Breathless Bodies

by Brigit Levois

  At the bottom of the mountain, I remembered my cell phone. I tried Sean, but it went straight to voicemail, a quick text and then backed up messages from others. The in-laws, a few friends, and a few people I hadn't talked to in forever. We had gotten out of there in such a rush, I hadn't talked to anyone since we left. The first person I called was my mother in-law.

  "Oh my god, we thought you had died! Where have you been? Where's Sean?" My mother in law, Beatrice or Momma Bea, answered.

  "No we're okay, Sean is okay." I told her everything that had happened in the last few weeks. I was completely surprised they had survived for this long. Then again, Bea is an avid bulk shopper so they were amply supplied. It was still a relief to hear her voice.

  "I'm glad to hear you guys are still alive. Are you still at home?"

  "Oh goodness no! When Charles from up the street tried to attack me on my morning walk, we figured it was time to leave. Luckily he doesn't move that fast without his walker. We're up here at Sandia peak. Ernest thought this would be the closest and safest place to hide out." Ernest was my father-in-law.

  "That was good thinking. Is there anyone else with you?" I hoped there was.

  "Yes, there are three high schoolers that Ernest worked with. James, Scott, and Daniel. They came over to help us redo the front yard when we were packing up to go. They have been a great help. Daniel is a great marksman so we don't waste to many bullets and James used to live in the mountains with his dad so were well stocked on rabbits. Do you have potatoes?"

  "What? Do I have potatoes?" I asked.

  "Yes, potatoes. I want to make a nice rabbit stew but I don't have any potatoes." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. We're all likely to die from being eaten and she asked me if I had potatoes?

  "No, I don't have potatoes."

  "Well darn. oh well, that's okay. So, when are you coming to pick us up?" That made me pause, I didn't know how the others would react to having the plan change. Ya know what, screw them, this is family.

  "Well now that I know that you are all alive, I'll be there tomorrow."

  "Great! We'll see you then" she said, and promptly hung up. My mom looked at me with wide eyes and a shocked face. Apparently she thought that conversation was as bizarre as I did. Before I said anything to her, I pulled over at a gas station. Rolling down the windows, I got out and positioned myself so everyone could hear me.

  "So, just got off the phone with the in-laws and they're still alive. They want us to come get them. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Everyone shook their heads.

  "Okay then. Niobe, see if there is any gas that can be siphoned. Ragnar, please go inside and get some grub. Take Steven with you and get plenty of energy drinks. It's a long drive to New Mexico."

  Chapter 10

  We decided that instead of just heading straight to Albuquerque, we would get an R.V. and fortify it as much as possible. With our rapidly increasing numbers, it looked like we would have to find a little tow-behind in the meantime.

  The freeway was a disaster, cars everywhere and body parts strewn along the road and over the cars. By the time we had gotten to the 58/14 interchange, we were all a bit green.

  "Pull over." I heard, not even sure if I had heard it at all.

  "Pull over, pull over now!" It was Liz, she sounded like she was about to be sick. I pulled over as quickly as I could while she climbed over Lin. As soon as the truck was stopped, she was out the door, puking her brains out.

  "Mom, what's wrong with Liz? Is she okay?" Kaylin asked.

  "I don't know baby. I'll go find out." I unbuckled and stepped out of the truck. Steven had already jumped out of the bed and was at her side, holding her hair back. I leaned on the bed of the truck next to Kato.

  "How are you all holding up back here?" I asked them all in general, but it was Niobe who answered.

  "It's windy, uncomfortable, and cold." She looked at me condescendingly. "If I were in charge, we would have had at least a toy hauler by now." She scoffed and turned away. I raised my eyebrows, trying to figure out why she had harsh feelings for me.

  "Look, I don't know what I did to you in the two days that I've known you but if you think you can do a better job than by all means, go right ahead. I didn't ask to be put in charge, I just happen to be the one that some paranoid war vet took under his wing and trained to survive shit like this! I'm here to save my children and get back to my husband!" I was yelling at this point. "I'm not doing this so you can be comfortable, I'm doing this so my family can be together. If you don't like the way things are going, then you are more than welcome to find your own damn ride!"

  I turned and stomped off, pulling a smoke out of my pocket as I went. Who the hell did she think she was? I didn't beg her to come along, nor did I owe her a damn thing! As I weaved in between the abandoned cars, I kept thinking nasty thoughts until my smoke was gone. I threw it onto the ground and looked around. It was quiet for a freeway, but I suppose that happens when most of the motorists are dead. I watched a hawk take off from a tree branch, rising high above the trees towards where I had come from. I watched the bird fly until I saw movement on the ground. It was a walker headed for the others. I reached for my gun only to realize I had left it in the truck. Damn.

  Keeping my eyes on the walker, I tried to make my way around it. It was on the far right side of the road with plenty of vehicles cover between us, but I felt exposed without a weapon. As I passed each car, I looked inside for something I could use. Nothing, nothing, nothing. There's gotta be something I can use. I was passing a station wagon when I saw a katana in the back seat. Perfect! I tried the door and it was locked. I tried other doors, all locked. Who the hell locks their doors in this kind of situation?! I had no choice but to break the window. That would also get the attention of the walker and keep him from the kids. Looking around, there was a rock on the shoulder. Weaving my way to it, I saw them: more than 20. All rotten, slumping and limping towards the truck. My stomach dropped, I tried to get my feet to move but they weren't cooperating. Come on, come on, think. Do something! Finally, I managed to move slowly backward, toward that station wagon. And then the most predictable thing happened, I stepped on a stick. Only a few turned, but that was enough. Six of them picked up their pace and headed towards me. The others heard the excited huffing of the ones that had spotted me and now they were all coming at me. Fantastic, at least they're distracted from the truck.

  I dashed forward to grab the rock, running to break the window. It took me two smashes before it broke. I grabbed the sword and ran to the right side of the road. There was only one walker on that side so I slashed his neck as I bolted by, racing to the others. I caught sight of the truck and started shouting.

  "Get the truck started!" At the sound of my voice the others shot into action. Liz was already back in the truck, Ragnar on the gun, everyone where they needed to be. Except Niobe. She was sitting in the driver's seat. The door was open and she only had a moment to realize I was going to shove her over before I did.

  "Thank god for the cow catcher!" I said as the putrid bone bags came into view. I dropped the truck into four-wheel drive and gunned it while Niobe cursed at me. As the cars were moved to either side, the zombies were either turned into ground meat, crushed by the cars, or picked off by the men in the back. We didn't get them all, but we made it through. I checked the rear view mirror to make sure everyone was still there, which they were. We drove for about three miles before I saw another gas station. I pulled over so Niobe could get back in the bed of the truck. As I stepped out, Malcolm hopped down and swooped me into a twirling hug.

  "Hot damn girl, that was some mighty fine driving! I think that was the most fun I've had in years!" He set me down and went off in the direction of the store, chuckling to himself. I turned to look at the rest of them. Kato sat cleaning a knife, Ragnar was looking ahead of us, and my brother was looking to my left were Niobe stood
. She had climbed out of the truck and was giving me the evil eye.

  "Oh what now Niobe?" I asked her, really not wanting to know. She seemed to chew on her words for a few moments, bouncing one leg with a hand on her hip.

  "That was reckless." she finally said, throwing a hand in the direction we had just come. "Taking off like that? What the hell we're you thinking? Not only did you put us in jeopardy, but your kids as well! What the hell kind of mother are you?" She had propped one foot on the running board so she could tower over me. I looked at Ragnar, he looked at me, and he knew what I was going to do. I kicked the leg she was standing on and, with the adrenalin still running through me to give me strength, punched her in the jaw, sending her to the ground. Before she could sit up, I had my knee at her throat.

  "I'm the kind of mom that walks away from a mouthy little holier than thou bitch instead of getting into a fight that no one would win. I'm the kind of mom that didn't scream like a little kid when we drove through the zombies. I'm the kind of mom that is getting sick of some grown ass woman acting like we are in a high school popularity contest! You don't like me, I get it. But as long as you are traveling with us, you either hold your tongue or lose it." I stood up, taking my knee off her throat. That was my mistake. She had a knife in her hand as she came up, slashing my left arm as I turned to walk away. It didn't hurt, it had felt like a slight tug. She came at me again, but before I could move, an arrow came out of nowhere and shot the blade from her hand. We stood frozen for a moment, then she came at me with her fists. An arrow landed an inch in front of her foot, stopping her dead.

  There was a crunch of gravel by the building and a man came forward, his crossbow aimed right at Niobe. He had short blond hair and hazel green eyes, with a jaw and chin superman himself would be jealous of. Too bad he didn't notice Malcolm sneaking behind him. He came up behind the stranger and wrapped his knife around his throat.

  "Just put the crossbow down nice and easy." The man lowered his weapon.

  Good, now why don't we walk on over to the other folks and have a nice chat." Malcolm gave the stranger a little nudge and they walked over. The stranger looked like he wanted to bolt, as if something were chasing him. His eyes roamed everywhere.

  When they were in front of us, he stopped looking around and gave me his full attention. I had been wrong about his eyes. They were brown on the inside with a gray ring on the outer iris, shot through with gold flecks. They were very compelling, as though they could tell stories on their own. Ragnar hopped down from the truck and stood slightly behind me to the right side. Ragnar held out his hand and the man gave him his crossbow, his eyes never leaving mine.

  "Why did you do that? Why did you shoot those arrows?" I asked him.

  "Because I saw your death in her eyes." I looked to Niobe who was glaring daggers at the man. I hadn't realized till then just how dangerous that woman was. I didn't know why she hated me, but she hated with every part of her.

  "Why would you care?" He looked at me like it was the dumbest question he had ever heard.

  "There aren't that many of us left that aren't infected. I don't think it's right to kill someone because you're jealous of them." Malcolm snorted but quickly turned it into a cough.

  "Well thank you." I told the man. "What's your name?"

  "My name is Samuel. And I would love to get to know each one of you personally, but I suggest you get in your truck and get out of here as fast as you can. There are some raiders coming this way and they have no problem killing you to get your stuff." He said, hooking a thumb towards the trees behind the gas station.

  I glanced at the others and they all sprang into action. Ragnar handed the man back his crossbow and clambered into the truck. Samuel held out his hand to me.

  "It was a pleasure to meet you." I shook his hand, but the idea had already taken hold.

  "Why don't you come with us?" I looked at him, then to the others in the truck. No one had an issue with it, save Niobe.

  "We don't have room for him, let alone the food-"

  "Shut up Niobe. You have no say in this matter." It was Ragnar that said this, glaring at her like she kicked his dog. She lowered her head.

  "Alright, let's go." said Samuel, hopping into the bed of the truck to sit beside my brother. I got into the cab and we took off down the road.

  "Mommy, who is that?" Kaylin asked. She had turned in her booster seat and was looking at Samuel.

  "He's someone that needed our help, love." I told her. "Some bad people were after him so... so we're helping him." I explained. I felt woozy all of a sudden, like it was my turn to be sick. I shifted in my seat, trying to get more comfortable, when I felt something weird on my shirt. I touched my side with my right hand and felt a warm sticky substance on my fingertips. I looked down and my hand was covered in blood. I had forgotten that Niobe slashed me.

  "Mommy! You're bleeding!" Kaylin screamed from the back.

  "Why yes I am." I took my foot off the accelerator as the dizziness grew stronger. We had reached an open stretch of the highway so if I passed out, we wouldn't hit anything. That's a darn good plan, I thought to myself. It was becoming hard to keep my eyes open. I pointed the truck straight ahead so we wouldn't all die when I did faint.

  "Mom, take the wheel. I ... don't ...feel..." I didn't get to finish before I was unconscious.

  Chapter 11

  "Hey lady, you can't die right now. Don't leave me stuck with these kids, they can't keep their heads out of their asses. And your children, they'll miss you too much." I heard Malcolm try and talk me back to consciousness, but this dream like state was too nice, too comforting.

  "Maybe it's like Snow White, you have to kiss her to get her to wake up!" Kaylin, my sweet, silly little girl. Not everything works like that my love, I thought to myself as I drifted weightlessly. I tried to go back to my body, but I couldn't feel it. "Kato, you kiss her." I heard her say. I could see the shock on his face in my mind's eye. I knew he would give into her. After all, she is his zombie princess.

  I wouldn't really call it a kiss, more like a brush of the lips. Very respectful and chaste. Just enough to make Lin happy but not enough to be anything else. The feeling of that contact made me come back to myself, popping my eyes wide then squinting against the sun. Kaylin jumped on me for a hug, crying tears of relief.

  "I knew it! I knew you just needed a kiss! Thank you Kato!" She then scrambled over me to where Kato knelt on my left side. He caught her in one hand while holding my arm with the other. The movement made me draw my breath in a loud gasp.

  "Jeez that hurts!" I tried to sit up but couldn't find the strength. Malcolm scooted behind me and help lift me up. We were in front of the truck so we had a good view of things around us. We were in the median between the two sides of the highway. There was no cover anywhere so we could see for a few miles. I looked at the people around me. Kato was still holding Lin, they both stared at me. My little girl looked as happy as could be and Kato seem to just be relieved. Mom held Kendrick who slept on her shoulder, crying happily. Samuel was standing beside mom, just staring at me. Then I looked at Malcolm and his eyes were full of unshed tears.

  "Don't you ever do something that stupid again." He sounded angry yet looked frightened.

  "I didn't mean to. With everything that had happened, I forgot she had sliced me." I looked for Niobe at this point and I didn't see her or Ragnar.

  "He took her ahead a way to speak with her." Kato told me. I looked ahead again and saw two faint figures in the distance.

  "How long was I out for?" I almost didn't want to know.

  "About a half hour." Said Samuel. Crap, we had to move. I tried to stand but the world spun and my legs wouldn't support me. Double crap. Malcolm caught me before I could fall too far though. How the hell could I drive like this? As if he knew what I was thinking, Kato offered to drive. I gave him a grateful sigh and leaned heavily on Malcolm. He tried to
put me in the cab but I refused.

  "I'll just get blood all over everything. Besides, I want to talk to Niobe when we pick them up." Malcolm didn't argue but I could tell he wanted to. When we got to the tailgate, he scooped me up in his arms and handed me off to Samuel who placed me against the left side of the cab.

  "Jeez, I'm dizzy, not an invalid." It was frustrating not being able to manage on my own. Malcolm got in the back, sitting down next to me to dress the gash.

  "Hey, have you managed to get those radios working?" I asked Steven. He glared at me and tossed me a radio. "What the hell?" I asked.

  "You almost die and then act like nothing happened. Not everyone is as carefree as you!" He shouted at me.

  "Well what the hell do you want me to do? Collapse into a pile of blubbering uselessness? What would that help?" I could tell he hadn't thought about it like that.

  "Look, I promise I won't get myself stabbed by anymore crazy women, alright?" That made him laugh as the truck started moving.

  "I don't care if you don't like her, you treat her with the respect she deserves! You ever do something like that again and I swear by Odin that when she's done with you, there won't be enough left of you to feed the vultures! Mind yourself wench!" I heard my brother telling Niobe. Well, he took the words right out of my mouth. They climbed into the bed, clearly not expecting to see me there. She stumbled on the bumper and Ragnar was the only thing that kept her from falling out completely. He looked happy to see me awake though.

  "Sis, you look like a ghost fart on a cold day." That made me chuckle a little. Malcolm was almost done with my arm, at least I hoped. It hurt like a mule kick. Niobe took up her post on the right side, Ragnar forced to sit at the end because we blocked the gun. He just turned and stared over the tailgate as we sped down the road now. I turned my head so I could see if Malcolm was finished yet, only to come face to face with him. His eyes were the color of a mountain sky right after a snowstorm, light blue and crystal clear. I could almost feel the long stubble along his chin and down his neck. I had forgotten how it felt to be so close to another human, to be held by another. He gazed at me with such intensity, I thought I would catch a fever. A bump in the road broke the spell as it jarred his hand into my wound. I gasped in pain, the moment quickly forgotten.