Z Plan (Book 2): Red Tides

by Lerma, Mikhail

  “How do you know all of that?” Ryan asked.

  “Farm kid. Born and raised,” Ben answered. “Now keep your eyes on the road.”

  “Okay,” the two men answered.

  “How are you guys doing back there?” Ben spoke into the radio.

  “Everything is good,” someone answered. “I have to piss but I can hold it.”

  The men in the cab of the truck laughed.

  “This is our turn, right here,” Ben said, and he reached across Ryan and hit David’s arm.

  “Got ya,” he said as he turned the truck onto a gravel road.

  “Where are we going?” Ryan asked.

  “To get fuel,” Ben offered.

  “Out here?”

  “My uncle farmed the land out here,” he explained. “That’s one of his fields right there,” he pointed to the north.

  “He have a fuel tank?” David inquired.

  “Yep. A lot of the farmers out here have huge tanks of diesel and unleaded for their equipment,” Ben explained.

  “That’s handy,” said David.

  “Sure is,” said Ryan.

  The truck bounced and rocked down the gravel road. All was looking good until they got to a small country bridge. Because of the last few months of neglect, part of the bridge had crumbled into the creek.

  “Fuck,” Ben said, “Stop the truck.”

  The men disembarked from the vehicle and approached the bridge. As he surveyed the structure, Ben speculated that they barely had enough room to make it across, and it would be tight.

  “Are we getting out?” said a voice on the radio.

  “No,” Ben answered. “Sit tight for a sec.”

  The three of them stood at the edge and watched the water flow over the debris. The supports for the center and the remaining side of the bridge looked intact and sturdy.

  “What do you guys think?” Ben asked.

  “Is there another way around?” asked Ryan.

  “Yeah, but it would take all day to get there. And there’s a bridge on that side too,” Ben explained.

  “Well then, this is it,” David said.

  The three of them got back into the moving truck, and Dave put it in gear.

  “Should I do it fast? Or go slow?” David asked.

  “Definitely slow,” urged Ben.

  The two and a half ton vehicle inched its way onto the badly damaged crossing. Every creak and groan caused them to hold their breath. David began sweating profusely.

  “Easy…easy…you’ve got this,” Ryan encouraged him.

  Once the truck had made it across they heaved a collective sigh.

  “Thank God,” David said. His hands were sweaty on the steering wheel.

  “Good job, man. That’s how it’s fucking done!” Ben praised him.

  “What’s going on up there?” the radio inquired.

  “Your lives were just in the balance. Literally,” Ben laughed. “We’ll fill you in later.”

  Over the hill and three miles further, they were at Ben’s uncle’s place.

  The property consisted of a yellow ranch house, a couple of barns, a shed, and three grain bins. Vines had grown wild, and wrapped around the railing of the porch, and the grass was knee high. However, other than the condition of yard, the house was in pristine shape.

  “Where are the pumps?” David asked.

  “They’re around behind the steel barn,” answered Ben.

  “But they’ll need power to run won’t they?”

  “There was a generator that ran the pump,” Ben informed them. “It should still work.”

  “Should?” Ryan sounded skeptical.

  Ben ignored him, and led the eight men to the pumps. They were right where he said they’d be, and with little trouble, he was able to start the generator.

  “Okay. You guys fill the containers,” Ben ordered.

  “What are you going to do?” Roy asked.

  “I’m going to go up to the house. There might be something of use in there,” he explained.

  “You want some help?” Roy offered.

  “No,” Ben said as he walked away.

  He trudged through the thick grass and up onto the porch. Here, he could see that a raccoon had made itself right at home. Piles of feces lined the wall along the porch, and Ben thought about how angry his father would be about that. The screen door squeaked as he opened it, but the doorknob turned easily, and the front door swung inward. He remembered that the door had never been kept locked. He stepped into the dusty tomb, where insects buzzed and flew about. It smelled like someone had died in the house.

  “Hello?” Ben called out, pausing to see if any zombies came out to greet him.

  The buzzing of the flies was all he could hear. It was humid in the house, and Ben could almost taste death in the air. He waved at the flies that bombarded him.

  “It’s Benny,” he said.

  Ben had always hated that nickname. It made him feel like a child or a pet. His father had always called him that. Ben left a trail behind him in the thick dust as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen. The smell got stronger as he went. He entered his father’s den, where he’d kept his hunting rifles and shotguns. Ben wasn’t surprised to find his father’s corpse sitting there. It was slumped back into his office chair, and the flies congregated on his rotting flesh, while their offspring wriggled on exposed areas. On his desk sat his prized bottle of one hundred and twelve year old whiskey and his brains were splattered against the back wall.

  Ben covered his mouth with his shirt. It didn’t really help, but it comforted him to have a barrier between the putrid air and his mouth. The gun cabinet was open, and Ben wasted no time grabbing a rifle and shotgun, and boxes of ammunition for both. Most of the ammunition was already gone.

  After he’d gathered everything he could carry, he met the others outside. They were loading the last of the containers onto the moving truck.

  “Sweet,” David said, sounding excited at the sight of firearms.

  “Anything else up there?” one of the other men asked.

  “No. Nothing else,” Ben lied.

  32.

  Future Follies

  From the overpass their convoy could see droves of the undead migrating across I-80. Each of the RVs had a half tank of gas, enough to get them back to the storage facility. They were surprised when the store’s alarms went off after they smashed one of the windows. It had been the only way to get the keys for the RVs, and it was a quick hit and run job, so they were gone before the undead showed up. They were lucky that the keys had lot numbers on them, which made matching the keys to RVs easier.

  Ben was excited to get back and see the look on Lauren’s face when he pulled up with her new home. Their new home. He led the convoy back, driving south along highway 83, and he practically sped the whole way.

  “Front gate, this is Ben. Get ready to open up,” he transmitted over his walkie-talkie.

  “I hear you, Ben. We’ll start moving the Zs around,” someone said back.

  “Thanks. We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Ben informed them.

  Ten minutes later, the convoy entered the gate. Once the gate was closed and secured, the counsel walked out to meet with Ben. The community gathered around to see what the commotion was about. Lauren followed the crowd outside.

  “What’s going on?” asked Julie.

  “I don’t know,” Lauren answered.

  “I knew they went on a run, but where did they get the motorhomes?” Julie said.

  Lauren, holding Marie, shrugged. Together they watched the counsel talking to Ben and then turn to address the community. Ben made his way through the crowd to greet them.

  “Lauren,” he called out.

  “Where did you guys go?” Lauren asked.

  “North Platte,” he answered.

  “Is that the errand you had to run?” Julie inquired with a smile.

  “Sure was.”

  Jim McCoy addressed the group. He explained t
hat there were more vehicles to be collected, and that a raffle would be held to give them away to families, not individuals.

  “See the black and grey one up front?” Ben asked Lauren, as he pointed to it.

  It was the newest looking one with ‘Itasca Meridian’ stenciled on the side of it.

  “That one is ours,” he said, excited.

  “What?” Lauren was surprised.

  “Yeah. I spoke to the counsel. They said since it was my idea, we could keep that one.”

  “That’s great,” she started.

  “I know, right?” Ben was anxious for her reaction.

  She didn’t want to upset him, but she also didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.

  “That’s great, but Marie and I are fine where we are,” she explained.

  “No. Come on. I insist,” he tried to be charming.

  “You should do it,” Julie urged her friend.

  “No. Really. Marie and I are fine in the unit.”

  “I got it for you,” he pleaded.

  “Thanks so much. But there are others who could use it more,” Lauren explained.

  “It’s perfect, Lauren,” Julie insisted. “Just go.”

  “Julie. Julie and Callum can have it,” Lauren bargained.

  Ben could see that he’d made his move too soon. He devised a way to defuse the situation quickly.

  “Sorry, you misunderstood me. I got it for you and Julie,” he lied.

  “You did?” Julie said sounding flattered.

  “Of course. I have to make sure my two favorite people and their little ones are looked after,” he said innocently.

  Lauren wasn’t buying it.

  “Thanks again, but Marie and I will stay where we are.”

  Ben was disappointed. This wasn’t at all how he’d imagined it would go.

  “Well, what about you and Callum?” Ben asked Julie, not even trying to hide his disappointment.

  “If it’s okay. We could still move in there?” Julie said as cute as she could.

  “It’s all yours,” Ben replied, sounding angry.

  Before Julie could thank him, he stormed off. The two women exchanged nervous glances.

  “I think you hurt his feelings,” stated Julie.

  “Yeah, I know,” Lauren said, feeling badly. “I just don’t want him to get the wrong impression, you know?”

  “Sweetie, I love you to death. You know this. I also know what you’re thinking, but maybe you should give him a chance. You might be passing up a good thing here,” Julie coaxed her.

  “I just don’t see him that way. Besides, you really like him. I couldn’t do that to you.” Lauren used Julie’s crush as an excuse.

  “Remember those words,” Julie joked, “So…you gonna help me and Callum move in? Who knows, you might like it so much you’ll move in too!”

  Lauren laughed. “Of course I will. I can’t say no to a friend in the middle of a move.”

  Julie and Callum’s belongings consisted of three garbage bags filled with left over clothes and a few toys. Moving wasn’t going to be difficult.

  “What if I told you I’m going to try and sleep with Ben tonight as a thank you gesture?” Julie smiled mischievously.

  “I’d call you a slut,” Lauren joked. “But seriously, you should totally jump on that. God knows he needs to let off some steam.”

  The two women laughed.

  “So you’d watch Callum for me tonight?” she asked in between giggles.

  “You’re really going to do this?” Lauren was actually a little surprised.

  “Hell, yeah,” exclaimed Julie.

  “Sure,” Lauren laughed.

  “Great. I’m so excited. I’ll tell you all about it afterwards,” she offered.

  “No, really. You can just keep it to yourself,” Lauren said.

  “Where is the fun in that?” laughed Julie.

  “A lady never kisses and tells,” Lauren warned.

  “I never claimed to be a lady,” Julie grinned.

  “Slut,” Lauren joked. “You’d better find a way to shave your legs there, she-wolf.”

  “You have a razor I could borrow?” asked Julie.

  Lauren laughed and shook her head.

  “Damn it, “Julie said.

  Julie would have to find one. Even though it had probably been sometime since Ben had gotten laid, Julie decided it was best to bring her ‘A’ game. Even in an apocalypse, you did what you could.

  33.

  Just Drive

  Lauren lay on her bed, cradling a snoring Callum, and Marie slept quietly in her crib. She was alone with the two children in unit 215; Nicole and her children had won the raffle for one of the other RVs. Lauren was happy for them and knew that having their own space would be good for their family. She wondered how Julie’s night was going.

  Even though she’d have killed to be alone any other night, she kind of missed their company. She’d gotten so used to having others nearby. The digital clock’s red numerals pierced the darkness. It was almost midnight, and Lauren closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. But even with her eyes closed, she couldn’t make it happen. Callum was like a little heater, and Lauren was too hot to sleep. Down the hall she could hear someone open the door to the outside, and then slam it loudly. Callum jumped, and Marie started to fuss. In a chain reaction, all the children in the units woke up.

  “Asshole!” someone shouted.

  “Everyone, get up! Get up!” someone else screamed.

  Lauren stood up to see what the commotion was about. She poked her head through the curtain. It was Ben, and his shirt was covered in blood.

  “What’s going on?” a woman asked.

  “The Zs are inside!” he exclaimed. “We have to get out of here!”

  “What? How?” asked a man.

  “I…I don’t know! There’s no time! Let’s go!” Ben replied.

  With that, everyone panicked. People began flooding the halls, trampling one another. Like a cattle stampede, they went for whatever exit was closest. It was sheer chaos. Screams filled the building, and Lauren ducked back into her unit. She scooped up the already screaming Marie, and grabbed Callum’s hand.

  “Where is my mommy?” he asked.

  “I don’t know baby,” she started, “but we’ll find her.”

  Just then, Ben burst through her curtain, startling them all.

  “It’s okay. It’s just me.” Ben calmed them.

  “Where is Julie?” asked Lauren.

  “She’s dead,” he said flatly, as he peered out into the hallway.

  “What? What happened?” Lauren inquired.

  “We were talking, and they caught us off guard. She was dead before I could do anything,” Ben explained.

  Callum immediately began to cry, and Lauren tightened her grip on him while Ben continued to survey the hallway.

  “What do we do?” she asked, looking scared.

  “Stay close. I’ll keep you safe,” he assured her. “Alright, let’s go.”

  Ben picked up Callum, and Lauren followed him into the hall with Marie in her arms. The screams had migrated outside. In the hall, there were bodies of those who had been trampled. Ben stepped over one of them and moved toward the nearest exit, but at the end of the hall, undead shuffled around the corner.

  “Shit. Go back,” Ben ordered as he returned.

  He led them down the hall in the opposite direction. At the end of the corridor, they could only turn left. Many of the units’ curtains had been torn down in the commotion, making the area feel larger than usual. The undead growled behind them, and together they sprinted to a ‘T’ intersection.

  “This way,” Ben said, as he went right.

  He threw himself into the door, sending it flying back, and slamming it into the wall. The midnight air was warm and humid, and the screams of the living were much louder out here. They were in between the north and south storage structures, and at either end they could see the creatures feeding. A moving truck blocked pa
rt of the path.

  “Up here,” Ben said, as he climbed onto the cab, and then to the top of the moving truck.

  Lauren followed without hesitation. She handed Marie up to Ben so she could pull herself up. From there, they easily climbed onto the north storage facility. They’d be safe on the roof, for the time being at least. Ben and Lauren weren’t the only ones to take refuge on the roof. They joined Doc, and one half of the Brewer brothers, Marcus.

  “Ben!” Doc started, “How did they get in?”

  “I’m not sure,” Ben answered.

  The group looked at the main building. To the west of it, the gate stood wide open.

  “The…the gate’s open,” Marcus stuttered.

  They stared in disbelief as the undead flowed into their compound. Below, members of the community were fighting for their lives or being torn apart. Their pleas for help went unanswered.

  “Look!” Lauren shouted as she pointed at the south structure.

  There were more survivors up there. Lauren pulled Callum away from the edge. He didn’t need to see the massacre that was taking place below. Ben surveyed the area. Two of the RVs were already gone, and one of the moving trucks too. The RV he’d intended for himself and Lauren still sat at the back of the lot. Its door was wide open. He still, however, had the key for it.

  “Stay here everyone. I have an idea,” Ben stated.

  “You’re not going back down there?” inquired Doc.

  “Just stay here,” ordered Ben.

  Lauren watched, as her savior for the second time climbed back down and out of sight.

  “How is everyone over there?” Doc shouted to the people on the other roof.

  “We’re…We’re okay!” Jim McCoy shouted back after looking over his group.

  “How did this happen?” asked someone else.

  “The fucking gate is open!” replied Marcus.

  They looked like they were arguing among themselves for a moment.

  “Do we know who did it?” asked Jim.

  Doc shook his head, “No.”

  “What are we going to do?” Jim shouted.

  “Just hang tight! Ben has something planned” answered Doc.

  All they could do was wait and see what Ben would do. Ben was a man of action, exactly what they needed in a situation like this.