by Gayle Katz
“I guess just start at the beginning.”
“Sure. OK. Years ago when the super rich elite, known here as the Fahish Almal, began unleashing these zombie outbreaks upon us, we were dying. Our sons, our daughters, wives and husbands, too. Families were being torn apart for no reason. So we decided to fight back, but we needed information to make an impact. In order to get it, we tried many unorthodox things to learn what was happening and why. We even followed the most far-fetched leads because we didn’t know what to do to stop this plague. In some cases, we didn’t do our research and we made mistakes—big mistakes. And we lost a lot of good people.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Now that Aron is gone… I can’t believe I’m not going to see him again.” Damar pauses again to collect himself. “I’ve lost my entire family, except Samir. I almost didn’t survive the night I had to shoot my wife in the head. But Aron made me understand that she wasn’t my wife anymore, she was one of those monsters. I-I still don’t know how I did it.”
I grab his hand to comfort him. “All of this must be horrible for you.”
“And I don’t want to have to do the same to you or anybody else.”
“You won’t.”
“You can’t know that.”
“And Samir?”
“Samir and I only have each other now. And while that’s more than most other people can say, we’ve lost a lot. Believe it or not, despite his brash nature, he’s a nice guy, or at least he was. I haven’t seen that side of him since our parents were killed years ago.”
“I understand,” I say, still holding his hand. “I’ve lost people close to me, too, and it sucks. It’s devastating. But, in this case, I have a chance to save my husband. My life is nothing without him and I’m going to do it with or without you.”
“Wow. You’re one stubborn lady,” he replies.
“Maybe.” A slight smile creeps onto my face. “I won’t lie though. I’ll have a much better chance of surviving with your help than without.”
“Give me the night to sleep on it, all right?”
“Agreed. Fair enough,” I admit. I can’t face my mission the way I feel now, rundown and exhausted. “Is there someplace I can go to take a shower? I feel pretty disgusting right now.”
“Sure thing. Follow me.” He then leads me to the bathroom. “I know you’re not familiar with the layout here so I’ll wait for you outside. Take your time. I’ll leave a towel on the side for when you get out.”
“Thanks,” I say as I disappear into the cramped bathroom.
I turn on the shower, let the water run, and feel the spray popping off the walls. At first it’s cold, but then it starts to warm up a bit. I don’t want the water too hot. I’ve had enough of things being too hot after roaming around in the sweltering sun for so long.
As I step in the shower, I close my eyes and let the water rain down on me. It feels good against my skin, but images of vile, flesh-eating zombies, and Jack turning into one of them, fill my head. The pictures swirling around in my mind scare me and I pop my eyes back open. If I’m going to be able to keep going, I can’t be distracted by these horrible visions floating around in my brain. I shake my head and focus my complete attention on getting cleaned up in the shower.
When I step out of the shower, I grab the towel Damar left and wrap it around me, covering my chest to my knees. My clothes are dirty so I don’t want to put them back on until tomorrow morning. I pick up my clothes from the floor and rejoin Damar. He’s waiting for me just outside the bathroom.
“That was quick,” he says.
“I just wanted to get clean. It feels good to get all the dirt off. Thanks for keeping watch. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
“My pleasure. Why don’t we head back? I’m guessing you could use some rest. Big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Big day. Sounds like a plan. I could use some shut-eye.”
“Agreed. You look exhausted. Whatever you end up doing, you need your rest. You’re screwed if you’re out there on no sleep. You can crash in my bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“No. No. Don’t be silly. I can’t take your bed. You need your rest, too.”
“So do you since you’re set on carrying out your mission tomorrow. You’re my guest. I insist.”
“OK. Well, it’s not necessary, but I appreciate your generosity, Damar. And whatever you end up doing tomorrow, thank you for saving my life and for everything else.”
I stretch out on his somewhat lumpy and uncomfortable bed, put my head down on his pillow, and close my eyes. Despite my desperate situation, sleep comes easy. I guess I’m even more tired than I originally thought.
Chapter 13
________________________________________
When I open my eyes, I see Jack’s face in front of me again. Oh no. He’s turning into a zombie again. He’s emotional, crying, and trying to speak.
“I-I trusted you and look what you did to me,” he chokes out. “Look at me!”
“I’m sorry,” I sob, trying to reach out to him. “I-I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t. You have to believe me. Please.”
“You killed me,” he continues.
“Stop it,” I plead with him. “I didn’t kill you. It wasn’t me. It was the sickness.”
“Why did you do it?”
“What? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.” I’m going crazy. I couldn’t have killed Jack. I love him. Despite the sickness claiming him, I reach out, pull him close, and kiss him. It might be the last time I get to do it. When my lips touch his, I can feel him kissing me back. His lips are warm, not cold as expected. I wrap my arms around him tighter, hoping I never have to let go.
As I open my eyes, Jack’s image vanishes and Damar appears before me. Sitting up in bed, my face is pressed up against his. I’m kissing Damar! Halfway between my dreams and reality, I’m disoriented.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I let him go, touching my fingers to my lips.
“It’s OK,” he replies, looking away in embarrassment. “Don’t apologize.”
“It seemed so real.”
”You were having a dream,” he says, “or maybe a nightmare. I came over to check on you when you grabbed me.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeat again. “Dammit, Jack! Where are you?” I shout, jolting out of bed and onto my feet.
“Is that who you were talking to in your dream? Your husband? Is that who you thought you were kissing?”
“Uh-huh. Again, I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be sorry. He’s your husband. It’s only natural.”
“Yes. He is. And he’s missing. H-he’s been kidnapped. I don’t know where he is, but he’ll always be here,” I touch my heart while pacing the floor. “He is. With me. I can feel him.”
“He was kidnapped in the United States?”
“No. He was kidnapped here. He’s a reporter. He was on assignment,” I forget myself and start to open up.
“Here?”
“Yeah.”
“So he left you to come here and risk his life for a news story?”
“That sounds bad, but it really isn’t. He wants to help solve this zombie crisis facing the world. This is the only way he knows how to do it.”
Damar pauses for a moment before continuing the interrogation. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you hurt him?”
“What?”
“You said you didn’t mean to hurt him. How did you hurt him? What did you do?”
“It was a long time ago. After I was bitten, I thought I was cured, at least that’s what everyone said, but it wasn’t true. It wasn’t. I felt fine at first, but then I started to feel weird and I didn’t know what was happening. I tried to ignore it, control it. Maybe it was a side effect of the medication and I was being a hypochondriac, right? All medications have side effects. Then we got married. On our wedding night, the sickness came back. I was out of my mind. I bit him. There was blood everywhere. His blood. On the
bed. On the floor. On me. I’d infected him. I’d infected Jack, the love of my life. And now he’s blaming me and I have to help him. He was cured of the plague, just like me, but I have to save him from whoever is holding him hostage, even if I end up killing myself in the process,” I say, crying.
“If he loves you as much as you say he does, I don’t think he blames you for anything,” Damar says.
“How do you know that?”
“If I loved someone, I wouldn’t blame them.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“No, I wouldn’t. Bad things happen sometimes. You can’t let that cloud your judgment, especially if you weren’t yourself. Plus, if he knows you well enough, he probably knows that you’re already punishing yourself. So much so that it’s seeping into your dreams.”
He pauses for a moment before continuing the conversation. “We still have another hour or two until the sun comes up. Why not rest a little longer? You seem like you need it.” He then takes my hand and leads me back to the bed. I lie down and put my head on the pillow. He begins to walk away.
“Don’t leave,” I say, grabbing his strong arm.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Don’t worry. I’ll be in the next room if you need anything.”
“No. That’s too far. Stay here. With me. Please. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
He turns around and walks back toward his bed. He sits down and wraps his arms around me. “Let me make you feel better,” he says with my head now resting on his chest.
“I don’t know,” I look down at my fingers, pull away, and then stare into his eyes. “I’m not sure. My heart is breaking.”
“Let me be there for you.”
“I may never see him again. On top of that, I may die tomorrow.”
“Hell, we all may die tomorrow, but the truth is you don’t know what’s going to happen. Things may turn out better than you expect. For right now, stop thinking about all the bad stuff.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. Let me help,” Damar whispers as he leans in close and kisses me on the lips.
I kiss him back and wrap my arms around his neck and shoulders. As my fingers run through his hair, he unwraps the top part of my towel and starts kissing down my neck. His hot lips feel so good against my skin. He comes back up and kisses my lips again, biting them slightly. I can feel my pulse racing and my breathing getting faster.
“Mmmm. You feel so good,” he says, pulling away and starting to unbutton his shirt. He has a big smile on his face.
“What are you looking at?”
“The most beautiful woman in the world,” he replies.
“In the world? I can’t believe that,” I say as he unbuttons the last button of his shirt. I touch my hand to his chest and run my hands along his torso, feeling his strong muscular stomach. He’s toned and built like a god. I guess traipsing around in this wasteland builds muscle tone.
“Believe it,” he says, kissing my lips again.
Lying there together, we’re entangled in each other’s arms. He kisses me, falls to my side, and wraps his arms around me. No words are spoken, and we fall asleep in each other’s arms. No dreams. No nightmares. Just blissful sleep.
Chapter 14
________________________________________
Someone is shaking my shoulder. My eyes pop open. It’s Damar. Oh, right. He’s staring at me. For a minute, I forgot I’m in the middle of someone’s joke of a horror story.
I start to wake and get a feel for my surroundings again. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just keeping an eye on you, making sure you don’t run into any trouble.”
“Thanks.”
“But now it’s time for us to go.”
“Wait. You’re gonna help me?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What changed your mind?”
“Like you said, you’re going to do this whether I help you or not. Let’s just say I agree with you, you’ll have a better chance with me helping you.”
“Thank you!” I say as I lean forward and wrap my arms around him. I kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he replies. “I haven’t gotten you where you need to go. I just said I would help. Plus, I’m enlisting the help of Samir, too. That way we’ll triple our chances of success.”
“Our?”
“Yes. Our.”
“OK, well, whatever happens, thank you for your help.” I’m beaming. I definitely don’t think I could have gotten to my destination on my own considering the harsh environment out there. I might have even died on the way. And Jack…I don’t want to think about what will happen to him if I don’t make it.
“Let me get you something to eat,” Damar says. “You have to keep your strength up.”
I’m still sitting on the bed when he comes back with a small tray and places it on the nightstand. There’s an oval loaf of bread and two cups of tea. Damar tears the bread in half and hands one of the pieces to me.
“Thanks,” I say. “I’m starving.”
As we chew on the bread, Damar picks up a cup of tea, steaming hot, and sips. I wolf down my bread and grab my cup of tea. I see herbs floating on top, and the aroma smells like mint. I blow on the tea and sip it slowly. It’s tasty and soothes the throat as it goes down. In this hot climate, though, it would make more sense to have cold water, but considering the state of the facilities, it’s probably better for both of us that he boils the water. The last thing we need right now is to get sick.
“Thank you for breakfast,” I say. “I really appreciate it.”
“It’s all I have right now so it’ll have to do.”
“No worries. It’s perfect.”
After a few minutes of munching on our food, we get up and get ready to head out. I pick up my bag and head for the door when Damar repeats his earlier caution. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Want? Not really, but I don’t have a choice if I want to see my husband again.”
“You can still change your mind and turn around.”
“No, I can’t. My husband’s life depends on it.”
“You can inform the authorities in your country. I can take you to your embassy.”
“Yeah, you would think, right?” I sigh. “But I don’t even have my passport or ID. They’re lost. And the authorities are the ones who told me about Jack in the first place. They told me to come here. They told me they’re too busy with other priorities to help rescue one man.”
“I’m sorry. I just want to give you other options. What you’re talking about doing is suicide. And if that happens, I fear you won’t be coming back. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I appreciate your concern. Really I do, but I’m out of options. I need to do this. Chances are I’m going to fail, but with your help and Samir’s, I might be able to make it a little farther.”
“We’ll do what we can to help.” Damar picks up my bag and hands it to me. “Listen, I want to be honest with you. While you were sleeping, I opened your bag.”
“OK.”
“Are you mad?”
“Not at all. Was there something specific you were hoping to find?”
“Not really. Just trying to get a better understanding of the situation.”
“Fair enough. You could have just asked, you know?”
“And you might have said no.”
“I might have said yes. Anyway, don’t worry about it. I would have peeked into my bag, too, if I were in your shoes.”
“You’re gonna run into trouble out there. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t tell you those weapons aren’t going to be enough to get you whatever is in those pictures.”
“Yeah. I guessed as much,” I say. He violated my privacy, which isn’t completely unexpected. I’m still a stranger after all. I then continue. “Listen. We just met. You don’t know who I am, so I don’t blame you for trying to learn as much about me as possible, but yeah…I’m gonna run into a mess of
trouble. The people I’m looking for aren’t nice. I’m not going to be able to just knock on their door. And they’re not just going to hand me what I’m looking for, but I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. I just need a guide to get there. Have you changed your mind? Can I still count on you or am I on my own again?” I pray he’s still on board with the plan.
“You’re not alone. Whatever is out there, we’ll face it together. I said I would take you, and I don’t break my promises. You might just need some bigger weapons.”
“What’s in the bag is all I have. They’ll have to do.”
Damar gets down on his knees and removes a two-by-four section of the floor to reveal a hiding spot. He reaches down into the void beneath the floor and pulls out a large gun. I don’t even know what kind of gun it is, but it looks like something a soldier would carry into war. It puts the mini handgun that the Rat gave me to shame. Everything about Damar’s gun is larger and much more impressive than mine. The handle is larger. The barrel is longer. It even has a separate cartridge compartment where you pack in bullets.
Guns aren’t my thing. I’ve fired a few of them because I had to and while I’m not a bad shot, I’m not a good one, either. It’s not a hobby I enjoy, but a lackluster skill built out of necessity. Despite this, I can still appreciate an intimidating-looking firearm. “That’s huge!”
“Yeah. I keep it for emergencies,” he says.
“I see. And is this an emergency?”
“What would you call the current situation?”
“Good point.”
“Before we head off, maybe you’d benefit from a quick refresher on how to handle yourself with a gun.”
“Uh. Sure. I guess it couldn’t hurt.”
He grabs the small gun from my bag and hands it to me, butt of the gun first, muzzle pointed in a safe direction. “First rule. Never point the gun at anyone unless you’re going to shoot them.”
“Got it.”
“Second rule. Never put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.”