The Rabid

by Ami Urban

  There was no response from Silas. I'd almost forgotten what I'd said because a small Fiat car was coming into view on the side of the road.

  "Must be them."

  Slowing to a crawl, I could feel my stomach rising into my throat. Would it really take an apocalypse to bring me and Raychel together again? Would she even forgive me? There was no time to worry about that. She must have seen my car slowing down, because the driver side door opened and out she jumped in all her blonde glory.

  "Jack!"

  I parked the van. Raychel ran to me before I was even out and threw her arms around my middle. For a moment I was dumbstruck. It was if nothing had gone bad between us. It felt right to hug her — as if we were meeting for a movie or dinner or something.

  I held her back at arm's length. She was obviously older than the last time I'd seen her, but her eyes were still that vibrant blue. A few more wrinkles creased her face. It was as if life were showing how harsh it had been to her.

  The large smile on her face suddenly faded. She pulled away before slapping me on the arm. "Why didn't you ever call?!" Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned away in a pretend huff.

  "Did you have any trouble getting here? I hope you weren't waiting too long."

  She turned back toward me with her eyes a bit wider. It was as if my voice or words had come as a surprise to her.

  "Uh, no. The drive was boring. We've only been here for about an hour or so."

  "Yeah, okay. Who's 'we' again?"

  "Are you seeing anyone?"

  "What?"

  Her face went into blank mode. Her head tilted to one side. "Are. You. Seeing. Anyone?"

  I leaned forward slightly. "What. Does that. Have to do. With anything?"

  "Then that's a no."

  I said nothing.

  "No one since Claire?"

  That caught my attention. "You never met Claire."

  A coy smile appeared on her face. "I stalked your Facebook page. She was cute. Why'd you break up?"

  After a deep sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What are you talking about?"

  Raychel grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the small car. Through the window I could see a man and a woman in the back seat. I didn't recognize him, but I recognized her.

  "Jack!" She began getting out of the car.

  I swung back around to Raychel. "What the hell?"

  Raychel shrugged. "She and I got to talking after you two broke up. She's sweet. We became friends."

  Claire rounded the back of the vehicle with her arms outstretched for a hug. But I wasn't feeling it. "Sorry. I'm seeing someone."

  Both Raychel and Claire's faces drooped. It was quiet for a moment until Raychel introduced the man as he got out.

  "This is Gregg."

  I studied the side of her face as she watched him. There was a soft fondness in her eyes. It reminded me of the way she used to look at me.

  "So, what..."

  She finally tore her gaze away from him. "Yeah?"

  "What do you...what are we gonna do?"

  "Well," Claire said, "we were kind of hoping you'd gotten somewhere safe and could show us where."

  That was typical. Only calling when she needed something. I cleared my throat. "I was staying in a hotel in Utah. Seemed okay."

  "Well, let's go!"

  We debated for a few moments whether or not the two of them should follow me or if we should go in one car. In the end, we decided to siphon the gas out of the van and take the Fiat. While it was a smaller, we could most likely save time by driving quicker, and if anything were to happen, I'd be there.

  "So, Jack...where is your girlfriend?"

  I turned my attention to the rear view mirror so I could see Claire. "What?"

  She shrugged one shoulder. "You said you had a girlfriend, but she wasn't with you. Where is she?" That single question was loaded with a multitude of others. There was so much hesitation in in the air that it was impossible to sort everything out right then and there.

  Closing my eyes for a second, I turned my head back toward the passenger side window. "She's in Utah."

  "At the hotel we're going to?"

  "No."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raychel nod. "So, you lied."

  "Can we talk about something else?"

  She paused. I'd almost thought I'd hurt her feelings until she let out an exhausted sounding chuckle. "You are still the Dancing King. Dancing around the issues."

  "Is my dating life really an issue?"

  She smiled, reached over and flicked my ear. "Stop it!"

  I flinched, waving her hand away. "I was seeing her, okay? But it didn't work out."

  "Maybe she was turned off by your scruffy beard." Claire let out a snort of amusement.

  I shook my head. "This is a new development."

  "Yeah, well it should probably go. You look homeless."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I?"

  Her face went blank. "I think we all kind of are."

  ***

  "So what is the four-one-one?" Raychel sat in the swivel chair at the bar and turned to face me. She still had that mischievous look in her eyes.

  I grabbed the counter behind the bar and leaned forward. "About what?"

  She shrugged. "Life, the universe and everything."

  "Forty-two."

  "I'm serious!"

  "Me too."

  After a sigh, she rolled her eyes. "All jokes aside"

  "Wait... When did we agree to that?"

  She eyed me. "Just tell me how your life has been."

  I took a deep breath. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from these Biters on my heels ready to tear me a new asshole. What about you?"

  "Same shit, different day."

  I could have sympathized with that. "How's Ray doing?"

  Raychel scoffed. It was a sound I knew all too well. "You are the only person I know that refers to his father by his first name." She paused. "He's dead."

  "Good. When did that happen?"

  "Two years ago. And you were right, so...no gloating."

  I put my hands up in a defensive pose. "I wasn't going to."

  She gave me a half-cocked smile. It was the same one I remembered from years ago. A familiar ache inched its way into my chest.

  "So...this girl you were seeing... Care to offer up a serving of what she was like?"

  Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the bar while crossing my arms. "Perfect."

  Raychel slapped the bar with an open palm, alerting Claire and Gregg who'd been off exploring the lobby. "Wow! She musta sucked the soul outta you to get you to say that!" A laugh accompanied the sentiment.

  "Dude. Gross. What the fuck?" I narrowed my eyes at her while she continued to laugh like nothing had happened between us or in the world.

  "That must have been some blow job!"

  I could feel a grimace cross my expression. "All right, all right. Are we done?"

  "Aww!" Raychel stood to reach across the bar. Then she pinched one of my cheeks before I could swat her away. "Cheer up, Jackie. Give me a smile!"

  "What's so funny over here?" Gregg took the seat next to Raychel who still thought she was the funniest thing since David Brent.

  "Ray Ray got into the laughing gas again," I said. Claire giggled, so I nodded toward her. "C'mon, Charlie. let's get out of here before Raychel's head explodes."

  ***

  "You used my nickname."

  I was in my own world when Claire spoke. The stars were so bright because lack of light pollution, I could see the Milky Way. Yum. Milky Way.

  "Jack?"

  "What?" I turned to look at my ex-girlfriend. She hand't changed at all — still had that short brown hair and shy look to her.

  "You used my nickname back there."

  I blinked a few times. "Oh, yeah. I got used to giving people nicknames when I was with Lisa."

  Claire was quiet for a moment. I knew that quiet. That quiet was the jealous quiet. There was no energy to
handle that shit. So, I decided it was time to try and head to bed. But she followed me. Could not take a hint, that one.

  "it's um...it's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

  I sighed while opening the door to my cabin. "Just peachy. You?"

  "I've seen better days."

  I glanced at her. "You look fine. Haven't changed much."

  A tinge of red filled her cheeks. "Thanks."

  A long silence fell over us. I felt bad for being angry with her. Despite what she'd done to me in the past, she was a sweet woman and always kind. Just not that bright.

  "I didn't mean for things to end the way they did."

  I expected to feel upset at her statement, but I felt nothing. It was kind of refreshing. I sat on the bed and she followed again. "Well, cheating is a conscious decision."

  She turned to me, her eyes wet. "And I feel terrible for that."

  I shrugged. "The past is the past."

  "I tried to get a hold of you a lot after that."

  "I know."

  "I wanted things to work." There was a slight waver in her voice. All I needed then was for a woman to cry at me. "Raychel told me why your last relationship didn't work out."

  "Oh boy..." I knew she'd be looking to get back together, but I had no idea she wanted to take it so fast.

  "You know I always wanted to marry you."

  "Yeah, I knew that. But it wasn't right."

  A tear fell down her cheek. "The only reason I cheated was because you wouldn't commit!"

  I could feel my brow furrow. "As backwards as that sounds, I was twenty-seven, Claire. I wasn't ready to get married."

  "Raychel says you were always ready."

  I let out a low groan. "Jesus. Yes, I was always ready, but I didn't feel like you were the one. I was trying to spare your feelings."

  Claire shut her mouth and fell back against the headboard. "Ouch."

  "Sorry."

  "Well now what?"

  I turned to look at her. "Now what what?"

  She met my gaze. "What about now? How do you feel about me now?"

  Was that a trick question? "The same..."

  Hope bubbled into her eyes. "You still love me?"

  "Now, wait." I sat up and put out both hands as if to ward her off. "I didn't say that. Claire, you're an ex. We broke up for a reason."

  "But I haven't ever cheated again and, even if I could, who the hell would I get? It's the end of the world and I don't feel like befriending a zombie."

  I leaned back, oddly impressed by her choice of words. "That's...there is so much wrong with that sentence."

  "Give me another chance. You won't regret it."

  "This is weird. It feels like a movie. I feel like you're the expendable character only being introduced to throw a wrench between me and Lisa."

  At the mention of Lisa's name, Claire went quiet. I could tell from the gleam in her eye that she was jealous again. Jealous of what, I had no idea. The whole reason she'd come with me was pure weirdness.

  "What if I could make you forget about her?"

  I stopped for a moment. While forgetting about the heartache Lisa had caused me sounded amazing, completely forgetting about her and what we had was a scary thought. I wanted to answer, but I was frozen. My brain had crashed. Claire must have known it, too, because she took that opportunity to kiss me.

  And it wasn't that bad. She'd always been very soft and gentle. Her warmth seeped into my already exhausted body. Our kiss deepened. It felt never-ending at that point. And when she pulled away and began kissing me elsewhere, she said my name softly. And in return, I said hers.

  But she sat up and looked into my eyes with anger for some reason. Then she got up and stormed toward the door.

  "I guess you really can't forget about her, can you? you're obsessed, Jack Reynolds!" With that, she slammed the door.

  "Whatever." I sighed and went back to lying on the bed.

  "Good job, bro."

  "I didn't do anything. She's just upset."

  Silas laughed from the chair next to me. It was a relatively good chuckle at that.

  "Don't laugh too hard or your jaw will fall off."

  "This?" He touched the shiny white bone peeking through his grey skin. "This is a fashion statement, dude. And you did do something stupid just now. You called Claire by Lisa's name."

  I squinted one eye at him. "I did not."

  "Did too."

  I thought for a moment. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm used to not getting laid at this point."

  ***

  A bright light woke me a few hours later. My first thought was a helicopter, so I jumped up, getting tangled in the sheets on the way to window. Stubbed my toe on the desk. Ouch. Across the way from me, I could see the lobby of the hotel. And the light was on.

  "Shit!" I untangled myself as best I could and stumbled for the door. After throwing it open, I listened to the night. Then I heard it. The howl of a Biter. And it was close. So I kept to the shadows and ran straight for the lobby, Lucky on my heels.

  When I slammed through the door with gun drawn, Claire, Gregg and Raychel stared up at me like deer in headlights. I ran straight for the opposite wall where the electrical panel was hidden.

  "What are you doing?" Claire stood from her seat at the front desk.

  In one swift movement, I switched every breaker to off until the lobby went dark. Then I turned to my companions.

  "What the hell were you thinking?" I kept my voice at just above a whisper.

  No one said anything, because they were stunned into silence. The howls of the diseased were closing in. Shuffling footsteps rounded a corner.

  Frantic, I looked around for something — anything — to wedge against the door so they couldn't make it in. All I found was a broomstick, but I figured it was enough if we were quiet.

  Once the door was secure, I turned back to them and motioned them to lie low and be quiet. Raychel clung to Gregg while Claire hid behind the front desk. A few tense moments passed as the shuffling of near-dead feet crept closer.

  A hand pressed against the glass doors. It gave a slight push, but the broom held. Another hand appeared and pushed harder, but the door remained shut.

  That must have been enough to satisfy the Biter's curiosity because it shuffled away from the door. I stood from my crouching position and listened. I couldn't hear the howling anymore, but I knew they were still around.

  "We have to get out of here. Where are the flashlights I gave you?" I reached into my back pocket for mine and clicked it on. The others followed suit. "Keep one hand over the light so they won't—"

  I was interrupted by a crash from behind the front desk. Somehow, a Biter had entered the hotel and was stumbling toward Claire.

  "Let's go!" I ran over and grabbed her just as the Biter reached out. Then, we all ran toward the entrance of the indoor pool.

  "Halfway there, another Biter came from the shadows, lunging for Raychel and Gregg. They stupidly took off down the hallway instead of sticking with us.

  "What the...? Fuck! Raychel, lock the door and hide!"

  "I'm not stupid!" She yelled back at me before her and Gregg disappeared around a corner, the Biter still at their ankles.

  "Come on!" I pulled Claire into the swimming area just as more howls echoed down the dark hallways.

  I shoved her inside, then bolted the double metal doors shut. Then, using the Allen wrench hanging from a string off the handle, locked them tight, taking the "key" with me. An eruption of pounding caused Claire to yelp, but the doors didn't budge. It was only a matter of time before they got bored. We just had to wait it out. But Claire was having none of that. Before I could even react, she'd grabbed the Allen wrench from me.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Let me keep it safe. You always misplaced stuff."

  Was she trying to start a fight? "I do not." I tried to grab the wrench from her, but she backed away.

  "Yes, you do. You were always putting things down and forgett
ing where they were." She inched backward toward the pool. I stopped myself, watching the dark water lap at the sides.

  Swallowing hard, I kept my voice calm. "Claire, please give me the wrench back."

  Just like a bad dream, she tripped. Damn clumsy woman. Trying to control the damage before it was done, I leapt toward her, trying to get the wrench from her hand. And my fingers just grazed it before it went flying into the water.

  "Fuck!" I backed away from the dark sea of water. I could already feel my head getting fuzzy and my breath short.

  "I'm sorry!"

  I put my hands out, backing away from the pool. "Okay... Okay... it's...it's not that big of a deal. All you have to do is go in there and get the wrench back."

  "Who, me?"

  I spun around to face Claire. She was making my blood boil. The sheer stupidity that followed her around was insane!

  "Yes, you!"

  "Um... I don't think so."

  "You know I can't go in there."

  She was silent, her eyes wide like a doe in the forest. I wanted to shake her. I wanted to grab her and shake the stupid out. But I couldn't. Instead, I sighed and looked around for another way out.

  Lucky tugged at my jeans. I looked down to find him staring up at me. I wish I could say that we had this mental connection where we could understand each other's thoughts, but I didn't speak Raccoon.

  "Not now, buddy. We have to get out of here."

  I swear he made a frustrated little grunt before running off toward the opposite side of the pool. I watched him scurry out of sight. Welp, so much for that.

  I turned back to Claire. "All right, then. I guess we wait for Raychel and Gregg to come rescue us."

  "I'm sorry, Jack." Claire's words were quiet. I tried to feel sympathy for the situation, but she was so freaking dumb.

  I forced a smile. "Still a chance to redeem yourself."

  She stared at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. So I just offered her a shrug and a sigh before heading over to sit next to the door.

  The Biters had gone quiet. There was no noise outside the double doors. I wasn't even sure how long we'd been sitting before someone spoke.

  "Remember our first date?"

  I looked up at the pools of light swimming on the ceiling, reflecting the water. "Oh, you mean the date where you broke my toilet?"

  To my surprise, Claire began to laugh. Her laugh had always been infectious, so I soon found myself chuckling as well.