Foamers

by Justin Kassab

He creaked back into the brown pleather seat with a blank look on his face.

  “Before you go all self-pitying bullshit, I’ve got a problem,” she said, glancing at him in the mirror. “Lucas. He told me he loved me. Can you talk to him?”

  When Kade offered no response, she punched the steering wheel.

  He felt as if he had just swallowed a boiling pot of needles. It took all his strength to keep his face from betraying him as he went through his logical disassociation. Lucas was, in fact, not going to die of a neurodegenerative disease at a young age, automatically making him a better candidate for Tiny.

  Lucas was the best man to lead this group, and Kade didn’t want to create a situation where he would run the risk of losing him. He knew more than anyone on the Primal Age. Between his knowledge and skills, he was their most valuable member. Maybe once they were settled he could persuade Tiny into giving him a chance, as much as he didn’t like the idea.

  After gathering his composure, Kade calmly set the shotgun on the seat and pulled himself to his feet. Argos glanced at him before laying his head back down. Crossing the aisle, Kade had no idea what to say to her. Instead, he put his hands on her shoulders and let his thumbs work into her back. At the first point of pressure on a knot, her shoulders scrunched and her head tipped up.

  “Too rough?” Kade asked.

  She shook her head. “No, you’re good.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll just blow over or something.” His fingers pressed under her sweatshirt and found her warm skin. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his heartbeat from giving him away.

  “That’s the best idea you have?” she said, her brown eyes focusing on him.

  He brought his eyes back to the road as his fingers danced along her shoulders. “Let’s worry about getting there. Then we can worry about his feelings.”

  She lowered her gaze and looked out the window. “Looks like rain’s on the way.”

  He stared out the window at storm clouds rolling toward them from the southwest.

  “Little sister to big brother,” Ashton’s voice chimed through the receiver.

  The sound of her voice put Kade at ease. If she was talking, she was all right. He felt as if he had put his life force into her, and losing her was the worst thing that could happen.

  He grabbed the walkie-talkie and massaged Tiny’s neck with his free hand. “Big brother, here.”

  “We’re passing the Selinsgrove Sheetz to scout ahead a bit, but we’ll double back and meet you inside,” Ashton replied.

  “I’ll put a hot dog on for you,” he said, and tossed the walkie-talkie back on the dash.

  Selinsgrove was roughly a third of the way to Houghton, but still close enough to home that they were familiar with the area. The town sprang up along the highway. One moment, all that could be seen were trees and road; the next, there was a four-mile strip mall with a traffic light every quarter mile.

  “I’m impressed that you trust X with Ash,” Tiny said.

  Kade pressed his fingertips against her milky skin. “Keep talking.”

  He didn’t have to see her face to know she was smiling. She could play his emotions better than Mozart played the piano.

  “Kade doesn’t know what his little sister is thinking?” she teased.

  “Don’t make me beat it out of you.”

  A small laugh escaped her. “Like you could. Ashton is crushing on X. Can you blame her? The whole lone wolf thing, but not in the mopey way you do it. Besides, those eyes—there’s just something about those black eyes.”

  Kade’s hands stopped moving. He couldn’t believe he had entrusted his sister’s safekeeping to the one person with whom she was infatuated, and more so, that person was X.

  Tiny playfully smacked his hand. “I didn’t say you could stop.”

  His fingers went back to their magic, massaging her until they were numb and his brain was clear. The storm clouds were nearly upon the convoy by the time they pulled under the awning at a gas station.

  Kade was relieved to find the pumps still had power, a sign the building still had power. That would allow them to save their reserves.

  Lucas was the first to meet Kade and Tiny as they approached the Sheetz. The three didn’t exchange a word in the thick, awkward silence. Mick and Victoria joined them at the door, easing the tension. Mick wore his uniform and police utility belt that had a SIG Saur handgun, collapsible baton, handcuffs, Taser, and mace.

  Everyone had armed themselves in anticipation of foamers. Lucas had his hunting bow in his hand, and Mick had given Victoria a pistol. Victoria tried to hold the pistol in a ready position with one hand on the grip cupping the base, but she could not stop shaking. Kade placed a hand on her elbow to relax her. Tiny bored visual holes into him while he helped guide Victoria. He wished he could say he wasn’t afraid of Tiny or that he didn’t understand her jealousy. With her assault rifle strapped across her chest, sidearm and combat knife attached to her hips, and raging spirit, she made Godzilla seem like a pet lizard.

  As he appraised the Sheetz, he wondered if this was what the first pioneers felt like, stepping into uncharted territory. The uncertainty of what they would find behind the familiar door had Kade both excited and afraid. When they reached the entrance, the sensor didn’t go off. All the Primal Age planning couldn’t simulate the tension of the unknown brought about by the real thing.

  “Everyone, let’s take a deep breath and relax,” Kade said, trying to follow his own advice. “Mick, would you open the door, please?”

  “That’s breaking and entering,” Mick said.

  “Give me the baton then,” Kade replied.

  Mick pulled his baton from his belt and extended it with a flick of his wrist. He hauled back and swung hard against the glass crashing through the door. Jerking the baton around the frame, Mick cleared the jagged edges. Kade stretched his leg inside the Sheetz store and ducked under the push bar. He drew the stock of the shotgun to his shoulder and aimed down the barrel as he canvassed the store.

  As he scanned the kidney-bean layout, the crunch of the broken glass let him know the others were following. He surveyed over the counter to the racks of chips and coffee filling station. His vision drifted to the coolers of beverages in the back, to the chocolate milk in particular. This could be the last time he would ever have chocolate milk. Something so common and ordinary would now be extinct from his life.

  The heightened sense of awareness was something he hadn’t felt in years; not since he was a soccer goalie had he felt the cold tingle along his spine. It was the sensation of the world slowing down. The feeling was rooted in fear, but it wasn’t fear.

  Argos growled as he took a defensive post beside Kade. The dog’s hair stood like needles. Three people stepped out from the ends of the aisles: two men in their late twenties and one teenage girl. The males both had hunting rifles. One had a shaved head, while the other had an unkempt mop of blond hair. They were, unmistakably, brothers.

  The girl came down the center aisle with a double-barrel shotgun. She didn’t look much older than Ashton. Her tense muscles caused her to move like a robot. Her mouth was set in an unwavering straight line and was clenched so tight
that her pulse visibly pounded in her temples.

  “Drop your weapons,” the one with the shaved head said.

  Kade’s group formed around him. Tiny planted herself on his left side with Argos. Mick and Lucas posted on his right.

  Kade heard the tension pull in Lucas’s bowstring. He had no idea where Victoria was, but he doubted she’d be of any use. Slowing his beating heart, he breathed, embracing the cold tingle. He hadn’t expected to confront people so soon. This was something he should have given more thought to, and he hated himself for not thinking there would be other armed survivors along the way. He had thought the letter would have given him enough of an advantage to get to Houghton, before the surviving population caught on to what had happened.

  “We’re not looking for trouble. Just refueling, then we’ll be on our way,” Kade said, keeping his voice even.

  Kade knew the rifles were of a midsized caliber, and they would each be lucky to get off one shot before they were hit. The double barrel the girl was holding would do a significant amount of damage to them, but depending on the gauge they would all walk away with minor wounds. The worst volley his group could possibly take would be two from both the rifle and shotgun. It would be unlikely that his group wouldn’t win the draw.

  “Chris said to drop your weapons,” the one with the mop top said.

  Kade knew he couldn’t leave his group defenseless, not when they had the advantage. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tiny checking for orders.

  “Put yours down first, and we’ll drop ours,” Kade replied.

  “Brian,” Chris said, “they don’t seem to understand what we’re saying. Put down your weapons, or we’ll put a hole in your head.”

  “You’re outgunned. This isn’t a draw you want,” Kade replied. By sheer numbers, his group would be the victors, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have casualties.

  “They think they’re all scary with their big guns. Will, meet our new friends,” Chris called out.

  From behind the counter, Will rose and aimed at the cohort.

  “I’ll cover center,” Mick said, moving his aim to the lone woman of the opposition.

  Kade faced the third brother. He had an AK-47 with a drum magazine attachment. That was enough to put holes in all of them before they could pull a trigger. Kade’s options were to surrender, or strike first.

  “We’re not going to ask you again. Put your weapons down, and then we can have a civilized conversation,” Will said, with a soft compassion in his voice that almost made Kade want to believe him. Kade’s concern was if they had shown their whole hand or if they had more cards up their sleeve.

  He had to give a command. They could try to take them by force, but what for? A Sheetz? The second to last thing he wanted to do was leave his team vulnerable, but the last thing he wanted to do was get one of them killed. He flicked the safety on his shotgun.

  The eldest brother smiled victoriously. X rushed in from outside and vaulted over the counter, landing behind Will. The blade of the predator knife slid under his throat, holding tight as X aimed his .357 revolver at the others. Will’s smile disappeared when he set the rifle on the counter. X’s coal-colored eyes flicked from attacker to attacker.

  “Guys, lay them down. No reason to be impolite,” Will said. The lone girl dropped her double barrel to the ground and backed away like it would bite. The two remaining brothers surrendered their rifles reluctantly and stood with their hands up. X winked at Kade as Ashton came into the Sheetz and a shocked smile broke across her face.

  “Grace!” she yelled, embracing the blond girl. When they parted, they still held on to each other’s forearms. Kade felt lucky and confused to have had a Mexican standoff with someone his sister knew.

  “What are you doing here?” Ashton asked.

  “Everyone we knew just started going crazy. We thought it would be a good idea to get out of town. Turns out it wasn’t just our town,” Grace said.

  “Nope,” Victoria chimed in. “It’s everywhere. Now we’re off to Houghton College, following the orders of the man who made the mess in the first place. It makes so much sense.” “Victoria,” Kade said, silencing her before she gave up any more information. They didn’t need to give their adversaries any more intelligence; their location was already too much.

  X shoved Will through the store to group him with his family. Will stumbled and glared with fiery hatred at X.

  Kade tapped his thumb off of his fingers. “Ash, who’s your friend?”

  “Oh, sorry. Grace, this is my brother, Kade,” Ashton looked back at him, her auburn braid hanging past her shoulder. “She and I played USA soccer together for, like, six years.” “Do you have any craftsmen?” Will said, sizing up each member of the cohort.

  Kade gathered his thoughts while he scratched the Argos’s ears.

  “We’re Wilson Brothers’ Contracting. Our van is stuck behind the traffic jam,” Will said.

  X nodded. “He’s not lying. There is a rape van on this end of the jam.”

  “The jam?” Kade asked, his attention turning to X.

  “The road is backed up almost to the gas station,” X replied.

  “I have a proposal for you: We’ll help you guys clear the cars, since it’s in both our interests. When the job is done, you can decide if we can join you,” Will said.

  Kade looked from friend to friend seeking help, but they all avoided his plea. “Let’s catch our breath, and then we can clear the road.”

  Kade hurried away from the two groups to the glass refrigerators in the back of the store. The intensity of the moment made him feel like a balloon that just had all of its air let out. He opened the refrigerator door and let the air dry the sweat beading on his forehead. He snatched a half-gallon of chocolate milk and took a few gulps, loving the feel of the cold liquid in his mouth.

  “Thirsty much?” Ashton asked as she leaned against the refrigerator unit.

  Kade wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “You trust her?”

  “I know her. We played together for close to six years. Would I trust her to carry her weight and play hard every game? Yeah, but I can’t say this is the same situation. I never cared much for her brothers. They look at me like a lot of guys do—like I’m some kind of meat—which just seems silly now. If you’re asking me if I think they should come along, yes, but this is your area of expertise,” Ashton replied.

  “I can’t say I really know what I’m doing here.”

  “Everyone has faith in you.” She held a small, brown paper–wrapped rectangle, about the size of a harmonica. “I was going to give you this for Christmas.”

  For a moment, he forgot all of his problems and took the deceivingly heavy package. He peeled back the single piece of duct tape. Lying on the unwrapped paper was a set of blue rubber knuckles.

  “Do you like them?” she asked.

  Kade hugged her to him while he slid the knuckles onto his right hand, feeling the comfort of their fit.

  * * *

  After grabbing some food, the two groups set out into the rain to clear the blocked road. As Kade eyed the long line of cars, he realized that his time table was hopeless.
>
  He walked the dotted white line between the dead cars toward the blocked intersection. On both sides, the parking lots of super mart stores and restaurants lay silent. He felt like he was wandering between tombstones. A chill ran the length of his spine, causing him to stop and wipe the rain from his brow as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder. This time, it was fear. The whole world had gone to sleep and never awakened. Death didn’t just await him now; it lurked around every corner in the Primal Age. His fear wasn’t for himself, but for his friends.

  Ear-splitting screeches pierced the air, sending his heart into overdrive. He calmed his nerves as a flock of seagulls took flight. He let out a sigh, happy that something was the same.

  He continued along the line to where he could see the accident ahead of him. At the intersection, a car making a left had been T-boned. This would have been when people called 911, only to realize that no help would come. Some of the cars in the line were left with their doors wide open, where the passengers had abandoned them. The engines left running had overheated and caught fire.

  The creepiest were the cars with closed doors, which served as Pharaoh’s tombs to their passengers. He tried not to look inside, but stopped at a white Prius. There was a baby, still strapped into a car seat, its head slumped forward. The sight turned Kade’s stomach. The driver of the car moved in a mannequin-like fashion. The woman’s eyes met Kade’s. Before he thought, he opened the door.

  “Ma’am, it’s going to be—”

  The woman pounced on him. The heels of his shoes slipped on the wet asphalt and they crashed to the ground. His hands clenched her wrists, keeping her body suspended above him. The rain ran off her face, collecting with the red foam around the corners of her mouth, and dribbled onto his neck. Her hair dangled around her head, like a raging octopus, as she bared her teeth. Kade’s heart pounded so loudly he didn’t hear the gunshots, but he saw the side of her head burst in a red cloud.