REM

by Valentine, J. D.

  A girl sang in the background. "Ring around the rosy. Pocket full of posey."

  Danny took another step forward into the darkness.

  "Ashes."

  "Susan," Danny called out.

  "Ashes."

  The voice sounded like his little girl. He knew it and it ached in his bones. He could hear someone running off into the distance.

  "We all fall—"

  The footsteps were behind him now. Danny turned to see a little girl standing in the open doorway.

  "Susan sweetie!" Danny yelled out.

  The girl's neck twisted back awkwardly, and her whole body contorted making a snapping sound like twigs. Danny couldn't move. He was stuck now as the girl began walking on all fours with her hair draped over her face.

  "Oh Susan. Oh God."

  The girl suddenly jumped forward, sprinting at him. An ear-piercing scream jolted him awake.

  "What the hell?" Danny whispered to himself as he sat up. He was caked in sweat and the poncho liner that was draped over him stuck to his skin. "Jesus," Danny exhaled as he rubbed his eyes awake.

  He was back in the small room now. The sun was cutting through the overhead window, shining a beam of light into the center of the room. He looked over at Eric's spot where it was unoccupied yet again. Danny started to pack up his bag when a hushed conversation pulled him away from his task.

  When Danny walked in, he found Chaps at the table with both Eric and Sophia. They were all scrubbing parts on the machine gun.

  "Ah, Mr. Etter," Chaps spoke up smiling. "Please have a seat."

  Eric and Sophia looked over at Danny still with a smile on each one of their faces.

  "How are you two lovebirds this fine morning?" Danny said as he rubbed his crusted eyes.

  Eric's smile faded away as Sophia pulled her head close to her chest, hiding her now red cheeks.

  "Well, like always. You look like shit this morning, chief." Eric's smile returned to his face as he scrubbed a piston rod.

  "And you’re still a jackass," Danny muttered as he tried to rub the crust from his eyes.

  Chaps slid a cup of coffee over. "This will get the engines running there, Dan."

  "Chaps, you are a godsend. No pun intended," Danny said with a smile as he clutched the mug with both hands and took a sip. "How's the tailgate outside looking?"

  Sophia sat up, bringing her chair closer. "They are starting to thin. I’d say we give it a day or two, and we should be in business to hit the road. We’ve got enough fuel to get us over those mountains to the north, but I still think we should take some cans and fill them up while we are on our way."

  "How much gas does this thing use anyway?"

  Everyone looked over at Danny. "A lot," they all said in unison.

  Danny rubbed his light beard. "Okay, so we find something along the way and fill it up. My main concern is getting to those mountain roads." Danny grabbed his map and laid it on the table. "Soph, you said all the main routes were all blocked?"

  "Everything is blocked. Our unit used air support to take out all the roads that were congested so they could stop the massive flow that was leaving. They wanted to funnel everyone either East to Indio or North to Bakersfield."

  Chaps and Danny made eye contact briefly but quickly glanced away from one another.

  Sophia tapped her finger on all the main highways. "So the fifteen is a no-go and thirty-nine are all blocked. The only way through is with a tank, or we are walking. I don't know about you boys, but that is a lot of ground to cover before we get to the nearest town."

  Eric tapped his finger on highway thirty-nine. "There has to be back roads connecting this highway to some of these houses. I mean the worst case is we have to guide the Humvee through some brush, but we can get there. It's also worth a shot just seeing if that road really is blocked."

  "I'm with Eric on this," Chaps said. "It's the closest highway, and once we get on the damn thing, it leads us right to where we have to go."

  Sophia leaned forward over the map. "It pulls me further away from Bakersfield. Guys, I don't know. I mean it's just not sitting well with me here."

  Danny looked back at Eric and then Chaps. His eyes finally settled on Sophia, whose eyes widened.

  Any way was a bad way. Should we just tell her about Bakersfield?

  He looked at Sophia who was flustered.

  Not yet.

  Danny rubbed his stubble once more as he grabbed the map. "We will take the thirty-nine. There aren't very many guarantees, but the thirty-nine is closest, and that means a minimal amount of time on the streets. Once the group is gone, we will head out. In the meantime, we will start loading up that vehicle."

  Far off explosions made everyone look around. Eric quickly put together the machine gun as everyone else grabbed their armor and weapons. Chaps was even brandishing an M4 carbine now. Danny opened the door and walked outside. Another blast was to the east. Sophia ran out with binoculars and immediately started to scan the horizon. They took a knee as Chaps and Eric came out. The bearded veteran clutched the light machine gun with a fresh belt secured on the feed tray.

  "What do we got?" Eric asked as he set the SAW up on the ledge.

  "I don't know. I think someone is getting bombed all to hell. It's pretty far off though." Sophia pulled the binoculars from her eyes and pointed. "There, by the interstate."

  Danny grabbed the binoculars and looked out. About five miles away, he could see smoke starting to rise from the horizon. A large aircraft was making a giant circle around the interstate. The sound of a buzzsaw echoed throughout the valley. Every now and again a couple of massive blasts would go off.

  "They are just using the 25 millimeter and the 40," Eric said softly.

  Danny pulled his eyes from the binoculars. "What?"

  "It's an AC-130 gunship. My guess is the Air Force is lighting up that horde we saw last night."

  A massive explosion went off, making everyone even Eric crouch lower behind the ledge.

  "What was that?" Chaps asked with wide eyes.

  "That Chaps, would be the Howitzer." A small smile emerged from Eric's lips as he watched the massive aircraft cut its approach and begin to fly off. "Nothing, but pieces are left over there."

  Danny spit on the ground as he looked back into the binoculars. "At least they are firing on those things and not us."

  Another heavy blast shook the building. The crowd of crazies below started to cry out, and some began to clap their hands, cheering. The last round of fire went off, and the plane stopped its wide circular course. Instead, it cut right heading northeast over the mountains.

  "Sure we want to go that way, chief?" Eric asked as he spit a wad of dip on the floor.

  Sophia looked at him in disgust as she sighted in with her rifle at the plane.

  Danny looked out at the mountain range in front of them. "We don't have much of an option."

  The plane's engines dissipated and the smoke began to thin in the distance. Danny looked out and saw the group in the middle of the courtyard was looking in the direction of the explosions. A few of them had even started to leave the compound altogether.

  "Guess we might be able to leave sooner than later," Sophia said.

  Danny looked down at her with a smile. "Sooner we get out of here the better."

  "How many crazies do you think that AC-130 took out?" Chaps said as he stared out at the smoke.

  Eric pulled the SAW from the ledge and cradled it. "I'd say that whole swarm we saw last night and then some. That gunship was built for making mass graves."

  Chaps crossed himself and lowered his head, saying a small prayer. Eric nearly laughed as he stood and walked back to the room, shaking his head.

  Sophia looked over at Danny. "What’s his problem?"

  "Eric is a bit of a free thinker." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. He looked over at Chaps. "Look, he didn't mean anything by it."

  Chaps smiled. "It's quite alright. I understand more than anyone why he wouldn't want to bel
ieve." He patted Danny and Sophia on the back. "Now, I think we should all celebrate before we go on a big adventure, don't you think?"

  ***

  Chap's was a little red in the face as he took another swig of the bottle of vodka. Danny wanted to join, but something was different now. That immense desire for a buzz was somehow overlooked. Like when a child grows older and stuffed animals are no longer friends, but just furry toys.

  Well except for Jazzy Bear of course.

  He had taken one sip of course, but he winced at the burn sensation that settled down in his stomach. In truth, the burn was still there, and his body wanted to purge it already.

  "How about another drink there, Mr. Etter?" Chaps said, offering over the bottle.

  Danny smiled as he waved him off. "I’m good, Major. That stuff has done more harm than good to me and my family."

  Chaps looked at the bottle as if it was cracked or soiled, but it wasn't. "Never thought you were an alcoholic?"

  "Well, we all have our demons. That one, I’ve been trying to put behind me for a long time."

  "I hear you on that," Chaps said as he took a sip from the bottle. "You know, when I was a young man, I got into all sorts of trouble."

  Danny laughed. "You? Come on Chaps---"

  "No," Chaps said, putting his hand up. "I was not a holy man by any means, but the older I got the more I realized."

  "Alright, Chaps," Danny said. "I’ll bite. What did you realize?"

  Chaps hiccuped before speaking. "I realized that everyone has the capability to be the person they want to be. Unfortunately, most still let the past dictate how they should live the rest of their lives."

  Danny stood there.

  "You see, Mr. Etter, until we forgive ourselves for what we’ve done or what has been done to us, we can never truly transcend to our perception of greatness."

  Danny was about to say something, but Chaps looked back at the door. "Sophia and Eric have been gone for quite some time," he said, slurring his words. "I'd tell them to wait till marriage, but screw it." He laughed to himself taking another sip. "Well, guess that's what they are doing, I suppose."

  A deep laugh came from Danny as he rubbed the stubble on his face. "I'm going to have a smoke outside Major. Care to join?"

  Chaps shook his head. "I am probably going to hit the hay in a couple of minutes. Big day we will be having tomorrow."

  Danny stood and grabbed for a fresh pack of cigarettes in his breast pocket. "Honestly, it's about time we get moving, Major."

  "Say Dan, I have a question for you."

  "Go ahead, Chaps."

  Chap’s pursed his lips. "What’s with that little stuffed animal of yours?"

  Danny looked down at Jazzy Bear who was still nestled in his dump pouch. "It was a promise I made to my daughter. She said the bear was going to watch over me," he said smiling.

  "I’d say that little bear is holding up its end of the bargain," Chaps laughed.

  Danny shook his head smiling.

  The Chaplin leaned real close to Danny. "Remember Mr. Etter, carry the light. I guess more importantly, carry it in front of you because it’s where you're going that matters not where you’ve been."

  "It’s a promise, Major."

  Chaps smiled patting Danny’s arm. He fell back in his chair as Danny walked to the roof access. He slung his weapon and lit his cigarette before he stepped outside. The wind blew cold air on his face as he took a long drag. His boots lightly crunched the gravel that was on the roof. Danny looked down at the courtyard and saw that it was empty now. Off in the distance, a small fire started to grow as buildings turned ablaze.

  In a weird way, the sight in front Danny was a thing of mystic beauty. His eyes glowed like an orange amber as a big fury of a blaze engulfed a four story building. The fire was small compared to the vast city that surrounded him. But small things could become big things. That was evidently clear with REM. Whatever REM was, it had been small like that fire. Something dangerous was left unchecked and it grew into something that no one could stop. Danny wanted to believe that everywhere else couldn't be this bad. Hell, maybe the military had contained it and Danny was just on the wrong side of things. The hope was that his family would be on the right side, the safe side.

  I will be the man I always should have been.

  Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hushed laughter came from behind him. His eyes opened with fear in them. The cigarette fell to the ground, and a quick pivot put Danny in a slow combat glide toward the noise. His steps were quiet as he used the outside of his feet to put pressure before he put his whole weight on the floor. He was silent as another heavy gust of wind drowned out his light footsteps.

  The laughter came again as Danny rounded the A/C unit. He could hear hushed whispers now.

  Don't be them. Please.

  Danny slowly poked his head over the unit. His rifle still held close to his face, ready to fire. Suddenly he stopped.

  Another low chuckle of laughter came from behind the A/C unit. Danny had to cover his mouth as laughter nearly escaped. Behind the A/C unit, he could see Eric and Sophia close to each other. They were kissing one another unaware of the world around them. A smile came across Danny's face as he slowly left them there.

  It's about time, Eric.

  To keep the two love birds from knowing he was there, Danny slowly retreated to the roof access. The wind helped him as he slowly shut the door behind him. He looked in to find Chaps passed out in his chair. The bottle was still half full on the table beside him.

  "Guess it's just you and me this evening, Chaps," Danny whispered as he grabbed the bottle and took a sip.

  The burn hit him again, and he put it back, cursing himself, but the second shot was always more comfortable. Still, the alcoholic in him was scared straight, and Danny needed to keep a clear head if he was ever going to see his family again. He sat on the chair and played a game of solitaire as he tried to focus on his family.

  They need the father and husband you always wanted to be.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  THE TAN DOORS of the Humvee slammed shut, and the engine sputtered before settling into its idling rhythm. The feeling of deja vu struck Danny as he slid his helmet on over his head. He positioned his rifle inside and made sure the door was secured. Sophia was snapping gum in her teeth as she watched Eric walk up to the large garage door.

  "Bakersfield," Danny said. He looked at Sophia, who sat in the driver’s seat. "That's it?"

  Sophia put the vehicle in drive and looked back at Danny. "After that, we go our separate ways. Now, look alive it's showtime."

  Danny looked back behind his seat at Chaps. His helmet sat awkwardly on his head, and his glasses were already starting to fog up. The man gave him a look.

  We should just tell her.

  Chaps leaned forward tapping Sophia on the shoulder. "I have a good feeling the big guy is looking out for us today, Sophia dear."

  "Major, I hope so," Sophia said as she put the Humvee in drive.

  The vehicle crept forward as Danny racked the bolt of his rifle. Eric began lifting the door, and the sun slowly crept its way into the center of the wooden basketball court. The light made Sophia reach for her sunglasses, and Eric walked out with his weapon scanning the surroundings. A few bodies littered the courtyard and the swarm that had chased Danny was rotting away in the sun. The vehicle swung out left and headed for the gate that was left bent in half. Eric let the Humvee pass him before he walked up and jumped into the back seat behind Sophia. His chinstrap had disappeared in his beard, making him look like one of those contractors in the middle east. He smiled at Danny revealing white teeth that looked like primal fangs.

  "Looks all quiet out there, but I'll scan our left," Eric said. He tapped the SAW that sat next to him. "Hopefully, Betsy won't have to come out and play though."

  Sophia rolled her eyes as she turned left onto the main road. "I am the only one allowed to call her that."

  "Oh, I have a feelin
g Betsy and I will become a lot closer," Eric said in a casual voice.

  Danny was smiling ear to ear as he looked at Sophia. "You guys were out pretty late last night."

  Eric kept his eyes scanning outside. "There was a little oil leak. Had to plug it."

  "I'm sure you did," Danny said as he turned his face away from them both.

  Sophia's face turned red again as she kept her eyes on the road.

  Trash and leaves had built up on the sidewalks, and the aura of things had a dull haze to them. Danny kept his eyes on the right side. He caught a glimpse of a stray dog that was running down an alley as they drove past. Sophia had to weave in and out of cars, but they kept progressing nonetheless. The streets became less full as they went further north. Danny kept her on track as they stayed away from any highways that could possibly be bogged down with cars.

  A few hours passed, and they had made it fifteen miles. The map showed that they were close to a road that would lead them into the mountains. Sophia followed a route that veered to the left. Around the bend, they came up to a large intersection that had been blocked by a thick line of cars.

  "Shit," Danny muttered to himself as the gamble he took unfortunately floundered.

  They saw cars pinched at the entrance. A few military Humvees sat in a barricade. One had charred from being on fire, and bodies were strewn everywhere. Men, women, and children were all rotting on the pavement. Their bodies already past the bloated phase of decay as a black residue had built up around the dead. Sophia drove up closer, hoping to find a way through, but the only thing to greet them was the horrific smell of death. Danny moved his neck gaiter over his face. Eric, on the other hand, just lit a cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke into the cab.

  "Well, this was a massacre," Eric mumbled.

  Massacre would be an understatement.

  The cigarette danced in his mouth as he shuffled to put the pack of cigarettes into his shoulder pocket. Chaps kept his eyes away from the scene as he looked out at the mountains. Sophia sighed as she chewed her gum slowly. Her eyes seemed to sit still. She shook her head to push the thoughts past her mind.