MARZ | Book 1 | MARZ

by Davis, James

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  6:51 a.m. Christmas Day 2048

  Houston Airport

  “Johnny, wake up,” A voice sounded pulling Johnny from the depths of sleep. His eyes shot open and he raised up out of the chair, fists balled up and ready for a fight.

  “Calm down man, it's just me,” Roosevelt said, taking a step back.

  Johnny’s eyes darted around the room surveying every little detail they came across. Finally, after a few seconds, he realized that he was safe and there were no zombies after him at the moment.

  “Merry Christmas, brother,” Roosevelt said with a huge smile.

  “I don’t think this one is very merry,” Johnny replied as he ran a hand over his face and head.

  “Coffee?” Tyler asked, holding out two steaming cups of black coffee.

  “God, yes!” Johnny replied as he wrapped his hands around the warm cup. Tyler turned back to the coffee pot and grabbed his own cup and then found a seat next to Roosevelt.

  “So, what's the plan?” Tyler asked, slowly taking a sip of the hot coffee.

  "Plan?" Johnny asked, lowering the cup and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I don't know about a plan, but I guess we're gonna fire up this jet, get it airborne. God willing, we'll land in Florida in a few hours and---."

  "And reunite with our ladies! Get on home and maybe even have a little Christmas dinner!" Roosevelt interrupted with his wishful thinking.

  "I guess, as long as we don't become Christmas dinner, it’s fine with me," Tyler said.

  "Right there with ya," Johnny replied, lifting his coffee cup in the air as if he were toasting a glass of fine champagne.

  Roosevelt repeated the gesture with a nod before taking a long sip of his own coffee.

  "Let's just get this thing on the ground in Florida to start. We'll go from there," Johnny added.

  Roosevelt stood up, grabbed the coffee pot and quickly refilled his cup.

  "She won't fly herself and we're burning daylight," he said as he took a quick sip of his cup.

  "Let's do it," Johnny said, standing up and giving his back a quick stretch.

  “Did anyone check out the runway to see if it’s clear?” Roosevelt asked as he entered the cockpit. Johnny and Tyler looked at one another and shook their heads at the same time.

  “No, but if all flights were grounded last night then we shouldn’t have any problems taking off,” Johnny said, leaning down to get a look out of the windshield. The sun was creeping up higher and higher with each passing second revealing more and more of the city. Plumes of smoke rose into the sky and car alarms wailed in the morning light giving the city an eerie feel to anyone unlucky enough to still be caught outdoors.

  “Alright guys, take a seat and buckle up. It’s been awhile since I flew one of these bad boys,” Roosevelt said as he flipped a few switches and then pushed forward on the yoke. The jet lurched forward knocking Johnny on his ass in the center aisle.

  “Damn you, Rosie!” Johnny shouted as he tried to get his feet back under him.

  “I told you to find a seat and buckle up. Maybe next time you’ll listen,” Roosevelt chuckled. He slowly guided the plane toward the runway, going around stopped luggage carts. Once he was lined up for takeoff, he eased the yoke forward, feeling the jet gain momentum.

  “Shit, we have company!” Tyler said, pointing out toward the airport terminal. Roosevelt glanced over and what he saw sent a shiver down his spine. No less than one hundred and fifty of the undead sprinted across the tarmac toward the jet.

  “Go, go, go!” Tyler shouted as he slammed his hand against the dash. Roosevelt pushed the yoke almost all of the way forward sending the jet’s engines screaming with power as it took off down the runway. He pulled back on the control stick and the jet skipped across the runway.

  “Need more speed!” Roosevelt yelled, pushing the yoke the rest of the way forward. The jet's engine screamed even louder as Roosevelt pulled back on the flight controls once more. The jet lifted off of the pavement and headed skyward as Roosevelt held back on the controls.

  “Hell yeah!” Tyler shouted, beating the dash even harder in his excitement. Roosevelt chuckled and looked back in the cabin where he spotted Johnny pressed back in his seat breathing like he was in labor.

  “You alright, big guy?” Roosevelt asked with a chuckle. Johnny gave a one fingered response and then wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Half an hour later, the jet had been cruising at thirty-five thousand feet for some time. Roosevelt sipped his third refill of coffee that had gone cold at this point. He placed it in a cup holder in front of him. An audible rumble in his belly reminded him that he hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. He ensured that the autopilot was properly engaged, unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, maneuvering himself toward the door. He exited the cockpit and walked directly past Johnny and Tyler who were seated on the white leather sofa looking up at the television. Bill Saye's familiar voice filled the cabin as he reported on the constantly updating state of the country.

  "Where you headin’, Rosie?" Johnny called after him.

  "I'm starvin’!" Roosevelt replied, not bothering to stop.

  "Shouldn't someone be flying the plane?" Tyler asked, turning away from the TV and looking at Roosevelt.

  Roosevelt stopped in his tracks, spun around quickly.

  "Are you the pilot or am I the pilot?" he shot back, obviously not expecting an answer.

  "Damn man, just asking," Tyler said, half under his breath.

  "Don't worry ‘bout him. He gets like that when you don't feed him." Johnny said.

  "Anything else?" Roosevelt asked, his impatience growing.

  "There's probably some leftovers from the last flight in the fridge back there. Help yourself," Tyler said.

  "My man!" Roosevelt exclaimed, balling his left hand into a fist and raising it in triumph as he turned and continued to the back. He squeezed past a large counter, this space clearly wasn't designed for a man of his size to maneuver in. He looked around and spotted a small black mini fridge. He walked over and pulled the door open.

  The inside of the fridge was mostly empty, he slid a few bottles of Fiji water aside revealing a metal tray containing a dozen or so sandwiches cut into neat triangles. The tray was covered in a layer of plastic wrap, the numbers 12/22 were written on the plastic in black marker. He held up one finger on his left hand, then a second, and then one more, trying to figure out how old these were before shrugging his broad shoulders and pulling out the entire tray. He turned around and placed the tray on the counter before peering into the fridge again. He grabbed a small metal bowl with a lid and pulled it out. Peeling open the lid revealed that the bowl was full of blueberries.

  "Hell yeah!" He said to himself, snapping the lid on the bowl and placing it on top of the sandwich tray. He grabbed two bottles of water and placed them on top of the tray before closing the fridge, grabbing the tray and heading back toward the cabin.

  "Any news?" he asked, taking a bite out a soggy turkey sandwich.

  "Where should I start?" Johnny replied with a sigh.

  "That bad huh?" Roosevelt asked.

  Johnny nodded.

  "Worse, it's spreading like wildfire, confirmed to have reached more than thirty-four states," Johnny stated as he kept his gaze locked on the screen.

  "Thirty-nine," Tyler corrected, pointing at the screen.

  "Ours?" Roosevelt asked as he paused with a sandwich poised in front of his mouth.

  "Yep," Johnny nodded. "Spoke to Tracy a bit ago, they're fine, holed up right now at my place," Johnny said.

  "Forty-six!" Tyler exclaimed as the news reporter read the list of newly infected states.

  Roosevelt shook his head, took another bite of his sandwich and walked through the cockpit door. He placed his tray on the seat to his right before taking his own seat. He grabbed another soggy sandwich and peeled the disgusting bread away and tossed it in a pile next to the sandwiches. He stuffed the meat and cheese into his mo
uth and then reached for another. After eating several of the sandwiches he grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down before letting out a massive burp. Only three sandwiches remained on the tray by the time he had his fill. Checking the autopilot once more he stood and headed back to the cabin to toss the tray in the trash. Tyler looked at the empty tray wide eyed as Roosevelt brushed past. Johnny saw this and chuckled.

  “Told you the man could eat,” Tyler shook his head and laughed.

  “You weren't lying.”

  “Stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here,” Roosevelt said as he watched the two men exchange looks.

  “Calm down, Nancy. We’re not bad mouthing you. Now get your ass back up there and fly this damn plane!” Johnny teased.

  “I’ll fly this sumbitch right into the damn ocean you keep messing with me,” Roosevelt replied as he walked past, leaving Johnny with a slug to the arm.

  “Ouch, you big bastard, that shit hurt!” Johnny whined as he rubbed his sore arm and glared at his large friend. Roosevelt chuckled.

  “Keep talking shit,” he said and then disappeared into the cockpit. Johnny flipped him the bird and then returned to the magazine he was reading.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  8:03 a.m. Christmas Day 2048

  Somewhere over Mississippi

  “We’ll be touching down in about an hour,” Roosevelt said over his shoulder to Johnny.

  “Where are we now? We’ve been up here for an hour already,” Johnny replied as he got to his feet and headed for the cockpit. Johnny climbed into the co-pilot's seat and looked over at his friend as he took a sip from his fresh cup of coffee.

  “I think we’re somewhere over Mississippi right now,” Roosevelt replied.

  “Heard anything on the radio yet?” Johnny asked as he stared out of the window at the passing clouds.

  “Nope. Been silent the entire trip. I bet its pandemonium in Florida right now. I hope the girls didn’t try to go out anywhere thinking it wasn’t as bad as we told them it would be,” Roosevelt answered.

  “Surely not. They aren’t stupid.”

  “No, they ain’t stupid, but they are stubborn.”

  “You’re not wrong there,” Johnny replied, shaking his head wryly.

  “What do we do if they aren’t at the house?” Roosevelt asked. Johnny shrugged.

  “Man, I have no clue. We’d never find them if they got trapped somewhere without a phone and if they happened to get themselves killed, we’d never know it,” Johnny said, a hint of panic lacing his voice.

  “Calm down man. We don’t know anything yet. If you’re worried give ‘em a call and find out,” Roosevelt said.

  “So, where are we?” Tyler said, poking his head into the cockpit between Roosevelt and Johnny.

  “Over Mississippi.” Johnny replied.

  “Think it’s going to be pure chaos when we get there? This thing seems to be spreading like wildfire from what I’ve seen on the news so far,” Tyler said. Johnny looked at the man with a worried expression.

  “Let’s all pray it hasn’t reached Orlando yet,” Johnny said.

  “Don’t bother. The news said…,” Tyler started but Johnny cut him off.

  “Don’t even say it. I don’t want to know,” Tyler looked at him and shrugged before shrinking back into the cabin. Roosevelt and Johnny each looked at one another with worried expressions each knowing what the other was thinking but too afraid to speak it into existence.

  “It’s going to be alright. Tracy and Ruby are at your house and they are just fine,” Roosevelt said with a nervous laugh. Johnny glanced over at his friend and then snatched his phone out of his pocket.

  “I’m calling them. I can’t take the unknown,” Johnny said.

  “Good idea,” Roosevelt replied as he pushed himself up straighter in his seat. Johnny scrolled through his contact list until he spotted his wife's number. Tapping the call icon, he held the phone up to his ear and started to nervously tap his foot. The phone rang over and over until finally going to voicemail. Johnny’s face flushed white as he looked over at Roosevelt with wide eyes.

  “Oh, shit. It went straight to voicemail,” he said as a knot formed in his throat.

  “Now wait a minute they could just be away from the phone. Give her a few minutes to call back before jumping to conclusions,” Roosevelt said not quite believing his own words.

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I’ll give her a couple of minutes to call back,” Johnny said, his foot now tapping a hundred miles per hour. Several minutes went by and the phone stayed silent. Johnny’s stomach twisted up in knots as the worst possible outcome flashed through his mind.

  “Try to call Ruby’s phone,” Roosevelt suggested.

  “Alright, that’s a good idea,” Johnny said as he navigated through his phone as fast as his fingers would move. He tapped the call icon and put the phone to his ear and waited for it to ring. Finally, after a few seconds of silence Ruby’s voice sounded through the speaker. Relief spread through Johnny’s body as the woman’s voice filled his ear. Hi this is Ruby, leave a message at the beep. Her cheery voice said through the phone. Reality dawned on Johnny and his stomach twisted up even tighter causing him to gag and cough.

  “Calm down man. Like I said we don’t know anything yet. No sense in freaking out until we have concrete proof that something is wrong,” Roosevelt explained.

  “Both of their phones went to voicemail, Rosie! If they were anywhere near those phones like they should be, they would have answered it by now!” Johnny shouted.

  “Bro, I know that but we have to stay positive right now. Freaking the hell out isn’t going to help anything!” Roosevelt shot back.

  Johnny clenched his jaw and turned to stare out of the window. “I can’t lose Tracy, man. I just can’t!” Johnny said, a single tear running down his cheek as he thought about never seeing his wife again.

  “I know. Neither can I, but we have to think positive so we can get to them without getting ourselves killed,” Roosevelt replied, wiping his own tears away. An hour later Roosevelt was circling the airport in Orlando. Smoke rose into the sky and fires burned out of control all over the city. The runway was littered with crashed jumbo jets leaving no chance of them being able to land.

  “Take us south about fifteen more miles. There's a small runway I know of in Williamsburg. Used to have Ed take me down there to see a girl I used to date,” Tyler said giving the two panicked men a small bit of relief. A few minutes later Tyler looked out of the window to find the runway.

  “Down there,” Tyler said pointing out of the windshield. Roosevelt followed his finger and spotted an old dirt runway directly in front of them.

  “You’re joking right?” Roosevelt said, looking back at Tyler.

  “Afraid not. Set her down nice and easy. Ed used to do it all of the time,” Tyler replied as he sat back down and buckled his seatbelt.

  “Alright then. Y’all better buckle up. Looks like it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” Roosevelt said in a nervous tone.

  Johnny buckled in and held on to the arms of his seat with a vice like grip as Roosevelt guided the jet down toward the runway.

  “Thank you, Jesus!” Roosevelt said after he touched down and started applying the brakes. He brought the jet to a stop and then turned to look at Johnny.

  “You ready for this? It’s probably going to be one hell of a fight just to make it to the house,” Roosevelt said, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead.

  Johnny nodded and climbed up out of his seat. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied as he pulled the mag from the Beretta and checked his ammo count. Roosevelt followed suit and then watched as Tyler opened the jet’s door.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  9:34 a.m. Christmas Day 2048

  Williamsburg, Florida

  “Try to call them one more time,” Roosevelt said as he stared out of the window of the small airport.

  “Already did. There’s still no answer,” Johnny replied in
a defeated tone. Roosevelt shook his head and turned to face his friend.

  “I refuse to believe our girls are gone, now suck that shit up and let’s get our asses out there and find a damn car!” Roosevelt said pointing at the door.

  “There’s a Dodge dealership like three blocks from here,” Tyler interrupted.

  “Hear that? A Dodge dealership only three blocks away, now let’s move our asses!” Roosevelt demanded, giving Johnny a light push toward the door.

  “The police are telling people to stay indoors so there shouldn’t be much traffic on the interstate. We can be in Orlando in an hour if we leave now,” Tyler explained. Johnny nodded and sucked in a deep breath.

  “Alright. Let’s go find our girls,” he said, forcing himself to regain some of his confidence. Roosevelt led the way, pistol raised and ready for any threat that might jump out at them. Tyler followed in the middle and Johnny brought up the rear. The three men moved out the door and onto the sidewalk. The streets were abandoned, not a single person, car, or zombie to be seen as they jogged up the road. It didn’t take long until Roosevelt spotted the tall Dodge sign ahead of them.

  “There!” he exclaimed, picking up the pace. He rounded the corner to the dealership and stopped abruptly causing Tyler, and then Johnny, to slam into his back. Roosevelt stumbled forward into the street as he tried to regain his footing. Finally, he caught his balance and backtracked to Tyler and Johnny.

  “The damn road is full of those undead bastards,” Roosevelt said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. Johnny eased forward and poked his head around the corner.

  “Shit, run!” Johnny shouted, running past the other two men. The horde of undead must have spotted Roosevelt because they were all sprinting toward the three men.

  “Get to the dealership!” Johnny shouted over his shoulder as he headed for the back side of the Dodge building. He rounded the corner and spotted the rear entrance. He slid to a stop and grabbed the door handle, twisting with all of his might but the handle didn't budge.

  “Son of a bitch!” Johnny screamed just as Tyler and Roosevelt round the corner, the horde only fifty feet behind them. Johnny aimed his pistol at the door and fired several rounds into the knob. The rounds slammed into the steel door and ricocheted back hitting the windows of the homes next to the building. Johnny slammed his foot into the door over and over until it finally slammed open. He rushed inside and cleared his immediate area as Roosevelt and Tyler raced in behind him.