Things Change (Book 1): Things Change

by Citroner, GW

  “I’d say that’s big chunk out of the local monster population,” said Dan. “Your people should have an easier time of it for a while.”

  “We’re grateful. Your machine gun made a big difference; we needed a big pile of bodies to get a good fire going. I’m sorry the barrel warped on you. Give us a few days and we might be able to scare up a replacement.”

  “That’s alright, Stang. It served its purpose, and we have our rifles. Keep it, and see what your people can do with it. It would’ve attracted too much attention anyway.”

  “Well, why don’t you all get some rest. You’ll eat well in the morning and we’ll set you up with food and fuel before you go.”

  “Thank you. We wouldn’t have survived the night if we didn’t come across this place.”

  “No, thank you. You fought with us, and made a hell of a difference.”

  Lily broke in “Has anyone seen Smelly?”

  “Last I saw, he was chasing down stragglers – guess he’s still hungry,” Dan replied, “I’m sure he’ll be back soon enough.”

  Passing the rest of the night comfortably, late morning found the trio loading up the Humvee with fresh supplies and saying their goodbyes.

  “Thank you, Mr. Roundtree, it was an interesting night but well worth it just for the beer,” said Ty.

  Dan picked up his backpack. “Forget the beer, thanks for the fuel. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us and this let’s us travel non-stop.”

  “Glad to help! I’m sure we could have got through it without you, but it would have taken longer and possibly cost more lives.”

  “You have one hell of a set up here, Stang. But I’m curious, what did you do before it all went belly-up?”

  Stang’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I was the local mailman,” waving his arm to encompass the people around them, he continued “the first few families were all on my route. As things got worse, I started warning folks that we should stick together and find somewhere to hold out against what was coming. A few listened, most didn’t.”

  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Stang. We were firefighters, and Lily was a High School student before all this happened. Extraordinary times bring out the best in people.”

  “Not always the best, but you’re right. I was just marking time to retirement until the epidemic. Then I just did what I thought was right, and some folks followed along.”

  Lilly ran up to them, visibly upset “Smelly hasn’t come back yet! I can’t leave without him.”

  “I don’t see why we can’t drive around a bit and look for him,” said Ty as he rearranged bags and gear to make more room in the jeep. “The sun’s up, it’s early and loads of the local infected have been barbecued. Driving around town won’t be too risky.”

  The day grew increasingly hot and dusty as they meandered aimlessly aound the empty streets searching for the unpleasant smelling, but loyal, dog. Lily became increasingly upset, worried that the beast was injured or suffering from the piercing southwestern sun.

  “There’s no way he’s outside now, Lily,” said Ty consolingly. He drove down yet another narrow side street. “We’re losing time. If we don’t head out soon we’ll have to set up for the night again. We’ll be too close to an urban center to safely drive the highway at night.”

  They’d learned through hard experience that, like any predators, the infected preferred to stay near their prey; which was rarely farther than ten or so miles from a city or town.

  “Ty’s right, Lil,” agreed Dan “We’ll give it a little while longer, then we have got to go.”

  They’d reached Old Town, and we’re nearing the little drug store that was their first stop on arriving in Albuquerque the day before.

  “Please stop here, Ty.” Lily asked. “I want to try something. It’s a little weird and I’m kind of embarrassed to do it in front of you guys. Don’t freak out.”

  They looked at her quizzically for a second. Dan replied sincerely. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re family, Lil. You don’t need to be ashamed of anything. Although I have to admit, I’m dying to find out what it is you’re going to do.”

  Ty agreed. “Yup, I’ll pullover here and you do whatever it is.”

  She climbed out of the car, careful to pull her hat low over her face before stepping into the sun. She made an eerie trilling call that echoed hauntingly through the dusty air. The men felt a frigid chill run up their spines. Abruptly stopping, she stood perfectly still, cocking her head carefully to catch any sound in response. She returned to her seat, a tear slowly rolling down her snow-white cheek.

  “I’m sorry, Lily,” said Dan, when they heard the creature’s equally weird reply.

  “That sounds like it’s straight ahead, we’ll go slow and see if we can find him,” said Ty.

  “How do we know its Smelly and not something else?” Dan asked.

  “It’s him, Dan, I know it. Keep going, Ty!” Sticking her head out the window, she gave another bone-chilling cry.

  Ty pointed to a storefront just ahead and on the right. “That restaurant, it’s coming from there.”

  Lily jumped out before the vehicle had completely stopped; worried that her animal companion had suffered harm. She climbed in through a shattered doorway and paused for a moment, giving her sun-dazzled sight time to adjust.

  She called anxiously “Smelly?”

  His low whimper came from behind a bug-infested dessert display towards the rear; she approached carefully over the debris strewn floor.

  “You’re a stinker.”

  He lifted his lumpy head and farted loudly, wetly, and with such force that a nearby pile of filthy napkins fluttered in the wind of it. The dog’s smooth belly was grossly distended and a messy pile of feces piled near his rear end. If she hadn’t been so happy to see him, she would have retched.

  “You ate too much, is that what happened?”

  He stared at her balefully with watery, crimson eyes, emitting a low whine and weakly wagging his tale against the fly-covered pile he’d crapped.

  She called out. “Don’t come in, he stinks way worse than usual. I’m dragging him out!”

  It took almost an hour to clean the dog off before continuing on their way.

  “Shouldn’t be more than ten hours before we hit Abilene,” Dan looked up from the road atlas and added “Let me know when you wanna switch, Ty.”

  “I’m fine for a while, Danny.” He caught Lily’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Hey, Lil, how’s garbage butt doing?”

  “Sleeping it off, I can’t imagine how much he ate to end up like this.”

  “I want to know why he stinks as bad as he does.”

  “He can’t help that!”

  “Stop, both of you. Yes, Smelly has a problem, but none of us smells particularly fresh anymore. Now let me get some sleep, who knows what it’ll be like in Texas; God knows New Mexico was exhausting. ”

  Twenty-five

  Dan jerked awake as the jeep came to an abrupt stop. Yawning, he remarked, “Ty, that’s the biggest speed bump I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s what I thought, at first,” he squinted at the obstruction, trying to understand exactly what he was seeing; it was long, low, and the same color as the highway.

  Then he realized it was breathing.

  Throwing the vehicle into reverse, he swiftly backed away from it.

  “Hey! Slow down, Ty, you bumped Smelly right off the seat.” The dog looked at him reproachfully from his new vantage point on the floor.

  “I don’t think that’s a speed bump,” he pointed toward the left, “see that? At the very end; that’s a head.”

  “A what?” Dan took a longer look, trying to understand exactly what he was seeing, and then Lily whispered something neither man heard properly.

  “Did you just call me an asshole, Lily?”

  More loudly this time, she repeated the word “Anole. Danny, I said it’s an anole. A type of lizard found out here that camouflages itself like a chameleon.
But this one’s huge.”

  “Guys, we already know the virus changes things, but I think it’s a whole other ballgame when it comes to lizards.”

  “It’s not moving, guys; if it was infected wouldn’t it be coming after us?”

  “I don’t think it can,” answered Ty, “I remember reading somewhere that different types of animals have size limits; like birds, if they’re too big they can’t fly. Maybe this one’s too heavy to move. You know lots of reptiles grow their whole lives, maybe the virus amped up this lizard’s metabolism, made it eat and grow like it’s hundreds of years old.”

  “But why isn’t it all white then?”

  Dan replied. “You already said it, Lil – it’s like a chameleon, maybe its normal color is now white, but it can still change to match its environment.”

  “Well, we can’t just sit here; you wanna help me out?” Asked Ty.

  “Help you do what?”

  “Help me take care of that thing.”

  “How?”

  “We shoot it and then roll it out of the way.”

  “You’re shitting me, Ty. Are you serious? We can just drive around it.”

  “Think, buddy. We can’t leave that thing, what about the next people to come along?”

  “Oh.”

  They approached the creature tentatively, guns pointed at the massive head.

  “It’s gotta be twenty feet long.” Ty nudged the lizard’s side with his boot and Dan leaped back.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “If it was going to do something, it would have done it by now. I think it’s dying,” he waved at lily, standing in front of the jeep, “Come help us out, we’re gonna drag this thing off the road.”

  They rolled it onto the shoulder and watched it take a few more labored breaths as it finally expired on the hard, rocky ground. “Look, it’s turning white now; does that mean its dead?”

  “I guess so,” Dan turned back toward the car, “Lil, Ty, let’s go already. We’ve wasted enough time here.”

  ***

  Lubbock was a wasteland.

  They drove within sight of what little skyline the city had only to find a smoking ruin where nearly three hundred thousand people once lived and worked.

  Lily gazed worriedly at the blank horizon “what do you think happened? It couldn’t have been a fire, or the office buildings would still be standing. I remember two, a tall black one, and a more old-fashioned looking one. They’re gone.”

  “Texas has airforce bases, and if somebody in the chain of command decided they had to destroy the city to save it…” Dan stopped, realizing the young girl was becoming upset and having no reason to make her feel worse.

  Ty diplomatically changed the subject. “How far are we from Abilene now, Danny?”

  He studied the map. “84 connects with Route 20 in about sixty or seventy miles. Then 20 will take us straight there. We’re maybe two hours away. On the way, we’ll pass within a couple miles of Dyess Airforce Base. The military could still be there; should we make a quick detour?”

  Lily gave him a furious look. “After what happened in Boise?”

  “I see your point Lil. However, that doesn’t mean the same thing happened here. This is a military base, not a city run by mercenaries, the situation is a little bit different; and local folks may have evacuated to the base for humanitarian aid, like during a hurricane.”

  “I say we hit Abilene and check for your grandmother first,” countered Dan, sympathizing with the girl’s tense emotional state. “It won’t make a big difference anyway; we can loop back to the base within minutes if we don’t find her there.”

  “You’ve got a point, grandma’s house it is,” Ty conceded.

  Passing Dyess, they turned south along a broad boulevard as the afternoon wore on.

  “We’re looking for Texas Avenue,” Lily said.

  “Are you shitting me?” Ty responded.

  “No, I guess Texans just really love Texas.”

  “Map says we’re close, keep an eye out,” announced Dan.

  Ty squinted against late afternoon glare, trying to see as far ahead of them as possible. “Straight ahead, see all the cars?”

  “Pull up in front of them nice and easy, Ty. I’m sure if we’re polite, they’ll be courteous. Lily, what’s your grandmother’s name?”

  “Mabel, Mabel Hazelton. She’s my dad’s mom.”

  Several vehicles blocked their way; cars, pickups, and a ponderous delivery truck. One of several heavily armed men approached them.

  “You folks ain’t from Dyess.” It was an accusation, not a question.

  “No sir,” Ty replied calmly, “We’re taking the young lady back there to her grandmother’s. She lives on Partridge Place; her name is Mabel Hazelton. After that we’re on our way to Lafayette to see people of our own.”

  “Wait here,” he spoke briefly with a heavy set, bearded man, then they both returned, “Lily is that you?”

  Excited to hear a familiar voice, Lily forgot how much her appearance had changed and almost shouted “Burt! I’m so glad you’re still alive; is Gramma OK?”

  “Girl, what happened to you? And what in hell is that thing sitting next to you? It looks like a giant naked mole rat.”

  Embarrassed, she explained. “I was infected, but I’m better now. Doctors gave me something that stopped the infection, but left me like this. The naked mole rat is Smelly – I think he used to be a hound dog until they did the same thing to him. The driver is Ty and that’s Dan next to him.”

  Pleased to meet you boys, I was a friend of Lily’s dad back in the day,” the big man waved a hand under his nose “Tell me Lily, is Smelly the dog’s name or just what he does?”

  “Both, but you get used to it and he’s handy to have around,” said Ty.

  “Forget the dog, Burt! How is my Gramma?”

  “Oh, she’s fine, Lily,” he gave her a quick wink, “that old lady’s too mean to die; you’ll find her at home. I’ll wave you through.”

  “Thank you, Burt. Can you tell me where I’m going?” Ty Asked.

  “Head straight on Texas until you get to Quail Run Street, make a left, then follow it until you get to Partridge Place. You can’t miss it after that,” he turned and shouted “Let them through, its one of us!”

  Ten minutes later, they were pulling into Mabel Hazelton’s driveway.

  “You want us to wait here?”

  “I don’t know, Danny; I’m kinda nervous to show up looking like this – but strangers might make her more nervous, and Burt wasn’t joking; she’s got an itchy trigger finger at the best of times.”

  The front door slammed open and a gravelly voice called threateningly. “Who are you and what are you doing in my driveway?”

  The trio saw a tall, bathrobe clad, gray haired woman waving an old, double-barreled shotgun in their general direction.

  “It’s OK Gramma,” Lily shouted, “it’s me!”

  Abruptly dropping the weapon on a parched, yellow lawn she ran to the vehicle, tears streaming down her deeply lined face.

  “Is that you, baby girl? Lily?” clutching the door and sticking her head in the open window, a quick glance made her leap backward “are you sick? And what the hell is that thing next to you?”

  “No Gramma, I’m not sick and I can explain everything; you don’t need to be afraid.” Her view blurred as she began crying. “I’m fine, but momma and daddy are dead!”

  The old woman’s face fell at hearing what she’d long suspected. “I thought you were gone too, little one.” Mabel wrinkled her nose. “What smells so damn bad?”

  The next morning was a time for goodbyes.

  As they ate breakfast, Lilly passed tidbits under the table surreptitiously. However, it was easy to see Smelly’s fleshy muzzle poking up over the table’s edge. A rude noise and equally offensive odor from beneath signaled an end to the festivities.

  “That’s it! Get him out of here!” Mabel grabbed a broom and evicted the dog from h
er kitchen.

  “This is the best breakfast I’ve had in forever,” Ty said pushing away from the table.

  “Yes, thank you, ma’am. Ty and I really enjoyed it. We know food is scarce nowadays.”

  “Think nothing of it, gentlemen. You brought my Lily home safe when others probably would have left her where she was. That stinky mutt’s a whole ‘nother matter,” she laughed gruffly and spoke to Lily. “He’ll do fine for pest control, but ugly and smelly as he is, he stays in the yard!”

  Breakfast laughter faded into the sadness of final farewells as the men prepared to embark on the last phase of their continent-crossing journey.

  “We’ll find a way to keep in touch, Lil, I promise.” Dan’s eyes shone with emotion.

  Ty gave the girl a bear hug. “Bye, Lil. It’s been great knowing you”

  Lower lip trembling, she said, “I’ll never forget either one of you, thanks for bringing me here.”

  “We got things under control here, and lots of empty homes to fill up with good people – ya’ll come back with your own people and I’ll vouch for you; Burty and his crew know you done a good thing by us and West Texas folk don’t forget.”

  Lily stood in the street waving, until they were gone from sight.

  Twenty-six

  “Map check.” Dan’s eyes itched and he was ready for a break.

  “About two hours straight ahead,” Ty sniffed cautiously. “Do you think we can close the windows?”

  “Yeah, I don’t smell mutant dog fart anymore.” Forehead wrinkling in thought, he added, “I honestly liked that animal, but I didn’t need to smell what he was digesting the whole way there.”

  “I’d like to say it wasn’t that bad, but it was.” He placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Feeling bad about Lily?”

  Dan gave him a quick sideways glance “No, she’s with family and that’s fine. I did feel pretty fatherly toward her, though, and I miss her company.”

  “Understandable, you’re a dad – something I do not intend on doing. I don’t think I could remotely handle marriage anyway.”

  “It can be rough, but my boy makes all the difference in the world to me.”