A Bad Day (Book 1): A Bad Day

by DiMauro, Thomas

  "Now that we got the introductions out of the way, how are we going to keep ourselves from going nuts while waiting for this rain to stop? I don't suppose either of you have a deck of cards or anything do you?" Tiny's response was to just curl up again on Jim's lap. "That's all you got, huh? I'm thinking I should look around a bit."

  With that Jim started rifling through the center console and glove box to see if he came up with anything useful. To his pleasant surprise he found a granola bar, a box of spearmint Tic Tacs and, oddly, a book of matches from the hotel he had been staying in.

  The granola bar didn't last long and the handful of Tic Tacs that followed ensured minty fresh breath. He tucked the matches in his pocket. Encouraged by his success he decided he would chance going out in the rain again and check what might be in the trunk. He reached down and found the latch and pulled it.

  Leaving his blanket in the car he jumped out and around to the back. Success once again. He found a green Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt and a small umbrella. He pulled on the sweatshirt and popped open the umbrella so he could continue checking through the trunk and not get as wet.

  As he searched, he heard Tiny climb out of the car and come around back. The dog went under the car presumably to get out of the rain but in a short while he began to bark excitedly and reach up a paw at something under the car. Jim ignored it at first but then curiosity got the better of him and he took a peek. He couldn't see anything from where he lay and he felt reluctant to put his hand blindly into a crevice because there could be a big spider or a rat or something else gross.

  So he climbed to his feet and fished out a tire iron from the trunk. Lying on the road, half way under the vehicle, he poked the area but didn't feel anything so he carefully put his hand into the space. There wasn't anything obviously there except a plastic rectangle that felt somewhat out of place. He couldn't see why the dog would bark at that. Maybe there had been something there but his poking around with the tire iron scared it off. He got up and put the tire iron back in the trunk and closed it. Tiny began barking and pawing again.

  "What is it, boy? What's wrong?" He got down on the ground again and looked only to find Tiny in the same spot going wild. He sighed and reached back under. His hand found the rectangle again and this time on a whim he pulled at it and it moved.

  He took it out and looked at it and suddenly realized he had struck gold. Tiny proudly jumped back into the car and onto the passenger's seat. Jim folded up the umbrella and tossed it in. He sat in the driver's seat and pulled the door closed. Looking over to the little chihuahua in amazement, he shook his head.

  "Seriously," he said, "how the hell did you find that?" The little dog yipped and howled and wagged its tail in triumph. Badass picked up his head to see what all the fuss was about and then put it back down unimpressed. "Well, I'm beginning to see you're going to be the brains of this operation."

  Jim slid the top off the magnetic key box and dropped the car key into his hand. He slid it into the ignition and cranked the engine. It started immediately. He sat back and smiled. He had no idea how far he could get with two flat tires and half a tank of gas on an earthquake damaged highway in the pouring rain, but he was more than willing to find out.

  Getting back home with Raj - Early afternoon, Tue Sep 3

  Turnello and Raj entered a back office with an exterior door. Raj flipped through his keys with trembling hands and stuck the key into the deadbolt.

  "Wait!" Turnello said in a half whisper.

  "What?" Rajeev looked at him perplexed.

  "Shhh, listen." A long tense silence followed with both men straining to hear the least sound.

  "I don't hear anything, sahib," Rajeev whispered.

  "Exactly. They've stopped." Turnello tiptoed into the store and peeked out to see if he could catch sight of them. Nothing. He looked to Rajeev and shook his head and shrugged. Raj gave him a questioning look. He motioned Rajeev over.

  "We can't just go waltzing out there without some kind of plan or we are going to get ourselves killed for sure. I don't know about you but that would definitely put the icing on what's already turning into a pretty bad day for me."

  "Waltzing? I don't understand."

  "It's an expression. It's a dance."

  "A dance?"

  Turnello sighed. "Raj, can I just shoot your cousins in the head? Because that's what we need to do here. We need to shoot them in the head, get to my truck and get the hell out of dodge."

  Rajeev looked hurt and angry. "They are my family..."

  "They aren't your family anymore. Look, haven't you ever seen a zombie movie?"

  "Zombie?"

  Turnello put his arms out and moaned doing his best zombie imitation. Raj's eyes widened in recognition.

  "Are you crazy? That's not possible."

  There came the sound of shuffling and bumping against glass outside. Turnello cracked open the back room door and peeked into the store. "Well then, how do you explain him walking around with half his face missing and not notice?" he said nodding his head in the direction of the sound. Rajeev peeked out wincing at what he saw and then turning away in thought.

  "I don't understand what's going on here, sahib."

  "I don't either but if it moves like a zombie and tries to eat you like a zombie I'm thinking it's a zombie."

  Raj sighed and rubbed his face. He clenched and unclenched his jaw several times while his eyes darted from side to side. He finally looked up at Turnello. "What is your plan?"

  Turnello thought about how much he should tell Raj. He knew Raj for a few years, but their interactions were basically casual conversation at a gas station convenience store. He really didn't know much about the man. He seemed like a decent guy but appearances can be deceiving.

  Of course, if whatever happened overnight was more than a natural disaster, if this zombie thing wasn't some kind of local fluke occurrence then having someone to watch your back would be vital. Loners were not going to last long.

  "I don't know what these things are. My plan hadn't considered them because I had no idea they existed. I think the earthquake we experienced was a result of an asteroid collision. My thought was to look around and hang out a few days and if things got worse I was going to head up north to a more rural town that I know."

  "An asteroid? Why would you leave?"

  "Well, if this is caused by an asteroid strike like I believe, then in a short time there will be fierce competition for resources. The more people around, the more competition."

  Rajeev began looking even more worried. "Do you really think this is a long term situation?"

  "Yes, I do and with these things walking around out there, it's going to make things ten times worse."

  Raj rubbed his forehead and squeezed his temples as if this conversation was giving him a headache. Finally, with a look of resignation, he said, "Would you mind some company?"

  Turnello smiled. "Let's do this."

  "One request."

  "Okay, what?"

  "Please don't shoot my cousins. We don't know if this condition is permanent."

  Turnello was not surprised by the request but worried it would complicate things. He didn't enjoy killing, in fact the thought of it, and obviously the act, gnawed at his soul. He did, however, recognize death as a part of life. All life, in fact, required killing of some kind in order to preserve and sustain. Sometimes the killing was as commonplace and unrecognized as tearing a living carrot from the soil and eating it. Sometimes it was as novel as shooting your cousin turned zombie in the head as he tried to eat your face off. In order to spare Raj's feelings he relented.

  "Okay, so here's what we do. You go out front and get their attention and keep them occupied. I will slip out and get my truck and bring it back. Then you can just run out and hop in and I will drive off before they can get to us."

  Raj nodded in agreement and headed to the front of the store. Turnello swapped the partly used magazine in his Glock with a fresh one from his belt. He waited
for Raj to attract their attention and then with the pistol in one hand at the ready he quietly opened the outside door.

  He checked the area then stepped out and pulled the door closed. He heard the ruckus on the other side of the building. Scoping the area once again, making sure he had his finger off the trigger, he ran for his truck.

  By the time he ran the three hundred yards both his legs and lungs were burning from the sprint. He found his keys, unlocked the door, holstered his gun and got in. He turned the key in the ignition only to have the engine stutter, pause, stutter, and finally start. He sighed in relief and then cursed at himself again for not having a new battery put in. He would have to correct that somehow or one day soon he would turn the key and nothing would happen.

  He took off down the road and then around the cars onto the grass and then the gas station parking lot. As his wheels hit the pavement he noticed motion off to his right. He saw several fast moving zombies coming from the entrance ramp to the bridge and heading to the gas station.

  He swung the truck around the back of the building and a long second after, he screeched to a halt and the back door flew open and Rajeev burst out running for his life.

  Because his only thought had been to drive back home as soon as possible he drove up with the driver's side closest to the door. That required Raj to run around the truck loosing precious seconds. Looking in his side view mirror, Turnello saw the new sprinters followed by his cousins coming around the corner. With hands shaking and eyes wide with fear, Raj pulled furiously at the truck door handle to no avail. It was locked. He had completely forgotten to unlock it on the way over. Turnello leaned over and tried to unlock it but with Raj's constant panicked yanking of the handle the lock kept getting stuck.

  "Stop! Stop for a second," Turnello yelled but Raj's state of panic kept him from obeying. With the sprinters nearly at the tailgate Raj gave up on the lock and instead stepped on the running board and flung himself into the truck bed. The moment he was in Turnello jammed on the gas and the truck took off.

  Breathing a sigh of relief for the second time in just a few minutes he checked his rear view mirror to see two sprinters in the distance. A few seconds later Raj began pounded on the back window. Looking back Turnello saw him pointing frantically at the tailgate. Adjusting his rear view, he saw two pairs of hands gripping the edge of the tailgate tightly.

  David, Ivy and Skeeter witness the aliens - Early Evening Tue Sep 3

  David's eyes fluttered open from someone slapping at his face. He found himself looking up at the beautiful features of the blond woman leaning over him. This time, at least, she wasn't pointing a gun at him.

  "Take my clothes off," he said in a hoarse whisper. His throat felt sore from vomiting.

  "My, you've got more nerve than Carter's got liver pills."

  "No, you don't understand. Please, take my clothes off and the other guy's too."

  "You could at least buy me a drink first," she said. Skeeter moaned. David's head began to spin again.

  "Radiation."

  "Boy, you're making about as much sense as tits on a bull."

  "Been...exposed...to...radiation."

  "Radiation? Where would you have--"

  "Desert."

  "Dammit," she said. She eyed the trash can near the entrance. Walking over to it she knocked off the top, pulled out the plastic bag and dumped its contents into the unlined can. She put on a pair of leather gloves from her pocket and helped David onto his knees and then up onto his feet.

  He steadied himself and then, with her help, stripped to his underwear including his shoes. They dumped the clothes into the plastic bag. David sat on the floor with his back against a wall while she helped Skeeter out of his clothes too.

  When she was done she dropped her gloves in the bag, tied a knot in the top and walked outside and flung it a healthy distance away. Skeeter sat himself against the wall near David. He held his head in his hands. She filled a cup with water from the water cooler and offered it to David.

  "I still feel nauseous," he said, shaking his head. "What is your name?"

  "Ivy," she paused. "How much radiation were you exposed to?"

  "I have no idea."

  "How long ago were you exposed?"

  "At least an hour ago I would think. Might be more."

  She let out a long slow breath and looked away for a moment. "Probably at least two Grays then. If you start to lose your hair then we are definitely over three."

  "Fuck. My head hurts," Skeeter suddenly blurted. "Why am I in my underwear?"

  "In case your clothing is contaminated with radioactive dust," Ivy said to him.

  "I really wish we had someplace decent to lie down," David said.

  "I hope we aren't going to need more than that," Ivy replied sounding concerned. "I'm going to clean some of this mess up. The stink of puke is getting to me."

  She went to the kitchenette and found an all-purpose cleaner and paper towels and did her best to clean the foul mess. David and Skeeter seemed to doze off. Other than going upstairs and getting David's fleece pullover and jacket to keep them warm, there wasn't anything she could do.

  So she went outside and watched the sun set over the desert. The sky looked unusually red and the sun itself seemed nowhere as intense as usual. She watched the orange disk sink behind the mountains and the landscape grow dim. How strange the last twenty-four hours had been. She had been running a little late getting back to school from a late summer road trip when everything suddenly stopped including her motorcycle.

  So instead of starting her residency in pathology, she found herself stuck at an observatory in the mountains with two odd men who managed to get radiation poisoning in the middle of nowhere. None of this made sense. She suddenly felt exhausted. There wasn't much she could do tonight. She'd find a safe spot inside where she could curl up for the night and then try to get more answers in the morning if there were any to be had.

  As she turned to go back inside something caught her eye in the distance. She paused and looked out. It came again. A pair of blinking lights. Could it be an emergency vehicle? It seemed to be moving fast. The lights were blue, though, not like any emergency vehicle she had ever seen. Whatever it was, it did seem to be moving in her general direction but she had no way to get its attention and in the darkness she was pretty much invisible. She thought this is what it must feel like to be lost at sea on a life boat with a big tanker going by and nothing to signal it with.

  She went back inside to find David curled up on his side and Skeeter still propped against the wall. They were both fast asleep. She put Skeeter's pack and rifle into David's office then grabbed her saddle bags and decided she would feel safer if she went upstairs. It wasn't that she thought David and Skeeter might do something in their condition but rather the whole situation made her uneasy. She climbed the stairs and found a spot where she could lay down. She pulled off her boots, put her revolver on the floor next to her and closed her eyes.

  She began to relax when a strange sound outside grabbed her attention. Perhaps just a gust of wind blowing things around. That's what it seemed like. That's what it must have been. Silence. Her eye lids felt heavy with exhaustion. She began to drift off. It came again. She couldn't quite make it out. An animal scraping around out there? Then it was unmistakable. A door creaked open.

  Her eyes flew open and her heart begin to pound in her chest. She rolled over as quietly as she could and grabbed the revolver. She was probably overreacting. It was just the wind blowing the door open. She must not have pushed it closed all the way. She padded to the stairway and listened. Silence. She tiptoed down the stairs and thought she smelled something cooking. Peeking out from the last step, she was dumbfounded by what she saw.

  Two creatures, about five feet tall with large heads and large black eyes, pointed something in their hands at Skeeter. His mouth stretched open and head thrown back in a silent scream. His body twitched and shook. Smoke rose from him. His skin turned pink, then red, t
hen brown. Ivy's eyes went wide with shock and awe. She let out a scream before she could stop herself. Both of the creature’s heads snapped in her direction and their hands followed a second later.

  She reflexively raised the revolver and pulled the trigger over and over as she backed up the stairwell. She hadn't really aimed and she couldn't seem to stop herself from continuously pulling the trigger even though the gun had run out of ammo within seconds.

  She backpedaled up the stairs trying to get away from the terrifying scene. When she turned to run up, her socked foot slipped off the tread, sending her slamming onto the wooden steps. She rolled uncontrollably with the wind knocked out of her.

  A scraping sound came from downstairs. David moaned and then screamed. She forced herself to stop and take a breath--a simple act she did tens of thousands of times a day, yet she couldn't make it happen. Downstairs, she heard movement. A door slammed. More scraping.

  Her ability to breathe came back. She picked herself up and scrambled to her saddle bags. She pulled out a speed loader. Dumping the empty cases out of the revolver's cylinder she put in six more. She tried to slow her breathing as she listened with every fiber of her being. The smell of burnt flesh wafted upstairs and made her gag. A scraping sound. She pulled back the hammer on her revolver and steeled herself. As quietly as she could, while moving in a half crouch, she tiptoed down the stairs.

  Turnello and Raj make plans - Early Evening Tue Sep 3

  "Hold on," Turnello screamed hoping Raj could hear him through the back window of the truck. He pressed the accelerator and jerked the wheel from side to side, trying to throw off the tenacious tailgaters, but their tireless grips would not succumb.

  Running out of good roadway and patience Turnello slammed on the brakes and skid to a stop. He immediately jumped out of the truck with his pistol drawn and came around to the back. The two zombies instantly began pulling themselves up and into the truck bed where a bruised and dizzy Raj lay in a heap.