by T. L. Walker
"Tomorrow, then? " I suggested.
"Can’t sit still for a minute, can you? " Luke mumbled.
"Well, we can wait longer than that if need be, but I assumed we should go as soon as possible…just in case."
"If I know anything, it’s that you don’t argue with Charlie when she’s made up her mind." Joey sounded less than pleased. "And if you think it will be safer to go tomorrow rather than wait…"
"Yeah, she’s right about that, at least." Luke was obviously reluctant to agree with me, so when he did it anyway, I flashed an appreciative smile at him – a smile that he did his best to ignore.
"When are you going to tell Mom, then?" Joey asked.
"Not today. I think I’ve probably upset her enough for now."
"Yeah, well, don’t go leaving before she gets out of bed tomorrow. I think she was angrier about that than anything else, this morning."
"We’ll prep for the run and then tell her right before we leave. I just don’t want to deal with her having hours – or longer – to try to talk us out of it."
"Fair enough."
The rest of the day passed by quietly. Our meal was finished without interruption, and though we did board up the windows again at dark, we also lit some candles and played – of all things – The Game of Life. "How ironic," Joey laughed when I set it out on the table.
"I don’t know if it’s exactly ironic, but it really called out to me just now," I grinned.
"You two," Mom sighed, rolling her eyes at us. Mike smiled uncertainly and even Luke’s mouth twitched as he suppressed his own amusement.
The candles were burning low by the time we finished the game, but I made sure to mention that it had been worth it...if only because in the back of my mind I was able to hope that we would find replacements for them when we went on our run the next day. It was still fairly early – just before ten – when we all made our way to our respective beds. As I crawled into mine, Holden by my side, I tried not to think about Luke or about our argument. If that’s what you can even call it. But no matter what I did, he was at the forefront of my mind – and for the first time in a long time, I found myself wishing that I wasn’t sleeping alone.
And the more I thought about it, the more I wished that it was him by my side.
Not that there’s anything you can – or will – do about that. Especially tonight. Instead I rolled over and wrapped my arms around Holden. He’d just have to do for now.
You can’t be picky during the zombie apocalypse.
*******
When I woke up the next morning, though, it appeared that Holden had gotten tired of my mildly suffocating embrace, having moved from his spot next to me and stretched out across the foot of the bed. I sat up and gave him a pat on the side. "Some comfort you are, Holdy."
My watch told me that it was just shy of seven, and I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that in my old life, this would have been one hell of an early rise on a day when I didn’t have to be anywhere at a specific time.
But you do have things to do today, I reminded myself.
I woke Mike up and we went downstairs. Luke was awake as well, and he informed us that he’d already put the two empty gas cans and some bags in the truck for our trip. "We can eat and then relax for a while, wait for Cheryl and Joey to get up. Once Cheryl knows what we’re doing, we just have to hop in the truck and go."
"We should get going pretty soon. The earlier we leave, the earlier we get back, and I want plenty of time in case something goes wrong. Honestly, my mom never used to sleep this late."
"This is a pretty big change for her. She may try to act like nothing is wrong, but I’m sure she’s stressed out, and possibly depressed."
I glared at Luke. "My mother is not depressed. She’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever known."
"Did I say that your mother was weak? Being negatively effected by something of this magnitude doesn’t make a person weak, Charlie. I’m sure your mother is quite strong – she raised you and Joey, after all."
Mike chuckled, but one quick look from me shut him right up. Wanting this particular conversation to be finished, I opened the pantry and grabbed a granola bar, tearing off the wrapper and practically stuffing it into my mouth to keep myself from saying anything else. Luke and Mike seemed to take the hint and found themselves some breakfast as well. We ate in silence, but when we were done Luke asked, "Is there another approach to that gas station? I’m thinking it may be a good idea to find one, see if we can get the truck right up to it."
"There are a couple of ways to get there…obviously they mean driving around a bit more, and it would take more gas if the first detour doesn’t work and we have to backtrack and try another…but yeah, maybe we could find a way through." I was already mapping out the routes in my head and trying to recall how much gas was left in the truck.
Luke answered my unasked question. "We were at about half a tank when we got back the other day."
"We should be fine then, but if none of them end up working out we could be close to empty by the time we get back."
"Then we siphon fuel from another car, or stop using the truck," he shrugged. "It won’t do us much good to have Mike on lookout in it if he can’t see us or the gas station at all."
"In that case I can just come with you guys," Mike offered.
"I don’t think so. You’ve been through enough – I don’t want you risking your neck for some measly supplies." Not yet, anyway. The day would probably come when we had no choice, but for now…he was just a kid, and I felt some responsibility for keeping him safe.
"What’s all this about supplies?"
Apparently none of us had noticed that Mom was awake. I couldn’t be sure how much of our conversation she’d heard, but before I could even begin to explain anything Luke spoke up. "We talked about making another run to the gas station, and it’s best to do it now. The farm is secure, and the area around the station probably isn’t overrun with zeds anymore. But it’s likely that neither of those things will last, so Charlie and I are going to go out again – and Mike is coming along as our lookout. He’ll stay in the truck, of course; it’s just that a third set of eyes is really necessary for something like this, and Joey’s not in any condition to come along."
"I’m sure you’re right about that, but is this really necessary?" my mother pressed. It was obvious that she didn’t want us to go, but at least this time she was showing some restraint rather than simply insisting that we stay where we were.
"Yes, Mom, we’re sure." I was firm in my response, but still surprised when she made no more protest outside of holding her hands up, palms out, and shaking her head in what appeared to be disappointment.
Luke gave her an apologetic smile. "And we really should get going. This run may take us a little longer than the last – we want to try to get the truck right up to the station, which means finding a different way around."
"We’ll probably approach it from the south," I clarified.
"Well. " Mom looked from me to Luke, then back again. "You know where you’re going, at least. "
"Yes, Mom, I do."
"Off with you, then. After all, I don’t want to be worrying about you for the entire day. I expect to see you back here in no more than a couple of hours."
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say, I gestured to Mike and Luke and the three of us made our way out to the truck. Mom helped us with the garage door, and once we’d reached the road we made certain to stop and shut the main gate behind us again. "We'll try the longest way first; it's a lot of back roads, so it's more likely that they won't be as crowded even as we get closer to the store." I gave terse directions as we made our way across the main road that led to the station, driving several miles south before cutting back east and then finally north again. Though there were some cars parked along the road south of the gas station, we were able to maneuver around them. It helped that unlike the main road, the southern approach didn't have a deep ravine on the one s
ide. That, and it appeared that the people who had gathered on this approach had been much more organized. But they still disappeared.
Or died.
"We really should have gone this way last time," I grimaced as we pulled right into the gas station parking lot.
Luke shrugged. "That experience made us think a lot more clearly. Now Mike...if you see anything, you give the horn one quick hit, okay? Just one. And...well, don't do anything rash. Charlie and I can take care of ourselves, you've seen that, so just lock these doors and stay low. You remember how to get back to the farm?" Eyes wide, Mike nodded as Luke handed him the keys. "If something happens to us, you get out of here as quickly as you can. Just go. Understand?"
"But - "
"No 'buts'," I interrupted. "If we can't make it back to the truck for some reason, for any reason at all, I order you to leave us here. Sometimes it's gotta be every person for themselves, Mike."
Before he could protest any more, I nodded to Luke and we gathered our empty bags and climbed out of the truck. I had my bat in hand and he had his hatchet at the ready; eying our surroundings carefully, we slowly approached the front of the store. There was glass everywhere from the other day, and as we picked our way inside we could see that it was a complete mess. Luke stopped, looked around, and sighed. "Look for bottled water, food, any sort of medicine – there’s got to be things like cough drops, Ibuprofen, and the like somewhere in here. Shit, I guess at this point just pick up anything that seems even half-useful."
"Got it." I peered around, trying to note any movement in the darker corners of the store, but it seemed as if the place was in fact completely empty. I was relieved, but still not ready to let my guard down, so I barely paid attention to the types of food that I pulled off the racks. I tossed them haphazardly into my bags, then made my way toward the coolers, grabbing as many bottled waters as would fit in with the food. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt something take hold of my shoulder, but of course it was just Luke. "Jesus, announce your presence next time," I hissed.
He gave me an amused look. "Good to know you think so highly of me, but I'm not quite sure if I'm on the "Lord and Savior' level."
My mouth dropped open. "Was that a joke? You're suddenly actually talking to me again, and the first thing you do is crack a joke?!"
"Well, it put me in a bit of a good mood when I hit the jackpot over there." He made a vague gesture toward the back of the store. "Travel packets of almost every kind of over-the-counter medicine you could possibly think of. I grabbed everything they had, and some food as well. I see you've got the water." Luke nodded at my bulging bags.
"Yeah, and it's heavy, so if we could get out of here - "
I was interrupted by the short honk of a horn. Before I could do or say anything, Luke dropped his bags and dragged me down into a crouch, pressing his finger to my lips. "You stay right here – I’ll go see what this is all about." I began to open my mouth, an argument already formed in my mind, but he just shook his head, stood up, and was gone.
Several long moments passed, and then I heard people talking – Luke was one of them, of that much I was certain. The other, I was sure, was a stranger. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but their voices rose and fell for what seemed a lifetime before Luke finally called, "Charlie, come out here."
I eased my bags off my shoulders and stood, slowly making my way outside. Mike had clearly obeyed my order to stay in the truck; he was nowhere to be seen. And off to the right stood Luke, facing three people – a couple who appeared to be in their early twenties, the young woman holding a little girl who was probably three or four years old. The man had a shotgun in his hand, but it was resting at his side, the barrel pointed at the ground. All three of the strangers looked frightened, their eyes darting from Luke to me and back again, almost as if they didn't quite believe that we were real.
Although they looked unassuming, I couldn't bring myself to be as trusting as Luke. I took my place at his side with my bat at the ready and my free hand cupped over the grip of my gun. I left it in its holster, but I wanted these people to see that even if Luke had let his guard down, I meant business. "What's going on?" I asked warily.
"Charlie, this is Daniel, his wife Lauren, and their daughter Mabel. They're from the town about five or six miles up the road, here." He pointed east. "They needed food, but when they tried to go to the supermarket and gas station closer to home, they were run off by zeds. Couldn't even get back to their car, so they just started walking." Luke looked pointedly at Daniel. "Did I get that right?"
The young man nodded. "Started walking yesterday. Had to stop for the night, though. Found an abandoned lot, fenced in. Broke into the shed and slept in there...or tried to. When we got up, those things were pressed against the fence at the back side of the lot. We let ourselves out the front and made a run for it. Still can't believe we got out of there alive."
"Mm-hmm." I crossed my arms over my chest and assessed the three of them. They were bedraggled and had some scrapes here and there, but otherwise they seemed okay. I didn't care for Daniel having a shotgun in his possession, but this was the South, after all. I nodded toward the weapon. "You hunt?"
"Deer. Turns out it was good practice."
"But we don't have many shells left," Lauren admitted.
Daniel glared at her. "Lauren! We can't go around telling people that. We don't know them from a hole in the wall!"
"And we don't know you," I pointed out. "But we won't bother you. We got what we came here for, and we can be on our way."
"Charlie." Luke was clearly exasperated. "Hold on a minute, folks," he said to the little family, then grabbed my upper arm and pulled me aside. "We can't leave them here," he growled into my ear.
"Why not? For all we know, he's an ex-con, and she's a...shoplifter. Or something," I finished lamely.
"Or he's just a young guy who worked a normal job not two weeks ago and is now left with nothing but the knowledge that he has to protect his wife and kid. That little girl is barely more than a toddler, Charlie. We can't just abandon them to fend for themselves, at least not without trying to help them. We should bring them back to the farm and give them some respite before we send them on their way."
I glanced over my shoulder at the family. Daniel and Lauren had their eyes fixed on the ground, obviously attempting to ignore us, but the little girl was staring straight at me. I didn't even like kids, but when I saw her wide, fearful eyes, I knew that I wouldn't be able to argue with Luke about this anymore. "Fine. But if my mom asks, this was your idea, and I do not agree with it."
"Your mother wouldn’t want me to leave them out here either, not when they have a little girl in tow."
"We’ll see about that." I turned on my heel and marched over to the family. "Daniel, I’ll need to take your gun. You’ll get it back eventually, though – we have plenty of our own." There, make sure he knows that we’re well armed. "Luke, why don’t you go get our bags. I’ll take them over to the truck." I was a bit surprised when he listened to me without protesting at all – maybe he knew that he’d pushed my buttons quite enough. Daniel reluctantly handed his shotgun to me, and I gestured for them to follow. "It’s going to be a bit of a tight fit on the way back. One of you will have to hold your daughter in your lap. I’m sure Luke will drive carefully, though."
Just then I saw movement over Lauren’s shoulder. Zeds. No more than half a dozen, but that was quite enough to concern me. "Luke, we’ve got company!" I herded the family to the truck. Mike opened the door and the three of them clambered inside. I turned to see Luke striding toward us, loaded down with the bags of supplies from the store.
"We still need fuel, and I’d rather not come back here anytime soon," he said as he tossed his burden into the bed of the truck and grabbed the gas cans, setting them on the ground between us.
"Agreed. I’ll pump, you hold them off?"
He nodded. Thankfully they were still quite a distance away – several hundred yards, at least.
I filled the truck first, but by then the zeds were in the parking lot, picking up speed as they shuffled toward us, having noticed that there was, in fact, food close by.
"I don’t want to let them get much closer," Luke said through gritted teeth.
"Use the gun, then," I told him.
"The noise – "
"Fuck the noise! We’re going to be out of here in a minute or two anyway!"
Luke hesitated for another moment, then swore under his breath and pulled out his gun. He leveled it at the zeds, picking them off one by one. Each shot frayed my nerves just a bit more, but soon enough it was quiet again. I finished filling the gas cans while Luke scanned the perimeter. "Let’s go," I finally said. He lifted the cans into the bed of the truck and moved around to the driver’s side in silence. I looked around one last time, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary – and no zeds, either. I slid into the passenger seat and we were off, heading home with plenty of supplies – and a few new burdens, as well, I mused, watching Daniel, Lauren, and Mabel in the rearview mirror. I caught Mike looking at me, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern; I met his eyes in the mirror and pulled a face. He grinned, shook his head, and then turned to look out the window.
The drive seemed to take no time at all, probably because I was more than a little bit nervous about bringing these strangers home with us. I cut my eyes at Luke several times, but he was focused on the road, his jaw set and his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Good, he’s worried too. I didn’t know why this pleased me so much; perhaps because he’d seemed so certain that bringing this family home with us was a good idea. When we pulled up to the farm, I got out of the truck and opened the gate, waving him through. "I’ll walk," I mouthed, and he continued up the drive while I shut and locked the gate, taking a deep breath before following at a brisk jog, looking left and right to make sure that there weren’t any unwanted visitors around.
By the time I made it up to the house, Luke had pulled the truck into the garage and Mike was ready to shut it behind me. Daniel, Lauren, and Mabel were huddled by the door that led into the house, and waited for us as we unloaded the bags of supplies that we'd collected from the convenience store.