Z Plan (Book 2): Red Tides

by Lerma, Mikhail

  “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Julie asked.

  “Just that a crew will be going to the grocery store today,” Ben explained.

  “But I thought it was cleaned out,” Julie stated.

  “We’re going south,” Ben clarified.

  “Oh my, well, be careful out there today. We want you back in one piece,” she said flirtatiously.

  “I plan on being around for a long time,” he said, and he looked at Lauren with a smile.

  Lauren reciprocated the smile, and the group continued their discussion as the line began to move.

  * * *

  It wasn’t long until one of the council members asked everyone to gather at the facilities main office. It was meeting time and time to pick who would be going south. Julie and Lauren lead their children back to unit 215 to put on their heavy coats. It was mid-February, and still very cold outside. Marie fussed as Lauren got her ready.

  Together, they stepped out into the snow-covered parking lot. It must have been minus twenty degrees.

  “Fuck, its cold!” Julie exclaimed.

  “Mommy!” Callum objected to her language.

  “Sorry, baby,” she replied.

  Lauren laughed, but definitely agreed. The snow sparkled in the mid-morning light. The sun hadn’t yet come over the horizon, but its light was easily seen. The sky was mostly clear, and what clouds there were, were orange and red. The wind gusted violently, forcing mothers to protect their children’s faces from its blast. Cautiously, they followed the crowd to the office, walking in the footprints left in the three-foot deep snow. Lauren didn’t remember getting this much snow the year before, but was thankful for it this year.

  Once everyone was crammed into the building’s front office, roll call was taken. The council kept close tabs on everyone. They had name, age, gender, and unit numbers for each person. Altogether, there were thirty-three adults and nineteen children; they considered anyone fifteen and younger to be a child, and sixteen and older to be an adult. Among the adults, seventeen of them were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Each person waited for his or her name to be called, which was done by unit.

  “Julie,” Harold called.

  “Here,” Julie replied.

  “Lauren,” he continued.

  “Present,” she responded.

  “Nicole,”

  There was no answer.

  “Nicole,” Harold called again looking up from his notebook, “Nicole from unit 215?”

  He was starting to get annoyed. Harold was a man in his late forties. Before all of this, he had been a used car salesman, which somehow qualified him to be a member on the council.

  “Has anyone seen Nicole from unit 215?” Harold asked.

  “We saw her this morning before breakfast.” Julie answered.

  “Can someone go get her?” he asked shortly.

  “Sure,” Julie replied.

  After Julie left, leaving Callum with Lauren, Harold went back to reading the roll call. Once everyone else had been accounted for, another member stepped up front.

  The council consisted of five men: Gary ‘Doc’ Olsen, Harold Davis, Jim McCoy, and Tom and Marcus Brewer. Tom and Marcus were brothers who had co-owned a sporting goods store; they did more arguing than anything else.

  Jim was a school principal, but also a retired navy officer. He was clearly the group’s leader.

  “We’ll just wait for them to get back then,” Jim said in a stern voice.

  The crowd immediately went into hushed whispers. Some greeted friends, and others complained about the rations.

  “Hey, you,” Ben whispered in Lauren’s ear, startling her.

  “Hey,” she said with a smile.

  “Jim and Gary spoke to me just before roll call,” he continued, “They asked me personally to go with the group to town.”

  “Why?” Lauren asked.

  “They need some specific supplies, and I guess they don’t trust anyone else to get them,” he answered.

  “They gave you the list already?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he replied, producing a piece of paper from his pocket.

  Lauren read through the list, and among the items were a nebulizer and hypertonic saline. The others were medications and medical equipment.

  “I think Doc wants to open a full-fledged clinic,” Ben said with a laugh.

  “Just be safe, okay?” Lauren advised him, handing the scrap of paper back to him.

  “The snow has the Zs frozen stiff.”

  “I hate it when you call them that,” Lauren protested.

  “It’s shorter than saying ‘zombies’,” he explained with a smirk.

  “Yeah, well, it’s dumb,” she said, looking up at the council.

  Julie had returned with a dazed-looking Nicole in tow. Her two kids followed behind.

  “Sorry,” Nathan said to the council timidly.

  Jim just nodded at the boy, with a light-hearted smile. The head councilman began to speak when the small group took its place.

  “I’m sure by now that the reason for this gathering has circulated among you,” Jim stated. “We are sending a team to Butler for supplies.”

  The group surged with conversations and outcries.

  Jim raised his hands to quiet the crowd, “Calm down everyone.”

  “Are you crazy? Don’t you remember the last time we tried scavenging there? We barely made it out,” a man in the crowd objected.

  “Yes, I remember,” Jim started, “but given the cold temperatures, we’ve concluded that this run may not be as dangerous.”

  “May not!” the man objected again.

  Lauren didn’t know the man, but had seen him around the facility before. He had a reputation for challenging authority. He was always the first to complain about the rations and to accuse the council of being corrupt. Many times they’d offered him a chance to leave, with a day’s rations. Each time, he’d refused.

  Ignoring the man’s outburst, Jim continued, “We have already spoken with some of you about going.”

  Jim extended his hand toward Ben. “Ben here has agreed to lead the team. We would now like to ask for volunteers,” Jim concluded.

  “Volunteer, my ass,” the man spoke out again.

  “Doug, if you aren’t volunteering, then please don’t speak,” Harold warned.

  “Fuck you guys,” Doug fired back.

  The council chose not to react to his outbursts. After a few seconds with no volunteers, Jim looked at Harold, who pulled out his notebook of names once more.

  “We’ll go off the list then,” Harold started, “let’s see. David, Ryan, Kristie, Michelle, and,” Harold turned the page, “Nicole.”

  Nicole’s son Nathan, objected instantly, “You can’t send her!”

  Nicole burst into tears, as her daughter hugged her tightly.

  Nathan continued to present his case, “She’s our mom and the only parent we have left!”

  Nathan began to cry as he pleaded for his mother. Lauren watched the family embrace one another as if it were their last chance to do so.

  “Please….please,” Nathan kept repeating.

  “We are simply going in order of the list,” Harold said coldly.

  Lauren couldn’t bear to see them plead anymore, “I volunteer to go in her place,” she said, without actually meaning to.

  “What? No!” Julie urged her.

  “It’s fine. You said it yourself; it’s safer now that the infected are frozen.” Lauren stated.

  “Well, I don’t know. The list says…” Harold started to say, but was cut off by Jim, who wanted to halt further objections.

  “That’s fine. The substitution is accepted,” Jim stated with finality.

  14.

  Butler

  After a couple of hours of preparation, the selected members and volunteer were ready to leave the complex. After goodbyes from friends and family, the group of six climbed into the large tr
uck. Ben and Ryan sat in the front, and the others in the back. A twelve foot U-Haul served as their scavenging vehicle. The cab had metal screens welded onto it for protection from the infected, which was only needed during warmer weather. The cargo portion of the truck had been outfitted with windows, so the occupants could see what was going on outside.

  Mostly they were after were canned goods and water. Ben was the only one with special instructions. Lauren looked around the back of the truck and wondered what she was doing here. Nicole hadn’t even thanked her.

  Lauren volunteered because she knew that part of the mission was only because of her and Marie. However, the group took turns scavenging for a reason. She’d gladly go if one of Nicole’s children was sick, even if it wasn’t her turn.

  Each member sat clutching their weapons—metal baseball bats and iron crowbars. Even though they didn’t expect trouble, they always prepared for it. David watched out the window as the gate was opened, and the moving truck exited the safety of the storage facility. As they rolled away, he watched as the gate closed.

  Michelle and Kristie sat on the opposite side of the truck, looking out their window. The two of them were sisters. When everyone had submitted their names to Harold to log, they had been together. He avoided putting family members on the same hunting parties but had overlooked it this time; neither Kristie nor Michelle cared; they felt safer together anyway.

  The drive to Butler, only nine miles away, took about forty minutes. Because the road had been covered in snow, Ben and Ryan needed to use extra caution not to skid or get stuck. After navigating the labyrinth of snow drifts that concealed abandoned cars, they finally arrived at the Butler city limits. The sign stating the city’s population could partially be seen under an overturned minivan.

  The truck slid on the snow as it pulled into the grocery store parking lot, and Ben struck an unseen shopping cart, startling everyone.

  The truck bounced again as it hit what they thought was a speed bump. It wasn’t until David looked out the back window that he realized they’d run over an infected, frozen in the snow.

  The vehicle stopped, and everyone disembarked. It was then that they realized the parking lot was littered with infected sleeping under the snow. People-sized mounds littered the area, and the sight gave Lauren goose bumps.

  “Let’s just hurry up and get out of here, people,” Ben ordered.

  The group, happy to accede, approached the storefront. The automatic double glass doors had been broken inward, and snow had blown inside. Ben noticed the tracks of various animals leading both in and out of the store. Most looked like raccoon tracks, but he also noted dog and deer tracks. Ben pointed them out to the group, ensuring they’d be cautious. He hadn’t seen evidence yet, but he feared that animals might carry the infection.

  “Be careful,” he whispered to the group.

  Each of them trudged through the drift of snow that had invaded the storefront. Ben fished three flashlights out of his pack so they could navigate the darkness within the store.

  “We’ll go in three groups,” he stated. “Lauren, you’re with me. David and Michelle you’re together, and Ryan and Kristie,” he finished, as he handed out the flashlights.

  Each group checked to make sure their light worked.

  “Okay, we know what we’re here for. Fan out, but stay close to your partner. We don’t know what kind of wildlife might be wandering around in here,” Ben ordered.

  Everyone nodded, and then went to work. Lauren followed Ben toward the infant isle. Here, there were cans of formula, packages of wipes, diapers, lotions, creams, and powders. They fit what they could into their packs, and together they ran back outside to unload and again head back inside. They’d need to make multiple trips to get everything they needed. On the way back in they passed Ryan and Kristie, who were carrying cases of bottled water. At the back of the store they heard David and Michelle clinking cans together.

  Lauren was struggling to carry three large boxes of diapers. She wasn’t the only one who had a child in need of them.

  “Let me help you with that,” Ben said, saving her from dropping them.

  “Thanks,” she replied.

  Ben’s heart thumped loudly in his ears. Here they were, together in the dark. He’d give anything to just lean in and steal a kiss, but he pushed the thought from his mind; they had a job to do.

  They met David and Michelle at the door, and all four arrived at the truck together. Lauren looked around the snow-covered area. The sun reflecting off the snow hurt her eyes a little. Ben paused a moment to see what Lauren was looking at.

  “You see something?” he asked.

  “No,” she replied with a smile, “just looking.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. She looked beautiful, despite her greasy hair and dirty skin. They all looked malnourished and had ‘raccoon eyes, but somehow, with her cheeks red from the cold, and her brown eyes, she looked amazing. The wind blew a single strand of hair in her face, and for a moment he wanted to reach out and brush it behind her ear. Again, he forced the thought to the back of his mind.

  “Holy fuck!” Ryan shouted, as he and Kristie ran out of the store.

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  “We don’t know!” Kristie yelled.

  “Something’s in there, man!” Ryan screamed.

  All six of them stood in the cold, watching the dark doorway. Lauren thought it was the wind at first, but slowly it became clear that something was growling. A set of yellow eyes appeared, glaring at them. Ben positioned himself in front of Lauren, blocking the thing’s path to her. For a moment she was reminded of Cale. He would have certainly done the same, wouldn’t he?

  “What is it?” Lauren whispered grabbing Ben’s arm.

  “A feral dog most likely,” Ben whispered back.

  “Is it infected?” Michelle inquired.

  “Don’t know. I don’t even know if the animals can be infected,” Ben answered.

  The growling grew louder, and then the animal barked wildly at them. Ben readied his aluminum baseball bat, while Lauren stepped away to give him room to defend himself. Ryan and David both took up a defensive stance as well. The animal charged into the light to attack. Ben’s bat hit the side of the animal’s head mid run, sending it sprawling toward Ryan. Ryan quickly pounded on the animal’s skull with his crowbar, and David and Ben joined the melee, only stopping when the animal quit moving.

  The bloodied pulp was now identified as a Black Lab. His leather collar had a tag that read, ‘Champ’. The owner’s address was too faded to make out.

  “Poor thing,” Kristie said.

  “That poor thing just tried to have us for lunch,” David replied unsympathetically.

  “Should we bring it back? We can eat it, can’t we?” Ryan asked.

  It had been so long since they’d had actual meat. Their sources of protein for the last few months had been peanut butter and canned stew, and the occasional hearty chicken soup.

  “Can’t risk it. It may have been infected with any number of things,” Ben answered.

  “Damn,” Ryan said.

  “Alright. We need to hurry and finish filling the truck. Be careful in there. There might be another one.” Ben warned.

  The group went back to looting the store, pausing only to pack the moving truck more efficiently. The store had a mix of everything. David found bags of charcoal, lighter fluid, grill lighters, and charcoal grills on sale, and quickly gathered them up. Room in the truck slowly became scarce. Ben pulled out his scrap of paper and went to look for the medications, with the group following behind him.

  “Just grab everything you see,” he told them.

  They took turns vaulting over the counter to raid the pharmacy. Lauren wanted to make sure the supplies Marie needed would be gathered, and moved toward the back of the pharmacy, where the equipment was stored. She picked up each box and scanned it, hoping to find a nebulizer.

  “It’s alright. It’ll be here,” Ben said, offer
ing reassurance.

  “I have to take care of my little girl,” she said, and her voice cracked with emotion.

  Lauren quietly began sobbing. Ben wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. She buried her face in his chest.

  “Come on, I’ll help you look,” Ben whispered.

  He hated to see her cry like this but couldn’t help but feel it was the best moment of his life. He held her for a moment longer, and then she pulled away.

  “Great, now I look like crap,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “No you don’t, you look…” Ben didn’t get to finish.

  Kristie’s scream grabbed everyone’s attention. The group rushed to her aid. She stood by the counter, flailing her leg ferociously.

  “Help me! Oh my God, please help me!” she pleaded.

  As they reached her, they realized what had her in distress. It was an infected, a dormant one, too frozen to attack, but mobile enough to grab her ankle in its icy grip. Michelle was the first to come to her sister’s rescue, bashing the attacker’s face with her lead pipe. It’s gripped relaxed, releasing her sister.

  “Thank you,” Kristie said with relief.

  Michelle hugged her, “What would you do without me?” she asked.

  Kristie didn’t answer, but hugged her sister tightly. The group scanned the area to see if any more of the creatures were around. It looked clear.

  “Alright, let’s hurry it up and get out,” Ben ordered.

  He was disappointed that his intimate moment with Lauren had been ruined.

  With renewed resolve, they raided the pharmacy, emptying its shelves and cabinets. Lauren was relieved when she found the items that she was looking for. She was excited to get back and start treatments for Marie.

  As they emerged from the broken storefront they were surprised by what they saw.

  “It’s a dog-eat-dog-world,” David said, making a bad pun.

  A small Yorkshire terrier raised his bloodied face from his meal of Black Lab. After a moment of watching the humans stand idly by, he returned to his feast. It was just another sign of how dire the times had become. The group maintained their distance as he ate. As quickly as they could, they loaded the last of the supplies into the truck. They then climbed in themselves, trying to manage the cramped space as best they could.