He thought back to six or seven hours ago. That fucking zombie. How perfectly timed everything had to have been for the events to have unfolded the way that they did. The precise speed at which he drove the SUV, the dead guy hitting the front driver’s side bumper just right, sliding off the roof of the SUV at the exact moment Jesse was going to take it out. It was a perfect storm of events that culminated with Jesse’s body lying a few feet away from where Max now sat.
✽✽✽
Jesse saw the look on Max’s face as he ran his thumb over the bite mark, and he knew. Max didn’t have to say a word. His expression had gone from one of desperation to one of devastation as he found the tiny pinprick of blood. For a moment neither of them said anything. Junior and Vince were close enough to see the trace of blood under the flashlight, but even if they hadn’t been, Max and Jesse’s body language said it all. Frank stood a few feet away, crushing the skulls of any dead that came too close. He glanced at Junior and caught his eye. Junior shook his head slightly side to side and Frank knew.
Jesse was infected. What the hell were they supposed to do now? Frank, Junior and Vince didn’t know a lot of the history, but they knew that Max and Jesse went way back, all the way to when they were kids. They knew that this trip was taking them to their families who were both supposed to end up at Max’s house. They could see that they were like brothers and they knew that Max was about to lose his best friend.
“Fucking A, mother fucker,” Jesse swore as he examined his own arm. “One tiny little fucking scratch.” He shook his head miserably. He had really thought that he would make it to Max and Anna’s house. He hadn’t thought much beyond that. His entire focus had been to get there so he could be with and protect his family. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he went on more quietly.
Jesse didn’t want to die, but more importantly he didn’t want to leave his family. He didn’t want them to lose him, to grieve for him. He hadn’t heard Michelle’s voice since the shit hit the fan and he still didn’t know if they were safe. The last he knew was that they were going to make another attempt to get to Max and Anna’s house.
Jesse briefly thought back to conversations from earlier that afternoon about how quickly some of the infected turned while others lasted for hours. He had no idea how much time he had left. He wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t put Max and the other guys in jeopardy, yet he didn’t want to turn into one of the dead wandering around mindlessly for an eternity.
“Easy brother,” Max said quietly as he watched the gears turning in Jesse’s head. “You’ve got time. Probably hours.”
“Remember the taxi driver from my bar? He lasted a good six hours,” Vince added. Jesse nodded tightly.
“We can’t head home like this. I could end up hurting my family. Fuck. I don’t want them to see me as one of the dead,” Jesse said flatly. “And I don’t want to turn and attack you.”
“Let’s pull up to that semi-truck up ahead. We’ll park alongside then go up on top,” Max said as he pointed at the truck about five hundred feet away to the right. “We can sit, talk, whatever you want to do for as much time as we have, safely away from the dead.”
“And if I turn suddenly?” Jesse asked bluntly. He feared that he would attack his best friend.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. But when the time comes, I’ve got your back. I won’t let you become one of them,” Max promised. Jesse nodded.
Frank, Junior and Vince listened silently from the sidelines. They would support whatever decision Max and Jesse made.
“Load up guys. We’re headed for that semi-truck,” Max started, knowing the guys had heard the conversation. “We’ll climb up on top of the trailer away from the dead.”
Max got in the driver’s seat and pulled the SUV up about a car length so the guys could open their doors all the way to get in. Jesse took his usual place in the front passenger seat. Everyone was upset and nervous, fearing the unknown, but no one was concerned about riding with him. They all felt certain that he had at least a few hours.
After everyone was in, Max slowly weaved between a few cars until he pulled up alongside the trailer of the semi. It was high enough that zombies couldn’t reach them and likely wouldn’t see them, but not so high that they couldn’t climb up from the top of the SUV.
“Frank, Junior, would you guys take out all of the zombies that can see us now? If any of them see us go up, we’ll end up surrounded at some point,” Max said.
“No problem,” Junior said. The guys heard bodies fall to the ground one by one as Junior and Frank set out to kill all of the zombies in the immediate vicinity.
Vince grabbed their backpacks from the SUV. One would have been enough for food and water, but he wanted to redistribute their supplies among the packs in case they had to give up the SUV later and go on foot. Almost as an afterthought, he grabbed the case of beer. Standing on the roof of the SUV, he grasped the top of the trailer with his hands and slowly pulled himself up. He lay on his stomach then reached his arms down to grab each bag as Max passed them up to him.
Jesse came next. Max gave him a boost with his hands as he climbed up and over to the top. Vince reached down and grabbed Max’s hands to help pull him up. They watched for a moment as Frank and Junior finished taking out the dead below. Frank hopped up on top of the SUV’s roof then boosted Junior up. Frank was taller than Vince, so he was able to pull himself up over the top without a problem.
They all got settled and spread out a bit on top of the long trailer. Vince sat near the middle by the pile of bags and pulled bottles of water out for everyone.
“Hey, you mind cracking open that case of beer?” Jesse asked. Vince opened it and tossed a can to Jesse. The rest of the guys each took one for themselves.
“I’ll take first watch,” Frank said and headed to the rear end of the trailer. The evening sky was dark, but the streetlamps stayed lit, providing him with a clear view of the surrounding area. He lit a cigarette and sipped his beer, knowing he would only have the one. He needed to keep a clear head. Junior came over and sat down beside him as they watched the highway below.
Vince started going through their supplies, redistributing things like water, food, rope, duct tape, tools, headlamps and other items necessary for their survival. He was trying to keep himself busy and his mind occupied. He was near the middle of the trailer and wanted to give Max and Jesse some space up front.
Each man felt a degree of shock at what had happened. They didn’t think they were invincible, but such a simple thing as taking out a dead man on the hood never should have led to the death of one of their own. They were always careful, always watching, always as prepared as they could be.
Up front, Max and Jesse finished their first beer. Max walked over toward Vince and grabbed a few more. He grabbed another pack of smokes from the pile of supplies around the bag then went back up front with Jesse.
Max’s face was a dark cloud. He was furiously blaming himself for Jesse getting bitten. He was thinking about what he could have possibly done differently to prevent it.
“Hey man, it’s not your fault,” Jesse said as he read his friend’s face. “I’m the one who insisted we keep going in the dark. I didn’t want to stop for the night. And that damned zombie on the windshield was the biggest fucking fluke I’ve ever seen.”
He studied Max’s expression for a moment then said, “I mean it brother. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it.”
Max met Jesse’s eyes and nodded. They both opened another beer and lit a smoke.
“Hey, you remember when we were kids and we used to ride our bikes all over the place and we jumped that big hill out in the woods?” Jesse asked. “Should have broken our necks going over that thing.”
“Yeah, we thought we were the shit with our Huffy bikes back in the day,” Max said. They both laughed thinking of the crazy bike stunts they’d pulled that summer when they were ten or eleven years old.
“How about that time in grade school when
we tied David’s shoelaces together and made him fall on his face?” Jesse laughed his loud belly laugh.
“Aw man, I forgot about that one. Well if he wasn’t always picking on people and being a dick we might not have done it,” Max said with a grin. “Gotta admit that was funny as hell when he went flying. Remember the blood all over the place? Was worth getting grounded over when our moms found out,” Max laughed.
“Oh, Dorwood’s science class,” Jesse started.
“We put the frog in Missy’s book bag,” Max finished with a laugh.
“The way she screamed when she reached her hand in and the frog jumped out,” Jesse laughed harder.
“That time we gave Billy five dollars so he would eat those bugs in Allread’s class?” Max laughed as he cracked open a couple more beers and lit a couple smokes for both of them.
“I never thought he’d actually do it,” Jesse laughed at the memory. “What a dumbass. How about that time we got caught making out with Laura, Dawn and Meredith in the stairwell in junior high?”
“We got in more trouble because it was three girls. The principal didn’t know what to do with us. A week’s detention,” Max grinned. “Hell, our moms were pissed at that one.”
“Yeah, lots of lectures about respecting women for two weeks straight,” Jesse said with a smile. “But it was totally worth it. We became legends at school!”
“We topped that one though, when Michelle and Anna caught us peeking at them in the girl’s locker room,” Max said remembering their fiery tempers.
“That was the first time someone told me off worse than my mom did,” Jesse laughed. “Man does Michelle have a temper.”
“It worked out in the end, though. We’ve been with them ever since,” Max said with a heavy sigh. A touch of sadness came over both of them as they thought of their wives and knew that Jesse would never see his again.
“Hey, toss me another beer, would you?” Jesse said. It had been hours of them reminiscing. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time left and didn’t want to spend what little he had feeling sad. He was starting to feel strange.
“You okay bro?” Max asked with concern.
“Yeah, I just feel a little strange,” Jesse said. “I can feel it. It’s like this slow moving heaviness flowing through my veins. Like my blood is thickening and slowing down or something. My arms and legs feel kind of heavy.”
Max looked at his friend and listened intently as he spoke. Jesse’s face was slowly growing pale, one shade at a time. “Does it hurt?” he asked quietly.
“No, it’s not painful, just heavy, you know?” Jesse responded. “My head is starting to feel like I’m hungover. Kind of cloudy, like my thoughts are getting a little jumbled together. I’m still good, man.”
All traces of smiles and laughter disappeared from Max’s face. They were supposed to have been having a little cook out and pool party at Max’s house today. If the dead hadn’t happened, he and Jesse would probably be drinking beers around the fire pit right about now. Instead, they were on top of a fucking semi-truck trailer in the middle of a highway sharing what would be their last beers together, as the virus worked its way through Jesse’s body.
“Hey, that trip to Mexico for our birthdays when we turned twenty-one,” Jesse started with a smile.
“We almost got stuck there when we lost our ID’s,” Max picked up where Jesse had paused. They both laughed and shook their heads at the memory. Michelle and Anna had been about ready to kill both of them.
“I’ve got it. When Cleveland went to the World Series,” Jesse said. “We partied until the bars closed then partied some more.”
“That was a hell of a great time,” Max said with a grin, but his smile faded as he saw Jesse’s face visibly grow paler as he looked at him.
“All those years working construction together, our wives as close as sisters, our kids best friends...,” Jesse trailed off.
They had so little time left but Max didn’t know what to say. He was having trouble with his own thoughts and with knowing what he was ultimately going to have to do. He looked over at Jesse and saw that his face was almost white. It looked like his hand eye coordination was starting to become affected as he struggled with a lighter and a cigarette.
“Light me a smoke, would you?” Jesse asked. Max took the cigarette and lit it for him. Jesse fumbled with it as he brought it to his mouth. “You’re the closest thing to a brother that I have. I want you to know that I love you deeply, and not in that gay way either,” Jesse laughed weakly. “I mean it. I love you, brother. When you see my family, tell my kids I went out thinking of them, and tell Michelle I’m sorry. I know I shoulda taken better care and been safer. She knows I’m thick headed. Tell her I’ll miss her most of all and for what it’s worth, I’ll be waiting for her.” His eyes closed, his body slumped slightly, and the cigarette rolled from his hand.
Chapter 25
Day 2
“Quiet, Lucia!” Michelle scolded softly as Lucia whispered taunts at her brother. Even during the apocalypse they couldn’t help themselves. “Message Camille and tell them we’re here.” They were just a few feet away from the fence at the back of Max and Anna’s house.
“No need,” Anna’s voice called softly from the other side of the fence. Damon quickly pulled himself up onto a branch that sat above the fence line and grinned.
“Finally,” Anna said. She climbed up a neighboring tree so she could see her friend. “We’ve been worried sick.” She looked at Michelle and the kids then noticed the unknown blonde woman standing there. She raised her eyebrows at Michelle who nodded back. Anna dropped back down to the ground silently.
“Joey, pass the bags up to Damon,” Michelle instructed quietly. The backpacks were pretty easy to move but he struggled with the gun and ammo bags. Emily helped him push the heavier bags up to the tree branch, where Damon grabbed them and brought them down with Anna’s help.
One by one they boosted themselves up to the branch then climbed down the other side. Michelle was strong but tiny, so Damon hooked his legs around a strong heavy branch and hung down with his arms outstretched so he could pull Michelle up. Once she was on the branch, she was able to climb down the other side into the yard.
“Alright, up to the house, quietly,” Anna said. Damon carried the gun bag, while Emily helped Anna carry the ammo bag. “We’re using the front door.”
The group slowly and quietly made their way through the large backyard. It was a few minutes before they came upon the pool area and the rear of the house became clearly visible.
“Wow,” Michelle mouthed to Anna upon seeing the boards and bars covering the windows and patio doors. They continued around the side of the house and turned the corner to the front. They approached the front door quietly, and Lucia took off her backpack so she could open the door and slide through the security bars. Once inside, she reached for her backpack.
One at a time they climbed through then brought their packs in. Then Damon and Joey grasped first the gun bag then the ammo bag and carefully pushed them inside between the metal bars. As careful as they were, they made a little bit of noise that was simply unavoidable.
Anna hugged Michelle and smiled as Lucia and Camille lit up upon seeing each other. She needed to set Damon and Joey to work before she worried about introductions with the blonde woman.
“Go make the openings so we can see out the windows,” she instructed them. Damon knew what to do and quickly explained it to Joey. The headed out the front door and to Max’s workshop for tools.
On the dining room table, strips of black out curtains were cut up and several roles of duct tape sat next to them. Camille had been busy while Anna and Damon had been out of the house. She’d finished everything Anna had asked her to do.
“Girls, go cook everything that’s left in the fridge,” Anna said. She wanted to keep them busy but also thought that between four teenagers and three adults, they were going to need a lot of food. She knew that the power was going to go out eventu
ally and wanted to make sure they ate all of their fresh food before it could go to waste. Once it was gone, they’d start on the freezer. After that, there was a deep freezer full of food in the garage. The garage fridge held mostly beverages.
Anna filled a few glasses with water then led Michelle and the blonde to the spacious living room, where the DVR continued to play news on the TV in the background. Michelle and Anna settled down onto one couch, while Emily sat on the other.
“Anna, this is Emily,” Michelle introduced the two women. “We literally ran into each other and lost the SUV in the process.”
“Thank you so much for allowing me into your home,” Emily said sincerely. “This is the first time I’ve felt safe since the whole thing started.”
“No problem, Emily,” Anna smiled, believing the sincerity in her voice was genuine while taking in the woman’s striking natural beauty. Anna didn’t trust new people easily, but she trusted Michelle and Michelle’s gut feeling clearly told her that Emily was okay.
“In reality, I lost control of my car and plowed into Michelle’s. Managed to total both of them.” Emily sighed. She knew that both Anna and Michelle wanted to hear her story but that they needed to catch up with each other first. So she turned her attention to the TV and watched silently as the two women talked.
Michelle filled Anna in on their day, from leaving the barn, to helping the trapped family, to the accident, to arriving at the rear fence. She spoke of Joey with what could only be described as the fierce pride of a loving mother.
“Joey insisted we help the people trapped inside that house and wouldn’t have it any other way. It turned out to be a family with three small children,” Michelle said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I can’t imagine the terror they must have felt. We’ve had a hell of a time and my kids are teenagers. I really hope they find a safe place to go.”
Chronicles of the Undead | Book 1 | Urban Gridlock Page 18