by Poe, S. B.
Ham’s eyes lit up. They sat down at the kitchen table. Ham devoured hers in two bites. Lori took a bite of hers. She had never been a fan but after a few months of whatever they could scrape out of a can, the sugary softness of processed preservatives tasted divine. She smiled as she leaned back in the chair. For a moment the reality of life faded away. The soft candle glow illuminated Martin and Ham’s faces. She could see the old man in the little girls eyes. She thought about how her mother always told her she had her father’s eyes. A single tear unconsciously rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away and took another bite. The world was not going to rob her of this tiny little moment of joy. Things happened for a reason. Out of all this misery she had found new friends. Real friends. They didn’t have to help her but they did. She smiled. She took the last bite.
A short time later they heard the truck slowly pulling into the driveway. Martin looked out of the window and Lori went to the front door. She opened it as they came onto the porch. Devin and Jahda walked in first followed by Josh. He paused when he got to her. She smiled up at him and kissed him briefly on the lips. He smiled back. As they walked through the door Josh turned and looked back out at the cul-de-sac. The wind had turned hard out of the north and came in sharp gusts. Above the street, Josh saw broken limbs hanging from long neglected power lines. As Josh bundled his shoulders up against his neck and turned to go inside the house, the first drops of rain started to fall. The temperature started falling with it.
7
Cold as the Dead
Bridger sat up on his cot. He looked through the window and figured he had been asleep about two hours. He cleared his throat. It took the apocalypse to finally quit smoking but he sure missed that wake up stick. He stood and slung the rifle over his shoulder. It never left his side now. He remembered days long past when the wind whipped as it did now except it carried heat and sand instead of cold and rain. The desert nights introduced him to scorpions and dung beetles. He and JW used to catch them and have bug battles. Most of the time they just crawled around each other but sometimes they would fight. It was something to do. Boredom dulls. It was a lesson JW taught him without knowing it. JW had always kept the guys busy so they didn’t have a lot of time to worry about things out of their control. Like girlfriends and wives back home. Whatever happened there had to wait. And worrying about something you couldn’t control was the hallmark of boredom. It had been just one of many things JW taught him.
He opened the door and looked around at the other shacks. Huts, he reminded himself. His mind turned to Charlie. Neither Raj nor Tilly had come to wake him so he assumed they hadn’t needed him yet. Or they took care of Charlie themselves. He doubted that. He knew he would be the one. He had been the one for JW and he had offered, less than tactfully, to be the one for all of them. He thought about those last few minutes with JW. The wind came in a heavy gust and peppered him with tiny pinpricks of water. Sleet. He knew that sometime soon he would have to take his knife and drive it into the base of Charlie’s skull. He can still see the pain in Kate’s face every time he looks at her. All he can see around him is pain now. Pain and terror. As he walks out into the now frozen track he wonders if that’s all that’s left. JW didn’t teach him the answer to that.
“Did you have a good nap?” Evelyn asked as he approached the saloon, snapping him out of his thoughts.
She was standing just inside the door. As he began to answer the sky opened up and heavy sleet started to fall. He trotted to the open door and she stepped back to let him in. The heat from the stove hit him in the face as he crossed the threshold.
“I should have slept in here. It’s getting cold as shit out there.” Bridger said as he stamped his boots on the floor.
As his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room he saw Kate and Dottie sitting at one table with Scott and Ed sitting together at the bar. Kate stood and walked over to Bridger.
“Have you been back to see him?” Kate asked.
“No. I haven’t. I was on my way over now. Has Raj or Tilly said anything?” Bridger asked.
“Well, Tilly came in here about a half an hour ago.” Kate said.
“What did she say?” Bridger asked.
“She grabbed an MRE and said Charlie was hungry.”
“Hungry? Charlie? Are you sure?” Bridger asked as he knitted his eyebrows together.
“That’s what she said. What’s going on Bridger? Is Charlie bit or not?” Kate asked a little more passionately.
“He’s bit. And he was bit by a deadun. An infected. I checked.” Bridger said.
“I saw it too.” Evelyn added.
“Then how can he be hungry? Something’s wrong.” Kate said.
“Wrong? He’s still alive. What’s wrong with that?” Bridger asked.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that JW went…” She stopped. She could feel the lump rising in her throat. Her mind was whirling.
“I know. But I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ll go check on him now and let you know if something changes.” Bridger said.
“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” Kate blurted out.
“It’s ok.” Evelyn said. The two of them went back to the table to sit with Dottie.
Bridger turned and walked out the door. He was anxious to see if Charlie was actually hungry. He was sure that they had misunderstood. Tilly had most likely grabbed the MRE for Jennifer and was just kidding in her own little smart assed way. Bridger thought to himself that he should say something to her but winced at the thought of her retort. He decided to just leave it alone.
He knocked on the door. He turned to look back at the sleet falling now and thought he saw a flake or two of snow. The door opened behind him and he turned. His eyes met Jennifer’s.
“I’ll go get a couple of water bottles Dad.” She was laughing off a joke as she opened the door. “I’ll be right back.” She smiled at Bridger as she stepped out. Bridger smiled back and stepped inside. Tilly was seated in the corner under the window. She had some book she found flopped open and appeared deep in concentration. Raj was seated in the chair next to the bed. Bridger’s eyes fell on Charlie. He was on the bed, sitting up and eating.
“How you feeling Charlie?” Bridger asked.
Charlie just shrugged his shoulders. Raj turned and looked at Bridger and smiled. He had the look of a doctor encountering something totally new. A horrified yet fascinated look of intrigue.
“I guess I feel fine. Considering.” Charlie said. Then he turned to Raj. “What do you say Raj? How am I feeling?”
“Well, your temperature seems slightly elevated but other than that you seem fine.” Raj said as though he couldn’t believe his own words.
“There ya go.” Charlie said.
Bridger tried to mask his confusion but failed. Tilly raised her eyes from the book she wasn’t really reading and noticed the look of uncertainty that crossed his brow.
“That’s great.” Bridger said.
He could hear the same skepticism in his own voice that he heard in Kate’s just a few minutes earlier.
“I can’t really explain it.” Raj said finally. “But it is possible…” He paused.
“What’s possible Raj?” Bridger slowly asked.
Raj looked around uncertain. Since he had come into Charlie’s room a few hours ago he had been having one nagging idea. He hadn’t allowed himself to form it into a complete thought much less words. He looked at Charlie and the words came anyway.
“Listen. I know this may seem crazy.” Raj started. “And let me say before I start, infectious diseases were definitely not my forte in medical school but I did have to study them. If this thing that has happened, these walking dead, if it is an infectious disease it would make sense.”
“What would make sense?” Tilly chimed in.
“Charlie. Charlie would make sense.” Raj said.
“How so?” Bridger asked.
“Yeah, how so?” Charlie asked. Everyone looked at him. “I’m right here g
uys, I am kind of interested in how this story goes.” They smiled.
“I learned about a place called Yambuku. In the seventies it had people survive long before they knew what they were even dealing with. They survived because they just did. For some unknown reason they were immune and we still don’t know why.” Raj said.
“Immune to what?” Bridger asked.
“Ebola.” Raj said.
Bridger didn’t know the history of Ebola. He didn’t want to know it. Enough time spent in West Africa doing various things for God and country had given him a healthy fear of the tiniest of microbes and Ebola was the most vicious of all the vicious fuckers crawling around that shithole.
“They still don’t know why. It didn’t appear genetic because parents were immune but children weren’t. They all drank the same water and ate the same food. It was as though they were just randomly lucky.” Raj continued.
“And you think that applies here? To Charlie?” Bridger finally asked. “You think Charlie is randomly lucky?”
“I think it may be possible.” Raj said.
“Ok. Back up. You think it may be possible that he is what? Immune? From Marionette?” Tilly said, standing as she spoke.
“I think it’s possible. Let me show you something.” Raj said and he leaned towards Charlie. “Do you mind?” Raj asked Charlie as he reached for the bandage. Charlie let him remove it.
“Look. His wound. It’s actually starting to heal. Some of the bruising is beginning to turn color which indicates healthy blood flow” Raj spoke as though demonstrating to interns during rounds. “The tissue doesn’t appear necrotic and the punctures themselves don’t exhibit any foul odor.”
Bridger stood wide-eyed looking at the wound. As Raj removed the bandage he had expected to see the same gaping maw that enveloped JW’s foot at the end. Instead what he saw looked like it did two days ago. A bite. Nothing more. Charlie looked at him and smiled. At the end, JW looked dead long before he died. Charlie looked alive.
“From what we all saw this isn’t what happens when you get bit.” Raj said. “He hasn’t had any of the other symptoms we’ve seen either.”
“Maybe it just takes longer.” Bridger said, repeating his own words.
“I thought about that and maybe it’s true but I don’t think so in Charlie’s case.” Raj said.
“Why not?” Tilly asked.
“Even if it took longer there would still be some deterioration of his condition. Look at him. He seems to be as healthy as before and the wound is healing.” Raj said as he turned to Charlie.
Bridger stood with his back to the door. His mind was racing at the information he was being given. Instinct kicked in and he started to analyze what he knew. Charlie was bit by a deadun. For sure. He isn’t getting worse. Maybe. His thoughts were interrupted by Charlie’s voice.
“Listen folks. I really like what Raj is saying and it would be really great news, for me especially, but let’s get serious for a minute. I got bit. I ain’t dead yet and maybe I won’t die but are you willing to take that chance? I’m not. I like spending time with my daughter but I wouldn’t do it without one of you here to make sure, if something happens, that my daughter would be safe. So let’s not get stupid.” Charlie said.
Tilly sat back down in the chair by the window. The gray sky darkened as the sun slid below the milky curtain of clouds that had hidden it most of the day. Raj helped reapply the bandage covering Charlie’s wound.
“Ok. Nothing changes for now.” Bridger said. “I am going to get something to eat and then I will be back.”
He stood and pulled his coat back on. As he slung the rifle over his shoulder the door opened and Jennifer walked back inside. The others looked at her. She noticed their faces.
“What? Do I have a booger or something?” Jennifer said, wiping the tip of her nose.
Bridger walked out the door to the sound of laughter and closed it behind him. He made his way back over to the saloon and walked inside, greeted by the warmth of the stove and the attention of the room. He could feel all the eyes fall upon him and it took all of his strength to not repeat Jennifer’s comment. A smile crossed his lips at the thought. He walked over to the stove and grabbed the percolator. He poured a cup and sat down at the larger table with Kate, Evelyn and Dottie. Ed and Scott turned around at the bar.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Bridger started.
“Jennifer just told us she thought he was doing better. Is she right?” Kate asked.
“She is. He is. Doing better.” Bridger said. “And that’s not just me. Raj says that medically he looks like he is getting better. Or at least not getting worse.”
“How?” Scott asked.
“Like I said, I don’t know what to tell you. Raj says he thinks that maybe Charlie is immune. Maybe he is.” Bridger said. “I don’t know. All I know is what I saw. He looks ok.”
“So now what?” Evelyn asked.
“Charlie said we shouldn’t take any chances. We keep him under guard for now.” Bridger said.
“I’m sorry. Did you just say he was immune?” Kate said.
“I said it was possible.”
“Is it?” Kate asked.
She looked around the room. No one answered.
8
Fly away little bird
Martin sat at the kitchen table. The moon slowly wedged a single beam between the boards covering the window over his right shoulder. It raced across the room faster than he could ever hope to see and trapped millions of tiny flecks of dust in its grasp only to let them slowly slip away. He registered their slow descent and waited. He heard the distinct creek of the floorboard. He had expected Josh to round the corner from the hallway. Instead he saw Lori. She smiled at him as he hovered over the candle on the table.
“I couldn’t sleep. It’s weird. I think I am actually a little excited about leaving.” She said as she grabbed a water bottle and sat down at the table with him.
He stood and grabbed a spoon from the drawer and slid the jar of peanut butter over to her. She dipped the spoon.
“Excited?” Martin asked.
“Yeah. Like I said it’s weird. Since this whole thing started I have been scared all the time. I was scared since before Josh and his family got us out and I have been scared ever since.” She said.
“And now.”
“Oh I’m still scared. But the last few days with Josh and with all of you has been different. Finding my parents was bad.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Martin said.
“It’s ok. I’m ok. But everything else has been crazy. A good crazy. We fought back. We figured things out. It was…”
“Crazy?”
“It made me not as scared.” She said. “And that’s why I am kind of excited.”
Martin leaned back in the chair and smiled. The moonbeam winked out as it fell behind the clouds again.
“You know, I am kind of excited too. We have been going for a long time.” He leaned forward in the chair again and folded his hands together on the table. “Ever since the whole thing fell apart out on the interstate we’ve just been running. A wide spot in the road here, an abandoned convenience store there, just places we end up, not anywhere we were going.”
“Is that how you ended up here?” She asked.
“It was. We had had a hard day or two and just wandered this way. We just kind of headed west after Atlanta and this place was just next on the way.” He said.
“On the way where?”
“That’s just it. We weren’t on the way anywhere. Now we are.” He said.
“And that’s why you’re excited?” She asked.
“That and I always enjoy meeting new folks.” Martin smiled.
The conversation at the kitchen table first drew the attention of Jahda followed shortly after by Ham. They joined Martin and Lori at the table and each spooned out some peanut butter.
“I wish we had some bread.” Ham said as she put the spoon in her mouth. “You think we’ll have
bread again?”
Jahda sat back in the chair and looked at her. Her first instinct was to laugh at the absurdity but a brief moment of realism made her hesitate. She realized the answer wasn’t an absolute.
“I think so. I think we’ll get this figured out. Someone will. I bet there are people out there right now working hard to make sure that we beat this thing. This isn’t the end.” Jahda said.
“Geez, I just asked for some bread.” Ham said giggling.
The others smiled. Jahda laughed. Josh came into the room and sat down next to Lori. Devin rolled over on the couch and sat up.
“I guess we need to get everything ready. It’s almost time to go.” Martin said.
“All the blankets and clothing are in the bed of the truck along with all the other supplies except the food. We put most of it in the back of the jeep. We just need to load up our own gear and we’ll be ready.” Jahda said.
“Well let’s get going.” Devin said standing and clapping his hands.
Within a few minutes they had each gathered their own backpacks together and were busy checking their various weapons. Jahda tied down one machete to her pack and looped another through her belt. She carried a pistol and made sure it was loaded. The others followed suit. Martin tied the quiver for his bat around Ham’s pack and slid her rifle into it. He slipped the bat into the back seat of the jeep.
“Is everything ready?” Martin turned and asked as they all gathered in the garage.
“The truck and jeep both have plenty of gas and we have almost twenty gallons in cans in the truck. We’ve got everything loaded.” Josh said.
“I’ve got one of the walkie’s and Jahda has one so we can stay in touch.” Lori said.
“I’ve got the killer tunes.” Devin said as he strummed his air guitar. They all looked at him. “No seriously, I found some CD’s.” He pulled a disk from his backpack. Ham giggled at him.
“That’s great Devin. Since we have the music covered I think it’s time we get going.” Martin said to the others.