by Tara Brown
“I can tell that by the plates.” He squints at me as if he might call me stupid.
“A house in White Rock. They—they turned,” my voice cracks and I almost smile realizing the Lulu lady is the one I robbed and now we match. Including bite marks. Though mine hasn’t done much but itch. “You haven’t by any chance seen a pair of matching white Mercedes minivans have you, a bunch of teenagers in them? Canadian plates.”
“Mercedes minivans?” He cocks a dark-gray eyebrow at me dubiously. “Nope. I’d remember that.”
“Well, maybe they didn’t come this way,” I say with a sigh, hoping they got out. “Maybe they’re hiding until they can get out. The guy on the transmission said to hide until the eighth day, for the dead to die,” I say in a bit of undead humor. “Maybe they’re waiting for that.”
“I don’t know how to process what I’ve seen in the last week, I’ll tell ya that much. It was a weird seven days. All this craziness. And I don’t know if I believe it’s just going to end, like that.” The old man pulls off his hat and scratches his balding head. “I do know, there were about seven or eight of them, the undead, around here a couple of hours ago and they started being weird, moving erratically and falling over around midnight, and then they died.” He points in the direction of a fire burning on the other side of the parking lot. I’m not sure if that means he’s burning them or what.
“Well, hopefully they’ll die and my friends can get home.”
“You get separated?” he asks.
“Yeah. Trouble getting away. I got left behind. So those ones just dropped dead?” I point at the orange glow of the flames.
“Hmmhmm.” He turns back to the gas station behind him and nods at the window where an older woman watches us. “Watching them die on their own was surprising.”
“I bet. I didn’t notice any doing that but at midnight I was still in the mountains and was pretty much lost for hours.”
Mitch lied about two things: him coming back and signage on the highway . . . it was shit.
“How was it in the mountains? I heard the roads are pretty clear except near the cities.”
“Yeah, once I got out of Vancouver, it was smooth sailing. I had to get around a few vehicles but nothing crazy. I stayed on the highway. About an hour ago, I was in a place called Osoyoos, just across the border. That’s where I really noticed there were less of them. It’s not a city but there seemed to be a lot of dead on the ground, not moving or stirring. And the couple of undead I saw seemed different. Less coordinated. Less focused. They didn’t chase my car but they also didn’t drop dead for no reason.”
“Maybe Canada is a bit behind,” he says gruffly. “What’s the border like? Any guards or police?”
“Nothing.” I’m still a bit shocked by the memory of that sight. “Not a single light except the ones I’m assuming were solar powered. But they were only streetlights. Everything else was silent and dark. Bodies on the ground everywhere but no zombies walking around.”
“Jesus, help us. Borders just wide open.” He sighs heavily and holds his hand out. “Anyway, guess you should give me the keys and go on inside and pick your candy. Tell Sharon we made a deal. Sun’s coming up in a few hours. You’ll want to get to Billings in the daylight.”
I hesitate but drop the key into his hand before walking past him, crunching on the dusty gravel to the shop with the flickering lights.
The door rings with a bell but I’m more focused on Sharon. It seems weird to say it but I’m starved, “He said I could take some candy.”
“Candy?” She scowls. “Of course he’d offer you candy? What kind of old fool doesn’t think twice about offering girls candy?”
“He didn’t offer it. We’re trading. The car for his other car, gas, and I asked for the candy.” It’s a weird moment, I doubt either of us is prepared for. Are we bartering? Is candy something you barter over?
“Leave me some of the licorice. It’s all I like.”
“Okay.” I don’t know how much candy she thinks I’m going to take, but by the time I’m done grabbing a few bars and the candy I like, I’ve hardly dented the supply. “Can I have a water too?”
“Sure.” She nods. “Where’d you come from?”
“Canada, Vancouver,” I say as I grab it from the cooler, not loving that it’s warm but ignore that the moment the wetness hits my lips and throat. I guzzle back the whole bottle in one long drink. I finish with the most satisfying sigh. “We were on a field trip for school. I live in Billings. I’m trying to get home.”
“Good lord. Take another water, dear. Billings is a long ways. You’re going to get thirsty and that’ll kill you before anything else.” She walks over and hands me another bottle.
“Thank you.” I smile at her kind eyes and thank God for her. I really needed this moment. Being alone and scared and lost was hell.
“Canada’s overrun as well then?” she asks.
“Yeah. I didn't see anyone alive. Just zombies and bodies. But I went through some really unpopulated areas. There probably wasn’t much before the zombies.”
“I see. Well, be safe. And don’t be so trusting. Don’t tell anyone else where you’re from. A girl alone—” she doesn’t finish the rest but I can see where this is going.
“Okay,” I agree, hugging my candy to my chest. “Thanks,” I say again and walk back out in the dimly lit dusty parking lot.
The old man is near a small white car.
“Got no use for a Prius now. It’s charged and a full tank of gas. It’ll get you five hundred miles. That should get you to Butte. You steal another car there. Don’t stop and talk to people. It was foolish to come in here looking for gas, even with the lights on. People will be hoarding now.” His tone is spicy like my grandpa’s. “And I heard there’s been some unsavory types up to no good.”
“Yes, sir.” I nod and hope the lecture is over.
“And don’t sleep on the road. Find a house and barricade yourself inside. Make sure no one sees you or is following you. You find a house that looks abandoned and you drive up there like you belong, go inside and lock up.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe even park at one house then sneak to another. You know how to use a gun?”
“No, sir. I’ve basically gotten by with luck and I suspect timing.” I keep the fact I’ve been bitten and the zombies don’t seem to want me to myself.
“I think it’s more because you were in Canada. Less population. I hope that continues for ya, kid.” He holds the key up. “Be safe.” He hits me in the arm as I take the key and he walks away. His feet crunch on the gravel until he enters the flickering lights of the shop. As I watch him leave, I wonder if he will think about me. Will he wonder if I made it? I know I’ll wonder about them. Him and Sharon. I’ll hope they’re okay.
I climb in and I’m overwhelmed at how new this car is compared to the GT.
It isn’t as nice as the Mustang was, but it has a full tank of gas and that new car smell. I start it and hope I don’t screw up leaving the parking lot. I’d hate for them to see how shitty I am at driving. Fortunately, for this car, I’ve gotten a bit better. I’ve never driven this much in my life.
It was hard in the beginning, and I am a little ashamed of the meltdown I had in the mountain range on the way to the border, but that was hours ago and I did think I was lost.
The moment I get on the road and see the sign for Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, my hope starts to build again. I know where I am and how long it’s going to take me to get there. I’ve been to Coeur d’Alene with my grandma. If I’m lucky I’ll make it to Laurel by this afternoon.
Chapter 12
The gummy worms are making my stomach ache, but I’m starving and can’t stop eating them. I contemplate stopping when I get closer to Missoula, but I need to get as far as possible without risking a break. And I did already stop to pee on the side of the freeway before Spokane. That was a new experience, peeing on the side of the road with it splashing up on my pants so much
that I had to walk while peeing like Buster does sometimes.
The sun’s up, it’s nine in the morning, and the farmland on either side of the highway is dead. Not like dead bodies, but no bodies. No one is out.
There’s no smoke rising from chimneys or cars on the road. I’ve never seen a lonelier sight than this one. A single car making a lone shadow in the rising sun, driving east, weaving through parked and crashed vehicles.
It’s sad and I can’t focus on it long. I need to stay upbeat and certain my brother and mother are alive.
And Lou. I’m so close to Laurel. Four and a half hours is nothing compared to what I’ve already driven.
But I’m done. I need food and water and sleep.
My eyes are so heavy I can hardly focus and my thoughts are drifting out of control, not helping with the situation. The smooth ride of the car mixed with my nomadic mind is pretty much a lullaby. I’m putting myself to sleep.
I press the button to lower the windows again, sucking in the sharp air of the interior. It revives me but only for a second. I’m taking slow blinks and struggling with steering when I see it.
It’s a mirage.
Another one.
This time he’s waving me down, and he’s wearing the same clothes he was when he kissed me, for real kissed me.
But now there’s bloodstains on the front of his hoodie, no doubt added by my brain because of course that’s how I would see him. Covered in blood from fighting his way out of whatever scenario he was stuck in. The one that prevented him from coming back for me.
Blood on his clothes means he’s alive, he fought back. He saved himself.
He’s trying to find me on this highway because it’s the one we would all take home.
Whoosh!
I speed past them as the hallucination screams my name, startling me. It’s the first one that speaks.
Worried, I check the rearview and that worry changes to shock when the mirage has changed. He’s chasing me. Like one of them, one of the dead. But he’s screaming my name. This is the first one that’s chased me down too.
I slam on the brakes, almost losing control of the car, though it’s not my first time skidding to a stop. I’m sideways and unaware the car sort of continues moving forward when I jump out.
“The car, Tan!” the illusion of Mitch screams at me.
“What?” I follow his fingers that are pointing violently behind me and see the white car rolling away. “Shit!” I run after it, grabbing the handle clumsily and it turns into something from a scene in a movie. I fling the door open and climb in, putting my feet on the pedals, but in my movie of course I press the gas pedal and zoom forward and then brake, screeching the tires again.
My chest is pounding as I put it into park and watch him, the illusion, running up to the car. He’s dirty, really dirty, and maybe he’s thinner. Is that possible?
I think he’s crying, but I can’t tell because I’m crying, but I’m not sure when I started, and he hauls me out of the now parked car, crushing me and quaking us both. There’s a weird noise but I think it’s coming from me. It’s relief and maybe the end of bravery. I’m not alone.
He’s real.
He smells gross and looks worse but he’s here.
“You’re alive, I can’t believe you’re alive,” he says into my hair.
Other arms wrap around me.
Someone else is here, I didn't see their face, but I feel their fingers digging in.
“Holy shit, Tanya. You made it,” a voice I recognize as Jeff speaks and I smile. Of course he’s alive. I shouldn't have ever doubted him.
“I can’t believe you found us.” Mitch continues to grip my arms, checking me over as he struggles to get his breathing under control. “I thought I was fucking hallucinating when I saw you. You just stared and blinked.”
“I thought I was hallucinating too. It wasn’t the first time I saw you.” I accidentally say too much and try to recover, “I was so tired I swore I saw you all, the whole drive. It was crazy. Where’s Louis?” I pull back from the group hug to find Bev, Mitch, and Jeff.
Mitch’s eyes lower and I know the answer.
“Oh.” My eyebrows knit together and my chest tightens, withholding breath. I want to cry more, but I’m too tired and I think I might actually be stressed. Now that it’s calm and I’m not alone and the zombie apocalypse is possibly ending, I feel something I’ve never felt before. I’m coming undone mentally. I can’t seem to get a grip.
“Where’s everyone else?” Bev asks, her eyes are wide and a little bloodshot.
“I don't know.” It’s the truth but not all of it. “We got separated. We were at a house and I was the distraction, so they could get into a couple of vans. I got bit and they drove away, thinking I was done. I thought I was done.” The words have barely left my lips and Bev and Jeff step back. I expected the reaction, but as I drag my Lululemon jacket off and show the wound, their faces are something I don't expect. Bev and Jeff take another step back, clearly horrified.
“What?” I inspect it and grimace, noting the lines that weren’t there before, red and angry. “Gross. It didn't look like that yesterday.”
“That’s infected. As hell.” Jeff points. “But more importantly, why aren’t you a zombie?”
“I don't know. She bit me but all that happened was I got tired. But that could have been the adrenaline. We fought, I fought hard.”
“Tan, how old is that bite?”
“Well over twenty-four hours,” I answer Mitch carefully, not sure what he means.
“You’re immune” he says as though it can’t be true, but the evidence is in his face. He’s doing the math. “Statistically, at least two percent of the population would be. Which makes sense. Twenty of us, so at least one person would be immune, if not a couple more.”
“Immune?” Jeff scowls. “How is that possible if it’s nanobots?”
“I don't have a clue. I guess she’d have to be wired differently in some way that hinders the nanobots from being able to take over. Or something about her that repels them.” Mitch takes a step closer, placing a hand on my forehead. “No fever. That’s so strange because it’s really infected.” He touches near the bite, putting pressure, which makes the skin crack loud enough for us all to hear as it oozes. We all gag and groan, even me staring at my own flesh.
“Oh my God. Am I going to die?”
“No, we’ll find some antibiotics,” Bev says.
“My mom’s at the hospital at home. She’ll know what to do.”
“Okay, let’s get into the car and get going,” Jeff mutters and walks to the driver’s seat. “You mind if I drive?” He sounds tired but I hope he’s not as tired as I am.
“No.” I scoff and climb into the back seat. “I was passing out before I saw you guys. We can only make it to Butte. We’ll have to find a new car there. I was planning on sleeping there but if you’re good to go, let’s go all the way to Lou’s and then home.”
“Lou?” Jeff cocks an eyebrow in the rearview.
“My friend in Laurel. Her dad is a military scientist. He’ll know what to do and what’s going on.” I shiver as Mitch climbs in too. He’s warm.
“Military scientist, that’s handy.” Jeff puts it into drive and speeds off. “How’d ya get a Prius?” he asks in the rearview.
“Some guy at a gas station in Washington. Middle of nowhere. He wanted the GT I drove up in.”
“You had a Mustang?” Jeff’s tone lifts.
“Yeah. When you guys didn’t come back, we knew we had to leave. We were starving. We waited twelve hours for you, and eventually we voted, and everyone wanted to go home. So we left, went up the road to a big house. They had matching Mercedes minivans. White. It was weird,” I add with a yawn.
“Mercedes minivans? Is that a thing?” Mitch scoffs.
“I don’t know.” I shrug and fight a second yawn. “We didn’t have keys to drive them. So everyone waited for me, Naira, Cynthia, and Jack to go into the house and get t
he keys. Zombies were there. We got the keys but we were stuck. We knew we had to make a break for it. I stayed behind and made noise so they could get away.”
“Why you?” Bev wrinkles her nose.
“My plan.” It’s a matter-of-fact answer. “Anyway, I tried to get to the van, but I got tackled and bit.”
“And they just left you?” Mitch is clearly upset by this.
“I was bit,” I repeat. “What could they do?”
“I don’t know,” his tone lowers and it’s his turn to yawn.
“I went into the house we stole the keys from and slept, and when I woke, I still hadn’t turned. So I stole their Mustang and headed for Sixteenth Ave.”
“And you made it to the border with no problems?” Bev is bewildered by something in this story.
“Yeah I didn’t see many people. And in the mountains, I didn’t see any zombies. There was a gas station in this place called Hope. A lady gave me gas for free.”
“Canadians,” Mitch adds, joking a little. “Nicest people.”
“And then I found you guys.”
“You are so lucky!” Bev bursts, not sounding happy for me. At all. “We had to struggle for every second of this. You’re all rolling up in your new Lulu outfit and a super cute electric car. You got free gas? In a power outage, thank you very much.” She throws her hands into the air. “Meanwhile, Louis and the rest of our entire class is dead.”
“Hey!” Mitch snaps. “We don’t know that and it isn’t her fault. She got lucky.”
“But she just happens to be immune? Seriously?” Bev snarls and folds her arms, sinking into the passenger seat in the front even more. “Whatever.”
“I have no idea what is going on here, but I don’t think being attacked by zombies is lucky. Getting bitten and waiting to die, was super not fucking lucky, Bev!” I spit her name. “And then being completely alone, no driver’s license or driving skills, I had to make my way across some huge mountains. I had to beg for candy to stay alive. And water. And I put the Lulu outfit on because the bitch who bit me was a Lulu enthusiast and I thought if I was going to wander the earth alone, I might as well look cute! Sorry if that offends you as I die of an infection from my zombie bite, Bev!”
