by Tim Moon
“Um….” he said. Looking around he realized what happened. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah, oh shit.” Ben threw the empty plastic bottle at him. “Why’d you try to run off with the fucking Humvee? What’s wrong with you?”
“I uh…” He stood up slowly, stumbled back and bumped into the open door. “I was just…”
“You were just abandoning us back there,” Ben said. His volume was quickly rising. “You better fucking hope you didn’t break this thing.”
Ben slapped his hand on the roof of the Humvee.
Ty winced at the sound.
“Un-fucking-believable,” Ben said as he turned and walked away.
“Fuck you, Ben,” he said to Ben’s back.
“What?” Ben whipped around and stalked right up to Ty backing him up against the hood. Their faces were less than an inch apart. “Say it to my face you fucking coward.”
Ty swallowed.
“Ben, back up,” said Charlotte. “This isn’t going to help anything.”
“C’mon,” Ben yelled in his face. “You got something to say, you say it. Be a man. Don’t talk shit behind my back.”
“Fine!” Ty snapped. He pushed Ben. It was weak and Ty almost fell over, but at least he’d done something. “You’re always putting us at risk. We could have been somewhere safe by now.”
“This bullshit again. How do you figure that?” Ben crossed his arms over his chest.
“We could have escaped the triathlon, but you had to help him,” Ty said, waving at Oliver. The boy frowned and looked away. “Because of that, we were there when the fat guy burst in attacking the couple. Then you decided to bring Eric with us after he was bitten. He could have killed us all.”
Ty was getting more animated as he released his anger.
“We didn’t know that bites meant anything,” Ben yelled back at him.
“You make me go back to the airport and I get hurt,” he said, gesturing to his leg. “And we stay the night in grocery store filled with dead bodies. We could already have been in Molokai by now.”
Ben gave him a look like - seriously?
“So I should have let Oliver die, abandon Eric, let you cower across the road from the airport, and drive at night through a city we don’t know, drawing all the infected to us?” He chuckled but it was humorless. “You must be fucking kidding me. Do you even hear yourself?”
“I’m not kidding. We’re stranded here, surrounded by monsters trying to eat us and you’re running around the island like there’s no rush to leave.”
“We all want to get somewhere safe. We’d be on our way to Hilo right now if you hadn’t abandoned us,” said Anuhea. Her face twisted into a look of disappointment.
Ben could tell that whatever they’d had was over for her. Ty must have noticed it too.
“I just had to go,” he said, stepping toward her. He reached out for her hand, but she slapped it away. “I’m not a fighter. I’m a survivor.”
“So to hell with the rest of us, huh?” Ben asked. He pointed at Ty. “I’ve known you how long?”
Then Ben swept his hand at everyone else. “And all these people I barely know have been more reliable and watched my back more than you have.”
“I’m sorry,” said Ty, tears leaked from his eyes.
Ben shook his head.
“The only way we get through this is if we stick together,” said Charlotte.
“Teamwork is the way to go,” said Keanu, nodding. “It’s how the army succeeds - close team work.”
“That didn’t help them at the airport,” Ty muttered.
Everyone just froze and gaped at him. He went there, huh?
Ben couldn’t hold it in any more. He swung and punched Ty in his bitch face.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hilo.
The big town on the Big Island.
Their group would travel roughly two hours east, across the island to reach the town. It was their last hope for a way out of the madness. Not everyone was going to the airport. First, they would drop Keanu at his brother’s house. If the airport was a bust, Keanu already suggested that they head back to his brother’s house and lay low.
Although they weren’t on an actual schedule, Ben felt like they were way behind because of Ty’s stupidity. Pulling the Humvee out of the ditch proved to be more difficult than anticipated even though they found a tow strap in the back. The small cars weren’t very strong and the Humvee vastly outweighed one, and probably both combined. After some digging and rearranging gravel behind the tires, they finally yanked it out. The Humvee did most of the work, while the car did just enough work to get it over the edge.
“It doesn’t look like there’s any serious damage,” Keanu said, standing up.
“Oh good, I was worried about that.” Ben was grateful that there was no permanent damage to the vehicle.
“Good thing they’re so tough,” Keanu said, shooting a look at Ty.
“So, we’re ready to go now?” Ben asked. As for the little cars they acquired that morning to chase down Ty, they just left them where they were in the road.
“Yep, ready when you are.” Keanu wiped sweat from his brow. He climbed up to the turret and plopped down. “Regulators, mount up!”
Ben grinned. It was a fair impression of Warren G’s song, so he said, “It was a clear black night, a clear white moon…”
“Warren G was on the streets trying to consume,” Anuhea said, joining in. They were all singing as they piled into the Humvee. “Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk…just rollin’ in my ride, chillin’ all alone.”
Charlotte laughed and started dancing in her seat. Oliver giggled.
Anuhea took over driving duties and Keanu was on turret duty, as usual. They kept singing though, finishing most of the song with surprising accuracy.
Ben leaned back in the passenger seat with a nostalgic grin on his face. Ty lay in the back seat, with his eye starting to bruise and a bottle of water in his hand. Charlotte and Oliver took up the other backseat.
The road Ty had crashed on connected with the road they needed so they just continued that way. In an hour or so, they’d pass by Mauna Kea, where Ben and Ty had hiked. It felt like ages ago.
Charlotte was playing some kind of game with Oliver in the back seat. Oliver snacked on a granola bar while they played. He was a good kid. Once they got to safety, he hoped the authorities would let them stick together. It might be too much if Oliver lost them and had to go be with strangers all over again.
Anuhea began to slow down.
“Hmm?” Ben asked.
Anuhea just pointed into the distance.
Ben looked and had to squint to see. He immediately realized what the problem was. “Damn it.”
“What’s wrong?” Charlotte asked.
“Looks like we have a roadblock ahead or some sort of check point,” Anuhea said, coming to a stop in the middle of the road.
“Really? There’s people?” Charlotte said with a hint of joy in her voice.
The idea of seeing other people was a little exciting. At least they’d be able to get some information on what was happening.
“You see it? Good,” Keanu said from the turret. He squatted down. “Looks like a makeshift roadblock. I don’t like it.”
“What should we do?” Charlotte asked.
“Do you see soldiers or police?” Ty asked.
“No. There’s maybe one or two cop cars, but the checkpoint looks empty. Of course, they could be hiding behind them or sitting inside the vehicles. It is kind of hot outside,” Keanu said.
“Let’s keep going and see what’s up,” Ben said. “Take it nice and slow in case we decide to change our minds.”
“Okay.” Anuhea continued driving.
“I’ll stay up here,” Keanu said, standing up.
“What do you think this means?” Ben asked Anuhea.
She shrugged. “Maybe the road is closed? Or-”
“No, it can’t be closed,” Ty said. “We
have to get to the airport.”
“Probably checking for injuries,” Charlotte said. “I bet they are turning back anyone that’s been bitten.”
Ben grunted. He wasn’t sure what good that would do. Tendrils of doubt crept into his mind. Something was wrong about this.
Anuhea slowed to a stop as they came upon the roadblock.
Keanu dropped down from the turret. A few seconds later, a police officer appeared between two cars.
The officer was carrying the same type of rifle that Ben was holding. He didn’t look very professional for a police officer or trooper, whatever he was. His boots were grungy and his uniform looked about two sizes too large.
Ben looked at the blockade and noticed another man standing off to the side with a rifle pointed their direction. Maybe to give the officer cover in case they attacked him. In situations like this, it must be standard procedure. Ben realized he’d never seen a police blockade before.
The officer approached slowly, eying them carefully.
Keanu pointed. “Look, there are people hiding behind the cars.”
Heads bobbed behind car windows and shadows move along the ground. Ben had a strange feeling.
“Step out of the vehicle with your hands raised,” the officer said, stopping in the road. He turned slightly sideways and the barrel of his rifle inched up.
Anuhea and Ben glanced at each other. They knew they were safer in the Humvee, but the policeman told them to exit and convention dictated that they obey him. Ben raised his eyebrows at her and Anuhea nodded.
Moving slow so as not to spook the officer, they opened their doors and stepped out.
“Hands up. You got a hearing problem?” the officer barked.
“Sorry, sir.” Ben raised his hands, but continued scanning the roadblock.
Cars bearing bullet holes, dents and serious damage crossed the street like a jury-rigged version of the Great Wall. Several of them appeared to have been in wrecks, with dented in doors and fenders.
“How’d you get this vehicle, ma’am?” asked the officer.
All things considered, that was a strange question. Ben looked curiously at the officer.
“It was abandoned at the Quarantine Center,” Anuhea said. She still stood behind her door, with her hands raised, resting against it.
Ben looked around the blockade again. He wasn’t sure, but he thought there were at least ten people hiding among the dozen or so cars blocking the road. The man aiming the rifle at them didn’t appear to be in a police uniform, which seemed odd. Although it was possible he was a plain-clothes officer, or shit had gone down while he was off duty.
The officer looked at Ben for the first time.
“Looks like you folks have acquired something you shouldn’t have,” he said. The officer’s narrow face and slender, pointy nose looked odd with the giant, round sunglasses he wore.
“We need it more than the dead,” said Ben.
“Doesn’t matter, that’s government property,” said the officer. “Step away from the vehicle now.”
He raised his rifle and aimed it at Ben.
“What? Why?” Ben asked.
There was movement to the right, near the end of the roadblock. He saw a head bobbing along, like the person was walking crouched over.
Suddenly, Keanu stood up in the turret.
Metal clicked as he readied the machine gun and yelled, “He’s no cop.” Then he started firing at the man with the rifle aimed at them. The man dropped down behind the police car, whether from being shot or just in fear he wasn’t sure.
The officer raised his rifle to shoot Keanu. “You’re dead punk.”
His barrel came up slowly, but Anuhea had already grabbed her rifle and drew down on him. Ben was a little slow reaching inside for his rifle. His heart raced maniacally.
Anuhea was fast; she shot the officer twice in the chest. He managed to get off a shot, but it went wide, missing Keanu. The man flopped to the ground, his legs kicking against the pavement as he groaned in pain.
A couple of shots buzzed overhead. Charlotte shrieked when a couple of rounds smacked against the bullet resistant windshield. The armored Humvee shrugged off the small arms fire with only two spider webs of cracks to show for it.
Keanu kept firing bursts at the cars. Ben pulled his rifle out and shot at the car where he’d seen the head bobbing. The rounds pinged against the metal and a rifle barrel peaked up over the edge and fired wildly in return.
Ben ducked behind the door for cover. His breaths came in short, shallow gasps like he’d been running for ages. Keanu swung the turret to the right to shoot at Ben’s target. A dozen rounds tore through the car. Ben heard a brief shriek as whoever hid there was hit.
More rounds hit the Humvee, but the armor held. Keanu ducked inside for the M203 and shouted, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Anuhea fired off a burst of rounds as Keanu loaded a grenade and stood back up. Glass shattered and tinkled to the ground. More people were shooting back at them.
“Goddamn. How many are there?” Ben asked rhetorically.
“Too many,” Anuhea said.
Hundreds of rounds tore into the vehicles lined up at the fake roadblock. Windows shattered onto the ground. The man with the rifle was back up and taking aim at Keanu. Ben shot at him and then shifted his aim to the right, toward a man that popped up behind the police car. The rear window burst with a crash, and the man ducked.
Ben emptied his magazine into the rear end of the police car before he jumped into the passenger seat. Just then, he heard a thunk followed by a loud boom. A small car at the far left end of the roadblock burst apart like pop can, spraying glass and twisted chunks of metal all over the road.
Anuhea climbed in and started the engine. It growled to life without hesitation.
“Are we good?” she asked.
Ben slammed his door shut and nodded. Keanu fired another grenade at a truck along the road. It slumped to the ground, rear tires flattening, at the same time bursting into flames as the gas tank ignited. A huge fireball filled the air.
“Go, go, go!” Keanu shouted.
“Ram the bastards,” Ben added.
Anuhea slammed on the gas and they accelerated toward the roadblock. Almost in slow motion, they crashed into the back end of the police car that Ben had shot up. Forcing their way between that and the front of the police car parked beside it with a wicked symphony of noise. If the man was still hiding behind those cars, he’d be done for. The car tires squealed and the Humvee shook with the impact. He heard a brief scream but it cut off.
It brought a small smile to Ben’s lips.
Fuck that guy, he thought.
Breaking through the blockade of two cop cars was easy and they sped off down the road. Keanu spun the turret and fired at the blockade behind them. In the side mirror, Ben saw at least two people fall to the ground. He saw several more running around, either shooting at them or scrambling for cover.
“Those assholes had no idea what they were in for,” Ben said, laughing nervously. So much energy coursed through him that his hands were shaking.
“It’s so loud,” Oliver said, covering his ears.
“Keep your ears plugged,” Charlotte told him, covering her own ears.
A couple more bursts and Keanu stopped firing. He dropped down, smiled at Ben and flashed thumbs up.
“Sure glad he’s with us,” Ben said to Anuhea.
She just smiled at him.
Ben checked his side mirror. It didn’t look like anyone was following them.
“That was some crazy shit, huh?” Keanu said with a hearty laugh.
Ben laughed with him, releasing the tension.
Ty shook his head. “You’re all crazy.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The road sloped down slightly, twisting and turning ahead of them. Rolling hills stretched out in all directions, building up to the lower slopes of Mauna Kea.
As they raced through a corner, Ben cursed and put a hand on t
he dashboard. He had no time to shout a warning as they plowed into a massive group of infected. Everyone jerked forward when the Humvee hit the first bodies in the crowd. Oliver whimpered in the back seat.
Infected fell like bowling pins from the force of their impact. A foul stench of decay and feces filled the Humvee. Anuhea gunned the engine to keep them moving through the crowd, but their speed had tapered off dramatically. The infected converged on their vehicle, stepping over the bodies on the ground. Hands slapped against the windows, some of them leaving bloody streaks in their wake.
Bouncing over bodies, the Humvee’s tires churned hard to keep them moving forward. The moans of the infected rose to a wicked howl that made Ben wince.
“We can’t make it through,” Anuhea said.
“Here,” Ben said. He pointed to the right side where the crowd thinned a little.
Anuhea turned the vehicle with a sharp jerk. The whole vehicle tilted wildly to the left as the right side climbed over infected, crushing them noisily underneath their weight.
She plowed through another dozen bodies before they emerged onto the shoulder of the road, and turned around. They retreated the way they came, leaving a horrid mess of dead in the road.
“What now?” Ty asked, breathing heavy.
“We have to backtrack and get off the road until they pass,” Ben said.
“Up the mountain?” Anuhea asked as they raced away from the amorphous shape of the horde behind them.
“Away from the infected,” Ben said. His voice was dull and monotone. Given their recent luck, it wasn’t hard to believe that they would encounter yet another setback.
“It’s unlikely they’ll have a reason to walk uphill when straight is easier. And the Visitor’s Center has everything we need,” Ty said.
A few minutes later, Anuhea turned onto the road that led up to the Mauna Kea Visitor’s Center.
“Where are we?” Oliver asked.
“This mountain is called Mauna Kea, it’s a really big volcano,” said Ben. “Have you seen a volcano?”
“Yeah we went to a volcano park before the…the race,” he said. Oliver’s face twitched with the memory. “It was cool. The lava went down into the water and made a lot of steam.”