by Zuko, Joseph
“He’s a little sick. It’s not a problem. Can we get on the bus?” The man inched closer. His foot was ready to take the first step.
Dallas’ face was cut from stone. “Show me the child!” He raised his gun higher until it pointed at the man’s feet.
The man tucked the child closer to his neck and protected it with an extended hand. “My name is Adam, I’m an orthodontist. My child’s name is Trevor. Please let us on the bus. I watched my wife turn into one of those things and she came after us so I ran.” Tears poured from his eyes. Trevor made another strange sound.
“I’m sorry Adam. I really am, but I need to see the child.” Dallas’ finger clicked off the pistol’s safety.
Adam’s voice cracked. “He’s just sick. He needs food and his diaper changed, that’s all.”
That’s when Dallas noticed the blood on the baby blanket. “Show me the child now or we leave you here.”
Adam didn’t move. He simply stared, pleading for Dallas to grant him passage.
“Blaine.” Dallas nodded toward the road.
Blaine forced the war rig into first and was about to take off.
When Adam screamed, “Wait! Okay, I’ll show him to you.” Adam tugged on the blanket and peeled it back from Trevor’s little head.
“His mother bit him on the hand before I could get him away from her, but I stopped the bleeding. He’s fine, look.” Adam angled the little body toward Dallas. The child’s face was pale and covered in sweat. Wrapped around his hand was a pink colored bandage. His eyelids opened and reveled a set of black orbs.
The sight of it made Dallas twitch.
“Oh God,” yelped the big man as he raised the gun back to Adam’s chest. His suspicions were confirmed and this time he hated to be right.
“He’s infected. You can’t bring it on the bus.” Dallas didn’t know he could sound so cold.
The news devastated the father. “But he’s just a baby.” Adam’s crying became frantic. “I can’t leave him.”
“Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.” Dallas eased himself slowly down the steps keeping his gun trained on Adam the entire time. “We can take you to safety, but you have to leave it behind. I can’t have an infected on the bus. We can’t take that risk.”
Trevor let out a raspy cry. His tiny front teeth snapped shut. His little hands reached for his father’s face. Adam looked at his son and fell to his knees. He wailed at the top of his lungs and clutched his boy tight to his neck.
Blaine nervously called to his friend. “Dallas, we need to get going man.”
“Just a minute,” he said, never looking away from Adam. Dallas reached the street and towered above the shattered father. His heart ached for the man, but his options were limited. It was still unclear how contagious this infection really was and he had to take zero chances when it came to the safety of his people. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but we have to go. We have supplies and a shelter. You would be safe, but if you want to come with us you have to lay him down.” Dallas swallowed hard. “Trevor is dead and there is nothing we can do to save him.”
The pain radiating off of Adam was gut wrenching. Dallas was sure he had never seen anyone cry so hard in his life. He had bawled like a baby when his wife left him and took Maxine across the country, but he did not cry like this. Adam looked as if someone had taken a rusty dull blade and used it to cut the heart from his chest.
Seeing Adam in such misery caused Dallas to drop his guard for a moment. “Adam, I’m sorry, but we-”
Adam lurched forward and grabbed for Dallas’ gun. It happened so fast. Dallas wasn’t a trained officer or soldier. He’d never been in a gun fight before and he certainly wasn’t trained to handle someone reaching for his weapon. Before he knew it Adam’s thumb was on the trigger. He yanked the pistol toward his own forehead and BANG!
Dallas flinched as a cloud of brains shot out the back of Adam’s skull. The big man was spritzed with blood and left confused and terrified. Adam’s body fell backwards to the asphalt. Trevor rolled from his blue blanket and hissed like a snake.
Blaine put the rig in neutral and raced down the stairs. “Dallas, are you alright?”
The pistol shook in his hand. He’d seen a handful of criminals getting dispatched yesterday, but he wasn’t the one pulling the trigger. Plus they were all admitted pedophiles with records.
Dallas had taken life before, but never a human’s. He wiped the sticky fluid from his brow as Blaine pulled at his shoulder and spun him around. “Are you okay?”
Dallas blinked twice the normal speed as he cleaned more of Adam’s blood from his face. “No.”
Blaine surveyed the scene on the ground, then he looked back at his friend. “He made his choice. This wasn’t your fault. You tried your best to help him.” Blaine gently pushed Dallas toward the steps. “We have to move. Come on.”
Dallas slowly lumbered his way back onto the rig. Charlie and Theo’s expressions were blank. The reality of this suicide mission had become crystal clear. Shawna already had wet wipes out for him to better clean up the mess. She handed them to Dallas. Her expression told him how sorry she was he had to experience such a horrible travesty. Dallas took his seat and swabbed at his face. The feeling of shock consumed him.
Leaving the church for Eric was a bad idea.
Blaine shut the door behind him and bolted it. He climbed the steps, got behind the wheel, put her in gear and punched the gas. Leaving the infected baby, Trevor hissing on the side of the road.
Chapter 11
Cliff’s arms were strong and his fingers crushed Jim’s throat like a vise. Hitting the back of his head on the floor had dazed him for a moment. Jim was amazed how quickly he began to panic once his oxygen supply had been cut. Jim had practiced escaping from a choke hold just like this one a thousand times at his Krav Maga class, but never was it after a blow to the back of the skull. On top of that, Jim’s workout partners weren’t ever trying to end his life.
Damn Cliff sure is giving it his all.
It had been only two seconds since Cliff had lunged at him and Jim wondered.
Where the hell is Frank?
Why isn’t that guy Leon saving me?
What the hell is taking them so long?
Finally, Leon yanked at Cliff’s collar, trying his best to pry the crazed man off, but Cliff wasn’t having it. Cliff swung his fist at Leon and nailed him right between the legs. Leon crumpled to the floor as if he had turned to laundry. Jim took the second and sucked in as much air as possible before Cliff’s iron grip was back at his throat.
Spit oozed from Cliff’s mouth as he bared his teeth. “It should have been your family! Not mine!”
“Let him go!” yelled Frank. He stood with his pistol drawn in the kitchen, but Cliff wasn’t listening. The only thing Cliff could see and hear was red.
The second of air Jim inhaled was enough for him to get thinking straight again. Then muscle memory took over. Jim clutched both of Cliff’s wrists, twisted and pulled them away from his neck, at the same time he bucked his hips into the air. That motion sent Cliff off balance and he fell forward. In the blink of an eye, Jim pinned Cliff’s arms to his chest and rolled off his back. Jim executed a perfect reversal and in doing so, Cliff crashed face first into the nearby wall before he fell to his back. Jim was now on top and in control of the situation. Cliff wiggled and thrashed as he attempted his own escape, but Jim had him pinned and locked up tight. “I didn’t pull the goddamn trigger and I sure as shit didn’t force you to come here!”
Cliff managed to get an arm out and swung at Jim’s face. He blocked it with his forearm, but that allowed Cliff to get off his back and roll to his side. Jim quickly regained his balance and saw an opening. He looped his arm around Cliff’s neck and cinched it tight. From this angle Cliff had no way to escape or land a strike. Jim tightened the choke just enough for Cliff to see he was in charge and could do some serious damage if he wanted. Cliff struggled for a little long
er before exhaustion and the lack of air calmed him.
Jim steadied his racing heart. “There is nothing I can say to ease your pain, but I am not your enemy.” Jim noticed everyone, including Karen and the girls were staring at the two of them wrestling on the floor. “I can’t bring your family back, but there is a house full of people that need your help to survive.” Cliff became perfectly still. Jim eased the pressure off the man’s neck. “Don’t quit on us, please don’t quit on us. We need you more than ever.”
Cliff covered his tear filled face as he wept. Jim released him and Cliff sat up. He put his arms around the man’s shoulders and comforted him.
Jim wasn’t a grief counselor, “You already punished the bastards that took your family. That was your revenge and no one blames you for taking it, but look around you man. We have all lost someone to this madness. We have to stick together if we want to make it out of here.”
Cliff rubbed his red eyes and peered around the room. Karen and her children looked terrified. Sara was on the verge of bawling. Troy swiveled his baseball cap around to cover his face and not let on he was about to lose it. Frank’s gaze had become glassy. Leon had fear etched onto his face as he leaned against the wall. Both of his hands were wrapped tightly around his aching balls.
Jim is right.
Tina would want to help them. That’s who she was.
At her core she was the type of woman that would give the shirt off her back to help a friend.
That’s why Cliff fell for her. She was so giving and full of love. He couldn’t tarnish her memory. Not now. No way would she want him to be selfish, and give up on life. To no longer care for the living or turn his back on the people that need him. That would have broken her heart. Tina had told Cliff many times how she fell for him because he was strong and that’s what he needed to be. He had to be stronger than he ever thought possible.
What would his children think? Those wonderful little girls would want their father to be brave like a knight in shining armor and his mother would have told him, don’t be a pussy and fight those zombie bastards.
One of his and Tina’s favorite Nine Inch Nails songs played through his mind. It was a line Tina would say to him when times were tough or they hated the way something went down and they felt horrible. The line helped them to remember that whatever they were feeling was temporary and they would feel different later.
‘This isn’t meant to last, this is for right now…’
It would be a long time before he could say he was okay. In fact he might not ever be a hundred percent. Too much had been taken from him to be whole again, but it didn’t mean he had the right to shut himself down.
“You’re right.” Cliff ran his sleeve across his runny nose. He looked Jim dead in the eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
Jim patted him hard on the back. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Shit happens.” Jim got to his feet and helped Cliff to his.
“Bad word,” Valerie chimed in.
“Sorry baby,” Jim said as he stretched the muscles in his neck.
Cliff moved across the room and stood next to Leon. He ran his other sleeve over his eyes. “Leon, right?”
Leon groaned, “Yeah.”
Cliff knelt in front of him. “I’m sorry. There is never a good reason to hit a man there. I hope maybe you can forgive me.” He extended his hand.
Pain pulsed up into Leon’s guts as he studied Cliff, gauging to see if he was sincere or just putting on a show for the others. The apology seemed legit. He was offered the olive branch and if he didn’t accept it he would be the jerk.
Even though he tagged both my balls with his cinderblock of a fist, everyone’s totally going to side with the man that lost his entire family.
Damn that Jim is good.
He totally talked Cliff off the ledge.
Leon hated to admit it, but Jim was starting to live up to the hype.
I better play this cool and get back on everyone’s good side.
He gingerly released his nutsack and shook Cliff’s hand. “Yeah, I understand.” Leon glanced around the room. He had a captive audience.
Time to earn a quick laugh.
People love a comedian.
Leon tugged on Cliff’s hand for comedic timing as he said, “The next time you touch my balls, make sure it’s not in anger, okay?”
That made Cliff huff out a light laugh. Leon checked the rest of the group and it tickled them too, but no one laughed out loud. It was too tough a room for that. Not yet.
Cliff helped Leon to his feet and aided him into the kitchen.
The kitchen felt crowded as the seven adults piled into the room.
Karen reached for the freezer. “You want an icepack?”
“Nah, I’ll tough it out.” Leon leaned against the cabinet. His hands still cupped around his junk.
Karen looked around the room, noticed it was clean and missing one scumbag. “Where’s the guy?”
Troy dug through a set of cabinets. “On the couch, I’m going to go keep an eye on him. I need to take a little rest anyways. My head is killing me.” He found what he was looking for. An extra pack of smokes he had stowed away just in case of an emergency.
Frank grabbed the duffle bag full of guns and ammo. “I’ll join you.” He followed Troy out of the kitchen.
“Mama, can we go play?” asked Valerie.
“Sure baby, just stay away from the man on the couch, okay?” Karen patted the little ones on their noggins as they raced out of the kitchen and toward the play area.
Cliff kicked on the tap water and ran his head under the faucet. He scrubbed the zombie goo off his buzzed scalp and cleaned the tears and snot from his face.
Sara stood in front of the range, staring at the burners. “I need a cup of coffee. Anyone else want one?”
It was a yes all around.
“I broke the pot over Eric’s skull.” Karen moved to Jim’s side and snuggled up against him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. Aiming for a spot that looked like it wasn’t sore.
“I don’t need a coffee maker to brew up a pot. I just need, well a pot.” Sara burrowed through a cabinet until she found one the right size. “Coffee grounds and a strainer?”
“That cabinet there,” Leon said as he pointed to one next to the range.
Karen fished through a lower drawer and found the strainer. “Here you go.”
Cliff moved away from the sink, allowing Sara access to the water as he dried his head with a towel. “You were saying something about a plan, before I…” Cliff couldn’t bring himself to say what he had done. He neatly folded the towel and lay it on the counter.
Jim didn’t miss a beat and started in on explaining his plan. “Yeah, I want you to cut a hole through the roof of the garage.”
Sara finished filling her pot with water and set it on the range. She turned the burner to high as she snickered, “You wanna put a skylight in the garage?”
“Kind of,” Jim said as he headed back toward the foyer where the circular saw sat on the floor.
“We can pick off the whole horde from that vantage.” Karen nodded in agreement with her husband.
Jim lifted the tool from the floor. “Exactly.” He reentered the kitchen and handed the saw to Cliff. “What do you say?” Cliff’s face was swollen and red around a set of glassy eyes, but they were focused.
Cliff took the tool from Jim. “Lead the way.”
Leon shifted his weight, but remained against the counter. “If it’s alright with you guys. I’m going to hang here until my testes drop out of my body.”
Jim headed for the garage. He flicked on the light switch and was surprised to find it pretty clean out there. Someone had stacked all of the boxes along one of the walls. It made it easy to get to the attic ladder out of the ceiling and locked into position. Fists banged into the garage door. Only a thin layer of metal separated them from certain death.
Jim pulled the power plug on the garage door m
otor. Then he tugged on the release lever so the draw chain and the door were disconnected from each other. “Don’t want anyone to accidently hit the open button on this thing.” He finished it off by pushing the slide lock into position on the metal door itself.
“Good idea.”
“What else will you need to cut through the roof?” Jim asked as he tested the ladder.
Cliff scanned the garage. “Gloves, goggles, a garbage bag to collect the insulation and more light.”
Jim stepped closer to the workbench and everything Cliff needed was there. Jim handed him a set of leather work gloves and goggles. Then he yanked a black garbage bag from a half full box, found a lantern and tested it. The thing had fresh batteries and emitted a bright light. “I’ll carry the light and the garbage bag. There is another light switch at the top of the steps.”
“Alright, let’s get this done.” Cliff started up the steps. It was a short climb, but a very narrow entrance into the attic. It was hot up there, close to twenty-degrees hotter than the rest of the garage. He began to sweat the second he found the light switch and flipped it on.
“Holy shit!” Cliff screamed. He found himself surrounded by Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Leatherface. He flinched and threw a fast jab at the closest one, knocking the foam rubber head off Jason’s broad shoulders.
Jim called up after him. “Oh, sorry about that. I should have warned you. We store our Halloween decorations up there.”
“What the hell are they?” Cliff chirped.
Jim beamed with pride, “I build cardboard mannequins and buy or make the costumes. They are Halloween props.”
“Well bravo. They are scary as hell.” Cliff inched his way up into the attic. It was only four feet high at the apex of the roof so Cliff had to stay on his knees. The monsters around him looked pretty life like for just being made out of cardboard and they put him on edge. Cliff poked Freddy, the monster that scared him the most as a child, right in the eye to make sure it wasn’t going to come alive and say something like ‘Welcome to your nightmare, bitch,’ then slash him across the face with his finger knives.