Midnight Outbreak

by Jeffus Corona, Brandy

  “Yeah, I think so too. He doesn’t say much. But I think he went through some dark shit.”

  The two friends were silent for a while after that. They watched the darkening sky, the trees blowing in the wind. The seasons were changing, and the captain had said that at the end of springtime they would go back to Washington to help with the rebuild. Will, Josh, and Brendan all declined to come. They were under no obligation to, and their place was in Texas. They weren’t going to leave for a long time.

  “I wonder how they plan to rebuild. I mean, how do you rebuild a country?” Will wondered out loud.

  “I don’t know. Bring in help from across seas, maybe?” Josh offered.

  “Fuck them overseas. They never helped us during all this bullshit. Why should we rely on them now?”

  “It’s all politics. They helped house the President.”

  “Is he even alive? Is he going to take over now that all the hard shit’s been taken care of? What a pansy ass.”

  “Well, we need a leader, I guess.”

  “Fuck that. I’ll be king.”

  “Dude, you are so random.”

  “Well, I don’t want a pansy-ass president who ran away at the first sign of trouble. Who’s probably been sitting on his ass, eating filet minion and having running water, while every else is fighting for their life.”

  Josh chuckled. “Yeah…”

  “This is giving me a headache. I say we go to an island and make it ours. We can sip margaritas for the rest of our lives. Just move the whole compound out there and stake claim to it.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “We take the vampires with us?” Will asked, an eyebrow raised. Josh could tell he was drunk.

  “Yeah, sure; why the hell not?”

  “Wonder if they like to swim?” The men laughed.

  “What are you two giggling about?” Lexi asked as she appeared on the porch. She smiled shyly at the men.

  “Actually, we were talking about if vampires swim or not.”

  She sat down and stared at them dubiously. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  There was a pause as she stared at them, mouth drawn down into a frown, and mumbled, “Yes we do.”

  The men looked at her, then at each other, and all three exploded with laughter.

  “What a silly thing to wonder,” Lexi finally said, catching her breath. The vampires were a lot more carefree now that the army was leaving. The rules and regulations had also gone relaxed, and the soldiers kept to themselves around the base, giving the vampires more freedom to wander outside the house.

  “It is. It’s even sillier to imagine that we’ve been partners for almost seven years now and we know hardly anything about you guys,” Josh remarked.

  Lexi nodded thoughtfully. “The vampire world can be complicated. Our histories are long, since we live forever.”

  “Mari knows more than anyone, though. She gets the stories out of you, huh?”

  Lexi beamed. “Yes, that little girl has quite the effect. She loves my stories; Sienna’s too, but especially Miguel’s since he’s from Brazil.”

  “So what do you think you guys are going to do once things get back to normal? The new America and whatnot?”

  She took her time answering. “I don’t know. It’s so different than it used to be. We’re used to change. We adapt easily. This time though, it was such a difficult situation. We have heard of other groups of vampires, not that many, though. Miguel wants to visit his homeland. See how they fared over there. We’ve heard that things are the same, everyone continued on while we were stuck. Most the vampires living in the United States moved away. To other countries.”

  “Why didn’t y’all?” Will asked.

  Lexi met his stare. “Because we had an obligation to you. To this family. You helped us when we were in dire straits. We couldn’t forget that. Couldn’t leave you to fend for yourself. Other vampires do not regard humans like we do. But I couldn’t just throw my responsibilities away. After a while, this group wasn’t a responsibility. It was a family. To us. And we don’t leave family. No matter what.” She gave a small smile and then cast her gaze down.

  Josh didn’t know how to respond. It was a sincere statement and he was grateful the vampires never left them. He didn’t know if they would have survived without them.

  “I do know that I would like to keep in contact with the group. Wherever y’all may go. Or if y’all stay. I would like that very much. I don’t think I could let Mari grow up without being in her life. She means the world to me.” She paused before continuing. “Before, when I was a human, it was every girl’s dream to grow up and have a family of her own. That’s what we were taught to strive for. To accomplish that was to accomplish everything. I was turned too soon, though. Too early. I hadn’t even had a suitor when my father turned me. That’s the part that hurt the most. Not to ever have a family of my own. With you guys—and with Mari especially—it’s helped me. Helped me get over my resentment towards my father, my anger, my fear.

  “Will, I knew your father. He and my father knew each other. Had come in contact, actually, in a fight before. My father wasn’t a fighter. He was a powerful leader, but he knew there were some vampires that were nothing but bloodthirsty. So he and your father, Jacob, had a deal. Samuel let your father know where the bad vampires were, and there were a lot, in order for our population to be kept at an ideal number. Samuel wanted us to live in peace and, actually, that was Jacob’s plan as well.”

  Will looked stunned. “I never knew that.”

  Lexi shook her head. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. I think when your father formed the group he did, his dreams were squashed. Nobody likes anything that they don’t understand. And his friends didn’t understand the respect he and Samuel had for each other. Instead they turned to hate and the fear they had kept the embers of the hate burning. When he mentioned them living in harmony, they called him a fool. Told him he was weak. So he kept those opinions to himself.”

  Will nodded. “Yeah, those people were a bunch of crazy hunters, that’s for sure.”

  “I often wonder if it was by coincidence that we ran into you guys that night. But I’ve come to the conclusion that we have a destiny. Each of us. Even us vampires. Our paths were meant to cross at that time because needed each other in order to live.” Lexi sighed and stood up. “I’ll leave you two, but please think about what I said. I would like to remain in contact with the family. You are both near and dear to my heart.” She brought her hands up to her chest and smiled.

  When she left the men were silent. Finally, Will spoke. “Who would’ve thought that we would end up friends with them, connected like we are.”

  “Not me.”

  “It makes me regret killing Claire and Myra. I don’t think I should have done it and, for that I’m sorry, JJ. I really am.”

  Josh swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat at the mention of Myra’s name. It had been a while since he’d thought of her, and that made him feel guilty. He wondered how she would have made it during this zombie plague. How she would have survived. She was a giver, always. She would have made her place helping those in need.

  “I forgave you a long time ago, man. It’s okay. I promise I hold no animosity toward you. We’ve been through too much. You were just trying to save my life. That’s okay in my book.”

  The men shook hands and continued to drink, waiting until it was too cold to stay outside.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Josh had resumed his leadership role at the compound. For however long that was, he had no idea. There was no game plan. They couldn’t go back to Louisiana. The memories were too big for them to pick up where they left off. Josh, Brendan, and Will had no idea what the city had become.

  The group decided t
o take a trip out to a nearby lake. East Texas was known for some great lakes around the area, but none of them had taken advantage of it.

  They hiked it on foot. Everyone except Joan, Sarai, and the vampires were there. Weeks earlier, Joan had come down with a cold. Sarai had taken her place like she always did as Joan’s caretaker. Joan was tired. Tired of trying to be brave and be the matriarch. Josh knew she didn’t have too long left.

  Mari was ecstatic to be out on a ‘field trip.’ She went running off, and Josh thought how weird it was to see a child at play with a gun by her side. But that was their life, he supposed.

  Makayla and Josh walked silently, hand in hand. Van and Will were up ahead, Van hitched up on Will’s back. Makayla was the complete opposite of her sister. She was soft-spoken and sad. Maybe that’s why he got with the girl in Nevada; she reminded him of Makayla. West had grown taller while he was away, his boyish face starting to turn skinnier, his features more prominent. He was still a kid at heart, though; he ran to catch up to Mari.

  They made it to Lake Tyler. The grayish water spread out for forever, it seemed. Brendan had been to this lake as a kid plenty of times. They crossed over the parking lot, carefully checking each car they came across. They were haphazardly strewn around and they called the kids back to their sides just to be safe. One by one, they hopped over the guardrail at the end of the parking lot and made their way down the hill towards the lake.

  “It’s too cold to swim, right?” Mari asked, her hands on her hips.

  Her father nodded slowly. “It is. We’re just getting some fresh air. It must have felt like being in a prison with all those military guys around.”

  Mari frowned. “Yeah, it wasn’t that great. The food they brought was good, though. I still hope they leave soon.”

  “They’re supposed to,” Will spoke up. “When spring ends. Which is about a month away, I suppose.”

  Bored by the conversation, Mari and West took off to a group of picnic tables in one corner. There was a group of tents across the lake on the other side; they looked worn down by the weather, patches missing and sides collapsed.

  Will and Van took off towards the edge of the lake, away from the kids. Will stopped every so often and picked up rocks. When they got to the edge, he and Van started a rock skipping contest, and Josh laughed as Will’s first one hit the water hard and sank.

  Just then, a loud rustling sounded from across the parking lot in the trees they had just crossed. Will and Van ran over to the rest of the group and the children did too. The men instinctively reached for their weapons and stood in front of the group.

  “Who’s there?” Josh called out, gun raised and pointed at the bushes.

  The rustling stopped and they saw two people; a man and a woman peeked their heads out. Josh’s eyebrows furrowed. He lowered his gun.

  “Come on out; we won’t hurt you.”

  The man was tall, his skin a golden tan. His black hair was shaggy and pulled back in a ponytail. The woman was short, with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail as well. Both faces were dirt-covered and thin. They stepped through the bushes and began walking across the parking lot.

  Josh and Will met them halfway, weapons still in hand. The nomads had backpacks, threadbare and covered in dirt.

  “Who are y’all?” Will asked; his voice had a hint of weariness.

  “I’m Simon, and this is Lisa,” the man said, his southern twang apparent. He offered his hand, but Josh ignored it.

  “Where y’all from?”

  “We’ve been here for a little while. Originally we’re from Shreveport.”

  “Weapons?” Will asked.

  The man and woman looked at each other quickly and both nodded. “But we mean you no harm. We heard y’all coming and hid in here. We haven’t met many survivors.”

  Will nodded, satisfied, and put his katana back in the sheath. “Well, I’m Will, and this ugly ass man next to me is Josh. This is our group. We were just on a field trip. Needed some fresh air and let the kids run around.”

  A faint smile appeared on the edge of Lisa’s mouth at the mention of children.

  “Y’all have just been here at the lake? Where’s your camp?”

  “We move around. We’ve been around the lake several times.”

  Will and Josh looked at each other. Will’s eyes were questioning. Should they let these newcomers in? Josh gave a slight nod. He wasn’t about to just leave survivors abandoned. Strength was in numbers and they had lost a few good men. They needed newcomers just as much as Simon and Lisa needed the compound.

  “Well, we’ve got a permanent camp set up a ways back. We’ll take you to it. You can stay with us.” Will paused. “But, I’ll warn you. This man right here,” he hooked his thumb pointing to Josh, “is a badass leader. You got to put in some work; nobody lives there for nothing.”

  Simon and Lisa exchanged a look, nothing but hope in their eyes. “Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.”

  “Come on, and we’ll introduce y’all to the rest of the group,” Josh offered.

  ***

  They made their way back to camp with the newcomers in tow. They had stopped at their tents, the same ones Josh had seen across the way, to get the rest of their belongings, but it wasn’t much. Josh once again realized just how lucky they were to have the compound. To have the shelter that Uncle John had provided them so long ago.

  Simon and Lisa were filled in on the army’s presence at the camp and what the men had seen while they were serving. There were extra vaccines at the camp that the newcomers could have.

  Lisa exclaimed. “You mean they have a cure? That’s such a blessing! We never thought they would.”

  “Well it’s not a cure. They can’t make all those dead heads back human again,” Josh explained. Lisa’s face fell, and he continued. “But it’s a guarantee we won’t turn. No matter what. They have big plans to rebuild. Plans I don’t know anything about, but they are getting rid of the dead heads. It’s probably ninety-five percent clear as we speak. Even if you do get bit, you won’t turn.”

  Simon and Lisa’s faces were masked with confusion and doubt. Will stopped and motioned for Van to help him lift his shirt up. When she did, Simon and Lisa gasped loudly. The scar was nasty. The chunk of flesh looked like a crater in his otherwise smooth back. Lisa instantly reached for it, and then drew her hand back.

  “No, it’s okay. You can touch it. I got this in Cali, right before Josh and I came back home.”

  “So the vaccine does work?”

  Will nodded. “I’m living proof.”

  “That’s amazing,” Lisa breathed.

  “It is. I guess that’s what all the top-dog scientific people were doing when they ran off and left us to fend for ourselves.” Brendan’s voice was laced with bitterness. His distrust in the government had only grown after being a part of their co-op military unit.

  Mari and West walked up ahead, collecting twigs and weeds they came across. The adults tried to fill Simon and Lisa in as much as possible without making their heads explode.

  Lisa and Simon also shared their story about staying near groups of water to survive. They had seen how the zombies didn’t congregate in those places, preferring big cities and then finally moving to the country so they could continue their rampage.

  They arrived at the compound at dusk, Simon and Lisa stopped in their tracks. “This is where y’all live?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Oh, my word.”

  “We’ve been luckier than most. Our leader, my Uncle John, invited me here when the plague first happened. I brought Josh and Will, and my daughter Mari. We’ve lost a few people, including Uncle John. But this place has stood the test.”

  “And we can stay?” Lisa asked.

  “Of course. We brought in Makayla, Van, and We
st a couple years back. Right before we were shipped off,” Brendan replied.

  Josh took a few steps towards them and lowered his voice. “This world already went to hell. We’re not those kinds of people who only look out for ourselves. If we can help you, we will, as long as you pull your weight. The war might be over, but the world’s still a shithole to try and survive in.”

  Simon’s eyes grew misty and he sniffed. He offered his hand and this time Josh took it. “Thank you. Thank you very much. We will do whatever job we need to. We haven’t slept indoors in a very long time.”

  Josh grinned as he brought his other hand to clap Simon’s shoulder. “Well I bet y’all haven’t eaten that great, either. Come inside, and we’ll get dinner going.”

  That night, the whole group celebrated. Simon was drunk already after a couple rounds of whiskey, and Lisa ate so much, her belly was visibly protruding. The introductions to the vampires went okay. Lisa was scared at first, but Lexi, as she had a tendency to do, made her feel calm. They explained how they came to know the group, and how they helped out.

  Brendan was sloppy drunk and Luna took him upstairs. Later they heard a slight knocking sound. Lisa’s face reddened and she looked for the kids. They were passed out in front of the fireplace. The men just laughed loudly and then the crude jokes started.

  The night went on with more drinking and more laughter. Everyone was in great spirits because of their ‘field trip’ and the fact that they had added two more to their group.

  Chapter Thirty

  The next day, after everyone woke up and ate breakfast, Mari and West took Simon and Lisa on the tour of the house. Mari let West lead. He had grown into a little brother for Mari and she was thankful. She loved him.

  After the tour, Josh called a house meeting. He was more clear-headed than usual. He looked somber as he sat at the head of the table.