All That's Left | Book 2 | Out In The Open

by Gouge, W. B.

  Later that night, the two groups sat around a small fire they built near a playground and restroom. The orange glow of the fire was muted against the tall stadium lights that towered in the parking area. The clouds hovered low overhead and blocked the stars while a cool, steady wind came from the west. They shared snacks and water and soda and got to know each other a bit. David got a little choked up when he told his story about Henry and Edna, Tom and Angie sat quietly and listened to the tale. Angie asked Liz and Owen about their parents, they explained how their mother had died last year from cancer and how their Dad had died years ago in a car accident. After a long silence Owen asked, “What about you guys? What brought you to Indiana?”

  They both swallowed hard, then Tom sat back in his camping chair and told the tale. They lived just North of Cincinnati where the suburban streets gave way to farms and warehouse distribution areas. He had worked in a warehouse picking orders and placing them on trucks, he didn’t make much money, but it was good work for someone with no college degree. Not many people had shown up to work that day, when he was in the break room for lunch they had seen the news about the riots and the unrest. He forgot about it and went back to work. Once he got home the situation had become much worse on the TV. As the day turned to night the sirens and gunshots outside became closer and more frequent. Angie started to get really scared and ask if they could leave before it was too late. So, they jumped in the car and headed toward Iowa City to her aunt’s house. But when they got on the highway things got bad quickly.

  Tom said they had come across a truck stop where several people had been involved in a shootout. One guy had been shot and was laying in the middle of the filling station. Tom said he had never seen a body before, but then the man started to twitch around and Tom thought he might be able to help. But before he could get there the man jumped up and charged after some people. He attacked a young woman and bit her leg, everyone had panicked so Tom jumped back in the car and took off. Everyone was quiet for several moments before tom spoke again. “We just drove around the back roads after that trying to avoid crowded places until we ran into you guys.”

  Tom went on but David trailed off in thought. Whatever it was, it was everywhere. He looked at the group one by one thinking how he had to make sure that no one else got hurt. David caught up with Tom’s story just at the end. “After everything we have seen, I’m lucky to have my family, I could never forgive myself if anything ever happened to my Angie or one of my boys.”

  As he finished there was a distant gunshot and everyone tensed up. Owen picked up his bat but seemed the most relaxed, “It was across the river.” He said.

  After that they all said good night and climbed into their vehicles for another rough night of sleep. It had begun to rain and the sound it made on the roof was comforting and familiar. But David was restless, too much had happened recently. He found himself replaying the events of late in his mind again.

  Some strange new infection was sweeping the country that caused people to go crazy and apparently try to eat each other. His childhood home had been burnt to the ground and he had nowhere to go, so he was on the run with his friends to a safe zone somewhere in Kentucky. The last part left him feeling defeated, his grandma and grandpa were dead. He sighed and tried to look out the window but it was covered in condensation. The heat of their breath combined with the cool moist air outside had fogged them over, all he could see was sparkling droplets of water backlit by the pale blue lights throughout the park.

  He tried to relax and drift off to sleep but it was so uncomfortable in the truck. Liz stirred next to him, “David, are you awake?” she whispered.

  “Yeah.” He whispered back.

  “Me too, what do you think the army base will be like?” She asked him.

  David imagined a tent city like he had seen in military movies with rows and rows of tents lined up and surrounded by a large fence with guard towers. It didn’t feel very inviting he thought. He didn’t want to upset Liz though, “I’m not sure, hopefully it won’t be too bad.”

  “I’ve actually never been that far from home before.” She said.

  David noticed that she sounded a little excited and again he found himself admiring her optimism.

  She asked him, “Where you scared when you were away at school?”

  David thought about it, he wasn’t scared. He was more alone than anything. “No, I wasn’t scared.”

  David thought about his time at school. It was a cold and lonely time for him. Somehow it seemed like so long ago but it had only been a few days since he had left there. As he thought about it he was startled by a shadow on the windshield. David and Liz froze in their seats and stared at the shadowy figure that slowly leaned back and forth, the hazy edges of the dark shape became clearer as whoever it was drew closer to the truck.

  David slowly reached down and placed his hand on the rifle in the floorboard and was careful to be quiet. They couldn’t see outside the window, and they weren’t sure if anyone out there could see in. David slowly raised the rifle and tried to maneuver it in the truck but it was impossible to point the long barrel with the window right next to him.

  David and Liz froze as the figure reached the passenger side door and stopped. It swayed back and forth, David was sure it was one of the infected, he had seen enough by now to recognize that drunken swagger. He could make out its silhouette on the window, then it pressed its face against the glass revealing a mangled nose and lips surrounding broken, discolored teeth. It sniffed the glass and slid its face toward the door handle leaving a smeared red and brown streak along the window. It smelled the air again and David knew what it was doing, he had seen it before. Behind the pharmacy back in Dry Creek one of the infected smelled David and Gregg even before it saw them, now this one was trying to sniff them out.

  As the seconds dragged by David thought he would have to fire through the glass and just hope that he hit the damn thing, that’s when he heard the muffled sound of a car door open. The creature turned away from the window and David and Liz heard that terrible, inhuman scream. Owen and Sarah were jolted awake, “What’s happening?” Owen demanded as he pulled up his bat.

  “Infected outside!” David yelled.

  “Shit!” Owen yelled and started the truck.

  “No! We have to help Tom and Angie!” David yelled already opening his door.

  “No! We don’t! Let’s just go!” Owen shouted.

  But David had already opened his door and as the truck began to move forward David was thrown to the ground. A chorus of hungry growls and screeches filled the cool, wet night air. David suddenly realized the danger he was in and he scrambled to his feet. He grabbed his rifle in the wet grass and tried to get his bearings in the dark. He could make out Tom’s car, the rear driver’s side door was open. Behind the door he could see movement and heard a strangled scream for help. David rushed over to find Will struggling with the infected that had been sniffing at the truck.

  The monster had clenched its teeth down onto Will’s forearm and then ripped the flesh away. David watched as the strings of flesh pulled tight and snapped while blood spurted out of the wound. He quickly lifted the rifle over his head and brought it down on the thing’s skull with a loud crack that sent it down onto Will’s body. It groaned as if stunned as Will struggled to get out from under it and as soon as Will was clear David finished the job of smashing its skull to bits. David spun around to meet the fast footsteps and growl of another infected. He raised the rifle to block it and it slammed him against the car reaching for him. David caught Owen out of the corner of his eye, bat raised in the air, he smashed the back of its skull and it dropped to the ground. Another one rounded the corner of the truck but this one was slower, Owen turned and smashed its bloody face and then finished it as it tried to get up from the ground.

  Tom came running from the public restroom building yelling, “What happened?”

  David wiped the butt of his rifle on the wet grass to clean off the chunky g
ore and slimy black matter from the infected. He looked down at Will who was crying and holding his arm as he leaned against the wheel of the car. Tom and Angie knelt next to him checking his arm as he cried. David couldn’t believe it, he swore they wouldn’t lose anyone else and now this. He silently scolded himself and was angry with Owen for holding up the possible rescue.

  Five

  David stared at Owen who refused to make eye contact at this point Liz and Sarah had climbed out of the truck, Sarah pushed through everyone and tried to help control the bleeding. Angie sobbed and held Will, Tom stood and looked inconsolable. He kicked the corpse over and over, his fear turned to rage as he stomped the thing. Then he turned his gaze to David and the group, “Where were YOU? How did this happen?” he demanded and gripped the shotgun tightly in his hands.

  David was surprised Tom was blaming them and scared of what he might do next. He kept both hands on his rifle not quite sure how this was going to play out. Tom was clearly out of control with rage, and he had every right to be. His son had just been sentenced to a slow and horrible death by infection. And though David felt terrible for Will, and Tom, he wasn’t going to let him hurt his friends.

  Tom demanded to know what had happened a second time, Owen answered, “We were asleep in the truck. This isn’t our fault.”

  But this only made Tom even more angry, “You saying this is my fault?” he demanded and raised the shotgun and pointed it at Owen’s face.

  David instinctively raised his rifle and pointed it at Tom. Liz jumped back and Sarah and the others helping Owen paused to watch the conflict. David aimed at Tom’s chest and breathed deeply as the seconds ticked by. David didn’t want to kill Tom, it was bad enough to kill one of the infected. That’s when Will spoke up through tears, “I was going to the bathroom, I didn’t see anything until I got out. I tried to close my door, but it pulled it open.”

  Tom’s face turned to a look of anguish. He slowly lowered the shotgun, but David kept his rifle aimed at Tom. “This won’t help your son,” David said, “You have to get him to a real doctor.”

  Tom’s demeanor changed back to rage, he seemed to be completely out of control of himself at this point. He shouted and cursed as he proceeded, “Get him in the car NOW! We have to get him to Fort Union tonight!”

  Angie began to help Will up when Tom stormed over to her, pushed her aside and grabbed Will by his good arm, “Get in there! NOW!” he screamed at Will and shoved him into the car.

  Angie was crying all the while, after Tom pushed Will into the car he demanded that she get in as well which she did immediately. David told the others to get ready to head out, that’s when Tom snapped back at him, “No! You aren’t coming with us. Find your own damn way!” he yelled.

  Then Tom got into the car and punched the gas throwing mud and bits of rock out behind the car as he steered it back to the road and disappeared into the night. Liz looked worried, Owen waved the car off and Sarah went to wash the blood from her hands. David felt the adrenaline run out of his system and suddenly was very tired. He nearly had to shoot someone just then, he didn’t like that feeling and hoped he would never have to face it again. He wasn’t happy that they would have to make new plans to reach Fort Union, but he also was happy that no one was hurt and that now it was just him and the group he trusted with his life. David and the others climbed back into the truck without saying much. But none of them got much sleep that night.

  The next morning the sun shined over some wooded hills behind the truck. The cool rain had stopped several hours ago and the skies were clear. The warm sun began to heat the already muggy cabin of the truck and stirred the inhabitants from their restless dreams. David was the first to wake, he stretched and groaned. His aching back did not fit the seat very well.

  The group took turns going to the restrooms and washing up. David entered the bathroom. He checked the stalls and found them empty then walked over to the sink and splashed water on his face. He sipped some water out of the sink and stared in the mirror for a few seconds. This restroom was oddly familiar he thought. It seemed just like the one at the bus station back at school. David was slipped into the restroom there and swallowed a whole box of the cold medicine before climbing on the bus to Dry Creek. His hands began to shake again, he wanted to go and get the pills. The urge was much stronger than before now. He had to fight hard to resist. He began to sweat and looked away from the mirror unable to face himself. That’s when he noticed the bugs on the floor. He wasn’t positive, but they seemed like beetles. Three live beetles surrounded a forth dead beetle and were eating from the body. David had a bad taste in his mouth and felt like he would vomit. He finished washing his face and headed outside to meet the others.

  Everyone sat at one of the picnic tables and shared candy bars and chips, they drank plenty of water and soda as they prepared themselves for the long drive ahead. They decided to continue toward Fort Union, David had marked its location on his map of Kentucky with Tom yesterday before they had gone to sleep. It was a while away in central Kentucky several hours away from their current position and with any luck they might arrive there by nightfall.

  As he opened a bag of chips he wondered how they were doing. After his grandmother had been bitten she turned in less than a day. He hoped they were ok, and that they had made it to Fort Union. He glanced around the table as they quietly ate wondering how he was going to get them there safely. “If we stick to the back roads and avoid people as much as possible we should be ok.” He told himself.

  They all piled into the truck to begin their journey. Owen started the truck’s engine and it roared to life, then he held up his arm and flexed his bicep while grinning. Sarah avoiding eye contact with him and Liz rolled her eyes, then turned on the radio. The news reports began to come through the truck’s speakers as Owen followed the blacktop road through the park and back onto the main road. As they listened, the report was mostly the same as before.

  Cities across the country were experiencing large numbers of infected person accompanied by outbreaks of extreme and fatal violence in its wake. Military personnel have been drawing civilians away from the largest cities to safe zones throughout the country while they attempt to contain the violence and infection. The reporters urged anyone in or around major cities to head to designated areas throughout the country.

  The report continued while the group listened, after instructions were given on how to precede to the safe zones the international news began. “Countries around the world are experiencing similar infection and violence as the past few days have gone by, Russia has demanded that its neighbors control the flood of refugees over its borders and has now threatened military intervention if the threat is not under control soon. Russia has launched its navy and is moving ships into position to attack its border nations, the U.N has condemned this action and many nations including the U.S are threatening to barre Russian ships from entering international waterways.”

  There was a tense silence that fell over the group as they listened. Each one of them felt as if the end of this disaster had somehow moved further down the road and was beginning to disappear. David was suddenly aware of how bad things were and how quickly they could get worse. Yesterday they were twice as many people. In the course of a single night one of them had been infected and half their group had abandoned them. Nothing was definite anymore. He had never felt so small and vulnerable.

  Six

  They continued to drive through the country side for about an hour before they began to see other cars on the road. David told Owen to turn right at the next stop light and they brought them within sight of a large steel bridge standing high across the river. Cars were lined up on the road for what must have been a mile leading to the ramp onto Interstate 275 where it crossed the Carol Cropper Bridge into Kentucky. Owen slowed to a stop behind a blue van. It was a complete standstill.

  David’s eyed followed the parking lot of vehicles to the bridge which was also choked with cars and trucks, all bumper
to bumper. People honked at one another and shouted obscenities out their windows trying to convince the other drivers to let them pass. Some people had gotten out of their cars and were yelling or even fighting each other in the road. After watching for a few moments the group heard a gunshot and the distant sound of a person screaming. The situation was completely out of control.

  Owen reached over and nudged David’s left arm, “See, I knew we were going to run into this sooner or later.”

  David had to admit he hadn’t expected this, even after what they had heard on the radio about the violence and the lawlessness in the mass exodus of the large cities. David scanned the line of cars to the beginning of the bridge were several military vehicles were blocking the way across. He couldn’t tell from the distance but it looked like soldiers were checking the cars and trucks at a road block. Each vehicle would pull up to the soldiers and stop, after a few minutes the soldiers would wave the car forward and the car would cross the bridge. But there were probably thousands of cars, at this rate it would be hours and hours before they crossed if they were able to cross at all today.

  Owen tapped his foot in frustration, “Well? What do we do now?”

  Nobody answered. Instead Sarah sighed and Liz fanned herself with a piece of paper. David rolled down his window, the cool morning air had all but gone and now the clear sky and bright sun began to heat the cabin of the truck. David noticed the van in front of them rock back and forth a few times. After a few seconds it rocked again, “If this van is a rockin, don’t come a knocking.” Owen said.

  David couldn’t tell through the windows but it seemed as though two people were fighting, that’s when a woman fought her way out the window as a larger man clung to her. As she emerged from the side window of the car David could see that she was covered in blood. She screamed and fought desperately to escape the grasp of the man inside. That’s when the car door opened and the two fell onto the shoulder of the road. David saw the man and knew right away he was infected.