by Chase McCown
*
After spending the rest of the day gathering supplies and hauling them to the car, the four were exhausted. They decided to rest up and head off the first thing the following day.
When they woke up the next day, a dreary rain set the tone for their departure from paradise in Austin. They were about to give up the first real rest they’d had in months for a city they didn’t even know would be safe. It hardly made sense to them, but at the same time, they knew deep down Austin wouldn’t last forever. They needed somewhere that was truly safe. Austin had been only a temporary solution. Besides, just because they hadn’t seen any infected in Austin so far didn’t mean more wouldn’t migrate there later. DC was their best bet, or so they hoped.
They drove for close to an hour before stumbling across a sight which captured their immediate attention.
A small shadow ran toward them through the rain, which by this time had become a steady downpour. The shadow was followed by many larger shadows, each moving much faster than the first.
“Is that— Is that a kid?” Susan asked at last, squinting her eyes to get a better look at it.
“I think it is! Get ready, guys, we’re going in!” Howard shouted.
Howard sped straight toward the child, stopping a few yards short.
Jacob and Charlie headed for the trunk to get their guns ready, Howard and Susan readied the weapons they kept in the floorboards, and the four prepared to protect the child from the coming onslaught.
Chapter 36
“Help!” cried the child, who raced to the now-open doors of the car.
Susan and Howard opened fire first, sending streams of white-hot lead screaming toward their targets. Several infected slumped over in mid-stride, but more and more filled the gaps and trudged over their fallen comrades.
The creeps uttered raucous cries of fevered intensity, desperate to claim their prize.
“There’s too many!” Susan exclaimed, firing frantically at the seemingly endless host.
“Get back in, everyone! We have to go!” Howard shouted.
Flame spewed from the gullet of a pair of assault rifles as Charlie and Jacob tried to push back the crowd. No matter how many creeps fell, though, more and more steadily replaced them.
The child finally made it to Howard and Susan, who quickly helped him into the car.
Jacob and Charlie raced to the back doors, opened them, and got inside.
“Let’s drive!” Jacob shouted.
“I’m trying!” Howard cranked the ignition several times, but the car only sputtered.
By this time, the horde was upon them, and with each failure, they grew closer to breaking through the windows and the windshield.
Howard closed his eyes and said a desperate prayer, as time after time the engine refused to start. While he prayed, an infected broke through the passenger side window and reached furiously for the child. More hands joined it, and Howard gave the key one final turn. The engine, at last, started with a purr.
Howard stomped the gas pedal as hard as he could, pushing his way through the horde. As they sped away, Howard sighed a relieved “thank you.”
“So,” Howard began at last, the first to speak after the grizzly encounter, “what’s your name, kid?”
“Mike, sir,” the child said, still staring out the now busted window.
“Mike, hmm?” Susan replied. “What’re you doing out here all by yourself, Mike?”
“My parents, they...got sick,” he told them. “They got mad at me, so I had to run away. A lot of my friends got sick, too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Mike,” Howard said. “You’re welcome to stick with us if that’s okay with you. We’ll take care of you.”
“You aren’t sick, are you?” Mike asked, nervously glancing around at them.
“We don’t think so,” Susan said.
Mike offered a feeble smile. “Okay, then. I’ll stay with you guys.”
“Know how to shoot a gun, Mike?” Howard asked.
“I know how to shoot my daddy’s shotgun,” he said, a hint of pride in his voice.
“Perfect! I’ll teach you how to use a few of ours so you can protect yourself if you need to,” said Howard.
“That sounds fun.”
“How old are you?” Jacob asked.
“Ten.”
“Well, welcome to the family, Mike. This is Charlie, here.” Charlie waved to indicate himself. “Jacob’s sitting beside you, there, and Susan’s up here in the front with me. My name’s Howard, but you can call me whatever you want.”
Mike waved at everyone and offered an exhausted “Hello everyone.”
The four each attempted to start a conversation with Mike as they drove, but each time, they stopped themselves. It could have been because they didn’t want to disturb Mike after the ordeal he’d just been through, or because they imagined he must be exhausted and need some sleep. It could have simply been because none of them could imagine anything to say that would make Mike feel any better. So they remained silent. Mike was thankful for this because he was exhausted and didn’t really have the energy left for such a conversation.
After a few hours more of driving, the group pulled over to rest for the day.
Chapter 37
May 23rd, 2025. Houston, Texas.
They drove for hours down the lonely interstate. At times, the monotony of the drive was nearly as fearsome as the infected they sometimes encountered.
When they arrived in Houston, though, they met with a welcome anomaly—signs of intelligent, human life.
Houston appeared to be a military fort of some kind. Soldiers marched in controlled but quick patrols across the walls. Through the barred gate, the four could see some soldiers that were apparently on break, chatting, while some moved supplies and weapons from one side of the fort to the other.
Their wonderment was quickly snuffed out when they reached the gates. A burly soldier met them at their car and leaned into the opened driver side window.
“No entry. Turn around.” He motioned for the car to turn back and leave, but Howard refused to move the car. “Hey, did you hear me? Move it,” the soldier demanded.
“We need to get to Washington DC. We don’t have time to turn around.” Howard handed the soldier the evacuation orders.
The soldier sighed. “Not another one of those. Look, what do you really think you’ll find in DC?”
“We’ve come this far. I’m not about to turn around now,” Howard said.
“Fine. Get out. Follow me,” the soldier ordered crisply, turning and walking away.
They hurried to catch up to him, straining to match his strict military pace.
“What about the car?” Howard demanded.
“This won’t take long,” the soldier assured, continuing his brisk march.
They came to the gates of the city, where the five were patted down and searched for weapons.
“Wait, this one has a revolver,” a guard patting down Susan said.
“That’s my service revolver,” Susan explained.
“Service revolver? Were you with the police?” the guard asked.
“Yeah. Homicide unit,” she affirmed. “I’ve never been without my service revolver, and I don’t think I want to start now.”
“Then you wait outside,” the officer demanded.
“Fine. Let me know what happens, guys.”
The others nodded, and she holstered her gun and headed back to the truck.
They were led to the center of the city where they passed through throngs of heavily armed guards, finally arriving in what appeared to be a war room. Maps covered the walls, diagrams and charts were strung out throughout the room, and several men paced and talked, pointing to the maps again and again at different places.
“You see, we need to build up our defenses here. Any attack that hits us in this area would be devastating,” one soldier pointed out.
“No, no. We need to go on the offensive! We should be bringing the fight t
o these monsters! Every day we wait, they grow stronger,” another argued.
“Attack? Are you insane? We don’t have the manpower for that kind of operation. We should be sending out more patrols for supplies. We won’t last long with current provisions,” a third shouted.
“General, a moment?” the guard who was escorting them called.
“You’ll have to excuse me, boys.” A man in a beret turned from the heated discussion and walked over to them, a weary look in his eyes. “Report, Lieutenant.”
“These four and another who is waiting outside were trying to gain access to our city in an effort to pass through on their way to Washington. I told them they had to turn around, but they refused. Orders, sir?”
He addressed them directly. “DC?”
Howard nodded. “We’ve come so far, sir. We can’t turn back now.”
The general nodded, knelt down, and spoke to Mike.
“How are you, son? Are they treating you okay?”
“Yes, sir.” Mike nodded.
He stood up slowly and spoke to everyone gathered. “Here’s what we’ll do. You get in your car, and we’ll open the gates for you. You’ll slowly drive only where we tell you. You can’t stay in the city. You have to pass straight through and be on your way. You can keep your weapons, but if you draw them, our snipers won’t hesitate to shoot you. Our men will walk with you to the rear gates, but once you pass that point, you’re on your own. Understood?”
“Oh, thank you. God bless you, sir,” Howard said, shaking the man’s hand.
“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant gave a crisp salute and led them back out of the room and to their car.
As they made their way to the car, the clamor of the base caught their attention. Training exercises were going on in one part of the fort, while in another, trucks full of supplies were being unloaded into a warehouse. In another section, Humvees were being maintained and refueled, and in yet another area, soldiers lifted weights, exercised, and played basketball to stay fit.
Soon they arrived at their car, and the lieutenant waved them through the gates as they slowly accelerated through the town. Some of the men unloading supplies had to be stopped so that the car could pass by, but for the most part, they were ignored by the soldiers. After they reached the other end of the base, one of the soldiers swung open the heavy gate, and they drove out of the city. In only a few minutes of driving, Houston had passed from sight.
Chapter 38
May 23rd, 2025. Lake Charles, Louisiana.
They continued to drive for an hour or so before crossing state lines into Louisiana. The car began to choke and sputter before coming to a grinding halt only a few hundred yards from the border.
“Out of gas?” Mike asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Howard confirmed.
As they drove further east, the humidity began to rise. No longer were they dealing with the dry heat they’d experienced in the southwest. The air became heavy and sticky. That, coupled with the heat, made each breath a chore. It felt as if the air itself was trying to suffocate them, like a python coiling around its prey.
They piled out of the car, stretching their legs and looking around at their surroundings. Tall trees, whose branches reached out over the streets, lined the interstate. Some of them were overgrown with mossy vines and completely covered up.
“Alright, I think we’re going to have to look for a new car, but someone needs to stay here with this one to watch the supplies. We can drive the car back this way to pick you up after we find one,” Howard told them.
“Me and Mike will stay,” Susan suggested.
“Sure. Come on, guys,” Howard said, leading the rest down the highway in search of a new car.
“How are you feeling, Mike?” Susan asked, trying to pass the time.
“Okay, I guess. I miss my parents.”
“Yeah, I know how you feel. I miss someone, too.”
“Who?” Mike asked, intrigued.
“My husband. He got sick like your parents did,” Susan said, catching herself as she spoke.
“Oh. Were you there when it happened?” Mike asked.
A tear rolled slowly down Susan’s face, rebelling against her otherwise stoic demeanor.
“No. I was on patrol. I got called in to the scene, but by then he was—” She stopped short, unable to continue. More tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly fought them back, frantically wiping them away.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” he asked, looking up at her.
Susan closed her eyes, trying to gather her emotions. “Mhmm” was the only response she could muster.
Mike hugged her gently, and Susan wept.
*
The others wandered down the highway in search of a car, but thus far had met with little luck. Every car they had found up to this point was either too damaged to run, too old to run, or simply out of gasoline.
“Oh wow, can you believe it?” Jacob exclaimed as they began descending the on-ramp heading off of the interstate. “A car dealership up ahead!”
After browsing the dealership for a short time, Charlie found a pair of keys in a desk. He quickly pressed the ‘honk’ button on the key fob, and a bulky SUV chirped back.
“Sweet,” said Jacob.
“Let’s get this back to Susan and Mike. They’re probably bored to death by now,” Howard said.
Charlie and Jacob frowned at the use of that expression, and Howard quickly apologized. They quickly jumped into the SUV and headed to where they had left Susan and Mike, hopeful that they were still okay.
*
After a few minutes of driving, they arrived.
“Hey guys, we found a car. Full of gas, too!” Jacob exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh,” Susan said, shocked to see them back so soon. “Good.”
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes red from crying. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.
“You okay, Susan?” Howard asked.
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” she said, hurrying to begin loading the new car.
“Sure thing,” said Howard, and with a shrug, they all began to help her. Soon, they were off and heading down the road toward Baton Rouge, the next stop on their journey.
Chapter 39
May 23rd, 2025. Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The bulky SUV hummed rather quietly down the tranquil interstate—a trait that seemed contradictory to its great size.
“What’s the next stop?” Howard asked Jacob, who was struggling mightily to read the colossal map they had taken from the SUV’s glove box.
“One second,” he said, twisting and turning the map, unfolding and folding, and flipping it around in his hands.
“Aha! Here it is. Baton Rouge.”
“It looks like we’re coming up on the exit,” Howard said.
As they neared the city, it became evident that something was very wrong. Moans and shrieks could be heard from outside the city limits. Gunfire, both automatic and semi-automatic, could also be heard.
When they entered the city, they saw flashes of light flickering from behind a rickety-looking barricade. On the opposite side, a sickly host charged at the lights, trying to snuff them out. A few more infected scrambled up to climb over the barricades but were shot down again.
“They need our help!” Susan shouted desperately.
“Don’t we have enough problems as it is? Do we have to take on other people’s problems?” Charlie said.
“Oh, come on, Charlie! What’s wrong with you? Have a heart!” Susan demanded.
“I don’t know, Susan, he has a point,” Jacob said. “Look how many there are. We can’t kill that many creeps.”
Howard was at a loss. He didn’t want to needlessly risk the safety of the group, but surely he couldn’t be expected to just leave these people to their fates? “God,” he prayed, “what should I do?”
“We aren’t going to just leave them, are we, Mr. Howard?” Mike asked.
Just then, they heard the splintering of
wood, followed by a ghastly shriek.
Howard let out a resigned sigh. “I’m sorry, Mike. I don’t think we have any choice. We’re too late. We still have to get through Baton Rouge, though.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Howard,” Susan said, shaking her head in dismay.
“Me too, Susan,” said Howard. “Listen up, guys, this is what we’re going to do.”
*
The hulking SUV sped directly toward confrontation with a horde of infected. Flickers of fire leaped out from the rear windows of the SUV as Charlie and Jacob fired their assault rifles to clear a path for the car, which drove the rampaging beasts mad with rage.
The men behind the barricade were bought a reprieve and used it to take vengeance on the infected for their fallen comrades’ sakes.
Caught in the crossfire, the infected horde began to dwindle in size. Some of the infected in the rear of the horde broke away from the group in a mad sprint toward the SUV.
One, in particular, managed to get close enough to lunge at Charlie. It grabbed his assault rifle and nearly pulled him out of the car, but Susan shot the beast, and it released its grasp, falling back into the horde.
Jacob and Charlie ducked back into the SUV, and the windows were rolled back up.
Howard plowed a path through the remaining infected. As they sped away, the infected turned their attention back to the militia, their numbers seemingly as endless as before.
Susan, Charlie, Mike, and Jacob watched as the militia was at last overwhelmed by the remaining beasts, and all the group could do was hope that some had managed to escape.
“It just feels wrong,” Susan insisted.
“We did what we could. All we can do now is hope it was enough,” said Howard.
“If you say so,” Susan said, staring out the window.
“I’m sorry, Susan. I know it’s hard.”
“Please, just... Let’s just drive,” Susan said.
“Sure,” said Howard.
They continued silently toward New Orleans, and on the horizon, brilliant arcs of lightning gave way to rolling peals of thunder in the distance.