Dead Highways (Book 2): Passage

by Richard Brown

  With that last order of business settled, Ted took first watch while the rest of us went off to carefully select a bed, agreeing to discuss how best to continue the journey to New Orleans in the morning. I picked a bed as far away from Robinson as I could, and fell asleep within a minute of lying down.

  I was up again four hours later. Robinson tugged at my leg, my shirt, poked me. I rolled over and looked up at him, wishing him standing there was just a bad dream.

  It wasn’t, he assured me. It was time for my hour shift.

  No way. Already?

  I checked my watch. 1:01 a.m. Damn, he was right.

  I rolled out of bed, yawned, tried to rub the sleepiness from my eyes.

  “See anything?” I asked. I kept my voice down so as to not wake the others.

  “Nothing.”

  “Did you go outside?”

  He shook his head. “No, and you shouldn’t either. Just keep an eye on the front window and the back door. Make sure everything is secure. Wake me if you see or hear anything unusual … and I mean anything. That’s really all you need to do.”

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  Robinson headed for the bathroom at the back of the store. I sat down in a wooden chair they’d set up at the front of the store and looked out at the small parking lot. With the streetlights out, the moon casted the only light.

  Robinson returned a minute later with a bottle of water. “Thought you might want this,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the bottle from him. “Was the chair your idea?”

  “Ted’s. And I wouldn’t sit in it too long. We don’t need you falling asleep.”

  “I won’t. It’s pretty uncomfortable.”

  “Night, Jimmy.”

  “Night.” He got about ten feet away, then turned and came back. “Something else?”

  He knelt down beside me, gazed out at the dark street. “Had a little chat with Bowser. This was after you went to sleep. When we switched shifts. Apparently there was more to the story than what they told us earlier.”

  “What do you mean? What story?”

  “About what had happened back on the highway, when we were off scouting ahead.”

  “Really … like what?”

  “Bowser said the reason the infected found them was because Aamod wandered off without telling anyone. Then he had to go looking for him. I guess it took him a little while, but he ended up finding him up near the interstate.”

  “Where we were?”

  “On the other side, I think. Westbound. Anyway, I guess they exchanged a few words. Bowser told him to stay by the cars. Aamod said he’d do whatever he wanted to do. And as you can probably imagine, it just escalated from there. Bowser made some remark about how Naima isn’t his responsibility to babysit. After that, Aamod got real angry and threatened to kill him.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

  “What did Bowser do?”

  “He walked away.”

  “Smart move.”

  “Aamod followed him back to the cars, but the infected must have followed Aamod. Then all hell broke loose. Bowser said he didn’t tell the others about his conversation with Aamod, so I’m not sure they even realize what happened.”

  “So is that why Aamod was so quiet when we got here?”

  Robinson shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose. You know how he is. I figured he was just being his usual self. But Bowser thinks it’s a mistake bringing Aamod along with us.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think he’s probably right. Aamod is unpredictable. But the problem is—”

  “Naima.”

  Robinson nodded. “If we let him go, that means we’re letting her go too. And she doesn’t deserve that.”

  “No, she’s a nice girl, and she’s got a lot on her mind … you know … her mom and all. I feel bad for her. Her father isn’t exactly giving her the support she needs right now.”

  “If we let them go, he’ll do something stupid and get them both killed. I know it. If he wants to kill himself, fine. But I care about that young girl.”

  “Of course if we let them stay he might get us all killed,” I said. “Or even snap and kill one of us on purpose.”

  “He could. I don’t take kindly to death threats. And knowing Bowser, neither will he. I don’t think this is done between them. Not by a long shot. For now, we just have to do our best to reign him in. He can be a valuable member of the group when he wants to be.”

  “And then other times…”

  “He’s a nightmare.”

  We sat in silence for a good minute before Robinson hit me with a question I was completely unprepared for.

  “Do you know what happened to Diego?”

  Something awful boiled in my stomach. A cold sweat broke out all over my body. My night shift was becoming more eventful than I had imagined it being.

  Diego? Yeah, I know what happened to Diego.

  I tried responding in words first, but when they didn’t come, I simply nodded.

  “I meant to ask you earlier,” Robinson said.

  I looked down, took a deep breath, and said, “Diego’s dead.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I saw his body. Yeah, he’s dead.”

  Robinson sighed. “Everything just happened so fast last night. The infected seemed to come out of nowhere. I thought you guys were behind us.”

  I raised my head. “We weren’t.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. They were out in the woods waiting to strike. Once Diego…”

  “What? Once Diego what?”

  I took another deep breath. “There’s something you should know. I gave Diego my gun. I know I shouldn’t have … we had an agreement … but I did anyway. And then he used it to kill himself.”

  “Oh my God. Are you serious?”

  I nodded.

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He was depressed. He missed Luna. He wasn’t making any friends. I think there were a lot of reasons. I don’t know. But he did it, and I helped him.”

  “It wasn’t wise giving him your gun, Jimmy.”

  “I know.”

  Robinson bowed his head, looking damaged. “They were a great couple, weren’t they? You could tell how much they loved each other. You really could. I remember feeling that way about Trissa once. That’s my boy’s momma. Yeah, I remember loving her like it was yesterday, and that was many years ago now.” Robinson shielded his face as tears began to settle in his eyes. “All day today I was thinking maybe he made it out. Maybe all of you made it out. I prayed you’d be okay. But I never thought Diego would have killed himself.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to be sorry. I put him in that situation. I hit him with the car. I fucked up. Then after Luna was gone, after he had lost the love of this life, I wanted to kick him out on his own.”

  “So did I. So did most of us. Don’t turn this thing around on yourself. You’ve got nothing to feel bad about. You of all people wanted to help him. He did what he wanted to do.”

  “He didn’t want to die. He just didn’t want to live.”

  “Either way, what he did was his choice. He didn’t see any other options. He didn’t see a life beyond the pain.” I put a hand on Robinson’s shoulder. “You don’t need to hold my guilt,” I said, my voice cracking, trying to hold back my own tears. “I can handle it. Diego even told me to tell you he was sorry for what he said. He realized he was wrong. He didn’t blame you anymore.”

  Robinson took his hand off his face and looked over at me. “He really said that?”

  I nodded. “He did. I hope that helps you.”

  “It does a little. But you know … if we get to New Orleans and I can’t find my son. What will I do then?” He stood up, looked down at me. “What other options will I have?”

  I knew I should say something, but I didn’t know what. For his question, I had
no answer.

  He walked away, left me sitting there alone, looking out at the dark, empty street, wishing I had even a sliver of hope to offer him.

  But I had none.

  Not for him.

  Not for me.

  None.

  I spent the rest of my watch trying to forget the conversation Robinson and I had. I paced around, covered every inch of floor space. The front doors were secure. The back door was secure. The streets looked empty. And Peaches looked so wonderful sleeping I felt horrible having to wake her. So horrible I considered taking her shift. But the tears had made my eyes even more tired, and I was afraid I might not be able to stay up another hour.

  I tapped Peaches lightly. “Hey, time to wake up. It’s your turn.”

  “Already,” she said, without moving. Olivia lay next to her, bundled in a blanket.

  I had thought the same thing when Robinson woke me. We all needed sleep so bad, and the beds were like sleeping on clouds. Waking up was hard.

  She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “Will you sit with me for a minute … until I start to feel awake?”

  “Sure,” I said, sitting next to her on the bed.

  She immediately got up and went to the restroom. So much for sitting with her. She came back a minute later.

  “I’ve got an hour right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, till three. Need my watch?”

  She nodded. I took off my wristwatch and gave it to her.

  “Who’s on after me?”

  “Aamod.”

  She smirked. “Great. I gotta wake him up.”

  “Least you only have one hour. He’s got two straight. He took Naima’s shift.”

  “Wish I had someone to take mine. I’m kidding. I’ll be fine.”

  “You’ll be back asleep in no time.” I pointed to Olivia. “You gonna wake her?”

  “No. You don’t ever wake a sleeping baby, they’ll wake you.”

  I showed her to the wooden chair up front, and then regurgitated the same spiel Robinson had given me. Hear anything. See anything. Wake us up.

  “Okay, you can go to bed,” she said. “Unless you want to stay and talk.”

  “No, I just got done confessing my sins to Robinson. It took a lot out of me—out of both of us.”

  “What sins?”

  “I told him about Diego.”

  “Really? What made you do that?”

  “He asked.”

  “Do you feel better now that you told him?”

  I thought hard about the question, and then said, “No.”

  I waited for follow up questions, but she had none. I was glad. I was emotionally and physically exhausted.

  “Night, Peaches,” I said.

  She grabbed me by the arm, preventing me from walking away. “Come here.”

  “Huh?”

  “Come. Here.” She put her hand behind my neck and pulled me down toward her.

  Next thing I knew our lips touched for a brief moment. Just a peck.

  “Do you feel better now?”

  “Sure.”

  She gave me another peck, and then smiled. “How about now? I’d give you a better kiss but I’m not so sure about my breath.”

  I smiled back. “It smells fine to me.”

  “You would say that. Now go to bed, Jimmy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Morning came roughly four hours later. The sun smiled down on me through the big front windows, yanking me from sleep. Everyone else was already up. I could hear them moving about behind me, talking softly. I’d join them soon. But for a brief moment, I stayed in bed marveling at the new day, happy that we’d made it through the night without incident.

  I made my way over to the opposite side of the building and sat down next to Naima. She was snacking on crackers. Peaches sat on a bed nearby feeding Olivia.

  “Can I have some?” I asked, staring at the crackers.

  Naima handed me a small stack that I ate quickly, wishing I could have more. I could have eaten the entire pack, plastic and all, if they let me. I was that hungry, but I wasn’t the only one, and we only had a limited supply of food to go around. I don’t think Jax understood this fact, however, as he lay nearby slobbering on himself, watching us consume each cracker with great satisfaction.

  “Where is everyone else?” I asked.

  Just as the words left my mouth, Aamod came out of the back, shotgun in his hands, and gingerly walked across the store. He stopped at the front entrance, next to the wooden chair, and peered out at the parking lot. It was the same spot he’d been when I’d arrived last night. His perch, you could say.

  “My dad is right there, obviously,” Naima said. “The others went to check something out.”

  “What?”

  “The Turnpike,” Peaches said.

  “Where’s that?”

  Peaches shrugged. “Not sure. They said it was real close though.”

  “How long have they been gone?”

  “They just left not long ago,” Naima said.

  “Yeah, maybe five minutes or so,” Peaches added. “Not long enough to worry.”

  I guess Aamod had been left back to guard the fort, and he was taking the job ultra seriously. He stood at the front, shotgun on shoulder, head slowly scanning the street, doing his best Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 impersonation. Also known as, The Terminator.

  He’d die to protect us. Or do something stupid and get us killed.

  One of those two things.

  Peaches changed Olivia and then handed her off to me so she could go use the restroom.

  “So how have you been doing? We haven’t had a chance to talk since my triumphant return.”

  Naima smiled. “I really missed you and Peaches. It was tough being the only girl around.”

  “What are you saying … I’m girl-like?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”

  “Okay, just checking.”

  She flashed a smile again. “Seriously though, I spent most of yesterday crying. I thought you both were dead.” She looked down at Olivia snuggled in my arms. “Her too.”

  I wouldn’t mention the little infected girl Peaches and I had come across in the woods—she who had later woke from the dead as little zombie girl—and how she had picked up Olivia by the throat. That was more of a bedtime story.

  “Can I hold her?” Naima asked.

  I handed Olivia over, and for the next minute we huddled over her, making the most ridiculous sounds we could think of. Anything to bring a smile to Olivia’s face. When I finally looked up, I realized Aamod was no longer gazing like a sentinel out the front window. Instead, he was staring at me like he’d caught me with my hand up his daughter’s skirt. And she wasn’t even wearing a skirt.

  Luckily, Peaches returned from the ladies room and broke some of the tension. Still I slid a few feet away from Naima, just so that he would see that I wasn’t a threat. Eventually, he stopped staring at us, and I thought no more of it. He’d meet me in the men’s room minutes later to remind me.

  I was in one of the stalls because I had a problem peeing at the urinals. Even if there was no one else in there, I still couldn’t go. I was pee shy.

  I was almost done when I heard the door swing open and someone step inside, the sound of their shoes stick against the dirty restroom floor. I hoped the other guys had returned. Let it be Robinson or Ted or Bowser. Anyone but—

  “Eh,” Aamod said, knocking on the stall door.

  Thankfully, I had just finished peeing. “Yes,” I said, tucking my junk back into my pants.

  “We need to talk.”

  Hell must have frozen over. Pigs must have learned to fly. Aamod wanted to talk to me.

  I opened the stall door and slowly stepped out. Aamod stood between me and the restroom door. My eyes instinctively darted down toward the shotgun in his right hand, held down by his side.

  “What do we need to talk about?”

  “About the rules,” he said. “With my daughter.” />
  “What do you mean?”

  “Shut up and listen. I’m no fool. I know you think I am, but I’m not. I don’t trust you with Naima.”

  “Why? There’s nothing going on between me and Naima.”

  “No, because she wouldn’t have you. She deserves better than you. But still you try…”

  “But I’m not—”

  “I told you to shut up. I saw you out there, shoulder to shoulder.” He took a step closer to me. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. Yes, I’ve seen it for a long time now. You’re not fooling me. I see.”

  Beyond the sound of Aamod’s scolding, scathing voice, I thought I heard car doors slam shut.

  “From now on, you keep your distance,” he continued. “Naima is mine, not yours. Understand?”

  “No, I don’t understand. I don’t think I’ll ever understand you. Naima might be dead right now if it weren’t for me. Have you forgotten about Jerry … your fucking pedophile neighbor?”

  I was determined not to back down, no matter how much Aamod aimed to intimidate me. I wasn’t some piece of trash he could kick around. He didn’t scare me.

  Aamod huffed and took another step closer to me. “I don’t forget anything. I remember quite clearly you lying to my face. I remember you not having the guts. And I certainly haven’t forgotten the look on that sick bastards face when I killed him. I smile when I think about it. I wish I could do it again for what he did to my Naima.”

  Okay, now he was starting to scare me.

  “Imagine what he could have done had I not been there to help stop him?”

  “He did enough. More than you know.”

  Suddenly the restroom door came open and Bowser stepped inside. I looked over Aamod’s shoulder at him. Aamod, however, didn’t take his eyes off me.

  “We’re back,” Bowser said. “What’re you doing in here?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “Just talking.”

  Bowser’s body language said he wasn’t buying it. And how could he? The tension between Aamod and I was more obvious than a botched boob job.

  “Okay, well, we’re leaving soon,” Bowser said, and then slowly exited the restroom.