Survival

by Rhonda Hopkins

  Wash cloths were stacked near the sink as if waiting. Sarah grabbed one and ran cold water over it. She squeezed the excess out and handed it to Meredith who was on her knees, crumpled against the wall. She looked embarrassed, refusing to make eye contact as she wiped her face with the cool cloth.

  "I thought you'd been on vacation for the last month. But you've obviously been sick. What's wrong?" Sarah knelt beside her.

  Meredith paused, emotions flitting across her face before she came to a decision. She flushed the toilet and reached out her hand. "Help me up."

  Sarah rose and grabbed her hand, tugging gently until she was standing. Meredith took a toothbrush from the porcelain holder and put paste on it. "I didn't want anyone to know, but I have cancer. Yesterday was my last chemo treatment. I took leave because I couldn't hide the effects any longer." She brushed slowly, but expending even that little bit of energy seemed to wear her out.

  "I'm so sorry." They'd had their problems in the past, but Sarah would never wish such a horrible disease on anyone. "What's your prognosis?"

  "The doctor is hopeful. He thinks I've got a really good chance to beat it." Meredith rinsed her mouth and then gripped the counter to steady herself.

  Sarah's mouth turned up into a brief smile. "Well, I'm sure you will. I've never met anyone so stubborn in my entire life."

  Meredith's mouth moved, not uttering a sound. Finally, she got out one word. "Pot."

  Sarah's eyes widened. "Kettle."

  They stared each other down and then both burst into laughter.

  "Well, that felt good. Here," Sarah placed an arm around the woman and was surprised at how thin she had become, "let me help you into the study where you can sit down for a minute."

  Easing into a large leather chair which seemed to swallow her, Meredith asked, "Who has your sister?"

  "Three guys taking advantage of the chaos. I had picked Dana up and two of them jumped into the back seat before we pulled away from the curb. One of them held a gun on her, while the other gave me directions. We ended up at an isolated building just a little ways from here where another of their psycho friends waited for them."

  Sarah found a black bag in with the weapon stash and began filling it with guns and ammo. A few hunting knives found their way in as well.

  "I know you're not comfortable with guns, but do you know how to use any of these?"

  "I went to the range with Rudy a few times. I can manage. Just pick out something easy." Meredith pushed herself up and started for the doorway. "I'm going to go change clothes."

  While her co-worker was in the bedroom, Sarah looked over the selection. Glocks were her favorite and easy to use. No safety—just point and shoot. But Meredith was so weak, she probably wouldn't have the strength to rack one. She found a .38, loaded it, and found a holster for it. She finished loading the weapons in the bag, placing a 9mm in another holster at her back.

  "Sarah?" Meredith called from down the hall. "Can you help me with this?"

  Entering the room, Sarah saw a bag on the bed already filled to capacity. Surprisingly, it looked like sensible clothing inside. She rarely saw Meredith without her designer threads. She had definitely married well. Their investigator salaries from the family court could not have afforded any of the luxuries Meredith now took for granted.

  "What's this?"

  Meredith had been busy filling a bag with toiletries and medications. She zipped the small case and put it in the larger one. "It's a go bag. Or at least that's what Rudy calls it. He insisted I have one ready to go in case of an emergency. I guess he was right." A soft cry came from the woman and a tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. "I hope he's okay."

  "You just have to believe he is. And I'm sure he'll find his way back here to you as soon as he can."

  Sarah held the gun and holster out and Meredith took them, copying the way Sarah had put hers on. "This is real, isn't it?"

  "Yeah, it's real. Why don't you rest here and as soon as I can, I'll come back and make sure everything is okay. Then we'll figure out what to do." Sarah turned toward the door, slinging the strap of the gun bag over her head, wearing it cross-body style. She needed her hands free.

  "No way. I'm going with you. You'll need help getting your sister." Meredith tried to pick up the bag but didn't have the strength. Frustration at the way the cancer and treatment had zapped her stamina showed in her face. "You'll have to carry this though."

  Sarah knew what it cost the woman to have to admit to any weakness. She had always acted like she could do everything better than anyone else. And there it was — the main problem between them. Meredith continuously tried to make Sarah feel inferior, which had worn thin after four years.

  "You're too ill, Mere. You can't help me fight off the psychos. I promise. I'll come back and we'll make some decisions about what to do next."

  "I'm coming. I know I'm too weak to help much, but I can stay in the car and I'll know where you and your sister are. If there's a problem, I can go get help. You need—" A loud crash came from down the hall.

  "That sounded like a window breaking! Come on, Mere. You obviously can't stay here now."

  Sarah grabbed the bag, and ran for the door. She looked back to check on Meredith's progress and saw a glint of steel coming from the study. A machete. Why hadn't she seen it before? She raced into the room, seizing it from where it hung on the recessed wall. She found the button under the desk and closed the panel once again hiding the stash. They may need to come back for the rest later. She made it back to the hall by the time Meredith drew even with her.

  They reached the front door and Sarah checked through the peephole. She could not see anything from such a limited area, so she opened the door a crack, peeking through. She shut it again just as quietly.

  "Okay. There's nothing just in front of the door. But I could see movement to the side, probably where the window was broken. I'm going to go get the car and pull it up here to the door. Be ready to move when I pull up." Sarah gently touched the woman's shoulder.

  Meredith opened her mouth as if to object, but closed it again and nodded.

  Taking a breath, Sarah gathered her nerve and pulled keys from her pocket. Thank God she had left the SUV unlocked. She opened the door and stepped out, peering to the left. Bile rose in throat. She gagged silently, but forced it down.

  There had to be at least five of the dead gathered around a man half in and half out of the window. Loopy strands of what could only be intestines were pulled from the man's body. Blood and gore covered what remained of him. As long as she lived, she would never forget the wet, slurpy sounds of the zombies feasting on their prey or the sounds the man made as he died.

  Sarah must have made a noise because, as one, the creatures spun in her direction. A couple turned back to continue feeding on the man, digging faces into his stomach cavity. The others started her way. She froze, hearing the strange gurgling type growl coming from the corpses.

  "Sarah, run!"

  Meredith's words snapped her out of the trance and she ran for the Expedition. The zombies moved faster than she thought they could. But what did she know? She only had books and film to go by. Fiction. She could not allow herself to presume anything.

  Her chest heaved and she gulped for air, fear making it difficult to breathe. The rain still fell in torrents and she slipped on the sodden ground, but managed to stay upright. After what seemed like forever, she reached the driver's door and jerked it open. She shoved Meredith's go bag into the back seat and was trying to get the other bag's strap over her head, when a hand grabbed her arm, dragging her back.

  Sarah cried out, nearly dropping the machete as the seat belt wrapped around it. She finally got it free and turned toward her attacker only to gasp. Half of the woman's face had been chewed off — teeth, gums and tongue showed through the gaping maw. She swung the blade, impaling the woman through the chest. But it didn't stop the already dead cadaver. How can you kill something that's not alive?

  She yanked o
ut the machete. Before she even realized she had done it, the blade tore through what was left of the woman's face, piercing the brain. As she pulled it out, blood and bits of the organ coated Sarah's hands and arms. The zombie fell, taking the other two to the ground with her. Sarah climbed into the SUV and slammed the key into the ignition before her legs had even cleared the doorway, surprised she had been able to hold on to it.

  An arm shot up through the doorway, and Sarah watched in horror as one of the dead tried to pull himself up. She turned and kicked out, making enough contact to force the zombie back to the ground. She wrenched the door closed with one hand, while shifting into drive with the other. The two she had left at the side of the house had finished with the man in the window, and were moving toward the front door where Meredith waited.

  Or rather . . . where Meredith should have been waiting. Where the hell is she?

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sarah drove up onto the lawn and plowed into the two zombies shuffling toward the front door. One fell under her tires with a sickening crunch. The other flew backwards, but was already trying to rise. Thankfully, his injuries were too severe.

  She maneuvered the Expedition so the passenger side was as close to the front door as possible. She opened the door just as a scream came from inside the house.

  Sarah bolted out of the SUV and inside the home. She jerked to a stop, taking in the scene before her. Meredith had skewered the old man from next door with a poker from the fireplace. He wiggled and pushed himself toward the woman, arms reaching, jaws opening and closing while Meredith tried to reason with him.

  "John? Please, John. Oh, my God. What's happened to you? We're friends. Please don't do this," Meredith cried, but finally released the hold on her weapon and backed up.

  "He's not John anymore, Meredith. He's become one of those dead things. A zombie." She pointed to the large gash in his throat and shoulder. The monster which had once been a gentle older man whipped around to search the new noise, another source of fresh food.

  Taking two large steps, Sarah used the machete to cut through his skull and into his brain. He dropped to the floor, no longer moving.

  "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Meredith gagged, her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. She turned toward Sarah, realization in her eyes. "I thought . . . even after you found out I was sick . . . that—"

  "That I was messing with you?"

  "Well, not about your sister, but I thought surely there was another explanation. There couldn't really be zombies."

  Meredith looked as if she was ready to fall over. "Come on—let's get you in the car." She reached for her, but Meredith pulled away.

  "Wait. Let's get these. I thought your sister might need them, and who knows what we'll need." She pointed to a pile of blankets, pillows and two coats. She shoved her arms into another jacket she pulled from a chair and grabbed a small bag. "Cellphone and charger," she announced as she held it up.

  "Good idea. But we need to go now before more of those things show up." Sarah grabbed the pile stacked on the sofa and led the way to the front door. She heard the door close behind them as she stuffed everything but the machete into the back seat. When she saw Meredith struggling to get inside the huge SUV, Sarah said nothing, but helped to lift the woman into the seat, startled to realize how little she weighed.

  Meredith breathed heavily, her chest expanding as she gasped for air, just the little exertion zapping her strength. "Thanks."

  "No problem."

  Sarah shut the door. The zombie she had left on the lawn had given up trying to stand and now crawled toward them. Sarah strode over to him using the machete to open his skull. Wiping the blade on the man's clothing, she looked around and saw more shapes shuffling toward them from the dark. She hurried around to her side of the SUV, hitting the locks as soon as the door closed. Even before the truck started to move, Meredith had the charger out and was turning on her phone.

  She tried a few times, but finally gave up, resting her head against the window. "911 is busy. It's not even putting me on hold."

  "It figures. There's so much going on. Thanks for trying though."

  "I don't understand. How...? How did this happen?"

  "I don't know. I first saw them when I picked up Dana. Or at least I think that's what was going on." Sarah shook her head. "I finished my workout and stopped to get Dana from her pottery class. She got in and pointed out a disturbance in the parking lot. We were trying to figure out what was going on when two men jumped into the back seat with guns. They had three zombies tied up in a room of the building where they were holding us. They threatened to feed us to them if we caused any problems." Sarah brushed away a tear. "I've got to get back to Dana."

  Silence filled the car as they drove toward the building where Dana waited; each woman lost in thought. Meredith finally picked the phone back up again. "Who should I try to call for you?"

  Sarah blinked back a look of surprise. She had thought for sure Meredith would have already tried to reach her husband. Instead, she was thinking of her. Not only that, but she had gone back into the house gathering things for her sister and all of them. She was definitely going to have to give this new Meredith some thought.

  "I guess my cousin, Brian. He's about the only family Dana and I have. He was in East Texas this past week, so I don't know if he's back yet." She gave the phone number and waited as the numbers were entered, but Meredith didn't push send right away.

  "If he doesn't answer, do you want me to leave a message for him?"

  "Yeah. I guess. Hmm . . . ." Where should they go after they rescued Dana? "The only place I can think of that can be made fairly safe right now is the courthouse. The only glass on the first floor is in the doors and with it being Saturday, there shouldn't have been many people there when this thing started. Tell him we're going to check it out, and if the phones go out, we'll leave a message there if we have to go elsewhere."

  She listened as the woman beside her placed the call, hope dashing as she heard her leaving a message rather than being able to verify he was still alive.

  Sarah placed her hand on Meredith's arm. "Thank you. Why don't you try to reach Rudy?"

  "I guess I'm afraid. What if I can't reach him? He's all I've got." She sniffled, but Sarah could tell she refused to let the tears fall.

  "Just leave a message like you did for Brian. He'll know where to start looking for you. Just because you can't reach him doesn't mean he's not okay. There's just so much going on and he could have lost his phone." She paused briefly before adding, "Besides, you're not alone. We have each other and we're going to be fine."

  Meredith took a deep breath and then dialed. Sarah felt the palpable anxiety in the car lessen as Rudy's deep baritone came through the phone's tiny speaker. She listened while concentrating on edging around the people, the dead, and the cars on the busier roads. Occasionally she bumped into and over things and the walking nightmares. Meredith didn't even acknowledge what was happening around them except with worried glances and fear-filled eyes. She kept her voice even and light trying not to worry her husband. Apparently he was still in Illinois, but had managed to get a car and had already headed toward Fort Worth. He was traveling with a few other men from the area he'd had meetings with while there, so he wasn't alone. Sarah heard Meredith's sigh of relief which probably didn't carry through the airwaves.

  The night got even darker as Sarah drove off the main roads onto a long drive toward the building where Dana was being kept. She turned her lights off as she left the asphalt and moved cautiously through trees scattered throughout the property. Coming to a stop on the side of the building where she had busted the window out earlier, she shoved the gearshift to park and turned off the engine. She had parked the length of a football field away to keep from being heard and hoped Dana would be in shape to run that far when she finally got her out.

  "I love you, too. Be careful." Meredith blinked back tears, and disconnected the call as she faced Sarah.
/>   "I'm glad you reached him and he's okay."

  "Me too. Listen . . . I want to thank—"

  "Don't thank me. You've helped me with guns and ammo and—"

  "Yeah, but I wouldn't have even known anything was happening before it was too late..." Meredith grabbed Sarah's hand. "So thank you. Now how do we get your sister out of there?"

  "I'm going to go inside that window and hope she's still there." She pointed to the frame with the broken glass. "If she's not in the basement, I'll have to search the building, so it might take a while. But I saw their cars when we circled the building. They probably thought I wouldn't make it back."

  "Are you sure? We could try to find someone to help you."

  "No. I can't wait any longer. I don't know what they may be doing . . . ." She gulped back a cry. She had been strong so far; she could not give in to fear now. She cleared her throat. "Once I leave, you scoot over here. Don't go outside the car for any reason. Just climb over the console and lock the doors behind me. Adjust the seat and be ready to drive." Sarah rummaged in the door's pocket and came up with a plastic bag. "If you feel the need to throw up, use this. It won't be pleasant, but it's better than going outside. Keep a lookout — 360. Don't let anyone inside the car except me or Dana. Even if it looks like they need help. Just . . . don't. Get your gun out and be ready to use it. Any doubts at all, you use it. Okay?"

  Meredith waited a few seconds before nodding. "Okay. But how will I know it's Dana if she comes out by herself? I've never met her."

  "She's my twin. We look exactly alike." Sarah laughed softly, remembering a few of the times they had played the "switch game" with their parents and others.

  Meredith gasped. "There are two of you? How did I not know that?" She sounded horrified and Sarah laughed a little louder.