Least Likely To Survive

by Lisa Biesiada

  Tears streamed down her face, and I noticed her right eye was purple and puffy, and there was blood trailing from a cut on her lip. She tried to tell him she didn’t know what he was talking about, but her words were faint as she was starting to lose consciousness. He was going to kill her this time, I just knew it.

  I ran at him and launched myself onto his back, hitting his shoulders for all I was worth, trying to make him drop her. He reached around and grabbed my arm, throwing me across the room, where I smashed into the coffee table. As I landed I heard the wood crack, and felt a snap in my arm, but paid it no mind as I leaped up and ran at him again.

  Using my uninjured arm, I punched his side as hard as I could, and as many times as I could, trying to hurt him enough to leave her alone. He finally dropped her, and with one hand still encasing her neck, reached around and backhanded me across my cheek. I flew back again, and this time I didn’t get up, feeling like my whole face was on fire. I was sure he had broken something this time. Stars swam before my eyes, and I knew I wouldn’t be awake for much longer when the sound of sirens outside became apparent, and I heard the front door break open. I felt the floor shake with heavy footsteps as I slowly faded out of consciousness.

  I came out of the memory with tears still formed in my eyes. I wasn’t going to let them fall though, as the past was gone, and it would never come back. My father had gone to jail that day, and was stabbed to death in a prison fight about a year later. My mother had continued to use, and eventually killed herself in an overdose when I was seventeen. I left town then, and had never been back since.

  Staring out the window, I couldn’t help musing over how shitty my life had been, and how it would end. Seemed somewhat anticlimactic that I would be taken out by a zombie, but I would do everything in my power to avoid it. I hadn’t survived one hell to become the victim of another.

  At seventeen, with nothing but a bag of clothes, and the beat up old Chevy which had been the only thing I was left with of my mother after her death, I had moved to a new town and worked as a waitress while living in the car. Once I had enough cash, had gotten an apartment, finished high school, and had been on my own ever since.

  It felt somehow fitting that zombies would be the end of the world, as I felt they were the only disaster I could actually face and maybe come out the other side still living. Maybe just surviving even the worst of circumstance was my great skill, as I was a thousand miles from home, and had somehow managed to keep not only myself alive, but the few survivors I had picked up along the way.

  Although I knew it was highly improbable, there was a part of me that secretly hoped Jack and I would fall in love, and we would live out this mess with the kids and the dog on that beach in my dreams. Laughing, and joking, and being the family I never had and had always so desperately longed for. Yeah, and monkeys might come flying out of my ass.

  I glanced over at Jack, and tried to let go of the feelings I was developing for him. “It’s not real. It’s just because we’re in a life or death situation together,” I tried to tell myself. I knew I was just lying to myself at this point, but sometimes we have to in order to make it through the day. He was amazing, and I couldn’t refute that. Intelligent, witty, and charming, he was everything I had always hoped to find in a guy. The actual downside was that he was ridiculously beautiful, and also disgustingly rich and famous. Leave it to me to fall for the one guy I could never dream to have, and let it be him that I’ll be stuck alone with for God knows how long. The irony of the whole mess was not lost on me.

  I heaved another great sigh, as I was wont to do, and continued my study of the scenery. I must have been lost in my daydream for a while, as the sure signs of urban life had begun to sprout up around us, as we got closer to the city. “How far out are we?” I asked to no one in particular.

  “We should be in the city limits like, now, depending on the debris in the road.” I turned around to look at Ty as he said this, and noticed his head was bent over the maps, while Chloe held the Atlas. They were both hard at work pinpointing our location, and determining our next destination.

  I looked around again, and sure enough, there was the ‘San Antonio city limit’ sign passing right next to me. We had made it to what I was sure was going to be the hardest part of our venture.

  Signs for various things started to appear, as did civilization as a whole. Just like Denver, and every other city we had been to, there were cars crashed into things, buildings on fire, and of course, what city would be complete without its population trying to eat each other? Although this was on a much grander scale, as this place was far bigger than Denver, if the signs for the attractions were anything to go by. Who knew San Antonio had a Sea World? Totally blew my mind.

  I was still observing the surroundings, while keeping a wary eye on the cars scattering the road, as I reached into my pockets and started grabbing new clips and shells. I began reloading my guns, and checking that each was full, as I heard the sounds of the kids doing the same in the backseat.

  Once my task was completed, I reached into the holsters I could reach on Jack, pulled out his guns and made sure they were all loaded too. “Thanks, wasn’t sure how I would manage that while driving,” he said to me, as I placed the last one back on his hip. Yeah, like I was really going to pass up an opportunity to touch him. I was nuts in an ‘endearing’ sort of way, but I wasn’t completely crazy.

  Now sure that all guns were loaded and ready to go, I sat back, and turned on the radio. “Um, Angie, I don’t think the traffic report is going to be on…” I heard Chloe snicker from behind me.

  “Well duh, smart ass. I’m looking for an emergency transmission on the AM frequency like all those stupid emergency broadcast tests said to do. They may be broadcasting where survivors should go.” I shook my head in annoyance as I continued to turn the dial, checking each station for more than just white noise. Just as I was about to give up, the speakers crackled and a voice filled the car.

  “Dome; alive; have food,” more crackling, “Welcome survivors…” It faded out into more crackling and finally the sweet sounds of white noise.

  “Did you hear that?! It was a person, a real person, and it sounded like there is a safe place to go!” My voice raised a few octaves in my excitement, as I darted looks at everyone in the car.

  “Yeah, but it didn’t say where,” Ty said with a frown. This thought struck me too; I was so caught up by hearing the broadcast, it didn’t occur to me that we couldn’t hear where it said to go to.

  Jack cleared his throat, and with his deep rasp, “He said ‘Dome’. I’d bet he was talking about The Alamodome. We should check that out first,” he looked at me gauging my opinion. I just stared back at him; fuck if that wasn’t a better guess than I would have come up with. If I had my way, we’d be going to Sea World.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. Let’s do it.” I said with a smile, and then turned to address everyone in back. “Okay, so obviously killing isn’t an issue with you kids,” I began and was met with twin frowns. “But we might actually encounter people who are still alive, and that can be even more dangerous.” This I aimed at Ty, with a look I hope he got the gist of. I didn’t want to freak Chloe out, but even in times of disaster, there are still evil people in this world that would love nothing more than to harm a beautiful young girl. I didn’t want to see anything happen to any of us.

  Ty followed my gaze as it darted towards his sister, than back at him. I watched his eyes light in understanding, and then steel over with determination. He got my point.

  I turned my focus to Chloe, trying to figure out the best way to say this, without causing a panic. “Chloe…” I started, and then stopped to clear my throat, picking my words carefully. “You watch TV, right?”

  “Um, yeah…” she answered looking back at me as obviously I was talking crazy. “Your point?”

  “Well…even though it’s the apocalypse, and you would think that everyone would band together to survive, and these people ma
y be able to help us, it’s still really important that you make sure one of the three of us is always with you, okay?”

  “Duh, Angie. I wasn’t born yesterday. No one’s trying to get raped or abducted or anything else some sick bastard can think of. And I’ll make sure one of the guys or a big gun is with me at all times, as should you,” she said with a pointed look back at me.

  She had a point though; although not the prettiest girl, I was still a girl, and someone might get desperate. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she knew the dangers of the world. Yet still had to shake my head at how sad it was when a twelve year old was well versed in the precautions girls have to take to ensure our safety. Maybe the world ending was a good thing after all, if it meant clearing out anyone who would harm a child.

  “Don’t worry. I’m allowed to hit my sister, but I’ll be damned if anyone else touches her,” Ty interrupted my tense train of thought with a smirk as he popped her in the shoulder.

  “Ugh. Brothers,” she grumbled playfully as she popped him right back.

  I turned back around, still smiling at their banter. How nice it must be to have a sibling who watches out for you. I was an only child, thankfully, so there was never anyone else to share the horror of my childhood.

  “Looking over at Jack, I asked “So what’s the plan then? Should we just storm the gates? Send up a flare?”

  He grinned at me, and I watched his Adam’s apple bounce in time to his silent chuckle. Apparently he thought that was funny. “Uh, fucked if I know. I guess we head to the Dome and see what happens,” he finished with a shrug of his shoulders before he turned his attention back to dodging abandoned cars on the road. That was as good of a plan as any I supposed.

  “What about the dog?” I asked, as I looked into the far back to where Roscoe was intently staring out the window, stock still.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Ty started. “He’ll stick with me, and he’ll attack anything that gets too close.”

  I frowned in concern. “He’ll bite them? What if he gets infected?”

  Ty shrugged and scratched Roscoe behind the ears before responding. “He’s bitten a few before, and he’s fine. Maybe animals aren’t susceptible.”

  I turned forward in my seat again and stared at the carnage around us as I thought about that for a minute. How could they not be? But then again, there were lots of viruses we could get that they couldn’t, and vice versa. Sure I had seen the neighbors chowing down on that dog, but what if it had managed to get away? Would it have lived? I shoved that thought away for future inspection.

  As we ambled down the highway, amidst the deserted cars, and zombies roaming about the road, I couldn’t help the feeling of dread that seated itself in the pit of my gut. I had a feeling we were about to walk into some shit, and this whole thing didn’t feel right, but at this point we didn’t really have a choice.

  We had taken the I-35 N exit towards Austin, and were now circling the Texas 368 Loop, headed towards I-37. The car was filled with silence so heavy it would take a chain saw to cut through. I think we all knew that shit was about to get real, and everyone was trying to prepare themselves for what could happen. Would anyone be alive? How old was that broadcast? Would it be safe enough to leave the kids there? This thought above all others was really plaguing me.

  After spending the day with them, the thought of just leaving them with strangers left a bad taste in my mouth. Again I had to stop and remind myself I was not a good person to be left caring for children. They needed safety and stability, neither of which I could provide. Even Jack would be better off staying with them. That thought was probably the best one of all. He could stay with them, and I knew he would always make sure they were safe and well cared for. I on the other hand would continue my journey alone. It saddened me to think of saying goodbye to any of them, especially Jack, but I knew it was the best option. My path was mine alone to walk, and besides, they probably wouldn’t want to come with me anyway. Not when the possibility of a hot meal and shower hovered so dangerously close on the horizon. No, I would make sure everyone was safe, and slip out quietly to continue to the coast.

  I nodded my head to myself in my resolve as we approached the Alamodome exit, and Jack steered the Hummer down the off ramp. As we descended, I knew we were in the right place, as there was a banner hanging off the side of the building declaring ‘SAFE AREA 1’. You just gotta love the military outlets and their original names. I would have written something like, ‘YARD SALE’, or ‘BERNIE’S BBQ’, but I was weird like that. I did however wonder where Safe Areas 2 and 3 were…

  We pulled to a stop just inside the parking lot, and stared at the massive structure wondering what would happen next. There were a scattering of zombies wandering about in the almost completely faded sunlight, but not as many as you would think, as well as a whole row of army trucks forming a blockade around the building blocking the entrances. Well, so far it appeared to be well in order.

  Just as I was about to ask what the fuck we should do, a line of serious looking soldiers came marching out from between two of the trucks, picking off zombies as they headed in our direction. Fuck, it hadn’t occurred to me they may not know we were alive and start shooting at us. Guess it was time to find out.

  I unlocked and opened my door, gun in hand and started to climb down. No one in the car stopped me or said anything, which either meant they thought I would be okay, or they were chickenshits. It could really go either way.

  I walked a few feet towards the soldiers, ready to piss myself as all their guns were still trained on me and at the car, when I cleared my throat and called out, “Don’t shoot! We’re not infected, and we have kids with us!” I thought I got all the important points out, and waited for their reaction. The line stopped, but the lead guy kept jogging towards me.

  “How many?” He barked out, still assessing as to whether I was lying or not. I thought that was a bit much as the zombies I had met so far weren’t exactly the most articulate people on the planet.

  “Two adults, two children, one dog.” I said this as I lowered my gun, to show we really were friendlies, and smiled my most welcoming smile at him, which usually just makes me look like a cute little kid.

  It must have worked, as he also lowered his gun, and gestured to a break in the trucks, “Okay, drive through there,” he continued to point towards an opening that led to an underground parking lot from the looks of things. “Park in the lot on the left and walk through the main entrance. That’s where ya’ll’ll get checked out.”

  Damn, ‘ya’ll’ll’? We must be in Texas. I didn’t laugh out loud though, thinking he didn’t look like the joking sort, but nodded my head and turned back to the Hummer. I climbed back in my seat and closed the door, meanwhile Army Guy watched us intently the whole time.

  “He said to drive through there, park in the lot on the left, and go through the entrance.” I pointed to the break in the trucks, directing Jack.

  “Did he say anything else?” He asked as he put the shift in drive, and started to creep to the opening.

  “He said that’s where we’ll be checked out. I’m just going to assume there are medical personnel ready to inspect us for injuries and bites.”

  Jack didn’t say anything when he looked at me. We were both thinking the same thing, and fuck if we weren’t grateful none of us had been bitten.

  As he drove us to where we had been told to go, I couldn’t help but look at the enormous stadium and wonder why they had picked this place. It didn’t seem like it would be easily defensible, and judging by the large groups of soldiers milling about, picking off any zombie that got too close, I gauged there were probably a lot of people here. This would seem like a good thing, but in my experience, large groups of people usually meant mass hysteria, confusion, and danger. Besides, only the hardcore deranged people could possibly survive this shit, and fuck if that didn’t just sum me up perfectly, but also left me nervous about whom we might encounter.

  I was y
anked from my foreboding as Jack stopped the car, and we were suddenly surrounded by military and what seemed to be medics. And they all had guns aimed at us. Fucking fantastic.

  We were all worried, as we each slowly opened our doors, so as not to cause any alarm, and made no sudden movements, in our attempt to not get shot. All four of us had climbed out, and I watched as Ty held the door open and whistled to Roscoe, who bounded out the door, and immediately squatted next to the car. Guess he had to go.

  We followed the line of straight-faced militia through the steel gates, and stopped just inside to await further instruction. I took a look around, and noticed the whole place looked like a military/law enforcement convention. Men and women were adorned in all different sorts of uniforms ranging from police, to swat, to Army, and back to Air Force. They all had the standard issue buzz cut, or hair pulled back into a bun, and I really couldn’t tell the difference from one to another, save for the uniforms. I had to wonder how long they had been preparing this place for the collection of survivors.

  A man stepped out from behind one of the soldiers and approached us with a smile. He wasn’t in any sort of uniform, but rather reminded me of a tour guide. Late forties, with grey just starting at his temples, he looked like your classic insurance salesman. “Hello, I’m Ian. Welcome to Safe Area 1. Please follow me,” he gestured to a cluster of plastic tents behind him, “So that we may provide medical attention.” He seemed harmless enough, but I hadn’t lived this long without being cautious of everyone I met and something about this guy gave me the creeps. I wasn’t sure what it was, maybe just the ‘matter of fact’ way he spoke, but something wasn’t right here.

  I turned to the kids, and watched as Ty grabbed Chloe’s arm with one hand, and Roscoe’s leash with the other. Seeing that they stayed behind us, Jack and I followed Ian towards the row of tents.