REM

by Valentine, J. D.

  Sophia quickly glanced away and covered her face with her book. Eric and Danny focused on their meals. Their bodies had suppressed the feeling of hunger but were now craving sustenance. Eric looked over at Sophia with curious eyes, at which Danny would kick his leg.

  They ate everything, including the sugar packets that came in the small plastic bag. Danny set the napkins aside as he collected all the trash. Eric grabbed both bags and placed them in a trash bag that was tied to the table. The room started to turn darker, and Danny noticed that the sun had sunk below the high windows. Sophia had set her book on the armrest and began cleaning the light machine gun on the other side of the room, while Chaps had fallen asleep in the chair.

  "I can help you with that," Eric beamed as he started walking towards her.

  "That's far enough," Sophia said.

  Danny's 1911 was pulled from the waistband of her back. She tossed Eric a watch. He caught it with one hand and turned it over, looking at it.

  "You two get some sleep. I'll wake one of you when the little hand reads twelve. That's a one and two, Eric." She made the numbers with her finger.

  "Should have gone digital," Eric smiled.

  Sophia set the pistol on the table. "Well, I’m classy that way."

  Eric shook his head as he walked over to his gear and bent down. The zipper whined open as Eric started pulling out his poncho liner to sleep in.

  "Yeah, let's not get too comfy there, Eric," Sophia snapped.

  He looked up to find Sophia pointing at the door.

  She mouthed the words "outside."

  Eric took a deep breath as he grabbed his things and tossed them out the door. Danny laughed as he collected his gear. He was about to head out the door when Sophia interrupted him.

  "Hey, Dan?" Her once-gritty tone had been replaced with a softer, more gentle side.

  Danny turned back to face her. "Yes?"

  "Thank you," she said. A light smile came across her face. She tried to hide her emotion, but Danny could tell she had been struggling. Slight tears enveloped in her eyes, and she turned her head away. "I'll...uh put some water and ammo out there for you two. Also a bucket."

  Danny shouldered his pack and rifle. His plate carrier hung in his hand. "Thank you, Sophia."

  He left Sophia alone as he shut the door behind him. The last view he had was of Chaps stretching. Eric was cleaning his rifle as Danny walked in. He set his pack down and took a seat using the bag as a backrest. Danny pulled the napkins from his pocket and started breaking down his rifle. He grabbed the knife that sat on the floor and sheathed it. They cleaned in silence until the door opened. They both looked up and saw Sophia standing there. She slid an ammo can out the door with Danny's 1911 resting on top. Two bottles of water were then placed next to it. A plastic bucket was slid out by her foot.

  "There are plastic bags for number two. Make sure you use them. Good night, gentlemen," she concluded and shut the door.

  A lock slid into place, sealing the men outside.

  Eric smiled slightly looking over at Danny, who grabbed his pistol and holstered it. "What?" Danny asked.

  "I hope to God she isn't a vegan," Eric said with a smile on his face. He put together his Glock 34 and slammed a magazine in it.

  Danny laughed as well as he resumed cleaning his rifle. "I think she would eat you alive."

  "That’s what I am hoping for."

  Both men laughed as the room grew darker.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  DANNY AWOKE WITH a splitting pain in his neck. He laid up and felt all the aches multiply throughout his body. When he unbuttoned his flannel, he noticed his chest was bruised, making each inhale a piercing pain as the muscles contracted.

  Getting old there, Dan.

  The realization hit Danny that he was alone in the dingy room. He looked for Eric, only to find an empty poncho liner that had been folded neatly. The door to Sophia and Chaps' room stood open.

  Here we go.

  Danny winced in pain as he stood. His legs felt like limp noodles that wanted to let him drop to the floor. He had to lean on the wall as he shuffled his feet toward the opening. When he limped inside, he noticed that no one was there. Chap's corner chair stood empty with the physics book still open on the table. Danny looked back and saw that Eric's rifle was gone, but his armor was still staged neatly. His eyes scanned back to the empty room. In the far left corner, a small woodblock had been wedged at the bottom to keep it open.

  Danny slowly moved to the door and unholstered his pistol. He pushed the door open as he squatted low. His knees cracked and popped, while he snuck outside.

  Getting old Dan.

  The rooftop was congested with air vents and air conditioning units, but when Danny sank to the floor, he could see three sets of feet that were against the lip of the building.

  He walked up as quietly as he could, but when he rounded an air vent, Eric had his rifle raised in his direction. Danny raised his hands to show him everything was alright. A smile came across Eric's face as he lowered his weapon and ushered him over.

  "Good morning, Mr. Etter," Chaps said in a hushed voice.

  A cordial smile came across Danny's face as he nodded hello.

  Sophia nudged Chaps and shushed him as she resumed looking over the ledge. Danny poked his head up and saw the whole courtyard now filled with crazies.

  "Looks like a party down there," Danny whispered.

  Eric leaned over to Danny's ear. "They are thinning out, but there is another group on the backside that is coming in and out of our building."

  Sophia turned to both Eric and Danny and put her finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet.

  Eric smiled at her and looked back at Danny. "Let's take this inside."

  Both men stood, still half crouched, and walked back to the door. They made sure to keep their heads below the ledge as they both piled into the room.

  Eric stood, cracking his back. "It’s nuts out there, chief."

  "I saw," Danny said as he leaned on Chap's chair. "Those things are coming out of nowhere."

  "Yeah, it's going to make getting out of here a real bitch."

  "Yeah go figure."

  "So, I also have some good news that Sophia shared with me," Eric said scratching his beard.

  "Which is?"

  "She parked an armored Humvee in the gymnasium."

  Danny’s knee buckled making him fall into Chap’s chair. "Thank God, because my old ass is hurting after these past couple of days."

  Eric crossed his arms as he bit his lip. "Well, see here’s the thing...it’s got maybe a gallon left in the tank."

  Danny leaned forward rubbing his temple with both hands sighing. "I mean, throw me a bone here."

  "Look, chief, Sophia and I have it all figured out—"

  "How's that?"

  Eric grabbed a chair from the table. "The way I see it, we need something that will stop some bullets. So, that Humvee is the best thing we've got." He walked a chair over to Danny and set it down, then took a seat facing the backrest. "Now, I know it won't stop everything, but finding a regular vehicle might as well be suicide."

  Danny stared at him with empty eyes. "You know what I think, Eric?"

  "Wha——"

  "We are screwed."

  Eric sighed. "Things look a little grim, yes. We are stuck till that horde out there dissipates, but—"

  "Don't but me on this. I know what you are thinking."

  "Which is?"

  "You and I go creeping and crawling one of these nights and find an eighteen-wheeler or something that runs on diesel?"

  "Sophia wants to go as well."

  Danny's face was unamused. "What about Chaps then?"

  "He will stay here and make sure everything is secure."

  "Just so everything is clear. The three of us are going to go out there when it's dark with all those nutjobs running about is a horrible idea."

  "If we go during the day, they will see us coming. We own the night, Etter."
<
br />   Danny smiled, sarcastically. "We don’t own shit my friend, but let me finish."

  "By all means," Eric said.

  "So, we are somehow going to find enough fuel to get us out of here and over those mountains."

  Eric's eyes darted upward thinking. "Yes."

  Now, Danny sat up in the chair, holding up two fingers. "Let's get two things straight. A jug full of gasoline is loud as hell. And two, we really don't own the night. I'm as blind as a bat, and it's so dark out there you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face."

  The door closed behind them, making both men look over. Sophia and Chaps stood there, awkwardly.

  Sophia looked at Danny. "I have two-night vision goggles that can be mounted on a helmet. And an older model that is heavy as hell and can only go on a rifle as well as three PEQ-16’s that can mount on a rail."

  Eric sat up in the chair, looking at Danny. "Well, there you go, chief. We even have mounts on our helmets for the night vision. So guess who owns the night yet again?"

  Danny put his hand up. "Just one little question. Who is getting the older one?"

  Sophia looked at Eric, smiling.

  Eric grabbed his baseball cap out of his cargo pocket and put it on backwards. "I mean, I think us younger folk are better with technology—"

  "No, no. Not happening," Danny said, waving his hands.

  Eric and Sophia smiled at each other shrugging. Chaps, on the other hand, was still staring at Danny and then back at the chair.

  "Hey, chief? I'd probably get out of Chaps’ seat," Eric said, trying to calm his laugh.

  Danny looked over at Chaps who had removed his glasses and smiled.

  He quickly jumped up and brushed the seat off. "Where are my manners? Major Whitrock your chair, sir," Danny said as he bowed slightly.

  Chaps sat down with a heavy sigh and rested his leg on his knee. "Better you than me, kid."

  Danny stood there, blinking. "How old are you?"

  Chaps lifted his head and pulled his glasses down, smiling. "Wouldn't you like to know."

  Danny looked over at Eric and Sophia. "You two can make yourselves useful and come up with a plan in case we run into another swarm. We will meet up and hopefully push-out at daybreak."

  Both Sophia and Eric nodded in agreement.

  Nothing can ever be easy can it?

  ***

  It was almost pointless trying to map the route. The closest highway was a mile away. Within that distance, Danny had no way of telling what would be there. For all he knew, the roads were impassable and flooded with crazies.

  This has to be quick.

  Danny looked back at the map. His eyes traced each route that had been outlined in black sharpie with notes. It was a tangled mess.

  I need a break. Staring at something for too long will drive a man crazy.

  Again, Danny felt the ache as he stood up and walked back into the main room. Sophia and Eric had used the roof access to check out the Humvee, while Chaps was sitting at the table reading a small book. He looked over at Danny and closed it.

  "Any luck there, Mr. Etter?" Chaps said still with a smile on his face. He had a cigarette in his hand.

  Danny smiled back as he pulled a chair out and sat next to him. "I haven't had any luck in years."

  The man laughed as he took a puff then leaned onto the table. "You know ever since this whole thing happened I haven't looked at this little book." His hand patted the small book that had a cross on the front. "In fact, this is the first time I've opened it since Sophia and I have been on our own."

  Danny leaned on his elbow on the table. "Why read it now?"

  Chaps shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. "Hope, I guess."

  He took another heavy drag and held it out to Danny, who took a puff and handed it back. Chaps waved Danny off telling him to keep it.

  "You see, Mr. Etter, I was a true man of faith. Everything was clear and concise. I saw horrible things, but there was always a good versus evil, or should I say a black and white perspective of things."

  "Well, what happened?"

  A slight tear came down Chap's cheek as he wiped it away. "I thought we were good, that what we were doing was God’s work."

  He fumbled with his chest pocket and pulled a pack out.

  Chaps quickly lit another cigarette, inhaling, and then exhaling a large cloud of smoke. "Before they called us in, Delta units were trying to take out small areas where the infected started to pop up. Once they failed we were deployed immediately."

  Danny’s eyebrows perked up as he leaned forward. "Were they disguised as another government agency?"

  Chaps thought about. "I mean with Delta it’s whatever they want I guess."

  "Eric and I were checking out an old YMCA. We ran into some infected and barely got out of there. We got captured by this group." Danny took a puff from his cigarette. "This guy’s name was Anthony. I could tell they were some spec ops group, but when first I met Anthony and he said he was DEA."

  Chaps shrugged. "Just a cover to keep people from asking questions."

  "Yeah well we got caught by that unit. They interrogated us, but I think this was after they realized that the infection had spread beyond their scope. Probably why they let us go."

  "Well, consider yourself lucky that they let you live. They had strict orders to contain and eliminate anyone who could spread knowledge of the infection."

  Danny shook his head. "It’s crazy to think how messed up our government can be."

  Chaps lit another cigarette. Danny could see something was eating away at the man.

  "You alright, sir?" Danny asked.

  Chap’s exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Our unit was tasked with keeping order and allowing as many survivors to get out of the cities. Ontario was a perfect chokepoint with people just trying to get out of the hell hole that was growing behind them. I mean, it truly was God's work in the beginning."

  Danny sat there with the cigarette, still smoking in his hand. "What happened after that?"

  "Word came down from the brass that the outbreak had spread. First, it was Los Angeles, then all the big cities started to get overrun one by one. It didn’t even take more than a day. Before we knew it, the whole country was gone. Apparently, a good amount of the population had the symptoms early on."

  "It was stewing under everyone's nose," Danny muttered.

  "You got that right." Chap’s took another puff. "Anyway, the whole division got orders to stop the flow, so we shut everything down. There were thousands of people all just building up at the checkpoints. One day, the infected got tangled up with a crowd. People just panicked." Chaps sniffled heavily as he took another drag. "Sorry, you shouldn't hear this crap from me."

  "No, it's good to get these things out." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "We were traveling with another guy, Chad. He—uh was taken out by a machine gun from your unit two days ago. I mean Eric and I barely got out of there alive."

  Chaps tapped his cigarette into an empty soda can. "Dan, Sophia and I had no part of that I can assure you."

  Danny's eyes fell to the floor. "I always knew our government was ruthless, but I never thought they would----."

  "Dan, they are nothing but ruthless sons of bitches," Chaps said. The words tasted bitter in his mouth as he said them, but he meant it. "Once everyone started to panic, our unit got overrun. Those poor boys were torn to pieces by those demons. I watched families just get trampled to death by mass panic. Our battalion commander sent out an order to kill on sight. Sophia and I were in the headquarters building when the order was given out." He looked up at Danny. "I have never seen such evil in my life." He paused for a moment before continuing. "People slipped through, of course, but the majority were gunned down in the streets. The ones that lived started going back from where they came, only to get massacred by the infected that were coming to us."

  "How did you and Sophia get here?"

  "Well, a few high ranking officers and I started recruiting men to overthrow
the battalion commander. He got word of what was happening and rounded up all those officers, myself included. One by one, he executed them. By the time he got to me, I had pissed myself and was praying for my life. He put his M-9 to my head."

  Chaps took a heavy drag and then tossed the cigarette into the can.

  "When I looked up at him, he was smiling. He got real close to my face and just whispered to keep the faith." Chaps shook his head as he patted the bible.

  Holy shit.

  Danny wanted to say something, but they just sat there for a moment.

  Chaps cleared his throat before continuing. "After that, he confined me to my quarters. A few days later, Sophia and a few others broke me out. The two men she was with gave us enough time to get out of there. God knows what happened to those boys." Chaps stared off for a few moments. "That was...uh....five days ago. Sophia and I have been up here ever since."

  Danny sat there in silence for a moment before he spoke up. "So, where did all this hope come from?"

  Chaps looked Danny in the eyes and smiled. "You, Dan. With all this darkness around us I can see that light in you. You may not believe in this book, but I can see that God is rooting for you to get to your family. If I can serve him by getting you there, then so be it."

  A smile came across Danny's face. "What about Sophia and her dreams of Bakersfield?"

  A darkness emerged from Chaps eyes. "I love that girl like a daughter, but she still thinks her parents are alive." Danny could see Chaps holding back his emotions. "She has endless optimism, but Bakersfield is just a smoldering heap."

  "How do you know that?"

  "The Army's last-ditch effort was to direct everyone to a few select cities outside of Los Angeles. Once they felt there was enough traffic in those areas, they leveled it all to hell with artillery."

  "You can't be serious?"

  "Oh, but I am. They gave people hope when, in reality, it was a death sentence."

  What has this world come to?

  Danny swallowed heavily as he leaned forward. "What is their mission now?"

  Chaps took another puff from his cigarette. "To eliminate any and all threats to the United States. Everything is on the table now."