by Tim Moon
“Ty!” Ben shouted, repeating his name as he looked around frantically for his friend.
Several infected had reached the car that Ty bumped. They stood by it, clawing mindlessly at the windows. Ben wondered how long they’d stay distracted when it was obvious there was no one there to kill.
“Ben! Anuhea!” Ty shouted.
Ben turned and glared at his friend.
“Watch out,” Ben said, pointing behind Ty.
Ty whirled around. One of the infected was nearly on him. He screamed as the zombie cornered him against a car. He yelped as he cut his leg on something. Ty tried to push her away, but they were locked in a morbid dance that only one would survive.
“Help me,” Ty shouted, holding the woman at arm’s reach, trying not to be torn apart. Pushing and pulling, the two fought between a pair of cars. Ty fell and the woman went down with him.
Anuhea reached Ty just a second before Ben. She swung the rifle, hitting the woman in the back of the head. Blood ran out of the wound and dripped down onto Ty’s face. He clenched his eyes closed and turned his head away. Ben slung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbed the woman’s ankles, and pulled.
Anuhea continued to thrash the woman. Ty let go and threw his hands up in defense, as if Anuhea was trying to hit him. Ben pulled the woman, but one of her shoes slipped off. He lost his grip and fell on his ass. The M4 slipped off his shoulder and clattered on the ground. A shock raced up his spine as Ben hit his coccyx on the pavement. He cursed and sucked in a deep breath. Ben fought the pain and stood up, rubbing his butt to subdue the agony.
Before he could get back into the fight, Anuhea had killed the woman. Ben picked up his rifle, wincing at the tenderness of his injury.
“Let’s go,” Anuhea said. She made Ty stand up alone, but reached out to pull him along behind her. He twisted out of her grip.
“Back to the road, we have a ride,” Ben said.
Ben jogged a little slower with a visible limp as the stinging sensation slowly dissipated from his ass. He smiled though. Finally, they were reunited and all headed in the same direction.
33
The lingering pain from hitting his coccyx was gone by the time Ben reached the Humvee. Charlotte and Oliver were waiting for them in the passenger seat with big smiles on their faces. Anuhea and Ty sat in the back.
“I’m glad you all made it back,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks,” Anuhea said, reaching up to pat her on the shoulder.
Ben threw the Humvee into drive and spun the wheel hard. The Humvee had a large turn radius.
“Hold on,” Ben said as the vehicle tilted to the side. The tires went off the road and started down into the ditch. It quickly righted itself as Ben straightened out the vehicle and sped off. Leaving the airport behind, he drove North on the highway toward the Quarantine Center.
Anuhea leaned forward.
“Great ride,” she said. “You win the award for Most Valuable Player.”
“Thanks.” Ben adjusted his load-bearing vest to get comfortable.
Abandoned cars littered the highway. Some had crashed, others looked inexplicably burned out, and still others were shot up. It reminded Ben of pictures from the first Gulf War when America destroyed hundreds of vehicles as Iraqis fled Kuwait with loot. Weaving between the wreckage made it slow going, but at least they didn’t have to dodge the infected. He spotted bodies in a few of the cars.
They passed through the wreckage without incident and continued down the highway toward the Quarantine Center. Looking in the side view mirror Ben watched the smoking airport recede from view. He crossed his fingers that they would be leaving the infected behind, but a small part of his mind told him that he couldn’t leave his problems behind. He couldn’t run away and avoid them like he had when he’d gone to Korea.
The QC wasn’t far from the airport. As they approached, they saw one of the deuce and a half trucks in the ditch along the highway. Bodies around the rear end suggested a gruesome end for whoever was inside it. He had no idea why it was there or who could have been inside. All the trucks from their convoy had made it to the airport. Not that it ended any better for those folks.
As they passed the crashed truck, Ben looked in the direction of the camp and could immediately tell that something was seriously wrong. Smoke rose high into the air from the location of the Quarantine Center and although he couldn’t see clearly because of the twisting road and berms between the turns, it was clear that smoke was not a good sign.
The mood in the Humvee drooped, Ben could almost feel it. Ty groaned. The rest of them remained silent as they turned onto the gravel road that would take them to the front gates. It was as if no one wanted to give voice to what they all feared.
Ben squeezed the steering wheel like a stress ball, flexing his fingers. He wasn’t sure what they’d do if the QC was overrun. In his gut, Ben knew that’s what the smoke meant. Either bodies or tents, or both, were giving off the dark clouds that slowly retreated toward the mountains on the ocean breeze.
He fought the growing dread inside him. The QC had to be there. They had nowhere else to go. Few options existed. How could they possibly get to Molokai now? Not to mention the mainland. In his mind, Ben willed the fences to be standing tall, the guards alert, and everyone alive, but Lady Luck was AWOL.
Coming around the last bend in the road, they saw the camp.
Ben’s stomach dropped as he saw what remained. He stomped on the brake and they skidded to a halt.
Ty groaned again. Charlotte gasped and Oliver softly muttered, “Uh oh.” Anuhea was the only one that didn’t utter a sound.
Part of the fence remained standing, but several sections sagged to the ground. One part looked torn apart, possibly by an explosion of some sort. A section of fence near the gate was canted sideways at an angle. Several bodies were clinging to the fence like flies caught in a spider’s web. Bodies of dead infected were piled like sandbags along the perimeter of the fence. The battle for the Quarantine Center must have been epic.
Oliver climbed up, pressing his face against the window so he could see, but he quickly recoiled.
“They look like bad people,” he said.
Inside the camp, most of the tents that housed the medical center, chow hall, latrines, and sleeping areas had burned down. Only a few tents remained untouched by the inferno that had ravaged the QC. Even one of the Humvees looked charred. Dozens of infected milled about behind the fence, trapped in one of the few places on the island that should have been a refuge. Among the infected, Ben watched as several child zombies were bounced around like pinballs by the larger bodies of the adults. His stomach clenched at the sight. They shouldn’t have suffered such a fate.
Ben put the vehicle in reverse and crawled backwards around the corner, far enough to hide the vehicle. He stopped and turned off the engine before the noise drew the entire crowd’s attention. He didn’t want to have to drive backwards down the hill in a rush. Nevertheless, the ever present fear inside Ben told him to flee. There was nothing for them here. He tried to ignore the voice.
“We’re so screwed,” Ty said. “If this place isn’t safe nowhere is safe.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Ben said. He tried to sound more confident than he felt. Because he really wasn’t sure what they’d do now. Getting to the QC had been the point of everything they’d done since running out of the plane wreck. Now they had nothing. Their refuge was gone.
Ty scoffed and looked out of his window.
Even through the armored Humvee, they could hear the faint sounds of the remaining horde. The chain link clanked when infected pressed up against it as they wandered aimlessly.
The Humvee suddenly felt very stuffy and the putrid stench made him want to vomit, so Ben opened the door and got out. Anuhea also climbed out. Ben put his hands on his head and took deep breaths.
Anuhea walked forward so she could look at the camp. Then she jabbed a finger in the air toward the right side of the camp.
Ben looked at her skeptically. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see anymore.
She nodded at him and waved him over. “Come look at this.”
He let out a sigh, but joined her near the end of the berm. Following the direction she pointed, Ben didn’t immediately notice anything. His brow furrowed and he gave up with a shrug. “I don’t see shit.”
“Look at the tent there, the one still standing. Look down at the bottom,” Anuhea said.
One tent, partially knocked over, but still standing caught his eye. Ben nearly dismissed it, but a hand waved from underneath the edge of the tent wall, which was propped up.
“Is that a person?” Ben asked, squinting in disbelief.
“It sure looks like it to me,” Anuhea said. “A survivor.”
“Oh no, c’mon guys,” Ty said in his whiny voice. He was standing behind them. “We can’t help them.”
Ben glanced back and realized that only Oliver remained in the Humvee.
“So we should leave him to die?” Ben said, shooting an angry look at Ty.
“We only just escaped the airport and we weren’t trapped behind a fence. What can we do?” he asked, throwing his hands up. When Anuhea raised her rifle up, Ty rolled his eyes. “All of them will attack us, remember? That’s what you guys said before. We can’t run around with guns blazing.” Ty gestured at the infected occupying the QC. “This place was loaded with soldiers and now they’re obviously all dead. What the hell makes you think you can do better?”
“We’ll figure something out,” Ben said again, hoping he was right. It was true that it would be a big risk to help the person. Could they turn away though? He’d have a hard time knowing that they willingly left someone out here to die. Was it coming to that? Ben shook his head at himself. “How about this…”
His voice trailed off as he took a moment to finish formulating a plan.
“Yes?” Ty said sarcastically.
Ben clenched his fists to keep from punching him.
“We will distract the infected,” Ben finally said, looking pointedly at Ty. “Like how the car alarm attracted all the infected to it. One of us can draw them away from this side of the camp. The fence on the other side looks sturdy and I don’t think there are enough infected left to topple the fence.”
“That’s a good idea,” Anuhea said. “We throw up a big racket and then we grab the person under the tent and help them out. Assuming they’re not some kind of freakin’ weirdo.”
“Yeah, that’s basically what I was thinking,” Ben said, nodding. “Although, if infected are distracted then we can take a few minutes to also grab supplies. Look near the gate.” Ben pointed. The bodies of several soldiers lay on the ground. Their weapons were nearby and they probably had ammo in their vests, like the soldiers he’d looted at the airport. “The gate is only twenty yards or so from that part where the fence is knocked down. We can stock up on ammunition, food, and water before the infected lose interest in the distraction.”
“That person’s hiding in one of the medical tents, right?” Charlotte asked.
“I think so,” Ben said with a nod.
“Then we can check for medical supplies too,” she said.
“This really is a terrible idea,” Ty said, sitting up with a grimace. “You guys are going to risk getting bitten to help someone we don’t even know?”
“And water-” Ben started to say.
“Yeah basically,” Anuhea said, cutting him off. “Don’t worry Ty. You just hide here. We’ll do all the work.” Disgust was thick on her voice.
“Obviously, I’m injured because of the shitty plan back at the airport,” Ty said, ignoring Anuhea’s comment.
“Oh now you’re hurt, huh? No, you got hurt because your dumb ass bumped into a car and set off an alarm,” Anuhea growled. “I’m surprised you didn’t run off like you did at the airplane.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over them.
Ben didn’t want to waste any more time. At any point, the horde might notice them or the person in the tent might panic, try to run and ruin their plan. He turned and started back toward the Humvee.
“Come on, Ty.” Ben waved for him to follow. He opened the back door for Ty, stepped aside and waved him in.
Ty gave him an odd look as he limped over. Ben saw the cut on his leg and it actually did look legit, but he was still annoyed with him.
“Oliver, can you help me with something?” Ben said, facing the boy.
He nodded enthusiastically. “What?”
“Can you guard Ty? He hurt his leg and needs to stay here,” Ben said, gesturing at Ty. “Just watch out for any bad people coming up the road. If anyone bothers you guys in here, just honk the horn and we’ll come back.”
Oliver nodded solemnly. “I’ll protect you,” he said, looking at Ty and patting him on the shoulder.
Ty’s eyebrow arched, but he didn’t say anything.
“Just stay quiet and watch our back,” Ben said, directing this comment to Ty.
“Let’s go get this over with,” Anuhea said.
Ben looked from Oliver to Ty, nodded and quietly closed the door. He didn’t worry about Oliver at all. That kid had a good head on his shoulders. He worried about his friend.
Charlotte and Anuhea crouched down by the side of the Humvee. Ben walked over and crouched down next to them.
“I’ll distract the infected while you two go inside. I don’t know what supplies you need,” Ben said, looking at Charlotte. Her eyes seemed oddly beautiful at that moment, watching him as he spoke. Ben fought to contain the distraction. Right now, focus was key. “Move quietly and carefully, and let me know when you’re done so I can run back to the Humvee.”
Anuhea shook her head.
“No. You two go in. I’ll distract the infected,” she said. “I’m faster and louder than you.”
“How do you know that?” Ben was confused.
“Just trust me, I’ll keep them away from you guys,” Anuhea said with determination.
“Are you sure?” Charlotte asked.
Anuhea nodded.
Ben admired her strength. He was surprised by how much she’d stepped up and was grateful to have her on their side.
“Fine. We know our jobs then…let’s go.” Ben looked back toward the camp, eying the infected wearily.
Charlotte shared a long look with her friend, a silent goodbye.
Anuhea turned away and started jogging to the left side of the camp. She would be alone, but she had one of the rifles Ben scavenged. If something went wrong, she should be able to defend herself.
They gave Anuhea a few long seconds to get the attention of the infected, before they emerged from behind the big rock berm.
Adrenaline poured into Ben’s veins as they emerged from cover and began to move toward the QC. They were still a hundred yards or so from the fence line. It felt like a huge distance and there was no cover.
Suddenly, they heard yelling and banging on the fence as Anuhea began to attract the attention of the infected away from them. As soon as the noise started, the infected turned to face Anuhea and moved almost as one toward her voice.
“That girl’s tough as nails,” Ben said quietly. Even with the fence in between Anuhea and the infected, it took a lot of guts to be the bait.
Charlotte smiled.
34
Ben and Charlotte were almost to the fence. The face was still watching them from under the tent flap, but it was hard to distinguish any features. A hand shot out and waved at them. Ben raised his hand in acknowledgment. The flap dropped and the face disappeared. He hoped they would just stay put and wait.
Once they reached the fence, Ben held the toppled part down with his foot. The panel was wobbly, he didn’t want Charlotte to fall, and it would help keep the noise down. As much as possible, they had to avoid drawing attention.
Near the front gate, Ben noticed the bodies of a few soldiers, and a Humvee was there too. This one had a ma
chine gun mounted on the roof. Just the kind of ride they needed. Not the communications variant they currently had. If possible, he was going to take that one. Other than Oliver and Ty, there was no gear to haul, making the switch very simple for them.
“First thing we do is get in the tent to see who this person is and what kind of situation we’re dealing with. Then I’m going over there to check for weapons and ammo,” Ben gestured near the gate.
“Okay, fine. I’m on the lookout for medical supplies,” Charlotte said, acknowledging him with a nod, but she was hyper-focused on scrambling over the fence.
Ben climbed up after she’d hopped off on the other side. It was slippery walking on the chain link, since he was unable to put his toes in the holes of the fence. The fence creaked loudly as he moved up to the gap. The whole panel canted to the side like a teeter-totter nearly toppling him over. The noise was excruciating, but all of the infected had wandered off, blindly following the racket that Anuhea was making. Ben hopped down off the fence and together they moved quietly over to the tent where they’d seen the person. They stood almost exactly where the person had waved to them, but the edge wasn’t propped up anymore.
Ben heard a noise and motioned for Charlotte to stay back. He glanced around the corner.
An infected soldier was passing by, looking for a way around the obstruction that was keeping it from closing in on the noise that Anuhea was making. A chorus of moans rose up as they sought her out sending chills creeping along Ben’s neck.
He ducked back and held a finger to his lips. Charlotte nodded and looked around, keeping an eye out.
Ben knelt down by the tent and slowly lifted up the edge. Charlotte knelt down beside him and peered in. Inside the tent was surprisingly dark. They could only make out several large shapes and none of them was the person they’d seen. She shrugged and glanced at Ben when she realized that she couldn’t make out who was inside.
“Psst! Where are you?” Ben said in a loud whisper.
A moment of silence.
“Get in here before one of them sees you,” a man’s voice said.