by L. J. Cuff
Claire interrupted, “They did something to the road, don’t you remember?”
Ted and Dennis again looked at one another.
“Damn it, you really don’t know, do you?” Claire stated as she pulled a shotgun out of a shelf. “Great! It’s loaded!” She proclaimed with a smile. She passed it over to Ted and sat down just behind Dennis.
Within moments, Ted opened the door and hung himself half out of the ambulance. He took careful aim and fired a shot. The infected that was hanging off the side fell to the ground. He pulled himself back into the seat.
“Are there any on your side?” Ted asked Dennis.
Dennis glanced at the side view mirror then shook his head. “No, I don’t see any,” He answered.
“Think there’s any on the roof?” Ted asked as he opened the gun to ensure there was another round.
“Could be but we can just leave them for the time being, until we get away from this place.” Claire commented.
“So how far do I have to avoid the road? Because this thing’s not built for off-roading,” Dennis inquired.
“I’m not sure… I remember we were driving down the road last night and we were a few miles away from the hospital… Diane was saying how we could make it there in less than half an hour and that she knew exactly where to get everything she needed.” Claire cleared her throat and pointed at a farm house. “There, I remember, we were still beyond that.”
“Who builds a hospital out in the middle of nowhere?” Dennis asked.
Claire smiled. “You asked the exact same thing yesterday when Diane was in the car. You guys were in the front when we must’ve driven over a trap or something. I remember, the current stalled the car and caused you to be shaking. You were pulled from the car steaming. I was still conscious, able to move everything but they injected me with something extremely quickly.” She pointed to a bruise on her arm. “Everything went dark after that then I awoke in the hospital.”
“Shit!” Dennis exclaimed.
“What is it?” Claire asked, noticing Ted had the same expression as Dennis. She spun around and saw a jeep rushing towards them.
“They’re not going to let us go that easy, huh?” Dennis stated. Claire looked around the back for more weapons.
“I guess no luck in finding anything useful?” Ted asked climbing into the back with her.
Claire held up a first aid box with a large smile.
“Umm… I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that that’s not first aid, is it?”
Claire shook her head and opened it just as the jeep rammed the back of the ambulance.
“Shit! A little help here!” Dennis shouted to the back.
“Shall I or would you like to do the honors?” Claire asked.
“I’ll open, you toss,” Ted ordered. He grabbed a hold of the lock on the back door and left it barely closed. “You ready?” He asked, turning to Claire.
She nodded and pulled out the pin of one of the grenades from the first aid box. Ted kicked open the back door and Claire tossed the explosive at the jeep.
The jeep pulled back but nothing happened.
“Fuck! They gave us duds!” Ted exclaimed, looking back to the seats where the shotgun was located.
The jeep quickly caught up to the ambulance with someone balancing on the roof. Ted made his way back to the seats. The person on the roof moved forward, steadying himself for his jump. The jeep pulled up to the driver’s side. Dennis smiled and stomped on the brakes. The jeep moved ahead of them but quickly stopped as well. It was put into reverse and accelerated quickly to ram the front of the ambulance.
Dennis looked at Ted as if to ask permission. “Do it!” Ted proclaimed. Dennis nodded then put the ambulance into reverse. He made the vehicle do a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn then switched gears to be forward. In the meantime, the jeep continued its pursuit.
Ted aimed the shotgun into the back, out of sight of the jeep. Claire closed the driver’s side back door to force the jeep onto the passenger side. The jeep sped up and came within ramming distance of the ambulance. The person was still balancing on top with help from someone inside. Ted fired a single bullet, hitting the driver in the head. The jeep veered out of control and into a nearby ditch.
Claire closed the second rear door and returned to her seat directly behind Ted and Dennis. Looking out the window, she could see they were approaching a heavily forested area.
“There,” She pointed.
“I can’t drive in that,” Dennis stated, “At least not with this.”
“Not what I meant but anyways…”
Dennis smiled. “So we can go on the road now?”
“Probably?”
“That sounds… Reassuring?”
“Well, we were on the other side of that when we were driving here last time so…”
“I guess we don’t have much choice, do we?” Dennis responded as he took in a deep breath.
Ted got up from his seat and climbed into the back. Claire moved closer to the back doors.
“Let me guess, if we get shocked, at least you guys can fight? Well, I guess I’ll be fried but that’s ok,” Dennis stated sarcastically. He pulled the wheel to the left bringing the ambulance back onto the road.
***
Eric broke through the barricaded door of the dilapidated silo. He stepped to the side, letting Mary in first then he followed. Lightning struck a tree directly in front of the door, flooding the building with light. Mary could see the entire area in that one burst.
“I think we’re ok in here,” She called back to Eric. Hearing no response, she turned around and saw Eric was not in the silo. “Eric?” She cried out as she ran to the door. She looked out, into the pouring rain and saw Eric climbing the burning tree. He was grabbing at one of the flaming branches and cradling it beneath his shirt as if it was a priceless gemstone. He came running back to the silo just in time for hail to begin falling.
Out of breath and topless, Eric proudly held up the flaming branch. “Now all we need is the area prepared and we can have some light.” He proclaimed.
Mary proceeded to prepare a burn area in the middle of the silo. She gathered up all the stones she found as well as the little bits of clothes scattered around. Once the fire was settled, Eric closed the door and broke off one piece from the top to allow air to escape.
Mary smiled at Eric who was still topless. He looked over at her and asked, “Is something the matter?”
She shook her head then looked down at the fire. “Sorry,” She began, “It’s just that… Well… I was in my own home for two years before meeting Diane and company… Two years of staring out the window, too scared to leave…” She sat down and picked up a small piece of metal. “I… Well…” She paused as she looked up at Eric, “I haven’t had the pleasure of another’s company in all that time. With Diane and Ted, I always felt like we were fleeing attackers… Constantly on the move… While with you…”
Eric sat down next to her and put his arm around her back. He slowly slid his arm down to her waist and leaned towards her. His lips touched the base of her neck as she closed her eyes to focus on the sensation when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
Eric and Mary looked up almost in unison then at each other.
“I’m sure it’s just the wind,” Eric said, before leaning over and passionately kissing Mary.
Another, louder knock at the door could be heard. Eric and Mary broke off their kiss and stood up. Eric handed Mary the gun and walked over to the door. Mary stayed back, hidden in the shadows, carefully taking aim at the door. Eric opened the handle he’d fixed to close the door and swung it open. Silence filled the air as only the hail was visible.
Eric stood by the open door, he could see someone in the shadow, close to the wall but couldn’t make out who or what it was. Mary lifted her foot to take a step forward but noticed Eric’s hand making small motions to stay still.
“Hello?” Eric called out into the darkness.
There was no answer. The figure stepped away from the wall. Eric thought he noticed a slight limp but with each passing step, was unsure of what he’d seen. Suddenly, the figure lunged forward and growled. Eric jumped back, giving the figure enough room to enter the silo. As she stepped, she sneered at Eric then over at Mary. She sat down next to the fire and grunted at the two of them.
“Ok… What am I missing?” Mary asked, staring down at the infected now warming herself by the fire.
Eric opened his mouth to speak but he noticed a small mark on her arm and stopped. He pursed his lips together and stepped back to the open door. Looking out into the darkness, he was still unable to see anything useful.
“Eric?” Mary inquired, keeping her eyes on the infected in front of her.
Eric turned back to Mary. “We have to leave, now…” He stated, motioning for her to follow him.
“I don’t understand,” Mary hesitated. The infected, seeing Eric agitated, began growling at Mary.
“See the mark on her side?” Eric pointed to the infected’s arm. “That is from Abby, this is one of her trained pets and most probably a statement to us. We have to go… Now…” He shoved the infected into the fire, ran over to Mary, and took her hand. Mary watched the infected screaming as it was fully engulfed by flames. She ran with Eric out of the silo into the darkness.
The night was calm but cloudy. I guess the storm is over, Mary thought, looking up at the clearing sky. The moon was still hidden but there were small twinkles from stars to be seen.
“Eric?” Abby’s voice rang out over a megaphone. It sounded just as hypnotic as the first day Eric heard it. He stopped completely and turned around.
“Eric!” Mary said as she pulled on his arm.
He turned to Mary and shook his head. He put his hands on her ears and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You should turn and run now…” He spun her around and patted her on the butt. She ran away as fast as she could, heading towards the settlement.
“Eric?” Abby called out again.
Eric stepped into the light cast by the doorway of the silo. He held his arms out wide, offering a big hug to his friend.
“Oh Eric!” Abby said running to him. “I thought I’d never see you again!” She embraced him and gave him a slight squeeze. “Why did you leave?”
“I couldn’t let a good meal get away from us, could I?”
Abby smiled and gave him a kiss. “Come, let’s go home,” She said, motioning to the jeep.
Eric smirked and walked to the door. Suddenly, it opened, causing him to step back. Abby plunged a syringe into his neck. He spun around and furrowed his brow. “What the…?” He asked.
Abby stepped back, allowing Eric to fall to the ground. She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow. Bending over, she patted him on the cheek. “You didn’t think I was that stupid, now did you?” She looked up at the man standing by the door. “Get him into the jeep then find her.” She pointed in the direction she’d found Eric.
Meanwhile, Mary was a few feet away. She pursed her lips and watched the man walk past her. Putting her feet beneath her, she steadied herself on the ground, ready to stand up, and shoot Abby.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar rumbling coming from behind. Mary stayed perfectly still. Abby briefly watched the lights then pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her pocket and put them on. She turned to watch the man but noticed he was walking towards the light.
“Damn it!” She shouted as she ran in his direction. A spotlight shone in her direction, she instinctively froze and dropped to the ground. She took in a deep breath and growled. She watched from her hiding spot as her male companion walked towards the light.
“There goes another one,” She said as she stood up and made it back to her jeep. She opened the door and got in but waited until the truck was gone before backing away. Mary took in a deep breath of relief as she watched Abby leave. She stayed hidden in the field until she was sure the people behind the light as well as Abby was as far away as possible.
***
Dennis watched the clouds pass by the sun occasionally turning the morning into night. He took in a deep breath and looked over his right shoulder at Ted talking into his radio. He momentarily closed his eyes and felt the wind blow across his cheeks. He remembered years ago when he was still young, naïve, believing the world would never succumb to any outbreak.
Footsteps approached, Dennis opened his eyes and saw Ted with a scowl across his face. He raised his eyebrow.
“Good news?” He inquired, looking into Ted’s eyes.
Ted shook his head. “Those fucking assholes have no idea what’s out here… What we have to deal with…”
Dennis patted Ted on the shoulder. “So where to now?” Dennis inquired.
Ted audibly sighed. “They want her back… They observe her as a valuable asset… Along with Abby…” He responded.
“So… Umm… What are your orders, sir?” Dennis asked.
Ted looked at him and shook his head. “No… I can’t order you to do this… They are a menace, they belong out here with the rest of them…”
Claire slowly nodded her head as she brought back another radio. She looked over at the two men and opened her mouth then closed it. She gave a half-hearted smile and began, “The good doctor explained to me everything…”
“About?” Ted asked.
“The hospital we visited was actually the site of the initial outbreak. Or what they believed was the initial one, in reality it was just where it was identified.” She took in a breath and continued, “There were houses surrounding the hospital but because it became one of the main quarantine areas of the outbreak, they decided to demolish everything.”
“That explains the uneven terrain,” Dennis commented.
“Yes, and also a bypass for the electrical currents on the road… They were put in place when the outbreak started growing beyond their ability to control it.” Claire said.
Ted raised his eyebrow. “So that’s why the infected didn’t actually follow us…”
“Precisely, they used an invisible fence that kept the infected within the safe zone. But they found that failing so they started sending the infected to the former prisons…” Claire continued.
Ted pursed his lips and glared at Claire.
“What is it?” She asked.
“I’ve been thinking for the past few hours where I’ve heard that voice before…”
“You mean the one from the intercom?”
“Precisely…” He paused and shook his head. “I used to work in a prison after finishing my last tour before I re-enlisted during the outbreak… His name is Ryan… He was pretty efficient at keeping prisoners in line but had some radical notions that always held him back from any promotions… It seems he’s found an outlay in this new world…” He stated, looking over at the ambulance.
Claire and Dennis exchanged glances then looked back at Ted.
“The doctor requested we go back… He needs the inventory from the hospital… He said he doesn’t need Abby or Diane, just the inventory…” Claire stated.
Ted pursed his lips again. “I guess we’re going back then…” He turned to Dennis. “Are there any weapons at all in that vehicle?”
Dennis shook his head. “None that I saw,” He responded.
Ted nodded slightly then opened his mouth as if to speak but paused.
“Sir?” Claire asked.
“We’re going to have to pay Abby a visit to pick up some things… And if she comes along for the ride, then we’ll give the lieutenant exactly what he wants…”
Dennis looked over his shoulder at some movement that caught his eye. He turned to get a closer look when suddenly, he felt something hit him in the arm. He looked down and pulled the tranquilizer dart out. The world began spinning before his very eyes as his knees began to buckle. He fell to the ground, holding out his hands to steady himself.
A foot stepped onto his back and pushed him down into the dirt. His hands wer
e placed behind his back and restrained with handcuffs. He was lifted into the air by two people and loaded into the back of the ambulance along with Dennis and Claire.
“Sweet dreams,” A familiar voice said as a needle was injected into his arm. Suddenly, his world went completely dark.
***
The sun shone onto Mary’s face as she still lay in the mud. The exhaustion from the previous night had set in causing her to fall asleep in broad daylight. She opened her eyes and saw the sun high in the sky.
“It must be high noon,” She said to herself as she got up and stretched her back. She stepped away from the shrubs she’d spent the night in and walked towards the road.
As she passed the silo, she noticed an odd smell. She stepped closer and noticed a small hole with feces in it. She gave the silo a wide berth, opting to step slightly into the rose bushes cutting up her legs.
Suddenly, she stepped on something soft. She looked down and noticed it was a hand. Before she could move, the fingers began twitching. She jumped backwards. The infected stood up in front of her and grunted in her direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed more infected standing up from the tall grass.
Oh shit, Mary thought as she pulled the gun off her shoulder, there’s way too many of them for this thing. She returned the gun to her shoulder then bent down and pulled a knife out of her shoe.
“Ok, who wants to go first?” She asked, holding the knife in front of her. She moved backwards quicker so that all the infected were in front of her.
The one she’d stepped on moved forward, in front of all the others. She could smell the rotting flesh off his body. Each time he opened his mouth, the rancid smell of his innards wafted out causing Mary to gag. He crouched down and growled at her.
“So you want it, huh?” Mary asked, “So what’re you waiting for? I’m just a feast waiting to happen!” She shouted, bending her knees.
The infected moved to the right but Mary stayed still. She had the others right where she wanted them, moving would allow them to get behind her. The infected growled even louder when it noticed she stayed firm. He then moved to the left but again, Mary stayed perfectly still. The infected bowed his head and bent his knees, moving himself into a pouncing position.