In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

  Two officers, Benson and Pete, stood guard near one of the barricades.

  “Hey, Benson, you think you got this? I gotta take a piss.”

  “Sure, Pete. Hurry though. Watching these barricades gives me the creeps.”

  “Don’t be such a pussy,” Pete said. “I’ll be back in three minutes.” He started off.

  “You’d better!” Benson said. Pete waved back, without looking, as he walked toward the nearby Porta Potty.

  Not long after Pete left, a board snapped, a piece fell to the ground. Benson jumped.

  “Pete! Pete, get your ass over here! We’ve got a breach!”

  “What? Fuck! I’m coming!” Pete zipped his pants up, readied his gun, and left the toilet.

  A male zombie was able to open the door and get through. He headed for Benson, who wasn’t fired a few shots. One hit the zombie in the shoulder, but it kept coming.

  A few more zombies entered the stadium by the time Pete arrived. He aimed and fired. The first zombie stumbled backward and fell on the ground in front of the open door, where more zombies were filing in.

  “Hurry! Shoot!” Pete said. He grabbed a nearby megaphone and put it to his mouth. “We need backup over at the main entrance!”

  Upon hearing this, murmurs shot through the crowd. Three other officers sprinted toward the breach.

  Two of the zombies that had gotten in tackled Pete and began biting. Blood gushed from his face and arm, and Pete howled. The zombies continued devouring him. Benson shot the zombies off of Pete, but more replaced them, until the other officers arrived.

  Two zombies approached the field. Panic had already spread among some of the closer refugees.

  “Everybody get back as far as you can,” one of the officers said. “There’s been a small breach, but we’re taking care of it!”

  “Oh my God!” someone screamed. “Stop them! They’re getting in!”

  “There’s no need to panic,” another officer shouted. Other officers rushed in to help with the crowd and the zombies. Shots echoed across the stadium, captivated by the dome.

  Everyone panicked. A bloody obese zombie grabbed one of the officers and bit down. The officer screamed as the blubbery woman ripped at his left arm, gnawing on it like a turkey leg. Two other officers were able to shoot her. A short, scrawny zombie with thick-framed glasses was dispatched before he could get his partially fingerless hands on anyone.

  One of the officers shot Pete and the other bitten officer, halting their screams. Two others headed toward the entrance. There, Benson was trying to hold the door shut. A few more officers helped protect the refugees, picking off the zombies that had made it through the barricade. Benson and the other officers worked together to re-barricade the entrance. It took a little while, but they were eventually successful, and the last of the zombies fell, but the screams continued.

  They put the bodies of their fellow officers as far away from the living area as possible, then headed back to the field to calm the survivors and check for injuries.

  Martha’s hands shook. The possibility of the zombies breaking in had become a reality, and the little shred of safety she felt would not come back. Everyone’s hearts were racing.

  “It’s okay, we’ve got it all under control,” Benson said.

  “What if this happens again?” someone replied.

  “Yeah, you took our weapons away, so we can’t defend ourselves if more get in!” Billy said.

  “We’ve blocked the entrance off, and this time twice as strong,” another officer said. This seemed to calm almost everyone down, but there was still nervous chatter among the crowd.

  Martha’s left arm tingled as she headed back to her cot. She didn’t pay much attention to it, but then it got worse. She hunched over on her cot; her chest was tight. She put a hand on it, clutching her dark blouse.

  “Mother, are you okay?” Emily said. Martha didn’t answer. She was breathing quickly, unable to get more than short, painful breaths. “Mother!” Emily sat down with Martha.

  “I… think… I’m having a… heart attack.”

  “Oh my God!” Emily began crying. Angela joined her sister and took her hand.

  “We need medical help over here!” she yelled to the nearest officer. That officer retrieved the paramedic team from their tent. They rushed over, laid Martha on a stretcher, and pushed her away from the dead-silent crowd into an open area.

  “She’s my mother!” Emily said. “Please, I need to be with her!”

  “Mine too!” Angela said.

  “We need as much space as possible,” a paramedic said. “Please stay back!”

  The paramedic stopped the stretcher near the power cords, in case they’d need them.

  Emily backed into Billy’s arms, crying, and Phil hurried to Angela. Jesse stood nearby, nervously rubbing his chin.

  “It’s going to be okay, honey,” Billy said. Beverly tried to comfort Francine, who was also sobbing.

  Alan stood teary-eyed (though he tried to hide it) as the paramedics performed their duties. He recalled a conversation he and Martha had the first night in the stadium.

  “So, Alan. How did you find us, yesterday?”

  “I’ll spare you the details, but I was getting off work. I own a gun shop nearby, and my mother’s house is also in the area.”

  “And when you saw this insanity, you rushed to her, yes?”

  “I did. There was someone in her house. She had been attacked…” Alan broke down in a few sobs. Martha patted his back. He immediately looked back up, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry. Now’s not the time for tears.” Martha smiled.

  “It’s natural, honey. Don’t worry about it. The tears help us heal.”

  “Thank you, Martha,” Alan said, and smiled.

  “I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for all of your doing, Alan. Thank you so much. We wouldn’t have made it without your help.”

  “No, it was nothing.”

  “Don’t be so modest. You helped us out during our darkest hour.” She leaned in and gave Alan a hug tighter than one would expect from an older woman. Alan returned the hug.

  Alan blinked, standing watch as the paramedics worked. From the moment he met Martha, he had felt a strong connection to her. Maybe she reminded him of his own mother, maybe that’s why he helped her out in the cemetery in the first place.

  The paramedics worked on Martha for almost an hour. After what seemed like an eternity, her heart stopped beating.

  “We need the defibs!” a paramedic said. Another paramedic handed him the paddles. He turned them on and shouted, “Clear!”

  Martha’s body thrust upward as the electricity charged through her. The frantic paramedic re-calibrated the machinery, pressed the paddles to her chest, and tried again. This time, her heart restarted. The stats on the machine read positive, and her pulse returned.

  Martha’s family and Alan stood a few yards away, practically biting through their lower lips. One of the paramedics walked over to the group, wiping a few beads of sweat off his face with his sleeve.

  “Is she all right?” Emily asked.

  “Very good news,” the paramedic said. “She made it through the attack. She was lucky we were prepared.”

  “Thank God!” Emily turned to hug Billy. Angela let out a sigh of relief and hugged Phil. Everyone rejoiced.

  Alan sighed. Anyone looking at him would’ve been unable to tell, but Alan felt happier than he had in a long time.

  “Can we see her?” Emily asked.

  “Yes, but she’s weak, and needs some rest. Be quick, please.” The paramedic headed back over to the medical tent to help his colleagues clean everything up.

  The group gathered around Martha. The dome occupants who hadn’t already turned their attention to other things did so.

  “Mother, are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Martha whispered. “I’m… exhausted.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” Billy said.

  “We should probably le
t you get some rest,” Alan said.

  Martha nodded and smiled. “Are you okay, Alan?”

  “Huh? Of course I am. You had a heart attack, ma’am. I should be asking you that.”

  “Now, don’t you start getting all formal on me, dear. ‘Martha’ will be fine.”

  “I’m sorry, Martha. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m fine.”

  “I just wondered, because you’ve been crying. I can tell by the diamonds in your eyes. They’ve left tracks on your cheeks.”

  “It’s been a stressful situation… I was scared. I’m fine now that you’re fine.”

  “That’s good,” Martha said. “I actually feel like I can take on the world! Well, maybe after I’ve rested up. Tomorrow, perhaps.”

  “Yes, you just rest up, Martha,” Alan said.

  “Can we take our cots over by her to sleep?” Emily asked one of the paramedics.

  “I don’t see why not,” the paramedic said. “Just give her plenty of space.” Everyone moved their beds over by Martha’s, and settled in.

  Martha asked Emily to prop up the picture frame near the stretcher. Later in the night, she reached over and took it. She looked into the photo, and secretly wished the heart attack would’ve killed her. She wanted to be with Charlie… but she would just have to wait.

  She couldn’t look at the picture anymore. She put it back and looked away.

  Alan was lying on his stomach with his notebook in front of him. He wrote for a while, even after the lights were shut off, using the light from his solar-powered flashlight to keep going.

  After a while, he set his pen down on the pad and looked around. Everyone in his circle of friends, including Martha, had fallen asleep.

  Alan closed his notebook and dropped it into his bag along with his pencil. He switched off the light and let it fall into the bag with a soft thud, then repositioned himself onto his back and tried to fall asleep. It wasn’t easy.

  32

  Inside the Church

  Garrett barred the door after everyone was inside. Layne looked around. He couldn’t believe they had actually pulled it off. He almost had to check to make sure everyone really made it. He saw Dex, Katie, Jessi; everyone was there. Layne was overcome with joy. Katie rushed up to him and nearly tackled him.

  “I can’t believe we just did that!” she said.

  “We didn’t do it alone,” Layne said. He looked at Garrett.

  “Don’t mention it, man. You’d have done the same for me, I’m sure.”

  “For a minute, I was sure I’d be someone’s lunch,” Dex said. Lacie was standing beside him. Frank, the small man from earlier, was nowhere to be found.

  “So how long will this place hold up?” Layne asked. His heart was still beating quickly, but he was calm, and that made the others calm.

  “Little while,” Garrett said. “More than the average place.”

  “How long are we welcome?”

  “Now that’s another story.”

  “What do you mean?” Jessi said.

  “It all depends on your ability to contribute,” a voice said. Everyone turned. An old woman had entered from the inner workings of the church. Frank was by her side.

  “I assure you, ma’am, we’re more than willing to contribute to your efforts,” Layne said.

  “Oh?” the woman said. Her tone seemed more accusing than curious.

  “We can go out there and get provisions.”

  “We have plenty of provisions stockpiled here. And when we need more, we shall get them.”

  “Then what were you referring to?” Layne asked. The woman headed back into the church. Layne turned to Garrett.

  “She calls herself Mother May,” Garrett said. “She runs the place.”

  “What do you mean?” Katie said.

  “Let’s go inside. You’ll see.”

  The group entered the main room of the church. It was well-lit by candles, no light came through the tall windows. Layne could tell they were once stained-glass murals of biblical events; all were now covered and barricaded. What was David and Goliath was now iron and plywood, what might have been Sodom and Gomorrah was now steel and oak.

  The pews had a number of people in them, probably all residents of Astoria. They stared at Layne and the others. The old woman had taken her place at the podium.

  “Today, we are delivered newcomers,” Mother May said. “Children, where are you from?”

  “We aren’t from Astoria,” Layne said. The people in the pews looked at each other. Some whispered.

  “We aren’t from Oregon at all,” Katie said.

  “We were on a plane.” The people stared like they had no idea what a plane was. “We were in Los Angeles, flying to Seattle. But our plane went down. We survived, and came here.”

  The whispers grew louder. Some people covered their mouths, as if Layne could distinguish any of their words.

  “Then you are very fortunate to be alive,” Mother May said. “Surely God has smiled upon you in these times of tribulation.”

  “Lady, I don’t know if you’ve looked outside lately,” Kyle said, “but I don’t think God is smiling at all.”

  A gasp ran through the crowd. Heads turned, leading up to Mother May, who stood with pursed lips.

  “Does it not occur to you that you survived the crash, made the journey to Astoria, and then found safety here, in a church? Does it not strike you that this is destiny?”

  “Look, we’re tired,” Layne said. “We’re very, very tired. We just want to find some place where we can feel safe for a while. We haven’t had that in a long time.”

  “Then you’re very welcome to stay right here,” Mother May said.

  “Thank you. We’ll rest up, and in a few days we’ll be on our way to Washington.”

  “No, you won’t. Not all of you.”

  “I beg your pardon, ma’am?”

  “I told you, if you want to stay here, you’re going to have to contribute.” Mother May reached her hands out and spoke louder, more to the congregation than to Layne and his companions. “It is clear at this point that there are nonbelievers among you. They are not welcome to stay.”

  “I never said I was a nonbeliever,” Kyle said. Mother May laughed, something Layne hadn’t been sure she was capable of. Still, this was anything but humor or joy.

  “You expect me to believe now that you have faith in the Almighty? You want me to accept you with open arms, now that you have told me you’ve shut yours to Jesus Christ? You dare defile the name of our holy God with your lies, lies spread for personal gain? You fool! Do you not understand that personal gain means nothing? We do not matter at all. We exist to serve God!”

  “Doesn’t the Bible say to accept your enemies?” Katie said.

  “You know not of what you speak,” Mother May replied. The whispers were growing louder, the eyes sharper.

  “Enough! This is useless!” Garrett said. Hearing one of their own seemed to calm the crowd. Garrett turned to Mother May.

  “Unless your words are wisely chosen, keep them sealed behind your teeth, lest they lead your soul astray.”

  “Mother, a few days ago you told me you were indebted to me,” Garrett said. “Well I’m calling in that favor. Let these people stay here. Just tonight. All of them.” The people in the crowd turned to Mother May, awaiting her verdict.

  “I am indebted to Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior, and to no man. However, it is you who have led us here, who have slain the demons that would seek to have us destroyed. Clearly, God has chosen you for a higher purpose. You will watch over these… these heathens. Tomorrow they are to be gone, unless they find God in the night and prove themselves more deserving, more willing to contribute.”

  Mother May slowly walked away from the podium, and Frank helped her down the steps. The people in the pews scattered, many grouping together and whispering, many pointing, nearly all avoiding Layne and the others.

  “Would you mind telling me what that was about?” Layne said.

 
“I told you,” Garrett said. “We won’t be staying here for very long.”

  “No kidding,” Jessi said. “We obviously aren’t welcome.”

  “I feel bad,” Kyle said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Don’t worry,” Layne said. “I wouldn’t want to stay with these people anyway.”

  “Some of us are just as displeased as you are,” Garrett said. “We’re going with you, if at all possible.”

  “You’re welcome to. How many?”

  “There’s myself, then there’s Gina and Ralph. And that’s about it.”

  “Just three?”

  “Just three.”

  “Well, that makes travel easier,” Layne said. “It just makes me uncomfortable that so many people have been completely brainwashed.”

  “People have their way of coping. Nobody’s been harmed, though. Trying to kick you out is the worst I’ve seen these people do.”

  “Yet,” Katie said. The idea made them all uncomfortable.

  “In any case, we have the night,” Layne said.

  “We can stay in some of the rooms on the upper floor,” Garrett said. “In the morning we’ll find some means of travel, and we’ll head for Washington.”

  “You’ll stay with us?”

  “Look around, man,” Garrett said. “These people, all of us, we come from everywhere. We’re black, white, poor, rich. Some are smart, some aren’t so much. Young and old. But there’s one thing we all, shit, everyone in the world has in common now: We all just need some place to go.”

  ****

  In the shadows, where the candlelight could not reach, Mother May met with Frank.

  “I do not wish to let these people have their way,” Mother May said. “My Lord will not be spoken down to.”

  “Should I kill them?” Frank asked.

  “Let God decide what to do with them. As it stands, He has decided that they are not welcome in His house.”