by Tim Moon
He wondered if this was a medical version of the Humvee, but he didn’t see any red crosses designating it as such. He raised the rifle in front of him, ready to strike out. At this point, he wasn’t ready to shoot, because infected were too close. His breath was quick and shallow. His brow furrowed and eyes squinted with focus.
Coming around the back end of the vehicle, Ben jumped out with the rifle held out toward the opening of the door. It was empty. Inside, it was filled with communication equipment or something like that. It wasn’t important. What was important was space, and the vehicle had that in spades. There’d be plenty of room for the entire group.
Ben lowered the rifle. He pulled the two rifles off his back, set them down inside the rear of the Humvee, and reached out to close the door. He was careful to close it quietly. It snapped shut with a metallic click that sounded far too loud to him. His heart began to pound in his chest and he silently cursed himself for being careless. Peeking around the edge of the vehicle, he was relieved to see that none of the infected seemed to notice.
A rush of joy crept up into his chest and big smile broke out on his face. He wanted to whoop with joy. This was it, their chariot of freedom.
Ben moved around the back of the Humvee in a crouch. The driver’s side door was already open so he climbed right in and pulled the door shut behind him. He set his rifle in the passenger seat and leaned over to see if the keys were in the ignition. Mild surprise registered on his face when he saw that there was no keyhole. His suspicion was confirmed: no keys needed. The barren interior gave him only a few options. A quick scan revealed a keyless ignition system. Apparently, all he had to do was flip a switch and he was ready to roll. He nearly shouted with joy.
Ben twisted the switch, but nothing happened. His joy shriveled up. After staring at it in confusion for a moment, it slowly dawned on him that he first had to press a button located above the switch before turning the ignition. His heart began to slow and he let out his breath, not realizing that he’d been holding it.
Ben was all smiles again as he started up the vehicle. It growled to life. He winced at the rumbling sound. What it lacked in stealth, the Humvee made up for by being sturdy as hell. Even if they had to drive off-road, it could easily transport them to the Quarantine Center with no problem.
Ben almost felt like a soldier as he pulled back the shifter and put the thing into reverse so he could straighten out. One body on the ground stirred but just as the man stood up, Ben gunned the engine and ran him over. The body thumped against the back of the Humvee as it slammed into him. It flung the man backward several feet. He bounced on the pavement until the curb of the parking lot caught him. In the side mirror, he saw the zombie was now an unmoving meat sack.
Ben pushed the shifter into drive and pressed the gas. The Humvee slowly built up speed, and its oversized tires growled against the pavement. He raced along the road and turned hard onto the road where Charlotte and Oliver would be hiding. The Humvee bounced over several bodies, crushing them underneath the beefy tires.
He slowed as he drove down the road since there were few, if any, infected there and he didn’t want to run over his friends on accident if they jumped out.
Up ahead, Charlotte’s head peeked out from behind the building where he left them. She grinned and waved him down.
Ben pulled up next to her and stopped. Popping the heavy metal door open, he said, “Hey beautiful, wanna ride?”
Charlotte’s eyebrow shot up and a sly smile lit up her face.
Chapter Fifteen
Ben climbed out of the Humvee, leaving it running. Charlotte laughed and threw herself into his arms. His heart jumped as he hugged her back. It reminded Ben a little of their moment on the beach at Kua Bay the first day they met. She’d “fallen” into him and put a hand on his chest to catch herself. The only major difference this time was they were both grimy and desperately needed a shower. He grinned at the thought. Not to mention the feel of her body pressed against his.
“Thank you for keeping us safe,” Charlotte whispered in his ear.
He wasn’t sure what to say. Ben was just trying to survive like the rest of them. He pulled back, looked down at her, and smiled, giving her a quick nod.
Oliver looked amazed to see the Humvee; his face beamed like he’d always wanted to ride in one. Charlotte pulled back and nodded at the Humvee in approval.
“Where are Anuhea and Ty?” Ben asked. He held up a finger and stuck his head inside the door, it hadn’t even taken two seconds for the kid to climb in. “Oliver, don’t touch the guns. They’re not toys.”
Oliver nodded. He was busy looking at everything inside, which wasn’t much, but it clearly captivated the boy. Ben grabbed his rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
Ben looked at Charlotte again. “Have you seen them?”
“Not for a while.” She shook her head.
Then he looked out over the parking lot, wondering where the others were. The noise of the Humvee was going to attract a lot of attention. Other than the crackling of the fire still gnawing away at the airport buildings, it was the loudest single noise in the area. Ben reached inside and turned off the engine.
Something caught Charlotte’s eye. “Look, Anuhea.”
“Okay, get in. Once they’re both back we’re going to have to make a quick exit,” Ben said.
She nodded.
Ben turned slightly to look over his shoulder. Anuhea was dashing between cars as she made her way toward them on the road. Ty wasn’t near her and Ben feared the worst.
Ben slid the rifle off his shoulder. He went around the back of the vehicle to grab one of the other rifles and jogged toward Anuhea. Four zombies were trailing about twenty yards behind her.
When she was close enough to talk to without yelling, Ben asked, “Where’s Ty?” He handed her the extra rifle.
“I don’t know.” Anuhea looked at him with wide eyes. Her head spun as she scanned him, but there was only the slow-moving group of infected. Neither of them had any idea where Ty had gone.
“Goddamn it. You don’t think he ran away again, do you?” Ben asked.
“Pssh, who knows? I feel like I barely know him,” she said.
Ben nodded. Ty had proved to be so unreliable that Ben wouldn’t be surprised by anything he did at this point.
“Don’t shoot the gun, but you can use it like a club to bash their heads in,” he said.
“Thanks.” Anuhea looked at the rifle he’d handed her and turned to face the incoming zombies, now only ten yards away.
“I still don’t see him. What the hell?” Ben scanned the parking lot quickly, but kept most of his attention was on the approaching group of infected.
“Should we split them up?” Anuhea gestured at the zombies with her M4.
Ben shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Anuhea looked around on the ground, but there weren’t any good rocks on the side of the road.
“I think I have an idea,” Ben said, wondering if his brushes with death had knocked a screw loose. “Stay behind me.”
Anuhea didn’t say anything, but fell in behind him.
The group of infected was comprised of a teenaged boy, two middle-aged women that looked related, and a stooped old man, although he didn’t move any slower than the rest of them. All of them had grievous injuries and blood stained clothing. The women had multiple gunshot wounds in their torsos. Of the four of them, the boy was the least damaged. Still, from the elbow down, his left arm was like a skeleton. Hardly a piece of muscle remained attached, and it was only the white connective tissue that held the bones together in a recognizable shape while it flopped about useless at his side.
“Welcome to the fucking zombie apocalypse,” Ben said, glancing back at Anuhea with a disgusted look on his face. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it,” she said.
Ben looked at the four, took a deep breath, chose his target, and charged the group. Several feet from them, he raised the rifle with both
hands, holding it out like a hockey stick, and plowed into the boy. The teen flew back like a bowling pin, slamming into the others and tripping them up.
Once they were on the ground, Ben and Anuhea went to town dispatching the infected. They cut off the furious growls and moans of the infected with dull, wet splats as skulls fractured under a relentless flurry of blows. Ben grimaced the entire time, even though he knew slaying the infected was necessary. The sight of blood and gore, and the smell, forced him to fight the urge to gag. He doubted he’d ever get used to killing.
Inky drops of zombie blood covered Ben and Anuhea when they were done. Their hands and weapons were spoiled as well. Ben wished the ocean were closer so he could rinse himself off. As soon as they got back to the Quarantine Center, he was going to take a long shower.
Anuhea stood up, wiping sweat from her brow in the crook of her elbow.
Ben turned toward the parking lot while he caught his breath. He didn’t even bother trying to wipe his brow. His arms were slick with sweat and his clothes had been drenched since they stoned the mob after Travis and Kathy died.
“We need to hurry. I need some goddamn water,” Ben said, licking his parched lips.
“I’d kill for a cold glass of juice,” Anuhea said. Then she waved her arm. “It’s Ty.”
Ben looked in the direction that she was facing. Ty ran a little ways before ducking out of view. He’d gone further than Ben would have guessed. Unfortunately, Ty wasn’t paying attention. Infected had begun to move toward the road where the Humvee sat behind them.
Ty came around a large truck and nearly ran into one, but stopped himself at the last moment. He stumbled away, tripping clumsily, and slammed into the back of a blue car.
The car alarm began to blare. Ty jumped back in surprise and fell down.
“Shit!” Ben said, flinching a little at the noise and ducked down. He saw Anuhea flinch out of the corner of his eye.
Ty’s mistake had drawn the attention of the group of zombies that had wandered toward the collapsed roof, not to mention all the other ones wandering through the maze of cars and bodies. Ben figured every zombie still at the airport would eventually hone in on the high-pitched beeping. Ty clambered up from where he fell and stared at the car, like he was in a trance.
“Hurry up! Run!” Anuhea shouted at Ty.
Ben shot a look at her.
“No point staying quiet.”
Anuhea was right, with the alarm drawing all of the attention, their shouts would hardly affect anything.
The infected woman that Ty had almost run into walked around the car between them. He had enough time to run away and he could use the alarm as cover, but not if he stood there like an idiot.
Anuhea yelled again, but Ty couldn’t hear them. He turned and saw all of the infected shuffling his direction. Running a hand through his hair, Ty looked around. Panic was plain on his face.
“Ty! Run!” Ben shouted.
But he didn’t run. Ty didn’t even glance in their direction. He turned and began tugging on car door handles. The first two he tried didn’t open. Instead, he set off another alarm.
“What the hell is he doing?” Anuhea asked.
Ben cursed again and began to run toward his friend.
Glancing around for quick check, he saw that all the infected were focused on the car alarm. Then he realized that Ty was nowhere to be seen. Risking a glance over his shoulder, Ben saw Anuhea following him. Knowing that she had his back renewed Ben’s energy. He dashed between cars, hopped over bodies, and nearly fell from sliding in pieces of shattered glass that glistened in the sunlight like diamonds.
“Ty!” Ben shouted, repeating his name as he looked around frantically for his friend.
Several infected had reached the car that Ty bumped. They stood by it, clawing mindlessly at the windows. Ben wondered how long they’d stay distracted when it was obvious there was no one there to kill.
“Ben! Anuhea!” Ty shouted.
Ben turned and glared at his friend.
“Watch out,” Ben said, pointing behind Ty.
Ty whirled around. One of the infected was nearly on him. He screamed as the zombie cornered him against a car. He yelped as he cut his leg on something. Ty tried to push her away, but they were locked in a morbid dance that only one would survive.
“Help me,” Ty shouted, holding the woman at arm’s reach, trying not to be torn apart. Pushing and pulling, the two fought between a pair of cars. Ty fell and the woman went down with him.
Anuhea reached Ty just a second before Ben. She swung the rifle, hitting the woman in the back of the head. Blood ran out of the wound and dripped down onto Ty’s face. He clenched his eyes closed and turned his head away. Ben slung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbed the woman’s ankles, and pulled.
Anuhea continued to thrash the woman. Ty let go and threw his hands up in defense, as if Anuhea was trying to hit him. Ben pulled the woman, but one of her shoes slipped off. He lost his grip and fell on his ass. The M4 slipped off his shoulder and clattered on the ground. A shock raced up his spine as Ben hit his coccyx on the pavement. He cursed and sucked in a deep breath. Ben fought the pain and stood up, rubbing his butt to subdue the agony.
Before he could get back into the fight, Anuhea had killed the woman. Ben picked up his rifle, wincing at the tenderness of his injury.
“Let’s go,” Anuhea said. She made Ty stand up alone, but reached out to pull him along behind her. He twisted out of her grip.
“Back to the road, we have a ride,” Ben said.
Ben jogged a little slower with a visible limp as the stinging sensation slowly dissipated from his ass. He smiled though. Finally, they were reunited and all headed in the same direction.
Chapter Sixteen
The lingering pain from hitting his coccyx was gone by the time Ben reached the Humvee. Charlotte and Oliver were waiting for them in the passenger seat with big smiles on their faces. Anuhea and Ty sat in the back.
“I’m glad you all made it back,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks,” Anuhea said, reaching up to pat her on the shoulder.
Ben threw the Humvee into drive and spun the wheel hard. The Humvee had a large turn radius.
“Hold on,” Ben said as the vehicle tilted to the side. The tires went off the road and started down into the ditch. It quickly righted itself as Ben straightened out the vehicle and sped off. Leaving the airport behind, he drove North on the highway toward the Quarantine Center.
Anuhea leaned forward.
“Great ride,” she said. “You win the award for Most Valuable Player.”
“Thanks.” Ben adjusted his load-bearing vest to get comfortable.
Abandoned cars littered the highway. Some had crashed, others looked inexplicably burned out, and still others were shot up. It reminded Ben of pictures from the first Gulf War when America destroyed hundreds of vehicles as Iraqis fled Kuwait with loot. Weaving between the wreckage made it slow going, but at least they didn’t have to dodge the infected. He spotted bodies in a few of the cars.
They passed through the wreckage without incident and continued down the highway toward the Quarantine Center. Looking in the side view mirror Ben watched the smoking airport recede from view. He crossed his fingers that they would be leaving the infected behind, but a small part of his mind told him that he couldn’t leave his problems behind. He couldn’t run away and avoid them like he had when he’d gone to Korea.
The QC wasn’t far from the airport. As they approached, they saw one of the deuce and a half trucks in the ditch along the highway. Bodies around the rear end suggested a gruesome end for whoever was inside it. He had no idea why it was there or who could have been inside. All the trucks from their convoy had made it to the airport. Not that it ended any better for those folks.
As they passed the crashed truck, Ben looked in the direction of the camp and could immediately tell that something was seriously wrong. Smoke rose high into the air from the location of the Quarantine C
enter and although he couldn’t see clearly because of the twisting road and berms between the turns, it was clear that smoke was not a good sign.
The mood in the Humvee drooped, Ben could almost feel it. Ty groaned. The rest of them remained silent as they turned onto the gravel road that would take them to the front gates. It was as if no one wanted to give voice to what they all feared.
Ben squeezed the steering wheel like a stress ball, flexing his fingers. He wasn’t sure what they’d do if the QC was overrun. In his gut, Ben knew that’s what the smoke meant. Either bodies or tents, or both, were giving off the dark clouds that slowly retreated toward the mountains on the ocean breeze.
He fought the growing dread inside him. The QC had to be there. They had nowhere else to go. Few options existed. How could they possibly get to Molokai now? Not to mention the mainland. In his mind, Ben willed the fences to be standing tall, the guards alert, and everyone alive, but Lady Luck was AWOL.
Coming around the last bend in the road, they saw the camp.
Ben’s stomach dropped as he saw what remained. He stomped on the brake and they skidded to a halt.
Ty groaned again. Charlotte gasped and Oliver softly muttered, “Uh oh.” Anuhea was the only one that didn’t utter a sound.
Part of the fence remained standing, but several sections sagged to the ground. One part looked torn apart, possibly by an explosion of some sort. A section of fence near the gate was canted sideways at an angle. Several bodies were clinging to the fence like flies caught in a spider’s web. Bodies of dead infected were piled like sandbags along the perimeter of the fence. The battle for the Quarantine Center must have been epic.
Oliver climbed up, pressing his face against the window so he could see, but he quickly recoiled.
“They look like bad people,” he said.
Inside the camp, most of the tents that housed the medical center, chow hall, latrines, and sleeping areas had burned down. Only a few tents remained untouched by the inferno that had ravaged the QC. Even one of the Humvees looked charred. Dozens of infected milled about behind the fence, trapped in one of the few places on the island that should have been a refuge. Among the infected, Ben watched as several child zombies were bounced around like pinballs by the larger bodies of the adults. His stomach clenched at the sight. They shouldn’t have suffered such a fate.