The Human Spring

by Hollingsworth, David

  Mateo counted down. The kids all rushed to the center to grab a dodgeball the instant he finished. Josue, Deon, and Sarah all rushed to the center as well, while the other adults stayed back to avoid getting hit. Ehsan stood about ten feet away from the center as the game was played. Close enough to tempt people to throw at him, but far enough to see the balls coming and dodge them.

  Ehsan had an immense amount of fun. He saw Josue, Ryan, and Fatima start to feel their alcohol the more they played. Fatima only seemed buzzed, but the effects were enough that she got far more into the game than she usually would. She threw the ball hard, and with great concentration, and she cheered every time she got another adult out. She even let out a small yelp of excitement each time she dodged a ball flying toward her. At one point she slipped and made eye contact with Ehsan, and they both started laughing.

  Everyone else had fun, too. Josue and Deon seemed to be targeting each other specifically with their throws, but they laughed whether their shots hit their target or not, and not once did they get upset if the other got them out. Manuel, who indeed was not as good at dodgeball as he was at soccer, seemed to be having the time of his life, occasionally glancing at his kids to make sure they were having fun, too. Even Marcus seemed to be enjoying himself. Ehsan noticed he let out the occasional grin when he dodged a ball or got someone out, though it didn’t stay on his face for long.

  Of all the players Ryan seemed to be the best, moving just far enough out of the path of each ball to avoid being hit while throwing with pinpoint accuracy. The kids, small and nimble, seemed to be having an easier time dodging than most of the adults, though they couldn’t throw with nearly the same force or accuracy. Gustavo and Estefanía in particular dodged the balls with lightning quickness. Sebastian threw the best out of the kids, even getting Ryan out at one point.

  The game ended when Cecilia, Julie, and Mateo finished the food a little under an hour later. They brought out foil trays of three different types of fish, black beans, pinto beans, Spanish rice, spaghetti with freshly made marinara sauce, roasted broccoli, and a fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, and oranges. They also had trays of fresh made salsa, fresh made guacamole, and tortillas. Ehsan couldn’t wait to dig in. After thanking Cecilia, Julie, and Mateo for cooking, Ehsan made a burrito with fish, refried beans, rice, and guacamole. He also loaded as much pasta as he could onto his plate. He grabbed a smaller plate to hold some fruit. Fatima, meanwhile, made two small burritos out of fish, black beans, guacamole, and salsa. She put fruit salad and broccoli onto her plate as well.

  Ehsan and Fatima sat with Mateo, Sarah, Marcus, Deon, Ana, and Estefanía. On one of the tables next to them sat Cecilia, Julie, Sebastian, and Andrew. Ryan, Josue, Manuel, and Manuel’s kids sat at the other table near them, though Gustavo occasionally left to talk to Sebastian and Andrew. None of the adults spoke as they ate their food. Ehsan couldn’t get enough of everything on his plate. The Costco had the occasional special dinner too, usually about once a month, though those who cooked didn’t have access to ingredients as fresh as these. He finished his plate in less than a minute and went through another fully loaded one. He reached the type of full that he used to jokingly call ‘American full’ with his friends, where he ate to the point of bursting.

  “So, what was your favorite thing you two learned today?” Fatima asked Ana and Estefanía as everyone at the table finished their food.

  “We learned how to think like scientists!” Ana responded.

  “Oh? How so?” Fatima inquired.

  “Miss Torres told us that to be a scientist we have to make guesses and test those guesses,” Ana explained as best she could.

  “We got to make explosions!” Estefanía added.

  “Explosions?” Ehsan repeated, his mouth still full of burrito. Estefanía nodded excitedly.

  “Yeah, we got to mix a bunch of things in an empty waterbottle,” Ana elaborated. “She told us she had a recipe to make explosions, and wanted us to test if they worked.”

  Mateo and Ehsan chuckled. “That’s my kind of science,” Mateo commented.

  “Yeah, that actually sounds like a fun thing for adults to try, too,” Sarah added.

  “Just as long as they’re not all boozed up when they’re doing it,” Mateo replied with a chuckle.

  Ehsan grinned. “It’d be pretty fun to watch boozed up adults try to explode a bunch of bottles… from a distance, of course.”

  As everyone finished up their food, Julie went to get candy. Cecilia usually only let the kids have one piece of candy a day, but today they would be allowed to have as much as they wanted. Ehsan decided he would get some, too. He grabbed a handful each of Twix and Kit Kats when Julie returned. Mateo, Sarah, Marcus, and Julie also decided to get some candy. Deon went to sit with Cecilia and Julie to talk with them about the dinner he wanted to make for everyone, and Marcus followed.

  Ehsan opened a Twix as he turned to Ana and Estefanía. “So, what’s the status on the treehouse, ladies?”

  “Miss Julie asked Miss Torres. She said it was okay!” Ana replied excitedly, already starting to get hyper from the M&Ms in her hand. “She said we can ask the grownups to build it on Saturday!”

  “Well I’d love to help,” Sarah offered. Ehsan, Fatima, and Mateo all agreed to help, too. Ana and Estefanía jumped with joy. They went to go tell the other kids the good news.

  “I wish I could be as excited about anything as they are about that treehouse,” Mateo commented as he watched them walk skip over to Gustavo and Natalia.

  “Either of you ever build anything like a treehouse?” Ehsan asked. “Me and Fatima haven’t.”

  Mateo shook his head, but Sarah nodded. “Yeah, I grew up in North Carolina,” she informed them after finishing the gummy worms in her mouth. “We lived near the woods. My brother and I used to build little forts there all the time.”

  “You’re from North Carolina?” Ehsan asked.

  “Sorta. I moved there right before my fourth birthday, and lived there till I was twelve.”

  “I had no idea, you have no trace of an accent,” Fatima said.

  “Yeah, North Carolina is kinda like the semi-South,” Sarah explained. “Same with Virginia and certain parts of Florida. You get a bit of an accent, but not like you do in the deep South. My accent left pretty quickly after I was gone for a few years.”

  “So they don’t all talk like Foghorn Leghorn over there?” Mateo asked with a grin.

  Sarah shook her head. She turned to Ryan at the other table. “Hey Ryan, Mateo’s making fun of us Southerners!”

  Ryan chuckled. “Y’all need to learn how to barbeque and make tea right before you go mouthing off about the South!”

  “So what did you use to make your forts over there?” Ehsan asked Sarah, still thinking about the treehouse they planned to build for the kids.

  “We used old pieces of plywood and loose tree bark we found lying around. We also used nails and tools from our dad’s toolbox. With us and our friends, we must’ve built over a dozen forts.”

  “Very cool,” Ehsan said as the girls came back to the table. He turned his attention to Ana and Estefanía. “Well, girls, looks like we’ve got an expert builder here, too.”

  “Yay!” Estefanía cried. Ana and Estefanía locked hands and jumped around with joy. “Mister Manuel, Mister Josue, and Mister Ryan said they can help build, too!”

  “Well, sounds like we have a plan then,” Mateo declared.

  “So what do you wanna do now, girls?” Sarah asked the girls. “You’ve got a little while left before you have to go to bed.”

  Ana and Estefanía exchanged glances. “Play tag!” Ana answered.

  “Sounds like fun,” Sarah replied. “Go get a game going with the other kids.”

  “Do you wanna play?” Estefanía asked Ehsan.

  “I need to rest, I think,” Ehsan answered. He saw Estefanía look to the ground in disappointment. “But that means I owe you a game of tag, redeemable any time after today!” />
  Estefanía perked up. “Okay!”

  All the kids went to play tag on the blacktop. Cecilia told the group she needed to go to her room to start lesson planning for the next day, as well as grade homework. Everyone bid her goodnight, then watched the kids play. About ten minutes in, Fatima turned to Mateo and Sarah. “So, what do you two think about everything that happened today?”

  Mateo grimaced while Sarah shook her head. “I’m still a little shaken from earlier,” Sarah admitted. “I’ve been putting on a brave face for the kids, but that was quite a sight. I can still see how that… thing ran. It was creepy.”

  “Yep, just hearing about it has me on edge. Especially after my bite the other day. I just…” He paused. “I dunno, I just really don’t like it. We’ve also never had to worry about anyone out there to get us before.” He looked to the kids playing tag on the blacktop. “Giving into fear isn’t an option, though. We’ll get through this. We have to.”

  The game of tag tired out the kids as the evening turned to night. Manuel took them to their rooms to get ready for bed, deciding he’d do the same. After they left, Josue and Ryan brought out a cooler with a colorful assortment of bottles for the group to drink. They started off with a shot of Don Julio tequila that everyone except for Ehsan, Marcus, Julie, and Mateo partook in, Mateo because of the antibiotics still in his system. Afterward Ehsan, Fatima, Mateo, Sarah, Deon, Marcus, Ryan, Josue, and Julie all crowded around one of the lunch tables. Fatima had a glass of merlot, Julie a glass of moscato, Ryan a bottle of Wild Turkey, Deon a bottle of E&J, and Mateo a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. Sarah and Josue each had a Corona in their hand. Sarah and Mateo sat next to each other and Mateo put his hand on Sarah’s lap. Ehsan saw his sister notice the gesture.

  “Man, this would be the perfect time for some music,” Josue remarked.

  “What music would you play, anyway?” Ehsan asked.

  “A bunch of shit. I’d probably start with Biggie and Jay Z, though,” he answered with a swig of his beer.

  “You like hip hop?” Deon asked after a sip of his E&J.

  “Hell yeah, listened to it all the time growing up. Biggie and Hov are my favorites, but I also like Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep, Ghostface Killah… a bunch of stuff, really.”

  “Not bad,” Deon acknowledged with a reluctant nod.

  Josue noticed his tone and looked like he wanted to respond with a smartass comment, but Ehsan spoke first. “What about you, Deon? What rappers do you like?”

  “Seeing as I’m from Oakland, I’m obligated to go with E40 and Keak Da Sneak,” he replied with a grin. “Dead Prez is probably my favorite, though. Their sound and their politics are on point. I also fuck with The Coup, and Kendrick Lamar.”

  “Wasn’t Dead Prez the ones whose song always played at the beginning of Chappelle Show?” Mateo asked.

  Deon nodded. “Yeah. Man, Chappelle also had some dope MCs featured on his show.” He took another sip of brandy. “What about you, Mateo? You ever listen to hip hop?”

  “All the time, actually. If I had to make a top five, it’d be Common, Kweli, Mos, Monch, and…” He paused, scrunching his face in thought. “Maybe Kendrick, or DOOM?”

  Ehsan perked up. “I love DOOM!” He grinned. “Just make sure you say his name with all caps.”

  Mateo, Deon, and Josue all got the reference and chuckled. “Anyone else you listen to, Ehsan?”

  “Lupe Fiasco and J Cole. Oh, and Tyler the Creator,” he answered. “Them and DOOM are probably my favorites.”

  “Lupe and DOOM are my favorites, too,” Marcus said. “And Del The Funky Homosapien.”

  “Not bad,” Mateo replied with a nod of approval. “What about everyone else?”

  “I was more of an indie rock type of gal,” Sarah admitted. “But I loved Atmosphere, Cage, Murs, El-P, a lot of those types of guys.”

  “I never listened to much rap, either,” Fatima said. “Though Jean Grae and Lauryn Hill are great. I love hearing women kick ass with a microphone.”

  “I gotta check them out, then,” Sarah replied. Fatima smiled.

  “They’re not that great,” Josue countered. Fatima, Sarah, and Deon shot him a dirty look. “Neither of them were on Lil Kim’s level in her prime.”

  Deon, surprise by Josue’s addition comment, paused before speaking. “That’s tough. They all got bars. I might have to agree on prime Kim being the best, but it’s hard to say. Personally, I think you can’t go wrong with any of ‘em.” He turned to Julie. “What about you, Julie?”

  “I never listened to much music in general, but I do remember hearing a song from Common and liking it,” she answered with a shy smile. “I’m sorry, I’m not much good in a music conversation.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” Mateo responded with a smile.

  “I’m with Fatima and Sarah. I never listened to much rap, either,” Ryan said. “Too much violence and other crazy shit in there. I did like Eminem, though.”

  Ehsan and Josue laughed while Deon rolled his eyes and Mateo looked embarrassed on Ryan’s behalf. “Ryan, I never say shit like this normally,” Josue began, “but that is the whitest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

  Ryan blushed and let out an awkward smile. “Hey, I voted for Obama back in 2012, I just don’t-”

  “C’mon man, no need to get defensive,” Josue interrupted with a grin and playful jab at Ryan’s shoulder. “We’re just giving you shit.”

  Mateo chuckled. “I can’t wait till we can get the world back on track,” he said after another swig of his orange juice. Sarah rubbed his hand that was on her thigh. “It’ll be nice to be able to listen to all the MCs we just talked about again.”

  “If we ever get back on track,” Marcus muttered.

  “You don’t think things will go back, Marcus?” Ehsan asked, surprised to hear him speak.

  He shrugged. “I dunno. I guess not.”

  Josue nodded. “Everything people built over here was an illusion, anyway. It was gonna fall eventually, zombies or not.”

  “You think so?” Ehsan asked.

  “I don’t think so, I know so,” Josue answered. His eyes became steely and focused. “People are fucking animals, man. Saw it myself in Iraq. All the shit we had here was us just fooling ourselves.”

  For the first time since meeting him, Ehsan suddenly felt pity for Josue. He didn’t know what to say. Neither did anyone else, either, until Mateo spoke up after a long pause. “I mean, people can definitely be shitty to each other. But they can also be good.”

  “That’s a load of horse shit,” Josue shot back. He said it with an anger aimed not at Mateo, but somewhere else. Somewhere that Ehsan couldn’t see, and perhaps Josue couldn’t, either.

  “I know you’ve seen a lot of things,” Mateo responded with a concerned look on his face and empathetic glint in his eyes. “But there’s more to people than what you see in a war zone. Back when I was a firefighter, one of our biggest problems was how many people wanted to help. We constantly had bystanders trying to save people before we’d arrive.”

  “Probably just to make them feel good about themselves,” Josue countered.

  “Well, however people act in warzones or disasters, people can become better,” Deon interjected. “Shit, zombie outbreak or not, we gotta become better. Maybe everything we been through can be the reset button on some of the toxic bullshit we been doing to ourselves.”

  Josue shook his head. “Shit doesn’t get any better than what we had. We’ve got a good thing here, but I guarantee you people in other places have been tearing each other apart. And it’ll happen here, too, if we don’t watch out. Whoever is out there fucking with us… that’s what the world’s really like.”

  “I dunno,” Sarah replied. “It seems like we built what we had before ‘cause it was in everyone’s best interest to make it that way. I’m not even saying that people are ‘good’ or anything. Just that, for a lot of people, they realize that we all win when we work together.”

 
“So you think whoever made that modified zombie just wants to be friends?” Josue asked with raised eyebrows, finishing the beer in his hand.

  Sarah shook her head. “There’s always gonna be awful people. I just don’t think they win out in the long run. Not because of karma or anything, but just ‘cause it’s not that efficient to be a dick.”

  “Someone’s never read a history book,” Josue replied with a bitter grin and shake of his head. He got up to get another beer.

  “I feel weird saying it,” Fatima began, “but I think Josue is right. People are awful to each other.”

  “I knew you’d be smart enough to see it my way,” Josue declared as he stumbled back to his seat, another Corona in hand. Fatima rolled her eyes.

  “How many beers is that?” Mateo asked him.

  “This is beer numero cinco,” Josue replied with a buzzed chuckle at his Spanglish.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay for guard duty tonight?” Fatima asked him.

  Josue scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. “You really are uptight. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He took another drink. “I was hoping the booze would loosen you up.”

  Fatima’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry that I’m worried about everyone’s safety. I’ll try to be as careless as you from now on.”

  Josue grinned with a distinct hint of annoyance on his face. “Oh, yeah, careless. That’s what I am for constantly keeping you pussies safe.”

  “C’mon, Josue, chill out with this ‘pussy’ stuff all the time,” Sarah snapped, taking her hand off of Mateo’s thigh to gesture angrily as she spoke.

  Josue scoffed once more. “Oh, so I can protect all of you from zombies, but I say some mean words and that’s too much?” He motioned toward the gate with the beer in his hand. “How about you go hangout with some of the zombies out there? I’m sure they won’t say anything that triggers you.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Josue,” Deon fired back. “It’s really not that hard to not be an asshole. The fuck is your problem?”

  “His problem is that he’s scared,” Fatima answered before Josue could. Everyone’s attention shifted completely to Fatima, especially Josue’s. Ehsan sensed Fatima trying to replace the anger in her voice with some degree of empathy, but her tone conveyed a conflicted mixture of both. “He’s hurt from everything he’s seen, and he feels weak. But, instead of dealing with it in a healthy way, he tries to project strength by calling everyone else a pussy. It is an unhealthy coping mechanism to give himself the illusion of having more power than he actually does.”