by Joseph Zuko
It was glorious.
Karen sat next to the girls, her arm draped over them. She appeared relaxed and at peace. The one bottle of beer was all it took to get a little buzz going.
She kept her eyes closed and spoke softly. “We’re going to the pharmacy?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Will this day ever end?” Karen groaned and pouted. “I’ve had enough. I need a bath, a massage, a case of wine and twenty-four hours of uninterrupted sleep.”
Beth chimed in, “Amen, sister. Where do I sign up?”
Jim stepped next to his wife and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “The pharmacy will be a snap.”
Sara piped up, “Like crossing the bridge to get to Washington, or the medical center where we got the blood transfusion kit, or like the gun shop when that psycho attacked us?”
Karen’s eyes opened, “What’s she talking about?”
Jim shrugged his shoulders and played it off. “It was nothing.”
Sara continued. Her anger grew with every breath. “Or what about the garage where we armored the cars? The drive to your mother-in-law’s when we lost Devon? Or getting Eric out of the house and losing Frank? Or the Hockinson Market? Or even dropping off Desiree? Like that kind of snap?” She got up and went to the bag of ammo.
Sara found a box of nine-millimeter shells and returned to her seat. She got a Beretta from her harness. Extracted the mag and thumbed rounds into it. Her fingers were nimble. Having to reload mags all day was making her into an expert. “Nothing is going to be a snap from here on out. All we can do is prepare for the worst.” She jammed the mag into the gun and racked the slide.
Chapter 24
Leon breezed through the rear door of Desiree’s house and joined the others in the backyard. He walked with a lackadaisical stride. All tension released. He was calm. His spirit, cleansed. He disposed of all his frustration and angst into a towel he left on the master bathroom floor.
Life was good once again.
Troy led the way and shoveled the dirt from the grave with tremendous haste.
Paul and Cooper struggled to keep up with the pace the man set.
Having relieved himself, Leon’s brain was now operating at half speed. He asked the men, “What’s going on guys?”
They paused for a moment and delivered a stern look.
Leon shook it off and righted himself. “I mean are we close to done?”
“We’re not going for six feet. Just enough to cover the bodies with a good amount of dirt,” said Troy.
“Just the one grave then?” asked Paul as he ran his forearm over his sweaty face.
“Correct.” Troy loaded out two shovelfuls before Paul was done clearing the drops of perspiration.
A solemn tone filled Paul’s voice, “This is unfortunately my second grave today.”
“Yeah, mine too.” Troy loaded out another round of dirt and tossed his shovel aside. “That’s enough.”
Troy headed toward Desiree, and Leon helped lift her legs. They hoisted her stiff body into the air, hurried across the yard and laid her to rest.
Paul and Cooper picked up her father and set him in the ground next to Desiree.
Troy grabbed his shovel and got to work moving the mound of earth back into its hole.
“Who was she?” asked Cooper.
Leon grabbed Paul’s shovel and took his place by the dirt pile. “We did a little looting at a store called Hockinson Market. She was the clerk. We promised to bring her home if we could take what we needed.”
“You just met her?” Paul asked as he flapped his shirt trying to get fresh air to his skin.
“Yes.”
“It’s admirable that you would go through the effort. Could I say a few words?” offered Paul.
“Knock your socks off.”
Troy shoveled a heap and lowered it onto Desiree’s corpse.
“What were their names?”
“Desiree, and I don’t think we ever heard the father’s name.”
Leon paused and rested on his shovel. Having listened to his father give eulogies Leon’s entire childhood, he was interested in what the man would say.
Cooper bowed his head.
Paul lowered his head and clutched his hand before him. “God, we Your humble servants gather today to usher these folks to your Kingdom. I am sure they lived life to its fullest and worshipped you in their own way. These are desperate times, my Lord. Dark days stand before us. Your plan has always remained a mystery to Man and now more than ever you test our love and devotion. Please guide us. Point us toward the light. Lead us to salvation. We say your name with love despite the countless millions you have claimed this day. We will miss our loved ones but rejoice that they are by your side and suffer no more. Give us the strength needed to keep pushing forward and serve in your name. Amen.”
Cooper seconded with his own, “Amen.”
Troy poured a few more shovelfuls of dirt into the grave. When the bodies were completely covered with earth, he dropped the tool and grunted. “Let’s go.”
The others followed him through the house. It was clear Troy was done with this place and ready to be on his way. He angled himself toward the bus.
As they crossed the yard, a deep rumbling in the distance put everyone on edge. Leon raced onto the bus and grabbed a rifle.
Everyone on the bus went for their weapons and aimed them out the side of the rig.
“Who the fuck could this be?” Cursed Sara.
“Bad word,” said Valerie from their hiding place under the seat.
“Like you said, be prepared for the worst.” Jim hammered a fresh mag into his gun.
The others ran to the Hummer and took cover.
Alayna pivoted her machine gun toward the entrance to the neighborhood.
A truck rounded the corner at top speed and skidded to a stop.
Scott poked his head through his open window and signaled for them to not shoot. “It’s us.”
He jumped from the truck and jogged for the Hummer. “Paul!” He was already out of breath. “The church is gone!” Tears filled his eyes.
Paul’s expression soured, “What are you saying?” He rounded the rear of the Hummer to intercept his friend.
“The infection got into the building and it killed everyone! They’re all gone!” Tears flowed as Scott neared them.
The news hit the others like a neutron bomb.
Paul gripped Scott by his shoulders to keep the man from collapsing. Emotions blasted to the surface. His stoic demeanor was wrecked in the wake of this information. “Tell me exactly what happened!”
The radio inside the Hummer squawked.
A woman’s voice filled the speaker. “Hello? Is this thing working?”
Cane stepped from the truck with his axe firmly gripped in his hand. He was awestruck by the amount of dead bodies that filled the tiny street. The person on the radio drew him toward the military vehicle.
He recognized the woman. “That’s Amanda.” Cane raced to the rig.
“Who?” asked Brother Paul. His eyes, glassy, face flushed, hands trembled as he moved toward the front seat of the Hummer.
“Is Brother Paul there?” asked Amanda.
Paul ripped the receiver from the dash, thumbed it on and growled, “This is Brother Paul?”
The radio cut out as if she was trying to pass the radio to someone else. “Say it. Come on. Tell him.”
Lindsey’s voice buzzed through the speaker. Her tone, haunting. “We’re going to tear you apart.”
The End.
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