The Dead Flash Series | Book 1 | Alone

by Crist, J. D.

  "You know what to do, don't be shy." Emily did not have to look at his face to know that he was grinning from ear to ear. She wiped her hands on her jeans and felt the screwdriver in her pocket. This was the dumbest idea, but it was the only one she had. She sat forward on her knees and looked like she would undo his pants and the cheers grew even louder. She moved so fast that no one noticed her pull the screwdriver out of her pocket until she had buried it in the flesh below Jeff's zipper. Jeff howled out in pain and yelled, "KILL THE BITCH!!". Emily had expected this and jumped to her feet as fast as she could.

  Emily turned to look at the men who were slowly moving towards her, some with weapons and the same look in their eyes that Jeff had. Emily searched the circle looking for a weak spot in the ring that would allow her to make a run for it. She noticed that in one section, the men were breaking apart or even running away. She didn't know what they were running from, but whatever it was, it had to be her friend. Emily took off at a run towards that section of men as fast and hard as she could. Just as she reached them, she saw what was causing all of the commotion, Marley was tearing his way through the men, and he was covered in blood. When he saw Emily running towards him, he let out a bark that made more men take a step back. Marley then turned and proceeded to lead Emily back through the crowd.

  Once they were on the other side of the crowd, Marley ran towards a barrier section, climbed up, and jumped over. Emily attempted to follow his path but could not get the footing that he had. She could hear him barking from the other side and searched around for a way out of this place. She then saw Jeff's truck and ran for it. Once inside the cab, she said a quick prayer as she reached for the ignition. She felt Hope once again as her hand met the keys. She roared the truck to life and turned it towards the barrier. Once she was facing the correct direction, Emily pressed the accelerator to the floor and watched as the wall broke down around her. Once she was on the other side, she stopped and waited while Marley jumped in the bed of the truck. When he was safe inside the truck, she took back off down the road. She saw a few men try to follow her on foot, but she did not see any vehicles following her once they were gone. Once she reached the main road, she pulled over, shut down the engine, and got out of the truck. She couldn't hear the sounds of anyone following her. They were probably too busy trying to help Jeff and what was left of his manhood.

  Emily ran to the truck's bed and started looking through the various tools that were back there. She found a hunting knife that still looked to be decently sharp. She took the knife and jammed it into the tires on the driver's side of the truck. This thing would not be going any were for a good while. This made Emily's heart happy. She then looked back and forth, trying to decide which way to go on this road. She was not awake during this part of the drive; it's what Jeff wanted, so she would not know how to get back to the SUV. It was probably part of his plan to make sure that she had no other choice but to stay with him.

  Marley jumped out of the bed of the truck and started going down the road to the right. Emily opened her mouth to call him back and then decided it was probably best to follow him. He had been right up to this point, and she needed to start trusting him. She turned and followed Marley down the road. The stars above provided just enough light for her to see where she was going. She clutched the hunting knife as she walked. She was breaking her own rule of traveling in the dark; it would be impossible to see any zombies coming at her until they were on top of her. After a few hours, the sun started to shine over the treetops. Emily was thankful for the warmth it would bring, and then she noticed something ahead on the road. Emily saw what looked to be an SUV pulled over on the side of the road ahead. She couldn't believe it and ran to close the distance between her and the SUV.

  Sure enough, Marley had led her back to their home, well, the closest thing they had to home in this crazy world. Emily noticed that the back glass on the hatch was open. This must have been how Marley got out. She reached up and tried to close the window, but the latch was broken. The window remained open no matter how hard she tried to shut it. She felt herself becoming frustrated when she suddenly realized how the window was broken. She looked down at Marley, and all she could see was the poor dog slamming into the window until the latch broke and it opened. He did all of this just to run to that farm to save her. Emily reached into the hatch and grabbed a bottle of water and a worn shirt. She then sat on the bumper and began to clean the blood and dirt out of Marley's fur.

  Once he was clean, she used a second bottle of water to clean herself up as best as she could. She then used the shirt to tie the window shut. Then she and Marley loaded up into the front seats and began to drive even further from the farm. Emily glanced at the gas gauge and was happy to see that she was not even down to three-quarters of a tank. She drove for a few hours until she was satisfied that she had put enough distance between her and the farm. She then pulled over and grabbed the map out of the glove box.

  It was time to pick a new route far away from this hell on earth. Emily folded the map and began looking at the roads that she had not tried yet. She was running out of back roads to try and, maybe, after this, it was a good thing. She would need to start trying main roads, which was both a good and bad thing. It would mean more places to try for supplies but also more dead between her and those supplies. She was not ready to try a large city, so she picked a relatively populated route and much further to the north than this place. She refolded the map and placed it back in the glove box.

  As she sat back in her seat, she looked over at Marley, sitting calmly in the passenger seat. She couldn't imagine having to go through all of this without him. She had spent months looking for her family because she didn't want to do this alone and was afraid. She couldn't defend herself if she ended up in a tight spot. It never occurred to her that she was never alone and that she had someone with her who would travel to the ends of the world to fight for her. It was hard to believe that he was almost a year old at this point. She remembered that chubby little puppy she had brought home because her therapist told her she needed someone to help her with her emotional struggles. She reached over and ran her hand through his soft tan fur. She was never alone and never would be as long as he was with her.

  Marley wagged his tail and tried to lick her hand while she pet him. She rubbed her hand through his fur a couple of more times, trying to avoid his tongue. Then she turned and put the car back into drive and turned to head towards her new route. She wanted to get as far as possible from that farm just in case they decided to come looking for her. Jeff had said they had been watching her, which meant that they probably knew her routine, meaning that she would need to break it for today at least. She would drive until the gas light came on and then stop to rest, even if it meant driving after dark. She would then put the gas cans in and look for gas the next day. She felt confident that it would be easy to find on her new route.

  The hours went by quickly, and soon the sun was setting. She still had a quarter a tank of gas before the gas light would come on, so she continued. Marley seemed confused by this and wined for a few minutes. However, he seemed to accept that she was doing this for a reason. He then went back to staring out of the passenger window. Emily felt her eyes growing heavy as she continued to drive, but she forced herself to keep going. Finally, the little orange gas indicator came on, and Emily found a spot to pull over for the night and shut off the SUV. This part of the routine was normal. She and Marley climbed into the back and then went outside to relieve themselves. Emily carried the hunting knife with her. She would not be caught unprepared again; she had learned the hard way that there are still living people left, and they were more dangerous than the dead.

  Soon they were back inside the SUV, and Emily reached into the seatback to find her cell phone was still there with fifty percent charge. She looked to make sure the alarm was still set for the morning and then slid it back for safekeeping. Marley curled up next to her legs and looked to be falling asleep. Though Emily w
as exhausted, she could not bring herself to sleep. Marley had tried to warn her that something was wrong that night and until he felt safe enough to sleep, neither could she. After a few minutes, she heard the light snoring and felt herself relax. She rubbed her stomach and, for the first time, talked to the life that was growing there.

  "We will be alright, kid." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "Just remember that no matter what scary things are out there, your Mom and Marley are unstoppable. We will find a place where you never have to worry about people like that, I promise." Emily finally allowed her eyes to close and fell asleep with her hand still on her stomach.

  Chapter 12

  Emily continued to drive, marking sections off her map, looking for a safe place to have her child. She had certain areas she refused to go close to because there was no chance that there could be anywhere safe. The areas like St. Louis, Springfield, Rolla, and Kansas City were off the list. It was too dangerous to even to go and see if her family was there. The number of people who lived in those cities meant that a significant number of corpses would be walking around. She had heard a radio broadcast towards the beginning about safe areas being set up in the major cities. But if movies and television had taught her anything, those were long gone, if they ever existed. It would be best for her to try to find somewhere off the beaten path. Maybe a farm with a big fence around it or even an old military base.

  She would have to keep looking and time was not on her side. Her baby belly seemed to appear out of nowhere, and it was making life on the road harder and harder. She was getting slower, and on more than one occasion, she would have been zombie chow if it wasn't for Marley. He seemed to understand what was happening to her and was even more protective these days. He refused to leave her side even for a moment. It amazed her how he seemed to know things before even she did. It was now late December, and the cold was setting in. The snow had come but not enough to slow the dead. The only thing that slowed was her her new size and the cold. In a few months, everything would thaw, and the warmth would return just as her baby would arrive in this world.

  Emily was running out of places to search, and the map provided fewer and fewer new roads to try. She had avoided going south again, ever since Jeff and the farm, but the north led to nothing. Emily looked down at her growing baby bump and rubbed her hand over it. She had to try, and she had to try now. She just had to get past the pervert farm line that she had drawn across the whole state, and she would have so many new options, new chances.

  Emily weaved her way through the few cars on the highway, some she didn't remember being here when she drove it last. It was probably other living people trying to find what she was looking for. She didn't dare to slow down and look for them, not after the last ones. She would never trust a living soul in this shit storm of a world. It would just be her, Marley, and the baby. It was the only way she could keep them all safe, and that was all she wanted at this point.

  It was about noon when she crossed the "line" she had avoided. She was back in the southern half of Missouri, and dread filled her instantly. She remembered a gas station that she had cleared a couple of months ago and planned to get to it before nightfall. She could then take care of any stragglers that may have wondered to it and fill up again before continuing to go south. Marley seemed to feel her tension as his head looked to be on a swivel. He was slowly looking around, keeping a watchful eye on everything. Emily reached over and patted him on the head while forcing herself to smile.

  "Everything will be okay, boy," she only hoped he believed her. "We won't be here long, and no one will find us." She could tell that while he appreciated the attention and the conversation, he would not be standing down anytime soon. She had to keep going, though. She had left quite a bit of food that she could not fit in the SUV last time she was at this gas station, and she was trying hard to eat more to help the baby. It was probably the reason for the sudden appearance of the baby bump, but it also meant that her supplies went a lot faster.

  The sun was setting as she made it to the gas station, but there was still plenty of time to get what they came for and find a place to park before dark came. Emily went through the same routine as always. She honked the horn three times and waited. After about fifteen minutes, there was still nothing moving. Emily breathed out a sigh of relief and checked to make sure she had her weapons. The hunting knife had become a staple and was attached to her waist. She grabbed the crowbar and sat for a moment, looking at it. It was the same one that her brother had given her the day after the flash. For some reason, she felt like she was invincible with it. Marley nudged her shoulder, ending her trip down memory lane. Emily opened the door and stepped out into the cold air.

  She made her way to the gas pump, praying that they still worked and had gas. She opened the gas tank and inserted the nozzle. After selecting her grade, she squeezed the handle and heard the sound of the gas filling the tank. She then began to make her way towards the store. She opened the door and allowed Marley to walk in first. She followed and closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it so no one could surprise her. She then slammed her crowbar on a nearby metal shelf a few times and waited. After a few minutes, everything remained quiet, and Marley had sat down. All was safe once again. She quickly set to work grabbing food and water. She had this down to a science at this point, though carrying it all back to the SUV had become increasingly difficult. Instead, she stacked everything by the door and walked back to the SUV. The gas pump was done, and she returned it to its proper place. She then jumped back in the SUV and backed it up to the door where Marley was waiting. Soon they were resupplied and back on the road.

  A few miles down the road was a car dealership. The cars were all just as dirty as hers, and there were a lot of them. It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight. She found a spot to park where there were vehicles on either side of her and backed in. It was time for the nightly routine yet again. She and Marley both ate and drank, and then it was outside to take care of personal business. Marly made sure that he could see Emily at all times. Emily spotted an RV on the lot and could not help herself. She waited until Marley had finished and made her way to the RV. She carefully opened the door and made her way inside. It felt strange being in something with an actual bed, but here she was. Despite the small kitchen, bedroom towards the back, and even living room set, Emily was interested in only one thing. She opened a small door and saw that the toilet was still there—the restrooms where she stopped proved to become more dangerous than doing her business outside.

  "Watch the door," she said to Marley as she stepped inside and sat on the toilet. For the first time in a while, she felt like an average person. People always say that you don't know what you have until it's gone. For Emily, this included small comforts such as a toilet. She finished and stepped back out of the little door and looked around. This place could have been a perfect home, it was like a mansion compared to the SUV, but it was not defensible, would do worse on gas, and would not be able to go on some of the roads she traveled looking for a home. Emily felt her eyes grow warm with tears and forced herself to shake them off.

  She did not have time to cry over a loss of comfort. She had only a few months left to find a place to have her baby, which was not going to help. She patted her leg, signaling for Marley to follow, and headed out of the RV. Once outside, she shut the door behind her and began to walk back to their SUV. However, Marley suddenly stopped and began to let out a low growl. Emily froze and gripped her crowbar, ready to swing at anything that moved. The sun was completely down at this point, and the shadows surrounded them. This would have allowed anything or anyone to hide. Emily's eyes still searched, and she watched Marley. If he ran, so would she, he had only done this once before, and she was going to follow his lead this time.

  "Well, now, the pretty little bitch has gone and gotten fat." Emily knew that voice and turned towards the front of the RV just as Jeff stepped out. "Well, I guess someone got to my prize before me.
No matter, a boy will mean another for our group and a girl, well the boys will have something to look forward to, won't they." The smile that sneered across his face reminded Emily of the Grinch on the old Christmas cartoons. Marley lowered his head and positioned himself between Emily and Jeff. The growl he was releasing even scared Emily, but Jeff remained calm. "You'll be happy to know that your aim was not perfect," Jeff patted his crotch," Everything is working as it should below."

  "You son of a bitch," Emily growled herself, "I wish I would have killed you! A mistake I will gladly fix if you don't leave me the fuck alone."

  "Spirited, I love how spirited you are. I have not given up on you, love. I have been looking for you since you left." His voice had become so calm it was unnerving. It sounded like he had just stepped out of a hippy van in a cloud of smoke in the sixties. Then when it happened, it was all so fast that Emily didn't have time to think. Marley let out a bark and lunged at Jeff, who barely managed to get out of the way. Emily took off at a dead run towards the SUV, and soon Marley was running beside her. She reached the door and opened it just as Marley bounded inside. She then felt a hand grab her hair and pull sharply. She couldn't see who or what it was, and she didn't care. Emily swung the crowbar over her head and felt it connect with something solid behind her. A man cried out in pain, but he released her. She jumped in the SUV, slamming the door shut and locking them. She turned the key in the engine and heard it roar to life.