by Ivan Turner
Zombies! Episode 10 - State of Emergency
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 by Ivan Turner
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The people and events in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.
***
What has come before.
Zombies! It's not the end of the world.
And don't ever let anybody tell you differently.
Anthony Heron fought zombies in hospitals, apartments, churches, and abandoned office buildings. He lost close friends and colleagues. He nearly lost his mind. And in the end, he came away with cancer and a pink slip.
Shawn Rudd fought a zombie on the street, the first. He went to jail and was released. He fought zombies in an abandoned construction yard only to find out that his boyfriend was paying the bill so that he could run zombie fights. So he tried to kill his boyfriend and wound up shot instead. His teacher tried to save him but failed so it had been Heron who got him out of there.
Abby Benjamin was trapped in a hospital emergency room by zombies. The trauma almost cost her her job, her husband, and her integrity. She, too, went to the fights to see what it was all about and to see if she could stop it. It taught her that the world of zombies was frightening and no place for her. It taught her to stay away from that world.
Denise Luco fought the zombie infection from inside a laboratory. All she saw were specimens. Whenever anyone tried to label the zombies as people, she rebuffed their attempts. They may have been people at one time, but they were not people anymore. Then her research facility was closed by the government, her specimens were marked for destruction, and Zoe, the poor little zombie girl who had come in before all of the others, had called her Mommy.
***
Friday morning came in cold and bright. Though the dawn showed a cloudless sky, the temperature had dropped into the twenties. By midday, the forecasters were saying that there would be cloud cover. By three o'clock, the first flurries would fall. By dinner time, the sanitation crews would be working overtime to try and clear away the waves and waves of snowfall. They were calling for twenty one inches by the time it slowed in the early morning hours. After that, another three or four would pile up while the slow moving system took its time clearing out of the area.
Abby Benjamin sat up in bed and stretched. She didn't have to work today. Whitaker had been working most of the Fridays and Saturdays, which was a real help. Not only did it give her the opportunity to enjoy lazy Fridays and Saturdays, it also gave her more time to spend with Sam, her two year old son.
Martin was still sleeping in the bed next to her. Over the past few weeks, they had spent their time getting reacquainted with one another. They had needed it. Now, Martin's demeanor had softened. He had come to accept his job at Best Buy, although he still interviewed whenever possible. There seemed to be more jobs available. Unfortunately, it was not due to a growing economy. It was due to a shrinking workforce. The official number of missing persons in the five boroughs of New York City was close to five thousand people. Approximately ninety six percent of those people were believed to be victims of the zombie plague. With all of the incidents over the past few months, so many of the bodies had been destroyed. So many of them would never be identified. Their loved ones would never know.
A few days before, a man named Ralph Kraemer had gone on the television to talk about the situation. He was a Homeland Security Agent and he had been coordinating with the New York City Police Department and the Mayor. The gist of the press conference was that the Federal Government had taken control of zombie containment. Fighting the outbreak was now a matter of national security as it had spread to all forty eight continental states. Kraemer had advised the citizens of New York that there would be an increased military presence in the city. New York held the highest concentration of infected people. He himself would oversee the operations and the coordination with local law enforcement.
Abby wondered about Anthony Heron. He had been in charge of the zombie task force that had been assembled by the mayor once news of the zombies had become public. She supposed he was working with this man Kraemer. Abby hadn't seen or spoken with Heron in quite a while. Not since the night at the fights when she'd frantically contacted him. Their interaction there had been brief. He had sent her home without asking her any questions. For days, she had worried what he might do. She hadn't technically broken any laws, but her activities had put her into a compromising position. Of her accomplices, they had scattered to the four winds. She couldn't even remember the names of any of them except for Peter Ventura and Melissa Benford. Peter was gone. She had tried to contact him several times since that night. He didn't answer his phone and the people at the hospital said that he had stopped showing up for work. The only logical conclusion was that he hadn't escaped the arena that night. It hurt her to think that he was a zombie. It was what he had hated and feared the most. As for Melissa, Abby had never really bothered. She didn't have a phone number. For the first few days, she had promised herself that she would go to the house and check. But the further time took her from that night, the further she wanted to go. She never went to see Melissa. By now, she had finished that chapter of her life and moved on to the next.
Abby slid out of bed and grabbed a robe. Before putting it on, she took a look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing pajamas now, a pink fleece set that Martin had gotten her for Christmas. They hid her flaws much better than the old nightgowns she had piled up in her drawer. She had also lost a little weight. And, maybe, she just felt a little better about life. Like the rest of the population, she had put the zombie infection to the side, classified it as a problem for someone else, and moved on.
Padding out into the hallway, she glanced into the small room that Sam called his own. He was sleeping on his stomach, his tiny tush sticking up in the air. The blanket was long discarded and still he would be sweating. There was some clothing scattered about his floor. It was from the laundry bag full of folded and clean clothing that she just hadn't gotten around to putting away yet. Sam liked to reach inside and toss it about. There were some toys, too. Sam liked superheroes. He didn't really have a grasp of which ones did what, tending instead to focus on the colors of their costumes. The more garish the colors, the more he liked the hero. Currently, he cherished a Vision action figure as his favorite.
Abby was quiet as she went by. If she was lucky, she would have half an hour to make and drink a cup of coffee. She went into their little kitchen and got right to work. While the coffee was brewing, she pulled out a box of frozen waffles. There was one left. She decided not to eat it in case Sam wanted it. So she settled for a buttered English muffin and some strawberries. The coffee was wonderful.
As she ate, she perused some magazines that had been delivered during the week. The Benjamins weren't subscribers to any them but seemed to receive them anyway. There was always someone publishing something and sending it out to everyone. Mostly Abby just looked at the pictures. She liked scenic shots the best. The models all looked the same to her and the shoes and clothing were never as nice as they appeared. At least, not on her. But the mountains and the prairies and the sky and the sea all looked majestic.
After a time she heard footsteps. She
heard a door quietly click shut, and then nothing. Then the toilet flushed. It was Martin, for sure. Sam was using the toilet but only sparingly and never by himself. Martin's heavy footfalls approached from the hallway and he entered the kitchen rubbing his head. Abby kissed him when he bent down and then went back to her coffee.
"Morning, love," he said to her as he had every morning since the night of the fights.
"Do you have to work today?" she asked, even though she knew he did. She knew his schedule better than he did.
"One o'clock to closing."
She nodded. "Are you going to beat the snow?"
He shrugged. He doubted they'd close the store but he was going by train. The trains usually ran well, even in the snow. "How about you?" he asked. "What are you doing today?"
"I thought I'd take Sam into the city and do a little shopping."
He smiled. "Okay. But just a little."
She smiled back.
***
She was out and about by eleven. Sam had decided to sleep in for a change. She and Martin had cuddled up on the couch, watched a little bit of television, and pretended to be teenagers while their son slept. When he came padding into the living room, rubbing his eyes and dragging his blanket behind him, they immediately straightened themselves out and began to tend to his needs. After situating him in front of the television with his breakfast, Abby slipped into a hot shower. She took her time. Even as late as they left, she still gave Martin more than an hour by himself before he had to leave for work.
The sun was already gone, hidden behind thickening clouds. It was a little early. Abby was sure they'd see snow before originally forecast. She and Sam took the train. They could have taken the bus, but Sam loved the subway. He liked the dark and he liked the noise. He was a strange kid. They'd missed the rush hour crowd, which was good. Sam didn't like it. He danced around on the platform while they waited, Abby tense and ready to grab him should he stray too far toward the edge. When the train came, she grabbed him by the arm and held him back despite his vehement protests. He often talked about touching the train as it went by. That just wouldn't do. As it finally came to a stop and the doors opened, she let him go. He bolted inside, nearly tripping up a large woman in four layers of clothing and no coat. Abby followed him inside and sat down. The car was mostly empty. She let Sam run up and down while the train was moving but insisted he come back to her when it made stops. He was mostly good about this, though she had to call him back every time. It was kind of like having a wild puppy.
Abby's didn't have a particularly full itinerary. Mostly, she just wanted to exhaust herself in the company of her son. So she took him to FAO Shwartz. It was the most famous toy store in the world, ever since Tom Hanks had danced on the giant piano in Big. Since that time, the store had been bought once or twice. She didn't remember and it didn't matter. It still had all of the same charm and the light went on in Sam's eyes every time they approached it. The downstairs front display was largely made up of very soft and very expensive stuffed animals. Sam loved to rub his hands and face in them. She would chide him and pull him way, reminding him that they didn't belong to him and knowing that she was fighting a losing battle just the same. Also just inside the entrance were the building block displays. They were always doing crazy things with those blocks. Currently, they had superheroes. There was Batman and Superman and the Spiderman and the Joker. Sam didn't notice them until he practically ran into the display case. They were almost life size and he jumped back in alarm as he saw Batman. Of course, it didn't look like a real man, but its size and shape were enough to startle a toddler.
They headed upstairs where Sam bounced from section to section. He even looked through the Barbies. Eventually, he settled on a Firestorm action figure. Abby didn't know who Firestorm was but he had a cool orange and yellow costume and flaming hair. Sam seemed to like it. She paid ten dollars for it and took it right out of the package for him to hold as they left the store. She put all of the small pieces in her bag.
After a couple of dirty water hot dogs and sodas, the two of them marched down Fifth Avenue and looked up at the tall buildings. Abby took Sam into Rockefeller Center. There were some people ice skating, which was nice to see. The stores inside were too expensive for her, but she liked to window shop.
By the time she was ready to head over to the train again, it was past 1:30. The snow had started to float down to the ground. It was melting on the hot cars and the well used streets and sidewalks. That wouldn't last long. It was bitter cold and before long, the volume of snowfall would overpower the heat generated by the city of New York. She hoped that Martin would be able to get home all right. By the time he was done at work, they would be in a full blizzard.
The train platform was crowded so Abby kept a firm grip on Sam's hand. He jumped up and down, banging against the bag on her arm. She'd found a long skirt that she felt would compliment her rather than make her look old and fat. It was on sale so she'd bought it. She didn't think Martin would mind. Though he wasn't making nearly the money he'd been making before the economic collapse had cost him his job, he was making enough that their finances had smoothed out over the last few weeks. She couldn't splurge but she didn't have to deprive herself completely.
Time passed and no train came. The platform began to fill up and the body heat made the temperature in the station tolerable. There was a buzz of conversation on the normally quiet platform. An announcement was made informing the passengers that the train was delayed due to a police investigation at 59th street. Abby was glad that she was headed in the opposite direction. She wanted to hit some of the stores in the Wall Street area. Now if they could only route some trains her way.
The first train that came was full. It was after two already and she desperately wanted to get on, but Sam wasn't having any of it. So she let it go, praying that whatever had happened had been resolved and trains would start moving normally. Sure enough, another came through about five minutes later. A lot of people got off of this one. It was still crowded but not packed. Sweeping Sam up into her arms, she boarded. A nice man gave her one of the handicap seats and she sat down gratefully with Sam on her lap.
As the subway rumbled downtown, Abby let her mind wander. More and more, she had been thinking about leaving the city. Martin's love affair with New York had ended with his lack of prosperity. He rarely talked about going back to England anymore, but she was sure she could convince him to move west or south. Any jobs they could find would do well for them. The cost of living was cheaper in other states even if the wages were less. The only real sticking point was her parents. She didn't think they would leave the city. It had taken a lot for them to move there. They lived in a nice quiet neighborhood in Queens, not too far from where she herself lived. They didn't need a car for anything, had plenty to do, and plenty of money with which to do it. They liked New York.
The train came to a stop at City Hall and Abby saw a big poster for a street fair. They were common in Manhattan, although not at that time of year. It would be nice, though, to get some fresh fruit and maybe some other goods from out of state and out of the country. It was close to three o'clock. If the snow was bad, the vendors would be closing up and going home. If that was the case, though, she could just get right back on the train. Paying an extra fare wouldn't really matter. So she gathered up Sam and went through the closing subway doors.
The City Hall station was big. She moved through the corridors, holding tight to Sam's hand. They found the exit and the stairs and came into the frigid air on the far side of the park, closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. The snow was coming down harder now, starting to stick to the empty pavement of Broadway. In the park, the trees and the grass were rapidly turning white. She rushed across the park to where the tents of the fair were set up. People in overcoats and wooly scarves were showing off fresh fruit and jars of honey and homemade butter. There was someone selling different varieties of bread and sausage and cheese. Martin liked those so Abby chose a few of the mo
re inexpensive selections and paid for them. The vendor gave her a plastic bag which she stuck into the bag with her skirt.
As she moved through the fair, looking at everything, she noticed the chill getting worse and the snow getting thicker. Wall Street would have to wait for another day. It would be dusk in about an hour and she needed to get Sam home and fed. As she started for the train, her phone rang. It was Martin.
"Hello?"
"Hi, love. Close to home yet?"
"Downtown actually," she told him. "There's a street fair at City Hall."
"In this cold?"
"Yup. I got you some goodies."
She could hear him smiling. "Will they be followed by goodies?"
Blushing, she held the phone close to her mouth. "You're a bad man, Martin."
"It's snowing pretty heavily out here," he said, changing the subject. "They're talking about closing the store so I may get out early. You should get home."
"I was thinking the same thing," she said, trailing off with the last sentence. Some of the people around her seemed to be getting frantic. The nearest vendor grabbed her by the arm and shouted something at her. She wasn't speaking English so Abby didn't understand. Only when the beefy woman started pointing and Abby turned, did it all come into focus.