by Lybeck, Kyle
“We need that gun, Caroline.”
“Mom, forget about the gun, we’ll get another one.”
“But that was your father’s gun.”
“So what! Mom, we need to get out of here. Now!”
As Caroline was tugging harder on her mom, a few of the women now took notice, having already finished their meal of young boy. On all fours, three of the women were then rushing at them in their best monkey impression. Growls abounding, Caroline was already a step ahead with her swords.
Slashing the throats of the advancing women, the blood spraying her arms. Behind her, the blood covering Abby’s legs. The warmth of the blood could be felt through the suit, shocking her back to reality as she sat watching her daughter decapitate a former church member.
From a crouch position, then to standing, Abby ran for the pistol that lay just outside of the circle of remaining women still taking bites of Ben’s innards. Caroline following a few steps behind as a protector. Luckily, no other women took notice, grabbing the gun quietly and giving Caroline a wave to follow.
As the two ran back to the car, other men from the trucks were now following quickly behind. Reaching the Honda they threw open the doors, launching themselves inside, and closing the doors just in time as the men began slamming into the windows.
“Start the car mom, let’s go!”
Unzipping the top of the painter suit, Abby was reaching inside to grab the keys from her pocket. Raising them out with shaking hands, she tried inserting the key to the ignition, only to drop them to the floor of the car.
Behind them the back window burst inward with bloody glass shards, screams and growls filling the vehicle from both groups of ragers who had now descended on the car.
Both occupants were now screaming. Caroline threw herself to the floor of the vehicle to grab the keys as her mother sat covering her ears from the noise.
Raising the keys to her mother, Caroline once again persisting that she get them out of the parking lot and mayhem.
This time, Abby found the necessary steady hands to insert the key, starting the Honda and slamming her foot on the accelerator. The car shot forth, running over two ragers, while pushing those at the rear of the vehicle off onto the concrete.
Flying out onto the main road, Abby rocketing the car to East Center Street, then towards the onramp for I-15.
Her shaky breathing on the driver’s side, Caroline’s sobs on the passenger’s side, both being drown out by the whistling of the empty back window. The Honda quickly reaching into the red, leaving Pocatello in its rearview.
---
Abby took the exit ramp for I-86, the tunnel vision having taken over quickly from the events in downtown Pocatello. Caroline looking forlornly out the window at the passing landscape, her sobs having abated.
Slamming on the breaks, Abby threw them both against their seatbelts as the tires came to a smoking halt.
“Shit, shit, motherfucking shit!” Screaming at the windshield, Abby sat punching the steering wheel with both fists. The horn honking intermittently at the punches. Caroline could do nothing but sit and watch her mother’s outburst of understandable rage.
Abby threw her forehead against the now indented steering wheel, tears flowing freely, fists still balled against either side of her.
“Mom…”
“Caroline, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Mom, we have to do this. If we don’t, dad and Ben died for nothing.” Caroline said, her sobs returning amidst her attempts to calm her mom.
“What are we doing this for though? Tell me, Caroline. We’re just going to end up like them anyways.”
“Maybe not. So far we’ve survived and made it out of some unbelievably bad situations. I hate to say it, but they were just unlucky.”
“How can you be so calm and blunt about all that’s happened?”
“I don’t know, mom. I’m really sad too, you know I am. I just keep thinking forward though, for you and me. If we can fight through everything, and make it out west, maybe we’ll have a shot at living. They would have wanted that for us. I wish they could be with us too, it just wasn’t in the cards, but for us it is.”
Abby kept her forehead pressing against the steering wheel, her hands beginning to unclench as she listened to her daughter’s words that were well beyond her years.
“Mom, we need to get going again. Who knows if more of those things are out there, or if they might come at the sound of the horn.”
Releasing her foot from the brake pedal and depressing the gas, Abby slowly began moving the Honda forward down the highway.
“I swear earlier I saw one of them pointing to another one, as if to get their attention to follow and attack us. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, maybe they’re somehow getting smarter, but how could they if they’re dead?”
“Now I think you’re just seeing things, honey. There’s no way those ragers, dead whatever’s, could communicate with each other like that.”
“I don’t know mom, I could have sworn I saw it, but maybe I just thought I saw it in all the chaos going on.”
“That must have been it. Why don’t you rest a little bit. I’ll wake you up in a short while and you can sit guard while I take a quick nap when we’re somewhere safe. I’m just drained now, and it’s only early afternoon.”
“Are you sure, mom? You don’t want to rest now?”
“No, I’m okay for a little while. I want to get further away from Pocatello before we make any extended stops.”
“Okay, if you think you’ll be okay. Thanks, mom.” Caroline said, pushing back the hood of the painter’s suit and resting her head against the seat.
In no time at all, the head movements of a sleeping child in a car were seen from the corner of Abby’s eye. Turning to look at her daughter, she had a slight smile creeping across her face.
At least I still have one left, she thought.
Another thought crossing her mind, was that she would probably be dead right then if it weren’t for her daughter’s actions back at the church. The vision of the ragers tearing her apart made her clutch the steering wheel and give a mild shiver.
Once again looking back at her dozing daughter, she mouthed an almost silent thank you her way. Then she was turning back to the highway, once again focusing on getting them to a safer spot to rest for a little while before heading on to Boise.
Chapter 21
Along I-84
Multiple times on the two hour drive to the Twin Falls area of Idaho, Caroline began nodding off in the sunlight. Even with the air conditioning on, she was still warm underneath the painter’s suit.
I-86 had turned into I-84 many miles in the past, but the scenery was remaining the same. Towns, creeks, farmland, countryside, and the occasional bloodthirsty former human.
Abby even saw ragers along the side of the road that looked to be actually dying, not just the undead.
Must be the lack of an actual food source out here, she thought, passing another farm on her descent off the highway into the city.
Reaching the parking lot of the Magic Valley Mall, Abby began scanning for signs of humans and the dead alike. Satisfied that the area was devoid of movement, she went about pulling the car across multiple parking spots, away from other cars to give them a better view.
Leaning over and pushing on Caroline’s shoulder, Abby inadvertently causing her daughter to jolt awake and grab for the swords at her feet.
“Whoa, it’s just me, it’s okay,” Abby said, pulling back with her hands up in surrender.
“Sorry, mom,” Caroline said before a yawn took her over, pushing the swords back down to her feet.
“You going to be okay keeping watch for a little bit so I can get some rest?”
“That’s fine with me, I’m awake now. I’ll get you up if I see anything troubling.”
Abby thanked her, curling up against the window with a jacket. The missing back window allowed for a good breeze through the car as Abby began dozing
off, leaving Caroline’s keen eyes on watch.
---
An hour and a half passing in the blink of an eye, Abby awoke with a string of drool following her face away from the jacket. Wiping it before Caroline could make a snide comment, Abby then stretching and yawning.
“Everything turn out okay?”
“A few cars have gone by, but that’s about it. Been pretty quiet.”
“That’s good, I was hoping it would be. Sure looked like this was a calm area on the way in. Maybe whatever happened has already gone past here.”
“Or maybe hasn’t hit hard yet,” Caroline sat, pondering.
Reaching into the cup holder for the keys, Abby then pushed her foot on the brake, turning the key to start the car.
“So what looks like our best bet to get to Boise?” She asked, taking a drink of water.
Unplugging her phone from the charger, Caroline was then pulling up Google maps. She was still surprised it was even working, both the phone and the maps app.
“Well, there’s two ways we could go. One goes northwest through Mountain Home, the other goes north then west through Ketchum. If we went northwest it would keep us on the highway the whole time. The other way would be more wilderness by the looks of it.”
“Okay, I say we stick to the highway. So far it’s been good coming out this way, no major blockings or groups of ragers.”
“Sounds good, mom. Looks like only another two hours to go before we get there, just in time for sundown and for both of us to finally get a full night’s sleep again. I hope at least.”
Abby was nodding in agreement, knowing she would love a full night’s rest. Even after her nap, she still felt weighed down with heavy eyes and heavy legs.
Driving back out to the highway, she took them closer to their hopeful slumber with each passing minute.
---
Along the drive, not much came up to hinder their way except for some cars around Mountain Home. Abby made quick work of the blockages as she navigated the Honda on the shoulder and in-between other vehicles.
Abby took the exit, hoping that the Chevron she could see directly off to the right might still be stocked with cold beverages. According to the car thermometer, it was nearing ninety degrees. A cold coffee beverage sounding too good to pass up.
Reaching the parking lot, Abby slowly drove the car in to a multitude of empty spaces. Looking around first, the two occupants rose from the car amongst the crinkling and crunching of their painter’s suits.
Looking at each other and chuckling, they were quickly realizing their look was closer to an episode of Dexter than ready to paint a house. The red of rager blood was crusted on the suits, helping in the audible crinkling.
Abby led them to the back of the Honda, then opening the trunk and pulling out two fresh suits.
“Be very careful taking that thing off, you don’t want to get any of that on you. Who knows, even dried it could still cause us to turn into those things.”
Caroline took the suit from her mom, laying it across the top of the car, taking the old suit off as carefully as she could. Abby was mimicking the actions of her daughter, and soon both were zipping back up in clean suits.
Leaving the soiled suits on the ground, they were once again turning their attention back to the convenience store.
Inside the store, most had been ravaged through, broken bottles on the ground, ripped open bags of chips on the shelves. In the back though, two refrigerator doors were still illuminating their contents.
Walking to the back, the two were greeted with cold bottles of water, soda, and coffee beverages. Walking behind the counter, Caroline found three plastic grocery bags before heading back to her mom who was already pulling drinks from behind the cold doors.
A minute later, all three bags were to the point of ripping as they were carrying them out to the car. Once again listening to their surroundings, they began slowly exiting the store. Hearing nothing of alarm, they brought their drinks to the cooler in the backseat.
“Honey, will you go check that ice freezer over there and see if any bags are left?” Abby was pointing towards the front left of the store.
Walking over, Caroline then took a grip on the handle, pulling outwards and releasing the latch on the door. As the door began to come away from the rubber seal, a vicious growl came from the inside.
“Shit!” Caroline screamed, throwing the door closed and ensuring the latch had locked again. As she did, Abby ran over to offer assistance only to realize she wasn’t needed.
“Who the hell would put one of those things in there?” Heavy breaths pushing out of Caroline’s lungs.
“Someone who got really lucky to escape,” her mom responded, holding the pistol are her side. “C’mon, let’s get out of here, if there’s one there could be others, even if that one was trapped.
Walking back to the Honda, the two finished loading up the cooler. Each bringing a drink into the front with them, Abby unscrewing the cap for her coffee beverage and taking a long drink. Caroline did the same but with a Pepsi.
“Now that makes me feel good again,” Abby said, placing the bottle in the cup holder.
“Me too,” Caroline agreed, placing her bottle between her legs, then clicking in her seat belt.
Pulling the Honda out of the parking lot, Abby once again made their way back to I-84 and to their final leg before resting for the night.
---
“What kind of hotels are there in Boise?” Abby asked Caroline as they were starting to see exits for the capital city.
Chuckling, Caroline began looking up hotels on her phone.
“Take your pick, mom. It’s a major city, they have everything you could think of.”
“Take us somewhere fancy but on the outskirts. I have a feeling the closer we get to downtown, the more chances we’ll have of running into people or those things.”
Caroline continued searching on her phone, finally finding a good option.
“It may not be five star fancy, but it sure looks nice from the pictures. The Best Western Northwest Lodge, and it’s right as you get into Boise off the highway.”
Ten minutes later, Abby was parking the car in the parking lot. A few abandoned cars were scattered around, but not a single person could be seen. Exiting the Honda, the two were walking through the front doors moments later.
Inside there was a rotten stench emanating throughout, but they could see no one around, or means from which the smell would be coming from.
“Let’s go check out the rooms real quick, make sure we can even get in them. Nowadays with everyone being all fancy with them smart cards,” Abby said in her best southern drawl, knowing it would get a laugh out of her daughter.
Following behind, Caroline indeed found a pinch of humor to her mom’s unexpected antics. Down the first floor hallway, they checked and were happily surprised that the doors took keys instead of cards.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Abby said.
“Hey, language, I heard that,” Caroline was smiling, wagging a finger at her.
“Smarty pants.”
The two made their way back to the front counter, stepping behind to look for room keys. That’s where they found the source of the smell. Behind was a young woman’s bloated body, bites and a gunshot wound to the head could be seen from the short distance.
“I’ll look for the keys, you stay over here,” Abby said, as she began her search. Finding and taking the one labeled Top Floor Suite, she cautiously made her way back over the dead desk clerk.
“Okay, let’s go get all the stuff from the car. Why don’t you grab one of those roll carts from over there and meet me by the car,” she said, sliding the key into her front pocket.
Caroline walked over, snagging one of the carts and pulling it behind her as she used her other hand to push open the front door. Meeting her mom at the car, they loaded the cart with all of their belongings, carrying in their arms what wouldn’t fit.
“Crud, what if the elevators do
n’t work,” Caroline sighed, coming to the realization.
“Well the lights are still on, maybe it’s running off some sort of generator. Or the power could still be on?”
Walking inside, Abby held the door open as Caroline volunteered to push the heavy cart, as it was struggling against her trying to pull to the right. Reaching the elevators, they were surprised that the button lit up.
As the door slid open, the cart was rolled inside. Pressing the third floor button the door slid closed, lifting them upwards.
Upon reaching their floor, they found themselves directly at the door to their room. Opening the door, Abby helped her daughter with the cart over the doorjamb hump.
Inside were two large king beds, and all the amenities of a thousand-square-foot room.
“Now this, I could get used to,” Caroline said, relinquishing the backpack from her shoulder, and collapsing on the soft comforter.
Abby did the same, after placing some of their drinks in the mini-fridge for later.
Before either knew it, they were fast asleep as the lowering sun crept behind the horizon, darkening the room to match the dreams each would have.
Chapter 22
Reality Takes a Back Seat
“Mom, come play with us!”
“Hold on Ben, just a minute,” Abby said, washing off the final plate in the sink. After placing it in the dishwasher, she met the family in the backyard.
“What color do you want your racket to be?” Caroline asked, holding out a display of badminton rackets in front of Abby.
“I’ll take the green one,” she said with a smile.
Ben took the red racket, Caroline the purple, and Will was last, snagging the blue handled one.
“Teams?” Will asked.
“Boys versus girls!” Ben was yelling from the middle of the yard, while practicing hitting the shuttlecock into the air over and over.
“We always do that,” Caroline said.
“What do you suggest then?” Abby asked her daughter.
“How about we each hit a birdie as hard as we can. Whoever hits it furthest is on a team with whoever hits it the shortest. The other two are on the other team.”