Zombie Island

by Samantha Hoffman

  Tobe helps me stretch the tarp across the ground, and drives the stakes into the soft earth to help keep it in place. Ryder was, unfortunately, correct. The ground is still damp from last night’s rain, and it makes a slight squishing sound as I kneel. The crinkle of the tarp is surprisingly loud in the middle of nowhere, and I cringe.

  “What time is it?” Tobe asks.

  I sigh. “I’m not sure. My best guess would be like six o’clock, maybe a little later. We’ve still got a ways to go before reaching Michigan, and we can’t walk it. So we get to camp out here in the middle of fucking nowhere, with two cowboy rednecks watching over us.”

  “Just because we’re from Texas does not make us cowboys,” Reese says with a smile. “I’ve never worn those pointy leather boots and I never will. Plus, I kind of think those hats they wear are stupid, too. Whenever I see someone wearing one, I have to try hard not to laugh.”

  He’s holding a dangerous looking rifle in his hands, and he’s scanning the surrounding area. “Ryder’s gonna check out the area, but I’m gonna stay here and look after you two lucky girls.”

  Tobe smiles hesitantly. It seems that every time one of us tries to speak to her, she just silently waits for one of us to hit her or yell. I didn’t expect her to open up and trust us after one day, especially after what she’s been through at the hands of the Warriors, but still. She’s incredibly skittish.

  Ryder takes off into the trees that line the far side of the road, and Reese takes a seat on the tarp beside us. Tobe and I unrolled the sleeping bags for them, and he looks at me. “Thanks.”

  I shrug. “It’s the least I can do, seeing as you and Ryder are probably going to be up all night guarding us.”

  “You make it sound like some big sacrifice,” Reese laughs. “All we’re doing is staying awake. It’s not that difficult. Besides, we’re used to it. It’s how we got this far; one of us would stay awake, and the other would sleep.

  “Still, you’re not gonna be able to do it forever. Eventually the two of you will start running on empty, and the rest of us will be screwed. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t make it three days on my own out here.”

  “I think you could do it. You’re very resourceful, Sam.”

  Tobe looks away, “I’m gonna go unpack some food,” she says, standing. I get the feeling that she’s trying to give us some privacy, and that makes me a little uncomfortable.

  Reese takes his eyes off of me to watch her go. “She’s so strange.”

  “You know what happened to her, Reese. It’s a miracle she’s still alive and in one piece. If it were me, suffering through what she did, I’d be shattered into a million pieces, no doubt about it. She has to be strong to survive something that horrible; she just needs time to adjust to being with people that aren’t hurting her.”

  He doesn’t say anything, just shrugs. Tobe comes back with the cooler from the backseat, and a few cans from the back, and she looks to me for permission. “Do you mind? They’ll go bad if we wait, right?”

  “It’s alright,” I say as nicely as I can. “The sooner we eat the vegetables, the better they’ll taste. Imagine having to eat rotten tomatoes or squishy cucumbers.”

  “What does everyone want?” she asks. “I don’t care so long as it’s edible.”

  “I’ll take a tomato and that can of Vienna sausages,” Reese says, reaching for it.

  Tobe flinches away, dropping the cooler. She immediately folds in on herself, looking small and strangely child-like. A small whimper escapes her closed lips, and she looks up. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright, Tobe. We understand what you’re going through,” I say, wanting to reach over and comfort her. She’ll probably just pull farther away. “What would you like?”

  She reaches out for one of the peppers, and snags a can of tuna. I take a bite out of tomato, and then sip at my bottle of water. We all eat in silence for a bit, just sitting around, listening to the almost nonexistent sounds. There are no owls, there is no talking or laughter, and there is no life.

  Aside from the three of us, and Ryder in the woods, we’re totally alone, and that just feels wrong to me. I can’t explain it, and I don’t want to think about it anymore. I just lie back against the tarp, clutch my blanket tighter around myself, and take deep, even breaths.

  There isn’t anything to do really, except stare up at the rapidly darkening sky, and think. I wish I’d thought to bring a book with me, or even a blank notebook and a pen. Then at least I could have something to kill the time. I wouldn’t have to think about all the dead people, and the hopelessness of our situation.

  Even if we make it to Beaver Island, how long can we stay there? With four mouths to feed, the food is going to run out eventually. When that happens, will we be forced to leave with nothing and start all over again? Will we always be running, searching for a “safe” place?

  Even if we make it someplace nice, we’ll always have to keep our guards up. Even if there are no zombies to hurt us, which is highly unlikely, we also have to deal with the Warriors. I’ve played a part in the deaths of like ten of their men. They’ve got to be out for revenge.

  And eventually the zombie population will get so high they’ll be forced to leave the city. Will they come after us?

  Ryder returns about an hour and a half after he left, and settles down with some food. He gobbles it like he hasn’t eaten in forever. Trekking through the woods, searching for zombies, must take a huge toll on your stamina. After he’s done eating, he guzzles half a bottle of water, before relaxing enough to tell us what he found, or didn’t find.

  “I found two of them, wandering aimlessly by the stream nearby. After I took care of them, I kept walking, and didn’t find any closer cities than that one on the map. It’ll take us like an hour and a half just to make it there.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” I say, trying to look on the bright side. “I thought it’d take longer than that.”

  “An hour and a half is like a lifetime when you’re out and exposed on the open road,” Ryder says, shaking his head. “Don’t you understand that? Someone could just drive by and shoot us dead. Or we could get ambushed by a group of zombies, and we’d be totally defenseless!” Ryder yells, glaring at me. “Why can’t you see that?”

  I shrink back. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I don’t know this is dangerous.”

  Reese puts his arm around my shoulder. “Lay off, dude. She’s just trying to look on the bright side. Let her do it.”

  “She can’t afford to look on the bright side,” he sneers. “And we can’t afford for her too either. If she’s too preoccupied with the bright side, she’s not paying attention to the here and now. Not only is she going to get herself killed, she’s gonna get us killed too, and I can’t let that happen!”

  “I said lay off!” Reese shouts, glaring at his brother. “We’re safe for the night; just let her think positive if she wants too. To be honest, you could be a little more positive. We’re not dead, Ryder. For tonight, we’re alive, and we should be happy about that. We should be looking on the bright side. If we can’t do that, is this life even worth living?”

  Ryder doesn’t say anything. He just sips at his water, and refuses to look at either of us. I’m still slightly shaken by Ryder’s outburst, but Reese’s arm around my shoulder makes me feel slightly better. It’s warm and comforting, without being creepy, and I begin to relax.

  Chapter Seven

  In the morning, the four of us pack up our gear and get ready to start walking. Ryder and Reese both look tired, and I wish I’d forced them to let me take a turn at watching. They’re the only things standing between death and me, and if they’re working at half-full, mistakes might happen.

  Reese stops me before we leave, and buckles something through the loops of my jeans. It’s black and looks like a belt, but it has a leather holster right over the hip. He tucks one of the Glock 17’s away, and smiles. “You remember how to shoot, rig
ht?”

  “Um, yeah,” I say, not nearly as confident as I sound. And I don’t sound all that confident. “I think I’ll stick close to you just to be on the safe side.” I give him a nervous chuckle, and he smiles.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

  Ryder makes a rude gagging noise, and I glare at him. He just shakes his head, ignoring my stony glare, and grabs some extra ammunition, tucking it into a bag that he hangs over his shoulder for easy access. When he’s ready to go, he hands all of us a bottle of water each. “Stay hydrated, stay quiet, and stay close.”

  With that, we start walking.

  It’s early morning, and the sun is already high in the sky. It isn’t too warm yet, but it’s getting there. In a couple of hours it’ll probably reach about seventy degrees, and we’ll be sweating buckets. Do we have enough water to make it all the way there?

  The going is slow, and after a few minutes, I realize that Ryder is not open for conversation. He takes point, walking a little bit ahead of us. Tobe is huddled in on herself, walking nervously behind Ryder. Reese and I are lagging behind and making quiet conversation. Despite his fight with Ryder last night, he seems to be in a much better mood.

  “So, tell me a little more about yourself.”

  I glance at Reese. “What?”

  “Tell me anything. What’s your favorite color? Favorite animal, favorite flower, favorite food, etc. If you and I are gonna be traveling together, don’t you think we should know each other better?”

  “Um, I guess. My favorite color varies depending on my mood. If I’m really happy about something, it’s orange. If I’m anything else, it’s a darkish shade of green. My favorite animal is a cat, my favorite flower is a daffodil, and my favorite food is probably anything chicken. What about you?”

  He grins. “Red, dogs, white roses, and anything from a Chinese buffet. Daffodils are kind of plain, aren’t they? I thought you’d like a prettier flower, like a rose or something.”

  “Yeah, daffodils are a little plain, kind of like me. Besides, they have a simplistic beauty.”

  “Kind of like you.”

  He’s staring at me in such a way that it makes me suddenly nervous, and slightly uncomfortable. Reese is a handsome young man, with his dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, but this is the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Should I really be flirting with someone that might be killed or lost to me at any given moment?

  “Um, thanks,” I mumble, trying to hide my red face. I don’t want Reese to get the wrong idea about me, especially since I’ve only known him for about three days. He seems like a nice guy, but knowing his favorite color and animal doesn’t tell me much about him.

  Besides, it’s not safe to love someone in this world where every moment is a struggle for survival.

  “Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.”

  “Its fine,” I say, shrugging it off. “Come on, we should keep up with the others.”

  I quicken my pace and pull up next to Tobe and Ryder. He gives me a sidelong glance, and I feel like slapping the smirk off his face. “Getting cozy?” he asks lightly.

  I resist the urge to elbow him, and just settle for turning away. We lapse into silence as Reese joins us, looking slightly bewildered and upset. Part of me wants to go over and make him feel better, but a larger part of me wants to push him as far away as possible, so I don’t have to risk hurting when he’s gone.

  It’s already too late for that, I think angrily to myself. I’d miss him if he were gone.

  When I look up, Reese is watching me. I meet his eyes, and he slowly smiles. “Pay attention lovebirds!”

  I glare at Ryder, but he refuses to acknowledge my presence. He just keeps staring ahead, searching for any danger in the area. His rifle is up and pointed at nothing in particular, and I can’t help but notice the serious expression on his face. His arms are tight with tension, and his entire body is rigid, as if he’s waiting for a surprise attack.

  “The road is clear for miles,” I say. “You could probably relax a little.”

  He doesn’t. “Our enemies could come from anywhere. If you wanna survive for long out here, you’d better start acting like you know how serious this situation is. Death could happen at any moment.”

  “Anywhere? Really? You think a zombie could just spring up from the ground, or drop from the sky?”

  He glares at me, and doesn’t say anything. He just shifts the rifle in his hands, and starts walking a little faster. Tobe, Reese, and I all match our pace to his, and try to keep up. Right now I don’t think Ryder would mind leaving us behind, and I don’t want to give him the chance.

  We walk in silence for about a mile, and I’m just about to complain when Ryder holds up his hand, silencing us. Reese brings up his gun instantly, and I take mine out of its holster on my belt, and look around for the threat. If Ryder senses something, it’s probably best to listen.

  For a second, nothing happens, and I start to wonder if maybe Ryder is imaging things. Then I hear it: one guttural moan that sends shivers up my spine, and has me tightening the grip on my gun. I look around all over, trying to decide which direction it came from.

  I can’t tell, so I move closer to Ryder. His eyes flick over to me and back up to the road, barely taking notice of my fear. “Is there someplace nearby we can hide?” Reese asks, stepping closer to Tobe, who looks terrified and unsure of what to do.

  “No, we’re stuck in the open.”

  I look around, noticing that he’s right. We’re on a stretch of bare road. Behind us is an open field of dead wheat that stretches on farther than I can see, and in front of us is a section of woods. The trees are thick, and after another zombie moans, I know that that’s where they’re coming from.

  The first zombie comes out of the trees at a slow, unbalanced pace. It doesn’t even leave the line of trees before Ryder shoots, and it falls to the ground. After a pause, half a dozen more zombies leave the line of trees, heading for the first fresh meat they’ve probably seen in weeks.

  Tobe and I back away from the trees, trying to get as far from the attacking zombies as possible. The gun suddenly feels heavy in my hand, and I worry about dropping it. My heart is pounding in my chest, and my mouth is paper dry. I can’t hear or see anything but the zombies, and I want to help, but I don’t know what to do.

  Tobe screams and I whirl, looking for danger. A zombie’s shuffling out of the wheat field behind us. She’s been infected for a long time; her skin is soft and mushy looking, and there are several bleeding and oozing pustules all over her mostly naked body. She’s almost bald, and one of her eyes is missing.

  She opens her mouth wide, dripping thick slime down her chest, and lunges at me. I scream as she knocks us down to the road, and the gun goes flying from my hand. My head cracks against the pavement, and I grit my teeth against the pain while struggling to keep the zombie from sinking her teeth into my throat.

  I press my hands against her chest and shove, wincing when one of the pustules bursts, coating my hands in congealed blood and pus. Tobe’s still screaming, but she makes no move to help me. I can’t say I blame her; if it was me, watching a zombie try to chow down on someone, I would probably be too terrified to move as well.

  Using one hand to keep the zombie’s teeth from my face, I use my free hand to reach for the gun. My fingertips brush the grip, but I can’t get my hands around it. She lunges forward, coming dangerously close to the end of my nose, and I finally grab the edge of the gun.

  I make sure to close my eyes and mouth to avoid infection, and swing the gun as hard as I can. It connects solidly with her head, and she rolls off my chest and across the pavement. She screeches at me with her ruined vocal cords, and I bring the gun up and pull the trigger.

  The sound of the gun going off is practically deafening this close, but it does the job. The bullet exits the back of the brain, blowing out a good portion of the head as well. The zombie collapses against the road and doesn’t move again, g
iving me time to just lie there on the bloody road and catch my breath.

  Tobe is still screaming, and the gunfire has stopped. Footsteps run in our direction, and Reese kneels down on the road beside me. He quickly checks my arms, neck, and face for any signs of bites or scratches. “Sam? Are you alright?”

  I nod slowly. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Reese takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the infected blood from my face and hands. “Hold still. I don’t wanna get any of this in your mouth or eyes.”

  I stop squirming, and patiently let him wipe the blood away. When he’s done, I open my eyes and see that Tobe is looking worriedly at me. One arm is wrapped around her stomach, holding herself together, and the other is at her mouth so she can chew on her nails. “Are you alright?” she asks, eyes wide and frightened.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine when we get moving again. Preferably before more of them show up.” Reese helps me to my feet, looking me over one more time for any signs of infection. I step away from him, and look at Ryder. “Let’s go. We still have a ways to walk, right?”

  Ryder nods, but doesn’t look up from the rifle he’s checking. “It’ll probably be about another hour before we reach that stupid town. We either start walking now, or risk getting caught in a zombie ambush.”

  Without another word, he turns and stars walking down the road, not bothering to see if we follow him. I motion to Tobe, and she walks up alongside me, still holding herself as if she’s afraid she’ll fall apart, and Reese takes his place at the back of our line.

  We walk for about a quarter of a mile in total silence, before Tobe finally speaks. When she looks at me, her eyes are filled with tears and her nose is running. She wipes the back of her hand across her face, and sniffles. “I’m so sorry, Sam.”

  “What are you apologizing for?” I ask, though I’m sure I already know.

  “You were being attacked, and I didn’t do anything to help you. I just stood there screaming, hoping that you’d come out on top so I wouldn’t have to get hurt. I just realized how incredibly selfish that is, for me to hope you survive just so I don’t have to fight.”