The Gorging

by Kirk Thompson

  “It is getting dark,” said Carl. “I think we should bed down in those motel rooms across the way for the night and get an early start in the morning. We’re going to have a long trip ahead of us and we could use all the sleep we can get.”

  Bobby nodded in agreement and took another bite of his egg sandwiched. He watched as Betty sat down at a table near them. He had an uneasy feeling about the state of mind she seemed to be in after losing Frank. He thought to himself that she seemed a little unstable and he hoped it would not affect them traveling as a group. If she proved to be a hazard to the group, he would have no choice but to leave her behind. Bobby hoped the others would agree if it came down to it, but he kept his mouth shut about what he thought of Betty right now. He doesn’t want it to be every man out for himself, but Bobby knows that he will do anything necessary to make it back to Nikki and Eddie in one piece. He certainly won’t let a crazy woman who is either suicidal or on a kill mission to get in his way.

  “We should stay in groups of two,” said Troy. “Just in case anything happens in the middle of the night no one will be left alone.”

  “I like that plan. Sampson and I will stay in a room together,” said Carl. He pointed his thumb over to Jeffrey. “He’ll stay with Betty and you two should stay together. Best way I can think of doing it. Stick with who you know.”

  “That’s ‘stick with what you know’ Sarge,” said Jeffrey. “Why do I get stuck with—” He leaned forward to keep Betty from hearing as she sat staring off into space at the other table. “—the crazy lady there? I don’t want her to wake up in the middle of the night and try to stab me in the neck or something.”

  Carl slapped Jeffrey slightly on the back of the head, giving him a “you better shut up before I pop you in the mouth boy” look. Jeffrey let out a grunt as he grabbed the back of his head. They all looked over to Betty and had similar thoughts of what Bobby had assessed about her a few moments before.

  They finished up their sandwiches and grabbed their weapons. They loaded up the school bus with as much food and supplies as they could and parked the bus in front of the motel. The sun had gone down by now and they all made their way into their rooms and closed the doors tight. They had to use chairs or whatever else they could to block the doors closed after having kicked them in.

  Bobby lay in the bed of room number four, closest to the road. Troy was already fast asleep in the twin bed closest to the bathroom. Bobby looked over to the window and stared out at the parking lot that was lit up by the few remaining streetlights that still happened to work. They were lucky the electricity still worked in the motel, but were skeptical whether or not it would still be on by morning considering there was most likely no one around to run the power plants. It could go out at any time so they had all prepared themselves by permanently borrowing flashlights and lanterns that were stocked in the small convenience store around the corner from the diner. They gathered other supplies including road maps, canned food, batteries, blankets, and a wide variety of soft drinks and juices. Bobby had parked the bus in the parking space directly in front of Betty and Jeffrey’s room so it would be in the middle in case anything went down during the night and so that everyone would have an equal chance to run to it. At first he didn’t think it was the greatest idea of having a woman on the verge of going nuts to be the first one to the bus. She could be standing in the door of the bus and mistake the others for being hostiles and put a bullet in one of their heads without even questioning who was running toward her. Bobby felt a little uneasy at first, but mentioned the thought to Jeffrey and made him aware of his concern for everyone’s safety. He had said, “You make sure she doesn’t get us killed Jeffrey. This is on you.” Of course Jeffrey’s reply had been, “Oh geez, thanks for ruining any sleep I was hoping to get tonight.” This had prompted another slap to the back of the head by his uncle, at which point, Jeffrey changed his attitude and got with the program.

  Bobby watched the streetlight closest to the window as it flickered off and on. It reminded him of the gas-powered lights that were set up around the base when he was in the war in Iraq. He had mostly spent his time overseas out on foot patrols capturing the violence with his camera and then reporting the outstanding job that his platoon had been doing in the pursuit of happiness and freedom for an oppressed society.

  Bobby’s eyes open and shut several times as he watched the streetlight. Almost in unison with its flickering off and on, he closed his eyes again and this time he fell asleep. He didn’t dream during his first hour of sleep. He slept comfortably and undisturbed until the silence in his mind was swept away by screaming, agonizing pain coming from a woman that sounded much like Nikki. His fear escalated and he became more disturbed as he stood next to a gravestone in a dark graveyard. The air was quite cold in his dream and it felt as though he were really there. The breath coming from his mouth and nose produced a slight fog in front of his face as he breathed in and out. He felt the chill on his cheeks as the cold night air blew against his face, turning his cheeks to a cherry red color as he looked ahead and noticed the woman he had heard screaming. It is Nikki. Her screams had died to a whimper as Bobby watched her kneel down next to a fresh grave in the not so far distance. He watched with a large lump in his throat that kept him from swallowing. He knows he is dreaming, but he is so close to reality it can be mistaken for the real thing. He could test himself to find out if he is really asleep, but the curiosity kept overtaking his mind and he wanted to know why his beloved wife is kneeling next to a grave and crying.

  As Bobby dreamed of Nikki standing over the freshly covered grave the street light outside of the hotel room finally died out. The other streetlights followed and all power had gone out like the flick of a switch. They wouldn’t know it, but miles away at the power plant the last surviving worker had been taken out by a small group of hostiles that broke in and ate him alive. None of the group noticed because they had all fallen off into a deep sleep from having spent the entire day high strung and stressed to the bone. The normal darkness of the night was no longer normal. There would be no light from streetlights or porch lights from people’s homes to shine light on their doorstep. It became a night filled with a darkness that has not been known for more than a hundred years where the only light shining in the night came from the moon as it reflects on the water and the windows. The new night darkness will take some time to get used to, but getting used to it is something that the normal people of the world will come to know well. There will be a lot of things that will take some time to get used to like living by candlelight, finding natural food sources, no more hot water, no more ice cold drinks, and no more internet. These things are not important at the moment though. What is important now is surviving day by day and avoiding being eaten alive by psychotic human gorging people. The group would not know how many crazy people are left in the country or even in the northern Tennessee area for that matter.

  Bobby crossed his arms and held himself in a cold shiver as he realized he was only wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts in his dream. He felt the cold down to his bones.

  It must be the air-conditioning in the motel room that is making me cold. It has to be. I know I’m dreaming and dreams are not real. It is only made up in my mind. Has to be like that guy said about dreaming. Oh shit, what was his name? It doesn’t matter. I’m dreaming that’s why I can’t remember. Damn it’s cold.

  He watched as Nikki kept her back turned and he could hear her soft crying as her shoulders slightly bounced up and down with each whimper. He had a strange feeling in his stomach that seemed to push its way up through his chest and into his thoughts. Suddenly, Bobby knew why Nikki was knelt down next to a fresh grave. The dirt was still in a neatly curved hump like an oversized anthill. It was only about four and a half feet long, too short for an adult. A child’s grave is what Bobby thought of as his thoughts began to race and the blood pumped harder and faster through his veins. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t possible to be th
e grave he feared it to be. There was no way in hell it could be his son’s grave, but Bobby knew deep down inside himself that it could be no other. He knew way back in the part of his mind that was never used, but only stored thoughts that were to never make their way to the real world. The thoughts that only came up when something terrible is inevitable. He walked slowly and made his way closer to Nikki. She continued to cry as Bobby reached her side. He stood there, looking down on the ultimate fear that he had hoped he would never see. It was not supposed to be this way. It is supposed to be the child grieving at his deceased parent’s grave, not the other way around. But it is so. The tears drifted their way around Bobby’s eyelids and slid down his cheeks as he looked at the writing on the newly engraved headstone.

  EDWARD EVANS DECEMBER 20, 2004 – SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 A SON FOREVER LOVED

  Bobby’s knees gave out and he fell to them next to Nikki. He wept as he tried to put his arm around his wife. She was nothing more than a figment of his imagination, just as his entire dream has been, although it all seems so real. The emotions that keep running through his mind have been tormenting him since he first fell asleep. There must be a way for him to awake from this horrific nightmare that is consuming his mind and warping his image of what is reality and what is a dream. There must be a way, but his dream won’t let him escape.

  A faint knocking sound at the door awakens Bobby as he shakes and is drenched in sweat. He jumps up in the bed and quickly grabs the handgun lying next to him on the nightstand. He points it at the door. “Who is it?” He’s ready to shoot if he doesn’t get an answer right away.

  “It’s Sampson. Open the door, but do it quietly. We don’t want to wake the others.”

  “Alright,” said Bobby as he un-cocked the pistol and laid it down on the nightstand. He looked over to Troy who was clearly still in a deep sleep. Probably having his own nightmares about the day’s events or what may be happening back at his home, although Troy hasn’t talked about any family that could be suffering through the carnage of the crazy flesh eaters. Troy has been sleeping like a baby, Bobby thought. Bobby thought that he’d better give him a shake before he opens the door just to make sure Troy is still alive. You can’t be to sure with all this shit going on, thought Bobby. He reached over and shook Troy’s arm. A deep snore came from Troy’s nose and Bobby felt relaxed that his new roommate wasn’t dead for some strange reason.

  Bobby opened the door and looked at Sampson standing in the doorway. Sampson was clearly upset about something. Of course, they all had something to be upset about. Whether it was family dying, or just the plain bullshit of people going nuts and killing their fellow man.

  “Don’t be alarmed. Let me come in. We need to talk.” Sampson pushed his way in past Bobby and sat down at the table near the old style television set on the table. “I think we need to make a quick change of plans.”

  “How do you figure? I plan on heading home after we do some investigating at the farm you guys were talking about. I don’t want anymore to do with this than I have to.” Bobby closed the door quietly, looking back to make sure no one heard what he had just declared. Troy rolled over in bed, still asleep. No worry of him hearing a word that was said.

  “I know how you feel,” said Sampson as he lit up a cigarette. “You want one?”

  “No thanks,” said Bobby.

  “Things are going to get worse whether you know it or not. These crazy motherfuckers don’t sleep during the day like vampires and I bet they still wonder around at night. They’re not stupid. They just have one thing on their mind and that is to eat as much human flesh as they possibly can. It’s almost as though they have to feed on it or they’ll die. Which doesn’t bother me any if those crazy cocksuckers choke on some thick skinned prick.”

  “I see what you’re saying, but I thought our plan was to move out first thing in the morning when we have enough daylight to get going.” Bobby was beginning to question Sampson’s motive. He knew the right thing to do would be to keep moving, but without power and ample supplies they wouldn’t get very far. But, he did have to think about the what if scenarios, such as if the crazy flesh eaters would break in to their rooms in the middle of night, killing those that are supposed to be standing guard. The crazies have no remorse or thought of what traditional warfare is. It’s all or none for them. They want blood and they won’t stop at anything until they get it. Bobby contemplated this for a moment and realized that Sampson has his head on straight. They can’t stay there. They are like sitting ducks. For all they know there are hundreds of meat eating people surrounding the place waiting for the right moment to strike, which could be any moment the way Sampson thinks.

  Just as Sampson got ready to explain his reasoning behind wanting to move at night, someone seemed to have thrown another bucket of shit at the fan. The first thought through Bobby’s mind is that Sampson is right about the crazies coming in the middle of the night. But what Sampson doesn’t know is that Bobby now thinks they are all going to die if they don’t get started fighting back. Troy jumped out of bed wearing nothing but his boxers when he heard the banging of a door. He kept waiving his handgun around in the air aimlessly, with the muzzle passing by Bobby and Sampson several times before they have a chance to calm him down. “What the fuck was that?” Troy wanted an answer fast or he’ll start shooting at whatever moves near him.

  A loud scream comes from the room to their far right. It sounds like a woman at first, but Troy is convinced that it was a man. “Probably that wimp Jeffrey.”

  “Shut up,” Bobby quietly said, not wanting to break the silence coming from their room. Sampson peeked out the corner of the window and was able to see the reflection of Betty and Jeffrey’s flashlights blaring on the windshield of the bus.

  “I told those idiots to leave their flashlights off. Probably drew the crazies in with a light on trying to read a damn romance novel or something,” whispered Sampson. Growling noise seemed to be getting closer to Bobby’s room as Sampson continued to peek out of the corner of the window. The noise seemed to be getting closer and closer, but Sampson didn’t see it coming from near the bus or near the rooms to the right. What he didn’t know was that the noise was coming from around the left of the motel.

  Troy ducked down in front of the door and tried to peek out of the other corner of the window, but couldn’t get a good look because the air conditioning unit was too close to the door along with the oddly misplaced night stand that should have been placed by the bed. Troy reached over and pulled the curtain back slightly. He froze with his mouth hanging open. Bobby stood looking at Troy and noticed his finger was tight on the trigger of the gun.

  “What is it Troy?” asked Sampson. “What did you see?”

  Troy started to speak, but not before Bobby pulled the gun from his hands so he wouldn’t shoot off a round and draw all the attention to them. More screaming came from the room next door where Jeffrey and Betty bedded down for the night. Troy lay down close to the ground and crawled to Sampson. “There must be a hundred of them fuckers out there.”

  “A hundred? Are you serious?” Sampson got quite a surprise from Troy’s answer. Bobby quickly made his way to the floor and below the window. Sampson let go of the curtain slowly as not to draw attention to their room as several meat eating, blood thirsty crazy people walked by, clearly headed for the screaming that was coming from either Jeffrey or Betty, or probably both.

  “Shit,” said Sampson. “I left Carl in his room down there.” Sampson seemed visibly upset that he left the man all by himself in this wartime environment they were in. Never leave a man behind, he thought, but it was too late now.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” said Bobby.

  “Not when he realizes that’s his nephew is in there screaming and being eaten alive,” said Troy. “We have to do something.”

  “What,” said Sampson, “and be killed with the rest of them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like being eaten alive. No way I’m going over there and
playing hero for that twerp.” Sampson stepped back from the window and knelt down next to the table in the middle of the room. Troy looked confused that Sampson wouldn’t want to help, considering Sampson seemed like the one that would be the hero the entire time through this ordeal. Troy looked to Bobby and gave him a look of confusion. All Bobby could do was sit there and look just as confused. There were too many crazies outside of the room for them to bum rush the room next door and save Jeffrey and Betty. In fact, it was probably already too late. The screaming had stopped. Although they didn’t hear Betty scream, they had to assume that she died rather quickly, or by some chance of a miracle, she may have escaped through a window in the bathroom, which would be unlikely, considering Bobby and Troy’s room had no other windows except the main window in the front.

  “What about Betty?” asked Bobby. “Do you think she got away?” Bobby looked at Sampson, hoping he would have the answer to all their current problems.

  “I don’t know kid. If she was in there with him, then I would say no, but that Betty woman seemed a little off. She could be anywhere.” Sampson shrugged his shoulders and stared at Troy and Bobby for a moment. They all seemed to have the same thing on their mind. Where was Betty if she wasn’t in the room? No one heard her scream. Could she have snuck out earlier and hidden somewhere else, or did she leave them all and hit the road for home by herself. They didn’t know the answer and the only way of finding out would be to check the room next door after the crazies would leave.

  “I hope Carl has some common sense and stays down in his room, too.” Sampson went back to the window and peeked out of the corner just enough not to draw attention to himself. “He’s a smart guy, but that’s his nephew being torn to shreds next door.”