by Noah Porter
Trish blinked at him. She thought the reason was obvious. "It's an art museum. That means it’s super secure."
They other exchanged glances. That certainly wasn’t true of OMSI, with its glass walls and easy access. An art museum, though, she probably was right. It was something to consider, and it was the only suggestion that they had so far.
As they waited for the remainder of the group to wake up, Dylan, Paige, Ben, and Kyle decided to find the closest restrooms, something everyone was going to need before they left. As they made their way down the halls, Paige asked, “What about sleeping? Weren’t you going to get some rest if there was time?”
Dylan kept his eyes forward, “That was only if the weather was bad. It’s looking unseasonably nice, and we need to take advantage of it. We have to get somewhere safer, because I don’t think most of us could handle being holed up in that office for long.”
“Why not? It’s pretty big, and there’s a cafeteria downstairs, if we can figure out how to get to it. This place might not be so bad.” Ben glanced at his companions. Always best to play devil’s advocate in case the rest of the group wanted to stick around.
Dylan shook his head, “It’s far to unsafe here. The outer walls are glass, and there is no knowing how many zombies made it inside last night. Things seem quiet now, but we are in a precarious position.”
Ben held up his hands, “To be honest, I’m with you on this one. Staying here after what we saw last night, well, staying here would be like sleeping on the field in Gettysburg while the dead are still bleeding.”
Paige punched his arm, “God, I hate it when you make comparisons.”
Ben winked at her, “Oh, it’s why you are still in love with me.” He grabbed her and tried to give her a kiss, but all he got was some light slaps to the face.
“This is serious. We are surrounded by the undead. There will be time for you to pick on me later. Or so help me, I will start to take you seriously to teach you another lesson.”
Ben chuckled, “Alright, fine. You win.”
Dylan gave them a questioning look.
Kyle spoke up, “They dated back in high school. They broke up when they realized that long distance wasn’t going to work, because he went to Georgia Tech for college. Course, he ended up back here when he was through, plaguing us with his stories and positive attitude ever since.”
“Why didn’t you guys get back together?” Dylan had lost focus on their mission.
“What is wrong with you boys? My God. We need to find a bathroom and plan to get out of here, and you are concerned with my romantic life.” Paige moved ahead of them, “I have no idea how men have survived with your inability to pay attention to what’s important.”
Ben leaned over to Dylan and whispered, “Because I’m engaged.”
He mouthed the word Oh and started to follow Paige. Kyle had already caught up to her and they were standing in front of a pair of restrooms. Paige strode forward into the one marked for men.
Ben tried to grab her arm, “Uh, honey that one’s for men.”
“I don’t see any here,” she said shrugging off his hand, “Do you really think it is going to matter given the whole walking undead thing going on? Cause I would say that it is best we stick together.”
Kyle smirked at Ben, “She’s got a point. But if you don’t mind, I would prefer to go first.”
“No thanks,” and she moved into the restroom. The three guys hurried to catch up. Nothing greeted them. Paige went into a stall while the men used the urinals. After cleaning themselves up a bit, the four headed back to the office.
Everyone was awake by the time they returned. Paige led groups of four to the bathroom while the rest of the survivors started planning. Conner had been one of the last to wake up and he was anxious to know what the plans were. He agreed with Trish’s idea, and he knew how to get to the closest art museum.
“It’s actually a ways to walk from the river, but we can get well over half way there before we have to go through the city.” Conner was mapping out their route in his head.
“That’s good. We’ll need you in front to get us there, and you will have to avoid fighting as much as possible because no one else seems to know how to get there from here,” Dylan was plotting the entire trip to the museum and wanted to make sure to minimize the issues.
“Are you kidding me? Most of you guys are local right?” Conner did not like the idea of watching the action.
Griffin spoke up from the door, having just returned from the latest group to visit the restrooms, “Yeah, but we don’t hang out in art museums. That’s not what college is about.”
“Conner, this is the last group. You should probably come too.” Paige gently grabbed him by the elbow.
Conner hung his head realizing that his part in the expedition was to be the guide, not one of the heroes. It sucked.
Karen had returned with Griffen, this time using him to stabilize her through the pain. “Oh my head. It hurts.”
“Sorry Karen, you had a few too many last night,” Dylan felt it was time to pay her some attention while things were calm. “Are you alright?”
“What happened? Why are we all here at OMSI?” She was confused.
“Do you remember anything about last night?” He was talking to her as gently as he could, trying to nudge her memory.
She put her hand over her mouth, “Oh my God! Was that real?”
Dylan grabbed her and held her tight. He had to keep her from screaming or falling apart. She was shaking. “Sorry, it was real. And now we are trying to make a plan to get somewhere safer. Are you ok?” He took a step back with his hands on her shoulders trying to steady her.
She nodded, but her stomach was definitely not all right. Karen turned to the side and reached for the trashcan. Dylan realized what she was after and he quickly grabbed it, handed it to her, and then pulled her hair out of the way. He gently picked her up and walked her out to the hall while she moaned into the trashcan. The rest of the group could hear her vomiting a few seconds later.
Trish looked at the door, “He treats her like that and he isn’t interested in her? Man, I want a guy like that.”
Ben tapped her on the head, “This is not the time for those types of thoughts. Shouldn’t you be focused on surviving?”
Kyle laughed, “Oh, I love your simplicity Ben. If only we all had such a good head on our shoulders. Won’t Paige be happy to hear it? It’s like you are a totally different person. ”
“One of us has to be mature, and it sure isn’t going to be you,” Ben said, playing at offended.
Kyle made a quick motion and nearly knocked Ben to the ground. Ben managed to stop his fall by grabbing the desk. He responded with a couple of quick kicks, which Kyle easily avoided. They were getting warmed up when Paige walked in.
“I swear, I am going to kill you two.”
They both stopped and grinned at her. Ben jumped around for a second and said, “We have to stay limber and prepare for the upcoming fight. I mean, take a look at the group. Our best weapon is a human leg,” and he pointed to the impromptu weapon Dylan has used the night before.
Kyle nodded, “You know we have to stretch before fighting. Now is the best time to heed what you have been taught.”
Ben nodded sagely, “The number of opponents I have taken down are numerous because I stretched before every match while they were off exercising their mouths.”
Paige rolled her eyes, “Let’s just get down to the cafeteria and start planning.” With that Paige turned and started toward the ramp.
“Wait, we don’t even know how to get back,” Ben said behind her.
Without turning around she said, “Correction, you guys don’t know how to get back.”
The others began to file out. Conner had gone to the back of the office to help Chuck off of the floor. He had barely moved since returning from the restroom. There was a distinct odor coming off of his clothing.
“I can’t believe you,” Conner said trying
to hold his breath, “You lit up in the bathroom. How did you even manage that without someone noticing.”
Chuck smiled, “It’s a gift. A rare and wonderful gift.”
Dylan had walked back in with Karen, still a little shaky but walking better than they had seen her last night.
On his way out the door, Conner said, “Don’t forget your weapon,” and jerked his head in the direction of the leg. Dylan strode over and picked it up. Karen looked at it with horror.
“Is that a human leg?”
“Yes, from the exhibit. It was all that was available at the time.”
“How could you use a real, human leg like a weapon?”
Dylan looked at her, “Well, it was that or get eaten. It’s funny what looks like a weapon when you are under duress.” He headed out before she could argue with him.
She followed him, hissing reprimands and trying to get him to show some respect. No one else was walking around with human body parts. Why couldn’t he act like everyone else?
“If I acted like everyone else, you would have been the second zombie meal last night. Now please be quiet and focus on catching up to the group. We have fallen behind and this place is as safe as standing in an open field with a metal kite in a hurricane.”
Karen was very offended, but decided now was not the time to argue.
They encountered nothing on their way back to the atrium. The cafeteria was still locked. Dylan returned to the exhibit, pulled down another curtain, wrapped it around his hand, and punched through the glass door to the cafeteria. The sound of breaking glass rang out over the atrium. They all hurried into the cafeteria and rushed to the back where they couldn’t be seen if any zombies shambled in.
They agreed not to cook since the smells would be a beacon to their location, however, it was not necessary. There were plenty of packed foods, prepared sandwiches, and fresh fruit available to them. While everyone else was eating, Conner tapped Dylan on the shoulder.
“There’s a gift shop on the other side of the exhibit.” He said softly.
Dylan furrowed his brow unsure what Conner was trying to say.
“They have backpacks and books and stuff that might actually help with our predicament.”
Dylan nodded. “Of course. Good thinking.”
“While they are occupied, do you want to go get supplies? I would rather not take the whole group. Too much risk of them being too noisy and attracting any remaining zombies in the building.”
Dylan nodded in agreement.
Conner had been right, there were a lot of useful things in the gift shop. They both took a book about surviving in the woods in the Pacific Northwest, maps of the area, and a sturdy bad for everyone in the group. Dylan grabbed a couple extra for food and supplies. Conner took as many clothing items as he could carry and they headed back.
If anyone had noticed them leave, they didn’t say anything, but they all noticed when the two men returned. Conner handed out bags and clothes while Dylan began shoving as much food into the bags as possible. He even had a couple of coolers for the perishables.
“Are we about ready to go?” Dylan asked as everyone finished collecting food and packing their clothes. Karen and Candice immediately slipped into a remote area to change. Neither was appropriately dressed for hiking through the city. Karen decided to ditch her shoes because being barefoot was better than trying to march around in 4-inch heels.
Paige spoke up, “Before we head out, I need to stop by my car.”
Several of the survivors were about to protest when Ben put his hand up. He looked at Paige, “Are you going to get what I think you are going to get?”
A smile bloomed across her face, “Oh yeah.”
“Lead on dear lady. Where ever you do go we will follow,” Ben placed a hand on her back and took her to the shattered cafeteria door.
From behind them Trish said, “Why do we have to go to her car? I think we would all like to get personal belonging, but it’s not a priority.”
Ben and Paige were already striding through the door. Kyle had stayed closer to the group, “She’s a firefighter, so the things she has in her car are way better than mere personal belongings. Believe me, we will all be better off for a quick pit stop to her car.”
Dylan led the rest of the group to the door.
Ben and Paige were still a ways ahead. While they were alone, he whispered, “Can I try it out?”
“No.”
“But I just made it possible for you to go to your care without you having to do anything.”
“No.”
“Aw please. Just one? One is enough.”
“It isn’t a toy.”
“I know it isn’t a toy. I’ve seen you use it enough times to know it isn’t a toy.”
“Good. Then you understand when I say No.”
Ben sighed, “Fine. We should probably wait for the others to catch up.”
They had an uneventful trip outside. If there had not been so many bodies strew around the atrium and the parking lot, Dylan thought he might have dreamed the night before. Unfortunately, the evidence to support the reality of the horror was overwhelming. The lack of action was nice, although he could not help feeling something was really wrong. When they reached Paige’s car, she quickly opened the trunk. Most of the group held their breath as she pulled out a pair of shoes.
“What?” Griffin cried. “We came here for you to get another pair of shoes?! Women! Why are you so obsessed with shoes?”
Paige stopped in mid turn and simply looked at him, blinking a couple of times for effect. She then handed the shoes to Karen, “Here you go. This is better than going barefoot. There is also some Ibuprofen in there for your headache.”
Karen was delighted, but immediately grabbed her head from smiling too widely. She settled down and put the shoes on, then popped a couple of pills in her mouth.
Meanwhile Paige was grabbing other things from the trunk. She handed a couple of knives to people standing nearby. She gave Kyle, Conner, Ben, and Dylan hatches, then strapped on to herself. Finally she pulled a bow out and quiver out and slung them onto her back. Quietly she shut the trunk. “That’s it.” She announced. Clearly it had been a worthwhile trip.
From up the parking lot they heard someone start singing. Chuck had wondered off while they were preoccupied. He was now on the other side of the parking lot.
“Shit,” Conner said, “Come on, we have to go get him before we get noticed.”
He started to sprint after Chuck, but Kyle grabbed his shoulder. “It’s too late.” He was pointing at something moving toward the oblivious singer.
Karen was horrified. Nothing from the night before had seemed as real as what was going on now. “We can’t just leave him! We have to help.”
Ben shook his head as the zombie reached Chuck, “We can’t make it in time no matter how much we want to. And behind building number two we have out own imminent danger. At this point, our best option is to get to the river.”
They saw Chuck start to talk animatedly to the zombie as it grabbed his shoulders. It leaned in and bit his face. The screams were horrible, but there was nothing they could do. As Chuck’s screams turned into gurgles, the remaining survivors started backing toward the river. Zombies were emerging from everywhere.
Conner was shaken, but still very much aware of their danger. The undead were coming around buildings on the river side, and if they didn’t move really fast their escape would be entirely cut off. “Time to run guys. Paige, do you think you could take down a couple of those things, enough to trip them up a bit.”
Paige looked toward the water and saw the creatures starting to stagger into a chaotic formation. “They are going to block us with shear numbers,” she muttered. She looked at Conner and spoke louder, “I see what you are thinking and it’s not a problem.”
She notched an arrow and took down a zombie in the front on the left. The next one caught a zombie and drove her into several nearby. Three more and they were starting to fal
l on their comrades.
As they neared the river, Ben blinked his eyes, “Hey, does anyone know how to drive a submarine?”
Confused, people started following his gaze. A submarine was docked on the side of the river with a path down from OMSI to its top.
“No good,” Conner said. “It’s not functional.” He pointed to a sign stating what he had just said. “But how about a couple of boats?”
A little further up the river were some boats, apparently abandoned on the shore. Their retreat was fast enough that they avoided any close encounters with the zombies. They split up into groups and started making their way up the river. At least for now they were safe.
