by Roberts, EM
Eighteen months later
That was the first night in a bizarre chain of events. He’d still really had loved his wife and was in a state of shock over her death. Even though he’d just found out about her sordid past, it hadn’t killed his love for her. Like a man on autopilot, he’d called the police and reported a burglary. Although he’d been warned not to mention the true cause of the burglary, he’d informed his boss of the events. Someone needed to know the truth.
With this new information, the urge to perfect the serum became more imperative than ever, and with the threat from his attackers looming in the back of his mind, Eli had moved into a room at the lab and was living there when the first news of the outbreaks had occurred. That was six months after the burglary. During that time, someone had used his work to create an airborne biological weapon. Feeling sick because his work had been used to create a catastrophe, Eli was now sure that he would be approached once again by the terrorist group.
This hadn’t been the case. Instead, in the middle of the night, he’d been awakened by a new threat—the United States government. Two men stood by his bed. One of them was wearing a nondescript black suit, his hair slicked back. Everything about him screamed ordinary. He’d simply introduced himself as Mr. Smith, instructing Eli to pack all of his research notes and come with him.
Eli, having no other choice since the men were both aiming weapons at his head, had meekly went with the men. His destination had been a secret government survival facility in Nevada, and Eli had been here ever since. Mr. Smith had deserted him with a detailed list of instructions. During the past year, Eli had tried to escape, but there was no way out of the facility. The door required a code which he didn’t have and couldn’t figure out, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t even make a dent in the door’s metal. There was ample food, so he wouldn’t starve. At least, that was one good thing.
He’d had access to satellite feed and could see what was going on outside in the world. The feed was global, and he watched as Paris, London, and Rome fell to the infected creatures. He’d watched as the United Nations bombed various cities in an attempt to quell the growing population of the creatures without success. At times, he wanted to kill himself because he knew this was his doing. Yet, he didn’t. He realized he was too weak to end his own life.
Since he was too pathetic to bite a bullet, he’d decided to throw himself into finding a cure for the disease. Mr. Smith had brought an infected cadaver into the facility with him and had stored it in a decontamination unit. Eli knew the vaccine wouldn’t help those already infected, but it would prevent the disease from spreading.
Mr. Smith had also informed Eli that it was possible a member of the government would be arriving at the facility if events turned catastrophic. Directing Eli to a computer program, Mr. Smith had shown him several Radio Frequency Identification Device trackers. One of them was for the President of the United States. There were three of them in total, and they were connected to the person’s vital signs, Mr. Smith explained. In the following weeks, Eli had watched as two of them went out, but the third had remained steady and moving. The President was alive and making his way to the facility. Unbeknownst to Parker Wallace, the President had been injected with that RFID implant. His every move was tracked all over the United States, and at this very moment, the computer in front of Eli showed the device traveling across the country.
Eli reached over and took a drink from the cup of soup. The whole facility was amazing. He was confined to one wing, and that one wing had enough food to feed Eli for several years. It had its own power source, and it had a direct feed to several satellites. The only thing missing was people.
The isolation was painful, and even though he’d never been a sociable person, he still missed being able to talk to someone. He was by himself here with Mr. Smith disappearing shortly after his arrival and not returning, and the last year had given him time to think and wonder. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his parents and his twin. Sometimes, he would dream about being back at the farm. In his dreams, his mother was well and cooking dinner, the smell of fried chicken making his taste buds salivate. Ella and his father would be joking around and laughing while sitting at the table. He would be standing there in the kitchen just watching and feeling a sense of home. Then, he would awake and look around at the cold, sterile walls of the facility and realize that the past was obsolete, and that his future was uncertain.
Those times when he awoke from the dream, all he wanted was to just go back to sleep to dream that same dream. It was such a good dream compared to reality. If anyone ever did arrive and open the door, he was leaving, he vowed. He had to know what had happened to his family. The last time he’d called was shortly before the outbreaks. He’d felt an odd sense of foreboding after the burglary, so he’d copied all of his research and sent it to Ella as a security measure in case he didn’t make it. He had made it; he’d survived the outbreaks. He just wondered if he’d ever survive the guilt.
Chapter 3: Saying Goodbye
“Where the fuck did they come from, and what happened to those two guys who were standing guard?” Izzy yelled, as she shot one of the infected creatures in the head.
“I imagine they’re in one or more of those things’ stomachs by now,” Roe yelled, as
she pulled the trigger and watched in fascination as a zombie’s head exploded. She’d become immune to killing them. Sometimes, she even enjoyed it. How different she was from that woman she’d been when this had all started. She’d even finally resorted to calling the creatures, zombies.
Because that’s what they were. Zombies. Everyone had been calling them The Infected because no one wanted to admit that zombies could exist. It just sounded more educated and real to refer to them as having an infection, but fuck that, Roe thought as she killed another. They were zombies…that’s all.
There was a time early on when she’d balked at killing them because she truly did think they could be saved. They couldn’t. There was no help for them now. They’d fought the creatures for the last year, and it seemed like there was no end in sight. All of the killings had not seemed to even make a dent in the population. They kept coming.
Right now, Roe was pretty sure the entire group of survivors was screwed. There close to a hundred creatures all around them. They’d come in the middle of the night, and even though there were about fifty survivors in their group, the living seemed to be no match for the creatures. They were holding them at bay—barely... Roe didn’t understand it-- the zombies seemed to have no cognitive skills, so she didn’t understand how they travelled together. She assumed it was some kind of animal instinct.
“Get the children in the vehicles—head out!” Parker Wallace, former President of the United States yelled above the gunfire.
Pandemonium ensued as people raced for their vehicles and sped off without waiting to help anyone else. Roe angrily shot another zombie. That was always the case. Everybody always being selfish and only looking out for themselves. She looked over at her own vehicle, at the little face pressed up against the window. Carly, the young girl Ella had rescued back in Knoxville, looked out anxiously at Roe. She was mouthing something. Roe turned around just as one of the zombies sunk its teeth into her arm and ripped at her flesh. Mother fucker!
She held the handgun to its head and pulled the trigger, wincing as the sound pierced her ears. She wasn’t worried. At least, that’s what she’d tell herself. She’d been bitten once early on in the outbreaks by her lover, and she’d survived. She’d also survived the second wave of the virus. Third time was charm, she thought as she shot several more of the creatures even as she made her way back to the Jeep.
Jumping into the vehicle, she started it, backed up, and drove around the camp looking for her friends. Spying Parker and Izzy, she stopped and picked them up. She noticed that Jem, Amos, and Jax had made their way to the cherry-red convertible. She honked her horn, getting their attention. Motioning for them to
follow her, she sped from the camp, never looking back. She didn’t want to see the people who’d been left behind.
About an hour later, Roe pulled her Jeep to a gas station on the outskirts of Grand Junction, Colorado. In some ways, the state had reminded her of Tennessee with the mountains. But, that was the extent of the similarities. She wished she could go back to Tennessee. As much as she’d started to dislike the place, it had been the safest she’d felt since this whole thing started. Theo, Ella’s father, had become like her own father, and Ella had become like a sister. Adams, that bastard, had to go and ruin it all, and now he had Ella in his evil clutches. Roe didn’t know if her friend was alive or dead.
She stepped out of the truck and looked down at her watch. It was four o’clock in the morning, and she was exhausted. Once again, they’d lost people. At least, it hadn’t been any of their original group. She watched as Jem, Amos, and Jax pulled up beside her. In addition to that group, two more vehicles pulled into the parking lot. It was a far cry from the group they’d picked up in Kansas.
Roe glanced over the group of the people outlined in the headlights of her Jeep. It was odd to see what a ragtag bunch they were. Parker Wallace, former world leader, now wore jeans and a Kermit the Frog tee shirt. He’d just picked up a bad habit of cursing, something she’d never heard him do in the six months she’d known him. He had turned out to be a decent kind of guy. She knew a lot of people probably blamed him for this whole ordeal, but he really wasn’t the one to blame, and he’d busted his ass to make sure everyone survived.
Izzy James, a young woman Parker had saved from two would be rapists on his way from the capitol to Tennessee, stood beside him, biting her lip. Roe noticed when Izzy saw a young man alight from another vehicle, she stopped biting her lip and breathed a sigh of relief. So that was the way it was. Roe was happy for her friend. She knew Izzy had lived the good life back in Washington, D.C., but Roe also knew it wasn’t the life Izzy wanted. It was amazing how a person could be transformed. With her dark hair, skinny jeans, and combat boots, Izzy looked like a punk—and she was, Roe smiled. She was a likeable punk, though, and that’s what mattered.
Walking up to Izzy and Parker was Jax Blackstone. It still blew Roe’s mind that the man was gay. She, along with Ella, had listened to his music before all of this happened. The ironic thing about that was the two of them used to joke about how they would fuck the man’s brains out given the opportunity. They would never have the opportunity because he wasn’t attracted to women. Apparently, Jax had been hiding the fact that he was gay because his business manager was convinced it would hurt his rock star persona. Now, he didn’t have to worry about that. He just had to worry about staying clean. As a former drug addict, there wasn’t a day that went by that Jax didn’t crave a fix. It was a good thing he had Roe and Izzy to kick his ass anytime that craving kicked in.
The last two people in the red convertible stepped out. These two Roe had only met a few days ago. They’d been adopted by Ella when she’d attempted to meet up with them. Amos, the young black man, was a goliath of a man. However, the poor young man had the mentality of a child. He wasn’t that far off, but just enough to be too naïve and trusting. With that said, he could use that sickle of his and slice off the heads of multiple zombies at once. That was no joke—she’d seen him do it.
His companion, Jem, was an odd sort. The woman was chunky, medium height, and bald. When Roe had bluntly questioned why she had no hair, the young woman had shrugged and said it was easier to take care of. After talking, she’d learned the woman was a psychologist before the outbreaks had begun. She had a slight Irish accent and like to laugh. Roe could appreciate that, and she’d begun to like the young woman. They’d shared a few laughs and a few drinks over the last couple of days.
She watched as Izzy ran to the young man who’d disembarked from a big diesel 4x4 truck. Those two were a match made in heaven, and as soon as Roe had met the young man, she knew he and Izzy would hit it off. They dressed alike, and they had the same interest. It was good, and she was glad for the young woman. Roe, though, wondered if she would ever find love again. She knew she had a nonchalant attitude toward sex and love, but there was a small part of her that wanted the happily ever after. Even in the middle of this chaos, she wished she had someone close to share it with. How weird was that?
She watched as Parker and Jax pried the lid from the gas station’s fuel reserves. They dropped a long hose into the tank, and pumped the siphoning device. Roe smiled in response to Parker’s satisfied smile. They’d finally been given a break. Fuel, thank God! Roe’s Jeep had coasted the last few miles on fumes. She glanced in the Jeep and saw that Carly was sleeping. It was amazing how resilient children were. They’d just been through one of the most harrowing events of their lives, and Carly had fallen asleep like it was any other day. She reached through the window and stroked the young girl’s head. Poor kid.
Roe stepped back from the vehicle and pulled the handgun from the holster on her belt, just in case she needed it. They would be here a few minutes, and last night had once again reminded them that anything could happen. She walked around the parking lot, looking for uninvited guests as the men filled the tanks of the vehicles and the spare tanks each vehicle carried. Noticing a sign on the side road, Roe slipped the little micro-flashlight from her pocket and read: Big Bear Lodge—one mile ahead.
She walked back to the Jeep and told Parker about the sign. They needed to stop and rest somewhere, and maybe they’d find the place in good condition. It was just a mile out of the way. It couldn’t hurt to check it out. Everyone agreed with the plan, and the little caravan made its way down the road.
They pulled up to the log cabin lodge, and Roe knew this would be a place that Ella would have loved. The whole place just seemed so peaceful. The yard was overgrown a little, but the place really was beautiful. It reminded Roe of the cabins in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. It was a long two story structure with about twenty units, ten on each floor. Parker honked his horn several times, but no one appeared to be around.
“Ok, so, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll go room to room, just in case there’s anyone who’s infected inside,” Parker announced, pulling his gun and taking the safety off.
“I wish you guys would just call them zombies,” Roe muttered, following him.
“It just seems, you know, weird,” Izzy responded, smiling at Roe in the darkness.
“How? How does it seem weird? They’re the walking dead. They eat people, and you have to shoot them in the brain. Why shouldn’t’ we call them zombies?” Roe questioned in exasperation.
“Who cares what you call them? Jeez, let’s just go evict them,” Parker rolled his eyes at their bickering. Roe knew he enjoyed the camaraderie of the group even when he rolled his eyes and grumbled.
The first four units were surprisingly clean and empty of any occupants. The fifth unit contained the corpses of a man and woman with a sign that read: We will not become. This made Roe angry. She’d had friends back in Tennessee who’d done the same thing. It was the easy way out. Yeah, this new world pretty much sucked, but at least they were alive, and there was hope. There was always hope.
By the time, they finished with the sweep, they’d only had to kill two zombies. Roe thought these two were probably the owners of the lodge as they’d been in a slightly larger room. The two creature’s bodies had been emaciated to the point that there was only skin and bones on the bodies, yet they’d still had enough energy to try and attack Parker when he’d opened the door.
The group walked back to their vehicles. One of the rules that Parker had made early on in their travels was that they keep spare supplies in the vehicles in case they had to leave in a hurry. This time, it’d paid off. No one was hungry at this time of the morning, the only thing on their minds a bed. Parker and Amos had decided to take the first watch and allow everyone else to get some sleep.
Roe carried Carly into one of the rooms with her and lay the little
girl on one of the queen beds. By this time, it was almost dawn, but Roe turned on the small hand held lantern she’d brought in with her. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a container of rubbing alcohol. Roe looked down at her arm and was dismayed to find three puncture holes from the bite she’d received earlier. She doused the bite with the alcohol, wincing as she did so. She pulled a bottle with antibiotics in it from her bag and swallowed two of the pills. There was nothing else she could do but wait, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
New York City, 1985
Roe lay on the bed and smiled in delight as the man who was not her husband thrust into her. She looked up into his eyes and sighed. She knew this was nothing more than sex. She reached up and pulled his face down, kissing him passionately, her tongue thrusting into his mouth.
“Baby, I do you good,” he ground out as he continued to fuck her.
Roe lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, and she could feel her orgasm coming. They were in her studio apartment, and she felt just a little guilty that she was fucking someone else in the bed where she and her husband slept every night.
“Ahh, that was good,” the man exclaimed a few minutes later.
“Yeah, baby, it sure was,” she muttered, as she took a drag on her cigarette. She’d have to fumigate the apartment before Arnold got home. He could sniff out a cigarette a mile away.
“We gonna do this next week?” the man asked, as he buttoned his pants.
“Nah, sugar, I gotta work,” Roe replied. She was done with him. He’d served his purpose—scratched her itch. The truth was, she loved Arnold. He was her first love. She loved him more than anything, but he’d stopped loving her. He was consumed with his job, and he just didn’t pay attention to her anymore.
After the man left, she walked over and looked down at her son. She’d never really wanted children, but she loved her child. He looked his father, and she’d hoped they would be a family—for always.