Breathless Bodies

by Brigit Levois

  "I'm so sorry!" He was stumbling over himself to apologize and see if I was okay. The cut had started bleeding again and having decided I had had enough, lost consciousness yet again.

  When the world returned, the truck was slowing. I dimly registered a sky full of thunderheads turned all shades of pink by the westering sun. Lifting my head, I saw Ragnar sat holding Niobe in the right back corner of the bed. She was crying hard and his eyes were closed while he stroked her long hair. She looked so small surrounded by his massive bulk. Steven faced out over the right wheel well, fiddling with something in his hands. Malcolm sat next to me, totally asleep. He looked haggard, like he had aged a few years in the time I was asleep. Finally, there was Samuel. He sat across from me on the left side. It looked like he was dozing but the way his neck was held stiff told me otherwise. As I looked at him, his eyes opened and focused on me. A slow smile crept up his face. It was happily received, so I smiled back.

  The truck stopped, and we all stirred from our thoughts. To the right, there was an RV dealership. Oh thank you sweet baby Jesus! Kato stepped out of the truck and came to stand next to me.

  "With as many people we have and the condition you are in, I thought it best we get a smaller one until we get to Barstow. Without any antibiotics or medicine, I think you'll be coming down with a fever soon." Kato said. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find one big enough to carry us all." He went around and dropped the tailgate so we could climb out. Samuel hopped down and stretched his arm above his head, groaning as he did so.

  "With as much distance as we covered, I think we're safe from the raiders for now. They don't have wheels so it'll be hard for them to keep up." Samuel was saying. He moved so Ragnar and Niobe could climb out of the bed. I went to stand up only to find out my legs had fallen asleep under me. I gasped and Malcolm was behind me, catching me before I could fall.

  "You shouldn't be this weak, you didn't lose that much blood. Kato, help me get her down." He lifted me up again and the motion set off the pins and needles in my legs. Gasping again, Malcolm froze.

  "Even moving hurts?" He looked so confused I started to giggle.

  "No, my legs are asleep and tingly." I laughed. He settled me on the tailgate, legs dangling over the edge. Kato stood there next to me while Malcolm jumped down. He made to pick me up again but I held out my hand.

  "Malcolm, I can walk. I'm just waiting for the pins and needles to go away. Why don't you, Ragnar, and Niobe start looking for an RV. I'll be fine in a moment." He nodded and the three of them took off. Steven got to them before they got too far to hand each of them a radio, he then trotted back and handed us each one.

  "They should be good for about an hour. Stay on channel 3." And then off he went to see Liz. I need to check on the kids, I thought. I tried to slide off the tailgate but Kato put a hand on my shoulder.

  "They both sleep." How did he know I wanted to check on them?

  "Okay, well would you mind grabbing me a drink? This whole getting stabbed thing is thirsty business." He gave me a nod and walked to the cab. I looked out over the road and thought about what my life had turned into. Since when was keeping your family safe while running for your life a job?

  The radio crackled to life as I sat with my thoughts.

  "Hey guys, you need to come see this! I think I found the perfect one." It was Malcolm, he sounded thrilled. I grabbed my radio.

  "On the way." I said. I stood up and the tingling was gone, finally. I thanked Kato for the water and started walking towards the dealership when Samuel came up next to me. I glanced at him.

  "Kato told me to tag along in case you collapse." He smirked while he said it, he knew I was going to and there was nothing I could do about it. Well, I'll be damned if I pass out again.

  "What's your name by the way? I didn't catch it." I glanced at him and he was looking ahead.

  "Just call me Alex." We were rounding the side of the fence and were unsure of which way to go. I lifted my radio.

  "Malcolm, where are you?" I asked. I expected an answer fairly quickly, but got none. My eyebrows drew together and I asked again.

  "Malcolm, what's your location?" Still no answer. I looked at Samuel and he had unhooked his crossbow from his back, notching an arrow. Shit sticks, I wasn't up for this right now. I sighed and started forward, grabbing a crowbar that was on the ground along the way.

  There were rows and rows of RV's making it hard for us to see too far in any direction. Moving to the end of the first row where it turned into a center aisle, then walked down the middle. Samuel looked left, I looked right. We made our way to a building at the end. The hangar doors were open, no light or sound coming from the inside. We looked at each other and I gave him a nod, motioning to the doors. He walked ahead of me into the darkness.

  The second we stepped inside the building, it was eerily quiet. There was an enormous RV in the middle of it with the door hanging open. Samuel and I walked up to the door and heard a rustling inside. He went in first, careful and slow, and I followed. As soon as we were in the galley, the lights came on blinding us both.

  "Haha! Got you ya little devil!" we heard Malcolm shout from the back. Samuel and I squinted toward the sound. We saw him fiddling with a fuse box.

  "Where's your radio?" I asked him. He flinched a tiny bit telling us that we startled him.

  "Jesus, give a man some warning before ya creep up behind him." He said, closing the panel on the wall.

  "Well we would have if we knew it was you and not some zombie! Answer your radio, that's why you have the darn thing!" I was angrier than I should have been but I blamed it on blood loss. I left the RV and started back to the truck, cursing at myself the whole way. Why was I so darn angry? It was a simple mistake. I took out my cell phone, hoping I could get through to Sean. Before I could dial his number, I got an incoming call from a number I didn't know.

  "Hello?"

  "Hey there." It was Sean

  "Oh my goodness! I'm so happy to hear from you, I've got quite a bit to tell you." He got the entire story about Niobe stabbing me and Samuel saving me. About the zombies coming and barely escaping. He was silent for a while after I stopped talking and I had to ask if he was still there.

  "Yeah, I'm here. And this all happened today?" I said yes. "Are you even going to make it to me alive? This is way too dangerous. You can't even trust the people you're with! Stay where you are and I'll come to you."

  "No, I can't do that. I promised your parents we would come for them."

  "You talked to my parents? Are they okay? Are they safe?" He got all the details, including the request for potatoes, though he failed to laugh.

  "Why don't you meet us in Albuquerque? It's a halfway point for the both of us and we would see each other a lot sooner." We discussed it for a while and decided that was a good plan.

  "Let me talk to Kaylin." He said. A quick glance into the truck, both kids and my mom were fast asleep.

  "They're all sleeping. Do you want me to wake her up?"

  "No, no that's ok. I'll talk to her tomorrow. I really want to talk to my parents now. I'll call you back later tonight or early tomorrow. Be safe."

  "You too Sean." Hanging up, looking at those sleeping babies...what I wouldn't give for a safe home right now. I heard the revving of an engine behind me and turned to see the massive, 35-foot-long RV Malcolm had been in. It certainly did look like a tank. He stopped next to the truck and rolled down the driver's window.

  ""Howdy ma'am, need a lift?" I laughed and shook my head. "There's a tow behind for the truck so you can get the kiddos in here. There's a huge bed in the back so you can get some rest too." Kato came around the front of the camper and started to unbuckle Lin. I went to wake my mom up and get Kenny. Samuel had climbed into the cab and as soon as we were clear, he reversed it and got in onto the tow dolly. As I started to climb into the camper, my arm was giving out and I was about to dro
p Kenny, but Malcolm was there smoothly taking the baby and walking him back to the bed. How is he always there in the nick of time? I shook my head. I was still sitting on the steps when Samuel came back.

  "Are you ok?" He looked at me worriedly.

  "Yeah, I'm just tired is all. I'll be fine once I get some food and sleep." I hauled myself to my feet and climbed the steps. Everything seemed a little fuzzy so I tried to make my way to the bed. The last thing I remember seeing was a washer and dryer. Oh my goodness, clean clothes! And then I felt a sharp crack on my way to the floor.

  Chapter 12

  "She's cooled down a lot so the fever is gone. She still has night frights, but nothing too bad." I think it was Malcolm's voice.

  "Thank you for looking after her and the kids. I greatly appreciate it." Sean. That was Sean's voice! I opened my eyes and looked around the room. It took me a second but I realized we were still in the camper. My husband sat next to me, holding my hand. I squeezed it and tried to talk, but my throat was as dry as the desert. He looked at me and relief flooded his face.

  "You're awake! Thank god." He leaned over and kissed me all over the face. "Oh my god I thought you weren't going to wake up." I wanted to talk so bad but swallowing hurt. I managed to squeak out a request for water. Malcolm was already holding a full glass out to me. I grabbed it and drank as much as I could.

  "Oh, so much better." I said. "Thank you Malcolm." I turned to Sean, my eyes filling with tears and burning my throat all over again. I flung myself at him and held on for dear life, afraid if I ever let go I would never see him again. He lifted my face to his and we shared a long kiss. That was the first time in years we had kissed like that. Malcolm had left the room quietly before we could turn and ask him to.

  As we walked out of the RV a few hours later, I recognized the camping spot in the Sandia mountains. We had made it! There was a fire pit in the middle of a large clearing. The in-laws had gotten themselves and the teen agers a small tow behind travel trailer that was parked diagonally to ours. Sean's truck was pointed west in front of our mobile home so we formed a triangle. It looked like everyone was gathered around the campfire except Malcolm and Kato who were looking out over the side of the mountain to the city below. From where the sun was, I guessed it to be about 2 pm. As soon as the kids saw us, they came running over.

  "Mommy! We were so scared you wouldn't wake up like last time! Did daddy kiss you?" I blushed and glanced at Sean who just chuckled.

  "Yes, I had to kiss mommy a couple of times though. You know she's a heavy sleeper." Kenny grabbed at my shirt until I picked him up, then he rested his head on my shoulder. Sean picked up Lin and we headed to the others.

  "How long was I unconscious?" I asked Sean. From the RV dealership in Barstow it would have been a ten-hour drive, but with the condition of the roads, it must have taken a lot longer.

  "Almost three days. We've been here since five this morning though. You had us all really worried." He grabbed my left arm making me hiss in pain. Seeing his look of confusion, I lifted my shirt to expose Niobe's cut, red and swollen. Sean was instantly furious.

  "Didn't anyone think to check her cut!?" He shouted at everyone. "No freakin wonder she had a fever!" Handing Kaylin to his mom, he handed Kenny to my mom, then took me to the closest boulder and ripped the sleeve off.

  "I'm not going to lie; this is going to hurt." He said as he reached for the cut.

  "Now you hold on just one minute" Liz said, walking up to us with a white first aid kit in her hand. "If you're going to do this then do it right." She handed Sean the kit and me a flask, winking as she walked away. I took along pull from it and set my jaw as Sean started working on my arm. Now I'm not a stranger to pain, but it hurt. I mean, it was like being stabbed a hundred times over again. I tried not to scream but I couldn't help it. I beat my fist on my thigh to keep from hitting Sean.

  After about ten minutes of him squeezing and scraping, he held my arm out to pour rubbing alcohol on it. I couldn't even scream the pain that came with that. Finally, it was done.

  "You need stitches. Who did you say sewed Lin up?" He looked up at me from where he crouched. My throat was raw from growling so I pointed at Malcolm. Sean yelled across the campsite.

  "Hey Malcolm, come here for a minute." Sean was angry. I could see it in the way he perched on the balls of his feet, wanting something to punch.

  "Sean..." He held up his hand to me. I saw it before it even happened. As soon as Malcolm was close enough, Sean came up and caught him square in the jaw. Malcolm's head snapped back, forcing his body to follow. As he sat up shaking his head, Sean talked to him.

  "I don't know what the hell kind of vet you were but how the hell did you not think to check on her cut for infection? It's a wonder she made it here in one piece at all!"

  "I didn't get the chance." Malcolm said slowly. He glanced at me and I saw a hesitation. There was something he wasn't telling me.

  "What do you mean? You were in there with her for two whole days. How the hell wasn't there time?" Sean took a step forward but Malcolm held up his hand. "There had better be a damn good reason." Sean stepped back beside me giving Malcolm room to sit up. Resting elbows on knees, his head bowed between them, he took a deep breath and then looked up.

  "After you fell and hit your head on the table, Niobe went kind of nuts. I had gotten you into the back on the bed and she was determined to show us that you didn't have what it took to be the leader. That you were just going to get us all killed. Her reasoning was you couldn't keep from passing out for one day since we've known you." He propped himself up on his right hand, moving his right leg under his other knee. "Well Kato and I had been running with her for a few weeks before we ran into you so, out of courtesy, we tried to talk some sense into her. It worked until we got to Gallup. Ragnar tried to talk with her but she attacked him. He tied her to a chair. I stood guard outside the room until we were about 30 miles outside of Albuquerque. I wanted to throw her out of the RV but it wasn't my call. Ragnar was in love with her." I stopped him

  "Was? What do you mean?" I looked around, expecting to see him by the fire. He wasn't there. I didn't see him at all. "Where's my brother?" I looked at Malcolm and he looked back with regret.

  "We pulled over at a gas station to fuel up. We had just filled the tank when they came out of the station. Niobe didn't see them; no one saw them. They almost got her but Ragnar called out at the last second and she barely managed to avoid being bitten. Ragnar hopped out and told us to leave before we all died." I started to tear up. "She ran back into the station and the zombies followed. He came up behind them and as soon as we were clear, he shot the gas pumps."

  I couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. I slid from the rock to the ground, burying my face in my hands. I cried to myself, huge racking sobs that left me drained after only a few minutes. I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to. When would this end? Where could we be safe? I already knew the answer. Never.

  I was finally able to pull myself together. I stood up and told them that before any big decision were to be made we needed to eat. Kato had gone to the RV to get some meat. I sat down next to my little girl. She pulled at my shirt.

  "Mom, you should change your shirt. You kind of stink." I took a big sniff but because I had been crying, I couldn't smell anything. Then Momma Bea, who was sitting across from me, popped her eyes wide and went very still. One by one, we all turned to see what it was. When I looked, I had a hard time not fainting. It was a bear. The animal stood on all fours with matted fur and chunks missing all over its body. I held Lin so she couldn't see and looked her in the eye.

  "Lin, I want you to pick up your little brother and walk very slowly to our camper." Confusion and remembered terror showed in her eyes. "Please Lin, I need you to do this. Not like the log and the bunker, I really need you to listen to me, okay?" She looked at me and nodded. Standing up and slowly, she picked up her bro
ther who protested and started fussing, drawing the bear's attention. Kaylin looked at it and screamed. She held her brother tight and ran the rest of the way, the animal charging. She got the door closed before it could get there.

  "Hey, over here! Hey come on, over here." Sean was yelling and waving his arms to distract the bear. It worked, the bear stopped and looked at him. They stood there for a few moments staring at each other while the others either got to safety or surrounded the area. The bear started to come towards us.

  "When the bear gets closer, run to the kids." Sean whispered to me.

  "I just got you back, I won't let you go again." He turned a hard look at me.

  "You can't fight a bunny with your arm the way it is. The kids need you to keep them safe. Please, don't fight me on this." He was right, I was useless at the moment so I nodded 'yes'.

  The bear was coming closer and Sean told me to go. I ran to the camper and reached for the door. Lin had locked it. I looked over my shoulder. Sean's plan hadn't worked. The bear had followed me. I turned around and put my back to the RV to keep an eye on the bear. It stalked towards me with dead eyes and a broken jaw. How was I going to survive this? Malcolm ran in front of the bear drawing its attention. The bear turned and followed him. That's it!

  "Everyone, distract the bear. I'll get to the gun on the truck!" As the bear chased Malcolm, Kato dashed in front of it drawing its attention to him. I sprinted to the bed of the truck, unlocked the gun and took aim. One of the teens got a little too close and the bear swiped at him, cutting his chest open. As soon as I had a clear shot, I fired. I hit the bear's body at its hip destroying its back legs. Big mistake. Shooting the bear just made it angry.