News reporters and emergency officials had begged people to stay home, to stay off the interstates. No one listened. City officials had warned of the imminent highway congestion and the very real possibility of fear induced road rage for those becoming trapped on the freeways. Frightened citizens disregarded the sound advice of emergency workers; millions rushed onto the antiquated thoroughfares.
Back then, just over eight months ago, her immediate reaction, after seeing the first confirmed reports of the outbreak on the news, was to flee the city - just like everyone else. She remembered hastily packing clothes and other important items from her small apartment located on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had packed up her car and was ready to make a break for the more sparsely populated areas of the New Mexico desert. She would have gone too, had it not been for her older brother.
On that fateful day, almost as if on cue, James had pulled his Jeep Wrangler up behind her tiny foreign car as she was backing out of the apartment complex. He had blocked her way out and convinced her that every other idiot in the city would be doing the exact same thing. That everyone would be racing to the worst traffic jam in human history.
While she didn’t care to be lumped in “with all the other idiots,” she knew her brother was right. The interstate would be a deathtrap filled with angry, scared motorists. He painted a horrific picture of the possible carnage that lay in wait for overzealous travelers.
He convinced her that the two of them should find somewhere safe in the city. That’s when he told her of the old family bunker that he had renovated a few years ago. They could easily make their way to the bunker without fear of being followed. No one would care about folks staying in the city. Everyone would be trying to leave. No one would even notice them. There in the bunker they could safely wait out the madness.
They transferred her belongings into his Jeep and made their way to the family bunker. Kara remembered that James told her that they had enough supplies for five months…his only mistake, that she recalled, was that he told her this whole mess would be over with in less than two months…
What kind of car did she drive then? Weird, she couldn’t remember. It was quite strange how all of the “necessities” of the pre-zombie era quickly faded from importance as the world raced headlong to its own demise. She guessed the end of days had a way of making one re-prioritize the important things in life.
“Where are we?” James asked, coughing and clearing his throat, breaking his sister’s train of thought.
“I guess about an hour and half outside of the city limits. You’ve been asleep pretty much since I hit the access road.”
“Can we pull over? I need to piss.”
“Same here,” Corbin said from the backseat. “Plus I really need to stretch my legs.” He had been holding Megan since they entered the access road. Nikki was curled up next to him on the third row back seat. Megan had been whimpering softly the entire time. Her fever had acquiesced some, but the baby’s condition continued to deteriorate quickly.
Kara eased the van off to the side of the road and parked next to a wide open field. The ground was frozen solid, but clear of snow. In the center of the open field, two large boulders, seemingly out of place, appeared to stand guard over the land.
After both men had relieved themselves, Kara and Nikki exited the vehicle. Nikki kissed Megan on the back of her head and gently handed the child to her father. While the men didn’t give a damn about privacy – and pissed where they pleased, the two ladies still held fast to the antiquated idea; both meandered towards the boulders to relieve themselves in private. They returned to the van after a few short moments.
“I never understood that. Why do women always seem to go to the bathroom in pairs?” James said, cracking a small smile. His levity went almost completely unnoticed as the group hastily reentered the van. They closed all of the doors and Kara switched on the heater to force out the chilly winter air.
A few quiet moments passed and then Megan began crying again. She vomited down the back of her father’s arm. It seemed the more she cried, the more she vomited. Nikki opened up her arms and Corbin reluctantly handed the child to Nikki after wiping off the baby’s tiny mouth.
Then as suddenly as the baby’s crying began, it stopped. Nikki held her baby out in front of her. Megan looked as if she was gasping for air, her face and neck began turning red from the sudden lack of oxygen.
“NO!” Nikki screamed. “She’s not breathing!” Nikki carefully, but firmly, smacked the child on the back. It’s all she could think to do. Maybe Megan was choking on some fluids or something? After a moment’s hesitation, the tactic magically seemed to work. Baby Megan began whimpering again.
Corbin bowed his head and muttered softly, “Thank, God.”
“Is she OK?” Kara inquired, feeling dumb after the words exited her mouth. Of course the child wasn’t OK…what the hell was she thinking? The baby was infected…of course she wasn’t OK. “I mean…umm,” Kara stumbled around trying to find the right words.
“She’s breathing,” Nikki said flatly.
Corbin crawled into the back of the van. He returned with some isopropyl alcohol and a two small pieces of linen. He doused the cloth with alcohol and proceeded to wipe Megan’s forehead, neck and chest with the damp cloth. After Corbin had wiped down his daughter, Nikki rested the child on her right shoulder. She wanted to listen to her baby breathe.
“The alcohol will evaporate. It should cool her skin,” he said. “Maybe it will help lower the fever.” Corbin doused the second cloth and handed it up front to James. James took the cloth, nodded in appreciation and wiped down his own face and neck.
“So what do we do now?” James asked. Corbin glanced up to the front of the van, looking down near the van’s center console. He saw Kara’s hand firmly holding her brother’s shaking left hand. Corbin knew James wasn’t scared. He knew the old vet was terribly sick. He caught Kara’s eyes in the rearview mirror, just for instant. She looked so afraid, so alone.
Nikki rocked Megan slowly, back and forth. The baby had stopped crying but Nikki could still hear the labored breathing. Then without warning, baby Megan began trembling. Nikki held her firmly and looked confusingly at her husband, expecting him to do something. But there was nothing to be done. Megan seized violently for two minutes and then her whole body relaxed, her tiny body seemed relieved, like the first few moments after one works a bad leg cramp out.
Nikki placed Megan gently on the third row backseat. She wiped down the baby again with the damp cloth. Megan began cooing softly. With tear filled eyes, Nikki lovingly stared directly into Megan’s tired eyes. The baby’s cooing stopped. Nikki lowered her head towards her daughter’s chest.
“Momma,” Megan whispered, almost inaudibly, into her mother’s ear with her final breath.
“She’s not breathing, do something!” Nikki shrieked. “Do mouth-to-mouth, Corbin – for God’s sake, help me!!”
“Wait!” James yelled as he moved to the back of the van. “Don’t do it, let me. Please. I’m already infected. If you put your mouth onto hers, you run the risk of being infected too!”
“I don’t care,” Nikki cried. Corbin gently pulled his wife away from their child.
“Give James some room, let him try,” the distraught father said.
For ten minutes, the old vet delicately tried to resuscitate the baby, but it was too late. The zombie venom within her blood had done too much damage. The old vet stopped mouth-to-mouth and then stopped chest compressions. She was gone. He moved away from the tiny baby.
“I’m sorry,” the old marine said sincerely as he passed by Nikki and Corbin to return to the front of the van.
Kara wept loudly as her brother put his arm around her neck. Corbin held Nikki who in turn clutched baby Megan close to her chest. Kara allowed the van to continue idling; the heat wafted about but no one was thinking about the cold.
Chapter 27
January 3, 2014: Friday, 10:22 AM – a sm
all field protected by the watchful gaze of two stone giants…
The group sat in a tight semi-circle around a small mound of dirt in between the two behemoth boulders. A small makeshift headstone stood at the northern end of the small burial patch. James was covered in dirt and sweat. Almost an hour had passed since he had finished packing the dirt around the grave.
An hour ago, James had offered to dig the grave for the baby and no one objected, not even Nikki. The old marine had dug the grave with a hubcap off the back tire of the old van. The top layer of dirt was frozen solid, but after some considerable effort, the old vet reached softer soil. James took his time as he dug out the gravesite. Each hubcap full of dark earth was placed next to the small opening.
Corbin gently held the small child next to his broken heart. Mother and father kissed Megan’s tiny forehead for the final time and Corbin had lowered her into the shallow grave. Both parents turned away from the gravesite; neither of them could watch as the old vet respectfully shoveled handfuls of dirt over the baby. Once her body was mostly covered, he used the hubcap to push the rest of the dirt into the hole.
Nikki sat silently staring at the final resting place of her precious child. She tried to cry but couldn’t; her mind and body were in shock. Did this really just happen? Was her baby girl truly dead? She knew the answer…she just couldn’t accept it.
“I’m sorry, Megan,” Corbin said breaking the almost hour long silence. “I couldn’t stop…that creature from biting you. I’m so sorry…” The young father burst into a fit of deep sobs. Nikki moved over next to him and put her arm around him. She cried heartily as well.
January 3, 2014: Friday, 12:02 PM – a gravesite nestled between two boulders, in a fertile field off a once busy access road …
“It’s time for you guys to get moving,” James said as he rested against one of the large boulders. “You should make as much distance as you can while there is plenty of sunshine.”
Kara had been lying in the grass, on top of her heavy winter coat, next to the other rock and sat up after hearing her brother speak. She did not care for the tone in his voice. “You make it sound like you are not coming with us,” she said.
“I’m not. I can’t.”
Corbin and Nikki looked over at the old marine, also somewhat shocked by his recent statement. While still in deep mourning over the loss of their child, they still couldn’t fathom losing another member of their group so quickly.
“Corbin,” James said without looking up.” Please take care of Kara. I won’t be around to watch her. Promise me that you’ll keep her safe. I know she’s tough, but it would make this old man happy to know that someone is watching over her in my absence.”
Kara began crying and ran over to her brother wrapping her arms around him, sobbing heavily into the nape of his neck. The old vet wrapped his arms around his younger sister and rocked her slightly, back and forth.
“You have to go…now. I don’t want you to be here when it happens. I can feel it inside of me trying to get out,” James said as he gently unclasped her fingers from around his neck. “Corbin, please – take your wife and my sister and get the hell out of here!”
Corbin and Nikki rose from their seated positions next to Megan’s grave and walked towards the old vet. Kara tried to grab hold of her brother’s neck again, but he kept her at arm’s length. The old vet stood up and Kara dropped even lower to the ground grabbing hold of the old man’s legs, like a child throwing a tantrum.
James gently lifted his distraught sister to her feet and walked her to the van. Nikki and Corbin stood solemnly over the freshly dug gravesite one final time as they said one last silent prayer. Corbin bent down, kissed his palm and gently touched the middle of the small mound. “Good bye, baby girl.” He rose from his kneeled position and grabbed Nikki’s hand. They walked to the van.
“Please James, don’t do this,” Kara pleaded from the passenger side seat. “Come with us, you don’t have to stay here. You’ll be all alone!”
“I’m not alone,” the old vet said as he nodded in the direction of Megan’s grave. “Now, give Corbin the keys so you can get moving.” Reluctantly she handed the keys over and Corbin started up the van. Nikki lay on the third row back seat, using some of Megan’s stuffed animals as a tiny pillow.
“Go,” James instructed Corbin. Corbin reached across to the passenger side window and shook James’ hand. Both men nodded with mutual respect. James opened up his rucksack and pulled out the atlas; he knew his days as group navigator were over. “Don’t forget this,” James said handing over the rumpled collection of maps. “I’ve highlighted a few different paths for you just in case.”
James kissed Kara gently on her forehead and he stepped away from the van. Corbin put the van in gear and sped off towards the access road with tears welling up in his eyes. Kara watched her brother in the rearview mirror. She saw him walk over to the gravesite and sit down. She continued to watch until she could no longer see the giant boulders. She wept, knowing full well what was coming next…she knew she would never see her brother again.
January 3, 2014: Friday, 2:45 PM – a freshly dug gravesite in the middle of nowhere …
James lay next to the tiny grave that he had dug just a few hours earlier. Next to him lay the discarded, empty bottle of narcotic pain killers and his shotgun. Birds chirped over head and the Sun warmed the grass around the motionless old marine.
“What did you say?” the old vet inquired as he slowly rolled over on his side and faced Megan’s grave.
“Yeah, I’m still here. No they left a few hours ago.” James’ dangerously high fever had caused him to hallucinate; he didn’t know the difference between what was real or what was imagined. His body had all but given out on him from the deleterious effects of the zombie venom within his veins…his mind followed closely behind.
“No, I think I’ve got it figured out now. I know how those zombies found us.”
James forced himself to sit in an upright position. He picked up the empty bottle of pills, shook some imaginary pills into his outstretched hand and tossed the magic pills into his mouth. He threw the bottle over his shoulder; the plastic container bounced off one of the large rocks behind him and came to rest in a small patch of brown grass.
“No, I already told you. You can’t have any of these, your mother said not to let you have any. Besides, they might stunt your growth.”
James vomited and his body seized violently on him. For almost three full minutes, his arms and legs shook out of control. He collapsed backwards to the hard ground behind him. His head flopped back and forth, side-to-side. At one point he almost swallowed his tongue but the violent shaking caused him to flip over on his chest, dislodging the muscle from his throat.
A few moments passed and his body relaxed. His face had come to rest in a pool of his own vomit. Blood trickled out of his mouth from a wound on his tongue, inflicted by a severe bite from his out-of-control muscle spasms. He coughed violently and cleared his throat and again returned to an upright seated position next to the dirt mound.
“Like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I’ve figured out how those zombies found us the other night. It was my fault. I thought I had lost them, but I was wrong. I cut open my leg on that fucking boat trailer.”
“What?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry about the language…that boat trailer cut me open badly. Those zombies must have followed the blood trail to the condo.”
James reached over and grabbed his shotgun. Through muscle memory alone, he checked the ammunition and pumped the gun. Proof those years of training and experience can automate certain reflexes in times of critical need or emergencies.
“I’m going to tell you a secret,” James said as he leaned over close to the grave. “I think I’m losing my mind…” The old marine lay down beside the grave wrapping his arm around the dirt mound, hugging the tiny baby, the fresh soil sliding through his fingers.
“Well that’s enough of that emoti
onal bullshit. Yeah, yeah I know…I’ll watch the language. You sure are chatty now that nobody’s around.”
James again forced himself to his knees and crawled over next to the larger of the two boulders. He rested his back against the cool rock and placed the butt of the shotgun between his boots, with the muzzle end pointing towards his face. Three or four large birds had landed on the boulders; they were seemingly transfixed on the scene about to play out below.
“I’m sorry for a lot of things in my life, but two things I want to apologize to you for: one, I’m sorry for never calling you by your rightful name. And two, I’m sorry for getting you killed.”
“It’s time for me to go now. I can’t let those meat sacks have me. Goodbye, Megan.” With those final words, the old vet pulled the trigger.
BOOM!!
The old marine’s headless body slumped to the ground. The voyeuristic birds that were watching the show from their perched position on the large rocks scattered into the air. The rugged facade of the large boulders facing the baby’s grave was painted a slight crimson hue as the sun continued to illuminate the grotesque scene.
Soon, birds began to circle overhead, interested in what had transpired below. After a few moments, the braver birds of the flock returned to the rocks, but none of them dared to go any lower. However, one adventurous bird hopped down on the freshly dug gravesite and began foraging around for earthworms and grubs.
Without warning, a tiny hand shot through the loosely packed earth and grabbed the bird, pulling it down into the darkness below…
Z1N1: The Zombie Pandemic: 2012 Was Just the Beginning Page 26