Outside, Jack and Skyler were still conversing. He had questions, a lot of questions.
“— but why you and Alissa but not me?”
“I have no idea. DNA? Errant chromosome? Blood type? Allergies? Gramp —, my grandfather, noticed I wasn’t eating right away. And how pale I was getting.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, Karen and Alissa —”
Alissa’s scream cut him short. Buddy was going ballistic, barking and growling, he sounded ready to murder.
Jack and Skyler stepped out from behind the Land Cruiser and looked toward the commotion just in time to see Gregger kick Buddy hard, launching him into the air. The dog landed with a thud and a howling whimper.
Gregger had his left arm around Alissa’s chest, and was holding her high off the ground, her feet dangling. In his right hand he held the pointed end of the scissors up to the gator around her throat.
In a flash Skyler had unholstered her Ruger and aimed it at Gregger’s forehead.
She shouted from her position. “Let the girl go. I’m an amazing shot.”
Gregger sneered at her. He had the upper hand here. “Fuck you bitch. Where are my boys?”
“Your boys? If you’re talking about Dom and Dommer, they took off in the Hummer. They seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. Now, put the girl down.”
Jack took a step forward. “Hey, look, man ...”
Skyler whispered, “His name is Gregger.”
Jack whispered back, “Really?” He took a deep breath. “Gregger, please ... let Alissa go, she’s just a little girl.”
Gregger shook his head. “No way amigo. This ain’t no little girl anymore. She’s one of them.”
Skyler took a step toward Gregger and Alissa. “Because I know you’ll understand it, I am going to count to three. And then I’m going to shoot you.”
Jack was not okay with that. “No. You might hit her.”
“Did you not hear me say I’m an amazing shot? One.”
Jack turned back to Gregger. “Look, take the Land Cruiser. The keys are in it. It’s got a half tank of gas. More than enough to get you to the city. Just put the scissors down. Please”
Under her breath Skyler admonished Jack. “Stop talking.”
Gregger looked toward the Land Cruiser and weighed his options. He let the scissors drop to the ground, but his hand immediately returned to the little girl’s throat, threatening to rip off the gator.
Skyler continued her count off unphased by his antics. “Two.”
Gregger yanked down Alissa’s gator and tossed her to the ground, hoping her death would distract that bitch with the gun and give him enough time to escape in the Land Cruiser. He ran toward the vehicle and opened the door. Jack screamed and ran toward Alissa.
Skyler had not moved from her location. While she was well aware of the drama unfolding with Alissa and Jack, she remained laser focused on her target. “Three.”
She pulled the trigger on her Ruger. The bullet found its way to its target and Gregger shrieked in pain as the back of his knee was shot out, nearly severing his lower leg. In excruciating pain, he still managed to climb into the Land Cruiser. Screaming, he started the vehicle and took off down the boulevard.
Skyler holstered her gun. There goes dinner. She walked over to the spot Gregger had tossed Alissa. The sun had gone down during their stand off. The little girl was banged up and scared, but she was still very much alive.
In the Land Cruiser, Gregger’s pain level was way past ten.
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. You fucking bitch.”
The bottom half of his right leg was barely attached at the knee, just a few strands of muscle and cartilage were holding it together. Blood was spurting out everywhere.
Gregger was busy looking at his wound and trying not to pass out. Driving the Land Cruiser safely was lower on his list of priorities than it should have been. Because of this, he didn’t notice the downed street lamp in the middle of the road.
The Land Cruiser handled the street lamp just as you’d expect a 50 year old four wheel drive vehicle to handle it. It rolled over it and the vehicle bucked violently. This was bad news for Gregger. The bucking motion was just what his lower leg needed to become 100% detached from his body.
He vocalized his agony with a series of long shrieks. But there was more bad news for Gregger. When his lower leg detached, it somehow also became pinned against the gas pedal. The Land Cruiser accelerated down the boulevard.
Up ahead in the road, there was what was left of a fiberglass statue from the top of the local Bob’s Big Boy.
How is this even happening?! Gregger continued to scream while he worked hard to dislodge his leg from the gas pedal beneath him. The statue loomed ahead of him.
With only a few feet until he reached the statue he was able to dislodge the leg. He tossed the leg onto the passenger seat and slammed on the breaks with his left foot.
Gregger was in rough shape. His plan had not gone how he had expected it to. He was missing part of his leg and that bitch had somehow gotten the best of him. Again. He threw the Land Cruiser into reverse and backed up twenty feet. He then shifted the vehicle back into drive so he could go around the statue.
As he put the Land Cruiser in drive his eye went from the gear shift to the half a leg on the passenger seat next to him.
While Jack was attending to Alissa, Skyler watched Gregger’s escapades with great interest.
She watched as the Land Cruiser backed up away from the statue and came to another stop. She watched as the driver’s side window rolled down and watched as Gregger threw something out that window, before continuing his journey around the statue.
Skyler’s nostrils began to flare. She looked toward Alissa. The little girl was having a similar reaction.
Skyler slid back her hood, placed her glasses on top of her head and pulled down her bandanna.
“I’ll be back.”
FOURTEEN
Night had fallen over Long Island. Inside the CVS Skyler was traveling up and down the aisles looking for any supplies that may be useful for their journey.
Outside, on the ground in front of the store was a leg bone, picked clean above the ankle. The foot was still wearing a sneaker.
Jack was lost in thought as he looked out of the storefront at the remnants of Gregger’s leg. Skyler walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.
“You see someone out there?”
“No, no.”
He couldn’t look away from the leg. Skyler followed his gaze and realized he was still processing what he’d learned today. He had chosen not to witness Alissa’s first meal, which to Skyler, was totally understandable. “Geez, she devoured that thing so fast. Did she even stop to take a breath?”
“She was hungry. But yeah, she chowed down. Maybe the survival part of our brain is amped up somehow? I didn’t hesitate my first time either. Didn’t bother me at all. Felt completely natural.”
Jack turned toward her. “I guess that makes things easier. For her.”
“Sure does.”
Skyler spotted some makeup on the ground a few feet away and left him to sift through it, looking for anything that may be useful. He watched her carefully pick through the selection, throwing anything that looked good to her into one of her rucksacks.
He shook his head imperceptibly. This is your life right now. Just two weeks after surviving the end of the world, after witnessing deaths, near deaths and now some sort of new world zombie-vampire-flesh eating thing, here he was in a CVS with a 4 year old, a pit bull and this girl. Not just any girl. This bad ass blonde who had a way with words and guns. Bad ass and pale or not, she was beautiful. And I don’t even know her name.
Skyler caught him staring at her, but she assumed he was lost in thought again.
“It’ll be ok, you’ll get used to it.”
Jack felt his face go flush. And That’s what I get for staring, he thought to himself. He quickly turned his back on her and looked back outside. “So, do we sleep
here tonight?”
Skyler tossed the last of the makeup into her rucksack. “No. The sooner we leave here the better.”
“But she’s pretty tired though, and the dog —”
Skyler got up from the floor and walked purposefully to Jack. She stood there in front of him, looking exasperated.
“Look —” she started, and then she paused. Shit I don’t even know this guy’s name. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Jack.”
“Look, Jack, I pissed off some people today. At any point they may just decide to turn around and come looking for that flesh-eating bitch who blew off Gregger’s leg. Do you want to be here if that happens?”
“Uh, no?”
Skyler smiled. “Good answer, Jack. Now let’s move out.”
Skyler led the way out of the CVS. Jack followed behind, pushing a shopping cart with a sleeping Alissa and Buddy as cargo. They were using the rucksacks as makeshift pillows.
The night was mild and the breeze was cool. The foul stench of the aftermath seemed to be blowing away from them for now. The full moon was bright and low in the sky. They wouldn’t need the flashlights to guide their way.
They paused in front of the store, their gazes directed toward the west. For the first time they were able to get a good look at what was left of New York City. By the light of the moon it was quite clear that the once beautiful and iconic skyline had changed significantly. From just over ten miles out it seemed as if the entire city may be on fire.
After a moment, Jack broke the silence.
“Should we follow the Boulevard right into the city?”
Skyler thought for a second. “I don’t think so. I don’t want to run into any more Greggers. The Long Island Rail Road runs parallel to the boulevard. Let’s stick close to the tracks. They lead right to the Queensboro too. It’ll offer us a little more cover.”
“Right. Lead the way then.”
Skyler made a right out of the parking lot and then another quick right up Douglaston Parkway. “We’ll follow this for a few blocks and then cut over to the railroad tracks on 235th.”
“You’re the boss.”
Skyler stopped mid step. Ugh was she acting like the boss again? She was. Did I really tell him to stop talking before? She had. Gah. She had that tendency and she knew she could get out of hand, hyper snarkiness and hyper bossiness sometimes was not the most endearing mix. Plus she had weapons. Oh dear Lord, maybe he thinks he’s my hostage.
She turned around and faced Jack. She had been firing on all cylinders for days. Skyler hadn’t stopped to consider that just maybe everyone else was also suffering from personal tragedy and exhaustion and whatever else surviving the end of the world may bring.
She softened her tone. “I’ve been bossy, haven’t I?” She sincerely did not mean to take charge, but 5 years of constant training with an ex member of Delta Force, Are you ever really an EX member of Delta Force? Certainly had made her more of a soldier and less of a regular girl.
“Oh, uh — “ Jack stammered and blushed. Again! “I didn’t mean — Oh God, I’m sorry if you think that’s what I was saying.”
Skyler smiled and shook her head. “No, no. I have a tendency to take over. My grandfather taught me to be that way. I just kind of get in there, assess the situation and then fix it. Or plow through it.” She paused and put her hand on his arm. “I’m truly sorry if I came off like a hardass. Apology accepted?” She offered her hand to shake on it.
Jack laughed and grabbed her hand in his. “Apology accepted but not necessary. I’ve been in a half-daze for a while to be honest. I’m glad we ran into you again. It’s good to be around someone who knows what to do.”
“Or seems to.” She winked at him. “Soooooo?” she nodded her head toward 235th Street.
Jack nodded and furrowed his brow. “I’ve given it some thought, and I think we should head down 235th Street and then cut over to the railroad tracks.”
Skyler laughed. “That sounds like an amazing plan.”
They walked along in silence for a while, enjoying the night, the fresh air and the company. They both were relieved that they had a plan, at least for the next 5 hours or so. Thinking too far ahead would be useless. They had no idea what to expect when they reached the city, planning for it would be a waste of time.
Skyler looked at Jack. Really looked at him, for the first time. Not as some guy she was traveling with to New York, but as a person. Six feet tall? Maybe taller, she thought to herself. Sneakers, jeans, pull-over sweatshirt. He wasn’t thin. Not fat, but not athletic. Probably a computer geek. Or a gamer. Cute in his own way. Strawberry blond hair, somewhat wavy, somewhat messy. He had a pretty strong case of hat head. Must have been from that Met’s cap he let Alissa wear.
She had never had time for boyfriends, or friends in general really. Her grandfather had become obsessed with her being able to take care of herself. For good reason, clearly.
Jack noticed her studying him. He blushed again. God I hope she didn’t see that. “Everything ok over there?” he asked.
“Yeah, just wondering what your story is.” She tilted her head and studied him further.
“My story?”
“Yeah. Gamer? In a band?”
“Ahhh. Yes. No.”
“College?”
“Yes. I was a Sophomore. You?”
“Never even graduated high school. My education came courtesy of my grandfather. Basic training meets home schooling, you could say.”
“I’m more than a little jealous.”
She laughed. She didn’t want to talk about herself, though. “What was life like for you before —” she looked around and gestured to the debris and destruction all around them, “— this?”
“Well,” he started, “I lived out in North Port.”
“Oh wow, fancy. Water view?”
“Right on the beach.” He smiled thinking of the house he left behind.
“Yours or your folks?”
“Oh definitely my folks. They both emigrated to New York from China years ago. Wanted a piece of the American Dream. Came here poor, worked hard, and eventually they opened a restaurant that got very popular.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you do not look Chinese.”
He laughed. “After they became successful they decided to adopt. They took pity on me I guess. It was good to finally have a home after being shuffled between different foster homes.”
“Wow, I bet it was. Plus it sounds like family dinners were probably amazing.”
“Oh man, you have no idea.” Jack rubbed his stomach. “Mom sure could cook. But,” he looked at her with a grin. “I will say that the family photos were more than a little funny though.”
It was Skyler’s turn to laugh. “Why?”
He stopped walking and held up his finger, “Just a second.” He reached into his pocket and fished out his wallet. He rifled through some photos and presented her with one of his family.
She took the picture from him and studied it. In the wallet sized photo Jack was standing between his parents one arm resting on each of their shoulders. His parents were both looking up at their son lovingly. He towered over them both. As sweet as the photo was, because of the height difference, his parents were cut off at the shoulders.
Skyler handed back the photo. “That’s adorable.”
Jack took the photo back from her and returned it to his wallet. “Yeah, well,” he sighed.
They started walking again. Skyler looked over at Jack. His smile had left once he had thought about his parents.
“What happened to them?” she asked. “Or don’t you —”
“No, it’s ok,” he answered. “They are — were, they were older. They didn’t adopt me until they were in their 60s. I tried to convince them to come with me. To ride this thing out and try to make a new life on the other side of it. They had worked so hard and had a great life together. They wanted to die where they lived. I know it must sound stupid to someone like you
,” he paused. “A survivor, but in the end they said they wanted to leave it up to God.”
“I guess you can’t really argue with that.”
“I tried to, believe me. I’m not sure they would have made it in that parking structure to be honest. It was pretty horrifying.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.” It felt good for Jack to talk about everything. He hadn’t been able to talk about his parents with Karen, between the earthquakes, the flooding and their terrible headaches he just hadn’t wanted to burden her with anything more.
He looked over at Skyler. If she was like Karen and Alissa, she’d had those headaches too. I bet her grandfather felt more helpless than I did, he thought. “Hey,” he said softly. “What about you? What’s your story?”
She shook her head. “Maybe later.” She reached into the shopping cart and stuck her hand into one of the rucksacks. She fished around for a few seconds and then came out with the transistor radio.
She switched it on, extended the antenna and cranked the volume all the way up. Jack watched as she slowly turned the tuning dial.
“Listening for something in particular?”
“Just hoping for a signal.”
Skyler turned off her radio and replaced it in the rucksack. As they continued to walk they heard the faint sounds of gunshots coming from the city.
Jack stopped in his tracks. “What the hell are we heading into?”
FIFTEEN
The last few days coupled with the events of the past twelve hours had taken their toll on the new travel companions. They were exhausted. Completely and totally. Exhausted.
Behind them the glowing orange streak peeking above the horizon of the pre-dawn sky served as a warning. The sun would soon be up.
Ahead of them a twisted and peeling highway sign welcomed them to the Queensboro Bridge. Finished in 1909, the bridge — thanks to the engineers and the city planners — had both an upper and lower level. A lower level would be perfect right now, thought Skyler. Unfortunately, the events of the past few weeks had ripped the bottom level completely from the structure.
Plagued (Book 1): The Girl Who Chased The Shadows Page 11