Made In Mexico | Book 1 | Day 1

by Masopust, A. L.

  Star looked down at Isaac laying there on the floor and whispered to him to come over to the chair where she was sitting. “Come on over here Mysaac,” she said, “let me hug you. I’m a little scared. Nana needs some love from her biggest grandson.” He got up and went to where she was and hugged her tightly. Once in her arms, he started to cry. Big tears, full of anxiety and fear for his family, ran down his face. She held him while he let it out, telling him it was okay to cry, and he’d be stronger because of it. He cried on her shoulder for a while, until all his worry and fear fell away. When he was done and lifted his head, he wiped the tears and snot from his face and did indeed feel better. He was more clear headed and felt stronger, like the fear had all left his body through the water from his eyes. His face showed resolve and his eyes grew hard. He was ready to defend his home and his grandparents to the death if need be.

  He grabbed his phone off the floor and sent his mom a text that told her that he loved her and not to worry about him or his grandparents. He would give his life to protect his family and that he would see her again. As he pressed send, he sent up a silent prayer to God that his mom was safe and she’d text, or better yet, call so he could hear her voice. Man, he missed her. From outside, the sounds of the squeaking got louder.

  Chapter 21

  Amber’s truck

  Highway 16

  Hebbronville TX

  Amber’s phone vibrated, alerting her to a text from Isaac. She read it aloud. “I love you mom. We’re still okay here. Don’t worry about me, Nana and Papa. I will keep them safe. I know I will see you again. I’m sorry I’m not there with you right now. Please let me know you guys are alright,” she finished. Once she’d read it to her companions, she called her son. “Hey baby! I love you too. I’m so glad you’re safe. What’s going on there?” Isaac quickly told her about the now decimated cat, the furnace and the dead people that were pushing on the fence. He assured her that they would be alright. Amber could hear the strength in his voice. She knew that he’d do everything he could to stay alive. She told him to keep his phone charged and that she’d keep hers charged as well.

  Next, she told him about his brother’s close call with the dead woman trying to bite him and how it only left a bloody scratch, thanks to the duct tape. She also explained that his brother was now sick and coughing with a fever. “That's not good Mama,” Isaac said. “That’s what happens when someone gets Covid-19. He needs to be tested… Oh no, he’s gonna die and then wake up again isn’t he?” Not wanting to entertain that idea, she said “We don’t know what’s wrong with him yet, it could just be a cold. Just need to have hope that he’ll be ok. We will keep you updated on our location and your brother's health as often as we can. We are heading to Pawpaw’s son's house in Hico. We made it out of the RV park and away from Zapata now and are driving away from Mexico. We stayed away from Laredo since Nuevo Laredo borders that big city and those things could be all over that place too.” “Okay Mom,” he said. “I love you so much and I miss you and Dad a lot. Hug Bobboo for me and call or text me when you get to Hico ok?” She answered quickly, “You got it son. I love you too. Call me if something happens there that I should know about.” They said their goodbyes and Amber ended the call. Sitting there quietly holding her son, she looked out the window and got lost in her thoughts for the next hour while Bobby drove the truck north.

  Pulling her back to the present, Bobby said “That big boy is going to be just fine.” Justin agreed. Amber nodded and looked down at Bobboo while he slept. She was sure that Isaac would be alright, her gut told her so. His little brother though, not so much. She felt him again and he was hotter still. “You guys, what do we do if he does have the virus?” she asked. “I can’t kill my own son.” The three guys in the backseat stayed quiet. What could any of them say? She looked over at Bobby and asked, “Could you do it? I mean hypothetically. He’s our baby boy, I can’t handle this.” He thought for a minute before speaking, knowing that he’d have to choose his words wisely or else he’d cause her to cry. “I wouldn’t want to have to do it, but if it keeps you safe, then… Yes. If he dies, then he’s dead. If he wakes up again, then it won’t be Bobboo that wakes up. It’ll be a Mexican made demon spawn. Our little boy will never become a zombie, I can promise you that.” Kirk put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and left it there, trying to comfort her.

  Suddenly, Bobboo started coughing again. This time when he did though, he started hacking up blood. He looked extremely pale, his eyes were sunk into his head and his breathing was very shallow. Right then, Amber knew that Isaac was right. This was no cold. The dead woman had passed the virus onto him. Bobboo was going to die and then turn into an undead monster. “We need to stop somewhere rural before we get to another town. He’s going to die Bobby… My baby boy is gonna die!” she said in a trembling voice. She began to sob uncontrollably; her heart was broken.

  Chapter 22

  Star’s house

  Richmond VA

  The sounds from outside were getting louder. Charles peeked through the blinds to see how bad it had become out there. He was nervous that the dead would get inside the fence. He saw that the sound of the shaking fence had alerted more zombies to their presence and now he could even see the road behind them. He counted at least 30 all pressed up into the fence, trying to get to the house. The view outside made him tremble.

  When Charles turned back from the window, Isaac was staring at him. “Is it bad out there Papa?” he asked his grandpa. “The look on your face says it’s bad.” Charles answered, “Yeah kid, it’s not looking good at the moment.” He didn't know what else to say to the boy. Charles was a realist and didn’t believe in sugar coating information for anyone. Especially now that dead folks were up walking around trying to make more dead folks. Isaac went back to cleaning the little rifle he’d gotten from his dad a couple of years ago. It was a .22, very easy to load and shoot. He’d practiced in the backyard of his old house for hours and hours. By now, he was a crack shot and could almost field strip the gun and reassemble it with his eyes closed. He had four magazines for it, but now he wished he had more. The three boxes of bullets he had for it didn’t seem like enough. He also had his collection of freshly sharpened knives sitting on the floor with him. Huge buck knives, stilettos, switchblades, hunting knives, knives with engraved handles etc. You name it, he probably had one. He even owned a machete. His mom had gotten that for him before a camping trip and he’d whacked down a small tree with it. He loved knives and guns and had plans to go into the military once he turned 18. Guess that probably won’t happen now, he thought.

  Charles owned a .38 pistol and had a box and a half of ammunition for it. He pulled it out of the lockbox where he kept it and asked Isaac to clean it for him and to make sure it was ready to fire just in case the front door or a window was breached. Isaac happily obliged. If what Charles was thinking was correct, they were going to need all the firepower and knives they could get their hands on. Charles silently thanked God that their grandson was here. With his bad heart and only one working lung, he didn’t think he and Star would make it long without Isaac. Especially since Star had a broken hip and the moment, and she wasn’t very agile to begin with.

  Outside, the fence suddenly made a horribly loud screeching sound. At that moment, he knew that the fence had given way. It was only a matter of time before the dead would be at their doorstep. They would need to stay silent now, or the cannibals would hear them.

  Chapter 23

  Amber’s truck

  Highway 16

  San Antonio TX

  “He’s not breathing Bobby!” Amber screamed from the passenger seat. “Stop the truck, let us out! We gotta do something!” Bobby obliged and pulled the truck to the side of the desolate road. They hadn’t seen any zombies for a while. There were no people or vehicles on the road either, for that matter. Thankfully, this stretch of land was practically uninhabited. As soon as he put the truck in Park, Amber opened her door, carried Bobboo out
of the truck and sunk to the ground with him in her arms. Bobby and the rest of the guys in the backseat got out as well. Even Caesar jumped out. He went and sniffed around the area, peed and then went back to the truck and laid down.

  “What do we do?” Amber asked. She knew what had to happen, but her heart just couldn’t bear the thought of losing her young son. Kneeling down next to her, Bobby whispered “Say your goodbyes and get back into the truck, my love. We will take care of this.” With tears forming, he turned and looked at Kirk, his eyes pleading for help. “I love you so much my sweet baby boy. I will think of you always. I’ll miss you every day and I will never forget you. You made my whole world complete.” She held his lifeless hand and kissed his face for the last time and then gently placed him on the ground. She stood up, unsteady on her feet, and slowly walked to the truck. Once inside, she folded in on herself. The men could hear her mournful wailing from outside.

  Kirk pulled out his pocketknife and knelt down beside his dear friend and Bobboo. He held it out to Bobby and told him “Easiest and quickest way will be to put this in his ear. I know it’s hard, but you know it must be done. Soon he will change and then once his eyes open again, it will be harder. I’m here with ya.” He looked around at JC and Justin and said, “We all are.” Bobby took the knife from Kirk with shaking hands. He hugged his son’s lifeless body for the last time and then slowly pushed the knife into his son’s ear. He broke down in sobs right then. He couldn’t fight it anymore. Kirk laid his hand on his friend’s shoulder and left it there until his buddy stopped crying. Once Bobby had composed himself, he got into the truck to console his poor heartbroken wife. He hugged her tightly as she screamed and cried. Caesar howled, sensing the loss as well.

  Justin and JC found a couple of shovels in the bed of the truck and began to dig a grave for the small boy while Kirk said a prayer over Bobboo’s body. They didn’t have anything to wrap him in, but the dead don’t care. When the hole had been dug, Kirk helped Justin play Bobboo inside with his Optimus Prime hoodie over his face and covered him up. Although he wasn’t actually family, they had all grown close to the boy over the last several months, and it was like losing a member of their family too. They were all sad.

  Having buried the boy, the men got back into the truck. Kirk said a prayer out loud for everyone inside to hear. “Lord, take this innocent boy into your arms and into Heaven. His time on Earth is through. Be with us as we try to go on with our lives and please help to heal our broken hearts. Thank you for sending him to us to touch our lives. We pray this in Your name, Amen.” With that done, Bobby started the truck through tears in his eyes.

  Chapter 24

  Star’s house

  Richmond VA

  Slapping, pounding and thumping sounds came from outside the house. The screen door rattled, with every smack the undead made. Charles had deadbolted the thick metal storm door hours earlier and thanked the Lord above for the foresight to buy that door a few years ago. It had been on sale at the local hardware store and although his door at home was still fine, he couldn’t pass up the deal. Star had thrown a fit when he brought it home, saying it was a waste of money, but calmed down once he’d installed it.

  Star and Isaac sat huddled together on the couch. Isaac had his rifle in one hand and his machete in the other. Star was holding a small knife and her taser. They were prepared for them to break down the door. Star was very frightened. She had never seen any zombie movies and couldn’t stomach blood and guts when it came to movies. She even fainted if she saw blood in real life. Amber was the one that loved zombie movies not her, she thought. Star knew from her daughter that the only way to kill a zombie was to break their brain, but she was not made for this. Isaac did his best to keep her calm and assure her that they’d be ok, he knew what to do.

  For the moment, they were still relatively safe. The door was made of thick metal and all the windows had bars on them. The part of Richmond they lived in had gone downhill over the years, so recently Charles had them installed on every window. He’s gotten a deal on those too.

  Charles turned off the furnace, put on a sweater and sat down with Star and Isaac. He silently hoped the things outside would give up and go away. “You’re gonna get sick if you don’t stay warm,” Star whispered. “I’ll be fine,” he replied, patting her hand reassuringly. “Maybe if the creatures outside don’t hear anything, they’ll go away. I’ll live without heat for a while. Besides, we got blankets, sweatshirts, coats and a heating pad. Don’t worry about me.”

  While they sat there, Isaac began to feel a weird, second sense that something was wrong with his Mom. He set his machete down, got his phone out of his back pocket and sent her a message asking if she and his brother were alright. He just knew in his gut that they were not. He also told her of the dead breaking the fence and that they were now at the front door. He assured her that they were still safe for now and told her he loved her and to get in touch soon. He put his phone into his pocket and then picked his machete back up. He wondered how long they’d have to wait before they either left or got inside. He was getting tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen.

  Chapter 25

  Amber’s truck

  Highway 16

  North of San Antonio TX

  Bobby turned on the radio to check the local stations to see if anyone knew anything yet. The radio announcer had just started telling news stories from all over the country. “Top news today, gasoline prices have hit an all-time low with a national average of $1.49 per gallon. News out of Austin says the new vaccine is causing side effects and doctors recommend staying home if you feel sick in any way. Canada has closed its borders again in light of the recent election results and Mexico has gone dark folks. That is to say that no one in their Government has been available for publicity shoots of the new vaccine. No one even answers the phone. Next up, weather. Hold tight folks, get a new song coming atcha right after these words from our sponsors.”

  “Great, so Austin got the Mexican vaccine too? I thought it was just Richmond,” exclaimed JC. “If Austin got it, then Dallas could’ve gotten some of that shit too. I'm going to call my wife. Dallas is less than an hour from Fort Worth.” He called Karen. Karen told him that she was fine, not to worry about her, and that nothing was out of the ordinary around their place. She ended the call by saying “You just hurry up and get your ass back to me.” Then she hung up. JC chuckled, “she always has to have the last word.”

  Justin said “shit, I’m calling Mady. Weatherford isn’t far from Dallas either. Lord I hope she’s ok.” Madyson was 5 months pregnant with their first child, a boy they were planning to name Terrell after Justin’s father. He’d passed away a few months earlier and thought it was a great way to pay tribute to the great man. She had been working on the nursery while Justin finished the windmill job. He has assured her that he’d be home before she gave birth to their baby. She’d had a Dr. appointment and an ultrasound the day before. Her and the baby were both healthy on previous visits, so he hadn’t been worried. When Mady answered the phone, her voice sounded hollow and she was coughing. “Mady, how are things there? Are you and the baby okay? Why are you coughing?” Justin inquired. “The baby is fine. I’m sick though. Dr. Clayborne said it could be Covid-19, so he ran a covid test and then gave me the vaccine and told me that I should feel better soon. This cough won’t go away though, so I’ve been taking some cold medicine too, just in case.” Justin hung his head and sighed, “Oh Lord Mady, did the Dr. say where the vaccine came from?” “No, he didn’t, but he said it was a new version his office had just gotten in and that I’d feel better soon.” Justin’s shoulders slumped and his face went pale. She had just confirmed his worst fears. She’d gotten the bad vaccine and was going to turn into one of those dead fuckers.

  Just then, she started coughing again. It was a hacking cough, much like Bobboo’s had been. It sounded terrible. “Is it worse today, honey?” he asked. “Yeah it is, and my chest hurts,” she said. “I thi
nk maybe I’ve got bronchitis or pneumonia or something. I’m going to urgent care shortly. My mom is gonna drive me.” Justin said “Well call me as soon as you leave and let me know what’s wrong with ya. I don’t want to alarm you, but Mexico created a new vaccine that doesn’t make you better. It kills you and turns you into a zombie.” She giggled. “Ha ha, very funny. I love you, you big dummy.” She hung up the phone. Justin sat there looking down at the wallpaper on his phone. It was an ultrasound picture. His sons ‘first photo’ he’d thought, when he put it on there. Now he sat there thinking about that picture being his son's only picture and a tear escaped his eye.

  Shortly after the call with Mady, Amber’s phone vibrated, a text from her son. He asked if everything was ok and told her of the dead breaking through the fence and being at their front door now. He was okay though and he loved her. They were staying quiet, hoping the dead would go away. “How do I tell him about his brother?” she asked out loud. No one answered her question. They didn’t know any better than she did. She thought for a moment of what her words would be before starting the text:

  Hi son, I’m glad you’re ok. Me and your dad are ok too, but you were right about the scratch that dead lady gave Bobboo. He got sick pretty fast and then he couldn’t breathe and choked on his own blood. Bobby and the guys laid him to rest. He’s not in any pain anymore. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep him safe. PLEASE STAY ALIVE. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you too. I can’t lose both my sons. We’re only a few hours away from Hico now. I’ll text again when we get there. Let me know if anything changes. I love you.