“I want blood!” Allen yelled pointing at the fleeing SUV.
“Let’s go home, Allen,” Bruce countered. “David is right.”
Allen spat, “Fine!”
Cliff glanced in the rearview mirror to see the truck stop in front of the parking lot of the pharmacy. Cliff gripped the steering wheel and focused on the threat of being chased. He pictured the men leaning out the window and shooting at them. He feared they would follow him if he drove straight to the farmhouse, so he calculated alternate routes in his head, then glanced back into the rearview mirror to see the truck execute a U-turn.
The threat of being chased gone, he let out a long sigh of relief and sunk in his seat.
“Watch out!” Jake yelled.
Cliff looked back at the road in front of him. His eyes widened when a crowd of zombies amassed on the street. He slammed on the brakes.
“There must be twenty to thirty of those things!” Chris cried out.
Cliff exchanged looks with Jake.
Jake threw up a hand.
“There’s not much of a choice here. We go through them or go back to the guys who tried to kill us,” Cliff explained.
“There’s no telling what they’ll find going that way.” Jake pointed. “They might even encounter a larger crowd.”
“Go for it, Cliff,” Doug voiced from the rear seat.
“Bad idea,” Chris cried.
“Zip it!” Doug countered locking eyes with him.
“Here’s nothing,” Cliff said stomping on the gas pedal. He glanced to his right to see Jake bracing himself for the impact. He plowed over the first two then the solid thuds against the Defender’s side panels echoed inside the cab as they reached the middle of the mob. The SUV jumped some as it drove over a cluster of four zombies. Cliff could hear the squishing sound as tires tore through bones and guts.
A creature latched onto the driver side mirror and began to suck on the window. Its lifeless eyes stared at Cliff before it fell. The bumps and slaps across the Defender’s windows faded as it emerged through the mob. The windows were grimy and coated with black ooze, obscuring the windows.
“There’s one on the back window!” Chris sputtered.
Cliff looked into the rearview mirror to see an undead creature hanging on the rear doors. Its grimy hands acted like claws as it held onto the rear tire rack.
“How in the world?” Jake wondered, looking at the infected creature.
“Nothing we can do until we get out of town. It’s too dangerous to stop now,” Cliff said. As soon as Cliff finished his last syllable, the rear window shattered. Screams from the undead creature filled the vehicle. He pictured the creature jumping to his neck to devour him.
“It’s…It’s…It’s inside the truck! It’s inside the truck!” Chris stammered in fright.
“Ya’ think?” Doug asked swinging the tire iron at the hissing creature.
Cliff looked ahead; they were nearing the intersection where he planned to turn. He looked in the side mirror. They were a good distance from the mob they plowed through.
Cliff brought the Defender to a halt and jumped from the driver’s seat. He grabbed the Colt pistol from his waistband as he rushed to the rear of the vehicle. The infected creature was halfway in the Defender when he reached for its torn jeans and yanked the creature out. The infected landed on the road, looked up at Cliff, and hissed. Its white eyes stared at him. Its teeth were marred with black ooze. The creature’s t-shirt was torn, exposing a large wound. Ribs on its left side were exposed. Cliff’s mouth pursed in disgust. It was struggling to find its balance to stand. Methodically, Cliff raised the Colt with his right hand, cocked the hammer, and pulled the trigger. The creature collapsed, its mutilated bloody body laid motionless. Cliff looked around at his surroundings before he returned to the driver’s seat. He hesitated for a second, then stepped from the vehicle and pulled an oil-stained rag from the cargo slot in the door. He wiped the black ooze from the windshield.
Cliff returned to the driver’s seat and paused when he saw Jake was staring at him.
“Hate to say it, but it’s going to get worse,” Jake stated.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Is everyone okay?” Jennifer asked when the Cliff stepped from the Land Rover.
“Yeah,” Cliff answered. “We just had some uninvited guests.”
“Guests?” she asked, her voice elevated.
Jake and Cliff exchanged looks.
Doug walked past Jennifer carrying a duffel bag and patted her shoulder with a smile. “We’re fine.”
“We’re alive because of your man,” Jake said, pointing to Cliff.
“We’ll explain later,” Cliff answered. “Help get this medicine in the house. We need to go through it and find the asthma meds Owen needs.”
Jennifer sat at the kitchen table, looking at the hundreds of prescription bottles laid out in front of her. She was happy to see the medicine. She sat patiently, waiting for Cliff and Jake to read off the medicine and quantities as Chris wrote the names on a yellow pad. She giggled when Cliff fought to pronounce certain names on the labels, only to be corrected by Jake.
She watched Cliff as he studied each pill bottle, reading its label. She looked at him and all the good memories began to play in her mind. She had loved him once, but doubted she would again. She began to reminisce about their first year together.
Cliff caught her looking at her and smiled. She returned the smile and looked away. She didn’t realize she was twirling her hair until she heard a vehicle pulling into the driveway.
David pushed Jimmy away with his good arm as he was exiting the truck. “Out of my way!” David growled. “I would be hurt if it wasn’t for these incompetent fools!”
“Sorry, man,” Jimmy whimpered.
“You think I put myself through this just for fun? I’m trying to protect everyone! I’m in pain! Montgomery is in pain! And you guys let those bastards get away with the medicine we need!” he yelled.
Joanne, David’s wife, helped him to a cot in the middle of the hanger. She busied herself and kept the children busy since the men left by organizing tables and chairs for the family to congregate and eat. She was shocked to see her husband with burns. His arm was lined with third-degree burns and blisters.
“Leave him,” she instructed. “Bridgette, go find a first aid kit. Search the airplanes if you have to.”
“Patricia, help Montgomery,” David instructed in a coarse voice. He turned his attention to Joanne. “She’s a good woman, and you are too, honey. I’m sorry if I ever snapped or said mean things to you,”
Joanne gave him a smirk as she cut away the rest of his shirt. “You’re high on pain pills. Lean back and let me look at your wounds.”
David watched Joanne run her hands over his chest and arm as she removed his shirt. “You’re pretty,” David grinned.
“Oh, stop it,” Joanne returned pulling on his shirt.
“That hurt,” David yelped.
“Oh, you stop crying, you big baby,” Joanne smiled as she cut his shirt from the wound around his neck.
Bridget returned with a briefcase-sized first aid kit. She laid it on the concrete floor and scanned through the compartment trays until she found the burn ointment.
“I gave him two OxyContin earlier,” Allen blurted from across the table.
“What milligram?” Bridgette asked.
David shrugged his shoulders.
“Geez, really? I spent two years trying to get a nursing degree, it’s important to know, and you can’t tell me how many milligrams were in those pills?”
“It’s not like I had time to read the milligrams as the building was on fire!” Allen shot back.
Bridgette rolled her eyes. “How long ago?”
Allen glanced at his watch. “Forty-five minutes.”
“Where are the pills now?”
Allen rolled his eyes and dug into his right front pocket. “Here ya go,” he stated as he tossed the bottle.
Br
idgette returned to Joanne. “He’s good for another three hours, and then he’ll be back in pain. We need to make sure he rests, and that we cover the worst part of his wounds. He’ll be sore and won’t use his arm for a while.”
“No!” David blurted. “I won’t let this stop me from protecting everyone.”
“David, you need to rest before you do anything else,” Joanne pleaded, leaning down to him.
“Wake me in four hours,” David said then turned his head and closed his eyes.
Bridget nodded for Joanne to follow her.
Joanne followed her to the staircase on the far end of the hanger.
“Biggest threat is infection with that type of burn. We need to keep it—,” Bridgette began before Dane came walking up.
“We need to keep his wounds clean. Same for Montgomery; I’ll look at his wounds shortly. But, with burns, the biggest threat is infection. We have ointment and gauze, but we’ll run out before they’re fully healed,” she explained then turned to Dane. “What do you suggest? We need more medical supplies. We’ll need more sterile gauze, and if their wounds become infected and they go into a fever, then we will have two things to worry about.”
Dane touched his finger to his chin and looked at the floor. He looked over at David, then back to Bridgette. “We can always try Pordum.”
“That’s by the interstate! There’s surely a lot of creatures there. That’s too much to ask. Isn’t there anywhere closer?”
“I don’t see another choice,” Dane replied.
“How many people will you need?”
“Me, Bruce, and Harry, I guess,” he answered.
“I’ll go, too,” Patricia blurted as she approached. “If we go to Purdum, I want to go. Plus, it’s not a dry county; I’d love to grab some liquor,” she smiled.
“Okay, that’s five of us. I think we can do it,” Dane explained.
“Plan to go tomorrow. When David wakes up, we’ll need to tell him. Let’s hope he’s okay with it,” Joanne added.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The hair on Cliff’s neck stood on end at the sound of tires on the driveway. He rose from the kitchen table and walked to the window. A van was parked next to the Defender. Cliff pulled the Colt from his waistband and surveyed the van.
“Who is it?” Jennifer asked.
“I don’t know.”
Jake reached for the AR15 rifle resting against the wall and joined Cliff at the window. He glanced over Cliff’s shoulder.
A man with long brown hair exited the van. Cliff slid the pistol back in his pocket. “It’s Galvin,” he announced.
“What does he want?” She asked sternly, her arms folded.
Cliff shrugged his shoulders as he opened the front door. He greeted Galvin with a warm smile and introduced him to Jake. Cliff looked back at the house to see Jennifer staring at him from the doorway.
“What’s the visit about, Galvin? Everything ok?” Cliff asked.
“Yeah. Given how things are,” Galvin forced a smile. “Mom ran out of pain pills and been in pain for the last three days.”
“What kind of pills?” Jake asked.
“Tramadol. Fifty milligrams. Why?”
Cliff nodded at Jake. Jake excused himself and walked back inside the home.
“So, what’s up?” Cliff asked.
“I heard some gunfire and saw smoke coming from town yesterday. I was worried if it was you. You guys are the only ones I know who are still alive around here. I thought the McConnolly’s might be surviving just fine since they were preppers, but when I walked by their place the other day, Mrs. McConnolly ran at me. She was infected. I had no choice but to use a baseball bat on her,” Galvin explained.
Cliff grimaced. “Sorry, man. I know it was hard. She and Mister McConnolly were sweet people.”
“What was going on in town? Was it you guys?” Galvin said changing the topic.
Cliff stared off in the distance, trying to formulate the words.
“If it was you and you don’t wish to talk about it, I understand.” Galvin offered seeing Cliff struggle with the question.
Jake returned smiling and handed Galvin a pill bottle.
“What’s this?”
“Give to your mum. I hope it helps,” Jake smiled.
Galvin read the label and smiled. “Oh, man! You guys have no idea how happy she will be. These will give her relief. That fibromyalgia she has, it’s been nothing but a thief. It stole her livelihood,” Galvin said as a tear formed in the corner of his eye.
“Galvin,” Cliff began. “We took in two men, a woman, and their children two days ago. Their car broke down on the other side of the hill; a group of infected ran ‘em our way. We took ‘em in, and then we learned their youngest has asthma. So, we decided to run to the pharmacy. While we were there, five guys ambushed us.”
Galvin’s eyebrows narrowed. “What? … Who?”
Cliff shook his head. “We have no idea. We didn’t see them come in. They just started shooting at us as we were trying to grab meds. We hit the floor. Two of them ran around to the front and sandwiched us.”
“That’s when Cliff pulled a miracle out of his arse,” Jake bragged, tapping his hand against Cliff’s chest.
Cliff rolled his eyes.
“So I was right? That gunfire was you! Everyone okay?”
“Yeah, we’re okay,” Jake answered.
“And you have no idea who it was?” Galvin asked.
“No, I don’t. I thought I recognized one of them, but couldn’t be sure. I don’t know if they’re local or not,” Cliff answered. “We’re not going to hang around and find out.”
“What do you mean?”
“The folks we took in yesterday were on their way to some Buy-Mart distribution center. They say it’s secure and has anything you could ever need. If Buy-Mart gets all their items from these distribution buildings, then I can only imagine what’s in there. It makes sense to discuss it with everyone. So, we might be heading there soon.”
“When do you plan on leaving?” Galvin asked.
“Well, we haven’t decided yet, but soon. We have much to do before we pull up tents and move. It won’t be an easy Sunday drive,” Cliff explained. “We’ll have to take the backroads. We hear the interstate is a parking lot, and no telling how many infected are prowling the roads.”
“Not to mention the marauders who will kill on sight,” Jake added.
“Plus, we have to haul all of our supplies, guns, food, and ammo. We really have yet to begin,” Cliff returned.
“Mind if I tag along?” Galvin smiled.
“No way!” Jennifer shouted when Cliff mentioned Galvin going with them to the distribution center. She stood and leaned across the table, staring at him. The mere thought of Galvin repulsed her. She couldn’t believe Cliff would even consider the idea.
Jennifer’s outburst surprised everyone at the table. They were almost finished with dinner when Cliff started the conversation about driving to the distribution center. He explained to everyone that he thought it was a good idea. It provided them with a goal—the idea of holing up in a large warehouse with almost everything they could imagine. It was enticing. Cliff admitted that it was a risky move, but the building was surrounded by a fence, giving everyone an extra sense of safety. Everyone voted to go, except Jennifer. She withheld her vote, but voiced her intentions not to fight the decision if the majority elected to go.
“Honey, he has a va—,” Cliff caught himself. He turned his head trying not to laugh.
“He has a van! He’s a pedophile! Of course, he has a van!” she snapped. “You want to hole up in a building, for who knows how long, with a convicted sex offender around your own kids!”
Cliff held his hands up. He shook his head. “It’s not like that. I had a talk with him about his conviction. I really believe he was a victim of a bad scenario. He didn’t download anything; it was a computer he bought second hand at the pawn shop,”
“Wait! Who’s Galvin?” Cassandra chimed
in.
Jennifer sighed. “He’s a creep. He was convicted of having child porn on his computer and spent time in prison!”
“Oh, I side with Jennifer. I don’t want him around my kids,” Cassandra said.
Cliff relaxed in his chair. “Ok, I’ll tell him, but the man saved us,” Cliff looked at Jennifer. “He put his life in danger to save Jonathan and Cassidy. I’m not saying I feel totally safe with him alone with the kids; I’m saying he’s another arm to help protect everyone.”
“It doesn’t look good, Cliff,” Jake jumped in. “He was convicted, as you said, and what he told you might be true, but the risk is too much.”
Cliff ran his fingers around his glass, thinking about how he would tell Galvin he was voted down. There was something about him that he liked, but the other part of Galvin made his stomach turn. He wouldn’t feel safe leaving Galvin in a room with his children—he realized that. He also understood the need to have an extra hand available for security. Galvin’s van would be a benefit, with its extra storage space.
He calculated the number of seats needed for everyone, and the cargo space needed for their supplies. It would be difficult, but possible. If they loaded essentials first, then found small pockets of space for non-essential items, they could do it. If clothing and personal items were packed last, they might be able to leave room in the vehicles for comfort. Given, this distribution center—as described by Chris—would have all they needed. So, why take items they’ll have at the center?
“Okay,” Cliff announced to the table. “We start taking inventory tomorrow of what we’ll need to take with us. We leave in three days. Everyone good with that?” Everyone at the table—except Jennifer—agreed.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Joanne brought David his second cup of hot tea. He was sitting, smiling, and talking with the family. He had managed to walk around the hanger some and sit for breakfast. He was on his second pain pill of the day.
“Pardum, eh?” David asked.
Patricia and Dane nodded.
“Well, if that’s our only choice, then we go,” Harry said standing behind Dane.
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