Zombpocalypse (Book 1): Contingency

by Mariah Lynde

  “Hmmm, yes. He didn’t mention this little…development. We’ll discuss it tonight. For now, be safe yeah?” This time I knew that for what it was. Robbie may have sounded biddable and nice, but I recognized those words as a command and not a request.

  “Sounds like a good plan to me. In the meantime, I’m headed out to pick up the stuff we talked about last night. After that I should be home for the day.” Why I felt the need to offer all that information up, I had no idea. Still, I could tell Robbie had exceeded past the state of mild annoyance to almost nuclear level anger.

  “We’sgonna shop and get chick’ns to eat, Robbie!” Christian piped up from the backseat. My gaze lifted to the rearview mirror, catching sight of the toddler waving the stuffed dinosaur in front of him like some kind of streamer.

  Amused by the picture that the child presented, I could only smile. That amusement however, flickered and faded in light of Robbie’s next words.

  “Get home as quickly as you can, Angel. It isn’t safe to be out there on your own let alone with a little one in tow.” There it was. The reason that Robbie’s attitude had shifted from mild annoyance to outright rage stemmed from the fact he knew I now had a child with me but continued to venture out.

  Not that I could blame him. Just a little while earlier I had told him to forego his own excursion in favor of getting his sister to safety. No one would expect him to venture out with his sister in tow, just like they’d not expect me to do so with this little guy. As it stood right now, I had no one to trust Christian with. More than that, I wasn’t sure I could risk leaving him with anyone other than my own family since his mother had entrusted his care to me.

  Until that time when I made it home, I had to be sure Maya’s sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain and that meant keeping the little tyke within arm's reach.

  “You got it, boss.” I spoke softly and Christian chimed in once more.

  “Bye, Robbie!” The cheerful tones at direct odds with the oppressive mood that had settled over myself and likely my best friend on the other end of the line.

  “Goodbye, Christian. Be safe, Angel. Text me when you get home.” Just as quickly as the call had begun, it ended. Robbie’s final words had sounded flat, deflated, and sad…even to me. In that moment, it felt like every plagued thought and tortured emotion I’d felt in the last two days landed on my shoulders to suffocate me. If my best friend suddenly seemed to sound defeated when speaking to me, what chance did I actually have to survive?

  The change in Robbie had been abrupt. As if something had dawned on him that spelled out certain doom, for myself or for us all I couldn’t be certain. All I could do for now was carry on with my day and hope that it wouldn’t all be for nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – End Times

  Pulling into the feed store, I gave an audible sigh of relief. The trip while relatively short had been uneventful which I suppose could be considered a good thing. As I put the car in park, I exhaled softly and peered up at the run down building in front of me.

  Checking the rearview mirror again, I saw Christian staring back at me with a smile on his face. No matter what might be happening in the world around us, he seemed perfectly happy and content to just be out and about. Poor child had no clue that just by doing such he was in an extreme amount of danger. All he cared about was the possible reward to be garnered if he behaved in the interim.

  After speaking with Robbie, I wanted nothing more than to finish this little road trip and get back to the safety of my home. I’d much rather be in an area I knew to be completely familiar than out in the midst of a wide, unknown space with any number of outside variables to deal with. The sooner I could get myself and Christian back to the duplex, the better.

  Turning off the car, I moved to swing the door open and slide out. Grabbing my cell and sliding it back into my pocket, I turned and moved to open the back door in order to unhook Christian from his car seat. Much to my surprise he was already unbuckled and bouncing across the bench seat towards me. Almost as soon as the door had been opened I found myself attacked by a flurry of plush dinosaur and wiry toddler.

  While he may have only weighed about thirty pounds at the most, when all of that weight is flung at you head on and at full force it can knock you for a loop. If I had known to brace myself it probably would have been a lot less painful. The minute the little boy slammed into my chest with a solid thump, my whole chest compressed and forced any air that I had out in a swift rush. The impact was rough enough that I grunted, my boobs now sufficiently pushed up to the point I thought they might slam into my chin.

  Without thought my arms shot out, wrapping around the small little boy in front of me and hoping that he didn’t fly past me and out onto the asphalt. The only thing I happened to be seeing at that moment was stars. It took me a good twenty seconds to realize that I still happened to be on my feet and leaning against the car door.

  Struggling to catch my breath, one small hand lifted in front of my face to trace one tiny, wet finger over the bridge of my nose as Christian spoke.

  “Boop! I gots you Auntie Angiel.” Again he let loose a peel of infectious laughter that robbed me of any inclination to complain about my discomfort. No matter what demons might be lurking in my mind, Christian was only a child. To him the world was about opportunities and play.

  That particular thought brought me up short. How the hell would a child have to learn to grow up in the face of what I now knew we would be facing. There would not be carefree days of running unchecked in parks and play areas. There would always be some sneaking form of danger that meant constraints on children to keep them safe.

  A childhood like I had known, would be a far gone conclusion for Christian and others in his generation. Those children that survived the initial outbreak or were born afterwards would find themselves under constant watch and more than that – isolated.

  All of those realizations had me vowing to make each day with Christian count. The little victories and pleasures would be what we focused on. If that meant that for the next few days I spoiled him with a few luxuries, so be it.

  “Ahhhhhhh. I’ve been booped!” I cried out, offering an unsteady smile to the child before lifting him up out of the car fully to rest on my hip. “Now remember, you need to behave while we’re in here. Okay?”

  “Okays. Then we gets the chick’n?” His small voice offered the words up hopefully and I could only chuckle at his subtle form of persuasion.

  “Yes. If you behave while we’re here, then on the way home we will get some chicken.” I chuckled before I shook my head and stepped back, shutting the car door.

  Turning to head for the stairs leading into the building, I heard a soft screech of tires from the road behind me. One foot moved in front of the other, intent on getting up the stairs and off the pavement to safety. Once I reached the boards of the front walkway I turned, just in time to see that sporty sedan whip into the parking space beside my Explorer. Frowning a little as I recognized the driver, I spun on my heel even as my arm around Christian tightened.

  How exactly Cal found me, I can’t be sure, but I damn sure knew I didn’t want him here. If the subtle hint of leaving him behind in the subdivision hadn’t done the trick, then I could only continue my campaign to kick him to the curb by any and all means necessary.

  Stepping through the front doors of the store, I found myself blinking against the harsh flood of fluorescent lighting that assaulted me. I had to admit, I’d not expected that sudden flux of unnatural lighting or the way it made my eyes water. Blinking rapidly, I shuffled off to the side, finding a small, makeshift trolley. Setting Christian down on the flatbed surface, I sighed and moved to pull the trolley back and turn to head down the aisle before me.

  “Aunt Angiel, what we lookin’ for?” I peered down only to see exactly what I expected: Christian was fidgeting on the flatbed of the trolley while trying to keep himself amused. I sighed as I saw the plush dinosaur settled on his lap and being used to smack the metal s
urface like it was some kind of soft anvil.

  “Well, I’m thinking about growing some plants. Some of them we’ll be able to eat, and others we can use for medicine.” While it may not have been the complete truth, it was close enough. Besides, I had no idea just what – if anything a four year old would understand. I definitely needed to spend some time figuring out just how Christian’s mind worked.

  I inhaled sharply feeling as though I had just been thrown in the deep end of some unfathomable lake. I wondered just how much I had to learn where children were concerned. This had not been something I planned on having to learn about in the near future, let alone right now.

  “So you’re gonna be a farmer likes Old Mack Don’al?” The way he rolled over the words to enunciate syllables that weren’t commonly heard in that particular song made me chuckle. At least if the last hour or so was any indication, things with Christian would never be dull.

  “Something like that, buddy.” My answer was followed by another quiet chuckle. “Is there anything you want to grow?” Asking the question to try and get him distracted as I wandered up the aisle. All around me were things I had no idea how to use including large bags of some kind of substance lining the bottom shelves. What the hell had I been thinking coming to a place like this? I knew virtually nothing about the products that were offered. Still, it seemed to be my best bet in avoiding the high traffic, high profile stores where people could be acting on panicked, violent impulses.

  “Can we grow ‘maters?” His soft voice trilled up to me and I found myself smiling a little.

  “We can certainly try.” Chuckling, I peered up, looking at the different signs for the varying aisles and finally seeing one that said gardening made my way in that direction.

  Pushing my makeshift shopping cart forward, I turned down the aisle I had finally located only to find Cal standing there and scowling at me. My eyes moved downward to indicate Christian and then back up at him as I frowned in annoyance. However, the tension was broken by the laughter of the small little boy on the cart’s surface as he lifted one hand to point at Cal and giggle.

  Taken aback, I looked down at Christian and arched a brow. Fortunately for me, he seemed unaware of my attention and just waved his little plush dinosaur in one hand while pointing with the other. Soon enough the reason for his mirth made itself known as he spoke in a fit of laughter.

  “You fell on your butt! I saw it. You were all…rawrrrrrrr and then you went BOOM!” Small little legs kicked out in a frenzy of movement and I could only smirk. A small snort sounded followed by an unintentional giggle.

  “That I did.” Cal narrowed his gaze on me for a moment and my only answer was to smirk in his general direction. However, when next he moved, all my senses went on high alert as he knelt down to peer into Christian’s eyes directly and held out a hand, “My name is Cal. What’s yours?”

  All fits of childish laughter ended as Christian drew himself up and darted a glance up at me. Rexy the stuffed Tyrannosaurus would have been one dead dinosaur if he’d been living with the choke hold that the little toddler suddenly had on him. Without a word, I found myself picking him up, recognizing his sudden lapse in joviality as he gazed back over at Cal. Surprisingly, once he seemed to be settled against me, the little boy spoke once again.

  “I’m Christian and this is my Angiel. You’re not nice.” He scowled a little and pointed one pudgy little finger at the man standing in front of us. “You made Angiel mad, so that means you’re bad.” His small little face screwed up in a grimace of displeasure. Personally, I had no clue if he was going to yell, scream, cry, or pitch a hissy fit. Any of those options had my mind scrambling to try and defuse the situation.

  Cal stared down at the little boy in front of him in disbelief. It had never occurred to him that something as small as a toddler would be an obstacle the equivalent of The Great Wall of China.

  Whether Cal was aware of the fact or not, that happened to be exactly what Christian had become for him. I may not have wanted the responsibility of a child, but having been given this one to protect, he had become my priority. His mother had set aside her own wants and needs to make sure that she brought her son to me with the belief that doing so would guarantee his survival.

  If you thought about it, her infection had likely happened because she had been working a late shift in order to provide for him. He had been her only thought and that was an action that I intended to make sure held meaning. If she believed his chances of survival rested with me, then I would do my damnedest to be sure it became a reality.

  Earlier, Cal had gone nuclear over seeing Christian with me. His own selfish inclinations had made him callous and rude in seeing a child in my care that needed help and attention. Instead of reaching out, he had thought only of himself and while I could say that personal survival should always be a priority, when it came to children there should be no hesitation in offering understanding or sympathy. Cal had shown a unique sense of selfish inclination by transferring his own fears and worries onto the situation and almost flat out demanding I get rid of the child entrusted to my care.

  In his estimation that this child would become an insurmountable obstacle, Cal couldn’t be more correct. His little hissy fit in the parking lot over the toddler’s presence had pushed him to the edges of my little circle and it would take a hell of a lot more than a smile and gentle words to weasel his way back in.

  No. He had proven that his only goal was his own survival and what benefitted him. He would have to prove that he could think past himself for me to show any sort of acceptance of his presence in my general vicinity. Now, he looked up at me with pleading gray eyes that begged for me to intervene on his behalf.

  Nope. I glared right back at him. As far as Christian was concerned, Cal would find himself on his own. What that also meant was that until Christian trusted him, I would do as little in my power to engage with Cal or help him as possible.

  “I guess you’re right about that, buddy. Guess I should have asked you what I should do to make her happy.” Cal tripped over the words while trying to figure out a way to worm himself into the child’s good graces.

  The answer which came, not only surprised Cal, but me as well. Immediately after, I was mentally cheering Maya’s position on raising her child as she had. Sometime brutal honesty and openness could be the most damning thing anyone faced.

  “I don’t thinks you listen to anyone, Mr. Cal.” Despite the fact he’d not been told do so, Christian addressed the man with a modicum of respect. While it could only be the fact that Cal was an adult, it still said a lot about the way in which the boy had been raised.

  Cal shifted from seeming surprised to embarrassment. Lifting one hand to rub the back of his neck and chuckle over at the toddler settled on the trolley. Seeing as he would be getting no help from me, I watched the interaction between the two in amusement. Although in retrospect I probably shouldn’t have.

  There would come a day when I would lose an argument with said four year old and I would find it just as humbling. However, at that moment, I greatly enjoyed watching the man squirm under Christian’s observant gaze.

  “Well, I can’t say you’re wrong there, buddy. I’m used to being the person in charge.” This time his words were delivered as a soft whisper of sound. I took note of the fact he had decided to at least admit to a few truths in order to gain some modicum of trust with the little boy.

  “You shoulda learned to take turns. My Momma said I had to learn that too. Didja jus’ forget the lesson?” That point blank question had me cackling softly and ducking my head so that Cal wouldn’t be aware of just how much I was enjoying his dressing down.

  “I guess I did.” Cal answered before he glared back up at me. Shrugging my shoulders a little, I moved to lean forward and rest against the upper support bar of the trolley. Again, I probably shouldn’t have taken such joy in seeing the man brought low, but even I have my faults.

  Christian eyed Cal for a minute before he looked
up at me. One hand lifted to point one small finger in my direction, “If you ever needa know who’s in charge I always just look at the adults.” He nodded as if the answer he had given had just solved every single problem that Cal had.

  “That’s a good plan, little man. But what if all the adults are strangers?” I asked in curiosity.

  “Then I look for a cop man. Momma always said if nutin’ else to look fer the cops. I wanna try to find one with a dog. I think it’d be fun to ride with one.” Small arms moved to wrap around Rexy tightly while he talked about a dog. The action made me wonder if now would be a justifiable time to think about getting one myself…maybe some kind of guard dog.

  I’d heard stories about pets that warned their owners about dangerous situations. I could only wonder if having one in a situation such as this would be beneficial. However, all of these thoughts were best left for another time. At the moment I needed to get back on task and back to my little duplex so I could get Christian settled in while I figured out this parenting thing. Shaking my head, I looked back down at the little boy on my cart, half scared out of mind at the idea of being responsible for him but partly flattered.

  “So you want to grow some tomatoes?” I asked softly, the easiest way I knew to get back on task. “What kind of tomatoes?”

  “Momma gives me dese little ones like this.” He held up one hand and made a small circle out of his thumb and forefinger, “They’re like bright red grapes but not. I likes those ‘cause they dun leak on me.”

  “I see. So you want to grow cherry tomatoes.” Smiling at him before I looked to Cal and frowned, “Are you just going to stand there or did you plan on helping? I’m in kind of a rush.”

  Those last words came out about as peevishly as one could imagine. They also elicited a frown from the man in front of me as his skin paled with the realization he was nowhere near being out of hot water yet. While I watched him, I could see the debate that was taking place in his head. To argue the subject while he stood here with me or let it go and capitulate to whatever I asked in order to try and get back into my good graces. The spoiled, selfish boss used to being in charge was warring with the not so savvy survivalist, knowing that his next immediate action could help determine his fate. I have to give him credit, his instincts for survival seemed to outweigh the assholish need to control everything around him as he released a slow breath to speak once more.