by Daniel Smith
Lifting one foot to put it on his bike pedal as he pushed off Dan following suit. Soon they were easily riding across the waterway before making the other side with several abandoned buildings surrounded by open area. Dan could see no real movement, but with all the buildings, he felt someone should be here especially this close to New Orleans. Riding a couple miles away from the bridge when they heard the sound of an engine approaching in the distance. Pulling off to the side looking around to see coming down the road a battered pickup truck heading in their direction.
Manny getting off the bike as he followed suit. The knot of tension rising in his stomach again as they watched the truck get closer. Slowing down stopping in the road in front of them. Dan could see an older black man with grayish white hair and stubbly beard to match with a baseball cap on his head with the logo of the local football team Dan realized. They watched as the passenger window slid down and the man lean over to peer out at them.
“Where are you're heading,” he asked with what Dan realized from the TV show used to watch was a Cajun accent. Manny broke into a warm smile.
We are heading into New Orleans,” Manny said in a friendly tone. The older man looked around before asking.
“Just the two of you.” Manny nodded affirmatively.
“Well then throw your bikes in the back and ride with me. I can take you as far as the first checkpoint,” he said, pointing out with his thumb, the empty bed of the truck.
“Thank you for the offer but I do not know if we will be able to afford the ride,” Manny said calmly. The older man in the truck started laughing.
“No charge and I am going that way anyway,” he said genuinely.
“Well then, thank you,” Manny said, reaching down to pull the pin to release the bike trailer he was towing.
Only taking a couple minutes to load the bikes and trailers into the truck as Manny climbed into the cab with the older man. Dan sitting in the truck bed as they drove down the road, feeling the wind on the back of his head. Dan watching the tree line to the right and left of them fly by as they drove on. After only a few minutes one side of the road started bordering a large lake. Looking out across the water surprised to see several boats of different sizes moving on it. They emerged onto the ten interstate when the man slowed at a checkpoint built onto the highway. Dan saw sandbagging emplacements around two makeshift towers with machine gun placed on them with a couple portable office trailers and several military Humvee’s.
The first checkpoint was on the ten freeway near the New Orleans airport and it was impressive to see cinder block single-story building. Erected in the unused emergency lane of the highway next to the concrete center divider with the gate currently swung closed to block off the highway. In front of the cinder block buildings was a metal watchtower with a ladder leading to a roofed platform with sandbags and a machine gun. Sitting at the base more sandbagging emplacements with machine guns and a mortar pit. While about twenty-five yards down the freeway, another set of buildings and gates existed. The truck pulled off to one side of the highway as two blue uniform figures approach them with a soldier looking on. Dan did not hear the conversation the man in the blue uniformly leaned into the window of the truck talking with the driver and Manny. To him he was taking too long talking to Manny and the older driver. After a few tense moments for him, Manny got out of the truck looking at Dan.
“We need to remove the bikes to start the intake paperwork,” he told him before looking at the older man. “Thanks for the ride,” he said with a slight wave.
The older man smiled and waved before pulling off after Dan had finished removing the bikes and trailers as they stood on the piece of open freeway waiting to see what would happen next. Dan felt hours past and one thousand useless questions asked. They moved over to a two-part bus they could store their bikes and trailers on. Entering the bus only to find all the seats taken with soldiers. With the blue uniform people and various other people in normal clothing that arrived at the checkpoint. The bus going to the main processing center the stood holding onto the handrails as the bus pulled out. Going east on highway ten most off-ramps fenced off preventing entry or exit from the highway. Several others having checkpoint at them guarded, sometimes by soldiers sometimes by the blue uniform figures.
Dan looked out the window of the bus at the concrete wall with metal fencing spaced into it blocking off the freeway. The bus making a slight turn to start heading south down the ten. He looked out at couple of the large cemeteries with their broken down aboveground mausoleums before making a turn to a guarded off-ramp as the approached a round large concrete building. Manny leaned into him.
“The Superdome used to play football,” Manny said matter-of-factly.
Dan looking around as they pulled onto a long side street looking at several raised walkways and driveways around the large building. Impressing him most was the living people milling around. Entering the building Dan felt he endured more hours of questions. Finally getting admitted and shown to a fenced off street making a corridor going in one direction.
“Follow that path it'll take you to the streetcar line that will take you straight in nonstop to the French Quarter. There, you will find the hotel booked for you,” a woman in a blue uniform said briskly, handing Manny several papers before walking off.
They started pushing their bikes with trailers down the corridor following several other people that were going in the same direction with papers in their hands.
“After we checked in,” Manny started as they walked. “We have a hotel room they booked for us, they want you to get an identification card as soon as possible,” Manny said with a smile as he looked at Dan.
“Sure might come in handy,” Dan said unconcerned. Manny chuckled.
“All you need is your birth certificate, Social Security card and any other form of identification you have,” Manny said, glancing at him. Dan shook his head.
“No blood test or parent’s signature,” he said flatly, as they continue down the pathway as people passed in a hurry.
Dan looked at the scenery between the chain-link fences one side appeared empty as if abandoned looking to the other. He could see people moving about normally. They were not stumbling or shambling like the infected did. They approached the tracks where the trolley sat next to a small platform that looked new. Sitting in front of the trolley was a duel gate crossing the tracks separating what he assumed was the unoccupied part of the city from the occupied. Queuing up they waited to board.
“Your bicycles and trailers need to be stored,” a person in a dark uniform told them pointing to flatbed trailer attached to the back of the trolley.
“No problem,” Manny said with a smile.
Dan helped Manny place the bikes and trailers onto the flatbed-shipping car hooked to the back of the red trolley. Then boarded to find all the seats full in the trolley they had just managed to grab a stainless steel rail to hold onto, as the trolley started moving.
Falling under the shadow of a large skyscraper looking at the roads Dan looked amazed to see the green grass and trees flourishing. In the disused areas a little overgrown as they approached a park with tall trees and turned onto Cannel Street. They travel for some distance when the trolley came to a sudden and abrupt halt on the tracks. The tall building towered around the small trolley near the empty dirty small glass trolley stop with a bench. Dan was glad he was holding the handrail when it did as several people fell to the ground. Dan watched the people look around panicked as he scanned the empty street before looking at Manny who just shrugged. After a few minutes of panicked confusion among the passengers.
“Folks your attention,” He yelled. He passages calm down and went silent as Dan and Manny looked at the man in the dark blue uniform.
“We have lost power temporally,” Dan heard a murmur from the crowd.
“We will need to walk to the next stop,” the uniformed man said. Dan felt a knot of tension rise in his stomach at the panic response of the group.
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br /> “The infected are out there,” someone yelled the uniformed man needed several seconds to calm the people on the trolley down. Before succeeding.
“I am armed,” he said producing an autoloader of some kind showing it to the crowd.
“And the military is sending a patrol to meet us. Now please follow me,” he said stepping over opening the door of the trolley to step out.
Dan and Manny where the last to exit taking time to recover their bikes and trailers from the flatbed they could see the crowd had already started moving off. A woman walking at the group’s back looked behind her calling out.
“Hurry up you don’t want to fall behind,” before picking up her pace to close in on the main group of people.
Dan looked at Manny who smiled as they started to follow keeping some distance between them. They had gone only a block or two down the road between the old looking buildings when they heard some in the crowd in front of them yell out.
“Infected,” before the whole group took off running.
Dan and Manny kept walking pushing their bikes with one hand as Dan reached up with the other pulling the black blade of the katana free with a slight hiss. Seeing them coming from a side street slightly in front of them three of the shambling figures stumbled out turning to follow the yelling crowd.
Dan and Manny stopped for a moment giving them a slight lead before moving up the center of the street eyeing the side street the undead had come from. Stopping in the intersection they could see a police car with red and blue lights flashing. Stopped in the road just past the intersection with both the front doors wide open and the trunk popped open. Manny and Dan looked around seeing no movement or signs of people.
“Grab my bike,” Manny said to Dan who complied without speaking.
Manny pulled the tomahawk from his belt and went quickly forward to the police car. Looking inside the open doors then around the street before looking into the open trunk taking one last glance around again Manny reached in pulling something out before heading quickly back to the bikes. Dan watched as he approached with a black vest with many bulging pockets before stopping to unzip the flap of his trailer. Quickly putting the vest in covering it with a jacket before closing the trailer motioning for them to move on. They had past the intersection when Dan asked.
“What was that,” Dan asked Manny. He turned to him with a smile.
“Medical first responders vest. It would make an excellent graduation gift for Sara,” he said with a smile. Dan nodded his head smiling back when he asked.
“Salvage, looting or stealing.”
The smile never left Manny’s face as he answered calmly.
“Depends who you ask.”
“Then I will not ask,” Dan, said looking around the street again.
They had just made it to the next intersection when they heard the distinct sound of automatic weapons firing they looked at each other. Before seeing seven camouflaged soldiers appear moving quickly down the street. Dan tensed.
“Easy and keep walking like normal,” Manny said as he raised a hand and waved at the soldiers. One soldier stopped in front of them the rest passing by looking down the street before stopping.
“Where are you coming from,” he asked hastily. Dan noticed the soldiers looking around the street more than at them.
“Streetcar broke down, we were with a group getting separated by some infected,” Manny responded calmly.
“Any more of you,” the soldier asked looking at them.
“Only us everyone else was in front,” Manny replied calmly. The soldier nodded at this then looked past them.
“Their last let's go,” he told the others before motioning for them to follow.
The soldiers wanting to move at a faster pace than they had been tempting Dan to start riding his bike. When he caught site of a double gate with sandbag emplacements around it crossing the street between two buildings on the other side of the gate stood the group from the trolley.
They finally made it to the French Quarter of New Orleans. Walking their bikes through the quaint old section of the city the streets here were narrow streets originally designed for men on horseback not cars. Now suited for the walking masses of people and bike riders like them. They made their way through what seemed like canyons of unbroken storefronts and row houses. The majority rising three or more stories high and featuring balconies with ornate iron rails projecting over the street. The buildings projecting age and decrepit facades lining the narrow and slightly dirty looking streets.
“Here,” Manny said pointing to a three-story building with a gate entering a courtyard with several balconies hanging out over the courtyard and the street.
Dan looked threw the ornate metal gate to see a party underway merry sounds from within were spilling out to mingle with and sometimes overcoming the crowd sounds of the street. He watched costume people moving here and there on a wrought iron stairway that rose from the courtyard to the decorated balconies above. As they entered to make their way to the front desk, they could see a small musical group off to one corner. Trying but hardly heard above the fifty or sixty costumed people milling around with drinks held high, talking and laughing and trying to dance all though there appeared nowhere to dance. Manny smiled as he approached the clerk at the front desk Dan amazed that no one noticed their bikes and trailers.
“May I help you,” the young woman behind the desk said.
“Yes we have a reservation for Manny Valdez,” Manny said smiling as Dan looked around at the partying people. The young woman looked down at a computer screen and tapped some keys before looking up.
“Yes for two beds for five days,” she responded.
“More or less,” Manny responded smiling. The young woman looked up at him.
“How will you be paying,” she asked.
Manny smiled with his left hand put down a wad of paper bills. He received when they entered the city with his right hand some gold coins bearing the stamp from Hope. Dan watched as the woman looked at the gold coins.
“What do you prefer,” Manny asked. The young woman looked at him.
“We should only accept official money,” she started nervously looking around. Manny smiled at her.
“And unofficially,” he stated closing his hand on the paper money. The young woman looking around then at the bikes, they carried with them.
“One gold coin your room for the five days, breakfast for that time and three free beers a day,” she said cautiously.
“Three beers between us or three beers for each of us,” Manny said placing the gold coin on the counter. The woman looked at Dan for a moment then responded.
“Each,” she said reaching for the coin as Manny slid it towards her.
The young woman had an older staff member in a gold jacket show them to a ground floor room. The now standard hasps attach to the door for personal locks hung on both sides of the door. As Dan started pushing the bikes into the room. Manny stood in the hall talking to the man. As Dan finished getting the last trailer into the room. He watched Manny pull a wad of government money from his pocket to remove a bill pressing it into the hand of the older man. Who thanked him before leaving as Manny entered the small room, they could see two beds an open cubby style closet and a door for the bathroom. A nightstand between the two beds and a dresser with a flat screen TV bolted to the wall. A small patio door with a hasp lock on the inside and iron bars looked out into a small walled patio. Dan help Manny fold the bike trailers and store them in the cubby. Manny looked around then said.
“Back soon,” as he entered the bathroom.
Dan had to admit this place was different, no one even looked at them as they pushed the bikes and trailers down the hall. Looking out the window and onto the street to see milling figures holding drinks walking and talking in groups. Looking at the TV on a whim, he picked up the remote turning the TV on. A picture of a woman wearing a flak jacket and Kevlar helmet stood in front of the trolley they had been on earlier speaking into
a microphone. He turned up the volume.
“Earlier today five individuals where trying to steel copper wiring causing a loss of power to the streetcar line stranding several passengers. Police units responding to the call found themselves in a gunfight with the thieves. One officer sustaining nonlife threating injuries in the confrontation. Two of the suspects taken into custody while three died of their injuries.” The picture cutting to the trolley conductor.
“When we lost power,” he started as Dan turned the TV off as Manny exited the bathroom.
“What was on TV,” Manny said motioning.
“Just the news,” he responded. “Can we grab something to eat.” Manny shrugged.
“Sure, then we can watch the parade from our patio,” Manny said pointing to the patio door.
“What are you thinking,” Manny said looking at the supplies from the bike trailers. Dan paused as Manny looked up.
“I saw a pizza place open across the street,” Dan started slowly. Manny’s eyebrows shot up and cut him off.
“Thick crust, pepperoni and sausage,” Manny stated. Dan looked at him.
“And jalapenos,” he asked hopefully. Manny smiled.
“Hell yes, I will be right back,” Manny said. Moving past Dan to open the patio door walking out before going over the small red brick wall that separated them from the street crossing over to the pizza place. Dan sat down in the patio waiting. Watching the people milling around the street most with drinks in their hands laughing and carrying on like nothing was wrong.
Thinking this was unreal as he waited finally seeing Manny walk out the door of the shop with a large flat box in one hand and a six-pack of bottles in the other. Manny approached him handing him the pizza box before making his way back over the small wall to joining him at the patio table. He put a six-pack of dark brown bottles down on the table. As Dan opened the pizza box and took a deep breath through his nose.
“It smelled good,” he thought.
He watched Manny take a bottle to try to twist the cap off failing. Manny looked at him.