Shelly
Old Fort, TN
Shelly McBaine didn’t really understand what was happening to her. One minute she felt fine and then the next, she couldn’t seem to get warm. Baby Jake in his crib was squalling again, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what he needed. He wasn’t running a fever, like she was. She had just changed his messy diaper and fed him. It was times like these that she wished she wasn’t a single mom, but that douchebag Michael Donnagen had bailed after the first pregnancy test and hadn’t been located yet.
She sighed as she sat at the cheap kitchen table, bought with money she’d made at the carpet mill down in Dalton, Georgia. It seemed like no matter how hard she fought the tide, she was just a couple of kicks away from drowning. One thing was for sure, she’d made damned sure that Jake had her last name because her father was a real dad. Jake squalled louder and she sighed as she went to go try and settle him down again.
She stumbled into the bedroom they shared and looked at her three-month old bundle of joy and cried. She felt like she could do no right, but she picked the baby up and rested his head on her shoulder while she softly patted his back and tried to sing something, not that was any good at that either, and the thought of that made her cry harder, which upset little Jake even more.
What she really wanted to do was call her mother, but she’d died from cancer two years before. Her dad was at work and wouldn’t be home for weeks, being a long-haul trucker. She’d never felt so totally alone in her life. She walked to the bathroom to take a couple of Tylenol hoping to break the fever she felt like she was getting. She’d been through difficult times before, but she felt like this one was going to be hard.
Dillon and Jessie
Downtown Cleveland, TN
Jessie peeked through the blinds again for what felt like the thousandth time. She was anxious to get on the move, her dad would be all alone and she was sure that he needed help, if not now, then soon.
“What do you keep looking at?” Dillon whispered.
“Those crazy people. I don’t want them to rush the door or anything.” She whispered back, letting the slat slide back soundlessly.
“We have guns. I’ll shoot the first one through the door.” Dillon smirked.
“Great thinking. Do that and it’ll draw more. Don’t you watch zombie shows? Oh, wait, no you don’t. You watch the same damned fishing and hunting shows until you have them memorized.” Jessie complained.
“That’s real-life stuff! It’s important!” Dillon argued.
“Looks like zombies are the real-life stuff now.” She smirked.
“They aren’t zombies. They’re not eating people.” Dillon explained.
“Maybe not, but they act like them.” Jessie replied and Dillon shook his head.
“No, they’re not like zombies in any way, shape, or form. They don’t stumble around, none of them are moaning, and I’m betting that if you shoot them, they’ll die. Zombies don’t die, because they’re already dead. See the difference?” Dillon explained.
“Yeah, I see the difference. I also see that if you talk to me like that again, I’ll put a foot up your ass. Pay attention; if you treat them like they’re zombies, then you have nothing to worry about because you won’t draw their attention. Get it?” Jessie huffed and walked away from him. He followed her into the bedroom.
“Look, we’re probably going to be up all night and on the move. Why don’t you two ladies get a nap in and I’ll stay on watch. Then I’ll switch with you for a little nap myself.” Dillon said. Jessie and Crystal both agreed. Besides, she was pissed at him anyway. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but was out fairly quickly.
Jess woke up to a banging on the bedroom wall coming from the opposite apartment. It took her a second to realize where she was and she jumped up, grabbing her rifle and ran into the other room. There she saw Dillon asleep in the recliner. Being confused, she went back to the source of the noise. Crystal was just stirring and Jess held her finger to her lips, telling Crystal to be quiet. The pounding stopped for a few seconds and then continued. She went back and shook Dillon awake.
“What?” he asked loudly, then cringed when he realized he’d spoken so loud.
“Something is banging on the bedroom wall from next door.” She explained. He jumped up and followed her into the room. He listened and could hear the drywall giving way on the other side.
“From Crystal’s apartment?” Dillon asked.
“No, from the other side.” Jessie answered.
“Time to go! Grab your shit, girls, because we want to be out of here pronto!” he whispered. Both Jess and Crystal started putting their backpacks on and rounding up weapons, before meeting Dillon in the living room. He’d done the same and was peeking out the window blinds.
“I’m not liking what I’m seeing. Hang here for a second.” He whispered and went back to the bed room. Peeking through the blinds, he discovered the backyard fences held and the yard it enclosed was empty. How that thing had gotten into the apartment next door, he neither knew nor cared; it was time to haul ass out of here. Walking quietly back to the living room, he huddled with the women.
“The back yard is clear. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but we’ll climb out the window, walk to the fence and I’ll scout it out. If there’s any of them there, I’ll take them out with the bow; it’s quieter. Then we’ll make our way to the woods across the street. Remember; quiet will keep us alive.” He said and with that led them back to the bedroom. He’d just climbed through the window when he heard the drywall next door totally give way and the pounding start on the other side of their wall. He quickly helped Crystal through, followed immediately by Jess, and trotted over to the fence. Peeking over it, he saw one of the crazies and took it down with a head shot from an arrow. It dropped quietly to the ground. Scaling the fence, he waited until both women were on this side and paused to look around carefully. A loud crash occurred from the bedroom they’d just left, followed by a high-pitched screech that sent shivers down their spines. Dillon shook it off and walked quietly to the woods on the other side of the road, donning his night vision goggles and switching them on. Having played with them enough, he was readily familiar with the surroundings and the view from the goggles. He quickly retrieved his arrow, thinking that he’d probably need all of his and more. Finding a game path, he motioned for Jess to take up the rear and put Crystal between them, since she was the least able to protect herself.
They made their way slowly with Dillon hoping that in doing so, they would move quietly. Making their way south along Lee Highway and staying as far away from homes and businesses as possible, it was well after midnight by the time they’d reached five blocks Dillon called a halt. He knew that Crystal wasn’t as used to hiking as he and Jess were and probably needed a rest.
“Are you doing okay, Crystal?” Jess asked. Crystal was a little out of breath and just nodded, “Remember to drink from the straw fairly often. You’d be surprised at how fast you can dehydrate yourself. If you need to stop for any reason, tap Dillon there on the shoulder.”
“Just don’t do it if we’re out in the open. I’ll try and take frequent breaks so that you don’t wind up exhausted.” Dillon explained.
“Where in the hell are we going anyway?” Crystal asked.
“Her dad’s. It’s just off Waterlevel Highway.” Dillon replied.
“Where?” Crystal asked.
“Highway 64, headed toward the Ocoee River.” Jesse answered and Crystal nodded.
“That’s a long way on foot.” She said.
“Yep. That’s why we take breaks along the way. Stop, look and listen frequently too. What we don’t want to do it attract any of those things.” Dillon said.
“The streets would be quicker.” Crystal said.
“That they would, but I’ve noticed that the crazies seem to like the easy way too. Nothing to worry about; Jess and I have mapped a route that keeps us away from homes and businesses.” Dil
lon explained.
“Ever walked it before?” Crystal asked.
“About every three or four months, just to keep us familiar and make sure there are no surprises.” Jess answered and Crystal seemed to accept this.
As they passed behind the Jeep dealership they could hear a few screams in the distance and it made them a little more cautious. An hour later they were getting close to Bradley Central High School and Dillon called for another halt. They sat quietly and listened for a few moments before speaking.
“I think this is as good a place as any to call it a night. If we keep going, we’ll be near a ton of people. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’m already beat.” Jess said and the others nodded.
“We’re not going to pitch tents or anything, just in case we have to move quickly. I’ll take the first watch, say, until four. Crystal is next, with four to six and Jess you be last from six to eight. That way we’ll all get a little sleep.” Dillon said and the women made pillows out of their packs and got as comfortable as they could for sleeping on the ground. Dillon sipped some water quietly and got still. Every now and then a scream in the distance permeated the night, underscoring their need for silence.
Julie
Chattanooga, TN
Julie heard something walking in the gravel along the track long before it got near enough for her to see what it was. Half expecting some virus crazed zombie thing, she quietly woke Donna and motioned for her to be quiet. When it was near enough, she slipped on her night vision and slowly poked her head from the brush. She saw a woman stumble and catch herself before tripping up again and falling to the loose granite. She heard the woman muffle a cry and knew immediately that she wasn’t one of them. Julie eased herself from the brush and called out quietly. The woman, trying to get her feet under her again, jerked to a stop and whimpered.
“It’s okay, we’re not one of those things. Come on over quickly.” Julie motioned and the woman hesitated for an instant, looking all around her, not knowing where the sound was coming from. Julie took out a red lensed flashlight and shined it at her. The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties and disheveled. “Come on, quick, before one of those things see you.” Julie called out and the woman spurred into action, walked quickly and unsteadily over. Julie led her to what she thought of as the camp, left her with Donna and went to go watch the tracks for a few minutes. When Julie determined that the woman wasn’t being followed, she went back to the clearing. The woman was sobbing into Donna’s shoulder.
“Her name is Vicki Robinson. She was walking home from work after the EMP when this went down. Once she saw the crazies, she made her way to the tracks to stay off the streets. She’s headed for her house in McDonald.” Donna said quietly and Julie nodded until the woman had regained control of herself. Donna fished a bottle of water from her pack and handed it to the woman.
“Thank you. I’m so thirsty.” Vicki said and started to upend the bottle when Julie Stopped her.
“Easy on that. You don’t want to puke. What time did you head home?” Julie asked. The woman took a gulp of water, almost choking on it.
“About noon. I started from the bank downtown. It was insane. First the electricity died, then people started getting sick, then it seemed like they were doing whatever first came to mind. I watched a guy run head first into a brick wall for no reason, and he was laughing when he did it.” She paused for another drink before continuing, “I saw people killing people with their bare hands, rapes, an old man set afire and the crowd just cheering it on.” Vicki said and Julie nodded.
“I’m positive that it’s a virus, probably man made from the way it’s gotten around so fast. I’m just guessing here, but some of us probably have a natural immunity. I don’t want to put that to the test though.” Julie said.
“Why would you think that?” Vicki asked.
“Well, it’s like during the Black Plague; 30 to 60 percent of the population in Europe died. It would have been more, but some people, our ancestors, were naturally immune. That’s why we’re still here. This bug has a higher mortality rate, from what I’ve seen. If it was man-made, it was built to get around those natural safeguards to an extent. What makes us genetically different? I have no idea.” Julie explained.
“So, my husband, my kids are probably okay?” Vicki asked.
“It’s hard to say. Just because you haven’t gotten it doesn’t mean that your husband or children haven’t gotten it. Remember, there are 46 genes in the humane chromosome. You get 23 from your mom and 23 from your dad. That’s how they come up with the 23 pairs in a human gene. Most people refer to them as twenty-three pairs. So, if you’re immune, your husband may not be. And if the genetic markers for this immunity aren’t passed from you, then your kids probably be susceptible. Don’t take that to be irrefutable, it’s all guesswork at this point. We’ll find out when we get to your house. Until then, we need to stay the hell away from the crazies.” Julie said.
“Uh, Julie, your nerd is showing. Might wanna tuck that in before somebody sees it.” Donna smirked.
“But why stay away? I mean if we’re immune?” Vicki asked.
“Because germs mutate.” Donna said, “The flu does it every year. That’s why the flu shot you get every year is probably ineffective. The flu bug mutates faster than they can make the vaccines. Besides, they’ll tear you to pieces.”
The sounds of carnage had slowly quieted and Julie told Donna and Vicki to get some rest. There was no way she was going to be able to rest anyway. She crept back to the tracks with the night vision on, looking and listening in both directions. What she wouldn’t give for some fishing line and a few tin cans. They’d make the perfect noisemakers. As dumb as the crazies seemed to be, she wouldn’t even have to hide them, just string them across the tracks a little before and after their camp in order to cover both directions.
Julie leaned back against the tree. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. She and Donna would have to cut back on their rations so that they would have enough make it home, but it didn’t feel right to leave Vicki on her own. Other than the occasional rustle of the leaves as the wind blew, the only sounds she heard was that of distant gunshots and faint screams. At least someone was out there still fighting. She checked the tracks again and saw nothing coming and was going to go to the clearing on the other side of the wooded area when a mule came plodding in, startling her. The mule stopped warily and regarded her for a second before looking at her sleeping friends before giving a snort and walking over to eat some of the tufts of grass near the tree-line. Julie froze, not knowing what to make of this when, she noted blood on the mule’s hindquarters. The mule glanced at her as she approached and then went back to eating.
She eased forward and patted the mule on its withers, ready to jump back if she needed to, but the mule kept grazing. She inspected the right hind-leg and couldn’t see any injuries, did the same for the left and got the same results. Her obvious conclusion was that the blood didn’t belong to the animal and she wondered if it could be the results of defending itself against the crazies, as she now firmly thought of them. She’d heard that donkeys were defensive, but most people didn’t know the difference. Mules are bigger and have an attitude problem where donkeys, still as fearless, are not so bad. As if reading her mind, the mule turned around and nuzzled her. Julie smiled and hugged the big guy.
“So, what do you say, John? Gus? Want to join my rag tag group?” she asked and the mule went back to eating. She chuckled and went back to her tree, hoping that if she nodded off for a bit, Gus, as she now thought of him because it seemed to fit him, would at least hang around and warn them if anyone approached. Brad had been raised around horses, mules and cattle and had always told her that if a mule was anything, it was possessive. If a mule claimed you, it was more loyal than a dog. Why, he’d said, was anyone’s guess, but that was the way they were. She looked at the mule again feeling her eyes get heavier and noticed that even when he was eating, his ears never stopped samp
ling the sounds around him.
“I don’t know what your name is there, big fellow, but I’m going with Gus on this one. That okay with you?” she asked quietly. Gus huffed loudly and returned to lunch. She took that as an okay, smiled and closed her eyes.
Something furry nudged her face and she sat up and looked around. Gus was insistent and nudged her again. She opened her eyes to find it late in the morning.
“Okay, okay. I’m up. What it is?” she asked and listened for a minute. At first, she heard noting and then she picked up the faint sound of gravel crunching in the distance. She quietly woke Donna and Vicki, holding a finger to her lips to silence them. Grabbing her rifle, she snaked her way through the brush and glanced back the way they’d come. What had once been a man stumbled his way down the side of the tracks, his clothes a shredded mess. Using the binoculars, Julie could see that he was bleeding from several wounds, though she wasn’t able to determine the cause. The man stopped and sniffed the air and shrieked, sending a shiver down to Julie’s core. The man stopped for a minute, looked around and continued, limping on his right leg and dragging his left behind him. She quickly worked her way back to the group.
“There’s a crazy working its way up the tracks. Looks to be about a quarter of a mile away. If you guys are all rested up, we need to get out of here, but we also need to stay the hell away from the tracks until we get some distance.” Julie said and made out a faint game trail heading east that paralleled the tracks. “There. Let’s move, ladies. You too, Gus.” She said and quietly geared up. The sound of gravel getting kicked and moved grew slowly closer and Julie didn’t need to see how close the thing was, once everyone was ready she took the point and headed out, with Gus pulling Tail End Charlie.
Julie kept up the pace until they could see the underpass where the tracks went under I-75 and called a halt. Everyone dropped heavily out of breath, except Gus, who contented himself on yet another bush for a snack. Donna looked at the mule and shook her head.
Three Days From Home Page 7