A moan sounded just as a zombie lurched onto Jessica from a small closet to her right, landing them both on the ground. I tried to pull the undead nurse off, but it tugged its arm forward and almost pulled me off my feet.
“Shit!” Jessica yelled, dodging another attempt by the nurse to open up its new meal. Struggling, Mills lifted the Sig up next to the nurse’s head and pulled the trigger, splattering the opposite wall in gore. She rolled the zombie off of her and stood, wiping her sleeve onto the wall and repositioning the backpack.
“Sorry, Mills. I’m not…” My knees buckled and I collapsed, barely managing to hold myself up against the door frame.
“Come on, Eric, we’re almost there. Look!” She finished searching the shelves and held up a bottle of pills. “Here it is.” Screwing open the bottle, she poured two pills into the cap and made me open my mouth. She then poured some water in and I swallowed them down, knowing it would take a while before anything took effect. “Now we’ve just got to get out of here before every zombie in a quarter mile comes down on us from that gunshot.”
She lifted my arm up over her shoulder and propped up my weight, grinding her teeth but otherwise managing to help me walk. We made our way to the front doors and turned sideways, but the pack got caught between and Mills stumbled, causing me to fall over.
“Sorry!” In my dazed state, I still thought she was cute when she was worried. Jessica hauled me up, grunting with the exertion, and we were both upright when we heard the moans getting louder. One rose above the others, though, and Jessica pivoted to fire at a zombie that was too close.
I’m glad that zombies are slow, because otherwise I don’t think I’d be alive to write all this down, and I sure as hell don’t think I could handle the guilt of getting Jessica killed on top of everything else. Just the thought of both women being in my head was a nightmare.
Our progress was slow, but Mills didn’t complain as she helped me along. We were on our way out of the city when the horde started creeping up on us, so Jessica stopped to fire at the closest ones. Her aim was impressive, not missing a single shot, but her efforts fell short as the sounds just brought more zombies from nearby.
Jessica braced my weight on her back leg and reloaded, pulling a fresh clip from the pack. As she resumed firing at the seemingly endless group of undead, my vision blurred suddenly and I felt a wave of nausea hit me.
“What the…?” My head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and I toppled to the ground before I could finish my question. Jessica was crouched over me, one hand trying to pull me up while the other was finding her next target.
“Stay with me, Eric!” It sounded like we were underwater and I tried my best to focus on her face, but my vision went black. The last thing I heard was her voice yelling my name before my head hit the ground and I passed out.
Chapter 82
Day 226
I cracked open my eyes and immediately tried to raise an arm to block the sunlight filtering in through a window, but I was caught on something. My head felt stuffed up and the sheets around me were covered in sweat. Groggy and confused, I looked to my right to find an IV hooked up to my arm.
“What the hell?” My throat felt like sandpaper and my body still felt banged up, but I wasn’t dead, which was a plus.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, comrade. I guess this means your fever finally broke.” Dave sat in a chair next to me, setting down a book and patting me on the shoulder.
“Dave? Where am I?” I glanced around the room, lifting my head to find myself in some sort of hospital bed.
“Relax, Eric. You’re safe. Seems that you of all people have friends, which I didn’t see coming.”
“Friends?” He nodded.
“They’ll be back in a minute, just left to get coffee. I’ve been passing the time reading your journal and, man, you have been through a lot. Also…I’m sorry about your family.” He squeezed my arm gently and sat back in his chair, folding his arms.
“Thanks, but I still don’t—”
“Eric!” Jessica screamed, rushing from the door and wrapping her arms around me. I groaned from the pressure on my injuries, but she let go enough for me to breathe. Barely.
“Well, look who decided to join us again. Didn’t honestly expect to see your face again, Eric.” The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it until I looked at the door.
“Murray?” It was the police captain from the precinct back in Chicago, the one who had gotten out with his force.
“In the flesh.” He shook his head and took a sip of coffee, a dark look coming over his eyes. “We waited for hours at that highway, you know, but when the bombing started…” He trailed off, taking another drink. “We thought the worst.” I waved his apology aside.
“Anyone would have done the same, and you couldn’t wait around forever. What happened with your group, though?”
“After a brief debate, we wandered east until we came across an outpost.” My interest was piqued as I pushed myself up, leaning my back against the pillow.
“Outpost?” I looked to David, but this was clearly news to him also.
“Yeah, apparently survivors have been setting up outposts where they could. Small towns, mostly, ones not overrun by the infection, but people are trying to rebuild. We jumped at the chance to help, hoping to make a difference. Since Chicago fell, my officers have helped set up multiple supply outposts, but this one was definitely the toughest. When we arrived, there were almost a hundred of the bastards, but we took it back. After losing ground over the last few weeks, whether it was running out of ammo or being overrun, we needed the win.” He didn’t have to say it, but I could tell he’d lost people in the last several months.
“I’m lucky you did.”
“Damn lucky, since we almost backed out of the operation when we saw the situation first-hand. But here we are, with a semi-functioning hospital in a newly-established outpost. That’s as far as the hospitality goes, I’m afraid.”
“Hey, I woke up in the sunlight and a bed. That’s five-star service as far as I’m concerned.” I looked to Mills. “Thank you.” I would have died if it hadn’t been for Jessica, but she just smiled at me and squeezed my hand.
“It seems to be my job to save your ass, and I’m pretty damn good at it. Just try to go at least week before attempting to meet your maker this time, okay?”
“I’ll get right on that.” I tried to laugh and my chest hurt, but it was worth it. It felt good to be alive and able to actually smile without feeling forced. Looking to Murray, I asked, “Any idea how much longer I need to be hooked up to this thing?”
“The doc said he wanted to run a couple tests when you woke up, but I’m sure you’re good to go. You got somewhere to be?” My eyes drifted to Mills.
“Yeah, I’ve got to find someone.” A thought occurred to me. “Wait, if there are outposts being established, do you have any connections in Texas?” He squinted and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s an oddly specific question. What’s in Texas?”
“A girl…well, a young woman that’s very important to me. Her name is Katherine. I know it’s a longshot, but please tell me if you’ve heard anything.” Murray got quiet and asked to speak to me alone. Jessica squeezed my hand again and left through the door that Dave held for her, following behind her.
“Eric, I’ve heard talk from refugees at some of the outposts we’ve stopped at. Mostly people just passing through. Nobody stays for long, lack of trust from experiences out in the world, and I can’t blame them. Still, I’ve heard stories. The general consensus is there’s some bad shit going down around Austin and to steer clear of Texas, period. If your girl really is down there and you’re still the same guy I met back at my precinct, I know there’s nothing I can say to stop you. Just be careful if you go. The world has changed since we last met, the people have changed, and it seems Louisiana and Texas got hit pretty hard.”
“Thanks, Murray, I’ll keep it in mind. But if she is
down there, I’ve come too far to get sense now.” The door opened behind him and a medic walked in, chart in hand. The captain cocked his head as read over the medic’s shoulder, his brow low as he glanced up at me.
“You really are a tough son of a bitch, you know that?” I laughed again, regretting the action.
“I might have heard that somewhere, yeah.” He grinned and shook his head, leaving the room.
The medic checked my temperature and pressed buttons on a machine next to me, but when we were finished, he told me I could go in a couple days. Apparently, after sustaining numerous injuries and surviving an infection, I needed to get some rest.
I definitely agreed, so as soon as the medic left the room, I closed my eyes and drifted into the first honest sleep I’d gotten in a while.
**********
After two days of bed rest and recovery, I was refreshed and no longer feeling like death. Once I was able to stand on my own, Murray gave me a tour of the outpost grounds. I could tell that he was trying to convince me to stay as we walked, since he dropped several subtle hints, but he understood that I had to leave. It wasn’t just about finding Katherine anymore, but a search to find myself again after unleashing the worst parts of me. That darkness still lurked just below the surface of my sanity, and I needed to find a balance again.
Outside of the hospital, the outpost was a different world than the one I had come to know. Murray wasn’t lying about what they were accomplishing, with a nearby hotel open for survivors that were just passing through. They had simple amenities with clean, running water, which, to someone travelling miles across the current landscape, was everything. A restaurant was also visible from the hospital, with a chef that Murray swore was famous.
Just as quickly as the new sense of hope for humanity came back, though, it rushed back in to remind me of the sacrifices required with the bodies of everyone who had died taking the city. Walking past a set of hastily constructed guard towers, a burial detail crossed the street carrying six coffins.
Looking farther down the path, I could see a graveyard with wooden tombstones marking the graves. Past that was a testament to Murray’s story. Downwind of the outpost, smoldering corpses formed a mass grave in a trench.
“Damn fine people gave their lives to take this place, Eric.” Nodding to the trench, he added, “Those were the ones that were bitten in the assault. We couldn’t spare the bullets to make sure they didn’t rise, so…” He was lost in the memory for a moment. “Taking this town was no different than any other, which is why we can use good ones like you and Jessica.” Murray looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m serious, Eric. I understand why you have to leave, but I’d ask you to at least consider helping us take back our civilization.”
As I thought back to everything that I had been through since the last time I’d parted ways with Murray, I had one of my darkest thoughts yet. Between the cannibals, Schafer, and the arena, I had my answer.
“With all-due respect, there’s no civilization left, Murray. We’re all just trying to put pieces back together of a shattered paradise that no longer exists.” Looking beyond the bodies, I could see Samantha with a smirk on her face, knowing I had come to accept that everything was lost. Her black dress blew in the light breeze, even though I knew that, rationally, she wasn’t real.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Eric, but all we can do is try.” He frowned and patted my shoulder. “Like I said, just think about it, okay?” The burial detail finished stepping across my vision and Samantha was gone. “Are you okay, Eric?” Murray’s voice brought me back to reality and I shook my head clear.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Probably just a reaction to the medicine.” I adjusted the straps of the holsters on my legs, feeling the grips of the Sig and the shotgun to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
This story will not end with that cliché, “It was all a dream” ending, I can promise you that.
Assuring Murray that I would keep his offer in mind, I headed back to the hospital where I found Mills with her eyes closed, her chest rising slowly as she breathed softly. Whether or not I believed what I had said to Murray, I definitely felt something good inside to see Jessica so content. Part of me wondered if I should just let her sleep, but Dave walked in behind me and the creaking door caused Mills to jerk awake.
“Eric? What are you doing up?” A look of genuine concern flashed in her eyes, and I smiled.
“Couldn’t sleep. My back was killing me.” She rolled her eyes stood, grabbing my pack off the floor. I intercepted it and threw the backpack over my shoulder, the weight reassuring.
“Alright, old man, let’s go find your girl.” Jessica stepped around me and Dave, who just stared after her and shook his head.
“That right there is an incredible woman. You’re a lucky man, Eric.”
“Oh, we’re not—” Dave held up a hand.
“You can tell yourself that bullshit, but I’m pretty sure we both know the truth.” With that, we left the room together and I stopped to ask about a map before we left. My luck was changing, because one of Murray’s men handed me a road atlas, having found it in a convenience store when they were sweeping the city. I thanked him and checked over our route, putting a few city names to memory, before stuffing it in my backpack.
Dave was intent on repaying his debt, and on discovering the fate of his remaining family, so he decided to join us and leave his grandson in the safety of the outpost. We said our goodbyes to Murray and the outpost personnel before exiting past a bell tower, where a sniper was posted. For a man who constantly saw death through his scope, I idly wondered what he saw where we were headed.
Chapter 83
Day 229
In case you’re sitting there wondering why I didn’t ask for a set of wheels, it’s simple. Murray’s people saved my ass, so I was already indebted to them. On top of that, he also gave Mills an M9 Beretta and refilled the magazines for my Sig, so he had already done too much for us. To ask any more would have felt wrong. Besides, they needed everything they had if they had any chance of succeeding in their doomed effort. Taking the less-beaten path was a better option for survival either way, as the noise of engines tended to attract zombies, so here we are.
We walked for the rest of the day, cutting through a patch of trees to avoid a horde we spotted on the road. I wished there was a way to warn Murray, but I just had to trust that his people were on the top of their game. Eventually, we crossed a small creek and, as tempting as it was to fill our used water bottles, Dave noticed the carcass of a deer further up. Stepping around to the other side of the body, its ribcage had been ripped open, entrails splayed out like a contemporary art piece. There was no guarantee that zombies were responsible, but we couldn’t take the risk. It was an assumption based solely on Hollywood, but I didn’t think a purification tablet would cleanse the zombie virus so we kept moving.
Being further south, it wasn’t as cold during the daytime, so we let the cold air dry our shoes as the sun sunk lower in the sky. After several hours, we knew we had to either set up a camp soon or find suitable shelter for the coming night. While there were three of us, so we could sleep in shifts, it was better to have us all well-rested for tomorrow’s travels. Going off of the map, I knew we should be close to Vicksburg, so we angled our path to intersect with the city. I didn’t know much about it in particular, but I knew the mountainous region meant a smaller, spread out population, which was perfect.
I know television shows and movies liked to fill the silence with dialogue, so walking for miles would take up entire chapters, but the truth is we didn’t want to die. Talking would attract unwanted attention from zombies, or alert nearby survivors, neither of which was a promising option. Besides, we were trying to ration the water, so meaningless banter for the sake of an audience took a backseat.
Anyway, we edged closer to the road until we saw a sign for Vicksburg, which was two miles away. Keeping with our comfortable pace, we made it to the outskirts in half
an hour and stopped. From this distance, we couldn’t make out much and I regretted no longer having my rifle.
“Anybody see anything? My eyesight’s not what it used to be.” Dave sounded impatient, probably because he didn’t want to get caught in the open at night. I couldn’t blame him, recalling my last adventure in the forest.
“I don’t see a damn thing, which either means it’s empty or we’re in for a nasty surprise. It’s your call, Jessica. We’re a team.” She looked confused by my sudden deference, but quickly assumed command.
“Alright. We should move in and cut through the alley behind the theater right there.” She pointed at an old-style movie theater, much like the one back in Crown Point. “If anything happens, we’ll force them into a funnel while we fall back to this spot.” Dave and I nodded in agreement and we all moved in, using a small path near the road to keep ourselves out of direct sunlight.
Being that close to a theater brought back memories; meeting Schafer, our encounter with Marcus and his family, leaving Katherine. That one hit the hardest, seeing her tears in my rearview as I drove away, but I couldn’t let another family die because of me.
Shit. I really did blame myself, and this entire time my conscience was haunting me in the form of Samantha. I was in denial this whole time, refusing to accept that I was at fault, when I actually believed it on some level. The realizations kept coming, until Jessica’s cold hand on my cheek snapped me out of it.
“You with us, Eric?” Concern was evident in her eyes, but she didn’t say more.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Are we all clear?” The corner of her mouth lifted in a frown at my obvious deflection.
“The street is empty, but we should still be careful. Dave spotted a hotel down the road, so we’re gonna check it out.”
“Sounds good. I’m right behind you.”
“You’d better be.” She turned and moved to the front, and my eyes drifted lower on her body. “Eric?” She was staring at me and my eyes shot up, but I knew she had caught me as my neck felt hot.
A Broken World (Book 2): Shattered Paradise Page 14
