The whole scene happened so fast that no one knew how to react. As soon as Steve’s gun was drawn, the entire compound drew theirs upon Steve. No one except Steve and Robert knew what was going on. Scared of his own actions, but fueled by rage, Steve explained what had happened.
“I saved this piece of shit and he just left me there to die!” Steve screamed, pressing the gun harder.
Robert’s face was bloody and bruised. His eye began to swell up and close over. “What? He’s lying. Someone help me! He’s crazy! Get him off me!” he said, coughing up blood.
Steve stared down his sights; Robert stared up into the barrel, shaking.
“Steve, I don’t know what’s up, but you can’t do this!” Collin shouted, trying to talk him down. “If you pull the trigger, they will shoot you, and I can’t lose you, too. So please, put the gun down!”
It took everything Steve had to not pull the trigger. He wasn’t a killer, but when someone tried to kill him, his mind went primal. To Steve, it was him or Robert, and Robert needed to pay. Slowly, Steve lowered his gun and holstered it. After that, those with weapons did the same.
“Thank God,” Collin sighed.
Robert thought he was in the clear, but Steve landed one final elbow to his temple, knocking him out cold. “You’re fucking lucky,” Steve said, spitting on him.
Corey ran over, grabbed Steve from behind, and tossed him off.
Mark ran over and checked his son’s pulse. “Collin, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I need to have a word with you!”
“Definitely. Give me a minute, sir,” Collin replied, helping Steve to his feet.
After the situation diffused, the crowd dispersed. Corey and Brian lifted Robert’s limp body and carried him to their room. Billy had witnessed everything after the tackle to the ground and had run over.
“Steve, you okay?” Billy asked, laughing. “You were nuts, man. I’ve never seen that side of you before. Remind me I never want to get in a fight with you.”
“Yeah, man, I’m fine. I’ll explain later,” Steve said, brushing off the dust from his pants. “Damn. I think the adrenaline is wearing off. My leg hurts like a bitch!”
Billy looked around the castle. “Where’s Alex? I can’t believe he missed this.”
Through the hysteria in Paso Rio, Steve hadn’t even realized Alex wasn’t present. Both he and Billy looked to Collin, who wore a saddened look.
Collin’s lips trembled. “He… he didn’t make it.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t make it. I’m so sorry, Bill.” Collin quivered as he grabbed Billy’s shoulder in condolence.
Enraged, Billy knocked away Collin’s sympathetic hand and drew his sidearm on Collin. His finger held tight against the trigger.
“How could you let him die? Where were you? Why didn’t you save him?” Billy shouted.
Collin backed up, trying to plea with his insane cousin. “Bill, I don’t know what happened.”
Steve stood in the middle of the two, trying to talk Billy down. “Bill! Come on man; put the gun down, before someone gets hurt.”
The colonel and a few others had remained nearby and now witnessed the horrific scenario. At the last second, Steve knocked Billy’s hand down and swept his leg.
Billy accidentally fired.
The 9mm slug pierced Collin’s leg, sending him to the ground, bleeding profusely. Steve secured the gun and held Billy down with a knee to his chest. The colonel rushed over and ripped open Collin’s pants, checking the wound.
“I think the bullet went through. I’m not positive, but I think it hit the femoral artery,” said the colonel, obviously concerned. “We need to get him to the medical room, now!”
Steve left Billy to help Mark and a few others carry Collin. Blood spurted everywhere, coating the ground and soaking their clothes. Something needed to be done or Collin would bleed to death.
Inside the medical room, Mark cleared a table. “Steve, wait outside. I’ll call you if I need anything,” he ordered, prepping for surgery.
“Collin!” Steve yelled, but Collin was in shock. He was losing blood fast.
Steve flashed a scared look at Sarah, who had just arrived. “Do what Mark says,” she said, ushering Steve out, then closing the door.
Outside, Steve paced back and forth, hands covering his head, praying.Do not die on me, Cully!Across the way, he saw Billy on his knees, blankly staring down at his guilty hands. Second Lieutenant Travis escorted Billy to a holding room in the Inner Eye.
“What have I done?” Billy called over as he passed by Steve. “Steve, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. You know I didn’t mean to…”
Steve didn’t say one word. He didn’t even acknowledge Billy. If Collin survived, all would be forgiven in time. If not, he had no idea what would happen to Billy, what he would allow to happen.
1444 hours
Corey and Brian laid Robert on his bed. After a couple gentle shakes, Robert regained consciousness. Corey offered him a glass of water and a couple aspirin, and Brian brought him a dampened cloth to wipe the drying blood from his face.
Suddenly, there was a series of light knocks on the wooden door. None of the occupants were expecting any company, but Robert signaled for Brian to go check. In the back of his mind, he hoped it would be Sarah, coming to nurture him, coming back to him.
Brian opened the door and without an invitation, Shannon came barging in. “So, totally O-M-G. I saw the whole thing! How’s Robert doing? I gotta say, it’s like I’m in my own reality TV show! First the fight, then the shooting!”
“Whoa, slow down, Shannon. We heard a gunshot, but we were just about here and didn’t see anything,” Corey said. “What happened? Infected or something?”
“No! Are you serious? You didn’t see it? Okay, so, I don’t know what they were talking about, but Steve, Collin, and Billy were all huddled together, then out of nowhere, Billy started going crazy, pacing back and forth and breathing all heavy. Then out of nowhere, he drew his gun and totally shot Collin! It was the craziest thing I have ever seen! And Collin might die! How sad, right?”
“Yeah, I’m devastated,” Robert said, signaling the others to help him sit up.
“Okay, well, as resident investigative reporter, I’m going to have the full scoop by dinner. But what was I going to say? Oh, yeah, I’m down in the kitchen tonight, so if you need anything, let me know, okay?” Shannon said, moving out the door as quickly as she came in.
“Didn’t see that coming,” Brian said, closing the door and walking back to the others.
For the next few minutes, Corey and Brian filled in the blanks spots in Robert’s shaken memory.
“You planted the evidence, right, Brian?” Robert asked, pressing against the throbbing pain in his head.
“Yeah, I did, but do you think we still need it? I mean, with the whole shooting and stuff, your dad will probably kick them out anyway.”
Robert dabbed the cloth against a gash on his cheek. He cringed, but bit his lip to divert the pain. “You’re right. I guess we can hold off on it. I know it wasn’t the plan, but I don’t think it could have worked out better. Come tomorrow, those assholes will be gone. Forever.”
The three laughed at their situation and laid low for the rest of the night.
1536 hours
Steve continued to wait restlessly next to the medical door, never leaving. With the assistance of Travis, he was able to get his leg to stop bleeding again. Eventually, the handle turned and the colonel stepped outside, calling for him.
“I was able to stop the bleeding and patch up the wound. We were lucky. I think another millimeter to the left and it would have severed the artery completely,” Mark said, snapping off a pair of bloodied latex gloves. “I think your cousin will be fine, and with some rest and blood, he should pull through.”
Steve jumped up and hugged the colonel. “Thank you so much, sir. Thank you!”
Soiled gauze patches and cl
oths lay in a pile on the ground. Bloody knives, needles, and a pair of tweezers that still held the bullet rested on a metal tray near the table. Next to Collin, Sarah sat with a syringe in her arm, filling up bags with her blood.
“I’m O negative,” she said, pointing to her arm. “I’m a universal donor. Mark shot him up with a wide spectrum antibiotic to treat any infection. He gave him some drugs, so Collin will be out for a while. You should be able to talk to him tomorrow.”
Steve leaned over and grabbed Collin’s hand, squeezing tightly. “Thank you so much, Sarah. From the bottom of my heart.”
“I have a little bit more to donate, so I’ll come and see you in a little while,” she said with the same hopeful smile she always seemed to have. “And I can take care of your leg then, too.”
Steve hugged her and retreated to his room, still too upset with Billy to go visit him.
1840 hours
The solar lights powered on as Sarah walked to Steve’s room with food and a bag of medical supplies. She knocked once, then opened the door. “Don’t get up,” she said, handing Steve the tray of food and resting her bag beside the bed.
As she tended to Steve’s injury, she could see how distraught Steve was over the day’s events, the loss of one cousin and the near death of another. His entire family was collapsing before him. But she was no stranger to loss and heartache.
Steve set down his journal on the nightstand and took a few small bites of food.
“You write?” she asked, pointing to the leather bound book.
“Yeah, it helps me. I know it’s weird, but it’s kind of how I cope. It’s something my therapist started me on after my mom passed,” Steve said, pushing around a few leaves of lettuce.
Steve’s words reopened an emotional wound for Sarah. His choice of words couldn’t have been more right, or more wrong.
“No, it’s not weird. I really do know how you feel,” she said, momentarily stopping her first aid to hold back tears. She took a deep breath. “Do you remember when I first showed you to this room? And you asked me what was wrong?”
Steve nodded.
“Therewas something wrong. It’s just that this room… it used to belong to my father. Two weeks before you guys arrived, he went out on a supply run. They told me that he saved another survivor’s life, but got bitten in the process. He never came back, and I never got to say goodbye.”
She broke down crying, and Steve pulled her in, embracing her tightly. They sat for an eternity, letting the tears come, holding nothing back. Sarah had never explained to anyone how hurt she was, not even to Jenny. When she was all out of tears, she turned and lay on Steve’s chest. Steve held her in his arms.
“I just can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s like my entire world is crashing down on me. First my brother, now Alex. Collin was shot… all this hatred.”
“I am so sorry for all of this,” Sarah said, running her fingers through his.
“It’s not your fault, but thanks.”
As Sarah grabbed a napkin off the dresser to dry her face, she noticed the half-exposed picture Steve was using as a bookmark for his journal. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to it.
Steve pulled the picture out and handed it to her. “It was my family. That’s my mom, brother, me, and my dad. I’m the only one left. My mom, Barbara, passed away four years ago, and my brother, Mike, a few weeks back,” he said. “And my dad… he died the day it all began, the day we set off. We were coming back from our yearly hunting trip, and our extended family was coming over for the feast. It’s this huge Thanksgiving dinner my dad does…”
Steve paused, staring blankly at the wall in front of him.
“It’s okay, Steve. Take your time,” Sarah said softly, grabbing his hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”
After a minute of silence, a lone tear rolled down Steve’s left cheek. Oddly enough, his lips didn’t quiver. His nose didn’t sniffle. He showed no outward signs of the pain or anguish his psyche was going through, just that same catatonic stare.
Steve told Sarah the story of what had happened to his family, how a nearly perfect late-November night had turned into the single most tragic day of his entire existence. He paused at times, unable to dictate some of the more gruesome, painful details, but with the gentle squeeze of her hand, Sarah let him know she was right there with him. Near the end of the tale, Steve’s face morphed from a look of hurt to one of self hate.
“And I saw it all happen. It was like time slowed down to give me a chance. But I froze,” Steve said, hitting his head with his palm, then grabbing his hair. “I fucking froze! I could have saved my dad, but I just froze!”
The floodgates opened for Steve. He looked over to Sarah, who returned a saddened look of her own.
“It’s not your fault, Steve. Don’t blame yourself,” Sarah said, hugging and consoling him.
Steve continued to cry. Sarah kissed his forehead, then his lips. She knew all too well the feeling of loss and hopelessness. She felt his pain.
They rolled over, staying above the sheets. She didn’t leave his side the entire night.
Rise to Power
May 26, 2009
0953 hours
After a long and restless night in Paso Rio, Alex rose to his feet on the rooftop of Eric’s Electronics and Hardware Store. He stretched his cramped back and listened as his stomach rumbled. His body ached all over.
Reality quickly set in with the sounds of moans and groans below. After a few curses, Alex was done feeling sorry for himself, and took out his frustration by urinating and spitting on the undead below.
Alex zipped up his pants and walked around the roof. “There’s got to be something I can use. Think, Alex! Think!” he said, scanning the town.
Many of the buildings were simple stores and shops, offering nothing useful. He completed a full lap around, but went again. The fighter inside wouldn’t let him give up.
I am not dying in this shit town, he thought.
The pain in his arm was excruciating, but gave him the motivation to keep going. There was a bicycle store across the street, but no feasible way to reach it. The main street was a no-man’s-land. Even if he tried to cross, there was no guarantee he could get inside, let alone keep the infected out.
He thought about running as fast as he could to the river and swimming down to the ocean, but that seemed even more unrealistic than the bike store.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw it. Resting against a dumpster in the back alley three streets down was an ATV.
“Fucking karma,” Alex whispered to himself.
He decided that was his only option, and prayed the keys were in the ignition. If not, it would be one hell of a sprint to the bike shop, or a bullet to his head. Whatever happened, he wouldn’t end up like one of them.
Unfortunately, there was no way for Alex to jump across the buildings; the gap between them was too wide. He walked to the opposite corner of the roof and screamed and shouted. His plan was to draw over as many as he could, then make a break for the four-wheeler.
“Hey, you brain-dead fucks! Yeah, you guys! You want me? I’m right here, assholes!” he yelled, pressing against his wound to draw some blood. He fought through the pain and dripped a few droplets of blood to get their attention.
Ready or not, Alex, ’cause here we go… 3, 2, 1, go! He thought and sprinted back.
Alex’s trick had worked; the alleyway was clear. He hopped down into the dumpster as gently as possible, but the impact opened his shoulder wound wider. Luckily for him, adrenaline kicked in, and he didn’t even notice the pain. He lifted himself out and made off down the side street with a full block’s head start.
Alex arrived at the ATV in full sprint, skidding to a halt right next to it. A kid’s body rotted on the ground nearby.
“Fuck!” Alex cursed, noticing no keys in the ignition.
He turned the boy over and patted his pockets, searching for the keys. Nothing. Alex was about to go to plan B when, inche
s from the deceased boy, he noticed the keys sparkling in the sunlight. Before he could reach for them, a woman sprinted at him, with another directly behind her. Alex cocked back the Colt and fired. The blast was so powerful that it exploded through the first woman’s head and planted itself in the second sprinter’s head. That’s the second time no one was around to see my double kill,he thought.
“Thanks for the gun, Corey,” Alex whispered, slamming the keys into the ignition. “Please work!”
He prayed a split-second prayer, hoping for a miracle; with his luck, it would be out of gas, leaving him as zombie food. To his surprise, the engine kicked and coughed, shaking to life.
“Thank you, God! I promise I won’t drink,” he shouted to the sky. “As much…”
Down the alley behind him, the masses of Paso Rio came screaming; the blood dripping from his arm enticed the horde. After a quick U-turn, Alex turned the throttle to full speed. One man shambled toward him, but Alex turned and fired, blowing the man’s bleach-blond hair all over the ground.
Alex took the first left he could and turned out onto the main street. He powered around a few infected with less motor skills and in seconds was free and clear. Behind him, the dark, lifeless eyes of Paso Rio followed the faint trail of blood, undoubtedly leading to Alex.
Leading to the castle.
1033 hours
Steve slept a deep sleep and awoke changed. He rolled over, but as he had suspected, Sarah had already left. It didn’t bother him, though. He knew that the purging had helped to alleviate both Sarah and his emotional anguish, and simultaneously had lifted their relationship to new heights.
Steve threw on a long sleevedshirt, representing his favorite band, Lagwagon, and buttoned up a pair of forest green army pants. While lacing up his boots, he checked out his injury. The stitching job Sarah had done was very good. He didn’t have full mobility, but he could walk with barely any impediment. As he rose, he took a moment to stare at the picture of his family. As much as he loved them and would do anything to see them again, he knew they would have wanted him to move on and hold no regrets.I’ll love you always, he thought.
The Longest Road (Book 1) Page 23