“ Time to go.” He grunted as he finished the beer in one last gulp. Putting the car in gear, he flung the empty bottle out the window. It hit a little girl who was coming up quickly to the car. Kyle laughed, giving the girl the finger.
A police car screamed past him; he just gave it a wave as he headed through the streets. Pounding the dashboard along to the beat, he pushed the accelerator to the floor. Backing off the gas, Kyle fumbled behind him for another beer. Tires squealed as a sedan whipped around the corner, coming up fast on him. “Go around, dickhead,” Kyle grumbled, still fishing for a drink. The sedan was right on him. He could see the driver and passenger gesturing to each other and pointing at him. “Yo, asshole!” Kyle yelled, waving the gun, being sure they could see it. He frowned as the couple in the front seat high-fived. The woman in the passenger seat was bracing herself. The driver held an evil grin.
The impact sent Kyle ’s gun to the floor, clattering among several empty bottles. He could see the woman laughing, pulling a shotgun out from the back seat. Kyle swerved when the woman hung out of the window and fired. The shots missed! Kyle swerved into the oncoming lane. Smoke billowed from the tires. Kyle’s feet were on the brake, his back sunk into the seat with the pressure. The sedan sped past. He looked left and then right—no way out. Not enough room to turn around without getting shot. He decided to make a break for the road ahead. The street ended in a T junction. Standing on the gas, he knew he would have to take the turn at the last second.
“ Yeah, that’s right, I have a gun!” he screamed, firing two shots out of the window, coming up fast on the other car. He wasn’t aiming; he just didn’t want them to fire back. He laughed as the couple ducked down. The smile faded from his face as the passenger leveled the shotgun and fired. Kyle jerked the wheel when he saw the gun. The rear window of the sedan in front of him exploded. The passenger side of the front window spider-webbed as buckshot shredded the passenger-seat headrest.
“ Motherfucker! It’s so on now, bitch!” Kyle screamed at the vehicle in front of him. Leaning his head out of the window, he fired at the woman. The driver swerved, throwing her left and right as she tried to shoot back at Kyle. She fired, pellets peppering the front of the car and roof. Kyle cried out in pain and frustration as his arm was hit. He fired at the driver. The car lurched to the left, hit two parked cars, and then slammed into the building at the junction. Kyle slammed on the brakes, stopping several feet behind the wrecked car. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Kyle breathed.
Relief and terror fought for control as the passenger door creaked open and the woman stumbled out, trailing several gold chains. Kyle could see boxes of electronics in the back seat. The woman was raising the shotgun. Kyle gunned the engine and slammed into the woman. She bounced off the hood and flew into the crumbling bricks of the building they had just hit.
Tears were in the corner of his eyes. “Yeah! How ’bout that? Huh? Had to fucking shoot at me. Now you were worth twenty points for being a stupid bitch!” Kyle was panting, tears running down his cheeks. “All I was doing was trying to scare you, stupid!” He put the car into reverse as the driver of the wrecked car pushed the door open and stumbled out. The woman slowly got up and joined the man as they came after the car. She fell behind, dragging a broken leg, and her arm swung uselessly at her side.
Swiping angrily at his wet face, Kyle shouted at them, “You just had to leave me alone, that’s all. Well, that’s what happens now. Nobody is gonna fuck with me! This is the best day ever!”
Watching
Alistair sat in the huge den, watching the sixty-inch LCD screen. Images flashed across the display. Amid the screams and scenes of panic, the newscaster spoke. The forced-calm voice talked of scientific research, governments set up in safe locations, and military efforts. Information scrolled along the bottom of the screen constantly. The information was about evacuation points and safety precautions.
“Really falling apart out there,” Alistair’s wife Rebecca noted as she descended the three steps into the den.
“Yeah, have you heard from Jen and Ray yet?” he asked.
“ They were heading to the house when we got cut off,” she responded, pacing the room. Alistair picked up the remote and changed the channel from a screaming reporter and the blurred scene to a quiet, still courtyard of a large house. He picked up another remote, and the picture changed to another camera with a shot of a wall and a road. Several people were wandering along the road.
“ Damn, are they close to the gate?” Rebecca asked. Alistair reached over to a panel that had several buttons and two small joysticks on it. He selected a button and then moved the joysticks. The camera panned down the road.
“Plenty of time, if they don’t mess up the code too many times,” Alistair replied, an edge to his voice. As if on cue, a Volvo pulled up to the main gate.
“They’re there!” Rebecca breathed and gripped the back of the couch. Alistair moved to the edge of the seat, watching the big screen. He selected the camera for the front gate.
“ Come on, Ray, come on,” he urged. A small alarm began to beep on the control panel next to him. “He’s messed it up.” Alistair shook his head. The people in the streets were moving toward the car. The alarm beeped again.
“ Why didn’t we put in an opener here?” Rebecca demanded of the couch. Alistair didn’t answer. The contractor had made the same suggestion, but Alistair had decided to save the money. “It’s not like we couldn’t afford it,” she continued anxiously. Alistair groaned internally. He hated when she was right.
The alarm beeped again. “Damn it, Ray! Get it together!” Alistair yelled. Suddenly the alarm turned from red to green. The couple sighed as they watched the car pull into the courtyard and right onto the grass. “Damn it, Ray, I just mowed that,” Alistair grumbled.
“ Close, close!” Rebecca urged the gate. An arm reached in and was severed as the gate shut tight. “They’re safe, oh thank God, they’re safe,” she breathed, walking around for several seconds and then collapsing on the couch.
For the Moment
Krissy cried and laughed in the back seat. Ray ’s head was down on the steering wheel as he tried to get his breathing under control. Jen released the dashboard and flexed her fingers. She reached into her bag and tried to call her son again. Punching the end button, she gripped the phone, trying to strangle the small device as if it had done her personal harm.
“ He knows where we are. He’ll make it; I know he will,” Ray whispered to his wife. He then turned to his daughter. “Shh, shh, sweetie, we’re OK; we made it,” he consoled her. Ray then turned to look at the house. He reached up to take the wheel and found he had no strength. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. His hand found the wheel. Ray pulled the car as close as he could to the front door, actually driving up three of the stairs onto the large front porch. He could hear his brother-in-law cursing him in his mind. The thought made him smile a little.
“Where is Kyle?” Krissy asked.
“ He’ll be here soon,” Ray lied while helping her out of the car. Jen was already working on the code for the heavy steel front door. Large steel shutters covered all the windows on the ground level. They could hear sirens and chaos over the twelve-foot-high walls. Ray looked out at the gate. He noticed the severed limb and decided to steer his daughter to her mother’s side. Several loud clicks issued from the front door, and with a great heave, Jen pulled it open. Ray noted it had to be a foot thick with heavy bolts that fit into large holes in the steel frame.
“ Seriously paranoid,” he muttered. “Good thing though, I guess.” Jen didn’t say anything but just tried her phone again. Krissy stood in the middle of the grand foyer, staring up at the balcony and staircase. Ray looked around and spotted the panel he was told to look for. Pressing the button, he heard it power up. It was black with only a small green light on the bottom. Slowly the picture showed the frowning face of his brother-in-law.
“Nicely done on the porch,” Alistair grumbled.
“I knew you were going to say something.” Ray shook his head.
Rebecca appeared in place of Alistair. “Jen, you guys make it OK? Anyone hurt?”
“Aunt Becca!” Krissy shouted.
“Hey, Kris, where is your mom?” Rebecca asked.
“Hi, Bec. Have you heard from Kyle?” Jen questioned.
“No. He’s not with you?” “No,” Jen muttered miserably.
“OK, the place is locked down for now. Kyle will be able to get into the courtyard, but you’ll have to let him in the front when he gets there,” Rebecca told her sister.
“ There are cameras set up all around the perimeter. The control panel and monitor selector is in the den,” Alistair broke in. “There is plenty of food; if the grid goes down, you have at least two months’ worth of fuel for the generator plus solar power. Water shouldn’t be a problem with the well and purifier. You guys are safe. When Kyle gets there, we will know,” he added.
“How will you know? Do you have cameras and mics all through this place?” Ray asked.
“Yeah, but I’m sure we’ll hear Jen yelling at him,” Rebecca tried to joke.
“This place is cool, Dad,” Krissy said, walking in from another room. “You should see the huge TV.”
Where To Next?
Kyle cursed under his breath. He could barely see out the shattered windshield, and now he was running out of gas. He pulled into a gas station and gave a whoop of excitement. There at the pump was a new yellow-and-black Chevy Camaro. The door hung open, and the inside chimed, telling him the keys were in it. Pulling up alongside it, he jumped out of his car and began to transfer his belongings.
He dropped his backpack, and a picture fell out. He threw the pack in the back of the car and picked up the picture. He looked down at his little sister’s smiling face and remembered the little girl he threw the bottle at. Guilt filled him for a second. He tossed the picture into the car. Movement caught his attention. A man stumbled out of the convenience store. He wore a tie and sports coat. He held his neck, and blood covered half his face and the collar of the white dress shirt.
Kyle looked up at the man, who stretched his arm out. “What? Is this your car?” Kyle asked. “You don’t want me to take the car?” Kyle asked, walking toward the man. “You need something from me?” He pointed the gun at the approaching man. The man only groaned and increased his pace toward the young man. “You want help? Or how ’bout I just shoot you in the face?”
The man groaned again, and Kyle shot him. “Fucking zombie,” he spat. He kicked the body over and rummaged through the pockets. Pulling the man’s wallet out, he opened it up. “Wow, dude, you were loaded.” Pocketing the bills, he took out the credit card and returned to the pump.
He swiped the card and proceeded to fuel up the Camaro. “Looks like you already had that idea,” Kyle stated as the pump clicked after only a second. “Let’s get some more beer.” Kyle took a step toward the store and then froze. “Nah, that is where you were. Looks like someone else is in there,” Kyle addressed the body.
The tires skidded and caught as Kyle peeled away from the gas station and onto the road out of town. There was an iPod in a cradle, paused. Kyle unlocked it and hit play. “Kick-ass!” he cried as Metallica filled the speakers. Cranking up the music, he tore down the road. As the last note of “Call of Kathulu” still rang in his ears, another tune caught his attention as “Battery” began. Kyle slammed on the brakes and turned down the music. His phone was ringing. Fumbling in his jacket, he pulled it out and hit answer. His little sister’s voice was in his ear.
“Kyle! Where are you? We’re at Uncle Al’s. We couldn’t wait until you got home. Where are you?” she squealed into the phone.
“I went by the house, and it was all messed up. I thought they got you guys. You’re at Uncle Al’s?” he sputtered into the phone.
“I knew you were OK. Mom is all upset, and Dad keeps saying you’re going to be here any moment. When are you going to get here? Are you almost here?” she pleaded.
“ Like they care. They left without me,” Kyle grumbled. “I’m fine, sis. I am on my way out of town.” His anger at his parents returned to him, the anger he felt when he made it home through the anarchy to find the house empty and trashed.
“Kyle, I’m scared,” she whimpered.
“ Dad will take care of you.” Kyle found he didn’t want to talk to her. It hurt. He wanted to get out. He was free. No parents, no school, no rules. This was the end of the world. The zombies were walking the earth, and he was alive. He had a gun, a car, beer, food. What did he need family for? Especially a family that never paid him any attention.
“Please, Kyle,” she begged.
“ I’ll talk to you later, sis,” he said and hung up. He stared down at the phone and hated what he had just done. “Best day ever,” he muttered and kicked up gravel as he tore down the road again. He opened another beer. After several swigs he tossed the bottle out of the window. Drinking had lost its fun for the moment. His sister’s voice kept pleading with him. He noticed the twelve missed calls from his mother.
Twenty minutes later found Kyle staring at a crossroads. There were four choices in front of him. He could try to get to the highway to the right. He could stay straight and see how bad things were in the next town. He could go left to the state park. He could turn around and go back to his sister.
Darkness engulfed the car as the minutes ticked by. The headlights illuminated the signposts. He sat staring at the signs, his phone in his hand. It had been so easy to run away when he thought they were already dead. He flung the phone out the window.
It Looks Permanent
“Dad, Mom, I just talked to Kyle. He says he is leaving town.” Krissy came running into the den. Ray looked from the TV to his daughter. Jen ran to her.
“Is he on the phone now?” she asked, grabbing the phone from her crying daughter’s hand.
“Jennifer!” Ray exclaimed and hugged his daughter.
“What? She should have brought the phone to me so I could talk to him!” she shouted. “Damn it, Krissy, you knew Mommy wanted to talk to your brother!”
“ That is enough!” Ray yelled at his wife as she descended on the little girl. Jen staggered and stared at Ray. “I pray to God he is OK. I wish he was here, but he isn’t, and that was his choice! He left when we told him to stay, just like always. He always did what he wanted, and you never did anything about it! Every time he came home late, drunk, or whatever, you always let him get away with it. But you will not take this out on Krissy!” Ray shouted, glaring at his wife. “Speaking of her, when was the last time you even noticed what your daughter was doing?” In the stunned silence, he took his daughter by the hand, and they left Jen stunned in the middle of the den.
Ray had been annoyed about Kyle ’s discipline for a while. He wanted Kyle to get a haircut, didn’t like his music, accused him of smoking, and didn’t like his earring. Jen thought it was just a phase. He was a good boy, just experimenting. Krissy was fine. She always was. What did he mean by not noticing Krissy? she thought. It had been unfair to Kyle; he was seven and needed his mother, and she was pregnant. Krissy hadn’t been planned, and Jen felt guilty that Kyle had gotten used to being the center of attention. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice in the hall.
“Ray? Jen? Where are you guys?” Alistair called.
Ray walked over to the display and, running a frustrated hand through his hair, hit the “talk” button. “Yeah, Al, what is going on?”
“Everything OK there?” Alistair asked.
“ Seriously? You have to ask? My son is missing, the dead are walking around, and we are locked in a house in the middle of a fucking burning city. No, everything is not OK!” Ray thumped his head against the wall.
Alistair stared into the monitor and grimaced. It had been a stupid question. “Sorry, I have been monitoring all the news channels.” He sat, trying to figure out what to say next. Ray’s face appeared on the monitor. Alistair
took a deep breath. “The plague is everywhere. I have been listening to the military frequencies, and they are losing control. They are trying to evacuate the cities or just close them off. Your best bet is to stay where you are until they get things together.”
Ray gave a small, humorless laugh. “I know things are bad when Alistair is telling me to wait for the army to figure things out.”
“ Listen, things look to be kinda permanent. So your best bet is to just sit tight. There is plenty of food and fuel. There is enough space around you, so if one of the houses next door catch fire, it will not spread to that house. Now just in case,” Alistair hesitated, “there is a panic room in the basement. You can hold up there for at least a week.” Alistair finished, wanting to say more but not knowing what to tell Ray.
Ray just stared at the man in the monitor. “Yeah, all right.” He sighed. “I know you have hacked into the street cameras. Please keep an eye out for Kyle.” Alistair nodded, and Ray walked away, head held low.
Not Just the Dead
Somewhere to the right, a window shattered. Mary Masse cowered under the desk, her fishnet stocking–covered knees pulled up to her chest. This was supposed to be a safe place; this was an evacuation site. The nice-looking young man who usually worked the front desk was lying on the floor in front of her. His eyes filled with terror as he clutched the gaping, freely bleeding wound on his neck. He reached out a hand to her. Mary gave a small scream and scrambled out from under the desk.
She made it three steps before a man rushed past her, knocking her into one of the benches. She threw out a lace-gloved hand to catch herself. Spinning, she watched as he made it to the front door. He started to push the door open when a woman in workout shorts grabbed him. He tried to push her away, but she was able to bite off three fingers from his hand. Screaming, he turned from the woman, only to have his bottom lip ripped off. A man in a business suit stood happily crewing on the lip. The man ran, screaming, into the arms of a group of them just outside the doors to the Y.
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