“Good. Did you see that zombie show last night?”
“Yeah. I watched it on my DVR. It was great. I can’t believe Richard almost died but was saved by David.”
“Yeah, Richard always gets saved by David on the show.”
“That’s what I picture happening if that was you and me. I would have to keep saving your old ass.”
“Yeah right. I’d have to save your ass from some zombies repeatedly. I might even have to save the group from time to time.”
“No way. I picture you trying to help everyone and just fall or something. Scrape your knee on the ground and have to go to the safe zone doctor.”
“Just remember. No fear, Bobby G is here.”
I have a good laugh thinking about that conversation that I had with my father several years ago. We always watched that zombie show on Sunday nights, and loved talking about it with each other the next day. I hope he is safe as well as Shaun and Matt. Hopefully, one day I will see my father and friends again.
Phil shouts, “Ryan come see this."
Derrick and I run out to where Phil is now. Phil is out by the pool. The pool is green from the pump not working and a couple of zombies are trapped in the pool. They look like creatures from a science fiction book.
I look at the zombies and say, “Let’s leave them. Don't want to attract anymore zombies with noise. But they are pretty gross and smell awful."
We all go back to the SUV. I see two bungee cords wrapped around the bars of the front gate and are holding the gate together.
"Did you do that Phil?"
He replies, "Yeah it's all I could find and think it will do a decent job for now, but we will need to find some chain for sure.
Derrick interrupts, "I believe Denise might have some chain, or her next-door neighbor might have something we can use."
I reply, "Sounds like a plan."
We all jump back into the SUV. I drive the SUV back to Denise's house and park it in the street.
“I'll go talk with Denise, you two go check out the neighbor’s house,” says Derrick.
Derrick gets out of the SUV and knocks on Denise's front door, before we can even get out of the SUV. We head over to the next-door neighbor’s front door and knock. No cars are in the driveway, and no one looks to be home. We knock on the door again, but still no answer. I decide to try the front door handle, and it's open.
"Why would this just be open?"
Phil and I raise our guns as we enter the home.
“Hello, is anyone here?”
There is a weird echo in the house as it's half empty.
"Is anyone here? We are one of your neighbors."
No answer and no sound of movement. We check the rooms and don't find anything or anyone in the house. We go to the garage. It's empty, except for a couple boxes and a couple of things. We walk into the garage to exam the boxes, and see if we can find something that is useful. I look up and find two bicycles hanging from the garage ceiling on hangers. Phil and I get them down. Phil hits the garage door opener, but it won't open as the house doesn't seem to have any power. I manually open the garage door. Phil hops on one of the bikes and starts riding it around the street.
I start laughing and say, "Man you look good on that girl’s bike."
Phil laughs and says, "It rides like a dream. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike."
I see the bike I took down has a bike chain and lock on it. As Phil is riding around, I see his bike has one as well. The chains will do nicely to lock up the gate, until we can find something stronger.
Phil comes riding back over to the neighbor’s driveway and parks his bike.
"The bike locks will do very nicely to help lock the front gate."
Phil starts taking the bike chains and locks off and putting them in the SUV. I go over to Denise's house to get Derrick. I hear noises coming from inside the house. I hesitate with what to do for a second, then I hear a woman scream from inside the house.
I slowly open the front door and say, “Derrick, Denise you ok in here?”
Phil comes up behind me as I enter the house. The noise stops. Phil and I raise our guns to be on the safe side.
"Are you guys ok in here?"
No answer.
As we walk towards the back bedroom, Derrick says, "Yeah, we are okay."
I hear sounds of people getting dressed, a belt getting put around the pant loops, and shoes being put on. Phil and I stop before the bedroom door and walk back to towards the kitchen. Derrick comes out of the bedroom, his hair is all messed up and his clothes are on but look like he just put them back on.
Derrick asks, “Did you find anything next store?”
Phil replies, "Yeah, two bike locks that will work. How about you? Find anything in the bedroom?"
Derrick puts his head down and quickly responds, "No, I thought she had something we could use, but she didn't."
Denise comes to the bedroom door, makes eye contact with Phil and I and then closes her bedroom door. Derrick leaves the house, Phil and I follow him to the SUV.
Phil looks at me and says, “That’s all the proof I need.”
We all get in the SUV, and the tension is palpable. I start the car and drive the SUV to Nicole's house. Derrick gets out of the SUV and walks into the house. Phil and I drive back to the front gate to tie it up with the bike chain.
As I drive the SUV, Phil says, “What should we do about that asshole?”
My first inclination is to kill Derrick, but I think we need to talk to Nicole first.
"We need to talk to Nicole first and see what she wants to do. As messed up as it is with him, it's not our call to just kill Derrick. Let’s see what Nicole wants us to do first."
Phil looks at me with a disapproval look on his face, but he is loyal and will wait before he does anything.
Phil says, "I want to kill the guy, but let’s see what Nicole says. I will do anything for her."
We get to the front gate. The gate is somewhat holding with the bungee cords but we know the bike chain and locks are better for the job of keeping the gate closed. A couple of zombies are by the front gates now. Phil and I take them out with our knives and then we attach the bike chain and locks to the front gate’s iron railings. Phil pulls the front gate a couple times to test the strength of the lock. It looks good, and should hold for now. Phil and I check the front gate entrance to see if there are any weak points, but feel that the entrance is secure for now. We are happy with the front gate entrance and the job we did to secure it.
We get back into the SUV. Phil keeps the keys to the bike locks.
I look at Phil and say, “We need to talk to Nicole alone without Derrick interfering. I doubt Derrick will leave her alone now as he has to know that we know about him and Denise.”
Phil tries to come up with a plan to get Nicole alone as he sits in the SUV passenger seat. I start the engine and drive back to Nicole's house. I park the SUV in the street. Phil and I look at the house, and we both hesitate to leave the vehicle. We don't want to be around Derrick anymore and hate the thought of seeing him.
After about a minute or two in the car, Phil and I both exit the police SUV and walk towards the house. As we are walking towards the front door, Lauren comes running towards us.
She says, “What happened with Derrick?”
Phil and I look at each other.
I look at Lauren and ask, "What do you mean?"
Lauren replies, “Derrick came back in the house by himself and was saying something about you and Phil threatening him. He said that you guys threatened to kill him or something.”
I can't believe what I'm hearing and angrily reply, “No way. Derrick is cheating on Nicole with Denise, and we came into Denise's house when they were in her bedroom. We didn't see them exactly, but heard sounds of them having sex. They stopped as I entered the house and we asked if everything was ok.”
Phil can't believe what Lauren said and storms into the house. I run into the house after Phil.
Phil yells “Nicole, Derrick where you at?”
Derrick comes out of the back bedroom and into the hallway.
Derrick says, “What’s up Phil?”
Phil walks right over to Derrick and punches him square in the face, knocking him out. Phil knocks on Nicole's bedroom door and enters. Nicole is sitting up in bed.
Phil walks in a couple steps past the bedroom doorway and says, “Nicole. Ryan and I never threatened Derrick. He is cheating on you with Denise. We basically caught him in the act and he wanted to discredit us before we could talk to you.”
Nicole is speechless, she tries to speak, but no words come out. She starts to cry. Phil walks over to her and sits on the edge of the bed next to her.
Nicole says, "I figured that he was cheating on me, but I wasn't 100 percent sure."
I run into the hallway past a knocked-out Derrick that is lying on the floor and into Nicole’s bedroom. I find Phil and Nicole talking to each other on the bed.
I see Nicole crying on the bed and Phil is consoling her.
I say, "Nicole, we never threatened Derrick, but I'm sure Phil just told you about Derrick and Denise."
Nicole replies, “Yeah. I believe you guys. I had my suspicions before about Derrick and Denise, but now I know for sure. It all adds up now.”
I walk towards Nicole and Phil. As I'm walking towards them, Derrick comes in the room. He has a gun pointed at Phil.
"You liars, what did you tell her!" yells Derrick.
Phil shouts, "The truth. You are banging Denise."
Derrick becomes angrier and angrier in each moment of the conversation.
"What do you two know about anything? Denise and I have a connection. I know it's wrong, but didn’t know how to stop," says Derrick.
Nicole stands up now and yells, “What the hell are you talking about Derrick. I'm your wife. We are having a child together.”
Derrick cocks the gun back and points the gun at Nicole now. I step in front of Nicole to protect her.
Phil stands up from the bed now and says, “Derrick drop the gun. Don't do anything you will regret.”
Derrick points the gun at Phil now and says, “I already regret everything I have done, but it's too late now.”
I say, "It's never too late Derrick. You can always move forward from things. People forgive."
I take a step towards Derrick, but that makes Derrick nervous. He points the gun at me now. I raise my hands to show I'm not a threat, at the same time Phil lunges towards Derrick.
Boom!
Derrick fires a shot from his handgun.
Phil grabs Derrick, punches him in the face and throws him to ground. Derrick drops the gun. Phil jumps on top of Derrick and rains down punches on Derrick's face and chest.
Nicole screams, “Phil stop!”
Phil rains one more punch down on Derricks face, before listening to Nicole.
Nicole screams, “Holy shit!”
Phil runs over to Nicole and finds me laying on the ground.
“Wake Up Ry! Get Up Ry,” says Phil as he shakes me by the shoulders.
Phil sees a bullet hole through my sweatshirt. He takes the sweatshirt off but doesn’t see any blood. As he takes the sweatshirt off, he sees that I have the bulletproof vest on. I give a big groan and grab my chest.
"Your one lucky bastard!" yells Phil with a huge smile on his face.
The bullet went into the chest plate of the bulletproof vest and stopped. I am safe, as the bullet didn't break through the vest. Lauren comes running into the bedroom and finds me on the ground.
She is crying and says, “Ryan are you okay? I was so scared. Did he shoot you?”
Phil helps me to my feet now. I use Phil for support as my chest is hurting and it hurts to stand up straight.
“I’m okay Lauren. That asshole shot me, but the vest stopped the bullet.”
Lauren hugs me, but my chest is sore from the hug. We all take a deep breath and assess the situation. We all look at a bloody beaten Derrick lying on the floor.
Phil says "What should we do with this asshole?"
I turn to Nicole and say, “What should we do with him Nicole?”
“I think we get rid of him, permanently,” says Phil.
We all sit around the dinner table and discuss what to do next about Derrick. Phil and I want to get rid of Derrick, but we are leaving it up to Nicole.
"He shot Ryan!" shouts Lauren.
Nicole is quiet as Phil, Lauren, and I talk about the possible consequences for Derrick.
I turn to Nicole and ask her, “What do you want us to do with Derrick?”
She is scared to answer, I can see that she wants to talk, but she is afraid of what she might say.
Nicole finally says, “I don't want to see Derrick anymore. I can't trust him and don't want him to be a part of our child’s life.”
I look at Derrick who is unconscious on the master bedroom hardwood floor with duct tape around his hands and ankles.
I ask, "How do you want to us get rid of him Nicole?"
Nicole is about to answer when she grabs her stomach in pain.
"Ahhhhh,"
Nicole screams out in pain.
I ask, "Are you okay Nicole?"
Nicole screams in pain again and says, “I think I'm having contractions.”
Nicole stands up from the kitchen chair, walks into the kitchen and uses the kitchen counter for support as she leans forward. She is breathing heavily now.
She reaches down between her legs and says, “I think my water just broke.”
Lauren says, “I think she is about to have the baby.”
“Let's put some blankets down in the living room and have her lie down.”
Phil runs to get some blankets from his bedroom and puts them down on the living room floor. I help Nicole sit down on the blankets and have her lie down on her back with her knees bent. Lauren is holding her hand and tries to help Nicole with her breathing.
We do not have any time to get her to a hospital and even if we did, I would not trust the safety and security of a hospital right now.
I look at Nicole and say, “I guess we are delivering your baby here on your living room floor.”
Nicole is screaming in pain. Phil and Lauren are each holding one of Nicole’s hands. Lauren tries to have Nicole control her breathing. Phil isn’t sure what to do, and I’m checking to see the progress of the birth.
“Push, and Breathe,” I say to Nicole.
I check Nicole to see how dilated she has is and if I can feel the head of the baby. She has not dilated very much since her water broke and we laid her down on the blankets. I ask Phil to get me a clean unused knife and for him to sterilize it with rubbing alcohol. Phil releases Nicole’s left hand and runs to his bedroom to search for a good knife we can use as well as for the rubbing alcohol to clean it with.
Nicole has not had a baby before, so there isn’t any chance of using a previous C-section scar to get the baby out. It must be a natural birth or a C-section delivery. I have never delivered a baby in any form of fashion, but I’m really hoping for a safe and easy natural delivery.
CHAPTER 10
GOING HOME TO RALEIGH
It’s a crazy scene. The highway is crowded with traffic of cars, trucks, and vans. Cars and other vehicles are speeding down the highway. Every vehicle on the three-lane highway must be going about 80-85 miles per hour. People are not obeying speed limit signs, nor the laws of the road. People aren’t worried about speeding tickets right now. They are worried about safety, security, and if their loved ones are still alive.
Shaun passes a sign that reads:
Interstate 40 East
Shaun and Matt are racing down Interstate 40 to get to their homes in North Carolina. They have been driving for several hours now and are about one hour away from Matt’s house. Shaun is driving aggressively as he is worried about his wife Lisa, and Matt’s wife Kylie. The girls have most likely been home alone, since the guys left for the Tennessee trip
a couple of days ago.
“You think the girls are okay?” asks Shaun.
Matt replies, “Yeah. Kylie and Lisa are tough. Heck they might even be together at one of our houses.”
Shaun nervously replies, “I hope so man.”
Matt keeps trying to text or call Kylie, Lisa, Phil, myself, and his sister Nicole. The phone is sporadically working, but doesn’t hold a signal for very long. Matt is frustrated, but keeps trying to get a hold of someone, as the anxiety of not knowing if people are alive or not is worse than knowing.
A car cuts Shaun off. That pisses Shaun off and makes Shaun want to ram the guy with his Jeep.
Shaun shouts, “Watch it asshole! Did you see that guy?”
Matt replies, “Yeah, nothing new. People will always be shitty drivers.”
Shaun passes a sign that reads:
Raleigh 15 miles
Shaun checks his gas gauge and sees that he has about a quarter tank of gas left. Matt’s house is about 20 minutes away and the guys should make it home without a problem.
Shaun and Matt have known each other since elementary school. They have this weird connection, like they are distant cousins or something. They find a way to dress alike without even trying to do it on purpose. They have always been competitive in life, but haven’t competed against each other in sports or academics, since the third grade. Shaun went on to play baseball and soccer in high school, where as Matt didn’t play sports and was focused more on academics and having a job. Shaun and Matt have always had an interesting friendship for as long as I have known them.
Shaun exits the highway and makes his way towards Matt’s house. Matt and Shaun live right outside of Raleigh, but Matt’s house is closer off the highway. The streets around Matt’s house are congested with cars and other vehicles. Some of the street lights are working, but not all of them. Shaun is not obeying the street lights or signs while driving. He’s trying to drive with caution and commonsense.
Shaun pulls into Matt’s neighborhood. As he is driving down Matt’s street, Matt looks at his driveway and only sees his car. He starts to get nervous.
Shaun parks his jeep in Matt’s driveway next to Matt’s car. Matt reaches into his bag for his house keys. He opens Shaun’s passenger door and runs to the front door. He checks to see if it’s open, but it’s locked. He unlocks the front door, and pushes the door open.
Fight 4 Us (Book 1): The Beginning Page 14