by Russ Watts
“No, sir. That’s mine. Looking at the size of you, you can handle yourself without any help from me.”
“Whatever you say,” said Erik, and he put his arms around her. He picked Claire up out of her chair, and it trundled backward as he lifted her out. She was so light that it felt like he was carrying nothing but a bundle of clothes. Erik was reminded of the last time he carried a woman in his arms. Pippa. The thought of her now only made him angry. He was angry at himself for not protecting her, and angry at Javier for taking her away from him.
Erik tried not to inhale too deeply as he carried Claire. He took her to the door, opened it, and then carefully began making his way down the stairs. “The street was clear when I came in, so we should be fine. I’m not going to find Mart waiting outside for me, am I?”
“That asshole? If you do, you have my permission to beat his head to a pulp.”
They made it back out onto the quiet road, and Erik was pleased when he saw their van. He was worried they would run into some zombies, and now that he was carrying Claire, it would be difficult to run or fight back. She still had the bat, but she had no strength left to fight off the dead. Her arms hung around Erik’s neck, but they were like a whisper, just gracing his skin like the soft touch of a feather.
As Erik rounded the van, he jumped. A zombie appeared, staggering toward him with menace. It was between them and the door back to the tattoo parlor, and he was going to have to get rid of it. If he skirted back around the van, it might work out where they were and follow them inside. He couldn’t risk it getting in where Freya was. He had to deal with it. Erik backed up quickly, and sat Claire on the hood of a nearby car.
“Wait here a second,” he said.
“Yeah, like I’m going to run off,” said Claire shivering, giving him a look of disdain.
Erik had barely turned away from her, when the zombie attacked. It cast its arms forward, and Erik grabbed them, swinging the zombie back around. All his training sprang into motion, and as if he were dealing with a street thug, Erik put the zombie in an arm lock, and marched it away to the other side of the street. He found an unlocked car, and threw it inside, slamming the door shut, and trapping the zombie permanently.
Erik watched as the zombie clawed at the glass, desperate to get out. He knew it wasn’t going anywhere, and decided to leave it where it was. It couldn’t hurt them, and it was easier than trying to destroy it with his bare hands. As the zombie continued to scrabble at the car windows like a dog scratching to get out, he heard Claire’s voice from across the road.
“Niamh, is that you?”
Erik turned and was suddenly wrapped in a zombie’s arms. It had him in a bear hug, and the stench of the thing that held him was sickening. The zombie had long strands of blonde hair protruding from its scalp, and the patchy skin was putrid. The woman’s face had rotted away, revealing the bones underneath. Now that the dead woman had her arms around Erik, her face was right in his, and he could see her teeth shining in the moonlight. The woman had become a monster and was about to take a nasty chunk out of him.
Erik couldn’t think what to do. He had no weapons, and Claire wasn’t able to help. He couldn’t shake the woman off, and in literally two seconds she was going to give him a bite that was a death sentence. There was no way out. He had nothing to fight her with. He had turned his back for one second, and this thing had snuck up on him. He hated the zombies, hated them for what they had done, for everything they had destroyed. Now Freya would be alone with no family. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let Freya down. Erik screamed once, and then thrust his jaw around the dead woman’s neck before she could do the same to him. Erik pushed himself forward, thrusting his face into the woman’s dead flesh, and he ripped out her throat. Thick blood filled Erik’s mouth but he spat it out along with the rough skin he had chewed off. He took another chunk from the zombie’s throat, trying to rip off its head before it could get its teeth into him. Like a wild dog, he sunk his teeth into her skin, ripping it apart ferociously. He could think of nothing else but to use the only thing left that he had to kill it — his own life. Erik recoiled as the zombie began to buck wildly. He spat the woman’s blood into the gutter, and felt her arms around him lose their grip. He pushed her away and wiped his mouth. The foul taste made him want to vomit, but he wasn’t finished yet. Although her neck was open, and her head lolled sharply to one side, the woman was still standing. Erik knew that the zombie wouldn’t quit until it was dead. He had done nothing more than shake it off.
He charged at it, and shoved it down to the road. The woman fell back, bringing Erik with her. He landed on top of her, and the woman’s neck flopped backward, sending her head smacking onto the tarmac with a loud crack. Straddling the woman, Erik buried both his hands deep into the opening in her neck. Her body was cold, and he curled up his fingers, gripping whatever he could. He began to pull in opposite directions, and heard a tearing sound as the woman’s flesh began to rip apart. The hole in her neck widened, and Erik continued as the zombie bucked beneath him. He pulled with all his might, until with a cracking sound, he pulled the woman’s head from her shoulders, and he held it up aloft like a trophy. The body beneath him twitched, and then stopped moving, but the head in his hands was very much alive. The woman’s eyes turned to look at Erik, and the jaw worked up and down slowly as if still trying to bite him. Erik spat on the woman’s face, and then he hurled the head into the air, as far away as he could.
“Rot in hell.” Erik spat again, desperate to remove the fetid taste of death from his mouth, and got to his feet. He was shaking, scared, and knew the noise he had made might bring more. He had to get Claire inside and get them both out of sight off the street.
“You okay?” asked Claire as Erik returned to her.
Erik nodded, and scooped her up into his arms.
“I didn’t see her until the last second. I thought it might’ve been my sister, but…”
Claire stopped talking as Erik carried her into the tattoo parlor. She could see the blood on Erik’s face, and knew well enough that if he had been bitten, he was not going to be around much longer.
“Look, if that thing got its teeth into you…”
“It didn’t. I got my teeth into it. It’s dead now, so forget about it.”
Erik reached the office and pushed open the door with his feet. He found the light was dimmed, and Javier sitting on the desk.
“My, my, that was quick,” said Javier.
Erik gently lowered Claire into a seat. “If you give me that gun, I’ll show you what else I can do quickly.” Erik went over to Freya who was curled up beside Quinn. She put her arms around Erik when he bent down to her, and he looked her in the eyes. “You okay, honey? He didn’t hurt you?”
Freya shook her head and looked down at Quinn.
Erik noticed the blood stain on Quinn’s neck. She was alive, but sleeping off whatever Javier had done to her.
“So, are you going to introduce us?” asked Javier, swinging his legs down off the desk and planting his feet firmly on the floor.
Erik glared at Javier. He was arrogant beyond belief. Hitting Quinn around with Erik gone was pathetic. Did Javier really think he could do whatever he wanted? “She’s…”
“I’m Claire. I take it you’re the leader, Javier?”
Javier kept the gun trained on Erik, walked over to Claire, and held out his hand. “You know, it’s rude not to shake someone’s hand when you first meet. Aren’t you even going to get up?”
Claire gave Javier a sullen gaze. “I can’t.”
“You can’t?”
“She can’t walk,” said Erik. “I carried her here. Claire’s been trapped in that apartment for months.”
“Looking at the state of you, Erik, I assume it wasn’t all plan sailing.” Javier noticed the blood on Erik. “I trust nobody got their teeth into you? Not even a nip?”
“No,” replied Erik. He looked at Freya, her tired eyes drooping, yet still full of fear. “I�
��m fine.”
“So all you found was this?” Javier pointed the gun at Claire.
“Charming,” said Claire. “You remind me of my ex-husband.”
“Ignore him,” said Erik. “He’s armed with a blind faith that he’s in charge. Just do what he says, and you’ll be fine.”
Javier reached down and took the bat from Claire. “This is something I suppose. Here.” Javier held out the bat to Erik. “Keep it safe, and we’ll take it with us in the van. It could come in handy.”
Erik took it, and laid it on the hard floor beside Quinn. Freya wriggled free from Erik’s arms and lay down on the floor beside her. Erik told her to stay there and look after Quinn.
Javier looked at Erik. Despite everything, the man still thought he could win this. Javier could see the anger burning in Erik’s eyes. Maybe going out there had stirred something in him, awoken some kind of hope. That wouldn’t do, not at all. “Why’d you bring her back here? You could’ve set her free. You could’ve taken off at any point, yet you came back. Why? I would’ve run the second I got the chance.”
“That’s the difference between you and me. I don’t leave my friends behind. I’m not going anywhere until you let Freya and Quinn go.” Erik was amazed how Freya was handling it all. She still hadn’t spoken a word, but sometimes her eyes gave away what she was thinking. She hated Javier too. He had seen it enough times. Freya understood at least some of what was happening. He hoped that having Claire here would add to the stress that Javier must be under. He had to make a mistake at some point, and then Erik would be ready.
“Well, Erik, as much as I had hoped to spend some quality time with you tonight, I’m afraid your little adventure has brought some attention to us. I haven’t exactly been idle myself. I saw what happened out there. You know there are more coming now, don’t you? I saw movement out there, further away, but they’ll get here eventually, so we’re going to have to find somewhere else for the night. We’ll have to keep going and stop where we can, if we can.” Javier looked at Quinn and smiled. He picked up a bag and pointed the gun at Erik. “Get going then. Take Freya and get the van ready. Quinn’s a little tied up right now.”
Erik suspected that more would come. It wasn’t such a bad thing that they were on the move again. He hated driving at night, but it was better than waiting to be surrounded by zombies. He looked at Claire. She was worried; that was obvious. He had saved her from a lonely pathetic existence, only to bring her into this. He still wasn’t sure it was a great idea to bring her back here, but it was the best option. Without help she would undoubtedly die. They had food, and surely even Javier could see that Claire needed help. “Come on, Claire, you can ride in back with Freya,” said Erik as he scooped up the bat. He would take Claire and Freya out to the van and come back for Quinn.
“Slow down there, Erik, you’re not in charge of this little group yet. You’re just the chauffeur, remember?” Javier raised his eyebrows. “I need to talk to our new friend here for a moment.”
Erik bristled. “Javier, we don’t have time for this. Claire can ride in the back; she’s not going to do anything. She’s harmless. Look at her. She’s damn near starving. What’s the problem?”
Javier swung his gun toward Claire. “Can you drive?”
Claire shook her head. “You really are an asshole aren’t you? Do I look like I can drive?”
“You held a gun before? You ever done any shooting? You ever took out one of those zombies?”
Claire shook her head again and stared defiantly at Javier. “No, never had the chance. Plus, I don’t much like guns. My father always taught me to steer clear of them. Said they were dangerous.”
“Right, well your father was a wise man.” Javier looked at the gun in his hands and then back to Claire. He could spare one. “Erik, get in the van and start it up will you? We’re going to have to hit the road very soon.”
“So, we good here?” asked Erik. He wasn’t going anywhere without Claire. He knew he had to get her safely in the van before Javier did anything. He had begun to like Claire too. She didn’t cower down before Javier but actually stood up to him. Metaphorically speaking. He could tell that Claire was feisty, and began to think that despite her disability, he might have struck lucky. She would be more than prepared to help him when the time came. “Can we all just go now?”
“Claire, you ever been to Canada? Reckon you could do some navigating at least. I mean Erik would be driving, but perhaps you could help him. We’re heading for a place called Thunder Bay.” Javier smiled. “We’re going to look up some old friends.”
Claire shivered. She looked to Erik for reassurance and then back to Javier. “What’s with the twenty questions? Look, Javier, I won’t be any trouble. You can tie me up like your friends if you want. I promise…”
“Answer the fucking question.” Javier raised the gun and pointed it at Erik. “Answer the question, or I’ll shoot him right here, right now.”
Erik spoke to Claire, but his eyes never left Javier’s. There was no way he was going to buckle this time. Javier was nothing but a bully. He enjoyed playing games. This was just another one; a charade to prove to Claire that he was in control. Once they were all in the van, Erik would talk to her, make sure she knew that she was safe with them. “It’s okay, Claire, go on. Just answer his stupid questions.”
Claire could sense that Javier meant business. Erik had been right about him. She twisted her hands together anxiously. “Last spring break I went to New York for a vacation. Cost us a fortune. Other than that I’ve not gone far really. Kinda hard in my condition.”
“Focus, Claire. Do I look like I care about New York? Canada. Big country. Cold. Ever been?” asked Javier again.
“No. I wouldn’t know how to get there if my life depended on it.” Claire tried smiling at Javier to see if she could break down his bravado. Hiding behind that gun was a lost boy, and she thought maybe she could appeal to the real Javier. “I could try if you like? But I’ve never been to Canada.”
“Shame,” said Javier. “That’s a real shame.”
Javier quickly moved the gun from Erik to Claire and pulled the trigger.
The noise of the gunshot echoed around the office, and Freya’s scream bounced around its four grey walls. Claire’s body slumped back in the chair, and Erik dropped to his knees. He looked across at Claire’s lifeless body. Javier had put a bullet right between her eyes.
“She was useless,” said Javier calmly. “Let’s roll.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The way to the border was clearly marked, and Lukas had no trouble in navigating the truck into Duluth. The roads were largely clear, and it seemed that most people had gotten out in time. There were very few vehicles around and even fewer zombies. They spied a couple wandering around a small park, and there were a few dead bodies littering the surrounding streets, but other than that, the city was unusually quiet.
“You think everyone just left?” asked Lukas as he picked his way through the deserted roads.
“Maybe they got enough warning,” said Julie, knowing it was unlikely.
“You remember how fast it all happened,” said Jonas. “I’d like to think the people of Duluth are safe and sound somewhere, but somehow I doubt it.”
Red and maroon buildings shimmered in the dawn, and thin trees lined streets devoid of life. As they climbed up a steep street, Dakota spotted a tall, stone tower in the distance. It blinked in and out of view as they made their way between the city’s buildings, and she wondered if they were alone. Had the city been evacuated, or were they all dead? The truck came to a halt, and Dakota read a street sign pointing the way to Canal Park. Beneath the sign was a stroller that had toppled over and fallen under the wheels of a blue car, dented and scratched all over as if it had been in a fight with a bigger car and lost. A gray fleecy blanket was trapped beneath the front wheel, and a small jacket flapped on the ground beside the stroller which was bent out of shape. Dakota put a cold hand over her belly. Her finge
rs were so cold that her wedding ring was loose, and she tugged it on firmly. She had seen a fire in Jonas’s eyes earlier, and in his mind he was already there with Janey, moving on. He didn’t see what she saw. A city didn’t just vanish. Tens of thousands of people had to go somewhere. She tried to quell the uneasy nausea growing inside her, and wished she could just snap her fingers and make everything all right.
“Look,” said Lukas, as he pulled the truck around a crash, and began steering them downhill. “There’s a ship. See it? It’s huge.”
As the truck rolled through the empty city streets, they all glimpsed what Lukas pointed out. A massive ship was docked in the harbor. It was a gray color, yet difficult to see as the visibility was poor. It revealed itself bit by bit, appearing between gaps in the houses, and it was only as they neared the bottom of the hill when the harbor opened up before them that they could get a clear sight of it. The ship was tall, majestic even, proud and calm as the figures raced around its decks. Even from afar, Jonas could see people on board, scurrying around, looking busy, and waving their arms.
“Jesus, that is one big boat,” said Julie.
“Why is it still here?” asked Lukas excitedly. “You think we can get a ride? You think they know somewhere safe to go? That’s why there’s no one here.” Lukas began to laugh. “I’ll be damned. We can get out of here. I knew it. The military sent a rescue ship. They probably go from port to port looking for survivors. We should get down there before they go.” Lukas swung them toward the ship, carefully picking a way through the discarded cargo containers and delivery trucks across the industrial harbor toward their awaiting rescuers.
“Lukas, turn us around,” said Jonas. “Turn us around, right now.”
“Hamsikker, this is a way out of here. Don’t you see?” Lukas accelerated, and the huge ship seemed to become impossibly large as it got closer. “We miss this ride, and who knows when it’ll be back.”
“Lukas, stop. Turn us around,” said Julie.
“You too? No way. You ever seen so many people before? I’ll bet they’ve got the whole city on there. Look, Hamsikker, I’m sorry about your sister, but we can’t afford to pass this up. Who knows when they’ll be back around here? Maybe Janey is already on board, maybe…”