In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

  Warren, Jessi, and Kara had gathered in the toy section. Kara looked happy.

  “Can I get this one, too?” Kara asked.

  “You can get any of them,” Jessi said.

  “My mommy always said only one.”

  “Well, today is special,” Warren said. “Today, the toys are all free, so you can have as many as you want.”

  Kara’s eyes grew wider than Layne thought possible. She ran off, laughing as she went. Jessi followed, also laughing, and a smile spread across Warren’s face. He turned to the two men.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going to hit the pharmacy. We could all do with some Tylenol, I think. Some antibiotics, too.”

  “Go crazy,” Layne said. “We don’t know when we’ll get another chance to stock up.”

  As Layne and Garrett wandered the aisles, it took only the sight of Dex and Lacie heading into the hygiene section for Layne to stop and turn the other way.

  “Where you going?” Garrett said.

  “Let’s leave them alone,” Layne replied.

  It was getting dark outside when the group gathered at the front of the store. They packed their newfound items into bags, and as the majority of the group headed out to the cars, Layne and Garrett returned to the generator room and shut the generator off. On the way out they put the banner back up, but painted a new message on it:

  Store has power, generator in back!

  Layne hoped it could help any other survivors who might come by. He and Garrett climbed into the cars and headed down the highway.

  ****

  “There’s a high school up ahead,” Keely said.

  Layne had also seen the sign telling them that the speed limit was subject to change during school hours, but he wondered what her point was. She answered his thoughts.

  “It’s summer. I’ll bet there’s nobody in there. We could probably stop there for the night.”

  Layne began to slow down, eyeing the school. The parking lots were vacant, the building was dark, and a large sign rose from the front lawn, proudly proclaiming:

  Greenwich High School - Go Bears! Have a Good Summer Vacation!

  Layne got the impression that the students were not having anything of the sort.

  “I think that might be a good idea,” Dex said. “It won’t be the most comfortable place, but it’s probably pretty safe.”

  Layne pulled into the parking lot. The other car followed, and both stopped by the school’s front doors. Everyone exited the vehicles and gathered in the lot.

  “We’re thinking about staying in this school, tonight,” Layne said. “It should be empty.”

  “It’ll be dark, too,” Garrett said.

  “It’s dark out here.”

  “In any case,” Warren said, “it can’t be less comfortable than the car seats.” He stretched his back and it popped loudly.

  Layne looked around. He didn’t see any zombies, which he thought somewhat strange. They had slipped into a suburb and had passed a few on the way, but this place was quiet. Even the air was still and unmoving. The sun, almost completely below the horizon, was still casting faint light into the sky, leaving it a deep, dark blue.

  “It’s at least enclosed,” Katie said. “We can figure out where to go in the morning.”

  That familiar nag returned to Layne, and he thought that the morning would finally get the conversation out of him. For now, he needed to focus. They were about to enter a dark building, and he wasn’t positive it would be empty.

  “All right, let’s stay here,” Kyle said. The group gave their nods of approval, and Layne tried the front door. It was locked.

  “There has to be a way in,” Ralph said.

  “Yeah, it’s called a key,” Kyle said. His sarcasm toward Ralph had gone from vicious to friendly lately, and it showed on Ralph’s face. He no longer looked like a hurt puppy, he looked glad to be on the level of friendly joking.

  “If we bust a window, we leave ourselves open, as usual,” Garrett said.

  “Not these windows,” Keely replied, “they’re too small.”

  The front doors each had tall vertical slits for windows, at most five inches wide.

  “We can just bust one, reach in, and open the door,” Katie said. “Think any zombies will be smart enough to figure that one out?”

  Layne took a nearby rock and struck it against the window. It was surprisingly strong, and the rock hardly chipped the glass. He shielded his eyes and gave it another swing, and this time did even less to the window.

  “Damn, Dad,” Dex said. He picked up a nearby rock. “You act like you’ve never busted a window before.”

  With barely enough warning to let Layne move out of the way, Dex rifled the rock into the glass. It shattered, leaving fragments hanging from the frame.

  “Thanks, Dex,” Layne said. He dusted off the bits of glass that had landed on him.

  “No problem, Pop.”

  Layne reached into the window, making his way around the shards of glass, and pushed on the handle. The door popped open. Taking the handle in his free hand, he carefully removed his arm and then held the door. The group filed into the building, and Layne closed it behind him.

  There was no motion or sound inside, just an empty hallway. Posters and flyers adorned the walls, and a glass case in the center of the lobby held a big stone mascot—a bear—that stood roaring in empty fury, permanently pissed off at an unseen adversary.

  “Ah, the memories,” Dex said.

  “I’ve never been in a public school,” Ralph said. “It’s so… messy, really.”

  “Don’t let the upbeat tone fool you, the place still has a way of boring the hell out of anyone who enters.”

  There was a map on the far wall of the lobby, which branched off in both directions, leading to hallways and eventually stairs. The group gathered around the map.

  “Looks like downstairs we have the lobby, the gym, the offices, the lunchroom, and the pool,” Layne said.

  “I could totally go for a swim,” Lacie said.

  “I could totally join you,” Dex said, making her giggle.

  “And upstairs we have the classrooms and the lockers.”

  “There’s the teacher’s lounge,” Katie said. She pointed to a room marked in pink on the map, right next to the lunchroom. “I’ll bet there are some couches in there.”

  “And the nurse’s office,” Keely said. “It’s nowhere near the lounge, but there are bound to be a few beds in there.”

  “So,” Garrett said, “now that we know the place is comfortable, let’s make sure it’s clear.”

  The group split up and checked the ground floor hallways and rooms, and then regrouped by the map.

  “Find anything?” Layne said.

  “Nope,” Dex replied, “but the pool’s still full. Probably cold as hell, but I might go for a swim anyway.”

  Garrett rolled his eyes. “There are four couches in the lounge.”

  “Three beds in the nurse’s office,” Layne said.

  “Well, seven of us will rest just fine,” Warren said.

  “It’s just as well. Unless you want to head upstairs and check every single room in the building, I recommend a few of us stand guard.”

  The division was routine, by then. Warren, Jessi, and Kara were guaranteed to have a bed and to not stand guard. The others drew straws (number two pencils, one of which had been broken) to decide who would get a bed, and who would stand guard first.

  Warren, Jessi, and Kara took the beds in the nurse’s office. Jessi tried to fit Kara into the same bed, finding it far too small (being designed to hold sick or injured adolescents) and, despite Kara’s complaints, had to sleep separate from her.

  The pencils were kind to Layne, who was tired from the events of the day; he was given the opportunity to sleep first. Garrett, Katie, and Keely were the other lucky three, and they followed Layne to the teacher’s lounge.

  Layne lay down as Kyle, Ralph, Dex, and Lacie talked about how to split up and guard th
e rooms. Layne thought he wouldn’t possibly get to sleep before it was his turn to stand guard, but he fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the couch.

  ****

  As far as he could tell, it was the lack of noise that woke him up. It was dark in the teacher’s lounge, and the other three were sleeping soundly. Not a noise came in from the hall, and it worried him.

  Layne sat up. He waited to see if he had just woken during a momentary lapse of conversation, but after a few moments of silence, he decided to get up and check on the others.

  There was nobody in the hall.

  Layne made his way across the dark school, toward the nurse’s office. Outside, on the floor of the hallway, he found Ralph and Kyle playing with some cards by the light of their flashlights.

  “Hey, Layne,” Kyle said. “What are you doing up? There’s at least an hour until your shift.”

  “Couldn’t sleep,” Layne replied. He felt like if he wanted to, he could lie down on the linoleum floor of the hall and sleep for days, but he was worried about his friends. “Where are Dex and Lacie?”

  Ralph and Kyle exchanged glances.

  “They aren’t by the teacher’s lounge?” Ralph asked.

  “No.”

  “I haven’t seen them,” Kyle said. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t look for them.”

  “Well, you aren’t me,” Layne said. He knew Kyle was probably right, but now anger was replacing his fear.

  “Want us to help you look?” Ralph said.

  “No. Stay here and keep an eye out. You guys are doing a good job.”

  Layne left them to their game and headed for the swimming pool.

  ****

  He slipped into the room unnoticed. They were there all right; the majority of their clothes were strewn along the benches near the pool, and Dex was in mid-dive as Layne quietly closed the door. Lacie clapped and gave Dex a ten out of ten once he resurfaced. Layne waited for them to notice him, and when they didn’t and instead drew closer to each other, he opened the door behind him and slammed it shut, sending a loud shlack! through the room. Dex and Lacie turned to him, frightened. Whether it was because they were expecting a zombie or because they were expecting him, he wasn’t sure.

  “Hey, Layne,” Dex said. “You’re up early!”

  “You’re supposed to be watching out for us,” Layne said.

  “Yeah… Well, everything was fine, and we didn’t see anybody around, so we figured—”

  “I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but we aren’t in any position to be figuring anything.”

  Dex and Lacie had made their way to the wall of the pool and were hanging onto it, but not getting out. Layne wondered if they thought he was going to tell them to go ahead and stay in and have fun. This made him angrier.

  “Chill out, dude,” Dex said.

  “I will not fucking ‘chill out’!” Layne said. It surprised him as much as it surprised the other two. He wasn’t even sure why he was so angry. They were right; there was no immediate danger outside the teacher’s lounge, and if there was a zombie, it wouldn’t be able to get in, let alone know there was anything worth getting in for.

  The outburst embarrassed him, but he didn’t know what else to do. Layne reached forward as Dex started to climb out of the pool, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out of the water much harder than he had intended to. Dex looked offended, and turned to help Lacie out.

  “When I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it,” Layne said.

  “I’m not a fucking kid,” Dex replied. “I’m a grown man, I can do what I want!”

  “Not when you agree to help someone else out.”

  “There was nothing to help with—”

  “You don’t know that!” Layne said. Dex seemed to be searching for some retort, but was unable to find anything witty.

  “We were just having some fun,” Lacie said.

  “You can have fun some other time.”

  “When, Layne?” Dex said. “All we do is wander around the fucking country barely escaping death, so when are we supposed to have any free time?”

  “Free time doesn’t do you any good if you’re dead.”

  “Well, we’re not dead. Not yet. But if this is what life has become, maybe I’d rather die having fun!”

  “Fine then! Do whatever the fuck you want, even if it costs the lives of everyone around you!”

  “Maybe we will! Maybe in the morning, we’ll just go our separate ways, and you can spend the rest of your short-ass life watching dark hallways for things that aren’t even there, and I’ll die laughing!”

  Dex collected the pile of clothes, grabbed Lacie’s hand, and stormed out of the room, letting the door make its loud shlack! again.

  Layne stood in the darkness for a while, wishing he had handled it differently. It had taken Dex threatening to leave for Layne to realize he had just expedited the thing he was trying to avoid: Their family breaking up. Layne was angry because he was scared that, little by little, these people would be gone from him, and he would lose the last meaningful thing he had in this world.

  59

  On Pacific Highway

  It was quiet, save for the sound of the engine and the occasional roll of thunder as the survivors traveled down the long stretch of road. In Alan’s car, everyone stared ahead or out the windows at the scenery. There was nothing else to do, after all. Martha was lost in her photo, and Alan’s eyes were trained on the road. He stole a glance at Martha every now and then to make sure she was okay.

  After a little while, Martha grew sick of the silence. She set the frame beside her leg and looked at Alan, a fine strand of gray hair falling into her face. She brushed it from her view.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m not really sure,” Alan said. “Somewhere safe, I hope. Someplace we can feel safe, anyway.”

  “I suppose that’s all we could hope for.”

  “We’ll need to stop and get gas soon. We can also fill those cans I grabbed back at the store.”

  “Sounds good,” Martha said. She yawned.

  “You might want to get some rest, Mo—Martha.”

  “You may be right, dear. This car seat may not be a bed, but it’s better than those damn cots by far.”

  “I’ll let you know once we’ve gotten to the gas station,” Alan said.

  “Thank you.” Martha leaned her seat back a little and closed her eyes.

  Emily was deep in her thoughts. The look on Beverly’s face, the words she spoke haunted her. Why did she want to stay back there, when they could have helped her? As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she was kidding herself. There was no way to fix people once they’d been bitten. Once that happened, it was all over. The beginning of the end.

  Emily was surprised by Billy’s touch. She jumped.

  “Hey, sorry,” he said.

  “It’s okay.”

  “Are you doing okay?”

  “How do you think I’m doing?”

  “Well…”

  “I lost my baby sister and my best friend in the same week. I’m just peachy.”

  “I can’t begin to imagine how hard that is for you,” Billy said. “Do you wanna talk? Maybe it’ll make you feel better. Angela was just doing what she thought was right. She didn’t go in vain.”

  “That doesn’t mean I can just ditch grief, you know. She acted callously and it got her killed. What am I supposed to do? Just forgive her for that? It should have been me, not her!”

  Billy narrowed his eyes. “Don’t even go there! You know what that would do to Francine and me!”

  “Or me!” Martha said. “I lost Angela too, and it’s horrible, but she saved your life!”

  “You’re right, but she didn’t have to.”

  “But she did.”

  “Maybe we should just change the subject,” Alan said.

  “Yeah,” Billy replied. “I was thinking. When we get to a gas station, we could switch, and I could take the wheel.”

>   Alan thought about it for a moment. He looked in the rearview. “I think that would be good. I wouldn’t mind taking a rest. Thanks.”

  The survivors noticed a car parked near the entrance of the gas station, and some zombies beyond the parking lot, hopefully too far away to cause any problems.

  The cars pulled up to a pumps right beside each other. A few zombies noticed, and moved slowly in their direction. They were normally much faster, but they seemed almost cautious of the survivors.

  “Wonder if that car’s owner’s still here,” Billy said.

  “There’s no one in it,” Martha said. Alan turned the car off and got out to pump the gas. Phil and Jesse were getting out of Francine’s car.

  “Phil, why don’t you and the others go inside and grab some food?” Alan said. “Who knows how long we’ll be on the road.” Phil nodded and walked toward the store. Martha and the others headed there too, but Martha stopped and turned back. “Go on ahead. I’ll be in after you all. Oh, and Francine?”

  Francine stopped. “Yeah, Alan?”

  “You need gas, right?”

  “I do. I guess I should fill the tank before I go inside.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Mom? Are you coming?” Emily said.

  “Yes, dear,” Martha said. She waved, then hurried after the others.

  They walked into the station and looked around. The store was empty as far as they could tell. Displays that once held merchandise were on their sides, what was left of their wares was scattered across the floor. Near one of the racks were the skeletal remains of a woman. Her clothing was ravished, revealing her chest cavity, which was split wide open. The insides had been cleaned out. The sight made the survivors gag. Martha nearly vomited. Near the body was another, mostly intact body, very likely that of the zombie who had defiled her.

  “Chloe, please stay in here, darling,” a voice said from a room farther off. “I’ll be right back. Just need to see who’s come to visit.”