Dead Last (Vol. 1): Dead Last

by Quaranta, Marc

  “You help my people,” he stated the first stipulation.

  “You give us back our guns,” I said.

  “We go to the station.”

  “And Emily helps your son.”

  “Then we drive away,” he began

  “And we pretend we never met,” I finished.

  We were very similar people. He put his kid ahead of everything; I put Haylea ahead of everything. He seemed to be the leader of a group and I was the leader of a group. He was confident and so was I. We were very similar and I felt comfortable making a deal with him. We finally had our hands meeting in the middle. Shaking hands to seal our agreement.

  XXXI

  Jack Scoville

  A few minutes after Kurt decided to help these bastards, they untied us and began treating us like human beings again. They allowed me a few minutes to wash up before we left. Kurt was continuing his conversation with the black guy that agreed to let us go and Emily was checking on the members of their group that were sick.

  They let me use the bathroom, but didn’t give me much privacy. They kept a couple guys standing outside the door to make sure that I didn’t try anything funny. I don’t know what they hell they thought I was going to do. Clog their toilet? Forget to flush? There were no windows in the bathroom so there was very little trouble I could cause.

  When I said I had to use the bathroom, the black guy in charge agreed to let me go but grabbed me by the arm and said I could go on one condition, “Just don’t try and go up to the third floor.” I didn’t know why. The three of us had been up there earlier to get the supplies we needed and there wasn’t anything strange about it, but I didn’t argue.

  On second thought, though. As I replayed our collection hunt one more time through my head, I could remember one point that was a bit out of the ordinary. The girl in the hallway. The dead girl. Believe me, she was dead. She was as dead as they get. The right side of her head was smashed in. Her skull hanging out and blood all over her face and the floor. Her right arm seemed to have a chunk cut out of it like someone took a knife and a fork and cut themselves off a large piece of human filet.

  That wasn’t the weird part, though. What happened when we came back down the stairwell was strange. She was gone. The blood remained in its normal puddle, too. So, it wasn’t like she was dragged away. It was like she just vanished. There wasn’t any way that she was alive so she didn’t get up and leave. Maybe someone lifted her up and carried her to one of the beds. But I don’t know why anyone would want to get close to such a mess.

  I didn’t have to use the bathroom. I didn’t need to wash up. I just wanted to get away and clear my mind. I hadn’t gotten my gun back, but I can assure you that I will get it back before I step back outside. I splashed some water on my face and turned the light off before leaving the room.

  Sure enough, there were two guys standing outside talking when I got out of the bathroom. We walked down the halls, them a step behind me on each side, in silence. We came around the corner and entered a big room where the whole group was. I don’t know if it was a break room, or what, but it wasn’t a cafeteria. It was just a large community room.

  It looked like a homeless shelter. There was nothing but blankets and pillows scattered across the room. There were empty bowls and plates that had remains of old food. It looked like the Astrodome after Hurricane Katrina hit. People looked hopeless. There was no tomorrow.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Kurt as I walked up to him and his new friend.

  “Emily is finishing up on the last two guys,” Kurt said to me. He reached out to me and, surprising enough, he handed me my gun. They had given them up like they promised.

  I looked up at the black guy that made the deal with us and nodded a show of respect to him. I appreciate a guy that gives me his word. Even if he did smack us around and knock Kurt out and tie us up. He kept his word and I respected that.

  “Jack, this is Frank,” Kurt introduced me to the guy.

  “Sorry about everything,” Frank said to me.

  “Had to do what you had to do.”

  “It’s already dark out, maybe you guys should crash here tonight and we’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Frank said.

  “With all due respect, we’ve got to get back. We've got family there. We need to leave tonight,” Kurt said to him.

  “I understand. Then I want a couple of my guys to come with,” he said.

  I looked at Kurt and wanted to say no, but I had no reason to. He wanted to be safe and I was fine with that. I understood that. We would have to take necessary precautions so there wasn’t going to be a riot at WTIX, but I had no problem with anyone else tagging along. We had strength in numbers at the station. I looked at Kurt and agreed.

  “I tell you what…that’s fine with me on one condition. You and your son…”

  “Reggie,” Frank said.

  “You and Reggie ride in the WTIX van with us. Your men follow. When we get to the station, they wait in the lobby. You and Reggie get checked by Emily after she looks in on her husband and then you guys go your way. How’s that sound?”

  “I can live with that. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

  “Hey, you’re giving us supplies.”

  “That doesn’t compare to saving my son’s life.”

  “That equipment may save a few more lives down the road.”

  “You still have my trust now. Anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “I got one,” I said to him. “We know where you’ve set up camp and now you know where we have. Once you leave TIX, that’s it. Don’t ever show back up. I’m not too comfortable knowing that a group of people know where we’re hiding out.”

  “I understand. Line in the road. You stay on your side, we’ll stay on ours.”

  Just as we finished our conversation, one of Frank's men came up to him and whispered something into his ear. I still had my gun in my hand at the time and grasped the handle and had my finger ready to pull the trigger if I had to. I wasn’t sure what was being said. Maybe they were pulling back on their side of the deal. Whatever it was, I was ready. Kurt wasn’t as worried. He looked at me and shook his head. He really trusted these people.

  “Everything alright?” Kurt asked him.

  “My brother hasn’t come back.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “My brother and his two friends went out yesterday to look for food and supplies and they haven’t come back yet.”

  I looked at Kurt and had a gut feeling that we were about to be enemy number one on this guy’s list. I realized that there weren’t too many people left in town, maybe the world, but to think that the world was this small and that all of our lives were crossing and intertwining was something I wasn’t prepared for.

  “What’s your brother’s name? Maybe we can help,” I said. I didn’t intend to help. I just wanted to hear…

  “His name’s Cameron. Pete and Seth are his friends.”

  XXXII

  Emily Clark

  I ’m only a Pediatrician. On a normal basis, I deal with ear infections, strep throat, tummy aches, the flu, and yearly checkups. That’s about it. I get an unusual case every now and then, but I wasn’t a surgeon or a neurologist. I dealt with small children’s problems. I loved my job. I felt at home when I worked with kids. I loved it.

  This didn’t feel like home. Frank asked me to look at a couple of his people. There were three women, a teenage boy, and an older man. The three women were somewhat normal cases that I could diagnosis on the spot. Two women were just exhausted. One of those had a cold and wasn’t drinking enough water or getting enough sleep. The other one just needed better nutrition and water.

  The third lady, I didn’t know how to break it to her…she was pregnant. Her and the guy that she slept with didn’t look too excited. I don’t think they were a couple. It was probably one random night of passion and ended with her getting knocked up. I
felt just as uncomfortable about it as they did because all I could think about was how would someone be able to raise a newborn baby in the world today. No proper hospital, no way to properly care for a baby like people could have a week ago. I was scared for them. I wished them luck and made my way onto the two gentlemen.

  That was when I made the mistake I promised I’d never make. I rushed. I didn’t feel like being there helping these people when I knew that I needed to get back to the station to take care of Sam. I checked over the older man very quickly and some of his symptoms actually were very similar to Sam’s. He was sweating with a very high fever and he was fatigued. I told him that his was probably the flu and then handed him some medicine to take. If it was the flu, it would break in a couple of days…if it was what I suspected it was…it would probably kill him because I didn’t do more tests. I should have taken blood and analyzed it, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to get home. I wanted to take Sam’s blood and help him. Not this guy that I was forced to look at before I could leave.

  The teenage boy had a gash in his arm that was pretty deep. I couldn’t give this kid the same disinterest that I had given the man. He was young. He had a long life ahead of him. I took the time to stitch his arm up. It wasn’t the easiest job, either. A large chunk was removed from his arm. I asked him how he did it and he was very mum on that. He told me that he went up to the third floor but that I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone that. He told me that if they knew, they’d be mad. I asked him who would be mad and he told me everyone. If anyone knew, he’d be in trouble.

  I didn’t understand, but could see that he was very uncomfortable about talking about it. The only thing he told me was that he fell, but I raised a daughter. I worked with kids. I could tell when one of them was lying and I could tell that this boy did not fall. Something happened. It looked like a dog bite or an animal bite. I wrapped it up, cleaned it off, and stitched him up. Hopefully, it would heal correctly.

  “Alright. I’m done. Let’s get out of here,” I said to Jack and Kurt when I found them standing in the corner of the room talking.

  “We’ve got a small problem,” Kurt said.

  “Don’t bring her in to it,” Jack said.

  “No, what.”

  “She should know so that she doesn’t say anything.”

  Jack threw his hands up in the air and turned away. He walked over to a group of people that were sitting at a table eating and picked up a small piece of bread.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Frank has a brother that went out with a couple of friends looking for supplies. They haven’t come back yet.”

  “So? We had a deal. We need to go now,” I wasn’t in the mood for this. I only hoped that Kurt didn’t make a deal with Frank to help him find his brother.

  “Emily…Cam is his brother.”

  “Cam? Who the hell is Cam?”

  “Cam. Seth. Pete. The three guys we have tied up at the station.”

  I felt like a gust of air hit me square in the chest and knocked the wind out of me. I took a deep breath in but, for a moment, couldn’t breathe it out. I pushed and pushed but the air wouldn’t find its way out of my lungs. Of all the people left in the world, we kidnapped the brother of the one guy that we befriended.

  “So, we tell him that we have his brother and then we go.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Yes, it is,” I said. Kurt had a way of over thinking things.

  “If they know that we have them tied up, they make think that we’re liars. They might not trust us this easily and they’ll bring more people back. We don’t have a way to communicate with anyone in the station. We are in no position to flirt with the idea of losing our trust with these people.”

  “I don’t know, Kurt.”

  “Please. Trust me. When we get to the station, they will see we’ve got them and it’ll be fine. If he knows now…I don’t know what they’ll do. We stick to the original plan. Okay?”

  I didn’t have time to answer. Frank came walking up with a couple of guys. Each one of them carried a small weapon. I looked at the weapons in hand and felt my body temperature rise. I wasn’t comfortable with everyone holding something. Frank had a handgun along with one of the guys he walked up with. The other guy had a knife. I felt some relief knowing Kurt and Jack had a gun, but they were a bit out numbered.

  “Frank, Kurt told me about your brother. I wish there was something I could do.”

  “You are doing something. You’re helping Reggie. Me and my men will look for Cam when the sun comes up. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to get a move on.”

  “I understand…is this Reggie?” I said as a small boy came walking up to us.

  “Yes. Reggie, I’d like you to meet Emily and Kurt. Emily is going to make you feel better.”

  “Hi, Reggie. It’s nice to meet you,” I leaned over and put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He seemed scared.

  “Can you say ‘hi?’”

  “Hi, Emily,” Reggie said.

  “Alright, ready?”

  I stood up and nodded. Kurt put his gun away and Jack came and joined us with a mouth full of bread. He handed a small slice to me and one to Kurt. We followed Frank and his guys as they talked.

  “Stay close behind and keep your eyes open for anything. Don’t think twice before pulling the trigger.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Frank had treated us nicely once he knew who we were. He was a guy that I quickly learned to respect but here he was talking like they were going out hunting animals. He was vicious and had no problem with what he was saying. It only made me wonder why we were still alive. Why didn’t he shoot us when they saw us running through?

  XXXIII

  Jack Scoville

  W e loaded the van quickly and got on the road back to the station. We were already a few hours behind schedule and I'm sure that panic was beginning to set in on the rest of the group that was back at WTIX waiting for us. I sat in the back of the van with Emily. I watched as her foot tapped up and down with every turn of the tires. Frank and his son Reggie sat up front with Kurt, who was driving. We sat in silence for the most part.

  I think we were all in awe of the night. There were no lights. No streets lights, no one burning the midnight oil in the houses. Nothing. It couldn't have been any later than eight, but everything was so dark when there was no electricity. The headlights at the front of the car were the only thing guiding us home. Luckily, Kurt and the others had lived here for so long or else I don't think we would have found our way home. The headlights of Frank's other guys shined through our back window as they followed us down the road back to the station.

  I didn't like that Frank thought it best to have a couple of his guys on this journey to help his son and get us back home, but I understood it. I probably would have done the same thing. I learned that it was hard to trust the people inside WTIX, people that have unfortunately become my family during this apocalypse. Hell, it was hard to be trustworthy during times like this, but if it was this hard with people I know, it was harder to trust the guys we just met. Frank felt safer bringing a few of his guys. I had no problem with that. Not to mention that they were his ride back to the hospital.

  "How did you all end up at the hospital?" I heard Kurt ask Frank.

  I leaned forward to listen more carefully and I could hear Emily's constant foot tapping come to a quick end. It was an interesting question. The story of how we all got into the station was. Some were there working, others were there to do an interview, or to give a tour. Kurt got back to save his fiancé...well to make sure she was alive. The universe all put us in that station for a reason. I just hadn't figured out what it was yet.

  "Reggie was a patient there. Yea, he was sick before all of this even happened," Frank put his hand on his son's head and ruffled his hair. "My brother, Cam, and I ran out to get him some breakfast. We wanted to give him a break from the hospital food. He'd been in there for a couple of days going
through tests and what not."

  "Did the doctors give you any information about his illness?" Emily asked.

  "No," he answered quickly. "The outbreak happened before we could get any information. Most of the doctors left."

  "Most of them?"

  "Yea, the rest became...well...stragglers."

  That was, in a way, tough to hear. I tried to picture someone like Emily, a great doctor, losing so much hope in the world, even the way it was now, that she and a group of other doctors were walking around the town breaking into places and destroying property and killing other people. I had lost faith in humanity myself, but I couldn't see myself shutting down to the point that I needed to do more damage than the air already had.

  "The rest of the group, "Frank continued, "some of them are patients like Reggie, but a lot of them stumbled in when they got the warnings."

  "Were they all protected? Masks, gloves, something?" Kurt asked.

  "Most of them. Some didn't."

  "Have they showed any symptoms?"

  "No, not at all. I don't understand it, but besides the people you looked at, nobody else was sick. We've all managed pretty well. You said someone in your camp got sick?"

  I looked at Emily and saw her expression sink low. When her eyes met mine, I had to look away. I turned quickly into the glare of the lights from the other car. It blinded me and gave me a slight headache, but it was better than looking at Emily and feeling the sadness that she feels.

  "Just one. That's why we went to the hospital. To get him supplies."

  "Was it the air? Was he outside?"

  "No. He just started getting a fever."

  "Well I pray that your man doesn't succumb to this plague."

  Kurt turned his head back to Emily for a moment and then looked at Frank and thanked him. My eyes grew wide when I saw a man walking across the road. A man that neither Frank nor Kurt saw.

  "Look out!"

  Kurt hit the brakes and each one of us braced ourselves, except for Frank who held his arms tight against Reggie's chest. The van came to a sudden stop and we barely missed the man. It happened fast and I was reacting quickly so I didn't go flying through the windshield, but from what I saw, the man in the road didn't even notice we were about to hit him. He kept walking at a slow, dragging pace.