REM

by Valentine, J. D.

  Sophia looked over at Danny. "Any way past this little shit show."

  Danny studied the map. A road a few blocks back seemed to have a route that bisected the road. It looked more like a trail, but it was better than nothing.

  At least we got something.

  He looked up to survey the land, but something caught his eye.

  What was that?

  He looked up, his eyes tracing the line of cars, searching for movement. The Humvee idled as he looked to his right out the window. The mountains seemed so untouched. They weren't nearly the size of the Sierra Nevadas, but even those few thousand feet in elevation seemed like they would be a few thousand feet from the depths of this hell.

  "What's going on?" Sophia asked.

  Danny looked back at the map. "Nothing. Just looks like if we go back, there is a service road that will take us to the highway."

  Eric shifted forward. "Hang on. I saw something too."

  See, I knew it was something.

  Danny scanned the surroundings now. The windows were slightly dirty in the vehicle, which made the little specks of grim on the glass look like people far away.

  "Dan," Chaps said. His voice was hollow and laced with fear.

  Danny looked to his right, and a woman was poking her head up against his window.

  Shit!

  He jumped back, cursing to himself as he reached for his pistol. Her eyes were blue with red streaks of blood vessels. They darted around the inside of the cab and then locked on Danny's eyes. The woman smiled and Danny could see bits of dried up meat that were intertwined within her teeth. Her skin looked pale and dirty as specks of blood and dirt caked her cheeks.

  Be calm. Stay calm.

  "Soph," Danny muttered. He was afraid to move, let alone breathe. His hand rubbed Jazzy’s fur. He heard her gasp slightly. "Soph, back it up nice and slow alright."

  The Humvee jerked as it was put in reverse. The woman's eyes darted to the hood and then back at Danny. The heavy vehicle started to inch backward, slowly. This didn’t change anything as the crazed woman walked beside the vehicle still focused on Danny.

  "They always said I was insane," the woman said. "They said that I wasn’t normal."

  Just stop talking to me. Please stop.

  "Dan, we may have a problem here," Sophia blurted out.

  Danny took a peek through the front windshield. A swarm was starting to emerge from the other side of the intersection. Their heads bobbled over the tops of the cars.

  How?

  There were hundreds of them. More than Danny had ever seen. The door slightly opened and Danny held it closed. He looked at the woman now who was starting to become jittery.

  A hand slammed on the window.

  "Now, everyone is just like me," the woman started to laugh. "They are gonna get you too."

  Suddenly, the woman looked back at the swarm. She became frantic as she started banging on the glass. "Oh God! You gotta help me!"

  Sophia hit the gas a little heavier now. The woman started to run with the vehicle as she slammed her hand on the window.

  "We gotta get out of here," Eric said from the back.

  "You gotta help me!" She started slamming her fists on the window. "You sick bastard! They are coming! Help me!"

  "We are running out of time. Hurry the fuck up," Eric said a little louder.

  Chaps pulled his hands to his face. He mumbled to himself. "Please, Father—"

  Sophia hit the gas harder now. The woman had enough, she let out a blood-curdling scream and started slamming her head on the window.

  "Sophia, whip this thing around!" Danny yelled.

  Danny looked forward and saw hundreds of them. The woman's screams became a uniformed roar as the swarm began to charge the Humvee. Hundreds of crazies started sprinting right for them. All the faces became a blur and the mass of bodies moved like water in a stream. A few were already hopping over the line of cars that were a hundred yards away, as Sophia jerked the wheel to the left making the tires squeal. The hood of the Humvee jerked right. The woman in Danny's window disappeared as the sound of bones snapping and screaming came from underneath. The vehicle jumped up as it ran over the woman.

  Eric racked the SAW. "They are closing on us! Get this thing moving," he yelled.

  Danny saw a wave of crazies running over and around the line of cars. Sophia turned the wheel quickly and hit the gas. They were moving but not at a pace that felt comfortable.

  "Soph, step on it!" Danny commanded.

  "I am! What the fuck do you want me to do?"

  "Must go faster!" Eric yelled as he popped open the top hatch.

  Sophia hit the gas and started ramming into cars. The deafening blast of the SAW erupted overhead as shells fell onto the seats behind Danny. They moved enough to allow the wide vehicle to squeeze through the gaps. Danny could hear the screaming getting louder now. He looked back in the mirror only to see a dense line of crazies fifty feet back. A few fell only to disappear under dozens of feet. Something jumped on the top. The machine gun barked as Danny saw a body fall off the vehicle. Eric pulled the top hole closed. He holstered his Glock as his eyes looked upwards.

  "That was close!" Eric yelled.

  Chaps was mumbling softly to himself. "Give us the strength—"

  Danny started to look around. There was a residential street that opened up. "Sophia, left! Go left!"

  She cut the wheel left and hit the gas. A torn face slammed into the door behind Danny. Heavy thuds made Sophia jump as two crazies had run headfirst into the driver’s side doors. The window had cracked, making Sophia flinch. She weaved left into the suburbs. Heavy thuds made everyone look up as two crazies jumped down on the hood. Sophia tried to see past the two crazies, but the side of the Humvee caught a parked car. The vehicle lost traction sending it head-on into a grey coupe that was left in the middle of the street.

  NO!

  The dash slammed Danny on the front of his helmet. The shock rattled his brain as things became fuzzy and grey. He awoke with the taste of iron in his mouth, which he guessed was blood. Danny looked over to see Sophia was trying to start the vehicle. Eric was yelling as he slammed his hand on the back of Sophia's seat. Chaps was panicking now as he tried holding his door closed.

  Are we okay?

  The Humvee kept sputtering but never turned over. Danny's eyes looked in the mirror, but instead, all he saw were disfigured faces that were pressed up against the window. The vehicle started to toss left and right as the bodies began getting pushed tightly against one another. Faces began to appear on the windshield, all smiling at the four in the cab.

  Danny felt like he was about to lose it. "Sophia, move this thing!"

  He looked over to see her sobbing as she kept trying to start the vehicle.

  "Come on!" She screamed as she slammed her hands on the wheel. She tried again this time the engine sputtered and began to idle again. She put it in reverse. The tires squealed, but they only moved a few feet.

  "Oh God," Chaps yelled.

  Danny looked back to see Chaps trying to hold the latch of the door, but it was being jerked up and down.

  NO! NO!

  Danny tried to reach for him. "Chaps, hold it!"

  The man looked at Danny with wide eyes. "Carry the li---"

  Something snapped, and the door was torn open.

  "No!" Sophia screamed as she tried to reach out.

  Danny watched in horror as a dozen hands grabbed at Chaps' limbs. The swarm seized his arm and Danny could hear the snapping as Chaps cried out. His arm was ripped from his body.

  Oh my God!

  Blood started to spray everywhere as the man screamed in pain. His eyes never left Danny. Hands began to grab at the man's head. His leg was awkwardly snapped and then pulled away from his body as all the torn faces dug into the man.

  Chaps mumbled something to Danny. The words he could see, but he couldn't quite understand them.

  "You sons of bitches!" Danny screamed.

  He le
veled his 1911 and started firing into the crowd, but more faces emerged. When Danny looked back at Chaps, the man's head was gone. The overpressure of the machine gun sent sharp pulses of pain throughout Danny’s body as Eric fired at the now open door. He covered his ears and looked down only to see the handle of his door start to shutter and move. He grabbed it with both hands, trying to keep the door closed. He looked in the window only to see more torn smiling faces. The door behind him was wide open, but the bodies that had once tried to get in were now barriers that prevented the rest from entering.

  "Move this fucking thing!" Eric yelled, thick strands of saliva settled in his beard.

  Sophia was panicking now as she put it in drive and jerked the wheel to the right. The tires squealed, and the Humvee started to move. The grey coupe in front began sliding. Its rear end fishtailing as the massive torque from the tan Humvee pushed it out of the way. The smell of death was coupled with the intense aroma of burning tires. The engine growled, and suddenly like a slingshot, the Humvee took off. The suspension jumped up and down as the large tires ran over a mass of bodies. A few of the crazies were still on the hood screaming at Sophia and Danny.

  "FASTER!" Danny yelled.

  The air from outside rushed through the opening behind Danny sending chills down his neck. One of the crazies in front looked at the opportunity. Danny watched in horror as the light-skinned crazy jumped back up on the roof.

  "Eric, right side!" Danny called out.

  Shit.

  Danny looked back and saw the crazy looking down at him with his head upside down in the opening. A loud crack like a cannon went off, and the man's head completely caved in. Danny looked over to find Eric holding up the revolver that he had found in the apartment.

  "Slam on the brakes!" Eric yelled to Sophia.

  The pedal popped. Danny’s whole body was thrown forward. His helmet slammed into the medal dashboard making him feel all fuzzy. The crazy on the hood was thrown off and skidded on the asphalt like a limp piece of meat. Eric jumped as a couple of thuds came from behind. The engine wheezed to life as the shocks jolted from running over the crazy.

  "Where do I go?" Sophia said, throwing her arms up.

  Danny pointed to the left where the road went up a hill. "Follow this road, Soph."

  She kept her eyes on the road. "How's Chaps?"

  What are you talking about?

  Danny looked back at the seat where Chaps had been. It was nothing but a torso and torn ligaments. Danny looked over at Eric, who shook his head in disgust.

  Eric then leaned forward and put his hand on Sophia's shoulder. "Keep driving, Soph. It will all be alright. Just stay in your lane and keep driving."

  The vehicle gunned it up to the hill with an awkward whining sound. The road suddenly ended near a large home. What lay beyond was a broad trail that winded up into the mountain that stood in front of them. The chassis of the vehicle went from smooth to bumpy as the road turned to dirt.

  Everyone was trying to catch their breath as Danny looked back. The swarm was peaking the hill, but not in the same numbers that it was. Sophia just sat in silence. Danny took out the photo of his family and stared at it. He looked back at Eric who was covered in blood. He was pulling out a blanket trying to cover up Chap’s torso.

  Carry the light. These two need me to carry the light.

  Danny kissed the photo with teary eyes and stuck it back in his chest rig. He patted Sophia's shoulder. She was looking back at the torn carcass. Eric tried to shield it from her, but it was too late. Her sobs became a hoarse scream.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  THE POTHOLE MADE the entire humvee jolt as Eric steered the heavy vehicle back on course.

  "He’s just pieces," Sophia muttered to herself in the passenger seat. Tears poured down her face as she cut herself off from the rest of the world.

  Danny tried to comfort her, but it was no use. She eventually just sat there in silence clutching Chap’s left hand that was untouched by the swarm. Occasionally, the door would unlatch and swing freely blowing cold air into the cab, but for the most part, it was silent.

  Eric focused on the road. The winding canyons of the mountains were nearly untouched. Sure, a few cars were left unattended on the side of the streets. There was the occasional corpse, but overall, it was a breath of fresh air compared to the overpopulated pressure cooker they had come from. The short brown shrubbery became small trees as they climbed in elevation. The gravel ended and the untouched asphalt picked up. The drive was smooth, but the engine started to nag. Danny had a feeling the radiator took a big hit.

  They kept gaining altitude and with it, a squealing started to erupt from under the hood.

  That’s not good.

  Ahead the incline grew steeper. Eric gave the Humvee a little more gas to get its momentum going, but something popped under the hood. The momentum was suddenly lost as he had to keep his foot on the brakes so the vehicle wouldn't start rolling backward.

  This isn’t good.

  Nobody said anything as white smoke began to emerge from under the hood. The Humvee lurched as it’s parking brake was engaged.

  "Come on!" Eric yelled as he tried to start it again.

  "Eric cut it! You’ll flood the engine," Danny said resting his hand on Eric’s shoulder.

  Eric’s face turned red. "I’ll flood the fucking engine alright."

  He turned the Humvee off and pushed the door open violently making Sophia jump.

  Not you. I need you right now.

  "Eric!" Danny called out. He opened the door stepping out.

  Eric was pacing back and forth cursing to himself.

  Danny walked up with his hands up. "You okay?"

  "What are we doing?" Eric said staring over the valley.

  Danny cocked his head. "What do you mean? You know what the hell we are doing."

  Eric shook his head in frustration. "A good man just died and for what?"

  "For what?" Danny shook his head as he looked down at the city. "You are alive. Have you ever lived a day in your life?"

  Eric took a step forward. "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "I know what you are thinking," Danny said in disgust. "Don’t you dare pull the rest of us into that darkness. Look out there! Take a long fucking look!"

  The valley showed a city enveloped in chaos. Fires burned everywhere and what wasn’t burned out would eventually succumb to the chaos.

  "They are all gone," Danny yelled. He looked out at the valley taking a deep breath. "All those people had hopes and dreams. They have no more options because they are either dead or infected."

  Eric looked down at the dirt. The blood on his face was starting to dry.

  Danny took a step forward. "You are still alive, and you still have an opportunity that Chad and everyone else will never have again."

  Eric swallowed hard as he looked out. His eyes were starting to water up. "I thought I was done going through hell when I got home from war. I just wanted to live a normal life, but now that can’t even happen."

  Danny rubbed his cheek as he looked out at the valley. "The important thing is that you still have the option to have a life. Most people don’t have the option anymore."

  Eric looked at his feet for a while as Danny stood there looking out at the city.

  A heavy sigh came from Eric as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "I took this pack from Chaps. Figured he wouldn’t need it anymore."

  Danny looked back at the Humvee. "I’m sure he wouldn’t mind."

  "It was fucked how he went," Eric said. "No man should have to go out like that."

  "He was a good man," Danny said as he started to tear up. "But you’re right. He deserved better."

  I’m so sorry, Chaps.

  Eric held out the cigarette. Danny took it and inhaled. They were silent for some time.

  Danny looked out at the city. "You alright?"

  Eric took a deep breath. "I’ll be alright. Little steam escaped is all."

  "I get
it, but remember we need you."

  "Thank you, chief," Eric said nodding.

  Danny flicked an amber from the cigarette and smashed it with his boot. "Stay in the light, Eric."

  They both walked back to the Humvee. Danny took the driver’s seat as Eric sat in the back.

  Come on, baby.

  Danny turned the ignition switch to the right. The yellow light turned on.

  Okay, come on.

  The yellow wait sign turned off and Danny pushed the lever all the way to the right. The engine turned over once more.

  "Come on, you bitch," Danny muttered.

  It rumbled until finally it caught and started to idle.

  "Thank God," Eric said. He patted Sophia who still stared off into nothing.

  Danny took a deep breath.

  Give them hope.

  ***

  The dry terrain gave way to speckles of pines. The trees seemed to grow taller as if the lower pressure made it easier to rise. The mountains seemed like an oasis from what was behind them. There was hardly anything out of place except for an occasional car on the side of the road.

  "Turn off here," Eric pointed to the right. A small road curved up a small hill that was slightly hidden by large pines. A sign read "Crystal Lake Cafe", and a campsite appeared to be hidden there as well. Danny pulled off the road. The engine was starting to whine again as he eased it to stop. He shut off the engine just so everything would return to tranquility.

  Well, we got this far.

  "What's the plan?" Danny asked. His eyes traced the ridgeline that towered to the left. The sun was behind them now, and dusk would be coming sooner than later.

  "We need someplace to shack up for the night," Eric said. "I can't imagine getting very far this evening anyway."

  "I didn't expect us to get this far but here we are." Danny unclipped his kevlar and set it in his lap as he scratched his head. "Soph."

  Sophia looked over at Danny, her eyes wide as she grasped Chaps’ hand tighter. "Yeah," she said softly.