Sarah jumped.
"I take it you're the boy's mother," the man's booming voice said.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Oh, it's just me and my wife here—" (a soft, high-pitched voice from behind the gate chimed in, "Hello!") "—and we're traveling through, looking for a safe place to stay for the night."
Sarah went up to the gate and peeked through it. A burly man wearing a fisherman's hat and a bushy salt-and-pepper beard in a bright red shirt and suspenders stood tall on the other side. A holster was slung around his waist with a big revolver in it. Beside him and a few steps behind was a short and frumpy lady with wiry white hair and a kind look on her face. The man smiled jovially, and they both appeared to be in their sixties. Behind them were a couple of large suitcases on wheels.
"We won't be much of a bother, and we have some food to share with you," he said.
"It's still morning," Sarah said.
"Well, we didn't have too good of a place to stay last night, and we were hoping to set up camp today and do a little scavenging around the area before we head off."
"Can't you stay in one of the other houses around here?"
"Tried to last night. There was so much dust, poor Molly here had one heck of a coughing fit. She has asthma, you see. Smelled some wood burning this morning, which led us here. Figured you might have some nicer accommodations if you're kind enough to share."
David looked up at his mom. "Can they stay, Mom?"
She thought about it for a moment, feeling anxious. They had never had anyone come up to the gate since they built it, much less want to come in and stay the night with them. They looked like nice people, but she just didn't know if she could trust them. The suitcases could have been empty; they might have just wanted to hurt her, hurt her son, or rob them, and she just couldn't let that happen.
"No, I'm sorry," she said.
As soon as the words left her mouth, David walked off in a huff and went back into the townhouse.
"We really won't be much of a bother," the man said. "We've still got some good canned food to share if you want. I think we've got some steak and gravy, some baked beans, and some canned cherries. Does your boy like cherries?"
"I'm sorry," Sarah said. "You can't stay here. I can't let you in."
"Oh..." the man said. "Well, no problem, then. We'll be on our way, you have yourself a nice day."
Sarah peeked through the gate again and watched them go. They each took a piece of luggage and wheeled it out of the alley. The man clamped a meaty hand down onto his hat and tilted his head to look up at the sky. They stopped at the end of the alley and looked around.
"Where should we go, Herb?" Molly asked.
He continued to look around. "I don't know, I guess we could keep going down this road. That's the direction we're headed anyway."
"Okay," she said in her sweet voice.
Just as they grabbed their suitcases again and headed off, Sarah yelled, "Wait!"
They stopped and turned around.
"Where are you heading?"
They turned around and took a few steps back into the alley. "To Noah's Ark," Herb said. "It's a safe haven over in North Carolina. People say there's no zombies for miles, and more food than you could ever need. They say they've got this huge piece of land that's all protected, where you'll never have to worry about any of this mess again," he said, waving his arm around him. "They say it's paradise."
"Who's they?" Sarah asked.
"Everybody. There aren't too many people in this part of the States that haven't heard of it. Here," he said, reaching into his pocket. He produced a worn paper card and handed it to her through the gate.
She took it and inspected it. A hand-drawn symbol of a brown boat gliding over blue waves was printed on it.
"You'll know you're there when you see that symbol," he said. "Anyway, I should be off. It was nice to meet you." He took the card from her and rejoined his wife.
"You said you had cherries?" Sarah asked.
Herb stopped again. "I did."
"My boy would like them just fine."
She unbolted the gate and swung it open. Big smiles spread across the two travelers' faces, and they grabbed their luggage and came in. Sarah closed the gate behind them and showed them around. David came out again when he heard them and they were all introduced to each other. They shared some food for lunch, and when everyone was ready, they persuaded Sarah to come with them on a scavenging trip. She even let her son come with them, feeling that they would be safe enough with Herb and his huge cannon for a gun. He even convinced her to venture out farther than she ever had to get better supplies. David was thrilled to get out of the house, and Sarah even found that her enjoyment overrode her anxiety. When they returned in the evening, they all sat around the courtyard for dinner.
Sarah started to light the fire, but Herb stopped her.
"Here," he said. He opened his suitcase and took out a portable gas stove. "Much easier. Attracts less attention, too. You just need to find a little propane here and there." He ignited the flame and set Sarah's pot on it, then dumped a few cans of ham and veggies they found that day and warmed them up. They all ate gratefully, and when they finished, Herb opened a can of cherries in sauce and passed it to David. He thanked him for it and ate it with delight. They sat for hours in the courtyard after dinner, sharing stories. David found a Transformers action figure when they were out scavenging that day, but instead of playing with it, he kept his butt glued to his lawn chair, wanting to hear more about Herb's stories and Noah's Ark.
"Are there other kids there?" David asked.
"Oh, there must be," Molly said with a smile. "I'm sure you'd make friends in no time."
Sarah had been intrigued to hear of this safe haven, but she knew there was no way her and David could ever get there. If it had been near the city, maybe, but it was in the next state over. She could tell David was getting excited about it, and she didn't want to get his hopes too high.
"So how long have you two been traveling?" she asked.
"We've been on the road for about a month now, I think," Molly said. "Maybe a little more. Came out of a small town all the way over near Columbus, Ohio, we did. We took a couple rests here and there; you have to when you get to be our age."
"Yup," Herb said. "How a couple of old farts like us ever made it this far, I'll never know," he said with a chuckle.
"How come you didn't drive?" David said. "Aren't there any cars out there?"
Herb laughed. "Cars don't do too good without gasoline, and all the gas ran out a long time ago. Could've ridden a bike, I guess." He looked at his wife. "Could you see us riding bikes all the way here?" They both had a good laugh over this.
"Isn't it dangerous out there?" Sarah asked. "How did you survive traveling all that way?"
"Yeah, sure, it's plenty dangerous out there," he said. "You try to move through the less populated areas the best you can, but there's a lot of zombies out there. You get used to 'em, but they can wear you down after a while. You gotta be careful. They don't run so fast, but then again, neither do we," he said, motioning toward his wife. "You just gotta know your strengths and be careful. Lotta times they tend to congregate into large groups. Even the dead like to socialize, I guess. But just keep your wits about you, and as they say, 'speak softly, and carry a big stick.'" He pulled the revolver out of his holster for all to appraise then returned it.
"Zombies are attracted to noise, though," Sarah said. "Don't you ever run into trouble with that?"
"Well, yes, but it's not quite like the movies. Zombies see a human and that means food to them, so they start running. But if zombies hear a gunshot, it's just a sound. It doesn't mean anything to them. They come around eventually, just 'cause they've got nothing better to do, I guess, but they don't come running, so much. It's like asking your boy to do the dishes; sure they'll get done eventually, but it might take a while. But general rule of thumb: if you make a loud noise, you might want to think about movin
' your butt."
"What about humans?" Sarah asked. "Do you ever run into any bad people?"
"Not really. I know every post-apocalyptic movie you've ever seen has taught you that as soon as the world goes to shit, pardon my French, everybody turns into a murderous psychopath."
Sarah had a look on her face as if to say, "Don't they?"
"Have a little more faith in humanity than that," Herb said. "We're not so bad once we've gotten our coffee in the morning. Believe it or not, humans are a generally agreeable, friendly bunch. You're actually one of the more unfriendly ones I've come across. No offense." He chuckled. "Most people let us in the first time I asked."
Sarah took the jab in stride. "Those canned cherries must get them every time," she said.
"So you guys are heading to Noah's Ark in the morning?" David asked.
"We are," Molly said with a smile. "Not too much longer now. Our journey is almost at an end."
"So we can come with you, then?" he asked.
Tension rippled through Sarah's chest. She knew the conversation would inevitably come to this conclusion, but she didn't want to fill David's head with pipe dreams.
"Well, I suppose so," Molly said, "if it's okay with your mom." When she looked at Sarah and saw the strained look on her face, she changed her tone and stumbled over her words, trying to change her answer.
Herb stepped in. "Uh, that'll have to be up to your mother, son. But uh, we have to make a long trip out of the way first to meet up with some family before we go there, so it's best if you don't come with us." He paused and wondered if there was anything else to say or if that was good enough.
"Can we leave tomorrow, Mom?" David asked.
Sarah forced a smile. "We'll talk all about it tomorrow, honey."
Herb tried to break the tension by asking David about his new Transformers toy. It seemed to work well enough, and David was in a good mood for the rest of the night, thinking that they were heading off for the safe haven the next morning. The conversation became stilted after that, and everybody retired early. Sarah brought Herb and Molly into another townhouse that was decently clean and had a good bed, and they all went to sleep.
Herb and Molly set off early in the morning. They wanted to get up and leave before David woke and got excited again, but he could hardly sleep a wink. Herb took Sarah aside and gave her some quick instruction on how to use a gun, having noticed the pistol sitting next to her the night before, and also left her with some parting wisdom.
"Look," he said, "if you don't want to leave for Noah's Ark, I'm sorry for putting ideas in the boy's head. I'm not gonna lie to you, it is dangerous out there, more than I let on. I've seen some things out there... things I would never mention in front of the boy. But I wasn't lying when I said there are good people out there. A lot of them. Walking from here to North Carolina might be the hardest thing you'll ever have to do, but it'll be worth it. No more staying up at night, worrying about your boy. No more wondering if he'll make it."
Sarah put a hand to her mouth as tears stung her eyes. He put a big hand on her shoulder.
"Just think about it," he said. "For the boy."
He pulled out the worn paper card with the symbol for Noah's Ark on it and gave it to her.
"You keep it," he said. "If you choose to go, just look for that symbol. It's in Durham. Durham, North Carolina."
She eyed the symbol again and put the card in her pocket. "Okay. Thank you."
"Maybe we'll see you there," he said with a smile, then he joined Molly and off they went.
4
LURKING IN THE DARK
"I hate you!"
"David, don't say that."
"You never want to do anything for us! You just want to stay in this stupid place and die!" He stormed off into the townhouse and slammed the door shut.
Sarah stood in shock. He'd had his outbursts like this before, but they never got easier; it always felt like being stabbed in the heart. Under the circumstances, outbursts like these were inevitable. She knew he would get over it in time. He always did. He would be angry at her for a few days, but then he would come around. He was still just a kid and he didn't understand how things worked yet. She always told herself this whenever this happened, but it never made it any easier.
When the shock wore off, emotion took her and she squatted down and buried her face in her hands. She could never reconcile being so deeply hurt by the only person in the world that she loved, even if he was just a kid.
Eventually she dragged herself up and went on with her day. It was the first cloudy day in a while and it looked like a heavy rain was about to fall. It was a nice reprieve from the boiling heat of the summer so far, and she enjoyed the cool breeze on her skin as she tended to the garden and held back the occasional sob. She picked some green beans and put them on the tray, then put a pot of water on the fire and boiled them. She opened a couple cans of Salisbury steak and gravy that Herb and Molly gave to them and heated them over the fire, then brought all of it inside.
David lay facedown on his bed. She put a plate of food down on the nightstand next to him and left. She didn't know why she bothered to heat up his food, because when he was angry like this he refused to eat, anyway. But he would always give in hours later and eat all of it.
She went back outside into the cool weather and sat down, eating her breakfast. The tension of the altercation stiffened her jaw like rubber bands holding them together, making it hard to chew. She choked it down and just sat there for a long time, thinking about everything. Thinking about her son, thinking about the fight they had, thinking about Noah's Ark.
Noah's Ark, this "safe haven"... it couldn't be true. The journey itself was far too dangerous, and what would she tell her son if they got there and they found out it was nothing but a mirage? What would they do then?
She knew it was hard, almost impossible, to live in this world. Nobody chose to be there. And she knew it was hard to be stuck in one place for a long time. Maybe one day she would think about searching around the area for a better place to stay, something to switch up the monotony of their lives and give David some new scenery to look at. Maybe when he got older, he would understand why things had to be this way. Maybe when he became a man, he could...
He could what? she thought. Go to college? Meet a girl and start a family?
The future was so uncertain, and the reason that terrified her was because she knew they had no future. She wanted to teach him to hope for something, but hope died with the rest of humanity. So even though the idea of journeying to the next state was crazy, she couldn't help but let the thought be planted in her head like a little seed.
The first drops of rain fell and she had just enough time to put out the fire and go inside before it started to pour.
David was still in his room not making a sound. She tidied up around the house to keep herself busy, but she just did it to pass the time, and it quickly became tedious. She went upstairs and stared at David's closed bedroom door at the end of the hall, wrestling with herself. Finally, she opened it.
The plate of steak and beans that she made for David sat untouched next to his bed. And he was gone.
"David?" she said. She looked all over the room, in the closet, and under the bed. All empty. She was about to check the rest of the house when her eyes fell on the open window, its thin curtains rippling in the light breeze.
She ran to the window and leaned out. The parking lot and street were empty, and the row of houses across the street and the strip mall down the road didn't have any signs of life, either. A thick patch of grass sat below the second-story window. There was no rope made of bed sheets hanging down, so he must have jumped. It was at least a ten-foot drop, and that scared her to death. What was even worse than the thought of him wandering off on his own was the thought of him doing it while injured. And she knew that he wasn't just taking a walk around the block like last time; this was the final straw, and it would be a long time before he came back. If he came back...
She ran out the front door of the house to the parking lot, so frantic that she forgot the pistol. Her body trembled as she ran to the road, looking around.
"David?" she called.
The rain was still coming down hard on the deserted road. She spun in circles, trying to figure out where he would have gone. The only thing around that seemed to be of any interest was the strip mall just a stone's throw down the road. She briefly wondered if he had simply started heading for North Carolina, but she dismissed the thought quickly. He had no idea which direction North Carolina was, let alone where it was. There were many things she had taught him growing up, but in the midst of the apocalypse, US geography somehow didn't seem so important.
She spotted something black sitting at the side of the road up toward the strip mall. It was one of his shoes.
"No," she said to herself. She ran to it and picked it up. There was no sign of damage, and no blood. David was used to simply hanging around the courtyard, so he never tied his shoes. It could have come off easily if he was running or if he tripped, but the only reason he would have left it behind was if he were in trouble.
She clutched the shoe to her chest and rounded the corner to the front of the strip mall.
The first store was a Walgreens. She stepped through the broken glass in the doorway and made her way inside. The dim sun behind the clouds lit just the front of the store, leaving most of it in pitch-blackness.
"David!" she cried, searching the front of the store.
She stumbled into the darkness, just barely able to see anything, and felt her way around. The store was a mess, with shelves knocked down, boxes of items sprawled across the floor and displays tipped over. She bumped into nearly everything as she went, and she made it halfway into the store before it got too dark to see anything at all.
She whispered his name and waited for an answer.
Then she got it. It was deep and wailing, a telltale raspiness to it. That same moan she had heard a thousand times, coming from the darkness in front of her. Then came the shuffling, the sound of feet dragging across tile.
Zombie Apocalypse Series (Book 1): The Fall of Man Page 3