Growing up in a family that moves a lot is not an easy thing. It can be very difficult on everyone, especially the children. Stephen found the best way to make new friends, as well as stay out of trouble, was to try out for sports when he got to a new school. “Try out for them all, you’re bound to make at least one of them,” was his motto. As it turns out he was pretty good at most of them, especially football. As he got older and stronger he started to attract attention of some college recruiters. He managed to spend his junior and senior years at Esperanza High School in Anaheim excelling at linebacker. Filling out a six foot two frame and weighing in at around two hundred thirty pounds, UCLA coach Tom Brennerman liked what he saw and offered him a scholarship to play there. Stephen accepted. Although things have not worked out as he would have liked on the playing field so far (he has been primarily a back-up and special teams player through his junior year), he made some great friends and received a free education. It was four of these friends that were going to accompany him on this trip to complete his quest of visiting every Six Flags in America.
“Honey, are you ready, I think Nick is here,” his mother shouted from downstairs.
Denise Russo was an attractive woman in her mid-forties of solid mid-western stock. She met her husband at a Milwaukee Brewers game. She was there with a couple of girlfriends (one of them was dating the first baseman) and he was two rows in front of her sitting with his boss entertaining some business clients. A foul ball was hit in their direction and both went for it. They nearly collided with neither ending up with the ball. A conversation was struck and the rest, as they say, is history.
“Be down in a second,” Stephen shouted back.
He grabbed his duffel bag and his Uni-phone. The Uni-phone was the latest and greatest in smart phone technology continuing man’s never ending pursuit of the perfect handheld device. Heading downstairs Stephen threw his duffel in the foyer and went into the kitchen to grab a drink for the ride; the very long ride. They had all agreed to drive there; make it a real road trip. They planned on covering the 2,700 plus miles in three days. Each would take turns driving for the first 24 hours or so. That would put them somewhere near Memphis, Tennessee where they would spend the night. Then up early the next morning and on to Washington DC, arriving late where they would check into their hotel rooms and then hit the park first thing the next morning. No hotel reservations were made just in case the plans had to be altered. The return trip was more play it by ear as long as they are back by the 11th of June. Nick’s summer job was set to begin on the 12th.
Stephen’s mother was also in the kitchen taking some drinking glasses out of the dishwasher. “Have you got everything?” she asked.
“I think so.”
“Did you grab your toothbrush out of the bathroom?”
“Yes,” he said rolling his eyes. Mothers are all the same, always worried about things like packing underwear and bringing your toothbrush. They are never concerned about the important things; like having the right kind of music for the trip, or bringing enough snacks for everyone. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a Vitamin Water, unscrewed the cap and took a big swig.
Stephen looked over at his mom where her attention was now fixed on the 36-inch TV recently installed into the kitchen wall just above the counter. She seemed very interested in whatever the woman on the TV was saying. Just then, the doorbell rang; his mother’s gaze still on the TV.
“I’ll get it,” he said.
Stephen opened the door and standing there was Nicholas Van Arden. He was all of five-foot-seven and one hundred-sixty pounds. His skin was fair, especially for Southern California, and he had light brown hair that could be described as unkempt. A history major at UCLA, Nick was Stephen’s best friend at school. They roomed together the first two years there. Nick was still living on campus while Stephen had moved in with a couple of other football players in some off campus housing.
Nick had required some serious convincing to go on this trip. He did not particularly like amusement parks as he has gotten sick on roller coasters and was not very fond of heights or traveling at high speeds. But, his father was the US Congressman representing the fine folks of the 40th congressional district so he did not get to see his dad that often. Nick thought he could swing by and say hi to the old man while he was in D.C. They were taking his car so they would have to go where he wanted anyway.
“You ready?” Nick blurted out as he walked past Stephen and into the foyer.
“Yeah, my bag’s right there.” Stephen said as he pointed to the duffel on the floor.
“I need to use the can before we go; the hatch on the car is open, you can throw your crap in the back.” Nick, having been to the Russo residence a few times previously, headed straight for the bathroom.
Stephen returned to the kitchen to say goodbye to his mother and receive any last minute words of wisdom. As he entered he noticed she was still engrossed in what was on the TV. She was startled as he approached and turned to look at him. The look on her face was one of worry and confusion.
“Is everything alright Mom?”
“Have you heard about these strange reports of looting and vandalism in some cites back East?” his mother asked.
“No, not really, I had finals this week and have been getting ready for my trip. What’s going on?” Stephen said.
“No one really knows. Reports are vague. There seems to be some looting and rioting going on in a lot of the cities back East. They think maybe something got into the water and people are acting weird … maybe you shouldn’t go.”
“It’ll be fine, probably just some college kids blowing off some steam,” Stephen tried to explain. His mother shot him a look; more precisely, the look.
“Not that we would ever engage in such behavior,” Stephen answered trying to lighten the mood. He even added a wry smile. His mother was having none of it. She was clearly worried.
“I want you to call me every night so I know you’re ok. Will you promise me that?” She said.
“Of course, no problem,” he promised.
She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek. He hugged her back.
“Tell Dad goodbye for me.”
“I will. Behave yourself but more importantly, be careful.”
“You got it Mom.”
As Stephen turned around, Nick peered into the kitchen. “Hello Mrs. Russo,” Nick said.
“Hello Nick. How are you?”
“Never better,” Nick answered. Looking in Stephen’s direction he said, “We ready?”
Denise Russo took a few steps toward them and said, “Have a good trip and take care of each other.”
Stephen nodded, turned, and headed for the foyer. Nick followed and opened the front door. Stephen bent over, grabbed his duffel, and followed Nick out the door. His mother looked out the kitchen window and her gaze followed her son and his friend down the sidewalk toward Nick’s car. Stephen turned around and glanced behind him. He caught his mother looking at them and offered a small wave. She gave a small wave in return. Turning back into the kitchen she grabbed the remote for the television to turn up the volume without possibly knowing that would be the last time she would ever see her son.
Once in the car, they headed toward the I-5 traveling south to Irvine to pick up the remainder of their group. They started off with the usual chit-chat and nervous excitement that begins any adventure but settled into listening to the hum of the tires on the highway pavement. Stephen began to drift off and could not help thinking about his mom and the worried look she had given him. She was genuinely frightened but did not want to come off as the over protective parent. He was sure she was overreacting. But still, he could not shake the feeling that she might be worried for good reason.
“Yo, dude, did you hear anything I just said,” Nick blurted out jolting Stephen out of his trance.
“What?”
“I said do you have the address for the park so I can put it in the GPS?” Nick asked.
“Uh, yea … it’s right here,” said Stephen as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pants pocket. He read off the address to Nick.
The 2026 Hyundai Phoenix was all Nick’s, passed down to him from his dad as he upgraded to a newer model. It was an early edition Sport Utility hybrid that had significantly improved ability to capture lost energy from braking and store that energy for later use, helping improve power and gas mileage. He loved this car.
“Where were you anyway, you totally zoned there for a minute,” Nick asked.
“Nowhere, really, it was just my mom. She was telling me about this story she saw on the news, something about looting and other weird stuff happening back East. She seemed really freaked out. Have you heard anything?”
“No, nothing, I’ve been so busy the last few days preparing to cart your ass across this wonderful country of ours I haven’t had time to catch up on recent events,” Nick said.
“Did your mom say anything?” Stephen asked.
“My mom?!? For being married to a politician and raising a UCLA history major, she couldn’t care less about current events,” Nick said. He then added, “The one phrase I don’t think I ever heard my mom say was ‘do you know what I heard on the news today?’”
Stephen chuckled and felt a little more at ease. Maybe he was being a little over dramatic. He was on the verge of completing a great quest. What he needed to do was sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. At least until it was his turn to drive.
They arrived at the residence of Devendrakumar Patel a little after three in the afternoon. The pre-med major, who goes by “Dave,” was waiting out front in the driveway along with his girlfriend, Emma Blackburn, and her friend Lucy Griffin and a fair amount of luggage. Stephen had phoned ahead to let them know they were on their way.
“How the heck am I going to fit all that in the back of the car,” Nick shouted through the open car window, staring at the luggage.
“I guess you’ll just have to manage because I’m not traveling across the country without the essentials,” replied Emma.
Stephen and Nick got out of the car and headed toward the various bags strewn across the driveway. Stephen shook Dave’s hand and gave him the universal “what’s up” head nod. Dave was just shy of six feet tall and skinny as a rail. He had a dark complexion common for his race. His parents were from western India and had moved here before he was born making him a first generation American. Stephen and Dave met in an Intro to Biology class their freshman year. Stephen was required to take a science elective; all the cake courses were taken by the time he registered so he was forced to take Intro to Biology. His plan was to find someone who looked smart, sit next to them, and sponge as much information as possible; a standard jock trick.
He found Dave sitting by himself and saw an opportunity. As it turned out they had many things in common and became friends. Dave helped Stephen achieve a C+ in the class so he could continue playing football and their friendship was cemented.
Dave had met Emma later that freshman year as they kept bumping into each other in the science building. She was a nursing student and had to take some of the same introductory classes as the pre-med students. He was fond of her immediately. She had long dark hair and a medium build. But what really got him was her laugh. He loved to hear her laugh. She played a little hard to get at first, but he found out her favorite band was called “The Lowdown”. When they came to Los Angeles, he snagged tickets before they sold out and invited her. She really wanted to go so she went and they have been together ever since. At first, Dave’s parents were not pleased with this arrangement. They were of a traditional Indian background and arranged marriages were the norm. However, it must be something about the relaxed nature of Southern California, as they finally relented.
The car was loaded and the travelers climbed into the car. Nick behind the wheel, Stephen riding shotgun. Dave sat in the back behind the passenger’s seat with Emma in the center. Rounding out the group was Lucy sitting behind the driver’s seat. The Phoenix actually had room for one more, at least that’s what the owners’ manual said, so the five of them fit comfortably.
Nick put the car in drive and headed toward I-15, the first leg of their trip; sort of the first step on the yellow brick road. The question was which one of them was the Tin Man or the Scarecrow, and how about the Cowardly Lion? And of course which of the girls was Dorothy? Perhaps time would tell. Would their adventure be fraught with the kind of peril those famous storybook characters had to endure? Of course not, what could possibly be worse than Flying Monkeys?
“I want to thank you for inviting me on this trip Stephen, I’m so excited,” Lucy exclaimed.
Stephen was fiddling with Nick’s Uni-phone as it was plugged into the car’s stereo system. He was looking for a particular song to play, keeping in mind Nick’s one standing rule: it was his car, so you listen to his music. That is not to say that he would not take requests for the sake of peace and harmony.
“Uh, you’re welcome,” Stephen replied.
Stephen had not actually invited her. When he was planning this trip his first invite was Nick, of course. He then mentioned it to Dave who jumped at the opportunity having never been to a Six Flags. Dave then asked if was ok to bring Emma; Stephen liked Emma and said sure. A few days before they left, Emma’s best friend Lucy asked if she could go. So, Emma asked Dave to ask Stephen if it was all right.
Lucy and Emma have been friends since middle school. She came from a mixed household; her mother was Korean and her father Irish which explained her jet black hair and almond eyes and the last name Griffin. When they both decided to enroll at UCLA, Emma knew exactly what she wanted to study; Lucy on the other hand had no idea. She finally decided on a business major after hanging around all the students at UCLA whose families had money. She figured maybe a business degree would help get her get some of that money.
As they merged onto I-40 taking exit 184A heading toward Needles, Nick decided that it would be best if they limited the stops to make better time and that each of the guys would drive eight hour shifts. Not that he had anything against women drivers, it’s just he didn’t know them as well as he knew Stephen and Dave. As a matter of fact, if he could stay awake for the full 24 hours he would drive the whole way. This car was his baby after all.
Just before eleven PM they pulled into a rest stop just west of Holbrook, Arizona. It had a single building with rest rooms, a snack area and an information shack separate from the main building. A picnic area with tables and an area to walk dogs was situated off to the left. The highway sign said there was a gas station there but it was in fact about a mile and a half away. Nick decided to drop everyone off to use the facilities and he would go top off the gas tank and come back to pick them back up.
The place was deserted except for two tractor trailers at the far end of the parking lot. Both trucks had their engines running and were equipped with sleeper cabs. Everyone was out of the car and stretching as Nick drove off. The girls headed off for the restroom together. Stephen told Dave to go on ahead, he wanted to call his mom before she went off to bed, like he promised. He pushed the icon on his phone for his mom’s phone and it started to ring and then abruptly stopped. Looking at his phone, it indicated a lost signal. Checking his reception it showed a weak signal but should have been strong enough to complete a call. He tried again with the same result. He decided to text her that he was fine and that he would call her tomorrow. That seemed to work. With his promise somewhat fulfilled, he headed off to the restroom.
After everyone had successfully relieved themselves, they met near the curb to await Nick. Emma reached into her purse and pulled out her phone and looked at it. She had a peculiar look on her face that no one except Stephen noticed.
“What’s the matter?” Stephen asked glancing in Emma’s direction.
“Not sure … I have part of a text from my dad.”
“What’s it say?” asked Dave.
“It says ‘tried to call but kept getting
disconnected … Just wanted …’ then it ends,” Emma answered.
“He probably just wanted to say goodnight,” Dave reassured her.
“Yea, probably,” Emma said.
Headlights from a car coming towards them diverted their attention from the cryptic text from Emma’s dad. A few seconds later, Nick pulled up in front of them. He got out of the car and came around the front with the car still running.
“You’re up,” he said to Stephen. “Take good care of my baby.”
Everyone piled into the car in the same seats as before with the exception of Stephen in the driver’s seat and Nick in the unfamiliar role of riding shotgun in his own car.
“Anyone else hungry?” Nick asked as they got underway.
Neither Dave nor Emma was, but Lucy said she could go for a bite to eat. She reached behind the back seat and opened a small cooler that Nick had packed prior to picking Stephen up. She grabbed a small ham and cheese sandwich and handed Nick a tuna salad.
“Did you make these sandwiches Nick?” asked Lucy.
“No,” he replied. “The guy at the deli did.”
They all chuckled at that as Nick turned around to eat his tuna salad. Dave and Emma had begun to lean on each other and it was easy to see that sleep was not far off. Dave needed to rest anyway because he was driving next. As Stephen steered the car down I-40 passing through the town of Holbrook, he looked over at his friend in the passenger’s seat and sensed something was wrong.
“You ok?” Stephen asked.
“I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess,” Nick answered. “You need me to stay awake with you so we don’t end up in a ditch somewhere?”
“Not necessary amigo … I got it all under control.”
The Zombie Principle Page 2