“The stuff we smoked back in the day would blow your mind.” I chuckled. Doing my best to downplay the situation. Emma rolled her eyes.
Hailey looked at me annoyed I was even entertaining any thought of any of this nonsense. Someone going crazy and being so out of it they try and bite people? That is the stuff of movies.
I could hear Ava in her room sobbing. I didn’t think it was a good idea to go in myself to console her. Her big sister was someone she could relate to better than her old father.
Something in me felt the story might have some truth to it. As crazy as it sounds I needed to speak to Hailey alone.
I gave Emma a signal to comfort her sister.
“But dad—” Emma started to say before I interrupted her and waved her off.
“Fine, I’ll go check on her,” Emma said defeated.
She walked down the hallway off the living room to the children’s rooms. Ours was opposite on the other side of the home.
I waited until she walked into Ava’s room, closing shut her door marked with tiny finger paintings and doodles before turning to Hailey.
“Something is wrong with Jim. He wouldn’t act like that unless something caused him to. The guy was acting brain-dead,” I said.
“Like what, a monster?” Hailey said sarcastically as she flicked her fingers in a menacing pattern over her head. Her voice was a bit comical at the idea.
We looked at each other straight faced before breaking out into a laugh. It felt good to laugh considering our situation. One moment we are coming home from a long trip, the next trying to figure out what has our neighbor acting like a psycho. And me calling the police to report what just happened without sounding crazy myself.
I figured I could explain that I had to do what I had to do to protect my daughter from my neighbor who had this infection Emma informed us of. At least I didn’t shoot him, we’re in Texas after-all.
“Any serious thoughts on Jim, babe?” I asked as our smiles faded.
“He probably got bit by a venomous snake and is hallucinating,” Hailey offered.
“Not likely,” I said.
“Do you know any snake that can cause that to happen to a man?” I asked unsure of her conclusion putting finger to the window pointed at Jim.
“Ok then smart guy, what then,” She asked playfully.
“Well Jim is from Florida. So…bath salts I’m guessing.” It was the only logical thing I could come up with in the moment. The man was a former stoner. So was I back in my youth. Sex, drugs and rock’n roll man. But no grass does that to a man. Or at least, not the stuff we smoked.
“Really Nate?” Hailey said equally unconvinced of my explanation for his sudden urge to attack our daughter.
“I’m just saying maybe it’s some sort of drug induced fever dream.” I wasn’t even convinced at my own theory by this point. But a virus that would cause this? Unlikely.
Hailey coughed a mucus filled tissue.
“You hear back from Cathy?” I asked.
“Nope. Nothing but a busy signal,” She said grabbing another tissue from the box beside the couch and coughed once again.
“Well, since I’m not working today and with everything that happened with Jim, I’ll take you,” I offered.
“What about Jim?” Hailey questioned emphasizing how the situation needed to be dealt with one way or the other.
“We can’t just leave him there like that.” Hailey tapped her fingernail to the glass of the window, pointed squarely at the deranged version of our neighbor.
She was right. I guess I can’t leave him there like that, we needed to go that way to leave the property after-all.
“It’s best we stay close to home and just go to the hospital. We don’t need to drive all the way into town to the urgent care. Dr. Richards owes me one for helping his son learn the piano anyway. He should have us in-and-out in no time,” Hailey said gathering her purse. Packing a travel-sized bag of tissues for good measure.
“Crap, the keys,” I exclaimed patting my empty pockets.
They were attached to my pocket knife, that was attached to my keyring, that is now attached to Jim’s arm. I hadn’t even considered how exactly I was going to drive Hailey to the doctors without keys.
“How about this—” Hailey began, she was always the planner.
“Put him in the tool shed until we can get someone to come out here and look him over. We’re already going to the hospital. We can inform them about this illness he apparently has.” She concluded.
I looked back out to the gate. Jim was now under the gate’s door clawing his way forward. I could see dirt being flung around him as dust clouds formed around the entrance in a mini dust storm. He would dig his was to China if he kept that up.
“I’ll go grab him I guess,” I said reluctantly.
“Um, maybe put on some gloves and a long sleeve shirt. Grab a painters mask out of the garage as well to cover your mouth. Who knows if he is contagious.” Hailey requested, stopping me just as I began to head out the door.
“Yeah, I was just about to suggest the same.” I lied, turning back around acting as though I was forgetting something.
“Sure you were Nate.” Hailey quipped.
Like I said, planner.
5
Meat Breath
I approached Jim cautiously looking like some sort of sickly cowboy. With a long rope to my side and wearing a painters mask and cleaning gloves, I was some sight.
He seemed half awake until he heard my boots kick up some rumble from the driveway. My disturbance provoked a frenzy of his near-lifeless body into a wild display of limbs thrashing about.
Jim extended his arm up, fisting the air between us wildly. He opened his mouth wide showing that capped silver tooth he was so proud of after he chipped it attempting to open a beer bottle at our house warming party. That was a good night and a distant memory of the man I once called my friend.
“It’s ok Jim, I’m going to put you in a safe space until we can get someone out here to figure out just what in the hell is wrong with you,” I said slowly pacing before him. My tone of voice soft and low, not wanting to upset him further.
I watched as his hands dug at the ground and his body wiggled further over the gate toward me. He kept his head, though, firmly fixed to me.
I leaned down in front of him as Jim snapped his jaw inches from my face. I could smell an onion-y masked meaty flavor on his warm breath. He spat at my mask in thick gobs of spittle. The stench seeped through its paper thin lining and hit my nostrils in a wall of stink.
Good thinking on the mask babe.
I jutted my head away clearing my breath once more, heaving in waves of the mid-day Texas air as I grabbed at the creature of a man before me. Barely gaining control of his hands, I side-eyed looked away not wanting to have that terrible stench hit me once more.
Jim clawed with his stubby fingers at my rubber kitchen gloves I had grabbed not wanting to get any of his juices on me. Drool, blood and sweat flung in the heat of air surrounding us.
Wrapping the ropes over his hands quickly, I closed them together in front of him as his feet struggled in the dirt for traction. He began to try and rise from his wobbly feet as his only means of movement now with his arms bound.
I then threw a potato sack over his head carefully keeping his attention forward and opened the gate slowly as his body hit the pavement from being untangled.
The fabric dipped in and out of his mouth from under the wool bag. The imprint of his salivating spittle bled through the fabric. Within a minute the entire front of it was covered in his nasty drool.
I used my remaining rope by wrapping it around his torso and walked him like a deranged dog to the tool shed beside our home.
He groaned loudly at being taken control over. I looked around to see if anyone was watching this strange sight. Not a single car drove by as Jim and I wandered back toward the house. I expected to see someone, anyone out at this time. But nothing.
I gla
nced over to the window of our home at Hailey who gave me a thumbs up for my effort.
“Got him tied up pretty good babe,” I shouted proudly walking forward with Jim pulling from behind.
It didn’t take much motivation for my sickly neighbor to follow. Only a slight tug as the rope reached it’s maximum length every few feet or so. I didn’t want to take any chances, keeping as much distance as I could that the rope allowed.
“That’s it Jim. Easy there big guy.” I said as I walked him up the ramp backward using my voice to navigate his way up. He seemed to respond well to sound. Or perhaps it was just me he sensed. My smell. Or the faint odor of the dried blood on my jacket…
Wood from the ramp creaked under my boots, alerting me we had made it to our destination. Suddenly, I felt the back of my heel bump against the metal frame of the door at the entrance of the shed. In an instant I was on my flat on my back looking up to Jim as he shambled up the ramp and fell over me. The sack ripped from his head as he fell on top me as I desperately tried to push him off.
“Shit!” I yelled in desperation.
“Get the hell off of me.” I saw in those red eyes no soul. No life of the man I knew. He was now replaced by something else. Something evil that wanted nothing more than to tear into my flesh.
His pupils barely even a dot at the center of his eyes, peered above the prey he attempted to consume. They radiated bright red webbings against equal red that filled the rest of the space.
He was a heavier man for his old age. I certainly didn’t have the strength to lift a man his stature off of me.
He came close several times to my face with his biting. I could just barely make out his actions as my mouth guard had gotten stuck and pulled over one of my eyes as I countered his violent rapid movements.
Jim lunged down to my left ear, I twisted to my right keeping my hands pinned against his jean overalls, effectively shortening the distance between us.
With one good eye I needed to act fast. On top of that, the door to the shed began to close. He must have tripped over the doorstop on his way in. I couldn’t risk losing light in here with him free and me completely blind in the darkness.
Think goddamnit!
His teeth chopped heavily over my nose, that meaty smell hit me once more.
Screw this!
Flight or fight kicked in as I lifted one of my legs up trying to gain some sort of leverage to counter his weight. I dug my knee into his pelvis then pivoted my hip and slung the bastard over to the side. Quickly, I scooted over toward the door, wedging it open and watched Jim as he flung his body from side-to-side.
I caught my breath while panicked sweat formed on my forehead.
The key. I thought remembering the damn thing was attached to him. I had got so caught up with getting him in here I forgot the real reason for me even tangling with the guy.
Luckily the knife in his arm had ripped from his flesh and it now lay between us. At least I didn’t have to try and grab it from him. Suppose I should have done that to begin with…
Don’t tell Hailey about that mistake. I thought.
I grabbed a broom from the corner of the shed and took several swipes at it. Jim rolled over the key attached to my pocket knife and off as he wiggled his way around the floor. The sound of metal popping from all the commotion rang loudly from his flailing about the small space.
Finally, an opening presented itself and with a determined swat I tried to fish it out from under him once more.
I shot the end of the broom from under him, pressing down hard to wedge it with the key and pulled it toward me in one glorious motion.
Thank god. Got it.
I tossed the broom at Jim. And raised the keyring in celebration over top of him as he snapped tireless jaws in return.
I won.
A grin developed over my face. That guy can put up a fight. I’ll give him that.
I closed the shed up as I heard Jim rise to his feet and bump into the the back wall of the structure. I nearly thought the thing was going to tip over.
Tools from my workbench fell to the floor as I listened to him bang against the other side of the metal door. I locked up the shed using a padlock just to be safe before bending over to catch my breath. I heaved a huge sigh of relief as air gave to restless lungs.
That got close in there, too close for comfort.
The front door swung open—banging against the wood frame in a loud bang.
“Nate, get in here. You need to see the news.” Hailey’s voice was full of concern. Something I hadn’t heard from her in the longest time.
Now what?
6
Special Report
I ran inside ripping off the ridiculous pieces of clothing I had on. Emma and Hailey were huddled over the television in the living room.
“Where’s your sister, is everything ok?” I asked Emma looking around the room for Ava.
“She's calmed down. Now listen you guys, I told you so.” Emma pointed to the television.
I leaned against the couch and listened.
“Again, we don’t know the exact cause of the disease at this time but that those that are infected show signs of primal behavior.” One of the talking heads from a panel of journalist said sitting around a table of various professors and medical personal. One of the men, a balding white guy looking to be in his mid-forties, was sweating through his wrinkled collared shirt he had mis-buttoned and tucked, in no doubt a rushed job, under his lab jacket.
“We just confirmed the border to Mexico has been closed until this situation is under control. Border patrol are turning all U.S. citizens away and advising anyone looking to enter the country to turn back as you will not be granted access to Mexico at this time.”A woman’s voice spoke over footage from a helicopter at the Texas-Mexico border overlooking dozens of motorists on our side of the country.
The camera operator zoomed onto a man attempting to run across the border but was quickly tackled by several armed men dressed in hazmat suits and taken into custody before being hauled over to a long white covered tent at the border wall.
Many of the drivers parked at the front of the border got out of their vehicles and began throwing rocks and trash from their cars at the border agents at witnessing the running mans abuse.
Soon an armored truck pulled to the front of the Mexican side of the border. An entire team of men dressed in thick black kevlar placed a large metal barricade between our two countries.
The TV screen split into a frame showing the President of Mexico entering a room jam-packed with reporters. The man was sweaty and had the appearance he could faint at any moment.
I’m sure the news, as it was to us, was just as surprising to him with the look in his eyes and the growing stains developing under his armpits.
He stood over a podium clutching weakly at the wooden top with slippery hands in an attempt to keep him upright. What looked to be one of his advisor's reached for him in concern before being waved off by the President.
I read the translation from his brief speech.
“We, the Mexican Government, will do everything possible to keep our country clean of the virus spreading opposite our border along the United States. I have issued all Americans on our soil to be quarantined and for all incoming and out-going travel to cease. Thank you.” His words spoke in a deep gravely voice over camera flashes and questions from reporters seeking more information.
It took two men to help him from the podium and out of the room as reporters began to jump up for questioning. The camera cut to static as a dozen soldiers wearing what appeared to be gas masks entered the room and brandishing assault weapons shouted for everyone to sit down and drop their belongings.
This was chaos.
“What’s going on?” I said aloud feeling my throat tighten.
“An infection? How is this possible?” Is this a plague? Terrorism plot? The questions flew through my mind trying to piece this all together.
“I told you guys. See it’s
right there too.” Emma teased changing the channel to another news report.
“Shh. Turn it up,” I said shooing her.
“Local authorities are recommending that residents stay indoors with their doors locked. Do not go outside until we gather more information on if this is airborne or exactly what is causing people to behave in this manner.”
I grabbed the remote and flipped through various stations, each had the same types of footage.
Fire in the streets throughout the smaller cities through the southern parts of Texas. People evacuating their homes. A news copter hovered over the highway exiting downtown San Antonio showed people leaving their cars behind and walking between traffic, some pulling luggage behind, some with crying children in arms or to their sides. It was unreal.
“How did we miss this?” I asked Hailey in disbelief. She had the same look wash over her. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she came back to earth. Hailey took my hand with a soft touch.
“We took the back roads and we drove early. Did this really just happen while we were driving?” I questioned snapping myself back to reality.
She couldn’t seem to make any more sense of this situation than I could. Hailey could only shake her head at what was being reported on TV. For the first time in as long as I could remember, my wife was speechless.
A map of Texas showing the affected areas scrolled across the bottom of the screen as cell-phone footage played from Internet videos showed people acting madly.
In one, a petite girl screamed a piercing howl as she slid her body across a gas station parking lot toward a group of shocked bystanders, a trail of blood produced from some part of her mangled body like that of a slug crawling.
As she approached the group, a man bent down to help her stand only to be bitten on his forearm. He pulled his arm away as blood gushed and the others screamed and ran in horror.
From the looks of the situation, San Antonio and further up to San Marcos were being reported as “hot-zones”. Doing a bit of quick math, I determined we were at least an hour outside of the affected areas by car.
Dead Over Texas: Page 3