by McNeil, Nick
“I missed you,” Mrs. Jones whispered.
Abraham kissed her. “I missed you more.”
“Gross.” Amelia smacked her fresh piece of gum.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones smiled and leaned in closer. Their noses touched and their eyes rested shut. Abraham pulled away just enough to kiss his wife on the cheek. He turned toward Cheltenham. “You play a lot of video games?” He looked toward the wall of guns. “Getting ammunition for that AK-47 might be quite the hassle in a world like this. Only someone who is a fan of the gun would actually buy it.”
“Uhh.” Mr. C scratched the back of his head.
Abe walked near the mounted gun rack. “Assault rifles. These aren’t legal in Washington. These will be very helpful.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Mr. Cheltenham wedged himself between Abraham and his wall of firearms. “What gave you the idea that you’re going to strip me clean? Or that I would even lend you any of these?”
Mr. Jones looked Cheltenham up and down. In a six o’clock to twelve o’clock motion, Abe hammered his elbow into the jaw of Mr. C. Cheltenham screeched and hit the floor like a rock being dropped. He coughed up blood and a few of his own teeth.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mr. C held his hands to his bloody mouth. “Levi, aren’t you going to do anything?”
“To be honest, the main reason I was intrigued by you is because you’re the only other person in town I could talk about conspiracy theories with.” Levi adjusted his tie. “But now that we are living one, I’m not sure what value you really have to me. I would much rather trade in these semis for some full autos.”
Mr. Jones raised his foot to stomp Cheltenham like a bug, but he scurried away on all fours. “Okay, okay, take whatever you want. Please, just stop,” he begged.
“I like to think I am a reasonable and fair man.” Mr. Jones crouched down. “I’m only going to take a couple of assault rifles, some food, and water. Because, to be quite honest, I’m starting to get a little hangry, and I really don’t think rationally when I’m hungry.”
“There are some dehydrated meals and bottled water in the cabinet.” Mr. Cheltenham pointed to a cabinet in the kitchen. Amelia promptly responded and raided the cabinets. She emptied out her school backpack and transferred the items over to a hiking backpack that Cheltenham owned.
Abraham rose and studied the wall. He grabbed a Steyr AUG and an M4 carbine. He reached into an already open ammunition drawer and pulled out half a dozen boxes of 5.56mm NATO ammunition. “Now these guns, these are practical. Do you know why these are practical, Dinesh?” Mr. Jones held one in each hand.
“No, sir.” Dinesh comforted his mother and younger brother.
“Because these use a common ammunition type. One we should have no problem scavenging,” Abe replied.
“Why do we need to scavenge? Can’t we just hide down here?” Mrs. Patel challenged. Mr. C bit his tongue. “We don’t need to keep seeking violence,” she continued.
“Well,” Abraham rolled his shoulder out, “I actually have a property already prepared for us. It’s southeast, in Pierce county. It’s on a hundred-acre plot of land; the only nearby neighbor is actually a woman we can trust. There is even a lake touching the property.” He looked at his wife. “It’s safe. We just need to get there.”
“Why would you already have a place prepared?” Cheltenham flinched.
“Wait.” Amelia finished rummaging through the cabinets and threw her backpack over her shoulder. “Why do you already have a place prepared?”
“It’s complicated,” Abraham answered.
Amelia clapped. “Take a drink every time Abraham says it’s complicated.” She stood next to Levi and crossed her arms. “You’re going to explain yourself.”
Mr. Jones took his arm from around his wife and looked around the room. “Look, right now isn’t the best time. But I promise you, I will seriously answer every question you have. I won’t be dodgy or elusive. I will be very, very straightforward and will tell you everything.” He handed an M4 and a box of ammunition to his wife, who proceeded to load her mag. “But we need to leave. Now. Every hour that passes by is going to be more difficult to get out of here.”
“You guys have no idea what’s going on up there.” Amelia blew a bubble with her gum and popped it. “Half of Seattle is in West Pines. We drove the Jeep straight into the forest because most of the houses are being raided as we speak.”
“We assumed we could siphon some gas for the Jeep, but that isn’t going to be an option,” Levi added. “Mom’s car was stolen, so we don’t even have an extra set of wheels.”
“Half of Seattle hasn’t reached Pierce County yet, I’m presuming.” Mrs. Jones finished loading her assault rifle. “Do you have enough gas to get us out of here, Amelia?”
“I have less than a quarter tank.” Amelia said, finishing tying thin paracord where a sling would normally attach on her AR-15.
“We can find gas before then,” Mr. Jones assured them.
“Uh, hello.” Dinesh waved his arm. “What about me and my family?”
“No offense, son, but we really don’t have room for dead weight.” Mr. Jones walked toward the exit.
“Dinesh is captain of the robotics team.” Levi tugged at the collar of his shirt. “And Mrs. Patel is a horma, a horta, a plantacultural.”
“I’m a horticultural scientist,” Mrs. Patel forced in.
“Yeah, that!” Levi pointed. “She knows all about plants and stuff. They may not know how to fire a gun, but I don’t think they’re dead weight.”
“Levi makes a good point, Abe.” Mrs. Jones gave him a half smile. Mr. Jones’ only weakness was his wife’s words.
“Okay, but you’re responsible for them.” Abraham continued up the ladder and opened the bunker door.
“That family is going to be the death of you, Levi Jones.” Amelia winked and followed her father up the ladder, just behind Mrs. Jones.
The car was loaded up and Amelia started the engine. Before putting the car in drive, she plugged her phone into the car adapter. “I need to queue up a playlist before we leave.”
“Your phone still has battery?” Dinesh blurted. “Mine ran out of juice hours ago.”
Most of the group chimed in, agreeing their phones were also dead.
“That’s because you idiots forgot to put them in airplane mode. I’m still at 72%.” Amelia hit play and the tune of “Bad Moon Rising” started to play. “Now I don’t want to hear another word out of anyone for a while. I’ve had a day.”
3
DAY 2
Buckley, Washington, 45 Miles South of Seattle
6:00 p.m.
“I told you we didn’t have enough gas.” Amelia slammed her fists against the steering wheel. “We had several opportunities, and now we are royally fucked.” Her Jeep Cherokee planted itself on the side of the road.
“I am not sure that robbing people at gunpoint counts as several opportunities.” Dinesh and his family sat in the open area in the far back of the Jeep. There was enough space for the car to have another row of seats; however, it was dedicated to trunk space. “You really should have chosen a more fuel-efficient vehicle.”
“Well, it’s looking like they may have been our only opportunities,” Abraham opposed. “I also thought more natural opportunities would have presented themselves. I didn’t think anything would escalate this fast after the outage.”
“It depends on the apocalypse, really.” Levi joined the conversation but continued to gaze out the car window. “In this circumstance you’d assume most people would remain rational since most devices are still working; however, since zombie apocalypses are the most common in our society, it changes things. Zombie apocalypses are one of the few cases in which the world turns batshit crazy within the first day.”
“And how does that help?” Mrs. Patel gave a bitter laugh.
Levi shrugged. “I’m just saying, people can react differently depending on various factors.”
“Let’s worry about something important,” Mrs. Jones interrupted. “Such as getting gasoline. It’s already dark out. What exactly is our plan?”
“I already said it before.” Amelia made a steeple with her fingers. “Me, Levi, and Dad stand out in the middle of the road with our rifles and either gun down or wait for the incoming car to stop. When they do, we siphon their gas, take their supplies, and mercy kill them.”
“I am sure we can negotiate the mercy killing,” Mrs. Jones replied. “But desperate times call for desperate measures. I think it’s the best plan.”
“Show of hands for my incredible plan?” Amelia stretched her arm high in the air. Levi, Mrs. Jones, and Abraham raised their hands as well. “Wonderful, it’s decided, then.”
“Fine, then I am helping.” Mrs. Patel held her chin high. “If this is happening no matter what, then I am helping.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Amelia opened the car door and stepped out.
Mrs. Patel slammed her fist against her chest. “I have the right to defend and provide for my children.”
“You’ll be a bigger hindrance than help.” Amelia slammed the door shut.
“Listen, sweetheart.” Just before exiting the car, Mr. Jones looked back to speak with Mrs. Patel. “I’m not going to tell you what you can and can’t do. But if you want to provide for your children, then you need to be around to do it.”
Mrs. Patel struggled to hold back her tears.
Levi looked at Dinesh and his mother. “I think they’re blowing this out of proportion. Honestly, this should be a pretty quick process. The people are going to come to a screeching halt, surrender their vehicle, then run off terrified. This could actually be a good first step for you.”
Buckley, Washington
6:30 p.m.
Mrs. Patel, Levi, Amelia, and Abraham stood in the middle of the road, with their firearms resting at their hips, but still pointed forward.
“What if they come from the other direction?” Levi joked. “We are going to look pretty lame if we have to turn around.”
“Shit, he’s right,” Amelia said. “Maybe one of us should face the other direction. That way only some of us have to turn around.”
“Oh, that could work.” Levi’s voice rose.
“What? No.” Abraham shook his head. “We are all facing the same direction, and we will all turn around together. We can make it look super ominous or something.”
“What’s that?” Mrs. Patel’s hands shook as she held her rifle up—the sight wasn’t aligned.
Two dim lights grew brighter, nearly blinding, as they quickly approached. Mr. Jones sparked a road flare and threw it into the road in the direction of the oncoming vehicle. “Remember, stay calm. If you think your voice is going to shake, or if you do not know what to say, remain silent. Silence can be deadly.” Mr. Jones kept his eyes locked on Mrs. Patel when he gave his statement. “I’ll do the initial talking.”
The car braked and turned off its headlights. “The car is still running,” Dinesh’s mother whispered.
Amelia snapped her gum. “Thanks, Mrs. Patel, I don’t think any of us could hear that loud-ass engine.”
“Open the door,” Mr. Jones requested. No one followed his response. He pointed his AUG toward the sky and sprayed a few rounds in the air. “Open the door,” he hollered.
All four car doors opened at the same time, windows already down. Each passenger stepped out, fully armed. The two individuals in the front were holding shotguns, while one person in the back was armed with a handgun, and the other a hunting rifle. They stood behind their open car doors and looked out the open windows. “We don’t want any trouble,” the man behind the driver’s door called out. “We are only trying to pass through.”
“That’s what it looks like.” Mr. Jones kicked around the dirt in front of him. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though that is going to happen today.”
“We honestly have no supplies. You can’t take our firearms.” It was too dark for anyone to make out the features of the man conversing with them. “Our guns and car are all we have. We are trying to get to the rest of our family.”
“We are actually pretty set on the guns, to be honest with you,” Mr. Jones replied. He paused, creating an awkward silence.
The man cleared his throat. “I don’t know if you heard me, but we—”
“Oh no, I heard you,” Abraham interrupted. “And I am actually going to let you keep your car.” His voice rose and sounded almost cheerful. “We are just going to take all the gas you have, and your ammunition. So here is how it’s going to go. One of you four is going to siphon gasoline from your car into ours. Quite frankly, none of us want to do it because it’s gross.” Abe took one step closer to their car. “Then you are free to go, and everyone is happy.”
The man waited. “We can’t do that. How about we spare you half of the gas, and everyone forgets this ever happened, and we both go where we were originally headed.”
“I don’t think you heard me.” Mr. Jones laughed and rubbed his chin. He continued to approach the car; his laugh grew sinister.
“One more step and we have a problem.” The man’s voice dropped in tone, and his friendliness suddenly vanished. “One more step and we open fire. This is not what we want. But I need to get back to my family. We all do. Certainly you can understand that?”
Mr. Jones exhaled. “I do.” He looked at the man behind the wheel to try to make eye contact despite the sun setting. Abraham always looked someone in the eyes before killing them. He took aim and unleashed several short bursts from his assault rifle. He shuffled to the side so his children and Mrs. Patel could open fire behind him.
The group the Jones family was robbing popped off, taking aim at everyone within Levi’s group. Levi walked to the side, being sure not to remain a sitting target, and aimed for the exposed legs below the car doors. Their muzzle flashes made him see colored splotches floating in the air. He quickly took out the two shooters in the front, putting them in misery as they tried to squeeze their wounds. The two people in front crashed to the ground the moment they came into view. Amelia spread their brains across the pavement.
All gunfire ceased. “Reloading,” Amelia and Levi shouted in sync. Despite their momentary break in shooting, the car they were robbing did not take the offensive.
Abraham approached the car, checking every crevice. He waited for someone to jump out or to take fire at any moment. His steps grew slower the closer he got to the vehicle. He checked behind him to ensure his children weren’t following him. He did a double take. Mrs. Patel’s body was spread out across the road, a pool of blood already formed around her body. He snapped back into focus; he wasn’t going to jeopardize his safety by losing focus, especially not over something he couldn’t change. He reached the passenger-side door. He stepped over the dead body and pointed his gun inside the car and checked to make sure no one was resting inside. Abe knew he’d seen four people before; however, he only saw two bodies. He tiptoed to the back taillight, took a deep breath, and sighted down his rifle as he turned the corner. “Get the hell on the ground.” Spit flew from his mouth.
A man with a thick head of gray hair dropped his hunting rifle and fell to his knees. His skin was smooth, and while his hair was that of an old man, he looked no older than his mid-forties. His muscular frame contrasted his soft eyes. The man’s wedding ring shone in the moonlight.
A clunking noise came from the pistol falling onto the ground from the girl next to him dropping her gun. Her hair was shoulder length and had a very slight natural wave to it. One might not be able to tell if it was a little messy or if it was her natural look. In the right light, her brunette hair had a burgundy hint that complimented her hazel-colored eyes. Her big eyes and perfectly shaped chin gave her face a kind and warm heart shape. Even in fear, she couldn’t hide the dimples on her cheeks.
Amelia and Levi circled around the back of the vehicle and took aim at the man and young woman.
“Blow their fucking brains out.” Amelia kicked the front tooth out of the man. The back of his skull smashed into the car, and he fell over to the side. The girl next to him screamed. “They killed Mrs. Patel.”
The redheaded girl took a look into Levi’s eyes. Levi couldn’t tell whether he was gazing at his best friend or a complete stranger. He had never felt so already familiar with someone he knew nothing about. The way she beamed at him eased his muscles and made him take a long-needed deep breath. He trusted her and knew he could tell her anything. He forgot why he was there and the fact that anyone else was around them at all. Levi’s stomach felt like gravity had left. Nostalgia consumed him even though he had no memories to fall back on. The way she inhaled looked perfect; the way her hair rested over her face was perfect; the way she shook in fear was perfect; how she bled from the lip after Amelia backhanded her bled perfectly. Levi Jones had never been so overtaken by anyone or anything in his entire life.
“Please.” The girl put her hand out and stretched her body across the gray-haired man. “My father and I never intended to hurt anyone. I swear. We aimed above your heads the whole time and then ran behind the car when our clips were empty.” She pleaded but still held a sense of confidence. She spoke without a stuttered word or a tremble in her voice.
“I don’t know if it’s our call what we do with you.” Abraham threaded his fingers through his normally slicked-back hair. “I think that is for Dinesh to decide.”
“It’s pretty e—” Levi’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “It’s pretty even. We did kill two of their people, and we plan on robbing them clean.”
