by Poe, S. B.
Josh turned and pressed the button. The garage door whirred to life one last time. The panels of the door climbed the track and settled above the jeep. The open door ushered in a blast of cold air and the moonlight spilled through. Martin stepped out into the driveway.
“SNOW!!!” Ham squealed.
“Sorry honey. It’s ice. Mostly.” He walked down the driveway a little but it didn’t seem frozen over.
Josh walked over to the truck and reached inside to crank it up. It came to life. Jahda had already started the jeep.
“Let’s go.” Josh said as he and Lori slid into the truck.
Martin and Ham climbed into the back seat and Devin took shotgun. Jahda closed the driver’s door. She flashed her lights at Josh and pulled out of the driveway. She looked in the rearview mirror at the open garage door and the bay window. She lowered her eyes and looked at Ham. She smiled.
The headlights of the truck swept across the cul-de-sac as Josh pointed the nose up the hill. He hesitated only briefly. He was old enough to remember where they lived before here and remembers when they moved in. The boxes and boxes they had to empty and put away. The bonfire his father had to get rid of the boxes. He looked in the rearview mirror at the house, illuminated in the red glow of the taillights, as it slowly crept away from him. The steady beat of the windshield wipers fighting against the thin sheen of ice on the glass brought his eyes forward again. They climbed the hill and set off towards the intersection at the entrance to the neighborhood.
Evelyn came out of the kitchen just as the water began to boil in the percolator. The sky was still spewing ice from time to time and the temperature had gotten increasingly colder. Most everyone had gone to bed last night after the discussion with Bridger but Evelyn suspected most were like her and unable to sleep for long. She replayed what Bridger had said while she stoked the coals from last nights fire in the stove. As soon as she poured the black liquid into her cup she heard the door open behind her. She turned.
“Morning Kate.” She said.
“Good morning Evelyn.” She said as she stamped her feet and drug herself over and sat down at the table by the bar.
“Coffee?” Evelyn asked.
“Sure.”
Evelyn took the cup she had just poured and sat it down in front of Kate. She retrieved another cup from the back of the bar and poured it for herself. She sat down.
“Sleep well?”
Kate just shrugged and pulled the cup to her lips. She paused.
“Did you?”
“Not really.” Evelyn admitted.
“Do you think it’s really possible?” Kate said.
“I don’t know. But I’ll say this, Bridger does.” Evelyn said.
“Evelyn, I love Bridger, I’ve known him a long time. He and JW went back a long way. He knew things about my husband that I will never know. I trust him. But just because he believes it, it doesn’t make it so.” Kate said.
“No it doesn’t but it could still be true.” Evelyn said. “You know what I find funny?”
“What’s that?”
“I find it funny that we, me included, have all managed to wrap our minds around the fact that when people die they don’t stay dead. We accept that. And yet we are complete skeptics to the possibility that someone could be immune.” Evelyn said.
“Well it’s kind of easy to accept when you watch it happen. We have all seen people come back so we believe.” Kate said.
“And how many more days does Charlie have to stay alive before we believe?” Evelyn asked.
“I don’t know.” Kate said and brought the cup to her lips as she turned her gaze to window and the graying sky.
The door swung open again and Scott walked inside and sat at the bar followed shortly by Ed. Within a few minutes Dottie also arrived. She sat at the table with Evelyn and Kate. Finally Dottie spoke up.
“I listened to y’all last night. I heard what that Bridger fella said. I prayed on it.”
“Yeah, what did God have to say about it?” Ed asked. Dottie shot him a glance but continued.
“I believe if Jesus could bring Lazarus back from all the way dead, keeping old Charlie alive should be a piece of cake.” She concluded.
“He couldn’t keep my Dad alive.” Scott said under his breath as he sat at the bar. He glanced around but nobody heard him.
The door swung open again and Raj stepped inside with Tilly behind him. She reached up and pulled the hood down on her coat and stomped her feet. Raj pulled his knit cap off his head. They walked over to the table and sat down.
“Well?” Evelyn said.
“Well what?” Tilly asked.
“Bridger told us what you said about Charlie.” Kate said.
“Oh. Ok. What did he tell you?” Raj asked.
“That you think Charlie is immune.” Ed said.
“Possibly. Maybe a little more than possibly. Likely.” Raj said.
“Why?” Evelyn asked.
“Why what?”
“Why do you think it’s likely?” Evelyn asked.
“Well several things but the most obvious is that he is still alive.” Raj said.
“But you don’t know for sure.” Dottie said.
“I know for sure that it has been almost three days since he was bitten. But no I don’t know for sure that he is immune. I don’t think we could ever know for sure. Him being alive is a pretty good indicator though.” Raj said.
Bridger looked down from the brightening sky he had been viewing from the window in the corner of the room. Jennifer slept on the cot with her sleeping bag pulled over her head. Charlie lay on the floor with several blankets under him and over him. The night air was frigid and they both wore several layers of clothes while they slept. Bridger sat under a blanket on the chair with his rifle resting against the wall beside him. He steadily but quietly stamped his feet inside his boots to keep his toes warm. The knit cap was pulled low over his ears and the collar of his jacket was up around his mouth. Only his eyes and nose were visible and each breath billowed from under his collar like a smoke stack. He stood and looked out the window again. He could see a faint glow from behind the windows in the saloon. He could imagine the warmth of the stove. Just the thought made his temperature rise slightly. He turned back to the inside of the room and looked at his roommates. They were sleeping comfortably enough for now. He knelt down next to Charlie. He could hear him snoring softly.
“Fuck it.” He said to himself.
He stood and walked to the door. As he swung it open he could see the first light starting to break through the trees. The ground was white. He stepped out and his boots crunched beneath him. It felt like ice but there were a couple of inches of snow on top of it. He turned and walked towards the saloon. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he steered his car down the street to JW’s house. They had acted and reacted and the entire time they had managed to stay half a step ahead of death. But they had been losing almost every step of the way. Even when they got lucky it came with a cost. And not once in the entire hell that had become their life had they had one moment that felt like they were doing anything other than marking time until death arrived. He knew death would come for them all but maybe not for Charlie, at least not today. He smiled a little.
They all turned as the door opened. Bridger ducked his head as he came inside and when he turned all eyes fell on him. Again he thought about what Jennifer said last night and again the smile crept across his face. He tried to stop it but it was just too damn funny. He stepped forward.
“Where are Charlie and Jennifer?” Evelyn asked.
“Sleeping.” Bridger said.
“And you left them?”
“Just to get a cup of coffee.” Bridger said and walked over to the stove.
“So you think Raj is right?” Kate asked.
“Huh?”
“You think Raj is right. You think Charlie is immune.”
“What makes you say that Kate?” Evelyn asked.
“Because she knows I w
ouldn’t leave them alone for a second if I thought he wasn’t.” Bridger conceded.
For a brief moment everyone took a breath and let the words wash over them. The moment was broken as Jennifer’s scream pierced the morning sky. Bridger turned but felt his stomach sinking as he did. As a result Tilly made it out the door first but she paused on the porch of the saloon. Bridger came after her and almost knocked her down. He paused too. The others piled outside as Jennifer ran around the other side of the hut. As they watched Charlie emerged on the side opposite her. As he did he became aware of the crowd watching from the porch. He stopped and turned to face them. As he raised his hand a snowball hit him square in the side of the head.
“Now we’re even.” Jennifer said as she emerged from the other side of the shack.
She turned to look where Charlie was staring. She waved at them. They all waved back.
9
Seventy Miles or so
They stopped as they came to the bridge by the elementary school. Jahda pulled the jeep alongside the truck and Martin rolled down his window.
“Let me check.” Martin said as he opened the door.
Josh hadn’t thought about it. Martin had lived in the south his whole life. He knew about the occasional black ice and the once in a lifetime events that cripple the area occasionally. This wasn’t that bad. But it was cold enough for the bridge to maybe freeze. And if you have ever slid sideways across a frozen bridge, especially one over water, you tend to be more cautious.
He stepped to the front of the jeep and took a few steps out onto the bridge. The roadway felt normal. He took a few more steps and waved for Jahda to pull up. She did. He climbed back in the jeep.
“Nice and slow.” Martin said. He got on the walkie.
“Josh. It feels fine but go slow. Just follow us and when we get on the other side you can pull around.” He said.
“Sounds good.”
They crept across the bridge. Lori looked over the side at the river below. The water looked almost black. The wind formed whitecaps in spots as it swept across the surface. The wind bounced the overhanging branches in and out of the water like a zealots baptism. She could see shapes against the shore. It took her a minute to see them for what they were. Bodies. She didn’t look away.
Jahda steered the jeep around the last vehicle on the bridge and they slowed down so Josh could pass by. Martin rolled down his window again.
“Let’s make sure we get there. No reason to drive crazy. Especially in this weather.” Martin said. “So how far from here?”
“About seventy miles or so. It shouldn’t take too long. Even in this weather.” Josh said.
He pulled the truck around and started down the road. As they crept northward the temperature crept lower. The slightly decreasing latitude also signaled an increase in moisture. At first the snow looked wind blown and was sporadic. The farther they traveled the more often it came and the heavier it got. The headlights failed to cast a glow much more than a few yards ahead. As the sun crept upward behind the clouds they were able to go a little faster but not much. He saw the County Line Gas station ahead through the almost steady snow. It had closed a few years ago after the owner got shot in a robbery. Josh knew it meant they were almost to the lake and the lake marked the halfway point to where they were going. Everything looked white. The clouds covered the sky and the snow covered the road. They were moving slowly but steadily. Josh straightened up a little in the seat and realized he had been hunched over the steering wheel the whole time. His back creaked and he flexed his fingers. He relaxed just a little.
Suddenly he felt the road disappear. What a moment ago felt like asphalt under the vehicle instantly felt like glass. The nose of the truck started to drift to the right and he put his foot on the brake. The simultaneous move of braking and turning the wheel had a violent effect. The truck whiplashed around and slammed hard against something. It came up on two wheels and rammed back down, stopping completely. From behind Jahda had seen the taillights of the truck suddenly whip sideways. She slammed on the brakes and stopped the jeep. They watched as the truck spun and hit against the concrete guardrail and stopped.
“Are you okay?” Josh asked.
“Yeah. That sucked. What happened?” Lori asked.
“Yeah this one is on me.” He said. He reached over and grabbed the walkie.
Martin stood beside the sign that read ‘Lake Spring Bridge’ with the walkie in his hand. He heard Josh’s voice through the speaker.
“We’re ok. I forgot about this one.” Josh said.
Josh opened the door. Lori tried to open hers but it was up against the guardrail. She slid over to Josh’s side. She stepped down out of the truck and slipped. Josh tried to grab her and they lost their footing. They landed in a heap. They both laughed. They were about twenty yards down the bridge over the lake.
“How’s the truck?” Josh heard Martin say on the walkie.
He looked back the way they had come and saw them standing through the fog that had grown thicker as they had approached the lake.
“It’s still running. But I don’t know if I can move it off the bridge. It’s pretty much ice.” Josh said. “Hold on”
Lori and Josh climbed back in the truck. He gave it some gas and heard the wheels spinning. He hit the four-wheel drive button. He heard additional wheels spinning when he gave it some gas but they still didn’t move.
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s moving.” Josh said into the walkie.
Martin grimaced a little.
“Ok. Sit tight.” Martin said. He turned to Jahda. “Any suggestions?”
“We can try to pull him off with some rope.” She said.
“Yeah, I don’t think we have that much rope. He’s a pretty good ways down the bridge.”
“Where’s the rope?” Jahda asked.
“On the truck.” Martin said.
“Ok. Wait here.” Jahda said and she climbed out of the jeep.
“Wait, where are you going?” Martin asked.
“I’m going to get them off the bridge.” Jahda said smiling.
She reached back into the jeep and grabbed the floor mat from her side.
“Can you hand me that?” She said pointing at Devin’s side. He handed the floor mat from under his feet.
They watched as she took the floor mats and threw one down on the ice, stepped on it. Set the next one down stepped on it. Retrieved the first one and placed it in front of the one she was standing on. They watched as she repeated the process all the to the truck. Josh watched her coming.
“Tell him to get the rope.” He heard Martin say over the walkie in Lori’s hand.
He reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out the rope they had found hanging in one of the garages. It was a little heavier than clothesline but not much. And they didn’t have much. Jahda arrived as he pulled it out.
“Great. Let’s cut it in half.” She said.
“That’s not going to make it twice as long.” Josh said. Jahda looked at him and raised one eyebrow.
“No shit Sherlock. Watch.” She said.
She took the rope and cut it roughly in half. She took one length of the rope and handed it to Josh. She knelt down by the rear tire. She looped one end of the rope through the wheel opening and back around the tire. She repeated that several times moving to the next opening in the wheel after about three passes. Josh caught on to what she was doing and started to make his way around to the other side.
“No.” She said. “Do the front. It’s four wheel drive right? You’ll want to have a little steering too.”
He hadn’t thought of that. Besides he was pretty sure he couldn’t have gotten to the other side, it was up against the guardrail. It took them about ten minutes to finish looping the rope around the tires.
“Alright. Let’s see if this works.” Jahda said. Josh climbed into the drivers seat and Jahda climbed into the bed of the truck.
He eased it into reverse and gently pressed the gas. He could feel the
wheels starting to slip but with each slip the rope got just a little bit of traction.
“A little more gas.” Jahda said from behind him.
He touched the pedal. The wheels started spinning faster but the traction increased enough that the truck started to move. He let off the gas.
“No, you’ll need to just stay on it. Keep the wheels spinning.” She said.
“You wanna do it.” Josh said.
“You want me too?” Jahda said right back.
“Nah, I got it.” He said.
He pressed the pedal again and got the truck moving. It felt strange to have just enough traction to barely move while hearing the engine go several thousand RPM’s above normal. It reminded Josh of being in a flat bottom aluminum boat during a heavy wind. They were just along for the ride. He could steer just enough to keep from turning sideways but not from running into the guardrail three more times as they bounced back towards the jeep. Finally the rear tires made contact with the part of the bridge that had earth and not air under it.
“Yay” Ham said from the back seat as the truck cleared the bridge.
“Nice” Devin said.
Martin walked over to the truck and looked at the roped looped around the tires. He shook his head.
“Where’d you learn that?” Martin said.
“My grandfather. It’s a long story and it’s too cold to stand here and tell it right now.” Jahda said.
“Well we’re not getting across that bridge. At least not right now.” Martin said.
“You think the weather will be better tomorrow?” Lori asked.
“It’s still Alabama, the weather might get better today. I don’t remember too many times bridges stayed iced over for long. Sky just needs to clear up, sun come out for a bit and we’ll be on our way.”
“In the meantime?” Lori asked.
“We could go back to the county line. That store back there closed before all this happened. It should be ok.” Josh said.
“Let’s go.” Martin said.
A few minutes later they pulled on either side of the defunct gas island. Some of the rope had worn through during the short ride back and was making a steady thump thump against the side when they stopped. Josh climbed out of the truck and cut the rope free.