by A. Giacomi
James glares at me. “You’re a fucking idiot, Cam. You think those two are coming back? I think they left us just so they didn’t have to eat us. Maybe spared us, but more like left us for dead. I don’t see a town or anything nearby. What the hell are we waiting here for?”
His tone rubs me the wrong way and now I’m standing and in his face. I’m unsure of my actions, but beating the shit out of him crossed my mind. He did deserve it after all.
Rachel stands between us, trying to be the voice of reason. “Please don’t guys! We don’t need this right now. What we need is a plan or at least to start walking. Let’s just talk it out okay?” she says with a nervous grin.
When Rachel tries to calm James with a hand on his shoulder, he slaps it away viciously.
“Don’t touch me, bitch!” he screams.
I move Rachel away from him and move closer to James, who doesn’t shy away from my approach. Although he should, he was shorter, fatter, and slower. I knew I could take him in a fair fight, only thing was, I don’t think James had ever fought fair in his entire life. I could see it in his eyes, he was thinking about a way to get under my skin rather than throw a punch.
“You know, Rachel. I don’t know why I ever listened to you about saving this dumbass. He’d be useful you said, he’d keep us safe you said. Well lookie now, he’s the problem ain’t he?”
I could see Rachel growing more and more nervous as James spoke, she played with her wrists showing her discomfort. It seems James wasn’t the only one with secrets.
“What the hell is he talking about, Rachel?” I ask so intensely that she jumps.
Her words catch in her throat, she’s speechless. How big a secret was this?
“Yeah Rach-e-poo, what am I talking about? Huh?” James says mockingly.
“Shut up, James!” she screams. “Do you think we need to do this right now? This is not the time! We need to figure this situation out, and for that, we need to work together. You’re not helping!”
“Oh, I’m not helping am I? Well tell you what…I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago…” and with that James pulls a small handgun out of his back pocket and aims it at me. If I had known he had a gun on him I would have acted more quickly.
Holding my hands up I ask, “James, what the hell is going on here? What is it you’re not telling me?”
He grins. “Rachel’s been a big help holding onto the secret too. You see that night you were hit by a car? Well, that was James and me.” He winks at this revelation, proud of his own evil. “You tried to escape the town, well we don’t exactly let people leave, understand? So Rachel here told us you might be thinking about sneaking off. See who she’s loyal to lover-boy?” he says mockingly. “And then after we hit you with our truck and you didn’t die, we took you back to town. We were going to finish you off when you woke up, but funny thing is, you didn’t remember a damn thing that happened. So Rachel here convinced Jim and me to let you try again, as long as you didn’t get your memories back you seemed obedient and grateful to be there. Shame you couldn’t show that sort of loyalty the first time.”
I’m furious, but I hold back, trying to buy myself some more time. “Is that why you tried to kill me the second time? You thought my memories had come back? I thought we were friends James. In fact, I always thought you were a better man than your brother. Guess I was wrong.”
I can tell the words wound James slightly, but not enough to lower his gun. Never removing my eyes from James, I whisper back to Rachel, “Is this all true? How could you do this to me?”
All she can say is, “I’m so sorry, Cam. I’m so sorry.” Her sobs burrow into my head like a bullet. Betrayal might feel worse than death, but I was about to find out for sure.
James walks toward me with the gun, pointing it at my forehead. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to change this moment.
One of us would have to go.
Staring into James’ eyes, I wait for the right moment. I suppose he hadn’t anticipated that I would fight back. With my arms already raised in surrender I rapidly move one arm down to slap the gun sideways. This startles James and he fires. I hear Rachel scream; when I look behind me I see her crumple to the ground. Anger rages inside of me. “You fucking shot Rachel you bastard!”
James wears a horrified look as he gazes upon Rachel. I suppose he loved her, perhaps he even hoped killing me might mean he and Rachel could live happily ever after in the apocalypse. Well, he thought wrong.
Taking the gun from him I aim it at his chest. I don’t hesitate or allow him any last words, I fire and just like that he was gone.
Running over to Rachel, I notice she’s in shock, the good news is that she isn’t dead, the bullet only grazed her thigh. It was bleeding pretty good and would need stitches, but I didn’t exactly have that or duct tape, which seemed to work just as well. Heading back over to James’ corpse I rip a piece of his shirt away, he didn’t need it anymore and I could use it to help stop some of Rachel’s bleeding.
As I finish tying my attempt at a bandage around Rachel’s leg, I hear something shuffling in the trees. When I look up, my worst fears were realized. Dead arms stretch out from the tree line, followed by dead and decayed faces. The gunshots had gotten us some unwanted attention.
“Rachel, I hate to do this to you, and know this is going to hurt, but I need you to get the hell up and move as fast as you can.”
She sees the zombies fast approaching and begins to whimper, but nods. She holds onto me as I hoist her upright, we begin to move at a jogging pace, but every step leaves Rachel looking lightheaded.
When I look behind me, I notice they are moving faster, shit! “Rachel honey, pick up the pace.”
She tries her best, but stumbles, falling to the ground.
I scream at her to get up. Sweat is now pouring down my face. “Rachel please!”
Rachel shakes her head. “No, I can’t, Cam. Leave me, just go!”
But she doesn’t realize I can’t do that. My only option now is to carry her. I lift her over my shoulder and begin moving as fast as I can, but it’s not nearly fast enough. I can feel the dead at our heels, hear them hissing and salivating after us. We aren’t going to make it.
“Cam please don’t do this!” Rachel begs. “I can’t have your blood on my hands. I deserve this. I’m a liar and I’ve let so many others die. I should have been stronger, but I’m not.”
I ignore Rachel and try to peek behind me every chance I get, we were barely staying ahead of them, and there is one other problem. I was getting tired. We had been doing a lot of running and walking the past few days, and without food or energy, I’m not sure how long I can keep up this pace.
Just then a memory flashes through my head. I see Eve, she’s urging me on, urging me to follow her. It seems we were running from the same thing. For some reason the memory keeps me going. Something about Eve motivated me. I push harder trying to move past my exhaustion, even when my knees start to buckle, but eventually, a leg gives out. I’m now kneeling on the ground with Rachel still over one shoulder. I’m telling my body to move, but it refuses. I don’t dare look behind me, instead, I begin to accept this moment. There was no more fight left in me.
I’m about to lay Rachel down when a vehicle appears in the distance. A black truck moving toward us at full speed. Hope beats in my chest, “Eve!” I scream out almost laughing in psychotic gratefulness. The only issue was time; she wouldn’t make it here before the zombies were upon us. I needed to get up!
Every muscle burns as I force myself to rise and lift Rachel back into the air. Thankfully I’m up, but I’m limping more than walking. Every step aches, but I refuse to give in when help is so close. Screaming I continue to lurch forward, desperate to be saved.
The truck finally reaches us and Eve races out of it to catch up to us. She knew we wouldn’t make it into the vehicle w
ithout some help. She takes Rachel over her shoulders and runs her over to the vehicle first. When she returns to me, I already feel the hands of death on me. Cold fingers pull at my shirt and graze my neck, I try to pull away and move a little faster, but the task is impossible. Eve begins running back toward me with fear in her eyes. The moment brings on some déjà vu when she screams, “Come on, Cam! Follow me!” She holds out her hand and I throw myself toward it as she pulls me along. She is strong, making it easier for my limp legs to follow her. When we reach the truck we throw ourselves into the back seat and shut the door just in time. Corpses slam up against the truck, banging on the windows, craving our blood, but they wouldn’t get it, not today.
Vincent hits the gas and the truck flies off, leaving the zombies to eat our dust. As soon as the vehicle is moving I feel comfortable laying my head back onto the cool leather of the truck. Rachel sits in the front seat looking much like I did, exhausted. I continue to try and catch my breath. I barely notice Eve is still laying on top of me after we jumped into the vehicle. She runs her fingers through my hair lovingly, it brings some warmth to me, as if my body remembered something my brain couldn’t.
“You scared me back there, Camy. I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner. Thank god you’re okay,” she whispers as she gently hugs me, and then moves away, giving me some room to breathe and rest.
Vincent is the next to speak. “So do I assume James is…”
Rachel nods. “He’s gone, yes. It’s probably for the best,” she says as she looks over at me trying to give a slight grin.
I try to return the grin, but I still feel anger toward her. She was a liar and a coward, and I just wasn’t sure I could respect that, even if she did claim to love me, even if she did try to save my life in some roundabout way. I’m not sure I would ever get past it.
***
We are on the road for about an hour before Vincent slams on the breaks hard. I soon realize why. There are military vehicles up ahead blocking the road. It appears that we have found exactly what we were looking for, but what had just dawned on Vincent had dawned on all of us. They weren’t going to let all of us in, in fact, I was pretty sure they would shoot Eve and Vincent without question unless of course, they could convince the military officials that they were human. Not a fat chance of that though.
“Eve, what do we do?” Vincent asks with an unusually calm demeanor considering our situation.
“Vincent, I think we better go for it. We need to get these two to safety. That’s our priority.”
I shake my head. “Eve, we’re not leaving you behind. I’ll convince them that they need to see you in Ottawa, that you have important information. Let me go talk to them.”
I catch Rachel rolling her eyes at me. “You’re insane Cam, they might shoot you!”
Eve looks at me carefully pondering her options. “Cam, she’s right, you stay in the car. I’m going.”
Before I can say another word Eve is out of the vehicle and walking toward the military trucks. She holds her hands in the air to show she’s not armed, although the men who begin walking toward her weren’t taking any chances. They ready their guns and I feel my pulse quicken, this wasn’t going to go well.
The men surround her, pointing their guns at her. She remains calm as she speaks to them, the soldiers’ expressions don’t shift. After a few moments of Eve speaking, she turns to look at us. I can tell by her eyes that she wasn’t looking hopeful. A soldier pushes her to the ground, so that she is now kneeling with her arms in the air. Another soldier holds his rifle to her head.
I couldn’t bear it, before I know it I am out of the car and sprinting toward them screaming “Stop it! Stop it! She’s safe! She’s here to help!”
The soldiers are now pointing their guns at me asking me to step back. Eve eyes me sadly, she doesn’t want me to see this.
“Listen I know she’s not human, but I am, and I’m still alive. What does that tell you? She’s not dangerous she’s here to help. She has very important information to share with the Prime Minister! Please let her pass. You can follow us all the way to Ottawa if you want! We won’t put up a fight, we just need to pass on what we know. If you kill her, you might be killing everyone still left alive. Please…just let her help.”
My begging doesn’t ease their minds, but it does entice them to lower their guns, especially away from Eve’s temple. I let out a sigh of relief as they stand down.
One of the soldiers disappears back behind the trucks; I can only assume it’s to report back to someone higher up. When he returns he orders men to move the trucks and make a path in the road. We were now clear to drive through, but we had a new passenger.
“Hello, I’m Corporal Clark Campbell, I’m here to lead you into town. You will spend the night here under supervision, and if we feel we can trust you, tomorrow morning you will meet with a few of our Special Agents who will take you into Ottawa to meet the Prime Minister. Understood?”
We all nod without a word, there was something about Corporal Campbell that made you afraid to speak. Perhaps it was his intense stare or the wrinkles on his skin that didn’t show age necessarily, but lingering rage.
When we arrive in town, the Corporal leads us to our sleeping quarters in a small house in a small town of survivors they called Ottawa 2. There were homes, stores, electricity, and clean water, it seemed so surreal. Like a small sample of what life once was. The only difference were the faces we met. There were no smiles, the people here wore their misery on their faces, visibly they had all been through a lot and lost loved ones. It was hard to move on when none of this was over. There was no closure, no burials, everything was still about survival.
Corporal Campbell signals for me to follow him. He wanted to speak to me in private.
“Now son, I need to know for sure. Can I trust those things in there? Or should I shoot them now? Just be honest with me here. They can’t hurt you now, there’s nowhere for them to hide. So if you’re afraid of them, now’s the time to say something.”
I shake my head. “No, sir. They’ve saved my life more than I can count. Why would zombies do that? There’s something different about them, and I trust them.”
He pats my shoulder. “Alright, very well, I will have guards just outside tonight if you need anything, and I sure hope you’re right, kid. We need a miracle; I’m hoping they’re it.”
And with that he walks off.
***
Later on that evening, we are invited to join in at dinner. Vincent and Eve stay back since what they eat is typically human, and watching humans eat didn’t exactly help their struggle. So Rachel and I head to dinner alone. We don’t say much to each other, partly because we’re starving. I’m sure we look like a couple of rabid dogs tearing into our meals, but we didn’t particularly care. The food tasted so good.
When dinner is complete, Rachel asks if we could “talk” for a moment. I agree, but wasn’t too enthusiastic about it.
“Look, Cam. I need you to forgive me. I know that’s asking a lot, but I…”
“You what? Forgot what it was like to be a decent human being?” I didn’t mean to be so harsh with my words, but they just poured out. I was angry and the anger surged.
“Cameron, please…I love you.”
The words sting my ears. Love me? She sure had a way of showing it.
When she moves toward me, trying to touch or embrace me, I push her away.
“Rachel don’t. There are some things you just can’t fix.”
Tears start to well in her eyes, but they have no effect on me. She kisses my cheek softly and then walks off alone.
“You sure you want to do that?” a voice says behind me.
I spin around to find Eve. “You know, it’s a different kind of world now. People will do strange things. I don’t really think she’s the worst of them,” she says grinning.
“Maybe you’
re right, but I don’t want to be around people I can’t trust, Eve.”
“Well that’s the thing, there are not many people left. Maybe you need to think about what being alone really means.” Her smile is now gone. “Cam I love you, and you loved me once, and guess what, it’s not enough. Not enough to keep us safe, or alive. I’ll be gone soon enough, and you’ll be alone…and well…that bothers me. You may not remember, but you’ve lost a lot of great people. There aren’t any more of them out there, I’m it. So when your memories come back, if, they come back, you’re going to remember what you’ve lost and you’ll feel more alone than you ever have. So why not mend things with Rachel? At least she can be there for you when that happens. She cares about you.”
Although I found the speech touching, nothing could change my mind about Rachel. I had already fallen out of love with her. Everything I thought she was, seemed like a lie.
“You can’t love a lie, no matter how hard you try,” I say softly.
“What did you say?” Eve looks shocked and amazed, but I hadn’t really done anything worth noting.
“What? That saying? It’s just a silly rhyme, isn’t it?” I say, shrugging it off.
“Yes it is a silly line, but you’ve said it to me before. I remember. Mind you it hurt to hear, but I was going through a bit of a tough time and I needed to hear it.” Eve comes right up to me and stares into my eyes deeply before asking, “Do you remember that? Do you remember screaming those words at me? I’ve hurt you too, Cam. I’m just as guilty as Rachel. Trust me, I don’t want to be the bad guy. I’m fighting it. Do you remember any of this? Do you even believe any of it just a little?”
I search my memories, trying to force small segments of memory open, but my mind only sees Eve’s face. “I don’t…I can’t remember anything…your face is the only thing I keep seeing over and over again. Sometimes you’re not a zombie. Did I know you before this happened to you?”