Father and son would look each other in the eyes and the sadness they shared over the loss of a wife and a mother would bind them closer than they ever had been before.
George’s last dream shattered. He glanced over at Nora and Frank with a pang of regret mixed with a dash of guilt. He’d brought them to this moment, at the hands of a madman and his new lackey. They didn’t deserve whatever Rendell had planned for them. He also wasn’t sure how to deal with Todd and Greg. Were they at Milton Mouse World? Did they help in the events leading to Harry’s death? They did find themselves in the same boat as the rest of them.
Frank coughed and Nora hugged him closer to her chest. The temp had fallen sharply and it made the pug struggle breathing. Todd and Greg’s expressions looked haunted and defeated. As George studied each of them, he felt his own mortality slipping away.
If he couldn’t save Trent, he could save them.
Rendell motioned for Jay to stop. The captives all froze before the camp’s gates.
“Doesn’t look like anybody’s home,” George prodded.
“Boss?” Jay asked.
Rendell stood silent before the gates and laughed. His cackling became a high-pitched maddening sound freezing the blood in George’s veins. “We reap what we sow, George. I now rule over a city of the dead.”
Rendell pulled something out from his large cargo short pocket and George didn’t see it until it was too late. Rendell held the gun straight up in the air and fired the flare into the twilight. The shell raced high in the sky and exploded in a dazzling display of red. George saw Rendell sink to his knees and dig his hands into the dirt. He picked up large clumps and wiped it on his skin and shirt.
“I’m dead and buried too,” Rendell repeated over and over.
George realized Rendell had finally lost what little of his mind remained. Jay stood with his mouth agape as the flare began to fade and the first zombies appeared at the camp’s razor wire fence. More and more poured out from the tattered tents and pushed against the fence. Decaying fingers grasped at the chain link prison they were being held in. Blackened skin chaffed off and fell like ash to the ground. Bones protruded through the torn flesh and more pushed into the fence.
“George, look out!” Todd screamed.
George saw it too; the fence began to bow and give. Hundreds of the undead flooded out from the camp’s tents trying to find the meal Rendell had managed to elude them with for so long. Flesh hung from their bones and their tattered clothes were moldy and damp with body fluids
. A zombie, who appeared to be a soldier judging by the camo uniform he wore, pressed his face into the chain link fencing. The metal dug into his head and it continued to push on while its face broke apart like hamburger. Maggots fell from his nose and landed on the chunks of meat already on the ground. George felt the bile rise in the back of his throat and he coughed. A thick glob of blood welcomed him when he opened his hand to look.
He knew the time was drawing near.
Rendell still rested on his knees like he was worshiping the horde at the gates. “Come and punish me,” he yelled at them, with his arms open to the darkening sky.
Lightning flashed across the Atlantic and the wind shifted from the west to the east. The salty smell of the sea filled the living’s nostrils and heavy humidity weighed down on them. Thunder boomed over the ocean and Jay dropped his gun. He bent over to pick it up when the sky lit up with a blaze of white fire. Todd noticed Jay looking off toward the storm and seized the moment. He kicked Jay square in the face. Teeth cracked and blood flew from Jay’s head as it snapped back from the quick strike. Jay managed to glance up at Todd with stars in his eyes. His body rocked forward and Todd punted his face like an extra point in a football game.
Jay saw the foot coming at his rocking head again, but was stunned and couldn’t stop it. He felt the boot connect with his chin driving his head back. Stumbling backward, he saw the lightning form a web across the sky and the world went black.
When Jay hit the ground, Todd snatched the gun from his hand and checked his pockets for more ammo. Greg stood there and did a slow clap as Todd winked at him and then put a bullet in Jay’s head. A black dot appeared on Jay’s forehead and his head jerked. On the damp hard packed sand, blood began to seep into the ground and pool around Jay’s left ear. His eyes stared straight up at the sky in an unblinking gaze.
“So long, mother fucker,” Todd muttered and walked toward George and Nora.
***
Nora heard the gunshot between the rolling claps of thunder and turned around. Todd and Greg approached and Todd held the smoking gun at his side. Frank yelped in his carrier on her chest and she pulled him out to place him on the ground. His paws hit the sand and he rushed as fast as he could to George.
