“Hey, ladies. I think we should continue on as quickly as we can. I’ve got a feeling that the sooner we get to our destination, the better,” Cole chimes in over the radio.
“I’m good with that, as long as we don’t run into the cops,” I respond.
“At the moment, they’re going to be busy chasing zombie people.” Dawson’s laughter comes through the radio.
“This family is crazy,” I radio back.
The next few hours pass without traffic or problems as we pull over in a small town to eat and gas up. There’s no point in using our extra gas while stations are still manned and have something to sell us.
The large truck station has a place to park the trucks and trailers while we go in to eat lunch.
We barely finish eating our food when two people begin to talk loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the building.
“Let me tell you, I’ve never seen anything like it before. One minute they were taking care of some lady that had been plowed in to, but when they put her on the stretcher, she was already dead. They covered her face with a blanket.”
“Dude, we were sitting there waiting for them to let us through and she sat up and took a bite out of the guy wheeling her cart.”
“You should have seen her get up off that cart and start trying to eat people.”
“Yeah, all of the ones wanting to help were just standing there. The police men didn’t want to hurt anyone, and you could tell that they were unsure about who to shoot.”
“They just stood there until they were attacked by the eaten people. They started shooting, but it was too late for them. They became the zombie people, but their guns didn’t seem to interest them anymore.”
“We were just sitting there and they started toward the lines of cars where we were parked. I got so scared, I put my foot on the gas and tore out toward the exit, U-turned, and headed toward home.”
“I’m so glad that we escaped and could come home.”
I just listen to the two young men explain more about the scene we had left behind.
“I think we should get out of here. If these guys caught up with us, then others that have been infected might not be far behind.”
“This is going to spread quickly over the next few days. I’m afraid that these incidents are going to happen more frequently.” Cole wipes his face with his napkin as he carries the food tray to the trash.
The look I give him must be one of surprise because he laughs at me. “Emma, even if the world ends, we still have to be polite and throw our trash away.”
“Nana would tan our hides if we didn’t put our stuff up. Not something I want to face, zombies or not.” Dawson grins and fist bumps Cole.
“Totally.” Cole agrees as he holds the door open for both of us ladies to pass through.
I thought that Brad’s manners were a breath of fresh air. Now, I realize good manners had been passed down to them. It’s comforting to realize that Pierce is in good hands.
“Pierce. Crap,” I say sharply.
“What?” Haley asks as she walks around to her side of the truck.
“I haven’t thought about him for the past two hours. I’m a horrible mom.” I’m on the verge of panicking when she speaks reassuringly.
“Honey, it’s your first time away from him. You actually remembered what it’s like to be an adult. Plus, outrunning zombies can kind of take your mind off of things you know are taken care of for the moment.” Haley’s wisdom surprises me.
As I take a few deep breaths, I realize that she’s right. The reason I’d thought about Pierce was to notice that he was in good company.
Just thinking about my baby has caused my boobs to noticeably respond.
“Ah, you might want to take care of that before the boys see it.” Haley motions to the wet spots on my shirt.
“Great.” I reach into the seat behind me and pull out my backpack with a few extras in it.
“Here, use this.”
I look up to see Haley holding an ace bandage in her hand and the first aid kit in the other.
“If you wrap this around your boobs over your bra, it will help until, well, your problem is taken care of. You don’t plan to keep nursing him, do you?” The look she gives makes it seem like an obvious answer.
“Honestly, I have no idea.” I reach to take them from her as I change my shirt and start wrapping my boobs in bandages.
“Does he use formula now?” Haley asks, pulling out behind Cole who’s taking the lead for this stretch.
“Yes. I haven’t been preforming up to his needs so I might have to give up being the perfect mom.”
“Hey, now. No mom is perfect, and just because he’s a formula baby doesn’t mean you’re a failure. You’re going to be a zombie killing, bad ass mom,” Haley adds, ending the subject as I think about what she’s said.
I may have really found a friend for the zombie apocalypse. Who knew?
There were two more stops on what’s supposed to be an eight-hour trip, which turns out to be closer to six hours with the way they’re speeding through towns regardless of speed limits.
We were able to bypass two larger cities and any problems on the freeways.
As we get close to the neighborhood where my parents live, Haley takes the lead again so that I can give the directions.
The streets in the housing areas are completely empty since it’s still the middle of the work day.
My parents, Gwen and Neil, are both still working, but plan to retire in the next few years so that they can enjoy their grandbaby more. I’m an only child, so I’m the only hope for a house full of grandchildren.
Haley parks in front of the neighbor’s house so that the truck and trailer will fit.
I suddenly can’t move. I’m terrified. What if my parents are already dead? Or worse, what if I have to put them down?
“Do you want us to go inside with you?” Haley touches my arm gently to bring me back to reality.
“Uh, no. If they’re not home, then you guys might as well come in, but it won’t take long to find out.” I brace myself as I get out of the truck and approach the house, only to have the front door fling open.
“Mom!” I cry as I run to the figure in the doorway.
As we embrace, I can’t help the tears that are running down my face. I’ll blame it on the hormones later if anyone mentions it, but for now, I’m soaking up the fact that she and my dad are alive as he joins the family hug.
“M-hmm.” Someone clears their throat behind us.
“Oh, excuse me. Cole, Dawson, Haley, these are my parents, Gwen and Neil Bates.” I can’t help the relieved feelings flowing through me.
Everyone exchanges handshakes, then my mom ushers us into the house and closes the blinds in the living room.
Crinkling my forehead in a frown, I ask, “Mom, what are you doing?”
“Blocking out movement. We don’t want those things to see us and decide we’re their lunch,” Gwen responds, as if hiding from “things” is completely natural.
“Why are you and Dad home from work? It’s only Friday.” I look around the room and find the back sliding door covered in plywood, and furniture blocking it in, keeping it in place. The table is stacked with food, as is the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
“We haven’t been able to reach you in two days and the news has been horrible. Cell phone calls are going through sometimes, but it’s becoming more of an issue. I suggested we take today off and we planned to come find you if we didn’t hear from you soon,” my dad explains.
“Gwen’s been watching the news coming out of the most infected towns, but information is scarce. The government is telling people that this is just a terrorist attempt to scare us. There isn’t a threat, but we decided to stay home. I hadn’t convinced your mom that we should leave yet.” Dad gestures around the house. “As you can see, she’s preparing for the worst and nothing I say has been able to convince her.”
“Ma’am, you’re right to be worried. Th
is is a serious threat and is only going to get worse. That’s why we came to get you and move you to Jackson Mountain. We have lots of cabins, and it’ll be one of the safest places you can be.” Cole’s accent shows a little more of the mountain area than that of Dawson and Haley, who only visited occasionally.
“What makes your mountain safer than my home?” Mom grills Cole unapologetically.
Dawson, slightly closer to Gwen’s age then the other two, holds his hands out in front of him in a downward, calming motion. “Let’s discuss the pros and cons for just a minute. The mountain is about an hour from any smaller city with a Walmart. It’s over two hours to get to a metropolitan area. So the less people around means less of these zombie things that we have to deal with.”
His voice takes on a soothing, placating tone that seems to be calming my mom down.
“Most of the Jackson family has been in the military or worked on a police force. The entire family includes children who have been trained in gun safety and know how to hunt. Have you ever shot a gun?” Dawson asks gently.
“No, I’m not a criminal so I’ve never had the need to have a gun,” Mom sputters indignantly.
My dad just shakes his head at her innocent insults, as I sit here hoping that Dawson can talk some sense into her.
“Oh, I would never think that a sweet, God-fearing lady such as yourself would be a criminal. Where we live, there are lots of animals that call the mountain their home, so we have to know how to protect ourselves.”
I try to rub the instant wrinkles that are etching themselves into my forehead away as Dawson loses any chance of reasoning with my mother.
“No, you can’t kill animals. That’s horrible. How could you do that to those poor innocent things? It’s their home, and you’re the ones poaching on their territory.” The horrified look on Mom’s face speaks volumes.
“Exactly, ma’am. We like to live in harmony with nature and don’t want to force any animal out of their own homes. Only when necessary do we have to use force to protect our own, and that doesn’t happen very often. We grow our own food and have a real sense of community. Have you ever been to a quilting bee?” Dawson redirects Mom to think about something other than killing.
The whole room watches in fascination as he craftily leads her to the conclusion that he wants her to come to—she needs to leave with us.
“I haven’t,” Mom responds cautiously.
“The women on the mountain get together and make most of the quilts our family uses. They have a way to make their own butter and candles that we also use every day. I think you would love my mom, who everyone calls Nana, and my sister-in-law, Kathryn, and don’t even get me started on Granny Earlene. She’s a hoot at ninety years old.” Dawson could ask for anything at this point because my mom is eating out of his hand.
“Neil, what if we went and visited Dawson and his family while all of this stuff is going on here in the city? I think we would be safer there, don’t you?” She turns to my dad excitedly.
“Yes, I do believe this would be a wonderful idea, and you could see baby Pierce as well.” Dad pastes a smile on his face.
“Dawson, you should take the supplies that we’ve gathered because we don’t want to feel like a burden.” Mom motions to all the dry goods and cans stacked everywhere. I’m going to go pack a few things. Why don’t you help oversee things, Emma, while I get ready?” She turns toward me with excitement.
“Sure thing, Mom,” I yell at her retreating figure.
“Dad, what happened to her? I just saw her a few weeks ago.” I can’t hide my astonishment at the deterioration of her condition.
“The doctor says that by traveling and staying out of her comfort zone, even though it’s for her grandbaby, causes her to revert back to old habits of paranoia and anxiety,” he patiently explains.
“She’d been doing so great. I can’t believe it was just the trip because she was good during the time she was at our house.” I realize that the other three people listening have no idea what I’m referring to.
“My mom has always been on the borderline of sane, but before I was born, she lost a baby due to a car accident when they were on the way back from a wedding in Kansas. She lost it when they told her and mourned for weeks, just sitting in a chair and rocking back and forth. After six months, she recovered enough to go through the daily motions and when she got pregnant with me, it was a complete turnaround.” I’d always accepted her quirks, but didn’t realize until I was older that it was the lingering effects of her craziness.
“When I brought her home this time, she seemed to have moments where she reverted back to twenty-five years ago. I think it was the long drive and leaving her grandbaby behind. It’s brought on a case of paranoia and distrust. The doctor thinks she’ll adjust faster this time because she isn’t really mourning a lost child.”
“Could moving her again cause it to get worse?” Haley asks, doubtful about the outcome.
“I think just the opposite. If she sees Pierce and can see him frequently, then it will mean he’s alive, and it might bring her back quicker than we had thought possible since we live so far away from Emma.”
“All right, Dad. You’re the one who has to put up with her whichever place you live in so it’s up to you.” I can only hope it will bring my mom back to a semi-normal existence.
“The fact that you and the cavalry showed up to take us with you says that this isn’t just a little epidemic. It’s serious, and the only way to keep her alive with those infected people running around is to take her to safety.” Dad’s body droops as he runs out of steam from dealing with my mom.
“Dawson and Cole, why don’t the two of you go and get all the supplies that we were planning to take back with us, and Haley can help me load all their stuff. It looks like they have enough here to fill the truck and most of the trailer.” I take over being in charge because I’m anxious to get back to Pierce now.
“Dad, why don’t you and Mom pack up your personal stuff, then take a quick nap,” I suggest, hoping to erase the lines on his face.
He gets up and looks at the three of us ready to move into action. “That sounds like a good idea. I would love for everyone to spend the night, but I think we need to get back to your home as fast as possible.” He moves slowly, as if it’s been six years since I’d last seen him instead of six weeks.
“We can take turns driving, Mr. Bates. We have extra drivers and I do this for a living, so there shouldn’t be any problems.” Dawson speaks softly as my dad enters the hallway.
“Oh, Emma, sweetie. Your mom has been putting supplies out in the shed. I don’t know if you’ll need or want any of them, but you might want to take a look. Come get us when you’re ready to leave.” He wearily makes his way to their bedroom.
“So I guess the first thing is to find out what kind of stuff she has in the shed, and I’m going to bet there’s even some stuff in the garage. We have to go through there to the back yard since she has the back doors blocked anyway.” I walk toward the door, but stop in the doorway as the light floods the garage.
Boxes line the room, all neatly labeled with things like first aid supplies, seeds, lighters, matches, and of all things, a box of diapers. Haley crowds in behind me as I move into the room in almost a trancelike state.
“I think she might have been planning for a safe sex orgy when the world ends.” Dawson laughs as he points to the packing box labeled ‘condoms.’
“Right. She’s never had sex with anyone but my dad. I don’t think the end of the world will change that for her. But seriously, what’s was my mom thinking?” I didn’t realize I had spoken out loud and I’m startled when Cole answers.
“I think someone whispered in her ear that something bad was about to happen.” Cole walks over to the garage door and tests it to see if it will roll up.
“Any chance one of you boys can back the trailer up into the driveway for us?” Haley holds out the keys to her rig.
“I’ll grab Dad’s k
eys and move his car out of the way.” I go back into the house for the key dish on the front table. It’s good to see that some things haven’t changed with Mom’s sickness.
Returning, I can’t help but voice my thoughts. “What will the neighbors think of us moving all this stuff out?”
“I think the real question is where were they when she moved it all in?” Cole laughs as he takes the keys from my hand and starts toward the car blocking the driveway.
Dawson gives him a high-five as Haley and I stare after them.
“How is Cole related again?” I ask.
“I think he’s the bastard child of Mason’s sister, Ginny. She never married, and that was a no-no. So she left the mountain, but when Cole got too much to handle as a pre-teen, she sent him to Mason and Pop to straighten him out.” Haley explains. “He’s never had the problem with me that some of the others have had. Probably because he and Dawson are close to the same age and were more like brothers than cousins. When he left for the military, away from the Jackson clan, he seemed to come home with a broader view than those that have always lived on the mountain.” Haley assesses the boxes as she speaks.
“Here’s what we need, a dolly to move this stuff with.” Haley gives a wink. “Not that I mind the guys having to take their shirts off and use their muscles, but this way, even you and I can work. Plus, I don’t take my shirt off no matter how hot it gets.”
“That’s no fair, Haley. You’re just trying to tease us. Now, we boys will just wait right here while you two do the work.” Cole leans by the opening of the trailer.
“Uh-uh, man. I’m not getting caught in that trap. Move your butt and let’s get this loaded. I don’t really want to be out driving after dark since we saw some of the roads are going to be completely blocked on our way back.” Dawson slaps the back of Cole’s head as he passes by and starts moving things to the trailer.
“Sure, whatever. Take all the fun out of the zombie apocalypse.” Cole places a board on the ground to allow the dolly to roll onto the truck.
Against Zombies Box Set, Vol. 1 | Books 1-4 Page 8