Reaching the bottom of the ladder, the boy hopped down and ran towards the truck. Justin quickly got up off his now dead pal and got into the backseat. Kirk jumped into the driver’s seat once the boy had made it into the backseat with Justin and slammed the door. Safely inside, Justin yelled “Where are Amber, Bobby? Where did the dog go? We have to find them!” Kirk started the truck and reversed it from the house and backed away just in time to see more undead coming towards them. Turning the truck around, he saw Amber and Bobby fighting back about 10 of the creatures that were trying to get to them. They were quickly becoming surrounded. He honked the horn and drove towards the crowd. A few of the creatures turned away from the couple, attracted to the sound of the truck horn. That act gave Amber and Bobby the opening they needed to stab and shoot their way towards the truck. Kirk rolled down his window a few inches as he drove towards them and hollered out of the partially open window for them to hop into the bed of the truck. When they got close enough, they jumped in the back and Kirk took off again, this time towards the grove of trees where Caesar had gone earlier. They couldn’t see the dog anywhere, so Amber and Bobby both began yelling and whistling for their companion. “Caesar! Come on boy! Let’s go! Come here!” Caesar came slowly limping out, yelping with every step. Bobby leaped from the bed of the truck and hauled ass over to the 110 lb. dog. He scooped him up and began a slow jog back to the truck. When he reached the bed, Amber jumped out and helped her husband place the dog into the truck, then they both got into the cab with the others. Kirk got the truck moving again and turned it around, facing the driveway. He plowed over the dead that were in the way and they made their way back to the deserted highway.
Once they were back on the road and everyone had caught their breath, Amber noticed that they were missing a person. “Where is JC?” she asked. Kirk looked back at Justin through the rearview mirror and they shared a pained look. “He turned into one of those things,” he said sadly. “He was fine one minute and the next, he was coming for me with a hungry look in his eyes. I shot him in the face, but he just kept coming at me. I’d be one of those things too, if it hadn’t been for Justin. He threw himself at JC and knocked him down, giving me the time, I needed to get off a second shot.” “Well that’s a damn shame,” Bobby said. “He must’ve gotten bit when we stopped for gas earlier.”
“What’s your name?” Amber asked the little boy. “My name is Tyler and I’m 9 years old. Thanks for rescuing me. I’m sorry you lost your friend back there. I lost my Mama and Pop too. They were the reason I was on the roof. When I came home from school today, they were wandering around the yard. They must have crashed the truck. When I got closer to our house, they came for me. I got scared and climbed the ladder and then they knocked it down trying to get to me. I’ve been up there for hours. I’m so thirsty, ya got any water?” Amber handed him a bottle of water and a candy bar from the bag of stuff they’d acquired from the gas station and told him he was safe now. He was now to be a part of their makeshift family.
Chapter 34
Star’s house
Richmond VA
The trio stayed quiet into the night, though no one slept. The sounds of the pounding and slapping didn’t stop like they had hoped. Remembering the attic, Charles said “If they get into the house, we can get into the attic. The ceiling has a door with a ladder attached that pulls down. It’s right outside Isaac’s room. We could go up there. There’s a vent we could use to get onto the roof and from there, we could climb down to the cover I put on the deck last summer.” Star shook her head sadly, “I’ll never make it. My hip already hurts and there’s no way I’m going to be able to climb the attic steps.” “Nana you have to try,” Isaac said, scared. “I’m not strong enough to carry you.” She agreed to try if it came down to it, but really hoped it didn’t. She knew that if the dead made it inside, she would never get out of this house alive.
They sat in the dark with only the glow from the heater to light the room, contemplating whether this would be their last on Earth while the banging continued. About an hour or so later, there was a loud crash that sounded like it came from the kitchen. A shuffling sound followed, and more thumps came after that. “We gotta go now, before we get overrun!” Isaac screamed while gathering all the weapons he could get his hands on and throwing them into his backpack. He made sure to include the box of granola bars they’d gotten from the kitchen hours before. Charles agreed and grabbed a knife from his grandson’s collection and flung open the door. He looked down the hallway towards the kitchen and saw five zombies bumping around into each other. They all noticed him as soon as he poked his head out and started their slow, shambling gait down the hall.
Charles swiftly pulled open the attic door and folded the ladder down. He yelled at Star and Isaac to “Get a move on!” Isaac came out of the room first, his backpack on his back and his rifle in one hand while he shoved his phone into his pocket with the other hand. He high tailed it up the ladder. Charles stepped up the ladder a few rungs and motioned for Star to follow him. Star came hobbling out of the room and started slowly climbing the ladder. He coaxed her up, one rung at a time, pulling at the hands as the undead neared the end of the hallway. He willed her to climb, but she was moving too slowly! She was going to be eaten if things didn’t progress faster. “GO! GO! GO!” He yelled wildly.
Star screamed out in pain as one of the creatures grabbed her ankle and pulled her down a couple steps. The undead monster bit into her calf hard, pulled away a chunk of flesh and chewed it. More hands grabbed her, and she screeched as they yanked her down the rest of the way and started chomping into her. “Get outta the way!” Isaac yelled from behind Charles. He turned around to see Isaac aiming his rifle down the stairs. When Charles moved, Isaac shot a single bullet straight into his Nana’s head. She didn’t move again. With tears in their eyes and mournful hearts, they pulled the ladder up and closed the attic door. Isaac wailed loudly with pain in his heart for his now dead grandmother. He’d broken his promise, he failed to keep her safe.
Chapter 35
Chet’s house
Hico TX
Pulling into the drive, the truck full of people were talking about JC and how he had turned. “You think he got bitten back at the bathrooms?” Amber asked her husband. “It makes the most sense,” he answered. “I don’t know why he didn’t tell any of us though.” Justin muttered, “Maybe he knew we’d put him out of his misery…” Kirk said loudly, “He was a good man, maybe he thought he was immune or something. Did any of you hear him cough or see any symptoms?” No one answered. None of them had noticed anything out of the ordinary, but then again, their focus hadn’t been on anything inside the truck.
Stopping in front of his son’s house, Kirk put the truck in park, and they all got out. Amber and Bobby went directly to the bed of the truck to check on Caesar’s wounds. He had been bitten several times and he was whining with every labored breath he took. Bobby looked at his wife and said sadly, “I don’t think he’s gonna make it.” She shook her head and started crying. Justin came up behind then and asked, “Do you want me to take care of him? You shouldn’t have to put two of your family members down in one day.” They both nodded and Amber backed away from the truck, turning towards Kirk’s son’s house and trudged away. This day had been horrible. She’d lost her son and now their dog in the space of less than 24 hours. She looked down at her fitness tracker on her wrist. It was only 7:30 in the evening. Bobby caught up to her and grabbed her hand. They both made their way to the house. “I can’t believe our baby is gone, and now Caesar too… I hate today,” Amber said harshly. “Me too,” Bobby replied sadly. A few seconds later, a small pop came from the back of the truck and they knew their dog wasn’t suffering any longer. Bobby squeezed his wife’s hand a little tighter and tried his best not to cry.
Kirk’s son Chet came running out of the house and wrapped his father in a big hug. “I’m so glad to see you! We’ve been worried about you all day! Was it hard to get here?”
Kirk smiled and said “Son, I’ve missed you too, where are my grandkids? Yeah, it was rough going today, seems like it took forever to get here. We rescued a little boy, but we lost a few good people today, including their son and dog,” he said pointing to Bobby and Amber. I’m so sorry, folks” Chet said to the couple. Looking back at Kirk, he said “The kids are in bed. They’ve had a long day. We’ve not had anything happen here; they’ve been worried about their Grandpop. They’ll see you in the morning, let’s let them sleep. Y’all look like you could use hot showers and some food and a safe place to sleep.” He walked up the steps of the porch to the front door and motioned for them all to follow. “Come on inside, there’s a big pot of chili and my wife, Alana makes the best cornbread.” The group followed him inside. They had finally made it.
Once inside the warm home, Amber pulled out her phone and texted her son, Isaac to let him know that they’d made it to Kirk’s son’s house safely. She told him that she loved him and then about Caesar being hurt while helping to save a little boy. He had earned his place in doggy heaven. She asked him about his grandparents and told him to call or message her back as soon as possible so she knew he was okay. With the text sent, she put the phone back into her pocket and walked into the kitchen where the rest of the group were gathered.
Chapter 36
The Attic
Richmond VA
Isaac and Charles tried to stay calm after the trapdoor had been closed. They both knew that the dead couldn't leave the house, having crawled in through the window between the bars. The pair decided to wait in the attic overnight, so they’d be able to see the zombies roaming around outside when they made their escape from the attic vent. While they waited, they discussed what their next step would be.
Just then, Isaac’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text from his mom. He opened it and read it to his Papa. “Hi son, we’ve made it to Kirk son Chet’s house. I love you so much and I miss you terribly. I hope you’re safe. Caesar got hurt today, helping to save a little boy from dying and earned his place in doggy heaven. Justin laid him to rest this evening. Neither me nor your dad could bear to do it. Are you and your grandparents still okay and safe? Please call or text me back and let me know as soon as you can.” Isaac started crying again. “No, not Caesar too!” he whispered. After a few moments, he calmed down and texted his mom back.
“Nana is dead. The zombies got in the house and pulled her down the attic ladder. They bit her, so I had to shoot her. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep her safe mama. I really tried. I love you too mom, I want to be with you. You and Dad and Papa are all I have left.”
Once he put his phone back into his pocket, he turned to Charles and said “With Nana and Bobboo gone, I need to be with my mom and dad. We need to get to Texas.” Charles thought quietly for a minute before answering. “Well,” he said Texas is a long way away kiddo, but since the only thing we’ve got left to lose is our lives, let’s take the gamble. There’s nothing left here for us anymore. Grab a few blankets out of that box over there,” he said. “We’ll huddle together for warmth tonight and as long as I make it through the night without freezing to death or dying, we’ll make a full plan in the morning.”
Isaac complied, and once they’d made a bed of blankets, they laid down together. Hold each other to keep warm, the pair tried to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day for them. As the sun began to rise over the horizon, the guys awoke. They were both cold, but they were safe and had managed to survive the night, though neither of them had gotten much rest.
Charles’s mind kept replaying his wife being pulled down the attic steps and Isaac shooting her in the head. Over and over, it played in his mind. Isaac slept about the same, except he kept seeing the grotesque faces of the undead cannibals tearing the flesh from his beloved Nana. In his mind, shooting her was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if she’d become one of those creatures. He mourned the loss of his brother and the dog as well.
While they ate some of the granola bars Isaac had in his backpack, they talked about their plan. Their first step, in theory, would be easy. Get out of the attic and onto the roof. Charles had already made it clear how they could accomplish that the night before. The next step would be to get off the roof. They would simply climb down the poles of the deck covering. The third step would be harder. They would use the remote started on Charles’s keys (always kept in his pocket) to Charles’s truck to lure the undead to it and try to get to Star’s smaller SUV. It had a lift kit and big tires and they’d just had it serviced the week before. It was in good shape, well maintained and the service shop always made sure it had a full tank of gas. Star hadn’t driven it since it had been serviced. She couldn’t drive with a broken hip. Step four would be to get to the highway heading west and pray. They had no plan after that, they didn’t know the extent of the damage the new vaccine had done to other areas of the state.
With the plans made, they jumped into action. Charles pulled the vent cover out of the hole that would lead them out onto the roof. Next, they grabbed their weapons and backpack and creeped out of the attic and made their way across the roof, towards the back of the house where the deck was. They could see the whole backyard where the deck was, and it looked empty. Not a soul in sight. The pavilion that Charles had built over the deck was unattached to the house, so they had to hop from one rooftop to the other. Once on the pavilion roof, they quickly and silently shimmied down one of the poles that held the roof up and quietly landed on the deck. They crept to the gate in the privacy fence and Charles gave Isaac a boost so he could see over it. Not seeing anything, Isaac motioned to Charles to let him down. They opened the gate and crept towards the front of the house where the vehicles were.
Once in range, Charles took the keys out of his pocket and pressed the remote start button. The large truck roared to life, alerting the zombies in the area of fresh food. Their plan was working! Now all they had to do was get to the SUV. Charles shoved the keys back into his pocket. He didn’t want to lose them; the keyring had the SUV keys on it too.
With the nearby zombies distracted, they tiptoed towards the vehicle. Silently, they made it 30 feet to the SUV without alerting the creatures to their presence. One at the Jeep, Charles got the keyring out of his pocket again and quietly unlocked the driver’s side door. He got in and reached over to the passenger side and unlocked Isaac’s door. Isaac climbed in and they both shut their doors at the same time, as quickly and quietly as possible. “Whew,” Isaac said and let out a big breath. Charles looked at him and said “When I start this up, we’re going to be noticed. Be ready for anything.” And with that, he placed the key in the ignition and started the motor.
Chapter 37
Chet’s house
Hico TX
After a great meal of chili and delicious cornbread, Bobby and Amber excused themselves and asked to use the shower. Chet showed them to one of the two bathrooms and told them where to find towels and washcloths. “We’ve got a solar well here, so you’ll have plenty of hot water. The soap and shampoo are in the shower already. Take your time. After the day you’ve had, you deserve a long hot shower and some time alone.” with that said, he left them and went back to the kitchen.
The couple took their time cleaning up, they did indeed need a few minutes alone. When they were done washing and were drying off, there was a knock on the door. It was Justin. He had gone back out to the truck bed and retrieved all their bags. “Here’s some clothes for ya both,” he said and handed them both sets of clothes that Bobby had packed them earlier that morning. They got dressed and left the bathroom after hanging their towels to dry. They made their way to the large living room and sat together on the couch.
Kirk went into the bathroom next and washed up while Justin sat on the couch near the couple and discussed what they’d do next. Tyler was still sitting with Alana at the table in the kitchen. She was asking him questions about his life. “Where ya from little man?” she queried.
“Hamilton,” he answered proudly. “My Pop said I was born in the house where Mr. Kirk and the others found me. Lived there my whole life.” she smiled at him; he was a cute kid. Alana was good with children and secretly hoped that he would stay here with them if the rest of the people decided to leave.
In the living room, Justin, Bobby and Amber were deep in conversation. “So, what do we do from here?” Justin asked. His wife and unborn son were dead, and his father had died a few months ago. His mom had lost her battle with pancreatic cancer back in 2010. He had no one now, and nowhere to go. His wife’s family was in Weatherford, but they never approved of him and Mady being together since he wasn’t rich and couldn’t offer them anything.
We need to go get Isaac,” Bobby replied. Amber pulled her phone out and checked it. She was surprised to find an unopened text from her son. She must’ve missed the notification while her and Bobby were showering. Opening it, she read it aloud to the men on the couch. “Nana is dead. The zombies got in the house and pulled her down the attic ladder. They bit her, so I had to shoot her. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep her safe. I really tried. I love you too mom. Tell Dad too. I want to be with you guys. You, dad and Papa are all I have left.”
She looked at Justin and Bobby and said, “That’s the plan. We’re gonna try to get to our son.” They both nodded their heads. “Not tonight you’re not!” Kirk exclaimed as he walked into the room. He was freshly showered with clean clothes on and an old cowboy hat he’d loaned his son for the last rodeo they'd attended together. “You three need a good night's sleep and a chance to feel safe for a bit. Me and Chet will stand guard tonight. You need time to grieve your lost loved ones and we’ll make sure you’re not disturbed,” Kirk said. He yelled into the kitchen, “Alana! Show these three to the guest rooms so they can rest please.” She jumped up and told Tyler she’d be right back. “There’s cookies in that jar over there on the counter if you want one for dessert,” she told the boy as she walked out of the room.
Made In Mexico | Book 1 | Day 1 Page 8