A few moments later Connor returned. “I found swimming goggles.” No one was amused with his find. “What? They’ll help with the sand.”
Val grabbed the green ones out of his hand without saying anything. Sara was still brooding so Val picked out the blue ones for her.
“Do you want one, Moses?” Val asked.
He nodded.
“What’s wrong with her?” Connor asked gesturing to Sara who vacantly stared into the distance.
None answered.
After a while Val went to check on Sara. “We need to get going,” Val said.
“To where?” Sara replied in a melancholy tone.
“East. I still want to head east.”
“Why? So we can follow a painting a liar drew on a wall?”
Val thought for a moment on how to answer. “Well, as Moses pointed out, we don’t have much of a choice. We have to go east.”
“What would you do if I told you I wanted to stay here?”
“In the middle of nowhere?”
“I just want to die,” Sara said softly.
Val sat next to her in silence.
“Everything’s gotten so messed up,” Sara said leaning her head on Val’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can do this. It was hard enough without having Brady here. But now that he’s betrayed us, I don’t know that my heart can take it. I don’t want to go on anymore.”
“Well do it for me then. You know I couldn’t make it without you. You’ve got to tell me what to do with Connor. And keep me from killing him! I need you, Sara.”
Val stood up and took Sara by the hand. “Come on. One step at a time.” Sara forced a fabricated smile.
The two women rejoined the group. Val gently put Moses’ goggles on his face and remarked, “You know, we look kind of similar, Moses. I mean we both are wearing goggles and have bald heads.” Struck by the falsehood of her claim, she continued, “Otherwise, we’re kind of completely different. Ok, so we’re nothing alike. Blah! Blah!” Moses just sighed heavily.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙ ∙
Seeing that they had no other choice, they took the road they believed to be east. Those infected continued to get worse. Val did everything she knew how, but in the end four of them worsened to the point that they couldn’t continue. They stopped briefly to give them rest, but the four died in great pain. All watched on in amazement as Moses battled the same infection and yet remained alive and able to move.
As they wandered, Val greatly wanted to ask Sara about her pregnancy. But the heavy weight upon Sara's mind made Val decide not to.
Unannounced zombie attacks became frequent. Often rotting hands came thrusting out of the sand from beyond their field of vision. Without warning the two forces would stumble across each other in the wilderness and have to engage each other in hand-to-hand combat. In one of the towns, the company gathered a bunch of hand-to-hand weapons. Several of the soldiers outfitted themselves in hockey gear or baseball catcher masks. In the close dusty quarters, baseball bats, axes, and metal pipes became a weapon of choice. The sandstorm robbed the company of any type of warning. The company endured a steady diet of paranoia as a result. Every minute sound was taken as an attack.
It was during one of these attacks, Sara became lost in the sandstorm. Val frantically searched for her until she found her. Val reached her just in time to see a zombie before her. To Val’s confusion, Sara had lowered her swords and the tips rested harmlessly on the ground. Sara knelt a little and the zombie slashed her across the face. Sara’s head spun to the right underneath the blow. Without further hesitation Val shot blowing the zombie backwards and sending Sara reeling to the ground from the sound. Once she confirmed the zombie to be dead, Val embraced Sara.
“What was that? Are you alright,” Val asked.
Sara had a faraway look and whispered, “I saw him in its eyes.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I see him in their burning eyes. I know it’s just my imagination but it’s like every zombie looks like him coming to eat me.”
“Why didn’t you kill it?”
But Sara seemed lost in her own thoughts and made no answer.
This concerned Val greatly. Sara’s grasp on reality had been steadily decreasing. Without pressing the matter, they returned to the others.
When they reached the outskirts of a larger town many days later, Val felt it was time to speak to Sara about her pregnancy.
“I want to help in any way I can with this pregnancy,” Val started. “I just don’t know how.”
“Thank you. I really do appreciate that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before that day at the hotel. I suspected I was pregnant but wasn’t entirely sure until I saw it in the vision of the future.”
“I’m not angry. I’m afraid for you. This journey is hard enough for all of us. I can’t imagine what it’s like being pregnant.”
“It’s terrifying. I fear it for so many reasons. I’m afraid of how I’ll be disabled both in the group and in battles. I’m already afraid of being ostracized because I know too much. I’m sure having a baby and not carrying my own weight won’t help that.
“I’m definitely scared to bring a child into this hell. I’m frightened about giving birth with no doctor or medicine. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll survive. What happens if I go into labor when we’re in the middle of nowhere or under attack? Has anyone here ever delivered a baby? What if there are complications?”
Sara sighed before continuing. “And that’s not the half of it.” Sara looked at Val with a somber gaze. “Brady told me when he was incarcerated that he would eat me from the inside out. I didn’t know what to think of it at the time, but now I wonder if this child is zombie. I know it won’t have teeth yet, but what if it tries to harm me as it starts maturing? What if it’s controlled by kings and attacks me every time we get near one? There’s no way of knowing what it could do! It’s dreadful fearing the baby inside you. This should be a happy time not a dreadful one!
“But there’s hope too,” Sara said almost with a tear. “Something I haven’t had a lot of lately. I can’t help dreaming about the possibility of a normal, healthy baby. It would change a great many things. Val. I’m sure I’ll need you during the birth, but I need you even now. You’re my closest friend. In some ways, you’re my only friend. Thank you for being with me.”
“You’re welcome. There’s no other place I’d rather be than here with you. Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”
Where they sat, the sandstorm was lessened greatly by the buildings. As they spoke, Sara saw a figure move out of her peripheral vision as soon as she turned her eyes to focus on it. It happened several times before she no longer considered it a figment of her imagination.
“Keep talking,” Sara said to Val, “But I just saw something move. I don’t think it’s zombie. I think it’s human.”
“Can I turn around and look?”
“No don’t startle it.” The two sat there talking until the figure returned much closer. Sara immediately told Val to whirl around and run for a nearby building. She did and caught the culprit trying to escape. To her surprise, Val held in her hands a boy no older than ten.
“What are you doing?” Val asked.
“What are you doing? This is my town!” the boy replied.
“You live here?” About this time, Sara came around the corner.
“Over there,” he said pointing to one of the skyscrapers.
“What’s your name?”
“Chuck. And don’t ask about my parents. They’re dead. Let me go!” Val let go of him expecting him to run. But the boy seemed starved for human interaction.
“My parents are gone too,” Sara tried to empathize with him.
“Of course yours are! You’re old.”
“You’re pleasant,” Val said sarcastically.
“What are you guys doing here?” the boy asked.
“We’re just passing through on our way east,” Sara said more easily than she thou
ght she should have.
“Do you have family there?”
“No, we’re just travelling there.”
“Well, while you’re here, you can stay with me. In my fort!” he almost blurted out in excitement.
Val, fearing it may be a trap, took several soldiers with them. They cautiously followed the child to the rooftop of a nearby building. Almost immediately the soldiers noticed a cable running between this building to the one next door. The boy whipped off his belt and proceeded to ride the cable like a zip line. A brave soldier followed him and signaled that everything was alright once he landed on the other side.
Once in one of the top floors of the other building, another zip line started on the other side of the building leading to yet another one. Each line got lower and lower on the next structure until they came at last to the third floor of a medium sized office complex. The child disappeared this last time and when they followed, they were ushered into his lair. The fortress seemed straight out of a boy’s imagination. A large door could swing shut cutting off the entrance via the zip line. The child had constructed large metal spikes protruding out of the door so that any unwanted visitors would meet a grizzly end if they attempted to slide down the zip line with the door closed.
In the far corner he gathered a large stockpile of non-perishable food. It consisted mostly of the usual snack foods found in gas stations or the candy aisle of grocery stores.
On the opposite wall hung his weapon wrack. He had amassed several automatic weapons and three shotguns. Two machetes hung on a nail. Beneath it a pile of ammo littered the floor. Off to the right was an unusually large amount of explosives, a bow and arrow, a parachute, scores of Swiss army knives, and a random assortment of things a boy would find interesting.
In another part of the floor, Chuck constructed an exit zip line sliding down to the second floor of another nearby building. From there he told them he could exit onto the street. A similar spiked door guarded this exit should anyone try to climb their way up the cable.
“I’ve sealed off the bottom floors and stairwells so no one can enter this level,” Chuck said proudly as if he had accomplished some great task. “This entire floor is mine. A zombie has never set foot in it and never will. They can’t use the zip lines. They tried once and all fell off. And I’ve got this door here in case unwanted humans come by. This place is perfect!”
“Where did you get all these weapons and explosives?” Val asked.
“From humans,” he said with a smile. “They weren’t as smart as me. They came charging into the city and drew the attention of all the zombies. Two hours later they were all dead. I went in after a few days and cleaned out all their weapons. And now all the explosives are mine! But I don’t know how to use them yet. But when I learn, I’m going to setup traps all over the city. No one will ever enter without me letting them.”
The soldiers by the window were able to see parts of the downtown area when the sandstorm weakened.
“Is this Amarillo?” one of the soldiers asked the boy.
“Yes, have you been looking for it?”
“Not particularly,” the man replied. “After all this wandering around we’re still only in northern Texas.”
“How long have you lived here?” Val asked.
“Since the zombies came. I’ve killed a lot of them and they’ve never caught me. It’s fun popping heads.”
“Are there any other humans in the city?”
“Sometimes. They come and go but I’ve never let them see me. Except for you.”
“Why did you talk to us?”
“I like her,” Chuck said pointing to Sara. “Are you going to live here?”
“I don’t think we’re staying, Chuck,” Val replied.
“Please stay,” he said grabbing onto Val.
“Let me talk to the others. Maybe you can come with us. I mean if you want to.”
“I don’t want to. Why would I ever leave this place? You’re crazy to wander around on foot?”
“It’s all we have. Do any of the vehicles work here?”
“Nothing works here. It’s all broken. But you should stay here. You’ll die out there! If you guys can figure out how to get the power working, we can play video games and get a fridge. Do you know how power works?”
“I’m afraid you need a generator for that.”
“Maybe there’s one around here. What do they look like?”
Val gave him a rough description of one and then turned her attention to one of the soldiers to send back word that all was safe and everyone soon joined them in the fort. Chuck announced he was leaving to look for a generator and quickly disappeared out the zip line. Something within Val wanted to stop him thinking it unsafe, but then she remembered he’d survived since the beginning and could obviously take care of himself.
Everyone arrived making themselves at home. Moses and Connor had the most difficult times across the zip lines. Moses had to take their description of the thing by faith. They tied several belts to his arm because he lacked the strength to hold on himself. Connor wanted to do it on his own but in the end needed help.
In a few hours, Chuck returned empty handed. He popped in through the zip line ready to announce his finding.
“I need help bringing up a generator! I found one I just can’t lift it.”
“Do you mind if we rest a bit first?” Sara asked. If anyone else had asked he probably would not have relented but it was obvious he favored Sara.
“Ok, but after we rest, it’ll take at least four of us. We’ll have to figure out how to get it across the zip line.” Sara did not reply and the boy settled down next to her. Everyone was grateful to be in out of the terrible wind. Chuck sat up for a while looking over his new companions and often glancing to Sara. He spent the majority of the darkness sitting quietly next to her. As the darkness deepened, the boy closed the outer doors and lit a few candles in the middle of the room.
“You look sick,” Chuck told Sara.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, I’m glad I found you then! You’ll definitely have to stay here until you have your kid. Is it a boy or a girl?” he whispered when he returned to Sara.
“I don’t know. I haven’t been to the doctor yet. Know any?”
“Just the zombie ones down by the hospital. I don’t like going down there. It smells.”
“So you could take us there if we wanted?”
“Yes, but that place is awful.”
“Val,” Sara said reaching over to her. “There’s a hospital here.”
Val seemed confused. “And?”
“And we could do an ultrasound to see the baby.”
“Oh,” Val said, “because you think it’s-” Val looked at Chuck and didn’t finish her sentence.
“Maybe we could tell.”
“I suppose it’s worth a shot.”
“Chuck,” Sara said, “could you take us to the hospital in a little bit?”
“If you really want to,” he said somewhat sadly.
As their conversation ended, Sara felt Chuck lean against her. Something about him seemed very reassuring. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was before she drifted off to sleep.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙ ∙
When Sara woke, she opened her eyes slowly taking in her surroundings. Reality came to her slowly for the safety of the place succeeded in calming her. It could have been a lazy Saturday morning before the infection. But all too soon the remembrance of zombies and terrors stole her tranquility.
Sara moved which woke Chuck. She looked at his bloodshot, sleepy eyes and leaned over and woke Val. With the knowledge of a nearby hospital, Sara wanted to waste no time.
“Ok,” Val said, “so the hospital will have generators, right? So let’s stop by a gas station and fill up some tanks. You know, the usual stuff?”
“Sounds good to me,” Sara replied.
Val approached Jordan and Moses with her plans. She hated to admit it, but Jordan did take a natural ro
le of leadership in the group.
“We’re leaving to go to the hospital,” Val told them. “Sara wants to do an ultrasound of the baby.”
“And you know how to do one of those?” Jordan asked.
“I’ve seen movies,” she replied snidely. “I’ll figure it out. I haven’t seen too many zombies around town but I know this is risky. If we start generators there’s always a possibility of spawning an attack. We’ll do our best to be quiet. Chuck tells me it’s not too far from here, so keep your ears open for sounds of a firefight. Come save us if we need.”
“Hopefully you will not need it,” Moses replied.
In a few moments, Chuck led the way down the zip line with the two women following. The three wound their way through the abandoned town using only their melee weapons on unavoidable foes. Sara still used her swords whereas Val now favored a machete she found in Chuck’s hideout. Chuck normally would scurry through the buildings and avoid all the zombies and therefore rarely carried a melee weapon. But since he escorted a company now and silence was a concern, he asked for one of Sara’s swords.
They avoided or sliced their way through several city blocks making their way north from the downtown area. Passing a gas station, they were able to fill up three jugs to take with them. When they arrived at the hospital, the three made their way down towards the entrance passing what remained of wind-eaten trees.
Sara paused a moment in a circular drop-off zone before the hospital entrance. The dark windows of the building glared down at her. She wondered what horrors would haunt these halls. A zombie infested hospital was not her idea of fun.
Chuck carelessly ran inside. Sara looked behind her to make sure none followed them and then slipped inside. Chuck was right. This hospital emanated a strange, disgusting odor. Sara glanced down the narrow, dark hallways wondering what could give off such a horrific smell. In her glancing, Sara chanced upon a directory and moved over to locate the OB-BYN floor. It was on the second floor.
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