Plentiful Poison

by Lybeck, Kyle

  Ben turned onto his side and curled up against the down pillow. Abby looked at Caroline and gave her a smile, watching her close her eyes and curl up to her own pillow.

  Retrieving a book from her suitcase, Abby hoped that maybe a little light reading would get her mind off things and allow her to sleep better. Ten pages later, the book fell from her hand to the soft carpet of the hotel room. Around her the kids were both snoring, she herself heading the same direction.

  The room, filling with sounds of slumber, drowned out the howling and yips of coyotes on the streets outside.

  ---

  2 a.m. rolled around on the nightstand clock. Abby knew this as she jolted to a sitting position at hearing screams. What she thought may have been coming from outside, were coming from the bed next to her.

  Caroline cried out in her sleep, tossing and turning in the bed. Abby moved closer to her daughter, putting her in a hug and softly calling her name into her right ear.

  Slowly, Caroline’s thrashing ceased, cries becoming whimpers. Her eyes slowly opening to find her mother hugging her in a warm embrace, still saying her name.

  “Mom, I’m okay. What happened? Why are you hugging me?”

  “You were having a really bad nightmare, screaming in your sleep.”

  Caroline put a palm to her forehead, then began to rub her eyes as Abby released her hold.

  “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

  “It’s okay, at least your brother is still sleeping.”

  “I think I was having a nightmare about dad.”

  Abby’s eyes fell from her daughter’s face to the ground at her feet.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, the moonlight filtering in through the window onto the bed.

  “Not… really? I mean, I want to at some point. I know I had to do what I did, for us. It’s just going to take some time, I think.”

  “Honey, you’re very mature about all of this. I don’t know any other fourteen year old who would be holding up better in your situation.”

  “Thanks, mom. I’m trying. It’s hard though.”

  “Do you want to try and go back to sleep?” Abby asked, rubbing her daughter’s back.

  “I can try, I really do want to get some more sleep before the day starts.”

  “Me t-,” was all Abby could get out, before a scream ripped through the cool, slightly breezy air outside their hotel room.

  Rising and moving towards the balcony door, the two looked outside to try and see what was happening. Ben continued to sleep in his bed, not even a stir.

  Looking down to the parking lot, nothing could be seen except the parked cars from the night before. Abby was squinting, trying to see in-between the moonlit shadows to find what could be out there.

  Moments later, a figure ran through the parking lot. A blur within the dim light, down the aisle between parked cars. Abby’s eyes tried to keep up, but lost whoever was running as they exited the row of cars and turned the corner.

  Both of their hearts racing, both women continued watching outside for more. Moments later, three more figures were seen running along Sheridan Avenue. Through the glass of the door, a low and eerie growl could be heard, raising the hairs on each of their arms.

  “Crap,” Abby said, pushing herself away from the door. “Okay, quick, get dressed. Pack up your things. Ben. Ben! Wake up.”

  Ben continued to sleep, despite his mother’s consternation of the situation. Abby took two large steps across the room to the bed and began to shake her son.

  “Ben, wake up! We have to go!”

  Slowly, Ben began opening his eyes, making a grumbling noise in irritation.

  “What?”

  “We need to go now, those things are outside the hotel. We have to get going.”

  “What time is it?” He said, rubbing his eyes.

  “It’s a little after 2 a.m., now get up and put your things together. We’re leaving in less than a minute.”

  Pushing himself to a sitting position, Ben moved himself to the edge of the bed and hopped off to stand. He put the few things back in his duffel bag that he had removed after dinner, and then put his shoes on.

  Caroline was desperately packing all of her belongings, hoping not to have missed anything. Abby did the same, then they rushed to the door and out into the hallway.

  Leading the way, 9mm in hand, Abby made sure no ragers had made it to the second floor as they made their way to the stairs. Behind her, Ben followed, with Caroline bringing up the rear, swords in hand. Reaching the stairs, nobody could be seen below. Cautiously, the group walked down the stairs, hearing screams in the distance.

  Reaching the parking lot, the three ran to the SUV. Abby used the button on her key fob to raise the back hatch, each throwing in their belongings upon reaching the back. Pressing the button again, the hatch began to lower as each ran to their respective doors, settling into their seats.

  Once in her seat, Abby could tell something was wrong. The angle of the car wasn’t right. Opening her door, she got back out and looked at the front tire in the moonlight.

  Flat.

  “Hell!” Abby yelled, grabbing her hair with both hands in frustration. Looking up from the tire, across the hood, something raising itself to full height. Its dark eyes met the baby blues of the woman it faced in the faint light.

  A growl grew from inside the ragers chest, creeping towards its blood covered lips as Abby dove to the back hatch for the shotgun. As she put the stock up to her shoulder, the rager had already made its way around the hood, its dead hand wrapping around her ankle.

  Chapter 15

  Escape from Cody

  “Mom!” Caroline screamed, watching her mother get pulled from the vehicle.

  Abby was pulled and thrown clear of the SUV as the shotgun fell to the ground, landing on her right shoulder and skidding across the ground. Bits of gravel dug into her shirt and then skin, as the rager pounced towards her.

  Behind it, Caroline had exited the vehicle, running towards the rager with both swords. Another came from her right, attempting to tackle her to the ground. Diving into a roll, the rager flew over the top of her. Back on her feet, she took the next steps forward towards the rager standing over her cowering mother.

  Reaching the growling former living being, it was already turning its head towards her. The sword was coming down as it did, the blade lodging itself into the rager’s left eye and rotting forehead. Abby scrambled to the side so as to avoid any splatter from the hit. The wet crunch made Caroline cringe and take a step backwards as the rager dropped to the ground in a heap.

  From the corner of her left eye, she saw the second rager running directly for her. As she was raising her other sword to defend herself, a shot rang out from beside her. The rager dropped at her feet, a large hole having ballooned out the back of its head. Bits of skull and brain were scattered on its back and the ground around it.

  Next to Caroline stood her mother, both hands still holding the smoking pistol she had retrieved from its holster. She made a circle sweep around them to ensure no others were on the way, then tucked the pistol back into the concealed holster under her jeans. They both ran back to Ben who was still hunkering in the back seat.

  “Mom, what are we going to do, we can’t change the tire!”

  Abby made a quick scan of the parking lot, and spotted a Honda Accord with its door left open a few lanes over. Quickly, she ran to see if the keys were inside the abandoned vehicle. Luck was with her this morning, as she found the keys dangling from the ignition.

  Running back to the SUV, she instructed both kids to grab all they could and make haste for the Honda.

  “See that Honda over there? Go there, get in and wait for me.”

  “We’re going to steal a car?” Ben asked.

  “We have no other choice, Ben. Quickly, go, I’ll be right behind you.”

  Both kids took hold of their belongings and made a mad dash for the Honda. Picking the shotgun off the ground, then grabbing the h
andle of her suitcase and the handle of the larger cooler, Abby dragged both behind her to their new car.

  Upon reaching it, she saw both kids had already placed their items in the back seat and jumped in. Pulling the handle for the trunk next to the driver’s seat, Abby threw her items in and slammed the trunk shut. Checking her pockets for her cell phone, she pulled it from the back right and took her seat in the car.

  “I know this sounds dumb at a time like this, but put your seat belts on. I don’t want you guys getting hurt if something happens on our way out of here.”

  All three snapped in their seat belts and Abby started the quiet Accord. Quickly adjusting the seat and steering wheel, she placed it into drive and began to exit the parking spot. As she did a man ran towards the car, waving his arms. Behind him a rager was hot on his tail.

  “What the fuck are you doing? You can’t take my car!”

  Abby paid no mind to the man, continuing forward as he caught up to his car and hit the trunk with his fist.

  “Stop goddammit!”

  Pressing harder on the gas pedal, she pulled away from the frantic man. Suddenly a loud thump hit the back, and Abby saw the man sprawled against the trunk lid as the rager tore a chunk of flesh from his cheek and place it into its mouth.

  Both kids were screaming, their cries bouncing throughout the car. Abby punched the gas, aiming the hood towards the exit of the parking lot, swerving left and right. The man and rager both flew off the back, landing in a bloody heap on the ground. In the rearview mirror moments later, Abby saw both rise from the concrete, just as she exited onto Sheridan Avenue. Their dark figures now removed from her vision, she once again could focus ahead to their safety.

  “Mom, I feel bad for that man.”

  Abby quietly kept her eyes on the road leading them out of Cody.

  “Mom, did you hear me?” Ben repeated himself, turning a toy end over end in his hands.

  “I’m sorry honey, what did you say?” Abby responded, looking in the rearview mirror at her son, sadness apparent in his face.

  “I feel bad for the man, for taking his car. He died because of us.”

  “I’m… I’m sorry too,” she said, breathing a deep sigh, her hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. “I wish it hadn’t gone down that way, but it was either him or us at that point. I’m not going to let anything get in the way of me protecting you two from those things.”

  Ben gave a smile from the back seat, looking out the window at the moon.

  “Caroline, I want to thank you for what you did back there. You saved my life.”

  Matching her mother’s eyes in the rearview mirror, she gave a half-hearted smile.

  “I wish it was something I didn’t have to do, but I, we, would do anything for you too, mom. We’re in this together and if we have to kill hundreds of those things until we’re safe, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Smiling back at her daughter, Abby couldn’t help but truly realize how strong she was. All of the years of Kung Fu training, and outdoor survival training with her father, were showing their colors vibrantly.

  “I feel the same way, sweetheart, exactly the same.” Abby said, placing her eyes back on the dark road. 2:36 the time showing on the dashboard. The lack of sleep becoming all too apparent, her eyes feeling heavy, dull, and warm. They had to get ahead of this though, there had to be a safe place they could reach.

  Abby tried the radio, but all stations were static. A sign that the world around them was in dire straits. Turning the knob for the lights to put on the high beams, the Honda followed US-14 West into the early morning.

  Chapter 16

  Westbound

  The early morning light was beginning to peek its colors behind the car as Abby drove into West Yellowstone. The kids both asleep in the back seat, made her happy. This time no nightmares woke anyone. How she stayed awake was beyond her, a miracle in and of itself for the morning they’d been put through so far.

  Pulling into town, Abby was thankful to see everything looking like a normal morning in a small town. Nobody was boarding up windows, there weren’t any ragers in the streets attacking the townsfolk.

  The gas tank was reaching the last tick mark as she pulled the car into the Cenex gas station off North Canyon Street. Stopping at the first stall, Abby exited the car and followed the instructions for her debit card at the pump.

  The world is going to shit around us, whole cities are burning to the ground, yet here I am paying for gas with my debit card like nothing has happened.

  She couldn’t help but almost chuckle at the thought. The card was accepted after she pressed her pin number into the keypad, and she pulled out the handle. Pressing the button for the regular gas and pushing down the metal bar for automatic pumping, she walked back to the car.

  “How you guys doing?” Abby asked, leaning on the driver’s door. Both kids were in the middle of stretching, Caroline also letting out a yawn.

  “I’m okay, I just want a whole night’s worth of sleep though,” Caroline responded.

  Nodding in agreement, Ben let out a yawn of his own.

  “I do too, honey, I do too.” Abby said, as the pump clicked off. Walking back and placing the handle into its holder, a car left the gas station parking lot squealing its tires.

  Instantly on edge, Abby ran back to the drivers’ door in anticipation of ragers around them. Her eyes went directly for the 9mm she had many miles back tucked in-between the seat and the center console. Thankfully for her heavily beating heart, none could be heard or seen. They were safe.

  “What was that about?” Caroline asked as her mother sat back down, hands visibly trembling.

  “Some guy being a jackass, that’s what,” she said, closing the door and starting the engine. “Are you guy’s hungry at all? There’s a McDonald’s back down the street.”

  Both said yes over the sounds of their rumbling stomachs. Pulling the car back onto the street they had come from, she drove down to the McDonald’s. It was still early enough that no other cars were in the drive-thru.

  Minutes later, she was enjoying a cup of black coffee, while each of the kids were enjoying breakfast sandwiches. Abby drove the car out to US-20 heading west.

  “So, kids. I was looking at Google maps on my phone last night. I still think the best route for us is to head west, towards the ocean. I think your father had a smart idea with that. That being said, our next stop is Pocatello, then we’ll see how we feel. If everything seems to be okay, and we want to stay and get some sleep we can. Then after that we’ll drive west to Boise, then towards Oregon.

  “I think for now at least, we’ve put a good distance between us and what happened back in Cody. We have the whole of Yellowstone blocking all that now. I just can’t believe that in only a few days we’re about to be in our third state.”

  “I just want this whole thing to stop. I wish the military would do something about it.” Caroline said, taking the last bite of her sandwich.

  “I’m sure they’re doing all they can, honey. I mean, we’ve seen it first-hand. Whatever this virus is, it spreads fast and infects anyone who comes in contact with the blood or a bite of one of those things. Which reminds me, I want to get us some sort of protective clothing, rubber gloves, something in case we have to fight off more of those ragers.”

  “Probably a good idea, I was worried using my swords that some might splash or spray on my arm. I was really careful though.”

  “We’ll make sure to go to a grocery store on our way down to Pocatello, to pick up a few things. Maybe a hardware store would carry full-body suits we could wear. I bet they have them for people painting houses. I wish I had the thought to grab some suits from work, but that wasn’t even on my mind at that point.”

  “Good thinking, mom. We could probably pick up some tools there as well for backup weapons. Saws, hammers, something like that.” Caroline suggested.

  “You’ve put some thought into this, haven’t you?”

  “Sorry. Is that w
eird?”

  “Not at all, honey. I’m glad you think that way, it’s going to help us out.”

  “It’s hard not to, my mind just goes that direction in emergency situations.”

  Abby thought back to the hiking trail a few years back, when Ben fell off an edge and tumbled twenty feet below the path. Caroline quickly went into action before Abby could think. Rescuing Ben from his fall, setting his arm in a makeshift sling because he had fractured his wrist in the fall. Ever since, her respect for her daughter reached new heights.

  “I’m just glad you can think that quickly, definitely much faster than I can in times like that.”

  Caroline smiled, taking a sip of her orange juice and watching the trees pass them by outside the car on the two-lane highway.

  Ben sat back after reaching for a puzzle book from his backpack. Abby, beginning to relax again, focused on the drive west, before they would cut down south to Pocatello.

  Her only fear was by the time they reached there, whatever this was would catch up to them like in Cody.

  Chapter 17

  Rexburg, Idaho

  Caroline reached for her phone which had resided in the cup holder while it charged. Reception was still strong, which surprised her and her mom. Whenever they had seen natural disaster movies, it always seemed like communication was the first to go.

  Bringing up Google maps, she was able to see they were close to Rexburg, where they were hoping to find a hardware store or something of the like to gather supplies. The sun continued to work its way into the sky, warming the car to the point where windows were being rolled down despite the fear of safety within the enclosed car.

  “Walmart?” Caroline spoke up from her cell phone.

  “That’s not a bad idea. We could probably stock up on some more ammo for the pistol and shotgun too.”

  “Take the next exit,” she said, pointing ahead, just as Abby saw the exit sign in the distance for North Salem Road.

  Driving the car off US-20, Abby turned left and followed the road down to the Walmart. Upon reaching the parking lot, they knew it was going to be a tough go.