Detroit Reanimated

by Michael Halliday

  “Nah, I’m used to staying up late,” Matt replied. “It’s a bad habit, I know.”

  “It’s not that late yet,” Evan said. He shined the light on his watch. “Ten-forty-eight was almost midday for me when it came to writing or correcting Irwin’s mistakes.”

  “I know how that was,” Mandy said.

  “Oh?” Evan asked. “You were a writer?”

  “I had gotten some jobs as a screenwriter or playwright. I went to California to become an actress when I was eighteen. It was horrible.”

  “Why?” Evan asked.

  “Smart girls don’t make it out in Hollywood. You’re taught to choose a script, and follow it. If the scene says to screw Character A, or Brad Pitt, then you do the scene the way the director wants you to, regardless of your own talent. Only certain actresses were allowed to work their own actions into their scenes.”

  “Did you get to meet any of the big names?” Matt asked.

  “I met Christian Bale, who I loved,” Mandy said. “And I met Drew Barrymore. She’s the classiest person in the business.”

  “What got you into acting?” Evan asked.

  “A talent scout said I was the next Julia Roberts,” Mandy said. “I was the lead actress in a high school play. He saw it, and he fell in love with my style. I think he just wanted me. I go out to Hollywood, get a few scenes in a small budget movie, which I nailed, and I kept going to casting calls. By the time I was nineteen, I had gotten up to supporting roles in some big pictures. I thought I was going to make it.”

  Matt was intrigued. He listened to Mandy’s story as if he was watching an action movie.

  “Then what happened?” Matt asked.

  “Steve Grithman happened,” Mandy said. “He was a director that promised me my first lead role. All I had to do was have sex with him. So I did. He was my first experience, and it almost made me want to become a lesbian, or a nun.”

  “He was that bad huh?” Evan asked.

  “Are you ok with us talking about this, Matt?” Mandy asked.

  “Uh huh,” Matt replied. He almost seemed transfixed. “Did you get the role?”

  Mandy laughed hard at the inquiry.

  “No,” Mandy replied. “It turned out I wasn’t the only one he was banging. Luckily he used a condom with me. The woman he chose got pregnant.”

  “Ouch,” Matt said.

  “That’s when I learned about casting agents, and when I met Drew,” Mandy continued. “I was on the set of a movie she was working on, and I was going to play as her friend. While we waited for the next shoot, I told her about Steve, and she gave me the name of the casting agent she used to work with. But she also did something else. She got me into screenwriting.”

  “How did she do that?” Evan asked.

  “We were reading over the script,” Mandy said as she recalled the memory. “We agreed the dialogue was horrible. It was like Hayden Christensen meets Gomer Pile. We rehearsed the lines together, and we were in tears with laughter.”

  Mandy stopped when she saw Evan and Matt were both listening intently. Evan realized he was neglecting his duty and shined his light out into the wilds. They were silent for a moment to listen for anything coming.

  “Let’s keep walking,” Mandy said.

  “So, because of your experience with that director, you lost your taste for acting,” Evan said.

  “Exactly,” Mandy replied. “I’m not a whore. I wanted to be like Drew, who never had to spread her legs for a role. She was so talented and such a gem.”

  “What happened to Steve Grithman?” Matt asked.

  “He married that actress,” Mandy said. “She divorced him a week later. She said he was too freaky in bed.”

  Matt chuckled at the statement.

  “She’s awesome,” Matt said.

  John and Adam took the watch from two to seven in the morning. Evan and Matt went to their tent and got into their sleeping bags.

  “I think so too,” Evan said. “I feel bad for her though. That prick director deserves a severe beat-down.”

  “I’d help,” Matt promised. “Mandy would have been the best actress ever. Maybe he’s a biter.”

  Matt’s comment got Evan thinking, and he shared his thoughts with the kid.

  “Wonder who all turned, or was killed with all of this,” Evan said. “Something tells me that there’s a cave somewhere where all the rich and famous are all hiding.”

  “While the rest of us are out here getting massacred each day,” Matt said with a cold validity. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Think of better things,” Evan said. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  The next morning, John and Adam woke up the others. The camp was full of activity since everyone had a decent amount of sleep. Everything was packed and loaded.

  Matt went to each person with Evan’s phone to take photos of them.

  Evan gave a pose of a pondering man.

  Mandy hated her picture taken and she complained when he took the shot.

  Doug put his hand on the handle of his glock with his picture. He gave a panicked pose with a beleaguered look to his left.

  Cameron granted Matt a playful snarl for his picture.

  John and Adam pretended to box with John giving Adam a mean right hook.

  Eliot and Simon waved with big grins while they hung on Nikki, who smiled.

  Matt’s favorite picture was with him and Evan. Matt had his arm around Evan’s shoulders and they both had serious expressions. Mary had taken a few pictures of Matt and Evan together, and Evan took some more of Matt and Mary.

  “Where the hell is Edward?” Doug bellowed after he left the judge’s tent.

  “Are you kidding me?” Evan asked.

  ‘Fucking dumbass,’ Evan thought so the kids didn’t hear him swear.

  “Fucking dumbass,” Doug growled.

  Doug walked over to Evan with a look of fury.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Evan said with a quizzical look at the boys.

  “Maybe we should leave him,” Adam said.

  “I second that,” Matt said.

  “We’re not leaving him behind,” Doug said.

  Doug and Evan went to search the immediate area. Cameron volunteered to watch over the camp with John. Adam told Nikki he could keep the kids occupied by showing them a place nearby where he used to go as a kid to find old artifacts.

  Adam led Matt, Eliot and Simon to a creek and showed the kids what to look for. His uncle had taken him there many times about Matt’s age to do the same thing, but they didn’t find artifacts. Instead, Adam discovered a sick truth about his uncle. He became a victim of repeated molestation by a man he once trusted.

  Adam refused to do the same with these boys, and he knew there were things to find the boys would like.

  “I found something!” Matt said. He picked up an arrowhead that was nearly flawless.

  “What luck,” Adam said.

  ‘No fair,’ Adam thought.

  “I’m going to give it to Cameron,” Matt told the others.

  “Do you know your way back?” Adam asked.

  “Yeah,” Matt replied.

  Matt ran off with Eliot trailing him.

  ‘Damn it,’ Adam thought.

  “Be careful,” Adam yelled after them. “Let’s keep looking.”

  Simon saw something on the other side of the creek and jumped to the other side of the bank.

  “Was this place a camp?” Simon asked.

  “Could have been,” Adam replied. “Oh wow, look at what you found.”

  Adam lifted up a battered skull.

  “What do you think happened to him?” Simon asked.

  “I think there was a fight here,” Adam said. “Matt found that arrowhead. We found this.”

  “And this,” Simon said and lifted a piece of human vertebrate. Another arrowhead was lodged deep into the bone.

  “Holy sh…” Adam began, and then cleared his throat. “Wow.”

  “Thank you, Adam,” Simon sa
id.

  “You’re welcome,” Adam said. “But we should leave them here. Maybe we’ll bury these so his guy can rest.”

  Adam took a knife from its sheath to dig holes for the bones they found. Simon watched as Adam buried the remains without saying a word.

  “Maybe the fucking dumbass is back,” Simon said.

  “Simon!” Adam said, trying not to laugh.

  Two forms appeared and knocked Simon to the ground. They bit into him savagely as he began to scream and wail. Another biter came out of the brush that took Adam down. A teen boy with terrible scratch marks across his face ripped away a portion of his Adam’s bicep with overpowering strength. He fought off the boy enough to grab the gun from the back of his waist band. He shot the two that were tearing into Simon first.

  The teen took Adam’s forearm into his mouth. With the taste of blood and flesh motivating him, the boy bit into bone. Adam felt the pressure of the bite snap the bone. A spike of pain rampaged through Adam’s arm, but just as quickly, his arm went numb. Adam shoved the gun into the boy’s face and squeezed the trigger. The bullet ripped through the biter’s head that caused tissue and blood to spray out the backside. Adam had to pry the biter’s jaw off of him arm in order to get free.

  Adam knew he was going into shock quickly, as the pain and fear seemed to disappear. The two undead attackers had already injured the young boy severely. Simon had lost consciousness. Multiple bite marks bled profusely across his young frame.

  “Simon,” Adam whimpered. “You didn’t deserve this.”

  The only pain Adam felt was heartache. He knew what happened to people who were bitten. He saw his sister suffer the same way the day before after she was bit. Adam placed the muzzle of the gun on the side of Simon’s head. He made sure Simon didn’t suffer or reanimate.

  Adam was losing his strength quickly. The only thing on his mind was getting Simon’s body back to his family.

  He got no more than twenty yards by the time the rest of the group found him. He was on his knees with Simon’s body over his shoulder. He tried desperately to get back on his feet, but his strength was nearly gone.

  Doug and Nikki took Simon’s body off of Adam’s shoulder. Doug set his son’s body on the ground so that Nikki could check him. They saw that the boy was already gone.

  “I am redeemed,” Adam struggled to say.

  With the last bit of his strength, Adam placed the gun under his chin, and pulled the trigger.

  Words were virtually impossible for anyone to utter. What they all witnessed was beyond belief. Evan knelt across from Doug and Nikki, who were both weeping. Evan held Eliot, who was emotionally blank, other than a set of wide eyes. Cameron scouted the area to make sure the gun fire hadn’t attracted anymore biters to them. When he returned, he fervently suggested that they pack up quickly and leave, with or without Edward.

  Mandy and Mary ran to the camp to find something to wrap the bodies with. Matt held Brewster so the coyote pup couldn’t get near either body. John set Adam’s body on the ground.

  Mandy wrapped Simon’s body while Mary helped with Adam’s.

  “We need to go now,” Cameron said. “We’ll find a place to bury these two properly a few miles from here.”

  Doug carried Simon to John’s pickup truck. John and Evan carried Adam behind them.

  “Why were they away from the camp?” Evan asked.

  “We were killing time while you were looking for Edward,” Matt explained.

  “Evan, we didn’t see any biters in the area for most of the night,” John said. “We thought it was ok.”

  “I’m not upset about that part,” Doug said to ease Evan’s mind. “I blame Edward for this.”

  “We could have been attacked in the camp,” John said. “All of this could’ve been avoided if that asshole didn’t disappear.”

  “What happened?” Edward asked as he stood by Evan’s cruiser.

  Before anyone could blink, Doug struck Edward down with an uppercut. He was on Edward and began to punch the judge repeatedly with no sign of letting up. Cameron and John grabbed the cop to prevent him from killing the man. Doug struggled to get out of their grasp. Evan was about to use the opportunity to finish Edward off when Mandy touched his arm. She gave him a look not to do anything.

  Edward got off the ground and gave Doug a look of deep loathing. Doug gave Edward a look that wasn’t much better.

  “Will someone please tell me what happened?” Edward asked. He turned his attention to Evan.

  “Get in your truck and drive east,” Evan said. “We’ll meet you in Amarillo. Doug needs time away from you.”

  “Please,” Edward pleaded. “Tell me.”

  “Go Edward!” Nikki said in a cold hiss.

  “I was just,” Edward said before Evan took a menacing step toward him.

  Edward stormed to his truck and drove east, as Evan instructed.

  Evan, Cameron and John dug the graves for Simon and Adam after they drove ten miles from the campsite. Cameron sang a traditional Sioux song for the deceased. John promised Doug and Nikki that Simon had good company.

  Doug knelt next to Simon’s grave after the service. The others gave him time alone, but he asked Evan to stay. They were silent for a few minutes.

  “I want to leave Edward behind,” Doug said.

  “I would like to as well,” Evan said. “But that’s not the kind of people we are. We need to see this through. Once he’s in Kansas City, we can leave him.”

  “It was him that got these two killed,” Doug muttered.

  “I realize that,” Evan said.

  “My son was seven,” Doug said, almost in tears.

  “I know,” Evan said. “I know how you feel.”

  “You don’t!” Doug said sharply. “You have…”

  Doug must of realized he was about to say the wrong thing to the wrong person. He gave Evan a look of sorrow that Evan understood clearly. Doug placed his hand on Evan’s shoulder. Nikki and Eliot were called over so they could grieve as a family. Mandy took Evan’s hand into both of hers. Evan enjoyed the warmth of her hands.

  Evan’s group left Adam’s pickup truck behind. John drove the police SUV ahead of the bus. Following the bus was Mandy in her classic car. Cameron took up the rear in the cruiser.

  “What did he mean?” Nikki asked John. “’I am redeemed.’”

  “He gave Simon happiness before he died,” John replied. “Adam was molested by his uncle in the same area. It was irony that we camped where we did.”

  “Adam was going to molest my son?” Doug asked.

  “No,” John said. “He wasn’t like that at all. He wanted to show them the place, and help them find what Matt did. That arrowhead was significant to Adam, because the boys were happy. So Adam was redeemed by doing that.”

  “Adam made it so Simon didn’t suffer, Doug,” Nikki said. “We simply didn’t know there would be any of those things so far out from the city. I told the boys it was ok to go with him.”

  “I’m not angry with Adam,” Doug said. “I’m not done with Edward though.”

  A large storm system began releasing sheets of rain that seemed to follow the travelers. Evan’s group came across a large Boeing 747 that had crashed twenty miles from Amarillo. The rain and grey skies make the scene even more ominous. A small number of undead passengers wandered around the wreckage aimlessly.

  Matt sat in the bench seat next to Evan. He plugged Evan’s phone into the bus’s sound system and they listened to music as they drove.

  “Head’s up,” said John’s voice from Evan’s radio. “We have a lot of wreckage and road damage up ahead from this crash. I’ll find the best path through.”

  “Thanks,” Evan replied.

  Matthew studied the crash closely. He mentally noted one of the undead had a large piece of metal sticking out from its chest. The sodden woman staggered through mud. She nearly fell when her foot slipped from under her.

  The woman reminded him of his mother. He recalled the way
Alexis Reid staggered after them when they made their escape outside of Black Canyon City.

  “Get in the truck,” Matt’s father, Pieter said to his family when they left their hotel.

  “What’s happening?” Mary asked.

  “We’re going to try and get home,” Alexis told her daughter.

  “What about the shelters?” Matt asked.

  “There’s no way I’m taking you there,” Alexis said.

  “It’s a government evacuation order,” Pieter told his wife sternly.

  “No Pieter, if you love your kids, and me, trust me,” Alexis pleaded. “Please, Pieter.”

  Matthew watched as the residents of Phoenix got into vehicles and made their way to the refugee camps that emergency broadcasts directed them to. Alexis turned on the radio in the hybrid to listen to any news she could find. The city was quickly spiraling out of control according to one channel. Another channel reported looting in the downtown area. The same channel reported that vicious attacks were happening all over the city.

  Pieter came to a sudden stop when a pair of National Guardsmen walked out to intercept them. Alexis told him to role the window down so she could talk to them.

  “You’re advised to go to the Sahuaro Ranch Park refugee camp sir,” one of the guardsmen said. “Do you need directions to get there?”

  “We’re not going to a camp, Sergeant,” Alexis said.

  “It’s for your own safety ma’am,” the sergeant said.

  Alexis dug into her purse to find her military ID. She handed it over to Pieter, who gave it to the sergeant.

  “We’re not going,” Alexis insisted.

  The sergeant peered into the hybrid at Alexis’s family.

  “I apologize, Captain,” the sergeant said. “This isn’t the way to enjoy retirement.”

  “What is this?” Pieter asked.

  Matt will always remember the sergeant’s answer vividly.

  “Death, sir,” the sergeant said blankly.

  “Sergeant, do you and your subordinate a favor and leave,” Alexis said. “Don’t go to those shelters.”

  “I don’t have much of a chance, ma’am,” the sergeant replied.

  Matt watched as the sergeant took his sidearm out of its holster and passed it to Pieter. He then gave Pieter an extra full clip.