Outbreak

by Paul Carberry

  “You did your best. Thank you for saving Eric last night.” Dana walked over to the propane stove and turned on one of the burners. She filled the kettle up with water from the tap and placed it over the flame. “Tea or coffee?” She asked.

  “Tea. I was just in the right place at the right time.” Nick looked out the window and watched as the group of strangers from last night were huddled around the helicopter. “And Kenny helped patch Jason up. Guy’s a combat medic!”

  “Well, from what Eric said if it wasn’t for you he’d be gone.” Dana placed a tea bag into a mug for each of them. “Kenny is an odd fellow, but we sure could use him around. Eric said he wouldn’t have made it back if it wasn’t for the two of you.”

  “Maybe, he may have managed to escape on his own somehow.” Nick knew if anyone could have survived, it would be Eric. “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s asleep now, but his ankle is badly swollen.” The kettle began to whistle. “Do you know what they are talking about?” Dana pointed towards the crowd outside.

  “They are talking about what they should do.” Kenny sat in the helicopter puffing on a cigarette, he seemed to have one in his mouth ever since waking up.

  “Did everyone get something to eat?” Dana asked.

  “Eric’s mom made eggs and ham for everyone.” Nick walked over to the kitchen counter and added some sugar to his mug, steam rose up from the tea in a swirling arc. “You know we are going to run out of food fast unless we gather some more.”

  “Yeah, I was worried about that.” Dana sipped on her tea. “What are we going to do?”

  “I could make a run into town.”

  “Do you think that’s safe?”

  Nick knew that it would not be safe, he barely managed to escape without having an altercation with any of the zombies, but he did not know what he would do if he had to kill one.

  “Well…” Nick looked outside at the group. “They suggested looting the empty cabins nearby but…”

  “What is it?”

  “They are worried about Eric… because he’s a cop.” Nick looked down into his tea, hoping to find an answer.

  “Well, it is not like he can arrest them. I’m sure Eric will understand what needs to be done, he’s seen enough zombie movies to know.” That was the truth, how many times did Eric and Jason watch one of those stupid movies.

  They sat down at the kitchen table looking out the window at the group of strangers. They were both worried about being able to survive in this harsh new reality. As they drank their tea they awaited eagerly to hear what the group would have to say. Dana hoped that her husband would be better soon. Nick prayed for his friends to get better. They both knew that the world around them was only going to get worse.

  ***

  Tina watched as the tiny black dog Patch frolicked on the beach. It rolled around in the sand, gnawing on a branch that she had found on the ground. The two young girls were playing fetch with the dog.

  They were twins with long, curly blonde hair. Somehow, they seemed to be unaware of what was happening around them, too young and naive to understand what was taking place. Their father Ted had told the group he did not want them to know, he was doing his best to protect them from the news. Ted seemed to know a great deal about what was going on. He must have paid close attention to the news, he knew details about the creatures that no one else seemed to know.

  Tina felt like she was being ignored because of her age. She had lots of ideas, but they all treated her like a child. She was actually surprised that they never asked her to play with the children. Everyone had their own opinion, and she was sure that if this group stayed together much longer there would be trouble. Stress has a wonderful way of turning people against one another. Tina stopped trying to voice her opinion and decided to just listen, as the adults bickered.

  “The radio said that the ferry was still running to the mainland, and that the army was protecting people at the port in North Sydney.” Ted’s voice was deep and authoritative. His dress clothes made Tina picture him as some high powered business man. His white collared shirt was freshly ironed, his leather belt seemed to be the perfect complement to his grey dress pants. Ted didn’t get dressed this way by mistake, every choice he made was calculated. Tina felt that his opinion would be the wisest. More than anyone else, Ted seemed to know what was going on, he was the only person in the group with an actual plan.

  “They are only rumours!” Calvin seemed destined to clash with Ted. They had not agreed on one thing since they met. “You’ve seen the news, the bigger the city, the more trouble they’re having.”

  “I think the reports are true, and it’s where I am taking my children.” Ted’s eyes seemed to be glued to Calvin’s. “Besides, do you have a better plan?”

  “You do whatever you want, but I don’t know how you figure you’re going to get there. You don’t have even have a car!” Calvin pointed his finger at Ted in defiance.

  “Well, I don’t know why you think the helicopter is for your personal use. Why do you get it?” Ted was inching closer to Calvin.

  “Well, you sure as hell are not taking it to Port aux Basques and leaving us here!” Calvin thrust his finger into Ted’s chest.

  Ted tried to push Calvin’s hand away, but his opponent was much too strong. “Well, I am not waiting for those things to show up here, we have no way to protect ourselves!”

  Tina was worried that a fight was about to break out. Tempers were flaring and the situation was not going to get any better.

  “Now my children, we need to calm down,” Father Jon spoke up, but made no attempt to get between the two men. Tina hated him, he almost got her killed last night. Fucking coward.

  “Shut up! Just because you two are on the same side doesn’t mean you get to control what happens here.” Ted shoved his forearm into Calvin’s chest. “You think we are just going to cast a vote? It doesn’t work like that pal!”

  “You got that right,” Kenny said, finally speaking up. He had sat in the helicopter the whole time, puffing away on a smoke. “I decide where this thing goes. Unless someone else has their pilot’s licence?”

  Calvin and Ted stood in each other’s faces, but remained silent. Neither man relinquished their grip on the other.

  “That’s what I thought. So if you two need to fight go ahead, but I will decide where this helicopter goes.” Kenny took another long drag on his cigarette.

  “So why don’t you just tell them where you’re going?” Father Jon asked Kenny, trying to diffuse the situation.

  “I’ll talk to Eric about it, see what he thinks. Until then, the helicopter is staying put.” Kenny snuffed out the cigarette on the ground, then he took another out of the pack. “So I suggest you two calm the fuck down, before someone gets hurt.” Kenny lit the cigarette, as if the smoke would keep the zombies away he continued to take long draws.

  Calvin released his grip on Ted’s shirt. “You watch yourself, Ted!”

  Ted stumbled back from Calvin’s grip. “Man, I got children to watch out for.” Ted walked over to his two girls who had stopped playing with the dog to watch the fight. They were understandably upset, Ted knelt down and put his arm around his daughters. “Dad’s fine girls. Everything is going to be ok.” The girls never said a word, they just snuggled into their father for protection.

  Tina decided she had enough of this testosterone fuelled argument. The pissing contest was over, and if she was going to crown a winner it would have to be Kenny. Kenny held all the cards and no matter what the other two men did to each other, Kenny would ultimately be the one who decided their fate. Tina looked at her cell phone, still no signal. What she wouldn’t do to get in touch with her mother right now, Tina needed to warn her to stay out of the city.

  Tina started to walk down the beach hoping to get a signal, she’d take one bar right now if she could get it. As she walked down the beach the sand shifted under her feet with every step. It mimicked the state of the world now. There was no more s
olid ground on which to stand, every step was clouded with uncertainty, and if you were not careful everything could shift out from under you. Tina decided she would try and reach the highway on the other side of the lake and see if she could get a signal on her phone, there was a gas station across the way. She should be able to get a signal there.

  ***

  Dana waited at the kitchen table for Eric to wake up. For a moment Dana thought there was going to be a fight outside, but whatever Kenny said had managed to diffuse the situation. The two men went their separate ways and the young girl headed down the beach out of view. Kenny remained in the helicopter, and the children continued to play with Patch as Ted watched over them. Dana looked in the fridge and could not help but think about what they were going to do about food. There was only enough eggs for one more breakfast for everyone, they would need more supplies soon if they all wanted to stay here.

  Jack opened the kitchen door and wiped his boots on the mat. “Eric awake yet?”

  “No, not yet.” Dana looked up from her tea. “Anything I can help you with?”

  “Well, I could use a hand with cutting some wood.” Jack rummaged through a drawer. “I did not plan on staying here the winter.” He took out a pair of work gloves.

  “Well, if those people are going to be staying with us, maybe they should help.” Dana knew that everyone would have to pitch in if they were going to make this place livable for the winter. “Do we have much gas for the generator?”

  “No… we don’t have much of anything right now.” Jack went to leave the cabin, but stood in the doorway. “I’m going to go see if Calvin will help me cut up some wood. He looks like he could handle that.”

  “Good idea. We will be okay,” Dana said to him as he left to go outdoors. Dana glanced at the bedroom door wishing that Eric would be up soon. Nick had fallen asleep in the recliner next to Jason. She looked back outside as Kenny was making his way towards the cabin, he looked like he had something on his mind as he entered through the patio door.

  Chapter 28

  Gas Station

  “Hello!” Frank called out as he pushed his way into Byron’s cabin. A plate of food sat on the kitchen table, untouched. “You here, Byron?”

  As Frank walked into the kitchen he slipped on the floor, something had been spilt here. The floor was slippery, it looked like something wet had been laid on the floor.

  Frank headed outside and headed towards the shed. As he turned the corner of the cabin he stared at the shed doors, closed. Frank approached the shed and noticed that the lock was still on the latch, where was Byron? His truck was still in the driveway. Maybe he had gone next door to Doctor Winston’s cabin? They were old friends and Frank could see Dr. Winston’s Escalade in the driveway. Frank stood and listened to the birds chirping for a moment, it was relaxing at first. As Frank paid more attention to the noise, something was off. Frank slowly made his way towards the doctor’s cabin. What was that noise he heard? It sounded like someone hammering.

  As Frank made his way towards the cabin the sound became less like hammering, it was now more like pounding.

  Byron stood in the porch, slamming his fist against the wooden door. Was he moaning? A disturbing sound left Byron’s throat.

  “Fuck me!” Frank realized that his friend had turned into one of those creatures. A revolver rested on his hip, Frank thought about using it, but was worried about the noise it would make. If there were more of those monsters lurking in the woods, the noise would draw them in.

  Frank backed away far enough so that he was out of earshot of the zombie. The thought crossed his mind that Dr. Winston may still be alive, a valuable asset to have now. It would be worth the risk to check and see, Frank backed away towards his cabin to grab an axe.

  ***

  Tina crossed the highway. The gas station stuck out like a sore thumb, sitting alone amongst the trees. There were two vehicles parked along the side of the building, but the pumps were all vacant. A grey truck was parked behind a red car, blocking it from leaving in the narrow driveway. The window in the front of the store was shattered, and the glass was strewn all over the ground. Whatever broke the window, it happened on the inside.

  Tina slowly crept towards the building, noticing all kinds of tire marks on the pavement. Someone had left here in a hurry, Tina could smell the faint odour of burning rubber. Tina rested her back against the white siding of the building as she approached the busted window.

  A rustling noise came from inside.

  Tina ducked down below the window to make sure she would not be seen, something was inside rummaging through the items on the shelf. She wanted to call out for help, but couldn’t find the courage. Tina could hear two people talking inside, she tried to turn and run away, but fear imprisoned her legs. She slumped down against the building, trying to be as quiet as possible, not daring to draw any attention. The two men inside the building were too busy with whatever they were doing to notice her. Tina looked towards the door, and realized that once they left the building she would be directly between them and the vehicles parked by the side of the building.

  Tina raised herself slowly and peeked through the window at the two men. They were filling garbage bags with items from the shelves, they must have been robbing the place when things went bad. Signs of a struggle were everywhere, blood spatter ran down the back wall. Tina looked closer and noticed that the gore was still dripping down the walls.

  Tina stood in the window motionless, the wind whipped her hair across her face as she stood still, dumbfounded. One man was wearing a plaid jacket and the other had a heavy blue sweater on, the man in the blue sweater turned suddenly and was startled by Tina’s presence.

  “Hey you!” He shouted at Tina.

  The other man reached into his jacket as he turned around and pulled out a gun, pointing the barrel directly at Tina. She wanted to turn and run, but her legs remained motionless, her feet felt like they were trapped in cement. The man in the sweater ran towards the exit door while the other man kept the gun fixed in her direction. The door burst open as the man ran towards her.

  “What are you doing here?” The man grabbed her arm with great force and yanked her towards him. “What did you see?”

  “Nothing…” Tina’s voice trembled.

  The man scanned the parking lot. “How did you get here? Where’s your car?”

  “I… I walked here.” The man’s grip hurt her arm, but she made no effort to resist.

  “From where? Are you alone?” He yanked on Tina’s arm, nearly pulling it from the socket, a shot of pain rang up her arm and her hand went numb.

  “I don’t know what happened here! I just want to leave!” The man shoved Tina to the ground, shards of glass cut through her jeans as she crashed into the ground.

  “You think she knows the owner of this place?” The man with the gun had made his way outside and stood next to his partner in crime.

  “No… I swear.” Tina was pleading for her life now. “I have never been here before!”

  “Tie the bitch up, just in case she’s lying.” The man with the gun handed his friend a piece of rope.

  The man picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, Tina wanted to struggle, but she yielded to her attacker. She had no choice but to surrender, and hope they left her alone once they finished with her.

  Tina was not strong enough to fight both of these men at the same time, her only option was to run. Tina thought about it for a moment, but they had a gun. The idea seemed foolish, she quickly discarded that plan. The man heaved Tina on the floor next to the deceased store owner.

  A man in his late fifties with grey hair lay lifeless on the floor, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound to the stomach. Blood stained his blue golf shirt. His brown eyes stared blankly at Tina and his jaw was agape, a tiny trickle of blood ran down his chin from the corner of his mouth. The white apron that he wore was smeared with grease and gore. His lifeless body slumped against the chip rack that was behind the counter, b
lood had pooled on the cold linoleum floor beneath him.

  “Now little girl, don’t try to be a hero and you won’t have to end up like this asshole.” The man waved the gun around like it was a toy. The other man bent over Tina and tied her wrist and ankles together tightly, he thrust her to the ground so that her face was perilously close to the steaming blood puddle.

  Tina could feel the warmth from the blood, it smelled awful, she did everything she could to avoid the disturbing liquid creeping towards her.

  “Just stay put and this will be all over soon.” The man stuffed a rag into her mouth, now she was forced to breathe through her nose, Tina watched as the blood slowly trickled towards her face.

  ***

  A sudden noise startled Jason out of his deep sleep. Every inch of his body ached, he winced against the sunlight that was beating through the window. His head throbbed with pain and he felt woozy. Jason strained to sit up, a sharp burning pain in his wrist caused him to cry out in agony.

  “You’re awake?” Nick was sat in a recliner across from him.

  Jason raised his arm trying to block out the sun. “Yeah.” Jason looked down at his wrist to find the source of the pain, an IV needle was stuck into his arm. “What the hell?”

  “Morphine, for the pain.”

  “It doesn’t seem to be working.” Jason gingerly touched the huge bump on his face.

  “Sorry pal, that’s all I got for you right now. It’ll get better, just give it some time.”

  “I don’t have time, I have to find Tracy!” Jason’s blood pressure started to rise, causing the throbbing headache to worsen.

  “Take it easy there now. You’re in no condition to go anywhere.” Nick put his hand on Jason’s shoulder, and pressed him back down onto the couch. “As soon as you’re better we will head out. I’ll go with you.”