by Volante, KT
“Lacey, have you gotten hold of your husband?” asked Jeff once we were all seated for breakfast.
“No,” I replied.
I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t.
Harrison put his fork down. “I don’t care if we stay here, but we’re in a housing development with a lot of people. Maybe being farther out in the countryside where there are less people would be safer.”
Jeff nodded and added, “I live in an apartment, so that’s out. I’m just glad you let me tag along.”
“I live outside of town,” I said. “It’s less crowded, but I do have neighbors. My house is bigger than this, so we would manage okay. We can go there. But how do we leave here with those things out there?”
No one answered.
“Can you take us home first?” asked Lucy.
“I think we should try to look for the kids’ parents. They may be holed up somewhere just like us,” Jeff said.
“If we can,” I said, turning to the kids, “we will go to your home. But there are a lot of sick people out there—the kind of sickness that makes people die. It might be hard to find your folks. Jeremiah, do you have any other family we could take you too? Like your dad or an aunt…grandparents?”
Jeremiah shook his head. Tears ran down his cheeks.
Kevin and Lucy nodded, then fell silent.
“And we, I mean me, I have to…move Joan,” Harrison said.
“Whatever you want to do, we will help you,” I said.
Harrison nodded and looked at his coffee.
We adults were drinking our coffee, the kids their juice, when Kevin asked, “Can we come with you too?”
“Of course, big guy; all of you are part of this crew,” Jeff said, offering his fist for a fist bump. Kevin was all too pleased to fist bump and gave Jeff a toothy grin.
Jeff then took his cup of coffee and sat at the front window. He looked outside, then grabbed some paper and a pen. He started to write.
Harrison and I discussed how to get out of there. I was surprised Jeff didn’t want to be a part of the conversation. It pissed me off.
“Ah, Jeff, you want to partake in this? In other words, get over here!” I said.
“No, you come here. I want to show you something.”
I looked at Harrison and then we walked over to Jeff.
“What’s up, Jeff?” Harrison asked coolly.
“Look outside. What do you see?”
“Sick bastards trying to kill us,” snapped Harrison.
“Look at them,” Jeff said again.
We looked. I knew if Jeff saw something, it was important. Then I saw it.
“Some have injuries, probably bites; others have no injuries. Is that it?”
“Yes, so what can we conclude from this?”
“The non-injured passed the virus to the injured when they were bitten. The virus is in their saliva. But how did the non-injured get the virus in the first place?”
“We know it started at the same time as the flu. Did the flu virus mutate, or is it a different virus, or is it or was it the flu vaccine, or a combination of these factors? Then again, the flu may not even be a part of this. It may have just happened at the same time.”
“The flu and the vaccine both ding your immune system; maybe that opens the door to this other virus,” I added.
Jeff continued, “But now we know what happens when someone is bitten. During the transformation, for a lack of a better word, the infected are fast and strong, really strong. I saw one walk into a car and move it. Others are not as strong. I think once the transformation is done, their strength decreases, and they slow down.”
“From what I saw,” added Harrison, “the bite itself will kill you. Seems like they take a chunk out of you, and it’s usually where a major blood vessel is located. So if the virus doesn’t get you, the open vein will or should.”
“Yup, it should kill them,” Jeff agreed, “but look at them. They look alive, kinda, sorta.”
“Oh, my God; they don’t die!” I exclaimed. “Not in the sense we know; they are still alive. Living dead! I didn’t mention this earlier because I wasn’t sure, but that guy from last night, I thought I saw him walk out of his house. He was one of the infected. This thing had on the same T-shirt stained with blood.”
The three of us looked at each other. We returned to the discussion of how to get out of there.
“I don’t know if we can get my car into your garage. Not sure if we should try,” I said.
“First, let’s figure out what to take,” said Jeff.
Harrison looked at us. “I think it would be safer at Lacey’s home, but I’m not going with you. I’m staying here.”
“What!” Jeff and I exclaimed.
“Harrison, why?” I asked. “You can’t stay here alone. It’s barely safe now, and it won’t be for long, especially alone. All of us will be safe if we stick together. We need you, and you need us.”
He looked down at the floor. Jeff didn’t chime in like I thought he would.
“I don’t know. I can’t think,” Harrison said.
I knew he was struggling. I saw defeat in his eyes, and I was sure we would feel the same sooner or later. We had to help each other get through this. Only if we were a team would we survive this crisis.
“Harrison, she is gone. She died before you got home. You saved her from being one of those things,” I said, but I was not convinced I had said the right thing.
We sat there for a long time until Jeremiah walked up to us.
“I think we should leave here. They’re in the backyard.”
Jeremiah walked up to Harrison and hugged him. “Don’t leave me,” he said. He had obviously been listening to our conversation.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go,” Harrison relented.
We made a list of what we should take. No matter where we ended up, basic supplies would be needed. Food, water, guns, and ammo were at the top of the list. And clothes for Harrison and Jeff. I knew we would forget something important, but under this kind of stress, it was the best we could do.
* * *
We split up to gather the items we would be taking. Lucy and Kevin brought them to Jeremiah; then he would tick them off the list. He also watched the streets. Then we got boxes and bags to carry our supplies. Harrison’s wife’s SUV was in the attached garage. But it couldn’t carry all the supplies and us.
“Hey!” Jeremiah yelled. “Look out there! Some of them are gone. Maybe all of them will go.”
I turned to the guys and said, “I might be able to get to my car and drive it into the garage. It’s the noise of the engine and the garage door that worry me. Those things could block the driveway. Suggestions?”
Harrison was deep in thought.
“We could pack the SUV, drive it out to the street with you ready to jump out and into your car. When you drive into the garage, I’ll close the doors by remote. You pack the car—”
“I’ll stay in the house to help her,” Jeff interrupted.
“Then the two of you drive out. I’ll be on the street. If those things head toward you, I’ll blow my horn. The noise will distract them. I’ll drive around the street, then take the lead. First, we check the kids’ home and then Lacey’s home.”
In theory, this plan should have worked, but how many times does theory work in the real world?
“I’ll drive,” Jeff volunteered. “The car seat is set for a tall person. Less time farting around out there to adjust the seat, the safer it is. Lacey you stay in the house; we pack it and gooo!”
We all agreed. We packed the SUV. I mean really packed it. We crammed as much as we could fit into it. My car would be the same way.
“Work the problem; stay focused!” I said in the strongest, calmest voice I could manage. Inside, I was terrified.
* * *
Harrison and the kids drove out of the garage. I hit the garage door button as soon as Harrison’s car bumper cleared the door. A few of those things came our way. The door was half-shut by t
he time they reached it, but they couldn’t figure out to duck under the door. Interesting, I thought. Next, I heard my car engine, then Harrison’s SUV’s horn blow. When the door opened, Jeff drove so fast in reverse I thought he would go right through the back of the garage. He squealed to a stop. So much for noise control! I hit the door button again to close the garage door.
“Pop the trunk!” I yelled.
We had only minutes to load the car. Then I hit the garage door button and jumped into the car.
The driveway was loaded with the LDs—my new name for them. What the hell! Wait, no horn blowing? Where is Harrison? I thought.
“Go, Jeff! Run the bastards down!”
I placed my hands on the roof. There were bumps, thuds, screams (from me), and squealing wheels. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. Jeff turned right.
“Left!” I screamed. “Left!”
“No, Harrison isn’t to the left; he has to be to the right.”
Around the corner, we found Harrison. LDs surrounded the SUV. Jeff looked at me; then he hit the horn. I lowered my window. I yelled and waved my arms. That got their attention. Now we had LDs in front and behind us. When the LDs got closer, I raised my window. By this time, Harrison was able to drive off. We ran down a few more LDs, driving over curbs and grass. Harrison led us out of the development. About two blocks away, Jeff and I started to laugh. We felt great. We had faced a menacing force and defeated it. In that moment, we realized how deep was our desire to survive. We would live through this.
* * *
Harrison pulled up alongside of us.
“I’ll lead us to Kevin and Lucy’s home.”
We followed Harrison for several miles. I was glad we didn’t go near the school. I didn’t want to see how yesterday’s disaster had concluded.
When we reached Kevin and Lucy’s neighborhood, LDs were overrunning the block. Harrison stopped and we pulled up alongside of him. I rolled down my window just a little. Those things saw us and headed our way. The kids had their faces against the windows as they looked for anyone they knew.
“This doesn’t look good. I don’t think we can get through,” I said sadly.
Lucy and Kevin started to scream. We looked at them as they pointed to the crowd of those things. “Lucy, that’s mom!”
My heart wrenched at their cries. I can’t imagine the pain those kids felt when they saw their mother. It hurt me to the core.
“Let’s get out of here, now!” I screamed.
We drove off quickly with a line of those bastards behind us.
“Jeff, we need to stop somewhere safe. We have to see the kids.”
He nodded his head. We stopped a few blocks away. We got out and ran to the kids. Everyone in the SUV was crying. Lucy held me tight. Jeff had Kevin in his arms. They convulsed in anguish. Jeremiah was also crying. Harrison put his hand on his shoulder. His sister and mother were also gone, and he had no other family.
After a minute or two, I said, “We can’t stay here. Let’s go to my home.”
I kissed the kids and Jeff and I walked back to my car.
* * *
We never got any closer to where the kids lived. We drove secondary roads to my house and passed many LDs. I looked out for other survivors but didn’t see any. When we reached my home, I opened both garage doors. Ben’s car wasn’t there. We backed both cars into the garage.
Once the garage doors were back down, we got out of the vehicles. I opened the door to the house and walked to the answering machine. I pressed the button, but there were no messages except mine; my last hope was gone. The boys brought the supplies inside and placed them in the den. Lucy walked over to me, and we hugged each other.
“Sorry, Lacey. Sorry,” Jeff said.
I nodded and walked off.
I was sad, really, really sad. Ben was gone, gone without me telling him I loved him, or one last kiss. Then I thought, How many people lost loved ones yesterday and today? The kids lost their families. Harrison lost his wife. And Jeff never got to go home or say goodbye to his girlfriend. Yeah, I had a right to be sad. But no more than anyone else! My sadness changed to anger. Suck it up. Time to take back our lives. I walked back to the living room with a newfound determination.
“Kids, can you go to the bedrooms upstairs and be lookouts. If you see those things heading our way, or anyone else, come get us.”
All three nodded and made their way to the bedrooms without a word.
* * *
The wooden fence started at the sides of my house, not at the front. Hopefully, it would keep those things out of the backyard. But we had to protect the front of the house.
“Harrison, Jeff, it’s time to be proactive. The front door and windows are our weakest area. If those things can move a parked car, they can break a window. We need to board up the windows. Halfway up maybe, just enough so those things can’t see in but we can see out. The front door is a problem. We can’t board that up. We need to think about that.
“There’s plywood in the shed. Not sure if it’ll be enough for all the windows, but it’s a start. If you two get the supplies, I’ll stand guard. We can unpack later. I asked the kids to be lookouts upstairs. I’ll check for any activity,” I said.
I walked upstairs to my room. Lucy stood at the window. I called to the others.
“Anything out there?”
“No,” said Jeremiah in a low voice.
“Harrison, Jeff, and I are going to be outside,” I began to tell them.
I didn’t finish before shouts of “No!” started.
“It’s okay. Listen to me. Listen.”
I waited until I had their full attention.
“We need to board up the front windows. And we need you to be extra sharp as lookouts. If you see anything, anything at all, run to the front door, open it, and tell us. No yelling or banging on the windows. You know those things follow noises. Understand?”
Jeremiah stood taller, and with confidence in his voice, he said, “You can count on us. We can be your lookouts.”
He turned to look at the others. Lucy and Kevin nodded. I kissed them all and went downstairs. On the way down, I thought, Am I asking too much of these young kids? How old can they be? They were all at the elementary school. I’m not sure I could do this when I was that young, especially after all they’ve already been through.
* * *
“The kids know we’ll be outside and they’ll come to the front door if they see anything,” I reported to Harrison and Jeff.
Jeff nodded and said, “Let’s go check out the plywood.”
We made our way to the shed. Jeff and Harrison entered it and checked out all the lumber while I stood watch.
“I don’t think we have enough to board all of the front windows,” said Harrison. “We may have enough to board up about a quarter of the way. With your curtains, that should be enough until we can get more wood.”
“Harrison,” I said, “when you drove out of the garage, those things came to the garage door, but they didn’t duck under the door. Once they hit an obstacle, they stopped. I don’t think they’ll try to go above wood.”
Both guys agreed. We started to gather the equipment. It took three trips to get what we needed. Then I stood watch as the men boarded up the windows. I was afraid the noise from their hammering would attract the LDs. I saw the kids at the windows and waved to them. They waved back. I thought, We just might be safe here. Maybe places outside of town were spared from this disaster. When the front windows were done, we put the supplies in the shed. By sunset, the house was stronger. Not Fort Knox, but good for the short-term.
* * *
The guys were sweaty, dirty, and smelly. Not like the infected, but definitely smelly.
“There’s a shower in my bathroom and another in the hallway,” I told them. “Help yourselves.”
“These are the only clothes I have,” said Jeff. Harrison had brought some of his clothes, but they would not fit Jeff since he was thinner and taller.
“Jeff, I think you could fit into Ben’s clothes, or at least some of them,” I replied.
Harrison went to shower while Jeff followed me to Ben’s closet. Once we found something for him to wear, I went to join the kids, who had gone back downstairs once we returned inside.
* * *
As the sky darkened, I remembered those things were more active in the dark. I wanted the house secure before they came out.
“I want to be sure all the doors and windows are locked and the drapes closed,” I told the kids. “So, Kevin, check all the doors; don’t forget the one that goes to the garage. Jeremiah, lock the windows and close the drapes upstairs. If a door is closed, knock first; the guys are getting dressed. Lucy, you help me down here.”
They ran off to their assigned tasks. Note to self: Think of jobs the kiddos can do to keep busy.
Harrison and Jeff came downstairs. They looked like new people, showered and cleaned. I gave them the update on the security check.
* * *
Once everything was locked and secured, Jeremiah and Kevin wanted to be our scouts on the second floor. They would inform us of any movement—so far nothing. The homes in my area were on an acre or more of land. Close enough in case of an emergency, but far enough away for privacy. The kids hadn’t seen any of my neighbors. It was late and I was hungry, and I was sure everyone else was too, so I made dinner. As I did so, it occurred to me that the electricity was still on.
“Lucy, come here please.”
“I’m helping Harrison!” she yelled back.
Jeff walked into the kitchen.
“What’s up?”
“I think we should fill containers with water. If the electricity goes out—and I think it will—no water pump.”
“Makes sense. I’ll do it.”
I told him where various large containers were located.
“And fill the washing machine with water. We can use that water for cleaning. Wait; maybe we should wash all our clothes first?” I added.