The Last Days

by Gary Chesla

  The little car they were now traveling in would have never made it through that mass of dead bodies. Once stopped the dead would have made short work of breaking through the little car’s large windows to get at his family.

  Mike hoped the best way to avoid running in to another large mass of the dead and other obstacles, was to take small back roads and stay away from the cities.

  The road they were on was definitely small, but he had no idea where it went.

  The sign on the interstate said it went to Graham, Kentucky.

  He had never heard of Graham. Hopefully that meant it was a small town. The back hills of Kentucky were dotted with hundreds of small backward hillbilly towns.

  They were on their way to Graham.

  Mike hoped that Graham had a gas station that would have a map.

  From the things he had read about the towns and people in the Kentucky mountains, he knew the map wouldn’t be up to date, but as long it had been published sometime in the last fifty years it should still show what he needed.

  Besides more of the dead, Mike also hoped Graham would not be filled with shotgun toting hillbillies that took offense to strangers and foreign cars.

  Times had changed in the U.S. Foreign cars had become a familiar sight on the streets thirty years ago.

  However, most of the little mountain towns hadn’t changed much over the last hundred years.

  Some of the residents had bought newer cars and trucks, many as new as a 1954 Chevy pickup.

  It could be a strange journey, but Mike decided nothing would be as strange as what they had already been through.

  Mike drove slowly. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t surprised by something jumping out on the road in front of him. He was leery about hitting anything as the vision of what the RV’s frontend had looked like flashed across his mind.

  He also drove slowly because the car ran very quietly at slow speeds. Until he knew what was in Graham, he preferred to sneak in quietly rather than alerting the town and whatever awaited them that he was coming before he arrived.

  “Daddy. I have to go to the bathroom!” Kimmy said quietly.

  Mike smiled to himself as he remembered the other big advantage that the RV had over the Prius. “Can you wait until we get to Graham? They might have a bathroom we could use. You don’t want to go to the bathroom behind a tree do you?”

  Mike realized he had just made a mistake as Kimmy said excitedly. “I want to go behind a tree!”

  Kelly gave Mike one of her looks and shook her head. “Your daughter learned that from you. I never went in the woods when I was little. That was just a disgusting thing the boys did.”

  Kimmy started dancing around in her seat.

  “I know.” Mike smiled sheepishly. “But it might be better if she went here. We don’t know what we are going to find up ahead.”

  “You might be right.” Kelly said. “But you better make sure she doesn’t get Poison Ivy on her butt again or it will be your problem this time and not mine!”

  Mike and Kimmy returned to the car a few minutes later.

  Kelly kept a close eye on them as they had walked a few feet off the road.

  She made a mental note to tell Mike if he was going to let Kimmy go to the bathroom in the woods, to a least make her go behind a tree so no one would see her. She was afraid not only was his daughter going to grow up with the mouth and manners of a drunken sailor, but now she was on track to also grow up an exhibitionist.

  Everything seemed to be going to hell lately, but that was still no reason for him to not teach Kimmy to be a little lady.

  Kimmy crawled in the back seat and squeezed in next to the bundles of clothes, blankets and pillows.

  Mike closed the door and glanced over at Kelly. “Last chance.” He smiled.

  “Drive!” Kelly said. As she turned her head Mike thought he saw her smiling. He definitely heard her say under her breath. “Smart Ass!”

  Mike turned the key and pressed the accelerator. The car pulled out on the road and moved silently.

  Five minutes later they passed a sign. “Graham town limits. Incorporated 1904.”

  They drove on. So far the town of Graham had a population of maybe three hundred colorful Oak and Hickory Nut trees.

  The road bent to the right. As they followed the road, the town came into view. The entire town appeared to be about fifteen or twenty houses that lined each side of the road. A larger building was at the far end of town. Mike thought it might be a town hall or small fire department. The entire main street was only maybe a quarter mile long.

  As the car approached the first house, Mike stopped the car. He reached over to the consul and pushed a button that had the letters “EV” on it. The car’s engine stopped.

  Mike noticed Kelly looking over at him. “EV, electric mode. The car will run on battery power only. We need to be quiet.” Mike glanced at Kelly. “Look at the road!”

  The road ahead glowed a dull dark red color. The color spread up on the sidewalks and over the grass. It was then Kelly noticed the bodies lying in front of the houses and in the grass.

  Mike stared. “It looks like our zombie friends paid the town a visit before we got here.”

  Most of the bodies looked like all the walkers they had seen on the interstate. They were gray and mangled. They were missing arms, eyes, feet, and many had large holes where skin should have been. Then there were a number of bodies that looked normal, except for the color of their skin and the large holes in their heads.

  Mike pushed the accelerator pedal down slightly and the car moved down the road silently.

  Mike and Kelly stared out at the houses and bodies that lined each side of the road.

  The amount of blood and bodies increased as they drove through the little town and approached the large building Mike had seen at the far end of the town.

  Mike pushed on slowly and quietly.

  As he was getting closer to the large building, Mike and Kelly saw one of the double doors on the front of the building open.

  A man in uniform, Dress Blues Mike thought, came out the door. He seemed to be carrying an elderly man. As the soldier stepped out, the door closed behind him. He carried the elderly man down the steps and set him down on what looked like a park bench on the sidewalk in front of the building.

  The soldier sat down next to the man and put his arm around his shoulders and leaned towards him. The soldier looked like he was talking to the man. The elderly gentleman looked like he was trying to talk back, but it was clear he had been injured. His chest and legs were covered in blood.

  Mike stopped the car. Driving on battery power, the car had approached unnoticed. “I’m going to go see if they need any help.”

  Kelly reached out and grabbed Mike’s arm. “They could be like the people we ran into on the interstate!”

  “I don’t think so. They look normal. I mean look at their skin. The soldier carrying the old man walked regular. He wasn’t staggering around or anything. I think the old guy is hurt. We have a first aid kit, maybe I can help.” Mike replied. “Just keep the door locked until I come back. If I think something is off, we’ll get the hell out of here.”

  “OK, if you feel anything is wrong get back here right away.” Kelly said nervously.

  Kimmy just sat quietly in the back. Her body shivering as she looked out the windows. She was afraid the gross looking people were going to get up and start attacking the car like they did to the RV.

  Mike quietly got out of the car and closed the door. The only sound he made was the quiet click of the latch when he softly pushed the car door closed.

  He started to walk towards the two men on the bench, watching the corners of the buildings as he moved.

  He was now about ninety feet from the two men. He could hear the soldier speaking softly. He couldn’t make out the words, but the soldier sounded distressed. Mike heard the soldier begin to sob quietly.

  The older man had stopped trying to answer. His head now leaned forward
, his chin resting on his chest.

  The soldier sat up and leaned back from the old man.

  Mike could now see the old man more clearly. The old man began to turn a dark gray color.

  Mike stopped and stared. The last time he saw something like that, the blond haired girl at the campground started to growl at him.

  Suddenly the old man’s head snapped up and his eyes, his milky white eyes glared at the soldier.

  The soldier quickly pulled a pistol from the holster at his side, pressed it into the man’s head and pulled the trigger.

  The back of the man’s head exploded. Blood and brains splattered across the bench.

  Mike froze in his tracks as the soldier quickly stood and took two steps in Mike’s direction, his back to the old man who now slumped over on the bench.

  The soldier now noticed Mike.

  Mike could see the tears running down the soldier’s face.

  The soldier pushed the gun back into his holster.

  Mike held up his hands.

  The soldier continued to sob, but didn’t make any threatening moves towards Mike. He just seemed consumed by his grief.

  Mike decided to speak. “What happened?” He asked softly.

  The soldier walked closer to Mike, his back still to the man on the bench.

  The soldier composed himself. “One of those dead bastards bit him.”

  Mike stood silent as the soldier looked at him. “He was my Dad,”

  Mike was shocked, he hadn’t expected that.

  The soldier now walked over to Mike. “A few hours ago a large horde of the dead came through town. The town folk

  fought back the best they could, but the dead soon overwhelmed them. I took my Mom and Dad and a few others to the town hall. Before we could get ourselves barricaded inside, one of those things bit him on the chest.”

  The soldier looked up into the sky and took a deep breath trying to compose himself. Tears were still running down his face.

  “We were up at Carter Caves when a large group came through there.” Mike said softly. “Where the hell did they come from? What are they?”

  The soldier continued. “I was stationed in Lexington. We heard that a war was breaking out in Asia. Scuttlebutt said the Chinese were experimenting with some kind of weaponized virus and it got out of control. It wiped out their country in a matter of two or three days. Can you believe it, almost two billion people dead within a few days? The virus spread into Europe, Africa and the Middle East. They are all gone. Somehow it was carried into the U.S. It started in the cities. It was like people started going mad. When they bit someone, those that got bit died and came back as…..”

  The soldier stopped and sobbed briefly.

  “The cities fell within hours. My unit was ordered to hold Lexington. We unloaded our weapons into them, but they still kept coming. It wasn’t until we were almost out of ammo that we realized the only way to stop them was to shoot them in the head. You could blow off their arms and legs, but they would still keep coming until you killed the brain. Even after we figured that out, we couldn’t stop them. There were just too many of them. We started to get over run, then the guys in the unit started to get infected. When that happened, all hell broke out in the ranks.”

  Mike could imagine the horrific sights that the soldier saw in his mind as he told Mike his story.

  “It was useless. The few of us that were left broke ranks and ran for our lives. They just kept coming. They had no fear of death or injury. The ones without arms, legs, the ones with their guts hanging out just kept coming as if nothing had happened. There was nothing we could do to stop them.

  The few of us that were left decided to get out and come help our families. This is my home town. I came back to help my Mother and Dad. I tried to tell the people what had happened, that they needed to get out and get higher up in the mountains. But they all thought I was crazy, until a few hours ago. Now all that is left is my Mom and two older guys. They’re back in the town hall. I said I would bring Dad out and when he turned, I would do what had to be done.” The tears flowed down his face faster. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I couldn’t let him become one of those things.”

  “I’m sorry.” Mike said.

  The soldier looked up at Mike. “Where are you heading?”

  Mike thought for a second. “I’m trying to get my family home. I live near New Stanton, Pennsylvania. Look, I don’t have much room, but you and your Mom are welcome to come with us.”

  The soldier looked sad. “No, but thanks for the offer. This is my home. I’m going to stay and help my Mom and her friends for as long as I can.”

  The man looked at Mike. “It’s everywhere. If it hasn’t happened yet, it will in the next few days. The whole country will be gone. Shit, the whole world is gone. If you want to live, I would take your family and get further up in the mountains and away from everyone. I honestly don’t think there is anything for you to go back to.” The soldier looked around. “But more of this!”

  Mike looked at the blood and destruction around the town. “I have some family left I want to try and get back to.”

  “You will be like a lamb trying to cross a field of starving lions.” The soldier said seriously. “I don’t think it can be done right now. There are just too many of them out there.”

  Mike looked distressed. “I think I have to try. It’s my home and my brother is back there.”

  The soldier smiled sadly. “If you’re determined to try, just stay the hell away from the cities and towns and I’d also recommend you stay the hell away from people too.”

  Mike looked puzzled. “People too? Why people?”

  “The worse it gets and it will get worse, you can believe that. People will get desperate. Society, laws and civilization as you know it is gone. It no longer exists. The people you might run into, any that have managed to survive, will kill you to get anything they think you have. Hell, people are killing their best friends right now over something to eat.” The soldier sighed.

  “I appreciate the advice and the information. I’ll keep in mind what you said, but I have to try.” Mike said. “If it gets too bad, I just might try to find an isolated place up in the mountains somewhere and ride this out. Any idea how long this will last before these things die out?”

  “I heard some chatter on the subject before all our communications with the west coast went out. From what I heard no one has any idea how long the virus will remain active. No one had any idea how to kill it. Some felt even after the bodies it controlled fell apart the virus itself could survive for a hundred years. So I wouldn’t expect things to change in our life time.” The soldier said. “By the way, I’m Dave.”

  “I’m Mike.” Mike said. “Did you hear anything else from the units out west before you lost contact?”

  “As the lines were going dead we heard about men deserting and going home.” Dave replied. “My first thought was those cowardly bastards, but I feel different now. If I knew then what I know now, I would have left long before I did. I honestly don’t think there are any organized units left in the country. Like my unit, we saw the futility of trying to hold our positions. We had superior firepower, but those things didn’t give a shit about how much firepower we had. They just kept coming and their numbers were growing by the hour as others became infected. They had superior numbers and couldn’t be stopped. They just keep spreading the infection and won’t stop until there isn’t anyone left to infect.”

  Mike thought, trying to digest all he had learned. He felt bad for Dave. Hell, he felt back for humanity. “Dave, would you like some help to bury your Dad?”

  “I would appreciate it, Mike.” Dave said. “Why don’t you have your family come inside while you help me? Maybe they would like something to eat or drink and use the bathroom.”

  “I think they would like that, Thank You.” Mike said. “Let me go talk to them.”

  Mike turned and went over to the car. Kelly sat in her seat looking out
wide eyed. She opened the door to let him in. ”What the hell was all that?” She asked, still shaking from the sight of seeing the soldier blowing the older man’s brains out.

  Mike got in and explained what had happened. He didn’t tell her about what he had learned about the virus and the country, but he would discuss that before they left Graham. It was something he felt she should know about before they tried to go home. Right now he thought it would do her good to go inside and relax and use the bathroom. She had passed on her chance back down the road.

  Maybe talking with the others inside would help her understand what they would be facing on the trip home.

  Mike led Kelly and Kimmy out of the car and introduced them to Dave. Dave led them all inside the town hall. Three elderly people sat huddled together in the far corner of the large room that was their town hall.

  After Dave introduced them, his Mother seemed to relish the idea getting Kelly and Kimmy something to drink. It must have made her feel useful and took her mind off of what had just happened and what all she had just lost.

  Mike left Kelly and Kimmy at the town hall. Kimmy was in her glory entertaining the three elderly people who were enjoying having Kimmy entertain them.

  Mike helped Dave carry his Dad down the street. His parent’s house was two doors down from the town hall. They buried him in his back yard; the property where he had lived with his wife and raised Dave. Where he was enjoying his retirement and now where he would spend eternity.

  Dave looked at his Dad’s grave. He hoped to be able to come back and spent some time talking to his Dad. There were many things he wished he could have told him. Maybe coming and sitting by his grave, he could still tell him and hope he would somehow hear him.

  But as Dave looked out at the town, he didn’t know if he would even live long enough to do that. Life was now going to be measured in minutes and hours instead of years.