Vagrant Youth

by Eleanor Merry

  “You should be doing this shit too!” he finally shouted, shocking Tara from her reverie. It didn’t take long for the feisty ginger’s sadness to turn to anger.

  “Fuck you, Joshua!” she exclaimed, tears of anger and sorrow sliding down her face. “Benny was like a little brother to me. You didn’t even care about him!”

  “Bitch! How dare you? I fucking loved that kid…” Joshua’s voice was lost as he choked back a sob.

  “Well you never read to him at—

  “I always helped him with—”

  Abby felt the beginning of a headache in her forehead as she watched her friends, her family, bicker.

  Before she could interject, Joshua started coughing, his body doubling over. It was a deep, heavy cough that left him gasping for breath. Tara was at his side in an instant, their fight already forgotten. When he finally caught his breath, he raised his face and looked into the two sets of miserable eyes in front of him. Joshua had caught the virus too.

  Abby and Tara spent all their time doting on the two remaining boys. Tara no longer seemed to care about the others seeing how close she had become with Joshua. She spent her time reading to him, holding his hand and just being close to him. Abby watched with sadness as she did everything she could to care for all of them, but they continued to wither away regardless of her efforts.

  Once Benny had passed, Ike seemed to get worse immediately. He was shaking and incoherent half of the time and the few sips of water he managed to get down came up quickly. Abby knew he couldn’t go on much longer like this.

  It was late at night, nine days after he contracted the virus, when Ike knew he had to say his final goodbyes to his dear friend. He was having one of his increasingly rare moments of lucidity when he called Abby over. Joshua and Tara were curled up on another mattress holding each other, the latter no longer caring about catching the virus; she was so determined to get him better. Ike was not disillusioned though and knew this would be the end for him.

  “Abs, come here.”

  “What do you need?” she asked as she rushed over to his side. Before he could continue, Ike broke out into a coughing fit ending in him heaving. Abby helped him lean forward but other than that, couldn’t do anything to help her friend.

  “Nothing,” he finally responded as he leaned back into the pillows, “but I do need to talk to you.” Ike reached out and grabbed Abby’s hand in his. “Remember when we first met?”

  Abby gave him a small smile. “I remember your ridiculous grown out Mohawk anyway. That thing was fugly, man,” she teased, causing Ike to give her a small smile in return.

  “Come on, we both know I rocked that.” The two laughed lightly, the seriousness of the moment broken for the moment.

  “Abs,” Ike finally continued, his serious tone making her frown, “you gotta promise you guys will take care of yourselves when I go. I don’t know what will happen to Joshua but… you and Tara need to get out of here. Find more people, find somewhere safer.”

  “Hey, man, this is a bit heavy. You’re just tired but in the morning—”

  “Stop, Abby!” She paused, unused to hearing her full name from him.

  “This is it for me. I know it, and I know you don’t want to admit it, but you know it too.” A tear glided down her cheek, and Ike reached up to wipe it away.

  “Before I met you, I was selling my ass just to keep fed. I felt hopeless, ya know? Gay white teen turned whore, I mean… It’s a pretty shitty and cliché story. But you found me and gave me a purpose…Just… You’ve been the best, you know? Taught us all so much, taken care of us. While I can, I just want you to know how much it has meant to me. I love you, Abs. Thanks for being the family I always wanted.”

  Despite how much Abby wanted to protest, to tell Ike to save his goodbyes and that he would pull through, she knew that wasn’t fair to him. She had watched him be strong, watched him have to say goodbye to two friends already. Although it hurt, she couldn’t let her own denial and unwillingness to accept the situation hurt him more than he already had been. Without a word, she crawled in next to him and took him into her arms. For the next few hours, she held Ike as he sputtered and struggled to breathe. His skin felt like fire next to hers until finally in the middle of the night, Ike’s body stilled.

  Abby sobbed as she held Ike, unwilling and unable to admit he was truly gone. Tara and Joshua were woken by her cries, and the three of them lamented their lost friends together.

  It had been no more than five minutes since Ike died and just as Abby was about to get up, she felt a twitch beside her.

  “Hey, Abs…” Tara began haltingly. Abby looked down beside her and saw Ike staring straight up at her, his eyes now paler, glazed over and far away looking.

  What the fuck? I felt his heart stop beating.

  Just as she was about to lean down to check his pulse, Ike lunged at her face. A deep growl built in his throat, and it was only her fast reflexes that got Abby’s arm up in time. Shoving him away, she scrambled away from the bed.

  “Ike! What the fuck!!!” she exclaimed as her recently deceased friend untangled himself from the sheets. His skin was pale, almost white, and his eyes were a pale blue as opposed to the deep gray of only moments before. His expression was unlike anything Abby had ever seen on him in the years they had known one another. It was angry, violent and primal.

  “Dude, what the hell is going on?” Joshua gasped from his spot on the other side of the room. His fever was so high, he wondered if he was hallucinating. Tara knelt in front of him protectively, her eyes wide as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

  Abby watched on in horror as Ike shakily stood and turned to stare at her again. The sinister grimace on his face terrified her. He lunged for her but was uncoordinated, and she dodged him easily. As she twisted to the right, her necklace fell out from beneath her shirt. Ike turned angrily, clearly upset at missing his target and ready to strike again, when he caught sight of the familiar symbol and paused. It was a necklace he had gotten Abby secondhand for Christmas the year before.

  Abby watched as a range of emotions crossed Ike’s face, from anger to confusion to something else she couldn’t quite recognize. Joshua gasped for breath in the corner but other than that, all was quiet. After a moment, Ike’s eyes raised and met Abby’s.

  She looked deeply into the eyes of a boy she had loved like a brother and saw the moment that spark of recognition hit them. Though they were changed, she saw a bit of that boy in there.

  “Ike?” Tara queried tentatively. He turned and growled at her before Abby stepped in between the two, blocking Tara from view. “Ike, stop!” she commanded. The growl ceased as he looked again at Abby, a strange expression still on his face.

  “You guys,” she began, keeping her attention on Ike, “what the fuck is going on?”

  “He’s like a fucking zombie,” Joshua responded, eliciting a glare from Tara. “That’s stupid! There’s no such thing as zombies. He’s just sick and hallucinating or something,” she retorted.

  Abby listened to the two of them before adding, “His heart was stopped. He was dead.”

  Tara and Joshua fell silent. Ike didn’t seem to notice and continued his quizzical stare at Abby. Very slowly, she reached her hand out to him. He stared down at the proffered hand and seemed to be unsure of what to do. Swallowing thickly, Abby reached down and grabbed his hand. It seemed warm, but not the burning heat she had felt on his skin only moments before. She noticed a faint blue tinge at his nail beds.

  “Ike,” she finally whispered, “can you understand me?”

  He stared blankly. Abby reached forward and carefully, slowly put her hand to his chest.

  “His heart is beating again, guys,”

  Tara and Joshua watched this all with wide eyes. They watched as Ike finally lifted his hand and reached over to clasp the small pendant on her necklace.

  “Aaabbb?” an unfamiliar voice rasped.

  Chapter 6

  After Ike had tried to
speak, he tried to lunge and Joshua and Tara again. Not wanting to put them in danger, Abby quickly moved Ike to another room, leaving Tara to care for Joshua on her own for the time being. Once she had coaxed him out, she made him lie down in the new room while she looked him over.

  He still looked mostly like himself, the most dramatic differences being the pale, almost alabaster, skin and the vivid blue eyes. He was acting nothing like himself, though, other than that he obviously recognized her. His heart was beating despite having stopped for several minutes. Abby had no clue what to do with all of this information as she took it all in, trying to process. The newspaper sure didn’t mention this….

  “Ike, sweetie,” she placated, “can you try to speak again?” He watched her intently and seemed to be listening but didn’t respond. She tried a few more times before finally giving up. After bringing him some water and a blanket, she told him to lie down and quietly locked the door behind her.

  “Abs, what is going on with Ike?” Tara whispered loudly when she got back to them. Joshua was sleeping in her arms, a slight wheeze in his chest.

  “I dunno,” Abby replied honestly, “but Ike was definitely dead. And now he definitely is not.”

  “Did he say anything else to you?”

  “No, nothing. He seems to be listening though. I don’t know what to do,” Abby ran a hand through her thick hair. “He doesn’t seem to remember you guys at all. It’s totally messed up.”

  “Maybe Joshua was right,” Tara frowned, “maybe he is a zombie.”

  “That’s ridiculous. There has to be another explanation. Hey! I wonder if there are more newspapers or something around. Maybe we can find out more about the virus.”

  Although Tara worried about Abby leaving again, and about the zombie-like Ike in the other room, her worry for Joshua was overwhelming. Would the same thing happen to him? And so, Abby went out for a third time.

  ✽✽✽

  Creeping down the streets, Abby went to the closest newsstand she could think of. The smell she had noticed a few days before was stronger now and a layer of rot hung ever present in the air. When she finally got to the newsstand, she growled and stomped her foot when she realized it was days old, the same one Tara had brought back already. Rushing down a few more blocks she approached another only to find the same thing. Frustrated and defeated, she made her way back towards the house.

  She had only gone one block when she heard noises coming towards her. Crouching behind a garbage dumpster, she peered through the cracks as a group of about half a dozen people shuffled by. Remaining hidden, she watched as they made their way past, gasping as she got a better view. The youngest looked to be about her age, and the oldest was an elderly woman. They all had pale skin, pale blue eyes and vacant expressions on their faces. Several had blood splattered on them in various places, and the old woman had it dripping down her chin.

  Staying as quiet as possible she let them pass, breathing a sigh of relief when they made it down the block. Moving her foot so it wouldn’t fall asleep, she didn’t notice the empty soda can standing up behind her. It fell over with a loud echo down the street, catching the attention of the infected that had passed. They all turned towards the sound. Abby’s eyes widened.

  Oh shit.

  Dashing off in the opposite direction, she heard growls and the slaps of feet following her. Not daring to look back, she pushed her body forward, her legs burning, and her lungs straining with each pull of air she drew. As she got only a few blocks away from the house, she realized she couldn’t bring the psychos back to the others, and she veered off in another direction.

  Finally glancing back, she noticed only four had kept pursuit. Frantic, manic expressions could be seen on their faces, even from a distance. She continued her mad dash away from them, glancing back once or twice. She noticed they seemed a bit wonky and uncoordinated, but still, they were only a block behind her. Abby dove off in another direction, making sure to stay clear of the house, intent on keeping these, zombies as Joshua had called them, away from her friends.

  After doing a giant circle for another twenty minutes, she finally lost her pursuers. Stopping to catch her breath, she looked around and noticed she was near a shelter she used to go to before she met up with Ike and the rest. Peering around the corner, she looked to make sure the coast was clear when a hand wrapped around her mouth, pulling her back.

  All of Abby’s adrenaline kicked back in, and she struggled and fought against the person restraining her. They were obviously much stronger than her, so she bit down on the hand holding her and pulled away.

  “Ow, shit, Abs!” a voice behind her exclaimed. Whipping around, she looked into the face of David Simms, one of the organizers she knew from the shelter. David was a good-looking man in his forties and, at one time, had been on the street just like her. He was a success story of the streets and had changed his situation for the better, going on to run several of the local shelters. He was a good man, and the street kids knew him well and respected him. He had let Abby stay a few times years ago and despite knowing her age, never called the authorities on her. She considered him a friend.

  “What the fuck, man! You scared the shit out of me!” Abby responded as she leaned against the wall to catch her breath again and slow her racing heart. David rubbed his hand where she had bitten him.

  “Sorry, hon. I didn’t want you to scream. Nasty folks around these days, ya know?”

  Abby nodded her agreement but watched him warily. Old friend or not, she was quickly learning that no relationship could be taken for granted.

  “What are you doing here, girl? Not safe to be wandering the streets.”

  “I know,” she replied, “I was on my way back to the house when some psychos started chasing me! I only just lost them when you scared the crap out of me. What’s going on, David?”

  David looked at the young girl, rubbing his neck in a nervous tick.

  “Yeah, I guess without social media, you wouldn’t be hearing much, would ya?” Abby didn’t reply to the rhetorical question and waited for him to continue. In a hushed voice, he quickly told her what he knew.

  “So, you know a bit, I guess. You heard of the FIRE Virus?” he asked to begin. She nodded but didn’t say anything. “So they didn’t think much of it at first, right? They knew it was pretty contagious and that it came outta India, but that was about it. Didn’t take long for it to come over to North America. New York got it first and Canada pretty quick after. Still, they thought it was just a nasty flu.” David paused as he collected his thoughts.

  “So about a week ago, some rumors started popping up about people dying from it. Not only that, but some of ‘em apparently got back up again! Real end of world shit. Most people scoffed and thought it was another one of them internet hoaxes. Well, those folks were wrong.”

  Abby paled considerably and thought of Ike. “What else have you heard, David?”

  “Internet and phones have been down a few days now. Last I heard was that those who died have about a one in three chance of getting up again. But those that get up, well, they ain’t the same as before. They’re dumb and vicious and hungry.” David began to choke up. “We filled the shelter to capacity when everything started, tried to keep everyone safe and fed while the government sorted stuff out,” he sobbed. “Nothing worked, though! Last week the first few died and by that night, everyone was either dead or one of ‘dem.”

  “One of what?” she asked hesitantly. She knew what he was going to say, but she had to hear it, to have actual confirmation.

  “Zombies, Abs. Ain’t no other word for it.”

  Abby talked with David for a while longer and told him about what had been happening in their home. David was truly sad to hear it and invited her and Tara to come join him. Apparently, he and a small group were hiding out in his house a few blocks away. He had been coming out into the city at night to see what he could find, the years he had spent on the streets giving him the added stealth that was needed to avoid the z
ombies and less savory people. Abby wished him well but declined his offer. With that, she set back off into the night.

  It was almost sunrise when she finally came onto their street. While she had learned things she hadn’t known before, none of it would help Ike or Joshua.

  Looking back on the past few days, so many things made sense to her now though. She didn’t have all the answers, but she had some, as well as a few conclusions she had come to herself. Determined, she rushed back inside the house to tell Tara what she had found out, and then, she would talk to Ike.

  Chapter 7

  By the end of the night, Tara started thinking the worst. Joshua was barely conscious anymore, and his skin felt like it was on fire, despite her constant attention. Every so often she heard faint noises coming from down the hall and wondered what Ike was doing. He obviously hadn’t figured out how to open the locked door, but if Joshua died and Abby didn’t come back, what would she do about him then? She bit her nails while pacing the room, various scenarios running through her head.

  She was so focused on her increasing dread that she almost didn’t register the sound of the front door. Her eyes widened, and she rushed down the hall, eager to confirm it was Abby.

  “Tara!” Abby exclaimed as the girl bolted towards her, enveloping her in a huge hug.

  “You scared the shit outta me, girl! Where were you?” Tara gasped with relief. Abby hugged her back, understanding the feeling of being overwhelmed all too well.

  “I have a lot to tell you.”

  Tara’s mouth hung open as Abby recounted all that had transpired since she left the house in the early morning hours. For once, she left nothing out. With so few of them left, Abby knew she couldn’t withhold information that could be vital to their survival.